Paper Crafts

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Back on the paper trail

I returned from a 4-week vacation in Indonesia and Malaysia only last week… it was extended a little bit by the disruption of air traffic after that Icelandic volcao had erupted. But I had a great time traveling Java, Bali and then some in Malaysia, meeting pen friends along the way and making new friends, too. And even though there was enough to plow through at work, I was soon back at creating cards as well. My Dad will be 80 this June and it was time that we sent out the invitations. So I set out to create a card that was simple (talking about straight lines and such), festive and easy to mass-produce. And I even found a way of including a „souvenir“ from Malaysia: I found the glitter paper in a store in Kuala Lumpur’s Chinatown. Here’s the result:

I have a feeling I’ll soon be back participating in the CPS competitions… and see what the Christmas Card blog will challenge us to in May 😉

Take care!
Barbara

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Snowmen in green

It has finally happened: I have found a community that seems to be just about as crazy about Christmas as I am… creating „Christmas cards all year round“! That’s the end of being defensive about this hobby 🙂

They do a challenge every month and for the month of March the idea was to create five cards that are mainly green and feature a snowman. It was something I would never have thought of: to me, snowmen somehow go with blue… probably having in mind ice that has a blue hue or the perfect blue sky of a winter day. Or just that green is associated with spring, with all the fresh flowers etc. Whatever. But thanks so much for suggesting this – I really like the combination and am happy that I was pushed towards trying!

One of the cards also is in this week’s CPS 157 challenge.. I had already published it here but will add it again into my display here.

Green Christmas No 1 - loosely based on the circle design of the CPS challenge #157

Cardstock: Artoz
Other papers: unknown origin
3D images: KARS
Glitter: Stickles Glitter Glue

Green Christmas No 2

Cardstock: Paper Source
Background paper: K&Company Peppermint Twist
3D image: Die Idee

Green Christmas No 3

Cardstock and papers: unknown origin
3D image: Die Idee

Green Christmas No 4

Cardstock: Artoz
Other papers: unknown origin
3D image: last year’s wrapping paper
Stars: Weltbild

Green Christmas No 5

Cardstock: Clairefontaine Pollen
Dark green paper: Artoz
Other papers: unknown origin
3D image: Kreativ mit Karten magazine
Felt stars: Zeeman

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Christmas in March – CPS 157


I have come across a website where I can see what other crazies like me do when it’s not exactly Christmas time – they make Christmas cards! This must be heaven 🙂 … and such a relief that others share my addiction… Anyway, it’s Christmas Cards All Year Round. How will I survive may almost one-month vacation starting March 27, traveling and not being able to make cards?! I guess I just have to be strong 😉 The March challenge on Christmas Cards All Year Round is to create five Christmas cards in mainly green that feature a snowman. The first one I made for that also fits the CPS sketch #157 – only that it’s not square. But I will pass on making square cards for the time being just because the postage for them is so incredibly expensive in Germany. Here’s the result:

Supplies:
Cardstock: Artoz
Papers: unknown origin
3D images: Kars
Glitter: Stickles Glitter Glue

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Get well soon – CPS 156

I have to say I was downright exhausted after two intense weeks of being a couch potato watching whatever Olympic competition would only remotely fit my 40-hour work week. Coming down from that adrenaline high of the hockey final probably did its part in doing me in. So at the beginning of the week I didn’t think I’d be participating in any challenge. And now there’s two! Well, there’s this week’s CPS sketch (to the left) and then there’s Delia. Delia is not a challenge – that is: I doubt it or at least I can’t decide on that as I’ve never met her 😉 – but she’s a girl who fell sick with Acute Myeloid Leukemia and has a friend who wanted her to be inundated with get well wishes from all over the place: Dustin Pike. I realize I’m awfully late with this as it was started about a month ago but decided „So what!“… Cards are always welcome. And I just loved the owls he created for this particular purpose as Delia loves owls! If there’s anybody out there who hasn’t found them by now, you can download them here. But now here’s the card:

Supplies:
Cardstock: Paper Source
Patterned papers: BasicGrey lemonade paper pad
Digi stamp: Dustin Pike
Coloring: Copic markers
all else: of unknown origin

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Get well soon bunny – CPS 155, part 2

While the ladies‘ cross country relay competition is going on, let me quickly post a second entry into this week’s CPS competetion. Then I have to return to keeping my fingers crossed for the German team 🙂

I just have to find a better place where to take pictures of my cards…

Supplies:
Cardstock: Paper Source
Other papers: of unkown origin
3D image: from „Kreativ mit Karten“ magazine
Brads: no-name product
Stamp: is not a stamp but a simple print-out

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Spring bunny – CPS 155

I thought this was going to be soooo easy! I loved the sketch when I first saw it and had a zillion ideas what to do with it… and then nothing worked out the way I’d imagined it. This sketch has been driving me crazy this week! I can’t say it kept me up all night because that part was aready achieved by the Olympics (still recovering from the Swedish hockey team losing against Slovakia…). Anyway. I ended up producing a handful of different cards, the bunny being the preferred motif in all of of them. So here’s my first entry into this week’s competition:

Supplies:
Cardstock: Paper Source
Other papers: unknown origin
3D-image: from „Kreativ mit Karten“ magazine
Flower: no-name product

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Green Wedding – CPS 154

Here’s this week’s challenge! And as the readers of my blog are just as new to this challenge as I am I’ve included the sketch. And this is how it works: the sketch is posted and gives you a basic idea of what your card should look like – which elements it should include. I’ve found this to be a rather complicated one as there are so many overlapping layers and again I think I stuck too close to the sketch but anyway.
I had a friend over for a weekend of watching the Olympics at night (due to the different time zone we get to see it all in prime time :-)) and as we were out taking a walk in the snow during the day we got into talking about how hard it is to find nice wedding cards in stores. I guess it’s a matter of taste but still: we agreed that most are just too kitschy and way overpriced. That stuck with me somehow so I decided to make a wedding card! The hearts need no explanation but there’s a lot of green… that’s because an actual wedding is called a green wedding here – don’t ask me why, I guess it’s got something to do with green being fresh and also the color of hope (for a good life together?). Here’s the result:

Supplies
Cardstock: Clairefontaine Pollen
Papers: all kinds of leftovers of unknown origin
Hearts: cut out of wrapping paper of unknown origin
Brad and greeting: no-name products