Strawberry Tag, Thank You, Bees + Flowers

Have you seen the latest challenge over at Tag You're It?
I so had to play along with this one  :)

The guest designer's tag features strawberries, red, white and green colouring, gingham...  and it's a double tag.

I couldn't help myself.  I had to make a strawberry shaped tag for this challenge...  and a matching mini treat box.  I was sorely tempted to go the whole hog and make a mini basket for the My Favourite Things (Die-Namics) Berry Box.  I still might, you know!

My tag started off as a Memory Box Grand Heart Die, embossed using a Cuttlebug Swiss Dots folder and inked up a little using Tsukineko (Memento) Rhubarb Stalk.  I cut and embossed two of these, gluing them together to hide the brad fasteners from the Memory Box Fancy Blossoms 'strawberry flowers'.  Once dry, I cut a little from the bottom to make a more natural looking strawberry shape.

The strawberry 'leaf' is in fact a Stampin' Up Large 5 Petal Flower Punch, inked up using Tsukineko (Memento) Olive Grove.  I've also glued on a second wooden green leaf (it's really a wooden green flower!) for one of the bumble bees to sit on.

I just love the Memory Box Jolly Bumble Bee.  These guys are so fiddly to make, but when shaped I think they look fantastic.  I love nature themed dies, anyhow...

The Thank You is from a punch by Martha Stewart, cut from Kraft card and coloured using a Stampin' Up Chalk Marker.  I've scored between the 'N' and the 'K' because I think it looks better that way.

The smaller strawberries are one of my newest dies from Poppystamps, called Berry Best.  I embossed them using yet another different strawberry die from a set by Sizzix (Thinlits/Sweet Strawberry).  The tag is also from this set, with a faint gingham design stamped on to echo the original design inspiration (see below).

I've left the beige strawberry tag blank except for inking up the 'leaves' as I did for the front one.

Some natural twine to tie the two together...  and finished just in time to post before the end of the challenge  :)

PS...  I forgot to mention that the treat box can be tied to the tag if so wished.  I chose not to for the sake of the photograph, but would tie them in reality.

Half term's over here so back to an early start tomorrow.

All the best...

Donna

Happy Birthday, 40th, Butterflies + Flowers

My husband asked me to make a birthday card for one of his work colleagues.  I've never actually met her, so I asked him what colour she likes or wears most often.  Can you guess what he said?  'I don't know'.  Helpful, right?  When pushed I did manage to at least get this piece of useful information...  'She did have a teal cardigan that she used to wear quite often'.

So...  That's my reasoning for this colour scheme.  Just hope she likes it!

I've used the Impression Obsession/Cover a Card (Wooden Plank) with Brilliance Pearlescent Chocolate as my card base, mounted on foam pads for added dimension.

The 'Happy Birthday' letters are from my Spellbinders Font One alphabet set, cut from brown Centura card for some extra subtle sparkle.  The Little Numbers are by My Favourite Things (Die-Namics). 

I used vellum to cut the Peaceful Butterfly Border (Memory Box) butterflies, then edged and lightly coloured using Walnut Stain Distress Ink.   The tiny butterflies are from my Martha Stewart, Pop Up Butterfly Punch.

The teal flowers (Elizabeth Crafts/Bunch of Flowers) have been edged and inked up a little using Tsukineko (Memento) Teal Zeal.  Some jewel embellishments, a coordinating paper insert with a plain white square at the centre (decorated with 3 more tiny brown butterflies as a finishing touch)... and then all I had to do was make a coordinating envelope to match  :)

Luckily for me, Seize the Birthday are having an 'Anything Goes' challenge right now, so I'm off to link it up.  

Hope you have a good week...

Donna

Circular Tag, Bird, Cherries

Apologies for not posting for a while...  I'm still getting over a virus that's stolen my energy as well as my mojo  :(

Didn't stop me from coveting some of the latest craft releases though!!!

Anyhow...  Before I was ill I had been having a go at making some 'hanging' aperture cards, using my Memory Box Large Snow Globe for the 'cut out'.  (I was foolish enough to try and persevere with these whilst ill.  It did not go well)!  I've used two of these 'left over' globe pieces, glued back to back for this circular tag.

However, just before I post my take on the Tag You're It featured design, let me make a disclaimer... I didn't set out for my embossing paste to have a bird on it!  Honestly, I didn't...  At the time I had no idea I would be using a bird.  The original plan was for the splat to have the cherries on it!  Really, I swear...   and I didn't even notice the 'oops' until a few hours later...

Now I have quite a cheeky tag to find a home for...  Still, it should get a laugh or two!!!

I chose the Carte Postale stamp (Stampers Anonymous/Tim Holtz) rather than a newsprint or script, adding Splatters (Tim Holtz) using my embossing paste.  As I don't own any burlap I went for lime green Spider Web instead.

Several layers of Papertrey Ink Wet Paint Cuts glued together made the word 'enjoy'.   Then it was simply a case of adding A Cherry on Top (Poppystamps) and the bird and twig pieces from Frantic Stamper's, Bird on a Pussywillow Branch.

Some green and cream twine to compliment the colour scheme...  and I was done  :)

Here's the featured tag design...

You'll notice that this is the closest I've come to sticking to the original inspiration tag so far.

Hope you have a good day!

Donna...

Sending You Flowers, Wood Effect, Roses

As soon as I saw the latest Fusion Challenge I just knew I had to play along.  Reds and greens and wood in the picture, big spiral flowers...  I knew straight away how I wanted this card to turn out.

Can you see all of those grooves from the Tim Holtz Embossing Stencil (Woodgrain) that I made using transparent embossing paste?  I haven't tried this before and I'm really quite pleased with the result.

The roses are from my Sizzix/Tim Holtz, Bigz dies (Tattered Pinecone and Jumbo Tattered Pinecone). I've used Memento Rhubarb Stalk on the red rose and Memento Toffee Crunch on the yellow rose to 'age' them up a little.  The white flowers are from Elizabeth Crafts, Bunch of Flowers and the Rose Leaves are by Joanna Sheen/Signature Dies.

I had to wait for the Sending You Flowers (Marianne Design, Craftables) die to arrive before I could use it.  The Tag Stitched is by Paper Smooches, the large vellum butterfly is by Memory Box (Blissful Butterfly Border) and the tiny vellum butterflies are from my Martha Stewart, Pop Up Butterfly punch.

A big twine bow, yellow brads for the flower centres...  and I was finished  :)

I'll be adding some extra pages to my blog over the next few weeks/months.  One of the pages will be for all of my dies, embossing folders, punches and stamps that I've been meaning to sell for a LONG time.  I'm one of those people who's guilty of buying an embossing set of folders just for the one I want...  or a set of stamps just for two or three.  Anyone else care to confess?  Whatever shows on here will also be on eBay and I'll delete it as soon as it's sold.  I have to fund my 'therapy' somehow!

Anyhow...  Have a great weekend.  It's extra long with the Bank Holiday Monday  :)

Thanks for stopping by...