Cute cats and a cherry tree

Some serendipitous themes have fallen together in this birthday card. 

Firstly: cute little cats. I have no recollection where these stamps are from, most likely from a private sale on FB. They are just too cute. Secondly: the background is a deep indigo jeans print. These two things made me think of kawaii and Japanese aesthetics and gave me an idea to take the card even more into more Japanese leaning territory. Enter leaves and cherry blossoms.

 

I also really liked a sketch prompt and tied it in. There is a fair split between stamping and die-cutting. The background circles and the stamped leaves have been die cut, wheras cats, flowers and leaves have been stamped.

 

 

Together they make a rather busy card. But for a birthday, why not? Plenty to look at.

 

 Entering this into the lovely challenges that inspired me today:

Try a Sketch on Tuesday: TSOT #695 

and Double Trouble #216, where the #2 option features TSOT#695 prompt

Die-Cut Divas: Let's celebrate! - I am celebrating a birthday. 

Critter Crazy: #110 AG as long as there's a critter

 

Simon Says Wednesday: Cute critters 

 

I Love Promarkers: Special occasions 

 

Just snippets

 With just how little can you make a card? My previous cards have been very labor and material intensive, it was time to try to make one with less.

A couple of challenge are very inspiring in this, the Snippets challenge and a CAS challenge. There were others, too, that I took cues from. Here is what I started with,  some gelli print remnants and a washi tape. I also wanted to use my minimal star die, it only punctures dots onto the base.

And here is what it became:

Entering it in the challenges that inspired me today:

A Place to Start: AG/ option New - I played with that option

Snippets playground: #469 December challenge

Alphabet Challenge: S is for Stars

AAA Challenge: #255 sketch - it's cold

Double Trouble partnering with Use Your Stuff #481: Challenge #155 - I am entering all three categories: die cut -check, washi tape -check, Double Dare -check.

Hmm - stars and stripes for Christmas?

 A couple of challenges gave me inspiration for this early Christmas card. I chose two embosing folders (but ended up using just the one with radiant stripes). The stripes are kept on the left half of paper, I found my inspiration for the layout in a challenge.

 I used Distress Oxides in two colors and added shine with Simon Hurley's Lunar Paste in gold ("Slippery when wet" is the name of the hue) and heat embossed the text with WOW golden shimmer embossing powder.

I am entering this into the challneges that I combined to achieve this look:

TioT: Use three colors

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Shimmer ans shine

Can You Handle the Pressure: AG with a twist of stars

Everybody Art Challenge: #540 Sketch - I turned it 90 degrees.

Double Trouble: #143 Christmas in July - I am entering with Thing 1, and 2.

This little piggy -

- wants to say: Happy Birthday!

I have a new piggy die (by Creative Depot) and an old four leaf clover stamp (bought in 2009 at Papersource!!) and now it was time to combine the two. 

I stamped the clover once directly to the card and once on paper, then cut it out and adhered behind the die cut. I colored the clovers in with watercolors, and then some of the background. (Which would have been easier to do beforehand had I thought about it...)

The text is a die cut as well, green peeking behind the pink as a shadow.

Entering this card in the challenges that inspired its creation:

Retro Rubber Challenge: #rrcb209 Summer scenes

Craft Rocket Challenges: #104 Use dies

AAA Birthday: #50 Watercolors

Try Stamping on Tuesday: #612 sketch 

Double Trouble: #141 Something, Anything - Claiming  THING 1 and THING 3 (twice!). 

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!

Make a wish on Father's Day

 I make far more feminine cards than cards for males. A few celebrations are coming up so this will be remedied. 

When a dear someone loves fishing the theme of the cards is almost a given. I was heavily inspired by Festive Friday Challenge and picked the prompts 'plaid' (Tim Holtz plaid die), 'blue'  and 'monochrome' to go with the fish (fishing also happens to be one of the prompts, incidentally).

I colored the die-cut plaid in with ac ouple of blue Oxides, then mounted it on black cardstock. 

The fish lie on a bed of silver thread (supposed to mimic a fishing line). I colored them in with markers and popped a drop of shiny accent for their eyes.

Entering in these challenges:

Festive Friday FF#0135 "Fathers Day" - thank you for these lovely prompts!

and its partner Double Trouble Challenge #139 - entering in all three options.

also in:

As You Like It Challenge : My favorite masculine theme is fishing

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Add a sentiment

Make My Monday: #201 Masculine

Here's to Winter!

 Oh the glorious days of hats, mittens and other woollens! We had fresh snow last night and today is the day to go out for a forest walk.

Of course I own stamps that picture winter garments - how could I not - and was overjoyed to discover some challenges that are a perfect match to each other. I made this card to spread some of the wintry joy.

I am entering my card in the following challenges:

Make my Monday: #189 A Winter Card (not Christmas)

My Time to Craft; #495 Anything related to sheep - Wool! And anything made of this incredible fiber. 

MTTCC: #48 Winter clothing

Double Trouble: #127 A Caleidoscope of colors ... if I understood the options right I am entering in Double Dare

Colorful Options: Winter White
 

Fusion Card Challenge: A Christmas Chalkboard - I went with Winter instead but kept the chalkboard theme.