BIRTHDAY TWOFER

I had fun creating these two birthday cards today for the AAA Birthday Challenge, AAA Cards (7th birthday challenge) and Fusion (inspiration colors - pink chair, flowers, blue lampshade, gold - also the pp sort of follows the sketch).

For the basis of my first birthday greeting, I die cut the sentiment from a piece of patterned paper and carefully kept all the little bits.  I trimmed the piece and adhered to fit a mini slimline card base.  Next I cut a white HB piece and fit that into the empty space - and then the putzy part - putting all the little pp bits in between the spaces. Added a few gold sequins and done with #1.

On the second card, I die cut three more birthday sentiments from heavy white cardstock, glued together and then adhered the patterned piece on top.  This went onto the black base and then onto a white mini slimline card base.  Added a few pale pink dew drops and done.

Thanks for visiting today.

 

SHAPED SHAKER

How about a round shaped shaker card for this month's challenge at A Blog Named Hero? 

I used the Hero Arts infinity circles dies to make the shaker part of my card.  The flowers were colored with copics.  There's still a little time to join the gallery of shaped cards - and two Hero Arts gift cards up for grabs! 

Thanks for stopping by.

BIRTHDAY WISHES

I have two birthday cards today for several challenges.  AAA Birthday is celebrating their second birthday with a huge fun blog hop and lots of prizes to be won. Watercooler Wednesday's challenge this week is "all about occasions" and Color Hues want purple and teal as the main colors.

My first card was inspired by a post from Therese where she used metallic watercolors on black.  I used my new Hero Arts stamp - Succulent Bouquet - embossed in gold.  Added a few crystal sequins for some sparkle.  The metallic colors look really pretty IRL.

 

For my butterfly, I used a piece of alcohol inked yupo in purples and teal.   Die cut the butterfly twice so I could do the inlays in more of the shades of teal.  I die cut a circle on the right side of a piece of pale teal cs and then embossed with the floral background.  Embossed a white metallic piece and matched the two together for the butterfly's background.  There's a bit of gold in the AI inked butterfly.

Thanks for visiting today.

 

TICTACTOE CHALLENGE#114

A fun new board designed by Joanne is up on the TicTacToe blog today.

I went straight across the middle with leaves, circle and embossing.  Several years ago, my friend Greta and I went to a weekend card workshop in Des Moines, IA sponsored by Taylored Expressions.  There were so many choices for making cards that there wasn't enough time to make everything - so I came home with embossed backgrounds, die cuts etc. etc.  One of my treasures was a background embossed with the TE leafy vine.  So I cut it down to 4x5.25 and die cut a circle with a blended pink piece for underneath.  Die cut leafy branches from two shades of green paper and arranged around the edge of the circle.  Added the little flowers and the sentiment in the center - done and dusted! 

Hope to see your card(s) in the gallery this week.

PUMPKIN BOUQUET

Halloween cards don't always have to be about witches and spiders and bats and ghosts and other ghouly things, do they?  Two Old Bats is a fun Halloween challenge which helps you start early with Halloween cards.  And so I'm very grateful that I have this prompt every month as I love to make cards for my friends at Halloween.

 

So I made a pumpkin bouquet for this month's challenge as their photo inspiration was all about pumpkins.  I used all Hero Arts dies and scraps of cs for the bouquet.  The base is a center step fold card.  Difficult to photograph because it kept sliding apart.

Thanks for stopping by.

FOLIAGE AND BERRIES

Here's my card for the current CAS Christmas Challenge which is foliage and berries.

I think maybe my friend, Greta, sent me the die cut border that I've used on my card.  Colored it with copics and then added the gold frames.  Mounted this onto a white card base and adhered the die cut sentiment in the center.  A few red Nuvo drops on the berries and around the sentiment finished off the card.

Thanks for stopping by.

KRAFT CHRISTMAS CARDS

52 Christmas Card Countdown's theme for this week is to create a card using kraft colors and I have two for adding to my stash for Christmas.

 

For both of my cards I used Neenah desert storm cs - my lighting is not good and hence on both cards the kraft is more correct towards the bottom of the cards - I am definitely not a photographer - would rather spend time creating a card than photographing it!

For my first card I used a 3D embossing folder and smudged white pigment ink over the raised areas.  Added gold Nuvo drops to the flower centers and the sentiment and done!

I watercolored the poinsettia on my second card and fussy cut it.  After adding the thin gold rectangle and spattering with gold paint, I used foam tape to mount the poinsettia with some gold thread behind.  I felt this card did not need a sentiment or anything to take away from the focal point poinsettia.

Thanks for stopping by.

A LITTLE VINTAGE

I have always liked vintage as long as it was quite CAS - too much lace and stuff is not me.  The challenge at ModSquad said vintage to me tho since the theme is "bookish" and wants a page from an old book as the focus.  The tictactoe challenge at Die Cut Divas asks for uneven edges and that said vintage to me also.  So dug into a box of old books and papers and began my card.  I went diagonally from left to right with uneven edges, friendship and flowers for the DCD challenge.

Tore the edge of the book page (already quite brown with age) and distressed more with some walnut stain DI ink and adhered to a slimline kraft card - also distressed.  Arranged my bouquet and added to my card with a little twine bow and a hello.

Enjoyed creating something a little different today.  Thanks for stopping by.

THINKING OF YOU

Just a quick last minute entry for the sketch at Freshly Made Sketches.

The debossed section was part of a larger piece that I had messed up but didn't want to toss.  So cut a square from a "good" part and put onto a larger square stitched piece. Added the leaves and little sentiment and done.

Thanks for stopping by.

 

VASE OF FLOWERS

When I watched Jennifer's video with cute vases of flowers, I knew I wanted to make one just like it for our shaped card theme this month on A Blog Named Hero - only I had to adjust things a bit as I had neither the dies for the vase or the flowers.  So found some flower dies and designed my own vase to fit an A2 envelope.  Had to fiddle around some with the inside bit, but am really happy with the result.

Die cut a bunch of the flowers and just sponged on various colors.  Made my flower arrangement, added the little bow and sentiment and done.  Fits perfectly in the envelope.  My vase is three inches tall. 

Would love to see you join our challenge this month for a chance in winning a $50 or $25 gift card from Hero Arts!

 

CONGRATS

I designed the board for this week's TicTacToe Challenge #112 and hope there are elements in it that will inspire many of you.  The chosen winner will be a guest designer in the near future.  With graduations, Father's Day and weddings coming up in June, you can get ahead of the game with your cards.  I went across the top of the board with congrats, leaves and heat embossing - also could go down the right side with heat embossing, die cut and circles.

I stamped the wreath in black and heat embossed in clear powder.  Colored it in with copics and then die cut the center.  Embossed the front of the card base with a circle cover plate and then attached the shaker part.  Added the die cut sentiment, a few more gold sequins and done!

 

Hope to see you in this week's gallery and thanks for stopping by.