Taking a Break

 No, it's not me taking a break - Santa and one of his reindeer are having a little rest while they prepare for their busy schedule later this year 😊.  It's the 800th challenge at Allsorts this week, certainly something worth celebrating and there is the straightforward theme of **Anything Goes** along with a bumper selection of prizes.  There's lots of super inspiration from the Design Team and Guest Designer Sarn so why not pop along and take a look.

I started this card by printing a  background from my favourite seasonal CD which I've had for over 15 years, using some pearl paper  I then die cut the two little 'people' , the icicles and the starry frame, colouring was done using Copic alcohol pens.  I dithered about adding a sentiment and finally decided that it wasn't necessary as the scene speaks for itself.

Background - printed from Artylicious Seasons Greetings CD (probably no longer available)
Icicle die - unbranded
Star Frame, Santa and Reindeer - Gummiapan dies 

September Rudolph Days Challenge

 Amazing just how quickly these Rudolph Days seem to come around.  There are some lovely cards for inspiration including one from guest designer Brenda who has made a beautiful one using Lavinia stamps.  For my card this month I've used some dies which came as a freebie with the current Die Cutting magazine - couldn't resist because I've always fancied having dies to cut ice skating boots but somehow never got around to buying any.  I've combined the skates with a wreath die set which has been in my Christmas box for many years.  A combination of blue and white pearl card was used along with some kraft and a plain blue circle which was embossed using a snowfall embossing folder.  I used a die to cut the bows for the laces rather than use ribbon as suggested in the magazine

Wreath - Sizzix die from several years ago
Embossing Folder - from Sheena Douglass (no longer available)
Boots and 'Joy' - from die set which came free with the magazine
Bows - Gummiapan die

Quirky Flowers

 I've been playing this morning with some die cut shapes to see if I could make some flowers and these odd looking ones are my first effort.  I'd like to try some animals or characters but not sure I can be quite that imaginative.  I do look at YouTube videos by Deb Hallett who builds up some great ones  which must require lots of patience.  I didn't really want to copy what she's made although I don't think she has done flowers in this way.  Having made a couple of passable flowers the next thing was to decide just how to use them and I've gone for a stamped and stencilled grungy background within a framed circle.  This was fun but it took me most of the  morning 😉.

Stencil - Lavinia
Stamps - Globleland (Amazon)
Die Cutting - Abstract Elements from Sizzix (Tim Holtz)

Allsorts Challenge # 799

 For the Allsorts Challenge this week Liz has asked us for **Get Well or Sympathy Cards** - always handy to have one or two of these ready to hand if needed.  Of course there is, as always, the *Anything Goes* option.  I decided to make a Get Well card in the CAS style so I cut a panel of white card to fit onto a square card and started by stamping the sentiment and a background image using  grey Versafine ink.  I then die cut some butterflies in the same white card and these were painted using some glimmer watercolours which I've had for many years although I realise they'd not been used for a while.  I die cut a slightly larger square from light grey card to tone with the stamping.  Assembled the card, adding some tiny blue gems and that's it - a CAS Get Well card for the challenge.

Background Stamp - one of a set of mixed stamps from Amazon
Butterflies - Memory Box
Sentiment - from my favourite set of magazine freebie sentiment stamps (years old)