Back in the game

Inspiration is a funny thing. I crafted most of yesterday as I really wanted to publish a blog post (I usually try to publish one on both Saturday and Sunday). Sadly, I ended up with have nothing to show as I kept creating things more and more hideous and at least four more or less finished cards all ended up in the bin. I usually find great inspiration in looking at challenges, but yesterday it just felt that the more I tried to get inspired, the more forced and unlike me the cards ended up looking. I was already mentally prepared to sell all my stash on eBay, just trying to decide whether it would be better to sell things separately or in big bundles. I had a really sucky day overall yesterday, I found myself crying in the kitchen when cooking, for no real reason apart from feeling very sorry for myself, feeling like I was failing at everything  (mostly this is a reflection of how much I hate my job right now). In addition the weather was grey and dreary, as if things weren't miserable enough otherwise.

This morning I decided to take a completely different approach to my crafting, and just did what I felt like doing most. I am going through a phase of creating backgrounds using Distress Paints, and yesterday I thought I should really be doing something else for a change. But today I decided if that's what my little crafters heart wants to do, then that's what I will do and not care about recently having mostly done cards only using this technique. And I had great fun getting all messy. So far, I have created not one but two cards that I am happy with. Also the sun is shining outside, so life seems a bit less dreary today (apart from the fact that I have to be back at work in 19 hours...).

Today's card is inspired by the colours over at Color Throwdown as well as the sketch at CAS(E) This Sketch. I created multiple panels of coloured watercolour card with Tim Holtz Distress Paints in Broken China and Spiced Marmalade, just blotting the colour onto my craft mat, spritzing with plenty of water and then smooshing the paper around, adding even more water to the card and tilting the paper to move the colours around. I then used Stampin' Up Four Feathers stamps and heat embossed in white, before using the matching dies to die cut both the stamped feathers, as well as some feathers without any stamping on them. I used the left over pieces of the cardstock to cut some star shaped confetti using a Lawn Fawn die. I adhered the feathers onto a piece of grey card I die cut with a stitched rectangle die and stamped and heat embossed a sentiment from STAMPlorations in white. It was fun, didn't take very long, and when looking at the finished card, I just couldn't understand why I was struggling so hard yesterday!

In addition to the above, I am linking up with the following challenges:
Happy Little Stampers - Smooshing
The Artistic Stamper - Anything Goes (with Stamping)
Card and Scrap - Use stamps
Crafty Enjoyments - Clean and Simple
Crafts Galore Encore - Anything Goes

Card: Coloured 240 gsm crafting card grey, 300 gsm watercolour paper, 250 gsm white card
Ink: Tsukineko Versamark, Tim Holtz Distress Paints Broken China, Spiced Marmalade
Stamps: STAMPlorations Fond Expressions 2, Stampin' Up Four Feathers and matching dies
Other: Lawn Fawn Stitched Journalling card and Stitched Rectangles dies, Papermania Seafoam White embossing powder

Lots of weird things

This card contains several things that are very strange for me, which I don't use very much. I don't use much of orange, it's a very difficult colour for me. I also almost never use buttons, they make cards difficult to post, and just don't feel... well... right. However, I was very inspired by the challenge over at The Friday Mashup which involved a sketch and to use two different embellishments. I hardly every use any, or if I do, it's almost always gems. So this time I thought I would go "overboard" and use not one, not two but three embellishments. But somehow the style of the card still feels quite clean and simple, so I like it despite all the weird stuff on it. One reason I like it so much is the amazing colour combo over at Colour Me...! The colours are so bright and go really well together to my big surprise. 

I would also like to link up over at CASE-ing the Catty, where the theme this week is to use a new DSP. I love the cool new Irresistibly Yours DSP and have used it already with markers and with my cool new Tim Holtz spritzer tool. This time I thought I would use distress inks, and was inspired by the image on page 14 of the SALE-a-bration cattie. It's such a super versatile DSP. I am also linking up over at Craft Hoarders Anonymous where the theme is to choose your challenge by picking from different categories. I picked ink for colouring medium, twine for fiber, stamping and die cutting for technique, embossing for texture and buttons and bling for embellishments.

Inspiration picture from page 14 of the
Stampin' Up Sale-a-bration catalogue.

Craft Hoarders Anonymous Challenge

Card: Stampin' Up Bermuda Bay and Rich Razzleberry card, Leonardo Stationery 300 gsm card
DSP: Stampin' Up Irresistibly Yours 
Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Inks Mustard Seed, Peacock Feathers, Seedless Preserves and Spiced Marmalade
Stamps: Stampin' Up Four Feathers and dies, Just Sayin'
Other: Yellow twine, Stampin' Up buttons subtles, Papermania adhesive gems