When life gives you lemons...

 ... keep your head high and don't worry, this, too, shall pass. 

This is what I thought when seeing a picture prompt for a challenge. I went straight to my paint chip collection and selected yellow and pink. It was inspired by the first two pictures of that prompt. They go so well together and provide instant cheer. This was also the time to use the Main Squeeze dies (Altenew). I love that irregular circle!

 

As I don't own the stamps to match I proceeded to cut two circles, a large and a small, each one four times. Then I laid the smaller circles on top of each other and cut them in nine wedges. Why nine, you may ask. Well, it is a trick I learned from my mom. It is for cutting cake. When you have a full cake it is hard to serve out the first slice. So cut out a slice in the kitchen and have a taste, and arrange the next ones with some room around them and bring it out to your guests.

So I cut my smaller circle into nine wedges, because I wanted to use eight with some room between them.

Then I cut out lozenges of pink. I was thinking they would be the pieces of ice clinking around in lemonade, but looking at this they could also be happy pills or candy. The sentiment reads: Heads up!

(Sorry for the photo. There is a white reflection on my table that seems to cut into the card. It doesn't, the card is fully visible, but it does look peculiar.) 

 

Entering this in these lovely challenges:

Double D: #826 When life hands you lemons... 

 

Make My Monday: #285 Use yellow and white and another color

I Spy with my Little Eye: Sunflowers or something yellow

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Lots of layers

Classic Design Challenge: #08 Use a die cut/ AG 

 

 

Let's celebrate

 A card for a bird watcher's and wildlife enthusiast's big birthday? For someone who has set her eyes to Green Feathers' garden wildlife camera? Again several challenges aligned beautifully and inspired me in my card-making. 

The supplies I needed: two embossing folders, markers, linen twine and shiny diamante dots.

I started by embossing the background with the folder of small feathers. I then did a partial embossing and selected one leaf of the other folder as my starting point for the big feather. I first colored it in with markers. The three pictured were not enough, to get the right blends I grabbed some yellows as well. I then cut it in shape and curled it up a bit and added a bit of pearlescent finish.

I used the twine to make a small festive bow and added copious amounts of glittery stones. It's my favorite embellishment, yet I don't use it very often for fear of the card appearing tacky. Here the effect was very festive and even overrides the rustic vibe of that linen bow. (I had no ribbon in that color and I wanted to keep it monochrome.)

 

 Entering this in the inspiring challenges that I am implementing today:

Colorful Options: August

Double D: Feathers

 

CYHTP: AG with twist of Tie It Up - I am playing with the Twist

Passion For Markers: #849 Use your favorite embellishments - Mine are diamante pearly stones

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Monochrome

Paper Funday: #90 AG August 

 

When life gives your cherries...

 ... there is really nothing to complain. It's my favorite of seasonal fruit. And this of course means that I make a cherry card at least once a year.

My supplies were ink heavy and paper poor. In the beginning I didn't have my greens and browns out yet. It's a layering stamp, I stamped the first layer with oxides and the defining layer with Versafine. 

 

The pink background was made from an assembly instruction for flat-pack furniture which I brayered with pink acrylic and cut to size. As the text was still rather visible I stamped over it with an argyle style stamp to confuse the eye.

The cherries were fussy cut. As they looked rather forlorn I rummaged through my stash and found a cut-up doily which still hat a piece left. It serendipitously fit just perfectly under the cherries to bring them some depth. The sentiment reads 'Happy birthday'.

 

 

I am entering this in these wonderful challenges that inspired me today:

Double D: #dd7/26 Favorite fruit 

 

Snippets Playground: #536 AG with snippets 

We Love Stamping: Summertime

Little Red Wagon: #867 P is for Pink 

 

When a lot is simply too much

I tried to be clever and strategical with my combination of challenges today. I wanted to combine 'use stencil' with a sketch with die cuts with a theme ('tropical'). 

It all started with an array of supplies: two sets of die cuts, a stamp set and a stencil. I really like these irregular rectangles. I have no recollection where I bought this, but looking at the back side I saw it was made in India. 

 

I cut rectangles, colored them in with Oxides and arranged them according to the sketch. I cut 'tropical leaves' (name of the set)  from my gelli printed papers and I stamped a flower and colored it in with Ecoline watercolor markers. I stenciled the background with the stencil and Oxides. 

The trouble arose when I had to find a suitable sentiment. My choice fell on a small square 'Make a wish' which I embossed with neon orange embossing powder. I must say - that was too much. Perhaps it could be salvaged with another sentiment (or flower?) which would cover it. 

 

Before I attempt a remedy I will show this in the following challenges. The sketch challenge has closed, but the following are still active:

Tic-Tac-Toe: #tttc295 - I followed the diagonal row 'floral - square card - stencil'

Double D: Tropical - I was inspired by the lower right quadrant, it's colors and flowers 

 

A Cut Above: June AG - 2nd entry 

Creative Color Girlz: #5 Bloemen - Flowers 

Life's good

My favorite beverage is a frothy topped latte - something I don't get to enjoy every day, not even every week, it's a special treat when I go to a coffee house.

Inspired by a challenge that asks this question, followed by others that gave me the colorway and details I pulled out a few supplies: papers, twine and an embossing folder. I was debating between hessian and origami triangles (by Nellie Snellen). I decided to go with the origami triangles, given that the base was kraft - I felt that hessian would have brought this into a more rustic territory.

I tore the coffee cup shape out of patterned paper, then added a more colorful twine than I had originally pulled out. The milk froth was fashioned from cake paper (slightly dyed) and the steam was made with rub-ons.

 

Entering this in these serendipitous challenges:

Tic-Tac-Toe: TTTC#294 Bingo - I chose the middle horizontal: patterned paper - free - twine 

Cardz 4 Galz: #277 Browns and green with twine or ribbon

Time Out: #314 A favorite beverage

Shopping Our Stash: #575 Craft-astic 

Double D: Bows 

Just because...

 Today several challenges aligned beautifully and I was able to use them as my inspiration for a 'Just because' card for a friend.

I started with black gesso and applied it through a reversed stencil. Reversed, because it had words which I didn't want to be readable. Next I sprayed the whole background with two colors. They had a fine mist, so the background became rather evenly colored, not wildly splattered.

I then stamped some flowers and colored them in with my Ecoline markers. (So good! The have great coverage without the penetrant smell of alcohol markers, and they are blendable.) I really liked the grid idea of a challenge and wanted to use it.

 

So then, several hours later... I hope my friend likes this happy mail she's about to receive.

 

Entering this in the challenged that made this possible:

Stencil Fun: May AG/ See-thru optional. I enter with AG

Double D: Splatter challenge 

TGIF: #578 Inspiration challenge - I used the grid 

Beautiful Blossoms: #41 / AG, Moodboard optional. I didn't use the moodboard. 

613 Avenue Create: May AG, 'May flowers' optional. I went with that option. 

Woodblock flowers

 It's that time of month again - yes, time to show those wood block stamps some love. Always slow to get ideas I took a look at some challenges to see what I could pair wood block stamps with. And I found polka dots and circles, and that let me select these solitary flower stamps.

The background was done with two stencils on a gelli plate. The flowers were stamped with purple and brown inks on some previous tries to paint flowers with watercolor (which did not work for me - but I could use it anyway, hooray for that!). The text says: Hugs.

Entering this card in these lovely challenges that inspired me today:

Woodblock Wednesdays: May Edition

Everybody Art Challenge: #558 Circles and / or stripes - I did circles

Double D Challenge: Polkadots

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Anything goes 

and my 2nd entry for Simon Says Monday Challenge: Lots of texture

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!

Birthday bash

My sister and brother, twins, have birthday today - poor them, just before Christmas. I packed all the wintry goodies I could think of into their cards. (I am showing my sister's card here.)

The embossing folder with small dots makes the background look as if it was snowing. The confetti are red, silver and gold, the wintry robin is sitting on a branch of holly and has put a party hat on. "To the birthday girl", says the greeting (loosely translated). 

Entering in these lovely challenges that inspired me:

Double D Challenge: Winter snow scene

Moving Along with the Times: #161 Winter animals

The Paper Funday Challenge: #60 AG with a snowman or a bird - I went with the bird

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Party time!

Through The Purple Haze: #211 red-white-green - I hope it was ok to add metallics! 

Happy Little Stampers: December birthday challenge

 

Thank you for your visit!

some Christmas magic

Today's card features bling and sweetness. I attempted a Sugarplum Fairy dancing amidst the snow. I love my whimsical cat stamp, I find it so useful for many occasions. (She featured as a dapper sailor last summer.)

It started with a stencil that looks like snowfall and some heavy texture paste. While the "snow" was drying I stamped and colored the image, die cut the silver dots and fir boughs.

Then it was just a matter of assembling the card. I attached the ballerina on foam dots and slid a length of silver thread beneath. The text reads: A magical Christmas.

I am entering it in the challenges that inspired me today:

Cardz 4 Galz: #2124A A Christmas Card

Stencil Fun: December AG/ optional Christmas - I went with that option 

Freshly Made Sketches: #616 sketch

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Christmas Critters 

Double D Challenge: Christmas animals

 

Thank you for your visit! 

Colorful circles

 Do you prefer circles/dots or stripes in your card making projects? My big love are circles and dots, hands down. They create a lively atmosphere and can add an element of fun.

That element of fun was on my agenda today. I created it using dots and small circles, either punched or die-cut, on a background that also features circles. All papers have been gelliprinted. The fun factor is also created by the use of many colors.

The text was found in a book, the crow is a rub-on by TH.

Entering this in these inspiring challenges:

Paperminutes: #821 Bunt / Colorful

Double D Challenges: Stripes and/or dots - and why

Creative Artiste Challenge: #99 AG mixed media

Crafty Gals Corner: #249 Dots and/or stripes

Stencil fun

 I really like all the effects one can get from stencils, be it spray paints, for gelli prints, coloring through them or using as embossing plates. Sadly, I tend to under utilize the possibilities as they need some serious cleaning afterwards, and I tend to make more backgrounds than I need.

Today was no different. I pulled a dozen or so gelli prints. I settled on this one made with a rough stencil I cut myself. The image is stamped and watercolored, it's a birthday card for my sister-in-law.

 

Entering it in:

Inkspirational Challenge: #295 Use stencils

Double D Challenges: AG/ Stencils - I used stencils

Kreativ-Tanten: #80 Alles geht

Whale hello there!

This cheery Congrats or Happy birthday card (the sentiment can mean either) was made with several gelli printed papers and my new stamps.

I am entering it into these lovely challenges:

Use your stuff - #452 Mood board

Simon says Stamp Wednesday challenge- Make your own background

Double D Challenge - Creatures in or under the sea 

NBUS Challenge - AG / never been used - these new stamp sets. I used the waves and the banner (which is hiding beneath the top of packaging) from the first set and the whale from the second one.

 

A walk in the woods

 I do love a good walk in the woods. At this time of year when the leaves are almost all down it's easy to spot the squirrels chasing up and down the tree trunks.

I was overjoyed to find this squirrel stamp recently, and inspired to make a card to send apropos of nothing, inspired by my walks.

The leaves were die cut from several papers that I had painted with Distress Oxides. I added some silver thread around them as well as a few 'dew drops' (aka clear glue). The sentiment is stamped and then embossed with orange red and reads 'It is lovely life'.

This is a guest project for Funkie Junkie Challenge Blog for the November theme of Living Things, where I was recently chosen as the Top Pick. Please hop over and participate!

This card also fits this challenge:

Double D: A walk in the woods

Critter Crazy Challenge: #56 Anything goes with a featured critter

Through the Craft Room Door: Anything goes

 

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

Let it be autumn

 I just love it when challenges coincide and you can let your creativity be challenged twice or even three times in a single card. I call it serendipidity.

So this little card was inspired by all three challenges I am entering it into, one for autumn, one for suggesting to use picture of an animal with a tail and one challenging us to use book pages in your creation.

I make my gelli prints either on tissue or onto book pages, because the text showing through gives a nice additional texture. So I already had a nice stash. I am very much into die cutting at the moment, so that seemed like a natural way to go.

I have also been shopping on FB marketplace and there I recently found this cute stamp set by Rosie's Studio. I just love that little fox, all curled up and happily drowsy amongst the roses. 

I placed the fox sleeping under leaves, and some more leaves falling down on her.

 "Let fall come" seemed like an ideal sentiment for an autumnal card apropos of nothing.

Entering this in:

Try it on Tuesday: Use book pages

Everybody Art Challenge: #496 Herbst / Autumn

Double D Challenge: Anything with a tail

And because this is my first time using this stamp, I'm also entering it into the current #30 NBUS challenge