Playing!

I made a couple more cards for the Less is More challenge for no other reason than all my pink, green and grey stuff was out for the card I made yesterday and I wanted to 'play'! The first card really was inspired by the picture provided by Chrissie & Mandi for this week's challenge, I kept looking at it and trying to think how I could make some gerberas. As it happens I think they look more like daisies but that's sometimes what happens when you play, the end result not being quite the same as the picture in your head. I used the smallest flower on the Flower Daisies die, cut from Pink Pirouette and folded over, then punched the large flower shape with the Boho Blossoms die in Certainly Celery and cut it to make the base, the stems are just a strip of Certainly Celery gently teased around to give a curve. All the flower pieces were lightly inked with a sponge dauber to add a bit of depth. For the border I used the Sandy Speckles Wheel with Basic Gray then masked this and sponged over Pink Pirouette before positioning the flowers, added a knot of Pink Pirouette Taffeta ribbon and a sentiment from Happiest Birthday Wishes stamped in Basic Gray. Now onto my second card which really was playing!

In my kitchen I have a pot of pink hyacinths, bought for me by my daughter for Mothers Day and, again, I keep looking at them thinking how can I make something that looks like a hyacinth. So that's where the playing comes in, I took the flower stamp from Flight of the Butterfly, a Pink Pirouette stamp pad and a piece of Whisper White and stamped, then over-stamped until I was (reasonably) happy with the shape. I then added the stem using a stamp from Greenhouse Garden and some leaves with a stamp from the Build a Blossom set. The stem and leaves were given a touch of shading using a Crumb cake marker as they looked a little flat then the panel was matted onto Basic Gray and Pink Pirouette cardstock before placing in the centre of a plain white card blank with a knot of retired Basic Gray Taffeta ribbon added to the bottom corner. In hindsight I think it would have been better to have stamped the flower using a mixture of Pink Pirouette and the slightly darker Pretty in Pink as the 'hyacinth' does look a little flat and insipid but that's what palying is all about - I'll know better next time :0) 

I hope you are all having a lovely weekend, the sun is shining beautifully here but boy is it cold!!!!

to DIE for!

Housework done and craft room tidied so what better reason to mess it up again making this card for the Simply Stampin' challenge. This week it's ' to DIE for' which basically means a card made with dies and, as Stampin'Up! do a fabulous range, the challenge for me was deciding which ones to use!

I began by making a scalloped edged card blank by using the the Scallop Square die, sponged round the edges, and onto this I stamped the background with a stamp from Everything Eleanor in Crumb Cake. Next the leaves were cut in Certainly Celery from the Little Leaves die and pruned a little before arranging onto the card. The flower is two of the small daisies, from the Flower Daisies die, in Elegant Eggplant and one in Whisper White then layered with a large Rhinestone brad in the centre. To finish the card I added a sentiment from Petite Pairs and a tag using a Tiny Tags stamp and the Jewelry Punch.

I can't believe it's Sunday already - where has the weekend gone? I hope you had a good one x

Daisies pretending to be Gerberas!

More flowers made with that gorgeous Flower Daisies die - this time in Real Red and Cherry Cobbler made with more of a gerbera feel. The centre is a Bravo Burgundy punched circle covered with Crystal Effects and a sprinkling of Dazzling Diamonds.
Hope you're not getting too fed up with seeing these but I was just so pleased with how the photos turned out I had to share them!!

3D Watering Can

Today’s post is a little gift I have made for my KS4 manager, Joan, who is putting on a BBQ tomorrow for some of us as a thank you for our hard work this term. We haven’t been asked to take anything but I just cannot be invited anywhere without taking a gift, no matter how small it may be.

I found a template for this cute little watering can (which can found here) and decided to have a go, it’s made with River Rock cardstock randomly stamped with the small leaf from 'Lovely as a Tree' in River Rock, added tags from Tiny Tags, cut with the Jewelry Tag punch, again in River Rock and I embossed just the spout with the Perfect Polka dots embossing folder. The daisies were made in Whisper White and River Rock, using the Flower Daisies die, and the centres are a punched circle covered with Crystal Effects and a sprinkling of Dazzling Diamonds. The empty one, made with Soft Suede, was my first practise attempt but, as it’s empty, shows the watering can to better effect.This would make a perfect gift for someone in hospital now that so many do not allow fresh flowers (and you wouldn't have the bother of making sure they're kept watered!)

Let’s just hope the rain stays away tomorrow!!