The First Challenge of the Year for Angie's Digital Stamps

Challenge #16 for 2018 is of a "No Twist" theme, but I chose to make a birthday card for a 91 year old friend of my Mum. Joan is the same lady I made a card for last year when she celebrated her 90th birthday.

This card used a cute little helicopter digi from Angie's Digital Stamps, but I drew the banner to fly behind it. I had to make it large enough for the sentiment to be stamped inside. The stamp set I used was a freebie from the British Cardmaking and Papercraft magazine, and I LOVE it. It is so easy to use and make all of the letters join up; as well as being a really attractive script font. I have several script lettering stamp sets and this is the easiest to use. I also used a sentiment from Lawn Fawn's "Blue Skies" stamp set. I thought at 91 years of age one should be able to do anything they darn well feel like!

The background was created by drawing a cloud and sponging Peacock Feathers Distress ink over the edges as a mask. I coloured the helicopter and banner with my Copic markers and fussy cut; before attaching to the background with foam tape. You'll hopefully be able to see the gold and clear Wink of Stella I used on the cockpit and rotors. Tiny clear rhinestones finished off the design.

Drop on over to Angie's Digital Stamps Challenge and see what amazing designs my fellow designers have come up with and join in the fun. Anyway, I hope that everyone is having a crafty good time. Bye for now.

Love, 

Inlaid Die-cutting

Over the two weeks or so I've been trying out ideas to do with inlaid die-cutting. I'm working on a commission for Practical Publishing and I've been investigating cutting dies as well as assorted techniques. I'm posting a couple of cards I've made (but these won't be going to print).  :)

The first card uses a die from the Couture Creations Floral Lace Collection called "Bold Bouquet". I applied tape over the back of the areas where the very small flower pieces were and left them gold. It would have been too tiresome to replace all of those pieces. As it was, the replacement of a lot of the pieces was as frustrating and difficult as hunting for nits. Some of the pieces were so small that I couldn't even pick them up with a pair of tweezers. Thanks for my QuickStik. :) The sentiment is from a Stampers Anonymous/Tim Holtz set called Crazy Talk.

I'm pleased with how it turned out, but it is certainly a die for the stout-at-heart with plenty of patience. An easier way of achieving this same look is to cut it out of white cardstock, keep all of the pieces in place and then just colour the pieces as wanted - like a Faux-inlaid die-cutting.

The second card uses a couple of dies; the "Balloons" from Couture Creations Kalini Collection; and the other, the "Birthday Girl Die" from Echo Park Paper. The die cut background also uses a set from Lawn Fawn called "Puffy Cloud Borders".

I made the background pinkish because you can't really have a blue background for a girlie card, can you? The ombre effect, hopefully, looks like a sunset sky. Sitting here, looking at the card on screen, I've just realised that I've made a mistake on one of the balloons. Can you spot it? I will be using these dies in my commission, but not exactly how I've used them here. I'll have to remember to fix up that booboo.  :)

Anyway, gotta go. Bye for now.

Love,
Janelle