Tuesday 19 March 2024

Tartan Whimsy

 

A fairly quick card this fortnight for The Holly and the Ivy Christmas Challenge #159.   

I had 3 small snippets of designer paper that were just large enough for these little trees (Poppy Stamps Nordic Whimsy Trees).  The snowy sky panels was left over from a previous project and I found a pad of watercolour paper on a shopping expedition last week that had a lovely texture (and was a bargain to boot) and I used it for the snow bank (Lawn Fawn Cloud Borders).

I'd like to enter the Snippets Playground Challenge #476 - here are my snippets!


The trees are NBUS so I'd like to enter NBUS Challenge #60!

Grab our badge to display on your blog.

The theme for Christmas Craft Creations for March is Designer Paper


The current ABC Christmas Challenge theme is E for embossing, F for Faux, G for Gingerbread!  I've gone with faux - a faux stitched panel and a faux embossed snowbank.  

The Sparkles Christmas Challenge #158 has the theme Plaid or Tartan;


 I'd also like to enter these fab challenges
Merry Little Christmas Challenge #55 - Anything Christmas Goes;

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you go away a little inspired!  Your visits and comments are always a joy and always appreciated!  And if you leave a comment, I’ll know you were here and how to find you!


Kate

Thursday 14 March 2024

Toucan Do It!


Challenge #259 has just gone live at Time Out Challenges and this fortnight it's a theme challenge

Birds of a Feather

but it's an egg-stra special challenge because it's a collaboration challenge between the Time Out Challenge and the Just Us Girls Challenge
 

Both challenges are sharing the linkup so by entering the Time Out Linky you will automatically be visible on the Jugs Challenge Blog.  And your project may be showcased in either of the challenge blogs... or in both!  And of course both DT teams have prepared projects so there is twice the inspiration!

The challenge is being sponsored by Waffle Flower, and they are offering our Top Pick as chosen by the design teams a $25 credit to their store - no matter which challenge blog you enter through!
The Top Pick will also be invited to join Time Out as a guest designer in a future challenge!


Speaking of guest designers, we are joined this challenge by Jolanda Johnson of The Inquespot Studio.  Do drop by and say hi - Jolanda is a very talented crafter and her card making credentials are im-peck-able!

So, what are you wading for, get quacking!


I have a soft spot for birds and have so many bird dies and stamps (and cages and birdhouses and eggs and feathery dies and stamps) that my biggest problem was what to choose!  It took me days to decide and I may have one or two other birds lying around on my craft desk!

Luckily, I spotted this gorgeous colour inspiration at Colour Hues Challenge #82 which made me think tropical so I decided to go with this toucan die (Charlie and Paulchen) and create a little rainforest scene.

 
The die is NBUS so I'd like to enter my card into NBUS Challenge #60;

Grab our badge to display on your blog.

I'd also like to enter Snippets Challenge #475, the toucan pieces and monstera leaves are quite small and was able to cut them from snippets left over from previous projects - here are some of the snippets I used.  As you can see, I actually cut the toucan from pale blue and coloured him turquoise with alcohol markers.  I also added shading to the leaves with alcohol markers and distress ink blending.  The branches were also cut from snippets of brown.


This week Simon Says A Bit o' Green at the Simon Says Wednesday Challenge and I hope my leaves are enough of a bit!

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you go away a little inspired and I hope you have time to play cards with us this fortnight at Time Out!


Your comments are always appreciated and are always bring me joy and if you do leave a comment, I’ll know you were here and how to find you!

Kate

Tuesday 5 March 2024

Not Even a Mouse

 


Time for a new challenge at The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge where we celebrate the Most Wonderful Time of the Year all year round.  I hope you can join us in getting Christmas cards made throughout the year and sparing that end of year rush!

This card features the lovely Waltzing Mouse 'Twas the Night Before Christmas stamp set and Waltzing Mouse Brogues die set (which I used for the border on either side).  The window featured in the set was designed to fit the Spellbinders Label 14 die.  I miss the wonderful Waltzing Mouse Stamps company a lot - Claire Brennan was such a brilliant stamp designer!


I added glossy accents to the window panes which you may be able to see better in this closeup.   I also added a wee mouse on the sill of the open window.  

I'd like to enter the following challenges
Merry Little Christmas Challenge #55 - Anything Christmas Goes;


Thanks for stopping by, I hope you go away a little inspired!  Your visits and comments are always a joy and always appreciated!  And if you leave a comment, I’ll know you were here and how to find you!


Kate

Sunday 3 March 2024

Tulip Trio

A friend asked if I could make a birthday card for a friend of hers turning 40.  Tulips are her favourite flowers so she wanted these included on the card.  

I was inspired by the mood board over at Inkspirational Challenge #310 (isn't it gorgeous)!

She chose this lovely tulip frame (Memory Box Tulip Trio) as the main image and I coloured the tulips to match the background paper.  I laid the tulip frame onto a piece of vellum and trimmed off the excess. Vellum adds such a lovely softness to a card front - I love using it but it's tricky to attach without the adhesive being seen.  I just hid the adhesive behind the frame and tulips.

I love this tiny alphabet from Gummiapan and I knew the matching number set would come in handy.  They're having their first outing with this card so I'd like to enter NBUS Challenge #60.

Add some flowers and a pretty soft palette and a feminine card comes together pretty quickly doesn't it!  As You Like it Challenge are asking What's Your Favourite - Masculine or Feminine?  Hands down feminine I'd have to say!

I'd also like to enter these fabulous challenges

Allsorts Challenge Week 770 - Spring;

Triple B (Birds, Blooms and Butterflies) Challenge for March;

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes;

Kraft Chicks Challenge #705 - Anything Goes;


Thanks for stopping by, I hope you go away a little inspired!  Your visits and comments are always a joy and always appreciated!  And if you leave a comment, I’ll know you were here and how to find you!


Kate

Thursday 29 February 2024

Fantastic Mini Beast!

Challenge #258 has just gone live at Time Out Challenges and we have a brilliant Photo Challenge to inspire you!  



This challenge is generously being sponsored by Lawn Fawn and they are offering our Top Pick as chosen by the design team a $25 voucher to their store.  



Our top pick will also be invited to guest design with us at a future date so I hope you will take some Time Out of your busy schedule and come play cards with us! 

Here's a closeup of our Inspiration Pic - our challenge starts on February 29th and we thought this little guy might be just the thing to jump start any flagging mojos!

  
How does this little guy inspire you?  If nothing springs to mind, you might like to hop over to the Challenge blog and see how my talented team mates were inspired - you're bound to find plenty of inspiration there!  

This challenge we're fortunate to have the extremely talented Vicky Dutcher as our guest designer but we're also a little sad as we're saying goodbye to Gerrina who is hanging up her DT cap after 10 years on the Time Out Team!  

 For me, it was hard to get past those huge bulging red and I knew immediately what die I wanted to use -  this funky insect from Tim Holtz!  After stacking and adding a little DI shading, I added glossy accents to all parts of his body and once they were dry, I assembled him.  Once the "helmet" is on there are eye cavities (at least that's what they look like to me) and I added more glossy accents to just this section because I wanted big bug eyes.  I added glitter while it was still wet and once dried, I added another coat of glossy accents so the eyes really bulged!  

Here's a closeup of my beetle!


I then cut a bunch of monstera leaves using various dies from a light green card stock and blended Mowed Lawn DI to give them some depth and laid them over a panel of black.

I was a bit stumped at this stage, until I remembered that English people refer to bugs as mini beasts and then of course I just had to go with this fantastic die (Verve Amazing Adjectives) as a nod to the Newt Scamander films Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.  I'm also thinking of adding "friends like you are hard to find"!  What do you think, too much??


Well this guy is a little hard to find, despite his red legs and bulging eyes - I did go a little overboard with the monstera leaves didn't I!  I almost binned it, but my lovely team mates suggested I persevere and I'm happier with it after I reworked my beast (lots more glossy accents) and added this fantastically glossy red sentiment! 

There's nothing worse than cutting up a perfectly good card base-sized piece of card stock unnecessarily, so I do keep all small pieces of card stock in bags sorted by colour and they come in handy for projects like this where I need a lot of small die cuts.  I raided the red and green bags for this project so I'd like to enter the Snippets Playground Challenge #474.  Here are some photos of my snippets (I needed a lot more green in the end as I did cut rather a lot of leaves).


I'd also like to enter these fab challenges

Allsorts Week 769 Challenge - Things that fly (pretty sure those wings aren't ornamental);
Shopping Our Stash Challenge #516 - It's Not Easy Being Green;
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Simon Says Anything Goes this week!


Thanks for stopping by, I hope you go away a little inspired!  Your visits and comments are always a joy and always appreciated!  And if you leave a comment, I’ll know you were here and how to find you!

Kate

Tuesday 20 February 2024

Christmas Left Overs!

 

Time for a new challenge at The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge so I've made a new card for the stash and this one completely from leftovers and stuff I've had hoarded for way too long.

This background panel (Memory Box Celeste Plate) was a failed attempt at a colour challenge last year.  Initially it was yellow on green  - and I have to say it was pretty hideous!  I probably should have binned it but it was a lot work and materials and sometimes I hold onto things to remind me NOT to do that again!  Anyway, I had the idea to go over the whole panel with gilding wax and see if I could resurrect it and I'm much happier with it now!  

I wanted to add a stamped sentiment and I found some lovely printed vellum I've been hoarding for about 15 years now.  But the problem with vellum is how to attach it so you don't see any adhesive!   To solve that problem I created a small frame (this die actually had tulips in the frame but I trimmed them out and will use them later).   I carefully laid the frame over the printed vellum that  and trimmed off the excess - now I had a place to hide the adhesive!  I carefully stamped my sentiment using a stamping platform - I thought I might need Stazon but Memento worked fine!   Then I just added a poinsettia bloom from my leftovers box ... et voila.  I love vellum and I think the printed vellum adds a little something extra but the sentiment is still very much readable!  


The Flower Challenge #88 suggested I "add a heart" so I added a few - Christmas is a great time to share the love after all!

I'd also like to enter these fab challenges

Triple B Feb 2024 Challenge (no Butterflies or Birds, just a bloom this time);

Christmas Crafts All Year 'Round February Challenge where the theme is Hearts;

 Peace on Earth Challenge #58 - Anything Christmas Goes;

NBUS Challenge #59 - The Celeste Plate is NBUS!

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you go away a little inspired!  Your visits and comments are always a joy and always appreciated!  And if you leave a comment, I’ll know you were here and how to find you!


Kate