New Challenge at Inkspirational!

Hi friends!

I'm here with my DT card for the new challenge at Inkspirational:

I decided to try something I hadn't tried before, "letter substitution" inspired by Day 10 lesson at the Spring Card Camp 2 at Online Card Classes that I have been taking. Don't know if this counts as funny... But it tries to be a bit funny at least! :) The colors of my card come form the current MFT color challenge.  I'm using their super duper cute gnome in my card. I've colored him with Copics and added some dots with white gel pen. Pretty unusual color combo for me but it's growing on me! My blue is a bit darker than in the challenge colors but I'm hoping to get away with it lol! Thanks for popping by and I hope to see you joining us at Inkspirational! 

Before I go I want to show you my take 1 on this card... After realizing that substituting the letter o with my image basically makes everyone read hell + gnome I thought I better re-do the card lol... But what can you say... Mistakes are made for learning! :) 

Guest Designing at Create a Smile Stamps Challenge!

Hi friends!

I have the great pleasure to be guest designing at the current Create a Smile Stamps Challenge where we dare you to create a smile by creating a project using the sketch above! Create a Smile stamps do need to be the focal point of your creation. I've used a fun set called In Bloom.

Along with the sketch my card was heavily inspired by the Day 6 Lesson at Spring Card Camp 2 at Online Card Classes, "Creative Color Blocking". I decided to use pastel colored card stock (the card stock has a soft water color look, it's not completely "flat" in color) and combine that with black stamping. I quite like how this turned out! The simple heat embossed sentiment is by Altenew. I used my Misti for stamping the panels -very easy and fast! Hope you like and thanks for popping by. 

If you own some Create a Smile stamps, don't hesitate to play along in the challenge -if you don't know this inspiring company yet, check out their amazing store and the incredibly cheap flatrate worldwide shipping!! 

Homework for Spring Card Camp 2

HI friends!

I'm here to share some homework for Spring Card Camp 2 at Online Card Classes. This card is for Day 11 and the lesson is by Julie Ebersole with the topic "anti coloring" -colorful cards without coloring in. I love coloring in but this technique was very fun and new to me and I love how my card turned out. It's wonderful to get new inspiration like this! I'm behind in the class but am just making cards for the lessons when I can, always choosing a lesson I'm most interested in next! :)

The flower stamp is by W+9 and the sentiment by Waffleflower. I used Versamark for the background stamping and the image on white base is heat embossed with copper embossing powder. 

I'd like to join:

Stamping Sensations: Say it with Flowers 

Thanks for popping by!

New Challenge at Time Out!

Hi friends!

We have a new, very inspiring challenge for you to join at Time Out:

Our sponsor is Visible Images with an amazing £25 coupon to their store! Our winner also gets called to guest design in a future challenge. This time the guest designer is the very talented Joanna. Love her CAS style!

In my card I'm using two stamp sets from our amazing sponsor:

 Creative Chaos and Live Life Now

I've stamped and Copic colored the flowers from Creative Chaos and then gold heat embossed the sentiment from Live Life Now. There's some paint splatters in addition to those steps but that's really all there is to this card! My interpretation is both literal and more metaphoric... Firstly, these Visible Images stamps have a more free from, they look "free" as they are... But then the sentiment: At the moment it's very hard to feel freedom with all the restrictions in our societies... And with all the craziness that is our world at the moment... So this sentiment is reminding us to try to nevertheless to "live life now", to feel the freedom of being alive and kicking no matter what! 

Thanks for popping by and I hope to see you joining our challenge. 

Participating in the To Bee Or Nor to Bee Blog Hop!

Hello friends!

I'm very happy to join the To Bee or Not to Bee Blog Hop again, hosted by the wonderful Milka. There's 19 inspiring blogs to visit in this blog hop and also prizes for grabs from amazing sponsors! 

Aim of the hop is to celebrate 3rd World Bee Day, to support bees and bees protection, to raise public awareness of the importance of bees and beekeeping and benefits of using apicultural products for our health.

In my card I've used a stencil by Funky Fossil Designs and bee and hi- stamp by Hero Arts. I was inspired by the Day 5 lesson in Spring Card Camp 2 at Online Card Classes when stenciling -I first chose soft browns for vintage look. I was a bit heavy handed but it does tone down the yellows and orange I used after. I did some hexagon die cutting and popped the hexagons up with fun foam. Naturally some splattering too, can't seem to live without... And then it was time to place my bees and the sequins I used for embellishments. Sorry I don't remember the maker of the friend-die!

This is how the blog hop works:

12 prizes will be given away to 12 winners. 

Giveaway is opened Worldwide (+18), except for minors.

For your chance to win, hop along blogs of the participating designers listed in blog hop list and leave comment on each blog hop stop (19 stops). After commenting, return back to Milka’sblog and add your name to InLinkz, but prior you do, please read Blog Hop details, terms, giveaway rules and privacy policy which are shared in Milka's blog post below InLinkz.

InLinkz opens on May 20^th, 2020, 6 PM CEST.

InLinkz closes on May 27^th, 2020, 11:59 PM CEST. 

Winners’ names will be announced on Milka’s blog on May 31st 2020 during the day.

Giveaway:

Clearly Besotted Stamps, £20 e-Gift Card to the Store

Gerda Steiner Designs, $15 Gift Code to the Store

Jane’s Doodles, stamp set of winner’s choice

Lawn Fawn, $25 Gift Certificate to the Store

Newton’s Nook Designs, $25 Store Credit

Paper Smooches, ‘Bees’ Dies

Pretty Pink Posh, $30 Gift Certificate to the Store

STAMPlorations, $20 Gift Code to the store

STAMPlorations, “Bee” package: stencil, clear sticker pack and embellishments (this prize is available for commentator located in US or has US mailing address)

Uniko, ₤15 e-Gift Certificate to the Store

Your Next Stamp, $20 Gift Card to the Store

Milka is also giving away one Jane’s Doodles stamp set of winner’s choice to one lucky winner.

Here's the blog hop list! Happy hopping and thank you for visiting my blog!

1. Milka Gubo 
2. Alice Huang
3. Amy Tsuruta
4. Anushree Vaish
5. Beverley Brown
6. Ishani Sai
7. Julie Elak 
8. Kaja Vezenšek 
9. Kathleen Curry
10. Larissa Walgemoed 
11. Laura Volpes
12. Linda van Wely
13. Melissa Chipperfield
14. Neha Bhatt
15. Nonni Niskanen YOU ARE HERE!
16. Samantha Mann
17. Sue Hastead 
18. Tanja Kabel 
19. Valentina Bizjak
Milka Gubo (InLinkz – return after commenting and add your name to InLinkz)

I'd like to join:
Simon Says Monday Challenge: We are all A-Buzz

AlexSyberiaDesign May Digi Stamp Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

Hi friends!

Alex Syberia has new digi stamps for us all to enjoy in her shop HERE and I'm super happy to participate in the blog hop for this amazing release! 

To celebrate this release, Alex is giving away 7 $10 gift certificates.

Please leave a comment on each of the participating designers’ blogs/IG accounts in this blog hop by 05/22/2020 for a chance to win. Winners will be chosen at random from the comments left on any of the blogs/IG accounts listed below and will be announced on Alex's blog on 05/23/2020.

There's so much inspiration for you in this blog hop using the new images. The full list of blogs/IG accounts is available in Alex's blog HERE and also in this post, after the card photos. 

Let's have a look what I made!

Card 1 

White Gardenia

Well... Not that white in my card lol! I've printed this image on kraft, colored it with Copics and pencils, splattered some gold and white paint and created a simple card with dimension from die cutting and heat embossing the sentiment. 

Card 2

Kokeshi Doll Mitsuki

This kokeshi doll image is so adorable, something completely different, right!! Again I've colored the image with Copics and pencils and created a simple card with die cut details and a heat embossed sentiment. The idea for the green hair and red eye glasses came from my boyfriend! 

Card 3

Full Bloom

Alex's designs look amazing printed both small or large, all sizes work! I wanted to print the Full Bloom image pretty small to practice on using my Copics for creating shading on smaller petals. My CAS loving heart enjoys all the white space here... And again I've created the card with dimensional die cutting and heat embossed sentiment. :) 

I hope you like this inspiration and thanks for popping by! Here's the complete blog hop list for you, I've also noted where you are at the moment. :) Happy hopping! 

Alex Syberia

Amber Rain Davis

Hannelie Bester

Nora Niskanen YOU ARE HERE!

Ilda Dias

Natasha Vacca

LauraJane

Jenny Colacicco

Yasmin Diaz

Tina Wilstrup

Rebecca Rapanaro

TaeEun Yoo

Jyoti Adhikari

Colleen Balija

Sandhya Iyer

Rightbrainart

Nicoletta Porcu

Sharon White

Elena Cazares

Bonnie Crane

Melissa Goodman

IG Designers:

Joe Sysavath

Maura R

Enna Adams

Tracy Ware

Zubaida

Guest Designing at Flower Challenge -My Reminder Card!

Hi friends!

I'm the happy guest designer of the Flower Challenge in the month of May and am here with my second card for the May theme -Monochrome! 

I went with blues this time. Blue is my favorite color so I had to choose that for my second monochromatic card!

This card has pretty much going on... The edges of the base card are stenciled with a geometric pattern (very hard to see this in the photo), the second layer is dry embossed and then die cut for creating the square window. The Newton's Nook flowers are colored in with Copics and pencils and then die cut.  I colored the white edges of the die cut flowers blue for even more blue look. :) The stamped sentiment is by Waffle Flower. I've finished the card with some splatters of shimmering pearly white gold paint and some clear drops. 

 I'd like to play along at:

Stamping Sensations: Say it with Flowers

Thank you for popping by and thank you Viv and all others from the Flower Challenge for the warm welcome! I truly enjoyed being a guest designer in this fabulous challenge! 

More Homework for Spring Card Camp 2!

Hi friends!

I'm here sharing more homework for the Spring Card Camp 2 by Online Card Classes. The topic of day 3 was dry embossing with stencils and topic for day 4 was "statement with sentiments". I combined these two into this CAS card created with a Funky Fossil stencil and a simple sentiment by Altenew, heat embossed 8 times in cardstock rainbow color. This was a pretty simple sentiment stamp for this, I hope I would have had something a bit more stylish and fun in my stash... But the truth is sentiment stamps are my most boring items! English is not my mother tongue so I often opt for buying pretty image stamps, not interesting sentiments... But there's no logic to this though because I then anyway use the "boring sentiments" because that's all I have, in English or not lol! :) 

Thanks for popping by and have a good week, staying healthy and safe. xx

Cards for Spring Card Camp 2!

HI friends!

Do you ever feel like you make "the same card" all the time? I know I do! The Spring Card Camp 2 from Online Card Classes had perfect timing... I'm hoping to craft a lot in May (I have a bit more free time than usually this time of year due to the corona situation) and was looking into new ideas / am in need of reminders of fun techniques I forget to use! 

 Here I'm sharing my two first cards for the class:

Card 1 

Simple Masking

I've cut a MFT half circle shape from masking paper, masked the shape and then stamped the Create a Smile flowers, colored them with Copics and gel pens... And then added paint splatters along with white heat embossed sentiment on black card. 

With this card I'd like to play along:

Create a Smile Stamps challenge: Sketch challenge

Card 2 

Creating Stripes

In this technique you combine a stripy stamp with masked stripes. Loved how this background turned out and will certainly try variations of this technique in the future! I used flower and sentiment stamps and dies by Altenew. Coloring with Copics and pencils. 

With this card I'd like to play along at:

Stamping Sensations: Say it with Flowers

Thanks for popping by and check out this fun class by Online Card Classes! 

New Challenge at Time Out!

Hi friends!

I'm here to share my DT card for the new challenge at Time Out:

It's time for one of our theme challenges and as always we have a prize for grabs for those who choose the optional twist: one layer card. The prize is a $20 voucher to Birch Press Designs! 

My inspiration for Arts was ceramic vases/pottery and painting. I colored in a Penny Black image with Copics and used a faux paint brush stroke card for the background. The die cut sentiment is by MFT. Hope you like and thanks for popping by! Our DT has lots more inspiration for you in our challenge blog, do have a look and then take some time out and make a project for our challenge! :)

I'd like to join:

Penny Black Saturday Challenge: Anything Goes

Stamping Sensations: Say it with Flowers

Guest designing at The Flower Challenge!

Hi friends!

In the month of May I have a great pleasure to guest design in one of my favorite challenges: The Flower Challenge. In this challenge you must use florals you've created yourself (for example stamped, die cut or made by hand) or colored if using digital images, patterned paper or other similar "ready" products. 

The challenge for May is Monochrome!

For my first card for May I chose browns as my colors and had super fun coloring in these gorgeous Waffle Flower flowers on kraft with Copcis. I did add some little shading with pencils as well and used gel pens to add detail to the flower centers. The background is stamped with a background stamp from The Ton on the same kraft card I used for the flowers. Love how this turned out!  

I hope to see you all joining The Flower Challenge, it's defitinely one of the coolest challenges in blogland and the DT has amazing inspiration!

New Challenge at Inkspirational!

Hi friends!

Weeks go by so quickly these days... It's time for a new challenge at Inkspirational! I hope you are all staying safe and feeling well. In Finland we have the schools opening again on 14th of May which means a lot to many children and to the their parents too I'm sure. So a glimpse of improvement in sight here! 

Our new challenge is a photo inspiration:

Lots to be inspired here, right!

I went with the obvious and chose pink flowers... To me the dark windows really popped from the photo too so I wanted to bring lots of black to my design as well. 

I've stamped the Altenew flowers on black Memento on Neenah card and colored them with Copics. I then masked the flowers and inked the background with Black Soot distress ink. I had my flower stamp left in my stamping tool so I then stamped the image again with black Versafine and heat embossed it with clear powder to make my black outlines stand out more from the black background again. I was pretty terrified when re-stamping but luckily I had good results! White heat embossed sentiment (also Altenew), paint splatters and clear sequins finished the card. This was a pretty time consuming card (coloring the image, cutting lots of small masks and inking with black, that took some elbow grease!) but I do love the results!

Hope you like, thanks for popping by and I look forward seeing you play along at Inkspirational!