DCM - use your own

DCM have a challenge this week where you are supposed to use your die cuts or punches. I quote:

If you don't have access to die cuts in any shape or from, you can still play along. You can then use punches. And if you don't have punches then you can do hand cutting. See how nice I am?
BUT no cheating now! No reaching for the scissors if you have a machine to hand - or even some old die cuts you bought ages ago (that would be me then!) You CAN use punches and scissors etc as well as die cuts though.

And here are mine.!I confess I read the instructions badly, I understood just to use your punches. Not that I have many more die cuts than the tiny butterfly I used yesterday in one of the puzzle pieces, and a small white daisy shape I used in the large circles beginning the week. See, already have used them!

Now then, I own two punches, a tulip and a heart. (How conventional.) OTOH, I have never used them so far - so why not give it a try!

card #1

A heartbeat agoas in: A heartbeat ago I discovered I love you? A heartbeat ago we had a quarrel and now I'd like to apologize? A heartbeat ago you had a baby? A heartbeat ago... you fill in your sentiment!
I like this one!
Watercolor wash and gesso on a book page, baby blue napkin, b/w photocopy of an old manuscript, dabbed and wiped with gel paint, pearlescent paint around the edges of the die cut hearts (punched out of the non-gessoed but yes-watercolored book page), sentiment from a magazine.

card #2

Tenderas in: Tender wishes? Tender embrace? I love you tender? A tender care for your home is finally here! I will do the dishes every day from now on?
This one uses both my punches.
Commercial background papers, heart die cut negatives from above, tulips punched out from a color copy of the mail art (below), sentiment (found word).
Don't like this as much, although making it was fun and frankly, quite challenging.
Never thought simple punched shaped would get me sweating and dreading, but they do!

And what do we have here?
I was getting off the bus when I noticed strewn pieces of a cardboard puzzle getting wet by the roadside. They are beautiful shades of blue and brown, I imagine some serene water views... I stopped minding the rain and started picking them up. Now they are spread out for drying on my stairs.
Ah, serendipidity!