Blue Christmas wishes

 Just in time - a rather tongue-in-cheek card - but one the recipient will appreciate.

I treated myself to a couple of new stamp sets this holiday. The layered goldfish set is by Hero Arts, as is also the skinny alphabet. 

The first layer of the goldfish was stamped in teal, the top layer was embossed with gold. I used the dotted embossing folder again to create a wintry background. I built a little winter scene for my card with the white tree and snowflakes (the blue one is cut from a gelli print).

I am entering it into these challenges:

Die Traumfabrik: #123 Cobalt blue AG w/ blue

Stay Crafty with a blog named Hero: December challenge - I used sets DC 136 and CL945

Basteltraum: Winterlandschaft - Winter landscape

We Love 2 Create: #11 AG 

NBUS Challenge: #57 December - the goldfish stamps were NBUS

Eternal sunshine

 Sunshine is what I wish for my summer vacation. Instead, I have been looking at rain clouds. It is a rainy summer up North where I live.Nevertheless, or for that reason, I was inspired by a couple of challenges that called for Vacation themes.

My starting point were the lovely colors of Inspirational challenge. I also got the idea for my starburst layout here - from the beach ball.

I have a lot of gelli prints, so I started by pulling out the vacation-appropriate colors: pink, turq, yellow, orange. Then I stamped "Happy Birthday" onto a cloud, which I placed in the center and flanked by two smaller clouds.

Entering this into these lovely challenges:

 Bastel-Traum: #125 Vacation/ Ferien

Inspirational Challenge: #51 Photo Inspiration

AAA Birthdays: Game #52: Anything Birthday goes

A Place to Start: AG/ Life is a beach - I am playing the AG option

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: AG

 

Thank you for your visit!

A green and blue B'day card

A tic-tac-toe was the starting point for this challenge. As I am always looking to double challenge myself, I chose to make a birthday card with my chosen row, which is blue and green - layers - die cut. 

I haven't had my leaf dies out for a while and I recently made a batch of gelli papers in several colors, so I was itching to do some creative die cutting.

 

I wanted to make a veritable greenery with some exotic - blue - flowers. Several layers of leaves are placed over one other, in the final layer I raised some of the leaves and all the flowers. 

The sky was made with finger daubers over a torn edge of printer paper.

The birthday wishes kind of disappear in the jungle. In order to draw more attention to the sentiment I chose to make it in glitter paper.

Entering this in:

TTTC Challenge: #tttc216 

 

Die Cut Divas: A birthday-themed month

HLS Die Challenge: July AG with dies

Bastel-Traum: #btchallenge124 Pflanzen / Blumen -- diesmal Planzen zum Geburtstag!

Summer twilight hour

 I love the summer evening twilight hour when the light gets quieter and the nature darker. Silhouetted against the sky or water or both the leaves lose their dimension and become shadow-like.

I tried to capture this special time in my birthday card for a child of summer. The background is done with acrylics using a gelli plate, the images are stamped with Versafine black ink and then heat embossed with plenty of clear embossing powder.

 

I was heavily inspired by these challenges and would like to enter this into

* Bastel-Traum: #btchallenge124 Planzen /Blumen - Plants /Flowers

* Just Add Ink #656 - Use any element of the inspiration picture: I used blue-purple and the silhouette idea.

CYHTP: June AG / Wedding Optional - I didn't use that option

Inkspirational Challenge: #291 Seasonal - I chose summer

Let's party!

 A set of cactus stamps - some glitter - some die cuts... That's my recipe for a party invitation.

One can hardly see the glitter on the party hats in this light, but it is there: it's Psychedelic glitter with a coat of Sprinkled Sugar.

Entering in these lovely challenges that inspired me on this weird concoction.

Simon Says Monday: Party Time!

Simon Says Wednesday: Party!

My Time to Craft: MTTC #50 New Year's Day 2023

Allsorts: Week 708/9 Clean and simple - I hope this is it!

Basteltraum: #120 Glitzer / Glitter #btchallenge120

Thank you for your visit!

A greeting card for winter

 There is something very reassuring about the shape of snowflakes. And as many of you may already know, I like to take cues from challenges. Right now there are quite a number suggesting the use of snowflakes. I like making winter themed greeting cards.

I started with this sketch by CAS Colours and sketches. It intrigued me, because you have to follow the layout as well as colors.

I turned the sketch sideways, reaching from top to bottom instead of left to right. 

I used the colors, too.  The text says "Wishing you a magical winter".

I am entering this into these challenges:

CAS Colours ans Sketches: #498 Double

Perfectly CAS: #33 Snowflakes

Basteltraum: #119 Schneeflocken / Snowflakes 

CAS on Friday: #245 Greeting Card

Alphabet Challenge: R is for Reduce

Thank you for stopping by!

Make a wish

 A different kind of a birthday card this time. I tried to go with a restricted color palette of pebble, sand, some darker brown and black.

Again I was guided by several challenges to use watercolors, a wild animal, do stamping and make no layers. And moreover, this is a stamp purchased three years ago that I am using for the first time.

I am entering it into these nice challenges:

Bastel-Traum: #105 Wasserfarbe / Watercolours - the fish are painted with watercolors

Chocolate Baroque: AG / opt. celebrations - this is a birthday card

Daring Cardmakers: A walk on the wild side - some very wild salmon here!

AAA Cards: No layers / opt. twist 'Hugs' - I am entering without the twist

NBUS: #30 AG - both stamps are being used for the first time

Congrats

I seem to alternate between color and no color. Right now I prefer quiet and laid back designs. This card moves colorwise in a very small sector: pure white, creamy white on a lemon chiffon card base, framed by the palest sand and quietly accentuated with straw yellow lettering.

The background has die cut white leaves that I arranged to fill in the rectangle. The letters are glued onto a vellum.

 

Entering this in:

Watercooler Wednesdays: #323 Feminine

Bastel-Traum: #104 Pflanzen / Plant

Addicted to CAS: #205 Nature

It's time for clean & simple

 I have been skirting the issue of clean and simple - not sure if it's really me? I don't like to overload my cards, but I think they are usually far removed from the CAS aesthetics: lots of white empty space and one focal point.

So I just had to try it. Luckily there are a couple of challenges that kind of play together and got my creative juices flowing.

Craft card stock in a one inch strip, one skeleton leaf die cut (Craft Emotions) and TH Tiny text remnant rubs for the sentiment.

Entering this in:

Allsorts challenge: #639 CAS - clean and simple

Bastel-Traum: #104 Pflanzen Plant

Happy Little Stampers August CAS challenge: Off the edge

AAA cards: #197 One inch strip / optional colored card base 

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Anything goes

   

Wild but cute

 For some reason seals look incredibly cute. especially this Saimaa Ringed Seal (links to Wikipedia in English, auf Deutsch). It has been in great trouble in the last century or so, fishermen claiming it's robbing them of their fish, and the seals themselves persihing through pollution. It's numbers are slowly picking up.

This little card is a reminder to keep moving forward - especially in the crafting world. It's always worth trying out new ideas, methods and imagery and stepping out of your comfort zone.

That's why I like blog challenges... Would I have made this card otherwise? - I doubt it.

The background was done with watercolor over clear embossed 'crumbs / Streusel' - I dabbed the substrate with a Versamark pen here and there and threw clear embossing powder at it. Then I used Brusho watercolor pigments. Stamps are by Art Journey and Stampers Anonymous. Thank you for looking!

entering in:

Bastel-Traum Challenge: #102 Tiere - Animals

ATC around the world: Wilde Tiere