Guest Designing for Create A Smile Stamps - Bear mail

Hi Everyone,

We are still on our two-week holiday in Ireland with the family (oh, I miss my craft room!), but I am popping by with a quick post today. I have the great honour of guest designing for Create A Smile today, thanks to the fact that I was one of the Featured Artists in a recent challenge of theirs, yay! 

This time, the theme is TEXTURE. For my card, I decided to finally bust out the cutest little bear from the Bear mail stamp set. The moment I saw this stamp set, I knew I had to have it, but - of course - it took me a while to get to using it. I am so happy that I finally had the opportunity! I also used the lovely heart stencil for my background, to add some texture with glitter paste. And, surprise surprise, I had to incorporate some rainbow colours into my project. 

The images are coloured with my beloved ZIGs, and fussy cut.

I hope you like my card, and that you join this fun challenge over at CAS. They're a really great European-based company, with loads of gorgeous and unique designs, and their prices are so pocket friendly, too - that's always a bonus, isn't it? :o)

I am entering the card into the following challenges:

SSS Wednesday Challenge - For the boys

Have a great day, and I hope someone sends some happy mail your way soon,

Mirella

SUPPLY LIST (please see affiliate disclaimer & essential supplies info here):

Mother's Day card - Altenew Educator Certification Program - All About Layering 1

Hi Everyone,

Today's post is a very happy and special one - it's my first post and project share for the AECP (Altenew Educator Certification Program). I am so honoured and happy to be able to participate in this fun initiative, and I hope you will enjoy this "journey" with me! 

My first project was inspired by the "All about layering 1" course (which, by the way, is FREE, so feel free to check it out yourself), where Nicole shares her inspiration using many of the gorgeous layering stamp sets by Altenew. 

Many of her projects truly inspired me, and my creation uses a few of her suggestions and techniques: second generation stamping (the flowers in the background), heat embossing the outlines of the image, fussy cutting and popping up the focal images, using smaller images from the stamp set for the background, and - finally - using the outlined images without the "proper" stamped layers, and free-hand colouring them instead. 

I wanted to make a Mother's Day card for my purple-loving mum, and opted for the "Beautiful day" stamp set, which was my very first set I got from Altenew, and is still my favourite of all the ones I own. 

I had loads of fun making this card, and I am really happy with how my colouring of the flowers with ZIGs turned out - for a moment, I felt like a true watercolour artist, they're so easy to use! 

I was considering adding sequins or other type of bling, or at least some glitter/shimmer, but in the end decided not to - the design is already quite busy, and I wanted to make sure that the main focus is on the three coloured flowers :o)

I hope you like my first project, stay tuned for more in the coming weeks!

I am entering the card into the following challenges:

Altenew April Inspiration Challenge

SSS Monday Challenge - Flower Power

SSS Wednesday Challenge - Anything goes

Work it Wednesday - For the Mom

I will be taking a short break from blogging and crafting for the next few weeks, as I am going away, but I will be back mid-May! 

Take care,

Mirella

SUPPLY LIST (please see affiliate disclaimer & essential supplies info here):

Grey ink - from my stash

Thank you card with Najlepsi Par

Hi Everyone,

Happy Sunday! Looks like spring has come to Helsinki for a few days, and it decided to leave already - it's freezing again today, and I lost all hope that it will be warm again this year! Ugh... Please, please, send us some sunshine if you live in a warmer and sunnier part of the world!

Today, I am sharing with you a circular thank you card that I made for my daughter's playschool teacher. I really wanted to use my recently acquired dies by Najlepsi Par. When the card was finished, I realised that I also needed something to wrap our little gift in...and I got totally giddy when I found the box you can see in the photos - it looks nearly like a matching set! :o)

Quite pleased with the end result. A simple but cheerful and feminine card, I think!?

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

SSS Wednesday Challenge - Sparkle and shine (the tulips have metallic accents on them)

Have a great week ahead,

Mirella

SUPPLY LIST (please see affiliate disclaimer & essential supplies info here):

Tulip dies & circular dies - Najlepsi Par