22 October, 2021

Outdoors

Hello there and welcome to a new challenge over at the Alphabet challenge blog! 
Our theme is "Outdoors" this fortnight, meaning you have a pretty easy task to go with. I'm late with my DT presentation today as we've had some unexpected errands at home, but anyway, here's my work:
As you can see, I went for a bookmark this time. I took one of those slim digis from bugaboo and painted it with regular coloured pencils. Since the brown I've chosen looks rather red-ish, I went with it and searched my stash for matching papers. I opted for a sheet of random zig-zag patterns as well as a sheet of this brown paper that turns out to match the monkey's fur. 
For the back, I used a sheet of light green cardboard which I decorated with another layer of green patterned paper. To finish my project, I used two green ribbons. I cut them to the right length and added a couple of wooden beads on each string before tying it with a knot.
Initially, I wanted to use crimp beads for that, but then I thought they'd looks quite pretty if I just leave them like this. The beads are not fixated meaning they can slide up sand down the ribbon, but since their diameter is rather tiny, they'll not move until you decide to play with them during a reading break. I didn't really plan that, but I think it's a fun twist on the motif of a monkey that is bouncing off a branch somewhere in the jungle.

Not a jungle, but nevertheless - a few impression of Radensko polje as autumn is slowly taking over.

challenges: 
- 613 avenue create: ATG with optional twist "school daze" 
- a bit more time to craft: ATG
- a place to start: purely handmade
- as you like it: critter or people (I'll almost always go with a critter as I think they're easier to colour that humans because I'm not good with skin and hair. Also, they're easier to incorporate into my crafting projects as I consider animals to be neutral objects, white images of people usually predispose a certain theme by the way humans are depicted doing something, or wearing a certain style of clothing, or... Maybe my crafting just reflects the real world where introvert me would pick almost every animal above almost every human!)
- cardz4guyz: any animal
- crafty catz: ATG with optional twist "add some layers"
- crafty gals corner: Halloween colours
- crafty sentiments: ATG
- craftyhazelnutspatternedpaper
- love to craft: ATG 
- love to scrap: ATG but a card
- my time to craft: Halloween/fall colours
- path of positivity: fall into a book (there's no book like "The Jungle Book" when it comes to jungle animals - even though I honestly remember watching the cartoon more than reading book. But, I'm sure this little monkey will find a friend whom he can guide through many, many stories.)
- pennys papertake: ATG
- scrapping4fun: ATG
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08 October, 2021

No layers

Another fortnight, another challenge. We've arrived at the letter N today over at the Alphabet challenge, meaning I've completed my first full DT turn of the alphabet wheel. I'm hosting the current challenge and will be picking the top projects, too, but first things first: it's "No layers" I'd like to see on your creations. My initial thought was a "Not a card" challenge, but I'm not sure whether there would be enough participants to make it fun as I see card projects entered most of the time. Instead, I made it a challenge without layers. If it is a card, I'm totally fine with it, just make sure to create on your card base itself. If you opt for something else, I truly can't wait to see what you'll come up with.
However, it does not have to be a CAS card. It could be, of course, but maybe you'd like to show me something full of bright colours and patterns? Some doodling? A full-page scenery? Be inspired by the DT projects or create something completely unrelated. Set your fantasy free and I'll be thrilled to see your entries. 
For my DT inspiration, I first thought about creating a non-card project. I have a book of colouring pages I haven't touched yet and the no layers challenge seemed like a good reason to start. However, it all came down to a card in the end. I went through my stash of digis for a suitable motiv, and settled on these wonderful ladies from Dr. Digi's. I printed them on a thick white paper and cut the piece into a size that I would use to create a card base. I then settled on a colour scheme that goes from red to purple - I'm not sure why, but I feel like those rich and heavy colours match the curvy singers. One evening, I put on some music and coloured the motif with coloured pencils. I have to admit I had a bit of a struggle with the hair, but apart from that I think everything turned out quite OK. 
Once the colouring was done, I added a line that resembles the stage. Then, I used sharpening remains of coloured pencils to create the blurry background. 

I then glued a couple of star-shaped gemstones on the card base, and randomly placed a few dots and stars using colouring pencils. I think it adds to the atmosphere full of glitter and an imaginary smoke machine. Also, it covers the fact that I'd usually pick a red/purple background paper at this point, which I obviously couldn't do here. 
After that, I used silver stickers from my stash to create a birthday message. I've deliberately decided to leave a large empty space under the "stage" for the good wishes when I printed the motiv, but I've forgotten to keep in mind the size of the letters. Meaning: I had to realize the birthday note doesn't fit on my card base - a crafter's nightmare. Creating a new card was not an option, so I tried to work my way around my mistake by bending the inscription. I somehow like this effect even more than a "Happy birthday" that's in a straight line, and I truly hope it doesn't give away that it's only an emergency solution!
In the very end, I added a couple more tiny gemstones around the birthday sentiment itself, and voilá: the curvy divas are ready for their performance. 

challenges: 
- krafty chicks: stamp act
- 613 avenue create: ATG
- a bit more time to craft: ATG
- a place to start: purely handmade
- allsorts challengeblog: ATG with optional twist "I love..." (I love music - there's always a tune in the back of my mind, and when I'm off to an evening in my crafting corner, I'll usually put on a collection that fits my current mood and runs in the background while I'm working on my project. Every now and then, music makes it on the front page of my artwork, too.)
- C.R.A.F.T.: ATG
- crafty catz: ATG with optional twist "girly"
- crafty sentiments: ATG
- day of the month: my party day
- little red wagon: girls just wanna have fun
- love to craft: ATG 
- pennys papertake: ATG
- scrapping4fun: inspired by an artist (I'll go with Ella Fitzgerald this time, and I'm not sure what else I could say - I just love her voice and the perfection of her tunes. I don't always get to incorporate music in my crafts in the form of music sheets or a music-themed artwork, but one of the reasons I fell in love with this digi was that you can literally feel the music it radiates.)
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24 September, 2021

Hang in there!

We're starting a new challenge at the Alphabet challenge blog today, and for the letter M we'd like to see a "Motivational sentiment" on your creation. 
I decided to take it easy with my card this time, meaning that instead of some deep motivational wisdom I opted for a fun encouragement. I picked one of the cute bugaboo monkeys for my main motif, and as he's whizzing by on his liana, "Hang in there" seemed like a perfectly accurate thing to say. 
For the project itself, I painted the digi with regular coloured pencils. I focused on the motif only and left the background blank on purpose. Instead, I completed the jungle scene with a fun monstera-themed background paper. To finish everything off in the same colour scheme, I added a green polka-dot background paper for the monkey, and a light brown strip of paper for the sentiment. I also used a kraft card base as I thought it would fit better than a white one. 
I glued both elements onto my card by using 3D adhesive pads. Also, I decided to slightly rotate the motif and sentiment in order to create a bit of a swinging effect and emphasise the importance of "hanging on".
I resisted pearls and gemstones and other embellishments this time since I don't think they're necessary for the foliage to shine. 

challenges: 
- krafty chicks: all occasions
- 613 avenue create: ATG
- a bit more time to craft: ATG
- a place to start: patterned paper
- allsorts challengeblog: real animal or creature
- as you see it: speed humour
- creative moments: ATG
- cute card thursday: ATG with optional twist "critters"
- friendship challenge: autumn/leafs
- little red wagon: use a digi
- love to craft: ATG 
- love to scrap: ATG
- vesela hiska: green as grass
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17 September, 2021

Goodbye, summer!

I've cut back the lavender on my balcony a while ago, and placed a few lavender stems into my new little vase that I got myself at the Gud Shop. I like the natural shade of white and sand-like splatters: just like memories of summer that are slowly fading away as the seasons turn and everything becomes a bit melancholic.
A contribution to the Friday Flowerday at Holunderbluetchen.
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10 September, 2021

L for leaves

With autumn just around the corner, we're having an easy seasonal theme at the Alphabet challenge for you: Leaves. I decided to use fall colours in my project, but of course it could be any kind of foliage that comes to your mind. 
The necklace I've created is basically something that came to my mind as soon as I've seen those beads in a bead/jewelry shop in Erlangen a couple of years ago. There were only a few of them left, so I decided to take them all and see what I could come up with. I used five of them in this autumn necklace and still have one left that will probably end up in a pendant or keychain. 
What I like most about the beads is that they have abstract motifs of leaves and blooms on them, and that the motifs differ from  bead to bead. Also, each side of the beads has a unique sight, which gives me an opportunity to change the look of my jewelry even after the beads are lined up and the necklace is officially finished. Some beads have a bit of blue in them and give an overall colder vibe, while others are rich with autumn colours including lots of yellow and red.
The warm colours are the ones that inspired me to use tiny golden beads in between the autumn-ish beads. They're a nice addition to the autumn vibes, but they don't interfere with the colder shades either. Also, the combination of gold and black is not something I'd usually go for, but I think with all the floral motifs it doesn't look too sumptuous at all. 
To make the rest of the necklace as subtle as possible, I opted for a simple string of black glass crystal beads. I think they go well with the main beads without taking too much attention from them, but I also like how they have a little bit of bling, meaning they aren't completely invisible when I'm wearing the necklace against a black sweater. Because, why not create a piece of jewelry that matches a specific thing in your wardrobe?

challenges: 
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27 August, 2021

Kindness

First things first, I thought it would be worse. 
We'd like you to feature kindness on your crafting projects over at the Alphabet challenge, which means exactly that: use the word "kindness" in whatever you show us. 
Not being from an English speaking country, I'll use English phrases on my cards every now and then, but they'll be something universal like "Happy birthday", "Thanks", or "Congrats". I'll sometimes use a quote, too, but I'll need to make sure the recipient has enough English skills to understand the message behind the text, and not be offended by the use of a foreign language. If thats not the case, I'd find English on my projects rather... Strange? Unusual? Inappropriate?

But here we are, looking for the exact word to be used. Since a single noun without context would be a bit weird, I had to come up with something else. I didn't want to go with the standard "Thanks for your kindness" - in part, because some other DT members have already done it, but mainly it would be weird to give thanks in English instead of using the familiar "Hvala". 
I decided to look for quotes that include "kindness", and found quite a few I could use. For each contender, I had a quick brainstorm on what kind of card would go with it. In the end, I picked this very simple wisdom of Dalai Lama. My decision was based mostly on my idea of a very CAS card (mainly due to time issues that come with with last-minute crafting). However, I also like how the saying implies that no matter what you believe in, we're all here to be kind to one another. 

The image of Buddha comes from an old magazine, I cut it out back then thinking it might come handy some day. With the serene quote  picked for my card, I now picked the image from my stash, fully prepared to do some arrangements in order to make both fit to the card base and to each other. Imagine my surprise when I realized it fits the card base just as it was! No re-cutting or measuring, just glue and go. 
Of course, I'd have to print the matching quote first and cut it to the right size, but that was about all the work I had with my creation. I also decided to go against my habit of adding a layer of coloured background paper. That way, the text seems as if the text was printed directly onto the card. 
Going very CAS this time, I even restrained myself from using pearls :)
I'm not sure whether I've hit the right note as the card looks a bit plain, but I figured I'd leave it like that for now. On the one hand, I can still add pearls later if needed, but on the other hand I think I might just go with a very simple card that matches the "very simple" part of the quote.   
Radensko polje in autumn. Simple remains of the harvest, and some kind people, too. I think I should go visit sometime soon. 

challenges: 
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13 August, 2021

Just one word

Just a very quick post today with a birthday cardfor mom. 
We're having a "Just one word" challenge over at the Alphabet challenge, and thinking ahead for once, I picked a floral heart from SheepSkiDesigns a while ago. I had no image like this in my stash yet, and thought it would look cute to colour and use for the birthday in August. And with the empty space, it should be possible for me to fit a word. 
The colouring is self-explanatory: I used coloured pencils to fill the blooms with colour. I then shaprened my pens and used the sharpening remains to create the blurry background. 
In the middle of the heart, I used golden stickers to place "Mom" and her round birthday. 
Once all was done, I placed the motif on a shimmering dark brown paper, which is not very visible from the pictures. To top it off, I added a couple of tiny white pearls here and there.
And after a wonderful family day trip with lunch and just spending some time together, here's to new adventures!

challenges: 
- 613 avenue create: ATG
- a bit more time to craft: ATG
- a place to start: favourite crafting style (I'd say my style is paper crafting, and within that, creating personalized cards for different occasions. I'll usually go with a central motif and work my way around it to finish everything off with a background paper and sprinkle everything with tiny white pearls. Always tiny white pearls.)
- allsorts challengeblog: ATG
- basteltraum: rainbow colours
- crafters castle: summer
- crafty gals corner: summer fun
- crafty sentiments: ATG
- everybody art: summer
- love to craft: ATG 
- morgans artworld: ATG
- moving along with the times: summer fun/summer colours
- path of positivity: enjoy nature
- pennys papertake: ATG

- sheepski designs: cute

- traumfabrik: something feminine
- through the craftroom door: ATG
- unicorn challengeblog: ATG
- use your stuff: inspired by real life (mom's summer birthday with everything she likes: wildflowers, nature, and a nice view to top it off)
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