Thinking of you - watercolor wednesday

 Wednesdays are smy favorite challenge days. I always start Wednesday mornings with a cup of coffee and a look at the new watercolor challenge over at SCS, then spending the day working and longing for the evening when I can have a go. And today was no difference. :) The inspiration youtube video for today's challenge is about painting a lavender field. This video was actually already saved on my account for having a go later. And today is later. Yay. Less yay is that I thought I'd use it for a sympathy card follow up. My friend lost her mother little over a month ago and they had the funeral last week, so I thougt I'd follow up my earlier sympathy card and flowers sent for the funeral with a thinking of you card with a letter in it.

The full painting was a bit much for the occasion, so I decided to frame it and that worked much better. I chose this part to catch the sunlight peeking throug in the left corner, but that meant I also got the more dark part of the painting in the center. So I added som white and orange splashes to lighten it up a bit. I'm quite happy for a first try, and I will paint lavenders again, so much fun and good practice for a more loose painting style.

I used this week's sketch from Tuesday morning sketches. It's a great one!

Thank you for stopping by!

Hey Handsome

 Happy Easter! We've had wonderful days this holiday. Sunshine, golf, lovely food, some wine... just nice! Woke up to a white world today though and I don't feel like snow now. But it is what it is. So, instead of more golf I got me some craft time instead. And that is really great too. 

Today´s Technique lovers challenge over at SCS is called Serendipity Squares and was a hoot! :) You can find the tutorial here. Basically it´s all about tearing scrap paper into small pieces and glue it down on paper and then stamp and color it, making some awesome textured backgrounds or use it for diecuts or what ever. I loved it. But I went a bit heavy with my stamping and adding a bit too much paint so I covered most of the original patterned paper pieces. But I like it anyway. 

I went monochromatic trying for a "masculine" look, making a card for my brother. We haven´t met in over a year (stupid corona again!) and I miss him. So this is a just because kind of card. 

I'm entering this in AAA Cards - Two Quarters, hoping I got the meaning of that. :)

Have a great rest of the day, and thanks for stopping by!

Spring themed cas card

 Hi! Popping in to share the result of a speedy craft session. Worked late and the rest of the evening will be spent in the phone with my boy who is in the process of applying to the university. He has no clue what so ever...

Anyway, the CAS challenge over at SCS is "spring" so I dug out the most spring themed stamp I could find (except all my butterflies...) and the beautiful sketch over at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge and had 30 minutes of fun.

A really simple card but I like it. Especially since it pracically made itself. I just had to color and fussy cut the stamp and adhere it on a base with a diecut border. :) Both stamp and die cut are from Heartfelt Creations.

Here is the ske4tch:

Wish me luck in keeping me calm when dealing with a stressed out and a bit negative young man.

Take care!

Watercolor Wednesday - Roses

 Hi! Today´s watercolor challenge was roses. We got this youtube video as inspiration. It looked fairly easy, just paint some c's around the center... Well, let me tell you it was NOT easy to me. I struggled bad. I have this habit of imagining how things should turn out but it seldom does, and absolutly never ever when comes to watercoloring. But that is part of the fun too. Fun trying, fun learning.

I love this sentiment stamp so I knew from the start I wanted to use it. It´s pretty big, so I had to work around it. It got even bigger since I stamped it with a frame. This frame is kind of funny. It comes from the very first clear stamp set I bought 15 years ago. I remember buying it, cause it was CRAZY expencive. The price tag is still on the cover and I would even today concider it expencive. The sad thing is I never ever used it and tried to sell it when I got rid of most of my stamps. Nobody wanted it. I found it the other day going through my storage room in the basement looking for embossing folders. I'm really happy to help this poor stamp fulfill it's purpose and let it taste ink for the first time. :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Thinking of you

 I love it when challenges make you do a special card for a special person. My best friend as a child lived on a farm and every spring it was a joy to play around all the little cute lambs. We had so much fun! We haven´t met in over a year (stupid corona!!!) and when I saw the daily prompt over at Doodlewash: lamb, the Just Add Ink challenge just add L and the awesome colors from the inspirational photo of The Card Concept the card was done in my head. Well, things seldom come out as I picture it. :) But it´s a card with meaning for the reciever and I enjoyed making it.

I really struggled painting the lamb. I wanted it as white as I remember them but it´s really hard with watercolors with the limited skills I have. But I´m happy with the end result. :) I think she got some attitude with the pose... :)

I was totally inspired by the awesome green nuances with the white on the photo inspiration. It´s spring all over it! I tried to make a clean and simple card with graphic design.

That´s it for today! Thanks for stopping by!

Patterned paper fun

 Hi! I pulled out another of my old and cherished 6x6 paper pads and had som fun making my own background, piecing stamped and embossed images together. I reall like how it came out. :)

I got the octagon stamp from a Cocoa Daisy kit and I really love it, so very versatile. Also used a bird from Skipping Stones Design. They don´t seem to be in business anymore, which is sad. I really enjoyed their sets and have quite a few. 

I used this week's sketch from Just Add Ink as inspiration.

Here is another random card where I tried to paint peonies. It was fun and I'll try some more. Need extra practice on leafs... :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Thinking of you

 Hi there! I combined not two but three of my favorite things to do: watercoloring, card making and doodling. It's a first try combining this so be gentle! :) 

I simply added water color splashes randomly on my paper in red/pink/corall and greens and when dry I doodled away trying to find flower and leaf shapes. Very fun and  intuitive. Didn't know when I started how it would turn out but it's ok for a first try I think.

This is a one layer card for this week's challenge over at Less is More. This time I used flowers (the other day I did another card for this challenge but when writing up the blogpost I realized I had totally gone happy crazy about the one layer part (LOVE THAT) and totally missed the flower part... 

I was so inspired by the inspiration photo from Just Add Ink. The coral colorss went a little bit too yellowish but hey, I'm learning!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Mail

This is the last stamp I bought way back, and never used. It was a true joy to ink it up. Made a card for a long lost card making friend trying to re-connect. Wish me luck! :) 

I was inspired by two challenges: AAA Cards #183 One Corner, and Casology week 383:Envelope. I know, the envelopes are tiny, but they are there... :)

Thanks for stopping by!

New blog, new creative life... maybe...

 It's strange how life changes. Six years ago, I was into scrapbooking and card making big time. I had difficulties understanding the concept of creative blocks. I saw friends from the scrapbooking community leave, not to be seen again. Blogs I had been following for years and years suddenly stopped updating and so forth. I found it really strange and thought it could never happen to me. But it did. For the last five years I've not touched my stamps and papers except for a sell out of a big part of my stash when moving to a new apartment. 

Did I miss it? Not really. There were to many things going on in my life to bother. And to be honest, I think the last years before putting my stamps down, I put too much pressure on me. Being on several design teams, deadlines to be met, competition, create, get published, share, get likes and comments... it finally took the fun away. Until it was too much. Then I stopped. Just like that.

And now, for a few weeks, I feel the urge to create again. I'm rusty. I don't have much stash (Thank God I never sold the basic tools and my favorite stamps!!!) But I have what counts - some energy and longing to create. I started with some doodling, and I've been doodling like crazy. Then I started to color my doodling... And yesterday I made my first card. It's for my mom. She's turning 71 tomorrow and she will be over the moon happy to, again, receive a hand made card. 

I doodled some poppies and colored them with water colors. And that's it. :) Happy and trying not to be too critical of my long neglected coloring skills. It's a struggle, I tell you! Working on it. Need to improve on my photo technique, and, more important, take photos in daylight.

I started this new blog instead of continuing my old one. I need a fresh start, I want a place to document the things I do, have the possibility to share what I do when I like, and most importantly, have no pressure from my past. Just have fun. And right now, I'm having fun!

Some things don't change... I do love card challenges... So, I will enter this card in this month's The Paper Funday Challenges. Anything goes, perfect fit.