Kintsugi and Ikebana

Challenge #325 has just gone live at Time Out Challenges and this fortnight we have a theme challenge and it's 

Friendship/Encouragement/Support

Challenge #325 is generously being sponsored by Birch Press and they are offering our Top Pick as chosen by the design team a $20 credit to their store!  

The Top Pick will also be invited to join Time Out as a guest designer in a future challenge!  Speaking of guest designers, our guest designer this fortnight is the very talented Rita Wright of CardsbyRita, our winner of Challenge #320!   You can check out how Rita and my talented team mates have interpreted this theme over on the Time Out Blog!

I've had this marbled gold card stock in my stash for a while now and I thought it would be perfect for some Ikebana vases (Sizzix Ikebana) since it made me think of Kintsugi - the Japanese art of mending pottery with gold.  

It came together quickly (for a change) though I did cut several vases before I was happy with the arrangement but I'll use them at a later date.  Teamed with a foiled sentiment (Spellbinders GLP-380) it's perfect for any occasion and you can never have too many of these in your stash IMO!

I hope you can find some Time Out to come join us this fortnight!

I am grateful for and would like to enter the following challenges

Fab'n'Funky Challenge #320 - Three of Something;

Allsorts Challenge #851 - Feminine;

Ellibelle's Garden Party #20 - Anything in or from a garden;

Triple B October Challenge - Birds, Bees or Blooms;

Love those Pretty Papers October Challenge - I hope the paper used to create these Kintsugi vases qualifies (even though there isn't much used it was integral to the design)!

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 hopefully be able to find you!

Kate

Sweet Autumn Blessings

Time Out Challenge #324 has just gone live and this fortnight we have a

Photo Inspiration Challenge

Here's a closer look!

Photo credit: Kateryna Hliznitsova - Ukraine

Table topped with plates of food and a cup of coffee

Challenge 320 is being sponsored by STAMPlorations and they are very kindly offering our top pick as chosen by the design team a $25 store credit!

The Top Pick will also be invited to join Time Out as a guest designer in a future challenge!  Speaking of guest designers, our guest this fortnight is Ashwini Rao of Experiments With Card Making Etc our winner from Challenge #319.  Be sure to check out Ashwini's Blog if you haven't visited her previously.   You can also see how my talented team mates were inspired on the Time Out Blog!

You may be inspired by the colours one or more of the items within the photo, but please explain how you were inspired - especially if it isn't obvious!   You can enter as many times as you like however you must limit your other challenges entered to 4 (5 including ours) or you won't be considered for the prize!

I hope you can take some Time Out and join us this fortnight - you have until the Oct 28th to link up your entries ... we can't wait to see your creations in the gallery!

Shery very kindly sent me a set of her Quickcards #3 - Spring Florals A2 Card Fronts earlier this year and I loved working with them!  I still had this one left over and as it had warm autumnal tones, I thought it would provide the perfect backdrop for a little Fika (the Swedish term for going for coffee and pastry) - since that it what how this photo inspired me!

I didn't want my sentiment and pastry platter (Gummiapan Swedish Fika) to be lost on the card panel so  vellum seemed like the obvious solution ... and the best way that I know of to hide any adhesive when using vellum is to create a frame!  However, I wasn't happy with the proportions of any of the frame dies in my stash so I created a frame using two arches (Spellbinders Essential Arches) and shortened the sides before added it to the snippet of vellum that I had stamped with a sentiment (Verve Autumn Blessings) with Memento Rich Cocoa.

The pastries were all cut from snippets of Kraft card and were shaded with Antique Linen and Gathered Twigs DIs, coloured where necessary, highlighted with a white Posca Pen, winked and "glazed" with Glossy Accents and then arranged on the gilded tray.  The little coffee cups (Gummiapan Coffee Break) were cut from a snippet of white, shaded with Antique Linen and Gathered Twigs DIs and coated with Glossy Accents so they had a ceramic appearance!

Then it was just a matter of adding a stacked "Sweet" to complete the sentiment and mounting the panel on a dark brown card base!

I am grateful for and would like to enter the following challenges

NBUS Challenge #91 - just the little coffee cups are NBUS;

Snippets Playground Challenge #543 - Snippets of vellum, Kraft, brown and white;

Double D Challenge - windows is the theme and my arched frame resembles a window;

Little Red Wagon Challenge #880 - Use a frame;

The Sisterhood of Crafter October Challenge - Fall!

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

Christmas Totes

 

Each year I try to make small gifts for my son's "class" mates.  He wanted to share the tradition of Christmas crackers with his friends and so I have decorated these pre-bought gift bags which are big enough to hold a cracker as well as other seasonal treats.

One side was decorated with a Christmas Cracker (Spellbinders), foliage (Sizzix Winter Foliage) and candy canes (Gummiapan) and the other side with a Merry Christmas sentiment (Gummiapan) and their name (cut from red mirror card stock).

The panels were cut with a Distressed Stitched die (Daisy Mae Designs).

Here is the reverse side

 I hope you can find time to join us this month at the Sparkles Christmas Challenge - this year has gone so fast and Christmas is really getting close now!

I am grateful for and would like to enter the following challenges:

The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes;

The Outlawz Christmas October Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes;

Merry Little Christmas Challenge #70 - 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 should be able to find you!

Kate