High fashion

Take a Word challenges to enter with a card portraying 'high fashion'. Here is my take on it:

Let me count the ways...

... I love thee. This being the Valentine month, there is bound to be at least one 'love project' in this blog. I got inspired by one challenge in particular which specified to use three of something on the project.

I selected a die cut as a stencil and applied the twirly stem twice onto my substrate with distress ink. The third stem is the die-cut one.

entering in:
Frilly and Funkie: Let me count the ways
Try it on Tuesday: Romance
Take a Word: Love is in the air

 

B is for blue

Blue is my favorite color. For this background I used a wild concoction. First TH Distress inks in Broken china and Pumice stone (turq and sage).  When that was dry I slightly went over the base with sandpaper to create fine lines. Then I blended two Oxides, Tumbled Glass and Shaded lilac (turq and lavender) which created a lovely soft sky blue. I don't own all colors so I need to be creative with what I've got. I also used some glitter - there has to be glitter - and white papers for snow.

Then I felt this girl needed antlers -  but don't ask why.

Be true to who you are.

Entering in:
SimonSays Monday: B is for?
Take a Word: Blue and white
Try it on Tuesday: Winter wonderland 

Are you playing games with me?

Vihdoinkin ennätän osallistua TJK-haasteeseen! Ne on useimmiten ohi silloin kun vasta rupean inspiroitumaan aiheesta...
Nyt oli aiheena seuranpito ja harrastukset. Tällainen setti syntyi kun otin hyötykäyttöön muuan brosyyrin.

 A duo of playful girls.

TJK: viikot 39,40
Take a Word: Pair, couple, duo

Tea, tea, drink your tea

Beautiful china and fragrant tea ... always a good recipe for some me-time, also mindfulness.

I could not make just one card, the theme was just too delicious.

Background was first stamped, them sprayed with shimmery baby blue mist through a stencil. The wooden elements, arrow, heart and #-sign were treated with a multi tone embossing powder with delicious detail.

The wording was made with ancient rub-on letters that were last around in the 90's.  1 - 2 -tea...

The background paper is ancient school paper, somewhat yellowed with age.

 Entering in:
SimonSays Monday challenge: Food or drink
Three Muses: Tea
Takea a Word: Any shade of blue

Flowers

A bird has a soul made of meadow flowers - for sure!  I have had this poetic blurb for a while, but it never comfortably found its place until now. Please hop over to Use Your Stuff and take part in their this week's challenge with the nice and seasonal theme of Flowers.

entering in:
Take a Word: Botanical
Try it on Tuesday: Botanical

Inspired

... by Tim Holtz. For background I picked the little used technique of turning stamping into watercolor from his second Compendium. And I just love the new paperdolls from Tim!

entering into:
CountryView Challenge: Inspired by Tim Holtz
Take a Word: Childhood

SimonSays: Based on a book - that would be Little Red Ridinghood:

and the whole set into:
A Vintage Journey: All aboard

Three / Kolme

KKvintage-haaste starttaa tänään ja aihe on tällä kertaa "Kolme". Eli mitä tahansa, kunhan niitä on kolme, kolme paperia, samaa koristetta, kolme kerrosta tai kolme ihmishahmoa niinkuin tässä.

Kolmen ryhmiä löysin varastoistani aika monta, mutta valitsin miehet, naiset ja lapset. Olisi löytynyt perheryhmiäkin, tai naisten ja miesten sekaryhmiä... taidan säästää ne toiseen kertaan, mielessä kypsyy jo kolmiodraama kortin aiheena.

Kaikilla hahmoilla on pieni kiiltävä sydän jossain kohtaa, sillä kun kevät lähestyy on rakkauttakin ilmassa.  Miehet epäröivät vielä voivatko he noin vain rakastua.

Naiset taas ottavat ja rakastuvat umpimähkään.

Lapset eivät vielä muuta toivo kuin suurta onnea, mitä se sitten lieneekään.

These were a quick make: take a pizza box, sand it, cut three cards, put a light wash of gesso on them, stamp the background, cut figures, cut words, paste figures, paste words - and voila! Sometimes it is very satisfying to make something quick.

Entering into:
Country View Challenges: 30 minutes or under
Take a Word: Valentine
SimonSays Monday: Use your favorite tool -  that would be scissors, I fussy cut everything!

Three musicians

These three musicians look like they like what they are doing. See the twinkle? They are clearly enjoying themselves.

This totally rocks, thinks the trumpet player,

- Oh, hello ladies, smirks the violonist, but

the trombonist is concentrating so hard  he just seems to pay no attention to his surroundings.

Made with wildly different materials like washi tapes, lace tape and napkins, then washed over with two dusky shades of blue acrylic.

Entering the set into:
Take a Word: Music
Three Muses: Shades of blue
Simon Says Wednesday: Anything goes

We have had some good flights, my friend

These guys seem very content. Happiness is having had some good flights and being able to reminisce about them with a like-minded person.

- Remember in 1907? The flight we made in Strasbourg - superb. Beautiful skies, peaceful flying.

- Oh yes, that was grand. And how about Lyon? In 1912 we had the sky all to ourselves. We landed  in a cornfield. Luckily the field was being cut at the time and the peasants treated us to some of the best wine I have ever tasted. Then there were some ten years until we could fly again - what with a war going on and some convalenscence time afterwards - by 1924  the twenties were roaring like there was no tomorrow.

The old, wise guys listen, but will only remark one thing: The storms come and go.

Take their wisdom. It will come handy one day.

entering into:
Lunagirl: Planes, trains, automobiles
KK-haaste: 185, Lähden lentoon
Take a Word: Happiness is...

A happy day

Birthdays are happy days.

 I made this card for a dear someone in New York City celebrating a round nice 33.

Background was done with acrylics mixed with some light sand for texture and then applied with a combination of a brayer, a spatula, gelli plate and a ruler dipped in paint. I was inspired by this challenge to make something 'native', i.e. folkloric for the background. This mimics the so called flame weaving of the Finnish folk costume. (one example of a skirt)

Colors were kept bright and happy.
Even the back had a message.

entering this into:
Unstampabelles: Going native
Simon Says Monday challenge: Add some texture
Take a Word: Happiness

Spring Parade / Pääsiäisterveiset!

 Oh glorious spring! It has been a first truly spring day today - abundant sunshine and mild, fragrant air. I took a walk in the forest and admired the little mounds of violets that came through the brown leaves.
I felt like doing something equally light and carefree, a tribute to spring.

Oli ihana aurinkoinen päivä, metsästä löytyi orvokkimättäitä viimevuotisten lehtien keskeltä. Piti tehdä jotain herkkää.  Pohjana käytin jälleen kerran aluspapereita, joihin oli tarttunut vähän kaikkea. Suojaan pöytäni jos jonkinlaisella paperilla, joka muuten menisi roskiin. Niin niihin tulee joskus tekstiäkin. (Muistaakseni tämä kertoo naisten jalkapallosta...)

I started with the papers I had been using for protecting my desk from my mixed media attempts. They had it all: text on the background, some heavy texture stenciling and lovely spring colors. I deepened the colors and stamped them with swirls.

 I though of things that are new in spring. Babies are new, brand new...

Kevätvauva

 Birds start building their nests...

Kevätlintu

 and spring bunnies will hobble around and deliver eggs...

Kevätpupu

entering these into:
Take a Word: Spring Equinox
Stamploration: Stamps and texture
Emeral Creek: Easter Parade

Tones of Sepia / Romanttiset linnut

- What do you want? asks the bird lady.
- Want to be my bride? retorts the gentleman bird.

Oh you birds, do I hear some attitude here? It sounds more like a squabble or bicker than a romantic proposition. But maybe it's just love, and some giddiness in a novel situation?

entering this into:
Take a Word: Vintage Sepia
Lunagirl: Love

Kosimisen pitäisi olla romanttinen juttu. Herralintu kultakruunussaan lennähtää oksalle tyttölinnun lähistölle.
 - Mitä asiaa? kysyy tyttölintu.

- Tahdotko olla morsiameni?

Ohoh, kysymys olikin yllättävän suorasukainen ja ilman mitään valmisteluja. Ei romanttista illallista, ei kynttilänvaloa tai kukkakimppua (tai mikä linnuille sitten onkaan tärkeää, kenties oksallinen kauraa, muutama lihava mato ja pesänrakennusaineet?).

Linkitän nämä KK:n vintage-haasteeseen, jossa kysytään ruskean sävyjä.