Tea for two

 When I sit down to my desk I never know what I am going to make. Today I was playing with three prompts in my mind: romance - pink - heart.

Tea can be a very romantic moment, perhaps early on when you are just getting to know each other. A passing moment, no-committal but getting more intimate when tea is being served, discussion becoming more animated. Fine porcelain cups and a nicely thrown pot underline the ambience.

 

These thoughts formed my starting point. To get to the finished card I selected suitable gelli printed papers and used those for background and the tea service, stamped some ethereal dog rose for the background and hand lettered the sentiment ("tea for two").

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

We Love Stamping: Romance (or AG)

Colourful Options: Pink

Dragonfly Dreams Challenge: Hearts 

The Flower Challenge: #88 Add a heart

Addicted to Stamps and More: #461 Make your mark

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!

For you

 A love letter - who wouldn't like that?

In my card a little bird is carrying a love letter to a happy recipient. The text reads "for you".

 

I made the background with ink smooshing, added a diecut collection of hearts and the stamped bird, typewriter and a letter. (All separate stamps.)

Entering it in these lovely challenges that inspired me today:

TGIF: #tgifc458 Color challenge 

613 Avenue Create: AG w/ twist Love letter - I went with the twist

Stamping Sensations: Animals, birds and creatures

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge: AG (2nd entry)

 

Thank you for your visit and comments (if so inclined).

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

#woodblockstamps

 Woodblock stamps - you gotta give them some love. I still have quite a few from my early days of paper crafting. They are beautiful - but as they are stored in a box it is difficult to remember what I own. I was overjoyed to find a challenge that will, hopefully, activate my usage.

Today I picked a large heart stamp as my focal point. I can't remember when I used it last. It has no markings anywhere, so I don't know whom it is by.

 I stamped the giant love-heart onto a piece of card stock that I had brayered with acrylic paints in a few colors, resulting into a marbled look. The stamping was done in Versafine ink (in turq) which was then embossed with a clear embossing powder. I selected a pink matting layer to go with both the theme (love) and the other stamped items.

For challenge purposes, the bird was stamped with hero Arts Color layering stamp set CM552, the text says "hugs".

Entering this in the following challenges that I used as my guideline:

Allsorts Challenge: #765 Anything but square

Stay Crafty with a blog named Hero: Something old is new again - for me it's the use of mixed media

Stamping Sensations: Mood board - I was inspired by red, pink and birds

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Have a heart

#Woodblock Wednesday January challenge

This little piggy...

 I am playing catch-up with my new stamps and stencils (and there might be some dies, too... - I have been very generous with myself).  

Today I used a new stencil for the background. I was able to make a gingham pattern with it by moving it around a bit. The piggy is also a new stamp, I bought it solely for the reason that the way the arms are positioned I am able to place items into its hands - today it is the flower.

 

Entering this birthday card in these fun challenges:

We Love Stamping: Something new

Stamps & Fun=Creativity: #446 AG

Beautiful Blossoms Challenge: #13 Anything floral or Moodboard option: I am using the AG option 

Stencil Fun: AG / option birds - I went with AG option

Lost Coast Portal of Creativity: #181 AG (with stamping)

New again

Something old that's new again: I have been neglecting my mixed media work lately. What is actually new: the stencil. I treated myself to a Christmas calendar that had a stencil for each day. That makes 24 shiny new stencils to play with.

I started with a background that had random streaks of paint on it. I covered it with a stencil and some Simon Hurley Lunar paste (Slippery when wet, a lovely gold tone) to get some texture. When the paste had dried I sprayed the background with blue ink.

The card didn't need much else. I wrote a sentiment onto a die cut oval, and because it did look like it needed something I used 7 little half pearls in iridescent blue. I am definitely a pearl person, I love that subtle sheen whereas jewels feel too gaudy.

Entering the card into these lovely challenges that inspired me today:

As You Like It: What's your favorite, pearls or gems

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Add some texture 

Double D: Sparkle and/or shine

NBUS: #58 January schtuff

 

Thank you for your visit!

There's cake!

 Cake is the theme of the first challenge I was inspired by. I made a cake with two rectangle shapes. To decorate it, I got inspired by a color challenge, but also by a "re-use, recycle" challenge.

The flowers were cut from color paper, the cake decoration from a vellum (or possibly yupo) tag from a swimsuit that I have been saving up for a special project. The printed portion is hiding under the flowers.

Entering it in these lovely challenges:

TGIF Challenge: #tgifc456

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Recycle

Color My Heart Color dare challenge: #584 Six pack

Daring Cardmakers: Floral frenzy

AAA Birthdays: Rainbow / Rainbow colors

Thank you for your visit!

Today is your day

Today a sketch tickled my fancy. I stocked up on supplies and new stuff in the sales, so there are some happy stamps, stencils and dies to be played with.

I worked according to the sketch using a new leaf stencil and a very cute - also new - bird stamp. I colored everything in with watercolors and drew around the stenciled leaves, which makes them look like they were stamped. I raised the folklore-inspired bird from the background with foam pads. The sentiment says: Today is Your day.

Entering this in:

Freshly Made Sketches: #618

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Cute critters

Paperminutes: #828 Birds/ Vögel

and since the bird stamp and leaf stencil are new, also in NBUS: #58 January

 

Thank you for visiting!

Here's to you!

 A new year and #newbeginnings. To celebrate the event, I gathered festive pinks and reds and ventured into new territory myself. 

The background has a wax imprint, made with some wax paper and an embossing folder. The imprint needed to be ironed so the wax can melt - this makes the pattern transfer into the paper. When I colored the background with distress oxides - Picked raspberry and Festive berries - wax resisted the color and a pattern was created. There's an old Youtube video on the technique, I will link it when I find it again.

 

That of course created a lovely texture on the paper - the wax imprint is never 1-on-1 with the embossing folder, as the wax paper will crease and those creases will imprint themselves onto the card base.

A huge bouguet of die cuts, mostly gelliprints, and a wax seal round up the design.

Entering it into these challenges that inspired me:

Creative Crafting Uncles Challenge: #48 Christmas / New Year

Tuesday Morning Sketches: #737 Annual AG

Crafty Chicks: #696 All occasions

Alphabet Challenge: T is for texture 

 

Thank you for your visit and see you again in 2024!