Birthday wishes

 Again - a card inspired by several challenges. I was inspired by a color palette and by a prompt 'make it pop' - I think these two challenges went nicely together. I then was inspired by another to use die cuts. Lastly I wanted to see if I could keep it simple.

I have a new set of heart dies and wanted to combine it with flowers in the palette colors. It was admittedly a lot of fiddling to get the flowers inside the heart die, but I am so glad I persevered. The next one will go so much faster.

Entering in these challenges that inspired me to create this card:

for the colors: Through the Purple Haze #204

For using the die cuts: Everybody Art Challenge #536

For keeping it simple: Tuesday Taggers 

For making a birthday card with colors that pop: Seize the Birthday #262 

and finally, because all these dies were used the first time, this was also a NBUS project.

Thank you for visiting!

Spring is coming

 I have wanted to make a wood-cut looking card for a long time. Today was the day!

I picked three flowers making sure they were outline stamps. I am so in love with these by Altenew, the stamps are actually from two different sets. The large flower had a corresponding filler stamp, for the the smaller ones I used the filler stamp for leaves.

I used distress inks from a refiller, because I wanted the ink looking uneven. I also selected a super porous paper that took up the ink without drying time - that way I could be sure the coverage was uneven and it would be looking like it was applied by a wooden block.

I then matted it with pale blue, added a scribbled frame and some Nuvo drops.

The sentiment is by Creative-Depot, it has a nice calligraphy feel to it.

Entering it in:

Try Stamping on Tuesday: #551 - I was inspired by the photo of those gorgeous tulips

Country View Challenges: Spring is coming

Beyond the Blue: #BB60 Use your words

Frilly and Funkie: April showers bring May flowers - the flowers are here already! 

Tuesday Taggers: Spring colors

Someone is waiting for me

 A tag using book paper for the background. I just lightly dabbed it with white distress ink in order to mnake the color pop better.

 

 

Entering in:

Tag Tuesday: Use book paper 

Creative Fingers: #215 AG

This is my lemonade

 How does that wonderful saying go: if life deals you lemons, make lemonade?  Tag Tuesday is asking to re-use something in your art work, and it really felt like making something new and bright out of old stuff.

The things one keeps, though!

I took out a carefully preserved wrapping paper from a gift three years ago. Also a blotched background with butterflies. And a tea wrapper (Chinese mini tea brick) that went with the colors.

The background was slightly dulled by gueing down a white tissue paper on top. After that came the tea wrap tissue that was sewn on, a fussy cut flower from the wrapping paper and some silver thread  (which can't be seen here) - this is curled under the plant.

Lastly came the TH Remnant rub words and a length of pink linen twine.

I would like to enter this into the following challenges:

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Lots of layers

Tag Tuesday: Recycle and re-use

Paperminutes: #709 Nähen / Sewing

Take flight

I prefer fussy cutting to flat stamping. This floral stem was first stamped, then fussy cut. I added it to a stenciled background and colored it in with Oxides. Then I stamped the moth, fussy cut it and adhered it on top.

The sentiment is from Tim Holtz remnant rubs and reads 'Take flight'.

clicks for larger

 

I'm entering this in:

TagTuesday: Flowers /floral

Stamplorations: August Summer challenge: Anything goes

The Crafters cafe: #271 Anything goes

Gather moments

 ... and don't forget to enjoy them as well!

Again I played around with several challenges. Today I combined the themes 

Summer -  Enchanted garden - Musical - Layering

I started by tearing strips of sheet music and adhering that to a giant tag. I then painted it over with diluted chalk paint and stamped on with a round stamp. My first thought was to include numbers and letters (as per one other challenge) but then I decided that would be too much.

For me flowers represent the quintessence of summer. The air is heavy with their scent, the sun is hot and the insects are lazily buzzing around.

I then stamped six different flowers, fussy cut and watercolored them and arranged as a central panel. Lastly I applied the TH remnant rubs and a silk ribbon.

entering in:

Everybody Art Challenge: # 495 Summer

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Lazy days of summer

Tag Tuesday: Musical

Incy Wincy designs: Enchanted Garden

Crafters' Cafe blog Challenge: Layer it up

Meet Mr. J. H. Wade, official investigator

 It is hard to believe that this kind of eyewear could be vintage.

This painting by Jeptha Homer Wade (link to Wikipedia) was made in 1837. It shows Mr Nathaniel Olds. The green-tinted spectacles worn by Olds were designed to protect the eyes from the intensity of Argand lamps, a type of indoor light used during the early 1800s. These lamps burned whale oil, and many people worried that its bright flames might damage eyesight. (link to painting)

 

The background was done with Distress Oxides. When it was dry I dabbed some color through a stencil, then repositioned the stencil slightly, went in and stamped mini text through in green ink.

I stamped the eyeglasses on top, then colored in the lenses with white, leaving them semi-transparent. The other stamps are by Stampers Anonymous.  The twine is old, not to say vintage, it came with a lot of vintage bits and bobs I picked up from a garage sale.

 

entering in:

Tag Tuesday: Vintage

Creative Fingers: #211 Anything goes

Creative Moments: #217 Anything goes

Where is Cynthia?

An old airmail envelope was used as the background for this tag.Onto it I added postage stamps and ephemera and a second tag as well as the text that I found in a book.

Entering this in:

Tag Tuesdays: Tag on tag

Simon Says Wednesday challenge: Red white and/or blue

Hare madness

entering in:
Tag Tuesday: Hares and rabbits
Three Muses: Bowtie
ATC around the World: Anything goes