Tall Journal Cards Using the Geometric Mocha collection

This month's challenge on the Die Cut Diva's Challenge Blog is to create mini slimline and slimline cards, whilst the current challenge on the Double Trouble blog is a Tall Card with Thin Dies. I wanted to create some taller journal cards to tuck in to the pockets of my Geometric Mocha junk journals, so these challenges seemed like a great starting point. I'm going to create a few sets of cards using different sketches, and decided to start with challenge #530 from Try Stampin' - or not - on Tuesday:

For these cards I layered some scraps (left over from making the journal pages) on to pearlescent card-stock. For the first card I added a die-cut tag and circle from the collection, and for the second card I used a die-cut label and tag from the collection along with some circles that I die cut using Spellbinders thin circle dies. The base card and the card and paper used to cut the circles are also used elsewhere throughout the journal.

I'm entering these cards in to the following challenges:

1. Die Cut Divas - November is a Time for Mini Slimline and Slimline Cards
2. Double Trouble Papercrafting with Thing 1 and / or Thing 2 - Challenge #96 - Tall Card with Thin Cut partnering with Ellibelle's Crafty Challenge (including Tags, Triangles and Teardrops for Thing 3 challenge)
3. Ellibelle's Corner - November Challenge - Die Cuts and Punches - Partnering with Double Trouble
4. Try Stampin' - or Not - on Tuesday - Challenge #530

November 2021 Crafty Goals

I didn't do too badly on my crafty goals for October:

1. Make a birthday card and some gift tags for my Mum's 70th birthday
2. Complete at least 4 different papercraft projects using challenges for inspiration
3. Get started on at least one journal using one of my Bigz dies (make the cover and at least one signature of pages, more pages and other items can continue next month)
4. Sort out 5 pages of dies or stamps
5. More sewing practice - some sewn journal pages and some sewing on actual fabric!

I also made quite a bit of progress with the Geometric Mocha collection. This collection was in my "Use It or Lose It" challenge: my plan was to try and use all of the different types of elements that I have from this collection, and I'll dispose of any items that I can't find a use of. So far, I've created 3 junk journal style travellers notebooks along with several journal cards and other elements to go in them. I'll post about these once they're completed. 

I think that I'll put off  organising my stamps and dies until the New Year - hopefully the Totally Tiffany Get Organised Challenge will run again, which helps me get motivated. In the mean-time, tidying up my desk area would make it easier to craft and to get my sewing machine out!

Here are my crafting goals for November:

1. Make a birthday card for my sister
2. Make and write my Christmas cards
3. Complete at least 4 different papercraft projects using challenges for inspiration (this can include projects for any of the other goals)
4. Finish the Geometric Mocha junk journals and items to go in them
5. Make some Christmas cards to use as pages in Christmas junk journals
6. Make another Christmas journal using the Eileen Hull Pocket Notebook die 
7. Make a Christmas junk journal using the Eileen Hull Full Size Journal die
8. Make a Christmas junk journal using one of the vintage books in my stash
9. Make some Christmas-themed journal cards, tags etc to go in the journals
10. Use at least two of the "Use It or Lose It" items that I picked out last month (accordion journal and Sara's Surfaces pockets)
11. Find storage for my junk journal supplies
12. Tidy my desk

CAS Cards using the Geometric Mocha Collection

I don't generally make CAS (clean and simple) cards, but I spotted the Geometric challenge on Perfectly CAS. As my goals for this month include using the DoCrafts Geometric Mocha collection, I decided to try my hand at this challenge. The aim is to try and use at least some of everything in the collection and anything that doesn't get used at all will be cleared out at the end of the month.

The card blanks that are part of the collection are definitely not CAS, so I decided to use some shaped card blanks from my collection (octagons and circles) which fit the theme. Looking through the die-cut kit I found die-cut paper bows and some Hello and Thank-you sentiments which I probably wouldn't use in the journals that I'm creating with the kits.

I put together all of the bows left in the kit and created 2 sets of cards - 3 circular and 4 octagonal:

Unfortunately I missed the deadline for the Perfectly CAS Geometric Challenge, but I'm glad that I saw it and used up some more of my stash.

I'm entering these cards in the following challenges:

1. Allsorts Challenge - Week 645 Embellish It
2. Creative Fingers Challenge Blog - Challenge #216 Anything Goes
3. Through the Craft Room Challenge - ATG Challenge 12th October 2021
4. Lil Patch of Crafty Friends Challenge - C# 167 Anything Goes

Geometric Mocha Double Flip Out Journal Spots

When I saw the sketch for Week #680 on the Sketch Saturday challenge, I knew that it would be perfect for the Geometric Mocha journals which I'm working on this month:

I decided to combine this with the "Back to School" challenge on the Cut It Up Challenge Blog, where the challenge is to follow a tutorial. I decided to follow a tutorial by Camelia Crafts Designs to make Easy Double Flip Out Journaling Spots. These journal spots are simple to make - basically an accordion folded inner with card-stock covers. 

I created the covers for my journal spots by layering 2 die-cut journaling cards on top of each other. The top layer has a cut away design so that the underneath layer showed through. The front cover has a spotty design, which I decorated with more die cuts using the sketch above, whereas the back cover has an overlapping circle design. I used coffee-died graph paper to make the internal pages:

I made 3 journal spots, which will be clipped to pages in the junk journals:

I'm entering these journal spots in the following challenges:

1. Beyond the Blue - BB35 Layered Die Cuts
2. Allsorts Challenge - Week 644 I Love - I really love die-cutting! 
3. Sketch Saturday - #680
4. Cut It Up Challenge Blog - Challenge 235 Back to School - Follow a Tutorial
5. The Creative Crafters - Challenge 44 Anything Goes

October 2021 Crafty Goals

October's here and it's starting to feel properly Autumnal in my part of the world. I'm not a fan of the heat, so Autumn is my favourite season - I love the changing colours of the leaves.

Last month, I really enjoyed creating junk journals and ephemera with an Autumn Leaves theme. For this month, I've decided that it would be fun to work with the DoCrafts Geometric Mocha collection. The colours remind me of Autumn, although it's a softer palette. 

I have several items from this collection, including card blanks, 12x12 papers and the A4 Ultimate Die-Cut and Paper Pack. I have bought quite a few of the DoCrafts Ultimate Die Cut and Paper packs in different designs, and have made tons of cards from most of the packs, but I've never made a card using the Mocha Geometric collection. I still really love the design, but I don't think I'm ever going to use these to make cards, so this collection will be part of my Use It or Lose It Challenge and I'll be using it to make junk journals, mini books, pockets, tags and so on. For this collection, I'm not planning on clearing out  any left over papers (I'll probably have enough to make some more journals in the future), but I want to try and use the bulk of the die cuts and at least some of each type of item. If I can't use any of a particular item, then I'll lose the lot. 

While I was digging these items out of my collection, I also picked out a selection of plain paper and card-stock to co-ordinate with the mocha colour palette, a few items to start on some Christmas projects, plus a blank accordion journal and some "Sara's Surfaces" pockets which I must have had for at least 10 years. The accordion journal and the pre-made pockets are definitely "Use It or Lose It" items. Let's set a deadline that they have to be used by the end of the year or out they go. 

So, here are my crafting goals for October:

1. Make a birthday card and some gift tags for my Mum's 70th birthday
2. Complete at least 4 different papercraft projects using challenges for inspiration
3. Get started on at least one journal using one of my Bigz dies (make the cover and at least one signature of pages, more pages and other items can continue next month)
4. Sort out 5 pages of dies or stamps
5. More sewing practice - some sewn journal pages and some sewing on actual fabric!