My Core'dinations Creative Frenzy!

Yes, I'd say I've been in a frenzy!  Ever since learning of the new Design Team call at Core'dinations Cardstock a few weeks back, I've been in quite the busy, creative frenzy!  I told you all in my post before this that I'd be posting my submissions this week and I just finished up a cute card-set today so I am anxious to show you all what I've been up to with all the wonderful Core!

My first project is a framed "Butterfly Collage" that I actually made during a recent scrappy weekend retreat and I made it specifically as a piece of wall decor for my bedroom. I wanted this to have plenty of texture and dimension, attributes that are EASY to acheive with the different variations of Core cardstock!   

The butterflies, of course, were cut out using my Cricut.  For me, using Core'dinations cardstock in conjunction with my Cricut and Cuttlebug machines is a no brainer!  All three are a perfect marriage for each other and I love the degree of texture and dimension that is created when all three are integrated.  So here I used a mix of Core in teal and brown tones.  I used both positive and negative images of the butterfly diecuts with the teal glittered cardstock from the Core Couture collection.  I absolutely love this glittered cardstock on projects because the glitter stays intact and does not flake off... wonderful quality!  Then I amped up the texture of this collage with a mix of several patterns from the embossed Core collections...the woodgrain (which I sanded) and cross-hatched patterns from the Cosmo Cricket Core Impressions and the floral embossing from the Jenni Bowlin Studio Everyday Impressions.  Now I did not use my Cuttlebug here since I was already using so many other terrific pre-embossed designs from Core'dinations, but Core'dinations cardstock is made perfectly to be embossed and I did pull out the emboss folders for my card set which I'll show here shortly!  Another thing I like so much about Core'dinations is that most often the cardstock can stand all on it's own... you don't always need to use a lot of other patterned papers or extra embellishing with it to make a project shine, although you absolutely can if you want.  Here I used only a few bits of scraps from a BoBunny patterned paper to back up my negative butterfly images and to punch a few borders.  A few glazed brads completed this wall decor perfectly, but it's the Core cardstock that most definitely steals the spotlight!

Okay, for this next creation I was inspired by a project that I spied in the latest April issue of Country Living magazine (pg.53)... basically a paper-mache nest made from shredded dictionary pages and brown kraft lunch bags.  I instantly thought to myself that using some great Color Core cardstock instead would make the sweetest rustic looking Easter nest, so that's what I did here!  

This was so fun to do.  Almost like being back in grade-school art class!    

I first shredded 2 sheets of 12x12 cardstock into strips with my home-office paper shredder.

I used a sheet of Core Essentials (Izmir Purple) and a sheet from the Vintage Collection (Oasis Aqua Blue).  The Vintage Collection is some of my favorite from Core'dinations because it really does give a sanded look to the cardstock without all the handy work! 

 

Then I took a kitchen bowl and wrapped it tightly with plastic wrap and flipped the bowl upside down onto a sheet of wax-paper.  After mixing together equal parts water and white Elmer's glue into another container, I took the paper strips and dredged them through the glue mixture then began draping the strips over the bowl form, overlapping them until the entire surface was covered with the strips.   Extra dry paper strips were then also lightly pressed along the outside edges here and there to create a more rustic "nesty" look.  I let my nest dry a full 24 hours before carefully pulling the nest away from the plastic wrapped bowl. 

Here you can see what it looks like on the bowl after the strips have been layered and dried...

I also shredded some other Core to use for the nest filler, and filled the nest with some decorative speckled eggs.  I used some Core Essentials in aqua and some purple Vintage Core to make my filler which I simply scrunched up the strips with my hands.  Here's another view of the filled nest...

 

And last, I've created a Paisley and Nesting Dolls card set, which I've used no patterned paper and minimal embellishing.  I focused primarily on the quality of the Core'dinations and the results of texture achieved through embossing!  

The first card in the set is a "Thinking of You" card and I used Core Essentials and Vintage Core with Cuttlebug stitched squares and border folders and paisley folder and dies.  I sanded over areas of the embossing and debossing with a Core'dinations Sanding Gadget to hightlight and bring out the color of the core.  The only extra embellishing used here was some pink sequin trim, tiny pearl rhinestones for the paisley centers and tiny type alphas for the sentiment.

This second card is more embossing on Core using a nesting dolls emboss folder from Cuttlebug.  I embossed the dolls on three seperate colors of Core Essentials, pink, yellow and green, and then cut out one of each color.  I created my card by embossing a panel of the purple Core Essentials and matting it on a Vintage Core card base.  After sanding the purple dolls with the Core Sanding Gadget, I sanded and mounted the pink, yellow and green dolls onto the card with foam squares.  A floral stickpin was stuck through the backs of each mounted doll, piercing through the foam squares.  I also completed the card's look with some paisley Cuttlebug diecuts and some pink sequin trim.  A sticker was used inside the paisley to make this a "SISTERS" card.

And for the third card in the set I used a mix of Core Essentials, Vintage Core and Whitewash Collection (Grandma's Rocker yellow) with imagery cut from the Paisley (nesting doll) and Cindy Loo (flower card base and vines) Cricut cartridges.  I used the paisley emboss folder for embossing the nesting dolls head wrap and sanded the color of the embossing with the Sanding Gadget.  I also sanded some of the edges of the whitewash card base to allow some of the reverse side yellow color to show through.  Again I used minimal embellishing here to concentrate on the quality of the Core'dinations cardstock! 

Okay, I know this got a bit long-winded, but I do hope you've enjoyed my projects using Core'dinations just as much as I've enjoyed creating them!   Core'dinations cardstock is such a versatile product and it's so easy to play and experiment with it's various uses.  Please do come back again soon, because I plan on sharing some other crafty things I've been making with Core lately! 

And if there's other readers here that are also applying to be a part of the Core'dinations Design Team, please do link me up!  I'd love to see what all you are creating with Core too! 
Good Luck and Best Wishes!  :)