Siren of Spring

Hi everyone, today I would like to share another card I made recently using some new birthday stash from AALL & Create. When placing my order I chose a couple of floral stamps, but decided to also go for something a bit different to ring the changes, and selected this quirky lady stamp set designed by Soizic. I was a bit unsure, but when she arrived and I started to play with her I was very pleased with the results. This card was actually very straightforward to make, and came together quite quickly. She is called ‘Siren of Spring’ but I think she is actually perfect for a summer card.

I die cut a wavy stitched square of white card, then stamped the focal lady to the left and the cascading flowers from the same set down the right hand side, thus leaving a space for a sentiment. I coloured the stamps with Zig pens, largely following the colour scheme on the packaging, and added some sparkle pen to the flowers. I had to hunt around in my stash for an old long and thin birthday sentiment which would neatly fit the blank space, and fortunately I found it! I blended some Elements ink around the stitched border then matted the panel onto a 6” square card blank. To finish I added some coordinating teeny heart gems beneath the sentiment.

Stamps: AALL & Create TP-1398 Siren of Spring; Hero Arts Special Birthday;

Media: Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Blue Belle); Kuretake Zig Clean Color watercolour pens; Lavinia Elements ink (Blue Lagoon); Spectrum Noir sparkle pen (clear);

Tools: Craft Addiction UK Double Wavy Stitched Squares die.

Challenges I would like to enter: 

AAA Colourful #29 - Colour Board

Ally’s Angels #107 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Art Nudge (June) - Colour boards

(I have used most of the colours in colour board C)

Craft Rocket #137 - Birthday (2nd entry)

Crafts Galore Encore #148 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Creative Crafters #101 - Anything Goes  (2nd entry)

Creative Inspiration #39 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Creative Moments #283 - Pastels or Brights (2nd entry)

Fab ‘n’ Funky #640 - Something Beginning with B

Heart’s Quest #86 - Anything with a Heart Goes

Heart’s Quest Celebrations of Love #30 - Birthdays (3rd entry)

Passion for Markers #843 - Anything Goes

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday #758/759 - Anything Goes 

I have an update on my Gemini die cutting machine woes! I eventually managed to source 2 new ‘white’ A4 cutting plates (which supersede the original clear ones) and a magnetic shim, but there is no plastic shim to be had anywhere! I have tried to flatten the original one by weighting it down in boiling water, but not terribly successfully. I then followed a hack I saw online and taped the plastic shim to one of my new cutting plates to try to keep it flat - again only with partial success. Last week I tried die cutting some stitched squares and they came out with awful pressure marks on the card - I wasn’t happy! Eventually I followed a tip I had read somewhere to place the dies at an angle when cutting, and this seemed to work much better, though large frames etc. are still a bit wavy. Mind you, I’m not sure how well that will work when I want to nest dies symmetrically to make a frame! 

To be honest I’m pretty disgusted that Crafter’s Companion could produce such an expensive due cutting machine then within 3 or 4 years the replaceable plates be no longer available. If I had known then what I know now I would never have bought this machine, but at the price I don’t really feel I can justify jettisoning it altogether. At this rate for any dies smaller than 6” I will be reverting to my trusty ancient Cuttlebug ! (yes I do still have it in the back of my craft cupboard!) Anyway, enough of that … it’s just too hot to get hot and bothered about it!

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,