Twofer CardChallenge #38 – Cake/Cupcake

Hello … bonjour! Welcome to our yummy new Twofer challenge for May, where we’re inviting you to dig out your scrumptious stamps, dies and/or stencils and join us to enjoy some …

That yummy looking cake stamp (the common image on both cards) is from Reverse Confetti … it appears just as intended (along with one of it’s accompanying alligators) on my birthday card … and on the hello card, it’s been dressed up with the help of a little masking and subsequent doodling! How about a closer look at each one …

The central design here ensures the cake is the star of the show. It was masked and stamped onto some mixed media card stock, I doodled those extra layers of chocolate ganache and the cherry on the top … and coloured it with alcohol markers. There are lavish coatings of shimmer and shine on the ganache and cherry too … tricky to capture … and more visible on the first photo. The two word sentiment is shared between Simon Says Stamp and Winnie & Walter (sadly NLIB). The panel was mounted onto a couple of layers of vellum, popped up on craft foam and adhered to a mixed media card base that had been embossed with a Spellbinders die. You’ll notice that the vellum went a smidgy bit wobbly round the edges after it was dry … must be all that luscious ganache that did it … couldn’t have been anything to do with the wet adhesive I used!

My second card is clean, fun and whimsical …

Another simple design, with the heat embossed images and sentiment laid out along the bottom half of a watercolour card base. Everything was coloured with Zigs and a water brush … and I gave the alligator a dry embossed pathway to walk on … firstly to ground him … and secondly so he could advance on that birthday cake easily!

How about choosing a cake/cupcake image from your stash … to make two distinctly different designs … for two different occasions … we’d love to see you (and your cards) in our gallery!  All the details, rules and FAQs are over at the Twofer blog … together with heaps of delicious inspiration from the DT as well as from our super talented Guest Designer, Janet from Swanlady Impressions. Do go and have a gentle meander around Janet’s blog … there’s so much loveliness to enjoy and be inspired by … and you can always say hello while you’re there!

My piled high cupcake is going over to …

AAA Cards – Up To One Third … no Mystical Beasts option

Krafty Chicks – Stamp Act

MFT Color Challenge – Poppin’ Pink, Carribean Sea, Jalapeno Popper, Vintage Timber

NBUS – Anything Goes … a little win from Reverse Confetti!

Papercraft Challenges – Fruits, Food and Vegetables

… and that cake craving crocodile (or alligator if you prefer, though the alliteration isn’t as good!) will be celebrating at …

AAA Birthday – Happy Birthday … congratulations on your 2nd!

Addicted to Stamps and More – Any Occasion

Happy Little Stampers Watercolour – Anything Goes

Reverse Confetti Stock Your Stash – Birthday … congratulations on your 8th!

Seize The Birthday – Anything Goes … no Furry Friends topping

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

Twofer Card Challenge #31 – Trees

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 enjoy some time in the great outdoors (or maybe indoors!) with …

I chose a solid, stylised tree from Waltzing Mouse Stamps (sadly NLIB) as my common image … it appears solo and draped with stars in the middle of my clean Christmas Card … and on my birthday card, it becomes an autumn copse set along an earthy border, with the leaves just beginning to fall .  Here’s a closer look at each one …

Here, I cut a panel of linen card with an MFT Peek-a-Boo stitched die … and used that as a guide for placing my Christmas tree … done in ombré blues … and made frosty with lots of Spectrum Noir shimmer pen.  The starry garland (WMS) and the sentiment (from Winnie and Walter, also NLIB) were silver heat embossed, I stamped the ground for the tree to grow from (Ellen Hutson) and added falling snow (W&W) after masking the tree.  The panel was foam mounted on a card base that had been inked around the edges … and I finished off with a Nuvo drop in silver glitter at the top of the tree.

Here’s a more seasonal take with the same image …

A one layer cream card with an Ellen Hutson border stamped as the earth.  The trees are just changing from summer to autumn colours (courtesy of some rock and roll/finger-dauber inking) … and are grouped together thanks to a little basic masking.  The tiny leaves (from WMS) have already starting to tumble to the ground … and have been blown right the way along the border by the gentle breeze!  The birthday sentiment is from Hero Arts.

How would you like to join us with your two distinctly different takes on trees … we’d love to see what you create in our gallery!  All the details about how to play along, including rules and FAQs are over at the Twofer blog … together with heaps of brilliant inspiration from the DT and from our fabulous Guest Designers, Helen from Helen’s Craft Haven and Lisa from My Paper Tales … welcome ladies!  Do go over and have a visit with Helen and Lisa … you’re certain to enjoy all the  wonderful design inspiration on display at both their blogs … and you can always say while you’re there too!

My solo Christmas tree is heading to …

Bastel-Traum – CAS (Clean and Simple)

CAS Christmas – Christmas Tree

Die Cut Divas – All Kinds of Holidays (Christmas)

Simon Says Stamp Monday – Use Your Favourite Stamp (my WMS stylised tree)

Watercooler Wednesday – All About Occasions

… and my autumn copse is joining in at …

CASology – September (seasonal changes)

Color Throwdown – Red, Yellow, Cream, Brown

Just Us Girls – Leaves

Simon Says Stamp Monday – Use Your Favourite Stamp (my WMS stylised tree)

Watercooler Wednesday – All About Occasions

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

         

           

    

Turnabouts Times Two

Hello … bonjour!  Calling in today with a couple of cards made with different Concord & 9th Turnabouts … they’re going to be joining in at some of the fun challenges going on across blogland at the moment.   One’s masculine, one’s feminine … and then there are two extra ones at the end.  Here’s the first …

A one layer graphic card … simply stamped with Concord & 9th‘s Semicircle Turnabout … with a platinum heat embossed sentiment from Winnie & Walter (sadly NLIB).  One semicircle on each line had Glossy Accents layered over the top to add shine and dimension … tricky to photograph though you can probably make out those on the first two rows.  Cool and masculine I think!

This is heading to …

MFT Birthday Project – Circles

MFT Color – White, Sno Cone, Blue Raspberry, Orange Zest (my closest colours)

NBUS – Anything Goes (as long as it’s NBUS) … Missed Darnell‘s return last month so am happy to join in now with this Semicircle Turnabout (first use, though it’s been living here for a while!).

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday – Anything Goes

The Male Room – Sentiment in Focus

 

         

The next card is softer and feminine … maybe it’s the colours …

Here I used Concord & 9th‘s Bitty Burst … and added a stacked, shimmered, Glossy Accented, die cut sentiment from Simon … with a white heat embossed supplementary label popped up underneath the ‘smile’.  The panel was trimmed and adhered to a 10.5cm (roughly 4.25 inches) square card … which, most unusually for me isn’t white … I’m expanding my horizons!!

This little pretty is playing along at …

Krafty Chicks – Anything Goes

MFT Birthday Project – Circles

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday – Anything Goes

The Paper Players – Make You Smile

     

    

The change in colour palette and sentiment style gives this Bitty Burst Turnabout a different look.  Here are those extra cards I mentioned earlier … a variation on a theme, though just as much fun with that all that scattered confetti … and deliciously easy to make for quick hello’s.

    

I hope and pray that you are continuing to stay safe and well out there … and that you’re finding fun, happy, joyful things to do to occupy those hands, hearts and minds.  Keep smiling!  Thanks so much for coming by, your visits and comments are always a joy!  Anita 🙂

Twofer Card Challenge #25 – Spring Animals

Hello … bonjour!  Our fun March challenge has just launched at Twofer … and this month we’re inviting some Spring Animals to play with us …

… mine are spring chicks …

A bright rainbow Just Because card … and a sweet, sunny Hello card … with some long legged chicks from Technique Tuesday as the common image.   Here’s a closer look at each one …

On this card, my design is a set of panels across the centre of the card, with the sentiment spread out underneath them.  They were die cut with Hero Arts Infinity Dies and each one was stamped with the long legged chick.  The chicks were then masked and I sponged two colours of distress ink on each one to create an ombré style rainbow.  The sentiment (from Concord & 9th) was stamped onto the base card and I mounted each little chick panel over it on craft foam.

I went with another conventional use of the chicks on my twofer …

Here there’s an ombré sponged and stacked hello die cut from Winnie & Walter (NLIB) set along the lower third of the card.  The alcohol marker coloured long legged chick and his little friend were perched on top of the word … and the supplementary chickie sentiment (Waltzing Mouse Stamps, also NLIB) was stamped underneath it.  The crimped frame on the card base is from The Greetery.

How about joining us with some Spring Animals 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 heaps of splendid inspiration from the DT.  We’re delighted to have two super talented Guest Designers joining us this month … Bobby from Bits and Pieces … and Brenda from Inkspired To Stamp … welcome ladies!  If you haven’t met these fabulous artists yet, do go over and enjoy a wander through their blogs … you’ll have a splendid time finding inspiration galore!  Even if you are familiar with their work, why not pop along anyway … you can always say hello while you’re there!

My rainbow panel chicks are heading to …

Happy Little Stampers CAS – Favourite Technique … Ombré Blending

Happy Little Stampers Dies – Anything Goes

Inkspirational – Animal:  Real or Magical (hope chickies count!)

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday – Something Feminine

… and those chickie chums are joining in at …

Happy Little Stampers CAS – Favourite Technique … Ombré Blending

Happy Little Stampers Dies – Anything Goes

Inkspirational – Animal:  Real or Magical (hope chickies count!)

Less Is More – Big And Small … big sentiment, little chicks

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday – Something Feminine

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 – #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 – #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 🙂

        

           

Twofer Card Challenge #22 – Holiday Foliage – With A Twist

Hello … bonjour!  Our last challenge of the year has just launched at Twofer … and we’re inviting you to a rather festive celebration this month … and there’s a fun twist that you can use too, if you’d like to (see below).

Holiday means any holiday … and the greenery can be any foliage, plants and vegetation.  The greenery doesn’t have to be green … it can be any colour as long as you use the same stamp, die and/or stencil for your two different designs.

Now … what’s the twist?  Usually at Twofer, your two different designs need to be for two different occasions.  However, because so many of us are working hard to get our Christmas cards made, for this month only, you have the option of foregoing the two different occasions element of our challenge.  So, you may enter two Christmas or other holiday occasion cards, just as long as your two designs are distinctly different … or you can carry on as usual with two different occasions … it’s up to you!

My twofer features greenery that isn’t green at all … and I chose not to use the twist …

        

My common elements here are three die cut mistletoe and pine sprigs (from Simply Graphic).  They make up a lush foliage display on my thinking of you card … and a hanging mistletoe bundle on my Christmas design.  Here’s a closer look at each one.

The pink, grey and gold foliage was layered and adhered to a pierced white panel (Winnie & Walter) in the centre third of the card, offset to the right.  The sentiment (Clearly Besotted) was heat embossed onto mid grey card, I trimmed it into a banner and added a gold trim along the lower edge.  The banner was popped up on craft foam under the foliage and acts to ground it.  I used Nuvo Drops and Enamel Accents to add gold and white berries to the mistletoe sprigs … and scattered a few gold sequins to finish off.  The whole panel was adhered flat to an oyster grey card base.

My second design has a more simple look to it …

Here, I went with a central cluster of foliage hanging off a frame (Simply Graphic), to mimic the bundles of mistletoe hung over doorways at Christmas.  The kraft and white colour palette, with the tiny pops of red in the heart, berries and sentiment (Papertrey) has a clean, rustic feel … it puts me in mind of a cabin in snow covered woods.  Yep, I know mistletoe is green with white berries … but we’re card makers … and that means we can use artistic licence if we wish!

How would you like to join us with your two distinctly different takes on Holiday Greenery?  We would love to see what you create in our gallery, whether you use our Christmas time twist or not!  Details of how to play along, including rules and FAQs are at the Twofer blog … together with heaps of wonderful ideas from the DT to inspire you.  We’re delighted to have the lovely Nancy from Scrapper At Heart as our talented Guest Designer this month … welcome Nancy!  I’m sure you’ll have met Nancy already … but do go and enjoy her fabulous Twofer cards … and take the opportunity to have a meander round all the deliciousness on her blog while you’re there.  You can always say hello too!

My foliage display is heading to …

Addicted To Stamps And More – Anything Goes

Happy Little Stampers Dies – Anything Goes

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday – Thinking of You

Watercooler Wednesday – Tristan’s Feminine Anything Goes

… and my mistletoe bundle in joining in at …

Addicted To Stamps And More – Anything Goes

Happy Little Stampers CAS – Tis The Season

Happy Little Stampers Christmas – Anything Goes (No Bah Humbug Option)

Happy Little Stampers Dies – Anything Goes

The Cat’s Pajama’s – Holiday

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

        

                

        

A New Challenge At Time Out – #148 – Home Sweet Home

Hello … bonjour … and thanks so much for all your lovely comments during my absence from blogland!  I should be back with you on a more regular basis from this coming weekend … and am so looking forward to seeing what you’ve got going on 🙂  In the meantime, welcome to our new challenge at Time Out … this fortnight, we have a Christmas Home Sweet Home image to inspire you (a little further down), that’s warm, cosy and wonderfully festive.  Here’s my first take on it (there’s another a little later) …

… and here’s that inviting inspiration picture …

For this first card, my attention was drawn to the wreath on the wall … and that fabulous scripty sentiment pillow.  I made my wreath using die cuts from Winnie & Walter‘s In Bloom: Paulina’s Greenery, layered and inter-twined to make it dimensional … and attached it to the base card.  The main sentiment is from Simon, layered on craft foam, covered in shimmer spray and Glossy Accents … and strung across the wreath.  The tiny stamped ‘happy’ is from Winnie & Walter.  I finished the card with berry red gems in different sizes.  Want a closer look at all the sparkle and shine?  Here’s that second card I mentioned earlier, inspired again by the scripty pillow … and by all the white space and texture (the latter will be visible shortly) …

The shimmery die cut sentiment is from MFT, adhered flat to the base card … and that snuggled up little penguin and the stars are from Winnie & Walter.  The penguin is coloured with Zigs, has his Santa hat and scarf all shimmered up … and has a shiny beak and eyes.  He was originally hatless but was a smidge chilly, so with a little masking, I gave him that Santa hat … you can make out the furry trim and bobble a little better below … they’re embossed with Hero Arts White Puff EP to mimic the texture of those white cushions in the inspiration picture.

What draws your eye in our Home Sweet Home photo … those yummy colours, the plaid, the texture, that bold sign … or something else?  Wherever your creative imagination takes you, we’d love to see your card in our gallery!  You could be our next winner and be 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 talented Guest Designer, Angie from Cimbacreativefun … you’ll know her super art work already, I’m sure … though do go over and say hello … you’ll find so much to see and enjoy while you’re there!

My wreath is joining in at …

Happy Little Stampers CAS – Tis The Season

Happy Little Stampers Christmas – Anything Goes (No Bah Humbug Option)

The Cat’s Pajama’s – Holiday

and that cosy penguin is playing over at …

AAA Cards – Maxi White Space (No Geometric Twist)

CAS Christmas – Warm And Cosy

Happy Little Stampers Christmas – Anything Goes (No Bah Humbug Option)

Happy Little Stampers Watercolour – Anything Goes (With Animal Option)

The Cat’s Pajama’s – Holiday

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

                 

                 

A New Challenge At Time Out – #147 – Inspired By Words

Hello … bonjour … long time no see!  This year has been a busy one outside of blogland and as a result I’ve not been here a great deal, though I have (mostly) stayed in touch with what you’ve all been creating while I haven’t been!  This last couple of weeks, however, have been especially full … and that’s meant there’s been almost no opportunity to visit everyone, outside of my DT commitments.  So, to those of you who haven’t seen or heard from me recently … thank you for your patience and understanding … normal service will be resumed shortly!

I’m here today because our new challenge at Time Out has just started … and this fortnight, we’re Inspired By Words … Dream Big, Be Grateful, Give Love, Laugh Lots.   Here’s where I went with those words …

On a white pierced, scalloped card panel cut with a Winnie & Walter die, I stamped these lovely words and delicate single floral stem from Uniko’s You Are, Yes You stamp set.  The stem was curved to create the sense of a smile … and the flower head balances the offset ‘loved’ in the sentiment.  I coloured the bloom with Zigs, covered it with lots of shimmer and added some sparkling gems to finish off.  The scalloped panel was added to a matching mat and then popped up onto the card base on craft foam.  You can see more of the shimmer here (even though it’s a little out of focus!) …

        

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 Uniko (thanks, Bev!) who are offering our winner, as voted for by the DT, an in-stock stamp set of their choice.  As usual, our winner will also be invited to be our Guest Designer for a future challenge.  The details are over at Time Out, along with heaps of lovely inspiration from our fabulous DT, which I know you won’t want to miss!

My card will be going into the gallery at …

CAS on Friday – Big Sentiment or Word

Happy Little Stampers Watercolour – Anything Goes Optional Botanical

The Flower Challenge – Clean and Simple

The Paper Players – Clean and Simple – Say It Loud

Thanks so much for coming by (especially when I haven’t been doing), your visits and comments are always a joy!  Anita 🙂