With a touch of gold

Today I am showing a clean and simple card, although I should add that it is not CAS since it's not predominantly empty. (Which I believe is the official requirement.)

I made the background by painting it partially along the right side with a very diluted distress ink. Then I stamped two flowers (Wendy Vecchi), watercolored and fussy cut them. Next came the 'happy birthday' wish, the letters for which I die cut from a gold paper. I adhered them to vellum and pinned it down first, then adhered the flowers so that they sit partially on top and hold that vellum in place.

 entering in:

Use your Stuff: #448 A touch of gold

Card4Gals: Sentiment as focal point

Alphabet Challenge: D is for die-cuts

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Anything goes 

Stamping Sensations: AG/ option fauna or flora - entering with the flower option

A restricted color palette

 I find using a restricted color palette very challenging. So of course I had to challenge myself!

I started by stamping the Stampers Anonymous Glorious Bouquet onto a card base. The stamp is extremely large, there is some overhang that simply didn't fit in.

I then colored it in with two colors only: Shaded Lilac and Iced Spruce. I have them as refills, it's perfect for watercoloring technique. I filled in the flowers in the center only, leaving the ones along the edges uncolored.

Lastly I matted it with dark forest green, added Glossy Accents on the leaves - which sadly don't show very well in the photo, but it adds such a nice detail.

I am entering this in:

The Alphabet Challenge: B is for Blooms

Inkspirational Challenge: #263 Watercolor    

Color Hues, the color challnge: #39 Purple and Green 

Seize the Birthday: #236 Signs of spring 

The Flower Challenge: #67 Add a heart

A study in contrasts

 I just love when challenge prompts complete each other in a beautiful way. Today was one of those occasions. I liked the prompt to study extremes. The inspiration photo of The Card Challenge seemed to point into that direction. And I just love birds. There was a helpful card sketch and the prompt 'spring'. Which all boiled down to this:

I created my sentiment using a TH  sentiment "for everything" (omitting the "thanks") and instead of that I added "there is a season". 

I stamped my favorite flowering branch sideways and added a pink bird (ScrapBerry). I have the contrasts of  color, matte vs. shiny, light vs. dark.

I matted it with dark forest green, which now looks almost black.

This is the finished card: For everything there is a season.

entering in:

Frilly and Funkie: A study in contrasts 

Paper Dragonfly Creative Challenge: #4 With a bird / dragonfly optional (I just went with the bird)

The Card Concept: #173 / inspired by the picture prompt

Freshly Made Sketches:  FMS532 

Time Out Challenges: #212 Spring

Male greetings...

 ... are the hardest for me to make. I don't know men that enjoy getting cards with tools or beer bottles on them, as I don't do cards for women with lipsticks or perfume bottles on them. So something more neutral, while still being fun, was the order of the day.

I started by making my own background with Yupo paper and alcohol markers. I used two shades of grey for the background and a dark brown for the 'matting'.

I then stamped leaves with two colors with Distress inks, then went in with the outline stamp and stamped it a bit offset from the leaves. The stamp set has coordinating dies and it took some fiddling to get them to die cut properly.

 

Here is the finished card. I added a birthday-appropriate sentiment and a small paper flier to bring in some movement and add a fun factor, both recently purchased from the wonderful Perlenfischer company.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge: 671/2 Masculine

Friendship Challenge: #76 Die Natur wird grün

Stamping Sensations Challenge: April - I love...   - I love that leaf stamp set by Altenew!

Craft Rocket Challenges: #91 For the boys/ men - This card is for my son

Mod Squad Challenge: April anything goes

Spring is coming

 I have wanted to make a wood-cut looking card for a long time. Today was the day!

I picked three flowers making sure they were outline stamps. I am so in love with these by Altenew, the stamps are actually from two different sets. The large flower had a corresponding filler stamp, for the the smaller ones I used the filler stamp for leaves.

I used distress inks from a refiller, because I wanted the ink looking uneven. I also selected a super porous paper that took up the ink without drying time - that way I could be sure the coverage was uneven and it would be looking like it was applied by a wooden block.

I then matted it with pale blue, added a scribbled frame and some Nuvo drops.

The sentiment is by Creative-Depot, it has a nice calligraphy feel to it.

Entering it in:

Try Stamping on Tuesday: #551 - I was inspired by the photo of those gorgeous tulips

Country View Challenges: Spring is coming

Beyond the Blue: #BB60 Use your words

Frilly and Funkie: April showers bring May flowers - the flowers are here already! 

Tuesday Taggers: Spring colors

Easter Wishes

A restricted palette in creams and whites featuring a stamped image and die cuts.

 

The hen was stamped with Fossilized Amber distress ink, the berries using an old ink cartridge that produced a suitably small circle. I then colored the berries and the cheek and the bill of the hen in with Picked Raspberry distress ink.

 

 I'd like to enter this in:

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Easter / Spring

Paperminutes: #738 Ostern / Easter

Perfectly CAS : #25 Die Cuts 

Addicted to CAS: #217 Animals

Cut it Up Challenge: #249 Easter / or create your own background

Pink and Gold

It all started with a stencil and spray paints. I used several shades through the same stencil. In the middle the colors mixed, but you can see the yummy splattering of small colored droplets in the corner here.

As is my habit, I like to use printed paper, I find the text doesn't distract but gives a nice texture to the finished piece. I then added a golden die cut, stamped and hand colored butterflies and a new-to-me sentiment by Creativ-Depot. 

This is the finished card. I colored in the matting with one of the spray colors so it would match. Also the matting for the sentiment.

 

Entering this in:

Make My Monday: #171 Use a stencil

Stamplorations: April Stencil Challenge 

Challenge up your life: #172 Kleckse / Splatters

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Happy Birthday

Daisy Chain Challenge: #62 Birthday

Birthday Wishes

This card started with my most favorite floral stamp. I used it last year, but not since. Instead of coloring it in I decided to draw different size circles and stripe them up.

 Even though I wanted to go with a clean look it still was a bit bare. I stenciled hearts with a puffy pink paste.

 The sentiment is my most recent acquisition, I desperately needed some new birthday texts.

Entering this in the challenges that inspired me or which are suitable in other respects:

Seize the Birthday: #235 AG or Stripe it up - I used the stripe option

Make My Monday: #171 Use a stencil

We Love Stamping: April - Stamp of the moment 

We love 2 Create : Week 4: AG

NBUS: #37 AG 

Hey Courageous!

This industrial style card has loads of grungy texture. First, there is the embossed background. It's done on a antique gold cardstock which I then messed up with black acrylics.

The letters were die cut from canvas. I then painted them black, applied some bronze and green, and to top it off, black mica flakes.

Lastly I applied industrial style brads, a TH token 'Courageous' and a real rusty washer. And I call it finished.

 Entering it in:

Frilly and Funkie: Industrial/ grunge

Can You Handle the Pressure: AG Embossing / Twist: use green - technically I used green here, but as it's not showing, let's go without the Twist option

Mixed media Lovers: #12

613 Avenue. AG /twist April showers - I didn't use the twist

Simon says Wednesday Challenge: AG

Groovy florals

 I am a sucker for 60's groovy colors and florals. I even have a few 60's fabrics that I use as curtains or tablespreads. So when Retro rubber announced their challenge I was over the moon.

I selected this large floral stamp that hasn't seen any love for a while. I bought it on a trip to Stockholm five-six years ago. I colored it in with Distress colors to get a watercolor look; Spiced Marmalade, Picked Raspberry, Dusty Concord and Frayed Burlap that has turned green in the bottle (so weird).

I was even able to achieve several more prints, each turning a bit paler. They will be great as backgrounds in future projects.

For the sentiment I wanted to stay in the groove (pardon the pun), so I dug out this old alphabet stamp. I have no idea who the maker is, I bought it when I first started and that was around 2007.

I used a fifth color, yellow, for the matting.

And this is the finished card:

 

I'd like to enter it into the following challenges:

Retro Rubber Challenge: #179 Groovy baby

Try it on Tuesday: Say it with flowers

Sweet Stamping Challenge: Use your older stash

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Anything goes