New Challenge at Time Out!

Hi friends!

Due to busy work schedules I haven't been making cards for all of my design teams in the past couple of months... But today I'm happy to be joining the new challenge at Time Out and hopefully my schedules permit me to join more often now! Making a card may only take some hours... But when one is very busy, those extra hours outside responsibilities tend to lack mojo and lean towards simply chilling! Are you familiar with the phenomenon? :) 

Our challenge is a very fun one:

May the 4th be With You! 

May 4th is celebrated as a Star Wars day and that's how we got the idea. However, you don't need Star Wars supplies. Think movie series, celestial, galaxy, sky, northern lights, etc.

My card started with making a watercolor background. I used Brusho powders and Cosmic Shimmer Pixie Sparkles -it's a pity you can't really see the beautiful shine that the background has! I then heat embossed a background stamp image by Echo Park, I've had this for years and I love it. The heat embossing powder is by Ranger and it's a new favorite, the shade is called Bubbly. It's like a creamy, slighty golden silver. Lighter than Liquid Platinum if you have that. It's a very beautiful shade!

The die cut sentiment comes from Textures by Lou Collins and goes well with the challenge I think! This will be fun to give a way as a little encouragement card. 

Please head on over to our challenge blog for all the challenge details and lots of more DT inspiration! 

 

Card for Hero Arts Collective Chellenge + Secret for Arranging Die Cuts in a Card Layout!

Hi friends!

Hero Arts released a challenge in their new Facebook group Hero Arts Collective and I couldn't wait to play along immediately! :) The challenge is simply to use your favorite Hero Arts products and post your card photo in the group before May 5th. I've been loving the dies from the Friendship Blooms collection and once again made a card with the floral dies from the collection... You'll find all of my Friendship Blooms cards by simply scrolling down for older post. Anyway -the products I used are:

Floral Pattern Cover Plate Die

Small Flower Layering Fancy Dies 

Large Flower Layering Fancy Dies

I also used for the first time a big die cut Celebrate-word from It's Our Anniversary Stamp and Cut from the Let's Celebrate collection. Very fun die!

I want to share my favorite tip for arranging die cuts on a card because I know it can be overwhelming to find a beautiful layout... Or choose in between the ideas that you have. What I tend to do is that while I'm trying different layouts, I snap photos of the arrangements I come up... And then choose with the help of the photos which one I like the best. The photos will also help you with forming the arrangement when you are re-creating it. Also, for some reason -at least for me it's easier to see from the photo if the arrangement looks good or not than to just look at the card in front of me in the table! Below are two photos -one of an arrangement that I ditched and one of that I chose and re-created! What do you think of this method? I encourage you to try it! 

I'd like to play along in a couple of other challenges too:

A Cut Above: April Anything Goes

Allsorts Challenge: Anything Goes

Die Cut Divas: Flowers

Beautiful Blossoms: Anything Goes

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Make it Girly

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Blooming Blooms

Thank you for popping by! 

 

Reminder for April's Stay Crafty Challenge With a Blog Name Hero!

Hi friends!

I'm here today with a little reminder post... Our April Stay Crafty Challenge is still running for a couple of  weeks! Learn all about the challenge details HERE. The theme for April is a fun one: Opposites Attract. That means we are looking for either opposite colors of the color wheel... Or mirror images. 

I had fun playing with several Hero Arts dies, all come from the February release so they are pretty fresh out of the die oven lol! :) I worked with pinks and greens and white and black -opposite colors. The products used are

Rabbit Pair Fancy Dies

Floral Pattern Cover Plate Die

Small Flower Layering Fancy Dies

Happy Easter Stamp and Cut XL

I'd love to hear which version you like the best!

I'm joining:

A Cut Above: April Anything Goes

The Flower Challenge: Use Spring Colors

Allsorts Challenge: Anything Goes

Die Cut Divas: Flowers

Beautiful Blossoms: Anything Goes

I hope to see you joining the Stay Crafty Challenge With a Blog Named Hero! Happy Crafting!

 

April Stay Crafty Challenge at A Blog Named Hero!

Hi friends!

I'm here with my DT card for our new monthly Stay Crafty Challenge at A Blog Named Hero. In April our theme is "Oppsites Attract" which means we want to see either opposite colors on the color wheel or mirror images.

I went with mirror images and used a new Hero Arts floral die Morning Glory. I cut and colored it with Copics twice and made the die cuts face each other on top of the Hero Arts Trellis Window die. The sentiment comes from an older springy stamp set called Tulip Bouquet. 

Copic coloring die cuts is fast, easy and fun! With the Morning Glory die I added shading to the outlines of the die and the indented lines of the die. I've also added some gel pens to the flower centers for added fun! 

Shop the Hero Arts products I used:

Morning Glory fancy die from the in the Garden Collection 

Trellis Window die from the In the Garden Collection 

Tulip Bouquet Bundle

Thank you for popping by and I hope to see you playing along! Our randomly chosen winner will win a $50 gift card to Hero Arts, woot woot!! 

I'd like to join:

Die Cut Divas April Challenge: Flowers

Allsorts: Spring Flowers

 

A Reminder for March Challenge at A Blog Named Hero!

Hi friends!

I'm here to share my reminder card for the March Challenge at A Blog Named Hero. The challenge this month is a nice and easy one -create a card and mail it in March! So basically it's almost an Anything Goes challenge. :) Make sure to use Hero Arts products in your project for a chance to be our randomly chosen winner of $50 gift card to Hero Arts store! 

I made a shiny spring card to send to a friend. I used gold mirror card and scraps of pastel colored glittery card stocks from my stash in addition to basic Neenah solar white card stock. I love how this turned out! I'm using a bunch of fun Hero Arts products for die cutting:

Happy Easter Stamp and Cut XL sentiment stamp and die set

Small Flower Layering Fancy Dies from the Friendship Blooms Collection

Large Flower Layering Fancy Dies from the Friendship Blooms Collection

Swirls Confetti Dies

All of these dies are so detailed and fun that I didn't have to use any additional embellishments! I simply cut a bunch of flowers to go with my die cut and stamp sentiment, made an arrangement with them to frame the sentiment and voila, my card was done! :) Various sizes of foam dots made the card assembly very easy. 

If you haven't played along already, I'd love to see you joining us! Click HERE for all the challenge details, lots of DT inspiration and for adding your project to the gallery! Happy Crafting! 

I'd like to join:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Layer it Up

Everybody Art Challenge: Lots of Layers

Tuesday Taggers: Spring Fling

A Cut Above: Anything Die Cut Goes

Allsorts Challenge: Feminine

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes

 

New Challenge at A Blog Named Hero!

Hi friends!

I'm here with my DT card for the March challenge at A Blog Named Hero! The challenge is now open and runs for about one month. The theme is a fun and easy one: something you'll mail in March. 

I decided to have a look at all sorts of festivities and happenings that take place in March and realized the World Book Day is celebrated on 6th of March... which was yesterday! I found some wonderful products from my Hero Arts stash to make this fairytale inspired card:

Literary Quotes Stamp Set

Fairy Window Fancy Die

Large Sprinkled Dots Stencil

Unicorn White Pigment Ink

Hero Hues Pitch Black Ink

I cut the Fairy Window die from two types of cardstock: white glitter card and red mirror card. I placed the red mirror card slightly off set behind the white glitter version and glued them together. 

My background is a bokeh-inspired and created with the Large Sprinkled Dots stencil and Hero Arts's white pigment ink that has been my go-to white pigment ink for years. You just can't beat that stuff!! 

After the background was dry I stamped the sentiment and attached the double die cut on top. I did have to cut a small portion of the die cut away to make more room for the sentiment... But I think it still works nicely! A very simple card but quite effective too with the different finishes!

I'd like to join:

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Use Your Favorite Technique (die cutting)

Die Cut Divas: Critters (I have a fairy, I'm not 100% sure if she counts as a critter... If not, simply ignore my card lol!) 

Thank you for popping by and I hope to see you joining us! 

 

New Challenge at Time Out!

Hi friends!

At Time Out Challenges we have a unique photo challenge for you... In the photo you'll see a purse by Running Stitch Design... And the winner of the challenge will receive this purse as a prize! Make sure to click HERE for all the challenge details and lots of DT inspiration. 

In my card I focused on the black background and white snowflakes... Along with red accents. I used mainly products by Honey Bee Stamps, apart from the sentiment die that comes from STAMPlorations. I dry embossed the Snowflakes 3d embossing folder for the background on black card and swiped white pigment ink on the raised areas to make the snowflakes pop. I then cut some flowers and branches from Mini Holiday Florals and placed them on top of a vellum oval, created with a die from Lovely Layers: Posted. The white frame is also cut with a die from the Posted set. 

I hope you like and thank you for popping by!