Love is all you need

Today I was in the mood for a floral card for a change. And, like always, I selected a couple of challenges to lead my way.

The supplies were quite straightforward: a die set, floral paper and a ready sentiment strip.

 

I started by selecting a background that would let the flowers be the focal point. Then I die cut all the parts from white paper, except for the centers where I used a scrap of yellow paper. 

When everything was glued up I picked a sentiment that goes so well with daisies. We all know the counting of petals with the iteration of "loves me - loves me not... ". So :"Love is all you need" was just the ticket to finish off this card.

 

Entering this in these lovely challenges:

Seize the Birthday: #333 No stamping - dies only 

 

TioT: Inspired by a song "Love is all you need"

Sweet Stamping: Use a die cut

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Anything goes

Classic Design Challenge: ATG/ use die cuts

Tiger Lilly sends you her best

Today I stringed together some challenges that shouldn't go together, yet miraculously do. Or how does it strike you to be inspired by bracelets and safari animals at the same time? It was the beautiful desert colors that sparked my interest. My new Tiger Lilly stamp (by Vaessen Creative) would work well there. On a side note, there aren't enough stamps for grown-ups in the cat/ big cat department, I find, that's why I jumped at this stamp.(Although I suspect it's really a cheetah.) Also the stringed circles dies fitted well, they remind me of bracelets.

I started by die cutting many many pearl strings out of all my papers. (In the end I only needed four). My first idea was to use a white card base and criss cross them on the background - now that looked totally wrong, so I came up with the idea of taking the brown panel that I had die cut a string of pearls from and using that as my card base. 

The strings now flank the tiger. She looks sufficiently angry, she must have forgotten to send the greetings on time, or what do you think?  The last addition were some enamel dots to mimic some pearls (still thinking of bracelets).

 

Entering this in these lovely challenges that served me well today:

 Inspired by: #IB400 Bracelets

 

ETA: this challenge had sadly closed before I could enter - including it here anyway for the record. 

As You Like It: Your favourite safari animal (and why) - I love cats and all big cats are my favorites. 

TioT: Make it colourful

Creative Inspirations: August AG

Polkadoodles: #8 AG

and as this stamp is brand new I am showing this card also at NBUS #89 lineup.

 

 

Shiny and earthy for your birthday

 Yesterday I made a square non-white card to fit certain challenges. Then I thought: what if I change one parameter of those four (of yesterday's card) and see what else I can do?

I removed the color challenge and kept 'blooms' and the 'square non-white card' requirement. I added stencil and shine. Out came the supplies:

 

I brayered a background paper first with cream, then pearlescent white acrylic paint. When it was dry I stenciled over it with gold paint. I cut it to size, then die cut the flower silhouettes from white card stock. I painted two of those with brown and left one white. Lastly I adhered the sentiment "Congratulation". 

 

This card became completely diffrent from yesterday's.

 I am entering this in these lovely challenges that were my inspiration today:

Seize the Birthday: #331 Square card, non-white base (2nd entry)

TioT: Summer blooms (2nd entry)

Just Us Girls: #833 Stencils week 

 

Creative Moments:  #284 Shimmer and shine

Creative Artiste mixed media: #128 AG Mixed Media

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 

 

 

Get well soon

Get well soon cards brighten the day - but what to make for a pre-teen boy? I settled for a lizard stamp, a chamaeleon to be exact. As for other supplies I took guidance from other challenges that suggested text and mark-making.

I cut up the large letters from my gelli-printed papers. I had made these to be backgrounds (hence the card stock), but they didn't quite turn out the way I had liked, so I cut them up for the alphabet. I also cut the irregular background with dies. Later it seemed too bare and I added color through a TH stencil.

 

After coloring the lizard with Gansai Tambi watercolors and fussy cutting it came the assembling. The sentiment takes the center role, the lizard gives it interest as does the mark making. Hopefully just right for this boy!

 

Entering it in these lovely challenges that I followed today:

Unicorn Challenge: #122 No design paper - no, indeed, I made my own

Addicted to Stamps and More: #521 Make your mark 

 

TioT: Animals real or imaginary  

Creative Crafting Uncles: #78 Get well

4 Seasons challenge: #106 Focus op tekst 

 

No limit on happy

 Today my interest was widely spread as I found five awesome challenges that I thought I could combine well.

These were the ingredients I thought I'd need. In the end I used less of the papers, no leaf cut-outs, but more markers. The guy was a stamp I had given away, but stamped a few for myself before. 

I started by creating a sticky removable mask for the guy, as I had stamped it on a card base. This was the first time I used Aleene's Tack It, and I can highly recommend it. The removal of the mask was easy, it did not leave any residue nor did it tear the surface. I did a three color blend with the Oxides Rustic Wilderness - Uncharted Mariner - Blueprint Sketch. That left the guy white, but I used my markers to color him in. Lastly I flicked some water droplets onto the upper part to make the illusion of night settling in more believable.

I found a great sticker from TH Snarky chit chat pack. This is a birthday card and the main sentiment will be inside.

 

Entering this in these challenges that inspired my make today:

Make My Monday: #281 Blend 2 or 3 colors - I used three for my background

Passion for Markers: #844 Transport

Cardz 4 Gyuz: #387 Gardens / gardening 

Try It on Tuesday: In the garden (2nd entry) 

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Stars and/or stripes  

Garden faerie

Today I was inspired by three topics (spread across five challenges). Out came the supplies: a recently purchased stamp set, a torn edge background die and a stencil. And the colors of course: Oxide in salvaged patina for the background (it is such a cheerful blue-green hue) and various browns and blues for the image.

 

I stenciled the background, stamped and colored the image and cut the background. The text reads: "Fairy dust".

 

Entering this in these lovely challenges that inspired me today.

Colorful options: June 2026 Color palette

 

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Things with wings

TIOT: In the garden - there lives a faerie

Stencil Fun: anything with a stencil, butterfly optional - going with AG, 2nd entry

Make My Monday: #280 Use a stencil 

Dancing around

 I have neglected my stencils for some time. Luckily I found a couple of challenges that promised to change that. I chose to work with stencils, butterflies and a floral. 

I made the background with two stencils (sitting on the left). I then added a few butterflies to it through the larger stencil. After it had dried I found it too stark and added a vellum overlay. I then stamped a large zinnia (by Stampendous) and colored it in with watercolors. I also die cut some butterflies and colored those in as well., and positioned them to dance around the flower.

 

I am entering this into these challenges that inspired me today:

Stencil Fun: AG stencil / optional butterflies - I went with this option 

TiOT: Flying high 

Papercraft Challenges: #130 Botanical beauty 

Paper Rock Scissors: #17 June challenge AG 

Color with embossing

 I have watched many videos on how to apply color to embossed paper. Now that I was actually ready to try it my brain was totally blank. This is why I can't say in whose video I saw this idea - and where to find it.

So,  I started with a white embossed paper, turned it over to the reverse, de-bossed side. As I had a monochrome result in my mind I went rough over the whole sheet with an ink cube. I wanted to catch the background, not the flowers per se, but it was a nice surprise that even the flowers took color.

Then I went over some parts that hadn't caught the first time. Lastly I took a finger dauber and filled in softly some of the de-bossed parts. I used Distress Oxides in Picked Raspberries and Ripe Persimmon.

A simple vellum tag holds the heat embossed greeting.

 

Entering this in these lovely challenges:

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Lots of texture

TioT: Emboss it! - I used dry and heat embossing here

Allsorts Challenge: Week 782 AG or a Blast from the past - I went with AG 

Creative Crafting Uncles: #53 Monochrom - I went with reds

Can You Handle The Pressure: AG wit a twist of fruits and veggies - I went with AG

Moonshadow

 This text stamp must be one of my oldest stamps, I must have bought it around 2007 when I started paper crafting. It is a poem,  but I have no idea if it is by somebody or whether they just made it up at the stamp company. (There is no maker on the wood block.) Yes! It is on a wooden block. I recently pulled out my box of wooden stamps - they are too easily forgotten.

I created the background using distress oxides and water, then stamping a bit of texture in form of hazy clouds. The moon phases were cut up from a gelli print.

Entering this into these great challenges that served as my muse:

Retro Rubber Challenge: #rrcb223 Winter blue ombré    

The Paper Players : #PP674 Sketch

 #woodblockwednesday: January challenge 

TioT: Add some text

Simon Says Wednesday challenge: AG

A Christmas song

Jean Sibelius was a Finnish composer in the late 19th and early the 20th c. His symphonies are still played, but his Christmas song "Jo joutuu ilta" (translated into: Over hill and dale) remains less known. I managed to find a rather recent recording (here) of this beautiful but rather mournful song. This is as traditional Finnish style Christmas as it can get, a song about the darkness, snow and quietness, sung in a minor key.

That song was my starting point for this card, which I combined with some other ideas. The background is a gelli print with TH fir trees stencil. I also cut some fir trees from the same dark blue paper than my edging, and added golden stars. The name of the song is printed on a gold paper and used as text.

Entering this into challenges that inspired me in its creation:

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Trees

Cupcake Challenge: #583 Color inspiration Blue-White-Gold 

TioT: Traditional Christmas

Use Your Stuff: #480 Shine bright

TGIF: #448 Theme challenge

Thank you for your visit!

It's cold outside

 First snow arrived today - how beautiful. Of course it prompted me turn to some challenges for inspiration. I found a few, and as a result I am combining the winter theme with a wintry-christmassy critter.

The background has been run through my Sizzix with neat method that combines wax paper, an embossing folder and follows up with a hot iron and some colors. I am not sure from whom I learned about it, but it was on Youtube. The deer is stamped, the snowflakes and text have been die cut. I find a deer perfect for wintertime cards, it has that woodsy feel (unlike reindeer that dwells in the treeless Lapland).

 

I am entering my card into the following challenges:

TioT: Baby it's cold outside

Traumfabrik: #122 "Elliot the little reindeer" Anything that is Christmassy or wintry and features a reindeer or a stag - I chose a deer

Stamping Sensations: Get ready for Christmas My text reads "Merry Christmas"

As You Like It: Favorite Christmas critter (and why?)  I chose a deer for reasons above

Use Your Stuff: #479 Winter or snow

Autumn

Autumn is all about produce. I love roaming through fields and forests and amidst the brown leaves and bare branches there is a red highlight: the rosehips. I was overjoyed to find this stamp, a recent PaperArtsy release.

I started with a misty, layered background. I used two stencils, and colored the card in with Victorian Velvet and Pumice Stone DO's using copious amounts of water.

I colored the berries in with watersoluble crayons and added some washi and light stamping for added 'noise'. 

Entering it into these lovely challenges:

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Stencil Fun

TioT: Autumn

Alphabet Challenge: N is for Nature

Thank you for your visit!

A "copperplate illustration"

 I  have wanted to make an old-fashioned botanical "copperplate illustration" for some time. I put it in quotes, because I am using stamps and not doing any copperplate or other drawing. That style just speaks to me.

There were a couple of challenges that I followed for guidance, mainly because copperplate botanicals are a vast subject and I have a vast amount of stamps. I also included a couple of printed papers in my composition. I stamped a nice selection of images and embossed all with clear embossing powder.

The finished card was kept to a tight color palette of olive and berry (with some variation). I looked for a way to include "a cluster of three" as prompted in one challenge. Can you spot it?

Entering in the challenges that made this stamped and collaged card happen:

Color Hues: #TCH#68 Olive and Berry 

Beautiful Blossoms Challenge: #9 AG flowers/ optional moodboard - I chose to go less tropical than the mood board

TioT: Pretty papers

Use Your Stuff: #489 A three item cluster

Festive Friday: Floral delights

Hmm - stars and stripes for Christmas?

 A couple of challenges gave me inspiration for this early Christmas card. I chose two embosing folders (but ended up using just the one with radiant stripes). The stripes are kept on the left half of paper, I found my inspiration for the layout in a challenge.

 I used Distress Oxides in two colors and added shine with Simon Hurley's Lunar Paste in gold ("Slippery when wet" is the name of the hue) and heat embossed the text with WOW golden shimmer embossing powder.

I am entering this into the challneges that I combined to achieve this look:

TioT: Use three colors

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Shimmer ans shine

Can You Handle the Pressure: AG with a twist of stars

Everybody Art Challenge: #540 Sketch - I turned it 90 degrees.

Double Trouble: #143 Christmas in July - I am entering with Thing 1, and 2.

Summer flowers for birthday

 Do you like plain paper or patterned paper for your projects? I would have answered this question with "plain", as I practically never buy patterned paper. Then I started my project and grabbed my favorite papers, made with gelli plate. I had to decide that they were not plain, not even those where I had used one color.  The color creates texture and thus a pattern, and I also use old books as a substrate.

Summer flowers are so pretty, especially those unassuming field flowers. I picked poppy, chicory and a simple nameless flower and stamped them onto some gelli prints, then  heat embossed them with a transparent embossing powder that gives the outline a nice shine.

The background papers are from my snippets box.
 

Entering in:

AsYouLikeIt Challenge: Favorite Patterned or Plain papers (and why) - it would be pattern, but one that I have created myself

Make My Monday: #204 Birthday 

Try It On Tuesday: Summer Blooms

Happy Little Stampers: July Birthday AG

SimonSays Wednesday Challenge: AG 

 

Thank you for stopping by!

Flying by to say ...

 A little bird flew by carrying a message: Trust in your abilities, have faith in yourself.

As always, I took inspiration from several challenges that play well together. The background is a dry pulled gelli print, the lower portion of which has been treated with an embossing folder for added interest. The bird is stamped, cut out and colored.

Entering it in:

Try it on Tuesday: Birds and/or feathers

Lost Coast: #169 Use some words  

Inkspirational: Emboss your background

Fab 'n Funky: #575 Use a sentiment

Wish upon a star -

 - now that would have been the perfect sentiment for this card. (I thought of it too late!)

I needed a card for a boy and was inspired by the sun-moon-stars idea. 

I cut blue cardstock to an arch shape and did some background enhancing with darker blues and black. The starry sky is through a stencil with Simon Hurley's gold paste; the moon, sun a a few stars were die cut from a gelliprinted paper and raised with foam squares.

Entering this in:

Global Design project #GDP396 CASE this design by Krista Frattin - I chose the sky/stars/moon

TioT: Make it Masculine

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Sun, moon, stars 

Allsorts Challenge: Week 731: Use a die