Birthday bouquet

 I haven't done flowers for a while - or so it seems. Actually, the last couple have included flowers, but they weren't the focal point, just a supporting character. Today I went full in with a new old stamp set - one I bought two years ago and haven't broken it out yet.

These were the supplies. I am making a further small dent into my sizable card stock hoard. I found an exact match for a challenge inspiration photo. (Such a lovely color combo, btw!) Also on the table my Gansai Tambi watercolors and a background die. 

 

I started with cutting the top half of an arch with the die, then added a straight piece underneath. I stamped the wildflower bouquet and clear embossed it for easier water coloring. Afterwards I fussy cut it out and placed it into the arch. It is raised with foam adhesive strips. The sentiment reads "More wonderful with each passing year".

 

I am entering this in the following challenges that were my inspiration today:

Sunday Stamps: #ssc390 Garden grandeur 

 

Alphabet challenge: F is for festivities - my card is for a birthday 

Simon Says Wednesday challenge: Fabulous Florals 

We Love 2 Create: #7 open challenge 

Creative Artiste Mixed Media: #128 Anything mixed media 

Enjoy your day

For today's card I let myself be inspired by several challenges. I thought the combination of flowers, butterflies, music and a sketch would be a good one to try, especially as I was asked to present a GD project @ Ellibelle's I Spy With my Little Eye - challenge. Please head over and join the fun!

So I pulled out  the supplies I thought I would need: a stamp with both a butterfly and flowers (Stampendous), a die set with a frame, butterfly and flowers (Studio Light) and some sheet music together with Oxides and Gansai Tambi watercolors. I stamped the background with Oxide ink on a wet background and saw the image almost dissolving. The color is just enough for a background, the flowers are still visible, but they don't take the center stage. (The butterfly was unfortunately covered but subsequent layering.)

I then applied water color on the die cut flowers and butterflies. I set the sheet music as a background for the frame. The sentiment reads: Enjoy the day.

 

I am entering this in the following challenges:

Freshly Made Sketches: #744 

 

Sisterhood of Crafters: July / Flowers

 

Little Red Wagon: #866 The piano man

Ellibelle's Garden Party: # 17 Anything in / from a garden

I Spy with my little eye: #39 ... something with wings

 

Seeing the positive

 Today I chose to 'follow a lead', in other words take inspiration from a card posted for that purpose. I lament that all 'CASE' challenges seem to have disappeared. When they were active I was too new to card making to participate, but now I find the idea fun.

But I digress. I decided to keep the layout,  but build my own scene. I found a lovely sentiment in a stamp set that also gave me the idea for the scene. In the end I settled for my beloved cute cat stamps and small cloud+raindrop dies. 

The background was a simple three color blend. I had created a mask to protect the stamping which allowed me not to worry about getting color on the cat. I die cut the cloud and rain drops from colored papers and backed them with card stock so they would have some heft. I also added some Wink of Stella onto the rain drops and lined the cloud with it.

 

I am entering this in these lovely challenges:

AAA cards: #318 Follow my lead 

 

A Cut Above: July AG / 2 year anniversary challenge 

 

Cut it Up: #360 Create your own background 

Polkadoodles: #7 AG 

Gem of a Challenge: AG 

 

 

A summery thank-you

 Today's inspiration came from a list of ingredients, a photo, a layout and a recipe. In my mind they would play well with each other.

The ingredients were simple: a die, a sentiment stamp, pink and yellow gelli printed papers and vellum.

 

The making was anything but. I haven't used these floral circles a lot and now I remember why: they are overly fiddly to release and then glue on. For the layout background vellum seemed like an obvious choice as I wanted to keep this clean. The sentiment was stamped and embossed on vellum. Then I surrounded the sentiment with small diamonds for glitter. The sentiment reads "Thank you".

I am entering this in the following challenges that were my inspiration today:

Festive Friday: #FF0213 World emoji day - I used yellow, glossy embellishment and circles from the list

TGIF: #585 Sketch challenge

 

Inkspirational: #371 Photo inspiration

 

CAS on Friday: #338 Use dies and only word stamps 

 

Roses for birthday

 Today's inspirations lead me towards a birthday card. Always seem to be needing those!

The main supplies were a stamp of a layered rose and a die set for decorative lanterns. I have had both for years, but have seldom found use for them. The auxiliary supplies were designer paper, a pad of ready cut lattice designs and inks. I toyed with the idea of adding an arch via Spellbinders oval dies, but in the end didn't find it necessary.

 

I adhered the lattice on top of the designer paper, cut two lanterns out of the other two, stamped and fussy cut two roses and stamped the sentiment ('Happy birthday') and assembled the card.

 

I am entering this into these challenges that were my guiding light today:

Altenew: July 2026 inspiration challenge 

 

Daisy Chain: #109 Birthday 

GCFAOS: #23 Gebruik designpapier (Use designer paper)

The Neglected Stuff: July challenge 

 

Merry Christmas to 'ewe'

 Today's inspiration came from many sources: a sketch, prompts for Christmas in July and animals. And my new sheep (ewe) stamp. 

 

I gathered the supplies, having the vague idea of using the stars and the designer paper in my card. I later ditched that idea and settled for the baubles instead. I fell in love with this ewe stamp, it lends itself to marker coloring really well.

 

I am entering this card in the following challenges that were my inspiration:

 CAS Colours and Sketches: #589 Sketch

 

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Four-legged friends

Passion for Markers: #845 Animals 

Crafty Chicks: #828 Christmas 

 

Sweet Stamping: Christmas in July  

 

Get well soon

Get well soon cards brighten the day - but what to make for a pre-teen boy? I settled for a lizard stamp, a chamaeleon to be exact. As for other supplies I took guidance from other challenges that suggested text and mark-making.

I cut up the large letters from my gelli-printed papers. I had made these to be backgrounds (hence the card stock), but they didn't quite turn out the way I had liked, so I cut them up for the alphabet. I also cut the irregular background with dies. Later it seemed too bare and I added color through a TH stencil.

 

After coloring the lizard with Gansai Tambi watercolors and fussy cutting it came the assembling. The sentiment takes the center role, the lizard gives it interest as does the mark making. Hopefully just right for this boy!

 

Entering it in these lovely challenges that I followed today:

Unicorn Challenge: #122 No design paper - no, indeed, I made my own

Addicted to Stamps and More: #521 Make your mark 

 

TioT: Animals real or imaginary  

Creative Crafting Uncles: #78 Get well

4 Seasons challenge: #106 Focus op tekst 

 

CAS for Christmas

 Today's card turned out rather clean and simple despite the many challenges I was inspired by: colors, layout, shape.

I thought I would need these supplies. The golden rick rack is just a pesky little piece that has been hanging around since I got it (three years ago). Today would be the day to finally use it!

 

I shaped the card by partial die cutting with the largest circle die. There was a lot of fiddling involved to get the overlay to fit, but on the second try it did. The layout challenge had given me the idea to punch 8 decorative stripes into the card front and place the golden stars above it.

The sentiment was stamped and then embossed with gold.

And that rick rack found its place, too. 

 

Entering this in these challenges that inspired me today:

Heart Quest Shaped Cards and Tags: hqscat #18 any shape

Color Hues Challenge: #TCH136 Cream and Gold 

 

Just Add Ink: #789 sketch 

 

Avenue 613: AG w/a twist: Any holiday - I am playing with this option 

 

Nachteulen / Night Owls:  NSS#62 alles ist möglich

 

Adventure awaits

 Yesterday I was making a back-to-school greeting to my young GD, today I am making it for an older one who will start a vocational high school come fall. (Austrians are big on vocational schools, you learn a trade and get your high school diploma at the same time.) This will mean new friends, new teachers and a lot of hands-on learning.

The idea for the card came when I perused the current challenges. Don't laugh, but my main inspiration came from a photo prompt for Christmas in July, followed by some others.  So I gathered my supplies.

 

It's my birthday this month which explains the new supplies entering the playing field. The dies are new and I was eager to try to circles background die especially. I have seen it used to in one blog (sorry I forget who it was) and 'had to' have it. too.

I actually wanted to make the flamingos stand facing right. I have had this mirror image stamping aid for a while, but never could make it work. Does anyone have a tip for it?

 

In the end I went with one - and one only - left-facing flamingo. I did make three and even colored them all in with ink-blending in three colors - before realizing that those three flamingos in a row had a very menacing appearance. I punched the circles out of glitter card stock and colored over them with markers to give the colors a warmer hue. Some of them are raised, as is the flamingo.

 

Entering this in these challenges that inspired me today:

Inspiration Station: #87 Inspiration photo - I was inspired by the flamingos and balloons

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Back to school 

Pick 3 Challenge: #6 I picked the elements in the lower row 'Ink blending - sparkle - sentiment'

 

AAA Birthday: #87 For girls 

NBUS: #88 - my new schtuff were the dies 

 

Will she like geometry?

 Some fabulous challenges were calling my name today. How does a mix of prompts like 'back to school', a color palette, something beginning with a B and using stencils sound to you? To me it sounded like fun.

Out came the supplies: a stamp of a girl which I have had for some years now - ETA: I bought it in 2023 - , a die by Simply Graphic, a French company, of brackets (how cool!) and a stencil by Viva with mathematical equations and some geometry. My GD is starting middle school in fall and this will be a great card for her.

 

I stamped the girl, (but omitted her arms) and colored her in. The color palette is perfect as my GD has red hair and green eyes and petrol looks good on her. I fashioned a tiny book cover and made it look like she was holding it by drawing the fingers on each side. Behind the hands there is a flap that is glued to the outline of the girl.

Before adhering the girl with her book to the card I stenciled the background, then brought in two brackets. Not only do they have their good use in geometry, but they also frame her. The sentiment says "a little hello for school start".

 

I am showing this card in the following inspirational challenges today:

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Back to School 

Retro Rubber: #rrcb275 Bold summer colors 

Fab 'n Funky: #640 Something beginning with a B - which is book 

Allsorts Challenge: #853 Stencils

A Perfect Time to Craft: #7 Open challenge 

Love to Craft: #93 AG