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