CASology Flame Take Two + SCS Love Fest

Melissa's Design Team card for the CASology challenge: Flame started me thinking about using a flourish die to create a flame. I mulled over the idea for a few days before finally pulling out a few dies and experimenting with a design to create this card.

The burning pot is made by using a PTI vase die to trim the top off a small jar die cut and the flames are  created by selectively cutting a Memory Box Elegant Scroll die cut. I struggled with what to use for a sentiment and would have loved to find something like "keep calm and order take out" hiding amongst my stamps, but in the end just went with the "keep calm" from a "keep calm & carry on" Rubber Soul stamp.

The pot is adhered with foam tape to allow the flames to curl around it.

There is a Love Fest celebration going on over at Splitcoaststampers and the Simon Says Stamp challenge is Die Crazy. Very few of my cards do not have some sort of die cut on them these days, but I did make this one specifically with the Simon Says Stamp Love Fest challenge in mind.

I also had time to make something for the Taylored Expressions Love Fest Challenge A Little Love Goes A Long Way to create a set of cards 3x3 or smaller. I pulled out my TE Spectacular stamps and dies to create this trio of cards.

The designer papers are from the Echo Park Sweet Girl collection. A 3x3 space doesn't leave much room for embellishing, but I really wanted a pair of glasses on each card!

There are a ton of challenges during Love Fest and great prizes from the member companies, but you only have until the end of the month to play along!

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie

Last Card Standing and RRR Autumn Challenge

I have a piece of red jute ribbon that has been sitting on my desk begging to be used. The basket of apples digital stamp from Taylored Expressions was sitting next to it and I had in the back of my mine the Really Reasonable Ribbon Challenge #56 Autumn Colors & Ribbon.

Taking those three things, I came up with this:

I printed the digital stamp four times - first to create a base and then with a few paper scraps to paper piece the apples & basket. I don't know about you, but I find paper piecing to be very theraputic.

I fudged the oval die cut a bit to get the "farmers market" from the designer paper where I wanted it, knowing the sentiment flag would cover the top of the oval.

A Tim Holtz memo pin holds the sentiment flag in place.

This card is being entered in the Taylored Expressions Last Card Standing competition and RRR56.

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie

Taylored Expressions Last Card Standing

Have you heard?! Taylored Expressions is having a card making competition. Being a fan of reality TV (everyone needs a guilty pleasure, right?), I knew immediately what Last Card Standing was about, but you can read the details on Taylor's blog or at Splitcoast Stampers.

Taylor has graciously provided a number of digital stamps so everyone can play along!

I chose to work with this Wreaths of Joy image and paper from the Authentique Festive 6x6 designer paper collection (also available from Taylored Expressions).

The digital image is paper pieced by printing it first on a cream distressed piece of designer paper, then on green and then on red designer paper. The wreath is trimmed to mimic the fabulous die that TE carries. A little stickles on the ornaments finished the wreath off.

A piece of gathered tulle pokes out the bottom of main die cut panel and it is mounted on a slightly larger die cut. The edges are inked with barn red and peeled paint (green) distress ink.

I am also entering this card in the Moxie Fab World Movement and Asymmetry Challenges. I deliberately placed the vertical panels off center as I think the bird on the wreath needed space and something to look at to the right. The position of the bird pulls the eye down to the trio of buttons in the bottom corner.

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie