Happy New Year and DCM!!

Wow, seriously?!  Where has this last month gone!!!  

Needless to say I well and truly broke my new years resolution of updating my blog more on, er ..... day one!!

Well as they say better late than never, here I am to wish you a happy and crafty new year!!

I was delighted when late last year the lovely {Kathy Black} emailed me to ask if I would like to be a guest designer over on the {Daring Cardmakers (DCM) blog}.  Every Friday a new dare/challenge is posted and the amazing DT inspire you with their takes on the set dare.

So here are my creations for three of the dares in January

The Frill Of It All ~ 11 January 2013

This dare was to incorporate a frill on to you card.  

I am so loving the {Vintage Notes} from Papermania.  To create the frill I used the {Vintage Notes Filigree Heart} and cut three out in baking parchment.  I scrunched each one and then layered them together securing them with a button in the centre. The rose and doily on the back is from the VN decoupage medley pack.

Embossability ~ 18 January 2013

This dare was to create texture using embossing of some kind

I totally adore the texture dry embossing gives to your creations.  Ink or sand it when embossed and you have a stunning back ground.  Saying that I used a technique where you build up your scene before putting it in the embossing folder.  For this card I cut a circle in some of {Ruby Rock-It Bella Fundamental Eklectique} range.  Next I embossed the edges of the circle with tinsel gold embossing powder and continued building up the scene, the bird and music script are from the {Papermania Urban Stamps - Bird Song}.  When it was all finished I put it through the {Papermania Secret Garden} embossing folder.

Setting The Scene ~ 25 January 2013

This was sponsored by DO Crafts.  We were sent one of the Xcut Build A Scene dies to make a card with and if you enter you could win one of the dies!!!

You SO need to look past the packaging on these cool dies as they are filled with all sorts of wonderful things that will unlock your creative imagination.  I was sent the {Vintage Hot Air Balloon}.  I used {My Little Shoebox's Vintage Shop} papers to create this card, I love the scripted clouds which cover the paper.  

I found adding a little talc to these dies and dusting the talc around with a paint brush helped to get the fine details of this hot air balloon out.  

Phew!  I've finally done it my first post of 2013!!

I hope you pop on over to the DCM blog and check out all the other DT's inspiration for these challenges and of course don't forget this Friday as there is another Dare due to go live!

Thanks for stopping by!

Beckie :)