Fun with fruit

Today I had my eye on a few challenges that could combine well for a card for a person who is not opposed to childish themes.

I have this fantastic circus themed stamp set (by My Favorite Things) that I have had for two years. (I used it here.) I thought I could combine this with two fruit stamp sets. The last time I used the cherry set (Hero Arts) was two years on the day (here). I had just acquired it then. The mixed fruit set (Sizzix) is also from that same year.

 

The card was straightforward to make: stamp, cut, color. Finding the right background took the longest. Finally I settled on a paper with a leaf print and a piece of green gelli print.

 

Entering this in these very inspiring challenges:

Retro Rubber Challenge: #rrcb274 Taste of summer

 

Creative Knockouts: #573 Summer fun

Girlz and the Art of Letters: #29 De letter van C van... circus!

Papercraft Challenges: #131 Sunny days & bright hues  

Dancing around

 I have neglected my stencils for some time. Luckily I found a couple of challenges that promised to change that. I chose to work with stencils, butterflies and a floral. 

I made the background with two stencils (sitting on the left). I then added a few butterflies to it through the larger stencil. After it had dried I found it too stark and added a vellum overlay. I then stamped a large zinnia (by Stampendous) and colored it in with watercolors. I also die cut some butterflies and colored those in as well., and positioned them to dance around the flower.

 

I am entering this into these challenges that inspired me today:

Stencil Fun: AG stencil / optional butterflies - I went with this option 

TiOT: Flying high 

Papercraft Challenges: #130 Botanical beauty 

Paper Rock Scissors: #17 June challenge AG 

Hello - playing bingo

 I needed a "hello" card for a friend. I find them to be the most difficult of all - what do you put on them? There is no one answer. Today I took my cue from a row of bingo in a papercraft challenge.

I used a lot of green hued scraps (mostly blotched gelli prints), arranged them into a starburst pattern and run it through a polka dot embossing folder. I love the effect dry embossing creates on patterned paper, it somehow draws the attention to itself and the background papers receive less attention.

I attached a few die cut balloons with twine and added a sentiment. 

Entering the card into these lovely challenges:

Allsorts Challenge: Week 766 My row is Dry embossing - green - twine

Can You Handle the Pressure: AG / twist of birthdays - I am playing AG

Let's Craft and Create: #204 AG, Polkadots/ an or stripes - I went with polka dots

Unicorn Challenge: #95 Dots and/or stripes - I went with dots

Papercraft Challenges: #102 AG

Thank you for your visit!

Have fun

I am forever trying to get rid of my scraps and snippets.The palms are stamped onto the tiniest scrap of green paper that I have been keeping for ages, the "sea" is two strips that were left over from a card base, and so forth, you get the idea. The card was going to be more complicated, with an island, stamped waves and sea shells, but in the end I settled for a cleaner design.

Before I gifted this girl stamp to my niece I quickly made a few impressions for myself for later use. The girl character was supposed to be a pirate and enter a ship, but that ship had no place in this card, it would have become too crowded for my liking. I hope this card still reads funny.

Entering in the challenges that inspired me today:

Papercraft Challenges: #95 Girls Girls Girls

Time Out Challenges: #241 Funny

Snippets Playground: Challenge #457

Just Add Ink: #658 Choose two - can one choose all three? I used scraps, made stripes and added sequins.

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Vacation

Thank you for your visit!
 

Girly fun

 Today's recipe: take inspiration from seaside colors, add a folded paper hat, some polka dots and stripes and a girly character. 

This stamp was purchased second hand, not as a set, but I think it is supposed to be a ballet cat in a tutu.

I had to wipe away the ears before stamping to make the folded paper hat sit nicely. I also stamped an anchor as a button holding the striped twine. Unfortunately the anchor all but disappeared under Glossy Accent.

The fun form was obtained by cutting a card size with a huge circle stamp. 

Entering this in the challenges that inspired me in its creation:

Just us Girls: #684 Photo/Mood Board    

The Paper Players: PP645 - Clean and simple

Paper Funday Challenge: #54 AG/ or twist - I played the twist : no squares allowed

The Library Challenge: #82 Girl in the polka dot dress - I was inspired by the dress!

What if...

 When I read through challenges I tend to be on the look-out for ideas that can be combined for maximum effect. Today I came upon a few and thought, what if ---?

What if one could do stencil with watercolor and create one's own background with dots or stripes? That's four lovely challenges right there and as I see it, they can only enhance one another and make me go out of my comfort zone. 

I selected a stencil that had both dots and stripes and went to town.

I stamped butterflies with dark blue, colored them in with copics, then stamped the sentiment also in dark blue ("congratulations") and added some clear higlights.

Here is the finished card:

Entering this into the challenges that inspired me to create it:

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Watercolor

Allsorts Challenge: week 730, Use a stencil 

Cards4Galz: #199 Backgrounds

Friendship Challenge. #87 Punkte oder Streifen / Dots or stripes --- I went with both!

Papercraft Challenges: #94 Things with wings