Remember Lyra Belacqua?

Lyra is the 11 year old heroine of Philip Pullmans trilogy His Dark Materials. The film is named the Golden Compass. Living in a parallel universe Lyra sets out to rescue children that are held in captivity in the abouts of the North Pole. She has a daemon, a soul animal, that can change shape from ermine to moth to wildcat to a mouse, and who is her constant companion.

This is a story line in a very small nutshell. I set out to make a card that would incorporate all this and also answer to several challenges at the same time. 

I needed stamps, papers and watercolors.

 I started by stamping the background with white ink and the snowfall stamp. I then added blue papers on top and bottom of the sheet. Next I stamped the girl and a mouse, colored them in, then fussy cut them. I punched the stars from gold foil - the color gold a hommage to the name, 'Golden compass'.

As a nod to the scenery, North Pole, I decided this would be a good Christmas greeting to a child, so I stamped the sentiment 'Christmas greetings' and adhered it to the card.

 

Entering this in these challenges that were my inspiration today:

 

Time Out: #321 The Movies

 

Stamps&fun=Creativity: #501 Metal/ Metall - mein Metall is Gold

 

Do-All Creatives: #117 Verwende die Farbe 'Kraft' / Use the color 'kraft'

 

Krafty Chicks: #837 Christmas 

 

A Perfect Time to Craft: #9-2026 open challenge

Lavender's blue, lavender's green

I found some challenges again that called my name. Especially there was a sketch challenge that I wanted to try. To that I wanted to add 'inspired by a song'.

I have slowly collected Japanese stamps and thought this would be a perfect occasion for them. This is what I pulled out:

I had a song in mind, old English folk song "Lavender blue", which is is also a nursery rhyme. Luckily I had a stamp with lavender.

I worked according to the sketch, but turned it sideways. I used grey ink for stamping, I wanted the result to be delicate and dreamy. I stamped the stem of lavender as is, but had to isolate the stems I wanted to use in the oblong Japanese stamps. I selected the Kanji characters 'imagine' and 'beauty' as my text. 

Then I used a large brush and added watercolor in blobs to the stamped flowers.

Entering this in these lovely challenges:

CAS Colours and Sketches: #593 Sketch challenge 

A Place to Start: #202609 AG/ relates to a song - My song is Lavender blue

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Stamp it

Love to Craft:  #94 AG

Polkadoodles: #9 week 1 AG 

 

It's time...

 ... to spread your wings. I purchased a magazine solely for the free stamp sheet that came with it. (Although the magazine, Creative Stamping, is great, too.)

Today's ingredients were inspired by a couple of challenges.

I started by smearing a paper with some leftover paints. The lower half is more or less mud, but I stenciled the top half with a round stencil and green paint, which created some interesting structure. I cut out a good piece off it, selected some stamps and a sentiment to match and set to work. The flowers were colored in with markers, the bird with watercolor pencils. As for the tag, after die cutting it I left all the little pieces in place that would normally fall out. I think the effect is nicer this way as it does not garner more attention than the bird.

 

I am entering this in these challenges that inspired me today:

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Stamp it

 Stencil Fun: AG with a stencil / yellows optional. I am playing with AG

Addicted to Stamps and More: #525 Die cuts and/or stencil - I have used both

Triple B: Birds-blooms- butterflies AG - My bird has a yellow breast, but otherwise I veered off from inspiration photo

 

PIP: #2636 AG 

 

Greetings from forest

 Several challenges were calling my name today: a sketch, a color prompt, a word prompt, a call for layers and a die-cut. Well, then!

I laid out the supplies I wanted to use:

The blue background is a cyanotype. I tried to make some cool designs earlier in August, but most of them did not go as planned.

 

Their backside is actually nice, too. And this is what I used.

 

I started by cutting a cyanotype to size, then darkening the edges where some of the depth had been lost through cutting. I die cut the twig and leaves from gelli prints. The large leaf is a left-over from years ago - yes, I am good in hoarding stuff.

I then stamped the mushroom set and colored it in with my markers. Lastly I arranged everything according to sketch and stamped a zig zag stitch along the edges. (My sewing machine could not have handled this cyanotype paper!)

 

I am entering this in the challenges that I was inspired by today:

The Paper Funday Challenge: #91 AG / Sketch - I am playing with the sketch

 

Passion for Markers: #853 Stitching, real or faux - I am going with faux

Just Add Ink: #793 Colour Inspiration

 

Creative Knockouts: #578 Lots of layers

Classic Design Challenge: #8-2026 ATG/ Use die cuts - I am playing with the die cut option

 

On the farm / 100 days

 Today marks the 100th day of my private and unannounced challenge. After a break of two years from card making I wanted to challenge myself

* to make a card every day for 100 days 

* to use everything I had

* not to be precious about anything: all papers, all rub-ons, all toppers and ephemera were fair game and there to be used

 I had blogged my cards until September 2024. Then came the time we tried to sell our house and all signs of private life had to be packed away. This took a while. Then came the move, after which I was left with no craft room and had to fit a desk into my bedroom. I had to let go of a lot of papers and ephemera, I no longer could fit them. (And technically I should change the blog name: we live in a blue house now...)

In May this year I was sufficiently rested - and organized - to take up card making again. May 31st marks the first day of this 100 day challenge. What I learned about myself: I need ideas from outside to be able to make cards, be they prompts, pictures, layouts, tic-tac-toes, anything to get my 'cerebral juices flowing' (did Sherlock Holmes say that?). I took pleasure on combining three to five challenge prompts into one card. I applaud all challenge teams, you do a terrific job! Without your ongoing dedication to your challenge this hobby would be so much less. Thank you all!

I used a lot of my supplies, mostly dies, markers, watercolors and perhaps 10% of my stamps. This last week was tough. I had the feeling I had exhausted my supply of ideas. Making a card felt like walking in muddy boots, they want to hold you back.

As the fall season is beginning I won't be able to spend so much time at my craft desk. So no daily blog posts! But I will still make cards. My challenge now is to use more rub-ons in my card making (even though it feels a bit like cheating - I don't know why?), use more stamps and paints and try to experiment more.

It is time to present the card of the day and the challenges that led my way. 

I got inspired by a color and the prompt to make something farm related. Additionally I wanted to use die cuts. I gathered my supplies: a stamp set of farm animals and floral die cuts. I also used markers and, contrary to the photo, a ready sentiment.

After I had cut the center off a print (which I used here) I was left over with floral designs in delicious tones of brown. I decided to die cut them out, to be used in some future date. These came in handy today!

I played with a few arrangements for the flowers and finally settled on  a linear one. I stamped three sheep, colored them in with markers and fussy cut them. I then placed them behind the (raised) flowers. They seem to be delightfully grazing in a flower field.

Entering this in these challenges that I was inspired by today:

Colorful Options: September Rusty brown I am using Option 2, Warm earth tones

 

Little Red Wagon: #874 Hayloft

FarmQuest General Store: #42 Anything farm related

Just Us Girls: #839 Die week

 

Crafting from the Art: AG August 

 

 

 

I did not forget your birthday

 Today's card features a piece of gelli print, some ink smooshing and ink flicking, watercolors and a fineliner, a die, a stamp, a remnant - and paper and scissors, of course.

It all started with two prompts: a photo collage of vases with lovely hues of blue (see below), and the prompt to use only one color next to black and white. My decision was instant: I would use that beautiful blue as my one color. I gathered my supplies:

 

I started by stamping a part of the gigantic forget-me-not. I then prepared an ink smooshing bath (Blueprint Sketch DO) and repeatedly took the middle part of the image to it, letting it dry in between. As the color was still not dark enough, I helped it out with GT watercolor (Ultramarin).

I then cut the vase out of a gelli print and used the rest to make a 'table top' for the vase to sit on. I fussy cut the flower and attached everything in place. I then flicked the background with black ink and drew a partial frame with a fineliner.

Entering this in these lovely challenges that inspired me today:

Double D: Vases and/or pitchers

 

Lost Coast Portal to Creativity: #213 Black and white plus another color

 

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Stamp It 

Stamps+Fun=Creativity: #500 Jubiläum

Creative Artiste Mixed Media: #130 AG mixed media

Paer Rock Scissors: #20 

Leftovers only

 Today's card consists entirely of leftovers from past cards. I loathe to throw the cut-offs or unused pieces away, and tend to keep them for a while on my desk.

This is what I have amassed since mid-July. You will recognize some, and perhaps not others, because they never made into a card (like the bees).

The pink lozenges are left over from the lemon card. I have a lozenge die that I have not broken apart, because it gives you three shapes with one pull: a lozenge and two funny-shaped frames. I grabbed those frames today. The brown confetti between them hails from the ferris wheel card and the mushrooms and acorns from a more recent fox card. The sentiment was stamped in multiples for the 'my a**' birthday card.

 

Entering this in these challenges that inspired me today:

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Get in shape

Die Cut Divas: Recycle, re-use & repurpose  - Everything on my card is recycled. This would have otherwise landed into trash.

Krafty Chicks: #836 Birthday

Creative Inspiration: #42 Anything goes

A Perfect Time to Craft: Open challenge #9-2026 

 

Balloons for birthday

 Today I wanted to tackle my stash of designer papers. I tend to buy them and then hoard them, just because they seem too pretty to use.

I rounded up a couple of challenges that play together wonderfully. These were my initial supplies. Afterwards I grabbed some markers.

 

I started by piecing the background. I then took it to my sewing machine and stitched two rows of zig-zag stitches. Then I cut the circles, one large and three small ones.

I have been looking for a pretty balloon die for ages, with no luck, so I resorted to cutting the shape with scissors.

 

I then stamped the girl, colored her in and fussy cut her out. Lastly came the assembly. The sentiment says: "Happy birthday".

 

Entering this in these challenges that I was inspired by today:

Paper Players: #PP801 Tic-Tac-Toe - My row is top across: patterned papers- things that fly - layers

 

Try a Sketch on Tuesday: #TSOT 703

 

Double Trouble: #224 

AAA Birthday: #89 Use patterned paper

 

Sweet Stamping: Use a die cut 

The less pretty toughts of a fox

I love snarky saying and have oodles of snarky sentiment strips to show for it, by TH and Aall&Create, to be exact. I use them seldom in my greeting cards, though, as I want them to be uplifting.

But today was the day - I need a snarky card. Out came my supplies: a background from my ready stash, a small stamp set for mushrooms and other fall accoutrements, a fox stamp (one of the first Aall&Create stamps with #4 - I believe they are close to thousand at this point) and my GT watercolors.

 

The background was first a blotched experiment in pointillism before I slapped a large gold stenciling over it. It became a grand affair, and I have been failing to use it ever since (this was about two years ago). Well, today was the day for this as well.

I stamped and watercolored musrooms, acorns and the fox, then fussy cut them and arranged them on the page. The sentiment is propped on a foam strip, as is the fox.

 

Entering this in these challenges:

 

Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers: #277 A is for Animals

Crafty Critters: Challenge #109

Creative Fingers: Challenge #328

Polkadoodles: #8 week 5 AG

Sweet greetings to a card friend

A little elephant (by Sheepsky design) was calling my name this time. To go with it I selected a round die, colored paper, a piece of cake doily and some markers. 

 

I started by selecting a background for the elephant. This was to become a rather tonal affair. I then die cut the lacey circle and place a length of cake doily behind it. I then colored the elephant and the flowers s/he's holding and fussy cut it out. There is no sentiment, but a message inside.

This card has (hopefully) reached Gail, who was my link in the most recent Card Chain Challenge. I'm linking the full line-up here so you can take a look at other beautiful cards that have flown off to their recipients. 

Won't you join us this month? The sign-up is open till September 6th.

As you can see, I used a card that I had tried to emboss directly, but with not-so-great results. The embossing is visible on top, but not on the bottom.

 

Entering my card in these most appropriate challenges:

Allsorts Challenge: #857 All creatures great and small

Digi Choosday: #9 week 2: AG

Critter Crazy: #114 AG w/ a featured critter

We Love 2 Create: #8 AG