Wednesday 24 February 2021

Dancin' Shoes


I used a Sizzix Originals Die (remember those old red ones) to cut this "dress" and "shoes" from embroidered fabric ages ago and they've sat in a box all this time waiting to be put to use.  I placed a "spring" on the back of the dress so it could do a little soft shoe gentle sway though it looks like the shoes are already doing their own thing - anybody else recall Bed Knobs and Broomsticks!   

The quote from Oprah was one I found when I was searching for a quote about shoes for a previous challenge.  I used WordArt to format it and some WMS stitched rectangles to cut and mat it.

I'm entering the following challenges


613 Avenue Create - Anything Goes with an Optional Twist of Heart and Sole (I just went with Sole)!



Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit.  If you leave a comment, I’ll be over the moon!  I’ll also know you were here, so I can check out what you’ve been up to and we can become better acquainted!

Kate




Thursday 18 February 2021

Iced Tea


I was inspired by Colour Hues Challenge #12 which has a lovely summery colour combination - perfect for lifting me out of this dull and grey February!  Can't you just imagine knocking back a few iced teas  on a hot summer's afternoon - that's where this colour combination took me! I've used classic coke- shaped bottle from the MFT Soda Bottle Set and the matching Soda Pop Stamp Set and I added a few "Lime" bottle caps and a Happy Birthday sentiment using the matching MFT Bottlecaps!


I was lucky enough to find a background paper which not only fitted perfectly with the colour scheme but also made me think of soda bubbles - lot's of soda bubbles!  I grounded the bottle using a "tablecloth" of orange slices and a doily

I'm entering the Tic Tac Toe Challenge at Cuttlebug Mania Challenge where I hope I have completed the top line (I think DSP is Designer Series Paper).


I'm also entering 
Fab'n'Funky Challenge #511 where the theme is Birthdays;
Double D Challenges which has the theme Anything with a Heart - which I've taken quite literally and added a heart;
Always Fun Challenge #201 - Anything Goes!

I'm also entering the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge because my favourite technique is die-cutting!


Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit.  If you leave a comment, I’ll be over the moon!  I’ll also know you were here, so I can check out what you’ve been up to and become better acquainted!

Kate

Tuesday 16 February 2021

Twofer Balloons

I found this simply stunning inspiration pic on Inspired By Challenge #IB161!  


I was determined to use some of my new Wildflower Stems dies, so it was just a matter of finding a vase or other suitable container to put them in.  I found an old Sizzix Originals Balloons die and thought I could possibly adapt the long balloon as a suitable vase AND then could kill two birds with the one stone and enter Twofer Card Challenge #35 which has the prompt balloons!

Here's a closer view of the bottled wildflower.  I coloured the stem with an olive alcohol marker and the tips with a pale pink but the pink didn't pop enough so I went over with an embossing marker and embossed in this lovely Metal Magic Pink embossing powder by Debbi Moore.  I cut the base off the balloon, layered it up a few times and coated it with a few coats of the same pink embossing powder.  Not only is it a very pretty shade of pink, but this powder has a lovely subtle metallic sheen.   The sentiment is from WMS Afternoon Tea Sentiments and cut with the smallest Labels 25 - I punched a small hole in it to make it into a tag to hang around the neck of the bottle!

Then it was just a matter of creating a real balloon themed card!  I cut 5 balloons (actually I cut 15 because each of them is layered up 3 times) and coloured them in various distress inks to have a rainbow-themed card, then coated them in Glossy Accents.   I was lucky enough to find this sheet of DP to make a bright bold background for my balloons and some wash tape to decorate the envelope!  The sentiment is wishful thinking more than anything else of course!  Hubby is having a big birthday next week but there will NOT be a party!  In fact I'm having a big birthday in October and it's very unlikely that we'll be able to have a party then either!  But that's life for a while longer yet unfortunately!


I'm also entering the following challenges


HLS Anything Goes with Dies February Challenge

Always Fun Challenge #201 - Anything Goes

NBUS Challenge #23 - The Wildflower Stems die set is new

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit.  If you leave a comment, I’ll be over the moon!  I’ll also know you were here, so I can check out what you’ve been up to and maybe get to know you a little bit better!

Kate

Thursday 11 February 2021

Hats off to Steampunk


Challenge #147 at the Male Room is Steampunk.  I've never attempted it before - I'm not even entirely sure I know what it is!  So I thought I'd start with a bit of research!


According to Wikipedia, Steampunk is a retrofuturistic subgenre of science fiction that incorporates technology and aesthetic design inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery.  Steampunk works are often set in an alternative history of the Victorian era or the American "Wild West", where steam power remains in mainstream use, or in a fantasy world that similarly employs steam power. 


Hmmm not a lot clearer, but I thought perhaps that the Umbrella Academy which I (binge) watched during the beginning of the pandemic could be described as Steampunk!  The most bizarre character (there were quite a few of them) was a gold fish inside a robot by the name of Carmichael and he reminded me of this bizarre stamp of a brain in a light bulb (Fusion Art Stamps).  The stamp caught my eye when I saw it at a stall in Dortmund in early 2012 but it's just sat in a box for 9 years while I waited for my own light bulb moment on how best to use it!  

Wikipedia's mention of the Victorian era made me think of this top hat stamp and the thought of it sitting jauntily on top of the lightbulb was too much fun to resist.

This imagination sentiment (Stampers Anonymous Flights of Fantasy) seemed perfect.  I stamped it onto my background panel in black Versafine using my stamping platform.  I then overstamped it with Versamark and clear embossed it - aren't stamping platforms fabulous inventions! I  knew I wanted to add a few gears, and I thought it would be interesting to try out a few different embossing powders.  In the end I went with a verdigris powder - a mottled green/brown/gold. 

I wanted a subtle background and after a bit of experimenting stamped this clock collage stamp (Non-Sequitur Time and Space set) with a Smoke Blue Versacolor ink on a panel of mottled blue card stock.  The stamp was a little too small to cover the whole panel so I had to selectively mask to avoid hard edges in the middle of the panel.

I added a few coats of clear embossing powder to the lightbulb and assembled the card.  I added the gears with little "screw" brads so they do all turn.  And I tried to place them so that one gear would turn its neighbours.  It sort of works but the teeth don't have enough bite so they slip under each other.  Perhaps if I'd layered then up it would have worked better - next time!

Here's a closeup of the lightbulb and his verdigris embossed gear "legs"!

It felt good to let my imagination run a little wild - though I have no idea who I could possibly send this whacky card to!

Since the stamp for the lightbulb was NBUS I'll be entering my card into NBUS Challenge #23

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit.  If you leave a comment, I’ll be over the moon!  I’ll also know you were here, so I can check out what you’ve been up to and maybe get to know you a little better!

Hugs and stay safe,

Kate

Wednesday 10 February 2021

Krafty Hearts


I was inspired by inspired by this gorgeous Inspired by Challenge #160 pic to make this wedding card!


I've had it "on the back burner" for a few days now - even used the hearts cut from this in the previous card because they were hanging around on my desk!  It's about to close so I have to dash over and post it now - there's nothing worse than being totally inspired by a card and then missing the deadline (ask me how I know)!

This Mr and Mrs die (Signature Collection by Sarah Davies)is NBUS so I was keen to use it trying to use all my stuff  (New Year's resolution) incase you're wondering why I made a wedding card instead of a Valentine's Day card!  And it gives me an opportunity to enter the NBUS Challenge #23!

There are several "cardiac related" challenges out there - so many I could be breaking challenge rules for some so I apologise in advance if I do!  Here are just some of them

Inspirational Challenge #232

Paper Players Challenge #527


Double D Challenge 


Always Fun Challenge #200 - Romantic/Love
Shopping Our Stash #438 - Love is in the Air

I'm also entering the Anything Goes with Dies Challenge for February at Happy Little Stampers

Thanks for stopping by - I hope you enjoyed your visit.  If you leave a comment, I'll know where to find you and can check out what you’ve been up to and maybe get to know you a little better!

Hugs and stay safe,

Kate

Monday 8 February 2021

Vintage Champers!

 This is a card I've made for a friend in Australia!  She's turning 80 and I swear she barely looks 60 so I wanted to avoid a big "80" on the card - and I think I've managed it with a very subtle "fondé en 1941"!


 I designed the label using word art, and the dies for the bottle and glass are from a set I bought a while back but this is the first time it's been used.
  I cut just the neck from a piece of golden card stock and trimmed it, then wrapped a strip of black card stock around the neck and added a red rosette (the sun from Frantic Stamper's Village Sky die set)


The glass was cut from vellum but I added some gold glitter to give the appearance of champers!  Needless to say there is gold glitter over everything (and everyone) at home!


I added  some hearts (on my desk from another project) for some heart shaped bubbles!


Challenges I'm entering : 



The Library Challenge - Jar (or in my case glass) of Hearts






Thanks for stopping by - I hope you enjoyed your visit.  If you leave a comment, I'll know where to find you and can check out what you’ve been up to and maybe get to know you a little better!

Hugs and stay safe,

Kate

Thursday 4 February 2021

Awesome Mauve

I was asked to make a card for an awesome Scot (aren't they all awesome??)!  I knew some plaid and a few Mackintosh roses wouldn't go amiss as well as various shades of purple (the colour of the thistle and the different heathers to be found on the Scottish hillsides) and here's what I came up with! 


The timing was perfect as it coincided with this prompt at Rainbow Card Challenge #26 - Mostly Mauve!




After adding the roses (Waltzing Mouse Simple Sprig) to the branch (Spellbinders Cherry Blossoms) and this "Awesome" sentiment (Verve Amazing Adjectives), I wanted some deeper purple ("Thistle" coloured) and decided to add this butterfly - it arrived just before Christmas so I haven't yet had a chance to use it (and desperately wanted to be reminded that brighter days are coming)!  The current Cuttlebug Challenge is Put an Animal on it, so that worked out well and I get to enter NBUS Challenge #23 too!

I'm also entering Always Fun Challenge # 199 - Card for a Friend

and Fab'n'Funky Challenge #509 - Anything Goes!

P.S. I used Milled Lavender Distress Ink to stamp the roses, used circular punches to cut them out, coated them with Glossy Accents and sprinkled a little Holographic ultra fine glitter while it was drying.

Thanks for stopping by - I hope you enjoyed your visit.  If you leave a comment, I'll know where to find you and can check out what you’ve been up to and maybe get to know you a little better!

Hugs and stay safe,

Kate



Wednesday 3 February 2021

More Life Support

 


When my friend for whom I made G & T Life Support saw the finished card, she asked if I could make another with coffee instead of the G & T!  Now coffee is something I can really get behind, and for some reason loads of coffee related items have found their way into my shopping basket over the years 😉!

Mr Mojo must have been shining on me again, because while deciding which coffee product to include on the card, the idea of the heartbeat running across this Lil' Inker Coffee Mug popped into my head!  I grounded my cup on a tartan "table cloth" and doily and continued the heartbeat across the card front.  The coffee beans I used to decorate the inside and envelope were from the Verve Coffee set.  There were loads of coffee related sentiments I could have used, but in the end I generated another LIFE SUPPORT sentiment to keep it simple!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges

TGIF Challenge #301 - mad for Plaid

The Library Challenge #76 (inspired by the title rather than the cover picture this time)


Shopping Our Stash Challenge #438 - ❤️ is in the Air

Always Fun Challenges #199 - Card for a Friend


Thanks for stopping by - I hope you enjoyed your visit.  If you leave a comment, I'll know where to find you and can check out what you’ve been up to as well!
Hugs and stay safe,

Kate