A little Blue Bird.

 Well I couldn't not make another card using the Memory Box Backyard Wren die today.  It has been a bit of a dismal day... woke to no power, so read for a bit, before heading to two suburbs north to have breakfast before doing our grocery shopping.  By the time we got home it was raining but the power was back on!  It kept raining on and off so headed to the craft room for the afternoon. 

And yeah, this time I made a blue bird.   My card was inspired by this beautiful card from Lin  

I loved the design Lin used, so I cased it.  I die cut an arch (Hero Arts Infinity Arches die) and used Gina K Tapestry embossing folder.   I still had my Distress Oxides out... The background panel was made with Speckled Egg spritzed with some Shimmer Spary - Frost.  In real life it is so shimmery. I stamped the Couture Creations sentiment directly to the panel. I die cut the bird and used Evergreen Bough, Salty Ocean to colour up the bird.  The beak and eye were done with Altenew Charcoal Suit grey ink.  I die cut Pinkfresh Studio Curvy leaves and blended Mowed Lawn Distress Oxide.  I used only part of the biggest die.  I used some Scrapbook.com 3D adhesive strips to add dimension to the frame and used some 3D dimensionals to pop up the bird.  Some little blue gems from my stash finished the card. 

I'm entering this into the Time Out Challenge and Just Us Girls collaboration challenge - Birds of a Feather.   

Hope there is some crafting in your weekend.   

 

Bird on a Branch

 It's been a busy week... haven't had much time to craft... but finished work early.  During the week I saw that Scrapbook Central was having a class by Chick Mitchell.  As this is in Wellington (8 hours south of me) I can't go... but Chick has designed some cards with a bird and some beautiful backgrounds.  I contacted her and found the bird was from Memory Box.  Of course I had to get it!  And it arrived yesterday late afternoon.  So after signing off my computer (working from home day!) and before doing the housework, I popped into the craft room and had a play. 

 

I started by putting the little birdie together.  I die cut with some 160gm Fabriano paper.  It's a light cream colour (although the packaging says white)  It cuts like butter.  I used inks from Altenew's Tea Party ink set to add colour to the layers with a touch of some brown to darken parts.  The branches, flowers and leaves are from Spellbinders - Layered Cherry Blossom die set.  I added a touch of the lightest red inks to the creamy dies.  Used some rose gold metallic card for the centres.   My background was a variation on a technique that Chick taught at SENZ craft fair last July.  Used a chipboard panel of leaves.  I inked them with some Distress Oxide in Speckled Egg and spritzed and laid it onto my panel.  I then blended some of the same ink through the panel like a stencil and finally just added some of the ink onto the panel.  Just love the look I achieved.   Die cut a scalloped panel from Gina K Master Layouts 4 and trimmed the panel to fit inside.  Added the branches, flowers and leaves and the little birdie.  Finished with a pre-printed sentiment from Creative Expressions Woodies.

I can't wait to try different colour combos for this little bird.   I scoped out Pinterest and have got a few samples on my board.

Entering into Darnell's NBUS challenge - as it is the first outing for the die

and Just Us Girls - in Collaboration with Time Out Challenges - Birds of a Feather

Still using up patterned paper -

 I really am trying hard to use up patterned paper and in my inbox this week was the February SheetLoad  of cards from Crafty Al.   If you haven't seen her videos do look her up on You Tube.  This month's is some A2 cards using 6 x 6 papers.  Al took 4 pieces of patterned paper and made 8 cards....

I decided to take 2 sheets to make 4 cards.  

I used two sheets from an Anko (KMart) paper pack called Floral.  I had some pinkish card in my stash so used that to cut the mats.  I cut the butterfly base (Memory Box - Isabella Butterfly) from pink card and the top layer (Memory Box - Pippi Butterfly) from matt Rose Gold metallic card.  I used a Gina K Master Layout circle and used different sentiments to make it into a set.  

Can you see the one that looks different....

I wasn't concentrating and stuck my cross piece, circle and butterfly upside down on my card base!  So I simply took a die and cut it off and added to another base 

The sentiment on this one is from Colorado Craft Company - Lots of Love set.  

This one is birthday card - sentiment from Altenew's Birthday Builder set. 

For this one I used a sentiment from a Gina K Designs stamp set - You make me Smile.

and finally

    

This one has another Altenew set for it's sentiment - Engraved Flowers. 

So another two sheets of paper used.  

Reveal day for May's Card Chain Challenge

 It's time for the May reveal at the Card Chain Challenge     You make and send a card and someone else sends one to you... There were 33 participants this month.  

My card when to Linda in Michagan.  

There were a number of options to use making our cards.   I chose to use the sketch 

TMy panels where die cut from a piece of Gelli plate background I had made a while back. The dies  for the layers  came from Gina K's Master Layouts....the butterflies from Memory Box.  I cut the lower layer from vellum and the top layer from gold card.   And the sentiment is from LDRS - I stamped and embossed the stamp which is a lot of sentiments and then used the matching die cut to cut them all out at once.   Great to have sentiments on hand.  

And I received this beautiful card from Robyn in Australia 

Isn't it just gorgeous.  

There is still time to sign up for June CCC (here)   I have already.

WWC314 - Dawn's Challenge: All About Occasions

 Hi there.  Time for a new challenge at Watercooler Wednesday.  I'm the hostess for this challenge with an All About Occasions.  

I had fun making this Birthday card.  I made the background by sponging Mowed Lawn Distress Oxide inks onto my white panel.  I then took a Kasiercraft stamp called Botanical and a Delicata 4 metallic ink pad to add the stamp.  I used all 4 of the colours on the ink pad.  I then took the Gorgeous Gardenia Outline die from Memory Box to make the roses.  The pink (Altenew Magenta) was sponged onto some card and added behind the outline.  I messed up the leaves, so had to cut them separately and add to the roses.   I stamped the sentiment from a Hero Arts Hello There stamp and die set. A few gold sequins finished up the card. 

Come and join in the fun at  Watercooler Wednesday Challenge and check out the project from the other designers.  Then take our challenge and link up your project to the challenge post.    We'd love to have you join us.  You have until Monday 3rd of May at 5 pm Mountain Standard Time (Tuesday at 11.00 am NZ time ) to link up your project