18 October, 2026

Motivational

Here I am with my DT project for the new challenge over at the Alphabet challenge blog. We'd like to see "Motivational" creations from you, anything with an uplifting message and/or a positive interpretation of what you link up. When in doubt, feel free to tell us how and why your project is meant to inspire and motivate.
I'm showing you a page from my art journal. It was my first attempt at journalling and I thought it would help me to organize my thoughts through premature menopause.
I must admit the journal now sits half empty on my shelf as I don't know what to do with it as I'm currently working on another art journal. Anyway, back then I decided to use a quote that resonated with me as I believed it would allow my thoughts to concentrate on what is yet to come rather than waste energy on what is a done deal. I printed the sentiment on a structured paper and framed it with a pink paper. 
I then embellished said paper with a heart border punch. 
After that, I picked a patterned paper with cherry blossoms, and combined it with another shade of pink for the background. On the album page, I placed a paper with a handwriting pattern. Once I positioned all those elements, I embellished the border punch with a couple of tiny pearls. I then added a couple of silver stickers that represent both transience and (self)love. 
At that point, I thought I was finally at peace with myself, content with my past and what I had become. Turns out a pile of other things came along, and my thoughts keep coming back to what happened, what could/should have happened differently, and what I could have done in the scenario. I keep coming to the conclusion that no wisdom in the world will help when your counterpart is absolutely not willing to hear you. How a situation like this can happen in the first place is a mistery to me, but it keeps bugging me nevertheless. 
Turns out I haven't yet reached the point of getting over, mainly because I'm not the person who believes in forced apologies and fake forgiveness when you're not ready to draw the line yet. On the contrary, I think that if you force yourself to close a chapter before you're ready to do so, it will not bring satisfaction on the long term because the issue will keep coming back. Because moving on is not a switch in your brain, but rather a process of approaching the issue and finding a way to deal with it. And it's quite difficult to do so when you're bullied into silence. 

Oh well. Maybe you've already found a way to make peace with your demons, and if not, I wish you all the best in doing so. I for myself still like the sentiment and it still resonates with me, it just comes with a different vibe now. And that's fine with me - even if you read the same book on multiple occasions, it will speak to you in a different way each time. 
That being said, I'm still looking for a balance between being stuck and moving on. But then again, maybe that's my motivation for the moment, before I'll be able to do anything else. 

challenges:
- 613 avenue create: ATG with optional twist "think pink"
- C.R.A.F.T.: ATG
- card free zone: ATG but a card
- fabnfunky: 3 of something (3 silver heart stickers)
- little red wagon: frame it
- lovethoseprettypapers: ATG patterned papers
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04 October, 2026

Little people

Hello again, and without further ado, we're starting a new challenge over at the Alphabet challenge. Our theme this fortnight is "Little poeple", which means we'd like to see projects that are dedicated to children. I'm still working with Bugaboo images, and for my child-inspired card, I used this cute little troll motif. 
Before colouring my image, I tried to narrow down my colour scheme. With autumn season in full swing and Halloween around  the corner,  I figured I would find plenty of pretty papers in my stash. However, the more I looked, the more I went from green & purple spider motifs to warm tones with leafs & blooms. Since I couldn't pick one favourite paper, I decided to cut a stripe of each and combine them to create a colourful autumn background. And even though it may seem the papers come from an artsy album, their origin couldn't be more different: one actually does come from an album and one was a scrapbook page, but the others I cut from a Japanese cookbook and an envelope that came with a stationery set. Believe it or not, I've been keeping the latter since my highschool days, which is... quite some time!
Once I glued the stripes on the kraft card base, I coloured the little troll girl using colouring pencils. I then placed the image onto a piece of dark yellow cardboard, embellishing the corners with an edge punch. Placed the image on the center of the card and glued everything together. Since I felt like something was missing, I took a "Happy birthday" message from a sccrapbook page. I placed it under the image, and I think it makes a perfect birthday card for a child. 
However, because the image was already centered when I was playing around with the sentiment, I had to place the birthday greetings in the lower part of the card, whereas the upper part is empty. And now I can't help thinking how this imbalance brings all the weight of the motif to the lower part of the card, and how it would be better if I considered the sentiment before fixating the image, which would allow me to adjust both elements. Oh well... I guess I'll have to get over it, since there's nothing I can do about it now. 
Another thing that bothered me (and I could do something about it even after everything was done) is the white space around the troll motif. I went through my sticker stash and blinged the image up with some golden stars from a Christmas sheet. I like to think they look like reflections from the birthday candles, or even fireworks.   
And now that the troll girl is all finished up, all she needs is to find the party location. The card has no recipient yet, but I think it can fit any birthday, autumn season or not. I could also imagine her going to a Halloween / monster inspired celebration, because, after all, not everything must be skulls and blood on October 31st. Many kids - especially the younger ones - might prefer a mix of sweet & spooky, which gives them a chance to participate in "adult stuff" without being scared. 

challenges: 
- krafty chicks: birthday
- allsorts challengeblog: ATG with optional twist "ATG autumn"
- C.R.A.F.T.: ATG
- cardz4guyz: autumn colours
- classicdesignchallenge: ATG DT  
- crafty calendar: autumn/Halloween
- crafty catz: ATG
- crafty gals corner: ATG with optional twist "fall foliage"
- creative inspirations: hello autumn
- inkspirational: autumn/Halloween cupcakes
- kreativtanten: Halloween
- little red wagon: autumn colours
- lovethoseprettypapers: ATG patterned papers
- nachteulen: colourful autumn
- path of positivity: ATG positive
- traumfabrik: When fall is coming
- try it on tuesday: autumn's beauty
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01 October, 2026

Kittens

Better late than never, I guess, here is my DT inspiration forthe "Kittens" challenge over at the Alphabet challenge blog. It's a rather simple card witht a beautiful digi from Bugaboo. I fell in love with it as I was browsing through my digi stash, and can you blame me?
And since the image is such a highlight, I kept the rest of the card rather simple: for the background paper, I used a piece of a paper bag with a black geometrical pattern. I placed it on a kraft card base, and since the bag was made of kraft paper, too, it almost looks like the pattern is printed right onto the card base. 
I then took a piece of black cardboard to frame the digi. I then painted the cat lovers in different shades of brown, using colouring pencils. I opted for soft colours, going for a CAS design. And as I proceeded with the crafring, I figured the card would be purrfect for my sister's birthday. So, after everything was done, I added a "Happy birthday" message.  
And since I happened to see her as well (which is rather rare, to be honest), I could even deliver the dard in person - alongside with some other goodies. We even managed to have a spontaneous day trip to Prague, catching summer sun and autumn colours on the Náplavka farmer's market. 

challenges: 
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05 September, 2026

Just kidding

What kind of party is this, with the host being late? I'll try to make it up to you by being quick.
Therefore, without much ado I present you the current challenge over at the Alphabet challenge blog. We're at the letter J this fortnight, and we'd like to see something funny for "Just kidding". I'll be picking the winners two weeks from now, and I can't wait to see what you'll come up with in the meantime.
I for myself decided to create a rather simple card using a wonderful Bugaboo digi featuring a leg in a cast. And man, every time I use one of their images, I dearly miss this brand! 
Anyhow, I found the motif in my stash as I was going through things I could use for my DT inspiration. It was already glued onto a piece of light brown paper to frame it, so I started the other way round: I took different sized card bases from my stash to see which one fits best. Once I picked the kraft coloured one, I flipped through my patterned papers to see which paper would be best to use in the background. I opted for a beige sheet with rather large green and brown polka dots, and I liked the fact they are rather large, because the motif itself is very much CAS. And since there wasn't much to colour in the image, those large polka dots would have to do the trick colour-wise.
Once I glued the motif to the card itself, I added a couple of paper flowers. I haven't used paper flowers in a while, and it felt good to make use of them after ages.
Finally, I started looking for a quote to make my card funny. After all, a leg in a cast could be interpreted as a regular "get well soon" card. However, I didn't want to go with "Break a leg" (which I think even came with the digi), since the recipient probably wouldn't be a native English speaker. Instead, I printed one saying "Hals- und Beinbruch", which can be translated as a wish for a broken neck and leg - but of course it's just to make sure well wishes don't get jinxed! 
   
challenges:
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01 September, 2026

Insects

Better late than never, here is my DT creation for the current "Insects" challenge over at the Alphabet challenge blog. If you haven't participated yet, let this be your reminder to do so - as always, you can link up any project you have created, just make sure it features some sort of insects.
Now for my reminder post: the scraps I'm showing you this time are from my stash, I've created them a while ago to add to care packages for Ukrainian refugees. To personalize each box, I used a wooden keyring which I decorated with napkin decoupage. A keyring for keys to a new home, far away from whatever they've left behind. As I would only know the gender and age group of the recipients (child/teenager/adult), I decided to use different motifs which would make the gift suitable for anyone. I used white acrylic paint to cover the wooden circle, and then placed several mini motifs onto each side of said circle. The motift come from different napkins, and they are those tiny things you can only use in a bunch, because they would be too small for anything if used separately. Since amongst them are butterflies as well as bees, it makes a perfect DT inspiration. 
Additionally, I used cardboard pieces to enhance the bottom of small celophane gift bags. I decided to embellish those, too: I covered one side with a random patterned paper, while on the other side I used a monochrome paper. This side would be covered with stickers and a small welcome message.
And if small insects aren't your thing, how about some huge butterfly/plane hybrids, like the ones that embellish the House of Fun "Maj" in Prague? The iconic shopping centre has been renovanted in the past years, and reopened in 2024. It now features multiple floors of entertainment next to a number of shops, and much more. I haven't visited it yet as I'l not a shopping centre person, but I had a peek at its outside soon after its opening because those butterflies were something everybody would talk about. On the surface, the main debate was whether an installation like this is suitable for a facade in the old city center. Looking closer, the artwork of David Černý honours Czechoslovak fighter pilots who fought in the RAF during WW2, symbolizing peace, hope, freedom and democracy - values that need to be actively defended every day even today.
How they managed to hand those Spitfire bodies onto a vertical wall, remains a mistery to me. But it certainly looks magnificent when those giant "butterflies" beat their wings. 

challenges:
- allsorts challengeblog: ATG with optional twist "all creatures great and small"
- as you like it: favourite animal (butterflies - the sight of the first butterfly in spring is a very special highlight for me, more special than the sight of the first flowers. Even as the seasons change, butterflies will always bring me joy: they come in so many different sizes and colours, they symbolize freedom and fragility, and I can't get enough of them. And I guess they must be loved by others as well, since we wouldn't see so many butterflies on various crafting projects out there. I would always try to nurse injured butterflies when I was a child, and I understand now that things are more complicated than that. Which is why I'm happy to see more and more "insect meadows" each year in private gardens and public spaces, whether they are the result of sowing a specific flower mix, or refusing to mow a certain patch of grass.)
- card free zone: ATG but a card
- crafty gals corner: ATG with optional twist "summer vibes" -
- critter crazy: ATG animals (butterflies)
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27 June, 2026

Embossing

Hello and welcome to the newest challenge over at the Alphabet challenge blog, and our newest theme that says "Embossing"" Feel free to use the wet or the dry form of the technique, and show us the results. If you need some inspiration first, please do have a look at what the DT has created for you. I was quite busy in the past weeks, I'm feeling better and trying to catch up with so many things alongside with managing everyday's chores. In the end, I'm putting things aside again, but well, that's life I guess.
However, I managed to prepare some DT inspiration for you, and by doing so, I used some scraps I never thought would come handy. And I think at some point, every crafter has said something like that, righth? 
Since we'd like you to feature embossing on your projects, that's what I was looking for at first. I did find some pretty embossed backgrounds in my stash, but I couldn't come up with how to use them. And I kept coming back to this unusual shade of green, a green that looks like a light emerald. It came in a booklet of embossed papers, and while I love the floral pattern with bugs and insects, I could never, ever wrap myself around the colour itself. How on earth do you create a colour scheme around that one? 
In other news, I'm getting glasses. The signs of aging became obvious a year or two ago, when I was getting new sunglasses, and while doing so, I made an eye test because why not. With a couple of lens adjustments I could suddenly realize that the world around me is much clearer that I thought, but it wasn't a major difference, so I let it be. In the past months, however, I could find myself having trouble focusing on signs, especially when light conditions ween't ideal. Got another eye test, and yup, definitely glasses this time. I picked them out last week and will have another fitting next week. And all this time, my thoughts were circling around that one patterned paper... The one I got ages ago on a crafting workshop. We learned to create explosion boxes, but since I didn't find a chance to use mine, I cut it into pieces. What was left, were squares of glasses-themed papers: pink and green on one side, black and white on the other. And then, I figured: why not try THIS green with THAT green? 
Unfortunately, the green embossed paper was a bit too short to fit on a kraft card base, so I decided to extend it by using another paper scrap: a white embossed paper with swirls, which was already decorated with a punched border. Believe it or not, I only needed to cut it by 4 mm to make it fit. 
I then wanted to use a ribbon to mask the transition between white and green paper before placing the glasses on top of everything. To my disappointment, I couldn't find a ribbon that would fulfill my imagination. I switched to my paper stash again, and amongst the scraps that are too pretty to be thrown away I finally found the missing piece: a strip of paper with roses, which combines all the colours of my card. It comes from a box of napkins, and I kept it for years - literally (and yes, when IÄm looking for napkins for my running nose in winter, I'm definitely thinking about what I could do with the box later on). I'm glad those pretty roses found their place after all. 
Once everything was done, I used a piece of soft pink paper to frame the glasses, trying to create a centerpiece from what was meant to be a background paper. I thibk it doesn't look too bad in the end. I can't help feeling the card would need a bit of bling in form of pearls and/or gemstones, but on the other end, I keep telling myself that flat cards are easier to be shipped. Under the bottom line, I'm torn between whether my card is finished or not, so I will gladly accept your opinions and ideas on the piece.

challenges:
- 613 avenue create: ATG with optional twist "May flowers"
- allsorts challengeblog: ATG with optional twist "birds, bees and blooms"
- crafty catz: ATG
- inkspirational: leftovers (white embossed paper, rose paper, patterned paper with glasses)
- nachteulen: ATG
- try it on tuesday: in the garden (rose paper, embossed papers with swirls, flowers and bugs)
- vesela hiska: rose
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02 June, 2026

Circles

Hello, and welcome to the current challenge over at the Alphabet challenge blog! The challenge has is in full swing already, but my traditional delay has a very untraditional reason this time: my great aunt has decided to spoil me with a getaway of my choice, and I spent some wonderful days in northern Spain. Yes, it was quite a challenge, but since it was an organized tour I didn't need to worry about anything. I did rest a lot in between our stops, as well as during the transits, but I could also fill my heart and soul with loads of positive memories... enjoy land- and seascapes... get to know lots of lovely cities and lots of yummi food, and even dip my toes into the ocean every now and then. 

For my DT inspiration, I will therefore present a project I have created a while ago in one of my therapy sessions. Even though it's full of autumn vibes, it was made in spring, but as it usually goes with my crafting, I get stuck on an image or two and the rest just happens somehow. 
This time, it was the image of a lady sitting by the lake that caught my eyes. I decided to cut the motif from a magazine and save it in my stash, and pair it up with something of similar colour/atmosphere. 
To be precise, I cut some more circles with autumn motifs, but I didn't really know how to put them into use. I guess I just wanted to get used to my (currently) favourite tool, a circular cutter. I still have to get used to it, and I do usually mess up my circles towards the end when the paper slips away, but that't just one more reason to practise cutting circles (and arranging them in a way those mistakes can't be seen, lol). 
Then, in one of my crafting sessions, I went through a bunch of new magazines, and I found exactly what I was looking for: many different vintage botanical prints, from which I could pick motifs to embellish my collage. 
At first, I connected the circles. Unlike originally planned, the lady by the lake ended up on the bottom part of the trio. Under her, I placed a log of wood, which I decorated with a couple of pine cones. It almost makes it look like the girl is hiding behind some bushes. 
Then, I took a piece of dark green patterned paper from my stash - it was a leftover from another project, but it turned out I could use it up here. I liked the idea of it, because those tiny leaves look so pretty and I think it would be a shame to throw them away. Somehow, it also turned out that the circle I once cut from said patterned paper created a wonderful negative that would now allign nicely with the circles I used this time. I wondered whether I should fill the white halo between the three circles and the pattern in the background, but I decided against it. Instead, I connected the floral paper with my collage by using other elements: a yellow butterfly on top, and a daisy on the bottom. 
To complete my project, I added more butterflies: one sits atop some oak leaves and comes from the same magazine as the majority of my elements, and the other one is a sticker from my stash. I deliberately placed it in a way that would make the butterfly stand out from my art journal, which means it can double as some sort of bookmark. 
Looking back now, I would probably change the arrangement of circles: the heavy wooden pattern to the bottom, the lady by the lake to the right, and the dry foliage on the top left. I think it would make more sense this way, but I'm not completely unhappy with how this looks either. 

challenges: 
- a place to start: ATG with optional twist "ATG but a card"
- as you like it: favourite season (I love the transitions between seasons actually, especially late spring/early summer, but even more so, late summer/early fall. I just love those warm days with colourful leafs and wonderful reflections on the water! Even though the early mornings might be cold already, there will be plenty of sunshine during the day - but without the unbearable summer heat. It's those days that allow you to layer your clothes, which leads to many combinations you'll be unable to wear otherwise. I love the autumn colours and the magical light, both of which makes up for the fact that the days are getting shorter.)
- card free zone: ATG but a card
- crafty catz: ATG
- love to craft: ATG 
- moving along with the times: favourite stamp, die or tool (circular cutter)
- try it on tuesday: going round in circles
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