Hello … bonjour! We’ve rattled round so quickly into March … and today we have another Twofer challenge for you … this month we’re playing with …
… and here’s how my imagination floated off …
A happy hello card and a happy birthday card, both featuring a richly plump, round balloon image from Winnie & Walter … let’s take a closer look at each one …
I rock and roll stamped/masked the Winnie & Walter balloons and bows onto an A2 card panel, added the fun sentiment (from Essentials by Ellen) and drew in the drifting-in-the-breeze strings. The balloons were layered with Spectrum Noir Clear Sparkle and I added some colour and shimmer to the three o’s in the sentiment with a tiny dot from Simon Says Stamp. The liquid sparkle took out some of the shaded dimensional effect of the rock and roll stamping … though it’s there if you look closely … and those balloons are deliciously shimmery! The lovely (and uber talented) Therese at Lost In Paper made a set of splendid ‘over the top‘ designs recently where an element of each card stood out above it’s top fold … and it struck me that my balloon bouquet was made for such a technique (thanks for the inspiration, Therese!). So … I trimmed out the finished balloon panel and adhered it to a base card cut especially to size … and the card still fits into a standard size envelope … perfect!
My twofer design is rather more unconventional …
… I turned my balloon image into pistacchio ice cream! The sugar cone was created on an MFT Wonky Stitched panel (from my Lake House stash), using masking and a single line stamp from Winnie & Walter … and it was Copic coloured and shaded (thanks, Kara!). After masking the top edge of the cone, I scooped the balloon into it and added some alcohol marker shading around the ice cream edges to give it a little dimension. The image was overstamped with a sentiment from MFT … and real sprinkles (a freebie from our local supermarket in just the perfect colours!) finished it off … yum! I sponged the edges of a base card to match the ice cream and popped the stitched panel up onto it on craft foam.
How about playing along with some of your own balloon images … we’d love to see your cards in our gallery! You can find out everything you need to know in the rules and FAQs over at the Twofer blog. There’s a whole heap of scrumptious inspiration to enjoy while you’re there too … from our talented Guest Designers, Julie from Handcrafted By Jules and Lucy from Little Scraps Of Lucy ……. and from our brilliant DT. BTW, do go over for a visit with both Julie and Lucy … you won’t want to miss all the loveliness they have on offer!
My balloon bouquet is drifting off to …
CAS(E) This Sketch – See Below … turned upside down!
Day Of The Month Card Club – I Want You To Be Happy Day … a new, fresh and fun blog on the block from Cornelia, Gundi and Rosi … what a brilliant idea for a challenge! Do check it out if you haven’t already! As Winnie The Pooh said ‘ no-one can be uncheered with a balloon’!
Happy Little Stampers CAS – Special Day … any day with joy in it is special!
Papercraft Challenges – Clean And Simple
Simon Says Stamp Monday – Whatever The Weather … my balloons are floating off on a breeze!
Watercooler Wednesday – Feminine Anything Goes … to me, those soft colours and shimmer make this a feminine card … and it is a bouquet of balloons!
… and there’ll be a tasting of my ice cream at …
AAA Cards – One Plus Three (no optional friends twist) … one sentiment plus stamped scoop of ‘pistacchio ice cream’, Copic coloured cone, matted stitched panel.
Addicted to Stamps and More – Anything Goes
Day Of The Month Card Club – I Want You To Be Happy Day … ice cream and sprinkles … who wouldn’t be happy!
Winnie & Walter’s Leading Lady Challenge #4 – Altering Stamped Images With Masking
You may know we’ve had internet/phone issues for a while … heaps upon heaps of intermittent outages culminating in almost a week with no access at all … it’s been just a smidge wearing! Orange (our service providers) lent us an Airbox on Thursday afternoon to get us online again till it’s all fixed … and I’ve been having fun and being inspired since, catching up with everyone. So for now, I’m around and about … if it goes quiet again, you’ll know there’s a technician up a telephone pole somewhere in rural France! As ever, thanks so much for coming by, your visits and comments are always a joy! Anita 🙂
My Papercraft World 
Such happy and fun cards…love both of them xx
Such sweet cards, my friend! I know that Therese will be proud of you, and delighted that you went “over the top” with your first card! The trio of balloons are shimmering sweetness, and I do love the ladylike colors you’ve chosen for them. Added shimmer never hurt anyone! And your ice cream cone looks delicious!! I gave it the old ‘college try,’ but in the end, couldn’t make a cone to save my life. Your cone looks amazing. Seriously amazing!! And that’s some pretty darn nice coloring too; that Eleanor (pronounced Kara) is a great teacher!! Pistachio….oh yum! What a fabulous color. Your designs continue to amaze and inspire me. I find I miss you, and hope that all is well. Sending giant hugs. xo Bev
Great cards Anita, using the balloon as icecream is very clever! Such fun designs, Cathy x
Twofer the Show, Anita! and each so unique from the other! I adore that your balloons have gone over the top – and loved Therese’s share, too! I’m thinking I need to zoom in on this wonderful cone – Kara must have been such a wonderful teacher at the Lake House! YOU were a gold-star student!
How in the world do you find so many challenges to fit with your creations? From the tiny sweet ribbons, to that fabulous BIG greeting, such darling creations!
Thanks for giving our CTS Sketch a spin!
=]
Oh gosh, so sorry to hear you are having internet issues. I hope they get a good fix on that soon! We can’t have you languishing out there! Your cards are wonderful. What a fun trio of balloons floating on the breeze. I really like how they extend past the fold. And your second card is so clever. Love how you used the balloon as ice-cream, with sprinkles no less! Such a fun duo of delight!
Was für zwei schöne Karten.
Fröhlich bunt sehen sie aus.
LG Heike
What a joy to see you linking up with us at our own little challenge, Anita! That Twofer is fabulous! Love that those balloons try to fly over the edge and then to re-purpose one as ice cream is genius! Now I have to put my thinking cap on what do do with balloons…..Now you did make me very happy! Thank you for this!
Two fabulous cards Anita!! Love the cut-out portion of the balloons at the top of your card…so cool looking! And yes, I can still see the rock n roll coloring on your balloons too! And your ice cream cone card looks absolutely delicious…colored to perfection and yay for sprinkles!! Sorry to hear about all your internet troubles…I know just how frustrating it can be as we’ve had our fair share of trouble with the really frigid temps this Winter and the internet going in and out, in and out for weeks…grrrrrrr!! Hope you’re back up for good now! :0)
These Twofer designs are both so fun and happy, Anita! (Perfect for the girls’ new DotMCC!) I love that you have your winky balloons flying off the top edge of your card! Talk about a great sense of movement, especially since you paired it with your curvy float-y strings! You have a great steady hand to draw those! And I’m agog over your use of the balloon to create a pistachio ice cream cone with real honest-to-goodness schprinkles on top! A beautiful well-engineered creation in every way!! MYALYMA! So glad you have reliable interwaves now and I hope they get your permanent system working, well, permanently in no time!! Hugs, Darnell xxoo
Fabulous cards Anita. Love the ice cream…so darling and smart. Amazed at the number of challenges you managed to combine. Way to go.
You’ve got to be the Queen of making your cards work for multiple challenges and what works of art they are. Honestly, both of these made my mouth drop open. Loved the out of the box card…you’re right, those balloons were made for that design. Then, taking it even further by making and truly realistic ice cream cone. Gaaah!…I can’t even explain how it delights me. REAL SPRINKLES…please, just let me get inside your head for just an hour or too. i always knew you were brilliant but these two cards solidified your genius status.
Oh I LOVE these cards. The first card with the balloons is fantastic. I LOVE the sentiment you used. Really simple but so impactful. The second card is GENIUS!! I love the ice cream cone. It looks so real. Very, very cool!! You totally ROCK with all these challenges.
Balloons are perfect for an ‘over the top” card, Anita. They look like they are floating away, ready to surprise and delight someone. The ice cream was brilliant. You did good on coloring that cone and made Kara proud.
Those balloons are floating so beautifully over the top of your card. I had to read twice that you drew those strings – they look so perfect, I thought it was a stamp! Your pistachio ice cream looks amazing with just the perfect sprinkles added on top. Yay for you using your Copics! The shading on your cone is perfect! What a wonderful twofer, Anita!
Fabulous designs Anita! Love your ballons that are outside the card base. Really makes them special and just the perfect sentiment as they are bursting beyond the edge! Awesome! Your birthday ice cream cone is adorable. What a great way to use the balloon. Another great design and love that you’ve used real sprinkles on top! 😉 xx
Both of your designs are unique and fun Anita! Thanks so much for your lovely comments, the balloons were a perfect choice for this technique and as for the ice cream…. you have made me hungry for some lol.
Anita, I’m just floored by your balloon ice cream cone! What a brilliantly clever idea! Not to mention sweet and yummy looking. Love how you’ve let it fill up the card front and then stamped the sentiment right over it. Those real sprinkles are the cutest touch, too! Both cards are wonderfully clean and simple designs with a pop of color which I’m so fond of. Watch out those balloons don’t float right off your card! The strings you drew are so graceful. Good luck with your internet!
such beautiful CAS cards Anita, love those over the top of the card balloons, thank you so much for sharing with us at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge, hugs kath xxx
Super how you used the shape as an icecream! Love the colours on both cards and how festive they are! Wish you a good start of the week!
So clever! What a fabulous pair of cards. Thanks for playing at AAA Cards, hope to see you joining in with future challenges too.
Well, aren’t you a clever one Anita! I love your twofers! They both are so clever, so bright and happy and oh so perfect. I love the sentiment on your first one and the way you let the balloons hang above the card making it a shaped card. The second one is so dang clever! That balloon fits so perfectly inside that cone. lol Then to use real sprinkles on your “ice cream” is just so fun! You knocked this challenge out the ball park my friend! Hugs, Brenda
once, again, you have proven exactly why you were you chosen to be on the two-fers design team! your first card is so fun and the second one is absolutely BRILLIANT!
Eating ice cream and letting balloons fly, that’s what I call a happy day! – Your cards are a feast for the eyes, Anita! What a pleasure to have you among our participants, and that twice!
I wish you a happy day…
Rosi
You make me happy. I love ballons and i also love icecream!!!! And I love your cards, which you show in our new challenge. Thank you!!
Gundi
Love your rock n’ roll stamping and how your trio of balloons are flying off the edge of your 1st card, Anita! Very clever idea to use your balloon stamp for your ice cream cone, too…it looks good enough to eat 🙂 Hugs, Barb xx
Look at you clever girl, a balloon for the ice-cream, so CUTE! These are both delightful!
The ‘over the top’ style and design of CAS card is so perfect for your floating balloons….As if they where floating off the card. So pretty and of course love a bit of bling x. Yummy unconventional card and so creative and fun. The pistachio ice cream cone is such a fun idea, love the real sprinkles and the stamping looks great over stamped. Two stunning cards and what fabulous inspiration….Thank you x.
Who would have thought balloons look so good converted into ice cream?! What a great idea – but then I say that about all your cards! I love how you’ve used the die cut to cut the top edge. I’m quite sure I would totally mess the stamping up if I tried that!
Great over the top card! Thanks for joining us at Watercooler Wednesday Challenges!
J’aime beaucoup où ton imagination t’a menée, Anita ! Quelle brillante idée d’avoir transformé le ballon en boule de glace, et la cerise sur le gâteau c’est le vermicelle sur le dessus, on aurait presque envie de la manger cette glace ! J’aime beaucoup aussi le fait que les trois ballons sortent de la carte, ça donne encore plus de dimension. Un magnifique doublon et 2 superbes cartes CAS ! Et merci de partager et de jouer avec Papercraft Challenges. Bises xx
Love both cards ♥ Icecream and ballons… What more do you need to be happy?
Creative Greetings,
Eunice
WOW…what a wonderful, fun and festive creation, just as sweet as can be! Thank you so much for playing along with us at ATSM!
Your cards are always amazing, Anita! Love the balloons floating off the base! The little bows and strings are perfect! And the ice cream cone makes my mouth water! So clever with the real sprinkles on top!
Balloons seem such a simple image and you’ve done a wonderful and creative job making two quite different designs. Your balloons that float above the card edge give wonderful movement! Love the strings with bows and the wonderful sentiment. And how sweet is that ice cream cone! The pretty pistachio color and real sprinkles make the perfect birthday card!
What a fun and fabulous interpretation of the challenge. Those balloons floating off the page are amazing and the second card…well ice cream! xoxo
Both of your cards are fabulous, Anita. Your ice cream cone looks super yummy. Thank you for sharing with us at AAA Cards. =) Tracie
Great cards! Love your fun balloons with the special sentiment! Also especially like your ice cream cone! Yum
How clever to use a balloon to make an ice cream cone! Both cards are festive and oh so much fun! Great twofer inspiration too!
I love, love, love both these cards, Anita! The balloons floating off the card are wonderful and I love the big sentiment stamped over the delicious looking ice cream cone!
Two great cards, Anita! I love both, each is different, but I admire the creativity and the idea of using a balloon stamp.
Thank you for sharing your beautiful card in our HLS CAS gallery.
Bożena DT HLS
Such a creative use of the balloons adore the way the first ones pop over the top and your selective colouring of the sentiment-fab cards Anita x
I love these two twofer cards. The balloons is so clever, oh but so is the ice cream cone. You are non-stop amazing. Did you think I curled up and croaked? No just keep too busy. Will write on two more of your posts. Shame on me. Hugs, Barb