Enjoying summer

 I will happily confess that summer is not my season. It is hot, it is sticky, swimming brings only temporary relief and there's no point gobbling tons of ice cream, either. Nevertheless, in the spirit of challenging myself, I considered a few challenges that want to see summer or seaside. And I know a friend who would love a card in this vein.

So I gathered my supplies: a die that reminds me of frothy water, and a cat with sun glasses. The stamp is actually meant for Halloween, but I think it fits perfectly for a summer scene, too.

 

The cat definitely needed an ice cream, so I drew a paw and a cone with three scoops, a classic. I then colored the cat in with my pencils. I made the sun umbrella out of two circles, red and white, that I cut strategically and put together again.

 

Entering this in these challenges that I drew my ideas from:

Time Out: #315 Pick 2 - I picked water and ice cream, but summer belongs here, too

 

Just Us Girls: #827 Summer 

The Four Seasons Challenge: AG Summer 

 

Cardz 4 Galz: Seaside or coast 

Shopping Our Stash: #576 Summertime 

 

Two hours later...

I have eyed some challenges for a while. They are not easy ones to combine by any means, but I have been feeling brave lately. Take a sketch, vellum, fruit, a frame and stripes and combine them freely. I chose my title by sheer exhaustion. In my head it is spoken in tinny robot voice. Because, let's face it, some cards are easily made and others ... not so.

First I thought these supplies would be enough. Two dies, a lovely pear stamp and vellum.

 

I hadn't thought of the pear. It had to be colored in. This was done with Ecoline markers, I like the fact that they are water soluble.

 

The striped round die-cut needed to be backed with vellum. The vellum needed to be colored in. Enter alcohol markers.

 

For sentiment I used another die and glittery green card stock.

I am entering this into these wonderful challenges that got my brain going:

TGIF: #tgifc581 sketch 

Addicted to CAS: #310 Codeword Frame  

Lost Coast Portal: #210 Fruit, flowers, foliage

The Paper Funday: #88 AG, polkadots or stripes optional - I went with the option of stripes

Seize the Birthday: #328 Use vellum or acetate - I used vellum

Two adventurous fish

 After 'three of something' there is now a challenge with 'two of something' - how fun. I paired it with a sketch and got ideas for it via two other challenges.

 

But first,  I pulled out the fun stuff I thought I would need: two embossing folders, dies, stamps and gelli printed and ink smushed paper in suitable colors. I sketched the outlines of the wavy pieces, then tore them. The sun was die cut. The fish were first stamped with pale blue an a pink gelli print, then stamped again with grey and when that didn't look good enough and it was still wet, I sprinkled some clear embossing powder on them and heat embossed.

 

The bottom blue layer was dry embossed with a seaweed kind of pattern - not that you can really tell. (It is Weeping Willow by Creative Expressions.) The 'sky' part was embossed with a ray pattern.

 

Entering this in these lovely challenges that inspired me today:

Freshly Made Sketches: #740  

Cardz 4 Gyuz: #386 Squash it 

The Sisterhood of Crafters: Fish / Sea creatures 

The Alphabet Challenge: D is for Double 

And because this was the first time using the seaweed dies, I am showing this in the

NBUS: # 87 June

A lucky duck - ahem, goose

And then I just had to make another one with three of something. (Such a great challenge!) The goose and beets were staring at me...

 

This time I wanted to make a clean and simple card. I grabbed some paper snippets, stamped the goose and the beets, then colored them in slightly.

  

 

 I am entering this in the following challenges:

CAS on Friday: #336 Birds

Sparkles Monthly: #200 Trios (Three of something) 

ElliBelle's Garden Party: #16  Anything in (or from) a garden 

FarmQuest General Store: # 41Anything farm/ country (rural, outdoors)

 

Critter Crazy: #111 AG 

  

Three curious hen

 Today I took a sketch, and instead of creating the perfect geometric shapes I wanted to go loose on them, more natural. Browsing a while in my stash and through the challenges I found some great matches.

I picked colors, a stamp set that had farm fencing in it and a wooden stamp of a stylized hen that I love. I also used a small leafy stamp and the stitched edges stamp which are not on the picture - at that time I didn't yet know I would need those.

 

I am entering this in these challenges that inspired me in my creation:

Try a Sketch on Tuesday: TSOT #697 Sketch

 

HSS: #490 Color challenge 

Sparkles Monthly: #200 Trios (Three of anything) 

Little Red Wagon: #862 O is for outdoors 

Critter Crazy: #111 AG critter  

Lavender and old paper

 It's been a long time since I have done anything with my Distress Oxides. For a 'thinking-of-you' card I chose the colors milled lavender and old paper. The latter is basically a soft green but looks more yellow  in the finished card. A nice sketch and a row of tic-tac-toe pointed me to a direction.

This was the first time using my diagonal stripe stamp which I bought at for Christmas before last. The floral stamp is even older than that, tiny bluebells and the saying were bought pre-Covid. I stamped the background with Milled lavender and I really like the uneven coverage that stamping with Oxides provides. I then colored a die-cut circle with the Old paper. Once that was glued down I proceeded to stamp the flower. I then colored it in with alcohol markers. The saying was stamped with Versafine and the strip was edged with the same marker color as the flowers.

 

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

Retro Rubber: #rrcb273 x-x-o - I chose the top row 'die cut - stripes - your choice' which was coloring

As you See It: #374 Sphere of influence  

Simon Says Wednesday challenge: Add a sentiment 

Addicted to Stamps and more: #519 Any occasion - my sentiment is: Thinking of You

 

Wishing you a magical time

 Bird watching is an earnest hobby which my hubby practices. It means plenty of me-time alone in the forests and mountains. 

For his card I gathered the supplies: a stamp (wren), dies of fir trees and a sheet of hand made green paper that I have had for years but never knew what I could use it for. Today it finally found its place in this card, it brought the perfect rustic touch that I was looking for.

 

I am entering the card into these challenges:

We love Stamping: Sports and Hobbies

The Paper Players: #789 Masculine 

The Male Room: #211 The Outdoors 

613 Avenue Create: AG w/ twist of Craft or hobby - I am going with this twist

Dragonfly Dreams: Masculine 

 

Dancing around

 I have neglected my stencils for some time. Luckily I found a couple of challenges that promised to change that. I chose to work with stencils, butterflies and a floral. 

I made the background with two stencils (sitting on the left). I then added a few butterflies to it through the larger stencil. After it had dried I found it too stark and added a vellum overlay. I then stamped a large zinnia (by Stampendous) and colored it in with watercolors. I also die cut some butterflies and colored those in as well., and positioned them to dance around the flower.

 

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

Stencil Fun: AG stencil / optional butterflies - I went with this option 

TiOT: Flying high 

Papercraft Challenges: #130 Botanical beauty 

Paper Rock Scissors: #17 June challenge AG 

Maritime vibes

 Having grown up at the coast and summered by a great lake I miss those now that I live near a stream. Near Danube, to be exact, which sounds so grand and 'old Europe', but it's not the open vistas that I grew up with. I was very happy to find a few challenges that play in this direction.

I gathered my supplies:  a few stamp sets, Ecoline watercolor brush pens and a die set which has an edging that resembles rope.

 

 

This is the finished card. 

 

I am showing it in following challenges that I followed to create this card. 

Simply Clean and Simple: SCAS June: Nautical  

Archiscraps: Use Red White and Blue

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Masculine

PIP: #2623 AG 

 

Everything will be good

Rainbows were used as a symbol for hope in the Covid times. (Remember?) Back then I found it kitschy , but today it feels less so and I have quite come to like it. I even have a miniature rainbow die set. Add that to a new stamp set that I bought in a local 'everything' store and my brain started to jump from idea to idea. I also have a sentiment "everything will be allright" that I thought was fitting. 

 

This is a simple one layer card. The rainbow was fiddly to assemble and doesn't align right. A sequin or two might remedy the situation, but we'll see about it. For now it stays as is.

 

Entering it in these challenges that I took inspiration and guidance from:

CAS on Friday: #335 Rainbows

Nachteulen / Nightowls: NSS #61 Clean and simple

Let's Craft and Create: #232 Penny for your thoughts (use a sentiment) 

Moving along with the Times: #190: Use your favorite stamp or die - All my stash is my favorite, but this new set is my Newest favorite

and because the stamp set with the girls is a new and never before used 'stuff' I am showing my card here as well:

NBUS: # 87 June AG