Long shadows

 The nearing holiday time has started to cast long shadows. The pace of life has accelerated and there is nearly no time for crafting. There is less light, too,  darkness descends early.

I wanted to make a card reflecting this time of year. It is dark, yet even the smallest light gives hope. My card is dark, very dark, but it is a friendly card.

 

The plant dies are used sideways as to create the impression of trees. They were cut twice, once from orange paper and once from black. Also the fox has been cut twice, once full from white paper and then partially from black paper. 

I outlined and highlighted the fox and the branches with a grey acrylics, which I partly wiped off. Then I wrote the text and then fussy-cut.

The lantern was stamped on orange paper and cut out. Dies and the stamp are by Simply Graphic, a French company. They have delightful dies and stamps.

Entering my card in the following challenges:

613 Avenue Create: #11 Anything goes (without the twist)

Color my Heart challenge: #471-use b/w/grey+one color

 Allsorts challenge: #652 Use hand stamped or digital image

MMM challenge: AG with optional black Yes! I used this option!

SimonSaysStamp Wednesday: Anything goes 

A walk in the woods

 I do love a good walk in the woods. At this time of year when the leaves are almost all down it's easy to spot the squirrels chasing up and down the tree trunks.

I was overjoyed to find this squirrel stamp recently, and inspired to make a card to send apropos of nothing, inspired by my walks.

The leaves were die cut from several papers that I had painted with Distress Oxides. I added some silver thread around them as well as a few 'dew drops' (aka clear glue). The sentiment is stamped and then embossed with orange red and reads 'It is lovely life'.

This is a guest project for Funkie Junkie Challenge Blog for the November theme of Living Things, where I was recently chosen as the Top Pick. Please hop over and participate!

This card also fits this challenge:

Double D: A walk in the woods

Critter Crazy Challenge: #56 Anything goes with a featured critter

Through the Craft Room Door: Anything goes

 

Pink is a strong color

 A simple card where the text is in the foreground was needed. 

I started by making the background. It used a lace stencil and a soft pink ink spray, then added some haphazard stamping with soft brown.

 The text was die cut from charcoal grey paper and assembled onto die cut vellum.

Lastly I stamped, painted and fuzzy cut two butterflies and adhered them on.

The text says: Together we are strong.

 

I am entering this in the challenges that inspired me:

Paperminutes: #712 Sprüche

Cut it Up Challenge: #236 Pink 

Sisterhood of Crafters: Stencils

Happy Little Stampers: Anything goes with dies 

A happy little note

 - is what the text strip announces. I was inspired to use colors from the current Color Throwdown challenge. My papers are most likely to be gelli printed, and this is what I used.

 

I stamped each tree onto a different color, then heat embossed it with clear embossing powder and cut it out and arranged onto a card.

As this fits into several fall themed challenges I will be entering it into these:

More Mixed media: AG with optional orange - I am using this option

Mixed Media Lovers: #6 Challenge

Uniko Challenge: #67 AG with twist of autumn colors

Make My Monday: #158 Embossing - either

Color Throwdown: keyword #ctd663

Surround yourself with happy

 Today I played tic-tac-toe and gave some much-needed love to my old stamps. 

These circles are by Rubber Dance and were purchased as a set about four, possibly even five years ago. I used them a lot in the beginning, but lost sight of them lately. 

The bird stamp is by Above the Mark, and was one of my first stamps back in 2008. Even the green bough stamp is truly a vintage one from around the same time.

 

Entering in:

Retro Rubber Challenge: #rrcb 168 Tic-tac-toe - my row was "one word sentiment - green - circles", but works equally well in " circles - foliage - something that flies"

 Stamping Sensations: Animals, birds and bugs

613 Aveunue Create: #11 Anything goes

Let's Create: AG+ things with wings

Follow your heart

I love die cuts. Especially the kind I make from scratch by stenciling, gelli printing or just painting the papers I use. You can see

Today I selected a background from an ancient stack of papers by Crafty Individuals. It has the same feel of gelli print, and incorporates colors that I had selected for my die cuts.

The sentiment "follow the voice of your heart" fitted the occasion. Someone standing in the crossroads of life can use some gentle encouragement. I just bought this stamp for the occasion.

 

Entering in:

Allsorts Challenge: #644 I love... 

Addicted to Stamps: Die cuts and/ or stencils

Alphabet Challenge: M is for motivational / encouraging sentiment

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Anything goes

Some textural oomph

It was fun to make some dimensional mixed media again. I was inspired by two challenges, one asking for 'touchy feely' texture, another for chalk paint. It seemed obvious to marry the two, and so this card came to be. It is 5"x3" and thus large enough to allow for the use of dimensional and flat surfaces.

The base is a craft card (with black print as this was repurposed from a promotional post card). I created some swirls in the corner areas with texture paste. When that was dry I painted with white chalk paint over everything.

 That black thingy is something I found on the sidewalk. It is either rubber or foamy plastic (hard to tell at this stage), but it is dimensional as well. The bird is fussy cut, then adhered with glue and with foam dots on the upper part to raise it to the level of that black thingy-

Lastly came some stamping. I made the berries and the bird's eye look more 3D with the help of Glossy Accents.

Entering in:

Funkie Junkie: Chalk it up

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Touchy feely

The splendor of autumn

 Autumn is by far my favorite time of year: misty mornings, crisp air, the fabulous colors and the smell - yes, the sour, and very exciting odour that comes from the fallen leaves. Spring takes only a week or so where I live, but autumn stretches on for a few months.

Now is the most vivid time, and I wanted to portray it on my card. I was inspired by one challenge to use hexagons, and I find they add a nice counterpoint to the organic form of twigs and leaves.

The sentiment reads: The small, lovely things of life. It fits with my love of autumn.

 

Entering this in:

As You Like It: What's your favorite: Autumn or winter and why 

Less is More;: #452 Hexagons

Try it on Tuesday: Autumn blessings

Addicted to CAS: #207 Code word Autumn

Allsorts Challenge: AG / option Nature - I chose that option
 

Make a wish

 A different kind of a birthday card this time. I tried to go with a restricted color palette of pebble, sand, some darker brown and black.

Again I was guided by several challenges to use watercolors, a wild animal, do stamping and make no layers. And moreover, this is a stamp purchased three years ago that I am using for the first time.

I am entering it into these nice challenges:

Bastel-Traum: #105 Wasserfarbe / Watercolours - the fish are painted with watercolors

Chocolate Baroque: AG / opt. celebrations - this is a birthday card

Daring Cardmakers: A walk on the wild side - some very wild salmon here!

AAA Cards: No layers / opt. twist 'Hugs' - I am entering without the twist

NBUS: #30 AG - both stamps are being used for the first time

Someone is waiting for me

 A tag using book paper for the background. I just lightly dabbed it with white distress ink in order to mnake the color pop better.

 

 

Entering in:

Tag Tuesday: Use book paper 

Creative Fingers: #215 AG