Changing seasons

 It has come time to say farewell to summer. A cold spell and hefty winds have made a seasonal wardrobe change a necessity, and with that, a seasonal change in colors I'm using. How do oranges, deep greens, pale grass browns and bright pinks suddenly feel so comforting and right?

I noticed a couple of inspiring challenges that were in this vein, and gathered my supplies. The dies are by several makers: Marianne Design, Gummiapan, Elisabeth Design and Spellbinders. The stamp is a new acquisition from Papertrey Ink.

I started by die cutting leaves and branches from my gelli printed papers. Then I stamped the vase with Lost Shadow, and the decoration with Forest Moss DO.

The background was created by using an aperture of a die cut. I used it as a stencil and dabbed Old Paper trough it, creating a dome. It needed grounding. I die cut just the top half of the same dome and flipped it for the bottom.

 

Then I assembled the branches. I left this without a sentiment, as I it is for no special occasion and I am going to fill the inside anyway.

 

Entering this in these wonderful challenges:

Time Out: Seasonal Colors where you live - see my explanation above

 

Tic-Tac-Toe: tttc#302 - My row is diagonal orange - free - pink. 'free' stands for 'other colors'

 

Allsorts: #859 Anything autumn

Inspiration Station: #89 Inspiration photo - Lovely colors! I wish our world was as colorful as the photo, but no, our colors are more subdued.

 

Nachteulen / Nightowls: #65 Herbstlich bunt

 

 

Christmas greetings

 A sketch led me to think of Christmas and two other challenges reinforced the feeling in me: it's time for another Christmas card, as I don't have nearly enough yet... I have made just nine so far.

I pulled out my trusty snowflake dies, glittery card stock and glitzy little bits and pieces.

 

I die cut three snowflakes and arranged them on top of another, but not before I had cut a strip of vellum and stamped it with "Christmas greetings" which I then embossed as the drying time on vellum was more than I had time for.

 

Lastly came the shiny bits, one of them even has a snowflake design on it which I count as bonus.

Entering this in these inspiring challenges:

Freshly Made Sketches: #755 Sketch

 

As You See It: #382 Christmas is a-Coming ... My number is 9

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Christmas in September

Craft Rocket Challenges: #140 Use dies

Having fun

I am a guest designer for this fortnight over at Girlz Creative: Splash it with Color. Today's card is all about gelli plate fun. The leaves haven't turned yet where I live, but it is nice to live in anticipation. 

I selected a couple of autumn colors, a few stencils and a couple of stamp sets with leaves. And since fall - for me - is a joyous time, I added some celebratory gold thread; but also brown, to ground it.

I started by making just three sheets. I know I know, once you start it is nearly impossible to stop. I limited myself beforehand to just three. Even if they would not have been to my liking I would have made something. But luckily one was just perfect for the background and the other two were suitable for stamping.

 

To bring more shimmer and shine to the card (besides the gold thread), I heat embossed the stamped leaves with transparent embossing powder. It totally transforms the dull brown ink.

 

I propped the two leaves flanking the sentiment on foam strips and arranged the threads as a whirlwind underneath. The other leaves were just strewn below. 

 

I am entering this in these autumnal challenges:

Die Traumfabrik: #154 Quand vient l'automne [When Fall is coming]: Autumn colors and/ or mushrooms - I am playing with just the colors

Cardz 4 Guyz: #390 Fall / autumn theme colors

Creative Inspirations: Hello Autumn

Addicted to Stamps and More: #526 Make your mark

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Make your own background 

 

Curious kitties

Inspired by a challenge, today's card features some cute and curious kitties. I have had these stamps for a couple of years now, bought probably at FB marketplace, if it is not a charity shop find. I would love to know its brand or maker, as I suspect they would have more stamps with this degree of cuteness.

There is a tic-tac-toe challenge that gave me the idea and framework for this. I pulled out a stencil, an ink smudged piece of background and a die set. 

First I stenciled DO Stormy Sky onto the base. The effect is not too busy, which lets the kitties stand out. Then I die cut a couple of stems and sprayed them a bit with white ink.

The kitties were colored in with markers. Also showing the usage of snippets: the small piece of cardstock was used up completely for the kitties.

 

Lastly I wove a piece of twine from one stem to another. This card has no sentiment - yet. I had several on offer, but I'd like to find the perfect occasion for sending it and then find the sentiment to match.

 

Entering this in these great challenges that led my way today:

Alphabet Challenge: K is for kittens

Retro Rubber Challenge: #281 Fallish Tic-Tac-Toe My row is on top: ribbon/twine - stencil - die cut

 

 I Love Promarkers: #615 Animals

Stencil Fun: September Ag/ yellow optional - I am playing with AG

Snippets Playground: AG

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Make your own background 

Two little robots

I found a treasure in the charity shop last year: a plastic bag with five stamps. They were red rubber and mounted, but there was no imprint of them, and the original package had been discarded. I rescued them and brought them home. They are rather whimsical: two child robots (of the old, 1950's kind), a mechanical gnome and some other rather peculiar looking creatures.

As I was browsing through the challenges in search of a bundle that would work well together, they exuded their magic powers yet again and I found several that I was just too happy to combine. I could hear the child robots calling out to me, and they became the star of this card.

For the background I selected a strip of copy paper that I had ink smooshed, cleaned my stencils on and used for color flicking. The colors were nice and I decided to work with similar colors when coloring the robots.

I cut the paper to size, added a strip of another scrap as per the chosen sketch (see below) and mounted everything onto my card base. Then I stamped the robots, and after I had colored them in I fussy cut them. I arranged them (also according to the sketch) and stamped the sentiment "Cheer up!". I heat embossed it with clear embossing powder. Lastly I added three shiny little dots.

 

Entering this in these lovely challenges:

Passion for Markers: #856 For a child

Sunday Stamps: #ssc395 sketch

 

Cardz 4 Galz: #285 Fantasy: fairies, goblins, dragons etc.

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Make your own background (2nd)

Paper Rock Scissors: #20 September - paper and scissors! Rocks, too, if you want to count the shiny bits.

"Each passing year...

... makes you more wonderful". That's a sentiment stamp I have and I find the message beautiful. Today I wanted to use it on my card. I looked for challenges that would help me in my effort and found some terrific ones. (Listed at the end.)

First I gathered my supplies: a background stamp with wood grain pattern, a flower planter and some sort of metallic band found on the street.

 

I started by preparing the background. I ink blended a strip with soft colors that were repeated in the planter lady. Then I ink smudged a piece of paper with a couple of brown acrylics and stamped the woodgrain pattern onto it.

Now it was time to add markers and color the lady. 

 

Lastly I wove the metallic band through the foliage. I attached everything with foam strips. 

 

 Entering this in these inspiring challenges:

Tic-Tac-Toe: #TTTC301 - I selected the row on the left: Woodgrain - Ink blending - metal embellishment

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Make your own background

Stamps + Fun= Creativity: #502 Text

Shopping Our Stash: #582 Who's Who

A Perfect Time to Craft: September Open challenge 

 

"To my favorite human"

 If there has ever been a sentiment that I don't understand, it is this. Animals don't send cards, nor do we have AI friends or robots who would send us cards. And the technology is not so advanced yet (if it ever will be, beware!), that non-humans would send us greeting cards. So why?!

Nonetheless, I have such a sentiment as part of a set. And today was the first day in my personal history, ever, that I would consider using it, by proxy of a very flustered bird who might have forgotten someone's birthday. 

 

I selected the bird, because it is a brand new (to me) stamp and I have been itching to use it. It suited fine for a couple of challenges.

I stamped the bird onto the card base, then drew three circles (as per a sketch), one around the bird and two smaller ones. I then applied GT watercolors onto everything. The special feature of Gansai Tambi watercolors is that they can be applied opaque, almost like gouache, and then again watery, like aquarelle. I used opaque for the background and more watery for the bird itself. I kept everything in two colors only, pink and brown.

 

Entering this card in these challenges I was inspired by:

Hand Stamped Sentiments: #497 Sketch

 

Sweet Stamping: CAS

Addicted to Stamps and More: #317 Circles

 

Girlz Creative Color: #30 Bruin en/ of roos - Brown and/or pink

NBUS: #90 September 

In the Pink

Today I was delighted to find several challenges that support each other nicely. An inspiration photo gave me the nudge to dig out my less used floral stamps and another challenge to consider my stash of designer papers.

I found a pretty paper in my stash as well as a floral stamp set I have used only once if at all by the looks of it. Not pictured is the label die (Spellbinders) which I added in the last minute. The sentiment set is an oldie but a goodie.

I cut the background paper to size. Then I stamped a blooming branch of what I suspect are apple flowers and colored it with my markers. I then fussy cut it and attached it with foam tape to give the card some dimension. Lastly I stamped the sentiment "Sending lots of love" onto the die cut tag.

 

Entering this in these lovely challenges:

Double D Challenge: DD9/26 Pretty in Pink

 

Creative Crafting Uncles: #81 Males go feminine

Everybody Art Challenge: #606 Rosa / pink

Crafty Catz: #719 AG

Love those Pretty Papers: ATG / fall florals optional. I am playing with AG

Big trees, tiny city

 I love big, really tall trees, they sort f take your breath away. Aided by a couple of challenges I set out to create a scene with just such trees.

I gathered my supplies: two stamps (Carabelle and Indigo Blue) and some GT watercolors. The top one is actually green, although it looks very black in the photo.

I started by using a piece of printer paper. This isn't ideal, as it is far too thin, but it had such a nice pale background of grey and orange hues. I had used it as a blotting paper under my projects. Too good to throw away, in my opinion. 

I stamped the forest in brown Versafine ink and treated the stamping with clear embossing. Then I took the small stamp with a cityscape and stamped it at the bottom. I used only the buildings and made it look continuous.

 

Then I added splotches of green and orange for the leaves and some blue here and there to mimic the big sky. I love how the city is so small compared to the huge trees in the forest.

Entering this in these wonderful challenges that serves as my inspiration today:

We Love Stamping: Trees and leaves 

Kreativ-Tanten: Wald / Forest 

Just Us Girls: Mood Board week 841 - I was inspired by the look of trees and buildings

 

Creative Knockouts: #579 September 17 AG 

Enjoy

 I am a friend of recycling items in the craft room. Especially tags. I have a collection of beautiful tags in my craft drawer. Some are just too pretty which is why I haven't used them yet. But today was apparently the day...

I was intrigued by a couple of challenges and wanted to fit them together. How does circles, colorful, recycle and adding a charm sound to you? To me it sounded like just the ticket, as I always have so much leftovers. Either from projects that I made too much fodder for, or items that didn't fit a certain project and were discarded, or the cut-offs from die cuts.

 

I started by covering the tag with gelli print strips (cut for a project in 2024). I then stamped circles onto the background (stamp by Rubberdance, last used in the previous decennium) and spent an inordinate amount of time trying to fit the pink circle cut-outs onto it until I resorted to a die-cut of a round balloon (the balloony bit is hiding under the vase). The flowers in the vase is a die by Nellie's Choice. I had cut it ages ago from a neon colored post-it and darkened some areas with ink. Today it found its place.

 

Lastly came a pretty brad as my charm, and the little but important word 'enjoy' as this is going to accompany a tasty gift.

Entering this in these inspiring challenges:

Tag-along and ATC's: Circles

Die-cut Divas: Recycle, re-use & repurpose - I used a clothing tag as my base

GRC: #56 alles mag of gebruik een bedel - ik heb een bedel gebruikt

Crafters' Cafe: AG/ optional Lots and lots of colors - I am playing with the Option

The Neglected Stuff: September - all the used items have been neglected for years