19 November, 2023

Quadruple

Better late than never, I'd like to introduce you to the latest task at the Alphabet challenge blog. I've been in the hospital during the past days, and even though I was discharged yesterday already, I took the day off to rest and unwind. 
We've arrived at the tricky part of the Alphabet, but don't worry: our theme for the letter Q is "quadruple shapes or images". Have a look at that the DT has created and play along!
For my inspirational project, I opted for a very CAS card that is way off the current seasonal creations. I took a bugaboo digi from my stash, which couldn't be more perfect for the challenge theme as it featured four squares with different floral motives. Or, to be precise: three floral motives and one saying "Hi". At first, I disassembled the original digi by cutting out the squares to create four individual elements, which I decided to arrange in a single line unlike the original 4 x 4 setup. I then coloured the motifs with coloured pencils. For a long time, I thought about creating a bookmark, but in the end, I opted for a simple "just because" card. I took a kraft card base from my stash, and glued the bugaboo snippets to the card with double-sided adhesive tape. I then replaced the dot above the "Hi" with a tiny wooden ladybug. This way, I'd add a bit of colour to that square, and a bit of 3D feeling to my card. 
I decided against adding a sentiment to make sure the card can be used for different occasions. I even restrained myself from adding pearls and gemstones, to make sure the only pop of colour are those floral squares. I like to think the card turned out OK, but on the other hand, it does look a bit empty and I'm not sure whether I should try to improve it by adding something? What could that "something" possibly be?

challenges: 
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03 November, 2023

Peace

After a short break due to family/health issues, I'm back on track with the Alphabet challenge design team. Our theme this fortnight is "Peace", which I'm sure is a heartfelt wish at the moment. You may interprete the theme however you like, and I'm sure we'll get to see many Christmas cards already. If you need a little help to get your fantasy going, you can always have a look at what the DT has prepared for you.

I for myself immediately remembered this embroidery pattern of a dove that I had stored in my crafting folder. It took ages for me to find it, but it was all worth it. It turned out to be even more beautiful than I had in mind, and I immediately went to work with printing the image. Once that was done, I took white cardboard from my stash, and made sure to prick and stitch the motif as instructed. I opted for natural yarns, as I intended to add a bit more colour in the background later. 
To be precise, I picked blue and yellow polka-dot paper from my collection, and cut a piece of each to match the size of my card base. I placed the pieces onto my card to create the Ukrainian flag in honour of everybody who keeps defending the land and its freedom. In the very end, I added a tiny golden sticker to frame the motif of the dove, as well as a tiny gemstone for the eye of the animal.
As shocked as I was almost two years ago when the full-scale invasion began, I'm furious now at the lack of unity and support among world leaders when it comes to providing the Ukrainian defenders with everything they need. The sacrifice of the Ukrainian people deserves the greatest respect, and we should be supporting their fight for lasting peace with everything we have. Who are we to think that shallow words of concern and timid statements of condemnation will stop an agressor who understands nothing but sheer power? I'm sure that a strong and timely response of the democratic world would not only help end this particular war in time, but also prevent the bushfires of violence all around the world, as every autocratic/terror regime would know exactly what awaits them if they start chaos. Turns out peace is neither God-given nor self-evident, and it takes enormous vigilance to make sure we preserve this precious commodity. Oh, well... 
I don't know when peace will come to the people of Ukraine, but I wish so much for a victory, and the return of life to the settlements that have been razed to the ground in this destructive madness. 
With the winter season at our doors, I'm afraid there are difficult months ahead for the people of Ukraine. It might be the right time to look into charities that provide help in form of heating and energy devices that will help the country going through the cold and dark time of the year. 

challenges: 
- 613 avenue create: ATG
- a place to start: ATG with optional twist "all that glitters" (golden sticker, gemstone)
- C.R.A.F.T.: ATG
- crafty catz: ATG
- critter crazy: ATG animals
- love to craft: ATG 
- pennys papertake: ATG paper
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02 November, 2023

Trick or treat

Just a quick post from me today to show you one single Halloween card I made. I'm not really into the spooky holiday as we don't celebrate it, so even if I would create Halloween stuff I couldn't possibly get rid of it. However, I had to try and use this amazing patterned paper from my stash. I'm not sure where I bought it, it might be a paper shop in Pardubice a couple of years ago. 
For my card, I decided to apply a concept I've used before for both a summer, and a Halloween version: a popsicle made of patterned paper, placed against a white embossed background. The green paper with spiderwebs couldn't be more perfect for the spooky season, and if you look closely, you might also find a little spider! I think the paper turned out great with the popsicle design. Matching the ice cream, I placed a green cardboard in the background, as well as a couple of shimmering gemstones onto the embossed piece of paper. For the card base, I used simple kraft paper. 
I'm not sure whether I would eat a creation like this, but on the other hand, I can't help thinking how it would be recreated in real life: a matcha ice cream with dark chocolate maybe? 

challenges:
- 613 avenue create: ATG with optional twist "fall colours"
- a place to start: ATG with optional twist "all that glitters" (gemstones)
- allsorts challengeblog: ATG with optional twist "embossing"
- basteltraum: autumn mood
- C.R.A.F.T.: ATG
- CAS on Friday: animal (spider)
- crafty catz: ATG
- crafty gals corner: Halloween colours
- creative crafty uncles: Halloween (masculine)
- critter crazy: ATG animals (spider)
- dream valley: autumn colours
- fabnfunky: masculine
- love to craft: ATG 
- pennys papertake: ATG paper
- sparklesmonthlychallenges: things that go bump in the night
- traumfabrik: Oz the great and powerful
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