Twofer Card Challenge #4 – Pets

Hello … bonjour … and welcome to our wonderful April Twofer Card Challenge!  We have a fun theme for you this month … and I’m guessing you’ll have a few stamps and/or dies in your stash that you can choose from to make your cards … it’s …

Here’s how I was inspired …

For those of you who might be wondering … no, we do not have a pig as a pet … though we do know someone in the next village who has two!  Hence my choice of these fun Simon Says Stamp party pigs, the common image on my Twofer.  How about a closer look at each one …    In his original form, this little guy is holding a big balloon and sporting a party hat … though I wanted to focus on his wide outstretched hands … paws … trotters, so I trimmed him out.  He was coloured with alcohol markers, coated with a thick layer of Glossy Accents and had some googly eyes added.  He wanted to wear a T shirt with ‘pig’ on it … though as he couldn’t find one that suited his rather demanding tastes, he decided to simply wear the word … he’s a bit of a rebel … and loves a fun sentiment!  The base card was embossed several times with a Lawn Fawn stitched border … I die cut the Winnie & Walter hugs (to go with those welcoming trotters) in silver striped PP and black craft foam and adhered them over the stitching … and Monsieur Cochon just hopped on next to the sentiment, popped up on foam dots (with a double layer of foam under his trotters).  I know he’d love you to see a close up of his big friendly smile …

My Twofer …

Here, Monsieur Cochon is appearing with a few friends … leaping out from behind a wall for a surprise birthday party.  They’ve kept their fun hats on this time, though got a little over excited and managed to burst all their balloons … so I masked them off (flat balloons just don’t have the same festive feel as full round ones!).  The wall is a black edged, MFT stamped, popped up sentiment panel … and the pigs’ party outfits are courtesy of some coloured pencils, a white gel pen, Spectrum Noir shimmer and a touch of Stickles.  You can see the excitement in their Enamel Accent-ed eyes here …

Voilà … my two distinctly different designs … for two distinctly different occasions … using the same stamp!  I went conventional with the use of my stamp this time around (my pig stayed a pig on each card) … and you can too, if that’s what you’d like to do.  You can also stretch your stamp or die in an unexpected way (as I hope you’ve seen in previous Twofer posts), although that’s not a requirement to play along.  If you haven’t already seen the last winners post (here), the lovely Darnell has decided to have two winner’s spots … one for conventional and one for  unconventional use of your stamp or die … how perfect is that … this is Twofer after all!

So … do you have a pet you’d like to depict on your cards this month … or will you need to put your thinking cap on and ‘borrow’ one as I did?  We’d love to see your two distinctly different designs … for two distinctly different occasions … using the same stamps or dies … in our gallery!  All the information you need, including timescales, guidelines, rules and FAQs, as well as a whole heap of fantastic inspiration from the brilliant DT … is over at the Twofer blog … it’s just a click away!   We’re delighted to have a talented Guest Designer with us this time around … welcome to Pia from Pia’s Papir Og Perler … our winner from challenge 2.  Do pop over for a visit with Pia, you’ll find so much fun and fabulous inspiration over at her blog … and you can leave some love for her while you’re there!

My Pig Hugs are heading over to …

AAA Cards – A Favourite Technique … mine is die cutting

Happy Little Stampers Dies – Anything Goes

Mod Squad – Simply Clean

… and my Sweet Birthday Pigs will be celebrating at …

MFT Color – Cement Grey, Peach Bellini, Coral Crush, Blue Breeze … below (my closest colours)

SSS Wednesday – Happy Birthday … congratulations to the SSSW DTs past and present … eight splendid years packed with fun challenges … thank you … and here’s to many more!

SSS Monday – Mythology/Inspired By A Story … my story is The Three Little Pigs!

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

                   

         

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A New Challenge at Time Out – #103 – Hobbies!

Hello … bonjour!  We have a fabulous new challenge starting today at Time Out … this fortnight we have a theme … Hobbies … with the optional twist of making a one layer card.  I chose not to twist this time around … and made this delicate little number …

Are you wondering what hobby my card illustrates?  Have a guess … got it yet?  If you came up with lace making you’re spot on … or even crochet would do it.  I don’t do either, though did dabble in the latter many years ago!  I sponged a panel of Bristol card stock with three different distress inks, did a little splattering over the top and left it to dry.  My doily die cut is from Waffle Flower … one of a number given to me by my lovely, non blogging, card making friend Judith last summer (she comes for a playdate every year while visiting family in the area) … isn’t it pretty?  I trimmed off the edge and adhered it over the blended area of my panel, leaving the outer couple of centimetres free to turn up a little.  The ‘Thanks’ is from SSS … die cut from vellum and black … hung slightly over the edge of the doily, with the supplementary sentiment embossed in white on a slender black strip.  I added a single ink-sponged heart (from Winnie & Walter), covered it with Spectrum Noir sparkle … and topped it and the die cut ‘Thanks’ with Glossy Accents, before attaching the panel to my card base.

How creative will you be with our Hobbies theme … and will you use our optional twist?  It was only when I started looking through my stash that the idea of lace making came to me … till then the ideas well was dry!  Why not check out your stamps and dies and see if they prompt an idea or two … we’d love to see what you make in our gallery!   This fortnight, we’re sponsored by CAS-ual Fridays (thanks, Michele!), who are offering a $20 GC to a random twister … and 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, Ashwini from Experiments With Card Making Etc.  Why not pop over and have a visit with Ashwini … you’ll have a fabulous time exploring all the wonderful, fun, bright, happy cards on display … and you can leave her some love while you’re there!

I’m playing along at …

Addicted to CAS – Teal

Addicted to Stamps & More – Clean and Simple

Happy Little Stampers Dies – Anything Goes

Simon Says Stamp – Send A Card To A Friend Day

SSS Wednesday – Add A Die Cut

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

       

                  

Twofer Card Challenge #2

Hello … bonjour!  It’s time to get excited all over again … our next Twofer Card Challenge starts right now!  Thanks to your ingenuity and creativity, our first gallery was chock full of fabulous cards showcasing two different designs … for two different occasions … using the same stamps and/or dies.  How about stretching those creative muscles again this month?  This time round, our word prompt is …       Here’s where I went with my Twofer …

The thing that these two CAS cards have in common is the Concord & 9th die cut heart … all the other elements are distinctly different.  Here’s a closer look at each one …

         

Here, I made the hearts into delicate flowers … using just the outline cuts turned upside down and adhered along the centre line to a kraft card base.  They’re folded up a little to add interest and dimension.  The stems are made from very slender strips of cardstock, attached flat to the base.  I white heat embossed a birthday sentiment from Winnie & Walter … and added a drift of enamel accent dots to mimic seed heads floating in a summer breeze.

My Twofer …

This time I used a series of whole hearts in my design.  They were cut from a piece of card that had been rainbow watercoloured with Distress Inks … and were adhered flat to a panel of black cardstock in a graphic pattern.  The Sending Hugs sentiment was made up of two dies from SSS and I added a Lucy’s Little Gem to each heart (to match the background colour).  The panel was trimmed down and popped up on craft foam onto a white card base … the white border ties the white sentiment into the design.

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

So … will you let your creative imagination run wild with ‘Hearts’?  We’d love to see your two distinctly different cards … for two distinctly different occasions … using the same stamps/dies … in our gallery!  All the information you need, including timescales, guidelines, rules and FAQs,  along with loads of fantastic inspiration from the wonderful DT … is over at the Twofer blog … it’s just a click away!  Hope you can join us!

My birthday card is celebrating at …

CAS on Friday – Use a Die

CAS-ual Fridays – Hearts, Hearts and More Hearts

Happy Little Stampers Dies – Anything Goes

Seize The Birthday – No Candle Topping

Watercooler Wednesday – Feminine Anything Goes

… and my watercolour hearts are hugging at …

CAS Watercolour – Heart

Fusion – Stained Glass Hearts Inspiration (below)

Happy Little Stampers Watercolour – Optional Twist Hearts

SSS Monday – Love Is In The Air

SSS Wednesday – It Must Be Love

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

               

         

         

         

A New Challenge At Time Out – #101 – Inspired By Words

Hello … bonjour!  We have a lovely new challenge starting today at Time Out, where we’re Inspired By Words … Each day is a gift.  Open it.  Celebrate it.  Enjoy It.  It is indeed!  Here’s my take on it …

A one layer card, stamped and heat embossed with this gift bearing chickie (from SSS) and coloured with Zigs.  The Winnie & Walter happy sentiment was cut, ombré sponged with Distress Ink and set back into the card (the inside was lined) … and the birthday (from the same Birthday Farm Animals set as the chickie) was nestled in underneath it.  I finished off with some Lucy’s Little Gems … and added Glossy Accents and Enamel Accents to the eyes.  If you go in for a closer look you’ll see the shiny excitement in them … seems he’s all ready to start opening, celebrating and enjoying!

Where will our words take your creative imagination?  You can use any or all of them to inspire your card … we’d love to see what you make!  This time, we’re sponsored by Birch Press Design … our overall winner (as voted for by the DT) will receive a $20 GC … and will also be invited to design with us in a future challenge.  All the details are over at Time Out, along with a plenty of inspiration from our fabulous DT … as well as from our Guest Designer, my super talented and lovely friend, Michele from I Card Everyone.  You probably know Michele already … if not, you really need to!  There’s so much deliciousness to take in over at her blog, you really don’t want to miss out on a visit!  Enjoy!

I’m playing along at …

Simon Says Stamp Monday – Birds of a Feather

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday – Add a Sentiment

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 5

        

Hello … bonjour!  My excitement at being here today, Guest Designing again with the talented Simon Says Stamp Wednesday team, is tinged with just a hint of sadness that this is my final week.  It’s been an absolute delight to work with the lovely Lols and Jo (as well as the rest of the DT) this month … thank you so much, ladies, for the opportunity and for the warm welcome … it’s been an honour and a privilege!  Thanks also to all of you … friends, commenters, visitors and readers … your support and encouragement has been fabulous … I’m grateful for every single one of you!

         

So, onto our new challenge, which this week is ‘Anything Goes‘ … and we’re showcasing products from Tim Holtz.  You don’t need to use Tim Holtz goodies to join in … but we’d love to see them if you have some!  As always, if you play along, you’ll be in with a chance of winning a $50 GV to spend at the wonderful Simon Says Stamp store … and it’s nearly Die-cember … how’s that for an incentive to join us!

Up until a while ago, the only Tim Holtz products I had in my stash were Distress Inks (were there some incredulous sharp intakes of breath there??), which I love.  Then I was given some mini stencils (thanks, Darnell!) … and though they’ve been played with, this is the first time they’ve made an appearance on any cards.  The first is an almost one layer floral number …

I masked a linen card base and sponged Distress Inks in Candied Apple, Carved Pumpkin and Seedless Preserves through the Tim Holtz Scribble Mini Stencil  … and then spritzed it all lightly with water.  The stencil was removed and when the ink was dry, I added a touch of Delicata Gold to the rose centres (at least that’s what they look like to me!) and did some splattering (Delicata Gold and Seedless Preserves).  The die cut happy is from Winnie & Walter (covered with Spectrum Noir Clear Sparkle) and the secondary stamped and heat embossed sentiment is from Simon’s Happy & Smile set.   I finished with a scattering of black Enamel Accents.  Here’s a look at the shimmer …  I went all rustic and neutral with my second card … and added a pop of bright colour …

This time I used a panel of mixed media paper and sponged Ground Espresso Distress Ink through the Tim Holtz Woodgrain Mini Stencil.  When the panel was dry, I sponged over it with Antique Linen Distress Ink, which softened the woodgrain pattern.  The pine branches (Gina K Designs Festive Foliage) were stamped and heat embossed in white and the fir cones were treated to a touch of the Ground Espresso Distress Ink.  The die cut sentiment is from Concord & 9th’s Holy Night (except the tréma, which is from Simon’s Joyeux Noël) … it was sponged with Candied Apple Distress Ink and clear heat embossed before being adhered flat to the panel.  The panel was added to a card base of mixed media paper … and I was done.  The shine isn’t too obvious here … here’s close up so you can see it better …

If you haven’t been there already, do pop over to the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday blog to check out all the fantastic Tim Holtz creations from the Design Team … you’ll love them!   Hope you’ll be inspired to play along with us this week … maybe a Christmas card or two to add to your collection?

So, this last card brings me to the end of my month in the Designer Spotlight … and I’ve loved it! Again, thanks so much to Lols, Jo and the DT … and to all of you for cheering me on here for the last five weeks.  I think you already know it, but I love to tell you … your visits and comments are always a joy!  Anita 🙂

Guest Designing at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge – November 2017 – Week 4

        

Hello … bonjour!  I’m delighted to be back today, for my fourth week Guest Designing with the talented Simon Says Stamp Wednesday team … thanks so much for your lovely comments on last week’s critter cards!            

Our new challenge this week is ‘Food and/or Drink‘ … and we’re showcasing products from Mama Elephant.  You don’t need to use Mama Elephant 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 … imagine moving those goodies from wish list to basket!

After saying last week that I don’t make many cards with critters on them … here I am with another couple … it just so happens they come bearing gifts … of a sort!  Here’s the first, a fun little goat, his beard all brushed for the party, carrying the birthday cupcake …

An MFT wonky stitched panel, cut with Mama Elephant Inline Letters dies and stamped with the party goat from Simon’s Birthday Farm Animals.  He’s coloured with Promarkers, has Glossy Accent/Enamel Accent eyes and his cupcake has shimmery frosting, courtesy of Wink of Stella.  The base was ombré sponged with Evergreen Bough and Cracked Pistachio Distress Inks and water sprinkled, before the panel was popped up on foam tape over it.

So, the food/drink was obvious on that one … are you wondering where it on this next one?

… keep reading if you haven’t guessed already!  Here’s a dotted die cut frame (Gina Marie Designs, thanks to sweet Michele), backed with black and adhered flat to the base, with a bunny from Mama Elephant’s Up and Away set (a Lake House goodie) sitting in the corner.  He was coloured with Promarkers and liberally covered with Spectrum Noir Clear Sparkle … and is holding onto a die cut pastel rainbow smooshed Painted Hello from Simon Says Stamp, popped up on black craft foam.  I finished off with the stamped sentiment from Winnie & Walter (Sentimental:Endearments).

So what did you guess was the food/drink?  Surely not that cute little rabbit … or hare?  What about the sorbet colours in the sentiment?  Nope, neither of those … it’s that tiny stamped sentiment … after all, most of us have munched our way through a sweetie or two in our time!  You didn’t really think I’d be calling that sweet bunny food did you???

If you haven’t been there already, do pop over to the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday blog to check out all the scrumptious food/drink cards from the Design Team … you’re sure to come away wanting to create!  I do hope you’ll have chance to join us this week.

Finally for today, to all of you gathering to celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow, I wish you a blessed day, filled with love, gratitude, family and friends!  Thanks so much, as ever, for coming by, your visits and comments are always a joy!    Anita 🙂