A summery encouragement card

 I confess I am a challenge junkie - I find the best ideas when scrolling through challenge prompts and finding ones that I'd like to combine. Today's inspirations are summery and water-heavy, but do include a nicely fitting color scheme. I needed an encouragement card for a friend who is going through some rough patches in life. 

I have kilos and kilos or pounds and pounds of beautiful designer papers, but somehow never use them. Today I pulled some of them out. I realize they barely will make a dent to my stash, but it's a start. I also pulled a stamp and a die set of two lively fish. Later I also used some silver card stock.

 

I tore the background and arranged it in waves. Then I glued the die cut fish in place, stamped and heat embossed the sentiment ("keep your head up").

 

I am entering this card in the challenges that inspired me today:

Color Dare: week #710  

 

Paper Funday: #89 AG/ Twist: Make a splash. I went with the twist 

PIP: #86 Water 

 

Four Seasons: Summer 

 

Carlin's Kaartenparadijs: #96 juli

 

Strawberry fields

 For today's card I pulled inspiration from several challenges. It all started with an inspiration photo. I have been eyeing it since it started, but only now that the time is running out did I finally come up with an idea. I also wanted to use die-cutting, stenciling, stamping and coloring - oh my oh  my!

Out came the supplies. There is a piece of acetate in there too, as I wanted to make it a flat shaker. The gelli printed tissue using a grid stencil did not make it to this photo, nor did the sequins.

 

I started by die-cutting two circles from the green glitter card stock: the ornamental one and a plain one for underneath to secure the acetate. The ornamental wreath builder is a favorite of mine, I got it several years ago to make holiday cards. I have never before used it for other purposes.

 Then I stamped and heat embossed the strawberries and their leafs and colored them in with my Gansai Tambi watercolors (they have excellent coverage!), glued the stencil print on the card and assembled it all layer by layer.

 

I am entering this card in the challenges that inspired me:

Inspiration Station: #86 Photo

 

Shopping Our Stash: #SOS577 You're so sweet

Tic-Tac-Toe: #tttc296 - I used the diagonal Fruit/vegetable - die cut - stencil

 

Just Us Girls: #830 Die week

 

Little Red Wagon: #865 I see

 

 

 

 

A jungle cat in his garden

 Today I am showing the card which has already gone off to its recipient (go meet Julia and view her great blog). We both participated in the Daisy Chain card exchange - perhaps you will, too? (here)

 

The card started with a brand new embossing folder ('Enchanted jungle' by Craft Consortium). After having watched a bunch of YouTube videos on how to apply multiple colors on an embossing folder I wanted to try it too. However, I got very disheartened as I just didn't get it to work for me.

I resorted to easier means. I swiped the debossed side of the folder with black in and pressed it through. This gave me a blotchy background (which is easy to correct later), but it also gave me me outlines. I painted the figures in with my Gansai Tambi watercolors.

The result reads like a wonderful painting of a leopard sitting in his jungle garden.

 I am showing this in these challenges:

Craft Rocket: #138 Animals

SUYP: #125 Summer

Critter Crazy: #112 AG w/a critter 

CYHTP: AG w/a twist of Purple  - I am playing AG

NBUS: #88 AG never before used schtuff - the item being my embossing folder

 

 

No limit on happy

 Today my interest was widely spread as I found five awesome challenges that I thought I could combine well.

These were the ingredients I thought I'd need. In the end I used less of the papers, no leaf cut-outs, but more markers. The guy was a stamp I had given away, but stamped a few for myself before. 

I started by creating a sticky removable mask for the guy, as I had stamped it on a card base. This was the first time I used Aleene's Tack It, and I can highly recommend it. The removal of the mask was easy, it did not leave any residue nor did it tear the surface. I did a three color blend with the Oxides Rustic Wilderness - Uncharted Mariner - Blueprint Sketch. That left the guy white, but I used my markers to color him in. Lastly I flicked some water droplets onto the upper part to make the illusion of night settling in more believable.

I found a great sticker from TH Snarky chit chat pack. This is a birthday card and the main sentiment will be inside.

 

Entering this in these challenges that inspired my make today:

Make My Monday: #281 Blend 2 or 3 colors - I used three for my background

Passion for Markers: #844 Transport

Cardz 4 Gyuz: #387 Gardens / gardening 

Try It on Tuesday: In the garden (2nd entry) 

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Stars and/or stripes  

Greetings, my friend

 My blog posts have gotten very predictable: these days I start with my inspirations and proceed to how I made the card. Well, why break the mould, it serves me well... So, dear reader, let me tell you what I was inspired by this morning. It was butterflies, colors and a sketch - a combination that I thought would work well for a simple greeting card.

After seeing the inspiration photo at A Place to Start (scroll down to challenges) I knew I wanted to use an old book page. It had a tear down the middle which I decided to keep (by not glueing the ends properly), because that would work well for the sketch I was eyeing. The inspiration photo also had butterflies and flowers so I knew I would want to use those images. To begin with I pulled out these ingredients:

 

For stamping and coloring I used the colors in the inspiration palette (scroll down for challenges).

 

The card was put together following the sketch (again I refer to challenges). 

 

I am entering this in these wonderful challenges:

A Place To Start: #202606 Inspiration photo

 

Sunday Sketches: #389 Down the middle

 

All About Papercraft: #6 Colors

 

Girlz Rebel Challenge: #53 Vlinders (butterflies)

Girlz Creative Challenge: #69 Vlinders (butterflies)

An early Christmas card

Today I was inspired first by a sketch and secondly by the word 'critter' and thirdly by Christmas. Throw in some die cuts and coloring, I thought - and here we go.

First I gathered my supplies. For a simple card like this there are many: two stamps and a stamped image of two critters (I had made several impressions from this stamp before I gave it away, so I can't show it), die cuts of fir trees from my ready stash and plenty of markers.

 

I first stamped the irregular round in white. Sadly it is not visible on the finished card - I should have stamped it several more times it seems. I colored the critters, fussy cut them, stamped and embossed the sentiment and adhered all according to the sketch.

 

Entering this card in these great challenges that got my creative juices flowing:

Freshly Made Sketches: #742 - oops, I didn't notice this challenge has already closed! I'll keep it here anyway, because this kicked it all off. 

 

Cut It Up: #359 Critters 

Penny Black Saturday Challenge: AG / pattern papers optional - I went with AG

Peace on Earth: #114 Inspiration photo - My bird has no scarf, but the hedgehog makes up for it I think. 

 

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Anything goes

Hello friend

 Again I got inspired by a couple of challenges and wanted to see if I could combine them to a pleasing whole. Male greeting cards are difficult for me, I admit, but one does need them in one's stash.

This is what I worked with today: a stamp set (whose wrapper is long gone so I have no idea of its maker), but where the animals have beautiful patterns, alcohol markers, card stock in various colors, hexagon dies and 'dusky violet' embossing powder.

 

I stamped the bird, embossed it with purple (which turned out surprisingly dark despite its name) and colored the pattern it in with markers. Then I die cut two hexagons and laid them topsy-turvy over each other and placed the bird on them. I then stamped the sentiment and embossed it as well. At this point the card didn't seem quite finished so I brought on three enamel dots.

 

 

Entering this in the challenges that inspired me today:

Alphabet Challenge: E is for embossing (wet or dry) - I went with heat embossing (which is wet?)

CAS Colours and Sketches: #588 Colors

 

Addicted to CAS: #311 Code word: Pattern - I used a bird stamp with a pattern

 

Krafty Chicks Challenge: #826 Masculine

Summer at the waterside

 The ultimate summer feeling for me is keeping my toes wet, preferably at waterside, which is a river - or just the bath tub - in these parts. I spent my childhood summers at a vast lake and wanted to make a card reflect that feeling. (You kind of stand at the world's edge, if you know what I mean. Only sky and water exist.)

 

Out came the supplies: a stencil for waves, a stamp suitable to double up as a swimmer as well as some designer papers and a die for the underwater life. 

I stenciled the background with Distress Oxides Salvaged patina, then cut it out by hand in a wavy form. I stamped the lady, cutting her out without the intended wings and colored her suit with watercolor markers. I found a ready cut large cloud and a sentiment in my ready-to-go stash and used those as well.

 

I raised the swimmer and the sentiment out of the flat surface with foam strips.

 

I am entering this in the following challenges that made me think of my childhood summers:

 Everybody Art Challenge: #603 Sommerzeit/ Ferienzeit

Stamps+Fun=Creativity: #498 Ferien

Simon Says Monday: At the beach 

Creative Knockouts: #573 Summer Fun

TGIF: #tgifc583 Technique challenge: Popping it up

 

Girlz Creative Fun Art of Scrap: #23 Gebruik designer papier

Happy to you

 I could not believe it. It has been a couple of years since I bought this beautiful die set - and have not once used it. Today a challenge made me think of it and I packed it out. The colors were inspired by another challenge. I used small paper paint chips, too - always a win as I have too many stashed up.

 

This is a birthday card.

 

I am entering this in these inspirational challenges: 

Time Out: #316 Inspiration photo - I was inspired by the open geometric structure

 

Seize the Birthday: #329 Blue, pink and yellow

Snippets Playground: #535 

I am also entering in these AG challenges:

Cupcake Inspirations: #638

 

Paper Rock Scissors: #17 

Poppy greetings

There were still leftovers from yesterday's session. The stenciled paper grabbed my fancy, and that slatted round  piece as well.

I was inspired by the colors of two challenges and wanted to add some flowers using those colors.

I then stamped the sentiment. It's a greeting, suitable for a 'just because' card.

 

Entering my card in these inspiring  challenges:

Beautiful Blossoms: Anything with blooms, moodboard optional - I was inspired by the moodboard

 

TGIF: #582 Moodboard 

 

Passion for Markers: #843 Add flowers

JustUsGirls: #829 Stencil week

We Love 2 Create: AG