Merry Christmas!

Hello crafty friends,

Christmas is almost here and I wanted to wish you all merry festivities!
If this is a hard time for you, my heart goes out to you and I hope you will look for and find comfort and help!

Stamps: My Favorite Things (woodplank background, knit pattern), WPlus9 (sentiment)
Dies: Memory Box (deer trio), WPlus9 (merry)
Other: the star is a good old punch


I was trying out my new Altenew star die and decided to make some star ornaments for my bosses. Afterwards I had patterned paper left over and punched out some circles to not waste it. Suddenly it came to me that I could make matching cards for them...
The "merry" and the star are cut out from silver mirror paper to "mirror" the foiled patterns in the paper.

Stamp: WPlus9 (sentiment)
Dies: WPlus9 (merry), SSS (star)
Other: different punches for the circles

I didn't blog that much this year - life has just gotten so busy, I can barely keep up! Thank you for still visiting and leaving sweet comments!

May the peace of Christmas Eve live in your heart all year long!

Be well and keep in touch!

Eraser Technique

A few weeks ago my friend Gundi from papierelle showed us this interesting eraser technique and has since produced many inspiring and fabulous examples. On her blog she explains really well how it works, both in German and in English. Basically you rub a pencil on a piece of fine sandpaper, dip a sponge in the resulting powder and rub it over a stencil. Then you stamp an outline image over it and when it's dry you erase the inside of the stamp. You can either leave it white or color the image. At the end you should spray hairspray or another fixative over it so that it doesn't rub off.

I was intrigued and thought the technique would lend itself well for my older son's birthday card. The stencil I used was probably not the best choice as it was very delicate and the thin strips moved a bit. But the effect is still cool! 

Stamps: Winnie & Walter (banner, sentiment)
Dies: Memory Box (city scapes)
Other: Memory Box (stencil)


Make sure to visit Gundi because she has come up with many variations of this technique. She has even created a challenge where you can win a cute snowman stamp, should you feel inspired to try the technique out!

Be well and keep in touch!

Sunflower Cards

Hello creative friends,

The current CAS Watercolor Challenge asks for sunflowers and since I love them and had some time this weekend I decided to see what I could come up with. I picked a very old stamp featuring a framed mosaic sunflower that I hadn't used in a very long time. And then I couldn't stop playing with it!

On the first card I colored it with markers and spritzed it with water to create a watercolor look. Because I used watercolor paper that wasn't bright white I used a kraft card base, added a little stenciling, a little spritzing, and a small sentiment.

When I used this stamp in the past I always colored the frame in blue because this color combo makes me so happy. I thought I was done but then I began wondering how it would look like with a green frame... So I pulled everything out again and had to try it. I have to say I really like the fresh look. It's almost as if it is surrounded by leaves... Since I liked the stencil (doesn't it mimic the mosaic style of the stamp?), I kept the layout, etc. the same, just changing the sentiment. 

Stamps: Rubber Stampede (sunflower frame), Hero Arts (both sentiments)
Other: Memory Box (stencil)


After all the spritzing I was curious how it would look when I colored it with markers and huffed on it (anybody remember that "technique"?). The colors are not as vibrant as when you spritz them with water but I still liked it. Since I used regular card stock I was able to use a white card base using the same stencil with some embossing paste.

Stamps and Stencil see above. The sentiment is from Print Works.


I had so much fun inking and spritzing this stamp that I ended up making three simple bookmarks with it! Sorry, forgot to take a picture but it's basically the image on a strip of watercolor and some ribbon on top.

CAS Watercolor August Challenge "Sunflowers"





Addicted to Stamps and More #304 "CAS"





Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting!

Be well and keep in touch!

Graduation Cards

As you might have noticed I have not been posting a lot lately. The end of the school year is always very busy but when both of your boys graduate there is even more to do, organize, and decide than usual!

My younger son graduated from 8th Grade which is kind of a big deal in his school and I made him this card (I used paint chips for the numbers):

The eight I covered with Wink of Stella and Glossy Accent. Here is a close up so you can see the shimmer better:

And here is the card I made for my older son who graduated from High School. The school colors are the same (purple) since it's a small, private school.

One day while I was walking it came to me that I could make a card for all the High School Seniors since I have known most of them since First Grade, some of them since Pre-School. Once that thought popped into my mind I couldn't let it go even though I had enough other stuff going on. Since it's a small class it was possible (wouldn't have done this with a class of 500 or so, hehe). I made the purple background with Brushos and splattered with gold. (One sheet was lighter than the other.) The two cards in green and blue/green are for some friends who graduated from different schools.

Dies: Memory Box (large numbers), My Favorite Things (words), PTI (larger stars), SSS (small star)


Sending this to Inkspirational where the word prompt is "Power". I think it fits!






And if you have made it this far (thank you), you get to see a picture of my two tall guys (the High Schooler is on the left). I am very proud of them:

Also wanted to let you know that I will be going to Germany to visit my family so this blog will be even more quiet and I probably won't get to commenting. But I shall be back (and hope you will be, too)!

Be well and keep in touch!

Tuscany

Hello crafty friends,

When I saw Michele's beautiful take on that gorgeous inspiration photo over at "Inspired by..." I felt an urge to hop on the next plane to Italy! Since that was not possible I made a card. I immediately thought of this stamp from Stampendous.

Stamps: Stampendous (landscape frame), Savy Stamps (sentiment), Hero Arts (poppy in background)
Die: Memory Box (dragonfly)

The landscape is colored with my Akashiya Sai watercolor brush pens, three of the poppies are fussy cut and mounted on foam tape. I cut out the landscape and mounted it a on dark green panel. The cream layer is stamped with a poppy stamp in a very subtle (and old) peach shadow ink from Hero Arts. The little dragonfly is cut out from paper that I painted a long time ago with some shimmery watercolors. I love this little dragonfly - it's perfect for when your card needs a little something and you don't feel like using a butterfly.


Challenge:

Inspired by... Over in the Meadow






Uniko's 6th Birthday Linky Party





So, who wants to come to Tuscany with me...??? (Well, at least we can dream, right?)

Be well and keep in touch!

Fun with the Cling Wrap Technique

The other day I played with the cling wrap Technique that is the theme at the current CAS Mix Up Challenge. They always have a list of interesting how-to videos to watch so if you don't know what I am talking about click here. I had SO MUCH FUN! I've said it before but I have to say it again: I LOVE making backgrounds! I made four cards but can only show you the one I made today, the others I will show you once they have arrived at their destinations.

Here is the result (one panel is already missing because I didn't think of taking a picture before I started making cards):

I used Distress Inks with Perfect Pearl spray and Distress Paint (the blue ones with silver paint) on glossy paper.
I had made already three cards when I saw the reminder post and that jaw-dropping card Loll made for it where she used a stencil with a different kind of cling wrap technique. I didn't use a stencil or use the her technique but it still inspired me to make this:

Stamp: Alexandra Renke (sentiment)
Die: Memory Box (flower)

Here is a close up so you can see the gold mixed in with the colors:

Sending this, of course, to the

CAS Mix Up January Challenge






You still have a few days to play if you feel like getting inky!

Be well and keep in touch!

Sympathy Cards

Today's cards were inspired by three people: Michele and Cornelia who both played with the colors from the current Color Throwdown , and Maria who reminded me that I needed a sympathy card. And because it's always good to have one on hand I made two. Thank you, ladies, for the inspiration!

Stamps: Inkadinkado (branch), Alexandra Renke (sentiment) - thanks to Elisabeth from aufspapiergebracht for this stamp!
Die: Memory Box (bird)

Stamps: Inkadinkado (branch), Penny Black (background script), PTI (sentiment)
Die: Memory Box (bird)


Entering this at the

Color Throwdown #474

Are you getting excited about the Twofer Challenge? Come back on the 10th to find out what the first prompt is going to be...

Be well and keep in touch!

Masculine 60th Birthday

This is the card I made for my brother-in-law who loves maps and geography. When my guys signed it they all admired it! That was a first! Usually they don't show too much enthusiasm for my creations. I am also happy to report that my brother-in-law liked his card!

Stamps: Toybox (map), PTI (sentiment), My Favorite Things (wood plank background)
Dies: Memory Box (large numbers)


The blue/turquoise sponged piece of card stock I found in my stash. As it was some kind of coated paper I had to heat emboss the image because it wouldn't dry. Die cut the numbers from it and from black foam. Stamped the background on a kraft card (not entirely happy with the ink I used). The rest is self explanatory, I think, but if you have any questions let me know in the comments.


Seize the Birthday "Kraft Card Base"

Have a fabulous weekend!

Be well,

Best Wishes in Green and Gold

Over at the CAS Watercolor Challenge the theme is "Silhouette" and it doesn't have to be a black one. So mine is gold with a green watercolor wash, sprinkled with salt, in the background. Instead of using gems, I die cut the top of the flower again, cut out some of the circles, "hammered" them with the end of a brush to give them some textures and glued them on.

Stamps: Hero Arts (sentiment)
Die: Memory Box (flower)


CAS Watercolor September Challenge
ETA: This card won Outstanding Design!






CAS Mix Up September Challenge
ETA: This card won Outstanding Design!

Hope you are enjoying the weekend!

Be well,

Inlaid 60th Birthday

Quickly popping in to post this card before both challenges close...

Stamps: My Favorite Things (flower background), Avery Elle (sentiment)
Dies: Memory Box (numbers), PTI (edge)


It's hard to see that I covered the numbers with Wink of Stella and Glossy Accents after coloring them with Faber Castell Polychromos.


Challenges (click on the links for more information and lots of inspiration from the DTs and the galleries):

My Favorite Things Camp Create 2017 "Inlaid Made Easy"






The Flower Challenge #11 "Focus on Background Stamping"

ETA: Thanks to Christine I am sending this also to

Kreativ Durcheinander #42 "Buchstaben und Zahlen"

Be well and keep in touch,

I'm back! With a fern card...

Thank you so much for your patience. After my return from Germany I did not have any mojo. It was worse than other years. I even played with the idea of giving up blogging! I realized how much time I spend just commenting... But then missed you all, started making a few cards and now I'm back.

Over at Time Out Challenges we are to CASE one of Cornelia's cards and it motivated me to take out this tree ring stamp AND the fern die from my NBUS box. To be honest I have two boxes, one for stamps (which is bursting at it's seams) and one for dies. Why do I keep buying stuff, people??? Stamp companies, if you are reading this, please stop bringing out such fun products that I can't resist! Bloggers, please stop inspiring and tempting me! (Just kidding, of course!)


First Cornelia's fun card:

And here is my take:

Stamps: Concord & 9th (treerings), SSS (sentiment)
Die: Memory Box (fern)


I cut out the fern from a scrap leftover from the first card in this post. Have I ever mentioned how much I love ferns? That's why I really wanted the Memory Box die (which is probably discontinued by now) and now I am so happy to have finally used it. As well as the tree rings and the sentiment was also in that NBUS box. I think this would be a good card for my husband's birthday, hmmm...

Challenges (click on the links for more information and lots of inspiration from the DTs and the galleries):

Time Out Challenges #87






Hope to be back soon with another card and maybe some pictures from Germany...

Be well,

Playing with Embossing Paste - Take 2

Before I show you my card I would like to let you know that I will take a blogging and commenting break to spend some time with my family in Germany.

In my last post I promised to show you the card I made with a stenciled panel that didn't buckle because I used heavy Stampin' Up card stock. Julia inspired me to use colored cardstock. This time I also added some sparkle to the embossing paste. (Can't tell you right now what it was I added because I am not at home while I type this...) You can see it in the close up, although it didn't sparkle as much as I hoped for. This card looks very different from my last one...

Stamps: Altenew (flower, leaves), Uniko (sentiment)
Other: Memory Box (stencil)


Here is a close up to show you the sparkle in the embossing paste.

Challenges (click on the links for more information and lots of inspiration from the DTs and the galleries):


CAS Mix Up June Challenge "Embossing Paste/Gel"
My choice is fussy cutting







Time Out Challenge #84  'Flowers and Friends make life a garden'







The Flower Challenge #9 "Anything Goes"

Be well,