13 July, 2024

Holidays

Can you believe it's the middle of July already? We're having a "Holiday" challenge over at the Alphabet challenge blog, meaning you may show us anything that is inspired by summer fun, or anything related to the festive kind of holidays (aka Christmas in July). Our DT has as always prepared wonderful creations for you, and if you look at our page you'll see that both themes are represented beautifully, so there really is no excuse for not playing along :) 

For the holiday theme, I decided to go with the weather: the summer heat is almost unbearable at the moment (it could always be worse, I know), and I figured I'd create a little beach-inspired scenery, which is typical for this time of year.
Apart from that, the project is rather unusual for me, main reason being that I've started art-therapy a couple of months ago. I'm not quite sure about the "therapy" part as such, but I like the challenge of crafting away from home every now and then - having to use materials I wouldn't usually work with. That being said, I'd like to spend my time with more crafting and less talking, but there have been a couple of good impulses so far, which under the bottom line is still a plus for me. 

With the art therapy comes one's very own art journal, and even though I've always admired those on youtube, I never had the courage to start one on my own.  I can't even tell exactly why - I guess it could be that art journalling seems to use many different techniques and materials while my crafting supplies are basically coloured pencils and digi stamps. It could also be that a new journal looks almost too pretty to be used, so even if I'd get myself a booklet, it would remain in my stash untouched, because I wouldn't know what to do with those blank pages. 
Anyway, with my very own art book, I tried to be more daring in my crafting. I started using different materials and magazine cut-outs to make collage sceneries in an attempt to just create something without thinking too much. I still think that most those creations are rather un-personal as I'd mainly move things around and glue them together, not really creating something on my own in terms of doodling, colouring, shading... But I'm working on improvement :)

The maritime scenery I'm showing you today was actually created in a couple of sessions, as the time for crafting is limited, and I didn't know exactly what I was doing. It's also my first double-page, meaning I wanted to create an artwork that would spread over two pages of my journal. In the beginning, I took a piece of light blue paper, ripping one of the sides off a bit. I then placed it in my art book to work from there. Using a stencil and blue crayons, I created a piece of blue leopard-print. I then completed it by cutting a couple of flowers from an old lace. I like to think they represent foam from the ocean waves. In the end, I cut out a sentiment form a magazine saying "Mach mal blau", which would translate as "Skip work". 
On the other side of the scenery-in-making, I placded an aerial photo of an oceanfront. On top, I glued a blue floral face from an ad. This part was to represent a recent trip to the sea with my mom's aunt. 
I then moved on to other projects, as I couldn't figure a way to connect those two pieces. Until one day a new magazine showed up at the art therapy session. I immediately realized that it features quite a lot of interesting motifs, namely a very blue interpretation of Hokusai's "The Great Wave off Kanagawa". I cut it out in order to arrange it over those two pages, creating a bridge between the two maritime motifs. I then added a huge sentiment on top of my double-page, which could be translated as "The elixir of life is blue" - a perfect fit for my blue project! 
To round things up, I now focused on the lower part of my journal page. 
First, I covered part of The Great Wave with a line saying "in guter Gesellschaft" - in good company. That way, I expanded the first sentiment by suggesting not only to skip work, but also how to do it best. I then added another message on the bottom of my work. This time, I opted for an uplifting wisdom that I cut into individual words, only to glue them onto the page separately: "There's a sense of peace, serenity, and happiness within me, but above all, a deep feeling of consolation". The words resonate with me in an unexpected manner, and I certainly wish we all could have more of this feeling in everyday's life.
In the end, there's still an empty space in the middle of my double-page project. I'm thorn between leaving it like that or filling it with some more art, but nothing really comes to mind right now.  

challenges:
- 613 avenue create: ATG with optional twist "floral delight"
- a place to start: ATG with optional twist "ATG but a card"
- allsorts challengeblog: ATG with optional twist "circles" (lace pattern)
- as you like it: favourite non card project (I recently started some sort of art journal, and I like the challenge that comes with it - using materials and techniques I wouldn't usually work with. I'm still far from what other crafters are creating, but I like to think that I'm improving with every step along the way.)
- card free zone: ATG but a card
- cards4galz: seascape
- crafty calendar: add a sentiment
- fabnfunky: seaside
- little red wagon: something you love (ocean/sea)
- nachteulen: summer is coming
- pennys papertake: ATG paper
- vesela hiska: P (poletje, plaža, počitnice, plava barva)
- wortartwednesday: ATG
- pinspirational recycle/upcycle (old magazines, lace)
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29 June, 2024

Gentleman (masculine)

Hello and welcome to the Alphabet wheel! We're having a new challenge over at the Alphabet challenge blog, and I'm your challenge host this fortnight. We'd like to see creations that are dedicated to men, which gives you a broad spectrum of opportunities. I can imagine that you have some Father's day leftovers you'd like to show us, or maybe some masculine birthday cards, or some Just because creations you've created for, well, just in case. I know that some crafters struggle with cards for men, but don't despair: Our DT members have prepared some wonderful projects to inspire you! Have a look at our page to get inspired, or take inspiration from my take on the challenge theme.

I opted for a birthday card this time. I didn't have any specific man in mind when I was creating this one, so it's just a generic male birthday card that doesn't include any person-specific details such as age, hobbies, favourite colours... 
I've picked white as the main colour of my creation, mainly because I really liked this swirly embossed paper and I wanted to make it shine. Even though the embossed pattern is not highlighted in any way, I think those swirls come across nicely without taking attention from the main motif. That being said, the centerpiede of my card is a leftover piece of paper from you have seen on my creations ages ago, namely here and here. The floral paper comes from a set of patterned papers, but rather than one of the actual papers I decided to use a bit of the album cover. As said piece was rather tiny, I enlarged it by placing it onto a turquoise piece of patterned paper. Not only it makes the floral scenery appear bigger, I think it also creates a nice connection towards the background of my card. To place the image onto the card base, I used 3D adhesive pads, which gives additional depth to my creation. Since I figured this would be a birthday card, I added a tiny silver sticker to deliver the birthday greetings. To spice up the white background, I then added a couple of shimmering gemstones. I like to think they, too, are enhancing the motif as I used a similar colour scheme for the embellishments, but I'm  a bit torn about the gemstones alltogether: I tried to not overdo it with the bling as I was creating a masculine card, but I'm not sure whether I've stopped on time. What do you think? Can male cards use a little sparkle every now and then? 

challenges: 
- krafty chicks: all occassions
- 613 avenue create: ATG with optional twist "for the guys"
- a place to start: ATG
- allsorts challengeblog: ATG with optional twist "way to grow"
- C.R.A.F.T.: ATG
- cardz4guyz: ATG masculine
- CAS on Friday: nature
- crafty catz: ATG with optional twist "embellishments"
- kreativtanten: for men
- little red wagon: layer it up
- my time to craft: summer florals
- pennys papertake: ATG paper
- scrapping4fun: ATG
- seizethebirthday: add a star
- wortartwednesday: ATG
- pinspirational flowers
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31 May, 2024

Embossing

I'm back again after a short emergency break. Work is exhausting and May has been way too much, with me ending up in the emergency room at some point. On the bright side, there was nothing *really* wrong with me in terms of tests and labs, on the other side, all I got was the suggestion to check into the psych ward if I'm "too lazy" to function - after telling the doctor multiple times that I'm barely holding on while having to juggle too many things at once. Oh well. 

Anyways, I tried to prepare something for the "Dancing" challenge over at the Alphabet challenge blog, but to no avail. I managed to glue the embossed silhouette of a dress onto a window card base that I embellished with a patterned piece of vellum. Fun fact: the dress is actually a leftover from an iris fold card that I made waaaay back in 2018 when I was still managing different pastimes alongside of living quite a normal life.
I then added a border made of tiny white pearls, but I never made it past that point before the challenge started. With the "Embossing" challenge being next, I decided to keep on working on my project. I added a couple of paper flowers to the pearly border, and then placed a few shimmering rhinestones onto the vellum background. 
By doing so, I managed to complete the motif, but I couldn't help thinking it looks like an island on its own: with the white embossed dress all isolated from the plain white background, the pops of colour didn't quite end up the way I planned. As I was looking for solutions, I remembered my sticker stash. I couldn't really think of a sticker that would match the vibe of my card, but I figured  Icould at least try to find something suittable. And I did: I took a golden floral border and placed it atop of my card layout. As the sticker wasn't long enough to cover the entire width of the card, I elongated it by adding bits of other stickers, making the transition as seamless as possible. Once that was done, I added a couple of golden vertical lines. Those tiny border stickers might seem weird at first, but I like to imagine them as some sort of garlands, or even fairy lights. 
In the end, I like how the golden elements come together, especially when you tilt the card in a way that makes the stickers shimmer. I think I can now consider the card to be complete, even though I have no idea where it will end up. For a wedding card, there is a very prominent lack of another partner. A birthday/prom card maybe? 

challenges:
- krafty chicks: ATG
- 613 avenue create: ATG
- a place to start: ATG with optional twist "for a woman"
- as you like it: favourite way of embossing (I prefer dry embossing by far as I don't own any embossing equippment, and there are many ready-to-use embossed papers which I can buy in single sheets or bundles. I've never seen wet embossing papers on sale, though. It's a very simple and practical reason on this one, no crafting preference, no deeper meaning.)
- crafty catz: ATG
- crafty gals corner: ATG with optional twist "lace/pearls"
- creative inspirations: ATG with optional twist "feminine"
- love to craft: ATG 
- nachteulen: for the girls
- pennys papertake: ATG paper
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03 May, 2024

Cars

Hello, Friday! With the beginning of the weekend, we start our new challenge over at the Alphabet challenge blog. This time, we'd like to challenge you to the letter C, which stands for "cars". My DT inspiration for you is a combination of yellow and green, as well as cars and flowers. 
I can not exactly point to the inspiration for my card, but please join me for a ride through my creative process.
First, I used a half-made card base from ages ago. I had once glued the strip of F1 cars to a green piece of cardboard, and placed it onto this embossed sheet of yellow paper. Since the embossed motif depicts fireworks and confetti, I figured it would be a match to the fast cars, making the card suitable for a birthday celebration, or as an acknowledgement of some other success. 
However, my crafting then came to a halt as I switched to other projects, and the card remained in my stash until recently. I have now taken it from my pile of half-finished things, thinking about how I could transform it to a proper crafting project. Since the main motif was already glued to the card base, I'd have to work my way around those cars. I started adding paper flowers as a trial, and somehow, I liked this unusual combination. I decided to go with white and yellow-ish blooms to match the colour scheme, and added some punched leafs for background greenery. I then added pearls in different shapes and sizes, until I realized that I've piled up an unusual amount of pearls - especially as a car-motif would indicate a masculine card. Oh, well... 
Once that was done, I was still under the impression that the card was missing something. I had a look at my sticker stash, and opted for a tiny golden border which I placed on the green background paper right beside the car image. At last, I had the feeling that my project is done. Still, I'm not sure about whether I like it or not. Is it too floral, too colourful, and too pearl-y for a male card? Do male cards always have to be some generic geometrical CAS thing? Could it be that it's a feminine card after all, featuring a car motif, because why wouldn't cars be suitable for women/girls? Growing up in what I now realize was a weird family combination, a car gave my mom the opportunity to get to work, earn her own money, and gain her independence. Being disabled, my car gives me the chance to go to medical appointments whenever it's necessary, whereas without a car I would only be able to see my doctor(s) if I could make it there on my own - which is not often the case. 
This challenge certainly challenged several gender stereotypes for me, and I can't remember using a car motif ever. Maybe that's the tricky part of the story? And what could possibly be a fitting occasion for this floral car card?

challenges:
- 613 avenue create: ATG with optional twist "splash of colours"
- a place to start: ATG with optional twist "flowers"
- as you like it: soft or bold colours (I like to create with both options, however I'm recently working on the bold projects in terms of colours. I guess the strong, vibrant colours are a great match for the spring season, as they can be found everywhere in nature. Using stronger colours in spring/summer somes natural to me as it's so good to see them after the bleak winter period.)
- can you handle the pressure: embossing with a twist "feminine"
- crafty catz: ATG with optional twist "summer"
- crafty gals corner: ATG
- creative inspirations: ATG with optional twist "feminine"
- fabnfunky: embossing
- love to craft: ATG 
- nachteulen: anything you like
- pennys papertake: ATG paper
- sparklesmonthlychallenges: April showers bring May flowers
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19 April, 2024

Little bird told me

After a short break, I'm popping back into blogland to introduce the latest challenge over at the Alphabet challenge blog. For the letter B, we'd like to see birds on your creations - a wonderful theme for spring, when we get to hear more and more birds from early morning to nightfall. 

I've started working recently in an attempt to get myself back on track and back into life, but as I'm being overwhelmed on so many different levels with no possibility to pull the emergency break, I feel like I'm heading towards a major burnout. I try to keep the balance by resting as much as I can, but the energy put into work lacks elsewhere, making even the simplest daily activities impossible - I can't remember the last time I've done some proper grocery shopping, not to mention household chores, or anything productive for that matter. I find it both intriguing and terrifying to think that I have to meet with disaster in order to *maybe* find somebody to believe me when I say I'm completely exhausted, and that a job which leaves me bedbound for days isn't worth it. I would love to do some crafting to decompress, but it feels like I have neither the time nor the energy to do so.

With that in mind, I took a picture from an old calendar to create a simple bird-themed card. Those little featherballs on a fir branch are such a cute motif, and I decided to subtle frame them with a green piece of background paper. To keep the earthy, wooden atmosphere, I opted for a kraft card base. On that base, I placed a cardboard with more fir branches, which I bought in Pardubice years ago. To round up my creation, I added a couple of paper flowers, as well as some punched leafs in different shades of green. 
In the end, I wanted to add a sentiment, and I thought that a simple birthday greeting would suit the image, so I took a matching sentiment from my sticker stash. However, as I prepared a piece of white cardboard for the sticker, that strip of white seemed so out of place that I just couldn't glue it onto the card. I tried to place it in different corners to achieve an acceptable result, but to no avail. In the end it occured to me to try something different: if the white was so disturbing, how about skipping it altogether? I decided to place the birthday sticker directlyonto the card, and somehow, the only available space seemed to be the left upper corner of the bird image. And suddenly, everything fell into place: The sentiment feels like part of the scenery rather than some foreign body, and the particular placing makes it look like the birthday wishes come straight from the beaks of the birds. 

For a little real-life inspiration, a friendly little blue tit in park Tivoli. Feels like the memory of a past life.

challenges:
- 613 avenue create: ATG
- a place to start: ATG with optional twist "add flowers"
- classicdesignchallenge: ATG DT with optional twist "Happy birthday"
- creative inspirations: ATG with optional twist "spring"
- critter crazy: ATG animals
- fabnfunky: add a sentiment
- kreativtanten: green
- little red wagon: congrats
- make my monday: birds
- pennys papertake: ATG paper
- scrapping4fun: ATG
Posted by at 4 comments:

09 March, 2024

Yesterdays (vintage/retro)

With a bit of a delay, let me introduce you to the latest challenge over at the Alphabet challenge blog. We'd like to see vintage & retro on your creations, so there is what I prepared for my DT inspiration.
I made this rather simple card a while ago, using a clean kraft base and a wide ribbon with butterflies. I think they look like those old botanical/zoology prints, which is why I hope they're fitting the challenge theme. Now here's my creative process in a few steps: First, I glued the see-through organza ribbon onto a light grey piece of cardboard. Then, I placed the motif onto the card base. I didn't plan to add any more embellishments, but as everything looked kind of blank, I opted for this golden border sticker to frame the butterflies on the sides.
Once that was done, I added a layer of white paper on the inside of my card, as I feel that any handwriting would be more visible on a white background rather than on a kraft one. 
The card ended up to be a sympathy card for the family of the most wonderful old lady my mum used to work for. It was hard for everyone to observe how dementia changed this cheerful and hardworking houswife into a frightened mess during the final years, so I'd like to believe that she found her peace at last.

challenges:
- C.R.A.F.T.: female
- crafty catz: ATG
- creative inspirations: ATG with optional twist "for a loved one"
- critter crazy: ATG animals
- do-all kreatives: ATG
- double D challenges: first signs of spring (butterflies)
- love to craft: ATG 
- pennys papertake: ATG paper
- unicorn challengeblog: for boys/men
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23 February, 2024

Xtra love hearts

Welcome to another challenge over at the Alphabet challenge blog, and without further ado, we'd like to see hearts on your creations. As always, feel free to show us whatever technique and project you like, just make sure to follow our very seasonal challenge theme.
With  the warm temperatures outside, I decided to create some ice cream for you. Specifically, a popsicle made of white chocolate with a little touch of raspberry. For my project, I used a piece of patterned paper with loads of tiny hearts, which couldn't be more perfect for our challenge theme. To make it a focal point of my card, I made sure to keep the rest of my creation pretty simple: a white embossed background with swirls, a piece of red paper to frame the image, and a couple of shiny pearls for a bit of bling. 
But even though I thought I was done, I just couldn't help thinking that the card was missing something. As the popsicle didn't pop from the white background as expected, I decided to draw a thin red line along the patterned paper. The border between motif and background is now defined more clearly, but I'm not sure whether I like the result. I obviously can't use 3D adhesive pads to raise the popsicle as everything is already glued together, but I'd appreciate your ideas on any solutions that come to your mind. 

challenges: 
- krafty chicks: all occasions
- 613 avenue create: ATG with optional twist "love letters"
- a place to start: ATG with optional twist "mononchrome"
- as you like it: feminine or masculine (I like to create both types of projects, but I certainly make way more feminine things. While masculine creations usually present a challenge for me, meaning I have to focus on making it masculine, I like how I can set my fantasy free when I'm working on girly projects: flowers, pearls, gemstones, patterned papers, and all that jazz. I consider the CAS hearty popsicle to be a feminine project, too, but it's fun to think that it could be also suitable for a boy/men, showing that certain things like love for ice cream are universal and can not be attributed to one single gender.)
- CAS on Friday: male/boy
- crafty calendar: add a heart
- crafty catz: ATG
- crafty gals corner: add a heart
- creative inspirations: ATG with optional twist "for a loved one"
- double D challenges: patterned paper
- everybody art: birthday
- lil patch of crafty friends: ATG handmade 
- pearlysparkles: hearts
- pennys papertake: ATG paper
- scrapping4fun: ATG
- male room: Valentines/use a heart
Posted by at 18 comments:
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