Twofer Lions

I wasn't sure I would make the deadline for Twofer Challenge #15, you know one of those days when NOTHING goes the way you expect!  What with underestimating the size of this old die cut, over-inking and smudging, but the final straw was when I mislaid my last pair of glasses.  One day you're tripping over them (I try to keep lots of spare pairs lying around) and then you're down to your last pair and then whoosh - they're gone too!  I decided to drive up to the local Action store and buy a few cheap pairs!  As I was driving the sun came out from behind a cloud and I emptied out the contents of my handbag onto the passenger seat to find my sunglasses - what should also fall out but a pair of glasses (my prescription ones too)!  I know I had looked there but those sneaky things gremlins must have put them in there when I had my back turned!

Anyway I finished the cards (sort of). Here's the first.  I had to replace his face after I smudged it badly (which is why it's a different colour, shhh don't tell anyone) and I'm not 100% happy with the speech bubble but at least it's finished.  I used snippets of suede card stock I've been hoarding on their manes.  

Here's the second.  I was happier with this one (I didn't smudge him and preferred the lighter blue background).  The sign was a bit of a challenge - the die I wanted to use was way too big!  So I ended up doing some selective die cutting.   

Doesn't he just look like butter wouldn't melt in his mouth?   Don't be fooled!  Did you notice how he scratched out the "DO NOT" on that sign?  I haven't finished the inside of this card yet, but it will be something similar to this one I made a few years ago. 

 Previously I used an oval die for the mouth and a grass die for the teeth, but I have a much bigger selection of dies these days so we'll see!  Last time I made this card everyone had a good chuckle (well those who understood English anyway).  I hope it will go down well at an Art and craft festival at which I'm exhibiting next month. 

I'm also entering my cards in the following challenges

CASology Week 340 - cue card is Africa
Happy Little Stampers Anything Goes with Dies April Challenge
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by, especially if you take the time to leave some feedback.  I can't tell you how much I enjoy reading your lovely words!

Kate

Spin the Bottle

I recently saw on Pinterest where someone had made a Heineken bottle using the MFT Soda Bottles die set and I thought I'd try making some cards with some Luxembourgish beer labels.  I also thought it would be fun to make the bottle spin.  The Kraft card stock I used was quite thin so it took 6 stacked die cuts to get this right.  The bottom die cut had a small hole for the brad prongs to go through.  I used a small punch to make holes in the next three layers large enough to clear the brad head so that the top layer sat atop the brad head and used some Gathered Twigs Distress Ink to add some depth to the finished bottle.  I cut my computer generated label with the appropriate labels die from the Soda Bottles set and coated it with Glossy Accents.  I then mounted my beer bottle brad on a checked "tablecloth" cut with Crealies Stitched Squares and Scalloped Squares.

Using the MFT Bottlecaps Die set, I cut some corked bottle caps and spelt out PROST using the MFT Bottlecap Letters set.  The brick wall was embossed using an embossing folder I picked up at Action.

Closeup of cork bottle, bottle caps and brick wall

There are a couple of challenges I'm entering my card in

Cardz4Guys Challenge 217 - Fun and Games

Inkspirational Challenge  184 - Pop It Up

Happy Little Stampers April Anything Goes with Dies

and Pixie's Snippets Playground Challenge #350

Thanks for stopping by, especially if you take the time to leave some feedback.  Your kind words will make my day!

Kate 

Purple Smile

I made up some card fronts in gold and cream a few weeks ago and I thought I'd use one to make up another card featuring this lovely Impression Obsession Smile sentiment.  I used a different flower from the WMS Simple Sprig set and the colour purple this time.  Unfortunately my punching was not spot on and several of the flowers were punched off centre, so I decided to add some large purple gems to the centres to hide my mistakes - which worked out well because the current challenge at Time Out is to use at 2 or more embellishments. 

I'm also entering the current Allsorts challenge - Sentiment in Focus;

Pixies Snippets Challenge #349

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge : No Designer Paper;

 the Paper Players Challenge ;

Always for Fun Challenge 105 to use Flowers;

Addicted to Stamps Challenge #336 Anything Goes

Happy Little Stampers April Anything Goes with Dies Challenge;

Thanks for stopping by, especially if you take the time to leave a comment.  Your kind words will make my day!!!

Kate

Wedding Tree

My oriental plum tree just outside my kitchen door has started blossoming this last week and this always makes me want to break out my Memorybox Twiggy Tree die and add some pink flowers.  But this week one of my friends asked if I could make a wedding card for her and she had something particular in mind - a tree with hearts instead of leaves and two hearts falling down and coming together.   And so this card was conceived!  

Firstly I knew I wanted my tree to be flush with the background so I inlaid the tree.  Sticking on all those hearts wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.  I adhered Easy Connect Craft Tape (Craft Emotions) onto pink cardstock and used two dies from the Elizabeth Crafts Love Life Tag set.  These dies have loads of little hearts in various sizes.  I then just picked them up using craft tweezers and lay them on the tree.   Here's a closeup of the tree so you can see the shimmer on the two main hearts - glossy accents and ultra fine glitter.  You can also see the detail of the stitched square die (Crea-Nest-Lies XXL 22) when used with the Easy Connect Craft Tape which embosses as well as making stickers of your die cuts.

I'm entering this card into Watercooler Wednesday Challenge #214 

Also the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge which has an Anything Goes theme this week

I'd also like to enter this card in Addicted to Stamps Challenge 334  

and also the Happy Little Stampers Anything Goes with Dies Challenge.

Thanks for stopping by, especially if you take the time to leave a comment.  Your kind words will make my day!!!

Kate

Jungle Friends

I love this Jungle Friends die set from My Favourite Things - it's so much fun experimenting with different patterned papers (something I have rather a lot of)!

On this card I also cut a Verve Pennant Trim from patterned paper to add to the festivities. 

I'm entering this card in this week's Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge 'cos I think it's pretty cute and that's the prompt word for this week.

Thanks for stopping by, especially if you take the time to leave a comment.  I do love to hear from you,

Kate

Hot Air and Showers

I am super excited to be participating in the Twofer Challenge at last.  The premise of the Twofer Challenge is to use the same die to create two cards for different occasions.  The theme for Challenge #14 is Balloons.  As you can see I have followed Darnell's lead and gone with the hot air variety.  Which gave me the opportunity to finally break open this NBUS die set from Elizabeth Crafts.  The above card uses the die set as it was intended, while the card below uses the set in a non conventional way.  

It was super super easy to create the umbrella.  All I had to do was cut the large balloon body and then place that scalloped flounce die upside down at the point I wanted my umbrella scallops to be.  

Once I had the balloon cut, I applied a couple of coats of purple embossing powder and UTEE and sprinkled some pale gold Tempera powder into the molten goo.  The raindrops and sentiment are from an old stamp set my good friend Jaine Drake designed ages ago and are unfortunately no longer available.  The umbrella hook was from a WPlus9 set but I had to extend the handle slightly so it was in proportion with the canopy.  The weather has been very grim here for well over a week now - so much rain and the wind has been howling.  We've already lost some roof tiles and I am definitely feeling under the weather!  Despite the lack of natural light, I did manage to capture some of the lovely gold on camera though!  

The theme for the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Whatever the Weather

 As the recipe for Challenge #391 at Less is More is Take 3 and my first card includes 3 clouds and 3 circles I am entering it there.

Lots of snippets were used in the first card so I am playing in Pixie's Snippets Playground Challenge #348

Thanks for stopping by, especially if you take the time to leave a comment.  Your kind words will make my day!!!

Kate