A summery encouragement card

 I confess I am a challenge junkie - I find the best ideas when scrolling through challenge prompts and finding ones that I'd like to combine. Today's inspirations are summery and water-heavy, but do include a nicely fitting color scheme. I needed an encouragement card for a friend who is going through some rough patches in life. 

I have kilos and kilos or pounds and pounds of beautiful designer papers, but somehow never use them. Today I pulled some of them out. I realize they barely will make a dent to my stash, but it's a start. I also pulled a stamp and a die set of two lively fish. Later I also used some silver card stock.

 

I tore the background and arranged it in waves. Then I glued the die cut fish in place, stamped and heat embossed the sentiment ("keep your head up").

 

I am entering this card in the challenges that inspired me today:

Color Dare: week #710  

 

Paper Funday: #89 AG/ Twist: Make a splash. I went with the twist 

PIP: #86 Water 

 

Four Seasons: Summer 

 

Carlin's Kaartenparadijs: #96 juli

 

There's cake!

 Cake is the theme of the first challenge I was inspired by. I made a cake with two rectangle shapes. To decorate it, I got inspired by a color challenge, but also by a "re-use, recycle" challenge.

The flowers were cut from color paper, the cake decoration from a vellum (or possibly yupo) tag from a swimsuit that I have been saving up for a special project. The printed portion is hiding under the flowers.

Entering it in these lovely challenges:

TGIF Challenge: #tgifc456

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Recycle

Color My Heart Color dare challenge: #584 Six pack

Daring Cardmakers: Floral frenzy

AAA Birthdays: Rainbow / Rainbow colors

Thank you for your visit!

Flowers for birthday

 A couple of lovely challenges were calling my name - one for layout, another for colors and two for flowers. I do love flowers and have wquite a few floral stamps.

For this card I selected an oldie by Stampendous. It is a skinny rectangle, so it needed cutting to size. I stamped the flowers with pale grey ink, then colored them in with Oxides and smeared some Nuvo drops on top for some sheen.

 I fussy cut it completely, even the center, then added blue cardstock tying it in I had with the blue flower in the background. Lastly I adhered iridescent sparklies most everywhere.

The sentiment was stamped onto a die cut circle and a frilly circle of vellum was adhered behind to soften it up.

Entering in these challenges that inspired me today:

Die-Cut Divas: Flowers

Beautiful Blossoms Challenge: AG/ or moodboard optional. - I decided to go with softer colors.

Color My Heart Colordare Challenge: #577

 

Hand Stamped Sentiments: #428 sketch 

and the living is easy...

 I needed these couple of challenges to snatch me out of my comfort zone. Firstly, I seldom do brights, and secondly, I don't like beach life.

But - that was exactly what was called for. I pulled out my old stamp of a rather bored looking mouse type character. I have had it for ages but actually not used it on greeting cards yet. (On ATC's, yes.) Her neck was too long for my taste so I shortened it drastically. Also drew a new arm so she could hold an ice cream cone.

 

The background was ink blended first (squeezed lemon, twisted citron, salvaged patina) and then sprayed with mica through a stencil. Even though the stencil shows foliage, the result on the card reads water.

I then selected bright summery shades of yellow, orange and hot pink for everything else. (The text reads: Happy times.)

Entering in to the challenges that served as my muse:

Simon Says Wednesday challenge: Lots of layers (I have three)

StencilFun Challenge: use stencil, Optional: layered stencil. - I used only one.

Double Trouble: #140 On a warm summer's day - I am entering with all 3 TWISTS

Color My Heart ColorDare Challenge: #552 - entering in the DT partner challenge as well

Make my Monday: 202 Summer theme

Avenue 613: AG or "Good Old Summertime" - I went with that

Thank you for your visit!