The Travel Bug

 

While I had the Funky Bug set out earlier this week, I thought I'd make a few ladybirds.  There is "Charmingly Cherry" challenge at The Rainbow Challenge #31 so I wanted to make something in red.

Then it was just a matter of making a card.  Since Monsieur Mojo seems to be on an unexpectad and unwanted vacation at the moment, this hasn't been easy.  I thought about themes that you may associate with bugs - computer bugs, getting sick and finally the travel bug - I have loads of travel themed stuff!  I found this text in an old stamp set (WMS Fine Feathers) - it's so small I hardly noticed it.  It's a bit lost on this DP but I thought it would be perfect for a bon voyage or graduation card.  

I'd like to enter Shopping Our Stash Challenge #450 with the prompt "Quit Bugging Me" and 

 the Alphabet Challenge where "I is for Insects"!

I'd also like to join Cardz 4 Galz Challenge 152 where the prompt is die cuts or punches.

The following challenges have Anything Goes this week so I'd like to enter there also

Crafty Chicks Challenge #570

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge

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 get better acquainted!

Kate

Tree of Life

This Memorybox Tree has come alive with colourful spring butterflies!  The "For You" sentiment is from the WMS Big Day Today stamp set - so many lovely sentiments in this set!  The name I've curved around the base of the tree.

I'm entering this in Make My Monday Challenge #153 where the prompt is "Trees".

I'd also like to enter Allsorts Challenge #633 where the theme is "Feminine/For a Lady";

I'd also like to enter the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge where this week "Anything Goes"!

Finally, there's a new challenge coming soon which sounds intriguing - Four Seasons!  

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 get better acquainted!

Kate

Squeeze the Day

 

This card was inspired by this lovely fresh image from the current Fusion Challenge.  I even tried to follow the sketch this time.   I just love this colour combination and never would have tried it out if not for this challenge!   

I love this sentiment, which I've seen a around a lot lately but as I don't own a stamp with it I had two choices - create a computer generated one or spell it out!  I tried the latter because I wanted to replace the "y" with a cocktail glass!  I can't tell you how many alphabets I toyed with until I settled on this one (MFT Little Letters Upper).   The sun I might replace with another lemon slice if I can remove it safely.  The top needed something and I thought sun - squeezing the day and all!  But I still wasn't happy so I thought I'd add a few lemon slices.

I'd also like to enter the Double D Colours of Summer Challenge which has the following Inspiration Board - doesn't that drink look inviting!

I'd also like to enter the following challenges 

Use Your Stuff Challenge #427 where the theme is Summer Fun;

Happy Little Stampers Anything Goes with Dies July 2021 Challenge

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 get better acquainted!

Kate

Perfect Specimen

 

When I saw this funky colour combination over at Colour Hues Challenge #22 I knew it deserved a funky subject matter!  

And these previously NBUS Tim Holtz Funky Insects fit the bill - perfectly you might say!  I'm not a huge fan of insects - especially the flying ones!  Very few things freaked me out more than Bogong Moths and Christmas Beetles.  My older brother thought it would be hilarious to throw a Christmas Beetle in the bathroom while I was in the bath one night - I would only have been 6 or 7 at the time!  When I was a little older I had a traumatic experience with a bogong moth and my (then) long frizzy hair!  To be fair it was probably more traumatic for the bogong moth!  Any yet when I saw this Funky Insects Die set I just had to have it!  Therapy??

But how to use it - one of the reasons it's sat in a drawer for ages!  I saw a challenge last week for Frames, which made me think of a specimen in a collection which then the led me to the idea of using this "perfect" die (Verve Amazing Adjectives).  I can't find said challenge, so I guess I missed it but would like to thank them for the inspiration!

I have been looking at this inspiration photo from Inspirational Challenge #279 for 3 weeks now - two previous attempts ending up taking me in different directions!   It's closing shortly and I had resigned myself to not getting anything finished in time when it occurred to me I had already been inspired!  The lime green combi van and that strip of aqua sea were very likely why this colour combination appealed to me so much!  

As the idea for this card began to grow, I thought I'd check out other challenges for further inspiration.  You can imagine my surprised and delight I was when I came across Shopping Our Stash Challenge #450 which had the prompt "Quit Bugging Me"!

Other challenges I'll be entering are Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge where the prompt is "Out with the Old and In with the New".  The Funky Insect die is new (for me) and the frame dies are old and much loved dies!  

Since the Funky Insect Die set is NBUS, I'll be entering this card in NBUS Challenge #28

Finally I took a closeup photo of the beetle so you can get a look at his eyes - creepy yet mesmerising as they are!  I placed a small drop of glossy accents and worked it into the crevices around the eye socket and then sprinkled them with ultra fine blue glitter.  When dry, I gave the eye sockets two more coats (without glitter) until they bulged and then covered the whole upper carapace.

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 get better acquainted!

Kate

Sugar Free Cupcakes

These cupcakes contain absolutely no sugar, no gluten, no dairy, no salt and no eggs!  I wouldn't recommend eating them though - no matter how good they look!

I used a 1" scalloped punch to take a bite out of these Marianne D Cupcakes, before coating them in glossy accents and glitter.

Timeout Challenge #192 has the prompt Hungry

At the current Alphabet Challenge we are challenged to Use Happy in Our Sentiment!

The prompt at Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge #409 is Any Occasion!

Allsorts Challenge Week 633 has the prompt Feminine/For a Lady!

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 get to know each other better!

Kate

Twofer Birds

 

It's that time of the month again - when I try extending the use of my dies and stamps and create two cards for two occasions!  The prompt for the Twofer Card Challenge in July 2021 is Birds.  

I've set myself a double challenge this month, using this bird die from Impression Obsession (Birch Trees) and this birdhouse die (Frantic Stamper Garden Birdhouses) in both cards.  The Garden Birdhouses Die is NBUS (despite being bought 6 years ago) so I'll be entering the cards in NBUS Challenge #28 as well!  The first is "welcome to the neighbourhood" card and the second is a Christmas card.  Here's a closer look at each of them!

These birds are very neighbourly - all having a natter on their roofs or in their gardens!   It's A Lovely Day in the Neighbourhood - which just happens to be the name of a movie starring Tom Hanks so I'll be entering this card in the Time Out Challenge #191 where the prompt is Movies!

 I cut and stacked these birdhouses and birds from white card stock, then I used various distress inks to colour them.  No problem with the birdhouses but the birds are tiny and I ended up with very inky fingers so I'll be entering the Cardz4Galz Challenge #150 where the prompt is "Get Inky" because I certainly did!

I would also like to enter this card in MakeMyChallenge Challenge #152 where the prompt is "Anything Airborne"!

The next card is a Christmas card, because doesn't everyone sit down in the middle of July and make a Christmas card?   Well despite my best intentions early this year, I haven't made a few Christmas cards each month!  January was ok, but then as the weather got warmer, it got more and more difficult!  However, there are several challenges at the moment which have reminded me we're over half way to Christmas and provided me with the encouragement to make at least one this month!

The following inspiration photo from Just Add Ink Challenge #562 inspired my colour scheme - from the white on off-white, the red birdhouse and birds and the touch of greenery at the base.

I'm also entering the following challenges which have Anything Christmas Goes prompts

Little Red Wagon Midway to Christmas

Shopping Our Stash Christmas in July

Crafty Chicks Challenge #567 - Christmas in July

The Male Room Challenge #152 - Christmas in July

Each of the birds and birdhouses were stacked up at least 3 high, so I was able to use up lots of odd pieces of red and green card stock for the birds, the birdhouse and the greenery and I'd like to enter Pixies Snippets Playground Challenge.

I'd also like to enter the Anything Goes With Dies Challenge at Happy Little Stampers

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 get better acquainted!

Kate

A Blue Lagoon

I've had a case of Mojo MIA this past week!  All my orders have been filled and no new ones have come in so I've hit the Challenges hoping to get some inspiration (and give Mr Mojo a kick up the backside).  Thankfully I did, though the design changed during the course of the construction - I was planning to create a scene for a little Vespa scooter I had made up but as I put it together, I realised this flamingo would be a much better fit!

The flamingo (Hobbycraft) was cut from pink card stock but I coloured the legs, eye and beak with a grey alcohol marker.  I also blended a darker pink on the outside edges for depth, before adding a few coats of glossy accents and glitter of course!

While that was drying, I cut 4 of these Monsterio Deliciosa leaves (Décotime).  I shaded them with Twisted Citron and Mowed Grass Distress Inks and lay them on the card.  Any bits I trimmed off, I added again to thicken the foliage.

The "sand" was left over from a previous project, to which I added some gold ink and Mustard Seed Glimmer Mist so it would really sparkle (I should have taken a photo outside when the sun was still shining)!

A piece of this gorgeous deep blue was lying on my work desk from a previous project and I loved it with the green leaves.  It really sparkles too!

For now, I'm not adding a sentiment as I'm not sure what I'll use it for, though I will probably add "fabulous" in hot pink across the top at some point in the future!  This flamingo is pretty fabulous don't ya think?

My main source of inspiration was from Shopping our Stash Challenge #448 which has the prompt "Tropical Delights".

The other source of inspiration came from Timeout Challenge #191 with the prompt "Movies" - my movie being the 1980 film The Blue Lagoon.  

I'm also entering the Watercooler Wednesday Challenge WWC319 with the prompt "All Things Feminine".

Also  the current Sisterhood of Crafters Challenge and the current Simon Stays Stamp Wednesday Challenge both of which have Anything Goes themes!

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 get better acquainted!

Kate