WWC210 - Heidi's "All About Occasions" Challenge

Oh, I love special occasions, don't you?  For this challenge, I decided to use that adorable Sale-a-bration So Hoppy Together stamp set and the new framelits that compliment it.  How perfect for a special birthday!

I decided to use Basic Gray cardstock as my base and then added a layer of Crushed Curry before adding the stamped Whisper White layer.  I stamped the unicycle slightly crookedly since I intended to have my frog counterbalance by standing on the seat on one leg.  Yes, this is a very daring frog!  I used the framelit die to cut out the frog image and then coloured it and attached it using Dimensionals for a 3-D look.  Above the frog, I added two mosquitoes (flies?) which I had stamped and cut out using the framelit die.

I wasn't entirely certain when I began the card, whether I would have the unicycle balanced on a lilypad or on a tightrope.  In the end I chose the tightrope, to add to his daring feat.  I think the green retired thick baker's twine is perfect, don't you?

Since the front of my birthday card is relatively simple, I decided to add a little special something to the inside.  what could be better than a little pop-up scene?  For that I combined a number of products including the So Hoppy Together bundle.

The grasses in the centre are die-cut using the Catch of the Day thinlits dies.  The little frogs and lily pad are from the So Hoppy Together bundle and those cute balloons were cut with the Balloon Bouquet Punch.

I hope you'll check out the wonderful creations by the Watercooler Artists over at our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.

I've also entered this creation in the following challenges:

The Cutie Pie Challenge #132 - One for the boys

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

WWC209 - Marsha's Masculine "Anything Goes" Challenge

What fun!  This week's challenge, hosted by Marsha Reed, is our Masculine challenge.  Better still, it's an "anything goes" challenge.  And there is one bundle in particular from the Stampin' Up! Occasions catalogue, which is perfect for this challenge.  Wait till you see what I did with the Classic Garage Suite.

I took the colour inspiration from the gorgeous Classic Garage Designer Series paper.  That led to a base of Basic Black, a layer of Tranquil Tide and a layer of Crushed Curry, all colours in that wonderful designer paper which is the next layer.  Don't those tire tracks in all those colours look amazing?

Among the designs in the paper stack, there is a page all in black and white, featuring classic cars.  I fussy cut the one featured for this card and used Dimensionals to attach it to a strip of prepared Crushed Curry cardstock.  How did I prepare it?  First I stamped it with the "oil spill" image from the Geared Up Garage stamp set using Gray Granite ink.  Then I sprayed it liberally with water and scrunched it tightly into a sort of ball, squeezing the cardstock tightly.  After a few moments, I straightened it and put it under some weight to dry.  I love the rumpled, worn finish, don't you?

While that was drying, I cut a bunch of gears out of the Galvanized Metallic paper which is, unfortunately retired.  I love the dull metallic look to that paper, don't you?  I glued the gears randomly and then attached the strip of "beat up" Crushed Curry, matted by a piece of Basic Black.  I saved one gear to attach to the top right corner.   Then I heat embossed my sentiment using Black Embossing Powder on a scrap of Vellum.  Once that was cold, I glued that just under the gear.

For the inside of the card I merely added a piece of Whisper White and then stamped the tire tracks from the One Wild Ride set using Smoky Slate ink and added the sentiment which is also from the same stamp set.

I hope you'll check out the wonderful creations by the Watercooler Artists over at our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.

I've also entered this creation in the following challenges:

The Cutie Pie Challenge #132 - One for the boys 

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Things With Wheels

The Corrosive Challenge Blog #2 February - Anything Goes

"Less is More" #388 - Navy & Yellow

When I saw the Fable Friends stamp set in the Stampin' Up! Occasions Catalogue, I fell in love.  Those little images remind me so much of the wonderful characters in some of my daughter's "read-to-me" books.  Nostalgia made me buy them. 

Since the challenge for which I decided to use this set asked for Navy & Yellow, the ducklings were a sure pick.  I stamped them, coloured them with a combination of Stampin' Markers and my Blending pen and then began the meticulous job of cutting them out. 

On a piece of Whisper White cardstock, I used my AquaPainter and Night of Navy ink to create a puddle and shadows near the bottom.  Then I used the clouds and raindrops from my retired Weather Together stamp set to finish the simple rainy scene.   At the very bottom I stamped a sentiment which is also from the Weather Together set. 

Having glued the ducklings down to join with the shadows I painted, I took my glaze pen and created little swirls to give the illusion of puddles.  I also put a spot of glaze onto each raindrop.

To finish, on a base of Heavy Whisper White, I used a matte of Night of Navy and then attached the stamped scene.  I love the results and hope you do as well.

I've entered my card into the following challenges:

"Less is More" #388 - Navy & Yellow

Crafting With An Attitude #48 - Anything Goes

WWC208 - Charlotte's "All About Occasions" Challenge

I love our "All About Occasions" challenges!   They're perfect for all sorts of celebrations throughout the year.  This time I decided to go all romantic with a Valentine's Day card using colours inspired by the gorgeous vellum pattern in my favourite Specialty Designer Series paper, the Floral Romance.

I used that pretty Vellum patterned paper along the left side of the card and complimented it along the right side by embossing the Whisper White layer with the retired Falling Petals embossing folder.  Since I love those darling little mice from the Sweet Storybook set, I stamped one on each of two Whisper White hearts which I cut using the Be Mine Stitched Framlelit dies.  I love that there is a scalloped stitched piece to be used as a matte for the simple hearts.  I also cut a much smaller heart from a piece of Petal Pink cardstock to link the two larger hearts and also to compliment the Petal Pink in the patterned Vellum. 

I wanted a smaller Whisper White heart to pop on top of that scalloped Petal Pink heart but there wasn't a die in the right size and so I cut another scalloped heart from a small piece of Whisper White and then simply cut off the stitching and scallops and had the piece I wanted.  For the centre of that white heart, I cut a small heart from the gorgeous Sale-a-bration Grapefruit Grove foil sheets.  That foil is amazing because it looks a different colour from every angle, just like an opal.

For the inside of the card I used a matte of Petal Pink behind a piece of Whisper White and then stamped the pretty flourish from the Timeless Textures set using Petal Pink ink.  The sentiment is also from the Sweet Storybook set.

Remember, you can get the Grapefruit Grove Foil free with qualifying purchases from Stampin' Up! until March 31st.

I hope you'll check out the wonderful creations by the Watercooler Artists over at our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.

I've also entered this creation in the following challenges:

Always Fun Challenges #97 - Love-Valentines

Dream Valley Challenges #195 - Love & Kisses

WWC207 - Helen's Feminine "Anything Goes" Challenge

I love our feminine challenge!  The best part, in my opinion, is that it's an "anything goes" challenge so, as long as I stick to a feminine theme, I can do anything.  This time I decided to give some love to the gorgeous Sale-a-bration Botanical Butterfly Designer Series Paper, among other products.

I began with a base of the Heavy Whisper White, followed by a layer of Basic Black which I first cut along the right side using  one of the border framelit dies from the Be Mine Stitched Framelits dies.  Just for fun I also rounded the upper and lower corners on that side using my Detailed Trio punch.  Then I added another layer, this time the lovely Highland Heather.

For the "main image" I turned to the Sale-a-bration Botanical Butterfly DSP.  I decided to cut a piece of the black and white butterfly print.  Then I chose a beautifully coloured butterfly from another sheet and fussy cut that to be glued on top of one of the black and white butterflies.  I only glued it along the centre so that the wings appear to be ready to take off at any moment.  As you can see, that coloured butterfly is what helped me to choose the colours for this card.

Along the lower border I decided to use the open, connected hearts die, also from the Be Mine Stitched Framelits dies.  I first cut a piece of the Sale-a-bration Grapefruit Grove Foil and then cut a piece of the Highland Heather cardstock.  When I attached the openwork hearts, I did so at a slant so that there would be room for a heat-embossed white sentiment.  Then I proceeded to glue in the hearts cut from the Highland Heather.  I left one heart open and glued in the appropriate Grapefruit Grove Foil heart.

I wasn't completely happy with the card at this point.  It seemed to empty between the butterflies.  So I took the small random dots stamp from the Wonderful Romance stamp set and proceeded to fill in the white using Grapefruit Grove ink.  I think that was just what the card needed, don't you?

Remember, you can get the Grapefruit Grove Foil and/or the Botanical Butterfly DSP free with qualifying purchases from Stampin' Up! until March 31st.

I hope you'll check out the wonderful creations by the Watercooler Artists over at our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.

I've also entered this creation in the following challenges:

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #86 - Anything Goes

Try It On Tuesday Challenge - Romance

Crafting By Designs - Anything Goes

Double "D" Challenges - Hearts