In the Bag

 Challenge #282 has Time Out has just gone live and this fortnight it's an Inspiration Photo Challenge!

Here's a closer look!

This challenge is generously sponsored by Kim Heggins of Running Stitch Design.  Kim is offering this lovely bag as a prize for our Top Pick as chosen by the Design Team (inside USA only - thank you for understanding).   Many of you will remember Kim as a former Design Team member at Time Out!  

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 Arlene Rose of Sunday Stamper - our winner of Challenge 277!   Arlene and the rest of the team have plenty of inspiration for you over on the Challenge Blog!

I used an old Cuttlebug embossing folder (Snowflakes) to emboss a panel of black card stock and an NBUS 3D Textured Impressions folder (Sizzix 664509) to emboss some red card stock.    Unfortunately, I decided after this to use nested dies to cut the pieces down to size which flattened the patterns a little!   However the patterns are still visible and I do prefer the rounded edges of a die cut panel to the rough edges of an embossed panel.  I added the red panel to the black with a slightly taller panel of white in between to create a border between the black and red.

As a nod to the little zip charm, I added a stacked snowflake with a gold centre.  This large "Let it Snow" sentiment (Avery Elle Let is Snow Die set) seemed like the obvious choice.

I did add Wink of Stella to the sentiment and snowflake but this proved difficult to photograph!

I'd like to enter the following fabulous challenges

NBUS Challenge #71 - NBUS Embossing Folder;

Little Red Wagon Challenge #794 - Red Alert;

Can You Handle the Pressure - Anything Goes Optional Flocon de Neige (snowflake);

Kraft Chicks Challenge Week 2 - Anything Christmas Goes;

Word Power February Challenge - Focal Sentiment;

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

Christmas Tea

Sparkles Christmas Challenge 169 has just gone live and Melissa has chosen Christmas Tea as the theme for the month of February!

Julie Tilman gifted this digital stamp set to her Verve fans many (many) years ago!  Most of the sentiments in the set refer to coffee, but I figured this one could just as easily be referring to tea if I added a pair of tea cups (Marianne Designs LR0462).   The font looked a little Art Deco so I used a retro die (Memory Box Matinee Rectangles) to cut it out.  

To make the cups of tea look more realistic, I cut the cups from white and pink patterned paper with the intention of removing the tops of the pink cups (the rim and "inside").  There is an embossed edge for the curve of the rim goes but no cut lines so I carefully placed my pink die cuts over the upside down dies - lining up the embossed curve with the top of the die!   Then I just adhered the pink cup bases onto the white die cuts.  Obviously tea isn't white so I coloured the "contents of the cup" with an alcohol marker.  

While I don't think a sprig of holly would add much to the flavour of the tea, it definitely made my cuppas look more festive - I'm a firm believer that you can make anything look festive by adding a sprig of holly!

I added a little background greenery (Tim Holtz Winter Foliage) and the sentiment panel was mounted with foam tape.

I recently bought my first Wink of Stella Pen and once the card was assembled, I thought I'd add some sparkle to the holly leaves.  Unfortunately I discovered the hard way that when the pen is primed for its first use, quite a lot of glitter comes out and it's gold, not clear!  I was a little annoyed with myself for not trying it out first and ruining my carefully blended holly leaves but since there's no point crying over spilt glitter, I thought I'd embrace the gold look and went around the rims and handles with the "gold" wink of Stella too.

Here's a closeup of the cups

 

I'd like join the following challenges

NBUS Challenge #70 - NBUS My Cup to Yours Digital set from Verve;

Merry Little Christmas Challenge #60 - Anything Christmas Goes;

Festive Friday Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes;

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes;

Love those Pretty Papers Challenge Feb 2025 Challenge - Anything goes with patterned papers;

Krafty Chicks Challenge #753 - Anything Goes;

Thanks for visiting, I hope you go away a little inspired!  And if you leave a comment, I’ll know you were here and how to find you!

Kate

Warm as Toast

Time Out Challenge #281 has just gone live and it's one of our new challenges for 2025 - a Pick 2 Challenge!  

There will be 6 Pick 2 Challenges thoughout the year and for each of these, there will be 6 words for you to choose from.  We would like you to pick 2 of these words to inspire your creation but you can pick more or even all 6 if you feel like a challenge!

The Words for this challenge are

Stitch, Layer, Heart, Food, Warm and Love!

This challenge is generously being sponsored by Newton's Nook 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 Marcia Hill!  Be sure to check out Marcia's lovely interpretation of our words and of course those of my talented team mates over on the Time Out Blog!

For my card today I've used 

a Stitched Frame;
some Layered die cut images (Greetery Hearts at Home Toaster and WMS Coffee Set matching dies);

loads of Hearts;

 some Warm toast (Food);

and a whole lot of Love!  

So I managed all 6 but as I said, it's only necessary to Pick 2!

I do hope you enjoy our new challenge and I do hope you can take Time Out and join us for some fun!  And please, if it isn't obvious let us know how these words inspired your creation!  And please remember we only allow a total of 5 challenges - ours plus 4 others!

A kind fellow crafter shared the tin wall plaque image many years ago - it's only taken me 7 years to get around to using it!  Sorry I can't remember who it was but if you're reading this thank you!  I used MS Word to size it to fit my smallest plain square die (3cm), added glossy accents and mounted it with foam tape.

I'd like to enter the following fabulous challenges

Snippets Challenge #498 - Snippets used for everything except melamine counter top, panel and base;

Thank God It's Friday Challenge #509 - had some wonderful inspiration

Cut It Up Challenge #322 - Have a Heart

NBUS Challenge #70 - NBUS Greetery Hearts at Home Toaster;

Die Cut Divas January Challenge - use something new (new Toaster die set from Greetery);

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