Moose on the run

 A current challenge brought to my mind that I actually own a moose die. I am so grateful that these challenges exist, they make me use my craft supplies, often in a way I had never thought of.

Today I was going for clean and simple, so my supplies were very sparse.

 

I had a silvery grey card base, and I started by applying some gesso mixed with silver lunar paste through a stencil. While it was drying I die cut three moose out of craft card stock and applied a light wash of silver on them, too. Then came the assembly. The sentiment reads: Peace for Christmas.

 

 Entering this in these inspiring challenges:

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Clean and Simple

AAA Cards: #323 It start with M... moose!

 

A Cut Above: Use a die cut

Inkspirational: #376 Word prompt 'Furry friends'

 

Critter Crazy: #114 AG critter 

On gardening

My firm belief is that gardening teaches you to believe in yourself and your abilities. Sure something might go wrong, and frequently does, but that's how you learn. Learn to water more, or water less, give some plants a richer soil and poorer for some. Learn which plants thrive next to each other and which ones waste away.

Well, enough said I think. There are several challenges that offer a garden related theme, and as I needed an encouragement card for someone, I found this an excellent opportunity to give my gardening stamps an outing.

Gingham makes a gardening scene look so wholesome, don't you think? I figured I could make a gingham with my diagonal strip stamps. I used a shimmery pink ink for that. After that I die cut the background using one of the whimsical rectangle dies.

I then stamped and die cut the flower pots and the watering can and placed them roughly where they should be. I stamped the flowers so that they would sit just underneath the pot rims and then attached the pots with foam tape.  Lastly I gave the flowers big blotches of ink (oxide), just to break the orderliness created by the other elements. The sentiment is from a TH sentiment pad.

 

Entering this in these inspiring challenges:

Alphabet Challenge: H is for Horticulture

Simply Clean and Simple: #scas August AG, optional Nature - I am playing with this option

Just Add Ink: #792 Choose Two (or more) - I chose gingham and flowers

 

Inkspirational: #374 Word prompt: Garden

Ellibelle's Garden Challenge: #18 Anything in or from a garden 

 

 

 

Hedgehog and birdie

 It was time for another holiday card. Thankfully there are Christmas challenges with themes - this way I could pick some inspiration. I settled again for my PB hedgehog and birdie stamp. I made some stampings before I gave it away, now there are just a couple left. 

The other supplies were a sled die, some markers and my folder of mixed greenery. Later I pulled out a few scraps and some twine.

 

I painted the bird and the hedgehog and fussy cut them out. Then I die cut the sled and built some presents. I used a linen thread to connect the sled to the hedgehog so it looks like he's pulling it. It's a sweet card in non.traditional Christmas colors, just right for my younger GD.

 

Entering this in challenges that inspired me today:

Penny Black Saturday Challenge: AG / 'On the move' optional - I am playing with this option

Christmas Kickstart Challenge: #112 Grace us with your presents 

Sweet Stamping Challenge: For the children

Inkspirational: #372 Christmas in July

 

 

 

C.R.A.F.T. challenge: #785 Christmas           

A summery thank-you

 Today's inspiration came from a list of ingredients, a photo, a layout and a recipe. In my mind they would play well with each other.

The ingredients were simple: a die, a sentiment stamp, pink and yellow gelli printed papers and vellum.

 

The making was anything but. I haven't used these floral circles a lot and now I remember why: they are overly fiddly to release and then glue on. For the layout background vellum seemed like an obvious choice as I wanted to keep this clean. The sentiment was stamped and embossed on vellum. Then I surrounded the sentiment with small diamonds for glitter. The sentiment reads "Thank you".

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

Festive Friday: #FF0213 World emoji day - I used yellow, glossy embellishment and circles from the list

TGIF: #585 Sketch challenge

 

Inkspirational: #371 Photo inspiration

 

CAS on Friday: #338 Use dies and only word stamps 

 

Leftovers and the number 6

Today two challenges caught my interest: use leftovers from previous challenges and have six embellishments.  I gathered some leftovers.

 

I decided to use the remnants of the donut card (here): the cut-out circle became my stencil. I took a piece of card board and started pouncing color through it. I used my long-neglected Distress Stains for this.

 

The way they layered up transparent made me think of balloons. I drew their outlines with a fine liner. The sentiment is also a leftover, as are the dots. At first I had six, but mysteriously lost two of them, so I pulled out two enamel dots to complete the arrangement. The sentiment is a leftover from a project that never happened.

 

I am very happy that I could use up some leftovers. Entering this card in following challenges:

Inksprinational: #370 Leftovers

 

Path of Positivity: #142 AG w/ option Use 6 embellishments - i am going with this option

 

The Neglected Stuff: June AG - I used the Distress Stains and some enamel dots (2nd entry)

Polkadoodles: AG 

PIP: #2625 AG 

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends: #280 AG

Happy birthday!

 ... called the gnome excitedly and made a jump in the air. 

I took inspiration from a few wonderful challenges and gathered my supplies: stamps (ferns by Marianne,  Queen Anne's lace by Kaisercraft), colored pencils and the Hopping gnome die (also by Marianne).

 

I had long wanted to make a double layered card where the background and foreground images match and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. I wanted to create a scene from a woodland garden, complete with a gnome.

 

I had a rounded square left over from a recent make (I only used the frames for this one). I stamped the images on both surfaces, then colored in the parts that would show. I die cut and colored the gnome. 

 

I am playing with this card in these lovely challenges:

Inkspirational: #369 Visual prompt: woodland gnome 

Cardz4Guyz: #387 Gardens/ gardening 

Pearly Sparkles: #120 This makes me smile 

Kleuren met potloden: Alles mag / AG 

 

Quiet times by the sea

 It was time again to make a card for my BIL who likes to bring some quality time alone  around his birthday. Mostly in the wood or by a lake. So I was very happy to get some inspiration via some very opportune challenges.

 

I used a stamp set that has both fish, waves, some awesome saying and paper hat boats in it. For the waves I also used a deckle edge die. The papers are gelli print remnants. I also did some coloring with Ecoline brush pens.

 

This is the card, which I am entering into these inspiring challenges:

Inkspirational Challenge: For the guys 

The Paper Funday Challenge: #87 AG/ Optional sea or mountain theme - I am going with the sea theme

Krafty Chicks Challenge: #822 Masculine week 

The Card Concept: #227 Seaside Adventures - I was inspired first by the theme, but did use the colors as well. 

 

It's spring!

 After this long and dreary and seemingly everlasting winter it is nice to have sunshine and flowers and warmth.

My card features a wax transfer background that I inked in various hues of green. (With wax transfer you take a piece of wax paper, run it with your substrate through in an embossing folder, then iron the substrate through a paper so that the wax can sink in. Then, when the time comes, you ink it. The wax creates images that resist ink.)

On top I added a selection of die cuts from papers that I had pulled from a gelli plate.

Entering it in these lovely challenges:

Make My Monday: #225 Florals

Everybody Art Challenge: #557 Garden / Garten

Four Seasons Challenge: Spring season

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Feminine

Inkspirational Challenge: #315 Seasonal - mine is Spring

This card has already been sent to lovely Brenda through our mutual participation in the Daisy Chain challenge. Won't you join, too?

Big congrats

 A birthday celebration card was in order. I let myself be inspired by several challenges, again. I love challenges, they are so inspirational.

I started with a background stamp that I embossed with gold. Then I added my favorite color to the background. Now I love all colors, but in my heart of hearts I am a pink girl. I inked in the background with DO's, in Tea dye, Spun sugar and Kitsch flamingo. I then stamped an colored in the floral bouquet. I rounded it up with kraft and black leaves and greenery.

 

Entering it in these lovely challenges:

Stamping Sensations: Favourite colours  - I have one favorite and that is pink.

The Flower Challenge: #87 Use gold

Paper Funday Challenge: #60 challenge - 5th Birthday bash -congrats!!

Beautiful Blossoms: AG/ moodboard optional. The moodboard was too wintry for my purpose, so I am playing AG this time

Inkspirational: #305 Word prompt: celebrate!

 

Thank you for your visit! I love reading comments and meeting new people, just in case you decide to leave a comment.

Blue greetings

 I am forever inspired by the lovely ideas found so profusely in the challenge blogs I follow. Today I was again inspired by several.

All these papers have been gelliprinted to ensure color variation. The giant snowflake has been die cut from sparkling silver cardstock.

Entering this in:

Fab 'n Funky: #584 Blue hues

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Make it sparkle

Time Out Challenges: #252 Winter/ holiday

Krafty Chicks Challenge: #691 All occasions

Inkspirational: #303 Seasonal

Thank you for your visit!

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

Traveling birds

 I am in love with TH new collage paper. This is the third time I have used it in combination with stamping and distress oxides to create depth and add a scene in my greeting card projects.

I masked off a circle, then sponged it in with Salvaged patina and stamped the street map of Paris onto it. Next came a piece of TH collage tissue. Lastly I added the colored birds, the top one is raised with foam dots.

My creation was inspired by a couple of challenges and enter this in:

As You See It: #AYSI303 Color challenge

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Transport it

Stamping Sensations: July Summer Flowers with alternative AG (must be stamped) - I used two stamps and enter this under the AG option

Inkspirational Challenge: #294 Moodboard /Travel  

 

Thank you for your visit!

Inspired by...

Inspirational challenges are plentiful - it is always a pleasure to choose a few as base ideas for a card. Today's ideas circle around World Conservation Day and include animals, kraft card stock and foliage. I pulled out my woodland animal stamps.

 They are of different scale, the squirrel being larger than the deer, so I opted for a postage stamp approach. I also chose to make this a Christmas card ("Hyvää joulua" = Merry Christmas). I masked the postage edges and stamped with Versafine Clair brown ink and colored the postage stamps in with Distress Oxides.

 Entering this in:

Festive Friday Challenge: #FFO138 I chose: animals, kraft card stock and foliage

Friendship Challenge:  #89 Tiere / Animals

Inksprinational Challenge: Word prompt "Christmas in July" 

Get Creative Challenges: #123 Christmas in July

Thank you for your visit!

Flying by to say ...

 A little bird flew by carrying a message: Trust in your abilities, have faith in yourself.

As always, I took inspiration from several challenges that play well together. The background is a dry pulled gelli print, the lower portion of which has been treated with an embossing folder for added interest. The bird is stamped, cut out and colored.

Entering it in:

Try it on Tuesday: Birds and/or feathers

Lost Coast: #169 Use some words  

Inkspirational: Emboss your background

Fab 'n Funky: #575 Use a sentiment

Summer twilight hour

 I love the summer evening twilight hour when the light gets quieter and the nature darker. Silhouetted against the sky or water or both the leaves lose their dimension and become shadow-like.

I tried to capture this special time in my birthday card for a child of summer. The background is done with acrylics using a gelli plate, the images are stamped with Versafine black ink and then heat embossed with plenty of clear embossing powder.

 

I was heavily inspired by these challenges and would like to enter this into

* Bastel-Traum: #btchallenge124 Planzen /Blumen - Plants /Flowers

* Just Add Ink #656 - Use any element of the inspiration picture: I used blue-purple and the silhouette idea.

CYHTP: June AG / Wedding Optional - I didn't use that option

Inkspirational Challenge: #291 Seasonal - I chose summer

A restricted color palette

 I find using a restricted color palette very challenging. So of course I had to challenge myself!

I started by stamping the Stampers Anonymous Glorious Bouquet onto a card base. The stamp is extremely large, there is some overhang that simply didn't fit in.

I then colored it in with two colors only: Shaded Lilac and Iced Spruce. I have them as refills, it's perfect for watercoloring technique. I filled in the flowers in the center only, leaving the ones along the edges uncolored.

Lastly I matted it with dark forest green, added Glossy Accents on the leaves - which sadly don't show very well in the photo, but it adds such a nice detail.

I am entering this in:

The Alphabet Challenge: B is for Blooms

Inkspirational Challenge: #263 Watercolor    

Color Hues, the color challnge: #39 Purple and Green 

Seize the Birthday: #236 Signs of spring 

The Flower Challenge: #67 Add a heart