Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 168

This time at Crafty Cardmakers, we want you to bling it up! Simple, yes?

In fact, this card was a case of serendipity! I needed to make a card for a colleague who's leaving while in the throes of having our 'study' transformed into a craft room. I said 'study' because, although we've always called it that, the room has had many uses since we moved here over 30 years ago. In the early days, it was where we left coats and shoes, then it became a buggy park when the children were small. It's been a bedroom when my mother-in-law visited since she couldn't manage the stairs, and since we entered the digital age, it's been where we kept and used computers. Of course, as the children got older, and computers became even more frequently used, even that use has fallen by the wayside. Despite its many uses, it's always been one of the places where I've stashed my crafty goodies, and as a result, my bits are even more spread around the house than usual.

So, I decided what to do based largely on what I could get my hands on easily, and came up with the design using a variety of die cuts. But, when I assembled it, it wasn't balanced, so I had to decide how to get some more interest in that top left corner. First, I cut a second version of the die cut, this time in the peach, and cut out the butterfly motif. Then, I decided I'd add some sticky gems. When I was finally happy, it was extremely 'blingy', and I realised it'd be perfect for this challenge, although I didn't have it in mind while it was in progress. So, serendipity!

The corner die is from Heartfelt Creations; one I've had for several used but not used often. It's very hard to cut, and one of the reasons I upgraded from my Wizard to a Big Shot Pro a few years ago. I was very disappointed to find that even that machine struggled with it, but by dint of adding a metal plate, squirting with SprayEmboss and running it through at multiple angles, I finally got it to work.

The flowers were made from die cuts courtesy of Sizzix Susan's Garden range, shaded with Pan Pastels, and the leafy additions cut with Sue Wilson dies. The sentiment is computer generated, cut using a Go Kreate die and edged with Versamcolor ink.

I hope you can join us this time!