A Shiny Red Apple for the Teacher

Pretty soon it will be time to thank all those wonderful people who put so much energy and time into educating our children - I will be relying on this Verve Teachers Count Stamp set quite a bit in the next few weeks.

The Glossy Apple from 3 thicknesses of white cardstock using a Sizzix Original Die.  I coloured it with various alcohol markers and applied several coats of UTEE to make it nice and shiny.

Here's the sketch I used for some much needed inspiration to jumpstart my flagging mojo!

Viva la Verve April 2018 Sketch

I think bringing the teacher an apple is an excellent tradition that should be brought back in!

Less is More Challenge #369 Bring Something Back

The SSS Wednesday Challenge wants us to add some Texture

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Add some Texture

Other Challenges

PINspirational 6th Anniversary Anything Goes Challenge 

Happy Little Stampers April Anything Goes With Dies Challenge

Supplies: 

Verve Teachers Count Stamp Set;

Spellbinders M-Bossabilities Numbers & Letters;

Sizzix Originals Small Apple;

Crea-Nest-Lies XXL #21 Stitched Circles

QuickCutz Nesting Squares #2

Thanks for stopping by - especially if you take the time to leave a comment,

Kate

Amazing Bee

I've had most of the elements for this card lying in a box ready to be assembled for ages while I waited for some inspiration.  In the end I decided on this sentiment from Verve's Beautiful Things set.  After all a bee hive is a pretty amazing structure and a bumblebee's flight is supposed to defy the laws of physics isn't it!!!

There were a couple of challenges that caught my eye this week and for which this card may qualify

Make My Monday Challenge #68  - Things with Wings

Time Out Challenge #107 Spring (no optional twist here I'm afraid)

Casology Week 295 Believe 

The Male Room Challenge 83 - Symmetry 

PINspirational 6th Anniversary Anything Goes Challenge

SSS Wednesday Challenge - Add Some Texture

Verve April Diva Yellow

Supplies :

Verve What's the Buzz Stamp set and matching dies; 

Verve Beautiful Things Stamp set; 

Spellbinders Labels 4 and 14, 

Craft Emotions Honeycomb Background Die;
Glossy Accents and Rayher Ultra Fine Glitter on the Wings

Thanks for stopping by, especially if you take the time to leave a comment,
Kate

Making a Spectacle!

A while back a friend of mine asked if I could make a card for her daughter who was a reading enthusiast and ever since I have been looking for suitable stamp and/or die sets.  So when I saw the Read Between the Lines Stamp Set from Sugar Pea Designs I just had to buy it.  

I had some 12x12 sheets of striped paper which I cut on the diagonal for the background layers to get that air-mail striped look.

Supplies : SugarPea Designs Stamp Set, Crea-Nest-Lies Dotted Rectangles, Memorybox Stunning Spectacles, BoBunny Stamps freebie (the Crown), Adirondack Eggplant Dye Ink for the first card, Versamark and WOW! Blueberry embossing powder for the second card.  

Thanks for stopping by, especially if you take the time to leave a comment,

Kate

Polaroid Memories

I've not had much energy or inclination for crafting while I've been nursing my son through his longer than anticipated post-surgery recuperation, however I did get this card made for my brother's 50th birthday recently.

I used the camera and polaroids dies from the Sugarpea Designs Polaroid Journal Card.  There is a smile sentiment as part of the set but I chose to use this earlier purchased Impression Obsession Die instead.  I have to say it was fun making up the little camera and reviewing 50 years of memories.  I just love that photo of him when he was a toddler - he was so cute, and that family photo of his confirmation (I took the photo so I'm not in it but I was his sponsor).  There was a photo of the two of us out on the town and a photo of him as godfather to my eldest son. I also found and a great photo of him and our late dad taken in happier days.

There are lots of things I would redo if I made the card again (getting that big polaroid exactly straight was difficult - I'd just put it askew with a piece of wash tape if I had to redo it) but I'm glad I had the idea to add mini polaroid memories - what a great way to personalise a card!  I'm sure he'll love it!

Thanks for stopping by - especially if you take the time to leave a comment,

Kate

The Bee's Knees

I haven't had much time for crafting this year while I'm nursing my youngest son after surgery on his leg and foot.  Whenever I've started contemplating a card, I'll hear "Muuuuum" and that will be the end of that train of thought.  However after 3 weeks of being post-op and no return to school in sight (and a trip to the Expo Creative where I treated myself to some new goodies), I was determined to start something on the weekend and was finally successful in finishing something.

I bought this new honeycomb die with the express purpose of using it with this fabulous Verve "What's the Buzz" stamp set and matching dies and I wanted to use it first.  One of my favourite places for sketch inspiration has always been the Verve team so when I saw this sketch from Julee at Viva la Verve, a card started taking shape. 

Viva la Verve January Sketch Challenge 

Not a very traditional Valentine's Day card, but I'm not one for lot's of red love hearts anyway.  This one is certainly eye-catching (in a 'scuse me while I get my sunglasses kind of way).

I almost used a feather but this scroll die was another newbie so I thought I'd use it instead. 

Here are some of the other challenges I'm entering

Cuttle Bug Mania's Valentine's Day Challenge

SSS Wednesday "Layer It Up" Challenge

Addicted to Stamps "Anything Goes" Challenge

Happy Little Stampers "Anything Goes with Dies" Challenge

I love that you stopped by and appreciate all your comments.  

Have a great week,

Kate 

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like ...

The timing on this card was perfect.  It's not long finished and I just got an email notification of the latest challenge at Double D Challenges.  There's lots of inspiration here - something I have struggled with over the last few weeks.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

If you're interested in the details, that beautiful large snowflake die is from WMS - I was lucky to pick that up before Claire closed her doors 😢 and I'm not sure if she has re-released it under the Gina K label like many of her stamp sets.

It's huge and will not fit comfortably on an A6 card so I did that off the side trick.  The other two snowflakes are also from WMS.  I thought the middle snowflake die resembled foliage so I had no worries about cutting it from green.  In fact when I looked for an appropriate stamp (to decorate the inside and the envelope) I found that she had designed a matching forest stamp - Claire is a genius at designing clever sets!

In my first design of this card, I used a red bead in the middle.  It looks great, but I'm not sure it's up to the long trip to Australia or post office franking machines.  So I used a red brad.  BUT it was just flat and ordinary SOOOO.  I applied about 3 coats of glossy accents to the brad to give it that enamel dot look (and a touch of glitter along the way for some interest).  This is an especially good trick (if you have the patience) when you want to match your  enamel dot perfectly to your project. Enamel dots are pretty expensive - and you can't possibly have them in every colour you might need.  I normally keep any "dotty leftovers" for such a purpose and I have a few dies that will quickly produce  a few different sized dots if I need them.  Because of the viscosity of Glossy Accents it stays on the dot - just make sure you keep your project flat until it's dry.  Here's a close up

Here are some other great challenges which I'm also entering

Just Add Ink - Just Add Glitter

Cuttlebug Mania - Let it Snow Challenge

Happy Little Stampers November Anything Goes with Dies Challenge

Make My Monday Challenge #59 Snow Fun

Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes

Muse Christmas Visions Festive "Free for All"

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you like what you saw.  If you did, leave a comment so I can get to know your better and return the favour.  Your visits and comments are precious to me.

Kate