Beaches and Cream

Well, just the "Beaches" bit actually, but I just thought of the pun and couldn't resist using it for a titla.
It's my turn to set the challenge for The Daring Cardmakers this week

   Life's a Beach!
I'm hoping that you'll be just as inspired by my challenge - we're staying at the seaside for another week, but this time, instead of working with seaside hues I'd really like your cards to feature some Beach Paraphernalia; deckchairs, parasols, swimwear, flip-flops, buckets and spades, surfboards and sun-cream....the list of possibilities goes on, and on...

Our fabulous design team have really come up trumps this week with a host of wonderful beach-inspired cards to share on our BLOG
We'll soon be celebrating the end of a full seven years of dare-setting and you'd think that by now I'd have learned to have a card mapped out at least in my head BEFORE I announce the challenge, wouldn't you?
So once again I struggled with my own challenge - and it wasn't helped as day by day the other girls shared their wonderful creations with the rest of us!
The card I finally made didn't look much like the layout in my head - but I'll save that idea and hope to make it work another time.  I really wasn't happy with my card but didn't think I had time to do anything else so it would have to do. 
Then I thought "No, it won't do" and grabbed a few pieces of card, switched the Craft Robo back on and started cutting again.  I will share the first card in a minute, but I'm pleased I had another go as I like this card much better, even though it's much simpler and missing some of the elements I spent hours making for the first one!

Materials and Tools:

Scraps of card in various colours

Ric-rac braid, Gel Pen

Craft Robo

It did give me a chance to use some new beach-hut templates I'd been making (you didn't think I'd manage a seaside card without one, did you? haha). The little yacht is a template I made a while back and is oooo cute!
This reminds me of some of the pictures and ornaments you can buy in the nicer gift boutiques and  RNLI shops in coastal towns and villages.  I love all that stuff and the house would be full of even more beach huts and seaside inspired nicnacs if I wasn't reined in!

All the little shapes for the flag bunting were hand-cut, but Mr Robo did the rest of the cutting

So, do you want to see my first attempt?  I made so many new templates to use on this - making the templates doestake a while, so it probably took most of Wednesday just to do that bit.
The LO is nothing like I had in my mind's eye.  I think I started from the wrong end by making all the little "icons" - I should have sorted out the placement of the tiles first, then made the pictures to fit.
You live and learn, don't you?

Materials and Tools:

Scraps of plain and patterned card from the pile on my desk!

Teal card is by Coredinations, Backing paper 6x6 "Clippings" from Basic Grey

Flip-flops pewter charm, Scraps of yellow and red narrow ribbon, 

Black Gel Pen, Decal sticker sentiment

Craft Robo: Beach Hut, Yacht, Surf Boards, Beach Ball, 

Bucket and Spade, Sandcastle

Tiny flags for bunting are hand-cut

That's it for today, thanks for visiting - please don't forget to pop over to the DCM BLOG to see this week's amazing range of cards.