On the ball...

 Three challenges today were gorgeous match: I got to stamp my favorite little critters and make a birthday card. Everything was colored in with markers.

I love layers in my cards - but applaud to those who can produce a single layer card. I cannot. here, my point in case: two layers for the background and then die cut stamped images on top.

Entering this in:

As You Like It: To layer / or not - and why

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Stamp it!

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: 4 legged friends

Daring Cardmakers: On, or At the ball.

Cherries

 A good friend of mine was born at cherry time. Or, at the time when the cherries used to ripen; now they are ripe much earlier (courtesy of global warming). So "of course" there needed to be cherries on her birthday card.

Good fruit and berry stamps are hard to find. I am not keen on juvenile berries, those are galore... I am looking for more naturalistic looking fruit and berries and finally found a good one. (Hero Arts' Layered cherries)

I started by color blending the entire background.

Then I stamped a bit of noise, barely visible.

Lastly I stamped some leaves in one of the background colors and adhered the cherries as the focal point. The cherries - my goodness did some work go into them. Color layering means you get to stamp it four times instead of just two. The bottom layer was stamped with dark green and brown Versafine pigment ink, then embossed with clear embossing powder. Then came the second layer of stamping, this was done in Oxides. The cherries received one more layer with patches of red and pink embossing powders.

Entering this in:

A Blog Named Hero: Smooth

Stamping Sensations: June challenge bright and colorful

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Emboss it

Alphabet Challenge: F is for fruit

 As You Like It: With or without words (and why) - the type of card I am making (semi-clean) does somehow need a text to look complete. I suppose with mixed media cards I wouldn't do it. But yes, my cards are with words so they already spell out the occasion and I can concentrate on writing something personal on the inside.

And because this was the first time using these two stamps I am showing it in NBUS (Never before used schtuff) #63

There will be cherries...

 ... but that's later in the year. Now in spring there are these gorgeous cherry blossoms.

I stamped the blossoms onto  craft cardstock. I think pencils take a really interesting look when used this way. I layered color in many shades and tried to work out depth by using white partly behind the branch and blossoms. I highlighted the stamen heads with a white Posca pen.

The text reads: Enjoy little moments.

Entering this in these lovely challenges:

We Love Stamping: Spring 

Addicted to Stamps &More: #466 Make your mark

As You Like It: Clean or fussy - and why  I like making both types of cards, it depends on the subject and my mood. Today I went for a more impressionistic, fussy, look with the many shades of colors that I used.

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Anything goes

New again

Something old that's new again: I have been neglecting my mixed media work lately. What is actually new: the stencil. I treated myself to a Christmas calendar that had a stencil for each day. That makes 24 shiny new stencils to play with.

I started with a background that had random streaks of paint on it. I covered it with a stencil and some Simon Hurley Lunar paste (Slippery when wet, a lovely gold tone) to get some texture. When the paste had dried I sprayed the background with blue ink.

The card didn't need much else. I wrote a sentiment onto a die cut oval, and because it did look like it needed something I used 7 little half pearls in iridescent blue. I am definitely a pearl person, I love that subtle sheen whereas jewels feel too gaudy.

Entering the card into these lovely challenges that inspired me today:

As You Like It: What's your favorite, pearls or gems

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Add some texture 

Double D: Sparkle and/or shine

NBUS: #58 January schtuff

 

Thank you for your visit!

It's cold outside

 First snow arrived today - how beautiful. Of course it prompted me turn to some challenges for inspiration. I found a few, and as a result I am combining the winter theme with a wintry-christmassy critter.

The background has been run through my Sizzix with neat method that combines wax paper, an embossing folder and follows up with a hot iron and some colors. I am not sure from whom I learned about it, but it was on Youtube. The deer is stamped, the snowflakes and text have been die cut. I find a deer perfect for wintertime cards, it has that woodsy feel (unlike reindeer that dwells in the treeless Lapland).

 

I am entering my card into the following challenges:

TioT: Baby it's cold outside

Traumfabrik: #122 "Elliot the little reindeer" Anything that is Christmassy or wintry and features a reindeer or a stag - I chose a deer

Stamping Sensations: Get ready for Christmas My text reads "Merry Christmas"

As You Like It: Favorite Christmas critter (and why?)  I chose a deer for reasons above

Use Your Stuff: #479 Winter or snow

Summer flowers for birthday

 Do you like plain paper or patterned paper for your projects? I would have answered this question with "plain", as I practically never buy patterned paper. Then I started my project and grabbed my favorite papers, made with gelli plate. I had to decide that they were not plain, not even those where I had used one color.  The color creates texture and thus a pattern, and I also use old books as a substrate.

Summer flowers are so pretty, especially those unassuming field flowers. I picked poppy, chicory and a simple nameless flower and stamped them onto some gelli prints, then  heat embossed them with a transparent embossing powder that gives the outline a nice shine.

The background papers are from my snippets box.
 

Entering in:

AsYouLikeIt Challenge: Favorite Patterned or Plain papers (and why) - it would be pattern, but one that I have created myself

Make My Monday: #204 Birthday 

Try It On Tuesday: Summer Blooms

Happy Little Stampers: July Birthday AG

SimonSays Wednesday Challenge: AG 

 

Thank you for stopping by!

Pastel or bright?

 That's always the question I pose when starting out - will the card have soft or strong colors? I don't have an absolute preference, it varies. The colors I own are no help, either - I have both brights and pastels.

Today I preferred pastel. It was the mood of the silhouetted flowers and the fact I felt drawn to shades of peach (there is a lovely challenge!) that decided it for me.

The background has been stenciled and the flowers as well. It's a birthday card, the sentiment says: Life is wonderful (the congrats will be written inside).

 

Entering in:

Colorful Options: Peach

As You Like It Challenge: Pastels or brights - and why?  I have no clear preference, today I went with pastels because they befitted my mood and the theme.

Daisy Chain Challenge: #75 No design paper - indeed none, I made my own background!

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Anything goes

Use Your Stuff: #485 Anything goes

Make a wish on Father's Day

 I make far more feminine cards than cards for males. A few celebrations are coming up so this will be remedied. 

When a dear someone loves fishing the theme of the cards is almost a given. I was heavily inspired by Festive Friday Challenge and picked the prompts 'plaid' (Tim Holtz plaid die), 'blue'  and 'monochrome' to go with the fish (fishing also happens to be one of the prompts, incidentally).

I colored the die-cut plaid in with ac ouple of blue Oxides, then mounted it on black cardstock. 

The fish lie on a bed of silver thread (supposed to mimic a fishing line). I colored them in with markers and popped a drop of shiny accent for their eyes.

Entering in these challenges:

Festive Friday FF#0135 "Fathers Day" - thank you for these lovely prompts!

and its partner Double Trouble Challenge #139 - entering in all three options.

also in:

As You Like It Challenge : My favorite masculine theme is fishing

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Add a sentiment

Make My Monday: #201 Masculine

Christmas moods

 There are so many ways to do Christmas cards. This year I am going with critters, non-traditional at that. I am not a dog person, but this stamp set was too cute to pass by. (there are three different ones in this.) This dog seems a bit rowdy and a bit messy and I know just the person who will love to receive this card for Christmas.

I splattered a blue background paper with some bleach to create a messy mood suitable for this rowdy dog who also sports a red Christmas hat. A large die-cut snowflake and a hand stamped sentiment reading Merry Christmas complete the card.

The color inspiration came from Hand Stamped sentiments #304 challenge mood board. I am linking it even though I was too late to enter.

I am entering my card into these challenges:

The idea of creating a mood to suit the recipient came from here:

Paperminutes: #772 Winter, Weihnachten, Stimmungen

And the use of a non-traditional animal on a Christmas card was inspired by As You Like It

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: AG

Dragonfly Dreams: Christmas

Through the Craft Room Door: AG November 22nd

 

Thanks so much for visiting!

The magic of Christmas

 The dark season is upon us up in the north. Which makes me gravitate towards moody colors. I was overjoyed to see several challenges offer themes that would inspire me for creating cards that fit the mood and the season.

I stenciled little tiny dots with a glittery paint. It is a wonderful paint, it comes on white but dries as just a glorious heap of glittery gold.

For the big stars I used a new to me die which I cut twice but only used the center star from the other dies cut. The stars all have glossy accents on top.

The words have iridescent embossing powder on them ("Psychedelic transparent" by StampingUp) and it reads 'it's the time of Christmas magic' (roughly translated).

 

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

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Stencil it

Cardz 4 Gals: #186 Use a stencil

As You Like It Challenge: Favorite non-traditional Christmas color combo and why: Brown on black catches the mood of darkness that we experience here in Scandinavia, and I like it for it's quiet elegance.

Moving Along with the Times: #148 Bright on Dark

Beyond the Blue: #74 Gold 

NBUS challenge: #44 : The die and iridescent enamel were today used for the first time.