HD Perfect Days - Cutest Kittens

Today's cards all started with another Hunkydory set.  This one is from the kit called Perfect Days - the set called Cutest Kittens.  It's from a 1/2-set they call "deco-large" which usually means there are two complete images - one die cut meant to serve as a base for the other "deco" die cut pieces, and usually another one on the accompanying sheet of AS (adorable scoreable printed card stock) as is the case with this set.  Here's a picture of the 1/2-set:

The main background die cut is on the smaller sheet.  The other page has die cuts intended to form layers on top of it - each one getting smaller and smaller.  Especially with these deco large sets, I like to make a challenge out of it.  Instead of making one card with a massive set of layered die cuts on it (and maybe an additional one from the AS sheet), I see how many cards I can make with creative use of the die cut layers. This time I got 6 cards - you can see them all here:

Now for a closer look at each:

Card #1:

I decided to start with the smallest pieces and see if I could piece some sort of scene from them - the cats were only heads and the wheelbarrow was missing a wheel.  I think I did a pretty good job of making it look otherwise.  The background was a piece of card stock from my stash.  After building my scene on it, I added a double layer of ribbon across the top, and matted it all on tan card stock.  The sentiment is stamped (one of my Mom's stamps), die cut and matted using dies from a Stampendous Make It Pop set of dies. Then I finished it with a couple tiny die cuts on the sentiment.

Inside:

Inside, leftover pieces of the card stock with ribbon as on the front serves as a backdrop for a cat sticker from my stash.  A stamped sentiment (Crafter's Companion Compendium {CCC} set - sheet called Birthday-Female.

Card #2:

The plaid background was printed from a digital freebie I got somewhere. This die cut was also missing it's wheel and had a space between the grass/flowers and the wheel barrow that looked really weird.  I decided it was the perfect place for the die cut sentiment (from the set).  As you can see, I rounded the bottom corners & matted it on cream colored card stock from my stash before adding it to the plaid.  Next, I added the double ribbon border and rounded the bottom corners of the plaid before gluing it in place on the card front - which also has the lower corners rounded.  I found another sentiment in my stash & added it in the upper left corner to finish the card front.

Inside:

I had a couple small strips of the plaid left over, so used them for borders as you can see.  Another stamped message (this again from the CCC - sheet called Thinking of You), and a couple stickers from my stash finished the inside.

---------------------------------------------------------------

After making this card, I found I really didn't like it.  The plaid made it feel to me like a masculine card but I figured lots of guys wouldn't like all the pink.  SO, I covered up the pink ribbon on the outside and used a different sentiment, changed the stickers on the inside, and took a red Sharpie to the pink flowers.  Here's what I have now:

Card #3:

This card started with a piece of the AS - simply thin matted it on green paper and added a sentiment (from the set).  Quick & easy!

Inside:

I had a hard time knowing what to do with the inside of this one.  Finally decided to die cut a piece of the green, stamp a message on it (another from CCC Birthday-Female), and add a couple small die cut pieces.

Card #4:

This is the main die cut base that I'm using as a focal.  Much of the AS sheet was this very light colored print and I didn't like the die cut on it plain - decided to mat it on lavender with inset die cut borders that let you see through to the mat.  Cutting die is from Card Making Magic - the set called A5 Box Kit.

Inside is a simple border made from leftover of the AS & lavender - with a cat sticker from my stash to fancy it up.  The stamped sentiment is the same as that on the first card in this set.

Card #5:

Here the focal is a wheelbarrow full of kittens against a blue "sky" type paper.  This was simply placed against a pink plaid background from my stash.  I found an Easter greeting in a Hunkydory Little Book of Essential Sentiments, and called it good (after all, I need it for tomorrow!).

Inside:

As you can see, I've simply got a border strip from leftover paper, a sticker, and a couple of stamps (CCC - Thinking of You and Celebrate)

Card #6:

This card, for the twin of the recipient of card #5, is similar, but done in yellow:

Inside:

Here too, the inside is very much like the previous card - just a different color.