Update - Fledged!!

Welcome

After several days of  chatting to the wee starling in the box, and it would sit there and chat back, this morning it fledged.

I saw it several times on the back lawn, and you could see it getting stronger and stronger with each attempt at flight, although its navigation needed quite a lot of improvement, even when I took this photo a few moments before he disappeared.

We have not see it since mid-morning, but are so glad that we got to see him fledge.

Thank you for your pleasure in these 'nature' posts

May your day be blessed

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Growing up

Welcome

It is late spring here in the Antipodes and we have had a starling box in the back yard for several years now - this year the pair started early, and hatched two chicks.

Of late we have seen more and more of the chicks sitting looking out of the hole, and one chick will let me get quite close before they duck back in.

I took these photos from a distance on full zoom, to be sure the chick would not hide, and unfortunately one is a bit fuzzy.

The marks around the hole are from the parents feathers when they hold onto the edge of the hole to feed the chicks

I think it will not be long before the chicks fledge, and then the back yard will be very quiet!!

The neighbours have two boxes, but their birds were much later to breed, so we will still have some starlings around, amongst the other birds.

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Folded Butterfly

Welcome

I wanted to use a background stamping technique recently, and not only did I create a reasonable background, I also used a folded butterfly shape I have recently learned.

To stamp the background you start with the darkest colour first and the boldest motive, followed by a medium colour and a more delicate motif, then the lightest colour and a background stamp.

I stamped the piece of copy paper that I was using for the butterfly with a co-ordinating colour and motif - it did not contrast enough, so I sponged the edges with the ink I used to stamp it with, then assembled the card.

The sentiment was stamped in a red ink, then embossed with a red ep, trimmed to a banner shape, then mounted over a matching red cardstock.

I was still not happy with the card as a whole so it sat on my desk for some days, then I added the red gemstones, and still not happy, picked up a sponge that had some delicata gold ink on and gently tapped it over the butterfly, putting paper under the edges to prevent smudging.  I then masked the butterfly and sprayed with perfect pearls perfect red spray, and was finally happy with it. 

I am linking this to:

Little Miss Muffet Challenge #151 - Anything Goes

Digital Delights Delightful November Challenge #16 - Anything Goes

Crafty Girls Creations Challenge #30 - Anything Goes

Crafting With An Attitude Challenge #21 - Anything Goes

Aud Sentiments Challenge - Anything Goes With a Sentiment

Creative Moments Challenge #107 - Anything Goes

The Mod Squad Challenge - Sparkle it Up

The Paper shelter Challenge #274 - Bingo

First vertical line - Sentiment, flowers, gemstones.

Southern Girls Challenge - Anything Goes With Team Lou

Addicted To Stamps Challenge #221 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #258-259 - Anything Goes

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog - may your day be blessed

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A Question

Welcome

Can anybody tell me how to get another page header to show on my blog's home page?? 

 I do have a third page, but the tag does not show up, and I cannot figure out how to get it to show.... even less now that blogger has it's "new and improved" layout which I find totally frustrating!

Thanks in advance for all your help

Edited

Thank you all for your help - it's all fixed and functioning 😀

Water Colours and Leaves

Welcome

These past few weeks a have been very busy, and this week is shaping up to be the same...

I made this card earlier in the month as a demo for my stamp class

I started by loosely painting the background with watercolours, then when that was dry,  the branches embossing folder was inked on the raised image side of the folder using a brayer, then embossed the image on the background.

To tie the whole design together I stamped the Friends stamp (by Hastings Rubber Stamps) using the same ink, on the same card stock as the base  (a grey recycled card from a local printer). 

The final detail was to sponge all the edges with the same Espresso ink before assembling the card, and add some white flat back pearls.

I am linking this to:

Crafty Girls Creations Challenge #30 - Anything Goes

Crafting With An Attitude Challenge #21 - Anything Goes

Aud Sentiment Challenge # - Anything Goes with a Sentiment

Simply Papercraft Challenge #41 - Anything Goes

Morgan's Art World Challenge #23 - Use an Article From Your Stash

The stamp, paints and folder were all some of my early purchases, stash from way back! 

Crafting With Friends Challenge #32 - Anything Goes

PolkaDoodles Crafting Challenge #46 - Anything Goes 

Brown Sugar Challenge #225 - Anything Goes

Lil' patch pf Crafty Friends Challenge #46 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #256-257 - Anything Goes

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Spotty Thanks

Welcome

We have had the most wonderful family filled weekend - we had 19 people around the table for one meal 😃.

I made this card a few days ago for a local woman who blessed us with a gift of fudge, made by her mother and couriered up from Wellington!!  The card was loved, and is now enroute to Wellington to the fudge maker.

I started with the lemon yellow base, and embossed it with a Swiss Dots folder, and added a page from a Prima journaling page.

The sentiment panel started as an experiment - the technique I was trying did not 'work' as it was supposed to, so I dropped water onto the distress inked panel and then dried it off, then sprayed it with a silver spray.  I was still not that happy, so die cut the sentiment from a snippet of matching cardstock and inserted it into the panel.   I then embossed another part sentiment after masking off the end of the stamp to have just the part of it that I wanted.

The finishing details were the rhinestones and the washi tape.

I am linking this to:

Crafty Card Makers Challenge #177 - Embossing wet or dry

Artistic inspirations Challenge #167 - Anything Goes

The Pencil Case Challenge Week #32 - Anything Goes

Crafty Friends Challenge #44 - For Someone Special

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends Challenge #45 - Anything Goes

Great Impressions November Challenge - Anything Goes

Glitter 'N' Sparkle Challenge #214 - Anything Goes

Amusing November Challenge - Anything Goes

613 Avenue Create Challenge #190 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #256-257 - Anything Goes

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog - may your day be blessed.

Any comments you may leave are deeply appreciated

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Golden Card

Welcome

I made this card for a friend who has become a superannuitant, and here in New Zealand you are given a gold card for special 'seniors discounts', hence my theme of a golden card, and lots of gold in the card.

  

I loosely followed the sketch over at STAMPlorations November Challenge,

starting with the tag shape, which I cut from a piece of Prima journaling card.

The (Simons Says Single Rose Die) roses were cut from a piece of dark pink paper that I had smooshed with Orchid and Lavender pearlscent inks to tone in with the tag.

The sentiment was cut with a S/B die, the top layer was sponged with gold delicata ink, and layered over pink card stock, attached on an angle across the base of the card.

I used some eyelashes yarn to thread through the top of the tag - carefully cut to have just three colours showing.

The final detail after everything was mounted onto the gold background paper (from a Botanicals pad by Trim Craft) and then onto the pink base, was the two groups of three pink pearls.

We had news recently that my beloved husband has an un-treatable cancer, so if I am not around much in blogland in the coming months, please understand that I am otherwise occupied - I will be here when I can, and comment when I can, but my first priority is him.

I am linking this to:

Through The Craft Room Door Challenge - Anything Goes

Deep Ocean Challenge #141 - Use Die Cuts or Punches

Cards Und More Challenge #171 - Girls, Girls, Girls

The Crafty Addicts Challenge #28 - Anything goes

Scrapy land Challenge #53 - Anything Goes

Inspiration Destination Challenge #111 - Anything Goes

Creative Moments Challenge #106 - Anything Goes (twist Thanks)

Crafty Gals Corner Challenge #97 - Use a Sentiment

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #256 - 257 - Anything goes

STAMPlorations November Challenge - Sketch only

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ATC's and Missing In Action

Welcome

And a special welcome to Pamela from Pam's Pearls who is a new follower.

Life is hectic at the moment, and this week is looking to be slightly crazy with hospital appointments, meetings, and then seven family members arriving from Australia on Friday to spend the weekend with us!! Please be patient with me as I doubt I will be around much at all until well into next week.

I made these three ATC's part way through the week, and have only got to share them now.  

This started as a page from a small Prima pad of planner pages - I let the paper do the work, and simply embossed the scripture over the paper after stamping some flourishes on it.

Die cut the butterfly and covered it with gold perfect pearls and placed it over one of the butterflies on the paper, pierced the edges and ran a silver pen around to create faux stitching, and added the silver cord and silver rhinestones.

*******

This next one was started by gluing snippets of paper onto the base, then embossing it, adding gold Delicata ink to the image side of the folder before I embossed it.  The ink did not give a good result, so I then went over it with Inka Gold paste on a fine paintbrush. (It looks way better IRL, but did not photograph well.)

The Scripture was stamped onto a snippet and then die cut with a M.B Stitched rectangle, and the gold 'flowers' were cut using a S/B edge die, then cut apart and tucked under the edge of the panel.

********

This final ATC  used a piece of scrap patterned paper as the base - I stamped flourishes over it, (stamping off before hitting the paper). 

 The scripture was stamped using the MISTI, and I think I made six impressions before I was happy with it - the ink was quite pale on the paper for the first few impressions.

The (base) butterfly was cut from a floral paper in an old calendar, the top one from white card, and then painted with iridescent blue twinkling H2O paint.

The final detail was the silver dotted washi tape top and bottom and a rhinestone on the butterfly body.

(The apparent tag of paper by the antenna is actually part of the paper below it)

I am linking these to:

Though The Craft Room Door Challenge - Anything Goes

Love To Craft November Challenge - Anything Goes

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends Challenge #45 - Anything Goes

Just Keep On Creating November Challenge - Anything Goes

Deep Ocean Challenge #141 - Use Dies and punches

Crafting By design November Challenge - Anything Goes

Inspiration Destination Challenge #110 - Anything Goes

Crafting With An Attitude Challenge #21 - Anything Goes

Brown Sugar Challenge #223 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #254-255 - Anything Goes

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog - may your day be blessed

Any comments you may leave are deeply appreciated

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Bicycle Bliss

Welcome

This is my DT  post for A Bit More Time To Craft Challenge #31, 

The background paper is Lozzy's Vintage Man design, 

due to be released on November 4th.

I love these bicycles, and I can think of nothing better than free wheeling down a hill with the wind blowing through my hair - something I loved as a teen.

I immediately thought of this Vintage Lady on Bicycle stamp from a local company (unfortunately I cannot find it on their website) when I saw the paper.

I coloured her with Prismcolor pencils, and the bicycle with markers.

The scripture digi was from TLC Creations, cut with a MB stitched rectangle die and sponged with Mustard Seed DI

A trim of ribbon and some rhinestones finished the card.

I am linking this to:

Crafty Friends Challenge #43 - Anything Goes

The Pencil Case Challenge Week #31 - Anything Goes

Artistic Inspirations Challenge #166 - Anything Goes

Aurora Wings Challenge #38 - Anything Goes

Crafting From The Heart Challenge #134 - Anything Goes

Craft Your Passion Challenge #336 - Anything Goes

Get Creative Challenge #51 - Anything Goes

Amusing Challenge - Anything Goes

Lil' patch of Crafty Friends Challenge #44 - Anything goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Week #254-255 - Anything Goes

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog - may your day be blessed

Any comments you may leave are deeply appreciated

All comments are moderated and spam deleted.