Colors for your birthday

 Today's inspirations became a recipe: a square card w/ a non-white base - birthday - blooms - a color palette of four vibrant colors.

These were the supplies: dies, papers and a sentiment stamp.

 

I die-cut every flower twice with different colors, then assembled the flowers with inlays onto the yellow paper. I snitched the layout idea from the color challenge, I thought it was genius.

 

Entering this in these challenges that I was inspired by today:

Seize the Birthday: #331 A square card wit a non-white base 

AAA Card Challenge: #319 Color challenge 

 

Try it on Tuesday: Summer blooms

Time Out: #318 Mother Nature 

 

 

Koi greetings

 I needed a card that was not overly sweet. I love my pinks, but blue is a good option, too. There were some nice challenges to nudge me on. 

My supplies were stamps and inks. And paper. I had a blotched background left over from the positivity card and since it had already been half inked I now inked it fully and then stamped the background on it.

The aperture was cut freehand and propped up with foam tape. (If your eyes detect a stitched line along the edge of it - well, that was made with a pattern wheelie.) The koi fish were stamped in two colors and then fussy cut. The sentiment reads: "A little hello".

 

I am entering this in these wonderful challenges:

Time Out: #317 Water

 

The Paper Funday: #89 Make a splash

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Add some text

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends: July 19. AG 

Happy to you

 I could not believe it. It has been a couple of years since I bought this beautiful die set - and have not once used it. Today a challenge made me think of it and I packed it out. The colors were inspired by another challenge. I used small paper paint chips, too - always a win as I have too many stashed up.

 

This is a birthday card.

 

I am entering this in these inspirational challenges: 

Time Out: #316 Inspiration photo - I was inspired by the open geometric structure

 

Seize the Birthday: #329 Blue, pink and yellow

Snippets Playground: #535 

I am also entering in these AG challenges:

Cupcake Inspirations: #638

 

Paper Rock Scissors: #17 

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 

I spy...

.. wintry bear holding a snowflake.

The background was done with ink smooshing in cold, purply hues that I hoped would suggest a cold and snowy winter. The bear i solding a stamped snowflake, but I adhered a die cut on top of that.

There is a glittery silver net ribbon behind the die cuts. I added glittery dots and painted the snowflake with Wink of Stella.

Entering in these lovely challenges:

Allsorts Challenge: #758 I spy.. something beginning with a B - a bear!

Time Out Challenges: #253 Sparkly 

Lost Coast Challenges: #180 In deep midwinter

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Use craft dies

Cut It Up: #292 Use more than one die - I used four, two size circles, the bear and the snowflake

 

Have a lovely birthday

A floral fabric served as an inspiration for this bold and colorful birthday card. The flowers are cut from paint samples - I love them for their uniform coloring and somewhat glossy finish. The large sentiment has been stamped with white and then embossed with a white embossing powder.

Entering this in the challenges that inspired me today:

AAA Birthday Cards: Game #55, Large sentiment

613 Avenue Create: AG/ Optional: Wet/dry embossing - I chose wet embossing

Cards4 Gals: #212 Embossing wet or dry

Time Out Challenges: #251 Photo inspiration

You can change your destiny

 Fairytale figures are destined to act according to their story - right? Or not? I recently acquired this Little Red Ridinghood stamp second hand.

To show that she can change her destiny I colored the stamped image in non-traditional colors. I also added a huge circle of butterflies that are colored in cheery, friendly happy colors. 

The text is from Dina Wakeley Ledger Paper II: Be the energy you want to attract.

Entering this in the challenges that inspired me:

Time Out Challenges: #242 Inspired by words

Simon Says Monday Challenge: We are going around in circles

Krafty Chicks Challenge: #671 Stamp Act week I

Thank you for your visit!

Have fun

I am forever trying to get rid of my scraps and snippets.The palms are stamped onto the tiniest scrap of green paper that I have been keeping for ages, the "sea" is two strips that were left over from a card base, and so forth, you get the idea. The card was going to be more complicated, with an island, stamped waves and sea shells, but in the end I settled for a cleaner design.

Before I gifted this girl stamp to my niece I quickly made a few impressions for myself for later use. The girl character was supposed to be a pirate and enter a ship, but that ship had no place in this card, it would have become too crowded for my liking. I hope this card still reads funny.

Entering in the challenges that inspired me today:

Papercraft Challenges: #95 Girls Girls Girls

Time Out Challenges: #241 Funny

Snippets Playground: Challenge #457

Just Add Ink: #658 Choose two - can one choose all three? I used scraps, made stripes and added sequins.

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Vacation

Thank you for your visit!
 

A study in contrasts

 I just love when challenge prompts complete each other in a beautiful way. Today was one of those occasions. I liked the prompt to study extremes. The inspiration photo of The Card Challenge seemed to point into that direction. And I just love birds. There was a helpful card sketch and the prompt 'spring'. Which all boiled down to this:

I created my sentiment using a TH  sentiment "for everything" (omitting the "thanks") and instead of that I added "there is a season". 

I stamped my favorite flowering branch sideways and added a pink bird (ScrapBerry). I have the contrasts of  color, matte vs. shiny, light vs. dark.

I matted it with dark forest green, which now looks almost black.

This is the finished card: For everything there is a season.

entering in:

Frilly and Funkie: A study in contrasts 

Paper Dragonfly Creative Challenge: #4 With a bird / dragonfly optional (I just went with the bird)

The Card Concept: #173 / inspired by the picture prompt

Freshly Made Sketches:  FMS532 

Time Out Challenges: #212 Spring