Love letter

Hi there! I'd like to chime in to our newest challenge over at the Alphabet challenge blog: it's "Love letter" for the letter L. I'm your host this time, which means it will be my task to pick the top 3 as well as the spotlight winner. I'd like to see two things on your creations: hearts and handwriting. Please, include both of them to qualify for a top pick spot. If you need some inspiration, have a look at what the DT has prepared for you.

For my inspirational work, I had about a dozen different ideas - from cards to napkin decoupage. As my moving project is not yet finished and lots of my crafting stash is still in boxes, I had to improvise a bit. When I started preparing my DT project, I started narrowing down my supplies as well. Going through my things, I finally settled for a card. However, even there, I still had so many visions in my head: colouring, paper embroidery, patterned papers...

At some point, I got stuck on this paper with an old handwriting. It's actually an illustration from an old cookbook, and I believe the handwriting that's featured on it describes some dumpling recipe. I planned to use it in combination with a digi to create a baby card. However, I could't seem to combine those two things as the digi would be hiding so much of the handwriting. I therefore decided to bring the old handwriting into the foreground. I cut a couple of circles using my circular cutter, and just played with them for a while. I still tried with the baby digi, but I couldn't make it work. So, I put the digi aside. As my card would need a "hearts" element, I thought I'd use my edge-punch with hearts, and I used it right on the card base. The front part of the card ends up narrower than the inside, but I think it gives a bit of an interesting effect. From there, I again played with the pieces in front of me. 

Once I had an outline, I placed the circles onto the white card base. I planned to glue them just like that, adding a sentiment of condolences for a CAS sympathy card. Or something along the lines of "Happy holidays" for either Christmas or Easter. However, I realized that the hearts aligned on the edge might not be suitable for any of the above ocassions.

I then started to explore other options, and in the end, I settled with an additional layer of patterned paper in the background. I already knew what I was looking for: one of those pretty papers I harvested from a book on Japanese cuisine, in which every recipe was acompalied by a beautiful and unique background. I took this green sheet with waves, because I liked both the colours and the pattern, and I think it fits quite nicely to the handwritten "bubbles". Once I glued the circles, I complemented them with a simple "Happy birthday".

Btw, did you know that a stack of Ikea packages can serve as a makeshift crafting station when your crafting table is not installed yet? 

challenges: 

- krafty chicks: masculine

- 613 avenue create: ATG with optional twist "lots of layers"

- a place to start: ATG with optional twist "leaves and circles"

- allsorts challengeblog: ATG

- cardz4guyz: autumn/fall

- classicdesignchallenge: ATG DT 

- crafty calendar: lots of layers

- crafty gals corner: fall ... (fall colours, fall birthday)

- everybody art: CAS

- lil patch of crafty friends: ATG handmade

- lovethoseprettypapers: ATG patterned papers

- love to craft: ATG

- morgans artworld: ATG

- nachteulen: for the boys/men

- path of positivity: take a walk and draw inspiration from something along the way (the combination of green and brown shades in early fall - when there's still lots of greens around, but you'll also see more and more brown leafs, chestnuts etc. This is especially lovely after rainfall, when the earth gets to soak up the very much needed water, and there is this wonderful smell of wet grass.)

- pennys papertake: ATG paper

- try it on tuesday: pretty papers

- unicorn challengeblog: circles

- vesela hiska: 30 minute card

- wortartwednesday: ATG

Keep it simple

I'm back again... Too late again, and no excuse really... Except for I'm busy with medical appointments and moving (as if one wouldn't be enough to overwhelm you. Oh, well...).

And while I'm trying to make my new place work (the big furniture pieces came today, so there's hope!), my stuff is piled in boxes and bags. I do have some crafting supplies at hand, but most of them are waiting to be found. Plus I don't really have a suitable surface (yet). So, for the remaining week of this fortnight's challengr over at the Alphabet challenge blog, I'd like to show you the page of an album I re-discovered during packing. 

I've created it quite a while ago, when I was still navigating my premature menopause. The quote resonated with me on many different levels, and I decided to feature it on a very simple background. The chocolate brown is such a comforting colour to me, and those thin lines seem like paths of life (especially since one features something that looks like tiny footprints). 

Once I settled for the background, I framed the quote by placing it onto a piece of light brown paper. This way, it connects not only to the pattern in the background, but also to the page of my album which is made of kraft paper.

To ease the square scenery, I then added a couple of wooden insects: one huge dragonfly, and two little butterflies. Of course, they had to be embellished with tiny white pearls. 

I like how everything turned out in the end. I'm not sure whether I'll continue my album as so many things piled up since I started, and I'm not sure whether and how I'd like to incorporate them. For now, it's sitting half full/ half empty in my drawer, waiting to be continued. Just like my life right now.

Also, I've just seen that I'm hosting the next Alphabet challenge, so I guess I better use the upcoming weekend to be creative. You may join me by linking something CAS to the current "Keep it simple" challenge for the letter K, while I'll be figuring out what to show you for the letter L. 

challenges: 

- 613 avenue create: ATG

- a place to start: ATG

- allsorts challengeblog: ATG

- as you like it: layered or flat (I'll try to solve this tricky one by clarifying that "flat" to me means a card that can be shipped easily, while the opposite would be a card full of pearls and paper flowers. That being said, I'm creating flat cards mostly, but I'll try to add texture and interest by using different patterned papers. However, as long as the card fits in a regular envelope, I'll refer to it as a "flat card". Since this is an album page, a similar logic prevailed: as the page will be stuck between other pages, I didn't want to overdo it with embellishments. I tried to keep my design flat in terms of papers, the only thing that stands out a bit are the wooden creatures. That being said, it's definitely more flat projects for me at this moment due to practical reasons as shipping and stacking.)

- C.R.A.F.T.: ATG

- CAS on Friday: fall

- classicdesignchallenge: ATG DT 

- crafty catz: ATG
- crafty gals corner: fall ... (colours)

- creative crafty uncles: ATG (masculine)

- critter crazy: ATG animals

- lil patch of crafty friends: ATG handmade

- lovethoseprettypapers: ATG patterned papers

- love to craft: ATG

- morgans artworld: ATG
- moving along with the times: butterflies and/or dragonflies

- path of positivity: take a walk and draw inspiration from something along the way (earthy autumn tones that are popping up in the nature, mostly brown autumn leaves and brown soil that remains when the harvest is finkished in the fields and gardens)

- pennys papertake: ATG paper

- wortartwednesday: ATG