A couple of last minute challenge entries

It's been one of those weeks again this week with lots of hospital and Dr visits for the parents for me and my hubby so whilst I started a couple of cards for challenges earlier in the week, I've just realised that today is the deadline for them and I haven't blogged my entries!

So, here's the first - for this week's CASual Friday's challenge which was "something in the sky" http://cas-ualfridays.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/cfc64.html  One of my most favourite things in the sky is fireworks!  I think its because bonfire night always heralded the start of my birthday (which falls a few days later) so fireworks have always felt like they were "just for me" since I was a kid and I've never grown out of that giddy feeling they give me.  When I picked up my issue of Craft Stamper on Saturday and saw the brilliant freebie stamp on it designed by our very own Lady of LIM Chrissie I immediately saw its firework potential.

I stamped the image 4 times in an "explosion shape" and embossed with white onto black card.  I die cut some stars from white glitter card in various sizes (the tiny bits are from a MS punch border actually) and coloured them with copics (they work really well on glitter so you can get it in any colour you need).  I added random dots of stickles in matching colours to the circles on the edge of the stamped image.  I cut a line just within the edges of the stamped image and cut round the bits that fell outside it to emphasise the explosion.   The sentiment was cut on my silhouette.

Next I wanted to make a card with this lovely sketch over at retro sketches. http://retrosketches.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/good-morning-wow-wow-wow-did-you-see.html

I had some cute PTI stamps that I thought would work well so went down the Christmas route with the sketch and decided to use the blue and green palette which is the current Less is More challenge to go with it.  http://simplylessismoore.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/week-79-colour.html

 The ribbon I used looks black in the photo but is actually a pine green with gold flecks.  I stamped 4 of the signs from the PTI Sign Language set in 4 shades of blue and green momento ink and cut them out.  I embossed an ice blue snowflake brad with clear pearl wow ep to give it a shimmer and make it stand out and arranged it over the snowflake sign so the flakes on the stamp were in between those on the brad.  I added some blue gems for sparkle and stamped a sentiment in ice blue but it didn't stand out enough so I wrote over the top with a blue glitter pen.