A New Challenge At Time Out – #159 – Inspired By Words

Hello … bonjour!  Our wonderful new challenge has just started over at Time Out … for the next fortnight, we’d like you to be Inspired By Words … if you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.  Those who are regular visitors here will know of my love of flowers … and will understand what I was drawn to in Cicero’s words … a garden …

     

On the base card, I used a mask and blended a circle of soft Distress Ink colours, reminiscent of a warm gentle sunrise.  The die cuts are all from Simply Graphic (a gift from Judith, thanks, my friend!) … the flowery edged circle was cut into a panel that matches the card base … and the leafy additions were arranged along the right side of it.  Everything was adhered flat to the base … with the leaves left free at the top to wave gently in the breeze!  The sentiment (a little hello) is also from Simply Graphic.

Most of the time, I only share one card for Time Out … but today is a little different, as this will be my last post as a member of the Design Team.  After close to six years of being part of this warm, encouraging and artistic team, stepping down wasn’t an easy decision to make … and I will miss being closely involved with such a fabulous challenge and such a talented group of card makers.  I would like to say an enormous thank you to my lovely friend … our wonderful and inspirational leader, Sandie, for her confidence and faith in me as a new designer … and to all my teamies, past and present, for sharing freely their support, kindness and talent over the years.  Thanks to all of you too, friends and players … it’s been a delight to see so many fantastic cards in our gallery week after week.  My final Time Out DT card is a bit of fun … and I hope it might bring you a smile.  Here, there’s a little guy happily living in the ‘garden’ …

The greenery is from Concord & 9th, cut from Distress Ink smooshed card stock, which is growing right alongside the stamped gravel path (Annabelle Stamps – NLIB).  The friendly escargot came ready stamped from Michele (merci, my friend) … and is popping out from the greenery to wish the recipient a happy birthday (in French as he’s multi-lingual … he also speaks English … and Snail, of course).  As it’s spring, he’s developed a lovely shimmer … and shine (a description he much prefers, rather than the s**** word more commonly associated with snails) .  You can tell from the look on his face he’s quite rightly proud of it … take a peek …

     

Where will Cicero’s wise words take your creativity?  You can use any or all of them to inspire your card … we’d love it if you played along with us.  We’re sponsored this fortnight by Newton’s Nook … our winner, as voted for by the DT, will be offered a $25 store credit … and as usual, will be invited to Guest Design with the team in a future challenge.  All the details are over at Time Out, along with heaps of lovely inspiration from our splendid DT!

My first card will be joining in the fun at …

Inkspirational – Spring

Papercraft Challenges – Pastel Colours

Perfectly CAS – Die Cuts

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday – Mood Board … bottom left (below)

The Flower Challenge – Spring/Autumn

… and Monsieur Escargot will be shining at …

AAA Cards – Made in Minutes (just under 15 … ultra quick for me!)

AAA Birthday – Dots and/or Stripes (that dotty gravel!)

Addicted to Stamps And More – Clean And Simple

CAS on Friday – Black, White And One Colour

The Male Room – Make Me Laugh

I hope and pray that you’re all continuing to stay safe and well out there … keep crafting and keep smiling 🙂 .  Thanks so much for coming by, your visits and comments are always a joy!  Anita 🙂

           

             

          

     

Time Out Challenge #158 – A Reminder!

Hello … bonjour!  I’m popping in today to remind you that you still have almost a week to play along with us at our special challenge over at Time Out, where we’re raising awareness for epilespy (following Epilepsy Awareness Day on 26 March).  It’s a condition that’s close to our hearts at Time Out because Sandie, our beloved leader, has it.  You can find out more here … and by visiting Sandie’s blog here, where she talks about her own experience of living with this often misunderstood and complicated condition.  The colour purple and the purple ribbon represent epilepsy … so our theme for this challenge is … a lot or a little purple.  There’s also an optional twist of friendship as we thought it would be nice to send a purple card to a friend to give them a smile!   Here’s the second card I did just that with …

A one layer card using Mondo Hydrangea from Essentials By Ellen, stamped at the Lake House (don’t recall whose it was … sorry ladies!).  It’s coloured with Zig Brush Markers and a water brush … the sentiment’s from the same set … and it’s finished off with some Glossy Accents in the blossom centres … and a scattering of gems.

      

How about making a card with a lot or a little purple … we’d love to see what you create in our gallery.  We’re sponsored by CAS-ual Fridays (thanks, Michele) a randomly drawn player who uses the optional friendship twist will receive a US$25 GC to the store.  As usual, our winner will be chosen by the DT … and will be invited to guest design with us in a future challenge.  Details are over at Time Out … along with heaps of lovely inspiration from our fabulous DT … and from our talented Guest Designer, Kavya at Handmade By Kavya.  Why not have a visit with Kavya … you can have a delicious browse round … and you can always say hello while you’re there!

My purple bloom is playing along at …

Happy Little Stampers Watercolour – Anything Goes … no Stars option

Simon Says Stamp Monday – Spring Mood Board (below) … top left purple blooms

Watercooler Wednesday – Anything Goes With A Feminine Twist

Hoping and continuing my prayers that you’re all staying safe and well, wherever you are in the world.  Thanks so much for coming by, your visits and comments are always a joy!  Anita 🙂

     

     

A New Challenge At Time Out – #158 – A Lot Or A Little Purple

Hello … bonjour!  Our new challenge has just started over at Time Out … and it’s a special one.  Today is Epilepsy Awareness Day … also called Purple Day, as the colour purple and the purple ribbon represent epilepsy.  It’s a day that’s close to our hearts at Time Out because Sandie, our beloved leader, has epilepsy.  You can find out more here … and by visiting Sandie’s blog here, where she talks about her own experience of living with the condition.  We’d like to help raise awareness of this often misunderstood and complicated illness … so our theme for this fortnight is … a lot or a little purple … with an optional twist of friendship (we thought it would be nice to send a purple card to a friend to give them a smile!).   Here’s the card I sent to give a dear friend a smile …

This delicious image and sentiment are from a set called Simple Things, from The Greetery … I love it!  I was delighted to be able to chose it (and another set) after winning a GC to the store last year … and promptly set about finding some inspiration for using it.  Unsurprisingly, given her delicious CAS style, Laurie at Soapbox Creations provided me with just that, with this card (thanks, Laurie!).  I just changed the colour palette … made my eucalyptus purple and did the sentiment in espresso ink … added those delicate splatters … and the set itself did the rest!

          

How will you interpret our special Epilepsy Awareness theme … and will you use a lot or just a little purple?  We’d love to see what you create in our gallery.  This time round, we’re sponsored by CAS-ual Fridays (thanks, Michele) who are offering a US$25 GC to a randomly drawn player who uses the optional friendship twist.  As usual, our overall winner will be chosen by the DT … and will be invited to guest design with us in a future challenge.  Details are over at Time Out … along with lots of fabulous ideas from our brilliant DT … and from our talented Guest Designer, Kavya at Handmade By Kavya.  Do pop over and visit Kavya … you can have a wonderful browse round the all the loveliness … and you can always say hello while you’re there!

My purple bloom is playing along at … .

Happy Little Stampers CAS – A Favourite Technique … adding splatter

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday – Anything Goes

Watercooler Wednesday – All About Occasions

Hoping and praying that you’re all staying safe and well, wherever you are in the world.  Thanks so much for coming by, your visits and comments are always a joy!  Anita 🙂

         

Time Out Challenge #157 – A Reminder!

Hello … bonjour!  I’m popping in to remind you that we’re still celebrating our 6th birthday at Time Out … and to let you know there’s still almost a week to join us in our latest challenge.  Our theme this fortnight is (unsurprisingly!) Birthday … and there’s an optional twist of die cutting or fussy cutting.  I chose not to twist …

     

The floral bouquet is from WPlus9, stamped in Versafine Onyx Black onto a panel of mixed media card.  I coloured it with Zigs and a water brush, doodled some highlights on flower centres and tiny buds with a white gel pen … and added a sentiment from Simon.  The finished panel was edged top and bottom with slender strips of black … and was popped up on craft foam onto a matching base card.

        

How about making a birthday card and celebrating with us?  If you use our optional twist of die cutting or fussy cutting, you’ll be in with a random chance of winning a US$40 GC prize from our fabulous sponsor, STAMPlorations (thanks, Shery!).  Our overall winner will be chosen by the DT … and will be invited to guest design with us in a future challenge.  All the details are over at Time Out … along with heaps of delicious inspiration from our wonderful DT … and from our talented Guest Designer, Christine at Experiments In Craft.  Do go over for a visit with Christine … you won’t want to miss a gentle meander through her inspiring blog!

I’m playing along with …

AAA Birthday – Flowers

Happy Little Stampers Watercolour – Anything Goes … with the Flower option

The Flower Challenge – Anything Goes

The Paper Players – Clean And Simple Spring Flowers

I do hope you’re all staying safe and well out there.  Thanks so much for coming by, your visits and comments are always a joy!  Anita 🙂

       

      

A New Challenge At Time Out – #157 – Birthday!

Hello … bonjour … and welcome to a celebration!  Today is Time Out‘s 6th birthday!  We’re thrilled that you’ve been taking time out of your schedule to create with us for six years … and hope you will continue to share your creativity and talent by playing along with us for at least another six … and more!  Our theme this fortnight will come as no surprise … it’s Birthday … with the optional twist of die cutting or fussy cutting.  I chose not to twist …

This is one large image from Birch Press (courtesy of a random win at Tracey‘s 25 Tags Event … thanks, my friend!) … and includes the lovely leaf clusters and the offset frames.  Doesn’t it flow beautifully across the whole card front?  I heat embossed it and the sentiments (from Simon) in silver, watercoloured the leaves with Zig Clean Colour Markers and a water brush … and added some delicate splattering in the same colours as the leaves (after masking the space inside the frames).  You might just about be able to see the shimmer of clear sparkle on all the leaves … I added that as my finishing touch.

     

What kind of birthday card will you make for us … and will you use our optional die cutting or fussy cutting twist?  We’d love to see what you create in our gallery.  We’re sponsored for this special challenge by STAMPlorations (thanks, Shery), who are offering a US$40 GC (yes, you read that right!) to a randomly drawn player who uses the optional twist.  Our overall winner will be chosen by the DT … and will be invited to guest design with us in a future challenge.  Details are over at Time Out … along with inspiration galore from our brilliant DT … and from our talented Guest Designer, Christine at Experiments In Craft.  Why not pop over for a visit with Christine … you can enjoy a wander through all the loveliness on offer at her blog … and say hello while you’re there!

I’m playing along with …

Happy Little Stampers Watercolour – Anything Goes … no flower option

Watercooler Wednesday – All About Occasions

Thanks so much for coming by, your visits and comments are always a joy!  Anita 🙂

     

A New Challenge At Time Out – #156 – Home Sweet Home Inspiration

Hello … bonjour!  Welcome to our new challenge at Time Out … this fortnight, we have a bold, vibrant Home Sweet Home image to inspire you (it’s a little further down).   Here’s where I went with it …

and here …

… and here’s the bright, fun inspiration picture …

Don’t think I really need to tell you what drew my attention!  I translated the yellow table and aqua-blue walls into flowers and added the leaves to mimic those in the vase.  On the first card, the blooms are from Altenew‘s Watercolour Wonders … the sentiment’s from Avery Elle … and the scalloped, stitched panel was cut with a Winnie & Walter die (NLIB).  I added iridescent seed beads to the flower centres and popped the panel up on craft foam.   The second card features the same flowers and leaves from Altenew … a sentiment from Simon … a Crimped Frame die cut panel from The Greetery … and black glitter in the flower centres.

     

What draws your eye in our Home Sweet Home photo … those bold colours, the framed pictures, the stack of books … or something else?  Wherever your creative imagination takes you, we’d love to see your card in our gallery!  This fortnight, we’re sponsored by Altenew, who are offering the winner (as voted for by the DT) a $20 GC … and as usual, our winner will be invited to guest design with us in a future challenge.  All the details are over at Time Out, along with plenty of fabulous ideas from the DT and from our super talented Guest Designer, Maria F from Riesling Mama, to inspire you!

I’m playing along at …

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday – Anything Goes

Watercooler Wednesday – All About Occasions

Thanks so much for coming by, your visits and comments are always a joy!  Anita 🙂

     

A New Challenge At Time Out – #155 – Inspired By Words!

Hello … bonjour!  Our wonderful new challenge has just started over at Time Out!  This time round, we’re having a double celebration … the 8th birthday of our fabulous sponsor, Uniko (congratulations to Bev and her Brand Ambassadors, past and present) … and Random Acts of Kindness Day, which is next Monday, 17 February (though we don’t have to wait till then)!  For the next fortnight, we’d like you to be Inspired By Words … it’s your birthday, so party and throw acts of kindness around like confetti.  I focussed on ‘birthday’ and made this …

      

The panel I used for my card is a piece of an experiment from the Lake House … using Lindy’s Magicals with yupo paper … isn’t it dreamy?  It has a subtle pearly shimmer too … though trying to catch that on camera proved tricky.  I die cut Uniko’s Originally Organic image from the panel … and stamped and silver heat embossed the stylised floral sprig inside it, onto the card base.  The panel was popped up on craft foam over the embossing and I added the sentiments … a silver die cut one from Simon Says Stamp … and the secondary one, made up of words from Uniko’s Birthday Sentiments, and So Much.   It’s so glimmery and shiny IRL it didn’t need any bling … so I left it without.  Voilà!

    

Where will our celebratory words take your creativity?  You can use any or all of them to inspire your card … we’d love it if you played along with us.  As I mentioned earlier, we’re sponsored this time around by Uniko (thanks, Bev!) … our winner, as voted for by the DT, will be offered an in stock stamp set of their choice … and as usual, will be invited to Guest Design with us in a future challenge.  The details are over at Time Out, along with heaps of lovely inspiration from our fabulous DT … and from our talented Guest Designer … Sue from Sentimentally Sue.  Do go over and enjoy a visit with Sue … there’s so much loveiness to meander through … and you can always say hello while you’re there!

My card will be joining in the fun at …

Addicted To Stamps And More – Anything Goes

Happy Little Stampers Watercolour – Anything Goes (no bling option)

Happy Little Stampers Dies – Anything Goes

Uniko – Anything Goes (with Cool Winter Colours option)

Uniko’s 8th Birthday Linky Party – Birthday

Watercooler Wednesday – All About Occasions

Thanks so much for coming by, your visits and comments are always a joy!  Anita 🙂

         

         

A New Challenge At Time Out – #154 – We Challenge You To Be … Affectionate!

Hello … bonjour!  Our fun new challenge has just started at Time Out … and this fortnight We Challenge You To Be … Affectionate!  Here’s my CAS take on it …

I recently saw a card with a halo of ink blended around a die cut image (sorry, don’t recall where) … and thought that doing the same thing with a heart would make it seem as though it was glowing with affection!  My heart is from Winnie & Walter (NLIB) … die cut from a piece of masking paper the same size as the card front.  I used the negative part first to cover the card and stencilled the pattern (Tin Roof from CAS-ual Fridays) into the space twice, offsetting it the second time.  Once it was dry, I covered the stencilling with the positive heart mask, removed the negative mask and blended over the same colour inks to create the warm halo.  I stamped the sweet sentiment from Ellen Hutson (Hello) and Winnie & Walter (Sweetie) … and added shimmery White Blizzard Nuvo Drops around the sentiment and on the stencilled dots.  How about a closer look at the sparkle …

      

How will you interpret ‘affectionate’?  We’d love to see what you create in our gallery!  This time round, we’re sponsored by CAS-ual Fridays (thanks, Michele!) … our winner, as voted for by the DT, will receive a $25 GC … and will be invited to guest design with us in a future challenge.  Details are over at Time Out … where you’ll find heaps of inspiring ideas from our  fabulous DT … and from our talented Guest Designer, Mugdha from Craftomania.  Why not pop over for a visit with Mugdha … you’ll find plenty of lovely inspiration … and you can always say hello while you’re there!

My card is heading to …

AAA Cards – One Layer … No Polar Animal Optional Twist

Less Is More – Off Centre One Layer Card

Perfectly CAS – One Layer

Simon Says Stamp Monday – All Loved Up

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday – Anything Goes

Thanks so much for coming by, your visits and comments are always a joy!  Anita 🙂

          

    

A New Challenge At Time Out – #153 – A Wardrobe Item!

Hello … bonjour!  Our new challenge has just started at Time Out … and this fortnight we have a really fun theme for you to play with.  We’d like you to draw inspiration from an item in your wardrobe, past or present … with optional twist of adding embossing (heat or dry) or texture.  I chose to twist … here’s what happened …

        

The main sentiment is from Poppy Stamps … stacked three times and ombré sponged to mimic the fading out stencilled stripes (MFT).  The supplementary sentiment from WPlus9 was white heat embossed onto a strip that had been sponged to match the stripes.  The florals and leaves are from the same WP9 set … double stamped in various shades of yellows and greens to give them some depth … and adhered onto the card using different heights of foam tape.  I finished off by scattering on some blue pearls and adding Glossy Accents to the flower centres.  A sleeveless summer dress from when I was very young provided the inspiration … it had a white bodice strewn with yellow flowers and a navy and white striped skirt … joined with a navy band at the waist … so pretty.  No actual dress any more … nor a photograph to show you … though I’m sure you get the picture!

        

How will you interpret our theme … can you find or remember something in your wardrobe to inspire you … and will you use our optional embossing/texture twist?  We’d love to see what you create in our gallery.  This time around, we’re sponsored by Poppy Stamps who are offering a US$20 GC to a randomly drawn player who uses the optional twist.  As usual, our overall winner will be chosen by the DT … and will be invited to guest design with us in a future challenge.  Details are over at Time Out … along with inspiration galore from our brilliant DT … and from our talented Guest Designer, Lise at Lise Mariann.  Why not pop over for a visit with Lise … you can enjoy a wander through all the loveliness on offer at her blog … and say hello while you’re there!

I’m playing along with …

Happy Little Stampers Dies – Anything Goes

Just Us Girls – Create Dimension

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday – Use A Stencil

The Cat’s Pyjamas – Spring Forward

Watercooler Wednesday – All About Occasions

Thanks so much for coming by, your visits and comments are always a joy!  Anita 🙂

           

     

A New Challenge At Time Out – #152 – Home Sweet Home Inspiration

Hello …. bonjour … et Bonne Année … Happy New Year!  Hope your Christmas was filled with joy and that your new year will be blessed with all good things!  Welcome to our new challenge at Time Out … this fortnight, we have a love themed Home Sweet Home image to inspire you (it’s a little further down) that’s fresh and fun.  Here’s where I went with it …

… and here’s that sweet inspiration picture …

As you can see, my attention was taken by the heart covered twigs on the mantlepiece … mine are from The Greetery (branch) and Winnie & Walter (hearts).  Some simple stamping of the branch in brown and the sentiment in black (also The Greetery) … with the addition of the die cut red hearts, topped with shimmer and shine (more visible below) … and voila … nice and CAS!

        

What draws your eye in our Home Sweet Home photo … the crisp white with pops of red, the texture of the frame and fireplace, the banner … or something else?  Wherever your creative imagination takes you, we’d love to see your card in our gallery!  This fortnight, we’re sponsored by Funky Fossil Designs (thanks, Sarah!), who are offering our winner (as voted for by the DT) a £15 GC to the store … and as usual, our winner will also be invited to guest design with us in a future challenge.  All the details are over at Time Out, along with plenty of fabulous ideas from the DT to inspire you!

I’m playing along at …

Color Throwdown – Red, Brown, White

Just Us Girls – Anything Goes

Simon Says Stamp – Something New … my The Greetery stamps

Watercooler Wednesday – Anything Goes

Thanks so much for coming by, your visits and comments are always a joy!  Anita 🙂