INK #250 For boys or men

We have a new challenge at Inkspirational and this time I was the one to choose the theme: For boys or men.
This card is definetely for a grown up man. I gave snarky cat a top hat, a moustache and a bow tie, and I used my favorite sentiment. The die cut frame and stencil background are made with supplies from Altenew.

I so look forward to seeing the inspiration from both team members and participants.

This card is also for:
The Male Room - #155 Black&White
Stamping Sensations - Animals, Birds and Bugs
Cheerful Sketches Challenge Blog - Sketch 

 

Vintage Christmas - card #3 and 4

I received this paper with 12 vintage images as a advent calendar gift from my mum some years ago, now I'm ready with card # 3 and 4 in this series.

1) Card with the tag

For this card I cut the image with a tag die and raised it on foam. I added seambinding ribbon, twine and textured ribbon, as well as die cut pine branches and pearls. The papers, the striped one and the border with buildings, are both freebies. I used a die and my Dymo to make the sentiment.

This card is for:
Christmas Crafts All Year Round - October: Something starting with S and/or T (seambinding ribbon, tag, twine, texture)

2) Card with the oval frame

The lamp post was made with a Memory Box die, I decorated it with pine branches and pearls.
The wreath on the oval frame was a freebie gift together with some of the DPs used.I decorated the middle panel with powder pink lace.

This card is for:
Allsorts - #645 Embellish It

September Card Chain Challenge reveal

This is the first time I partcipate in The Card Chain Challenge - anyone can enter as long as you are willing to snail mail a card to a fellow crafter. For September there were 21 pariticipants across the world. If you'd linke to join in for the October challenge, you can sign up here until til 7th. 

THE CARD I SENT

I sent my card to Linda W of Scrappin', Stampin' & Singin' in Minnesota, USA, along with some die cuts. For my card I used several products from Altenew: the debossed background, the sun medallion and the paper pieced flowers. I never know how to arrange them, so I just covered the inside of the circle as best I could.

THE CARD I RECEIVED

I recieved this card and goodies from Gail of Crafty Nomad in Norway. Thank you so much, Gail, I've already started using the stamps!

INK #249 Fox cake photo

For our new challenge at Inkspirational we have a photo. There are foxes, mushrooms and leaves on the cake as well as on my card. The white on the cake inspired me to leave the images uncolored, and I picked up the greens and browns with my papers.

The mushroom stamps were an advent calendar present from my mum at some point, the other stamps were all freebies that came with magazines.

Please head over to the challenge blog to see the my INK-teamies have made.   

This card is also for: 

As You Like It Challenge - Favourite Autum - I love the colors of autumn and the mix of sunny and rainy days
Krafty Chicks - #579 Anything goes

Vintage Christmas - lots of freebie stash and DPs

 I have not made many Christmas cards so far this year, which is unusual for me. But I think (hope) I'm on a roll here. I received this paper with 12 vintage images as a advent calendar gift from my mum some years ago (no, I'm never going to be too old for that, lol), and finally I had the courage to cut into that paper. Sometimes when I like something so much, I want to "save it" for a special occasion.
All the other DPs used are freebie ones that came with 2 different magazines. 

Here are the first two cards I've finished using these vintage images. 

1) Card with the rectangle shaped topper

The lamp post was made with a Memory Box die, and I heat embossed with thick embossing powder, I like the metallic look it gets. The wreath I used to decorate it with was a freebie gift together with some of the DPs used.
I added red and white twine and gold elastic ribbon and strip of DP with sentiments on it. 

This card is for:
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - #560 Anything Christmas Goes (or include the word Joy)
Make My Monday - #158 EMBOSSING (the lamp post)

 

2) Card with the rounded tag shaped topper

This lamp post was a freebie gift together with the DPs used. I attached red and white twine to it.
I added a die cut fence, the word Christmas (Hero Arts) which I combined with a Dymo sentiment,

This card is for:
Dream Valley Challenges - #255 2 or MORE PATTERNED PAPERS (3: the background, the border with buildings and the topper)
Merry Little Christmas Challenge Blog - #38 Anything Goes

R is for Red and Rhinestones

I'm a cat person and I love Tim Holtz fun cat images and sarcastic sentiments. I fussy cut the cat and heat embossed the sentiment.

I stamped the background with the Pinkfresh Diamond Tiles stamp and added red glitter embossing powder. It might be hard to see in the photo, but IRL it adds a nice sparkle.

The Snowflake Swirl die is from Amy Design. I cut three poinsettias with a die from Marianne. 

Finally I added rhinstones and frantage for snow effect.

This card is for:
Christmas Crafts All Year Round - Something starting with Q and/or R
September Rudolph Days Challenge

INK #248 Retro

For our challenge at Inkspirational this fortnight, we have a word prompt: RETRO.

When I think of retro I think of spots and dots and women with beautifully styled hair.
I found such a lady on a DP I belive I had for close to a decade, so I cut her out, placed or onto a tag, then the tag was placed onto a bottle tag with red spotted paper. I heat embossed the sentiment with red, I thought it fit the image and being on a bottle tag.
My mum likes to use my bottle tags on wine she gifts on birthdays for her friends, it makes the gift more personal and is appreciated by her friends.

Please head over to the challenge blog to see the wonderful makes of my INK-teamies.  

This bottle tag is also for:
AAA Birthday - #29 NOT A CARD
Crafty Catz - #564 ANYTHING GOES with Optional Twist Use 2 or More Design Papers

Gnome in field of paper pieced flowers

I love this gnome from Stamping Bella, it's a favorite, especially for masculine cards.
I chose to paper piece the flowers, I heat embossed with white EP, used a white Posca pen for the centres, along with Wink of Stella for a touch of sparkle, not visible in the photo.
The background has been made with my new- and favorite - stencil, called the Deco Wallpaper from Altenew. And I think you'll see more of this too on future cards, the Altenew Mid-Century Frame Die.
Sentiment is made up with dies from Concord&9th and Penny Black.

This card is for:
Stamping Sensations - Stamp of the Moment
Allsorts - #641 Favourite Stamps with the option of Paper Pieced Flowers

Mice and sweets

For this card I've followed a sketch and a color challenge.
For the background I used old Magnolia sweets stamps and grey ink. The stamped panel was mounted onto light cardstock.
The cute mice from Colorado Craft Company are new to me, I find them perfect for many occasions and suitable for cards for a person of any age and gender. As my family contains mainly males this card will probably be put in my selection of masculine cards:) The sentiment is from the same set.

This card is for:
Cardz 4 Guyz - #279 Blue, Yellow, Gray
Freshly Made Sketches - #502 Sketch

Not my typical choice of colors

I wanted to make a card for a man using other colors than those I typically use, like black&white, blues, greens and/or greys. So out came red and yellow inks and markers, and a grey one as well!

I picked a favorite Stamping Bella gnome stamp and I cut the image to put the tag at an angle. The background has been made with 2 stencils - the Deco Wallpaper from Altenew, and the numbered one is Tim Holtz.
I debated whether only to use string, but I liked the effect of the yellow seambinding ribbon in there. I think both ribbon and flowers can be used for masculine designs as long as it's not "too frilly". The birthday greeting is made with my Dymo. 

This card is for
The Paper Players - #557 By The Numbers
Addicted to Stamps and More - Birthday
The Male Room - Nature's Bounty 

INK #247 - Autumn leaves

For our new challenge at Inkspirational Lindsey has chosen the theme of autumn leaves! Even though we've enjoyed summer temperatures in my end of the world lately, you can feel the colder autumn air approaching.

I've enjoyed working with some new goodies for this card - a stencil from Altenew, stamps from Colorado Craft Company as well as old Lawn Fawn leaf dies. I used a mix of Distress and Oxide inks in autumnal colors.I heat embossed the sentiment in gold.

Please head over to the challenge blog to see the wonderful makes of my INK-teamies.   

This card is also for:
Cute Card Thursday - #692 Anything Goes
2 Crafty Critter Crazies - #54 Anything Goes with a Critter

Tall Tale - his and hers

In connection with the Altenew bloghop I saw my Inkspirational-teamie, Lindsey, had made a card using the Tall Tale stamp set. I liked it so much so I had to get the set myself. You can see her post here.

I've been trying to make 2 cards at a time lately, I'm a slow cardmaker, and I find it doesn't take double the time making 2 cards at the same time. Yay, efficient and fun!

For both cards I used a DP as wallpaper and an embossing folder to make the floor/desk. 

Card 1) For her - Colored version based on a sketch

This card is for Sunday Stamps - #264 Sketch

Card 2) For him - Black and white version with woodgrain

This card is for Shopping Our Stash - #452 Wood You Believe?

Last Twofer challenge

 

Here are my two cards for the last Twofer Card Challenge, where the theme is DOGS AND/OR CATS.

I'm more of a cat person myself, so I chose 4 images from a Penny Black set, I think they all capture different real life cat expressions and behaviors. I made a card that can be used as a just because or a birthay card and a Thank you card.

 

 

 

1) HAVE  A PURRFECT DAY

For this card I decided to go with a slimline layout to fit my 4 chosen cat images. I used a grey distress ink for coloring. I kept it clean and onlyadded  a narrow striped washi tape border for embellishment.

This card is also for:
2 Crafty Critter Crazies - #53 Anything Goes with a Critter
Little Red Wagon - #615 Animal Antics 

 

 

 

2) THANK YOU

For the layout of this card my inspiration came from the photo over at Time Out, where the bag has a pattern of heads on circles placed in all different directions. Instead I used one circle and stamped the cats' heds along the edge of that circle. I used the Altenew Mid-Century Frame Die, the die cut was heat embossed in silver. The stencil is also from Altenew, named  Deco Wallpaper Stencil. I went with an ombré effect with 3 different distress inks.Finally I heat embossed the sentiment with silver EP.

This card is also for:
TIME OUT Challenges - #194 Photo Inspiration
Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Anything Goes 

 

 

 

INK #246 - Cup photo

For our new challenge at Inkspirational we have a photo. I was inspired by the black and white theme and I also wanted to incorporate stripes and something round.
So out came my Altenew striped die and mandala die from  Pinkfresh Studio. I used a flower stamp from a Dina Wakley set and left the image uncolored.

Please head over to the challenge blog to see the wonderful makes of my INK-teamies.   

This card is also for: 

Sparkles Forum Challenges - #143 Monochromatic
Simply Create Too - #173 MONOCHROMATIC

Mint colored baby card

I'm trying to build up my stash of cards while mojo is around, he has been unreliable for the first half of this year, but lack of time was also an issue. At least I can enjoy for now that I have a bit of both:)

My layout was inspired by one of the sketches over at Shopping our Stash, From Daring Cardmakers' photo I picked the colors, the bunny and circles (dotted embossed panel behind the image and the round pearls)

The bunny and sheep images are new to me, from Heartfelt Creations, but everything else is old.The Spellbinder frame die has been with me since back in 2012, which is when I started cardmaking. The banner and sentiment are made with Kaisercraft stamps, they've been with me for many years as well.

This card is for:
Daring Cardmakers - ELEMENTAL CHALLENGE
Shopping Our Stash - #451 - Let's Get Sketchy

Sketch, mood board, colors and just because

 

For this card I was inspired by a sketch, a mood board, a color challenge and a "just beause " theme.

My layout was inspired by the sketch. My items were inspired by the color challenge (cut out butterflies, die cut TH flowers an die cut camera roll from Marianne) and also to mimic the image at the top left of the mood board. The sentiment was chosen for the "just because" theme - I've never needed as many general themed cards as I do now...I think people like to give cards during this pandemic...

This card is for:
My Time to Craft - #463 Sketch
Color Throwdown - #654
Little Red Wagon - #613 Just Because
Double D Challenges - Mason Jars/See Mood Board

INK #245 Journey - stripes or hearts

For our challenge at Inkspirational this fortnight, we have a word prompt: Journey. You can interpret the theme however you see fit, I chose a sentiment I love, because I think it's so true. 

I actually made 2 cards for this challenge. Sometimes I find it hard to choose what direction to take, like should I go with the heart sttenciled background or the striped die cut one? Well, I went with both. And if you don't mind, I'd love to hear your opinion on which one is your favorite:)

 

Please head over to the challenge blog to see the wonderful makes of my INK-teamies.  

Card 1) Striped background
Here I used my Altenew die and black paper. I rubbed on some silver Nuvo expanding mousse and added white gesso on top once dry. Then I chose a blue striped paper and green ink for the sentiment, to macth the colors of the flowers, they came free with a magazine.
This card is also for Cardz 4 Galz - #152 Dies & Punches

 

Card 2) Stencilled hearts background
I used a stencil and gold Nuvo expanding mousse and I  spritzed with Sangria Art Anthology mist. A pink paper was used for the panel to tie the colors together with the flowers and sentiment.

This card is also for  Allsorts - #635/6 Anything Goes with the option of Roses

A penguin, a polar bear.... and a walrus

I like using sketches as a starting point for my cards. Here I used a previous sketch by Sunday Stamps, from June 2021. So not long ago.
I used a DP with snowflakes (from BoBunny, I believe), washi tape and stamps from Avery Elle. The blackboard sign was cut from a freebie DP with a magazine.
The animals were colored and I added a few white details with a Posca pen.
Die cut snowflake, decorated with a single white pearl.

This card is for:
Christmas Crafts All Year Round - Something starting with O and/or P (P=Penguin and Polar bear)
Crafty Gals Corner - #221 Christmas in July

Insects

I've seen some card layouts and sketches lately that gave me the idea to try sectioning my card into panels, using my Lawn Fawn die. I left out the frame and used the cut out panels only.
Before cutting I stamped to pieces of paper with my Memory Box butterfly stamp. I cut on piece into sections and placed these onto the other with foam pads.
Before I did so I colored the butterflies with colors from Color Throwdown. I don't often get to play, but I'm visiting every week, I love seeing how people use the color scheme in different ways.
I also added some paint splatter and embossing powder for a bit of sparkle.

This card is for:
Color Throwdown - #653
Alphabet Challenge - I IS FOR INSECTS
My Time to Craft - #462 No Patterned Paper