WWC261 - Kath's Challenge: Anything Goes With a Feminine Twist

My favourite Designer Paper offered by Stampin' Up! in their Annual Catalogue remains the stunning Pressed Petals Specialty DSP.  The photographic images of the flowers truly look as if one can reach in and lift them from the paper.  Coupled with the lovely Wonderful Moments image, the paper helps to lift an ordinary Birthday card into the extraordinary.

For my base I used the Heavy Whisper White cardstock.  To compliment the Stampin' Blends which I used, I added a matte in the Balmy Blue cardstock.  I followed that up by adding a layer of the lovely Pressed Petals.

On a scrap piece of Whisper White cardstock, I stamped the image of the girl walking away.  I carefully stamped the bouquet image into her right hand and then drew a cell phone into her left hand.  After colouring my images using the Stampin' Blends, I fussy cut the image and attached it to the centre of the floral wreath.  After stamping my sentiment on a scrap of Balmy Blue, I hand-cut it into a banner shape and added stitch lines with my journalling pen.

I hope you enjoy my card as much as I enjoyed creating it.  Have fun with our challenge!

I'm also entering this card in the following challenges:

Dragonfly Dreams Challenge: Make it Feminine

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #114 - Anything Goes

Creative Moments Challenge #185 - Anything Goes

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Blog - Feminine

WWC243 - Heidi's Masculine "Anything Goes" Challenge

Masculine challenges can be such fun.  I have some birthday "boys" coming up for whom I always make outdoorsy cards.  This is where the "Let it Ride" stamp set comes in handy.  Strangely enough, I also used the gorgeous Pressed Petals Designer Series paper and the Stitched Nested Labels dies added some dramatic detail.

Isn't that a fun card?  I used a base of Heavy Very Vanilla for a change.  It really complimented the layer of Soft Suede and the lovely piece of Designer Paper.  That burlap pattern is one of the "back" sides of the Pressed Petals DSP, and is perfect for the masculine feel I for which I was striving.  Instead of adding the stamped layers to the top, I actually cut out a "window" using the medium sized Stitched Label die, to expose the Soft Suede underneath.  Then I used a much smaller Stitched Label die to cut out a piece of Very Vanilla and stamped the horses onto that.  By mounting the stamped piece to the left, I had sufficient room to stamp the trees from the set onto the Soft Suede.

At the bottom of the card you can see I cut only portions of a piece of Soft Suede and a piece of Very Vanilla using the Stitched Label dies.  After stamping the "Happy Birthday" using Old Olive, I mounted the Very Vanilla to the far right of the die-cut Soft Suede before attaching the whole to the bottom of the card.  I think it balances the card nicely.  The horseshoes?  There's a story.  Remember the Home Sweet Home thinlit dies?  Well one of those dies is a round-topped window so I used that to cut two scraps of the retired Galvanized Metallic paper and then, after cutting off the window cross-pieces and bottom, I had horseshoes.  A few nail-holes added with my black pen finished the job.

For the inside I added two die-cuts of that great burlap paper and then added a special fold as a surprise.  It's an easy fun fold but will give added pleasure to the receiver of this card.  The remaining images and sentiments from the Let it Ride set fit onto the squares perfectly and look great, don't they?

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:

2 Crafty Critter Crazies Challenge #31 - Anything Goes with a Critter

Crafty Animals Challenge #31 - Anything Goes

Crafty Creations Challenge #400 - Anything Goes

The Card Concept Challenge #121 - Adventure Awaits (I was inspired by a combination of the colours and the textures in the inspiration photo.  When I think of horses, I always think of adventures).

WWC241 - Dawn's Feminine "Anything Goes" Challenge

Ooooh!  It's a feminine challenge at the Watercooler this week and Dawn is our host.  I decided to combine that awesome Pressed Petals Specialty Designer Series paper with the terrific Wonderful Moments stamp set.

Doesn't that combination look wonderful?  I used a base of Heavy Whisper White and, after fussy cutting carefully around the inside of the floral wreath image on that pretty wood-grain paper, I was ready for the image which would be featured inside the wreath. 

I took a piece of Whisper White cardstock and, after using my Basic Black Stampin' Marker to ink up everything but the bouquet and ribbon at the back of the dress, I stamped the "bride".  My intention was to simplify the dress and also to have her hold some balloons rather than the bouquet.  I used my Stampin' Blends to colour the image.  The dress is Rococo Rose while the hair is a combination of Crumb Cake and Daffodil Delight.  Her skin is Ivory and the balloons are Daffodil Delight and, again, Rococo Rose.  Then I covered the image and stamped the dots from the stamp set (confetti?) as my background. 

I love the way she fits into the cut out of the wreath, don't you?  And the banner finishes off my card perfectly.

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 #103 - Anything Goes

{PIN}spirational Challenges #248 - Photo Inspiration

WWC229 - Helen's "All About Occasions" Challenge

It's my sister's birthday this coming weekend and so I can fulfil this challenge as well as get a fun card designed just for her.  Doe has gone through some really difficult times over the past four years, with a major operation each year.  I thought something lighthearted would be perfect under the circumstances.  She loves flowers so definitely, the Pressed Petals Specialty Designer paper is perfect for that.  And I'm adding a bit of whimsy with the sweet images from the New Wonders stamp set.

Aren't the images darling?  I fussy cut each out.  The lower one is positioned precisely to make it appear that a layer of paper is being peeled back to expose that gorgeous Designer Paper.  I used the Stitched Nested Labels dies to cut into the cardstock and am pleased that it worked out so well.  The little magical dots and stars are thanks to a retired set, the Fairy Celebration, and work perfectly here.  They're stamped using Rococo Rose ink as is the sentiment.

I used my Stampin' Blends to colour the little fairies.  As you can see from this close-up, I've even added some Rococo Rose to the nib of the pen to make it appear it was dipped in ink.  I'm so happy the Gingham Gala self-adhesive sequins carried over since they are the perfect embellishments for my card.

I tried to use the same colours that appear in the Designer Paper on the fairies.  I think it worked out quite well.  You can see how nicely the fussy cut image joins to the die-cut opening in this photo.  I know the sweet images and colours in this card will bring a smile to my sister's face.

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:

Creative Moments Challenge #172 - Anything Goes

Crafting From the Heart Challenge #247 - Anything Goes

Just Us Girls Challenge #495 - Word Week (Smile)

Dragonfly Dreams Challenges - Things With Wings

Sisterhood of Crafters Challenge - Birthday Month (congratulations Debbie)

Paper Craft Crew Challenge (PPC343) - Designer's Choice

WWC228 - Marsha's Feminine "Anything Goes" Challenge

Oh I love our fabulous Feminine "Anything Goes" Challenges.  What fun to be able to create anything as long as I give it a feminine twist.  And what could be a better patterned paper to reach for than that gorgeous Pressed Petals Specialty Designer Series paper?  The images are photographs and simply "pop" off the page!

Look at that wreath of flowers.  Doesn't it look as if I've added real pressed flowers to my card?  Well, I haven't.  The patterns on this paper are all so incredibly realistic that they seem to be 3-D.  The butterflies?  Now those are 3-D since I cut them from Soft Suede using the gorgeous Butterfly Beauty Thinlits dies which carried over and are now in the Annual Catalogue.  The Soft Suede compliments the patterns I've cut from the retired Sale-a-bration paper, doesn't it?  I lifted the lower right butterfly up on a foam Dimensional while the upper left butterfly is simply glued down along the centre of its body.

I've used the sentiment on the front of the card and inside the card from the Beauty Abounds stamp set (also carried over into the Annual Catalogue).  It's hard to tell, but it's stamped using the Mossy Meadow ink.  The two layers of cardstock on top of the Heavy Whisper White are actually Rococo Rose and Mossy Meadow.

Those pretty butterflies and the "bokeh" circles inside the card are also from the Beauty Abounds stamp set.  I used the Merry Merlot and Rococo Rose inks to continue with the colours in the patterned paper.  The sentiment is, again, stamped using Mossy Meadow 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:

Artistic Inspirations Challenge #216 - Anything Goes

Tuesday Throwdown Challenge #435 - Anything Goes

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #97 - Anything Goes