Tuesday, November 17, 2020

November Twofer Challenge

One of my favorite monthly challenges, because it really is a challenge, is called the "Twofer Card Challenge." It requires the use of the exact same stamp or die to make two cards with distinctly different designs for two different occasions. The November Challenge is named "Stars."  I looked through my stamps and dies and decided to use a new die from Marianne Designs named “Star Border” which is another item that I purchased at a special sale.* I was intrigued that a ribbon can be woven through this die, but also liked that it provides some wonderful mini star shapes. For my Twofer cards I used both options.
 (* A stamper friend who served with me on a Design Team had to move into a memory care unit several months ago. Her grandson and his wife set up a website to liquidate Sherri’s large collection of well over 1000 stamps and dies at 70-90% off! I just checked the site and there are now just 101 items left, and all are marked down to just $1 even though some are worth $20, $30 and even $50! So you might want to check out  The Crafters Estate  soon to add some gems to your collection AND to help the family of a fellow stamper! NOTE- If you visit, click the “all products” link and you won’t have to dig through all the “sold” items… but will only see the items that are still available.)
 
Entered into: Twofer Card Challenge- #33 Stars

My first card features the Star Border card, cut from silver cardstock, to adorn a graduation card. I cut the die from silver and burgundy cardstock and used the silver one for the front of the card, embellished with a bit of burgundy ribbon. A rectangle of scrapbook paper becomes the base of the card, with graduation themed sentiments. The inside of the card is decorated with burgundy stars, trimmed from the second die cut. A smattering of both burgundy and silver stars, popped from the die cuts, decorate the front and inside of the card. I’m entering this card into several challenges, including The Paper Shelter’s Card for a Child (this card will be sent to a young lady in the Spring when she graduates from a local high school. Their school colors are black and burgundy.)
Supplies: 
·   Marianne Designs- Star Border Die
·   Inside Sentiment -Computer Generated
·   Assorted cardstock, scrapbook paper and a strip of dotted ribbon from my stash
Entered into: 
The Paper Shelter- #449 Card for a Child
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends- #146 Anything Goes
Art Impressions- Borders  
Crafty Hazelnut’s Patterned Paper Challenge- November             

My second card is a star-studded Christmas wreath. I used a Beccy’s Place pre-colored wreath and ribbon digis (made them my own with a bit of shading and highlights.) A generous dusting of silver stars, plain and glittery, dresses it up for the holidays. Silver die-cut sentiments, star-studded embossed vellum, and silver photo corners finish off the card.  
 
Supplies: 
·   Digi- Beccy’s Place Digital Stamp (Build a Wreath)
·   Marianne Designs- Star Border Die
·   Colored with Spectrum Noir Classique grey markers and Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen
·   Sentiments- Stampendous Clear Stamps and Dies Set (Christmas Bright)
·   Assorted background papers and embossed star vellum from my stash
·   Silver photo corners available from several web sources (WXJ13 13 Sheets 13 Colors Photo Mounting Corners)
Entered into: 
Beccy’s Place- 8th Annual Month of Holiday Cards Challenge- F is for French Blue
Outlawz Challenges- Monday Greeting Challenge- Blue Monochrome
Outlawz Challenge- Festive Fridays                                                
Outlawz Challenge- Inlinks Challenge
Di’s Digi Stamps- Use a Digi Image                                                 
The Sisterhood of Crafters- Embossing  
Scribbles Designs Challenge- #94 Layer It Up 
Stamping Sensations- Garlands, Wreaths and Christmas Flowers

While I had my Big Shot out, I’d made about a dozen of the star border die cuts. So I had a pile of extra stars on my craft table. I remembered having some punched pine branches leftover from making a card last week and decided to create a Christmas tree! I sketched a simple tree shape on a scrap of green cardstock, sized to fit the front of an A2 card and started layering on the pine branches. (I discovered that I needed lots more of them than first expected, so pulled out my scrap box and punched two dozen branches in three additional  colors of green.) When finished, I filled the tree with stars. It was a tedious- and sticky- process, but I do like the final product. I’m entering this card into several challenges, including Crafty Catz Challenge’s Optional twist- Outdoor Pursuits (for several years my hubby and I lived in the Black Hill of South Dakota. Our favorite memories of our time there was purchasing a license every year to venture into the thick forest to pick out and cut down our own Christmas tree. They always looked MUCH larger in our home than out in the wild!), Pixie's Snippets (it used lots of green and silver “snippets” to make this card) and Christmas Crafts All Year Round’s Family & Friends (decorating the tree has been a favorite tradition during my childhood and now in my adulthood. It always helps to get me into a holiday mood and fills me with nostalgia as we now carefully unpack the ornaments we’ve made or collected over the last 50 years.)
Supplies: 
·   Marianne Designs- Star Border Die
·   Martha Stewart Pine Branch Punch
·   Adhesive used to attach branches and starts- Ranger Mini Glossy Accents
·   Front Sentiment- Beccy’s Place Digital Stamp (Blessings Of The Season)
·   Inside Sentiment-Beccy’s Place Digital Stamp (Home For The Holidays)
·   Cardstock, background paper and tan vellum from my stash
Entered into: 
Beccy’s Place- 8th Annual Month of Holiday Cards Challenge-G is for Glittery Star  
Simon Says Monday Challenge- Happy Holidays                         
Christmas Crafts All Year Round- Family & Friends
Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #464-465 Anything Goes                   
Crafty Catz Challenge- Anything Goes #527 (Optional twist- Outdoor Pursuits) 
Crafty Hazelnut’s Christmas Challenge- #515 Anything Goes
Pixie's Snippets-Week #390                                                                    
Do-Al[l] Kreatives #47 Twister-Sister (Glitter/Sparkle and Christmas Greetings)

26 comments:

  1. Hi Kathy. Thank you for leaving a lovely comment on my blog. Just wanted to pop over and return the niceties! You creations are fabulous. I love these cards and I adore that star banner. Lisa J x

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  2. That star border die is, literally, to die for! How cool!! Love the ability to thread ribbon through it. And it makes a perfect graduation card the way you've used it here. Very cool, and a graduate will love this card come Spring. Your starry Christmas wreath is wonderful. At first glance, I thought you'd tied that bow on! Your shading is perfection, and all those little stars are amazing. And I have to say that your Christmas tree card was worth every ounce of effort you've put into it. That's a keeper for sure, and worthy of a frame! Thank you so much for joining us at The Twofer Challenge! Stay safe. Bev

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  3. Lovely cards with that die. I have the die a long time and use it in the same way, with the little stars only. So mice to see!
    thanks for joining is at DAK!

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  4. Beautiful wreath card! Thank you for sharing with us at The Sisterhood of Crafters.

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  5. Lovely creation thank you for joining our challenge at THE PAPER SHELTER
    hugs
    lorraine x

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  6. I am thinking that you totally ROCKED this challenge with all these gorgeous cards!! I am loving that fun star border die!!!

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  7. Fantastic collection of cards Kathy, you've done a brilliant job with the star border die! Lots of great examples of different ways to use both the positive and negative parts of the card stock. So clever!
    Cheers,
    Beccy

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  8. Beautiful cards. I like the wreath card that you created for Beccy's Challenge.

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  9. All your cards are so creative and so nicely done! Good job with the challenge. (and you are right it is a challenge...so often with this challenge...I would get one card done then couldn't come ups with a second one or time would run out till I got the second one done!

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  10. I love your trio of star designs, Kathy! You know how much I am inspired and fascinated by the exquisite details you always include with your designs. Here, you have excelled at texture and composition and you've made your shiny and schparkly elements look like real metallic words and stars!! As always, the insides are finished beautifully! Thank you so much for supporting and playing in TCC #33! Keep safe and well. Hugs, Darnell

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  11. Very pretty cards Kathy and so nice to see you at Stamping Sensations, but we are a stamping challenge and you say you used die cuts.

    B x

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the note, Brenda. I had used digi stamps... but in re-reading your challenge rules they don't qualify as they were pre-colored. To be honest, I was just looking at the "Wreaths" title in your challenge and forgot to check the rest of the requirements. I did go and delete my entry. Will strive to find time to make another card that I can enter this month within the guidelines. Thanks again!

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  12. Beautiful cards, love the wreath and your christmas tree is gorgeous!
    Enjoy your day,
    Colinda

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  13. Brilliant cards Thank you for joining us at Crafty Catz Challenge Blog good luck Ginny DT for Crafty Catz Challenge Blog
    My Blog As I do Rodos

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  14. Fabulous image for our theme, love the design to. Thanks for joining us at TPS, good luck with the challenge. hugs Shirleyxxxxx

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  15. beautiful cards and I love the star die, thank you for sharing at Crafty Catz challenge
    Tilly

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  16. OH WOW ... that wreath is GORGEOUS Kathy! Thanks so much for joining in the fun at our Sisterhood of Crafters challenge! Good Luck and we hope you’ll come back often. Awesome inspiration ... thanks!

    Darlene
    SISTERHOOD OF CRAFTERS
    DAR’S CRAFTY CREATIONS
    Please stop in for a visit!

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  17. Hi Kathy three fabulous Starry cards, love the special graduation card for the high school graduate, our neighbours son has graduated this week, he will get his marks mid December. Thank you for joining us at Lil Patch of Crafty Friends, good luck in the prize draw... Megan DT LPoCF

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  18. What festive cards. Thanks for playing along with us at Crafty Hazelnut Christmas.

    DT Stacey
    www.butterflycreations.blog

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  19. Fabulous cards! Thanks for joining our Anything Goes Challenge at Lil Patch of Crafty Friends. I hope join us again real soon!
    Hugs, Joy
    JoyWilsonInk
    Lil Patch of Crafty Friends Owner and Coordinator

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  20. Beautiful set of cards! Thanks for playing along with us at our present challenge at Do-Al(l) Kreatives and good luck. Hope you will join us next month again.

    Crafty greetings
    Alex

    *Owner* Creative Crafting Uncles
    *DT + Admin* Do-Al(l) Kreatives
    *DT* Kreativ-Tanten Challenge
    Alex' Kreative Seite

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  21. Wonderful cards Kathy - and I adore your snippets card. Must have taken you ages but so worth it!

    Hugs

    Di xx

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  22. Wow.. what a clever idea how to create the christmas tree! I'm very inspired!

    Thanks for playing along with our Do-Al(l) Kreatives Challenge and good luck!

    Hugs and please come back soon!
    Doris
    Kleido’s BastelStüble
    *Owner* Do-Al(l) Kreatives
    *List Manager* Challenges for Days
    *GDT* Scrapping4Fun Challenges

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  23. A great collection of cards.

    Thanks for joining us at Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge.

    Helen x

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  24. Me again!

    Thanks for joining us at Christmas Crafts All Year Round too.

    Helen x

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  25. Beautifully layered wreath Kathy. I like that the stars in the designer paper match the ones in the wreath. Thank you for entering the Layer It Up Challenge at Scribbles Designs.

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Thanks you for your comments. They bring joy to my day!