Birthday bear and balloon

This week's challenge over at Catch the Bug is a photo inspiration:

I was inspred by the flowers and their colors. I colored the image with DIs and added glossy accent to the balloon. The flowers are punched, I used a black pen to make the faux stitching on the petals and attahed brown enamel dots in the centres. I stamped a birthday greeting and machine stitched around the edges.

This card is also for:
Cutie Pie Challenge - Cute + Birthday
Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes
Crafty Gals Corner - #90 Critters

Autumn leaves

There are almost no autumnal colored leaves to spot in Oslo yet, we've had an exceptionally warm and very enjoyable month so far. But I see all these autumn challenges in blogland which inspired me to make this card.
I had this piece of white paper with striped texture left, added brown, orange and red DIs along with orange and brown mists, added water and just dipped the paper into the mix. Then I used stamps from two different Lawn Fawn sets, clear embossed and colored with the same mix as the paper, along with the gold embossed leaves (not sure of the brand). I mounted it all into gold and orange panels. Added a die cut banner with a sentiment - today is your day.

This card is for:
TIME OUT Challenges - #66 Inspired By Photo
City Crafter Challenge - #329 Turning a New Leaf
Addicted to Stamps - #131 Trees, Branches and/or Leaves

Red roses

It's Sunday and it's time for a new bi-weekly "Stella Says Sketch" challenge over at Catch the Bug. Here's the sketch:

I used an image called rose block trio, these images don't really require any coloring but I added some red, green and yellow with my Promarkers.
The white background was embossed, the sentiment traslates "thinking of you", cut with a Sepllbinders die. Added lace bought on a trip abroad and black ribbon. It's quite a simple card really.

This card is also for:
Cards und More - # 167 No Designer Paper
Creative Corner - No Patterned Papers Allowed
Fab 'n' Funky - #318 Go Outside and be inspired by nature

Farm Animals

Hello! I'm here to show you my DT card with an "Oldie but Goodie" image from the Bugaboo store.

I couldn't resist this image, I colored it up with Promakers. I used two oval stitched dies to make a frame for the image.

The red paper is the backside of a patterned dp I had intended to use on an earlier project. I found it in my scrap box, thought the color reminded me of a barn and i ran the piece through with a woodgrain embossing folder.

I found the button brad in my stash and thought it would add a nice autumnal touch along with the hessian paper and brown string.

This card is also for:
Double D Challenges - Down On The Farm
Artistic Inspirations - Anything Goes
Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes

Card Kit Swap with Nonni and Marina - We're preparing for Christmas #1

I'm doing a "Card Kit Swap" with Nonni of Nonni's Handmade Cards and Marina of My Perfect Life. Each month one of us send the other two identical kits and we make 4 cards each using mainly the same supplies, but we can add some of our own stash too as we're keeping it really simple, fun and stress-free. 
It was Nonni's turn to make a kit and she chose the theme of "Christmas cards with texture". Her kit contained 5 papers, 1 die cut snowflake, 3 die cut trees, 6 snowflake sequins, 1 stamped image, 1 stamped sentiment. A totally awesome, simpe kit with lots of texture and glitter!
Here's a photo of the kit:

Card#1: Angels
I used the angel image and three of the sequins from Nonni's kit. I colored the angels using Promarkers, masked the image and sponged using one blue DI, adding more color to the top layer and being more gentle the further down I got. I used a freebie sentiment and ran the paper through a Tim Holtz embossing folder before I added the snowflake sequins and attched it to a silver glitter panel. If I come across this stamp it's sure thing it'll end up in my shopping basket!
This card is for: Sparkles Forum Christmas - #68 Angels or Fairies

Card#2: Merry Christmas in 5 languages
Here I used the heat embossed paper from Nonni. I ran it through another Tim Holtz embossing folder, added frantage and sequins. The deer were vut out from a DP that was part of the kit.
This card is for: Christmas Cards All Year Round - Monochromatic

Card#3: Glittery trees
I think this is my personal favorite made from this kit. The glittery tree stickers and 3 papers used are all from Nonni, I just adde some silver string and a die cut and Dymo made sentiment. I think this card has a retro look to it, it's not a typical "me" card, which is probably why I like the outcome myself. I think it also feels masculine with the textured papers, neutral colors and non cute theme.
This card is for: UnstampaBelles - Changing Seasons + Masculine

Card#4: Snowflake
The snowflake, white textured paper and wooden patterned one came from the kit. From my own stash I added some sparkly silver paper, silver string and the sentiment. This card is really awesome to the touch.
This card is for:  A Snowflakes Promise - #28 Anything Goes

Freebies

This card was made with three freebies - the embossing folder (which I love!), a sentiment and a silhouette. My color choice was based on the color scheme over at Color Throwdown.
I actually kept my design mostly white, with black stamped details and adding color with theblue panel and the punched flowers, which were covered with blue mist and yellow pearls and gelato. I stamped everything before I embossed, making the embossed leaves a frame around the image.

 This card is for:
Color Throwdown - #409 Color Challenge
Just Add Ink – #328 Just add P (pearls, petals)
4 Crafty Chicks - #315 Birthday
Seize The Birthday - Birthday + Frames  (embossed frame)

One Layer Flowers

The theme over at LIM this week is to make a one layer card with flowers. In general I try and avoid those challenges. But I got started, preparing myself for several attempts ending up in the bin - but HOORAY - I made it on the first go and I think my card was finished in 15 minutes or so! Very good for my one layer confidence, lol. And I don't think I used much mote than 5 minutes in preparattion, I found the stamp I wanted to use and decided on a layout.

I used a Penny Black stamp, clear embossed it and colored it with brushos (green, purple and black). A splatter ended up on the white space, but for once a little booboo didn't matter, I just added more splatters. The sentiment was part of a freebie set that came with a recent magazine.


This card is for:
Less Is More - #293 One Layer
Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Nature
Penny Black and More - Add a Sentiment

Fall colors

Today starts a new challenge over at Catch the Bug and the theme is "The Great Outdoors". There are so many opportunities with this theme. Those of you who are following me might know I've restricting myself to use scraps and items I've got in my stash. On this card that's the sweet little monkey, he was printed and colored up quite some time ago. The embossing folder was a freebie with a magazine, I colored the raised areas with orange, red, green and brown gelatos, sprinkled with water and run it through my Big Shot with kraft paper. Then I added red and gold liquid pearls and stamped a sentiment, which works for birthdays and even other occasions as well: "Wishing you a day filled with smiles and laughter".

This card is also for
City Crafter Challenge - #328 Photo Inspiration (colors)
TIME OUT Challenges - #65 Inspired By Words (leaves)
Cute Card Thursday - #442 Animals/Creatures
Fab 'n' Funky - #317 Fall Colors

Audrey

I wanted to make a card with this fabulous Audrey image sent to me by Monika. It's been sitting on my desk waiting for its moment.
I colored Audrey's skin and her lips, used a script and a circle stencil and sponged with brown and blue DIs.

I've restricted myself to only use scraps for a while, so I made a frame for the image using two leftovers. I attached twine around the panel and added it to a houndstooth embossed paper.

I was realizing I had started to use the colors of the photo over at Creative with stamps, but I struggled a bit to find a way to add some purple and grey. I found some scrap pieces in those colors and decided to decorate with die cut feathers. The button is a brad I found in my stash.

This card is for:
Creative With Stamps Challenge - #6 Photo/Color Inspiration
Crafty Gals Corner - #88 Let's Hear It For The Girls
ABC Challenge - O is for Open

Dream big

The theme over at LIM this week is to use the colors of a peacock feather. So that inspired my color choices for this card.
I used a Spellbinders die to cut my dreamcatcher. I used Salty Ocean and Peacock Feathers distress inks to color the feathers and Queen's Gold EP to emboss. I spritzed the background with a dark blue mist and some water and added purple brusho.
The sentiment is made up of two different stamps, I masked the " Dream "from a quote sentiment from Prima and the "big" is one from a Technique Tuesday set, they're also embossed with Queen's Gold EP.
I attached the dreamcatcher on foam and added a gold string.

This card is for these challenges:
Less Is More - #292 Peacock feather colors
Addicted to Stamps and More - #209 CAS
Happy Little Stampers - Watercolor Spritz
Glitter n Sparkle - #204 CAS

Giraffe tag in autumn colors

It's Monday and my turn to share an "Anything but a card"  project over at Catch the Bug.

I used one of Jodie's images from a jungle set - colored up with Promarkers a while ago. Now, I don't believe you have autumn with golden leaves falling off on the savannah, but who cares, this little giraffe lives somewhere where it's the kind of autumn like here. In blogland we're used to see green pigs, pink elephants and everything else we fancy, no matter the real life colors.
I used a tree die from Kort&Godt and leaf dies from Lawn Fawn, Every element on here is made of scraps. The yellow seambinding ribbon was a leftover piece, the thread was sent to me by Mimi (thank you so much, Mimi!). The sentiments are stickers.

This tag is also for:
Send a Smile for Kids - Cute Fall or Halloween for Kids
Crafty Catz - #336 Anything Goes with a optional twist - Autumn Colors
Simply Papercraft - #35 Anything Goes 

A pocket of flowers

It's Sunday and it's time for a new "Stella Says Sketch" challenge over at Catch the Bug. We are back to bi-weekly sketch challenges.

I used an image called Flower Pocket 7, colored up with Promarkers and fussy cut. I made my own background using two yellow paints. I embossed it with an embossing folder that came free with a magazine, then I used a white gelato to rub onto the pattern for highlighting. The flower border is made with a Fiskars punch my aunt gave me for my birthday. I added a few yellow pearls, a sentiment - congratulations - and then white machine stitching along the edges.

This card is also for:
4 Crafty Chicks - #314 Fussy Cutting
Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes
Craft Rocket Challenges - #23 Anything Goes
Crafting With An Attitude - Anything Goes

Flowers for your birthday

I wanted to make a birthday card and was inspired b this week's CASE card over at Muse. I really liked the colors and layout and the bold sentiment. So those were the elements that I used on my card.
I took out a flower die from Memory Box. I wanted to color it in colors similar to the heart, using DIs and gelatos, but the die cut is really fragile once cut so I wondered what to do. So I'm sharing with you my new technique for this: I embossed rather than cut, then I added color and Perfect pearls on the roses before I die cut it. I wanted the roses to be full so before I removed the cut paper from the die I added tape on the backside.
I had previously made my own gelato background but the sentiment I added on it didn't turn out looking nice. So I cut a srip from that paper to put at the bottom. I had orginally planned to use a plain white paper on the top but decided to emboss with stripes. I added a piece of washi tape along the joints. My birthday sentiment is made with a die and my Dymo and three yellow pearls were added. I felt my card lacked a bit of plack, as my die cut has no black lines, so I added everyting on to a black panel before I attached it all to a white card base.

This card is for:
City Crafter Challenge - #327 Birthday Wishes
Shopping Our Stash - #267 Learn Something New (try a new technique)
Muse Challenge - CASE #181

Poinsettia stickers

LIM has the theme of using stickers or something of the sorts this week. I've already made one card, but decided to make one more using a peel off poinesstia stickers.

I attched the sticker to white card which I cut at an angle and colored in the poinsettias using Promarkers, WoS and liquid gold pearls. I used a mist to make some splatters.

I added the panel onto gold glitter card sttock. Heat set a sentiment in gold and that's it.

This card is for:
Less Is More - #291 Use Sticker, Sticky Label or Peel-Off (2nd entry)
Creative Knockouts - #157 Sparkle & Shine
Christmas Card Challenges - #38 Anything goes

Using stickers

LIM has the challenge of using stickers or something of the sorts this week. I've got loads of stickers. I know my card perhaps isn't perceived as totally CAS, it's definetely borderline, but this is the quickest card I've ever made. So it's quick and simple, without a doubt.
I rummaged through my stash of  stickers, saw this armchair one and just knew I had to use it and how. I've had it for a while, I have just been waiting for the right moment and idea I guess.
The armchair sticker is quite large, it's dimensional and it's really nice to the touch.
I used a Tim Holtz stamp to make the maculine wallpaper, took a piece of burlap paper and an oval die to make the carpet, added as newspaper and glasses sticker from the same set. And the sentiment - Best Wishes - is also a sticker. I think that's one that will work for many occasions.
The card is perfect for a man who's not necessarily one of those avid golfers, or one who loves to go fishing or one who's interested in cars.

This card is for:
Darnell's NBUS Challenge - #7(2nd entry)
Less Is More - #291 Use Sticker, Sticky Label or Peel-Off

Sentiment as main feature

This card almost ended up in the bin - several times.
It started out with me not finding my big, bold LOTV sentiments. They're therr, somewhere, in my creative chaos room. So I opted for a sentiment from Marianne, it comes in different parts, this was the first time I used them all together. I stamped it with purple ink. I wanted to make something folkloric like, but for that I should have heat set the sentiment. So change of heart. I took out some yellow and a gold gelato. The gold was a mistake, big time. Toss it? No, had to try and cover it up by adding purple gelato and adding a coat of gesso. The stamping around the edges is also part of that cover up job, I used a leaf and flower stamp from Fiskars (NBUS) and used brown, green, orange and red inks. I let it all dry before I added Perfect Pearls for a shimmery look and made my liquid pearls. I attached the panel onto a panel of gold mirri card and attached it to a black card base.

This card is for:
Twofers - #26 Stamped sentiment as main feature
City Crafter Challenge - #325 It's all about You
Crafty Creations - #322 Words/Letters on the Background
Darnell's NBUS Challenge - #7

More scraps used...

Hello! Today I'm sharing my card for the new challenge over at Catch the Bug and this time it's a COLOR challenge.
I'm still focusing on using scraps, I will not let myself cut into any new, untouched DPs just yet, I want to see the pile of scraps being reduced a bit more. I had already colored up my image with Promarkers and started my hunt in one of three large boxes of scraps to find papers in green and brown shades, I found several. So I chose a few in different patterns that were the right size to cover an A2 panel. I die cut a tag for the sentiment ("Today is your day") and attached it with string to the frog's wrist. Three wooden stars were added. Zigzag stitching.

This card is also for:
Aud Sentiments Challenge - #162 For A Man + A Sentiment
Seize The Birthday - Birthday + Tags
Passion For Promarkers Challenge - #360 Make It Digital (digi image)
Polkadoodles - #34 Something Beginning with F or Anything Goes (frog)

Rainy bear

Hello! I'm here to show you my DT card with an "Oldie but Goodie" image from the Bugaboo store.
I saw this sketch and thought it suited my new goal of using more scraps before I will let myself cut into any new, untouched DPs. I had already colored up my image and started my hunt in one of three large boxes of scraps. Cough, hm yes, I'm embarrased to say I have that much scraps available, but I'm quite the DP addict, even though I've enjoyed making my own backgrounds lately... So I went on a hunt for something yellow, blue and red and had no trouble finding these colored papers in my stash.
I tied my string a bit differently than in the sketch because I didn't want to cover up the image. And I chose a red button to balance with the red Dymo made sentiment.
The weather in Oslo feels like something in between summer and autumn, which I think my card does too.

This card is also for:
Retro Sketches - #228 Sketch
Crafts Galore Encore - Use a Stamp or Digi
Sparkles Forum Challenges - #83 Lots of Layers

For a baby girl

I was invited to be a Guest Designer over at Challenge Up Your Life for their new challenge, which is all about babies. For some reason I don't see my card up on their blog but decided to show you this now on my blog anyway, as it was made with other challenges in mind as well.

I started out picking out a few scrap papers from Maja Design to be used with my "Mini Perfect Patches" die from Memory Box. Then I used dies from Lawn Fawn to make the little hearts and the banner with sentiment, stamped with a Kaisercraft stamp.
The duck, rabbit and rattle are made with Lawn Fawn stamps. I stamped directly onto DP leftovers. I also added one button with a little string bow.

This card is also made with these challenges in mind:
Cards in Envy - Squares
Creative With Stamps Challenge -  #5 Geometric
Inkspirational - #115 Patterned Paper
Dream Valley Challenges - Pink

Card Kit Swap with Nonni and Marina - take #3

I'm doing a "Card Kit Swap" with Nonni of Nonni's Handmade Cards and Marina of My Perfect Life. We're supposed to make 4 cards out of the kit and we can add some of our own stash too as we're keeping it really simple and fun. It was my turn to make a kit and I chose elements of "Feathers & Wings". My kit contained two die cut feathers, a dream catcher, a fairy and a stamped image of two birds. 1 DP from Marianne, 1 unknown with script, one white whith engraved flower pattern, silver mirri card and a heat embossed piece of vellum with script. Sequins, pearls and bling, gold metal thread, silver thread and white string.
Here's a photo of the kit:

Card#1: Feathers
Here I used the embossed vellum, feathers and white string. I colored the feathers with gelatos. I added a sentiment "For You" and sequins. Stitching around the edges.
This card is for: Creative Knockouts - #154 Sew It Up

Card#2: Fairy
Here I used the engraved floral paper, mounted onto the silver mirri card, the fairy, sequins and gold metal thread. I heat embossed the fairy with gold EP and frantage.The sentiment translates something like "Frinds are as valuable as gold".
This card is for: Glitter n Sparkle - #201 Anything Goes

Card#3: Dream Catcher
Here I used the grey paper with script, the dream cather a pearl and a bling. The dream catcher is heat embossed with silver.
This card is for: Brown Sugar - #211 Anything Goes

Card#4:Love Birds
The image was embossed with clear EP then colored with Promarkers. I also used the silver thread and DP from my kit, as well as a die cut swirl, lace and flowers from my stash.
This card is for: Passion For Promarkers Challenge - #358 Hip To Be Square

Hot flashes

Over at Twofers the theme this fortnight is THE HEAT IS ON. I struggled finding an idea for this theme and a rubber/clear stamp that would work (obviously forgot about the possibility of hot drinks...), but I came over this uninked wooden stamp in my stash (from AI?) and though it looked like she was troubled with hot flashes. So I colored her with Promarkers, fussy cut her and made a scene with papers for a wall paper and floor.
The sentiment is in Norwegian and it translates something like this: "Inside of every older person there's a young person wondering what happened". Thats' s true isn't it? Sometimes we all still feel like young girls. I used my stitched oval dies from Dienamics to cut the sentiment.
I machine stitched around the edges.

This card is for:
Twofers - #25 The heat is on

Just Add Ink – #324 Inspiration (floral "wall paper" wooden floor)

Feathers on paint background

My card today is made with a sketch and a color scheme as main inspiration sources. I started die cutting the feathers. There was actually 4 of them, but the 4th one didn't fit in on the panel. Next I colored the feathers using blue, brown and white gelatos, brown DI and some frantage with blue shimmer. Then I stamped a sentiment onto the white card base. But I didn't feel right, it feld bland and empty ut not CAS. I left the project for a couple of hours, made the brown panel with another project in mind, but decided to try it with the feathers on. The brown panel was made with paint and I just pressed a stamp with circles (from Kaisercraft) into the paint on the panel (my dip element for Inkspirational), I think it gave the panel a textured look. I heat embossed a sentiment and tore the edges of the paper. Now, this card is more CAS than what I usually make, but I don't know if there enough "space" for this card to qualify as CAS? I'll leave that for you to decide:)

 This card is for:
CAS(E) This Sketch! - #184 Sketch
Less Is More - #288 Blue & Brown
Inkspirational - #114 DIP
Happy Little Stampers - AG with dies August

Flowers and Cake

When I've got too many ideas in my head nothing ever goes as planned. I've been in my craft room for almost 5 hours and this is the only thing finished yet. A lot of half made projects waiting to be finished, wrong for what I had in mind, so I need some time away before I can continue and finish them up without the original design idea "clouding" my work. That ever happens to you?
The flowers I had made for another challenge, but they ended up here, with cake and spots and stripes as my primary inspiration sources. They are made with stamps from Prima. I also added a fabric one, along with 2 roses from my stash, I added glass glitter to them.
The image is a NBUS from Stamping Bella, colored with Promarkers. The image was cut with a stitched Dienamics die, and I used a bigger sized one to emboss the background paper.
Flowers were colored with gelatos and DIs, they got liquid pearls too.  A few sequins, a sticker sentiment saying "best wishes".
The background was made with gesso, red, pink and white gelatos. The stripes were added with a stencil, the spots were stamped (Kaisercraft stamp). White mist. Stitching around the edges.

This card is for:
City Crafter Challenge - #323 I gained a Stone (baking) or Photo Inspiration
Allsorts - #375 Spots & Stripes
Just Add Ink - #323 Just Add F (flowers)
Inky Chicks - #70 Use 5 or more Flowers (I used 7) 

Soldier freebie

Today I've got a tag to show you featuring this week's Freebie Friday image-  you can pick it up at no cost in the Bugaboo store.

I colored the image with Promarkers. The background was made using one of the "due date library cards" I got from Mimi. I covered it with with white gesso beafore I covered the front with green gelatos. The smudge in the middle was made using a splatter stamp from a stamp set I got from Donna. I was trying out using my gelatos with water for stamping for the first time. It didn't quite come out as planned, but I was lucky this time - smudge suits better than splatters here. I also randomly stamped some words on the background.

I machine stitched around the edges using really small stitches, added an eyelet, ribbon and twine.

Wishing you alll a great weekend!

Three Martinis - Floor

When I first saw this stamp I knew I had to have it. I love the fairy's curves and more mature style. So I colored her with Promarkers and gave her grey hair.
I added glossy accent to the rose in her hair and the martini glass and used WoS on her wings, which is almost impossible to capture in a photo.


I was inspired by the sketch over at Sunday Stamps for the layout and the colors of CYCI. I embossed light yellow card stock and used a strip of DP with spots (Kaisercraft). Stamped the sentiment that comes with the image, added the fairy onto a die cut stitched circle and decorated with 3 grey enamel dots.


This card is for:
Sunday Stamps - #132 Sketch
Can You Case It - #131
Cards in Envy - Wings