Oval + one word

Hi there, and without much ado, let me show you my contribution to the newest challenge over at the Alphabet challenge blog. We have reached the letter O this fortnight, and we'd like to see your crafting projects under one condition: make sure they include an "oval" and a "one word sentiment".

First, I thought about creating an oval pendant that could double as an early Christmas tree ornament. However, as I'm still waiting for my crafting table and my dining table is pretty small, I wouldn't have the space to spread out all my supplies for a mixed media project. As an alternative, I went through my paper stash. As I've sorted my papers just recently, I still had a huge pile of scraps in my mind, and amongst them I found this beautiful vintage telephone print (does anyone out there remember that telephones used to have cords at some point?). 

I've been saving it for years (literally), but I could never find the right occasion, and the fact that those scraps were rather small didn't help either. To fulfill the "oval" task, I picked one of those card bases with an oval aperture on the front page. I imagined to place the telephone paper on the inside, but it looked like I wouldn't be able to use this combination after all, as the opening was just too big for the paper scrap and the gap was just too obvious to cover it up... Until I figured that by turning the piece of paper, I could align its diagonal axis with the vertical diameter of the oval - it was a very tight solution, but it worked!

I then trimmed the edges of the patterned paper that were sticking out on the side of the card base, and I covered the inside of the card with embossed swirls. 

In the end, I took a golden sticker to frame the oval centerpiece. As the ends of the sticker didn't meet properly, I knew exactly where to place the sentiment. I opted for a simple "Hello!", which can be used for many different occasions, and not only that - I think it perfectly matches the telephone theme. I also like to think that the pattern of the swirl looks like a telephone cord. To connect the sentiment with the card, I used a piece of golden paper and 3D pads. What do you think? To me it looks like a decent masculine card. It was quick and fun to make, and turned out to be a great way to use paper scraps.

Since I was done so quickly, I decided to make one more card using the same recipe. This time, I took a soft pink card base and the other side of the patterned paper - a side that features a number of fashion accessoires in a pink/turquoise colour scheme. 

As opposed to the masculine telephone print, I never knew how to use this one, until now: I turned the small piece of paper in the same way I did before, cutting away the edges that peeked over the sides of the card base. I then framed the centerpiece with a silver sticker, placing a sentiment saying "Congrats!" in the lower part of the card. To emphasise the turquoise part of the main motif, I used a piece of turquoise paper behind the sentiment. To emphasise the pink part, I placed a couple of shimmering rhinestones in the upper corner of my card. 

On the inside, I used a pink polka-dot paper that goes well with the pink card base, and also with the polka-dots inside the oval image. 

This card is obviously more feminine that the first, but it was never my intention to create a male/female version. It just happened somehow, and I think it's a good example on how differently things can turn out even in a single crafting session. Feel free to use any of them for your inspiration, and have a look at the work of the other DT members as well. I can't wait to see what you'll come up with!

challenges:  

- krafty chicks: ATG

- 613 avenue create: ATG with optional twist

- a place to start: ATG

- allsorts challengeblog: ATG

- classicdesignchallenge: ATG DT 

- crafty catz: ATG

- kreativtanten: ATG

- lil patch of crafty friends: ATG handmade

- lovethoseprettypapers: ATG patterned papers

- pennys papertake: ATG paper

- wortartwednesday: ATG

Night

I'm horribly late again, and I don't even have any new excuses. I'm busy with appointments, I'm almost done with organizing my crafting corner, and I started to look for job opportunities (not that I'm fit yet, but I guess the employment agency ladies need jobs as well). 

I also found a new art therapy group, and in my last session, I managed to create this collage.

It comes late for the current "Night" challenge at the Alphabet challenge blog, but let me explain it real quick anyway. Most of the pieces are cut-outs from different magazines that I've collected over time. I don't have many magazines at home, but sometimes, I save a photo or a quote that  I think will come handy at some point in future. With a new creative setting came an abundance of magazines, and I think I spent almost an entire therapy unit just flipping through the pages, looking for motifs. 

I decided to start with a full-page photo of the Milky way, placing it all over a page of my art journal. I then fussy cut a couple of planets and clouds. They all found their place on the starry sky. 

Once that was done, I took that picture of a girl in a hammock. I think it was originally featured in an ad for something hiking-related, but I decided to fussy cut away all the mountains in the background, and hang the hammock in the starry sky. To add a little something in the lower part of my crafting page, I cut out some hearts, making them look like they grow from the mountain ridge. My last additions were a "handmade with love" sticker which came with one of my Etsy purchases, and a butterfly that ended up in the middle of the whole scenery.

I'm not sure about the message of the image, nor about how to interprete it, but I do like the feeling that comes with it. The night isn't dark and scary, but full of colours and floating curiosities. It does remind me of my own hammock, and how easy it felt to swing in it this summer. Sitting in it feels completely different than sitting in a chair, it makes it possible to sit while relaxing all of your muscles, and it worked wonders with my burning backpain (which turned out to be inflammation from an autoimmune disease, and not "something in my head"). My mom helped me prepare the balcony for winter this week, but I certainly hope to bring it back to life next spring. Until then, I will just enjoy the views - even if a sudden afternoon storm looks as dark as the night. 

challenges:

- 613 avenue create: ATG

- a place to start: ATG

- C.R.A.F.T.: Halloween/ATG

- card free zone: ATG but a card

- classicdesignchallenge: ATG DT 

- crafty catz: ATG

- double D challenges: Halloween colours

- fabnfunky: things with wings (butterfly)

- kreativtanten: ATG

- lil patch of crafty friends: ATG handmade

- little red wagon: not a card

- make my monday: Halloween colours

- morgans artworld: ATG

- pennys papertake: ATG paper

- try it on tuesday: autumn colours

- unicorn challengeblog: circles (planets)

- vesela hiska: autumn

- wortartwednesday: ATG

Mythical

Hello again and welcome to the newest challenge over at the Alphabet challenge blog: it's "Mythical" for the letter M, which means that we'd like to see all sorts of fairies, gnomes, unicorns or whatever you can think of. Before you get to work, please have a look at what the DT has prepared to inspire you (and also, check whether I've chosen your creation as one of the winners of the last challenge). 

That being said, I have rearranged my apartment a little bit. I'm still thinking about the placing of some furniture, but in the meantime, I managed to free a little space on my dining table so that I can do my crafting on a proper surface. I also realized that a gaming chair is the best option for me (pain-wise), mucxh better that the regular dining chairs. I found a "girly" version that's a bit smaller than the regular ones, and it supports my spine really well. It might be an eye-sore, but with it being the same colour as the dining chairs it doesn't stand out that much. It's such a relief to be able to adjust the height, and to turn around in my chair without having to move it. Of course it stands out, but since the benefits outweight the looks, and I'm more than happy with the decision. 

I also found my crafting mat, which is great. As I had a few days with little going on, I took out my supplies for paper embroidery. Because, with a theme that covers fairies, it's almost certain that I'll be working with one of those beautiful Flower fairies from Cicely Mary Baker. This particular image comes from another mythical creature known in the crafting community: the graphics-fairy.

Luckily, I had some of the images printed, and amongst those I found one that would fit my project perfectly. I decided to fussy cut the square image into a circle that would include enough of the picture to make it look complete. I then took a sheet of white paper to do my paper pricking. Once I picked the right yarn, I went to work - and just like in old times, Id stitch until I was done, whilst forgetting to eat and drink properly. Oh my...

Next day, I put the pieces together: I glued the fairy motif into the middle of the stitched pattern, and used tiny pearls to frame it. I'm not entirely sure whether I like this or not - on the one hand, I wanted to hide the border of the image which wasn't entirely even, but on the other hand those pearls stand out quite a bit. I do, however, like the tiny pink pearls which I placed on the stitched ornament. 

Then, I tried to pick a matching background paper. I'm not entirely happy with this choice either, but it's not the worst. I think those polka dots go well with the pearls, and also with the motif (colour-wise). Maybe I'd like them to be a bit softer, but then again, maybe that would be a bit boring. 

To bring a bit of movement into the card, my last decision was to use an edge punch on the white paper - I think those round borders match the fairy wings, and especially the stitched swirls. 

challenges:

- krafty chicks: birthday

- 613 avenue create: ATG with optional twist "think pink"

- a place to start: ATG

- allsorts challengeblog: ATG

- as you like it: square or not (definitely square for me. It's a shape more than common with store-bought card bases, which is what I use for almost 100% of my projects. And it's my first pick for paper embroidery projects, always. The symmetry comes so easy on those, I couldn't think of a better shape than square.)

- C.R.A.F.T.: ATG

- classicdesignchallenge: ATG DT

- crafty catz: ATG

- creative crafty uncles: males go feminine

- everybody art: CAS

- inkspirational: moodboard (the inspiration photo has such whimsical vibes to me, and with "whimsical", I automatically think "Flower fairies")

- kreativtanten: ATG

- lil patch of crafty friends: ATG handmade

- lovethoseprettypapers: ATG patterned papers

- love to craft: ATG

- morgans artworld: ATG

- pennys papertake: ATG paper

- wortartwednesday: ATG

Love letter

Hi there! I'd like to chime in to our newest challenge over at the Alphabet challenge blog: it's "Love letter" for the letter L. I'm your host this time, which means it will be my task to pick the top 3 as well as the spotlight winner. I'd like to see two things on your creations: hearts and handwriting. Please, include both of them to qualify for a top pick spot. If you need some inspiration, have a look at what the DT has prepared for you.

For my inspirational work, I had about a dozen different ideas - from cards to napkin decoupage. As my moving project is not yet finished and lots of my crafting stash is still in boxes, I had to improvise a bit. When I started preparing my DT project, I started narrowing down my supplies as well. Going through my things, I finally settled for a card. However, even there, I still had so many visions in my head: colouring, paper embroidery, patterned papers...

At some point, I got stuck on this paper with an old handwriting. It's actually an illustration from an old cookbook, and I believe the handwriting that's featured on it describes some dumpling recipe. I planned to use it in combination with a digi to create a baby card. However, I could't seem to combine those two things as the digi would be hiding so much of the handwriting. I therefore decided to bring the old handwriting into the foreground. I cut a couple of circles using my circular cutter, and just played with them for a while. I still tried with the baby digi, but I couldn't make it work. So, I put the digi aside. As my card would need a "hearts" element, I thought I'd use my edge-punch with hearts, and I used it right on the card base. The front part of the card ends up narrower than the inside, but I think it gives a bit of an interesting effect. From there, I again played with the pieces in front of me. 

Once I had an outline, I placed the circles onto the white card base. I planned to glue them just like that, adding a sentiment of condolences for a CAS sympathy card. Or something along the lines of "Happy holidays" for either Christmas or Easter. However, I realized that the hearts aligned on the edge might not be suitable for any of the above ocassions.

I then started to explore other options, and in the end, I settled with an additional layer of patterned paper in the background. I already knew what I was looking for: one of those pretty papers I harvested from a book on Japanese cuisine, in which every recipe was acompalied by a beautiful and unique background. I took this green sheet with waves, because I liked both the colours and the pattern, and I think it fits quite nicely to the handwritten "bubbles". Once I glued the circles, I complemented them with a simple "Happy birthday".

Btw, did you know that a stack of Ikea packages can serve as a makeshift crafting station when your crafting table is not installed yet? 

challenges: 

- krafty chicks: masculine

- 613 avenue create: ATG with optional twist "lots of layers"

- a place to start: ATG with optional twist "leaves and circles"

- allsorts challengeblog: ATG

- cardz4guyz: autumn/fall

- classicdesignchallenge: ATG DT 

- crafty calendar: lots of layers

- crafty gals corner: fall ... (fall colours, fall birthday)

- everybody art: CAS

- lil patch of crafty friends: ATG handmade

- lovethoseprettypapers: ATG patterned papers

- love to craft: ATG

- morgans artworld: ATG

- nachteulen: for the boys/men

- path of positivity: take a walk and draw inspiration from something along the way (the combination of green and brown shades in early fall - when there's still lots of greens around, but you'll also see more and more brown leafs, chestnuts etc. This is especially lovely after rainfall, when the earth gets to soak up the very much needed water, and there is this wonderful smell of wet grass.)

- pennys papertake: ATG paper

- try it on tuesday: pretty papers

- unicorn challengeblog: circles

- vesela hiska: 30 minute card

- wortartwednesday: ATG

Keep it simple

I'm back again... Too late again, and no excuse really... Except for I'm busy with medical appointments and moving (as if one wouldn't be enough to overwhelm you. Oh, well...).

And while I'm trying to make my new place work (the big furniture pieces came today, so there's hope!), my stuff is piled in boxes and bags. I do have some crafting supplies at hand, but most of them are waiting to be found. Plus I don't really have a suitable surface (yet). So, for the remaining week of this fortnight's challengr over at the Alphabet challenge blog, I'd like to show you the page of an album I re-discovered during packing. 

I've created it quite a while ago, when I was still navigating my premature menopause. The quote resonated with me on many different levels, and I decided to feature it on a very simple background. The chocolate brown is such a comforting colour to me, and those thin lines seem like paths of life (especially since one features something that looks like tiny footprints). 

Once I settled for the background, I framed the quote by placing it onto a piece of light brown paper. This way, it connects not only to the pattern in the background, but also to the page of my album which is made of kraft paper.

To ease the square scenery, I then added a couple of wooden insects: one huge dragonfly, and two little butterflies. Of course, they had to be embellished with tiny white pearls. 

I like how everything turned out in the end. I'm not sure whether I'll continue my album as so many things piled up since I started, and I'm not sure whether and how I'd like to incorporate them. For now, it's sitting half full/ half empty in my drawer, waiting to be continued. Just like my life right now.

Also, I've just seen that I'm hosting the next Alphabet challenge, so I guess I better use the upcoming weekend to be creative. You may join me by linking something CAS to the current "Keep it simple" challenge for the letter K, while I'll be figuring out what to show you for the letter L. 

challenges: 

- 613 avenue create: ATG

- a place to start: ATG

- allsorts challengeblog: ATG

- as you like it: layered or flat (I'll try to solve this tricky one by clarifying that "flat" to me means a card that can be shipped easily, while the opposite would be a card full of pearls and paper flowers. That being said, I'm creating flat cards mostly, but I'll try to add texture and interest by using different patterned papers. However, as long as the card fits in a regular envelope, I'll refer to it as a "flat card". Since this is an album page, a similar logic prevailed: as the page will be stuck between other pages, I didn't want to overdo it with embellishments. I tried to keep my design flat in terms of papers, the only thing that stands out a bit are the wooden creatures. That being said, it's definitely more flat projects for me at this moment due to practical reasons as shipping and stacking.)

- C.R.A.F.T.: ATG

- CAS on Friday: fall

- classicdesignchallenge: ATG DT 

- crafty catz: ATG
- crafty gals corner: fall ... (colours)

- creative crafty uncles: ATG (masculine)

- critter crazy: ATG animals

- lil patch of crafty friends: ATG handmade

- lovethoseprettypapers: ATG patterned papers

- love to craft: ATG

- morgans artworld: ATG
- moving along with the times: butterflies and/or dragonflies

- path of positivity: take a walk and draw inspiration from something along the way (earthy autumn tones that are popping up in the nature, mostly brown autumn leaves and brown soil that remains when the harvest is finkished in the fields and gardens)

- pennys papertake: ATG paper

- wortartwednesday: ATG

New home

A bit later than planned, I'll chime in to introduce the latest challenge of the Alphabet challenge blog, in which we'd like to see "Home" featured in your projects. The DT has already presented a various choice of creations to inspire you, make sure to have a look at them! 

As for myself, I had my own little home project going on, namely, I'm trying to move at the moment. That is, the apartment is ready but I just can't handle moving all my stuff at the moment. I'm also still dealing with health and insurance issues, so I'm basically sleeping on the floor while half my things are still at mom's place. 

Moving also means that my crafting stuff is now scattered across two households, and I've lost the overview on what is where. Still, amidst the chaos, I managed to prepare a little something for my DT inspiration. I picked this wonderful design paper with houses, and matched it with a white polka-dot embossed sheet. 

I also took one of my slimline card bases, and my coloured pencils as I figured that my card will need some sort of centerpiece. This part of crafting was done in my original crafting corner (including packing double sided tape, a ruler and scissors). Then, I tried to work sitting next to a sideboard in my new place as my desk is still missing: cutting the papers with a stanley knife, I glued them onto the card base. 

I then tried to come up with an idea for the main motif: I was thinking about some paper embroidery, but that would take time, and require my yarns. As an alternative, I browsed the internet for some "new home" related printables. I wanted to come up with something other than the "Home sweet home", and finally, I settled for the image of a wooden road sign. I printed it and used different brown colour pencils in an attempt to create a decent result on the aforementioned sideboard. Then, I used the empty road sign to fill in the directions. It's a very simple handwritten message saying "All the best in the new home". 

There is not much more I can say about the card. The central motif lies flat on the background to ensure it will be easy to post (and also because I didn't have my 3D pads). For the same reason(s) I didn't use pearls or paper flowers. I hope that you still feel inspired to join this letter of the alphabet, and show us your interpretation of "Home". 

challenges:

- krafty chicks: masculine

- 613 avenue create: ATG with optional twist "for the guys"

- a place to start: ATG

- gem of a challenge: ATG

- allsorts challengeblog: ATG

- classicdesignchallenge: ATG DT 

- crafty catz: ATG

- creative crafty uncles: layer it up (masculine)

- lil patch of crafty friends: ATG handmade

- lovethoseprettypapers: ATG patterned papers

- love to craft: ATG 

- make my monday: embossing (embossed polka-dot pattern)

- morgans artworld: ATG

- pennys papertake: ATG paper

- wortartwednesday: ATG

Icy refreshment

Hello again after quite some time - I've been spending the past weeks getting better... and worse... and better... dealing with insurances and other services. I'm exhausted and I find it hard to spend my energy on dealing with bureaucracy, when I'd need it literally everywhere else, but I guess there's no way around it. I certainly hope that I have calmer weeks ahead of me, and with the summer temperatures outside who knows, maybe I'll have tthe chance to peek out of my apartment for something other than doctor's appointments.

Matching the first major heatwave of the year, I prepared an icy refreshment for you: a lavender-flavoured popsicle. I'm not exactly sure why lavender, but it just seems fitting due to the purple blooms in the patterned paper. Matching our "Embossing" theme over at the Alphabet challenge blog, I used a white paper with swirls in the background. To add a bit more colour, I then added a layer of purple paper onto the kraft card base. For a bit of bling, I added a couple of shiny rhinestones. 

And since there's not much more to say about the card itself, I'll just finish with my observation of how well it matches my wild blueberry ice cream with vanilla cream. Which is of course to be eaten with the big spoon :) 

challenges: 

- 613 avenue create: ATG with optional twist "for the guys"

- a place to start: ATG

- allsorts challengeblog: ATG with optional twist "what makes you happy" (ice cream in summer)

- as you like it: add a sentiment or not (I'll usually go without a sentiment mainly because the majority of my projects is crafted for the purpose of crafting - meaning they will have no known recipient at the  time they're done. When it fits the layout of my card, I'll sometimes add a generic greeting that can be used for different people, but in general I believe that a real, personal sentiment will be the one inside the card. It doesn't need to jump at you the first moment you see the card - that's the task for the main motif, which without a sentiment gets more space to shine.)

- C.R.A.F.T.: cute/ATG

- CAS on Friday: summer

- crafty catz: ATG

- kreativtanten: favourite colour (purple)

- lil patch of crafty friends: ATG handmade

- lovethoseprettypapers: ATG patterned papers

- love to craft: ATG

- morgans artworld: ATG
- moving along with the times: birthday

- nachteulen: die cuts & punches (popsicle die cut)

- pennys papertake: ATG paper

- wortartwednesday: ATG