31 October, 2025

Oval + one word

Hi there, and without much ado, let me show you my contribution to the newest challenge over at the Alphabet challenge blog. We have reached the letter O this fortnight, and we'd like to see your crafting projects under one condition: make sure they include an "oval" and a "one word sentiment".

First, I thought about creating an oval pendant that could double as an early Christmas tree ornament. However, as I'm still waiting for my crafting table and my dining table is pretty small, I wouldn't have the space to spread out all my supplies for a mixed media project. As an alternative, I went through my paper stash. As I've sorted my papers just recently, I still had a huge pile of scraps in my mind, and amongst them I found this beautiful vintage telephone print (does anyone out there remember that telephones used to have cords at some point?). 
I've been saving it for years (literally), but I could never find the right occasion, and the fact that those scraps were rather small didn't help either. To fulfill the "oval" task, I picked one of those card bases with an oval aperture on the front page. I imagined to place the telephone paper on the inside, but it looked like I wouldn't be able to use this combination after all, as the opening was just too big for the paper scrap and the gap was just too obvious to cover it up... Until I figured that by turning the piece of paper, I could align its diagonal axis with the vertical diameter of the oval - it was a very tight solution, but it worked!
I then trimmed the edges of the patterned paper that were sticking out on the side of the card base, and I covered the inside of the card with embossed swirls. 
In the end, I took a golden sticker to frame the oval centerpiece. As the ends of the sticker didn't meet properly, I knew exactly where to place the sentiment. I opted for a simple "Hello!", which can be used for many different occasions, and not only that - I think it perfectly matches the telephone theme. I also like to think that the pattern of the swirl looks like a telephone cord. To connect the sentiment with the card, I used a piece of golden paper and 3D pads. What do you think? To me it looks like a decent masculine card. It was quick and fun to make, and turned out to be a great way to use paper scraps.

Since I was done so quickly, I decided to make one more card using the same recipe. This time, I took a soft pink card base and the other side of the patterned paper - a side that features a number of fashion accessoires in a pink/turquoise colour scheme. 
As opposed to the masculine telephone print, I never knew how to use this one, until now: I turned the small piece of paper in the same way I did before, cutting away the edges that peeked over the sides of the card base. I then framed the centerpiece with a silver sticker, placing a sentiment saying "Congrats!" in the lower part of the card. To emphasise the turquoise part of the main motif, I used a piece of turquoise paper behind the sentiment. To emphasise the pink part, I placed a couple of shimmering rhinestones in the upper corner of my card. 
On the inside, I used a pink polka-dot paper that goes well with the pink card base, and also with the polka-dots inside the oval image. 
This card is obviously more feminine that the first, but it was never my intention to create a male/female version. It just happened somehow, and I think it's a good example on how differently things can turn out even in a single crafting session. Feel free to use any of them for your inspiration, and have a look at the work of the other DT members as well. I can't wait to see what you'll come up with!

challenges:  
- krafty chicks: ATG
- 613 avenue create: ATG with optional twist
- crafty catz: ATG
- lovethoseprettypapers: ATG patterned papers
- pennys papertake: ATG paper
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24 October, 2025

Night

I'm horribly late again, and I don't even have any new excuses. I'm busy with appointments, I'm almost done with organizing my crafting corner, and I started to look for job opportunities (not that I'm fit yet, but I guess the employment agency ladies need jobs as well). 
I also found a new art therapy group, and in my last session, I managed to create this collage.
It comes late for the current "Night" challenge at the Alphabet challenge blog, but let me explain it real quick anyway. Most of the pieces are cut-outs from different magazines that I've collected over time. I don't have many magazines at home, but sometimes, I save a photo or a quote that  I think will come handy at some point in future. With a new creative setting came an abundance of magazines, and I think I spent almost an entire therapy unit just flipping through the pages, looking for motifs. 
I decided to start with a full-page photo of the Milky way, placing it all over a page of my art journal. I then fussy cut a couple of planets and clouds. They all found their place on the starry sky. 
Once that was done, I took that picture of a girl in a hammock. I think it was originally featured in an ad for something hiking-related, but I decided to fussy cut away all the mountains in the background, and hang the hammock in the starry sky. To add a little something in the lower part of my crafting page, I cut out some hearts, making them look like they grow from the mountain ridge. My last additions were a "handmade with love" sticker which came with one of my Etsy purchases, and a butterfly that ended up in the middle of the whole scenery.
I'm not sure about the message of the image, nor about how to interprete it, but I do like the feeling that comes with it. The night isn't dark and scary, but full of colours and floating curiosities. It does remind me of my own hammock, and how easy it felt to swing in it this summer. Sitting in it feels completely different than sitting in a chair, it makes it possible to sit while relaxing all of your muscles, and it worked wonders with my burning backpain (which turned out to be inflammation from an autoimmune disease, and not "something in my head"). My mom helped me prepare the balcony for winter this week, but I certainly hope to bring it back to life next spring. Until then, I will just enjoy the views - even if a sudden afternoon storm looks as dark as the night. 

challenges:
- C.R.A.F.T.: Halloween/ATG
- card free zone: ATG but a card
- crafty catz: ATG
- double D challenges: Halloween colours
- fabnfunky: things with wings (butterfly)
- little red wagon: not a card
- make my monday: Halloween colours
- pennys papertake: ATG paper
- try it on tuesday: autumn colours
- unicorn challengeblog: circles (planets)
- vesela hiska: autumn
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06 October, 2025

Mythical

Hello again and welcome to the newest challenge over at the Alphabet challenge blog: it's "Mythical" for the letter M, which means that we'd like to see all sorts of fairies, gnomes, unicorns or whatever you can think of. Before you get to work, please have a look at what the DT has prepared to inspire you (and also, check whether I've chosen your creation as one of the winners of the last challenge). 

That being said, I have rearranged my apartment a little bit. I'm still thinking about the placing of some furniture, but in the meantime, I managed to free a little space on my dining table so that I can do my crafting on a proper surface. I also realized that a gaming chair is the best option for me (pain-wise), mucxh better that the regular dining chairs. I found a "girly" version that's a bit smaller than the regular ones, and it supports my spine really well. It might be an eye-sore, but with it being the same colour as the dining chairs it doesn't stand out that much. It's such a relief to be able to adjust the height, and to turn around in my chair without having to move it. Of course it stands out, but since the benefits outweight the looks, and I'm more than happy with the decision. 
I also found my crafting mat, which is great. As I had a few days with little going on, I took out my supplies for paper embroidery. Because, with a theme that covers fairies, it's almost certain that I'll be working with one of those beautiful Flower fairies from Cicely Mary Baker. This particular image comes from another mythical creature known in the crafting community: the graphics-fairy.
Luckily, I had some of the images printed, and amongst those I found one that would fit my project perfectly. I decided to fussy cut the square image into a circle that would include enough of the picture to make it look complete. I then took a sheet of white paper to do my paper pricking. Once I picked the right yarn, I went to work - and just like in old times, Id stitch until I was done, whilst forgetting to eat and drink properly. Oh my...
Next day, I put the pieces together: I glued the fairy motif into the middle of the stitched pattern, and used tiny pearls to frame it. I'm not entirely sure whether I like this or not - on the one hand, I wanted to hide the border of the image which wasn't entirely even, but on the other hand those pearls stand out quite a bit. I do, however, like the tiny pink pearls which I placed on the stitched ornament. 
Then, I tried to pick a matching background paper. I'm not entirely happy with this choice either, but it's not the worst. I think those polka dots go well with the pearls, and also with the motif (colour-wise). Maybe I'd like them to be a bit softer, but then again, maybe that would be a bit boring. 
To bring a bit of movement into the card, my last decision was to use an edge punch on the white paper - I think those round borders match the fairy wings, and especially the stitched swirls. 

challenges:
- krafty chicks: birthday
- 613 avenue create: ATG with optional twist "think pink"
- as you like it: square or not (definitely square for me. It's a shape more than common with store-bought card bases, which is what I use for almost 100% of my projects. And it's my first pick for paper embroidery projects, always. The symmetry comes so easy on those, I couldn't think of a better shape than square.)
- C.R.A.F.T.: ATG
- crafty catz: ATG
- creative crafty uncles: males go feminine
- inkspirational: moodboard (the inspiration photo has such whimsical vibes to me, and with "whimsical", I automatically think "Flower fairies")
- lovethoseprettypapers: ATG patterned papers
- pennys papertake: ATG paper
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