26 February, 2021

Xtra folds

Can you believe it's already time for another task over at the Alphabetchallenge? Our theme this fortnight is "Xtra folds", meaning we'd like to see more than one fold on your projects.
For the longest time, I was thinking about creating an easel card for my DT inspiration. However, once it came to crafting I wasn't in the mood for measuring and cutting , so I figured I'd have to come up with something else. I went through my folder of patterns for shaped cards to find something suitable and even considered trying origami, but I finally settled on a square card with a folded piece of paper on it.

I've chosen a rather small cardbase this time (9 x 9 cm), and had two projects on my mind. Both were rather simple, but as the first took a turn which made the folds almost invisible, I'll present you the second one today.
Given the small base, the card is rather tiny, but it was all part of the plan. I went with sympathy/thinking of you for the theme, but I meant to create a sympathy note rather than a card if you get what I mean. A tiny something you can add to a bouquet, or an addition to a small gift for the mourning family. Something that will let them know you're thinking about them without this huge blank space inside a sympathy card that I usually find so difficult to fill.

For the inspiration, I went back in time to the White Rose resistance group, whose leading members were beheaded on a February day almost 80 years ago. Coincidentally, the words on the folded piece of paper come from the group's 6th pamphlet, but since I decided to fold the sheet in a way that would leave only portions of the text visible, it is impossible to tell. 
The paper itself has quite a story, too: I had it printed years ago to go with this particular card. However, I opted for another text print back then, and it remained in my stash up until now when everything fell into place. 
When the folds are closed, all you can see is a silver rose sticker. 
Once the folds are opened, the rose blossoms out in a way that creates more space around the bloom, as if the flower has a bit more freedom to develop its beauty. Now you can see that I placed the sticker on a piece of white cardboard, which I then enhanced with a sheet of black cardboard in the background. This way, I managed to create a tiny black border around the card's centerpiece. 
Other than that, I decided to leave the focal point it as it is – no colours, no bling.
In the end, I cut four triangles to enhance the folded edges and add some extra black to the card. As I wanted to add a bit more black, I added another sheet of black cardboard in the background. 

challenges:  

12 February, 2021

W for woodland fauna and/or flora

We're approaching the end of the alphabet over at the Alphabet challenge and have only a few more letters to go. This fortnight's task is dominated by the letter W, meaning we'd like to see woodland flora and/or fauna on your creations.
For my DT inspiration, I decided to cover up another storage box from my stash.
It's the same size as the cupcake themed box I prepared a while ago for the "party" challenge, only that I opted for a paper by Nina Štajner this time. And so, the tube is covered in the most beautiful bunnies, fawns, squirrels, hedgehogs & Co.
Again, the paper ends didn't quite meet which is why I added a strip of dark brown paper. 
Upon gluing everything together, I managed to create a small tear right next to the hedgehog, which luckily isn't all too visible from afar.
Other than that, I think I've done a good job with the edges this time.
Matching the forest animals on the outside, I filled the box with walnuts. However, unlike my squirrel friends might suggest, the treats are meant for myself only this time :) And to make sure nobody pinches a thing, there's a neutral white lid atop of the cardboard tube.