Easter Calendar Again

 This project was made using the dies which came as Day 2 of the Calendar and I decided to use them for a tag - something to get me back into the swing of tag making ready for the new challenge which starts on 1st of May HERE.  I started by die cutting a tag using kraft card and smooshed some Distress Oxide ink, adding some background stamping using various visual texture stamps from my collection.  The 'honeycomb' style heart die was part of the mystery , as were the flowers and leaves.  The larger cream heart, the golden bees and the little hexagon hole protector were cut using dies from my stash. It's onwards now to day 3 and Day 4 of the Calendar which are already no longer a mystery, with Day 5 to come tomorrow.  Watch this space to see what I manage to make next.  So far I've avoided seeing what other people have made with their dies until I've made something myself 😊😊.

 Tag - die set from Sizzix (Tim Holtz)
Heart, flowers and Leaves - Day 2 dies from Easter Calendar Gummiapan
Golden Bees - die from an old Tonic magazine give-away set
Background stamping - various stamps from my stash
Cream Heart - dies from Craft Addiction UK (Slatted heart set)

Easter Calendar

 I have a card to share today which uses dies which were the surprise for Day 1 of the Gummiapan Easter calendar.  This year they have come up with an idea similar to their Advent calendar but this one has just eight days of exclusive dies in the run up to Easter.  Two dies in this set - the pretty oval flower one and a tiny flying bee which is an embossing die although it could be snipped out with pointed scissors  and used without its flight trail.  I decided to go for a clean and simple style for my first use of the dies and cut the oval out of a square of white card, embossing the bee at the same time.  The oval and the centre 'waste' were popped back into the aperture before adhering the two squares together.  Two more ovals were cut, and the flowers coloured using Distress inks with a water brush.  One complete one was glued directly on top of the plain white oval and the two larger flowers snipped out from the third to layer on top for a bit of dimension.  A simple computer sentiment and that's it done and dusted.  I'm working an idea for Day 2 and Day 3 has been opened this morning.  I do love a bit of mystery 😉

Dies from Gummiapan Easter Calendar 2025

Snippets Challenge #504

 There's a new challenge published on the Snippets Playground blog and of course the usual lovely prize as well as the chance of your card featuring as a Top Pick.  I do like to create a scene now and again - that is when making a card, not as in 'throwing a tantrum'  think I'm probably a bit too old for that 🤣🤣.

Everything on my card, apart from the card blank itself, came from my mountain of white snippets.  I started with a white piece slightly smaller than the card and then selected a couple of other pieces which I inked and stamped randomly - one with greens and one with brown shades.  Once dry these were then used to die cut the bulrushes and the greenery surrounding the pond (a tiny sliver of blue was used for the water).  The ducks were die cut from white card and their beaks and feet coloured with alcohol pen. At this stage, after playing around with the components and arranging them I decided a little background was needed so some blue ink was stencilled onto part of the white square.  A simple sentiment was added (snipped from a partly used page of computer sentiments which  I 'made earlier')

Stencil - from Lavinia Stamps
Duckpond - from a Sizzix die set called Oliver
Bulrushes and Ducks - unbranded dies
Sentiment - produced using MS Word

Some of the leftovers

 

Allsorts Challenge # 821

 It was my turn to suggest a theme for the current Allsorts Challenge and I would like to see what you can make using stencils and/or masks in your designs and of course there is the usual Anything Goes option. Prizes this time are from Lisa Horton Crafts more details if you follow the link to Allsorts.

For my card I started by stencilling a partial background onto a square of white card to fit my card blank and I also used the same stencil on a spare piece of card and set it aside.  My next move was to die cut the two circles (one green and one white), using some hill masks to brush colour over the white circle to represent the sky and ground.  The fairy house was stamped onto a scrap of white card, coloured and cut out with scissors and once I'd decided on the position of the house I stamped the footpath using black ink, and then various first and second impressions stampings of foliage and grasses in green.  I then went back to the trees stencilled onto the scrap piece of card and carefully cut out three trees, again using scissors.  Final move was to arrange them and the cottage and stick them in place.  No sentiment has been added at present, that can be decided later.

Tree stencil - Lavinia Stamps
All Stamps - Lavinia Stamps
Mini Hill Masks - also Lavinia
Colouring done using Polychromos pencils

Daffodils

 I have another Spring flower card to share today which was made using printed elements from an ancient CD which I recently pulled out of retirement 😊.  It was quite simple to make once I'd printed off the background paper and a page of images.  The sentiment was stamped and cut out with a punch which I've also had for a while.  Much as I love having new crafty items to work with there is a certain satisfaction in using items which have lain neglected, sometimes for many years.

Background and Images - from Joanna Sheen Floral Fantasy CD  dated 2008
Punch - a long retired one from Stampin' Up

Snippets Challenge #503

 My entry for the Snippets Playground Challenge this time is entirely made from Snippets - in fact everything came from the pot on my desk which contains heaps of miscellaneous bits and bobs which are too good to throw out and which deserve to be used rather than just piling up.  I had cut the two circles from some inked and stamped snippets of card some time ago with the intention of making some Artist Trading Coins but somehow these two were left behind.  I had a further rummage and pulled out the birds on a gingko branch and also the white rabbit along with some flowers and leaves.  So two more ATCs were the result and a few more Snippets used up.  Sorry no photo this time of my left over scraps as all of these bits and bobs were produced some time ago.

For anyone who may not know, an Artist Trading Coin is circular and 2 1/2 inches across - a great way of using smaller pieces of card aka Snippets 😊

Don't forget the new Tag and ATC Challenge starting 1st of May because making tags and ATCs are both excellent ways of using up your Snippets.  I don't know if AT Coins will also be included in the brief for this challenge, but I guess it's a possibility.

Fairy in a Bottle

 I had a bit of fun recently trying to decide which of my many stamps would fit and look good inside a bottle and this is the result.  I cut a piece of white card to fit onto a  card blank and then used one of the fairly new Lavinia stencils to apply some ink for the bottle, adding a stamped cork.  I have to admit I felt a bit bad about actually enclosing her in this way but then thought that as she is magical, no doubt she'd be able to escape if she so desired 😊😊.  Mad I know but that's how my brain works.  Some foliage and a  'shroom complete the scene and a sentiment was composed using Word.  There was some second generation stamping of text to give a little interest to the background.

 

Sticker Stencil and Stamps - all from Lavinia

There's news today of a brand new monthly challenge and you can read all about it HERE - officially starting on 1 May so plenty of time to get your brains thinking along Tag and/or ATC lines