Coffee Break

I am honoured to be a GDT over at 613 Avenue this week where the challenge is to create a project using at least one element from each column from the table shown below.

A lot of choice as you can see, so it makes it relatively easy I reckon.  As you might have noticed, I have used more than one from some sections of the list of requirements, LOL. Well, why not? LOL. There are two sponsors for this challenge (The Paper Shelter & Shelly's Images), & I am using an image from one of them, The Paper Shelter - this particular image is called 'Coffee Break'.  I coloured this girl on her laptop using Promarkers & cut out my shaped layers using my Cameo. For the layer cut from a pink digi paper (from Denise's Digital Designs), I also added a 'sewing line' using my cutter. This is an internal off-set then choosing a pink dashed line.

The sentiment (from Bird's Cards), was created as a print & cut & I added flat floral embellishments around it (meaning it is perfect for cards having to fit into envelopes!). Well, when I say 'flat' it is still a design in 3 layers but is not one of my regular 3-dimensional flowers. Sadly, I can't tell you where that cut-file is from (no, this one isn't one of mine), as I can no longer find it!!!! How do you lose a cut-file when you label everything & keep a picture of it too? Can only assume I have managed to delete it (& it's picture! grrr....) somehow. Ah, well..... back to my card.

Whilst I was very good today & steered away from big, blousy flowers, I do have to admit to some dimension on my card as I set my image's mats up using glue-gel to create a narrow 'pocket' behind the image for my tag to fit into. Well, I do like my dimension, LOL.  I often add sentiments to my tags but not this time. This one is strictly ornamental with a broderie anglais inspired lacy cut out & with more cut designs as central 'topper' features. I really would be totally lost without my cutter now, have you noticed? LOL. However, I did use a regular paper punch on this card as well - those little shaped flowers were created using a Woodware punch out of white, scrap card & I coloured them with Promarkers to ensure they matched perfectly.

Tag front

Tag reverse

I recreated the layers on the inside too, this time featuring a 'faded' sentiment from Sentiments4You so that I could write a personal message over the top. I have embellished both the front & the inside with two sizes of pink gems & a few drops of  Liquid Pearls (in Platinum Pearl).

I know the lovely girls over at 613 Avenue would love to have you all play along, so have a look at that table & be inspired! Chana, Kathi & the gang will be waiting for you......

Thanks for stopping by!

Tine :)

Challenges:

Silhouette Challenges - shaped card
Creative Craft - not square
Deep Ocean - odd shapes
Silhouette Blog - use a number (print & cut)
One Crazy Stamper - birthday
Natalie & Amy's - celebrate something
Cards Galore - bingo (birthday, candy/gems, sentiment)
Bunny Zoe - bingo (ribbon, die-cuts (Silhouette Cameo), tag)
Happy Campers - use a stamp (image from Paper Shelter)
Ladybug - something floral
Digi Stamps 4 Joy - make your own embellishments
Crafty Ribbons - anything goes (using ribbon)
Paper Shelter - ribbon
Penny's - dies/punches
Crafty Catz - stitching (real or faux)
Paper Pretties - girly girl
Little Red Wagon - layers
Tip Top - at least 2 things beginning with your initial ('C' is for cutting, coffee & cupcake [on image] & card of course!)
Cutie Pie - anything goes
Crafty Calendar - anything goes
Sister Act - anything goes.

50th Birthday

Loads of fun creating my cut-files again & this card is for my SIL who has a big birthday to celebrate as you can see. The look I was going for was essentially very elaborate as befits a mile-stone occasion & being predominantly white has just a hint of a heavily iced cake, LOL. Went with touches of gold, again because I wanted to make it 'special' - & you can't beat a bit of the 'Midas touch' can you, to convey decadence?


Where would I be without my Cameo?!? LOL. A layered design (interlocking arches of varying sizes) onto which I have added scalloped edged peel-offs (which is actually the left-over bits from in-between designs but was exactly what I was after) & sandwiched between those card layers are foam pads to add the dimension. The pearl accents are in two sizes & are from MeiFlower.


On the inside of the card (yes more cut-files but that goes without saying now surely, LOL), are two cockatiels, Coco & Smudge, the name of my SIL's avian twosome. (You may just remember me making her a bird-themed card last year as well?)  I just had to include this mischievous pair on her card this time around too as they mean so much to her & that is the beauty of making cards for people isn't it - the personalisation which makes them more meaningful. Different cut-files for them from last year's card but they have similarly been coloured with Promarkers to give them the required cockatiel colouration &  glue-gel gives them dimension. The sentiment, according to my records, is from Tracy's Cards, so I hope this is correct.

Box lid design...... &a peek at the liner too.

However, I couldn't just leave it at that for such a big birthday could I? I just had to include a box for the card which would also give me oodles more space to elaborate on sentiments too - not to mention add an image to colour. All this I added to the box's liner, with the outside of the box reflecting the card hiding away within. Once the card is out of the box, the shaped liner with gold card border, complete with fabulous image from Sassy Cheryl (coloured with Promarkers) and an extra 3 sentiments is revealed. Makes quite a change to have the image hiding away in the box rather than on the card front but I think it still works.

Hope she likes it - & that you do too!

Tine :)

Challenges I wish to enter this card for are:

Sassy Cheryl - happy birthday
One Crazy Stamper - birthday
Outlawz - Saturday's Paper A La Mode - birthdays
Natalie & Amy's - celebrate
Happy Campers - use a stamp (girl with cupcake from Sassy Cheryl)
Silhouette Challenges - shaped card (using Silhouette)
Country View Crafts - attributable sentiments (verses4cards)
KaboodleDoodles - song or a quote
OLLCB - inspired by a song (what else could it be but "Mandy" - Barry Manilow)
My Craft Spot - 3-d item
Little Red Wagon - layers
Penny's - dies/punches
Use Your Stuff - circles (every single loop of my cut designs started life as a circle I dissected, replicated & welded to another - too many circles to count!!!!)
Tip Top - use at least 2 items with your initials - C= cutting, cockatiels, candle on cupcake
Challenges4Everybody - anything goes
Digi Stamps 4 Joy - anything goes
Cutie Pie - anything goes.

Ben's Beer Monster

I like this image for men's cards. It's an oldie but a goodie from Pollycraft. Even if the male in question isn't always propping up the bar of his local hostelry, monsters & dinosaurs still seem popular with all those men who never really grew up (I apparently know a few!) LOL. Actually, once I had started colouring this particular monster in with my Promarkers, I started to wonder if I was making him a bit frightening..?  He might well be toasting the 'birthday boy' but let's just say, I wouldn't want to meet this 'Beer Monster' on a dark night - or even during the day if it comes to that!

My Cameo cut my lettering for me - the 'drunken' 'B' a single print & cut layer, but the rest of the name is actually cut out of the image's mat to reveal the card beneath & the image off-set & welded onto it's rectangular mat. My tip for Silhouette users is to remember to stop the centre of lettering (such as the 'e' shown on this card), from becoming a waif & stray & remaining on your cutting mat when you peel off your project. If your lettering is too small, then obviously it would be a little too difficult but works well with larger lettering. To do this, after typing out your letter, draw a narrow rectangle & place it over the letter where you want the 'link' to be.  Select all & then choose the 'subtract' option from the 'Modify' drop-down list. Et voila! 'The layering I kept pretty simple otherwise with just one spotty dp echoing the embossed dots of the card mat behind my monster. I used my Cuttlebug dotty folder for this & my ever faithful, Big Shot.

I kept the insert simple & uncluttered which I thought would be better appreciated by the 26 year old recipient. (Gosh, that frightens me -26...... where do the years go!!!)  The sentiment (from Ginger's House), is something that he would  find amusing & seemed perfect for my image. LOL. I popped this to one side of the insert so that I can add the 'from' on the other.

Thanks for coming by my blog today.

Cheers!

Tine :)

Challenges:

Crafts4Eternity

Crafts4Eternity - corrosion colour palette (2 or all of colours)
Creative Corner - eat, drink & be merry
One Crazy Stamper - birthday
Natalie & Amy's - celebrate something
Pink Elephant - use the colour orange
Die Cuttin' Divas  (+die-cuts) - use orange & white (cut with Cameo)
Cuttlebug Mania - anything goes ( with embossing)
Tip Top - embossing
Milk Coffee- show us your colouring skills
OSAAT - use a digi
Country View Crafts - use an attributable quote/sentiment/stamp
Crafty Sentiments - dies/punches
Whimsy - clean & simple
Crazy - anything goes
Sister Act - anything goes.

The Muppets' Swedish Chef

When I saw the fab sketch over at Sketch Saturday I knew I would have to play along if I could. I have used this brill drawing of the Muppets' character, the Swedish Chef by residentlilly at DeviantArt which I coloured with Promarkers & typed up the message along the side on the PC.  The 'pie' embellishment  was constructed in 3 layers before being inked using 2 Tim Holtz Distress Inks.  Once these layers were stuck together I gave it all a sprinkling with white gel pen dots for a light icing sugar dusting & then an 'egg-wash' - otherwise known as a dose of Anita's 3-d glaze. LOL. I also used the same glaze on the 3 card 'brads' along the bottom.

On the inside.

The Chef makes a reappearance on the inside alongside cooking utensil embellishments I created on the Cameo & again inked at the edges.  I was actually going to pop these on another card but seemed too perfect for this one to miss out on using.  I also used my Cameo to create the cupcakes.  I have made cake designs before but they were pre-Cameo so were larger & cut carefully with pinking shears. This time of course, I could go tiny - but this made colouring them with my Promarkers just that little bit more tricky. One, as you can see, I coloured to give it some Sprinkles before setting the 'cake' up ever so slightly using a dab of glue-gel but the second cupcake has a circular sentiment from Rockin' Digis. I made a much larger cupcake on the other side, again actually colouring the outer 'paper' & 'cake' using Promarkers.  I kept this icing plain so I can write who it is going to etc later.




Tine  :)

Challenges I would like to enter this card for are:

Sketch Saturday - design sketch
Wags 'n' Whiskers - colour inspiration
Hybrid Chick Card Caravan - cupcakes
My Creative Moments - birthday
Crafty Boots - die cuts (all cut using Silhouette Cameo)
Paper Shelter - punches or dies
One Crazy Stamper - birthday
CCEE - make your own embellishments
Milk Coffee - show us your colouring skills
By Lori - designer papers

Wags 'n' Whiskers

613 Avenue - anything goes (optional sentiment)
Lady Anne's - anything goes (using a digital/rubber stamp)
Crazy - anything goes
Crafty Calendar - anything goes
Digitally Sweet - anything goes (digi elements - image, papers & cutter)
Papertake - anything goes (optional vintage).

Hexagonal Anniversary

Another anniversary card but in our family, August is a month full of them.

The free image Silhouette Studio users were offered last week was a wonderful hexagonal background cut so I thought that I would take up the challenge of creating a card around this design. First of all I decided to coordinate the shape make a hexagonal card base- & once created I then added my text border to each side.  After that, it was a case of making the hexagonal design a hexagonal shape to fit the base & sizing so I was happy with the overall effect. This I then cut out of pearlescent textured cream card. The sentiment added into yet another hexagon is from Paulette at TLC & the layered sentiment then added to the centre of the card using foam pads.

Card on the inside - left blank for a hand-written sentiment.

For the inside I welded the hexagonal Silhouette design into a rectangle & cut this from the same pearly patterned card as on the front. This time however, I left the hexagonal centrepiece devoid of sentiment so that I can handwrite a personal message later. The only embellishment, if you can call it that, is the addition of 'pearls' of Cosmic Shimmer.

Tine :)

Challenges I would like to enter this card for are:

Silhouette America - either 3 of something or use the S.Studio freebie file
Silhouette Challenges - shaped card

The Pink Elephant - texture

My Craft Spot - CAS

One Stop Craft - CAS

Whimsy Stamps - CAS

Digi Darla – ice-cream colours 

Lexi's - anniversary
Little Claire's - wedding/anniversary

Pink Gem - pearlescent (embossed card & pearl)
Crafty Creations - texture
Crafty Boots - die cuts (all cut using Silhouette Cameo)
Paper Shelter - punches or dies
Papertake - anything goes (optional vintage).

Totally Gorjuss - anything goes (with pearls)

Crazy - anything goes

CAS Anniversary

Now, I do have a very good reason why there is no image on this card, before anyone starts asking why I have got one.....the sketch I was following didn’t have one! LOL. Yes, stretching my attempts at CAS further, I kept my Promarkers firmly in their case but hopefully made the design of the lace background 'do the talking' instead.  

One of my more complicated lace cut-work designs too I think it would be fair to say. When I start creating my cut-files using Silhouette Studio, I often end up with several variations of my chosen design theme - and the design I have used on this particular card is in actuality two of my borders from one 'matching set', one narrower than the other & turned upside down to give me the top border. The paper I have chosen to add above the matt, white card base is a pearlescent cream & the all-over embossed pattern hopefully adds to the lacy-feel.  I thought that it reminiscent of a wedding lace or crochet design. A 'print & cut' sentiment using the gorgeous Edwardian Script font has a simple off-set mat behind & there are minimal finishing touches too - a single pearl (from MeiFlower) along with a small length of cream satin ribbon.

Tine :)

Challenges I wish to enter this card for:

Silhouette America - Thursday sketch

Silhouette America sketch

My Craft Spot - CAS

One Stop Craft - CAS

Whimsy Stamps - CAS

Digi Darla – ice-cream colours (my favourite is Cream of Cornish!)

Lexi's - anniversary

Great Impressions Stamps - square card

Pink Gem - pearlescent (embossed card & pearl)
Crafty Creations - texture
Crafty Boots - die cuts (all cut using Silhouette Cameo)
Little Claire's - wedding/anniversary

Totally Gorjuss - anything goes (with pearls)

Crazy - anything goes
Challenges 4 Everybody - anything goes
Through the Craft Room Door - anything goes
Papertake - anything goes (optional vintage).

Well Done - Reading Mouse

Yes, two of a kind - & these are smaller than my usual cards too being only 10.5 cm (just over 4"), across and 9.5 cm high (3 6/8"). I am of course, assuming here that my nephew & God-daughter have done well in their exams as the results will be known in a couple weeks or so but as long as they have done their best, that is 'doing well' & therefore makes Auntie Christine happy.  :)   I am venturing into CAS territory once more for cards using this studious looking mouse from Elizabeth Dulemba (called 'Reading Mouse') with his precarious pile of books.  I can't see these without being reminded of all the weighty tomes I ploughed through for A-level history at school - just taking them home in my leather case built up muscle strength though whether they made a difference to my brain is another! I did, I am sure it must go without saying by now, use Promarkers to colour my 'meeces' & I aimed to give my books that 'well-thumbed' 'serious & intellectual' appearance. (Don't ask much of my markers, do I?   LOL).

For anyone Silhouette savvy, you will notice the image has been welded onto a circle before being turned into a print & cut for the 'out of the box' technique effect. The red card mat behind the image revealed a white core I was finding distracting so I got out a red Promarker & went around the edge till it offended no more. LOL. The sentiment on the front was also created using my Cameo, giving the font the same precarious existence as that pile of books & the narrow horizontal strip of card, embossed using an Embossalicious folder.  I also created my own background paper simply by printing my chosen text from an English Literature book tearing the side edges as if it had been torn from a publication but cutting the top & bottom for a slightly crisper edge. The chosen book? Why Dickens' 'Great Expectations'.....LOL.

I kept the inside very CAS with just a simple printed insert.

I used the font from the front sentiment again on the inside of the card - just on the emphasised words using a hopefully uplifting sentiment to tell the recipients "well done" with the achievements so far but keep up that momentum for the year ahead. Those little cards had to say a lot...LOL.

Thanks for coming by my blog & thanks for leaving me comments so I know you have visited.

Tine :)

Challenges I wish to enter are:
Cuttin' & Stampin' - CAS
Cuttlebug Mania - CAS
Alphabet - M is for Micro/Mini (little cards)
Artistic Stampers - celebrations (well I hope we are all celebrating! - time will tell, LOL)
Natalie & Amy's - celebrate
Scrappers Delights -  inspired by a song (Book of Dreams - Bruce Springsteen)
Cards Galore - bingo (diagonally: embossing/masking, die-cuts, sentiment)
Whimsical Designs - bugs or animals
Southern Girls - animal antics
LEJ Designs - distressing or tearing
SweetPea Stampers - embossing (wet or dry)
Tammy's Scrapin' Corner - use a digi
Paper Crafting Journey - punches/die-cuts (Silhouette Cameo)
Word Art Wednesday - anything goes (using uplifting sentiment)
613 Avenue - anything goes (optional twist of friendship)
Eclectic Ellapu - anything goes
Hanna & Friends - anything goes.