Tuesday, 12 April 2016

Cuttlebug Mania Challenge - 'April Showers'

Time for another fortnightly challenge over at Cuttlebug Mania - and this time the theme is 'April Showers' (ie. anything to do with rain).

You do have to use a manual die cutting/embossing machine for Cuttlebug Mania entries (it doesn't need to be a Cuttlebug but it must be manual, not electronic). And, you can't mix the two, it must be all manual please. Then make your entry, link into the challenge, link to the challenge in your own blog post and and make sure that you also say what products you used for any die cutting/embossing.

Details of our sponsor can be found over on the Cuttlebug Challenge blog and this is the card I made:
I used:

- 5.75" x 5.75" square white card blank 

- an outer frame for the whole card front, cut from a snippet of SU's 'Marina Mist' card stock, glued onto the card front

- then a patterned layer of quite retro card stock, from the Echo Park 'Hello Summer' paper pad glued, on top of the blue layer - I had a dress made of material almost identical to this, way back in time

- the image was stamped using Memento 'Tuxedo Black' ink and a really sweet stamp I've had for ages by Sugar Nellie called ' Splashing Maggie' (think I've only ever used it once before ........... I have TOO many stamps!)

- coloured the image using Whispers markers and paper pieced the outside of the umbrella using a little snippet of spotty paper from the 'Hello Summer' pad - then added Glossy Accents to the puddles and water splashes  

- the frame was die cut using a brilliant new die I bought recently called 'Rectangle 6 in 1 Frames', by Impression Obsession (no doubt I spotted it in the Playground at some point) and another snippet of SU's 'Marina Mist' card stock - then glued onto the image

- after gluing the image with frame to the card front, die cut some white clouds  (used MFT's 'Cloud Trio' die set) - and a sun (using a Joy! die from the 'Sun and Moon' set)

- popped those in place with thin sticky pads - realised too late that perhaps I could have embossed the clouds with a lightly dotted folder I have, and/or defined the edges of the clouds with a little bit of ink pad tickling, sigh :(

- the sentiment was stamped using Memento 'Tuxedo Black' ink and the words stamp which comes with a Stampin'Bella image called 'Uptown Girl - Lolly and her brolly'

- trimmed it to size and backed it with a slightly larger snippets of  SU's 'Marina Mist' card stock before gluing it in place

- the lower part of the sentiment looked a bit bare to me so I created a couple of flowers using one of SU's 'Itty Bitty' punches and a couple of hole punches for the double layered centres then glued them in place

I'm down to just a handful of sheets of this lovely 6" x 6" double sided retro paper now, plus some snippets tucked into a halved envelope stuck in the back of the pad. I have another card in mind using more of the same pad - and will be really sorry when it's finished :( Mind you, me actually finishing off a paper pad is a very rare event indeed!

Edit: Many thanks to Liz for letting me know that this card fits the current challenge over at The Craft Barn - which is' April Showers'. Shame on me, I really like The Craft Barn and didn't realise they ran a challenge!


Di
x

26 comments:

  1. A happy card for a rainy day, really cute image and I do like that sentiment. Love the way you've echoed the paper in the itty bitty flowers on the sentiment - clever.

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  2. Despite the rainy day it's still a lovely bright and happy card with the pretty papers and image Di.

    B x

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  3. A lovely card, such a cute image and a great sentiment too.
    Kath x

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  4. Perfect card for the challenge Di. Cute image and I like that you added matching flowers to the sentiment.

    Hugs, Sarn xxx

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  5. A lovely, cute card Di, very appropriate for the April shower days we're having!
    Janice x

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  6. Such a bright fun card Di -I love it! xx

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  7. A really cute card Di. I love the paper pieced umbrella. What pretty papers. Barbxx

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  8. beautfiul card to submit for the challenge - . . . . . Lesley x

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  9. This is totally adorable! It has such happy colors.

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  10. So cute, Di! Love the colors
    Hugs,
    Em x

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  11. I wish I'd had that spotty brolly yesterday. It was not so much a shower as a deluge. Well done for using up your stash, even though you're sorry to see the end of it, it is very pretty. Great sentiment, I'll try and remember that in the next storm!

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  12. Brilliant card, Di. I love the paper piecing on the umbrella and the frame die you've used is just perfect.

    Do you know that The Craft Barn challenge this fortnight is April Showers? Your card would be perfect for the challlenge. xx

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    1. Thanks Liz - just going to link up :) xx

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  13. This is such a cute card, love it. Those papers are very yummy too, isn't it sad when you come to the end of a lovely pad. Take care, Cara x

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  14. This is a really sweet image Di and the paper piecing of the umbrella looks great and I love the pretty flowers on the EP backing paper too. The die cut frame looks fab in two colours and I think the clouds are lovely just as they are also the sentiment finishes it beautifully. x

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  15. Gorgeous card Di. Love the cheery paper and that wonderful sentiment is perfect for rainy days.

    Now you know you can never have 'TOO many stamps' xx

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  16. This sentiment is one of my favourite (and it's in my wishlist...) and it's also perfect for this card, so cute and happy with these colours!

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  17. Aw, what a sweet little image, and I love the bright colors - bound to brighten up a rainy day. Loved the umbrella work...looks great with the bkground dp. Good for you at nearly finishing up a paper pack. These pretty little spring flowers are a perfect look with the little puddle player. Also liking the IO frame die. The extra die cut bits just add even more interesting details to the rainy day scene. TFS & Hugs

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  18. This is a very sweet card. Great paper too, bittersweet... using up paper but sad cuz it is so cool.

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  19. Totally stunning card, love the image and the papers, great design too.
    Where do you get your papers as my local S.T. has rubbish papers and I find I have been so disappointed when buying on line. Saying that I have a stack that I should use up first, but you know what it is like???
    Right off to organise my snippet entry.

    Kath x

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  20. I love the look of your cute topper on that vivid paper. The colours of that DP are eye catching indeed.

    Your clouds with the sunlight trying to peek thru is so cute too.

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  21. Awh! Love that polka dot umbrella!

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  22. Beautiful card and love that sentiment! Thank you for entering The Craft Barn Challenge.
    Jane x

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