The year in Review

Welcome - I was going to do a new post, but instead have decided to review the year and post a card from each month!! 

This is my January choice - I had fun experimenting with this background and loved the outcome.

February was another card that had an experimental background that I chose.  Loved the way this one turned out!

In March there were fewer cards to choose from, but I really loved this one.

In April our Grandson was born, and this was my favourite card - made for my grand daughter's second birthday

May brought some more studio time, a slew of sympathy cards and my first successful paper piecing on a card.

For June I chose this bright card - simply because it is so cheerful - even more so in real life.

July I found hard to choose a card as there were several that I like, but this one with (retired) stamps from Layers of Color was the one I chose.

August I made this card for a dear friend

September I combined and digi image with digi paper and came up with this colourful card, and got it up before my computer died!

October was a month for numerous baby cards, this one being my favourite

In November my favourite was a commissioned card 

December saw me experimenting - this time with gesso and watercolours

I do hope you have enjoyed this review of my year - I do know that I have enjoyed reviewing my blog and selecting them.  There were many other cards made, some of which never made it to my blog, and some of which, to my embarrassment  I didn't even photograph before getting them away.  I blame that on being a senior blonde ....

Thank you for supporting me through out this past year, you visits and comments have been very much appreciated.

May your 2013 be one which brings much joy to you and yours.

Felicity's Card

Welcome, and a blessed Christmas to all my visitors.  

It is supposed to be summer here in the Antipodes, but at the moment it is not sunny, rather we are due the remnants of a tropical cyclone and it is warm, humid and dull - just when I wanted sunshine to photograph the sparkle on this card!! 

The image is a bride digi from Bugaboo Stamps, but I wanted a 'girly' image for a 2 year old, so trimmed off the veil and train after printing.

The image was coloured with chalks and mounted, using foam dots to give some dimension, onto a Prima Fairy Flora dp cut with the Floral oval die from Spellbinders.

A bow was added for interest, and rhinestones for some sparkle - but that did not work for me...

Mounted the panel onto blue card stock after trying green.

Stamped and embossed the sentiment using silver hologram ep, 

still not happy....

Inspiration struck and out came the glue pen and the glitter.... and now the card, my studio and I are very sparkly, and the card has two fancy borders. 

...and finally the sun poked out for a few seconds and I got a quick photo... please excuse the shadow but I was rushing before the sun hid behind the clouds again.

I am linking this to:

Catch the Bug - Recipe Challenge - use borders

Hiding in My Craft Room - Challenge #77 - Anything But Christmas

Stamp Your Life Challenge #1 - Anything Goes

Crafts 4 Eternity Challenge #103 - Anything Goes

ATC's and Cards with Attitude - Anything Goes

Avadares Challenge #6 - Anything with a digi

Lady Annes Sentimental Friday Challenge - Anything Goes

Fat Pages and Cards with Attitude - Anything Goes

QKR Stampede Challenge #19 - Let it Shine

Wags n' Whiskers Challenge #94 - Anything Goes

Thanks for visiting - may your day be blessed.

Any comment you may leave is appreciated, 

and the encouragement is so very welcome.

Napkin and Plant Wrap!!

This card has been selected as one of the top three at Papelitos Challenge 
Thank you Papelitos!!

Greetings.

It is good to be back here after such a long absence - with summer, (read gardening and lawn mowing) Christmas and the house project, life is a tad busy!!

But I have managed several cards and another card class since I last posted.

The card I am sharing today was inspired by some paper table napkins that were used at my Aunts 85th birthday party - my cousin graciously gave me a couple to bring home.

I used the 'felted cardstock' technique found here. After adhering and trimming the napkin layer, I sponged the edges. I then sprayed it with a silver glitter mist.

This was then mounted over maroon card, and the sentiment embossed on a scrap of the same card, cut with a die and the edges sponged with pearlescent ink.

The silver layer under the sentiment and top layer was a wrap from a gifted plant - compliments of my neighbour.

This shot shows the sparkle from the mist and the silver layer.  The rhinestones were added in three groups - one on the sentiment and two on the card.

I was very pleased with this outcome of this card.

I am linking this to:

Mema;s Crafts - December Challenge - Anything Goes

Artistic Inspirations Challenge #20 - Anything Goes

Bunny Zoe's Crafts Monthly Challenge - Celebrations

Crafty Bloggers Network Challenge - Anything Goes

Daisy Doodles Creative Challenge #74 - Birthdays at Christmas

House of Gilli Challenge # 48 - Add Sparkle

My Grafico Challenge # 142 - Anything Goes

Squigglefly Challenge #50 - Anything Goes with a Sentiment

Vintage Stamping Challenge #3 - A Pocket Full of Posies

Papelitos Challenge #24 - Anything Goes

Thanks so much for visiting - may your day be blessed.

Gesso butterfly

Welcome - some rainy weather has given me a break from house painting to make some cards.  As I needed two in a hurry, I grabbed the images that I had been experimenting with gesso and watercolour, and made them into cards. 

This is the result of watching a video recently on using gesso over a printed page, and then stamping and watercolour over that. The problem is I cannot remember where I saw it to be able to link back and give credit to the artist.

The artwork started out as a piece of page from and old Mills and Boon romance... it was painted with gesso and left for several days.

The butterfly was then coloured using watercolour pencils and a water-brush. After that was dry I masked the butterfly and stamped the background script.

The sentiment was stamped and gold embossed across the corner, and the edges sponged with distress inks.

Although it is not clear, I used two distress inks, but forgot to let the first one dry completely before I added the second one, so they sort of blended....

Some liquid pearls were added in the corners.

A double bow in the corner made from the same ribbon that is under the left hand edge of the image panel.

When I bought the gift to go with the card, it was gift wrapped by the shop I purchased it at - I asked if they had pink and purple toned paper, and this is the result - an awesome match!  

I think my 85 yr old young Aunt will love the combination!

I am linking this to:

ATC's and Cards With Attitude - Anything Goes

Lady Anne's Challenges - Sentimental Friday - Anything Goes

Fat Pages with Attitude Challenge #28- Anything Goes

Hotshot Craft Blog Challenge #13 - Butterflies

Stamping With the Dragon - Anything Goes

Stemplesonne Challenge #77 - Anything goes with a stamp

Wags and Whiskers Challenge #94 - Anything Goes

Thanks for visiting - may your day be blessed.

Any comments you may leave are really appreciated.