Summer at the waterside

 The ultimate summer feeling for me is keeping my toes wet, preferably at waterside, which is a river - or just the bath tub - in these parts. I spent my childhood summers at a vast lake and wanted to make a card reflect that feeling. (You kind of stand at the world's edge, if you know what I mean. Only sky and water exist.)

 

Out came the supplies: a stencil for waves, a stamp suitable to double up as a swimmer as well as some designer papers and a die for the underwater life. 

I stenciled the background with Distress Oxides Salvaged patina, then cut it out by hand in a wavy form. I stamped the lady, cutting her out without the intended wings and colored her suit with watercolor markers. I found a ready cut large cloud and a sentiment in my ready-to-go stash and used those as well.

 

I raised the swimmer and the sentiment out of the flat surface with foam strips.

 

I am entering this in the following challenges that made me think of my childhood summers:

 Everybody Art Challenge: #603 Sommerzeit/ Ferienzeit

Stamps+Fun=Creativity: #498 Ferien

Simon Says Monday: At the beach 

Creative Knockouts: #573 Summer Fun

TGIF: #tgifc583 Technique challenge: Popping it up

 

Girlz Creative Fun Art of Scrap: #23 Gebruik designer papier

Just for you

I had fun with this! I used my remnants (or snippets) for the background and then also for the butterflies. 

I had once printed out book pages in miniature and made a gelli print with it. It was almost used up, but there was enough for the background. I had to patch the background in places, but it's not really noticeable.

 I also used supplies that I haven't used for a long time (the butterflies) or haven't used enough (the text stamps). I have no idea who made the butterfly stamp since I have lost its package. (Perhaps someone of you do?)

  

Entering this in:

Stamps+Fun=Creativity: #496 Use bookpaper / Benütze Buchseiten

Moving along with times: #189 One or more butterflies 

Pearly Sparkles: #119 One or more butterflies  

Allsorts: #850 AG

Snippets Playground: #533 AG 

This little piggy...

 I am playing catch-up with my new stamps and stencils (and there might be some dies, too... - I have been very generous with myself).  

Today I used a new stencil for the background. I was able to make a gingham pattern with it by moving it around a bit. The piggy is also a new stamp, I bought it solely for the reason that the way the arms are positioned I am able to place items into its hands - today it is the flower.

 

Entering this birthday card in these fun challenges:

We Love Stamping: Something new

Stamps & Fun=Creativity: #446 AG

Beautiful Blossoms Challenge: #13 Anything floral or Moodboard option: I am using the AG option 

Stencil Fun: AG / option birds - I went with AG option

Lost Coast Portal of Creativity: #181 AG (with stamping)

It's summer - enjoy!

 Summer on the beach, at water's edge - the idea came to me when I saw a scrap of an old gelli print. Th seals were also stamped on a gelli print, a hardly visible speckled grey. That stamp is several years old, it's from a set but all other parts of it have been traded so I have no idea who it is by.

The layout was inspired by a challenge (even though my base rectangle is longer - I could just not bear to cut it shorter and lose the grass...)  

(The text reads: Enjoy)

Entering this in:

Retro Rubber Challenge: #201 Sketch Time!

Stamps&Fun=Creativity: #436 Sommer und/oder Meer

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Summer Moodboard 

Allsorts Challenge: #735 Summertime

Recycled and never been used...

 Yes, it's sad but it happens! Some items for whatever reason will stay unwrapped for a while (or a long while...). Today I decided to do something about them.

Firstly vellum, secondly Pearly Pigments. And last week I took home some stickers (as I thought) of apple blossoms (that I adore) that a neighbor had laid out. (We have this great habit in the building, a tiny recycling center for neighbors near the mail boxes.)

I started by stamping the vellum with white ink. The stamp was bought from a flea market last summer but never put to use yet.

The white ink is slow to dry and I didn't want to use a heat gun. Then I remembered the pearly pigment that dries the ink and pearlizes the whole surface.

What I thought were stickers were in fact wet transfer pictures. Luckily the water did not mess up my stamped background.

Entering the card into these challenges:

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Recycle

Everybody Art Challenge: #510 Frühling / Spring

Arty Divas: March AG

Stamps& Fun=Creativity: #407 Lieblingsblume - ich sehe diese als Apfelblüten die ich sehr gerne mag

NBUS: #36 AG as long as it's never used stuff