Twofer Card Challenge #35 – Balloons

Hello … bonjour … and welcome back! Thanks so much for all your lovely comments and notes following my last post (eek … a month ago!), especially as I’ve hardly been around in blogland to make visits or leave comments as I usually would. I appreciate each of you … and am looking forward to being about a little more often from now on. Today, I’m here to tell you about our new challenge at Twofer … it’s such a happy one as our prompt is …

It always puts me in mind of a quote from Winnie The Pooh (well, A A Milne) … nobody can be uncheered with a balloon … how true … just try it!

I chose to make one conventional (birthday) card and one unconventional (Christmas) card this month … using a balloon stamp from Simon Says Stamp’s Big Birthday Wishes set. Here’s a closer look at them individually …

The balloons here are being held onto by a cool penguin from Ellen Hutson … and he’s balancing precariously on the birthday sentiment, which is made up of two different SSS sets. The penguin was lightly coloured with pencils … though his bright balloons, all shined up with glossy accents, are the star of this show. I added an embossed frame with a die from The Greetery … and kept it all deliciously CAS.

The balloons were turned upside down for my unconventional design …

… and became baubles hanging from a star strewn pine garland. The pine sprig is from Stampendous and was stamped multiple times in three different greens to give depth to the garland. The balloon baubles were stamped in red, I added the lettering using a Lawn Fawn alphabet set and topped it all off with a good dose of Glossy Accents to add shine. The supplementary sentiment is from WPlus9. I finished off with a scattering of gold stars … funny how they landed in just the right places to adorn the hanging strings isn’t it?

How about joining us with some stamped, die cut or stencilled balloons of your own … we’d love to see you (and them) in our gallery!  All the details about how to play along, including rules and FAQs are over at the Twofer blog … together with plenty of fabulous inspiration from the DT.  We’re delighted to have Greta from GG Creations sharing her talents with us as our Guest Designer this month … welcome, Greta! Do go and enjoy an inspiring wander around Greta’s blog … there’s so much loveliness on display … and you can always say hello while you’re there.

My balloon toting penguin is heading to …

Addicted To Stamps And More – Birthdays

Krafty Chicks – Stamp Act

Papercraft Challenges – Heat or Dry Embossing

Seize The Birthday – Anything Goes … No Hearts Option

… and my balloon baubles are joining in at …

Happy Little Stampers Christmas – Anything Goes … No Berries Option

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

Twofer Card Challenge #24 – Fruit

Hello … bonjour!  It’s the 10th of the month … and that means we have a delicious new challenge for you at Twofer!  This month we’re inviting you to be healthy with …

I chose to get all zesty and zingy with citrus fruits … using a stamp from Ellen Hutson‘s Rustic Botanicals (now retired) as my common image … one conventional, one unconventional.  Here’s a closer look at each card …

A lower third design on a scalloped panel, with stamped and die cut slices of lemon, lime and orange … together with a few stamped mint leaves (Papertrey) … all ready for dressing some long cool drinks.  I stamped the sentiment from Ellen Hutson (kind of mouthwatering!) … and finished off with a few gems on the fruit.

I made my unconventional design a one layer card … with central images and a border along the top  …

… and turned the citrus slices into retro Christmas baubles, hanging from some Stampendous pine branches, all silver heat embossed.  The baubles were watercoloured in pastel shades and were dressed with glittery Nuvo drops … and they’re attached to the branches with hand drawn silver cords.  The sentiment in pink is from Waltzingmouse Stamps (NLIB).

How would you like to join us with your two distinctly different takes on fruit … we’d love to see what you create in our gallery!  All the details about how to play along, including rules and FAQs are at the Twofer blog … together with heaps of brilliant ideas from the DT to inspire you.  Our talented Guest Designer this month is Sonja from Old Punca … do go over and enjoy a wander through her blog … you’ll have a wonderful time exploring … and you can always say hello while you’re there!

My juicy fruits are joining in at …

AAA Cards – Up To One Third … no hearts option

Happy Little Stampers CAS – Positive … a day bursting with joy is!

Happy Little Stampers Dies – Anything Goes

Watercooler Wednesday – Feminine Anything Goes

… and those Christmas baubles will be hanging out at

Happy Little Stampers Christmas – Anything Goes … no Christmas wings option

Uniko – Anything Goes … with the cool winter colour option

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

             

            

A New Challenge At Time Out – #139 – Inspired By Words

Hello … bonjour … and Happy 4th of July to my American friends!   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 Oscar Wilde … with freedom, flowers and the moon, who could not be happy?  Here’s where I went with it …

My focus was on the ‘flowers‘ part of the quote … though I guess, looking at it now, the wide open evening sky could also imply ‘freedom‘ … and the ‘moon‘ might even be hiding somewhere … maybe just off the picture!  On a panel of Mixed Media card, I sponged and blended a sunset in Distress Inks (Scattered Straw, Worn Lipstick, Shaded Lilac, Blueprint Sketch, Dusty Concord) … and splattered it with shimmer spray to mimic the newly appearing stars.  The delicate flower silhouettes are from Catherine Pooler (Wild Garden) and were stamped onto the panel once the Distress Ink was dry.  The panel was adhered over craft foam onto the card base … and I added the Stampendous sentiment to finish the card off.  Puts me in mind of wildflower meadows around here … so lovely as the sun goes down and the stars come out!

         

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 Catherine Pooler (thanks, Catherine!) … our winner, as voted for by the DT, will receive a $25 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 lovely inspiration from our fabulous DT, and from our super talented and returning Guest Designer, Claire, from Life On The Scrapheap.  Do go and enjoy an inspiring and delicious visit with Claire … you’ll find heaps of fantastic ideas, awesome colouring and brilliant cards to explore … and you can always say hello while you’re there!

I’m playing along at …

Inkspirational – 3 Or 5 Of Something … 5 Distress Ink colours (listed above)

Simon Says Stamp Monday – Make Your Own Background … my sunset

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday – Stars and/or Stripes … my shimmery splattery stars (though if you wanted actual star shapes, ladies, then please delete this!)

Watercooler Wednesday – Feminine Anything Goes

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

        

        

Twofer Card Challenge #7 – Beverage

Hello … bonjour!  Welcome to our July Twofer Card Challenge … where our theme this month will have your taste buds tingling … it’s …

and here’s where my creativity took me …

My stamp in common here is a glass of wine from a set by Stampendous called Wine Buff (no longer available, I believe) … a conventional use on the first card … and something rather unconventional on the second.  Here’s a closer look at each.

For my anniversary card, the glasses and the sentiment (SSS) were heat embossed in liquid platinum onto the card base.  I coloured the images with alcohol markers, making the wine into ceIebratory pink champagne (fit for the occasion!), which was covered with shimmer and had a layer of glossy accents added over the top.  The bubbles are jewel drops.  To finish, I craft foam mounted a card panel over the image, that had been die cut with a peek a boo window (MFT).

My Twofer …

For my hello card, with a little careful masking and doodling, I turned the wine glasses into a couple of cute monsters.  They were coloured with alcohol markers, trimmed out, shimmered, covered with glossy accents … and have enamel accent eyes.  They were popped up on craft foam on a Mama Elephant heat embossed pathway … and as you can see, they were so pleased to see each other that shimmery, glossy accented hearts appeared between them.  It’s how they express themselves … after all they have no arms to hug with!  I adhered the monster panel to a card base that had been washi-ed round the edges.

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

How might you interpret ‘Beverage’?  We’d love to see you in our gallery with your two takes on it!  All the details you need are over at the Twofer blog … along with plenty of thirst quenching ideas from the DT to spark your imagination.  We’re delighted to have two Guest Designers with us this month … welcome to Bonnie from Stamping With Klass and Marianne from Marianne’s Cards ‘n Stuff.  Do go and have a visit with both Bonnie and Marianne … you’ll find so much glorious inspiration to get those creative juices flowing … and you can always leave them some love while you’re there!

My champagne is going to be bubbling over at …

CAS-ual Fridays – Heat Embossing

Happy Little Stampers Dies – Anything Goes

Simon Says Stamp Monday – Summer Fun … pink champagne at a summer picnic … yum!

… and my monsters are heading to …

CAS(E) This Sketch – Below … turned landscape and with a little stretch!

CAS-ual Fridays – Heat Embossing

Simon Says Stamp Monday – Summer Fun … the chance to spend time with friends!

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

        

         

A New Challenge At Time Out – #113 – Inspired By Words

Hello … bonjour!  We’re starting a fresh new challenge at Time Out today … this fortnight we’re Inspired By Words … smile, it’s the key that fits the lock of everybody’s heart … here’s where my imagination took me …Some Mama Elephant letters (from my unused items box, which is miniscule!), sponged with Distress Inks, stacked up and adhered to the card panel to form the ‘smile’ part of our quote.  The little balloon bearing chick is from Stampendous and was coloured with alcohol markers … and the supplementary sentiment is from Simon Says Stamp.  I added Wink of Stella to the balloon and to the letters and coated them all with Glossy Accents.    Voilà … a cute CAS card that I hope will have you smiling!

Where will our words take your creative imagination?  You can use any or all of them to inspire your card … we’d love if it you joined us in the gallery.  We’re sponsored by Stencils by Funky Fossils Designs (thanks, Sarah … here on instagram!) … our overall winner (as voted for by the DT) will have their choice of three stencils from the store … and will also be invited to design with us in a future challenge.  All the details are over at Time Out, along with a heaps of lovely inspiration from our fabulous DT … as well as from our talented Guest Designer, Amanda from Diamond Lane Designs.   Do go and visit Amanda … you’ll have a lovely time wandering through all the yummy cards over there!

I’m playing along at …

Addicted to Stamps and More – CAS

Happy Little Stampers CAS – Animals

Just Us Girls – Anything Goes

Less is More – Bits Box Item

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