Blooming Bookmark

 

I started this bookmark card a while back but only just finished it recently.  Normally I add a pocket when I create a bookmark card, but for this one I attached the bookmark with the aid of magnets.   It worked well until I added that tassel which is so heavy,  my original magnets weren't strong enough.  I've added a larger magnet to the inside.  To dress up magnets which can't be hidden, I add a little bit of DP cut with one of the many dies I have that cut small circles (flower centres, border dies and such)!  If you can't hide something, make it  feature!

The bookmark was stamped with the Sugar Pea Designs set Read Between the Lines and cut with the Brainy Bookmark set (also from Sugar Pea) though I trimmed it down so I could fit it on a standard card size.  I added a snippet of "striped" DP to the top and bottom before I cut the bookmark and added strips of gold paper at the join lines.   I added one of the gorgeous blooms (Spellbinders Be Bold Blooms) - I had a few blooms left over from the last time I used this set.   I added more blooms to the card itself, some of which are just peeking out when the bookmark is attached to the card front!  

Here's what the card looks like once the bookmark has been removed.   

As well as the lovely blooms is an impressive stack of summertime reading!  The "quill" on top is actually a leaf from the same set but I think it resembles a feather - that space needed something but I didn't want it visible when the bookmark was in place!

Once I had cut my stackof pink books, I tried masking the covers and colouring the pages with gold gilding wax which didn't work - the gilding wax got everywhere despite my best efforts.  So I cut another stack of books from the pink, cut away the pages and attached it on top of the gold one to hide the mess!  There are only a few places where you have to snip so the pages came away quite easily.  I suppose if I'd used a gold pen rather than the gilding wax, it would have been less mess and less work, but I doubt it would have looked as realistic.

 I decorated the insert and envelope with reduced stacks and just cut these from gold and pink, snipped away the pages on the pink ones and overlaid these "covers"!

 

The reason I wanted to get it finished was The Library Challenge has just reopened and the Librarian has chosen The Reading List to celebrate!  

 

 

 For Flower Challenge #81, we're asked to use our favourite flower!  I don't really have a favourite flower - they're all beautiful IMO!  However this Spellbinders Be Bold Blooms set is most definitely my favourite flower die at the moment!  

I'd also like to enter my card in the Triple B June Challenge - Just Blooms today;

Bastel-Traum Challenge #124 - Plants and Flowers;

and Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - 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

Hello Summer

Well it took its time getting here but summer seems to have finally arrived - we've had a week of glorious weather!  And opportunely, we can celebrate its arrival because the theme for the month of June at 613 The Avenue Create is 

Summertime / and the Living is Easy

My ideal summer destination is anywhere by the sea!  I finally cracked open this lighthouse set (Charlie & Paulchen) for my husband's birthday.   The 'MOIN' banner die was included in the set.  Charlie & Paulchen are a German company but I hadn't heard the word MOIN in German before (though my German vocab is not exactly extensive) however it is obviously where the Luxembourgish word MOIEN  comes from - which means hello and is the first word any foreigner learns when they come to this very welcoming country.   The sea gulls above the heart were also from this set!

I teamed it with this Wavy Heart die from Poppy Stamps - cut from bristol card and coloured with alcohol markers.

 This month we're sponsored by 

How will you be influenced by the theme at 613?  Drop by the challenge blog to see how the rest of the team were inspired - our theme is only optional so you can always play Anything Goes! 

I'd like to enter the following challenges

NBUS Challenge #51 - Both the C & P set and the Wavy Heart are NBUS 

Four Seasons June Challenge - Anything Summer goes

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

Allsorts Challenge Week 731 - Use Your Dies

Inkspirational Challenge #291 - Seasonal - I've chosen Summer

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

Crocheted Christmas Bloom

 

Tiem for a new challege at The Holly and Ivy Christmas Card Challenge and time to add a new card to my stash for next December.  As the weather gets warmer, it can get increasingly difficult to concentrate on cards for the winter months!  My youngest son loves Christmas and particularly Christmas music so it's not unusual to hear Christmas classics blasting out throughout the year, which definitely helps me get in a Christmas mood but if you're struggling with Christmas inspiration, my teamies have loads of inspiration for you and our our gallery will soon be filling up with even more - I do hope you'll join us!

This lovely little flower (Sue Wilson Spiral Pearl Flowers) reminds me of a crocheted flower and I think it frames this oval die cut (Create and Craft Ornate Ovals) perfectly!  Both sets were recent prizes from the Snippets Playground!  They weren't designed for Christmas, but make up something in red, green and gold ... et voila! 

There's a fair bit of dimension with the flower and leaves - each consist of three layers and I've used foam tape to mount the oval and again on the flower - I used some doubled up foam tape where the flower overhangs the oval to keep the levels even.   The inside was decorated with the smaller of the two flowers.  

I stamped and embossed this sentiment (Waltzing Mouse Stamps Compliments of the Season) with Topiary Embossing Powder which is a dark green with gold flecks.  I wasn't sure how it would go on this pre-foiled background DP but I was happy with the outcome - it's certainly legible anyway!

I'd like to enter the following challenges

Snippets Playground Challenge #455 - Snippets of Gold from previous projects;

NBUS Challenge #50 - NBUS Spiral Flowers and Ornate Ovals;

Christmas Crafts All Year 'Round May Challenge - lots of gold in the gold foiled background DPs and the embossing powder as well the the bottom layer of the leaves and flowers (which was devilishly difficult to photograph);

Happy Little Stampers May Christmas Challenge

Merry Little Christmas Challenge - anything Christmas Goes;

Peace on Earth Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes;

Rudolph Day Christmas Challenge - 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

Cheers Time Out

Challenge #239 has just gone live over at Time Out Challenges and this time we have a photo inspiration for you!

Here's a closer look at all that mojo-sparking inspiration!

There were so many elements I had difficulty focusing my attention.  I tried to emulate that sleek trolley with silver and gold mirri card - but abandoned that idea after the second attempt led nowhere fast and instead I created a fancy cocktail that I imagined might be made up on that sleek trolley!

  I cut and stacked multiple tulip glasses (Tim Holtz Happy Hour) from upcycled acetate packaging using glossy accents.  The drink "contents" were cut using another die from the set and coloured with distress inks.  I added it onto the back rather than the front - again with glossy accents - and added several coats of glossy accents to the front of the glass to make it more realistic.  Of course I had to add a little cocktail umbrella from the Happy Hour set! 

The background panel was a lucky find that I unearthed while searching for a suitably tropical paper for the umbrella canopy!   My timber "bar" was inspired by the floorboards in the photo and the gold stacked sentiment was a nod to the brass frame of the trolley!  I couldn't ignore the bowl of oranges and I also added a cherry and a few mint leaves as a nod to the bowl of berries and the green foliage!

We're really looking forward to seeing how you're inspired by our photo - it might be a single element, several elements or the general vibe of the photo - but please tell us what it is that inspired you if it isn't obvious!  If you're stuck, there's plenty of inspiration from my fellow DT members and we're also joined by the very talented Joyce Mehrberg as our guest designer for this challenge!

 

I'd like to give a shout out to our sponsor for this challenge - Picket Fence Studios - who have very generously donated a $25 store credit to be awarded to our top pick as voted by the Design Team.  Our winner will also be invited to guest design with us in a future challenge.

I'd like to enter the following challenges

Make My Monday Challenge #201 - Theme of Masculine

The current As You Like Challenge It Challenge has asked whether we prefer masculine or feminine cards.  Feminine cards are definitely easier, but most of the men in my life them love getting a handmade card from me just as much as the women!  This card is for my eldest son who recently celebrated his 30th birthday (where did those years go?)

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

Hooray Squirrels

 

My little great nephew has just become a big brother.  I thought this pair of squirrels (Poppy Stamps Whittle Squirrel) would make a cute big and little brother.  

I wanted to make my squirrels spin so I placed them on a leaf (Poppy Stamps Whittle leaf).  It was trickier to balance than I had anticipated and I ended up addding two leaves to the left side (Tim Holtz Fall Foliage) and a bit of bling!  Finally it spun properly without just hanging vertically.

You might think an Autumn theme at this time of year is an odd choice but it is heading for the Southern Hemisphere where it is Autumn!  Not that there is much in the way of European trees or squirrels in the coastal area where my niece lives but I wanted to send a little bit of Europe down under .... plus the squirrels just looked so Autumnal!

I used MFT Open Road to create the track on which these two little fellas can enjoy their journey together!

I'd like to enter my little Squirrels in the Inspirational Challenge #289 which has Word Prompt Mini!

I was able to use a snippet of gold from a previous project so I'd like to enter the Snippets Playground Challenge #454!

I'd also like to enter the following challenges

Crafty Aninmals Challenge #72 - Anything Goes with an Animal;

The Male Room Challenge #174 - Animals;

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Simon Says Interactive;

Use Your Stuff Challenge #484 - I used alcohol marker blending to colour the squirrels and leaves;

NBUS Challenge #50 - The Whittle Squirrel and Whittle Leaf dies were new;

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

Kate

Mini Framed Poinsettia

The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge #140 will be live by the time this post is published.  I do hope you'll join us in getting ready for next December well in advance.  My talented teamies have loads of inspiration to help you out if your Christmas mojo is missing and we are blessed to have many talented crafters share their creations in our gallery!

My make was inspired by a few challenges I saw!  Firstly Inspirational Challenge #289 forced me to put on my thinking cap with the word prompt mini, which led me to dust off this Mini Poinsettia die from Marianne D! 

The Day of the Month chosen for the Day of the Month Club Challenge #51 is 'International Picture Frame Day' so I thought I'd add a frame to my card so I could enter their challenge!

And the  Christmas Crafts All Year Round May Challenge has a theme of 5 gold rings so I purposely added a lot of gold to my project!

I'd also like to enter the following challenges

Happy Little Stampers May Christmas Challenge

Triple B May Challenge - No birds or butterflies, only a bloom today!

 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