24 September, 2021

Hang in there!

We're starting a new challenge at the Alphabet challenge blog today, and for the letter M we'd like to see a "Motivational sentiment" on your creation. 
I decided to take it easy with my card this time, meaning that instead of some deep motivational wisdom I opted for a fun encouragement. I picked one of the cute bugaboo monkeys for my main motif, and as he's whizzing by on his liana, "Hang in there" seemed like a perfectly accurate thing to say. 
For the project itself, I painted the digi with regular coloured pencils. I focused on the motif only and left the background blank on purpose. Instead, I completed the jungle scene with a fun monstera-themed background paper. To finish everything off in the same colour scheme, I added a green polka-dot background paper for the monkey, and a light brown strip of paper for the sentiment. I also used a kraft card base as I thought it would fit better than a white one. 
I glued both elements onto my card by using 3D adhesive pads. Also, I decided to slightly rotate the motif and sentiment in order to create a bit of a swinging effect and emphasise the importance of "hanging on".
I resisted pearls and gemstones and other embellishments this time since I don't think they're necessary for the foliage to shine. 

challenges: 
- krafty chicks: all occasions
- 613 avenue create: ATG
- a bit more time to craft: ATG
- a place to start: patterned paper
- allsorts challengeblog: real animal or creature
- as you see it: speed humour
- creative moments: ATG
- cute card thursday: ATG with optional twist "critters"
- friendship challenge: autumn/leafs
- little red wagon: use a digi
- love to craft: ATG 
- love to scrap: ATG
- vesela hiska: green as grass
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17 September, 2021

Goodbye, summer!

I've cut back the lavender on my balcony a while ago, and placed a few lavender stems into my new little vase that I got myself at the Gud Shop. I like the natural shade of white and sand-like splatters: just like memories of summer that are slowly fading away as the seasons turn and everything becomes a bit melancholic.
A contribution to the Friday Flowerday at Holunderbluetchen.
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10 September, 2021

L for leaves

With autumn just around the corner, we're having an easy seasonal theme at the Alphabet challenge for you: Leaves. I decided to use fall colours in my project, but of course it could be any kind of foliage that comes to your mind. 
The necklace I've created is basically something that came to my mind as soon as I've seen those beads in a bead/jewelry shop in Erlangen a couple of years ago. There were only a few of them left, so I decided to take them all and see what I could come up with. I used five of them in this autumn necklace and still have one left that will probably end up in a pendant or keychain. 
What I like most about the beads is that they have abstract motifs of leaves and blooms on them, and that the motifs differ from  bead to bead. Also, each side of the beads has a unique sight, which gives me an opportunity to change the look of my jewelry even after the beads are lined up and the necklace is officially finished. Some beads have a bit of blue in them and give an overall colder vibe, while others are rich with autumn colours including lots of yellow and red.
The warm colours are the ones that inspired me to use tiny golden beads in between the autumn-ish beads. They're a nice addition to the autumn vibes, but they don't interfere with the colder shades either. Also, the combination of gold and black is not something I'd usually go for, but I think with all the floral motifs it doesn't look too sumptuous at all. 
To make the rest of the necklace as subtle as possible, I opted for a simple string of black glass crystal beads. I think they go well with the main beads without taking too much attention from them, but I also like how they have a little bit of bling, meaning they aren't completely invisible when I'm wearing the necklace against a black sweater. Because, why not create a piece of jewelry that matches a specific thing in your wardrobe?

challenges: 
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27 August, 2021

Kindness

First things first, I thought it would be worse. 
We'd like you to feature kindness on your crafting projects over at the Alphabet challenge, which means exactly that: use the word "kindness" in whatever you show us. 
Not being from an English speaking country, I'll use English phrases on my cards every now and then, but they'll be something universal like "Happy birthday", "Thanks", or "Congrats". I'll sometimes use a quote, too, but I'll need to make sure the recipient has enough English skills to understand the message behind the text, and not be offended by the use of a foreign language. If thats not the case, I'd find English on my projects rather... Strange? Unusual? Inappropriate?

But here we are, looking for the exact word to be used. Since a single noun without context would be a bit weird, I had to come up with something else. I didn't want to go with the standard "Thanks for your kindness" - in part, because some other DT members have already done it, but mainly it would be weird to give thanks in English instead of using the familiar "Hvala". 
I decided to look for quotes that include "kindness", and found quite a few I could use. For each contender, I had a quick brainstorm on what kind of card would go with it. In the end, I picked this very simple wisdom of Dalai Lama. My decision was based mostly on my idea of a very CAS card (mainly due to time issues that come with with last-minute crafting). However, I also like how the saying implies that no matter what you believe in, we're all here to be kind to one another. 

The image of Buddha comes from an old magazine, I cut it out back then thinking it might come handy some day. With the serene quote  picked for my card, I now picked the image from my stash, fully prepared to do some arrangements in order to make both fit to the card base and to each other. Imagine my surprise when I realized it fits the card base just as it was! No re-cutting or measuring, just glue and go. 
Of course, I'd have to print the matching quote first and cut it to the right size, but that was about all the work I had with my creation. I also decided to go against my habit of adding a layer of coloured background paper. That way, the text seems as if the text was printed directly onto the card. 
Going very CAS this time, I even restrained myself from using pearls :)
I'm not sure whether I've hit the right note as the card looks a bit plain, but I figured I'd leave it like that for now. On the one hand, I can still add pearls later if needed, but on the other hand I think I might just go with a very simple card that matches the "very simple" part of the quote.   
Radensko polje in autumn. Simple remains of the harvest, and some kind people, too. I think I should go visit sometime soon. 

challenges: 
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13 August, 2021

Just one word

Just a very quick post today with a birthday cardfor mom. 
We're having a "Just one word" challenge over at the Alphabet challenge, and thinking ahead for once, I picked a floral heart from SheepSkiDesigns a while ago. I had no image like this in my stash yet, and thought it would look cute to colour and use for the birthday in August. And with the empty space, it should be possible for me to fit a word. 
The colouring is self-explanatory: I used coloured pencils to fill the blooms with colour. I then shaprened my pens and used the sharpening remains to create the blurry background. 
In the middle of the heart, I used golden stickers to place "Mom" and her round birthday. 
Once all was done, I placed the motif on a shimmering dark brown paper, which is not very visible from the pictures. To top it off, I added a couple of tiny white pearls here and there.
And after a wonderful family day trip with lunch and just spending some time together, here's to new adventures!

challenges: 
- 613 avenue create: ATG
- a bit more time to craft: ATG
- a place to start: favourite crafting style (I'd say my style is paper crafting, and within that, creating personalized cards for different occasions. I'll usually go with a central motif and work my way around it to finish everything off with a background paper and sprinkle everything with tiny white pearls. Always tiny white pearls.)
- allsorts challengeblog: ATG
- basteltraum: rainbow colours
- crafters castle: summer
- crafty gals corner: summer fun
- crafty sentiments: ATG
- everybody art: summer
- love to craft: ATG 
- morgans artworld: ATG
- moving along with the times: summer fun/summer colours
- path of positivity: enjoy nature
- pennys papertake: ATG

- sheepski designs: cute

- traumfabrik: something feminine
- through the craftroom door: ATG
- unicorn challengeblog: ATG
- use your stuff: inspired by real life (mom's summer birthday with everything she likes: wildflowers, nature, and a nice view to top it off)
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30 July, 2021

I for insects

Could it be that we already have a new task over at the Alphabet challenge? We'd like to see insects on your projects this fortnight, so get creative with anything that crawls or flies! 
For my DT inspiration, I contemplating between stitching a dragonfly or using a bugaboo digi featuring ladybugs. In the end, I opted for the dragonfly even though I've created a similar card a couple of years ago. To make it a bit different, I picked blue yarns this time: two shades of blue for the insect, and a very light blue for the plant. 
My decision regarding colours wasn't all coincidental, because I had my mind set on this beautiful water-inspired background paper which I absolutely wanted to pair with my stitching. I thought that since water and dragonflies go so well together in nature, I should at least try to recreate this connection on my card, too. Did it turn out as planned? I certainly hope so. 
The shimmering yarns remind me of sunrays on the surface of the water, which matches the vibes of my creation. For a bit more bling, I added a couple of blue and white rhinestones, which give the impression of water droplets. 
And already, I'm leaving you to your own thoughts regarding our challenge theme. We have quite a few dragonflies on our DT creations, but I'll be happy to see any kind of insect and can't wait to see what you'll come up with. I'll even take mosquitos unless you plan to send me a real bloodsucker ;) 

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

challenges: 
- krafty chicks: ATG
- C.R.A.F.T.: summer
- cardz4guyz: shades of blue
- crafters castle: summer/father's day
- creative moments: ATG
- cute card thursday: ATG with optional twist "critters"
- do-all kreatives: summer
- double D challenges: colours of summer
- everybody art: summer
- friendship challenge: squares
- kreativtanten: holiday feeling
- love to craft: ATG 
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16 July, 2021

H for happy

Just a quick note from me to introduce our newest task over at the Alphabet challenge. We've arrived at the letter H today, and would like to see the word "Happy" incorporated in your crafting project. For my DT creation, I decided to make a tiny birthday card which might remind you of the card I've done for our X-tra fold challenge.
In fact, it was a card that I intended to use for the challenge back in February, but I ended up gluing the folded pieces onto the background, which means the folds don't really show. Since I thought a card like this would make a rather confusing DT example, I ended up creating another card back then, while the first make landed in my stash. I put it aside for a while, thinking it would be handy at some point in future, and here it is:
At first, I've created the folded central piece. I used a soft pink paper to create the folds, added a white piece of paper to the center, and enhanced the structure by adding a stronger shade of pink to the corners. For the central motif I used a silver sticker of a birthday card. 
To match the silver and pink theme, I added a background paper that uses this exact colour scheme. The hearts come from a love/wedding collection, but I think they're suitable for a birthday, too. 
The shimmering details in the photos are only visible from an angle, but in reality the card is quite bright and sparkly. 
Since I felt like something was still missing - the project was nice and all, but a bit too flat thanks to the glued layers. Also, the motif didn't really stand out as I expected. In an attempt to correct a card that was already finished, I went through my stash once more. I decided to add a line of white pearls to frame the birthday cake, which I think is what made the card complete. 
With the "happy" theme coming up now, I added a small birthday message. I'm not sure whether I like it or not, however. I fulfilled the DT task and handed in my card without much work (nobody heard that, right?), but on the other hand, it now looks like the motif is squeezed onto the white background. 

challenges: 
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