Gelli prints and rhinestones

I was inspired to try combine materials that have a different vibe. To explain: gelli prints are casual, gold thread and rhinestones are pure luxury. Would the combination read like an festive evening gown with trainers? Or like ice cream with spinach?

Of course I was inspired by several challenges, again. I challenged myself to try Gelli prints, gold thread and rhinestones and see what could be made out of them.

I started by stamping flowers on select parts of gelli prints. because they were made with acrylic and thus it is doubtful whether the ink would ever dry, I treated the stampings with clear embossing powder and heat embossing. This gave them some beautiful shine. I then proceeded to fussy cut them and arranged them inspired by a sketch. I also added the rhinestones.

 

I then took a length of gold thread, doubled it up and stitched the flowers: one cross stitch for the smaller ones and lots more for the large flower. 

 

Entering this in these inspiring challenges:

Festive Friday: FF0218. - I picked 'Jewel tones - gold thread - rhinestones - stitching'

 

Just Add Ink: 794 Sketch

 

 Just Us Girls: #840 Word week: BOld

Seize the Birthday: #334 Add a sentiment strip

 

Greetings from forest

 Several challenges were calling my name today: a sketch, a color prompt, a word prompt, a call for layers and a die-cut. Well, then!

I laid out the supplies I wanted to use:

The blue background is a cyanotype. I tried to make some cool designs earlier in August, but most of them did not go as planned.

 

Their backside is actually nice, too. And this is what I used.

 

I started by cutting a cyanotype to size, then darkening the edges where some of the depth had been lost through cutting. I die cut the twig and leaves from gelli prints. The large leaf is a left-over from years ago - yes, I am good in hoarding stuff.

I then stamped the mushroom set and colored it in with my markers. Lastly I arranged everything according to sketch and stamped a zig zag stitch along the edges. (My sewing machine could not have handled this cyanotype paper!)

 

I am entering this in the challenges that I was inspired by today:

The Paper Funday Challenge: #91 AG / Sketch - I am playing with the sketch

 

Passion for Markers: #853 Stitching, real or faux - I am going with faux

Just Add Ink: #793 Colour Inspiration

 

Creative Knockouts: #578 Lots of layers

Classic Design Challenge: #8-2026 ATG/ Use die cuts - I am playing with the die cut option

 

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 

 

 

 

Embossed for birthday

Today I took on to combine  a sketch with a color challenge and add some dry embossing and die cutting to the mix. I chose these supplies to begin with - but later changed the bird-on-a-branch die to a doily die.

Here you can see the embossed and partially colored in flowers that have been already die cut out.

I tossed a long time between a white background and a colorful die cut and a dark grey background with a white die cut. The latter won as you see. I added a sentiment and embossed it in white.

 

 Entering this in these challenges that served as my inspiration today:

The Paper Players: #796 Sketch

 

Color Dare: #714 

 

Just Add Ink: #790 Dies, stencils ...or both - I used dies only

 

Cut It Up: #361 Emboss it 

 

Trust your crazy ideas

 Today's inspiration was color. A call for pastels, popsicle colors and a wonderful mood board formed the starting point to which I wanted to the prompt 'up' and make it a card for a friend. Who doesn't need a friendly nudge or encouragement in the form of a card once in a while.

My supplies were very simple: a shiny new die set, a gelli print and a pastel colored paper pack.

 

I started by die cutting the shapes. This is my first die set which requires serious assembly. I think I am not made for it, I can spot several boo-boos, but I can only hope my friend doesn't see them.

The sentiment came from TH Chit-chat booklet. I combined two partial saying to a (for her) fitting whole.

 

Entering this in these great challenges that served me well today:

Just Us Girls: #832 Mood board week 

 

Shopping Our Stash: #578 Popsicle colors 

 

Tic-Tac-Toe: #279  I used the row "Friendship- Any color - Any shape die"

 

Addicted to CAS: #312 Code word Up 

 

Just Add Ink: #790 Dies, stencils (or both) - I used both if you count the mini strip of gelli print at the bottom.

 

CAS for Christmas

 Today's card turned out rather clean and simple despite the many challenges I was inspired by: colors, layout, shape.

I thought I would need these supplies. The golden rick rack is just a pesky little piece that has been hanging around since I got it (three years ago). Today would be the day to finally use it!

 

I shaped the card by partial die cutting with the largest circle die. There was a lot of fiddling involved to get the overlay to fit, but on the second try it did. The layout challenge had given me the idea to punch 8 decorative stripes into the card front and place the golden stars above it.

The sentiment was stamped and then embossed with gold.

And that rick rack found its place, too. 

 

Entering this in these challenges that inspired me today:

Heart Quest Shaped Cards and Tags: hqscat #18 any shape

Color Hues Challenge: #TCH136 Cream and Gold 

 

Just Add Ink: #789 sketch 

 

Avenue 613: AG w/a twist: Any holiday - I am playing with this option 

 

Nachteulen / Night Owls:  NSS#62 alles ist möglich

 

To Dad Dearest

 I find it extremely difficult to make masculine cards, even Father's day cards. Now I got asked to make a card for a dad and I think I found the perfect recipe which I cobbled together via some challenges.

Take masculine colors, some patterned paper, a fun character and a sentiment. Add some coloring and die cutting.

 

I gathered my supplies, colored and patterned papers, a die cut and a stamp. The die cut circles background is by a lesser known Danish brand"Design 5" (very fun in my opinion). I added the sentiment behind some of the larger circles. For this I used a slimline alphabet stamp by Hero Arts.

 

Entering this into the challenges that inspired me today:

Festive Friday: FF#0211 - I used "Masculine colors - patterned paper - Father's Day sentiment"

 

TGIFC: #580 Color challenge    

 

 

 Just Add Ink: #787 Use Two or More - I selected patterned paper and Animals from the list

 

 

 

 

 

 Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Masculine

Alphabet Challenge: C is for circles 

 

Cupcake wisdom

 A chain of challenges made me think of patterned paper, stitching and TH small talk text strips. They all have their merits and all of it is 'just stuff', sitting unused in my drawers. Then it came to me: cupcakes - that was the answer. 

So I rummaged through my drawers, pulled out papers and a flower, stamped and colored long ago for a project that never happened.

Now it all came together in this one card.

 

I am showing it in these challenged that contributed to its existence:

Creative Knockouts: #571 Stitching, faux or real. Mine is faux, stamped with turquoise Versafine Clear.

Paper Players: #PP788 Tic-tac-toe. I chose "flower - free (pink) - patterned paper" 

 

Just Add Ink: #786 Just add Polkadots 

Seize the Birthday: #327 Sweet Treat 

Spring colors

 Spring is playing hide and seek - snow is melting during the days (when there is sunshine) and freezing in the nights. What better opportunity to bring out some flower stamps and start making happy, sun-filled cards.

I had a couple of challenges in mind when I put this card together. In the end you'll see whether I did them justice.

The background is stamped with a (retired) hero Arts background stamp, Branches Bold Prints. Then I embossed it with clear embossing powder. I wanted to ink it diagonal, so I selected two Distress sprays, Twisted Citron for grass and a turquoise (forgot it's name) for the other half.

The flower was stamped, then fussy cut out and painted with pearlescent watercolors. I adhered that onto a round die cut piece of vellum, and finally adhered some turquoise die cut branches behind it. Lastly I put on yellow shiny gems. The sentiment says: Many happy returns. 

Entering it in these challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Bright and cheerful

Stay Crafty with a blog named Hero: Heat embossing

Cut It Up: #299 Colors of Spring

Just Add Ink:   #692 Sketch  

Dream Valley Challenges:   #311 Add sparkle

Winter food

 If you live in the far North you may know what a delicacy rose hips are after they have been severely frostbitten. We have had three weeks of below zero temperatures and the rose hips are just perfect now: pick one up and squeeze the sweet pulp right into your mouth and enjoy. You can of course pick a whole bunch and make a marmalade to go with your roast (plant or meat-based).

That is what came to my mind when I read the newest challenge parameters of Festive Friday. I also picked the colors red, brown and white - which also coincided nicely with a color challenge that asked for two more colors, which I then added along with the neutrals kraft and gold.

The image was stamped, the inks were first smooched, then the berries were painted. I added golden twig die cuts.

I was also inspired to take candy cane as inspiration for the backdrop. It is red-and-white twine and little about is to be seen behind the large oval - which I chose as my composition per a sketch challenge.

Entering this into these inspiring challenges:

Festive Friday: #FFO149 - I picked all three colors and Candy cane

My Favorite Things: CC 225

 

Just Add Ink: #682 sketch 

 

Thank you for your visit! 

Circles

I have made many cards in rapid succession and didn't clean my table in between. There are two kinds of snippets, those awkward shapes and off-cuts one doesn't really know how to use, and those that were cut for a project and then abandoned, because they didn't quite fit there.

Today I used up a lot of "trash" from my table: a stamped sun which did not find its way to yesterday's card, silver "confetti" which was left over from two projects featuring silver snowflakes; three round shapes; antlers (now being used as the snowmans (womans?) stick arms.

The result is a tongue-in-cheek holiday card for a dear in-law.

Entering in these lovely challenges:

Lost Coast Portal to Creativity:  #179 Round and round

Snippets Playground: #468

Just Add Ink: #681 I was inspired by the lovely colors

 Thank you for your visit!

Pearlescent stenciling

 Today's card takes inspiration from a few challenges: the bees, the layout, stenciling and colors combine nicely as prompts. It's summer after all.

I started with a stencil and a couple of colors. I used a shiny tissue paper (from a recent shoe purchase) on a Gelli plate and did a couple of layers with matte and shiny paints. Here you can see the shiny portion (Amsterdam Pearl White).

The suggested colors were so delicate that I didn't want to introduce a high contrast by using black ink. Everything is stamped with VersaFine Clair Morning Mist. The sentiment has been embossed with clear embossing powder for added shine.

I followed the suggested layout and added bees around the flower. The flower was first colored in very lightly with watercolor pencils, then overlaid generously with Glossy Accents. The same with the wings of the bees. The dots are punched from a glitter cardstock that matched the colors.

The text reads "Enjoy your life, be happy".

Entering this in the challenges that inspired me today:

Paperminutes: #806 Bienen / Bees

Tuesday Morning Sketches: #718

Stencil Fun: August AG / Butterflies optional  - I am entering the AG option

Just Add Ink: #664 Color Challenge

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Summer 

 

 Thank you for your visit and comments!