Motorbike Valentine

I sat down at my card table absolutely determined to find a challenge that would enable me to use the 'One Wild Ride' stamp set to make a Valentine's Day card for my motorbike-loving husband - something kind of manly but still a little romantic. I found my inspiration in Stamp, Ink, Paper's Challenge 84: a tic tac toe grid from which I selected red, baker's twine and a circular element.

I'm pleased with the result, but it's extremely hard to photograph - I embossed the bike and xoxo in copper, made the circle from copper foil and used red glimmer paper for the hearts. In 'real life' the copper is quite subtle and the red stands out.
On the inside, I amused myself by combining a very girly, flourishy sentiment with motorbike tracks and a smudged edge in Chocolate chip. A final touch was a motorbike on the envelope.
I hope he likes it!

Made using:
Stampin' Up stamps: One Wild Ride, Bloomin' Love, Beautiful Ride (for the 'action' lines.
Stampin' Up paper: Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip, copper oil
Other products: Stampin' Up Chocolate Chip ink, copper embossing powder and heart border punch, Rosie's baker's twine, red glimmer paper (maker unknown).

Stampin' Royalty Challenge SR#345

I'm continuing my love affair with Stampin' Up's Totally Trees stamp set and so decided to use it for this colour challenge (Delightful Dijon, Always Artichoke, Cherry Cobbler). I sponged the background onto water colour paper, and liked the texture of the trees when I stamped onto that slightly rougher surface.

Made using: 

Card: Stampin' Up's Basic Black, Delightful Dijon, TAD The Art Department watercolour paper

Ink: Stampin' Up's Delightful Dijon, Always Artichoke, Cherry Cobbler, Memento Tuxedo Black

Stamps: Stampin' Up's Totally Trees, Thoughful Branches (for the sentiment).

CASology Challenge: Beach, Just Add Ink Challenge: Just add...'P'

So I know this probably seems, to non-New Zealanders, like a very un-beachy card with a pretty tenuous connection to the letter 'P'. However, the flower is from the beautiful pohutukawa tree, which graces many of our beaches, particularly in the north, and blooms at Christmas (which as you all know is in the summer for those of us in the Southern Hemisphere). By way of proof, here's a photo I took a couple of years ago, on Christmas Eve, at Raglan in the North Island:

I hope this has convinced you! Anyway, here's the card. The sentiment is a Maori greeting which is commonly used by New Zealanders:

Made using:

Card: Stampin' Up Whisper White, Pacific Point, Real Red, Emerald Envy

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Die: Craft Creations Pohutukawa Flower (From the Iconic New Zealand Dies Collection)

Stamp: Kia Ora (EK406K) from Rubbadubbadoo 

Paper Pal Arts PPA316; Retro Rubber Challenge #rrcb46

I needed to make a baby card, and wanted to use the Stampin' Up 'Zoo Babies' stamp set I recently acquired in a sale of retired items (I've only been making cards for a bit less than a year, but I assume being retired means that teh set is more than a year old?). When I saw the Retro Rubber challenge, with the key word 'Critter', it seemed like fate! I love the little monkey stamp, and saw the Paper Pal Arts sketch challenge as a chance to use it more than once.
The picture in my head took a while to resolve into a card I was satisfied with. I knew I wanted to emboss the monkey, but played around for ages (see the two different attempts below).

In the end, I decided on a pretty traditional, pure kind of version. I did use 'Soft Sky' as the only colour so it remains gender neutral - decided I couldn't really ask if my friends know the sex of the baby just so I could colour my card accordingly (and, of course, it's always good to avoid sexism)!

Made using Stampin' Up product:

Paper: Whisper White, Soft Sky

Stamp: Zoo Babies

Other: Silver embossing powder, Layering Circles Framelits, Elegant Dots Embossing folder, washi tape possibly but not definitely Stampin Up!