Hello card

The amazing new blog Lily Pad Cards is organised a monthly digital die cut challenge, based on a free digital die cut file that will provide for each challenge! The file comes in several formats, including pdf for those who don't have a digital die cut machine, isn't that great?

The first file prepared by Vicky (one of my favourite card designers!), and which you can get for free here is the following:

With this file (and the help of Silhouette), I prepared the following card:

This card is for the following challenges:

- Lili Pad Cards - Digital Die Cut Challenge

- Simon Says Stamp - Anything goes: Simon Says Stamp blog celebrates its 2nd anniversary and organises an amazing blog hop with great prizes. Click the link above to see more details.

Supplies:

From my stash: brown button, twine and orange ribbon

Happy Home

But first of all... Happy Easter everyone! I hope you're having a great time these days!

I got to meet friends, family... and get some much needed rest! This long weekend has helped be relax, get rid of some stress and think clearly.

And, of course, do some craft ;o)

A friend of mine has just moved into a new house and I was thinking of making a card for her. Since I was going to use the cute house from Waltzing Mouse Stamps - Sewing Box (again!), I popped over to the Challenge blog to check the latest sketch challenge, and I loved it! And I thought I would experiment again out of my comfort zone and play with pastel colours for the first time. Here's the result:

So, this card is for the following challenges:

- Simon Says Stamp - Emboss it
- Waltzing Mouse Sketch Challenge #44 with the following sketch:

Materials used:

- Vintage Rose Collection by Pink Petticoat - that was a freebie from Quick Cards magazine, couldn't find it online...

Enjoy the journey baby Natasa!

I wanted to prepare something for the first lesson of Melenia's scrapbooking class... Two days ago I received the first Tim Holtz products I had ordered. So I started looking at my old photos (I mean really old!). And I found my favourite one from my baptism.

This layout has some elements that I use for the first time (I mean I have never used them when making cards, because this is only the third layout that I prepare). The doily, the lace below the picture, even the brown colour...

Those who know me well, know that these are elements I would stay away from, they are not my "style". However, one of the things that I like about scrapbooking and making cards is that there are aesthetics that catch my eye that wouldn't have done so if not for a wonderful card or layout and with which I want to experiment.

This time I will say again "hope you like it", because I really do... Given however that I am in a training mode... I would really appreciate it if you could give me your opinion, what could I have done better?

Thank you!

Birthday Anya

This month a few friends of mine celebrate their birthdays... what better excuse to prepare some birthday cards? ;o)

Here's super-cute Anya, in pink and green colours:

This card is for the following challenges:

- Wee Memories #52 - All things adorable

- I Love Promarkers #61 with the following sketch:

- Simon Says Stamp - Card for a child

Now, truth to be said, although I like the colours that I have used, they are not my favourite ones. However, I thought I would go a bit out of my safe waters and I found a colour challenge in Anya blog that gave me the inspiration to use the colours that you see... Only when I finished the card and looked at the challenge again, I realised that I had missed the deadline. And this has happened to me once again - and again with an Anya challenge! ?!? (And by the way, since I had lost the deadline and yesterday was raining in Athens, which means the light was really poor, I postponed taking the photo until this morning... just a trivial info ;o))

Anyway....

Here is what I used for the card:

- Promarkers: Ivory, Blush, Honeycomb, Tan, Cocoa, Burnt Sienna, Cocktail Pink, Magenta, Grass, Lush Green

Easter card

This is the first time that I pre-schedule a post, I hope it works!

Sooo.... Easter is here and, although I am not an Easter cards fan, I thought I should give it a try. Then I discovered the Waltzing Mouse monthly Waltzes, and as I don't seem to get tired of the stamps I got my hands on recently (nor will I get tired I think!), I thought I could be motivated by the Easter theme to make a card... and I was!

Still Easter cards are not my favourite ones, but at least now I can say that I gave it a try ;o)

Looking forward to see what the rest "Waltzers" are going to prepare!

The card is also for the Get Creative April 1st challenge - make something for Easter

Life is like a rainbow

When I saw Wee Memories current challenge, which is about projects using twine, I was looking forward to receiving the twine I had ordered a few weeks ago from The Twinery. Yesterday, when I came back home I finally found the package waiting for me!

As soon as I opened it and saw all the wonderful colours, the Lili Pad colour challenge came to my mind. 

So, of course, I headed to my craft area to see what I could prepare.

I have to admit that it looks a bit more childish than what I planned, but I spent some time printing, die cutting and making the rainbow (had to make it twice, but one learns from one's mistakes, right?), so I thought I would still give it a try with the challenges. Plus, I love the quote ;o)

So this card is for the following challenges:

Wee Memories #51 - Tangled up 

Lili Pad Cards - Kathy's Color Throw Down

Supplies:

- Twine from The Twinery: Lemondrop, Mandarin, Caribbean, Peapod, Lilac

- Silhouette SD and "Sun and Rain cloud"

- Cardstock: craft, light blue and dark yellow from stash

- Glossy accents

- Distress inks: faded jeans and spiced marmalade

- Sakura gelly roll white

- Bazzill basic papers stitch templates

Hope you like it!

Love you flowers

As I said yesterday, once I start, I keep going...

So yesterday, after so many hours crafting, I had an idea just before going to bed. I started to see how it would turn out, and finished it this morning.

The colours were inspired by all the spring card challenges and especially by Lili Pad Cards first official challenge! It's Kathy's Color Throw Down with the following gorgeous colours:

So this card is for the following challenges:

- Lili Pad Cards - Kathy color throw down
- Get Creative April 5th - a card with spring colours or spring theme
- Simon Says Stamp - spring colours or Easter

Materials:

- Papers:
  - K&Company - Brenda Walton
  - White and orange cardstock from my stash
- Sentiment stamp Waltzing Mouse - Teeny trees
- Versafine Onyx black ink pad
- Ribbons: Lime raffia, green stitching floss, orange ribbon by Dovecraft
- Die cuts:
  - Circle and scalloped circle Nestabilities
  - Oval by Nellie's multi frames
  - Flower punch by HobbyCraft
- Small perles from my stash

Hope you like it!

You Shine

So today it has been confirmed... Either I don't do anything crafty for some days... Or I cannot stop, lol

So this morning I went to two classes with Nathalie Kalbach which were really great. From 9am to 4pm (ok, with several breaks... ;o) ) I prepared my first mixed media work and a mini art album... loved it!

And of course, as soon as I came back home, I wanted to go on and on... So I found a card challenge that gave me the inspiration I was looking for. It is again from Waltzingmouse stamps Sketch Challenge # 42, with the following sketch:

And here's what I prepared:

Materials:

- Waltzing Mouse stamps (love them!):

  - Star and Sentiments: Sewing Box Hugs

  - Banner: Bitty Banners

- Inks:

  - Versafine Onyx Black

  - Frayed Burlap Distress Ink

- Papers:

  - Togetherness by Cosmo Cricket

  - Stella and Rose Hattie Papers by My Mind's Eye (I just love these papers!)

- Brads: Also Stella and Rose Hattie Papers by My Mind's Eye

- Stickles Icicle

And as always... I hope you like it!