Colourful everyday cards

Hi and Happy Wednesday!
Today I wanted to share with you two easy-to-make everyday cards I have made:


The patterns for the colourful panels are made using only one circle stamp by Visible Image. I stamped the image several times with black ink on white cardstock, letting the circles overlap each other and form random patterns:


Then I chose three matching ProMarker colours, and coloured the stamped pattern. I wanted the result to be light and bright, so I left many of the areas white. Focusing on one little area at a time and colouring without too much planning was very meditative!



The width of the coloured panel was bit larger than half of my card front. I trimmed the piece to size, mat on matching colour cardstock, and attached to my card front. For cutting the 'hello' word I used my die-cutting machine and little alpha dies. Done!

After finishing the first card I wanted to check how the card would look like when coloured with a new set of matching colours:


I think the result looked just as good!
And now I'm thinking whether I should make a few cards more using three different colours- blue, yellow and green perhaps?

For more information on the Visible Image circle stamp I used please click on the picture below:



Wishing you a wonderful week,
Hugs,

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Die-cut Christmas cards

Hi!
This is the usual story every single year: Early autumn I notice that the amount of Christmas cards is increasing in the social media. Christmas is soon here! My head starts spinning of ideas, and I look forward to making lots of different Christmas cards, personalized for every receiver. I start planning, but not making the cards yet.
Then other priorities shift my focus elsewhere, and the great idea of spending several wonderful evenings making Christmas cards fades. With card design plans totally forgotten I suddenly realize that it's December already. Christmas preparations suddenly take all my extra time, and then two nights before the last Christmas card mailing date I start panicing. The first night I spend planning the one design I will use for each and every card, and the second night I stay up almost until morning making the cards, just in time to get them mailed for Christmas. Phew!

This year I even surprised myself. I managed to start early, as the Paperilla blog design team was challenged to create quick-to-make Christmas cards. I played along and my first lot of six cards is now ready. In the middle of November! Woohoo!


The main element for this card is a die-cut Christmas bauble, cut with a new Sizzix Thinlits die set 'Festive Bird'. The detailed design does not require much other embellishing, and I just added the heat-embossed Christmas wishes panel and a white die-cut twig (using a die from Sizzix/Tim Holtz 'Holiday Greens' set.



I decided to make six cards at one go, so I started with cutting pieces of grey cardstock, slightly larger than the bauble die. Thin two-sided tape is of great help when die-cutting and adhering die-cut pieces containing lots of fine details. I taped the back of the grey cardstock, and run the paper through my BigShot, with die facing the grey cardstock and taped side against the cutting plate.
If the tape has a strong backing paper the die may not cut completely through all the details which is the result you want. When you remove the backing, most of the little scrap pieces stay on the backing making the cleaning of the die-cut piece super easy.
I attached the grey die-cut baubles on white cardstock and cut out the circles with scissors, and decorated the card fronts with red birds, die-cut with the same baubles die. Little red dots are seed beads I like to use often on my cards.


I continued with die-cutting the twigs and heat-embossing the Christmas greeting text. For the card background I cut a simple panel from patterned paper, and glued it down on the folded card base. I'm not too fond of symmetrical designs, so therefore I placed the panel bit on the left.


Then I die-cut the top parts for the baubles, glued the pieces together, and glued the images on the card front. Baubles are hanging on the white twigs with silver yarn.

I really like the festive look of these cards. And the fact that they were really easy to make!


Wishing you a wonderful weekend!
Hugs,
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Art journal page: Confetti!

Hi and Happy Wednesday!

The snowy white scenery is starting to change again; temperature is rising and snowfall is shifting to wet rain. Instead of complaining about the changing weather I decided to take a positive perspective and created a happy art journal page:


First I painted the background with blue acrylic paints, then 'white-washed' the entire page with applying a thin layer of white paint with a baby wipe. I continued with stamping vertical lines on the background with white paint, using the rain background stamp from Visible Image 'Sparkle In The Rain' set. The same stamp (together with the puddles stamp from the same set) was used also for finishing the page; I stamped over the acrylic paint using grey StazOn ink.

The lovely girl image was stamped twice on blue cardstock and heat embossed using black and red embossing powders.


Even though the page is quite flat there are many layers of paint and stamping. The textures on the background are texture paste applied through a stencil. For both blending the white texture paste into the background but also for highlighting the fun textures I dry-brushed the background with a hint of blue acrylic paint.

The lovely quote I picked up from Pinterest, wrote on white cardstock, cut out, and glued on the page. Done!



I came across another quote by Louise Hay: "There's no such thing as good weather, or bad weather. There's just weather and your attitude towards it." I think the girl on my art journal page could not agree more!


For more information on the Visible Image stamp set I used please click on the picture below:



Wishing you a wonderful week,
Hugs,

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Mixed media card for November Take It Make It challenge

Hi!
Winter has hit Southern Finland exceptionally early this year, and this week we have got lots and lots of snow! As much as I love the snowy trees and the beautiful white scenery, I yet like to admire the view through the window, wearing warm knitted socks and holding a warm cup of tea in my hand. My kids are so excited about the early winter and love playing in the snow, but I rather stay inside. I thought that the snow storm days have been just the perfect weather for crafting!

November Craft Stamper Take It Make It challenge is ongoing, and I'm amazed about the gorgeous entries we have received already during the first week. Follow this link to read the challenge details and to link your entry. And for more inspiration by the DT please follow this link, I'm sure those projects will inspire to play along. There's no hurry yet- you have until the end of November 23 to enter.

Here's my second project for the challenge:


The background of this card is coloured with pink and purple Distress Stains; I used a brayer to apply the colours on the white cardstock. Once dry I placed a die-cut circle mask on the card and dabbed white acrylic paint on the lower right part of the card front.


The flower silhouettes are heat embossed on the card front. I first embossed them using black embossing powder, and then with silver grey powder (using an embossing ink pen for highlighting parts of the flowers).
White splash marks on the upper left corner are made with gesso and a stencil.


Quite often I start working on a piece of cardstock larger than my finished card. Once the card is ready I cut it to size, and very often there are small leftover pieces of the card front pattern. I like to use those pieces on the inside of the card, repeating the colours and patterns of the card front on the otherwise very blank second page.

On Sunday we're celebrating Father's day, and we are going to have a nice Father's day lunch lunch with my family and my parents. Looking forward to that already! I hope you have time to do something fun this weekend, too!
Hugs,

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Is it Friday yet? Crazy Dog on a colourful card

It's Friday, folks!
And time for a new Craft Stamper Take It Make It challenge. 'Anything goes', just remember to include rubber/polymer stamping on your project somehow, somewhere!


One lucky winner will get a wonderful 'Mushroom Stamp Set' from The Artistic Stamper. A must-have, for sure!



This week I've been playing with my new Crazy Dogs stamps together with their matching dies. Love those cute dogs and their funny expressions.


The background stripes are stamped with an older Tim Holtz/Sizzix embossing folder. The idea was to create a pattern but not to emboss the card, so after inking and misting one side of the opened embossing folder I just pressed a piece of mixed media cardstock on it. When using inks on your embossing folder I recommend to use water soluable inks like Distress inks for easy cleaning.
After drying the paper with my heat gun I added more colour on the card by picking up orange ink colour from my craft mat (for more info on the technique please see this Tim Holtz blog post).


For colouring the Crazy Dog I used my ProMarkers. Tip: When colouring with alcohol markers remember to use water-soluable ink for stamping (I like to use Memento Tuxedo Black); then you can colour over the stamped lines without worrying that the markers will smudge the stamping ink.


Is it Friday yet? Oh yes, it is! Wishing you a fun and creative weekend. Hope you have time to play along our challenge!

Hugs,

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Easy birthday cards

Hi!
Finnish challenge site Jehkotar Craft Challenge revealed a fun mood board for our November challenge:


Inspired by the candles and happy birthday wishes I made two simple cards:




The candle stamp image had originally 10 candles in a row. My task was to make one card for  a 9-years old birthday boy, and another one for an 11-years old birthday girl, I had to play a bit with post-it note masking. The candles and the background are coloured with watercolours, and decorated with a simple die-cut 'scribble' (die from *this* Tim Holtz/Sizzix die set). The die-cut scribble was a bit too large for this project, and I cut it to half before gluing it down on the card front.



The birthday wishes text ('Onnea' translates to 'Congrats') I punched with my Dymo.

These cards were really simple and quick to make! Maybe I should make a few more for the next birthday parties to come...!

Wishing you a happy day. Thanks for stopping by!



Cards in vintage style

Hi!
Collages are an easy and fun way to create backgrounds for your card projects. Layered papers on the background add just the right amount of detail and texture without taking the focus from the main element.


For these below cards I made the background following a tutorial by Tim Holtz (12 Tags of 2016, October). I thought that the highlighted collage medium crackles and the vintage clocks were a perfect match to the cute white rabbit!



Both cards are made pretty much the same way. The small card has the size of an ATC.




For colouring the rabbits I used my ProMarkers.


I really like the vintage look of these cards!    



For more information on the Visible Image stamp I used please click on the picture below:



Wishing you a nice and not too hasty day,

Best wishes,
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October Mixed Media Card Challenge: Card for Thanksgiving

Hi!

New month, and a new Mixed Media Card Challenge:


In Finland we're not celebrating Thanksgiving, but many of us participate in bigger or smaller harvest festivals. Good food, friends and lovely time together are always good reasons to get together! 

Inspired by the pumpkins on the challenge theme picture I made this below mixed media card:


The pumpkins are hand-drawn on a piece of mixed media cardstock, and coloured with water-soluable Neocolor II crayons and acrylic paints. For the background I first used yellow Distress inks and then partly painted it over with acrylic paints. The drops are made with splashing water on the inked surface.


The brown silk leaves are cut from an old leaf ribbon I have had in my stash for a while already. So happy that I found use for it :)
The frame is die-cut from heavy watercolour paper.


I hope you get inspired and play along! Pls follow this link for reading the challenge details and viewing all gorgeous Thanksgiving cards the DT has made.


Wishing you a wonderful day!
Hugs,
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