27 January, 2023

Vellum

I'm a bit late to introduce the latest Alphabet challenge this time, so I'll get straight to the point: our theme for the letter V is vellum. I'm not usually working with vellum/parchment paper, so I thought it would be quite a challenge for me to create comething that should inspire you to play along in our alphabet wheel. However, I found a beautiful sheet of vellum I bought recently: a piece embellished with mandala-like patterns, which fits perfectly for a quick & easy "just because" card. 
You might be familiar with the motif as I'v eused it before, cutting it from a leaflet I received during rehabilitation. Since I liked it so much initially, I made sure to collect a few of the leaflets in which I found it so that I'll be able to use it in different projects. This time, for example, I decided to pay more attention to the surroundings. I picked a kraft card base which would make the vellum background stand out nicely. Then, I cut the meditating figurine to the right size, placing it onto a piece of light blue cardboard. After that, I placed it in the middle of my card. Then, I added a couple of shimmering star stickers to where rainbow ornaments of the image are. 
To make the image appear bigger, I then added the words "breathe in" and "breathe out" which I've created by using golden stickers (I didn't want to run the printer for just two words, and I need to reduce my sticker stash anyway). I think they aling nicely with the shimmering stars, especially when the light falls onto the card under a certain angle.
Once that was done, I took two little pieces of blue cardboard from my stash of paper snippets, and placed them in the upper resp. lower corner of my card. On the one hand, this gave me the opportunity to enlarge the main motif, but most importantly, it gave me the opportunity to place a bit of adhesive behind said strips. One of the things I dislike about vellum is the fact that every kind of glue will shine through, but placing something on top of the vellum sheet turned out to be a handy solution for the problem.
Anyway, I hope you like my little creation, and I'm looking forward to seeing your vellum-inspired projects in our link-up soon.

challenges:
- krafty chicks: all occasions
- crafty calendar: add a sentiment
- crafty catz: ATG
- creative crafty uncles: happy birthday
- creative inspirations: something old, something new (new: vellum sheet, old: image)
- cutie pie challengeblog: January blues
- everybody art: new (vellum sheet)
- love to craft: ATG 
- make my monday: favourite 2022 challenge (July 18th: Outdoor sports)
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13 January, 2023

Get well soon

We've fully started into the new year by now (and passed the first half of January already!), but our tasks over at the Alphabet challenge blog are approaching the end of the Alphabet. For the letter U, our theme is "Under the weather", meaning that we'd like to see your "Get well soon" creations this fortnight. Remember, it doesn't need to be a card - just make sure your project is meant to lift someone up and bring a little cheer.
For my DT task, I've chosen a very simple outline using paper scraps from my stash. One reason is that I'm really busy right now finishing tasks that should have been done long ago, and the other... Well, you can never use up enough scraps to bring order in your crafting stash. That being said, I took a strip of patterned paper with different kinds of foliage. What looks like a neatly picked image is actually part of the cardboard box of a fragrance I once bought. It seemed too pretty to be thrown away, which is why I cut it in a way that would not include any labels. The rectangle that I managed to save ended in my scrap drawer until recently. I figured I'd use it as the main focus of my card, which is why I opted for a plain green background paper. I cut that one into a similar size than the piece of greenery to leave lots of blank space, and overlapped the papers to create some sort of depth. For additional texture, the green paper I worked with has a subtile embossed pattern on it. 
I complemented the card with a tiny "Get well" message which I placed on another piece of green paper. Once that was done, I couldn't resist adding a couple of gemstones and pearls that I got myself for Christmas. While the pearls create a nice 3D effect by blending into the floral pattern, the shiny gemstones add a bit of bling, which I feel makes the card complete.

challenges:
- as you like it: favourite reason to send a card (I like to send/give away "Just because" cards, because I mostly create cards without a special reason. I believe that an unexpected gift will bring joy to the recipient, and make their day a little brighter. That bein said, I consider most of my cards as "Get well" cards, as the'll improve the mood of the recipient even though the person receiving the card might not be actually sick and/injured.)
- C.R.A.F.T.: new (new gemstones)
- crafty calendar: add a sentiment
- crafty catz: ATG
- creative inspirations: something old, something new (old piece of patterbed paper, new gemstones)
- love to craft: ATG 
- make my monday: something new (new gemstones)
- nachteulen: ATG
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01 January, 2023

I will draw


Я намалюю на папері щасливу дитину,
Де в мирному небі літають птахи.
Я намалюю на папері рідну Україну
Без війни.

Я намалюю на папері нашу тишу,
Я намалюю на папері наші зорі,
Я намалюю все, що нам з тобою так потрібно.
Будь поруч, будь поруч!

Я багато можу намалювати,
Але мрія у нас всіх одна:
Щоб закінчилась страшна і люта
Жахлива війна!

Я намалюю на папері щасливу дитину,
Де в мирному небі літають птахи.
Я намалюю на папері рідну Україну
Без горя, без печалі, без смерті, без війни!
     
Я намалюю на папері щасливу дитину,
Де в мирному небі літають птахи.
Я намалюю на папері рідну Україну
Без біди.

Ти вся у ранах, так пече і дуже страшно.
Не бійся, ненько. Ми - твої захисники.
Усе життя було з тобою нам так класно,
Тебе ніколи не залишимо в біді.

Бо одна в нас така Україна
І за тебе горою ми всі
Я намалюю, щоби ти була щаслива
Навіки.

Я намалюю на папері щасливу дитину,
Де в мирному небі літають птахи.
Я намалюю на папері рідну Україну
Без війни.
     
Я намалюю на папері щасливу дитину,
Де в мирному небі літають птахи.
Я намалюю на папері рідну Україну
Без горя, без печалі, без смерті, без біди!
     
Я намалюю на папері щасливу дитину,
Де в мирному небі літають птахи.
Я намалюю на папері рідну Україну
Без війни!

Діма Волканов, Намалюю 


---

I will draw a happy child on paper,
Where birds fly in the peaceful sky.
I will draw my native Ukraine on paper
Without war.

I will draw our silence on paper,
I will draw our stars on paper,
I will draw everything that you and I need so much.
Be there, be there!

I can draw a lot,
But we all have the same dream:
To end the terrible and wicked
Horrible war.

I will draw a happy child on paper,
Where birds fly in the peaceful sky.
I will draw my native Ukraine on paper
Without grief, without sorrow, without death, without war!
     
I will draw a happy child on paper,
Where birds fly in the peaceful sky.
I will draw my native Ukraine on paper
Without troubles.

You are covered in wounds, it burns so much and it is very scary.
Don't be afraid, baby. We - are your defenders.
Our whole life was so great with you,
We will never leave you in distress.

Because we have only one Ukraine,
And we are all rooting for you.
I will draw to make you happy
Forever.

I will draw a happy child on paper,
Where birds fly in the peaceful sky.
I will draw my native Ukraine on paper
Without war.
     
I will draw a happy child on paper,
Where birds fly in the peaceful sky.
I will draw my native Ukraine on paper
Without grief, without sorrow, without death, without troubles!
     
I will draw a happy child on paper,
Where birds fly in the peaceful sky.
I will draw my native Ukraine on paper
Without war.

Dima Volkanov, I will draw
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30 December, 2022

Thank you

Hello and welcome to what will probably be my last post of the year. We're having a new challenge over at the Alphabet challenge blog, and our theme this fortnight is "Thank you". I think it's a fantastic match for the tradition of drawing the balance at the end of the year, and I hope that when you look back at 2022, you can find many things to be thankful for. 

I for myself have the feeling that this year has flown by like no other. I managed to make some progress in certain areas, but I feel like I'm forever stuck in others, and since I'm still not able to catch up with my life, it's more like going from one day to another without a knowing what will be around the corner. And I see that while not making plans is a wonderful fantasy when it comes to holidays or a limited time off, not being able to plan things can be quite disturbing in everyday life when you simply don't know how you're going to feel two days from now. 
Anyway, while I'm still far from any predictable routine, I try to keep myself busy with smaller tasks like crafting. Being on a DT certainly helps as you "have" to produce something every now and then, and for my "Thank you" project, I had indeed planned out everything. I didn't have the final concept of what I'd like to do, but I had a couple of ideas and I thought I'd just sit down and see which one attracts me most. The problem being: I kind of missed my crafting day. See, I was certain that I had another day to go in the week after Christmas, and this day would be my day to get crafty. However, when I awoke to what I thought would be my crafting day, I realized that I'd have to upload my DT project within a couple of hours. Where did the time go, and how I could spend the entire week thinking I'd still have a day to spare - I have no idea! 
What I knew was that my best option was checking if I can find some unfinished projects in my stash. Otherwise, I'd just have to admit defeat and skip the challenge. Luckily, I found this half-finished mini card in my project pile: I have cut the image of golden blooms ages ago from an album cover, and I decided to glue it onto a golden background paper for a bit more bling. I then used 3D adhesive pads to place everything on one of those 9 x 9 cm card bases that are suitable to add to a bouquet or a chocolate box. Once that was done, the half-finished card ended up in my stash. 
With the time running out, I've re-discovered this tiny card, and I decided to bring it to life. I didn't want to print a "Thank you" sentiment because I thought another layer of paper would take attention away from the golden blooms. Instead, I created a single word of thanks by placing golden stickers directly onto the card. They are a nice match to the golden elementst of my card, however, due to bad lighting conditions the photos don't do them justice. I hope you still have an idea of how the card looks in real life: bright, white, with green watercolour-like foliage and golden accents.
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16 December, 2022

Snow

Hello and welcome to another challenge over at the Alphabet challenge blog. We have arrived at the letter "S" today, and matching the winter season, we'd like to see "Snow" on your projects. Remember, you can link up any kind of creations as long as they feature some form of snow.
For my DT card, I opted for a quick & easy holiday card. The background paper with snowflakes in different shades of blue comes from a magazin of the Czech railways. It was part of one of their winter ads last year, and I knew I'd like to incorporate it in my crafting as soon as I saw it.
Last week, I finally got to use it: I placed those beautiful snowflakes on top of a blue sheet of paper and then glued everything onto a slimline card base. After that, I printed a simple sentiment saying "Happy holidays", and cut a piece of silver paper to go with it. I then placed the winter wishes where the railway logo used to be (which is why it's placed in such a weird position - not in the center, not in the corner). Since I made a tear in the right upper corner of the sentiment white cutting, I had to cover that part somehow. I found some white plastic snowflakes in my stash, which seemed to be the perfect solution. To make the snowflakes look a bit more planned, I placed some of them onto my card as well. 
Since it still looked a bit empty and flat, I added a couple of pearls in white, blue, and grey. I think they really do bring the card together alongside the 3D snowflakes.
That's about it from me, I thought I'd make some errands today but somehow ended up in bed. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day, and as I heard we might be getting a load of snow. In the meantime, don't forget to visit my DT peers to check out what they have prepared for you, and I'm sure you'll be able to draw some inspiration for your own crafting. 

challenges:
- krafty chicks: CAS
- 613 avenue create: ATG with optional twist "up in the sky"
- a place to start: ATG with optional twist "happy holidays"
- as you like it: ATG Christmas
- C.R.A.F.T.: ATG
- craft-alnica: 15-minute NY card
- crafty calendar: ATG
- crafty gals corner: tis the season
- craftyhazelnutschristmaschallenge: ATG as long as it's Christmas (optional twist "quick & easy")
- creative crafty uncles: Christmas and/or Happy New Year
- creative moments: ATG with optional twist "Christmas/winter celebrations"
- fabnfunky: last-minute Christmas
- friendship challenge: Christmas time
- intaas: winter
- kreativtanten: Christmas slimline 
- make my monday: winter card, not Christmas
- morgans artworld: ATG
- moving along with the times: Christmas
- my time to craft: other December celebrations (New Year)
- pennys papertake: ATG
- scrapping4fun: Christmas
- 12 months of Christmas: ATG with optional twist "patterned paper"
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02 December, 2022

Reduce (make it CAS)

Hello and welcome to another task of the Alphabet challenge, I'm your host tonight and I'll be picking the winners, too, so you're more than welcome to play along. To make sure you have plenty of creative freedom, I've chosen a rather simple "Reduce" theme, which can also be translated as "make it CAS", meaning that I'd like to see simple designs on your projects this fortnight. I'm sure you'll enter loads of winter/Christmas related cards, but in fact you can work with any occasion you like, and it doesn't have to be a card either. Without further ado, here's my DT inspiration for the CAS challenge (the lighting has been horrible in the past couple of days due to clouds & rain, but I'd like you to imagine an overall bright card with no weird shadows and/or grey tones). 
I knew that my challenge would be placed in the winter/Christmas time, but nevertheless, I decided to create a sympathy card. Or rather: I saw this motif of a falling feather on the cover of one of my scrapbook albums, and as I went along with it, this sympathy card happened. I didn't want to throw this beautiful motif away, so I carefully extracted it from the album cover. However, after I removed all the words, it ended up being this weird size - too narrow for a regular card base, and too small for a slimline. I solved the issue by adding an additional layer of light lilac paper. It doesn't show very well in the pictures, but the lilac colour goes well with the feather, and the lilac paper itself has a subtle shimmer. 
Since the feather is quite high on the card, I decided to surround it by a couple of tiny gemstones. Then I placed a sentiment in the lower part of the card base. I worked with a simple condolence message which I framed with a tiny piece of silver shimmering paper. 
What do you think of the result? Shimmer might be a weird flex on a sympathy card, but I thought it would complement the motif of a feather, which was the main reason why I used the paper in the first place. I understand that not everybody might be comfortable with a shimmering condolence card, but I thought there might be people who like it. Also, I tried to incorporate the glitz it in a very small amount while leaving lots of empty space in my card, so that the main focus would be on the falling feather, the subtle branches in the background, and the emptiness that remains when somebody passes away.

challenges:
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18 November, 2022

DIY card

Just a quick post from me today to introduce the newest challenge over at the Alphabet challengeblog. We're getting closer to the tricky letters of the alphabet, but don't worry - Q is an easy one with a "Quilt" theme. I didn't know what to create since I don't have any stencils or dies, and I didn't want to do any cutting by hand. In the end, I remembered I had some sort of quilt-papers in my stash. I opted for a sheet with hexagons in an autumn-ish colour scheme with different patterns and blooms, cut it to the right size and placed it onto a kraft card.
Then, I began to think about something that would go with the colourful background. I had an extra print of the Mirtillamente mushroom house still on my desk, and even though I didn't plan to use the digi that I've just shown in another project, I think it fits well with the current season. 
However, I decided to leave it blank for different reasons. For one, I simply didn't have much time left since I've been in and out of hospital again, and only began to prepare my card shortly before the due date. Colouring would take a while, and since I have other things going on, too, I felt like I wouldn't make it. Other than that, I always wanted to create some kind of DIY card, a card with a blank digi as a centerpiece. I had the scenario in my mind of finishing the card with everything from papers and embellishments, and just leave it to the recipient to colour the main motif - or leave it blank if they prefer so. 
And since the card was pretty colourful thanks to the quilt background, I added a piece of yellow cardboard to frame the image. After that, I added a couple of wooden leaves from my stash. What do you think of a DIY card, is it something you'd consider giving away? Or does it look like an unfinished project? Could this kind of deliberate emptiness be useful in background patterns that are super vibrant which sometimes makes it difficult to find the right colours for the digi? Or is the purpose of an image to always be coloured, no matter what? I'd love to hear your feedback on this as I've never created anything like that and I'm not sure yet how to feel about it. 

challenges:
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