24 January, 2017

Winter baby

Yet another pattern that didn't make it to the exhibition :) 
The cute teddy sleeping in the clouds has tempted me for long, but in the end I filled the frames with other cards. However, I really wanted to try this cutie and so when I started crafting again after a tiny break, it was his turn.
When it came to making a card, I just couldn't find the rigt way to use the stitched image. As I couldn't even pick the right background paper, I decided to let it be. 
Until... I've been searching for paper for another card yesterday, and suddenly things began to fall in their place. First, I discovered this soft snowflake-patterned paper. Then, I realized I might as well add more structure on my cards as fitting in a frame would no longer be the limit. And since I think roses go fine with lace, I decided to have a look in that part of my stash, too.
When it came to arranging the details, the struggle began all over again. Where could I place the teddy best, where to put the flowers and would the lace fit somewhere between all that after all? In the end, this is what I came up with:
Just before fixing the things together, I decided to colour the motif with coloured pencils. Somehow, I thought the teddy needs a little attention to make sure he won't get lost among all the embellishments.
Then, I decided to place the image with a slight twist. Not too much however, to make sure the embellishments wouldn't be pushed too far to the edges of the card.
As for the roses, I decided to place them in two of the coners of the image. Fitting the colours of the card, I used white and blue shaded flowers only. The lace ended up in the lower part of the card - not too much in front of everything else, and still visible enough to add something soft and fragile.
Still, the right lower corner seemed a little empty. I wanted to add punched snowflakes to the card at first, but then I thought it might be to much of bling. A wooden heart didn't seem to fit either, but  then I remembered a bunch of wooden snowflakes that I've seen recently at Rayher. I was shopping for something completely different that day, but somehow, they just slipped into my shopping basket and wouldn't go away. Now, who says buying things you don't really need (yet) isn't good sometimes? )
A little contribution to the January collection of Create in Austria - artwork created by Austrians and/or in Austria.

challenges: 
a bit more time to craft: ATG
613 avenue create: ATG
a gem of a challenge: flowers
cardmania: layer it
craft-alnica: new beginning (birth)
craftingfromtheheart: ATG
craftingwithanattitude: ATG
crafty calendar: something new (wooden snowflake)
craftycatz: ATG with a twist (monochromatic)
craftyhazelnutspatternedpaper
creative fingers: ATG
creative inspirations: fabulous flowers
- cute card thursday: cool colours
- friendship challenge: snowflakes
- glitternsparkle: four legged friends (teddy) 
inspiration destination: ATG
love to craft: ATG
morgans artworld: ATG
- ooh la la: man/boy
pennys papercraft: ATG
through the craftroom door: ATG
winter wonderland: spring
wordartwednesday: ATG

23 January, 2017

Black & white

Just another quick card featuring one of the patterns I thought I'd use for my exhibition. I've chosen it because I wanted to stitch something new, but in the end it didn't make it into one of the frames as I've used other pieces. 
Therefore, I only stitched it a couple of days ago, using a black and white combination of shimmering yarn. 
To match the swirls in the motif, I used a white swirly background paper. To distinguish the layers, I used a black cardboard and 3D pads. 
As the swirls alone seemed a little boring, I added a tiny silver sticker all around the image. However, I'm still not sure about where the card will end up. Being black and white, it might be a sympathy card, but I'm a little confused by the spiral as well as the silver lining. On the other hand, as matching as the technical patternn seems to be for a masculine card, I'm not quite happy with the choice of colours. Time will tell. Until then, I guess I'll try to sew the swirls with another colour combination to see if I like that one better. Any suggestions?
A little contribution to the January collection of Create in Austria - artwork created by Austrians and/or in Austria.

challenges: 
a bit more time to craft: ATG
- 613 avenue create: ATG with a twist (technical)
craftingfromtheheart: ATG
craftingwithanattitude: ATG
- craftycatz: ATG with a twist (monochromatic)
crafty sentiments: ATG
creative fingers: ATG
- creative moments: ATG
- double D: black & white
everybody art: ATG
inspiration destination: ATG
love to craft: ATG
morgans artworld: ATG
- moving along with the times: swirls
- ooh la la: man/boy
pennys papercraft: ATG
sunny day crafting: ATG
through the craftroom door: ATG
wordartwednesday: ATG
- crazy challenge: black

22 January, 2017

Forgotten

Does it ever happen to you that you're in such a hurry to get something done, that once it's delivered to the recipient and you pat yourself on the shoulder for the last-minute achievement, you actually forget about the whole thing? 
Being totally almost sane and not senile yet, I somehow managed to forget about this creme coloured glitter butterfly card I made a while ago. Browsing through my unpublished photos lately, I remembered how busy I was with this birthday card for a friend. 
Now, how could I forget it in the first place? 
I must have been occupied with some exams, or just not paying attention to the calendar, when one evening I realized I'd need to have that card by - tomorrow. Of course, my immediate reaction was to use something already done, but when nothing seemed good enough, I searched my papers for something that could become a card quickly. 
I found the glitter background paper that used to be one of those "I know exactly what I'll do with it" buys that you never realize once you're home. However, I did remember that I planned to combine it with shimmering cream coloured paper and butterflies for a romantic card, so my next task was to find those things in my stash. 
Only then I realized that the punched butterflies wouldn't match as I thought they would. Bummer! I tried a couple of things to fill the empty space while running out of time until I finally found some sheets of thin paper butterflies that you only need to cut out from their frames. Among them, even cream ones that matched my colour scheme. Yay!
The card was already very different from my original CAS sketch, and to make it special, I decided to add bling. Namely, lots of tiny pearls and a big bunch of flowers. On one hand, the idea was to match the shimmering papers, on the other hand - a girl's birthday can never come up with too much of bling :)
In the end, I layered it all up using 3D pads and used my new border punch for the petal-like swirls. I even added a black background paper to make sure the black stripes of the glitter paper wouldn't stand out too much.
A little contribution to the January collection of Create in Austria - artwork created by Austrians and/or in Austria.

challenges: 
- a bit more time to craft: ATG
- 613 avenue create: ATG
- a gem of a challenge: flowers
- cardmania: layer it
- craft-alnica: new beginning (birthday)
- craftingfromtheheart: ATG
craftingwithanattitude: ATG
- crafty calendar: something new (butterflies, border punch)
craftycatz: ATG with a twist (monochromatic)
- crafty sentiments: ATG
craftyhazelnutspatternedpaper
- creative fingers: ATG
- creative inspirations: fabulous flowers
- everybody art: ATG
- deep ocean: anything new (butterflies, border punch)
- creative moments: something new
- inspiration destination: ATG
- love to craft: ATG
- morgans artworld: ATG
- pennys papercraft: ATG
- sunny day crafting: ATG
- through the craftroom door: ATG
- winter wonderland: spring
- wordartwednesday: ATG

On the side note, I'd like to clarify that even though I've shown very little throughout the hoidays it doesn't mean I've been lazy. To be precise, I've been busy like never before, trying new patterns and papers with the aim to produce cards that would be flat enough to fit in frames, and to produce them in an amount that would fill an exhibition. Nothing major, but sure enough to be super proud of myself and my first public display :) 
If you happen to be in Ljubljana and have some spare time, feel free to have a look - the entrance is free.
Where: entrance hall at Medicinska fakulteta Ljubljana, Korytkova 2
When: mid-January til mid-February

20 January, 2017

Tranquility

When evening falls and the last rays of sunshine cover the skies in a misty light... And you don't mind the cold because you're beaming from deep inside as your plans have turned upside down for the better... And a sweet kind of tranquility spreads through the night...
A bit of the special light is caught in a bouquet of carnations, flowers that might just be the definition of "impossible to fit in any vase". This time, after trying literally everything, they ended up in an empty jar of compote. And surprisingly, the bunch from the supermarket turned out to be a wonderful surprise of scent, cream colours, and longevity.
A contribution to the Friday-Flowerday at Holunderbluetchen

19 January, 2017

Winter wonderland

It took rather long for this years's snow to appear, but suddenly one day last week I realized the road outside looked unusually bright for the late afternoon hour. Or was it maybe... Could it be that being lost in crafting, I didn't realize a white blanket of snow was spreading on Ljubljana? 
In a sudden drive of energy, I went from comfy tracksuit to trousers, pullover and winter jacket, and off we go! 
Being embraced by heavy snowfall, I soon realized my most important gadget would be the umbrella and I probably would have returned home soaked trough and through without it. Given the amount of snow falling, I found myself on a completely covered Prešeren square with the poet himself overlooking the scene of people rushing home.
Others however couldn't be happier with the real winter. (Because there's no real winter until it's a white one - ha!)
After a little crafting-related shopping just to get warm inside the store it was time to head home again. By the way, does anyone else do that, get inside the store just to to thaw when it's really cold outside and you can't feel your fingers anymore? :)

... And after a rather short night, it was time to explore more of the white. On one hand, the fist day of snow of course offers snow that is not too trampled and peed on, on the other hand, with many of the side streets being neither plowed nor strewed with salt, any time later the walked pavements are turning into a wicked frozen track that makes it hard to walk on. How comes Ljubljana seems to forget its pedestrians every year? 
On that very first day however, everything was perfect and I planned to do a big leap through park Tivoli, the city center, and maybe even the castle hill. Until I peeked outside. Even though I could't think of a way to dress more and better, it was already at the Northern City Park that I couldn't feel my fingers anymore. 
However, nature rewarded with white on white everywhere. From tall trees to small branches...
... And a lonely girl reading in the park... 
... One of the few sights of colour
... And which of the trees could possibly be real?
And in this peacefullness, the Navje Memorial Park seemed especially lovely.
Life between the graveyards...
Snow dragon
By the end of day, Navje was as far as I would get before rushing home inside a shop to get warm again. Not without learning that snow can make familiar sights appear in a totally different dmension ;)
A little contribution to the gallery of sky images at Raumfee.