Saturday, 18 July 2026

Let Your Dreams Be Your Wings


Hi everyone, today I would like to share the birthday card I made for a good crafty friend who recently confided that she loves dragonflies. I love them too, and a few weeks ago felt particularly inspired after watching the UK TV series ‘Springwatch’ which featured some fabulous closeup footage of these delicate creatures.

I actually made a couple of dragonfly cards in this iridescent blue colour scheme (the other one is here), then decided that this one was most appropriate for the recipient - she has told me she loved it so fingers crossed it was the correct choice!


I die cut a wavy stitched square as I thought the wavy lines reminded me of an insect flight path, and created a central coloured square background by masking part of a larger square gel plate which I then brayered with blue and green Elements ink and spattered with water before applying to the stitched panel. I masked around the coloured section then over stamped it first with an old Penny Black script stamp, then with part of a Tracy Evans stamp from the set ‘The Great Outdoors’. I stamped a dragonfly from an Indigo Blu magazine cover gift onto a separate snippet of card using Twilight Versafine Clair and heat embossed, then painted with iridescent metallic watercolour paints topped off with Spectrum Noir sparkle pen, and fussy cut out. I removed the masking and stamped the sentiments, then matted the panel onto a card blank. Finally I attached the fussy cut dragonfly to the stamped panel. 


Here’s a closeup of the iridescent dragonfly.


I also decorated the inside a little …


Stamps: dragonfly and “let your dreams” sentiment both by Indigo Blu (cover gift with different craft magazines); AALL & Create #370 The Great Outdoors; Penny Black Letter Background (1999L); Pink Frog Typewriter Sentiments; Visible Image Birthday Wishes (inside);
Media: Lavinia Elements inks (Blue Atoll, Pine); Versafine Clair (Twilight, Morning Mist); Cosmic Shimmer watercolour paints (Jade Mint, Sapphire Sparkle); Luminarte watercolour paint (Bolivian Blue); Spectrum Noir Sparkle pen (clear); clear embossing powder;
Tools: Craft Addiction UK Double Wavy Stitched Squares die.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Alphabet Challenge - F is for Festivities
 (birthday)
Crafty Calendar (July) - Happy Birthday (2nd entry)
Crafty Catz #718 - Anything Goes
Creative Crafters #102 - Anything Goes
Creative Inspiration #40 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)
A Cut Above (July) - Anything Goes with a Die Cut (3rd entry)
Cut It Up #360 - Create Your Own Background + a Die Cut (2nd entry)
Daisy Chain #109 - Birthday (2nd entry)
Ellibelle’s Garden Party #17 - Anything In or From a Garden  (3rd entry)
Heart’s Quest Lovable Quotables #5 - Use a Quote (2nd entry)
(anonymous motivational quote)
Seize the Birthday #330 - One or More Numbers
Simon Says (Monday) - Fun With Paint
Unicorn #122 - No Design Paper
Word Art Wednesday  #760/761 Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Take care, and thanks for visiting.
Hugs,

6 comments:

Alyson Mayo said...

Love, love, love that beautiful background! Fabulous card. Thanks for sharing with us at Cut It Up :)

Melanie Hungerford said...

So pretty, love the mixed media look, yet still has a very CAS feel, love it! Thanks for sharing with us at the Alphabet Challenge.

Chris said...

A really beautiful design, fabulous colours, background and dragonfly. xx
Thank you for joining in at Crafty Calendar and Crafty Catz
Challenges.
Chris
x

crafty-stamper said...

Absolutely beautiful card and Dragonfly, love the background and sentiment.
Carol x

Vicki said...

So very lovely! The geli plate background is beautiful and the dragonfly just sparkles above it. The swirls on the die cut frame really do mimic the flight path of a flying insect. Thanks for sharing with the July Anniversary Challenge at A Cut Above. Happy that you played along with us.

Nancy said...

Such a pretty card and I would love for you to join us again at Seize the Birthday. Sadly, as part of our rules we only allow you to link to 4 other challenges. I hope you will consider playing along another time. Take care.