Curious kitties

Inspired by a challenge, today's card features some cute and curious kitties. I have had these stamps for a couple of years now, bought probably at FB marketplace, if it is not a charity shop find. I would love to know its brand or maker, as I suspect they would have more stamps with this degree of cuteness.

There is a tic-tac-toe challenge that gave me the idea and framework for this. I pulled out a stencil, an ink smudged piece of background and a die set. 

First I stenciled DO Stormy Sky onto the base. The effect is not too busy, which lets the kitties stand out. Then I die cut a couple of stems and sprayed them a bit with white ink.

The kitties were colored in with markers. Also showing the usage of snippets: the small piece of cardstock was used up completely for the kitties.

 

Lastly I wove a piece of twine from one stem to another. This card has no sentiment - yet. I had several on offer, but I'd like to find the perfect occasion for sending it and then find the sentiment to match.

 

Entering this in these great challenges that led my way today:

Alphabet Challenge: K is for kittens

Retro Rubber Challenge: #281 Fallish Tic-Tac-Toe My row is on top: ribbon/twine - stencil - die cut

 

 I Love Promarkers: #615 Animals

Stencil Fun: September Ag/ yellow optional - I am playing with AG

Snippets Playground: AG

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Make your own background 

Two little robots

I found a treasure in the charity shop last year: a plastic bag with five stamps. They were red rubber and mounted, but there was no imprint of them, and the original package had been discarded. I rescued them and brought them home. They are rather whimsical: two child robots (of the old, 1950's kind), a mechanical gnome and some other rather peculiar looking creatures.

As I was browsing through the challenges in search of a bundle that would work well together, they exuded their magic powers yet again and I found several that I was just too happy to combine. I could hear the child robots calling out to me, and they became the star of this card.

For the background I selected a strip of copy paper that I had ink smooshed, cleaned my stencils on and used for color flicking. The colors were nice and I decided to work with similar colors when coloring the robots.

I cut the paper to size, added a strip of another scrap as per the chosen sketch (see below) and mounted everything onto my card base. Then I stamped the robots, and after I had colored them in I fussy cut them. I arranged them (also according to the sketch) and stamped the sentiment "Cheer up!". I heat embossed it with clear embossing powder. Lastly I added three shiny little dots.

 

Entering this in these lovely challenges:

Passion for Markers: #856 For a child

Sunday Stamps: #ssc395 sketch

 

Cardz 4 Galz: #285 Fantasy: fairies, goblins, dragons etc.

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Make your own background (2nd)

Paper Rock Scissors: #20 September - paper and scissors! Rocks, too, if you want to count the shiny bits.

"Each passing year...

... makes you more wonderful". That's a sentiment stamp I have and I find the message beautiful. Today I wanted to use it on my card. I looked for challenges that would help me in my effort and found some terrific ones. (Listed at the end.)

First I gathered my supplies: a background stamp with wood grain pattern, a flower planter and some sort of metallic band found on the street.

 

I started by preparing the background. I ink blended a strip with soft colors that were repeated in the planter lady. Then I ink smudged a piece of paper with a couple of brown acrylics and stamped the woodgrain pattern onto it.

Now it was time to add markers and color the lady. 

 

Lastly I wove the metallic band through the foliage. I attached everything with foam strips. 

 

 Entering this in these inspiring challenges:

Tic-Tac-Toe: #TTTC301 - I selected the row on the left: Woodgrain - Ink blending - metal embellishment

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Make your own background

Stamps + Fun= Creativity: #502 Text

Shopping Our Stash: #582 Who's Who

A Perfect Time to Craft: September Open challenge 

 

"To my favorite human"

 If there has ever been a sentiment that I don't understand, it is this. Animals don't send cards, nor do we have AI friends or robots who would send us cards. And the technology is not so advanced yet (if it ever will be, beware!), that non-humans would send us greeting cards. So why?!

Nonetheless, I have such a sentiment as part of a set. And today was the first day in my personal history, ever, that I would consider using it, by proxy of a very flustered bird who might have forgotten someone's birthday. 

 

I selected the bird, because it is a brand new (to me) stamp and I have been itching to use it. It suited fine for a couple of challenges.

I stamped the bird onto the card base, then drew three circles (as per a sketch), one around the bird and two smaller ones. I then applied GT watercolors onto everything. The special feature of Gansai Tambi watercolors is that they can be applied opaque, almost like gouache, and then again watery, like aquarelle. I used opaque for the background and more watery for the bird itself. I kept everything in two colors only, pink and brown.

 

Entering this card in these challenges I was inspired by:

Hand Stamped Sentiments: #497 Sketch

 

Sweet Stamping: CAS

Addicted to Stamps and More: #317 Circles

 

Girlz Creative Color: #30 Bruin en/ of roos - Brown and/or pink

NBUS: #90 September 

In the Pink

Today I was delighted to find several challenges that support each other nicely. An inspiration photo gave me the nudge to dig out my less used floral stamps and another challenge to consider my stash of designer papers.

I found a pretty paper in my stash as well as a floral stamp set I have used only once if at all by the looks of it. Not pictured is the label die (Spellbinders) which I added in the last minute. The sentiment set is an oldie but a goodie.

I cut the background paper to size. Then I stamped a blooming branch of what I suspect are apple flowers and colored it with my markers. I then fussy cut it and attached it with foam tape to give the card some dimension. Lastly I stamped the sentiment "Sending lots of love" onto the die cut tag.

 

Entering this in these lovely challenges:

Double D Challenge: DD9/26 Pretty in Pink

 

Creative Crafting Uncles: #81 Males go feminine

Everybody Art Challenge: #606 Rosa / pink

Crafty Catz: #719 AG

Love those Pretty Papers: ATG / fall florals optional. I am playing with AG

Big trees, tiny city

 I love big, really tall trees, they sort f take your breath away. Aided by a couple of challenges I set out to create a scene with just such trees.

I gathered my supplies: two stamps (Carabelle and Indigo Blue) and some GT watercolors. The top one is actually green, although it looks very black in the photo.

I started by using a piece of printer paper. This isn't ideal, as it is far too thin, but it had such a nice pale background of grey and orange hues. I had used it as a blotting paper under my projects. Too good to throw away, in my opinion. 

I stamped the forest in brown Versafine ink and treated the stamping with clear embossing. Then I took the small stamp with a cityscape and stamped it at the bottom. I used only the buildings and made it look continuous.

 

Then I added splotches of green and orange for the leaves and some blue here and there to mimic the big sky. I love how the city is so small compared to the huge trees in the forest.

Entering this in these wonderful challenges that serves as my inspiration today:

We Love Stamping: Trees and leaves 

Kreativ-Tanten: Wald / Forest 

Just Us Girls: Mood Board week 841 - I was inspired by the look of trees and buildings

 

Creative Knockouts: #579 September 17 AG 

Fly on!

 I was in the mood for making a word mess today. I have a lot of ancient stamps - and I mean between 10 to 18 years ancient. It was high time to show them some much needed love. 

 

"Of course" I was inspired by a couple of challenges, as always. 

I started by stamping the background with the handwritten text stamp up and down. Then I gessoed over everything, it was simply too busy-looking for my taste, and sprayed some DO over it and let it dry.

The result was nice and subdued, perfect for the bird carrying an envelope. I also added some rub-on flowers to create some interest. The sentiment reads "Thinking of you".

 

This card is playing along in these lovely challenges:

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Transport it 

Allsorts:  #858 Sympathy / Thinking of You / Get well 

The Neglected Stuff: September 2026  - This card was made of only neglected materials!

Aud Sentiments: #341 Tags and/or Thinking of You + sentiment 

 

Glittery and frosty

A New Year's card - in September? That has to be a first! Normally I make them just before Christmas to cover up the fact that I have forgotten to send Christmas cards...

It all started quite innocently: some glittery card stock, an old die, markers and a new stamp of an Ice Queen.

 

The lilac-lavender card stock became the base. Then I cut the half snowflake twice out of the silver. The join was visible, so the sentiment had to go there. Then I stamped the Ice Queen, colored her in and fussy cut her out, then propped her on foam strips to give this card a background and a foreground.

Originally I had a Christmas card in mind, what with the snowflake and the included sentiments. But looking at it it really was too... cold, if you know what I mean. Christmas is mostly green these days and the cold spell really often starts with January.

So there, a New Years card it is.  

 

Playing along in these challenges:

Sunday Stamps: #ssc394 Get in Shape

 

G&TAOL: #35 De letter I van... Ice Queen

NBUS: #90 

We Love 2 Create: #8 AG

Polkadoodles: #9 week 2 AG 

 

Gelli prints and rhinestones

I was inspired to try combine materials that have a different vibe. To explain: gelli prints are casual, gold thread and rhinestones are pure luxury. Would the combination read like an festive evening gown with trainers? Or like ice cream with spinach?

Of course I was inspired by several challenges, again. I challenged myself to try Gelli prints, gold thread and rhinestones and see what could be made out of them.

I started by stamping flowers on select parts of gelli prints. because they were made with acrylic and thus it is doubtful whether the ink would ever dry, I treated the stampings with clear embossing powder and heat embossing. This gave them some beautiful shine. I then proceeded to fussy cut them and arranged them inspired by a sketch. I also added the rhinestones.

 

I then took a length of gold thread, doubled it up and stitched the flowers: one cross stitch for the smaller ones and lots more for the large flower. 

 

Entering this in these inspiring challenges:

Festive Friday: FF0218. - I picked 'Jewel tones - gold thread - rhinestones - stitching'

 

Just Add Ink: 794 Sketch

 

 Just Us Girls: #840 Word week: BOld

Seize the Birthday: #334 Add a sentiment strip

 

Oh no!

I spotted some challenges that I thought could work well together: a call for jungle animals (and any animals), use a stamp and make it masculine. I recently purchased a tiger stamp (first used here) and it seemed like an appropriate starting point.

As the stamp is rather large and fills a card front by itself, there was little need for any other supplies. I grabbed a feel snippets of design paper and selected some GT watercolors.

I stamped the tiger on a separate piece of card stock as I wanted to raise it. The leaves were stamped onto the base. Then I watercolored everything.

Waiting them to try I cut out a platter and cake shape out of the papers. Lastly I cut the beast in halves and arranged it so that it is upsetting the birthday cake.

 

With this card I am playing in the following challenges:

Little Red Wagon: #875 Use a stamp

Sparkles Monthly: #203 Animals

Simply Clean and Simple: Jungle animals

All About Papercraft: #9 Masculine 

 

Creative Crafting Uncles: #80 AG masculine

Crafts Galore Encore: AG 

Remember Lyra Belacqua?

Lyra is the 11 year old heroine of Philip Pullmans trilogy His Dark Materials. The film is named the Golden Compass. Living in a parallel universe Lyra sets out to rescue children that are held in captivity in the abouts of the North Pole. She has a daemon, a soul animal, that can change shape from ermine to moth to wildcat to a mouse, and who is her constant companion.

This is a story line in a very small nutshell. I set out to make a card that would incorporate all this and also answer to several challenges at the same time. 

I needed stamps, papers and watercolors.

 I started by stamping the background with white ink and the snowfall stamp. I then added blue papers on top and bottom of the sheet. Next I stamped the girl and a mouse, colored them in, then fussy cut them. I punched the stars from gold foil - the color gold a hommage to the name, 'Golden compass'.

As a nod to the scenery, North Pole, I decided this would be a good Christmas greeting to a child, so I stamped the sentiment 'Christmas greetings' and adhered it to the card.

 

Entering this in these challenges that were my inspiration today:

 

Time Out: #321 The Movies

 

Stamps&fun=Creativity: #501 Metal/ Metall - mein Metall is Gold

 

Do-All Creatives: #117 Verwende die Farbe 'Kraft' / Use the color 'kraft'

 

Krafty Chicks: #837 Christmas 

 

A Perfect Time to Craft: #9-2026 open challenge

Lavender's blue, lavender's green

I found some challenges again that called my name. Especially there was a sketch challenge that I wanted to try. To that I wanted to add 'inspired by a song'.

I have slowly collected Japanese stamps and thought this would be a perfect occasion for them. This is what I pulled out:

I had a song in mind, old English folk song "Lavender blue", which is is also a nursery rhyme. Luckily I had a stamp with lavender.

I worked according to the sketch, but turned it sideways. I used grey ink for stamping, I wanted the result to be delicate and dreamy. I stamped the stem of lavender as is, but had to isolate the stems I wanted to use in the oblong Japanese stamps. I selected the Kanji characters 'imagine' and 'beauty' as my text. 

Then I used a large brush and added watercolor in blobs to the stamped flowers.

Entering this in these lovely challenges:

CAS Colours and Sketches: #593 Sketch challenge 

A Place to Start: #202609 AG/ relates to a song - My song is Lavender blue

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Stamp it

Love to Craft:  #94 AG

Polkadoodles: #9 week 1 AG 

 

It's time...

 ... to spread your wings. I purchased a magazine solely for the free stamp sheet that came with it. (Although the magazine, Creative Stamping, is great, too.)

Today's ingredients were inspired by a couple of challenges.

I started by smearing a paper with some leftover paints. The lower half is more or less mud, but I stenciled the top half with a round stencil and green paint, which created some interesting structure. I cut out a good piece off it, selected some stamps and a sentiment to match and set to work. The flowers were colored in with markers, the bird with watercolor pencils. As for the tag, after die cutting it I left all the little pieces in place that would normally fall out. I think the effect is nicer this way as it does not garner more attention than the bird.

 

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

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Stamp it

 Stencil Fun: AG with a stencil / yellows optional. I am playing with AG

Addicted to Stamps and More: #525 Die cuts and/or stencil - I have used both

Triple B: Birds-blooms- butterflies AG - My bird has a yellow breast, but otherwise I veered off from inspiration photo

 

PIP: #2636 AG 

 

Greetings from forest

 Several challenges were calling my name today: a sketch, a color prompt, a word prompt, a call for layers and a die-cut. Well, then!

I laid out the supplies I wanted to use:

The blue background is a cyanotype. I tried to make some cool designs earlier in August, but most of them did not go as planned.

 

Their backside is actually nice, too. And this is what I used.

 

I started by cutting a cyanotype to size, then darkening the edges where some of the depth had been lost through cutting. I die cut the twig and leaves from gelli prints. The large leaf is a left-over from years ago - yes, I am good in hoarding stuff.

I then stamped the mushroom set and colored it in with my markers. Lastly I arranged everything according to sketch and stamped a zig zag stitch along the edges. (My sewing machine could not have handled this cyanotype paper!)

 

I am entering this in the challenges that I was inspired by today:

The Paper Funday Challenge: #91 AG / Sketch - I am playing with the sketch

 

Passion for Markers: #853 Stitching, real or faux - I am going with faux

Just Add Ink: #793 Colour Inspiration

 

Creative Knockouts: #578 Lots of layers

Classic Design Challenge: #8-2026 ATG/ Use die cuts - I am playing with the die cut option