Santa, oh Santa!

 I was inspired today by a couple of challenges to make a Christmas card, I am still very lacking in the department. With one person in mind, who is given to punny, dry humor I collected my supplies:

 

A Santa-in-Space stamp set, a piece of gelli printed paper, a stencil with stars, a package of somewhat irreverend sayings, and missing from the picture, golden Lunar paste and markers.

I stamped the moon and the Santa and colored them in, then fussy cut them. I stenciled some golden stars onto the background, mounted the gelli print onto black backing before mounting it onto the card. Then I selected a saying from the pack, something Santa could be saying if stressed out.

 

Entering this in these challenges that were my inspiration today:

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Funny/ Punny 

Christmas All Year Round: P and Q - my letter is P and stand for presents 

Stencil Fun: AG, CAS optional - I am playing AG 

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends: #283 August AG

A Perfect Time to Craft: #8 August AG 

Apple thief

 Again I cherry picked five challenges that I wanted to combine in one card. It all started with the 'neglected stuff'  (this challenge is such a good reminder to use what we haven't used for some time!). 

 "Good enough to eat" made me think of my apple thief stamp that I used last back in 2024, the call for alcohol inks reminded me to pull out my block of alcohol paper prints (as I don't own any inks this is a great alternative), the call for 'no rectangles' inspired me to pull out my somewhat weirdly shaped, but beautiful dies and 'layer it up' provided a gentle nudge to dig out those paper doilies that I really want to use up, and finally, the mere existence of the Neglected Stuff challenge  made me grab the very neglected small tag from a sheet that I bought - and used - back in the '00s (gasp!).

 

 I started by cutting the background out of alcohol ink paper. Then I stamped the apple thief and colored it in with GT watercolors and mounted it with foam strips it on half a doily. The small tag found its place, too. The sentiment reads: "From heart".

 

Entering this in these lovely challenges that inspired me today: 

 Papercraft challenges: #132 Good enough to eat

Aud Sentiments: #340 Alcohol inks and/or summer+ sentiment - I am going with alcohol inks+sentiment

A Place To Start: AG, but No rectangles 

The Neglected Stuff: August AG - my neglected items are the stamp, the doily and the tag (2nd entry of 3)

Unicorn Challenge: #123 Layer it Up 

Come sail away with me

 Today's card was inspired by several challenges: colors, sketch and two word prompts.

To begin with I pulled out all my seaside / sailing / coastal stamps. They aren't many as I live in the inland and sailing - or seaside - is not what you know. I also pulled out some sheets of my gelli prints. I also thought I could do something with twine.

 

I started by selecting my stamps: three fish from one set, a sailing boat, and the weather rose from another set. One set had a stamp of expertly tied rope and that gave me an idea for the twine. It was too thick and short however, so I changed it to linen (which also goes well with the intended color scheme).

The included sentiment seemed apt. I selected a fitting gelli print for the sea and another, lighter one for the sky.

I am entering this in these lovely challenges:

TSOT: Challenge #701

 

The Paper Players: #PP798 color challenge

 

Dragonfly Dreams: Beach or Seaside

Cardz 4 Galz: #282 Blue skies

Snowdrops

 It was time to take on the pile of paper strips, those that fall on the wayside when one has been cardmaking for some time. I had been binge watching Jennifer McGuire on Youtube and got inspired to do something about my pile. I can only recommend you look her up, if you can't part with good paper strips either.

This was the beginning today: an embossing folder, a die set, markers, and a hexagonal die cut for a project that never felt right.

 

I embossed the background and mounted it. I then die cut the snow drops and colored them in just lightly and placed the hexagon structure behind them.

 

Entering this in these challenges that inspired me today:

I Love Promarkers: # 612 In the pink 

Die Cut Divas: Let's celebrate, white w/a splash of color

Time Out: #319 Pick 2 or more - I picked monochrome- floral - geometric

 

AAA Card Challenge: #320 It starts with S - my word is Snowdrops

And as I was using snippets today I am showing this in Snippets Playground #583

Let's celebrate

 A card for a bird watcher's and wildlife enthusiast's big birthday? For someone who has set her eyes to Green Feathers' garden wildlife camera? Again several challenges aligned beautifully and inspired me in my card-making. 

The supplies I needed: two embossing folders, markers, linen twine and shiny diamante dots.

I started by embossing the background with the folder of small feathers. I then did a partial embossing and selected one leaf of the other folder as my starting point for the big feather. I first colored it in with markers. The three pictured were not enough, to get the right blends I grabbed some yellows as well. I then cut it in shape and curled it up a bit and added a bit of pearlescent finish.

I used the twine to make a small festive bow and added copious amounts of glittery stones. It's my favorite embellishment, yet I don't use it very often for fear of the card appearing tacky. Here the effect was very festive and even overrides the rustic vibe of that linen bow. (I had no ribbon in that color and I wanted to keep it monochrome.)

 

 Entering this in the inspiring challenges that I am implementing today:

Colorful Options: August

Double D: Feathers

 

CYHTP: AG with twist of Tie It Up - I am playing with the Twist

Passion For Markers: #849 Use your favorite embellishments - Mine are diamante pearly stones

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Monochrome

Paper Funday: #90 AG August 

 

Tiger Lilly sends you her best

Today I stringed together some challenges that shouldn't go together, yet miraculously do. Or how does it strike you to be inspired by bracelets and safari animals at the same time? It was the beautiful desert colors that sparked my interest. My new Tiger Lilly stamp (by Vaessen Creative) would work well there. On a side note, there aren't enough stamps for grown-ups in the cat/ big cat department, I find, that's why I jumped at this stamp.(Although I suspect it's really a cheetah.) Also the stringed circles dies fitted well, they remind me of bracelets.

I started by die cutting many many pearl strings out of all my papers. (In the end I only needed four). My first idea was to use a white card base and criss cross them on the background - now that looked totally wrong, so I came up with the idea of taking the brown panel that I had die cut a string of pearls from and using that as my card base. 

The strings now flank the tiger. She looks sufficiently angry, she must have forgotten to send the greetings on time, or what do you think?  The last addition were some enamel dots to mimic some pearls (still thinking of bracelets).

 

Entering this in these lovely challenges that served me well today:

 Inspired by: #IB400 Bracelets

 

ETA: this challenge had sadly closed before I could enter - including it here anyway for the record. 

As You Like It: Your favourite safari animal (and why) - I love cats and all big cats are my favorites. 

TioT: Make it colourful

Creative Inspirations: August AG

Polkadoodles: #8 AG

and as this stamp is brand new I am showing this card also at NBUS #89 lineup.

 

 

Find your song

 The starting point for today's card was the prompt 'use envelopes'. This was the nudge I needed to get out the stash of envelopes I have been meaning to work with... some day. The second challenge that led my way was a sketch and the third one was the theme 'nature'. 

This was my desk when I started: circular dies, pressed flowers and windowed envelopes. (It was that glassine window I wanted to work with!)

I didn't need much in terms of paper, a few remnants from an earlier used sheet were enough. I cut the circles twice and glued the bottom one on one envelope window, then applied some glue onto the flower and pressed it against the glassine. Then I glued another envelope window on top, waited till everything was dry and cut the circles out very neatly. Lastly I glued the purple circle on top of this floral sandwich. 

 

I placed the circles according to the sketch I was using, the smallest is raised with a foam strip. The sentiment comes from a bird collection (via Creative Stamping magazine), but I found it suited the rather poetic mood of this card.

 

Entering this in these wonderful challenges:

Little Red Wagon: #870 Card plus / Use an envelope

Freshly Made Sketches:  #748

 

 

 

 

 

Simply Clean & Simple: #SCAS August AG w/ option Nature - I am playing with this option

Just Us Girls: #835 AG w/ die cuts

 

 

 

Creative Artiste Mixed Media Challenge: #129 AG mm

and as I used snippets/ remnants today I am showing this in the

Snippets Playground: #538 AG 

 

a CAS landscape

I started with a color scheme. Add trees and a special word to that and I got enough ideas to make a card. 

Here are my initial supplies: inks and watercolors and some stylized tree stamps. 

What looks like three identical dark watercolors are in fact three very different shades.

I did some ink smooshing for the background. The  oxides went down smoothly, but I had trouble with the watercolors, they pooled up. Nevertheless, the background had its merits and I did not add more water.

I then die cut the background with a elongated oval die, glued it down and stamped the images and heat embossed them with clear embossing powder. The sentiment reads "With Lots of Love".

Entering this in the challenges that inspired me today:

AAA Colourful: #30 Colourboard

 

Addicted to CAS: #313 Trees

 

Shopping Our Stash: #SOS579 What's the good word?  - Mine is Love

We Love 2 Create: # 7 AG 

Hello friend

 The Card Chain is a monthly event and this card has reached its recipient already (hello to Gail in Norway!). I worked closely with the given sketch suggestion and color palette option yellow-pink-kraft and with the word 'pet'. 

These were my supplies. I decided to use my favorite, but very neglected crackling texture paste. (Last time must have been over two years ago!) I love its texture, but it is somewhat problematic on greeting cards, especially on one-layered card like this, because it tends to crumble at the edges. The cracks are divine, though.

I started by masking off four narrow panels directly on the card front, as per the given sketch. I then stenciled the crackle paste turning the stencil very once in a while for a more dynamic appearance. When it has dried up completely I used watercolor to make it yellow.

I cut a circle in pink and placed the stamped and colored dog over it. I stamped the sentiment in the free spaces between the stenciled bits. Lastly I added a black twig that I had on hand.

 

Entering this in the following challenges:

The Neglected Stuff: August

Stencil Fun: August AG stencil/ make it CAS style (optional) I am playing with AG.

Critter Crazy: #113 August AG w/a critter 

The sign-up for Card Chain for August is open still today - won't you join us?

 

 

A simple floral

 After some rather elaborate cards my mind was set for something simpler and cleaner. I found four challenges that compliment each other well - at least I think so.

My supplies were very simple: a paper block and a die.

 

I die cut the flowers in colors inspired by the floral challenges and arranged them as per a sketch. The background was cut freehand, I have no such shape die. The sentiment reads: with love.

 

Entering this in these challenges that inspired me today:

The Sisterhood of Crafters: July / Flowers - I was inspired the amount of yellow found on the board

 

Beautiful Blossoms: AG/ moodboard #43 optional - I was inspired by the colors of this photo

 

CAS on Friday:  #339 Flowers

Sunday Stamps: #SC391 Hip to be square