Graceful Branch Oval, Flowers, Brusho's

Memory Box have a new challenge this month with the colour theme 'Yellow'...  and given that not that long ago I was able to face my aversion to this colour on their Tic Tac Toe challenge (June 2016) I decided to embrace it head on...  well - as much as I was able to, anyway!

Here's my card...

...  and one close up shot.

Believe it or not, the background set within the oval is actually made from two Brusho colours - Grey and Yellow.  I find that Brusho acts a lot like a colour wash if you spray it enough times on watercolour paper AND you're not too heavy handed when applying the powder!

This was a relatively easy card to make.  

Once the background was done it was simply a case of cutting and shaping a few dies, a smidge of Paper Distressing, adding Inks, Lace and Twine/Cord and Dew Drops...  and no glitz, shimmer or bling in sight.  Dew Drops don't count as 'bling' do they?
As I wanted this card to have quite an 'earthy' feel to it, I've even distressed the two purple flower centres a little.

Supplies Used:

Dies:

Memory Box 'Graceful Branch Oval'

Memory Box 'Fabulous Phlox'

Memory Box 'Peaceful Butterfly Wings'

Memory Box 'Flower Mound'

Ink:

Tim Holtz/Distress 'Mustard Seed'

Tim Holtz/Distress 'Walnut Stain'

Brusho:

Grey

Yellow

Other:

Twine/Cord
Holtz Distressing Tool
Lace
Dew Drops

Challenges I'm Entering...

Memory Box

Pixies Crafty Snippets Challenge

(All snippets - Except for the dark green card)

The Sisterhood of Crafters

Close To Nature

Dies R Us

Challenge #55   Doily and/or Lace

Simon Says/Wednesday

Made For The Border

There's still time to play along with these challenges.  Will I see you there, listed in the Mr Linky section...  I wonder?

'Bye for now...

Donna. x

*

Lavender Stems, Camera Film, Kraft Card

Trying something different again today.

Different because this is not a colour scheme I would normally choose to use...  and I've tried out a slightly different layout.

Take a look...

If you read yesterday's post then yes, you've probably already guessed it.  This is indeed another make for the latest Poppystamps challenge.  But did you know that over at Memory Box their latest challenge is all about Water Colour?

As these are two of my all time favourite challenges that I like to play along with (not discounting my love of tags and the lovely Tag You're It! challenge, of course), it seemed only fitting to try and make a card fit for both. 

I am uneasy about the layout on this one though.  

It's difficult for me to judge when the colours are so not for me!

The theory behind this card is 'taking a snapshot of life/capturing a moment on camera' - hence the film strip portion that's been partially glued.

Does it work?

I leave that for you to tell me...

But if it doesn't work, please be kind when you tell me.  I am a delicate soul, you know.

I bruise easily inside and out!

Here's the Poppystamps Tic Tac Toe grid...

...  and here's a quick 'how to'...

Make a quick Yellow watercolour wash.  Leave to one side to dry.

Cut a piece of card slightly smaller than the water colour panel.  Splatter with Distress Ink.

Cut two film strips, glue together, leave to one side to dry.

Cut and assemble Lavender Die, then put in situ but don't glue down yet.

Use Stencils to add extra Flowers to picture, using the Lavender die cut for placement.

Spritz stencilled Flowers with water and leave to dry.

Attach Lavender die cut, then overlay with Meadow Clover die cut.

Tear a piece of White card and attach Twine, then glue to panel.

Attach panels to card as shown.

Cut Photo Strip to size and attach.

Add butterflies and sequins.

One final touch...  Add some Glitter Varnish spray.  (You may want to skip this step).

It has a very subtle finish to it and doesn't show in the photo - but it is there!

Supplies Used:

Dies:

Memory Box 'Long Stem Lavender'

Memory Box 'Butterfly Heart'

Poppystamps 'Meadow Clover'

Poppystamps 'Bijou Film Strip'

Stencils:

Memory Box 'Delphiniums'

Memory Box 'Stems'

Ink:

Memento 'Olive Grove'

Memento 'Elderberry'

Other:

Spectrum Noir 'AquaTint'  (Bright and Beautiful)

Tim Holtz Distress Paint 'Picket Fence'

Tim Holtz Distress 'Splatter Brush'

Twine 'Green'

Sequins

Crafter's Companion 'Spray and Sparkle'  (Pearl Diamond)

Challenges I'm Entering...

Memory Box

Poppystamps

Challenge #21   'Tic Tac Toe'

(I chose Flowers, Yellow and Twine)

Allsorts Challenge

Week #368  'How Does Your Garden Grow'

Cuttlebug Mania

'Midsummer'   Use Flowers and/or Wreaths

If I get it finished in time, I have one more entry for the latest Memory Box challenge.  Time will tell, I guess!

Have a lovely weekend...

Donna. x

Triptych Card, Summer Theme, Flowers + Strawberries

I made this card specifically for the latest Poppystamps Challenge.

It's very busy, isn't it?

A busy card for busy bees...  that's my excuse!

 As I'm not keen on yellow (or any bright colours really), this card was a real challenge for me to make.  But as it's Poppystamps first ever Tic Tac Toe challenge I had to at least give it a try.  

Plus I've missed playing along with them...  

That's what happens when you have lots of half finished projects to work on, stamps to reorganise, etc.

Plus hay fever season does no good thing for my histamine levels...  

(I have histamine intolerance). 

I won't go into details.  After all, anyone vaguely interested can do a quick search online and find out all there is to know.  But the tiredness and dizzy spells are no fun, let me tell you...

I've included the Poppystamps Tic Tac Toe grid so you can hopefully see which elements I chose to play along with...

...but if you can't (Goes off to cry in a corner knowing that I failed abysmally) I chose Flower, Yellow and Twine).

Supplies Used:

Dies:

Poppystamps (Triptych) 'Dogwood Bloom' 

Poppystamps 'Meadow Clover'

Poppystamps 'Berry Best'

Memory Box 'Butterfly Heart'

Memory Box 'Blissful Butterfly Border'

Memory Box 'Jolly Bumble Bees'

Embossing Folder:

Cuttlebug 'Snowflakes'

Other:

Brushos 'Lemon'

Tim Holtz Distress Paint 'Picket Fence'

Tim Holtz Distress 'Splatter Brush'

Twine 'White' 

Challenges I'm Entering...

Poppystamps

Challenge #21  'Tic Tac Toe'

(I chose Flowers, Yellow and Twine)

Pixies Crafty Snippets Challenge

(A whole card made from snippets - yay!)

Allsorts Challenge

Week #368  'How Does Your Garden Grow'

Cuttlebug Mania
'Midsummer'   Use Flowers and/or Wreaths

I have a second card to post for the latest Poppystamps challenge in the next day or so.  Trying something new again...  and so not my usual colour scheme.

As always. if you have the time I would appreciate your feedback.  I find it a real challenge sharing projects I'm not too sure about...

Take care.

Donna...

Through The Window, Notelet Card, Brickwork

Do any of you recognise this scene peeking through the window?

Well done if you do...  

It was also used on one of the larger sentiment tags I made earlier on this year...
  

I wonder if you can figure out why this stamped image was kept to one side?

Yep, you guessed it.  I did a craft 'boo boo'...
...  and I don't know about you but most of my craft 'boo boo' moments come right at the end of my craft make.

 In the spirit of saving the environment and/or my sanity after spending my time on this 'mistake', I decided that the best thing to do was to keep it to one side for a few months, moved on to some other projects and then revisit it.
It's amazing what a pair of fresh eyes and some perspective can do when salvaging a project that's gone wrong.


So...

The part of the image that was still usable was cut to fit into this window frame that's been layered up by gluing three die cuts together.  (The tiny inked vellum butterfly and dragonfly were already attached from the last project, but this time the dragonfly needed to be a darker brown so I carefully removed and replaced it).
Then it was simply a case of adding a branch at an angle (also layered up for strength/durability), mounting on to a card front that's been stamped with a brick image and then heat embossing using Distress ink and powder.
One final butterfly as a finishing touch and I was done.

I made that sound simple, didn't I?


Please, Please...  If you can DO NOT throw your 'mistakes' straight into the bin.  Put them to one side (out of sight), move on to something else and just give it some time.  Then have a look and see what's salvageable.
I won't mention names, but I know of someone who throws her watercolour backgrounds out if they don't look 'right'.  She also throws things away because the paint splatters don't go where she wants them to.
What I'm saying is just because it doesn't work for one project doesn't mean it can't work for another.  If nothing else, I'm sure they would have made beautiful die cut butterflies...




Supplies Used:

Stamps:
Inkylicious 'Whispering Winds'
Bo Bunny 'Wall To Wall Textures'

Dies:
Poppystamps 'Grand Madison French Doors'
Memory Box 'Grove Branch'
Impression Obsession 'Cattails and Dragonflies'
Die Namics 'Flutter of Butterflies' (Lace) - I altered my dragonfly to bring the wings closer together and then glued on a butterfly body to hide the join.

Inks:
Tim Holtz Distress Marker 'Tumbled Glass'
Tim Holtz Distress Marker 'Stormy Sky'
Tim Holtz Distress Marker 'Forest Moss'
Tim Holtz Distress Marker 'Peeled Paint'
Memento (Tsukineko) 'Bamboo Leaves'
Tim Holtz Distress Embossing Ink

Other:
Tim Holtz Distress Embossing Powder 'Walnut Stain'
Martha Stewart Pop Up Butterfly Punch
'Crafter's Companion' Watercolour Card
Foundations Card 'Deep Cocoa'




Challenges I'm Entering...

CAS Mix Up
(I've gone for Stamping, Die Cuts, Heat Embossing and a Craft Punch - Not sure if CAL is allowed or not.  Loll/Bonnie - can you let me know?)

Time Out Challenges

Challenge #58 - Home Sweet Home Photo Inspiration

(Inspired by the window, the brickwork...  and Nonni's DT card)

Pixies Crafty Snippets Challenge

Simon Says/Monday Challenge

Summer Garden

Allsorts Challenge

Week #366  'The Great Outdoors'

Addicted to Stamps and More

  

I still have plenty of half done projects I'm working through right now.   I wonder if you have any hidden away that you intend to get back to one day?

Enjoy the rest of your day...
...  or your evening.

Donna.

'#91 Donna@Room In a Cupboard – Marzena says: This project is absolutely fabulous. I adore the summer night scene. Love the view through the window and bricks around it. The dragonfly has stolen my heart :-) Beautiful CAS card. I’m really impressed. Great job, Donna!'

Faux Aperture, Butterflies, Woodgrain

I wonder if you have any dies in your collection that you like, but barely use...

...and if you barely use them, I guess the question must be 'why'?


My card today uses one such die.

My Memory Box 'Peaceful Butterfly Wings' die, to be exact.

It's a gorgeous die...  don't get me wrong.  But in terms of design I've found that my tastes are changing.  I'm slowly (and yes, I DO mean slowly) finding out what works for me.  What 'I' want to create essentially...  and that's different from when I just started out by buying every pretty die that I liked and could afford to hoard.

So either I get this die to 'work' for me or off it goes to my 'For Sale' pile.
That was the plan.

This is what I came up with...

It's not as 'girly' as some of my other craft makes...  and it's certainly not cute.  But it still has a touch of my much loved nature theme.

So I guess the question is this...
Do I like it?

I think so.
I like the layout for sure and I'll definitely use it again...  and I like how the tiny butterflies are folded out and in.  It's visually more interesting - and I like to make things that are a little bit 'different'.

But I am wondering if this aperture panel is unnecessarily too busy for the card?
What do you think?

I like it enough to try again...  so this die gets a reprieve for now, at least.
What I'm trying to do is to use this die in such a way that it looks 'less busy' than it really is.
It might be a labour in vain, but I need to be sure...




Supplies Used:

Dies:
Memory Box 'Peaceful Butterfly Wings'
Memory Box 'Blissful Butterfly Border'
Memory Box 'Woodland Branch'
Spellbinders/Nestabilities 'Circles' (large)
Impression Obsession 'Tied Line'

Embossing Folder:
Crafts Too 'Cherry Blossom'

Other:
Linen Cardstock
Altenew 'Woodgrain Bark' Paper
Foundation 'Rich Cocoa' Cardstock
Brown card from Stash (Tim Holtz)
Mirri Card
Vellum
Foam Pads




Challenges I'm Entering...

Butterfly Challenge
Challenge #55   'A is for Aperture &/or Apricot'

Simon Says/Wednesday Challenge
(Anything Goes)

Make My Monday
(In The Garden)

Just before I go, I should probably mention that I used a LOT of foam pads on this card to stop the butterfly panel from being squashed.  That way the butterflies that are folded 'in' stay folded 'in'...  as opposed to getting flattened!!!



Hope you are having a good day...

Donna. x

CAS, Butterfly on leaves, Female

I don't often make CAS cards...  and if I'm honest I had no idea this would end up being one.

You see, I wanted to join in with the latest Butterfly Challenge and I had a rough idea in mind weeks ago when I first saw the 'E' for embossing theme...  but I thought I had longer than I did and almost missed the boat altogether. 

(Thanks for mentioning it on your blog, Di)!!!

Anyhow, in a last minute 'I've got eleven hours to the deadline' (which realistically means four hours tops to make the card and try and get a decent photo...  then zoom off to get daughter from school, hear her news for the day, feed her, etc...  Oh yes, and get some washing on, washing put away, prepare and eat my evening meal, etc...  That doesn't leave an awful lot of time really. does it?

Oh well... 

So like I said, this wasn't going to be a CAS card.  It was going to have more layers and embellishments...  and initially I had a choice of two designs in mind.  But...  whilst moving things around I looked and thought 'this looks better like this...  Clean and Simple...  uncluttered.'

So that's how this card was made.

Minimal supplies used:

Stampin' Up 'Best Blossoms'

Memory Box 'Blissful Butterfly Border'

Cuttlebug 'Tag Team Butterflies' Cut and Emboss Set 

Memento (Tsukineko) Ink Pad 'Bamboo Leaves'

Twine

Foam Pads

Here's the card...

I know Winter is setting in, but I still have room in my life for Butterfly cards.  If you do too, maybe you could pop over to the latest Butterfly Challenge and have a go yourself.  There's always room there you know...  unlike my craft cupboard!!!

Butterfly Challenge

(Butterfly + 'E' for Embossing/#40)

Also adding to...

Pixie's Crafty Snippets Challenge

(Butterfly from snippets collection)

Take care...

Flowers on Tag Card, Glitter Butterflies, Female

I saw a challenge just the other evening that only had three and a half days to go...  Not a lot of time for me but I couldn't resist with the colour scheme involved :)

So here's a quick, 'no ink' card that fits the bill for a few other challenges, too.  I LOVE it when that happens...  especially as I'm still quite new to 'blogland'  and I'm eager to 'meet' new people, see their blogs/craft style...  and hopefully learn from them along the way :)

When I choose to go for a 'no ink' design, I always try to make up for it with added dimension.  I've seen people's swirly, circle 'nests' on their designs before now and contemplated that idea before deciding to settle on threading the raffia through the tag.  If I'm honest, I wasn't quite sure how that would work out...  much better than I'd envisioned, so 'yay' :)

...oh, and just a quick note...  all three butterflies were punched from this pretty glitter paper.  (That was definitely one of my better finds on eBay)...  I only mention it as I'm not sure this photo shows the glitter on all three :)

Dies used...

Hero Arts/Frame Cuts 'Large Tag'

Open Studio/Memory Box 'Distressed Windham Collage'

Punches...

Stampin' Up 'Five Petal Flower'

Sizzix/Tim Holtz 'Large Butterfly Punch'

Embossing Folder...

Cuttlebug 'Leafy Branch'

I'm entering this card into the following challenges...

Cupcake Inspirations

(Challenge #328)

Crafty Cardmakers and More

(Make it Sparkle/Challenge #148)

Allsorts Challenge

(Sparkle/Week #329)

Make My Monday

(Nature) 

Pixie's Crafty Snippets Challenge

(Anything Goes/Week #195) 

Whole card make from 'Snippets'...

Cute Card Thursday

(Things with Wings/Challenge #392)

Butterfly Challenge

(Butterfly + 'K' for Knot/#39)

4 Crafty Chicks

(Sparkle and Shine/Challenge #265)

Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge

(Use Patterned Paper/September Challenge)

It's nearly the weekend...

Back tomorrow with a Tag You're It post.

Donna...

Sunset Aperture, Birds in Garden, Female

Eek...  I haven't posted in ages, have I?

I've been having some ongoing health issues that are a huge inconvenience more than anything else...  they kill my energy, make my eyesight blurry at times and make me oh so very dizzy (among many varied other things).  Not conducive to 'playtime', hey?  Still...  it could be worse :)

My card today was specifically made for the latest Poppystamps Challenge, but as I've taken so long to get it finished other challenges have popped up along the way that also tie in perfectly.  I guess that's one advantage to being so S L O W...  spotting other challenges and tailoring the card to suit them all :)

Dies used...

Poppystamps 'Resting Birds'

Poppystamps 'An Apple A Day'

Poppystamps 'Garden Step Ladder'

Poppystamps 'Serendipity Bird Frame'

Poppystamps 'Grassland Border'

Poppystamps 'Bushel Basket'

Stencil...

Tim Holtz 'Bricked'

Stamp...

Kaisercraft Edges 'Texture'

Here's my card...

Believe it or not, this was originally going to be a CAS (ish) design that featured the Grassland strip section (minus the far left bird) paired with a sentiment.  I kind of changed my mind on that idea, but will use it again someday!

I'm entering this card into the following challenges...

Poppystamps

Simon Says (Wednesday) Challenge

City Crafter/Week #280  ('Fall Has Arrived')

Creative Card Crew/Challenge #96 (Fall)

Pixie's Crafty Snippets Challenge

Use Your Stuff/Challenge #192 (Fall Theme)

With the exception of the Grassland borders, all other dies used were from my 'snippets' card collections.  I still have many, many more to use up...  so I'm so glad I found a happy challenge blog where some mischief is allowed...  as well as my many teeny, tiny offcuts :)

Not sure if 'grunging' it up like this has worked or not.  Part of me says 'yes', but the other part thinks CAS would have been the better way to go.  

What do you think? 

Don't know what I'm going to make next...  but something far less 'busy', I think...

Take care...  and if you are popping in from 'The Playground',  here's a *Wave* just for you :)

'Bye...