Playing with stamps and some challenges ....

.... I got the rest of my lovely new stamps from Claire at Waltzingmouse this afternoon.  So, of course, I had to play with them :)))  I didn't get into my craft room last night - I was really tired and ended up going to bed early; so I didn't have a card to share with you this morning.  I did try to get in there this morning, but the last few chapters of "Bag of Bones" were calling me - so I sat and read instead.  It was really good, and I've finished it now, so I can do the household chores and some crafting!!

Anyway, I've made a card with my new stamps and I've managed to incorporate three - yes three - challenges into one card!! 

The first is a colour challenge - The Play Date Cafe - PDCC81  fabulous colours this week; the second is using the sketch from Clean & Simple - FTL139 and the third is St Luke's Charity Card Challenge - where we're featuring patterns!!

Claire releases new stamps from Waltzingmouse every two months - and this month she has excelled herself.  Beautiful doilies, fantastic background stamps and two sets of sentiment stamps that can be used for all sorts of cards.  One set of stamps features HUGE sentiments with gorgeous flourishes!!  I got them all ;)  But don't tell anyone!!

So to my card - I love purple and green together - so I decided to make my own backing papers.  I started with the reverse polka dot from Gingham & Co which I stamped in Pear Tart (almost an exact match to the colour on PDCC81) and covered the whole of an A6 card in two impressions!  Next I took a bit of scrap card and stamped the medium gingham stamp (same set) in Grape Jelly.  Then I used my new Fleur de Lis Rectangles to cut a mat from the purple gingham.  The die I used wasn't long enough for the rectangle I wanted so I used the technique demonstrated by Chrissie - where she moves the die along to the length she wanted.  I then cut out some white card and stamped my greeting of "Hugs and kisses" from Say It Loud - in basic grey.  To complete the card I added some ribbon and flowers from my stash. 

Stamps:  Waltzingmouse - Gingham & Co, Say It Loud

Inks:  Memento - Grape Jelly, Pear Tart; Stampin' Up! - Basic Grey

Spellbinders:  Fleur de Lis Rectangles (S4-3170 die #3 (made it longer)

Accessories:  Card, ribbon and flowers from stash

I'm really pleased with card - and it's for a very special person - who will be home with me soon!!  He knows who he is :) 

While I was making this card I was thinking about a couple of other challenges - one of which has a fantastic prize!!  You may have noticed that I'm something of a Waltzingmouse fan and each month we go for a Waltz - always fun.  The next Waltz is on 17th May and the theme is masculine cards - details here.  Why not join the fun?

But the big competition is because this month Waltzingmouse is 2 years old!!  Claire has a special competition - full details are here - deadline is 21st May and the prize is £200 worth of WMS goodies!!  The theme is tea-parties.  And I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed :))

That's all for now - I'm off to get tea for Kathryn and me!!  Then I suppose I'd better do some ironing - I can always do some while watching the TV!!  See you all tomorrow.