Hi crafty peeps,

we already reached the mid of February – this means we have a new challenge over at the bastel-traum.ch blog for you. The theme is pretty easy and versatile: «Birthday/Party».

 

This challenge will run until March 15th, 8:55 am CET (Central European Time).

Alcohol Inks made a huge comeback these days, so I decided to create a background on Yupo Paper with aqua, blue and green tones. I thought it would be fun to use the Inlaid Die Cutting technique with the Memory Box «Fresh Foliage» die.

The sentiment is from the Winnie & Walter «The Party» stamp set and I heat embossed it with Ranger «Liquid Platinum» powder. I cut a mat from SSS «Fog» cardstock using a MFT «Stitched Rectangle» die. To finish off my card, I adhered «Crystal Rainbow Confetti» from Studio Katia.

Thank you so much for stopping by! Happy Crafting!
Anja

Winnie & Walter Belated 2nd Birthday Bash | Challenge 4

Hello everyone,

February is almost over and I made a last card for the Winnie & Walter's Belated 2nd Birthday Bash Challenges.

I had a blast creating this card for Mayuri's Inlaid Die Cutting Challenge:

I think the «Cover Model: Multifaceted Cutaway» die is just perfect for this technique. I die-cut it five times – one from white cardstock and the other from four patterned papers by Lily Bee Designs. To help me keep all these pieces in place I used dryer sheets during my die cutting.

I covered the whole front of my card base with a sheet of Ken Oliver's «Stick it» adhesive and glued down the white grid of the multifaceted design. Than the real fun part started – I randomly inlaid all the pieces of patterned paper.

Finally I die-cut the scripty word «hello» from the «The Big, the Bold and Happy Cutaways» set. I built a stack of four layers of black cardstock. I clear heat embossed it three times to achieve the look of an enamel embellishment which matches the two little enamel hearts.

I really enjoyed these challenges and I wish I could have joined some more because they were all so inspiring.

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Winnie & Walter Belated 2nd Birthday Bash | Challenge 3

Hi peeps,

New week – new creation! I made another card for one of the Winnie & Walter's Belated 2nd Birthday Bash Challenges.

This time I'd love to play with Vanessa's Rainbow Challenge. And here is my take:

I used the two butterfly dies from the «Essentials: Audrey Cutaways» set to cut out a bunch of butterflies from various colors of Stampin' Up! cardstocks. Then I arranged all the butterflies by color on a sheet of copy paper and adhered them temporarly and face-down with a non-permanent tape runner. When all the pieces were in place I die-cut a circle. I also cut a second circle from plain white cardstock. I put some liquid glue to the backs of the butterflies, flipped the panel over and adhered it on top of the white circle. I let it dry for a couple of minutes and then carefully released the copy paper.

The sentiment is from the «The Big, the Bold and Friends» stamp set and I attached the stamp slightly curved to my acrylic block. I stamped it in VersaFine «Onyx Black». I adhered the circle with foam tape and added some sparkle to all the butterflies with the ZIG «Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Brush Pen».

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Winnie & Walter Belated 2nd Birthday Bash | Challenge 2

Happy Saturday everyone,

It has been a busy week for me but I managed to create another card for Winnie & Walter's Belated 2nd Birthday Bash.

This card is for Gayatri's Create Your Own Background Challenge:

I did a ton of stamping using all kinds of flowers, branches and leaves from several stamp sets («In Bloom: Hollie's Festive Florals», «In Bloom: Lola's Bouquet» and «The Write Stuff: Leave it to Mum»). The white Pigment Ink is from Hero Arts and with the help of my MISTI I stamped all images about three times to achieve a better coverage on the grey cardstock. It took a lot of patience but I'm really happy with the result.

For cutting my panel I used the largest «Stitched Rectangle» die from Simon Says Stamp and adhered it to a purple card base. I die-cut the word «hello» from the same cardstock using the «In a Word: Hello Cutaway». The two little hearts are from the «Essentials: Audrey Cutaways» set. Finally I added two thin strips of silver glitter cardstock.

Thank you so much for stopping by! Enjoy your weekend!

Winnie & Walter Belated 2nd Birthday Bash | Challenge 1

Hi peeps,

First of all ♥ Happy Valentine's Day ♥

Today I show you a card that isn't only for this occasion but also for Winnie & Walter's Belated 2nd Birthday Bash. They are having a month long celebration going on filled with fun challenges, lots of inspiration, special guests and fabulous giveaways! I hope I will be able to take part in some of the challenges – there are 10 in all!

This is my take on the Gold + Watercolor Challenge hosted by Heather Hoffman:

For my watercolor background I did a loose wash with some Distress Inks («Spun Sugar», «Picked Raspberry» and «Abandoned Coral»). When everything was completely dry I die-cut it using the smaller scalloped and pierced frame from the «Essentials: Audrey Cutaways» set.

Then I heat embossed the faceted heart from the «True» stamp set in Gold and fussy cut it out. I combined two stamp sets («My Precious» and «True») to create my own sentiment and stamped it in VersaFine «Onyx Black».

I adhered a piece of golden striped paper from My Mind's Eye to my card base. I wrapped some golden string around my watercolor panel and tied a little bow. For some dimension I popped up the panel and the heart with foam tape.

Thank you so much for stopping by!

November Pinterest Inspired Challenge

Happy Sunday everyone,

today I have some exciting news to share! I'm a new Design Team member over at the Pinterest Inspired Challenge!

Emily, the sweet owner of this highly inspiring challenge, contacted me a couple of weeks ago and asked if I'd like to join the PIC DT! Of course I said YES! Just from the beginning back in August, I admired the gorgeous work from the talented DT girls and also the creative challenge participants. I'm thrilled and honored to be a part of this team now!  
Thank you so much for having me, Emily!

Now let me tell you quickly what this challenge is all about:
Each month the Design Team members will provide you an inspiring image found on Pinterest. Your project can be created based on colors, patterns, shapes, etc. There's really no limit on how you get inspired. We love to see all your creations! Have fun with it!

This is our beautiful November inspiration:

Source

And here's the card I created:

I was mostly inspired by the overlapping flowers and also incorporated the colors from the inspiration photo. I stamped the Savvy «Outline Posey» a couple of times onto vellum and did some Heat Embossing in gold. Then I fussy cut the flowers out and colored the petals with Copics (Note: I did this on the backside of the flowers). I clustered them and adhered everything on a piece of patterned paper by Basic Grey.

For my sentiment I stacked four die-cut «hello» layers (3x cardstock and 1x gold foiled cardstock, slightly offset) using the Winnie & Walter «In a Word: Hello Cutaway». I embellished my card with some golden sequins.

You can enter your projects until Wednesday, November 25th at 11:55pm EST. For the challenge details and the inspiring work of my lovely team mates please hop over to the PIC blog. I'm looking forward to see your creations!

Thank you so much for stopping by! Have a wonderful day!

Congrats on your Wedding

Hi crafty peeps,

although the typical wedding season is already over I wanted to show you a cute Wedding card I made back in summer.

Therefore I combined several products from 6 different manufacturers ;-)

The birdies are some older Magnolia stamps and I colored them with Copics. Then I fussy cut both and embellished them with a crown and a hat from the Mama Elephant «Honey Bunny» stamp set. The large «congrats» sentiment («The Big, the Bold and You») and also the banner with the text inside («The Big, the Bold and Extras») are from Winnie & Walter. I heat embossed the sentiments in Gold and White.

For the background I used patterned paper from Stampin' Up! and then I did some Die-Cutting to finish my little scene. The cloudy border was made with one of the Mama Elephant «Landscape Trio» dies and I layered two die-cuts to create a bit of dimension. For the cloud in the left upper corner I used a Lawn Fawn («Spring Showers») die. The stitched rectangle die which frames the scene is also by Mama Elephant («Femme Frames»).

I decorated my card with Pretty Pink Posh «Sparkling Clear» sequins, tiny red die-cut hearts (ME «Confetti» die) covered with Glossy Accents and a small paper flower (SU punch and pearl).

Thank you so much for stopping by! Wishing you a nice weekend!

DT bastel-traum.ch Challenge October

Hi peeps,

it's time again for the bastel-traum.ch Challenge and the new theme is «Autumn/Fall».

 

The challenge will run until November 15th, 8:55 am CET (Central European Time).

I really love to create fall-themed projects, so I made a colorful Birthday card and picked yellow, orange and pink tones for my background.

I did some random Ink Smooshing with Distress Inks («Mustard Seed», «Spiced Marmalade», «Ripe Persimmon» and «Picked Raspberry»). Then I stamped the leaves from the Winnie & Walter «A Tree For All Seasons» stamp set in VersaMark onto vellum and white heat embossed them. The birthday sentiment from the same set was heat embossed in gold. Finally, I added some matching My Mind's Eye enamel dots.

Thank you so much for stopping by! Have a wonderful day!

Faux Watercolor Flower Wreath

Happy Saturday everyone,

a couple of weeks ago I tried something new. Since I'm not that good in freehand coloring I decided to use some stamps from Winnie & Walter (In Bloom: Lola's Bouquet with Joni Andaya) and My Favorite Things (Desert Bouquet) to create my flower wreath.

At first I draw a thin circle pencil line and then stamped the different flower and leaf images to build a wreath. I used Studio Calico Color Theory Dye Inks on Canson Cold Press Watercolor Paper (140 lb). To achieve that Faux Watercolor look I carefully went over the stamped images with a ZIG Watercolor Brush to make them more blurry. I didn't put any water to the smallest images which I used as fillers because I wanted to keep the crisp stamped lines.

After everthing was completely dry I stamped the «Make a Wish» sentiment from the My Favorite Things «Brushstroke Birthday» stamp set in VersaMark ink and heat embossed it with «Gold Rich Pale Regular» embossing powder from WOW!. The brushstroke is from the MFT «Abstract Art» set. I stamped the middle of the aqua flowers in Tsukineko Golden Glitz ink to add a little bit more gold to my project which measured approximately 8" x 11" in the end.

Thank you so much for stopping by! Have a wonderful weekend!

Winner Announcement Winnie & Walter Gift Card Giveaway

I'm popping in again to announce the winner of the Winnie & Walter $30 Gift Card Giveaway which was randomly drawn from all the comments on my Leading Lady posts.

Congrats, TracyM #6773! You are the lucky one! I've emailed you ;-)

Winnie & Walter July Leading Lady | Take 4

Hi everyone,

Can't believe how fast time flies! I'm sentimental today because my time as Winnie & Walter's Leading Lady for July now comes to an end :-( I really had a blast to create and share all these projects here and I'm truly honored and thankful for this wonderful chance! Thank you so much for all your lovely comments and the positive feedback! It really means so much to me!

For my last turn I will do some kind of a Wrap-Up post by incorporating the techniques I've shown you in my last three performances. I will combine these topics with my love for floral stamps and dies which of course can be found in the Winnie & Walter store.

Ready for today's Flower Power?

Embossing with a die and watercolored die-cuts

For my first card I once again used the incredible Cover Model: Multifaceted Cutaway die. But this time I did some fun Dry Embossing with it. This means I've run it through my die-cutting machine using a silicone mat so the parts won't be cut but pressed into the paper. To create this beautiful flower I did some free Watercoloring with Distress Inks and die-cut the solid parts with the In Bloom: Maggie's Roses Cutaways. After that I also die-cut the outlines from white cardstock and glued them on top. I really love how this turned out! For a bit of dimension I popped up the rose with foam tape. The sentiment is from The Big, the Bold and Friends stamp set. I white heat embossed it on vellum and did some fussy cutting. To embellish my card I adhered a couple of clear and pink sequins.

Stenciled Golden Stripes and Heat Embossed Flowers

Here I combined a striped background with white heat embossed floral images. I generously sponged «Delicata Golden Glitz» Pigment Ink from Tsukineko through the Scenery: Classic Diagonal Creative Screenings stencil. This looks great on dark cardstock. I arranged some flowers from the In Bloom: Addie's Garden stamp set and heat embossed them in white. The sentiment is from The Party stamp set.

Stamped Floral Background

I like to create my own backgrounds with several stamps especially flowers. For this card I used the images from two sets: Joni Andaya's gorgeous In Bloom: Lola's Bouquet and The Party. I tried a new color combo with my Dye Inks which are great for crisp impressions. I die-cut a scalloped rectangle from vellum with one of the Essentials: Audrey Cutaways dies. The sentiment from The Big, the Bold and You was heat embossed with «Liquid Platinum» by Ranger. I glued the vellum on my stamped floral background. To hide the few dots of adhesive I added a couple of pearls and sequins.


For my last two cards I once again used the pretty In Bloom: Addie's Garden stamp set to show you its versatility. These floral images can look really elegant and soft by watercoloring them but also simple and modern when only using the outline on a bold watercolor background.

Watercolor Blooms

At first I white heat embossed the flowers and leaves on watercolor cardstock. I did some masking to build my cluster. Then I colored it with Distress Inks. The light blue «glow» was made with one of the new-to-me ZIG Clean Color Real Brush Pens which are totally in trend right now. I die-cut the word «hugs» (The Big, the Bold and Friends Cutaways) four times from white cardstock and stacked them together. Finally I added some clear sequins.

Gerbera on a bright watercolor background

I made this watercolor background with my Distress Inks by simply letting them blend with the help of water. I love how bright and cheery these inks are! I only used three colors – through blending, the pink and the turquoise created this gorgeous blue and purple tones. After letting this dry completely I heat embossed the gerbera and the sentiment from The Party in white. To finish my simple card design I matted the watercolor piece on black cardstock for a better contrast and added two white enamel dots.


Now it's time for me to leave the Leading Lady stage *sniff*. I so enjoyed this incredible experience! I'm sad writing these last couple of lines but also very grateful for this awesome opportunity!

Don't forget to comment on the Leading Lady posts on my personal blog for your chance to win a $30 gift card to the Winnie & Walter store. I will draw a random winner by the end of the month.

Thanks to Julie & Shay for having me! I really appreciate your support and generosity!

Thank you so much for stopping by! Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

Winnie & Walter July Leading Lady | Take 3

Hello crafty peeps,

So glad to be back again for round three as Winnie & Walter's Leading Lady. Thank you so much for all your sweet comments – I really appreciate them!

I will have to tell you a little secret: not only do I hoard stamps and dies but I'm also addicted to inks ;-)
There are so many good products out there and I love to play with them! Stamping is really therapeutic, isn't it?!

So today's topic is Ink it Up!. I will show you some samples of my favorite ways to use the different inks.

Pigment Inks

On my first card I used one of my all-time-favorite birthday stamp sets: The Party. With these stamps it's so easy to create quick and simple cards. I stamped these fun balloons with Pigment Inks in the colors of the Winnie & Walter logo. I really like the vibrant colors and how well they stamp on top of each other. The grey strings and the sentiment were also stamped with Pigment Inks. At the bottom of my card I added a strip of washi tape.

Another great way to use Pigment Inks is by stamping them on colored cardstock (I used Kraft cardstock here) because they sit on top of the paper surface which makes them almost opaque so they keep their vibrancy. To support this effect you can stamp over white pigment ink like I did here. For a little twist I offset the chevrons a tiny bit. I often struggle creating masculine cards but the Scenery: V for cheVron stamp set makes it really easy to achieve a clean and graphic look. The sentiment was build with The Big, the Bold and Party stamp set and I heat embossed it with Clear powder. For this fun xoxo border I used a die from the Essentials: Audrey Cutaways set.

Dye Inks

For really crisp stamped images I prefer using Dye Inks because they soak into the paper. For this card I repeatedly stamped the chevrons from the Scenery: V for cheVron set. I heat embossed the outline balloons and the sentiment from The Party stamp set in Gold. I popped up the stamped panel with foam tape and added some Gold Cupped Sequins.

This card is really Clean & Simple. At first I masked off a circle (1 3/4") and then blended a light Aqua Dye Ink around it and let it fade out. After removing the mask I heat embossed the graphic ornament and the sentiment from the True stamp set with one of my favorite embossing powders: «Liquid Platinum» by Ranger. The word «friend» was cut from foil cardstock using The Big, the Bold and Friends Cutaways.

Distress Inks

To create artsy watercolor backgrounds I love to pull out my Tim Holtz/Ranger Distress Inks. At first I heat embossed the sentiment from The Big, the Bold and Happy stamp set with Clear embossing powder. I used Tim Holtz Watercolor Cardstock. Then I pressed down my Distress Ink pads on my Non-Stick Craft Sheet and added some generous spritzes of water. I dabbed my piece of Watercolor Cardstock onto the muddle of colors multiple times until I was satisfied with the result. To finish off my card I added a little die-cut heart.

On my last card for today I created a starry night sky with the Distress Inks. I blended the colors with a Mini Ink Blending Tool and added some water droplets which pulled off the color in these areas. The scripty sentiment and the gorgeous star are from the True stamp set and I heat embossed them in White. I also adhered a few Silver Star Sequins. To mimic some additional stars I drew a couple of white dots with a Sharpie pen.


These were my inky cards for today. I really hope you liked them and would be very happy to see you back again next Saturday for my last Leading Lady perfomance.

Until then feel free to comment on the Leading Lady posts on my personal blog for your chance to win a $30 gift card to the Winnie & Walter store.

A big hug to Julie & Shay for this opportunity to share my projects with you!

Thank you so much for stopping by! Have a wonderful weekend!

Winnie & Walter July Leading Lady | Take 2

Hello everyone, first of all:

Happy Birthday dear Julie! May your day be awesome and filled with love!

Thanks so much for your warm welcome last week and all the lovely and encouraging comments on my Leading Lady debut! I'm delighted to be back on stage showcasing the enjoyable Winnie & Walter products.

This time I will focus on another product range called Creative Screenings aka Stencils/Masks.

Let's start with some Fun Stenciling!

Translucent Embossing Paste Triangles

For my first card I used the Scenery: Triangled Creative Screenings stencil together with Translucent Embossing Paste. Love the shiny look on dark cardstock! I cut my panel to an angle and decorated my card with a bright and rainbow colored In a Word: Happy Cutaway die-cut (which is a «left-over» from one of the cards from my debut), the white embossed word «birthday» from The Big, the Bold and the Happy stamp set, some thread and matching enamel dots.

Stenciled Triangles with Gold Spots

The second card shows another common way to use a stencil by sponging some ink onto it. I used the same Scenery: Triangled Creative Screenings stencil with a Mini Ink Blending Tool to apply the turquoise ink and let it fade out to the edges. After that, I put some VersaMark ink on three of the triangles and heat embossed them in gold. I also heat embossed the sentiment from The Party stamp set. To repeat the gold I cut a skinny strip from foil cardstock.

Masked Rainbow Stripes

Inspired by the colors of the Winnie & Walter logo, I decided to create a little rainbow for my next card. I masked off a circle and used the Scenery: Classic Diagonal Creative Screenings stencil for my colorful stripes. To create a sentiment with dimension I die-cut the In a Word: Hugs Cutaway from several layers of cardstock (three times white and one in black) and stacked them together. I embellished my card with sequins which were a special mix for Winnie & Walter's first birthday.

Summer Plaid Pattern

For my last card, I used the Scenery: Classic Diagonal Creative Screenings stencil to make my own plaid pattern by overlapping the colors. I heat embossed the «congrats» from The Big, the Bold and You in white on a piece of vellum.


I really enjoyed to play with these stencils and hope you got inspired! Don't forget to comment on the Leading Lady posts on my personal blog for your chance to win a $30 gift card to the Winnie & Walter store.

Can't wait to see you back again next week for round three!

Once again, huge thanks to Julie & Shay for letting me play with their great products!

Thank you so much for stopping by! Enjoy your weekend!