Movie Star

 

Challenge #321 has just gone live at Time Out Challenges and this fortnight we have a theme challenge and it's 

The Movies

Challenge #321 is generously being sponsored by STAMPlorations and they are offering our Top Pick as chosen by the design teams $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, our guest designer this fortnight is the very talented Kim Higgins, our winner of Challenge #316!   You can check out how Kim and my talented team mates have interpreted our The Movies theme over on the Time Out Blog!

You may be inspired by a specific movie (perhaps a favourite of yours) or a camera, film strip or any of the many other icons often associated with The Movies

I thought this one would be a quick and easy project - I already had an NBUS die set (Decotime ) that I'd bought a few years earlier!  I made up a bucket of popcorn, some 3D glasses and a large film strip frame from the set ... and I hated it!  I tried a little background stamping ... still hated it!  

 I was really annoyed with myself when I finally folded and had a peek on Amazon for yet more schtuff that would end up joining my already mounting supply of NBUS!  All I found was this (unbranded) die set but it did look like it might give me some other options and was cheap, quickly deliverable, and didn't seem to be a knockoff of another company's set (at least not a company that I could find)!  

I already knew this lovely panel (Memory Box Matinee Rectangle Layers) would be perfect to frame my card and I did like this curved piece of film strip from the unbranded set.  I thought I'd add the word "MOVIE" but as there were 6 apertures on the filmstrip I wondered what I could add in the 6th, when in a face palm moment the song  Movie Star by Harpo popped into my head and finally I had an idea I could run with!  

The letters from this alphabet set (Tim Holtz World Travels set) fitted perfectly in the apertures I love its Art Deco / Golden Age of Cinema vibe but I'm not gonna lie, I really struggled to fit enough onto the card so that it depicted "The Movies" but not look too crowded ... and the bucket of popcorn I had my carefully constructed had no place!  Eventually I found a way to fit the bucket of popcorn (enough of it anyway) and everything else I'd already cut onto the card - they just had to hang off the edge or be carefully placed so that they overhung the film strip (strategically placed foam tape) without obscuring the "sentiment" 

Movie ⭐️

I still wasn't 100% satisfied - the 3D glasses looked out of place among the movie making elements!  So I carefully removed which left a bit of a hole in the upper right corner that I filled with a pair of sunglasses (PTI Beach Bag) that an up and coming starlet might wear!  I couldn't find a place for the 3D glasses and was going to leave them off entirely when I had the idea to place them on the popcorn ... as if they're in the front row at the cinema looking up at the big screen!

And there's room on that clapboard for some personalisation if I want to add it with a 

white marker or a very small alphabet at a later date!

I hope you can find some Time Out and come join us this fortnight at The Movies!

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

NBUS Challenge #89 - NBUS Decotime and unbranded sets;

Die Cut Divas September Challenge - Recycle, Reuse, Repurpose - everything except the panel and base were cut from snippets left over from previous projects;

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

Inspired by Gaudi

Time Out Challenge #320 has just gone live and this fortnight we have a

Photo Inspiration Challenge

I snapped this photo last year when I toured Europe with my sister.  It was taken inside the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona and this photo does not do it justice!  It was a humbling experience to be inside such a work of art and I have to admit the beauty and majesty of the Sagrada Familia knocked the air right out of my lungs when I first saw it - I think I may even have shed a tear!  This is just one of dozens of arched windows, all slightly different and all designed to transform the incoming light into a kaleidoscope of colour on those interior columns and carefully placed so that the pattern changes with the morning and evening sun as well as the seasons!  I visited a few of the residences in Barcelona that he designed as well - Gaudi was a genius and like so many geniuses was largely unappreciated in his own time!  Fortunately there were enough people who did appreciate his genius and there are still examples of his genius dotted around Barcelona today!

Here's a closer look!

Challenge 320 is being sponsored by Top Flight Stamps 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 Jane Taylor of Purple Jet our winner from Challenge #315.  Be sure to check out Jane's Instagram Account 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 architecture, the colours or the shapes.  Please explain how you were inspired - especially if it isn't obvious!   You can enter as many times as you like but please limit your other challenges entered to 4 (5 including ours)!  I hope you can take some Time Out and join us this fortnight - you have until the July 22nd to link up your entries ... can't wait to see your creations in the gallery!

Normally I would have looked to my pile of NBUS items for inspiration but how could I pass on the opportunity to use this lovely window die (Poppystamps Arched Gothic Cathedral Window) again - I mean it's perfect isn't it!

For the "stained glass", I searched through my copious papers but I couldn't get the ombre look I wanted so I visited the digital site PNGWING and found this image which I loaded into Word and reoriented (so that the warmer reds were on the bottom and the cooler blues on the top) and resized to fit behind the window.

I cut the aperture from the card panel, placed the "stained glass" behind this, then added the die cut back into the aperture.  I stacked another of the background windows (there are 2 dies in the set) then added the finer silver die cut to the top.

I decided to go with a Christmas sentiment (Spellbinders Handmade Sentiments) and augment my Christmas card stash - after all we're over half way through the year now!

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

Christmas Cards All Year Round August Challenge - "P is for Peace" (which is what I felt inside the "Q is for quiet" Sagrada Familia); 

52 Christmas Card August Challenge - No Snow;

The Outlawz August Christmas Challenge - Anything Christmas goes;

The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge #209 - 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

Harlequin Floral Tiles

Time Out Challenge #319 has just gone live and we have another Pick 2 Challenge!

The concept of a Pick 2 Challenge is simple - we give you 6 prompts to choose from and you use at least 2 to inspire your creation!  To be clear, you can pick more than 2 if you like - all 6 if you really want to challenge yourself - but just make sure to pick at least 2!

The Prompts for this challenge are

Monochrome, Geometric, Floral, Stitching, Birthday and CAS!

You can interpret these words any way you like but please explain if it isn't obvious and please remember we only allow a total of 5 challenges - ours plus 4 others!  I hope you enjoy our challenge and that you can take a little Time Out and join us for some fun!  

Challenge #319 is generously being sponsored by Newton's Nook and our Top Pick as chosen by the design team 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, our guest designer this fortnight is Heather Heroldt of Handmade by Heather, our winner of Challenge #310.  Be sure to check out the Time Out Blog to see how how Heather and my talented team mates interpreted these six words!

It's been a while since I've managed all 6 word prompts but once I had chosen this diamond shape (Spellbinders Floral Mini Tiles die set) for its floral and geometric properties, the other four prompts just fell into place - I chose snippets of various pinks to make the card Monochrome, kept the design CAS and added a stitched frame and a Happy Birthday banner!  

I've left some space above the diamonds so I can add a name and personalise this birthday card once I've decided who I'll give it to ... should be a little more balanced once I do that!

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

Snippets Playground Challenge #538 - loads of snippets used;

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Monochrome;

Triple B August '26 Challenge - Blooms only;

Krafty Chicks Challenge #832- Birthday Week;

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

Mother Nature

A new challenge has just gone live at Time Out Challenges and this Inspired By challenge celebrates Mother Nature. 

We want you to create a project inspired by:

The Environment: Mountains, oceans, forests, weather, and ecosystems.

Living Things: Plants, animals.

Nature Itself: Features and processes that exist independently of human creation.

We can't wait to see how Mother Nature inspires you! 

Challenge #318 is generously being sponsored by Lawn Fawn 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!  We don't have a Guest Designer this fortnight but make sure you check out the Time Out Blog to see how my talented team mates were inspired by Mother Nature over on the Time Out Blog!

I had to think really hard about this one!  What do I most admire about Mother Nature, what do I love about Mother Nature, what colours does Mother Nature inspire me to use ...

The hexagon shape is something that has always fascinated me!  It has the ability to perfectly tessellate - covering a surface completely without gaps and using minimal material.  This makes it incredibly efficient in nature and a popular choice for organisms that prioritise structure and strength!  It doesn't look like it could occur naturally yet does!

Flowers are also one of my favourite things about nature so today I have used the hexagonal Floral Mini Tiles (Spellbinders) and cut flowers from snippets of pastel colours of the rainbow (something else I love about Mother Nature) - pink, peach, lemon, mint, sky, mauve with a touch of gold for some elegance and laid them on tiles of forest green in a six "petal" arrangement.

I couldn't resist adding this "Mother" sentiment (Sizzix Thinlets Female Occasions) to my tribute to Mother Nature to the centre which just fitted in the centre!  

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

Snippets Challenge #537 - see below for photos of snippets used;

Word Power July Challenge - sentiment as focal point;

Ellibelle's Garden Party #17 - Anything in or from a garden;

A Cut Above 2 Year Anniversary Challenge - Anything goes with a die cut!

NBUS July Mutual Appreciation Challenge - Floral Mini Tiles is NBUS!

I hope you can take some Time Out this fortnight and show us how you are inspired by Mother Nature - you have until August 5th to link up your entries ... can't wait to see your creations in the gallery!

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

All at Sea

Challenge #317 has just gone live at Time Out Challenges and this fortnight we have the theme challenge

Water

Think ocean, lake, pool, bathtub, rain, fountain, in a glass, sprinkler, river, etc - any way you want to interpret the word!

We don't have a sponsor for Challenge #317 but our lovely team member Jaydee has kindly donated some brand new crafting stash for our Top Pick this fortnight as chosen by the design team!

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 Kathy Asper of MyAsperations and winner of Time Out #312.  Kathy is a frequent player and big supporter of Time Out. Her cards are quite unique and she loves to decorate the insides as well.  Do treat yourself to a stroll though her blog and you are sure to be inspired!

For my card today I've gone with a patterned paper for my water theme and created a spinner/easel card using various nautically themed sets (Verve Strong Anchor, Couture Creations Compass and Wheel die, Spellbinders Wonky Rectangles set)!

I hope you can take some Time Out and join us this fortnight for our Water Theme - you have until the July 22nd to link up your entries ... can't wait to see your creations in the gallery!

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

Neglected Stuff Challenge July - Verve Strong Anchor Set purchased 2016;

Love Those Pretty Papers July Challenge - Optional Theme Coastal;

The Male Room Challenge #212 - Hobbies (my hubby's hobby is sailing);

The Card Concept Challenge 228a - Summer by the Sea (see Inspiration Pic below)!

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

Twisting by the Pool

Challenge #316 at Time Out has just gone live and this fortnight we have a

Photo Inspiration Challenge

Our lovely team member Carol shared this photo with us last Summer - here's a closer look!

Challenge 316 is being sponsored by Lawn Fawn 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!

When I first saw this photo, the pitch of the roof reminded of this beach hut die (Mes Ptits Ciseaux Cabanes).  Obviously I was inspired by the navy and white striped cushion in the photo to make the beach hut up in navy and white pinstripe!  I used an old stamp to create a pin-striped background (WMS Pinstripe Mini - love the distressed look of this stamp)!

And how could I not be inspired by that pink striped towel - I found a scrap of patterned paper that was just big enough to cut a "towel" (Slimline Sentiments Blanket).

The loopy "aloha" sentiment (Lawn Fawn Scripty Aloha) fitted perfectly on the "towel" and was inspired by the painted toenails.  I went over the stacked sentiment with wink of Stella and then added glossy accents - love the sparkly effect of wink of Stella with the Glossy Accents!

I chose this background panel because it reminded me of the water in the pool and the surfboard by the beach hut door was inspired by the inflatable lilo in the pool.

Best of all, just about everything was cut from snippets so it cost me virtually nothing!

 

This photo really worked some magic on my flagging mojo, but if you're still stuck for ideas, you can see how my talented team mates were inspired by this photo over on the Time Out Blog!  I do hope you can take some Time Out and come play cards with us this fortnight!

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

Snippets Playground Challenge #535 - loads of snippets used;

Inkspirational Challenge #370 - Leftovers;

Shopping Our Stash SOS#576 - Summertime;

Double D Challenge DD 6/26 - Tropical;

Fab'n'Funky Challenge #640 - Something Beginning with B (Beach Hut);

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

Girls Just Want to Have Sun

 

Time Out Challenge #315 has just gone live and it's another Pick 2 Challenge!

The concept of a Pick 2 Challenge is simple - we give you 6 word prompts to choose from and you use at least 2 to inspire your creation!  To be clear, you can pick more than 2 if you like - all 6 if you really want a challenge but just make sure to pick at least 2!

The Word Prompts for this challenge are

Summer, Vacation, Camping, Water, Sun and Ice Cream

You can interpret these words any way you like but please explain if it isn't obvious and please remember we only allow a total of 5 challenges - ours plus 4 others!  I hope you enjoy our challenge and that you can take a little Time Out and join us for some fun!  

Challenge #315 is generously being sponsored by Newton's Nook and our Top Pick as chosen by the design team 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, our guest designer this fortnight is Sherri of Sherrisonline, our winner of Challenge #310!  Be sure to check out the Time Out Blog to see how how Sherri and my talented team mates were inspired by these six words!

Finally, I had a reason to pull out this Beach Bag die set (PTI)!  I raided my paper pads and found this pretty design which gave me ideas for colours and then I raided my snippets boxes for suitable bits to make the bag and everything it holds! 

As the bag is actually a gift card holder, I just popped all the beach items into the bag rather than gluing them down - I did make sure they were packed in tightly so they won't come adrift in the post (I hope)!

It seemed a shame to have them partially obscured and now the card is interactive and a little more special!

I especially loved the sunglasses - I cut the base layer from grey vellum so you could see through them to the little crossed temples behind - so cute!

In fact, I couldn't resist making a few more of this design (especially as I had 3 other sheets of this lovely paper)!

The sentiment "GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE SUN" is from the Poppystamps Whittle Sea Life Sentiments stamp set!

So I incorporated Sun, Summer and Water into my design!  How do our 6 words inspire you?  I can't wait to see your creations in the gallery!

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

NBUS Challenge #87 - NBUS Beachbag;

Snippets Playground Challenge #534 - loads of snippets used;

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Add a Sentiment;

Four Seasons June Challenge- Anything Goes Summer;

Double D Challenges - Add a bow (there's a tiny bow on the hat);

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

A Special Toast

A new challenge has just gone live at Time Out Challenges and we would like to see how you are inspired by A Favourite Beverage!

 

Our lovely DT member Carol has donated this pretty handmade Wine Bag as a prize for Challenge #314!

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 Joanne of the Crafty Owl our winner from Challenge #309!   You can check out how Joanne and my talented team mates were inspired by their favourite beverage over on the Time Out Blog!

I was inspired by Champagne ... and this lovely set (Spellbinders A Special Toast) that I finally managed to get my hands on!  I made up a wedding card but I plan on making some birthday cards or graduation cards as well because I am totally swooning over those shoes!

I made the shoes by winking just the top layer of the shoe and adding glossy accents and I did the same thing with the hatband on the top hat.  

The top layer on the pink and purple roses were cut from glitter cardstock and glossy accents were added.  Both layers of the white rose were cut from white cardstock and the top layer was coated with glossy accents and sprinkled with ultra fine pink glitter while it was still wet. 

The sentiment (Sue Wilson Mini Shadowed  Congratulations) was cut twice from the same white as the background panel and then silver.  It looks a little like it's floating above the panel - I definitely like the effect and will do it again!

I hope you can take some Time Out and join us this fortnight.  You have until the June 10th to link up your entries ... can't wait to see how you're inspired by one of your favourite beverages!

TWOFER

As with most things in life, Champagne is even better in Pink so I've made up a graduation card with a pink and black shoe.  And  I remembered I had this old stamp (WMS Putting on the Ritz) which finished off the card nicely (I so miss Waltzing Mouse Stamps)!

THREEFER

...  And another with a shoe in black and pink!

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

NBUS Challenge #86 - NBUS Spellbinders A Special Toast;

Die Cut Diva May Challenge - Celebrations is the theme this month !

Triple B May Challenge - Loads of Blooms in these cards!

Papercraft Challenges #130 - Botanical Beauty is the theme;

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything 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

Ain't You Grand!

 

Challenge #313 has just gone live at Time Out Challenges and this fortnight we have the theme

Playing Music 

Playing music could be playing a musical instrument or playing music on a turntable or cassette deck or walkman, or a pair of headphones or a CD - whatever playing music means to you!

Challenge #313 is generously being sponsored by Gina K and they are offering our Top Pick as chosen by the design teams $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, our guest designer this fortnight is Cindy Chui, one of our honourable mentions from Challenge #308!   You can check out how Cindy and my talented team mates have interpreted our Playing Music theme over on the Time Out Blog!

I had quite a few NBUS dies that I could have used for this theme but I decided on this Grand Piano die from Gummiapan and made a card for my choir director's birthday!

I snipped and stacked several die-cuts of the piano to give it dimension.  I winked it as well but it's not obvious from the photo. 

I had this lovely frame (Gummiapan) already cut and used it to showcase the grand piano.  I cut some quavers and semi-quavers to indicate music being played and coated them with Glossy Accents.

The sentiment (Spellbinders GLP-380 Must Have Sentiments) was foiled using black foil and mounted with foam tape.

The bouquet of yellow roses (Spellbinders Flower Cart) helped break up all that black and white - my choir director also loves flowers and her favourite colour is yellow!  I mounted the bouquet on double foam tape so it sat neatly on top of the piano - there's quite a lot of dimension to the piano!

Here's a closeup though it still doesn't show up the sparkle of the winking on the piano.

TWOFER :

Since I had the Flower Cart set out, I made up another card using the other bouquet from the Flower Cart set.  I added centres to these flowers with White Enamel Accents.

I hope you can take some Time Out and join us this fortnight for our Playing Music Theme - you have until the May 27th to link up your entries ... can't wait to see your creations in the gallery!

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

NBUS Challenge #86 - NBUS dies - Gummiapan Piano;

Inkspirational Challenge #367 - Inspired by the purple bouquet on the palette;

Triple B May Challenge - Just Blooms today;

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Use craft dies;

A Cut Above May Challenge - Anything Goes using Die Cuts;

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

Sunset Collage

 Challenge #312 at Time Out has just gone live and this fortnight we have a

Photo Inspiration Challenge

Our lovely team member Deepti shared this photo with us of her trip to Durres Albania last Summer - here's a closer look!

Challenge 312 is being sponsored by Doodlebugs 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 and speaking of guest designers, our guest designer this fortnight is Fran Wing of FranMadeinOregon - our winner from Challenge #307!

You can also see how Fran was inspired by our photo as well as my talented team mates over on the Time Out Blog!  I do hope you can take some Time Out and come play cards with us this fortnight!

I took this opportunity to pull out these Waffle Flower Postage Collage dies and Waffle Flower Postage Collage Block Dies.  I had a hard time finding a European distributor for Waffle Flower but finally found a distributor in Germany (no English on the site but thankfully I know enough German to get by and Google translate helps).  You lucky USA people don't have that problem as our wonderful sponsor this challenge stocks most of the top brands - including Waffle Flower!

  Eventually I hope to buy some of the matching stamp sets to go with these dies but for now I "made do" with some wonderful images from an old WMS stamp sets (My Island and North Shore).  I also added some die-cut seagulls (Frantic Stamper) which I suspect may also be NBUS (found them when I was trawling through my nautical stash)!

To create the sunset backgrounds, I blended several Distress Inks on a large white background and used the Blocks die to selectively cut out the images.  then popped them back into the negative as a jig and stamped them with various images!   Then added the blocks to a Collage background.

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

NBUS Challenge #85 - NBUS Postage Collage dies and Seagulls;

Traumfabrik Challenge #149 - Code 3 (Use at least 3 colours);

Shopping Our Stash SOS572 - Up, Up and Away (Things you would find in the sky);

Make My Monday Challenge #276 - Birds and or Eggs;

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything 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