The Raven

For this week´s Sunday Postcard Art challenge, my sister Sabine has picked the theme "Typewriter", and though I don´t know if Edgar Allan Poe has written his famous poem "The Raven" by hand or with the help of a typewriter, this is what came to my mind tonight. If you know my usual kind of artwork, you might be surprised by the lack of colour, but maybe that´s not only what a typewriter is able to produce but also my current mood ...
(I´ve used rubber stamps from Red Lead, Visible Image, Hero Arts and My Favourite Things for my card.)

Lightbulbs

Sometimes it just takes an interesting theme to let your mind explode with ideas - and that happened when I´ve read "lightbulbs" as the theme for an ATC swap. I knew that I have several bulb stamps in my stash as well as bulb shaped brads, and so these four ATCs came together quickly.
(For those of you who don´t speak German, here´s what the German words mean:
"Everything is Illuminated", the title of a book from Jonathan Safran Foer, "It dawns on me!", "Lights out, spot on!", a phrase that a German music show moderator always used back in the 70s)

Theatre - what´s on your stage?

Right now, we can´t go to the theatre because of that Corona, but that our imagination is able to put on stage whatever we want ... "An honest tale speeds best being plainly told" says Shakespeare´s Richard III., and for this week´s Sunday Postcard Art challenge, I want to see what´s on YOUR stage.
(For my card, I´ve used rubber stamps from Character Constructions, Zettiology, and 100 Proof Press.)

Mother

What is good poetry? Why do you love a poem and don´t feel anything when you read another one? That´s a personal question, and this is a personal post.
Sunday Postcard Art asks for our favourite poem this week, and as I studied German literature and wrote down my favourite poems and quotes for more than 40 years now, I don´t have just ONE favourite poem. But in every moment of life, there´s one poem that speaks to you, and there are always words that make you think and maybe cry.
One thing that makes a poem a great poem is that it´s "ambiguous", which means that you can read and understand it from more than just one perspective. That´s one of the reasons why I picked Gottfried Benn´s poem today - if you carry thoughts about a lover you´ve lost, it speaks to you, but if you know that this poem´s title is "Mother", your thoughts will take another direction - and that´s what makes it perfect for this challenge.
Benn was a German poet and physician, and many of his poems are disturbing, but this one goes right to my heart. It´s not easy to translate because a lot of it gets lost, but here´s a simple translation: I carry you like a wound that doesn´t heal. It does not always hurt. And the heart does not die for this reason. Only sometimes I´m blind and feel blood in my mouth.

What I love about rubber stamping is that there are always some suitable stamps even for the hardest challenges - in this case I´ve used stamps from PaperArty, Visible Images, and AALL&Create.

In loving memory.

Snarky Cats

On this special weekend I´ve been in need of a little fun, so I´ve picked my new Snarky Cats stamps and made a few ATCs with them.

It´s Wine o´Clock!

It´s been a while since I´ve made a page in my Moleskine journal, but Hollie Haradon´s latest collage sheets inspired me to do some cut and paste again and combine the images with some rubber stamps from Tim Holtz, VivaLasVegaStamps and Makistamps. Cheers!

Dancing in the Moonlight

My friend Beth Todd came out with two lovely new Songbirdy image kits today consisting of men and women, also available as a combo at MischiefCircus.com.
I couldn´t resist to let those two have a little dance on the moonlit street (hope they don´t forget their pram when they´re finished!).
And the somehow "holy" look of the lady below led me to my collage "Aunt Mary", a strange raven lady.

The World is my Oyster

I love to follow a given theme and let my intuition do the rest ... this is how this card for this week´s Sunday Postcard Art challenge themed "Vintage Cars" came together. I knew that I wanted to use the lovely car stamp from Red Lead, then I put together a background from two papers and a map strip. Next I added a lady made from junk mail combined with legs from Holliewood Studios. I decided to use the English quote and the house from Red Lead and added their pencils on the right, then the German quote and the postal stamps. Do you remember that song from Frankie Goes To Hollywood that started with "The World is my Oyster"? My mind really meandered tonight ...
This card is dedicated for my long-time friends at Red Lead - many thanks for years of friendship, ladies!

See the World

This week´s Sunday Postcard Art challenge asks us to use maps for our 4 x 6 postcard - that´s what I´m doing all the time! So here´s another card using a strip of a map that I´ve found on my desk and collaged with trees from junk mail and a self-dyed background. I´ve added a car brad as well as some rubber stamps from Tim Holtz and Klartext, and now I call my card finished.

The Sky is NOT the Limit

For this week´s Sunday Postcard Art challenge themed "Airplanes" I´ve made a rubber stamped postcard using stamps from Unity Stamps, Red Lead Paperworks and VivaLasVegaStamps.
Believe it or not, but I´ve never been on a plane because I´ve never left Europe - I´ve always traveled by train, car or bus. People thought I´m crazy until it became hip to avoid traveling by plane because of ecological reasons only a few months ago, in Germany we talk about "Flugscham" today. Is there anything like this in YOUR country, or is it still o. k. to travel by plane for you?

Couples

I tried to ignore Valentine´s Day, but then Beth came out with a fabulous new Songbirdy kit called "Characters - Couples" that is just perfect for that occasion ... so please decide for yourself if this couple with respect any boundaries (like doors?) or follow Truman Capote´s words and take a step beyond.

Books are my Friends

For this week´s Sunday Postcard Art challenge, my sister has chosen the theme "Literature", one of my favourites. So here´s my card, as colourful as the world of books is.

Architecture ATCs

Suddenly, my muse visited me last night, and I´ve made these Architecture themed ATCs. Some of them have glazed parts that don´t show well in the scan of course.

Book Lovers

I´ve been ill for weeks now, and one of the few things I´ve been able to do was reading - and I´m really thankful that this window to the world of thoughts is always there for you if you´re willing to open it.

Storms

If you´re from Europe, you will have noticed the heavy storms that went over our continent for the last few days, no matter if you called it Sabine, Ciara or by any other name. I hope that it won´t be that windy anymore from tomorrow on and believe in the saying on my 4 x 6 postcard: Storms don´t last forever! Of course I had to use a postage person, and I´ve had her on my desk for weeks before I found the perfect surroundings for her, but I´m really happy now with the final version.

Dragon Farm

Do you believe that dragons are evil? Whenever they appear in fairy tales or other stories, men have to fight against them, but I don´t remember why ...
So my digital postcard for this week´s Sunday Postcard Art challenge changes allegiance and shows a modern form of dragon factory farming to be able to sell their tears and strength.
(Credits go to Rucola Design, itkupilli, ViVa Artistry, Holliewood Studios, Brandy Murray and Miles Beyond the Moon, hope I didn´t forget anyone ...)

Oddities

When have you been to the cinema for the last time? Do you remember, or do you prefer DVDs or streaming? In my digital collage, a movie star tries to be "up to date" by using a TV screen, but the empty room tells another story - probably her audience stayed at home, watching their favourite films and series elsewhere. Times are always a-changing ...
My second collage is self-explaining and really odd, no wonder as both collages were made with Beth Todd´s new Songbirdy kit called "Oddities", available at MischiefCircus.com. I hope that you like oddities as much as I do!

Art gave her Wings

When I made my Frida Kahlo ATCs (see my previous blog post), I didn´t know that Frida would be the theme for this week´s Sunday Postcard Art challenge. Though I still had all my Frida related rubber stamps on my desk, I decided to make a digital card. Credits go to Itkupilli, Xquizart, Crafty Button Designs, KrystyScrap, Rucola, and Holliewood Studio.

Frida Kahlo ATCs

One of the best things about Christmas is that there´s always enough time to do a bit of stamping and collage. This time, I´ve had an upcoming Frida Kahlo ATC swap on my to do list, and the first batch shows the six ATCs I´ve chosen for it. But sometimes when I´ve been diving deep into a theme, I just can´t stop, so I´ve made four more just for fun and for my trading album ...

Winter Fest

Are you looking forward to the holidays? If you´re like me, you can´t wait to have a few quiet days possibly with your family, but especially if you´re very young, you might be curious about the gifts you´ll receive ...
My digital collage in 4 x 6 postcard format was made with the new Songbirdy kit called "Winter Fest".

Jingle Bells

"Jingle Bells" is not my favourite Christmas song, but it´s this week´s theme for the Sunday Postcard Art challenge. For my digital collage, elements from Rebecca McMeen, Itkupilli, Erica Zwart and Shadowhouse came together.

Holiday Card Ideas

Have you already made all your holiday cards, or do you need some fresh ideas especially for cards that are easy to make?
If you know me for a while, you already know that I´m a big fan of brads, and holiday cards are my favourite items to use them - for my cards here I´ve combined antlers, hats and holly brads with Tim Holtz´ photobooth people, but you can also use people from magazines or your own family photos of course ...

The next two cards don´t use brads but cards pre-printed with dots and stripes - just add your favourite stamps, and maybe a bit of colouring.

Discombobulated

I must confess that I had to look up the title of Beth Todd´s new Songbirdy kit "Discombobulated" - but I loved it at first sight! So many wonderful black and white elements with just a few hints of yellow and red are very inspiring, so these two collages called "Higher" and "Naked" came together very easily.

Charlie Chaplin

You´ll hardly find anyone who doesn´t know Charlie Chaplin´s name, and most of us have been watching his films and have laughed about them. But what I really adore about him and his work is that he made us laugh about things that aren´t funny at all, and I´ve always been interested in his indirect political statements and their consequences for his life - if you haven´t heard about these, I recommend an internet research.
For my card for this week´s Sunday Postcard Art challenge themed "Charlie Chaplin" I´ve used a portrait from Carmen´s Veranda and a stamp with a scene from "Modern Times" (Stempelbar), and in my opinion the words from Dina Wakley fit perfectly.

And as Lost Coast Designs and Carmen´s Veranda have a new challenge theme called "For the Men" right now, this card is my entry for it - please check it out here:

Entomology

Do you like insects? Personally, I´m not too fond of having them around me, but of course I know how important they are, and some of them are real beauties, too. In addition, their biology and social life is very interesting, and they deserve our respect.
My sister Sabine has picked "insects" as this week´s theme for the Sunday Postcard Art challenge, and I decided to make a digital card this time (credits: The Urban Fairy, Holliewood Studios and Foxeysquirrel).

Poe´s Secret

What´s better than hours of reading when it gets darker outside? And the perfect read for October is anything from Edgar Allan Poe ... For this postcard, I´ve picked an old book page from "Tales of Mystery and Imagination" (remember Alan Parsons Project?), as a background and used some new Poe stamps from IndigoBlu.
What´s your read for October?

Leave Your Fears Behind

For this week´s Sunday Postcard Art challenge themed "Bats" I´ve made a card that works as a Halloween card as well as a Steampunk card. I´ve used my favourite bat stamp and a bat winged Steampunk Flying Machine stamp on a background made with a Gelli print and a piece of a map. The words make the card useful for many other occasions.
(Stamp credits: Oxford Impressions, Lost Coast Designs, Visible Image)

Wicked

Halloween is coming near, and for a "Wicked" themed skinny swap I´ve made this 3 x 5 inches skinny page, front and back. Hope it will arrive in Canada in time!

Why Not?

"Happily Ever After" is the title of this digital collage, and I hope that your relationship looks much happier!
And don´t you know the moment when your surroundings seem to burst from inspiration while your canvas stay white? The lady below has practiced a lot on the walls, but she doesn´t dare to start her canvas ...
I´ve made both collages with the new Songbirdy kit "Why Not?", available at MischiefCircus, and there are sooooo many more possibilities to use this fun kit!

Autumn Trees

For this week´s Sunday Postcard Art challenge themed "Trees", I´ve been inspired by the weather today - a sunny and warm but also rainy day showing all the colours of Autumn.
I´ve used rubber stamps from Stampendous and American Crafts on a watercolour postcard and painted the background with pearlescent watercolours. Unfortunately it´s not possible to show their lovely shimmer in a scan ...

Halloween Swap ATCs

It´s that time of the year again - yes, Halloween is near! So here are my ATCs for a Halloween swap including three Postage People.

We could be Queens

This week´s theme for the Sunday Postcard Art challenge is "Queens". I´ve been in the mood to make a colourful street art card with my Zetti girls and an altered Bowie quote - hope you´ll like it!

Evolution

"You tell me that it´s evolution - Well, you know - We all want to change the World ..." (The Beatles, Revolution)

For this week´s Sunday Postcard Art challenge, I´ve chosen the theme "Evolution". Please don´t be scared - you don´t have to tell us anything about Darwin etc. but can illustrate ANY form of evolution, any development like a chrysalis or whatever comes to your mind - feel free to surprise me!

For my card, I´ve used a quote from Henry Louis Mencken (1880-1956) and some cool stamps from Stempelbar.

It is all in your Hand

"Hands" is this week´s theme for the Sunday Postcard Art challenge, and I´ve had a hard time choosing my stamps and stencils for this card because I own quite a collection of hand stamps :-))
I´ve picked a stencil and hand stamps from Visible Image in the end and a Klartext alphabet.

New Postage People ATCs

These are nine new Postage People ATCs fresh from my kitchen table - and if you´ve ever tried to make some of these, you know that it´s hard to stop! I have a few more "people" put together who just haven´t found their surroundings yet, but I´m quite happy with these so far. Some of them are for a swap in one of my ATC trading groups, and the rest will go to my trading album ... much needed because there´ll be Germany´s biggest stamping fair next week, and I don´t have enough ATCs in my album to trade with all my stamping friends I´ll meet there.

Can you help me to find out the best ATCs for the swap? Which are your favourites? Please tell me, and I´ll be happy to follow your tips.

Shenanigans!

Fun Fun Fun! That´s what the new Songbirdy kit "Shenanigans" is all about, and this is what you´ll have with it. I´ve made these two collages with it, "All Mad" and "Smile!".

Sovereignty - some more Zetti style collages

What I love about Nancy Baumiller´s image kits is that they come with beautiful printable collage sheets as well as png images. Recently, I´ve been in the mood to make some cut and paste collages again. With the new Sovereignty papers and images (available at MischiefCircus.com) I´ve made another cut and paste collaged page in my Moleskine journal (above) as well as a collaged envelope meant to hold a gift coupon - that´s why I´ve called it "With Love" (and because her chest is heart shaped, of course).

Turn the Music on

While playing with papers, inks and rubber stamps, I love to listen to my favourite music, and all those things together sometimes make me feel like I´m completely out of this world - that´s the best thing about making art, and such an art night can have the same effect as a short vacation.
My ATC illustrating that was made with rubber stamps from Stempelbar, AALL & Create and Klartext, and the tiny headphones brad was the perfect addition ...

Olympus

My digital "Olympus" collage was made with the new "Celestial" kits (papers, elements, and transparents) from Songbirdy at MischiefCircus.com.