Playing with a new toy

Good morning from a cool but sunny day here in the antipodes - I hope the weather where you are is equally pleasant.


I am not at home at the moment, but thought I would 'blog' a card I made shortly before I left home.  The new toy alluded to in the title of this post is the Sissex embossing folder, Manhatten Flower marketed by Stampin' Up. 

I wanted to make a simple, elegant card for a friend, and decided to go with a dark forest green card stock for the base.


I chose to use water colour paper to emboss, sorry I cannot remember the weight, but it was fairly heavy so I would get a deep impression.  


I stamped and gold embossed the greeting in the top corner, apologies for the poor photography which means it is not clearly seen :-(, then cut the embossed mat to fit the card.  It was somewhat stark, so I added the half pearls.  I was working by electric light and just hoped they were the 'right' green by daylight!!  Scary, I much prefer to work in daylight when it comes to matching colours!!

I thought I was finished, but lying in bed that night I had an inspiration, and next day added the clear 'kindy glitz' to the embossing and it really added the final touch of panache!!


Thanks for calling by, and I hope you have enjoyed your visit.


Have a blessed day.

Sixty and counting........

Welcome to my blog - I do appreciate you, my visitors, and love to know that you have called by.


Early this week I was asked to make a birthday card for a friend's sister who is turning sixty - the only feature she asked for was that it showed the digits 60.
This is the result!!

The background was a pale green, and I kept to a monochromatic colour scheme.  I was not very happy with the digits - I have no stamp, so I printed them out on the computer and stenciled the outlines into adhesive backed gold paper and then cut them out and adhered them to a dark green card.  Not the best way to make them, but it worked reasonably well.


I ran a medium gray green piece of card stock through the Cuttlebug in the Heart Blocks folder, mounted that on the dark green to define the edges against the background.

I decided to go with a scripture verse as the main feature, knowing that the person it is for is a woman of faith.  I used this stamp from the Our Daily Bread Designs Scripture Collection 2 and embossed it in gold on the dark green card.


I mounted this on a gold metallic paper before adding it to the card.


I was following a card sketch from Scrappy Sketch Sunday -  Catch the Bug challenge , so needed to add the ribbon on the right side - I had no ribbon the right width for the card, so lay two narrow pieces together to get what I wanted.

There was to be a feature on the bottom left corner, and I had no small brads or pearls that would suit, so I took a liberty with the sketch and made a flower with a wire edged gold ribbon, by gathering the bottom edge along the wire and then winding it into a flower shape.  I finished it with an old button from my 'stash', I suspect this one came from my late MIL - 


Those older ladies of my mother's generation who came through the depression were the original "recylcers" and could put a lot of the current "greenies" a thing or two!!  Myself included!! 


I am linking this to several challenges

Scrappy Sketch Sunday #21

Our Daily Bread Designs ODBDSLC14

Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge 68 - Flowers

Practical Scrappers - Felt Fabric and Tulle Challenge

Thank you for taking the time to visit - I do enjoy knowing you have called and commented.  I hope you have a great day.

A Grandma Again

A warm 'hello' to my cyber visitors :-)


I am thrilled to be able to say that once again I have been blessed to become a Grandma - this little fellow was born sooner than expected, and he and his Mum have had a rough start to their relationship! Thankfully with prayer and great medical care, they are recovering well.

This photograph was taken just half and hour after his birth, in his father's (DS's) arms.   Michael Gordon Jesse was given a medical hurry-up to arrive due to our DIL having complications at the end of her pregnancy.


We were able to visit them yesterday and he is a real little honey - the following photograph shows him in his Grandma's arms, with Poppa stroking his cheek

He was fairly sleepy, but that is understandable!!!  But I did have the privilege of changing  him later in the day, and his lungs work well as he did not appreciate the invasion of his cosy cocoon!!  

He has also discovered his thumb!! So when Grandma was being a meanie and changing his clothes he resorted to self comfort!!


Now we are home again and it is back to the house work and cardmaking - before the next visit.


Thanks for calling in - have a great day.!!

Masculine motorbike...

Greetings to you all - I am flattered that you take the time to visit my ramblings. This is a short post as I have another one to put up shortly

I needed as masculine card and really did not have a lot of time, so I turned to my trusty motorbike stamp from Peacocks, stamping it onto a scrap of very dark blue card-stock and embossing it in silver.


The thing about starting a card like this and not planning it right through before you start is that you then hit 'roadblocks!!


Eventually I decided on the layer of silver textured 'stuff' that I had on hand - I cannot call it paper, and it is not a fabric either.  I bought it about 5 years ago in an art supply shop.  It is very shiney and the photograph does not do it justice.


The bright blue card was another small piece I had on had, and I stamped the sentiment in blue ink before clear embossing it, then mounted the image and trimmed to size.  When you have a bit of room to spare this can make life a lot easier than trying to line up the stamp under the previously mounted image.  To soften the edge I sponged it with the blue ink that I had used for the sentiment.


Placed this finished panel on the gray card-stock base, and decided that it was a bit bland, so hunted in my ribbon drawer to find something that could not be mistaken for feminine!!  I found this length of black chiffon that was way too wide, and if I was honest, too sheer, but that was all solved by placing it on the card folded in half!!


Hmm - still not happy with it... ah ha - the silver brads - now how to place them.... inspiration struck, the brads inserted and the card was finished and looking 'masculine'!!


Thanks for sharing my journey with me - and thank you so much for your comments - they are very much appreciated.


Have a blessed day!!

Song Inspiration SSIC Challenge #39

Back again after two weeks away - thank you for being so patient while I have not been able to post, and for all the lovely comments left on my 'Grandma' post.

Today I have been inspired by the Challenge over at Stamping Sisters In Christ which is based on this verse:

Ps, 95:1-3a O come, let us sing for joy to the Lord, let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation, Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God...

Which just happens to be one of my (many) favourites :-).

I recently bought an old hymnal in a second hand book shop for this type of challenge - I have an old family hymn book, but could not bring myself to rip it apart, so this was my solution to that dilemma! When I opened it this morning to start this card, I was stunned that it fell open to this page!

This card was a joy to make as it was such a simple layout, the difficulty was in the detail!!  

The music was torn across the bottom, and then I sponged the edges with Tim Holtz Distressing Ink, tea stain.  The wee roses are from the Vintage Roses set from Layers of Color.  I stamped them with some red ink and clear embossed them.

The butterfly was embossed with Bronze embossing powder, and it too is from Layers of Color, from their new release set Joyful Noise - I popped it up with dimensionals, and gave it some bling with the red half-pearls.

The ribbon did not want to be tied and I am still not that happy with the bow itself, but I felt it was time to leave well enough alone.

The final detail was the trail in the bronze bling.

I am also linking this to 

Crafty Angels - Ripping and Tearing

Thanks for calling by, and for all your treasured comments :-)  May you have an awesome day.

I am a proud Grandma

Thank you for visiting my blog - I seems ''forever'' since I did a new post as I have been away from home for more than two weeks, and have another week to go. I am so glad that I traveled with my computer!!


The grand-baby I was awaiting when I made the thank you cards of the previous post arrived on the 1st of May without any complications, and only a few days past her due date.  It was a real joy to be there during my DD's labour and the birth of Lydia Grace Edna!!

This photo was taken just and hour and a half after her birth!!


DD is now home and she, Lydia and SIL are all enjoying each other and the new responsibilities of being family.  Meantime I have taken on the more mundane tasks of running the house, and changing dirty nappies - DD thinks that is a great take on parenting, and I am besotted enough to do it willingly :-).

The second photograph was taken this morning at the start of day 5.


We are all fascinated by the dark hair - both her parents were fair as wee ones, although there are one or two dark haired folk in the extended family.... quite unexpected really.  Of course we realise it could all change!! 


Thank you for bearing with this besotted Grandma and her bragging ... and for your visit - I do love seeing that you have visited.