January Twofer Challenge

One of my favorite monthly challenges called the "Twofer Card Challenge" requires the use of the exact same stamp or die to make two cards with distinctly different designs for two different occasions. The January Challenge is named "Flowers” and I didn’t know if I’d get to play along this month since I’ve been having dental pain for a while. My dentist sent me to an oral surgeon who did his magic and after a bit of recovery time, I’m on the mend. I was able to happily spend most of today in my craft room. My first order of business was to pick out a flower stamp or die. Since I am already longing for spring to get here, I decided on a wonderful bucket of tulip stamp that I’ve had for a few decades to make my two cards.  

 
Supplies: 

·   Wood-Mount Stamp- Tulips in a Bucket (PSX) Company no longer in business

Entered into: 

Twofer Card Challenge- #34 Flowers

Tulips speak Easter to me. I always love seeing their bright shouts of color reaching for the sun at the beginning of Spring! So I just had to make an Easter card! I embossed the image and colored it with a set of watercolors. (That is why the card front looks a little muddy. I've never mastered this medium even after taking a few watercolor classes in college but I do try my hand at it again every so often. I did try to "freshen" the tulips up with a white gel pen, which helped a little.) I also wanted to give the bucket a tarnished metal look, so I embossed the bucket onto the uncycled silver liner from a coffee can, fussy-cut, and adhered it atop the plain one (I did need to use an Xacto blade to lift the tulip on the lower right so I could slide the silver bucket under it to get some layering.) , I also added Glossy Accents to the tulip leaves and blooms to try to copy their waxy texture. Two sentiments and pink rhinestone hearts to add a bit of bling… and the card was done!  
I’m entering this card into several other challenges including Path Of Positivity Challenge- Look for the Positive (I love watching the changing of seasons. Spring flowers signify HOPE to me!)  and Stamping Sensations-Favorite Stamps (I’ve been stamping since the late 80s and many of my first stamps were from PSX. This is one that has survived many family moves and the related downsizing of my wood-mount stamps.)

 

Supplies: 

·   Wood-Mount Stamp- Tulips in a Bucket (PSX) Company no longer in business
·   Colored with a set of watercolors from my stash and a Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen
·   Couture Creations Butterfly Garden Mini Cutting Die (Hello Friend)
·   Inside Sentiment- “Happy Easter” from Beccy’s Place Digi Set Easter Joy
·   Pink Rhinestone Hearts- JoAnnes
·   All other items from my stash.
Entered into: 
Outlawz Sunday Challenge- Spring Spring Spring 
Double D’s Challenge- Flowers in Containers  
Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #475-476 Anything Goes                   
Stamping Sensations- Favorite Stamps
Path Of Positivity Challenge- Challenge #87 (Optional Twist- Look for the Positive)
         Since I’m a DT for Sheepski (sponsor), I’m entering just for fun!

For my second card I stamped the top portion of the tulip stamp on the corners of a light blue patterned background and lightly colored them with chalks. The sparkly Valentine stickers are from my scrapbook stash. I love the style of script on the Amore Sticker and the inside sentiment… as it gives the card a wonderful romantic feeling!

Supplies: 
·   Wood-Mount Stamp- Tulips in a Bucket (PSX) Company no longer in business
·   Colored with Decorative Chalks applied with Q-tips
·   Inside Sentiment- “Happy Valentines Day”-Hero Arts Words of Love digital set (no longer available)
·   White photo corners available from several web sources (WXJ13 13 Sheets 13 Colors Photo Mounting Corners)
·   All other items from my scrapbook or cardmaking stash.
Entered into: 
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Make Your Own Background
Polkadoodles Challenge-Week #3 Anything Goes                         
Outlawz Challenge- Festive Fridays                                                
Outlawz Challenges- Monday Greeting Challenge- Anything Goes
Outlawz Challenge- Inlinks Challenge

I was enjoying using a softer color palette for my Twofer cards, so decided to follow that trend during my cardmaking gig today. Ching-Chou Kuik is celebrating a birthday in January, so the theme for her monthly Challenge is [wait for it…] Happy Birthday! I decided to use her beautiful digi named “Hello Butterfly” and incorporated pastels and light greys for a softly muted tone. The card base adds great texture and pale color, as it was made from a sheet of hand-made paper. To add a bit of sparkle to the card I used Liquid Pearls, Nuvo Crystal Drops, and Stickles on the flowers and dragonfly.  (Oh… and if you look closely you can even see that he has tiny googly eyes!)
I’m entering this card into several other challenges including 2craftycrittercrazies January Challenge (I think this huge dragonfly would qualify as a critter?!) and Scribbles Designs Challenge named The Power of Eight (In honor of their 8^th birthday this challenge requires that entries include exactly 8 items. Item 1- my card base, 2- coral layer, 3- white layer with digi, 4-grey patterned frame, 5-sentiment layer, 6- dark green layer, 7- light green layer, 8-white photo corners.

Supplies: 

·   Digi- Ching-Chou Kuik (Hello Dragonfly)
·   Colored with Spectrum Noir Classique markers and Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen
·   Buttercup Liquid Pearls (flower centers), Bottle Green Nuvo Crystal Drops (dragonfly body) Crystal Stickles (wings)
·    Front Sentiment- “It’s Your Birthday from Power Poppy’s digi set (Cuppa Cupcake)
·   Inside Sentiment- “May Your Day Blossom” Power Poppy’s digi set (Blossoming Cherry)
·   White photo corners available from several web sources (WXJ13 13 Sheets 13 Colors Photo Mounting Corners)
·   All other items from my stash.
Entered into: 
Ching-Chou Kuik's Digital Stamps Inspiration & Challenge- Happy, Happy, Happy Birthday
Ching-Chou Kuik's FB Challenge- [FB] Happy, Happy, Happy New Year    
Ching-Chou Kuik's FB Challenge- [FB] Happy Birthday Ching-Chou Kuik!
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends- #150 Anything Goes (Happy 6^th Birthday!)
Cute Card Thursday- Challenge #670 Birthdays
Outlawz Challenge- Saturday Paper Ala Mode- Anything Goes              
Crafty Hazelnut’s Patterned Paper Challenge- January                 

2craftycrittercrazies Challenge- Jan 2021                                      
        Since I’m a DT for QKR (sponsor), I’m entering just for fun!
Scribbles Designs Challenge- #96 The Power of Eight