A new stamp set from StampinUP and some pretty paper found online set the stage for this card. I have wings all over this card so it is perfect for this challenge. Once I had stamped the bird image, I coloured it using Inktense pencils and a little Sakura Glaze for eyes, feet and beak. I used a nesting die set by Sizzix to cut the circles. Using foam to pop it up I set it aside until the rest was ready. In a search for some dragonfly paper a while ago I came across this pretty design and thought it would make a good background here. I added it to a black layer and then to the card front. Added the Circle layer, some embellishments and a small paper butterfly. Using a label die from MFT I cut the background piece for the sentiment and added the white layer to that after stamping. Sentiment is from Itty Bitty Basics by MFT. I added more embellishments and a tiny bow before I called it finished.

This stamp was purchased from Joy Clair a while back and this is the first time I’m using it. It works beautifully for this weeks challenge and I made a mini slimline using the image. The sentiment comes from a GKD set and the little mice are LawnFawn. The images were coloured with a combination of Inktense pencils, Sakura Glaze and Prisma pencils for the mice. I kept this very simple but felt I needed the little mice to denote friends.

Remember my comment about mineral paper and die cutting? Well here is what is left of the background I created for my Mardi Gras post that didn’t work for that particular card. Only one feather actually die cut the rest just left embossed impressions. Personally I like the way the Inka Golds worked on this paper and it looks nice embossed too. Anyway I had few feathers left from that project so I coloured them and I paper pieced one back into the space that had been die cut. I added the feathers to the mineral paper and then added all to the card front. Dressed it up with a blue ribbon and some pearls. As the Sunday stamp challenge is any shape, the feathers work for this and the colours work for Make my Monday so I managed a twofer. The sentiment came from an MFT set.

Having checked out the Less is More blog, I decided to enter a card into the current challenge. It gives me an opportunity to practice doing CAS cards, which are not my forte. As well because I used masking it also fits the challenge at Just Add Ink.

A book I’ve just read had an interesting image on the cover as well as at the beginning of each chapter and I’ve been wanting to try something similar ever since. Instead of a boat I chose the tail of a whale from a Hero Arts kit I’ve had for a while. First I made a mask so I could do the circle only then I stamped the tail. Then I added some masking tape across the middle after I had masked off the tail, for the sunshine, which I sponged on using Scattered Straw Distress Ink. Using the Kitchen Sink multi step By the Bay stamp set I added the water effect. The sentiment comes from a SSS set called Be Kind. The tiny drops denote water droplets and are from my stash. They are Swarovski crystals and really sparkle in the light. I used mineral paper for my images and I got very good results using it.

Anything Goes Embossing With A Twist of Plaid – Honestly I think I should have called this card the forgotten element. Yesterday I did a card for another challenge that when I began, I thought would also work for this one too. When it was ready to post I realized that I had forgotten an element necessary to include it for this challenge. This morning I began this card and was ready to upload when I realized once again I had forgotten the same element. Not wishing to begin again I searched for a solution that I could make work and while it wasn’t quite what I planned it at least fits the challenge now.

I started with the Kraft card front to which I added the debossed side layer of gold. Folder used was Tulip frame by Crafts Too. Then I took a scrap piece of DSP and embossed that with the folder called Brocade by Craft Concepts and added it over the gold piece. Using a new die from MFT called piece of my heart, and some striped paper I had created using scraps a while ago, I die cut the heart and embossed it with the same folder as the DSP layer. I glued this to a piece of white CS and added that to a small piece of the mat gold. Offsetting it slightly I glued it on top of the rest. I added a ribbon and some flat back pearls to the heart layer. Then I came to the sentiment which I initially stamped onto white CS and added at the bottom. It was at that point that I realized I’d forgotten the plaid. To find something that would work and not clash or detract from the rest took me some time. I went through all my DSP and all my scraps before coming up with what you see here. I stamped the sentiment from Friendly Hello by StampinUP using Vintage Photo ink onto the plaid and then carefully cut around it so it would fit at the bottom without covering up too much of the rest. Plaid isn’t my go to in any design although I do use it once in a while. Don’t know where my head was at yesterday or this morning – lol.

As I mentioned in my Mardi Gras post I had made a background from which I intended to die cut feathers, but the mineral paper wouldn’t cut. I decided to use it as a background here and in a couple of places you may see the edges of some embossed feathers, although the embossed circle does cover up a lot of it. For the embossed circle I used a folder called patio brick walk by Lifestyle Crafts. I used an ink pad directly over it very carefully to add a bit of colour. The sentiment is from an MFT set I’ve only had for a short time. And the poppies are an unbranded die. What I did was cut it twice, once in the orange PP and again in the green. Then I trimmed off the flowers from the green piece and carefully glued the 2 pieces together. I really like how it turned out doing it this way. I added a touch of ink to the buds before attaching it all to the card front. I meant to have this card work for two challenges but forgot an important element for the 2nd challenge so I shall have to do another for that one.

This card isn’t an exact interpretation of the sketch, but I’m going with it regardless. Using a new StampinUp stamp set called Kite Delight I picked one of the smaller kites and stamped it in dark red. I masked off the kite and then stamped the cloud from the same set. Then I stamped one of the trailing strings on a separate piece so I could fussy cut and only use a portion of the string. As I wanted my orientation to be slightly different after I fussy cut I turned it over and coloured the back side before adhering it flat. The little silhouette is from an old GKD set and I did some stamp surgery so she could hold the end of the string. Then from that same set I used the sentiment stamp that seemed most appropriate for the mood of this card. The kite flower centers were coloured in a sparkle gold using a Sakura pen and I also added some sparkle to the trailing string bows. To cut this panel I used a die from the mixed edge rectangles from Essentials after which I added it to the card front.

These past couple of days I was so busy creating something ready for next month as a guest designer, that I almost forgot about the current challenge. Then when I remembered it I couldn’t at first think of anything that would fit the theme. A bit of research gave me the idea for the mask with feathers and I was off. As I don’t have any stamps that work for a mask I eventually used one I found on the Internet and coloured it with Sakura Glaze to get a deep green. I used a gold pen around the edges of both eyes and the entire mask shape. Another internet search netted me the tiny dragonflies which I managed to fussy cut using tweezers and scissors. These I glued to the upper corner edges of the mask. I spent some time with my Inka Gold pots and added the colours to a piece of mineral paper which I intended to die cut. Unfortunately although the colours are wonderful I didn’t realize that mineral paper doesn’t like being die cut so I got embossed impressions of feathers rather than the feathers I needed. I set it aside figuring I can use it later as a background and die cut more feathers using regular white card stock. My feather dies are from both SSS and Spellbinders and I cut more than I needed. After sponging them with various Mardi Gras colours I picked the best ones to add to the center of the mask. Using some purple Christmas ribbon I fringed and curled it a bit and then added some to each corner to hang down. The sentiment came from a new StampinUp set and after stamping I added a bit more ribbon and one feather to this before gluing it to the card front. Initially I made a harlequin background with a stencil, but hated the result so I did some more research trying to find one I liked which was unsuccessful. After thinking a bit, I remembered I had some lovely paper that had some golds in it so this became my background layer. I even added some feathers to the inside of the card. I know I shouldn’t say this, but I love the result for this card and my hubby was impressed.

One of my previous posts used the floating technique and I was left with the negative part. After adding some foam strips to the back of this piece (more floating) I adhered it to the black background. In my recent sort out of older items I came across the daffodil. In Canada the Cancer society does a fund raiser using these daffodil pins, similar to the poppy campaign, and I guess I put this one away and then forgot about it. I decided to use it here and added some other scrap die cuts to denote leaves. I played around with the piece on the card front and liked it best as you see it even though it wasn’t a perfect square shape. I trimmed off the over hanging edges. The sentiment comes from an old GKD set and I stamped it on a smaller star so it could be placed in the corner. Taking some dark green gems I added a few scattered about and this is the result. I quite like it, always a bonus when that happens.

Having already entered a card for the other part of the challenge I decided to have a go at the green and gold part. I used up some scraps of PP and added them to some acetate (found it finally). Then I cut it using an infinity Star die set from Hero Arts. The stitched panel was a piece leftover from another project and the star seemed to look nice on it so I added it after stamping the sentiment. I then added the panel to the Green Card front. Taking one of the leftover strips I added it across the bottom of the card front. It still needed something so I took a small die from Crafters Companion and die cut the circle. Using another scrap piece of gold and a teal piece I die cut the leaf and paper pieced the teal into the gold, then I added it to the star. I really like the floating element and shall be doing more with this technique.