Tag Card/Thanks, Embossed Leaf, Female

Hello.

I did promise you that not all of my designs would be Christmas themed from now on, do you remember?

Well, true to my word I've created a Thank You 'tag' card...  and not a hint of a Christmas theme or brown ink in sight.  (I said no brown ink...  didn't say anything about brown twine or a brown 'thanks' sentiment)!!!

This 'tag' card is for the latest challenge at Tag You're It.  

If you haven't tried playing along I would encourage you to give it a try.  It's a fantastic way to use up some of those craft scraps...  and who doesn't have use for a tag?  I sure do :)

Here's my design...

I have to be honest and say that I didn't initially set out to make a 'tag' card...  but that soon changed once I settled on my choice of leaf die and realised that every single traditional tag shape I owned just didn't look right when paired with it.

No problem.  I paired it with my Spellbinders Distressed Rectangle die instead :)

Who said tags have to be 'tag' shaped, anyway?

Can you see which parts of Jeanne's tag I've taken my inspiration from?

As I have no filigree leaf I've opted for an embossed one instead and offset it against a negative 'cut out' of itself.  I've included the button, the sequins of different shapes, sizes and colours and swapped out a 'thanks' stamp for a 'thanks' die cut that has a few layers glued together for dimension.  Attached the leaf using 3D glue...  even edged my tag with blue ink to echo the colour of Jeanne's twine ;)

If you have the time, come and join us.  There's a prize on offer again this month :)

Challenges I'm entering... 

Crafty Cardmakers and More

(Make it Sparkle/Challenge #148)

Allsorts Challenge

(Sparkle/Week #148)

Pixie's Crafty Snippets Challenge

(Anything Goes/Week #195)

Leaf & Thanks made from 'snippets'

4 Crafty Chicks

(Sparkle and Shine/Challenge #265)

Have a good weekend...

Donna

Flowers on Tag Card, Glitter Butterflies, Female

I saw a challenge just the other evening that only had three and a half days to go...  Not a lot of time for me but I couldn't resist with the colour scheme involved :)

So here's a quick, 'no ink' card that fits the bill for a few other challenges, too.  I LOVE it when that happens...  especially as I'm still quite new to 'blogland'  and I'm eager to 'meet' new people, see their blogs/craft style...  and hopefully learn from them along the way :)

When I choose to go for a 'no ink' design, I always try to make up for it with added dimension.  I've seen people's swirly, circle 'nests' on their designs before now and contemplated that idea before deciding to settle on threading the raffia through the tag.  If I'm honest, I wasn't quite sure how that would work out...  much better than I'd envisioned, so 'yay' :)

...oh, and just a quick note...  all three butterflies were punched from this pretty glitter paper.  (That was definitely one of my better finds on eBay)...  I only mention it as I'm not sure this photo shows the glitter on all three :)

Dies used...

Hero Arts/Frame Cuts 'Large Tag'

Open Studio/Memory Box 'Distressed Windham Collage'

Punches...

Stampin' Up 'Five Petal Flower'

Sizzix/Tim Holtz 'Large Butterfly Punch'

Embossing Folder...

Cuttlebug 'Leafy Branch'

I'm entering this card into the following challenges...

Cupcake Inspirations

(Challenge #328)

Crafty Cardmakers and More

(Make it Sparkle/Challenge #148)

Allsorts Challenge

(Sparkle/Week #329)

Make My Monday

(Nature) 

Pixie's Crafty Snippets Challenge

(Anything Goes/Week #195) 

Whole card make from 'Snippets'...

Cute Card Thursday

(Things with Wings/Challenge #392)

Butterfly Challenge

(Butterfly + 'K' for Knot/#39)

4 Crafty Chicks

(Sparkle and Shine/Challenge #265)

Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge

(Use Patterned Paper/September Challenge)

It's nearly the weekend...

Back tomorrow with a Tag You're It post.

Donna...

Sunset Aperture, Birds in Garden, Female

Eek...  I haven't posted in ages, have I?

I've been having some ongoing health issues that are a huge inconvenience more than anything else...  they kill my energy, make my eyesight blurry at times and make me oh so very dizzy (among many varied other things).  Not conducive to 'playtime', hey?  Still...  it could be worse :)

My card today was specifically made for the latest Poppystamps Challenge, but as I've taken so long to get it finished other challenges have popped up along the way that also tie in perfectly.  I guess that's one advantage to being so S L O W...  spotting other challenges and tailoring the card to suit them all :)

Dies used...

Poppystamps 'Resting Birds'

Poppystamps 'An Apple A Day'

Poppystamps 'Garden Step Ladder'

Poppystamps 'Serendipity Bird Frame'

Poppystamps 'Grassland Border'

Poppystamps 'Bushel Basket'

Stencil...

Tim Holtz 'Bricked'

Stamp...

Kaisercraft Edges 'Texture'

Here's my card...

Believe it or not, this was originally going to be a CAS (ish) design that featured the Grassland strip section (minus the far left bird) paired with a sentiment.  I kind of changed my mind on that idea, but will use it again someday!

I'm entering this card into the following challenges...

Poppystamps

Simon Says (Wednesday) Challenge

City Crafter/Week #280  ('Fall Has Arrived')

Creative Card Crew/Challenge #96 (Fall)

Pixie's Crafty Snippets Challenge

Use Your Stuff/Challenge #192 (Fall Theme)

With the exception of the Grassland borders, all other dies used were from my 'snippets' card collections.  I still have many, many more to use up...  so I'm so glad I found a happy challenge blog where some mischief is allowed...  as well as my many teeny, tiny offcuts :)

Not sure if 'grunging' it up like this has worked or not.  Part of me says 'yes', but the other part thinks CAS would have been the better way to go.  

What do you think? 

Don't know what I'm going to make next...  but something far less 'busy', I think...

Take care...  and if you are popping in from 'The Playground',  here's a *Wave* just for you :)

'Bye...

Filmstrip Card, Thank You, Male/Female

Hello.

Now...  try not to faint...

I'm posting a card today that has nothing to do with Christmas!

This card was made as a favour for my husband and he specifically asked for my Marianne Designs Filmstrip die to be used again...  so he can showcase some of his photo's whilst saying 'thanks' to a fellow photography friend.

On the plus side, this gave me a chance to CASE my own design that I had used quite recently but wasn't quite sure I was happy with.  

There had been a few glitches along the way that I knew I needed to avoid this time around  (TOP TIP...  Using Core Dinations worked ok for the Filmstrip until the glue was added for the photo's...  then it started curling...  so go for thicker cardstock than that and you should be okay). 

I also wanted to try and add to the somewhat 'bare' feel that the card had had before.

So this time I've paired up my Kaisercraft Film Edges stamp along with some of the stamps included with the Filmstrip die, used a Darice 'Tattered Page' embossing folder, added three clear Morning Dew Drops and gone for three, rather than two filmstrips.  

More matt silver cardstock (Core Dinations 'Metallics'), less Kraft card, a 'thank you' punched sentiment from Martha Stewart...  and a shiny silver card base.  

Makes this card gender neutral, I think...  except for possibly some of the photo's!!!

For those of you who may be wondering about the slight curve you can see...  don't worry, the card's not bent at all.  

A pet peeve of mine is cards that open up with a top spine that then go 'splat' when on display.  

My remedy for this is to use a scoreboard to create an inverted 'v' shape at the bottom of the card that acts as a glued plinth for the card to sit on.  

Yes, it's more time consuming...  but the final result is worth it...  I hope!!!

I'm adding this card to the following two challenges...

Cuttlebug Mania 'Anything Goes'

and

Pixie's Crafty Snippets Challenge

This card will have to be weighed and sent off to America.  I wonder how long it will take to arrive?

Take care...

Donna

'Removable' Christmas Bauble Card, Holly, Female

Hello...

It's a rare sunny day here in the UK.  

We don't get very many of those here in the West Midlands and it's been feeling distinctively cold lately...  so this card fits in beautifully with the Christmassy, Wintery theme that in reality will soon be upon us.  

I could lie at this point and say something poetic about Autumn leaves or blankets of Winter snow...  but in truth, I DO NOT LIKE this time of year that's encroaching upon us.  It's not just the 'being cold' that's the issue...  it actually makes me feel ill.  Is there anybody else out there who's the same in that respect...  just not 'made' for being cold???

Anyhow...  this card's been sitting finished on my desk for a few days now whilst I finished up a 'thank you' card my husband asked me to make for a friend of his.

Can you see how this bauble hangs from the screw brad?

It's an idea I had a while ago...  the bauble's easily removed so the whole card can be reused as a separate tag at a later stage...  or possibly a hanging ornament somewhere?  I've glued five layers of the bauble base together and also layered up the holly, so it's durable enough for an upcycle/recycle.

Here's another picture.
This one's not so pretty, but it does show the embossed bauble that you really cannot see in the first photo...

Dies used...

Memory Box Drop Ornament

Memory Box Twigs and Berries (NBUS)

Penny Black Red and Greens (NBUS)

Embossing Folders...

Darice 'Tattered Page' (NBUS)

Leane Creatief 'Christmas Branch'

Punch...

Martha Stewart/All Over The Page 'Aspen Flurry'

Other...

Flower Soft 'Polar White'  (NBUS)

Acetate remnant (recycled) for bauble

I'm entering this card into the following challenges today...

Merry Monday #170 'Use Holly'

...  NBUS 'Anything Goes'...

...  Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge 'Use Greenery'

...  ABC Christmas Challenge 'Things beginning with 'R'

(Red Round berries and Ribbon)

...  and Winter Wonderland 'Anything but Square'

I am so thrilled to be a part of the latest NBUS challenge.  Darnell (NBUS creator) is one of those people who is simply like a breath of fresh air...  and her posts always leave me smiling.  That's a rare and wonderful gift...  and although I don't know her very well, I do treasure her for that.

Have a good week, everyone.

'Bye for now :)