Twofer Card Challenge #39 – Sunshine

Hello … bonjour! Welcome to our fun new challenge at Twofer, where we’re inviting you to brighten your already bright day with our prompt for June …

I chose to make both my cards conventional this month … one for a birthday, the other to give someone a smile (encouragement/friendship). My common image is a fun sun from Simon Says Stamp’s Happy & Smile stamp set. Here’s a closer look at each one …

This used to be one of my favourite designs … a strip of colour along the lower third line of my card, with an image and sentiment over it … though it’s been a while since I used it. The fresh stripes of sponged blue put me in mind of a summer sky or ocean … and with the sun (in his cool, shiny shades) taking the place of the ‘a’ in the stacked, die cut ‘hooray’ (from Neat and Tangled), I’m thinking beach party! That’s a birthday beach party by the way … thanks to the white heat embossed secondary sentiment from Simon Says Stamp. Want to see how shiny those cool shades really are …

My second card has me smiling every time I look at it …

The window design lent itself to an unconventionally sized slimline card … it’s 21 x 7.5 cm (roughly 8 x 3 inches) … half an A4 sheet folded across the long edge. I cut the windows individually using a die from Concord & 9th, marked the card base where the openings were and stamped the happy sun gradually rising through the morning. Each sun was masked so that the sky behind them could be sponged with distress inks … and when that was done, I added a good dose of sparkle to them (see below for a little more detail). The Avery Elle sentiment was stamped onto the window panel before I popped it up on craft foam onto the card base.

How about lighting up our gallery with some sunshine of your own … we’d love to see you and your two distinctly different designs there! Details of how to play along, including rules and FAQs are over at the Twofer blog … together with loads of delicious inspiration from the DT.  We’re delighted to have two wonderful Guest Designers joining us this month … Veana and Daphne … welcome ladies!  Do go and enjoy a visit with these talented artists … and let yourself be inspired. You can always say hello while you’re there too!

My birthday card is heading to …

Happy Little Stampers Dies – Anything Goes

Less is More – Favourite Technique … I love to use stacked die cuts

NBUS – Anything Goes … first trip out for that fabulous scripty hooray

… and those sun filled windows are joining in at …

Papercraft Challenges – Anything Goes

Retro Rubber – Summer Breeze … the sun image is at least four years old

Uniko – Anything Goes … with the die cuts option

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

Twofer Card Challenge #6 – Trees

Hello … bonjour!  Welcome to June’s Twofer Card Challenge … this month, our theme will open up all kinds of possibilities for your cards … it’s …

… and here’s where my imagination took me …

The stamp that appears on both cards here is the tall tree from Simon Says Stamp’s One With Nature set … used conventionally on the first and unconventionally on the second.  Let’s start with a closer look at how it’s expected to be seen …

… yep, as a tree … or rather a trio of trees.  A one layer Christmas card with the trees heat embossed in silver and the backgrounds offset stamped in a contemporary colour palette.  The miniscule stars were cut from silver foil card with a Simon Says Stamp die and adhered to the branches … they almost twinkle like Christmas lights!  The sentiment is from Neat & Tangled, also embossed in silver … and I added some cross stitch detailing each side with a Lawn Fawn border die.

My twofer …

… spot the tree?  This time, for my fun birthday card, I turned the tree (and it’s accompanying images in the set) into a school of tropical fish.  The images were white heat embossed … and I added the tails using a versamark pen so they could also be white embossed.  Everything was coloured with Zigs, I stamped a sentiment from Simply Graphic (‘it’s your day’), added googly eyes/an enamel accent eye to the fish … and finished off with some Glossy Accent bubbles.

Voilà … my two distinctly different designs … for two distinctly different occasions … using the same stamp!

Where will our ‘Tree’ prompt take you this time around?  We’d love to see you in our gallery with your two distinctly different cards … for two distinctly different occasions … using the same stamps or dies!  All the details you need are over at the Twofer blog … along with plenty of delicious ideas from the DT to spark your imagination.  We’re delighted to have the winner of our April challenge with us this month … welcome to Maria from Swim, Bike, Run and Stamp!  Do go and have a visit with Maria … not only will you find her fabulous Twofer cards, you’ll also enjoy a whole heap of wonderful inspiration to meander through and enjoy!

My Christmas card is getting festive at …

Happy Little Stampers Christmas – Anything Goes … no joy option

Simon Says Stamp Monday – All Things Bright and Beautiful

ETA:  CAS Christmas – Masculine … thanks to Loll for the prompt 🙂

… and my birthday card will be celebrating with …

Happy Little Stampers Watercolour – Anything Goes … no smile option (unless it’s your own!)

Simon Says Stamp Monday – All Things Bright and Beautiful

Simon Says Stamp Work It Wednesday – Sunshine and Summer (how summery are those fish!)

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

                   

         

A New Challenge At Time Out – #98 Home Sweet Home – Stockings Are Hung …

Hello … bonjour!  Our wonderful new challenge starts at Time Out this morning … this fortnight, we have a Home Sweet Home photo to inspire you that’s fresh and festive with a touch of rustic (below) … here’s where I went with it …

         

… and here’s the scrumptious photo inspiration …

Those stockings just waiting for Santa to fill them really took my eye … and my mantel is a nod to those yummy wooden hook plates.  The images are from Neat and Tangled (Elves & Their Shelf), stamped and coloured with Zigs … with some gel pen doodling for the patterns on the stockings.  The sentiment is from Winnie & Walter (In Bloom: Victoria’s Very Merry Flowers with Lydia Evans) and the dotted frame was embossed with a Lawn Fawn border die.  I used a Versamark pen to colour in the stocking tops and heat embossed them with Hero Arts White Puff EP.  Want to see all that fluffiness …

What takes your attention in our Home Sweet Home photo … the traditional Christmas colours, those patterns, the white on wood designs, that hint of rustic … or something else?  Whichever way you’re inspired, we’d love to see what you create in our gallery!  Our winner, as chosen by the DT, will receive a £15 gift voucher from our lovely sponsor, Uniko (thanks, Bev!), and will have the chance to guest design with us in a future challenge.  All the details are over at the Time Out blog … along with a whole host of enticing ideas from our fabulous DT and from our awesomely talented Guest Designer (and ex teamie), Sarah from Funky Fossil Designs.  If you haven’t come across Sarah’s delicious creations, do go over for a visit and enjoy her brilliantly crisp, CAS and inspiring cards … and even if you have, why not pop over and say hello … you’ll have a fabulous time!

I’m playing along at …

AAA Cards – Christmas

Addicted To Stamps & More – Anything Goes

Clean & Simple on Friday – Christmas

Happy Little Stampers Christmas – Anything Goes

Less Is More – Red and Green

Hope you’re having fun making, writing and mailing Christmas cards … me, I’m still at the first stage!  Thanks so much for coming by, your visits and comments are always a joy!  Anita 🙂

       

                 

Guest Designing at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge – November 2017 – Week 2

        

Hello … bonjour!  Thank you so much for all your lovely words about my tags last week … it’s so exciting to be back for the second time with the Design Team at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday as Guest Designer for November!

         

Our new challenge this week is ‘Snow White‘ … and we’re showcasing products from Reverse Confetti.  You don’t need to use Reverse Confetti goodies to join in … but we’d love to see them if you have some!  As always, if you play along, you’re in with a chance of winning a $50 gift voucher to spend at the fabulous Simon Says Stamp store … wouldn’t that be fun!

I have to admit to having no Reverse Confetti goodies in my stash (yet!) that would be a good fit for the theme … though a sweet friend sent me some Lacy Scalloped Frames recently (merci mille fois, Michele!), that happened to come in so handy for my first card …

This glorious centrepiece is Simon’s Eliza Snowflake die … cut twice in glitter card and twice in plain card, sandwiched together with a fine silver thread running down the centre, to make a double sided embellishment.   The aperture was cut with an MFT Circle Stax 2 die in both the Lacy Scalloped Frame and the card base … and the snowflake was suspended between them.  It twirls on the thread … wish you could see it as it does, it’s so pretty the way it catches the light!  I finished with a sentiment from Simon … the die cut is from Christmas Blessings, the secondary stamped ones (in Delicata Silver ink) are from Thoughtful Messages.  Even though I can’t show you the movement here, I can show you all the shimmer …

My second card is snowy rather than shimmery …

Again, the aperture was cut with an MFT Circle Stax 2 die in the front panel and the card base … this time I added some snowy mesh to the background and created a little village scene, cut  with Simon Village dies, layered up on craft foam.  The sentiment is stamped in Delicata Silver ink and is from Scandinavian Prints Christmas by Neat & Tangled.  This is the day time view … how about a look at the warm and rather magical night time view …

If you haven’t already been, do go over to Simon Says Stamp Wednesday to check out all the gorgeous cards from the Design Team … you’ll be inspired!  Hope you’ll have chance to join in with us this week … a few more additions to your Christmas card stack perhaps?  Thanks so much for coming by, your visits and comments are always a joy!    Anita 🙂

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