Inlaid Die Cuts

I'm still feeling really dizzy - suspected inner ear infection but antibiotics have failed to make much difference so far - so I've not felt up to crafting all week.  I did make one very simple card as I love playing with putting the bits back into die cuts and that's the challenge this week at PTI Inlaid Die Cut Challenge

I didn't have an appropriate PTI die to play with so I used a memory box flower and die cut it from craft and some DP.  I used the DP for the outline and then inked up the pieces from the main card panel to ink with distress inks and piece back in.   I finished with a matching gem and a sentiment from Embroidered Blooms in deep lagoon (although it looks black!)

That's all I can manage for now folks - need to go and lie back down to stop the room spinning.  Catch you later.

Blooming Marvelous!

You'd think that the cue word of "BLOOMING" would be a blooming breeze - we all love flowers - have tonnes of flowers in our stash and loads of ways of using them right?  Well, it is the cue at CASology this week http://casology.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/week-44-bloom.html  and I've been VERY unsuccessfully trying to do "something different" with flowers all week for it.....

I played with felt, with masks, with stamps, with die cuts - you name it - I probably played with it - but everything was just bleugh!   I did spot this card by Maille as part of the new release for PTI this week though and I was really drawn to how she "squared off" the stamped and die cut images and I decided to try and case it.  I went with a die cut daisy which it turns out, is not the easiest shape to do this with - too much open space between the petals (hence the double daisy for the largest flower) but after a lot of messing around and taking things on and off about 2,638,452 times - I ended up with this.....

I used PTI embroidered blooms to add interest to the die cut centres and layered them up for dimension using the die cuts in the xcut daisy set (it has round and scalloped centres of different sizes to match)  The card stock is American Crafts Tropical set (another lovely bargain from TK Maxx) along with some spotty DP from my snippets draw.  I thought it needed quite a large sentiment to balance the flowers so went with one of my favourites from Many Birthday Wishes from Hero Arts

I'm also going to enter this into the simon says flower power challenge this week http://simonsaysstampschallenge.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/simon-saysflower-power.html

and into Di's Sunday Snippets challenge - I didn't make much of a dint in my stash with this one - just half of a left over half sheet - but as the famous supermarket says "every little helps!"  http://pixiescraftyworkshop.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/pixies-crafty-snippets-playground-week_12.html

Stitched Flowers

I'm back again for another go at this week's "stitched" theme over at the Paper Players Challenge http://thepaperplayers.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/paper-players-135-leannes-theme.html
 this time with a Mother's Day commission - the request was lilac and I immediately thought of a couple of new PTI stamps I have and this is the result.

I stamped the embroidered blooms in purple and lilac and fussy cut adding black liquid pearls to the centre.  I stamped the leaves a few times in two shades of green and fussy cut again (wish I'd got the matching die now!)  I stamped one of the ribbons from ribbons and bows in lilac onto a white panel and then arranged the fussy cut elements on top.  I added my favourite Mother's Day sentiment (Crafts Meow Parents) in purple and finished with a few lilac gems and a matching lilac mat before mounting onto a 7 x5 white base card.

I was really pleased with the results on this one - the embroidered detail on the flowers is so pretty and the sender was pleased with this card - hope his Mum is too!

I'm also entering this into the Spring theme - birds, bees, plants over at Moving Along With The Times - http://movingalongwiththetimes.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/the-birds-and-bees.html