Who would have Thunk It........

....we are halfway through July! Only six months to Christmas folks! 

However, it is still the middle of winter here, and Santa would freeze his toes off in that get-up, not mention other parts of his anatomy! I realise he would survive in those parts north of the equator however, and expect there are a few people having a Christmas in July party and wondering how we eat all that heavy food at Christmas down here! The answer is of course, we don't usually eat all the heavy food - it's seafood, and salads and cold ham and turkey, with icecream plum puddings, along with ice cold wine and beer! Santa would fit right in in that get-up!

Why am I wittering on about summer and such stuff? Because the DT has been channelling summer and spring in their DT Inspiration for you this week, for the Unstampabelles Challenge #48 Grab a Bunch - of Flowers,  that's why!

 (the sentiment is not stamped but printed onto the card using MS Word)

Jen Leeflang

Susan

Flowers made with old Spellbinders die

Shylaashree

Quilled home decor to refresh

CG

Pop-out Card

So, pop over and give them some much deserved love for their great inspiration this week!

Then pop into your Craft Cabin and Create up a storm (of flowers)

You know you have lots of flower dies - drag them out and use them!

The enter the result 

HERE

You could be in the way to win this!

Prize

Other Stuff:

1. Still only four more people to join up a followers to make the 300 so that a prize will be announced! I decided to have a random draw from the last 10 people to join for the prize. This makes it a bit fairer and people will not be hanging back to the last minute
2. As mentioned earlier, we have said goodbye to several of the Design Team this month - therefore we have some places to fill if you are interested in joining. If you would like to be part of the team, please send me an email with a link to your blog or display page and reasons why you think you would be a good fit with our ideals and team - suhogan(@)gmail(dot)com

Inbetween Post!

Hi to all our regular followers, and welcome to all our newest ones.

As most of you know, we post our new challenge on the first Monday of the month, so for October's challenge you will have to wait for another week! Winner's will be announced in the following week.

Meanwhile, I found this on Facebook today

I wasn't bad either! Just not perfect! How about you?  Time is such a complex and fleeting idea - how old are you really? I am not talking about how old you are in years, but how old do you feel? I actually think I am about 24/25, except for the days when the joints creak or I see a policeman - they all look so young -  and I get a small shock when I see myself in a shop window or a photograph! Who is that old woman??!!!

So, a hint about our TWIST for October - take time to think about your world; spend time doing what you enjoy!

Here are two cards unrelated to the above - made from a free kit that arrived with a magazine, and made up by me for Father's Day. They provided the background papers and the images and the sentiments. I added the rest from my stash.

Someone has painted up some beautiful work - I just used the suggested layouts from the magazine, so this work is not original. They were both sold. 

Please notice there are no stamps used here.

We still get one or two people entering our challenges with a project that has a stamp used in it. I then have to disqualify them. Please don't use digital or rubber stamps for this challenge.

DT CALL

We are looking for several new DT members, as we want to try a two team style, with team A and B producing work for the first and third Mondays only. If you are interested in more details, or to be considered please email me HERE and put DT call in the subject line.

In the meantime have a good week and keep safe. 

Susan

An In-between Post

Hi Peeps

I hope you are all feeling spiffy! I am hunky-dory, thanks. I just wanted to pop in with a quick post to remind you that our next challenge will not go live until the first Monday of the month - which for this next month  is the 7th July! So, don't panic if you pop in and see no challenge yet - it is coming ....on the 7th July!

In the mean time I just wanted to show you some work I did without using any stamps.  I usually rabbit on about things I have seen made without using stamps in various magazines, and when I got my latest copy of Australian Simply Cards (No 69) it had the usual freebie of a pack of paper in it, some pearls and a sheet of die cuts.  They are the Melissa Frances Bits of Paper set of 6 x 6 paper pad with die cuts to match. Very pretty they are too.

The magazine also had a four page spread on how to use your free gift so I didn't even have to think - all I had to do was follow their suggestions! I made 6 cards - not exactly like but similar; I have some different die cuts and flowers, and I used card from the stash, that matches the colours and bling, but altered things only slightly. The 'leaves' in card one are made by cutting out the petals of a green flower.

One of the things I noticed was that the colours in the magazine were quite a way out - the photos were quite bright while the papers and diecuts were not as bright. I also smeared around some ink on edges quite a bit more than they did.  I still have about half the papers and die cuts left over. They have gone into the stash for another time.

The black flower on the bottom left is made by cutting into a scrap piece of DP I had laying around in my scrap tray. I cut out two 'flowers' (circles) and layered one into the other.  I had fun making these and finding the stuff in my stash to step in for stuff the magazine had used and I didn't have - yes, there are things out there that I don't yet have! You can also see that I didn't make them all the same size or shape as the magazine ones.  They took me about 20 minutes each to make. 

The point I wanted to make is that there were NO STAMPS used in creating these six cards - either in the magazine or by me - ink, yes, but not stamps. So, it is not only probable but possible! I got to use stash, make some pretty cards with very pretty papers and die cuts and stretch my ingenuity a bit!! Really I think layering is the main effect here and it is not all whole sheet on whole sheet - there are lots of smallish pieces diecut and layered in a stepping motion.

See you on the 7th July for our next challenge ............ think Julie Andrews singing, think romance, think twirling.........the TWIST involves ribbons!