WWC223 - Anything Goes Challenge

Hurrah!  It's a real "anything goes" challenge this week and there are no twists, guides or restrictions.  How perfect since I had a graduation card on my schedule with some pretty special images, colours and folds.

While this doesn't look like a conventional graduation card, I fell in love with this sentiment.  Of course that wonderful Come Sail Away Designer Series paper I've used as my background pulls everything together.  How wonderful that the blue in the paper is the blue of the school's colours.  Could anything have worked out more perfectly?  Now I know that the super-wide Jute ribbon (sadly retired) looks as if it's only decorative in this photo.  But there is more to this card than first meets the eye.

Et voila!

As you can see, the ribbon, which is adhered to a piece of Soft Suede cardstock, is, in fact, the "belly band" which holds the rather thick card together.  For the inside of this awesome graduation pop-up twist surprise card, I've also used the Come Sail Away Designer Series paper, although this one is much brighter and lighter so that the large numbers, cut from Pacific Point cardstock, would be the focal point.  The sentiment and sailboat image are both from the stunning new Come Sail Away Suite and I can see many more cards designed using the various images in my future.

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

I've entered my card into the following challenges:

Cardz 4 Guyz Challenge #220 - Beside the Seaside

Always Fun Challenges #112 - Graduation

Creative Moments Challenge #169 - Anything Goes

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

Crafty Gals Corner Challenge #192 - Fancy Folds

WWC222 - Helen's "All About Occasions" Challenge

Every once in a while a stamp set comes along that totally resonates with you.  That's what happened when I saw the lovely Free As A Bird set in the upcoming new Stampin' Up! Annual Catalogue.  I love the beautifully drawn images as well as the perfect selection of sentiments.  This is a set I knew I wanted and I was stoked when it was among the pre-orders which we were allowed to make this month as Demonstrators for Stampin' Up!

The pretty flowers and leaves are part of the stamp set as is that gorgeous bird.  Of course I had to look up "seed eating birds" for ideas of natural colours for my birds.  Then came the onerous job of fussy-cutting.  If I have one criticism, it is that the images don't have accompanying dies.  Oh, yes, there is a die-set in the bundle which one can buy with a 10% savings, but those dies are elongated stitched hexagonals.

I don't usually go fancy with my backgrounds but it's difficult not to when one has a beautiful set of laser-cut cards.  I couldn't resist the special tin designed for the Bird Ballad Suite.  That's Mint Macaron cardstock behind the laser-cut design.  I think it compliments the Balmy Blue which I used  to watercolour my stitched circle very nicely, don't you?

For the little sentiments "banner" I used my Mint Macaron Stampin' Marker to add faux stitching after stamping "Congratulations" using Calypso Coral ink.

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

I've entered my card into the following challenges:

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #94 - Anything Goes

Crafting From the Heart Challenge #243 - Anything Goes

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #389 - A Sketch by Narelle

WWC221 - Tristan's Masculine "Anything Goes" Challenge

I love masculine challenges!  And this one came at the perfect time for me to create a card for my awesome son-in-law.  Could the timing be better?  And I'm sure the images are just what he's day-dreaming about, too.

I love this terrific new stamp set in our new Stampin' Up! Annual Catalogue.  Finally, "A Good Man" offers some awesome images of men at leisure.  This image lends itself perfectly to that beach and palm trees, doesn't it (palm trees not part of this set).  I did some masking to get that beach watercoloured in place and then, once that was done, coloured in my images using my Stampin' Blends.  As expected, Adam loved it.

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

I've entered my card into the following challenges:

Cardz 4 Guyz:  Challenge #219 - Man Cave

Crafting from the Heart Challenge #243 - Anything Goes

Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge #341 - Anything Goes

The Male Room Challenge #111 - Anything Goes

WWC220 - Kath's "All About Occasions" Challenge

This is the time of year when I begin getting a bit sentimental.  So many of my favourite products are retiring.  It's time for one "last fling" before I get all excited about the new products which will be arriving soon.  Except for the cardstock, I've concentrated on retiring products for this card.

I will admit that retirement doesn't mean that I'll be getting rid of the sweet Fairy Celebration stamp set nor the Jar of Love bundle.  I've used those products many, many times and haven't finished with ideas for them yet.  Doesn't the fairy look adorable all fussy cut and sitting on that glass jar?  I love that she's doing her best to arrange the flowers, even though they seem almost too large for her to handle.

I've combined my images with the gorgeous Share What You Love Specialty Designer Series paper.  The flowers on the right side of the card caught more sunlight and, because they have a special pearlized finish, the colour shifted.  This is a card which is fun to hold and turn in the light because it catches and reflects in so many spots.  The fairy's wings, for example, are beautifully shimmery with their top layer of Wink of Stella.

The flowers which are in the jar and which the fairy is holding are all cut from another piece of that beautiful designer paper.  I don't use a lot of designer paper, but this one certainly appealed to me and has seen quite a bit of use.  I just love all the colours, don't you?

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

I've entered my card into the following challenges:

Addicted to Stamps Challenge #174 - Flowers

Crafting From the Heart Challenge #242 - Always Anything Goes

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #93 - Anything Goes

The Sisterhood of Crafters: It's All About Flowers 

WWC219 - Heidi's Feminine "Anything Goes" Challenge

It's strange how things work out.  When I first saw the Varied Vases bundle, it didn't impress me.  The images all seemed so small.  I wasn't a fan.  And then, on a whim, I bought it.  What can I say?  I've fallen in love.  Sometimes "small" makes a big impact.

I used a base of the Heavy Whisper White.  Then I layered a piece of Mossy Meadow and a piece of Mint Macaron.  The Mint Macaron was embossed using the gorgeous Subtle 3-D embossing folder.  Now someone else would have taken the easy road and just cut out a piece of Whisper White using the scalloped Oval die.  But someone like me doesn't realize there is an easier way and so I wound up cutting out a scalloped oval from the Mossy Meadow layer as well as the Mint Macaron layer.  That allowed the Heavy Whisper White to show through and thus created a white border around the pretty leafy Floral Romance Specialty Designer series paper.

I stamped the little vase using Mossy Meadow ink and then cut it out using the matching Vases Builder Punch.  Then I stamped the gorgeous orchid after inking up the stamp with my Mossy Meadow and Flirty Flamingo Stampin' Markers.  After I "huffed" the stamp, I managed a very nice image on a scrap of Whisper White.  I used the Flirty Flamingo ink pad to stamp the colour into the outlined orchid.  Then I proceeded to fussy cut the flowers and stem.  I used the punch to cut out the orchid leaf from a scrap of Mossy Meadow.

Assembly was simple.  I used dimensionals to adhere the vase and orchids to give the card more depth.  To finish up I stamped "Birthday Wishes" at the bottom right of the card using Mossy Meadow ink.  I love the results, don't you?

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

I've entered my card into the following challenges:

International Art & Soul #57 - Anything Birthday

Crafting From the Heart #242 - Anything Goes

The crafty Addicts Challenge 60 - Anything Goes

Seize the Birthday #164 - Texture