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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06 September, 2024

Landscape

Hello and welcome to another challenge over at the Alphabet challenge blog. Our inspiration for the upcoming two weeks will be nature, as we'd like to see "Landscape" for the letter L. As always, our DT members have prepared beautiful examples to set your fantasy free, but you can always surprise us with something unique if you'd like :)

Being on the verge of autumn, I thought I'd create some colourful landscape, but then I just couldn't find anything in my stash that would match the vibe. On second thought, I planned to show you a sympathy card with some serene landscape, but I really didn't feel like creating that kind of project. In the end, I got stuck on some paper scraps from a sheet of scrapbook paper that featured a snow-covered Christmas/winter landcsape. 
I decided to cut them into three equal squares that would be big enough to cover a simple white card base. I then matched them with another layer of patterned paper - this time one with tiny white swirls on blue background. They are barely visible, but I like to think that they're a nivce match to the original colour scheme.
Since I wanted to leave the spotlight for the original landscape motif, I opted for very little embellishments - no sentiment, no snowflakes, just a mix of white and blue pearls in different sizes. With the serene colours, I figure that the card could still be used as a sympathy card, especially during winter time - after all, there is no festive bling that would scream "joy" and "happiness".

In the end, I realized that my card reminds me very much of a set of photographs I've taken on a foggy autumn day a couple of years ago somewhere under the trees on Ljubljana castle hill. I like how the fog looks scary and mysterious on the one hand, and very comforting at the same time.

challenges: 
- as you like it: layered or flat (while I'm usually not over-doing it with layers upon layers, you will usually find a few layers of different papers on my projects. Main reasons being that I really like to enhance the main motif - be it stamped, stitched, or else - with a layer of matching coloured or patterned paper. I like to combine different patterns and colours, too, and as I have tons of paper scraps in my stash, therefore this kind of paper-matching is a my way ofusing up those leftovers.)
- C.R.A.F.T.: Christmas
- little red wagon: sympathy
- love to craft: ATG 
- morgans artworld: ATG
- my time to craft: add texture
- pearlysparkles: pink, pearls and/or sparkle
- pennys papertake: ATG paper
- 12 months of Christmas: ATG Christmas
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09 August, 2024

Juvenile

Just a quick stop from me today to invite you to the Alphabet challenge. We have a new task for you, and we'd like to see "Juvenile" projects this fortnight. So, without further ado, show us anything that fits the theme of kids and/or young people. 
I for myself prepared a stitched card to inspire you. For its main motif, I picked a cut-out of a little fawn from a Nina Štajner album. I decided to place it onto plain white paper in a way that would allow me to use this wonderfrul green swirl, which would make it look like the little deer is sleeping under some ferns or bushes. For the stitching, I used two different shades of green, but I'm afraid the difference in shades is not very obvious in the picture. Once the branches were done, I added a few more stitches for bit of grass in the lower part of the card, which should make a cozy bed for the little fella. I then placed the white cardboard onto a background with tiny swirls. For doing so, I used 3D adhesive pads, which make the image stand out from the background without any additional layer of colourful paper. I also went against my habbit of adding embellishments (not even tiny white pearls!). 
What do you think of my no-embellishment-CAS-card? Is it too plain for a child, or could it be suitable for some youngster who loves Bambi?

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

challenges: 
- as you like it: favourite bugs, feathers or fur (I'll go with fur usually as furry critters are well represented among my stash in form of digis, cut-outs, or patterned papers. Fur also is a very broad term when it comes to animals, meaning I can use anything from beloved pets like cats and dogs, to well-known farm animals, and "seasonal" ones like (rein)deer. That being said, fur-themed cards can be used for basically any occassion, if only you pick an animal that fits the theme and is liked by the recipient.)
- CAS on Friday: 2 colours (green, brown)
- critter crazy: ATG animals
- lovethoseprettypapers: ATG patterned papers
- love to craft: ATG 
- nachteulen: ATG
- pennys papertake: ATG paper
- scrapping4fun: ATG
- seizethebirthday: cute critters
- try it on tuesday: keep it simple
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27 July, 2024

Inspired by colour (mood board)

A bit late as always, but nevertheless: Welcome to the latest challenge of the Alphabet challenge blog, which is inspired by colour. We have a mood board to get you started, and we'd like those beautiful pastels on your projects. 
For my card, I decided to go with a baby project this time. I haven't created an occasion-specific project for quite some time, but those colours seemed to be perfect to welcome a new human being to this world. And with my sister being pregnant, I better create some baby cards in advance! We don't know the gender yet, but with the inspirational mood board, a girl's card seemed fitting (I'll be creating boy's cards, too, no worries). 
At first, I took two green polka-dot papers from my stash. I placed them onto a white card base, and then picked a wonderful digi from Sami stamps. The image was once a gift for one of my wins at the Path of Positivity, and I'm ashamed to admit that I've never used it until now. I coloured it with coloured pencils, adding a couple of white perals where the hair band of the mother used to be. 
I then placed the image onto a piece of grey cardboard. To make it a bit more interesting, I used an edge punch. I then added a few pink pearls to the lower part of the motif, as well as a tiny arrangement of paper flowers. I thought of adding my usual paper flowers there, but they seemed a bit bulky, and I Äm glad I found this flat floral sticker in my stash. I think it really makes the scenery complete, while it will also allow me to ship the card if necessary.

challenges:  
- krafty chicks: all occassions
- 613 avenue create: ATG with optional twist "floral delight"
- a place to start: ATG
- cutie pie challengeblog: something with B (baby, blooms)
- everybody art: stamps
- love to craft: ATG 
- make my monday: celebrate
- nachteulen: ATG
- pennys papertake: ATG paper
- traumfabrik: A sense of celebration 
- vesela hiska: P (pike, perlice, pink, pastelne barve)
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