Vintage travel - let your heart take you

 Let your heart take you was my motto when I created this travel-themed card. I have done less vintage now that I have moved to greeting cards from ATC. But today I saw a prompt for "vintage" ans wanted to do that again. I recently bought a roll of Tim Holtz collage paper which has people and sceneries on it and I thought that would also fit nicely. Other than that I have too many stamps that needed an outing...

I was also inspired by the color palette of SCC311, from which I picked four: red, brown, tan and the blue-grey.

I got the idea for the olden day "paraglider" thanks to another challenge and the travel aspect from yet another. It was so much fun creating this card!

 

Entering this into the challenges that inspired me:

CountryViewChallenges: Vintage

SCC: #311 Color palette "Beach House vibes", use at least three (see above)

Everybody Art Challenge: 538 Transportmittel / vehicles of every description

Stamping Sensations: Around the world 

 

Thank you for your visit!

 

Spring is coming

 I have wanted to make a wood-cut looking card for a long time. Today was the day!

I picked three flowers making sure they were outline stamps. I am so in love with these by Altenew, the stamps are actually from two different sets. The large flower had a corresponding filler stamp, for the the smaller ones I used the filler stamp for leaves.

I used distress inks from a refiller, because I wanted the ink looking uneven. I also selected a super porous paper that took up the ink without drying time - that way I could be sure the coverage was uneven and it would be looking like it was applied by a wooden block.

I then matted it with pale blue, added a scribbled frame and some Nuvo drops.

The sentiment is by Creative-Depot, it has a nice calligraphy feel to it.

Entering it in:

Try Stamping on Tuesday: #551 - I was inspired by the photo of those gorgeous tulips

Country View Challenges: Spring is coming

Beyond the Blue: #BB60 Use your words

Frilly and Funkie: April showers bring May flowers - the flowers are here already! 

Tuesday Taggers: Spring colors

This little happy hen says 'hello' to you

 My most recent purchase is this adorable hen stamp by Perlenfischer (here - change the language to English). Hen come to the focus of attention just about now, spring is all about new everything: new grass, new little chicks, new leaves, blooms...

I attempted two color stamping and fussy cut the image. Previously I had pulled a doily through cold coffee and let it dry. I also die cut a delicate piece of lace and some letters.

Yes! The hen is speaking Finnish - I have no idea what they would say in English. I might make another with hens speaking in several languages - that would be fun. Please let me know in comments what they say in your language.

Entering this in:

Allsorts Challenge: #670 Any "real" animals

Paperminutes: #737 Buchstaben / Letters 

Addicted to Stamps: #426 Make your mark - I hope coffee-dyed doily and two tone stamping count!

Country View: Spring is coming

AAA Challenge: #211 Anything CAS + Spring animal 

Thank you

 I just love peonies. Technically they are not really spring flowers, but I can observe their tentative efforts as they are starting to emerge.

This is a Thank you card - very approriate also for Mother's Day (unless I have some other uses for it before that - we'll see).

I made used Distress inks for the colors. The background is a medley of Stormy Sky and Chipped Sapphire with some drops of Broken China.

The flower was colored in with Victorian Velvet and Picked Raspberry. (It was stamped and colored separately, then fussy cut and glued onto the stamped blue base.

The stems and leaves were brushed over with Frayed Burlap - which had turned bright green in the bottle!

 I am entering this into the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge: #666 AG - I go with the option of Distress

Country View Challenge: Mother's Day

Everybody Art Challenge: 509 B - für Blume

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Bit o' Green

Stamping Sensations: Something for Spring

Leaves are a-falling

 My favorite stamp of the moment is an old stamp by The Paper Source, one that has served me well over a decade. It always works, for every season. 

To step up my game a notch, I stamped the leaves with acrylics many many times and drew the outlines with a black marker. I then cut them out ( it was a lot of cutting!) and adhered them with foam pads onto a card base.

For sentiment I stamped and embossed "Congrats" several times and adhered them in the center.

Entering this in: Stamping Sensations: Favorite stamp of the moment

Country View Challenge: Leaves begin to fall

Double D Challenge: Leaves

A simple Sympathy card

 If there isn't a saying that small is beautiful, there should be. I have a small leaf die, barely an inch long. I haven't used it till now, because I had no idea what to do with it.

 I started by coloring in some card stock with Oxides and then I ran the die eight or nine times to get enough of the leaves. I also ran a circle die with vellum and started arranging the leaves onto it.

 Here is the final product.

It became the main feature on a sympathy card.

Entering in:

Try it on Tuesday: Keep it simple

Country View Challenges: Monochromatic 

Watercooler Challenges: #322 All about Occasions

A monochrome birthday card

Yhis time I was inspired by a couple of topics ans wanted to see what it would look like if I would combine rectangles, monochrome and the use of stencils. Also I needed a birthday card that would not be overly sweet.

I selected orange as my color. 

Then the stencil part: I spritzed Distress ink Spiced Marmalade through a geometric stencil. Then I took that same stencil and created another sheet of paper, now with orange acrylics. When the paint was dry I sponged the white space with mustard seed Distress ink.

I opted for squares which I cut from that paint stenciled paper and arranged my card. I layered two of the squares with die cuts and stamped the text. 

 

Clicks for larger

It reads: "To the most wonderful 35 year old in the world".

 

Entering in:

Friendship challenge: #67 Vierecke wollen wir sehen Ich habe Vierecke verwendet

Fab and Funky: Monochrome - orange

Country View Challenges: Use a stencil (or two) - used just one

River of Creativity: #3 No hearts or mushy stuff not mushy at all!

The Crafters' cafe: Layer it up (2nd entry)  Four layers, I think...

Celebrate

 Country View Challenges is celebrating its 100th challenge.

I am participating with this Skinny-sized card (5" by 3"). I was inspired by Corrie's beautiful background. I used a TH numbers stencil, but my numbers did not show as clearly, for whatever reason. So I added the number 100 with rub-on numbers.

linking to: Country View Challenges

Everyday superhero

Arjen sankari ja pelastaja - mitä elämä oliskaan ilman kemiaa! Tämä kortti on omistettu kaikille hulluille - ja järkeville - tiedemiehille, jotka ovat tehneet arjestamme paremman. Tein kortin inspiraatioksi OKTK:n uusimpaan haasteeseen: Supersankari.

What would life be without dreams. And dreams without drive!
This slightly mad looking dude is standing in for all inventors, the unsung superheroes of our lives.

entering in:
Dream in Darkness: Inventors never die
Country view challenges: The eyes have it

Spring

OKTK mixedmediahaasteen uusi kierros avautui juuri. Hakaneulaa pitää käyttää kiinnittämään kahta asiaa toisiinsa.
Tausta on Timpan painettua voipaperia jonka ruiskin erilaisilla musteilla. Myös pinkkiä on joukossa sitomassa taustaa ja kuvia toisiinsa.

The background is TH printed tissue paper which I sprayed with several colors, including pink so it would tie in with the images. The flower was originally white, but received a pink coating.
Entering this in:
Unstampabelles: Krazy for kritters, Twist: Bokeh background (which I didn't attempt).
Country View Challenges: Easter or Spring

Tissues and numbers

This somewhat moody card was inspired by two challenges. The background has paper with numbers and there is a top layer of a flowery tissue on the right.

entering in:
Frilly and Funkie: Pass the tissues, please!
Country View Challenges: Letters and/or numbers

I made a group of three with the same idea and each one took on a different identity.

Count your blessings

An umbrella and a pair of rain booties - count your blessings when it rains!

Stamped, fussy cut, embossed... The girl with umbrella is from an anonymous maker, I purchased it pre-loved;  the saying and marks is from Technique Junkies and the clouds is ancient Stampington.

I would like to enter these in:
Country View Challenges: Black, white plus one
Simon Says Monday Challenge: Add some red
Fashionable Stamping: Anything goes

Winter

Paris in winter.

With this little wintry bird card I am taking part in these challenges:

Country View Crafts: Landscape-Cityscape
CraftyHazelnutsPatterned Paper: January challenge
Three Muses: Birds

When more is... well, more

A new challenge is starting over at Use Your Stuff - this might be just up your alley. 'Bohemian Rhapsody' - think opulence, colors, embellishments, allow yourself pile up the goodies you have been hoarding for such a long time. Just be brave and incorporate 'everything' into your piece.

What? You are a minimalist? Can't do it?
That's what I thought - never. My biggest fear is doing something overloaded and 'too much'.

I started small: heavy gesso through a stencil. When it was dry I took hot pink and red and painted over everything. I used grey cardstock, it took the color differently from gesso, so I achieved texture and tonality. Then came purple paint through another stencil.

I looked for exotic flowers and birds and cut those out. After arranging the pictures on the cards I took my gold leaf (I used the mixed metallic version which incorporated copper, silver and gold flakes) and applied it in places that would stay visible.

Sequins were adhered next. It still looked like it could use more. I took pearly drops (pink, olive, red and copper) and squirted them all over the place. At this point I called them finished. Although I am still at two minds about a text - does it need one? Is it a pretty picture or are the birds talking? (They were very quiet with me...)

entering in:
Simon Says Wednesday: A bit of sparkle.
Eclectic Ellapu: Anything goes May.
CountryView Challenge: Flower power.

Birthdays

... are just numbers, right? I could be wrong though... at least these ladies don't look overly delighted.

Now Ann, Mary and Charlotte here claim their age to be a secret,

whereas Jane and Elizabeth are at least attempting to make a wish:

The stamp is an under-used old Paperartsy which I have had since five-six years if memory serves me right.
For background I used the 'stamp an acrylic plate, mist with water, drag your background through the droplets' -technique by Tim Holtz. I used pink, lavender and plum. It's interesting how the colors stayed separate but united to form two-tone droplets.
I am using primaries as prompted in the RetroRubber challenge.

entering in:
Fashionable Stamping: It's just a number
CountryView Challenge: Inspired by Tim Holtz
Retro Rubber: RRCB57 Color my world

 

Inspired

... by Tim Holtz. For background I picked the little used technique of turning stamping into watercolor from his second Compendium. And I just love the new paperdolls from Tim!

entering into:
CountryView Challenge: Inspired by Tim Holtz
Take a Word: Childhood

SimonSays: Based on a book - that would be Little Red Ridinghood:

and the whole set into:
A Vintage Journey: All aboard

Three / Kolme

KKvintage-haaste starttaa tänään ja aihe on tällä kertaa "Kolme". Eli mitä tahansa, kunhan niitä on kolme, kolme paperia, samaa koristetta, kolme kerrosta tai kolme ihmishahmoa niinkuin tässä.

Kolmen ryhmiä löysin varastoistani aika monta, mutta valitsin miehet, naiset ja lapset. Olisi löytynyt perheryhmiäkin, tai naisten ja miesten sekaryhmiä... taidan säästää ne toiseen kertaan, mielessä kypsyy jo kolmiodraama kortin aiheena.

Kaikilla hahmoilla on pieni kiiltävä sydän jossain kohtaa, sillä kun kevät lähestyy on rakkauttakin ilmassa.  Miehet epäröivät vielä voivatko he noin vain rakastua.

Naiset taas ottavat ja rakastuvat umpimähkään.

Lapset eivät vielä muuta toivo kuin suurta onnea, mitä se sitten lieneekään.

These were a quick make: take a pizza box, sand it, cut three cards, put a light wash of gesso on them, stamp the background, cut figures, cut words, paste figures, paste words - and voila! Sometimes it is very satisfying to make something quick.

Entering into:
Country View Challenges: 30 minutes or under
Take a Word: Valentine
SimonSays Monday: Use your favorite tool -  that would be scissors, I fussy cut everything!

Piiloviesti / a hidden message

Koukussa kortteihin Vintage-haasteessa on aiheena piiloviesti. Piiloviesti voi olla mitä tahansa, kunhan se ei ole heti havaittavissa. Innostuin tekemään kirjaimia monessa kerroksessa. Niitä on pohjalla, pohjan päällä muovisia askartelukirjaimia joiden päälle olen leimannut vielä tekstiä.

Ne ovat kuitenkin vain hämäystä: varsinainen viesti löytyy silmän kulkiessa sinne tänne. (Itse en enää löytänytkään viestiä, hupsista. Tein kortit jo jonkun aikaa sitten. Ilmeisesti tämä onkin vaikeampaa kuin kuvittelin!)

A set of mixed media cards made with paints, stamping, children's plastic letters, found images and found words.

entering into:
Country View Challenge: January anything goes.
CreativeArtisteMixedMedia: #22
The Artistic Stamper: Anything goes

Celebrate

Time is slipping by so fast, it's practically New Year. I'd like to wish you all the best. Hopefully you had a nice holiday and will enjoy the celebrations tonight!

It seems a bit incongruent to be making Christmas cards after the fact, but I have been catching up on card making. And these will be good for next year...
I urgently wish for snow. Here I created falling snow (stamp by October afternoon, stamped with white), then added glittering mica flakes on the bottom. The cheery birds are hopping around with their Santa hats on  ... well hello there!

 entering in:
The Artistic Stamper: Christmas
Country View Challenges: Christmas
DreamInDarkness: Santa

Gruesome for Halloween

Halloween is mostly funny pumpkins, but as there is a challenge this week on extra-terrestial I wanted to explore other kinds of fearful things that would be scarier than an odd witch.

Like cyborgs - those are humans with machine parts.

Or aliens,

or more aliens... 'Carpe noctem' - 'Seize the night'.

entering into:
Stampotique: SDC-260 Outer Space
Country View Challenge: All things spooky
Koukussa kortteihin: Miehelle /isälle sopii tällainen rouhea avaruuskortti