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 🙂

           

     

Twofer Card Challenge #23 – Hearts

Hello … bonjour!  If this is your first visit here for 2020 … Bonne Année/Happy New Year … may it be blessed with good health, joy and creativity for us all!  Talking of creativity, our first Twofer challenge of the year has just started and this month it’s a particularly special one.  It’s our 2nd Blogaversary … and we’re celebrating with some amazing prizes!  Do go over to Twofer for all the details … you really don’t want to miss out on what Darnell has in store for our winners!  So what are we inviting you to showcase this time around?  Take a look at our prompt badge …

My common element is Poppy Stamps‘ Heart Screen (now retired) … with the inside hearts used unconventionally for my Christmas card … and the outline screen used conventionally for my Anniversary card.  Here’s a closer look at each one …

Three lots of hearts were cut from a piece of cardstock I’d smooched and splattered some time ago.  I arranged them into a Christmas tree shape right down the centre of the card and popped them up on different depths of foam dots onto a white panel cut with a die from The Greetery.  I stamped the stand (Papertrey) and popped up the gold foil star (Concord & 9th) … decorated the tree with red gem ornaments … and added shimmer spritz (after masking all but the tree).  The panel was matted onto some co-ordinating DP, which was then adhered to the card base.  A sentiment didn’t fit anywhere very well, so I’ll add a Christmas greeting inside when the time comes.  How about a closer look at all the shooshy colour, dimension and shimmer/shine …

In contrast, my conventional card is subtle and understated …

Here I used a fog grey panel for my ‘thirds’ design.  I white heat embossed the soft, splattery background (Concord & 9th) vertically onto the lower right two thirds of the card and the primary sentiment (Simon) horizontally along the top left two thirds.  The heart screen was cut once in gold foil and twice in white … they were stacked together and adhered over the white background.  The tiny supplementary sentiment (also Simon) was white heat embossed onto a sliver of gold foil card and popped up on foam tape … and I added a scattering of gold hearts (from the inside of the screen).  The panel was trimmed to size and adhered to the card base.

How would you like to join us with your two distinctly different takes on hearts … we’d love to see what you create in our gallery!  All the details about how to play along, including rules and FAQs (and don’t forget those prizes!) are at the Twofer blog … together with heaps of brilliant ideas from the DT to inspire you.  We’re delighted to have two Guest Designers joining us this month, both talented winners of our October challenge …. welcome to Jane from Onions and Paper and to Jacquie from What Did I Do Today?.  If you haven’t met Jane and Jacquie yet, do go over and enjoy a wander through their blogs … you’ll have a splendid time!  Even if you are familiar with their work, why not pop along anyway … you can always say hello while you’re there!

My Christmas tree is heading to …

Happy Little Stampers Christmas – Anything Goes (With Option Trim The Tree)

Poppy Stamps – From The Heart

Simon Says Stamp Monday – Something New (Greetery Frame Die)

The Paper Players – Something New (Greetery Frame Die)

… and my Anniversary card is joining in at …

Happy Little Stampers Dies – Anything Goes

Poppy Stamps – From The Heart

The Card Concept – Time To Celebrate Inspiration (my eye was taken with the cluster of golden ornaments and the waxy white candles – Clean and Classy – CAS/Classy & Elegant Style)

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

             

         

A New Challenge At Time Out – #144 – Home Sweet Home Inspiration

Hello … bonjour!  Welcome to our new challenge at Time Out … this fortnight, we have a cool, contemporary, almost monochrome Home Sweet Home image to inspire you (a little further down).  Here’s my take on it …  … and here’s the stylish inspiration picture …

Bet you can see what my attention was drawn to!  Yep, the striped rug, the white table and that verdant green leafy plant!  The stripes were cut with Essentials By Ellen Skinny Stripes die and backed with black, the ‘planted’ and layered leaves are from Poppy Stamps (Lorelei Leaf – now retired I think, though there are other similar ones) and are cut from a Lindy’s Magicals panel made (I believe) at the Lake House … and the sentiment is from Simply Graphic.  I finished it off with a scattering of iridescent sequins.  You can see some of the leafy shimmer here …

       

What draws your eye in our Home Sweet Home photo … the graphic patterns, something on the picture shelf, that stylised white animal, the pops of colour … 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 Poppy Stamps … our winner, as chosen by the Design Team, will receive a $20 GC to the store, as well as being invited to guest design with us in a future challenge.  All the details are over at the Time Out blog, along with plenty of ideas from the DT to inspire you.  We’re also delighted to welcome our uber talented Guest Designer, Hannelie from Desert Diva.  I’m pretty sure you’ll know Hannelie’s amazing work … though do go over and say hello, you’ll be so pleased you did … and so will she!

I’m playing along at …

Happy Little Stampers Dies – Anything Goes

Inkspirational – Crop … don’t those luscious leafs make a wonderful crop!

Poppy Stamps – Anything Goes

Simon Says Stamp Monday – Stamp It

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday – Bling It On

The Cat’s Pajamas – Layer Up … all those layered leaves

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

                  

               

A New Challenge At Time Out – #135 – Inspired By Words

Hello … bonjour!  Our new challenge at Time Out has just started … and we have an ‘Inspired By Words’ theme for you to join in with for the next two weeks … it’s a quote from Teddy Roosevelt … keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground.  Here’s where I went with it …

        

My focus was on both the ‘ground‘ and the ‘stars‘ part of the quote … the latter you’ll see a little better further down.  Don’t know that I’ve made a shaped card before … and it was fun to try it for a change.  I cut two single circles with a Hero Arts Infinity die, scored the back one close to the top to create a hinge, adhered the two together above the crease … and trimmed a sliver of card off the bottom so it would stand upright.  The resulting circular card was masked so that I could blend distress inks over it to create the grassy ground and dusky sky, while still retaining the white border.  Once the blending was done, I sprayed Shimmer Spritz over it all to create the sense of glimmery stars.  The single white bloom die is from Poppy Stamps (retired) and the embossed circular frame is from Memory Box (Stitched Maple Circle Frame) … they were both adhered flat to the background.  I white heat embossed the Avery Elle sentiment and finished off with a sprinkling of clear dewdrops.  Here’s a closer look at the starry sparkle …

       

Where will our 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 time around by Poppy Stamps and are delighted to have the lovely Jeanne from their Design Team joining us with a card on her own blog, A Kept Life.  Our overall winner, as voted for by our DT, will receive a $20 GD from Poppy Stamps and as usual, will be invited to guest design with us in a future challenge.  All the details are over at Time Out, along with heaps of lovely inspiration from our fabulous DT, and from our super talented Guest Designer, Michele, from I Card Everyone.  Do go and enjoy an inspiring and delicious visit with both Jeanne and Michele … you’ll find heaps of fantastic ideas and brilliant cards to explore … and you can always say hello while you’re there!

I’m playing along at …

Addicted to Stamps And More – Photo Inspiration (below) … top left!

The Flower Challenge – Embossing (Heat or Dry) … there are both!

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 – #128 – Home Sweet Home Inspiration

Hello … bonjour!  Over at Time Out today we’re starting a fresh new challenge … this fortnight we have a Home Sweet Home picture to inspire you (it’s a little further down) … here’s where I went with it …

… and here’s our sweet, heart filled inspiration …

Even though the sign here highlights Saint Valentine’s Day, I was inspired to use all the hearts strung around the cake and those arranged on the square plate for another loving occasion … a wedding anniversary.  The Avery Elle sentiment was stamped direct onto the base card and I cut the Poppy Stamps heart cluster into it.  The white die cuts were coloured with alcohol markers, I lined the inside of the card and adhered the coloured pieces back into their places.  The inner hearts were treated to plenty of Spectrum Noir Clear Sparkle and a coating of Glossy Accents.   I finished off with a few Jewel Drops and a couple of strips of DP to mimic those striped hearts on the plate.  To my eyes, the stripes add a touch of graphic fun … and balance all those hearts … just the right blend of girlie and manly for an anniversary!

What is it that gets your imagination going in our photo … the hearts, those cool background envelopes, the sweet treats … 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 $25 GC from our fabulous sponsor, STAMPlorations (thanks, Shery!) … and as usual, will be invited to be our Guest Designer in a future challenge.  All the details are over at the Time Out blog … along with a heap of gorgeous cards from our fabulous DT and from our super talented Guest Designer, the lovely Coni from Which Craft?  Do go and have a meander through all the delicious cards over at Coni’s … there’s a veritable cornucopia of delights to enjoy!

            

I’m playing along at …

AAA Cards – Up To One Third … without masking option

Addicted To Stamps And More – Anything Goes

Simon Says Stamp Monday – Love Is In The Air

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday – Anything Goes

The Cat’s Pajamas – Love

Uniko – Anything Goes … with love option

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

         

                 

A New Challenge At Time Out – #126 – We Challenge You To Be … Loving

Hello … bonjour … and Happy New Year … Bonne Année!  I do hope you spent a truly joyful Christmas and celebrated the start of 2019 in a way that was just right for you.  Thanks so much for being here during the last year … friends, followers and silent viewers … your enthusiasm, encouragement,  warmth and support is so appreciated … thank you.  I’m looking forward to another year of fun … and mutual creativity and inspiration with you all.  Today, I’m here with our first challenge of the year at Time Out … this fortnight We Challenge You To Be … Loving!  The first thing that popped into my mind when I thought of ‘Loving’ was hearts … here’s what I came up with …

         

I stamped the deliciously sweet sentiment from Reverse Confetti onto a white linen card panel and accented it with Poppy Stamps‘ embossed stitched lines and die cut hearts.  The panel was adhered to the card base and I ran a black fine line pen along the edges to give it definition.  The hearts were ombré coloured with alcohol markers, shimmered up with Spectrum Noir Clear Sparkle and given a top coat of shine with Glossy Accents.  Once dry, they were popped up on foam dots into the die cut spaces along the stitched lines … and I added an extra couple at the side of that lovely sentiment to keep it company!  How about a closer look at the concentrated shimmer and shine …

         

Where will our challenge take you … why not let your creative imagination roam free and see where it goes … we’d love to see what you make!  This time round, we’re sponsored by Birch Press Design … our  winner, as voted for by the DT, will receive a $20 GC … and as usual, will be invited to guest design with us in a future challenge.  All the details are over at Time Out, along with heaps of inspiration from our brilliant DT … and from our talented Guest Designer, Jane from Purplejet Loves Crafts.  Why not pop over and have a wander round Jane’s blog … there’s tons of loveliness to enjoy … and you can always say hello while you’re there!

I’m playing along at …

Reverse Confetti Stock Your Stash – Love Is In The Air

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday – Something New … both the sentiment set and the die are new

Simon Says Stamp Work It Wednesday – Try Something New … as above

Watercooler Wednesday – Feminine Anything Goes

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

                

A New Challenge At Time Out – #118 – Home Sweet Home

Hello … bonjour!  Our new challenge at Time Out has just gone live … we have a Home Sweet Home picture to spark your imagination … and it’s rich and gorgeous (a little further down).  Here’s my take on it …

… and here’s our wonderful, floral inspiration …

My attention was taken by those fabulous flowers in their warm oranges and peaches with a touch of golden yellow … and I used those colours for my background.  I die cut the Poppy Stamps Hampstead Bloom (sadly discontinued) and adhered it onto a card stock mounted panel of watercoloured, scrunched and gold heat embossed tissue paper.  The panel was trimmed with gold foil and I popped it up on craft foam onto a white linen card base.  The sentiment (Uniko) was gold heat embossed (to match the veins in the tissue paper) and I finished off with some tiny gold pearls in the centres of the flower heads.

What is it that gets your imagination going in our Home Sweet Home photo … the rich colours, those fun pumpkin vases, the delicate glassware … or something else completely?  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 $20 gc from our terrific sponsor, Poppy Stamps 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 heap of gorgeous cards from our fabulous DT and from our talented Guest Designer, Angie from Cimbacreativefun.  Do pop over for a visit with Angie … you’ll have a fabulous time meandering through all the delicious cards on display!  In addition, we’re delighted to be joined by the Design Team from Poppy Stamps … do go along and check out all the inspiration over at their blog … you’ll come away itching to create!

I’m playing along with …

Clean And Simple On Friday – Flowers

Poppy Stamps – Anything Goes

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday – Pop It Up

The Birthday Project – Clean And Simple

The Flower Challenge – Anything Goes

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

                   

         

 

A Few Florals!

Hello … bonjour!  Hope you’re having a good summer or winter, depending where you are … and a happy weekend.  I have three cards to share today … and I’m delighted to be blogging them before the deadlines pass on challenges I’d like to link up with!  First into the spotlight,  a fresh card that turned out to be especially QACAS (quick and clean and simple in Darnellese) …

I won a GC from Altenew recently via Therese at Lost in Paper (thanks, Therese!) … and this one layer card was made with one of the sets I got with it.   I used the rock and roll technique to stamp the flower heads in two blues … it added a little dimension and some extra definition to the edges.  The flower centres were done in the darker of the two blues and I added the grey leaves … before finishing with the shiny heat embossed sentiment and a touch of stickles in the middle of each bloom. Forget me nots?  They look a bit like that to my eyes!

I’m playing along with (badges are at the bottom of the post) …

Altenew – Inspiration/Colours (below)

Inkspirational – An Under 10 Minute Card … it was close, 9’51 as I added the last Stickles!

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday – Anything Goes

Next up, some rainbow-y goodness …

A watercoloured rainbow panel with a Poppy Stamps bloom die cut from it and inset into it, adhered flat to a white mat with a WPlus9 sentiment stamped along the bottom edge.  I scored lines onto the card base before mounting the finished panel onto it on craft foam and adding a couple of tiny black pearls to the flower centres.

I’m joining in at (badges are at the bottom of the post) …

AAA Cards – Somewhere Over The Rainbow

Happy Little Stampers Dies – Anything Goes

Poppy Stamps – Birthday Party

Seize The Birthday – Stripes … the scored ones

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday – Anything Goes

Finally, a bright, summery, colourful little number …

Another one layer card, this time stamp layered with the second set I got with my Altenew GC.  The sentiment is from Winnie and Walter and the supplementary greeting is from Simon Says Stamp.  I added some black gel pen dots to the flower centres and a fine black line along the crease edge to tie them in to the black greeting.

These florals are going to be blooming at (badges are at the bottom of the post) …

Fusion – Inspiration (below) … all those lovely colours at that summer picnic

Seize The Birthday – No Option … unless a line counts as a stripe!

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday – Anything Goes

That’s it for me … I’ll be back on Thursday with a little something for the new challenge starting then at Time Out.  In the meantime, thanks so much for coming by, your visits and comments are always a joy!  Anita 🙂

 

                  

                   

                   

A New Challenge At Time Out – #111 – Holidays!

Hello … bonjour!  Welcome to our first Time Out Challenge of June, where we have a theme for you to play with … it’s Holidays … with the optional twist of making a one layer card. I didn’t twist this time around …

I was going to make a card about holidays (as in vacations) … couldn’t find the right combination of stamps in my stash … so adapted … and made a Christmas card.  I don’t use the term holiday for Christmas, although many of my US friends do, so I felt most everyone would understand the adaptation!  I gold heat embossed the Simon Says Stamp sentiment onto a white card panel, sponged on some Distress Ink in Squeezed Lemonade, Tumbled Glass and Blueprint Sketch and splattered/spritzed Shimmer Spray over it.  The dove was cut with a Poppy Stamps die in gold foil card and white … I adhered the gold outline flat to the card, added glue to the spaces, used Press N Seal to pick up all the white inner pieces (it worked a treat!) and pressed them all into place at the same time.  The finished panel was attached flat to a card base …. and I was done.  My inspiration for the background colours, gold and dove came from Pam A who is Guest Designer at Muse Christmas Visions … thanks, Pam!

How will you interpret our Holidays theme … and will you use our optional twist?  We’d love to see what you create in our gallery.  This fortnight, we’re sponsored by Seven Hills Crafts (thanks, Tara!) … there’ll be a random winner, drawn from those who use the optional twist, of a goodie bag of stamps and dies from the store.  As usual, our overall winner, as voted for by the DT, will be invited to guest design with us in a future challenge.  All the details are over at the Time Out blog … along with heaps of inspiration from our brilliant DT … and from our talented Guest Designer, Ishani from Quillish.  Why not pop over and have a visit with Ishani … you’ll have a splendid time exploring all the inspiring and fabulous cards on display … and you can leave her some love while you’re there!

I’m playing along at …

Muse Christmas Visions – Inspiration below

Clean and Simple on Friday – Embossing

Happy Little Stampers Christmas – Anything Goes … No Joy Option

Simon Says Stamp Monday – All Things Bright and Beautiful (how bright is that gold!)

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

         

                    

A New Challenge at Time Out – #104 – We’re Going Bold!

Hello … bonjour!  Our lovely new challenge starts this morning at Time Out … this fortnight … We Challenge You To Be … Bold!   Here’s where I went with the theme …

I’ve had this vibrant, bold, Brusho background since the last Lake House trip … made during a very messy playtime we had … and this seemed the perfect moment to use some of it up.  I was inspired by a card I received from my lovely friend, the uber talented Loll (thanks so much for the inspiration, Loll!) … which had a yupo paper and alcohol ink background with embossing paste leaves stencilled on it … gorgeous!  I can’t find it on her blog … though when you go over there, you’ll find lots of other luscious examples of her stunning work!  My panel was cut to size, I arranged and adhered some die cut leaf sprigs from Poppystamps over it and trimmed off the overhanging ones round the edges.  This particular die has been discontinued,  though there are plenty of other lovely ones here at Poppy Stamps.  The sentiment is from SSS, white heat embossed on light blue vellum … and I added a scattering of Lucy’s Little Jewels to co-ordinate with the colours in the background.  The panel was popped up on craft foam on the card base.

Where will our challenge take your creative imagination … to bold colours, as mine did … to a bold sentiment … to a bold image … or somewhere else?  Wherever it takes you, we’d love to see what you create!  This time round, we’re sponsored by Poppystamps … the winner, as voted for by the DT will receive a $20 GC from the store … and as usual, will be invited to guest design with us in a future challenge.  All the details are over at Time Out, along with plenty of wonderful inspiration from our splendid DT … as well as from some of the fabulous team at Poppystamps …. and our talented Guest Designer, Marieke.  Do go over and have a visit with Marieke … she has heaps of delicious cards for you to enjoy on her blog … and why not say hello while you’re there!

You might also like to know that there’s a Clean and Simple challenge starting today at the Poppystamps blog … so if you have some of their products and make a CAS card for Time Out,  you can link it up there too … and be in with a chance to win a randomly drawn prize!

I’m playing along at …

Addicted to Stamps – Anything Goes

Poppystamps – Clean and Simple

Simon Says Stamp Monday – In My Garden

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday – Anything Goes

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