Time to think outside the box and use the same stamp die or stencil to create two different designs for two different occasions. The challenge prompt for Twofer Challenge #34 is Flowers!
Normally I have trouble finding appropriate stamps or dies for the prompt but this month I was spoilt for choice! I have pictures of all my SCHTUFF stored in my Photos Library on my Mac - I've built up a database of sorts (I used to work in IT) - and this is normally where I start when planning any card. A search of my Photos Library revealed I have over 80 flower related stamps and dies - that's sets not individual stamps or dies. In the end I chose this Bloomington Border die from Memorybox - I bought it a year ago because it matched one of my favourite Christmas dies (Lydia Ornament) but I still hadn't got around to using it.
Here's a closer look was the first card I made. I've been trying to do more colouring with alcohol markers in the hope that I'll get better at it with practice. I used a few pinks and a few greens - trying to bring out the embossed detail on the flower and leaf. I found this sheet of pink polka dotted DP in the stash which was a good match for the pink in the flower and the reverse side had this script which gave me the idea for this layout. The sentiment was tricky - not much space. I toyed with the idea of spelling something out vertically using die cut letters, but what? I thought of possible occasions and thought to myself "just because" - I've been missing my friends a lot lately! You can imagine my delight when I spotted this sentiment (again used my Photos library) on a Papermania set I've had for donkey's ears! It said what I wanted to say and was the perfect size.
Here's the second card I made. This one was much easier since I had it in mind when I first saw this die at the Craft Fair I where I bought it. I cut three borders from white pearlescent card stock (it has a stripy wavy effect) and laid them in alternative directions on plain white card stock - they fitted perfectly on this A6 card front. I then cut the Lydia Ornament in white and red and hung it from silver cord over this lovely background. This 'joy' die just arrived this week so I placed it under the ornament (and gave it a coat of glossy accents for good measure).
Here's a closeup in an attempt to show the pattern in the pearlescent card stock.
I chose red and white (and grey) because of Colour Hues Challenge #9 - a stunning colour combination which wasn't too Christmassy owing to the grey.
I'm still working through my NBUS (Never Before Used Schtuff) - some I've only bought recently and some I've had a bit longer. Luckily there are a few challenges to encourage me in this endeavour at this time of the year!
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| NBUS Challenge #22 |
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| Always Fun Challenge #196 - Something New |
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| SOS Challenge #436 - Whats's New With You? |
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| Make My Monday Challenge #139 - New in Your Stash |
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| SSS Wednesday Challenge - Something New |
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| Jingle Belles Rock - Something Old, Something New |
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 keep yourselves and your families safe!
Both cards are amazing!! I especially like the way you used the flowers for the Christmas card, great idea!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful ornament, Kate! This die and pearlescent paper are so pretty on the red background! Love your pink border too and it looks to me like you color very well! Thanks for making two different designs with the same die for The Twofer Challenge! (BTW, UFO on my blog stands for UnFinished Objects.)
ReplyDeleteLove the ornament with the WoW background, it works really well.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing with us at the Color Hues challenge. :)
The pretty Memorybox Bloomington Border die was such a great choice for this month's Twofer, Kate. I love how you've used it on both cards! So clever to use both sides of your designer paper on the 'just because' card; it's like a paper Twofer, too! And that Christmas card...WOW! What a gorgeous and stunning card! All those blooms, that pop of red, and of course, the shimmer make this one beautiful card. Love it! Thank you so much for joining us at The Twofer Challenge. Stay safe. Bev
ReplyDeletesuch a cool combination of old and new stuff and a great take on several challenges. especially love the TWO-fer aspect and that your two-fer has both holiday and non-holiday versions! so pleased you could join our JINGLE BELLES fun!
ReplyDeleteI love that beautiful joy Christmas card. Great die cut.
ReplyDeleteyour ornament is so cool ... what a creative Two-fer ... so very glad you joined us at Jingle Belles this week.
ReplyDeleteTwo gorgeous cards! Love the way you made our challenge colors shine!
ReplyDeleteThanks for joining us at The Color Hues Challenge !
Very clever use of the same stamp on these two very different cards!! Bravo!
ReplyDeleteOh, to be so organized! I love the floral border you decided on, Kate! It looks beautiful in pink over a text panel on your first design using the fun polkie-dotted paper and sweet simple sediment and as a gorgeous textured background on your second design behind that almost-exactly-matching ornament die! Love that you glossified the JOY, too! Thank you so much for playing in Twofer Card Challenge #34! Take care and keep safe! Hugs, Darnell
ReplyDeleteYour colouring on the pink blooms really makes the detail on them pop, Kate ... such a pretty card ... and the simple sentiment allows them to really shine! What a brilliant idea to adapt the flower for your Christmas card ... it's bold and vibrant, especially with the shiny sentiment ... and that background is so elegant! Thanks so much for playing along with us at Twofer! Hugs, Anita :)
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