08 February, 2025

Vintage

Trying not to be too late again, I'll be short today with introducing the current challenge at the Alphabet challenge blog: "Vintage". Show us your creations full of old charm, and play along for the top titles.
For my DT project, I wanted to create a card at first, but I opted for its counterpart instead - an envelope. I took an envelope from my stash, and embellished it with a sheet of patterned paper. I like the combination of pink and beige shades, and the random patterns that can be partially seen on the paper itself. In a fun twist, the sheet of paper even had an inscription from which I cut the words "Vintage Love" - simply perfect for the vintage theme of our challenge. I placed it on the front side of the envelope, and moved towards the back.
Here, the embellishing with paper was a bit more tricky due to the flap, but I still managed to create a continuous pattern. For that, I focused on the base, which means the lid was short of paper on its lid - to cover up the white envelope base here, I cut out a lovely motif of a rose and a bee from an old stationery set. Mom found it in one of those book exchange boxes one day, and by the looks of it, it might as well qualify for the "vintage" theme. 
Before I glued that circle onto the envelope, I made sure to embellish the border of the lid. I wanted to hide the white envelope here, and I think the strip of beige paper matches nicely with the overal colour scheme. I didn't even need to cut it out, as this awkwardly narrow piece of beige paper was lying in my stash forever. I just ran it through the border punch, and it turned out to be the perfect width - who would have believed it? 
Once that was done, I turned my focus back towards the front of the envelope. I figured it wouldn't be sent by mail, so I decided to place silver butterfly stickers over the part that would usually feature the adress. I thren added a few more butterflies, and it ended up looking like this. I'm not sure whether I went too far or not, but it seems somewhat acceptable - after all, butterflies are a recurrent motif on various vintage creations.
What do you think? Did I manage to inspire you for some vintage-themed crafting?

challenges:
- krafty chicks: birthday 
- 613 avenue create: ATG with optional twist "lots of love"
- a place to start: ATG with optional twist "things in the sky" (bee)
- allsorts challengeblog: ATG with optional twist "romance and/or music"
- C.R.A.F.T.: love/ATG
- card free zone: ATG but a card
- crafty catz: ATG
- creative inspirations: love is in the air
- critter crazy: ATG animals (bee)
- do-all kreatives: ATG with optional twist "things with wings" (bee)
- everybody art: punches (punched border on the flap)
- lovethoseprettypapers: ATG patterned papers
- morgans artworld: ATG
- moving along with the times: things with wings (bee)
- path of positivity: ATG positive
- pearlysparkles: love is in the air
- pennys papertake: ATG paper
- try it on tuesday: romance
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03 February, 2025

Underwater

I'm not sure whether you are already dreaming about a summer vacation by the beach like I do, but while you're at it, you may as well materialize your fantasy by creating something inspired by our "Underwater" challenge over at the Alphabet challenge blog.
I think our task gives you plenty of room to get creative, and of course you don't need to stick to ocean-related projects only - after all, there is lots to discover under the surface of rivers and lakes, too! Anyway, the DT have been busy preparing all kinds of underwater inspirations, and now it's up to you. Show us your interpretation of the underwater world, and play along for the top spots this fortnight.
As I was quite busy upon the start of the challenge, I opted for a quick card. 
First, I picked a couple of patterned papers that could go with the challenge theme. I thought about combining them with some embroidery, and I even matched different papers to different patterns to pick my to-do project, but I realized I wouldn't be able to finish the stitching on time. Instead, I picked a paper that could stand by itself - a wonderful display of underwater life in different shades of blue, grey and turquoise. I combined it with a dark blue paper that would frame this ocean scenery of shells and algae. 
I then fished a wooden anchor from my stash - I think it goes nicely not only with the theme, but also with the colous scheme I've chosen. To make my card complete, I took a sentiment from one of my ocean-inspired scrapbook papers. I cut it into pieces which I glued onto my card. In the very end, I added a couple of shimmering details by placing some silver fish stickers onto the patterned paper. And once I finished on time, I even jumped under the shower to take photos... only to forget to post them on my blog! I swear I had everything prepared to go online on the day of the challenge (or Saturday at the latest), and then it just slipped out of my mind to actually post my contribution. 

I like how the card turned out, even though the fish stickers aren't that visible on the photo. 
The project certainly has some masculine vibes, but I think it's fitting for anyone who loves the Big Blue. The wooden anchor does add a bit of weight and thickness to my creation, but I think it could still be shipped without any major issues. 

challenges:
- krafty chicks: ATG
- creative inspirations: something old/something new (old wooden anchor, new patterned papers)
- kreativtanten: bingo (plants, quote, blue)
- little red wagon: anything goes
- lovethoseprettypapers: ATG patterned papers
- morgans artworld: ATG
- my time to craft: masculine
- pennys papertake: ATG paper 
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18 January, 2025

Thank you

Hello and welcome to... everything. New year, new month, new challenge over at the Alphabet challenge blog. With my traditional delay, I'm trying to keep up with life, especially since many things came crashing down in 2024. For the majority of the year, I felt like being overwhelmed with every single aspect of everyday's life, and I think that pretty much sums it up. I had a wonderful rehabilitation stay recently to help me reset and re-focus, and figure out where to go from here. 
The "Thank you" challenge is quite fitting for the season, and I'm trying to be thankful for things that come my way, but I also feel a deep sense of being fed up with running into walls over and over again. I certainly hope that the new year will allow me to focus on my health more thoroughly, and spend more time in my crafting corner.

I did enjoy some crafting hours during the rehabilitation, and while doing so, I created a little DT inspiration for our challenge. As I didn't have many materials available, I had to improvise quite a bit. In my mind, I had the vision of a pendant, so I used one of the macrame circles as a base (for imagination: the circle is about 10 cm in diameter). Instead of the intricate weaving and brading, I just covered the metal with the rope to create a thick(er) white circle. I then used a thin white yarn to create the hanging loop. Once that was done, I planned to use vellum with snowflakes for the background, but I changed my mind to go for napkin decoupage. As the napkin itself would be way too fragile to work with, I glued it onto a piece of cardboard first. I then cut out the circular shape that would cover the back of my circle to create a pendant. I like how the stars in the napkin line up to fill the space. 
Since the pendant now had a bit of a warm tendency due to the soft yellow/beige center, I added more warmth by adding a red bow to the top. To incorporate the "Thank you" message, I again used some improvisation, namely: a hand-cut piece of paper, a red felt-tip pen, and coloured pencils. To add a bit more red, I placed a wooden heart next to the sentiment. 
On the back side, I added a small inscription of date and place, leaving the majority of the panel empty for well-wishes and/or words of thanks.
I like how the pendant looks festive, but it doesn't lean too much towards Christmas even despite the stars on the napkin. That way, I figure it would be possible to have it on display all through the New year holidays - especially since those napkin stars could be interpreted as fireworks. 

challenges:
- krafty chicks: CAS
- C.R.A.F.T.: ATG
- card free zone: ATG but a card
- crafty catz: ATG
- creative inspirations: something old or something new (old: napkin, red bow, wooden heart, cardboard, coloured pencils)
- love to craft: ATG 
- moving along with the times: thank you
- my time to craft: use a sentiment
- vesela hiska: ATG
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30 November, 2024

Round

Round and round we go towards the end of the year, and "round" is our challenge theme over at the Alphabet challenge blog. I'm your challenge host this fortnight, and I'll be picking the top creations. Before you head to the challenge itself, please do have a look at what the DT has created to inspire you. I love all the different takes on the challenge theme, which covers all seasons and occassions. 

That being said, let's get straight to the card I've prepared for you. With the festive season approaching, I opted for a Christmas card. I grabbed this pattern of a Christmas wreath from my stash, and stitched it accordingly. To make my card extra festive, I decided to use a golden shimmering yarn for the "baubles", while the wreath itself was done with simple green thread. I then placed the motif onto a piece of golden shimmering paper, after which I glued everything onto the card base. Said base is covered in yet another layer of shimmer, however, what looks like regular patterned paper is actually a piece of wrapping paper. I like its fabric-like texture, and I figured the silver/gold circles would go nicely with the colour scheme. Also, those circles are an additional contribution to the challenge theme, next to the stitched image.
Once everything was in place, I started placing some yellow gemstones from my stash in random spots of the wreath. I like how this adds even more shine to the card, and I like to think that the yellow bling looks almost like gold. 
Since the card still seemed to be missing something, I went through my sticker stash in order to find a golden Christmas sentiment. I added it to the center of the stitched wreath, alongside with a couple of tiny stars. 
I hope to have brought you an idea about how to tackle our current challenge, and maybe even a glimpse of festivity. I'm trying to not get too involved in the shopping craze that is connected to the Christmas/winter season, but it is nice to see the Christmas lights out there, especially now that the days are so short. For a bit more of round-ish and golden inspiration, here are some memories of the most beautiful city in the world. 

challenges: 
- krafty chicks: all occassions
- as you like it: gold, silver or glitter (I will most definitely not use glitter in my creations as I don't like having it all over the place. I will however use both silver and gold, depending on the mood I'm in. For this particular project, I opted for gold, because I like the warmth it creates - it reminds me of candle light and elegance, which is perfect for this time of year. Nothing against silver, but it feels more cold and distant to me, so gold will always be my comfort colour when it comes to shimmering metal)
- C.R.A.F.T.: Christmas
- Christmas with the cuties: sparkle & shine
- crafty catz: ATG
- lovethoseprettypapers: ATG patterned papers
- love to craft: ATG 
- pennys papertake: ATG paper
- 12 months of Christmas: ATG Christmas with optional twist "stitching"
- traumfabrik: Christmas again
- try it on tuesday: traditional Christmas
- vesela hiska: B (božič, božični venec, bunkice)
- wortartwednesday: ATG

A little contribution to the collection of hand-stitching at made with Blümchen.
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16 November, 2024

Quick & easy

As you may have noticed, there's another challenge up over at the Alphabet challenge blog. We've reached mid November as well as the letter Q now, which means we're approaching the end of the year, as well as the end of the Alphabet wheel. Before we do so, let's jump into our crafting corners to create something quick - because sometimes there's no time for elaborate projects, or we need to get cards done in a bulk. Or, because "Quick & easy" is our new challenge theme this fortnight ;) 
For my DT inspiration, I decided to create a simple "Get well" card. I used a lovely motif of a leg cast from Bugaboo, and I coloured it with coloured pencils in blue and grey/black shades. I then placed it onto a piece of silver shimmering cardboard. In the end, I glued everything on a card base, which I've decorated with a piece of patterned paper. It might not be visible, but the sheet comes from a pack of winter/Christmas papers. It has no particular motif, but I liked the subtle abstract pattern, and the colours that go with the colour scheme of my image. It also has bits of shimmering texture which unfortunately isn't very visible in the photos, but let me tell you that it goes quite well with the other piece of shimmering paper. 
And once that was done, my card was finished - no sentiment, no paper flowers, no pearls. Just a flat card that is easy to ship in case somebody needs a quick cheer-me-up. 

challenges:
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18 October, 2024

Ocean animals

I'm back again after a short break, and I'm happy to announce that I've successfully buried myself in my crafting corner to avoid dealing with reality :) Jokes aside, while I'm busy with what I call being a full-time patient, I managed to get creative for a bit. The result of my little escape is my DT inspiration to the newest challenge over at the Alphabet challenge blog, where we'd like to see "Ocean animals".
As you see, my card is rather simple, mostly because I couldn't figure which animal I should feature, so I figured I'd start by putting together a background. I went through my patterned papers to see if any of them had any ocean related living things - to no avail. I then looked through my digi collection, where I couldn't find anything but mermaids and turtles. Nothing against mermaids or turtles, but I didn't feel like working with them. Back to the papers, this time those pebbles caught my eyes. I picked a kraft card base to go with them, and to match the colour scheme, I found a vintage print of a jellyfish in my stash. I believe it must be from the wonderful collection put together by The Graphics Fairy, but I'm not 100% sure. 
Anyway, once I had my main motif, I had to figure out how to present it on the card. To avoid the usual square shapes, I decided to use my new circular cutter. I then took this sentiment from my stash, and "framed" it with a piece of dark brown paper. If I remember correctly, the quote comes from a piece of scrapbook paper, and I decided to keep it as it seemed like something that could come handy some day. I now placed it on the lower part of my picture to connect it to the main motif. In the end, I added a row of tiny white beads around the image. I like how they create some sort of frame, but still look subtle enough to blend with everything.
I like the sandy/brown shades that ended up looking good together. I'm not sure how to connect the image with the sentiment, but  like to think that jellyfish are somehow wonderful, floating around in the waters. Also, I can imagine that an encouraging quote like this may make the card suitable for many occassions.  

challenges: 
- krafty chicks: CAS
- critter crazy: ATG animals
- lovethoseprettypapers: ATG patterned papers
- make my monday: kid friendly card
- path of positivity: power of words (I like to think that the sentiment includes the expectation of something positive, which might be interpreted as growth and/or change for the better)
- pennys papertake: ATG paper
- scrapping4fun: ATG

If you need some more jellyfish inspiration, here are some shots from the major jellyfish invasion on the Slovenian coast in spring 2022. A quick one-day trip to the seaside to soak up the sun and catch a glimpse of the remains of the spectacle.
And while there were some creatures still swimming in the harbour...
... most were washed up at the shore, which allowed a closer inspection.
What is there not to love about the Big Blue?
Textures of the sea...
... and those lovely narrow streets...
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20 September, 2024

Masculine

Hello again, and welcome to the letter M of the Alphabet wheel. We're looking forward to seeing your "Masculine" projects over at the Alphabet challenge blog, so please show us anything that is suitable for a male.
As I'm currently on sick leave still, I had a little more time for my DT task than usual, and I decided to stitch a card for you to be inspired. To be perfectly honest, I've put the components together ages ago already in terms of picking the papers, the card base, and motif, but since paper embroidery takes quite some time, I never really managed to finish the centerpiece. 
Now, however, everything fell into place: I picked yarns in blue and red that would match my colour scheme, and worked on the swirly pattern. Once I was done, I placed the white cardboard onto a layer of dark blue embossed paper, which I then placed onto the card base. To match the blue part of the colour scheme, there are maritime motifs in the upper part of my background - a sheet of patterned paper which I've purchased years ago. I think it matches the stitched motif as the swirls seem to remind me of nautical knots. In the lower part of my card, you can find a red background paper that matches the red details in the stitching, as well as the maritime print above. It also has some golden stripes, which I used to align the nautical paper piece. While the nautical paper came from the crafting shop, the red one was part of an ad that I received per mail - as it was printed on high quality cardboard (& featuring this beautiful combination of red and gold), I decided to keep it in case it came handy one day. 
Given the nasty weather recently, with a significant drop of temperatures, loads of rain and even snow, the card seems to be completely out of place. However, let me reassure you that when I was working on it last week, we had perfect summer weather, and no idea that we'd go straight into winter mode so soon! 

A little contribution to the collection of hand-stitching at made with Blümchen.

challenges: 
- colourful options: bold colours
- little red wagon: stitching
- lovethoseprettypapers: ATG patterned papers
- love to craft: ATG 
- pennys papertake: ATG paper
- wortartwednesday: ATG
- pinspirational stitching
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