Bugs & bees

Somewhere between summer and fall, I created this colourful birthday project. 

I had an unexpected meet-up with my sister lately which turned out to be a blast, and am now slowly getting back to med school. I've had my share of practice this year as a patient and learned a lot on how NOT to treat, but I certainly hope to get back on track with the theory now and finish my last exams. 

Before that, however, I spent a wonderful afternoon at my mom's auntie, just doing some harvesting in the garden and trying to get close to the cats who didn't seem to be in cuddle mood for whatever reason. Never mind, there are tons of other animals around: from insatiable slugs to valuable bees that are diligently doing their own harvest. And it was the bees on autumn asters that inspired me to create a purple card. Now, purple might not be your first choice when it comes to fall colours, but I think that nothing says "autumn" more than those purple blooms that can be found literally everywhere right now. 

And just as it happens, I'm also trying to catch the deadline over at the alphabet challengeblog and their current "Ladybug" challenge, which literally screams for a bugaboo digi. 

Coincidentally, I had a matching pre-printed image in my stash already, meaning I didn't even need to set up my printer! Instead, I could get straight to work and this is what I came up with: 

As usual, I coloured the scene with regular colour pencils. Thinking of autumn asters, I decided to use purple on the flowers, meaning I'd have a rather unusual colour scheme to work with from the start. Nevertheless, I found the result to be pretty much OK, so that I soon began to search for the perfect background. I thought about using some purple here, too, but once I found this multi-coloured sheet of scrapbook paper in one of my paper blocks it struck me that this could be *the* one instead. 

I did, however, use a piece of dark purple cardboard to enhance the main image and opted for a kraft card base instead of a white one. Once I decided on where to place the digi, I took a pre-printed birthday sentiment from my stash. I put it on a piece of green cardboard, and added a couple of purple gemstones for the bling, but I felt like I don't need to add anything else. 

Rather than ribbons, pearls and other embellishments, I thought I'd leave the main focus on the image in combination with the pretty background. I even abstained from distressing the background of the garden scene with a light blue that would resemble the sky, because I was afraid it would create an overload of colours. 

Because sometimes, simple things are the best ones and simplicity doesn't need to be enhanced. 

challenges: 

- 613 avenue create: ATG
- a bit more time to craft: ATG
- a place to start: ATG with optional twist "children's card"
- allsorts challengeblog: lovely garden
- alphabet challengeblog: L for ladybugs + DT call
- basteltraum: fall

- crafty catz: ATG

- crafty gals corner: fall colours
- crafty sentiments: ATG
- craftyhazelnutspatternedpaper
- cutie pie challengeblog: birthday party
- friendship challenge: autumn
- inkspirational: day
- little red wagon: celebrate
- love to craft: ATG 
- love to scrap: ATG
- morgans artworld: ATG
- path of positivity: family ties (I'm not sure whether this counts, but I feel like this might be the birthday card for my sister. We've been talking loads during the past weeks and months and I feel like mom has done a great job raising us in a way that us girls get along really well, knowing exactly what the others mean and even what they think)
- pennys papertake: ATG
- scrapping4fun: ATG
- through the craftroom door: ATG
- unicorn challengeblog: for a child
- wortartwednesday: ATG
- worldwide open design team challenge: ATG