Thursday 29 August 2024

Rainbow Support


Challenge #271 has just gone live at Time Out Challenges and this fortnight we have a theme challenge for you 

Friendship/Encouragement/Support


This challenge is generously being sponsored by Uniko and they are offering our Top Pick as chosen by the design teams a $25 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, we are joined this challenge by the incredibly talented Nancy Leppek of Scrapper@Heart our winner from Challenge #266!  If you didn't come here from the Time Out Challenge Blog, you really must see what she has made especially for our challenge ... and while you're there, let her know how much you love it!

After prevaricating about the bush for way too long about which of the many encouraging quotes to use, I ended up going with this supportive sentiment from WPlus9 Pretty Patches Umbrella set instead!   Mainly because I could show off this lovely NBUS boho rainbow die set that came with last year's Gummiapan 2023 Advent Calendar (speaking of, I hope I haven't missed the deadline for this year's Advent Calendar).   I think the arches of a rainbow are a great image for a support card - after all arches have been supporting most of the world's more famous buildings for millennia.  

All sorts of weather are represented in this pretty panel of clouds but it was a bit too busy for my lovely rainbow so I made up a framed panel of vellum to tone it down (the frame is to hide any adhesive)!   As well as the rainbow, I added a few clouds (Elizabeth Craft Hot Air Balloons) and a little sunshine (Frantic Stamper Village Sky).  

I'd like to enter these fab challenges

NBUS Challenge #65 - The rainbow die  is NBUS;
Die Traumfabrik Challenge #131 - The Intouchables (all about friendship).

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

Thursday 15 August 2024

Tutti Fruity

 Challenge #270 has just gone live at Time Out Challenges and this fortnight it's an Inspiration Photo Challenge!

Here's a closeup!

This challenge is generously being sponsored by Graciellie Design and they are offering our Top Pick as chosen by the design team a $25 voucher to their store.  

Our top pick will also be invited to guest design with us at a future date so I hope you will take some Time Out of your busy schedule and come play cards with us! 

Speaking of Top Picks, we are delighted to welcome Stef Perry of Perry Papercrafts (our Top Pick of Challenge #265) as our guest this fortnight!  If you haven't already done so, please drop by and see what Stef has made just for our challenge ... and let her know how much you love it!

There's quite a lot in this pic to inspire - the colours, the fruit, the heart bowls, the timber floor - I can't wait to see what captures your imagination!


As always, I'm trying to get to the bottom of my NBUS stash - though that may well be impossible as it’s constantly growing!  I've had these strawberries (Charlie & Paulchen Waldbeeren) for well over a year now and this challenge gave me the perfect opportunity to finally get them out and have a play.  This little beaver (Poppy Stamps Whittle Beaver) is another die that's been waiting patiently for a play and as his little arms allow something to be tucked into them, I've tucked the smallest of the strawberries in there!   Those little white bowls in the inspiration pic gave me the perfect opportunity to use this recently acquired heart die set (Poppy Stamps Vintage Heart)!  The vines were from another NBUS set (Joy Craft Pumpkins).

I couldn't resist this corny sentiment from Poppy Stamps Whittle Wild Animal Sentiments … and some dew drops added to the strawberries makes me think they’ve just been picked!

I’d like to enter this first card in to NBUS Challenge #65;
Daring Cardmakers Challenge - this week’s theme is Summer Lovin’ and I’m lovin’ fresh strawberries in Summer;


and Allsorts Challenge 793-4Summers Days makes me think of yummy fresh strawberries!

Here is another card that was inspired by the pic - namely all the fruit and the timber floorboards!  And it’s given me another opportunity to use some more NBUS dies - Gummiapan Fruit and Gummiapan Swedish Fika and Platter set (just the platter);  After cutting the floorboards (Gummiapan), I masked off the area above and rubbed in some gilding wax.  I cut a few pieces of fruit from white card stock and coloured the pieces with alcohol markers.  I arranged the fruit on the gilded platter -and once I was happy with the arrangement added glossy accents so it had that waxed fruit look!  I've gone with a general HUGS sentiment (Birch Press Big Lingo Type Hugs) though a fruit platter would make a great Get Well Card don't you think!
 

I’d like to enter this card into the August inspiration Station Challenge which has the following wonderful inspiration pic;
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

Thursday 1 August 2024

Belle Bell and Birds

 

The Sparkles Christmas Challenge #163 has just gone live and the theme this month is 

Christmas Critters.   

These little birds were part of a set I recently bought from Poppy Stamps (Nordic Majestic Bloom) - though I've assembled my flower a little differently!  I inverted the flower head so it resembles a bell in order to make it a little more Christmassy!  I originally planned to go with a traditional red, green and gold but this bloom is so pretty I opted for pink, green and gold instead.

As I was assembling, it occurred to me an action wobbler would be perfect for mounting this pretty "bell" - it even makes a faint boing sound! 

I'd like to enter these fab challenges

Snippets Playground Challenge #485 - I forgot to take photos of all the snippets before I started but you can get an idea from this after photo;

NBUS Challenge #65 - Poppy Stamps Nordic Majestic Bloom is NBUS;


Merry Little Christmas Challenge #57 - Anything Christmas Goes;

Peace on Earth Challenge #68 - 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

Island Summer

 

Challenge #269 at Time Out Challenges has just gone live and this fortnight we have an Inspired By Words Challenge with this quote from Lilly Pulitzer

"It's always Summer somewhere"


An Inspired By Words challenge works exactly as you would expect - you take the words from the featured quote and use them to inspire your creation!   You can use one word, multiple words or just the general idea of the quote.

This challenge is generously being sponsored by Varada Sharma and they are offering our Top Pick as chosen by the design teams a $25 credit to the 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 Betty O'Keefe of Created by BFK!  Be sure to check out her gorgeous interpretation of our quote as well as my talented team mates over on the Time Out Blog!

How do these words inspire you and where do they lead your imagination?  We hope you can take Time Out of your busy schedule to come play cards with us!


While I was playing around with an old stamp set (WMS My Island) last month, I created a few different scenes and this is one of them. I cut it with a Spellbinder classic oval, stacked it, matted it and mounted it on an ornate oval (Spellbinders Floral Ovals) that I had cut from Kraft and gone over with gilding wax so it looked like an old fashioned gilded picture frame.  This frame has stars around the edge of the oval and it made me think of star fish one might be lucky enough to find washed up onto this idyllic beach.


It was then just a matter of stamping this sentiment from the My Island set and adding it to a black card base. 


I'd like to enter these fabulous challenges

Four Seasons August 2024 Challenge - Anything Summer Goes;

Papercraft Challenges #107 - Holiday Time;

Allsorts Weeks 791-792 - Delights of the Season - beautiful sunsets;

Krafty Chicks Challenge #727 - Stamps;

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes;


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

Kate