Create your own kind of beautiful

I first heard this saying a few years ago when I was struggling to make sense of my life. When I created this blog for my handmade cards, I adopted the saying as my tagline, because I believe in it so much. I never believed myself to be beautiful or creative, that was a term for real artists not for me a mere cardmaker, who would copy cards I saw in magazines. What I didn’t realise then was that the cards I made were never like the originals, I had made them my way, using the supplies I had, and chose the colours and papers I liked. They were my creations.

I had been making cards, teaching card making, and even selling the cards I made at the local florist, but still did not believe I was talented or creative.

When I came across this quote from Coco Chanel, it all began to make sense. “Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself.” I’d like to add to that now, beauty begins the moment you decide to be, to know, to believe, and to trust who you are, who God has made you to be, and what he has put in you. And he has given me a love for paper and creating beauty with it.

I hope this inspires you to create your own kind of beautiful!

Love

Just Add Ink #648

Just Add Ink is another challenge blog I like but have not until now entered any of their challenges.

This challenge is a Choose Two challenge, the idea being to choose two of the three elements in the challenge, Water Wall and Garden, and for my card I chose Water and Garden.

TGIF CHALLENGE #tgifc416

As I’ve said before I love entering card making challenges as they inspire me and motivate me to learn something new, polish a skill or get my creative juices flowing. This is another one for TGIF Challenges, and this week’s challenge is a card sketch #tgifc416, and I love sketches! I used Designer Series Paper which I embossed.

CASE’ing

I have been having fun CASE’ing some cards I like that I have seen recently. I usually don’t have the same supplies as the original so I use whatever I have. They almost never look like the originals 😀 When case’ing I change at least 3 things to adhere with the alternative version of CASE… Copy And Selectively Edit, thus honouring the original designer. I love browsing Pinterest, magazines and catalogues for ideas. I made this one today. I layered different flowers which I have not done before, and really like the result.

Sketch Saturday #723

Another challenge! This time it’s a sketch challenge with Sketch Saturday.

Colour Challenge with TGIF

This week’s challenge with TGIF Challenges! is a Colour Challenge #tgifc415. I was so excited to be a winner last week, and so thankful to TGIF for choosing my card. I am entering again this week because I love challenges.

And here is my card for this challenge :

I’m a winner!

Last week I entered a challenge with TGIF Challenges! It was a ‘use up your scraps’ challenge and I won! I am over the moon! Thank you TGIF!

Using up scraps

I enjoy entering card making challenges, they inspire me and motivate me. This one is for TGIF Challenges, and this week’s challenge is ‘Use Your Scraps. I’ve been doing a lot of that lately, making room for some new papers from Stampin’ Up! next month.

#TGIFC414

An early morning encounter

I have trouble falling asleep, often. So what else could I do than craft?! It’s quiet so I don’t disturb anyone, and it gets my mind off what is keeping me awake.

I haven’t used my gel plate for ages so got that out around 2:00 this morning. What a messy endeavour! But I am in love with how this card came out. (I didn’t enjoy the clean up at that time of the morning though LOL and my husband said he heard the hot tap running for a while).

I finished it off this morning and kept it simple as I didn’t want to cover it up. So a tired but happy crafter today 😃

A New Challenge & A New Year

Happy New Year! This is my first challenge for 2023, and it’s a new one. It’s the first challenge of the new year for AAA Birthday and they are kicking things off with the easiest of themes – Anything Birthday Goes.

Happy Birthday

My card is made using a watercolour effect by spritzing the stamp with water before applying it to the watercolour paper. I used two colours and slightly offset the stamp to give a shadowy effect. I patted the ink dry with a tissue before applying the second colour.