Twofers #17 ~ They Say It's Your Birthday!!

Jane chose Twofers theme for this challenge and it just so happens to be Zoe's 60th birthday.  I know how much Zoe loves cats and I just got the Cat Crazy Stamps and Framelits (because I'm a tad cat crazy, too) and I had a GREAT time coloring these guys in.  Here is my card:

How I made my Card:
White Card Base
Tim Holtz Cat Crazy Stamps, #CMS251
Sizzix/Tim Holtz Cat Crazy Framelits, #661209
Tim Holtz Crazy Things Stamps, #CMS237
Tim Holtz Crazy Things Framelits, #660953
Tim Holtz Crazy Talk, CMS236
Sizzix/Tim Holtz Labels #660060
Derwent Colored Pencils
Blender Pen
Watercolor Paper
Pop Dots

I colored in both cats and the balloons with my Derewent Pencils, then cut them out using the matching die cuts.  I wasn't positive of how I was going to attach the dies but I ended up just gluing the cats and balloons to the card base.

I also put a sentiment on the inside of the card, I searched forever to find a free font that matched the font used on Crazy Talk and I think I hit the jackpot with Arsenale White and I got it free from DaFont - just click the link to get it for yourself!

I don't typically decorate the inside of my cards, but I really I felt that everyone needed to know what happened to that loud mouthed bird.  So I printed out the internal sentiment and cut it our using the Labels set from Tim Holtz.  Pop dotted that to the inside of the card and after I glued a few pieces of feathers onto the hungry cat, I was done.

Now it's your turn to get a birthday card together and enter it in the Twofers Challenge.  You could win a $15 Gift Certificate to Alleystamp!!

Have a great day!! Christi

I am entering my Birthday Card into the following challenges:
Alphabet Challenges - C is for Cat
Aud Sentiments - Happy Birthday
SUYP - #4 Lucky Kitties
Allsorts - #357, Humorous  

Twofers Challenge #16 ~ Shoes

Hi there! For this fortnightly challenge at Twofers I chose shoes as the theme. Honestly, I am much more of a shoulder bag hoarder than a shoe buyer, but, my sister is moving to Denver this week and she is a major shoe-a-holic, we have bets on how many boxes of shoes she is lugging to Colorado from Florida!  I actually made 2 cards for this challenge, when the muse hits, it hits hard, and I asked my teamies which one they liked better and of course Zoe chose one and Jane chose the other! So, I relied on my own intuition and chose to use this one:

How I Made my Card:
Blue Card Base
White Panel
Silhouette Cameo
Silhouette Cameo cut file
Quietfire Designs, The Perfect Pair of Shoes,  #6340
Misc Colored Card Stock
Rectangle of white card & black card
Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black

I started this card by cutting out a bunch of shoes with my Cameo.  I initially wanted to have different shoes, boots, heels, etc. but I couldn't find a cut file small enough with enough detail so I just stuck with good old heels - easy peasy! I then arranged all the shoes on a white panel and glued them down.  I trimmed the panel and attached it to my blue card base.

Next I stamped my sentiment onto a piece of white card using the Jet Black Archival Ink, trimmed and matted that onto black card to give it a bit of pop.  That's it! I really love the stamps at Quitefire, the calligraphy makes everything look so elegant.  

I hope my little shoe card helps inspire you to join in our Twofers Challenge.  We are seeing more & more entries each challenge and the entries are so beautiful, you really should give it a try - after all, you could win a $20 gift certificate to Alleystamp, our generous sponsor - that's right $20 to spend on real, delivered to your house, goodies!!  

Please be sure to read the rules - we don't have many, but we strictly enforce the few that we have.  Thank you SO much for stopping by, I appreciate it so much ~ Christi

I would like to enter my "shoes" card in the following challenges:
Silhouette Challenges - #35, Anything Goes
One Crazy Stamper (M) - March - Anything Goes
Not Just Cards (M) - March - #30, Anything Goes
Eureka Stamps - #184, Anything Goes
Lemon Shortbread - #11, Anything Goes
Penny's Paper Crafting - #269, Anything Goes
Craft Rocket Challenges - #11, Anything Goes
Craft Stamper - Take a Stamp, Anything Goes

Challenge #14 ~ ANYTHING GOES at Twofers!!

For this challenge at Twofers, the lovely Jane has decided to go with ANYTHING GOES ~ you can't get a much easier challenge than that (provided you follow our rules).  I took the opportunity to use one of my very favorite stamp sets, Newton's Antics from Newton's Nook and a brand new set of 72 (!!) Derwent Inktense pencils my Valentine gave to me (I am SO blessed!).  This time I kept the cats relativily natural looking, but watch out - I can feel some colorful creations coming my way!

How I made my Card:
Red Card Base
White Card Panel
Newton's Nook Newton's Antics Stamp & Die Set
Paper Smooches Charmed Cat 2 Set
Derwent Inktense Pencils
Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black
Wendy Vecchi Ink in Red Geranium
Glitter Paper Punched Heart
Paw Print Charm (colored silver with leafing pen)
Dove Blender Pen
Pop Dots

I began my card by stamping the cats with the Jet Black ink on watercolor paper.  I colored them in using the Inktense pencils, and die cut them out.  

Dimension

I set the kitties aside and stamped the sentiment from Paper Smooches on white card using the geranium ink (by the way, if you are looking for a real red, Wendy Vecchi's is the BEST red ink I've found; archival, water proof and has matching embossing powder). I cut the sentiment out and edged it using the geranium ink as I didn't want it to blend in with the white panel.  I attached the sentiment, and glued with glitter paper heart on the end of it, finishing it off with the cute charm of a cat paw print.

I pop dotted the pair of felines onto the panel and I was done! The kitties look like they are in deep snuggle mode and I just think they are so freakin' cute! I hope you enjoyed my little tutorial and that you will join us over at TWOFERS, you might even win a $20 gift certificate to Alleystamp! Thanks so much, Christi

PS: Don't forget to enter my blog candy since you are here :)

Another Look :)

I would like to enter my Kitties card in the following challenges:
Aud Sentiments - #149, Cute & a Sentiment
Addicted to Stamps - #181, Anything Goes
SUYP - #3, Kitty Love
Cuttlebug Mania - I {heart} You
The Cat's Pajamas - #308, Use an Animal
Crafty Catz - #312, CAS
Eureka Stamps - #180, Feathers & Fur

Hey!! There are FIVE days to enter the TWOFERS Challenge!!

I have to say I thought with Valentine’s Day (I thought the number 14 would of been fairly popular!) being right around the corner (literally) we would have gotten more entrants to our TWOFERS numbers challenge. 

 Luckily, you still have 5 more days to craft up some fabulous cards or projects where NUMBERS are the feature.  Please consider joining, we'd love to have you!

PLUS, you will be in the running to win a fabulous prize - a $20 gift certificate from Alleystamp (who already has some of the new goodies from CHA in STOCK and ready to ship!) - now, they are on a well-deserved vacation at the moment, but by the time the challenge is over they will be back and just overflowing with goodies for you to choose with your gift certificate - IF you join in the challenge!!

(and do read the rules please!)

Thank you so much ~ carry on!

Christi

And Have a Happy Valentine's Day 

5th Saturday ~ Technique Time at TWOFERS!

Please note there are 3 cards in this post and I am entering each one in different challenges. If you don't see the card I entered, please scroll down! Also, I am giving away some awesome blog candy, please consider joining in!!

The three cards I made

Hi everyone - I have three cards I made to showcase the 5th Saturday, Technique Time event at Twofers today - here are the cards:
Poppin' Pastels Poppies

I would like to enter my Poppin' Pastel Poppies Card in the following challenges:
Cut it Up - #88, Love is in the Air
Really Reasonable Ribbon - #133, Show me the Pink w/ Ribbon or Trim
Die Cut Diva's (M) - New technique. color, etc. (new technique)
DL Art - #173, Valentine
The Sisterhood of Crafters - Love or a Heart
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Love is in the Air

Thinking of You:

I would like to enter my Thinking of You card in the following challenges:
The Artistic Stamper (M) - January, Anything Goes #2
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes #1
Tuesday Throwdown - #278, Anything Goes
Creative Card Crew - #105, Anything Goes
The Crazy Challenge - #214, Ribbons

and Happy Birthday:

I'd like to enter my Happy Birthday Card in the following challenges (also, this was a brand new technique for me - I'd never done it before!)
Open-Minded Crafting Fun - #1, Something New (technique)
Daring Cardmakers - Balloons
Fussy & Fancy Friday - #156, Monochrome
Simply Create Too - #101, Something New (technique)
Little Red Wagon - #326, They Say it's Your Birthday
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes #2

If you'd like to see how I made these cards, just pop on over to the Twofers blog.  And no worries, next week we will be back with our newest challenge and your chance to win a $20 Gift Certificate to Alleystamp!  Thanks for stopping by and please do go over to Twofers, I wrote up a really nice tutorial and I'd love for you to read it and please, let me know what you think! Thanks ~ Christi

https://www.alleystamp.com/

(Guess what?!? The NEW Tim Holtz Stamps, Crazy Cats & Mini Crazy Birds are IN STOCK RIGHT NOW!!! Click on Alleystamp to get them NOW!)

Looking for challenges to enter your fabulous creations in?? Take a look at Challenges for Days - we pride ourselves on an easy to read format, a stress free environment, code list is on the page and all we do is list challenges ~ Take a look HERE

Marvelous Metals at Twofers ~ Challenge #12

Hello crafters! Welcome to my post featuring the new challenge at Twofers, challenge #12, Metal, chosen by Zoe. This time I took the theme literal and made an embellishment out of metal! Here is my project, which could be hung on a wall, stood on an easel or framed:

What I Used to Make my Project:
White Card
Fredrix 4" x 6" Canvas Panel, painted prior
Tin (I used a soda can)
Copics: G17, V09, RV04, R29
Tria Marker in V564 (pantone purple)
Spellbinders Inspire Die Plum Blossom, IN-046
DieNamics MFT Pierced Oval Stax, MFT-521
Sentiment from Hero Arts, C2768 Moments (disc.)
Thin Gold Decorative Paper
Embossing Fluid
Embossing Powder in Gold

The first step in making this project is getting the tin can ready.  I rinsed the

The die taped to the tin, & the tin taped to the metal
adapter.  You'll have to tape the tin down because it
will keep rolling up on you.

can out thoroughly, set it out to dry overnight and then cut the can with tin snips (wearing gloves AND goggles!), removing the top and bottom.  That leaves you with a nice piece of tin to work with.  I have cut tin with dies before and the only thing that is different is you have to use a metal plate adapter when you are using low profile dies.  I have found that the "regular" dies from Tim Holtz will cut the tin without a plate but the low profile dies seem to need that extra push.  I bought mine at a stamp convention from Tesslar Stamps/Scrapbook USA, but I imagine you can get them from other sources as well.  

The die cut with one coat of green alcohol ink

Next you want to paint your 4" x 6" canvas panel.  Mine was already painted; I used acrylic paint, I think it was called Champagne Gold, but it was months ago. If you have to paint your panel, set it aside to dry and start coloring your tin die cut.

I wasn't sure that the Copics and Tria markers would work on the tin, but I was pleasantly surprised at how cool the

Close up of the flowers

colors blended together.  Be very careful holding the die cut, it is VERY sharp and while it appears harmless, it isn't.  I held mine down while coloring it, and I started with the branches, which I colored green.  I then colored the rest of the die, using pinks for the flower buds, pinks & purples for the flowers and red for the bird (I do love Cardinals!).

I found that the ink would sort of swirl together, giving the appearance of texture.  I let the ink dry a bit, but I did go over the die quite a few times to get the dept of color I wanted.  While I was coloring the die I moved on to getting the rest of the piece ready.

I cut the oval die cut out and the metallic gold paper. Then I embossed the sentiment using gold embossing powder.  While the stamp isn't manufactured any more, you can find it online.  I trimmed the sentiment, placed everything where I thought I wanted it to go and glued the gold background paper onto the panel, then the sentiment. 

Once I thought the tin die cut was colored enough, I glued it onto the oval and set it under the floor tiles I have on my desk.  The tin really didn't want to stay

Shiny!

straight, having been curled when it was a can, so I needed the weight of the tile to hold it flush with the paper and to ensure the whole die stuck.  I let it sit overnight.

The next day I attached the oval to the panel and I was done.  I love reusing items that would just be thrown out, and since we don't have bottle or can returns here in Colorado, I saved this can from the landfill.  Even if you do have can returns, it's worth the few cents to have a little crafty fun.  I'll be coloring with alcohol inks on tin more now that I saw how the inks reacted with each other.  I hope you enjoyed my tutorial and got some inspiration to join our Metal theme at Twofers.  You have TWO WEEKS to enter your project, just make sure you follow the rules, and you could win a $20 gift certificate to Alleystamps - yes, you can even pre-order all the new goodies coming out at CHA right now!!   

If you do have a moment, please stop by and marvel at the creations my wonderful teammates have made; you can visit Jane here and Zoe here.  Thanks so much for visiting and I'd love to hear what you think so please leave me a comment - Fondly ~ Christi 

I am entering my Marvelous Metals project in the following Challenges:
C.R.A.F.T. Challenge - #346 Not a Card
Addicted to Stamps - #176, Anything Goes
Scrappy Land - #33, Anything Goes (you carry Spellbinders)
Die Cuttin Diva's - #248, Tweet, Tweet Use a Bird
Stamping Sensations (M) - Anything Goes with a die(s)
Create And Inspire -#37, Anything Goes

Still have ONE DAY to enter Twofers Holiday Challenge #10

There has to be some more people who have made holiday cards that will fit our Challenge #10 at TWOFERS!!

Come on now and join in the fun -

you still have 24 hours to link up and have a chance to win a

$20 gift certificate to

https://www.alleystamp.com/

where you can buy real, hold in your hand stamps, inks, or just about anything else - and if you don't see what you want, just ask! Chances are Janine can get it for you and in less time than you think!!

Yes, we have a few rules, you can find them here - but honestly

we aren't that hard to get along with, honest.

So please, spread the word far & wide - you never know, you might win! Tell your crafty friends and please help us spread the word.

We have some really fun challenges coming up & they are all sponsored by the fabulous

Come get inky with us! New challenge every other Saturday!

Fondly, 

Christi

PS: Please?

Please come and check out TWOFERS!

We need some entries - you may just win the $20 Alleystamps Gift Certificate up for grabs every 2 weeks!

The current challenge at Twofers is a color challenge - all you need to do is use Blue, Green & Yellow, along with some rubber stamping and join via the linky!! You only have to make one project, you can link to as many challenges as you want to - read the rules here.

As it stands we have NO entries, so that practically makes your entry a winner!! We have beautiful badges as well as the $20 Gift Certificate to Alleystamps - perfect chance to actually get some of that Tim Holtz product you've been dying to get, or, click here and she what new goodies the store has for you (awesome selection of W+9 stamps and coordinating dies).

So, please, pass it on! And please consider supporting us at Twofers ~ you can't win if you don't play!
Hugs, Christi

Are you telling me NO ONE is feeling Sassy?!?!?

Come on people! TWOFERS has an AWESOME gift certificate up for grabs and we need some entries!!

($20 bucks to spend at Alleystamps!)

You still have a few days to get your Sass on ~ so whip out those stamps and get to it! Please, it's my challenge and if no on enters my heart will be broken. . .ok, maybe not THAT drastic, but I'll be sad.

Enter your Sassy card (yup, only need ONE card now) HERE

Thank you ~ Christi 

Mark your Calendars!! Starting August 1, 2015 a New Challenge Blog is coming!!

~*~* There's a new challenge blog coming!! *~*~

Mark Saturday, August 1st on your calendar NOW, because that's when the new 

challenge blog Twofers will be starting with our NEW CHALLENGES! 
The site is live now, so you can take a look and see what's going to be involved. 

The blog  is being run by myself, Zoe and Jane ~ if you take a 
look  at our blogs, you'll see that we all have very different styles, but one thing 
that we have in common is that  we all love rubber stamping, and while we don't 
always use it, it's our real crafting passion. The three of us are great friends, 
despite continent and time zone issues and we all volunteer on Challenges for Days.

And that's why this challenge is going to be for stamped work - proper ink-and-

stamp stamping, no digis. Why Twofers? Well, we'd like to see pairs of things - 

Two Fer the price of one! There will be a new challenge on the  first and third 

Saturday of each month. I wish I could share some of the really cool themes we

have chosen, but I have been sworn to secrecy. 

Our basic rules so far are very simple, although I'm sure they will evolve as the 

blog gets established:

There may be occasional prizes offered - actual prizes that will be mailed to you

 - and we are coordinating that issue right now.  In the meantime, Zoe is 
whipping up FAB BADGE for your blog.

I would love to know what you all think about this Challenge Blog, are you 
excited about the "twofer" concept? Do you think you will play along?  Is 
there a theme you'd been dying to play along with but no one has offered it? 
Anything about the current challenges you play that bug you? We truly want 
to make this a FUN place to play, so PLEASE let me (or us) know your feelings
in the comment box below.

For those of you who have read this far down and leave me an idea or 
comment, there will be a small prize drawing on July 18th (open to everyone!) 
to reward you for your effort.  Please pass our announcement on.  After all, 
our success depends on entrants and YOUR support! - 
Thank you SO much ~ Christi