Dies, colours, love, lace and backgrounds

Well, much later coming to play with the LIMettes today as I've been out shopping with my Aunt who had a cataract operation this week and isn't allowed to carry.  A nice afternoon of card making was required to recover, but I did get carried away which means tonight's mutton curry is now off the menu as I should have started it an hour ago!

Anyhow, this is going to be a big post as I made 3 cards, all using die cuts which is the theme this week at Less is More http://simplylessismoore.blogspot.com/2012/02/week-55-theme.html but I have combined a couple of them with other challenges.

The first one is very simple - a pink base card, with a embossed panel simply stamped with a greeting from Waltzingmouse.  There are two die cut elements on this card, the leaves are stampin up (and came with some stamps) and the felt flower is created using a dynamics die from MFT.  I rolled it around a diamante left over from my tiara making days.

The second card is a simple little one on the theme of "love and lace" which is our challenge over at my charity card making challenge for St Luke's Hospice - do check it out if you haven't already - we have a lovely set of La Blanche stamps as a prize this month.  http://stlukescharitycardschallenge.blogspot.com/  I stuck rows of sheer ribbon to a square of card a cut it with an old sizzix die (called heart lace), popped out the centre, inked the edges and stuck into onto a vellum layer which was matted onto silver cut with a lace-like nestie.

My final die cut was the one that took the hour I didn't really have ;-)   This is a technique I learnt on Jennifer McGuire's recent Clean and Simple online class (you can still take it and it was a fab class). 

From this photo it may not look that exciting, but if you look at the close up below you can see the hidden technique which is to layer up your die cut shapes on top of each other to create intricate die cut with chipboard like dimension.

For this card I used the lovely colours at CR84FN as my starting point - chartreuse, grey and lavender and die cut one lavender butterfly and 5 white ones, carefully glued on top of each other.  I then made a background for the grey base using a damask stamp from Hero Arts with pear tart ink (as close as I could get to chartreuse).  Annabelle stamps want you to "say it with background stamps" this week, so I am entering this card into their challenge too.  I added a double layer of sheer ribbon and a raised ribbon sentiment (Elzybells) and hey presto, my first Mother's Day card finished.

Thanks for sticking with me if you read this far - better go and dig some fish fingers out of the freezer now - do you think DH will spot the difference?????