Fiddling to get it right

 I usually have a firm idea for the card in my mind, and after gathering the supplies I take a photo of them, before cutting in. Well, today was no different. Inspired by several challenges I selected these.

I was so sure the green background, enhanced by white stenciling, would work. But it did not. The green and white had too much contrast in regards to the delicate butterflies. (The circles are in the next picture under the butterflies.)

So a frantic search for a more suitable background started. The choice fell on two.

 

Luckily the first choice worked. I stenciled the flower pattern over the handwriting with Lunar Paste in silver, then cut out the circles. The background had been prepared earlier: the lantern stencil was applied three times with white chalk paste. Now it was dry and I could work in some yellow oxide (Antique Linen) over it.

 

I then glued the circles over the previously stenciled circles and finally adhered the butterflies. The sentiment was stamped directly to the card base and it reads: Enjoy your day.

 

Entering this in the challenges that were my inspiration today:

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Going around in circles 

CAS Mix Up: Stenciling over patterned paper

 

Alphabet Challenge: I is for Insects

 Unicorn Challenge: #123 Layer it Up

Krafty Chicks: #834 CAS

Love Those Pretty Papers: ATG/ Look to the Skies optional - I am playing with ATG 

Apple thief

 Again I cherry picked five challenges that I wanted to combine in one card. It all started with the 'neglected stuff'  (this challenge is such a good reminder to use what we haven't used for some time!). 

 "Good enough to eat" made me think of my apple thief stamp that I used last back in 2024, the call for alcohol inks reminded me to pull out my block of alcohol paper prints (as I don't own any inks this is a great alternative), the call for 'no rectangles' inspired me to pull out my somewhat weirdly shaped, but beautiful dies and 'layer it up' provided a gentle nudge to dig out those paper doilies that I really want to use up, and finally, the mere existence of the Neglected Stuff challenge  made me grab the very neglected small tag from a sheet that I bought - and used - back in the '00s (gasp!).

 

 I started by cutting the background out of alcohol ink paper. Then I stamped the apple thief and colored it in with GT watercolors and mounted it with foam strips it on half a doily. The small tag found its place, too. The sentiment reads: "From heart".

 

Entering this in these lovely challenges that inspired me today: 

 Papercraft challenges: #132 Good enough to eat

Aud Sentiments: #340 Alcohol inks and/or summer+ sentiment - I am going with alcohol inks+sentiment

A Place To Start: AG, but No rectangles 

The Neglected Stuff: August AG - my neglected items are the stamp, the doily and the tag (2nd entry of 3)

Unicorn Challenge: #123 Layer it Up 

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 

 

Two blooms and a butterfly

 I have more flower stamps and dies than anything else, but I have neglected them quite a while. Today I finally grabbed a good and trusty flower stamp with a great background (Studio Light). The butterfly was a left-over from a while ago (here) and the sentiment ('Best wishes' in German) comes from Creative Depot.

I colored it with my Gansai Tambi watercolors - twice. The first layer can still be seen in places, it is a different color. It gives the color some depth in my opinion.

 

Entering this in these challenges that I took cues from:

Triple B: June challenge. - I went with the colors and used two 'b' 's (bloom and butterfly) 

Fab 'n Funky: #639 Summer Flowers

 

Unicorn Challenge: #121 Flowers

Allsorts: #851 Anything Goes from the garden  - my second entry

Hello - playing bingo

 I needed a "hello" card for a friend. I find them to be the most difficult of all - what do you put on them? There is no one answer. Today I took my cue from a row of bingo in a papercraft challenge.

I used a lot of green hued scraps (mostly blotched gelli prints), arranged them into a starburst pattern and run it through a polka dot embossing folder. I love the effect dry embossing creates on patterned paper, it somehow draws the attention to itself and the background papers receive less attention.

I attached a few die cut balloons with twine and added a sentiment. 

Entering the card into these lovely challenges:

Allsorts Challenge: Week 766 My row is Dry embossing - green - twine

Can You Handle the Pressure: AG / twist of birthdays - I am playing AG

Let's Craft and Create: #204 AG, Polkadots/ an or stripes - I went with polka dots

Unicorn Challenge: #95 Dots and/or stripes - I went with dots

Papercraft Challenges: #102 AG

Thank you for your visit!