Adventure awaits

 Yesterday I was making a back-to-school greeting to my young GD, today I am making it for an older one who will start a vocational high school come fall. (Austrians are big on vocational schools, you learn a trade and get your high school diploma at the same time.) This will mean new friends, new teachers and a lot of hands-on learning.

The idea for the card came when I perused the current challenges. Don't laugh, but my main inspiration came from a photo prompt for Christmas in July, followed by some others.  So I gathered my supplies.

 

It's my birthday this month which explains the new supplies entering the playing field. The dies are new and I was eager to try to circles background die especially. I have seen it used to in one blog (sorry I forget who it was) and 'had to' have it. too.

I actually wanted to make the flamingos stand facing right. I have had this mirror image stamping aid for a while, but never could make it work. Does anyone have a tip for it?

 

In the end I went with one - and one only - left-facing flamingo. I did make three and even colored them all in with ink-blending in three colors - before realizing that those three flamingos in a row had a very menacing appearance. I punched the circles out of glitter card stock and colored over them with markers to give the colors a warmer hue. Some of them are raised, as is the flamingo.

 

Entering this in these challenges that inspired me today:

Inspiration Station: #87 Inspiration photo - I was inspired by the flamingos and balloons

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Back to school 

Pick 3 Challenge: #6 I picked the elements in the lower row 'Ink blending - sparkle - sentiment'

 

AAA Birthday: #87 For girls 

NBUS: #88 - my new schtuff were the dies 

 

Strawberry fields

 For today's card I pulled inspiration from several challenges. It all started with an inspiration photo. I have been eyeing it since the challenge started, but only now that the time is running out did I finally come up with an idea. I also wanted to use die-cutting, stenciling, stamping and coloring - oh my oh  my!

Out came the supplies. There is a piece of acetate in there too, as I wanted to make it a flat shaker. The gelli printed tissue using a grid stencil did not make it to this photo, nor did the sequins.

 

I started by die-cutting two circles from the green glitter card stock: the ornamental one and a plain one for underneath to secure the acetate. The ornamental wreath builder is a favorite of mine, I got it several years ago to make holiday cards. I have never before used it for other purposes.

 Then I stamped and heat embossed the strawberries and their leafs and colored them in with my Gansai Tambi watercolors (they have excellent coverage!), glued the stencil print on the card and assembled it all layer by layer.

 

I am entering this card in the challenges that inspired me:

Inspiration Station: #86 Photo

 

Shopping Our Stash: #SOS577 You're so sweet

Tic-Tac-Toe: #tttc296 - I used the diagonal Fruit/vegetable - die cut - stencil

 

Just Us Girls: #830 Die week

 

Little Red Wagon: #865 I see

 

 

 

 

Thinking of you

Some sad news from a dear friend prompted to make card as a pick-me-up. I have a new stamp set that comes with this large bird and also the leaves. I stamped them onto black card stock. Then I embossed the leaves with mixed metallic embossing powder and the bird with clear. I colored the bird in with metallic markers and used a collaged background.

The text mimics the colors of fall leaves.

Entering this in:

Allsorts Challenge: Week 754 Friendship

Inspiration Station: Inspiration photo. I was inspired by the colors and leaves.

Shopping Our Stash: #509 Emboss like the boss

The Card Concept: #201 Fall leaves - I took mine from the leaves, and used the colors.

Eternal sunshine

 Sunshine is what I wish for my summer vacation. Instead, I have been looking at rain clouds. It is a rainy summer up North where I live.Nevertheless, or for that reason, I was inspired by a couple of challenges that called for Vacation themes.

My starting point were the lovely colors of Inspirational challenge. I also got the idea for my starburst layout here - from the beach ball.

I have a lot of gelli prints, so I started by pulling out the vacation-appropriate colors: pink, turq, yellow, orange. Then I stamped "Happy Birthday" onto a cloud, which I placed in the center and flanked by two smaller clouds.

Entering this into these lovely challenges:

 Bastel-Traum: #125 Vacation/ Ferien

Inspirational Challenge: #51 Photo Inspiration

AAA Birthdays: Game #52: Anything Birthday goes

A Place to Start: AG/ Life is a beach - I am playing the AG option

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: AG

 

Thank you for your visit!

Text only

 Sometimes text just takes the center stage. (It reads: Best wishes on your special day)

 

 I was heavily inspired by the color orange and started by stamping the background with a cover plate stamp (Hero Arts). I did that twice, once with white and after repositioning the stamp, once more with Abandoned Coral. The background was an ink swipe with Spice Marmalade.

I raised part of the sentiment and stamped the rest underneath (Hero Arts), then heat embossed it with white. Finally I adhered some random letters around the main one - for no other reason than the card needed something but I did not want to add new imagery.

 

 

I am entering this into the challenges that inspired me:

A Blog Named Named Hero: Sentimental Journey

Inspiration Station : #50 photo - I was inspired by the moody oranges

Shopping our Stash: #499 Sentimentally yours

A Place to Start: June AG

 

Thank you for your visit!

Poor darling

 This is one of those serendipitous days when a couple of challenges seem to point to the same direction. 

Firstly, I was very inspired by this image of goldfish that Inspiration station has posted. I remembered I owned a goldfish stamp by Paper Source that hasn't really had a chance to play for a while.

I just love those vibrant oranges and yellows.

I decided the fish had to be solitary. When the fish travel in schools like you see on the above photo one doesn't really notice one especially. Only when a fish is separated, put into a jar and left there for everyone to gawk at, then it is exposed. I felt this would express a certain fear of future that we experience when starting something new.

I stamped the fish into the mason jar, washed slightly over everything with diluted Broken China. I then colored it in with oxides and distress inks and added a layer of Glossy accents to make the colors really pop. Lastly I stamped a few water grass onto the bottom of the jar.

The background is a Gelli print from my recent session. I also added some enamel drops and the sentiment that felt very right for this little fellow, but is also motivational for the intended recipient.

click larger

 Entering in:

Inspiration Station: #10 Pet Goldfish

ColorCrazy challenge: Week 28 Anything goes

Get Creative: #103 AG opt. show water