Hi everyone!
I'm posting this a little early so that you get a kickstart to your creative plans for 2022!
The handmade card challenge is back for another year - once again with the aid of inspiration found on Pinterest.
Can you believe, this will be the 11th year that I've been hosting this challenge?
Well, by now you know the drill... and this year the added twist of a focus colour for each month will be staying. :)
Here's how the 2022 card challenge will work:
- On the 1st of the month, I'll share a Pinterest prompt here on my blog.
- The prompts will include many elements - you can interpret what you see in any way you like: design elements, colour combos, words, patterns, objects, layout... so many possibilities! Whatever inspiration you take from the image, incorporate it in your card! As always, I will try to come up with a list of what immediately springs to mind when I look at the image to give you a few ideas if you're stumped.
- What about Christmas cards? As we reach the end of 2022 the prompts will become more festive and wintry themed, but there's nothing stopping you from creating a festive card from the images posted each month. In fact, you might welcome the challenge to get ahead!
- How many cards you make is totally up to you, but the more, the merrier!
- All prompts past and present for this challenge can be found here on my blog, and you can find them easily by clicking on the 2022 card challenge tag over there on the left.
- Speaking of tags, if you're also on Instagram then I'll be using the hashtag #2022handmadecardchallenge for any posts related to this challenge, feel free to use this tag on Instagram too!
- You can share your cards by linking them up here on my blog - just add a comment to the relevant monthly prompt - or by sharing them in the dedicated challenge thread over in the UK Scrappers card forum.
- If you are ever stumped about the layout of your card, then definitely check out the sketches I pin to my Pinterest board here, hopefully there will be something there to inspire you!
- What if you don't have time to start now or play along every month? No problem! Just dive in and out of the challenge when you feel like it. :D Do as much as you want or as little. It's always lovely to have lots of people sharing their makes, but real life doesn't always allow for crafty time, as we all know!
Now with all the formalities out of the way, it's time to get on with the show.
The colour focus for January is: Blue
A here's your Pinspiration for January:
And here are some initial ideas to get you started:
- Texture - whether from an embossing folder, embossing paste through a stencil, a woodgrain look, or even the effect of a knit pattern. There are lots of tactile things features in the image that translate well to a card.
- Splatter - add a splattering of paint, ink, or glitter to the background or as details on the focal point of your card.
- All creatures great and small - cats, birds, butterflies, a whole menagerie of animals, or to keep with the blue theme of January, perhaps you have someone who would love to receive an ocean or nautical-themed card.
- Stacks - how about stacking 3 of something, featuring a number of small apertures to showcase little details, or even using tiny tags as the backdrop to smaller details and sentiments? For a festive take, you could stack strips of paper, starting with the longest at the bottom, to create a Christmas tree.
- Nature - leaves, branches, wreathes, boughs, rather than green and brown, these could look really striking stamped out or die cut in blue tones.
- Slimline - the image with the window/dresser immediately made me think of a slimline card as a card format to mix things up a little.
- Frame it - the window frame is also a great reminder to use your frame dies if you have them - fantastic for making your sentiment stand out or any other details you want to pop.
- Bright vs dark - the lamp photographed against that navy wall makes me think of the effect you can create by blending a night sky as the backdrop to a little winter village die cut from white cardstock, or how you can create a glowing moon in that blended night sky with masking paper.
- Berrylicious - the blueberries remind me of all those berries on wintry foliage and branches, and how they don't all have to be red. ;)
- Quilted/tiled - the bedspread is a reminder of how you can use up scraps of paper/cardstock with small hexagon/square dies to create your own quilted pattern. You can also achieve a quilted look with an embossing folder or cover plate die for a subtle pattern on a plain background.
Here's to a happier 2022 filled with inspiration and creativity!
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