Tonic

Altenew Cover Die

There seems to be a theme running through my cards at the moment – Altenew. I am playing with their dies as well as stamps, and recently bought this die set – ‘Layered Floral Cover Die’. I shall be returning to the Triangle Turnabout stamp at some point this week……

For this die set, I decided to go with blue and white, but mixed it up. I had some Tonic blue card in matching tones of blue, and used a dark blue and a turquoise blue as well as white. As you can see, it makes very different cards depending on whether the background is light or dark – and I can’t decide which one I like best.

I even hesitated about using a sentiment, but tried one sentiment on one of the cards. I didn’t want a die cut, I didn’t really want a sentiment which took away from the design – just to add a little something……

I went with the sentiments from an old stamp set I have from Craftwork Cards. I bought the set at a local craft show, and have never used it. Again – found when tidying my room up and trying to organise it. I actually may try to organise my room several times a year, as it is amazing what you find!

I shall be entering one of these cards into he following challenges:

Always Fun Challenges – anything goes

Inspiration Destination Challenge – anything goes

Createalicious Challenges – anything goes

A Bit More Time To Craft – anything goes

 

 

 

 

Jungle themed

Hi there. It’s been a few days since I last posted, due to several longer days at work, and working later, but I think I’ve made up for it with todays card. It isn’t what you would call ‘clean and simple’. It isn’t a single layered card. It looks as though I’ve chucked everything at it, doesn’t it? Let me explain…………..

I have been trying to get to grips with masculine cards, and saved a challenge theme to try from ‘Cardz 4 Guyz’ as the theme was Jungle Fun. I bought a bunch of metal stencils from Sweet Poppy at the Doncaster Racecourse craft show, which depicted wild animals, and haven’t played with them yet. This is only one of the stencils, and I am currently waiting for texture paste to dry on the others I have made.

This card is, obviously, using the Giraffe stencil. I used a Cosmic Shimmer texture paste – Chic Pumpkin – on top of black card. A base card of 7 inches square, to which I added a greeny/shimmery card slightly smaller which I had embossed with the Die’sire ‘Tumbling Leaves’ embossing folder. Once I added the giraffe, I played with the position thinking about adding more leaves, a sentiment, wondering what I would put where on the card, and decided to put things a little haphazardly on the card, slightly off kilter, giving an impression of wildness – maybe? Kinda? Sorta? That’s my thought process, anyway.

The sentiment is from Tonic, and I shadowed it with white. In hindsight – as there isn’t any other white on the card – maybe this wasn’t the right choice of colour………

The leaves added to the left of the card are from Sue Wilson – Finishing Touches – Mosaic Leaves. I use these a lot to add interest and dimension to a card, and I particularly like them when they aren’t flat. I have only glued the stems down, slightly bending the branches themselves so they don’t stick straight up, but lie along the card.

And again – away from the clean and simple – I added some bling. Who says a masculine card can’t have some bling? I added some goldy/coppery jewels as you can see. You can also see that I not knowing my colours today – goldy/coppery and greeny/shimmery. I think it’s a new trend…….

Here are the challenges I will entering this card into:

Cardz 4 Guyz – Jungle Fun

Always Fun Challenges – dry embossing (background)

Tuesday Throwdown – texture (background and texture paste)

Watercooler Wednesday – masculine/anything goes

Simon Says Stamp – bit of sparkle (gems)

Crafty Catz – more than two layers

 

 

 

 

Happy Birthday

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Despite all the cards I make, I am almost a week late with a card for one of my close friends. Even though we are based in the same hospital, and our office is next door to each other, it is very rare – not even weekly – when we see each other. She works two days a week, and I sometimes work at other sites. Needless to say – I am mortified!!!

We are going out for a meal on Thursday night, so I shall have to give her the card and presents then – but even five days is nothing compared to my still having her Christmas presents here. With me! Almost four months! How outrageous is that!!??

Anyway, to my card. Still a last minute thing, but I returned to my die cutting roots again. I put my purple card away yesterday, so you can there isn’t one drop of purple to be found. Brown. That is what we have – brown. With a little sparkle.

I started with a white 8 inch square card base, and added some patterned paper from Be Creative! I am  trying a new glue. I usually add most of the layers with double-sided sticky tape, but I had a craft clear-up and found quite a few bottle of Tonic glue, so thought I would try that. I’ll let you know how it stays stuck down………

I then die cut flowers from Stampin Up ‘Stylish Stems Framelits’  and layered Kraft card with a darker brown card for two tone effect. The dark brown card I ‘found’ in a pile I was saving for later, for something special. Why do we do that? Isn’t the card we are currently making that special card to use our stash on? I am sure I have items which I am ‘saving’……………

I then die cut some ferns and leaves with Sue Wilson ‘Finishing Touches – Mosaic Leaves’ and layered them altogether using Pinflair glue. The Pinflair glue allows me to move items around until I get the positioning right, and also allows things to be ‘shoved’ under each other.

I then stamped the sentiment using my Misti – despite me already having layered the die cuts (I know, I know!) from the Altenew ‘Wishing You’ stamp set.

I may have rambled a little and gone off on tangents, but that’s because I’m hoping you haven’t all stuck with my complete and utter tardiness with cards and presents for my friend….

I shall be entering this card into the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge

That’s Crafty Challenge Blog

Always Fun Challenges

Aud Sentiments Challenge

 

 

 

‘L’ for Lady

So what on earth is a girl to do when home from long day at work, hubby still away? Yep – make another card!. I had a look through the Paper Playful challenge web site, and came across three I could enter with the same card.

The first inspiration was from Just Add Ink, with the theme of using an element which began with the letter ‘L’. The second was from Seize the Birthday with the theme of black and white, and the third from Cards in Envy with the theme of black and white and one other colour.

The use of black and white to me, was to create a silhouette, and what better die set to use than that of the Tonic ‘Chepstow Bonnet’ die set. This die set has a couple of bonnets with the lady die, including a fascinator hat, but I liked the look the bonnet gave with the lace around the head.

I used an 8 inch square white card base, and added a slightly smaller layer black layer, cutting it with my Sue Wilson pierced squares die, and then cutting one slightly smaller in white card. Even though the white card had some pattern to it anyway, I embossed it with the Crafters Companion background script embossing folder for extra interest.

I die cut the lady and bonnet in black adding her to the card with one layer of mounting foam, and added the bonnet on top of her head. The sentiment is from another set of Crafters Companion dies, cut in black, and attached with the Stick and Stay spray – also from Crafters Companion.

I thought I had finished there, then remembered that I had to add one colour for the Cards In Envy challenge, but I didn’t want too much colour. I hunted through my ‘bling’ drawer, which has brads, and sequins, and gems, and came across these. They are red, but such a deep red, they almost shine black. I thought they would be a good addition to the card, and also thought they would enhance the bottom right corner – which seemed a little empty.

That’s it. Card done. Today’s playtime over………but there is always tomorrow!!