Catty Cruise Is Here!!!

Come aboard for a wonderful cruise around the new Stampin' Up! catalog, affectionately known as the Catty! This blog hop Catty Cruise will take you from "port to port" where you'll be able to sightsee the many wonderful creations made by a talented group of SU demos using a variety of just-released sets and accessories! So grab a cool drink, put on your sailin' duds and climb on board!

This is a circular hop, so there is no real beginning or end! You can start anywhere! You can go here to read more details and see all the "ports" or just click on our little friend the seagull above! If you arrived here from It's A Stamp Thing, I hope you enjoyed Vicki's creations made with the new Greenhouse Garden stamp set and Cottage Wall DP. At the end of this post, you'll be directed to the next port o'call!

I chose to highlight the new stamp set, Falling Leaves (page 27 in the catty). I love fall and the cool crisp nights, the warm colors, the smell that fills the air; fall has wonderful memories for me! I like that this set has fun and funky leaf images as well as some "thankful" and Thanksgiving sentiments. Stay tuned next week as I will continue to highlight this set with a few more goodies! But enough chatter, on with the tour!

I'll start with a couple of cards: the first one above uses some unusual colors for a "fall" card: Bermuda Bay, Creamy Caramel and Soft Suede. It also uses a new Texturz plate, Perfect Details. Layering with punches gives a strong focal point to this card. I turned the square scallop a quarter turn to create a different look, and I cut the designer label in half and "spread" it to make a wider layer on the back! The Bermuda Bay polka dot ribbon complements my polka dot leaf! My second one is a clean and sophisticated square:

It uses Kraft, black and white to make a bold statement! The jumbo grommet is a cool embellishment and offsets the geometrical look of the To The Nines DP. The gingham has been "dyed" with a Creamy Caramel marker to make it less stark white.

For a more traditional use for these images, I made a 6x6" scrapbook page:

I am not much of a scrapbooker, but I love this photo of me and my dad, and with the fall foliage in the background, it seemed a natural choice for this set. More Kraft cardstock was first wheeled with the new jumbo wheel, Cornelli Lace----LOVE it! I wheeled my background piece of Soft Suede with it as well. The Earth Element colors of Pumpkin Pie, Really Rust, Old Olive and Ruby Red really look great stamped on the Kraft CS. I sponged the edges with Close to Cocoa to give it a rustic look. The "T" from Defining Alphabet emphasizes the "thankful" leaf and gives my page its theme. The date & place was punched with the cool new Modern Label punch! Buttons from the new Playground series add some fun and a little punch of color.

I love to figure out new ways to use images, and I thought it would be fun to make a basket charm for Christmas out of one of the leaf stamps:

To make this cute little charm, I cut a "wreath" from Handsome Hunter using two Nesties. (Use whatever size fits your basket best). I then stamped several leaves in HH and cut them out, and randomly glued them to my wreath. A 1/4" circle punch makes quick work for Real Red berries! I used a toothpick to add glue to the back of each one, and then added a white gel pen highlight. Doesn't the new Polka Dot Stitched Ribbon look great on this little charm? To tie the charm to my basket, I used Crystal Effects to attach some gingham ribbon on the back. My DH is anti-glitter, otherwise I might have added some Dazzling Diamonds, too!

My final project is a little fun thing I've been wanting to do for a while:

This is a small fabric pin; the oak leaf is stamped in More Mustard Craft ink on a piece of tea-dyed muslin. I hand-stitched it with some batting on to a little piece of felt and added a Playground button again. I sewed a little pin to the back, but in a pinch you could just use a safety pin! This took hardly any time at all; just make sure you iron your image after the ink dries to set it properly! I can't wait to wear this on my jacket this fall!

Thanks for visiting my "tourist attractions" and allowing me to be your tour guide! I have so many more ideas in store for you, so be sure to stop back next week! Your next destination is the totally amazing LeeAnn Greff at Flowerbug's Inkspot. She is the QUEEN of punch art--her creations are amazing! She'll be highlighting the great set, For All You Do, as well as the new Movers & Shapers dies. You can click on the logo below and it will take you to your next cruise destination! Thanks for visiting with me today!

Grateful Card:

• Paper: Bermuda Bay, Creamy Caramel, Soft Suede, Whisper White, Thoroughly Modern DP
• Ink: Bermuda Bay, Soft Suede
• Acc: Perfect Details Texturz Plate & Big Shot; Large Oval, Designer Label, Square Scallop, Scallop Edge and 1/16" Punches, BB Polka Dot Ribbon, Vintage Brads, Linen Thread

Thankful Card:

• Paper: Kraft, Basic Black, To the Nines DP
• Ink: Craft White, Stazon Black
• Acc: 1/2" Circle Punch, Jumbo Grommets, Black Gingham, Creamy Caramel Marker

Scrapbook Page:

• Paper: Kraft, Soft Suede, Ruby Red
• Ink: Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Pumpkin Pie, Really Rust, Old Olive, Ruby Red, Soft Suede
• Acc: Cornelli Lace Jumbo Wheel, Modern Label Punch, Playground Buttons, needle, Linen Thread, Dimensionals, Sponge Daubers, computer

Basket Charm:

• Paper: Handsome Hunter, Real Red
• Ink: Handsome Hunter
• Acc: 1/4" Circle Punch, Circle Nestabilities & Big Shot, Polka Dot Stitched Ribbon, Glue Dots, White Gel Pen, Gingham Ribbon, Crystal Effects

Fabric Pin:

• Ink: Craft More Mustard
• Acc: Felt, Muslin, batting, needle & thread, Playground button, Linen thread, pin back, iron