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.

 

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

 

 

 

 

Enjoying summer

 I will happily confess that summer is not my season. It is hot, it is sticky, swimming brings only temporary relief and there's no point gobbling tons of ice cream, either. Nevertheless, in the spirit of challenging myself, I considered a few challenges that want to see summer or seaside. And I know a friend who would love a card in this vein.

So I gathered my supplies: a die that reminds me of frothy water, and a cat with sun glasses. The stamp is actually meant for Halloween, but I think it fits perfectly for a summer scene, too.

 

The cat definitely needed an ice cream, so I drew a paw and a cone with three scoops, a classic. I then colored the cat in with my pencils. I made the sun umbrella out of two circles, red and white, that I cut strategically and put together again.

 

Entering this in these challenges that I drew my ideas from:

Time Out: #315 Pick 2 - I picked water and ice cream, but summer belongs here, too

 

Just Us Girls: #827 Summer 

The Four Seasons Challenge: AG Summer 

 

Cardz 4 Galz: Seaside or coast 

Shopping Our Stash: #576 Summertime 

 

Life's good

My favorite beverage is a frothy topped latte - something I don't get to enjoy every day, not even every week, it's a special treat when I go to a coffee house.

Inspired by a challenge that asks this question, followed by others that gave me the colorway and details I pulled out a few supplies: papers, twine and an embossing folder. I was debating between hessian and origami triangles (by Nellie Snellen). I decided to go with the origami triangles, given that the base was kraft - I felt that hessian would have brought this into a more rustic territory.

I tore the coffee cup shape out of patterned paper, then added a more colorful twine than I had originally pulled out. The milk froth was fashioned from cake paper (slightly dyed) and the steam was made with rub-ons.

 

Entering this in these serendipitous challenges:

Tic-Tac-Toe: TTTC#294 Bingo - I chose the middle horizontal: patterned paper - free - twine 

Cardz 4 Galz: #277 Browns and green with twine or ribbon

Time Out: #314 A favorite beverage

Shopping Our Stash: #575 Craft-astic 

Double D: Bows 

Mixed media for Christmas

 Today I wanted to play with acrylics and metallic flakes. I have a set of mixed metals, gold, silver, brass and bronze. Back when I purchased it, seven years ago, I thought I would just pick my metals, but it is not that easy. These metal flakes are small and have static,, they cling everywhere they are not supposed to. Anyway, I made two backgrounds, a pink and a pale turq.

I was inspired to pull out my old rubber stamps with musical notes. I purchased them as long ago as 2007 from Above the Mark.  I used two die cut snowflakes, a golden one in the back and the one cut from my gold flake card stock in front. I also used a Altenew circles border stencil for the side strips.

Entering this into these lovely challenges that served as my guide and inspiration:

Simon Says Stamp: Use dies in Die-cember

CreativeArtistes Challenge: #100 Anything mixed media goes

Retro Rubber Challenge: #rrcb 221   - I was inspired by the sheets of music

Shopping Our Stash:  #SOS511 Whatever weather - it is snowy weather!

Atlantic Hearts Challenge: #555 sketch --- I went very literal with the sketch, it was just too beautiful!

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.

Summer blues

 It is always rather a challenge to create a card entirely without stamping. I managed it using a stencil, distress inks and oxides, color pencils, a sewing machine and die cuts.

I flicked some ink onto the card before adhering the diecut. The sentiment is handwritten.

I am entering it in the challenges that inspired me today:

Stencilfun: Birthdays (2nd entry)

Seize the Birthday: #265 Circle or circles

Allsorts: #738 Summer blues 

Shopping Our Stash: #501 No stamping allowed

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!

Flowers and bugs

Here I used a piece of TH Botanical tissue for my background which I coloreds in with watercolors and distress markers. This was done from the reverse, so the colors wouldn't cover the outlines.. His flowers are larger, and I felt I could add little details - bugs. The sentiment reads:

Congratulations from all of us. (Couldn't resist a bit of humor.)

clicks for larger

Entering this in:

Shopping our stash: #450 Quit bugging me

We Love 2 Create: #8 Mixed media anything goes 

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Anything goes

Christmas in July

 Christmas in July - why not? It's exactly half-time, and those celebrating the holiday start preparing for it.

Even though I am not a Christmas person I felt myself encouraged by a few challenges to try my hand at a Christmas card.

First, the challenge in Archiscraps to use several design papers at once. I happened to watch a video on Youtube which showed a very nice mosaic piecing technique. I used four or five different scraps of designer papers that I had kept.

I have quite afew Lost Coast Stamps so why not use them for their  Christmas in July
challenge. Their stamps are quirky, so my card gleaned some quirkiness from the use of their shouting lady stamp. I am never quite sure whether she is angry, frightened or is giving a warning shout.

I left the sentiment open to interpretation. 

 

Entering in:

Lost Coast Stampers: Christmas in July

Archiscraps: Multiple patterned papers

Shopping our Stash: #449 Christmas in July