Summer, sun and sailing -

- doesn't that sound like an ideal way to celebrate a birthday? There were several challenges that inspired me today. I pulled out my supplies, a stamp set and markers and some ready supplies from my stash that needed to be used up.

I stamped the rabbit guy and the sail boat and colored them in. I glued the circle behind the rabbit guy and placed the sail boat and the sentiment on foam pads. The background is made of gelli print scraps.

 

I am entering this in these inspirational challenges:

Crafty Chicks: #831 Moodboard - I was inspired by the sea and sailing images

 

Cardz 4 Guyz: #388 Summer theme 

Do-Al(l) Kreatives: #116 Wetter, Sonne, Regen, Wind, Schnee (Weather) - Wind und Sonne sind meine Wörter

Girlz Make Guyz Cards: #41 alles mag mannen (AG men)

Mix It Up: #84 AG / shape card optional - I am playing with AG 

Merry Christmas to 'ewe'

 Today's inspiration came from many sources: a sketch, prompts for Christmas in July and animals. And my new sheep (ewe) stamp. 

 

I gathered the supplies, having the vague idea of using the stars and the designer paper in my card. I later ditched that idea and settled for the baubles instead. I fell in love with this ewe stamp, it lends itself to marker coloring really well.

 

I am entering this card in the following challenges that were my inspiration:

 CAS Colours and Sketches: #589 Sketch

 

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Four-legged friends

Passion for Markers: #845 Animals 

Crafty Chicks: #828 Christmas 

 

Sweet Stamping: Christmas in July  

 

Hello friend

 Again I got inspired by a couple of challenges and wanted to see if I could combine them to a pleasing whole. Male greeting cards are difficult for me, I admit, but one does need them in one's stash.

This is what I worked with today: a stamp set (whose wrapper is long gone so I have no idea of its maker), but where the animals have beautiful patterns, alcohol markers, card stock in various colors, hexagon dies and 'dusky violet' embossing powder.

 

I stamped the bird, embossed it with purple (which turned out surprisingly dark despite its name) and colored the pattern it in with markers. Then I die cut two hexagons and laid them topsy-turvy over each other and placed the bird on them. I then stamped the sentiment and embossed it as well. At this point the card didn't seem quite finished so I brought on three enamel dots.

 

 

Entering this in the challenges that inspired me today:

Alphabet Challenge: E is for embossing (wet or dry) - I went with heat embossing (which is wet?)

CAS Colours and Sketches: #588 Colors

 

Addicted to CAS: #311 Code word: Pattern - I used a bird stamp with a pattern

 

Krafty Chicks Challenge: #826 Masculine

Here's to you!

 A new year and #newbeginnings. To celebrate the event, I gathered festive pinks and reds and ventured into new territory myself. 

The background has a wax imprint, made with some wax paper and an embossing folder. The imprint needed to be ironed so the wax can melt - this makes the pattern transfer into the paper. When I colored the background with distress oxides - Picked raspberry and Festive berries - wax resisted the color and a pattern was created. There's an old Youtube video on the technique, I will link it when I find it again.

 

That of course created a lovely texture on the paper - the wax imprint is never 1-on-1 with the embossing folder, as the wax paper will crease and those creases will imprint themselves onto the card base.

A huge bouguet of die cuts, mostly gelliprints, and a wax seal round up the design.

Entering it into these challenges that inspired me:

Creative Crafting Uncles Challenge: #48 Christmas / New Year

Tuesday Morning Sketches: #737 Annual AG

Crafty Chicks: #696 All occasions

Alphabet Challenge: T is for texture 

 

Thank you for your visit and see you again in 2024!

Snippets for CAS

 Why is CAS - clean and simple - so hard to pull off??  When elements are reduced and the background noise is not there everything else has to sit.

I am in awe of this style and wanted to try my hand at it again. 

The vase is stamped directly onto the card base, the floral arrangement of golden twigs was actually a snippet of golden craft paper put to good use. It's a birthday card. I handwrote the text ("Armfuls of happiness").

Entering it into the challenges that inspired it:

We Love Stamping: June AG / or CAS - I was inspired by the CAS option

Crafty Chicks Challenge: #668 CAS

Addicted to Stamps: #448 Birthdays

Snippets Challenge: #456 

Craft Rocket Challenges: #104 Use dies