Remember

 Today I took my inspiration from a sketch, a tic-tac-toe and challenges with prompts. I don't often make vintage-inspired cards, but today was the day.

It all clicked together when I found this stash of design paper with fades and color runs and delicate handwriting. That reminded me of my stash of floral rub-ons from Japan that I have wanted to use. Add to that some shape dies and gems (not in the photo), and the card was taking shape in my mind.

 

I cut two hexagons and mounted them onto the background paper. I then selected a branch with flowers and rubbed it on. A butterfly was added as were three stratetigally placed gems. The sentiment is a strip that has hung in my stash since a decade - finally I found a good place for it!

 

Entering this in these challenges that inspired me today:

Time Out: #319 Pick 2 - My choices were geometric, stitching and floral

 

TGIF: #590 Sketch challenge

 

Little Red Wagon: #871 "We didn't start the fire" - I chose to go with 'history'

Tic-Tac-Toe: #tttc299 My choice is the diagonal: insects -gems-free

 

Kreativ-Tanten: #116 Alles geht / Anything goes 

A Place To Start: #260608 AG / no rectangles optional - I am playing with AG (2nd entry) 

 

Sunflower greetings

 Sunflowers are in season, so I was overjoyed to find a challenge for yellow flowers. I paired it with a sketch, the call for making it tone on tone, And, I could use my pretty papers.

The supplies were rather simple, dies and papers and some Perfect pearls. Later I added some glittery stones as I don't have enamel dots (which were called for in one challenge). 

 

I die cut the sunflower out of design paper and laid it over another. I made an underlay for the flower out of a yellow tissue paper so it would stand out better. I was working with a sketch so added the an outer and inner frame. The orientation was flipped, I thought my card made more sense as a horizontal.

Entering this in the following inspirational challenges:

As You See It: #377 Recipe for Happy Yellow Flowers

 

Atlantic Hearts Challenge: #692 Sketch - I changed the orientation

 

TGIF: #587 Technique challenge: Tone on tone 

 

Love Those Pretty Papers: July AG / Coastal optional - I am playing with AG

A summery thank-you

 Today's inspiration came from a list of ingredients, a photo, a layout and a recipe. In my mind they would play well with each other.

The ingredients were simple: a die, a sentiment stamp, pink and yellow gelli printed papers and vellum.

 

The making was anything but. I haven't used these floral circles a lot and now I remember why: they are overly fiddly to release and then glue on. For the layout background vellum seemed like an obvious choice as I wanted to keep this clean. The sentiment was stamped and embossed on vellum. Then I surrounded the sentiment with small diamonds for glitter. The sentiment reads "Thank you".

I am entering this in the following challenges that were my inspiration today:

Festive Friday: #FF0213 World emoji day - I used yellow, glossy embellishment and circles from the list

TGIF: #585 Sketch challenge

 

Inkspirational: #371 Photo inspiration

 

CAS on Friday: #338 Use dies and only word stamps 

 

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

Poppy greetings

There were still leftovers from yesterday's session. The stenciled paper grabbed my fancy, and that slatted round  piece as well.

I was inspired by the colors of two challenges and wanted to add some flowers using those colors.

I then stamped the sentiment. It's a greeting, suitable for a 'just because' card.

 

Entering my card in these inspiring  challenges:

Beautiful Blossoms: Anything with blooms, moodboard optional - I was inspired by the moodboard

 

TGIF: #582 Moodboard 

 

Passion for Markers: #843 Add flowers

JustUsGirls: #829 Stencil week

We Love 2 Create: AG 

 

Two hours later...

I have eyed some challenges for a while. They are not easy ones to combine by any means, but I have been feeling brave lately. Take a sketch, vellum, fruit, a frame and stripes and combine them freely. I chose my title by sheer exhaustion. In my head it is spoken in tinny robot voice. Because, let's face it, some cards are easily made and others ... not so.

First I thought these supplies would be enough. Two dies, a lovely pear stamp and vellum.

 

I hadn't thought of the pear. It had to be colored in. This was done with Ecoline markers, I like the fact that they are water soluble.

 

The striped round die-cut needed to be backed with vellum. The vellum needed to be colored in. Enter alcohol markers.

 

For sentiment I used another die and glittery green card stock.

I am entering this into these wonderful challenges that got my brain going:

TGIF: #tgifc581 sketch 

Addicted to CAS: #310 Codeword Frame  

Lost Coast Portal: #210 Fruit, flowers, foliage

The Paper Funday: #88 AG, polkadots or stripes optional - I went with the option of stripes

Seize the Birthday: #328 Use vellum or acetate - I used vellum

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 

 

Just because...

 Today several challenges aligned beautifully and I was able to use them as my inspiration for a 'Just because' card for a friend.

I started with black gesso and applied it through a reversed stencil. Reversed, because it had words which I didn't want to be readable. Next I sprayed the whole background with two colors. They had a fine mist, so the background became rather evenly colored, not wildly splattered.

I then stamped some flowers and colored them in with my Ecoline markers. (So good! The have great coverage without the penetrant smell of alcohol markers, and they are blendable.) I really liked the grid idea of a challenge and wanted to use it.

 

So then, several hours later... I hope my friend likes this happy mail she's about to receive.

 

Entering this in the challenged that made this possible:

Stencil Fun: May AG/ See-thru optional. I enter with AG

Double D: Splatter challenge 

TGIF: #578 Inspiration challenge - I used the grid 

Beautiful Blossoms: #41 / AG, Moodboard optional. I didn't use the moodboard. 

613 Avenue Create: May AG, 'May flowers' optional. I went with that option. 

A medley

 The downside of not being able to play more with my materials these days is that everything takes so much longer than usual. It also seems to become more elaborate.

Take a simple prompt "make your own background" for example and combine it with "anything goes". For example - but this is what I actually used. In hindsight it could have been such a simple and fast card, but this took me hours.

 

First: Take a gelli print, stamp onto it and then heat emboss it. Cut it up for a background. Because it is a tissue paper glue it onto a copy paper. Wait it to dry. Then adhere it with double sided tape onto the card.

Then: Stamp some leaves and berries, color them. Stamp a focal image in three layers (yes, it's one of those layering stamps - pesky, but with such lovely results). Then fussy cut everything and arrange them pleasingly.  Stamp a sentiment, arrange that into the greenery. Then glue everything down.

Entering this into the challenges that I was inspired by today:

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Make your own background

TGIF: #tgifc491 Sweater weather 

A Blog Named Hero: September AG

Stamping Sensations: AG or Animal Magic - I'd like to think this is animal magic.

For you

 A love letter - who wouldn't like that?

In my card a little bird is carrying a love letter to a happy recipient. The text reads "for you".

 

I made the background with ink smooshing, added a diecut collection of hearts and the stamped bird, typewriter and a letter. (All separate stamps.)

Entering it in these lovely challenges that inspired me today:

TGIF: #tgifc458 Color challenge 

613 Avenue Create: AG w/ twist Love letter - I went with the twist

Stamping Sensations: Animals, birds and creatures

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge: AG (2nd entry)

 

Thank you for your visit and comments (if so inclined).

There's cake!

 Cake is the theme of the first challenge I was inspired by. I made a cake with two rectangle shapes. To decorate it, I got inspired by a color challenge, but also by a "re-use, recycle" challenge.

The flowers were cut from color paper, the cake decoration from a vellum (or possibly yupo) tag from a swimsuit that I have been saving up for a special project. The printed portion is hiding under the flowers.

Entering it in these lovely challenges:

TGIF Challenge: #tgifc456

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Recycle

Color My Heart Color dare challenge: #584 Six pack

Daring Cardmakers: Floral frenzy

AAA Birthdays: Rainbow / Rainbow colors

Thank you for your visit!