Get Well Sara

One of Simon's therapists has Covid-19 - fortunately she hadn't been near Simon after she was in contact with the person who gave it to her so we're still safe (well as safe as any of us are)!  But Simon is quite worried about her, having heard so many awful things about the disease so I made a card for him to send her.  

I used the gorgeous colour combination from Just Us Girls Challenge # 563  again (loved it so much) and made an easel card.  I adhered a piece of tissue paper to a piece of purple card stock because I wanted a softer shade before I ran it through this spotty embossing folder.  A couple of doilies, a few green leaves and a Get Well Label and it was all ready for this mug I made earlier in the day.  

I love how the mug turned out - it looks like the night sky!  To make it I first added WOW! Blueberry Cheesecake embossing powder but I wanted a deeper, more vibrant blue so I added two coats of another embossing powder (Sternenstaub Galaxis) and it was precisely the colour I wanted.  After that I added two coats of embossing enamel.  I took a photo of the mug during construction earlier in the day because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to capture the sparkle under artificial light (not that there was much sun around today).  The lighter finer areas are where the Blueberry Cheesecake came through and I think it looks a bit like the Milky Way!

Here's the graphic for the Just Us Girls Challenge

Other Challenges I'm entering are (click on the text under the photo for the link)

Double D Challenges Winter Blues

Fab'n'Funky Challenge #503 - Handstamped or Die Cut Sentiment

Arty Divas Challenge #31 - Anything Goes

The Unicorn Challenge #60 - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by - I hope you enjoyed your visit.  If you leave a comment, I'll know where to find you and can return the favour!

Hugs,

Kate

English Rose

When I saw the colour challenge at Just Us Girls I just had to play along - love it!  I wanted something elegant and something that I haven't used before and decided on this embossing folder from Sizzix which I bought years ago (over 5 to be precise 🤦‍♀️)!  

I didn't want to hide too much of the detail, so I went with this simple single stem rose.  The sentiment is from a Waltzing Mouse Stamps set Big Day Today.  I love how the script echoes the swirls on the embossing folder.

Here's the colour inspiration at Just Us Girls Challenge #563 - gorgeous isn't it!  

Make My Monday Challenge #136 has a Thankful prompt

TGIF Challenge #291 also has the following graphic

Fab 'n' Funky Challenge #503 is a hand stamped or die cut sentiment

Little Red Wagon Challenge #576 is to Say It Loud (hope my sentiment is Loud Enough) and there is also word art in the embossing folder!

and NBUS Challenge #20 because the embossing folder was NBUS!

Thanks for stopping by - I hope you enjoyed your visit.  If you leave a comment, I'll know where to find you and can return the favour!
Hugs and stay safe!

Kate

All Spruced Up

 

I bought this Gummiapan Divided Fir die late last year and I've been looking at it for weeks now, wondering how best to use it.  Then I found this perfect inspiration photo at Inspired By Challenges.  I "coloured" each of the segments with various Distress Inks using a craft mat and a spritz bottle.  From the bottom I used Ground Coffee, Mowed Lawn, Pine Needles, Mermaid Lagoon, Broken China and Salty Ocean.

I wanted to keep it simple so I just embossed a white background with this spotty embossing folder - I think it resembles snow.  There's no name on it and the packaging is long gone so I'm not sure what it's called.  The sentiment is from Action stamped in Memento Ladybird.

I wanted to enter the Let's Squash It Challenge #2 which has the following prompt

The Sisterhood of Crafters Challenge also has the prompt Embossing (Wet or Dry), so I'm entering there as well (by the skin of my teeth)

Fan'n'Funky Challenges has the prompt Hand Stamped or Die Cut Sentiment - mine is both!

CAS Christmas wants us to use non-traditional colours

Jingle Belles wants us to be inspired by their banner which is why I added the sentiment in red and hung the little heart underneath it

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge has the prompt Christmas.

Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge #517 is to add something stating with "R" (Red - another reason I chose red)!

I'm also entering the NBUS Challenge #20 because the Fir die was used for the first time!

Thanks for stopping by - I hope you enjoyed your visit.  If you leave a comment, I'll know where to find you and can return the favour!

Hugs and stay safe,

Kate

Seeing Stars Again

 This Starry Wreath Die arrived this week, just in time to enter  Twofer Card Challenge #33 - the last challenge for 2020.

By the time I had assembled the shaker element of the first card, it was looking so festive, I couldn't think of anything more appropriate than a simple "2021".  I'm sure I'm not the only one who will be glad to say goodbye to 2020!  The wreath and numbers were cut from a brilliant white holographic card stock - not easy to capture in a photograph.  I filled the shaker with pale blue sequins and clear glass seed beads.

The wreath that I removed from the first card became the focal point of the second card - now that's what I call a twofer!

Not everything went to plan on this second card though!  I specifically cut a silver wreath so I could emboss the sentiment in silver but I could not find my silver embossing powder anywhere!  I have many, many, embossing powders - several black, several gold, several white, pinks, blues, greens but just the one silver and it was nowhere to be found!  I don't even have a silver ink pad, and the best I could come up with was this Brilliance Pearlescent Blue which is a better match in real life than it appears in this photograph.  

I would like this second card in the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge which has the prompt Christmas.

Timeout Challenge #175 has the prompt quick and because this card came together in minutes (once I gave up looking for the silver embossing powder), I'm entering there.

I specifically chose this blue card stock because of this mood board at Double D Challenges (I'll definitely be back again for this one - I have loads of other ideas)

Finally as this die is brand spanking new, I'm entering the NBUS Challenge #20

It's been a busy week, we had the First Holy Communion in our parish last Saturday and today.  Only 6 children made it last Saturday, and as there were so few, I thought it would be nice to make them a card.  It was to have been 9 making it today, but in the end 13 children celebrated their First Holy Communion today.  Over 60 were signed up, but the majority are postponing until next spring.  It was so odd seeing the girls all dressed up in white with veils and masks.  I wanted to sing for them today, but I think that will be my last until Christmas (I hope) - there's just too much COVID around now!  Here's the card I made for them.  The wheat die is also a NBUS I bought at a recent craft fair.

Thanks for stopping by - I hope you enjoyed your visit.  If you leave a comment, I'll know where to find you and can return the favour!

Hugs and stay safe,

Kate

Funky Foliage

A few weeks ago I sat down and did a whole lot of cutting and colouring using the Tim Holtz Funky Foliage set - I felt like a 19th century botanist!    This week a friend loved the Autumn card I made previously and asked if I could make her another three thank you cards the same so I got to dip into this stash of Funky Foliage and make some more Autumn themed cards!

These first two were easy - I already had some stamped backgrounds from a few weeks ago!  So it was just a matter of cutting a spinner channel and I had already made two spinner leaves when I had my Distress Inks out a few weeks ago.  

To be honest I didn't fancy the idea of inking up this Waltzing Mouse Background stamp again - it's hard work!  I couldn't get enough pressure from the stamping platform and ended up brayering the ink onto the stamp and brayering the card stock onto the stamp to get enough pressure (then lifting carefully to make sure it had in fact worked), not to mention getting the ink out of all those nooks and crannies afterwards!  So I cheated and used a piece of designer card stock instead - it didn't have the lovely texture of the hand stamped background, but was a lot kinder to my arthritic hands!  To change it up a bit I cut the base of the larger leaf from gold and cut the lacy overlay from a piece of card stock I had distressed in the same colours I used to distress the leaves and toadstools.  

I still had a few leaves left over, so I made another two cards.  I thought I would try a bit of glossy accents on the leaves.  I also used an old Spellbinders die (one of the first I bought) to cut a maple leaf.  I layered up 3 to make it sturdy and then distressed the leaf - again in the same colours I had used for the funky foliage.  I then added a few layers of glossy accent to give it the same shine and sprinkled a little gold glitter while the GA was drying.  I think I preferred it before the glossy accents as most of the embossed detail was lost in the process.  

Those toadstools made me think of fairies and I thought it would be fun to set the scene for a woodland sprite to dance around on the card rather than a leaf.  

I bought this die last year at the Creativa Messe in Dortmund.  It's from a Dutch company (I think) Hobby Solution and it's called Fairy-1.  I cut her from gold and then added a few layers of glossy accents and sprinkled iridescent glitter in between layers. Because she's so long, she doesn't spin as well as the leaf cards - her legs keep hitting the surrounding die cuts.  I underestimated her centre of gravity when adding the funky foliage to the background.  This is the first time I've used this die and the detail is incredible!  Here's a closeup of her face and wings!

I would like to enter this last card in the following challenges.

Make My Monday Challenge #135 - Elegant Fall/Autumn

Cardz4Galz Challenge #134 - Use Silver and/or Gold

Day of the Month Challenge #21 which has the prompt Use Your Head.  The sprite not only has a head, but it took me a while to figure out her centre of gravity (I didn't want her to end her spin upside down now did I)!

Because I raided my snippets box to make my funky foliage, I would like to enter these cards into Pixie's Snippets Playground Challenge #390 (which has extended the deadline and allowed for 2 entries this month).

I would also like to enter Always Fun Challenge #189 - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by - I hope you enjoyed your visit.  If you leave a comment, I'll know where to find you and can return the favour!

Hugs and stay safe,

Kate

Seeing Stars

 

Challenge #33 at Twofer is Stars.  This was more difficult than I thought it would be - mainly because I see stars as an afterthought and I'm pretty sure the prompt has to be key to the design - so I hope both cards fit the prompt!

My stars die is part of the Frantic Stamper Village Sky set.  This set also contains some dinky little clouds, a funky little sun, a moon and even a jet plane - great for scene building!

My first card was inspired by Anita's gorgeous card.  Anita used stars as flowers in her first twofer design and it reminded me of the origin of the Christmas tree lights story.  A man was coming home late one night and was inspired by the stars twinkling through the trees to tie candles to a fir tree (a real fire trap to be sure).  So that's where I went with the first card.  

Here's a closeup of the card

I wanted to play in Squash It Challenge #2 which is to use a Christmas Embossing Folder AND a Christmas stamp.  I embossed the PEACE on earth (Waltzing Mouse Say It Loud Winter) in silver and then ran it through the Cuttlebug Snowflakes Embossing Folder - the only Christmas embossing folder I own!

Christmas Kickstart Challenge #42  has the same embossing folder technique challenge!

You may not be able to tell from the photo but the card stock is actually a very deep blue.  I also distressed the snow drifts and the branches with Blue Jeans DI to give them a blueish tinge because I wanted to play along with Challenge #23 of the Rainbow Card Challenge - Sparkling Sapphire.

Which coincides nicely with Less is More Challenge #432 - Blue & Silver or Red & Gold!

and also with Inspirational Challenge #225 - Night

My second card was the one I struggled with.  I had thought to go with a baby card and use the sentiment "A Star is Born".  I was scrolling through my stamps for inspiration when the line "All I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by" popped into my head.  So I ended up pulling out the Waltzing Mouse Ocean Bound Stamp Set which has a lovely tall ship silhouette in it and flanked it with a few of the Village Sky Stars cut from marine blue!  The stars aren't the focal point of the scene but they definitely lifted the design!

I have been meaning to try this Lifesaver idea out for a few months now.  I cut two rings out using stitched circles (Crea-nest-lies XL Dies #21 and #33) - one in red and 1 in white.  I cut the white ring in quarters and placed two quarter on opposite sides of the red ring (or maybe it was a the other way around but either way works).  I then wound some twine around the joins and used it to frame my tall ship and stars scene - cute huh!!  My husband comes from a naval family so I love new nautical ideas!

I used a piece of striped DP so I could enter Use Your Stuff Challenge #409.  This piece of DP has probably been in my stash for 10 years - good to finally use it (or at least some of it)!

I specifically chose the colour scheme of red white and blue on this card so I could enter it in the Cuttlebug Mania Challenge to use Red White and Blue.

This Waltzing Mouse Ocean Bound stamp set was bought in 2013 and hasn't seen ink in a few years, it was good to dust it off and use it again!  I'm also entering this card in Retro Rubber Challenge #147!

Thanks for stopping by - I hope you enjoyed your visit.  If you leave a comment, I'll know where to find you and can return the favour!
Hugs,

Kate