A medley

 The downside of not being able to play more with my materials these days is that everything takes so much longer than usual. It also seems to become more elaborate.

Take a simple prompt "make your own background" for example and combine it with "anything goes". For example - but this is what I actually used. In hindsight it could have been such a simple and fast card, but this took me hours.

 

First: Take a gelli print, stamp onto it and then heat emboss it. Cut it up for a background. Because it is a tissue paper glue it onto a copy paper. Wait it to dry. Then adhere it with double sided tape onto the card.

Then: Stamp some leaves and berries, color them. Stamp a focal image in three layers (yes, it's one of those layering stamps - pesky, but with such lovely results). Then fussy cut everything and arrange them pleasingly.  Stamp a sentiment, arrange that into the greenery. Then glue everything down.

Entering this into the challenges that I was inspired by today:

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Make your own background

TGIF: #tgifc491 Sweater weather 

A Blog Named Hero: September AG

Stamping Sensations: AG or Animal Magic - I'd like to think this is animal magic.

On the ball...

 Three challenges today were gorgeous match: I got to stamp my favorite little critters and make a birthday card. Everything was colored in with markers.

I love layers in my cards - but applaud to those who can produce a single layer card. I cannot. here, my point in case: two layers for the background and then die cut stamped images on top.

Entering this in:

As You Like It: To layer / or not - and why

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Stamp it!

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: 4 legged friends

Daring Cardmakers: On, or At the ball.

Cherries

 A good friend of mine was born at cherry time. Or, at the time when the cherries used to ripen; now they are ripe much earlier (courtesy of global warming). So "of course" there needed to be cherries on her birthday card.

Good fruit and berry stamps are hard to find. I am not keen on juvenile berries, those are galore... I am looking for more naturalistic looking fruit and berries and finally found a good one. (Hero Arts' Layered cherries)

I started by color blending the entire background.

Then I stamped a bit of noise, barely visible.

Lastly I stamped some leaves in one of the background colors and adhered the cherries as the focal point. The cherries - my goodness did some work go into them. Color layering means you get to stamp it four times instead of just two. The bottom layer was stamped with dark green and brown Versafine pigment ink, then embossed with clear embossing powder. Then came the second layer of stamping, this was done in Oxides. The cherries received one more layer with patches of red and pink embossing powders.

Entering this in:

A Blog Named Hero: Smooth

Stamping Sensations: June challenge bright and colorful

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Emboss it

Alphabet Challenge: F is for fruit

 As You Like It: With or without words (and why) - the type of card I am making (semi-clean) does somehow need a text to look complete. I suppose with mixed media cards I wouldn't do it. But yes, my cards are with words so they already spell out the occasion and I can concentrate on writing something personal on the inside.

And because this was the first time using these two stamps I am showing it in NBUS (Never before used schtuff) #63

Woodblock flowers

 It's that time of month again - yes, time to show those wood block stamps some love. Always slow to get ideas I took a look at some challenges to see what I could pair wood block stamps with. And I found polka dots and circles, and that let me select these solitary flower stamps.

The background was done with two stencils on a gelli plate. The flowers were stamped with purple and brown inks on some previous tries to paint flowers with watercolor (which did not work for me - but I could use it anyway, hooray for that!). The text says: Hugs.

Entering this card in these lovely challenges that inspired me today:

Woodblock Wednesdays: May Edition

Everybody Art Challenge: #558 Circles and / or stripes - I did circles

Double D Challenge: Polkadots

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Anything goes 

and my 2nd entry for Simon Says Monday Challenge: Lots of texture

Color with embossing

 I have watched many videos on how to apply color to embossed paper. Now that I was actually ready to try it my brain was totally blank. This is why I can't say in whose video I saw this idea - and where to find it.

So,  I started with a white embossed paper, turned it over to the reverse, de-bossed side. As I had a monochrome result in my mind I went rough over the whole sheet with an ink cube. I wanted to catch the background, not the flowers per se, but it was a nice surprise that even the flowers took color.

Then I went over some parts that hadn't caught the first time. Lastly I took a finger dauber and filled in softly some of the de-bossed parts. I used Distress Oxides in Picked Raspberries and Ripe Persimmon.

A simple vellum tag holds the heat embossed greeting.

 

Entering this in these lovely challenges:

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Lots of texture

TioT: Emboss it! - I used dry and heat embossing here

Allsorts Challenge: Week 782 AG or a Blast from the past - I went with AG 

Creative Crafting Uncles: #53 Monochrom - I went with reds

Can You Handle The Pressure: AG wit a twist of fruits and veggies - I went with AG

It's spring!

 After this long and dreary and seemingly everlasting winter it is nice to have sunshine and flowers and warmth.

My card features a wax transfer background that I inked in various hues of green. (With wax transfer you take a piece of wax paper, run it with your substrate through in an embossing folder, then iron the substrate through a paper so that the wax can sink in. Then, when the time comes, you ink it. The wax creates images that resist ink.)

On top I added a selection of die cuts from papers that I had pulled from a gelli plate.

Entering it in these lovely challenges:

Make My Monday: #225 Florals

Everybody Art Challenge: #557 Garden / Garten

Four Seasons Challenge: Spring season

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Feminine

Inkspirational Challenge: #315 Seasonal - mine is Spring

This card has already been sent to lovely Brenda through our mutual participation in the Daisy Chain challenge. Won't you join, too?

There will be cherries...

 ... but that's later in the year. Now in spring there are these gorgeous cherry blossoms.

I stamped the blossoms onto  craft cardstock. I think pencils take a really interesting look when used this way. I layered color in many shades and tried to work out depth by using white partly behind the branch and blossoms. I highlighted the stamen heads with a white Posca pen.

The text reads: Enjoy little moments.

Entering this in these lovely challenges:

We Love Stamping: Spring 

Addicted to Stamps &More: #466 Make your mark

As You Like It: Clean or fussy - and why  I like making both types of cards, it depends on the subject and my mood. Today I went for a more impressionistic, fussy, look with the many shades of colors that I used.

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Anything goes

Spring colors

 Spring is playing hide and seek - snow is melting during the days (when there is sunshine) and freezing in the nights. What better opportunity to bring out some flower stamps and start making happy, sun-filled cards.

I had a couple of challenges in mind when I put this card together. In the end you'll see whether I did them justice.

The background is stamped with a (retired) hero Arts background stamp, Branches Bold Prints. Then I embossed it with clear embossing powder. I wanted to ink it diagonal, so I selected two Distress sprays, Twisted Citron for grass and a turquoise (forgot it's name) for the other half.

The flower was stamped, then fussy cut out and painted with pearlescent watercolors. I adhered that onto a round die cut piece of vellum, and finally adhered some turquoise die cut branches behind it. Lastly I put on yellow shiny gems. The sentiment says: Many happy returns. 

Entering it in these challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Bright and cheerful

Stay Crafty with a blog named Hero: Heat embossing

Cut It Up: #299 Colors of Spring

Just Add Ink:   #692 Sketch  

Dream Valley Challenges:   #311 Add sparkle

Thinking of spring

 I don't know about you, but for me Spring can't come fast enough. It has been an especially dark and snowy winter here in the far North. Now that the snow has started melting it freezes in the night and we have to mind our steps walking on mirrored icy surfaces.

So no wonder I turned towards brighter colors and happier thoughts.

The background was done with a stencil (which I used for the first time, thus making this a NBUS, "never before used schtuff"). I used Distress oxides, for the small openings I dabbed them in with a water brush.

The rabbit was stamped and then colored, and there is no sentiment because the text is inside.

I am entering this card into these fitting challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Fur or feathers - Fur!

Stamping Sensations: Spring

613 Avenue Create: March AG / twist of pearls or diamonds - I am entering without the twist

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: AG

NBUS: March

Thank you for your visit!

Dinosaur greetings

 I needed a card for a boy and immediately thought of my dinosaur stamp. I followed a couple of challenges for inspiration, I think it is more fun that way.

 

I started by stamping the dinosaur directly onto the card base. Then I masked it and added background through two stencils. I recently got a selection of candy heart dies - "you rock" seemed to hit the vibe nicely.

Entering this into the challenges that inspired me:

Cupcake Challenge: #588 Dinosaurs  

Stamping Sensations: Animals, birds and creatures.

The Male Room: #183 Valentine / Use a heart

Stencil Fun: Love /Hearts

The Paper Players: PP678 Sketch