Happy Easter!

Good morning crafty friends and a belated Happy Easter to you and yours! If you're in the UK, I hope you're enjoying the Bank Holiday weekend.


It's new challenge time over at Incy Wincy Designs and we're celebrating the fact that Spring is springing (can't say it's exactly sprung!) in the Northern Hemisphere as our topic for you to follow this time is Nature and it's Beauty.


We have two amazing sponsors for you this time.

The first is Naz and her team from Sasayaki Glitter who are offering our first lucky winner 2 Digital Images from her store. And if you head over to the Facebook Group Naz is offering a free image (for 24 hours only starting on 1st April 2018) for the April Progressive Challenge which would be perfect to enter in our challenge!

The second is Alyce from Kit and Clowder who are offering 3 lucky winners a $10AUS vouchers towards a class at Kit and Clowder!! Go and check out the website, where there are even a couple of FREE classes for you to try. The paid for "technique" classes come with individual feedback via the classroom and the Facebook Group has 1000's of members willing to help you  - as well as Alyce (the mastermind behind Kit and Clowder). If you haven't seen Kit and Clowder before, then pop on over ... but be sure to tell them that Incy Wincy Designs and I sent you 😊

Naz has been kind enough to supply the DT with some images to use, but my card features one of the images from the Kit and Clowder Elements of Nature Class, which was perfect for turning into an Easter card:

My card recipe is as follows:

• Card base - is Kraft card which I have cut, scored and folded to make a 5¼ inch square card.
• Design Paper - comes from a kit called Owl Always Love Spring from the now sadly closed
  
  Summertime Designs. I have digitally overlaid 3 brown cords from the same kit over the green dotty paper to co-ordinate with the kraft card.
• Image - is this gorgeous Daffodil which is one of the exercises in the Kit and Clowder Elements of Nature Class. I have brought this flower to life using my Spectrum Noir Markers in the class colours using the class instruction book (there is also a video to colour along with too!) before die cutting it using one of the dies in my Die'sire Nouveau Stamping Frame set.
• Sentiment - is from a set called Special Occasion Stamps which was a magazine freebie some time ago. I have stamped this onto a banner shape I cut from an oddment of Kraft card using Gathered Twigs Distress Ink

I hope I have inspired you to  join our Nature and it's Beauty challenge at Incy Wincy Designs, but if you are in need of further inspiration, please head over to the blog and see the other gorgeous creations from my very talented teamies. Then come back and show us your projects!

And if I've inspired you to sign up to a class at Kit and Clowder then do please mention my name in the Referral Box, as you will get a rebate of $5AUS on your new class purchase 😁 and that can't be bad!!!!!!

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

• Week #507 - Pick any sketch from 215 to 506 at Sketch Saturday - I've used Sketch #322 from way back in 2014 as the inspiration for my card
• Challenge #200 - Easter or Spring Sentiment at Aud Sentiments
• Challenge #332 - Use a Digital Image at The Paper Shelter
• Challenge #129 - Easter at CAS on Friday
• Do Something Digi Challenge at Daring Cardmakers - I have digitally layered the 3 cords over my DP which is digitally resized. My image is also a digi.
• KBD Aloha Friday Challenge #115 - Spring at Kitty Bee Designs
• Spring Flowers Challenge at Di's Digi Designs Challenge
• Wild Card Week Challenge #434 - CAS at Just Us Girls
• Challenge #276 - Spring or Easter at Brown Sugar Challenge
• Challenge #387 - Easter at Fab 'n' Funky Challenges

That's it from me today - once again I wish you and yours a very Happy and Joyous Easter!

Crafty hugs,

Helen x

A Jar of Love

Hello again friends!

This week seems a bit like "blog post fest", as my two DT's coincide with having new challenges launching!

This time, I'm sharing the new challenge at Incy Wincy Designs and this time we'd like to see your creations that say Get Well or With Sympathy. 

We're being sponsored this time by the lovely Tammy from A Day for Daisies, who is offering the random winner of this challenge a $12 Gift Certificate to the store. And even if you're not the lucky winner of this challenge do drop by the store as Tammy sometimes has some freebies on offer .... ;o) ! And there's always plenty of inspiration from the ADFD Design Team at A Day for Daisies Blog.

Tammy has also kind been enough to give each member of our DT their choice of image to showcase for this challenge, so here's my With Sympathy card, featuring an image from A Day for Daisies:

I don't know about you, but I always find sympathy cards the hardest to create and they take me a really long time. Maybe it's because I'm trying too hard to make something that's right for the occasion. I've kept this one really uncluttered and I shall keep it stashed safely so that the next time I need a sympathy card, I'll be able to send it straight away instead of being a day or two late whilst I create!

My card recipe is as follows:

• Card base - is Centura Pearl Snow White Silver which I've cut, scored and folded to make a 6 inch square card base. I've then embossed directly onto this using my Embossalicious Geometric Motif embossing folder, sadly no longer available from Crafter's Companion.
  
• Image - is Jar of Wild Poppies by Tammy at A Day for Daisies which I have brought to life using my Spectrum Noir Pens in the listed shades together with a tutorial from the Elements of Nature colouring class from Kit and Clowder before die cutting it with my largest Sizzix Framelits Scalloped Square Die.
• Poppies - CR6, CR11, DR5, DR7
• Stems - DG2, DG3, DG4
• Jar - IG1, IG3, IG5, CR11
• Sentiment - comes from a set by Kris at Imagine That Digi Stamp called Thoughts and Prayers Sentiments which I was lucky enough to win from their blog earlier this year. I've cut the sentiment into a fishtail banner, and then very lightly run my CR11 Spectrum Noir Pen around the edges of the banner for definition.

I hope I've inspired you to have a go at making either a Get Well or With Sympathy project. If you're in need of further inspiration, then do head over to Incy Wincy Designs and feast your eyes on the projects which have been made by my fabbie teamies. Then don't forget to come back and share your creations with us. This challenge ends on Saturday 3rd September 2016 and we'll be back on Monday 5th September 2016 with our next challenge.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenge:

• Challenge #44 - Mason Jars at Scribbles Designs
• Hip to be Square Card Challenge at Cards in Envy
• Challenge #50 - Keep it Simple at Paper Creator's Crafts
• L is for Love at Alphabet Challenge
• Challenge #327 - Embossing (Heat or Dry) at My Time to Craft
• Week 33 - Anything Goes at Digi Choosday

Whatever you're up to today, I hope you have fun!

Hugs, Helen x