Feathered Felicitations

Welcome

This card was made for a man who is a wonderful artist, and I am always a bit intimidated when I get to make a card for him... 

I started by using the feather stamps from Close To My Heart.  

The patterned one was stamped using a rainbow pad, but I cannot recall the colours I used on the red/orange one.

The green one I think I used  Cottage Ivy, Bamboo Shoots and Pear Tart inks from Memento

blending the individual inks on the stamp before stamping on the card.  After stamping, I fussy cut them so I could juggle them on the card.

The sentiment was stamped in espresso ink using a Montarga Stamp, and die cut with the S/B tag die, then attached with brads, through the ribbon and onto the kraft paper.

This was all then mounted onto a deep green (think Hunter Green) base.

I am linking this to:

Crafty Gals Corner Challenge #168 - Anything Goes

Crafty Creations Challenge #368 - Anything Goes

Craftaholics R Us Challenge #25 - Anything Goes

Addicted To Stamps Challenge #297 - Make Your Mark

Star Stampz Challenge #21 - Celebrations

Little Miss Muffet Challenge #191 - Anything Goes

Craft Rocket Challenge #49 - Birthday

Aud Sentiments Challenge #206 - Anything Goes with a sentiment

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #70 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #340-341 - Anything Goes

Motorcycle Make

Welcome

I am sorry I have not been visiting your blogs much, but I am still having some problems with my eyes, and am not having a lot of computer time.

I needed a masculine card in a short time, and I had recently received a bundle of unidentified dies, and this motor bike was amongst them, 

so I ran it through the cuttlebug with a dull silver card.  As the card was a good weight, it not only cut well, it also embossed well too.  Love the detail it gave.

I heat embossed the sentiment from Avery Elle using silver ep, and mounted the bike over a black ribbon with a white stitched border to ground it, and the card was done!

I am inking this to:

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends Challenge #84 - Anything Goes

Addicted To Stamps Challenge #165 - Black, White and option of one other colour

Simon Says Monday Challenge - Transport

Pammie's Inky Pinkies challenge #1824 - Anything Goes

Get Creative Challenge #70 - Monochromatic

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #214 - Wet or Dry Embossing

Cute N Crafty Challenge #3 - Birthdays

Crafting From the Heart Challenge #211 - Anything Goes

Southern Girls Challenge (team Lou) - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #338-339 - Anything Goes

What a Week!

Welcome

I had intended to be back before this, but it's been quite the week!

Tuesday was wet and cold, and I had gone out to have a day at my local embroidery guild, hoping to finish my part of a group project.  I left some of my equipment behind, and when I came home to get it, there was a parcel in the letter box - thankfully the postie had put it where it was sheltered, but I was glad to be home to bring it inside sooner rather than later.

The parcel was from Mia of Craftartista blog, as part of her first blogaversary.

What a range of beautiful goodies she had packed up - and I was one of ten or twelve 'winners'.

 

Love these wee stitched wooden ornaments, and the chocolates did not last long 😏

The coffee was a total and very pleasant surprise!!  Love a good cup of coffee, and I have several friends lining up to share it too!  The ribbon is very pretty, and those black labels are so dramatic.

Love this embossing folder, and the snowflake bling, hearts and sparkle washi tape.

The ring. filigree corners and earrings are beautiful, and I look forward to trying the glue glitter pens.

So looking forward to using these doilies too.

Thank you Mia, this was a bright spot in a difficult week!!

Late on Monday evening I had noticed a slight visual disturbance in my left eye - by Tuesday evening I was quite concerned as I had flashing lights and 'cobwebs' there.  Wednesday I contacted my doctor, and long story short I ended up at the Eye Clinic at the 'base' hospital an hours drive away.  

Turns out it is part of ageing, and a relatively normal process that often gives no symptoms, but in my case which is not unusual, the retina was being tugged at which was what was causing the disturbances. Worst case scenario is a detached retina, but thankfully I have dodged that bullet.

Moral of the story - don't get old!!  

Moral 2 - have great neighbours - mine basically gave up her whole day to ferry me both locally, and when my family couldn't help, up to the base hospital.  Then she and her husband  'fed' me before they let me come home, and checked up on me this afternoon in case I needed to go back!!  Thankfully it is improving, but my computer time will be limited for a day or so!

Monika's Shoe in Red

Welcome

I would love to extend a warm welcome to two new followers - Nenny and Kate.

Unfortunately I cannot find if they publish a blog - probably the grey matter under the grey hairs not functioning well - but if you do have a blog, please let me know so I can pay you a visit and also give you a shout out here.

  

I while ago Monika sent me a wee gift that included these stamped shoes, so I coloured this one up with my Prismacolor pencils, and then coated the red leather with glossy accents to mimic patent leather.

I sponged the edge of the panel with red ink, and added a layer of lace at the bottom of it,

 then mounted onto a water colour paper background that I had marbled with nail polish

(here is a close up of it.)

I wrapped the left side of the background with some hand died seam binding, (a gift from Linda)and attached the sentiment tag with some twine.  The greeting is a very old Hero Arts one and was silver embossed.

This is the final card - which I was very happy with. 

I am linking this to:

Polka Doodles Challenge Week #23 - Anything Goes

Fussy and Fancy Challenge #213 - Summer Fling

Creative Fingers Challenge #147 - Anything Goes

Crafty Catz Challenge #420 - Anything Goes, Opt of using Ribbon or Twine

Crafting With Friends Challenge #69 - Anything Goes

Colour Crazy Challenge Week #23 - Anything Goes Using a Coloured Image

Crafter's Cafe Challenge #195 - Tic Tac Toe, using patterned paper

Used the centre vertical line, plus I made my own patterned paper

Jo's Scrap Shack Challenge #237 - Anything Goes

Crafting With Dragonflies Challenge #106 - Use Ribbon and Lace

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks # 338-339 - Anything Goes

Black, White and a Sparkly Pink Doily

 Welcome

I was recently asked by a friend to make a card for her, for a 21st she was attending.

I was given the brief that the recipient liked White, Black and Pink.  

This is the result, which elicited a squeal when the recipient opened it, as the colours were identical to her cake!!

I started with layering the black over the white, then laid another white layer before starting to die cut the doily out of sparkle card.  That took two attempts and a lot of exasperation ... I had already decided to trim the side of the doily and use a black strip down the left side.

I then cut the white centre piece with the numbers cut out, and layered over the black over the doily

I sent a photo of it to my customer, and she was happy with it all laid out.

Next day I went to stamp the sentiment, and removed the top white layer and was stunned by the drama that was the pink over the black, so made the card up without the last white layer, and changing the side strip ti white.

Subsequently I white embossed the sentiment on the black

The centre part of the unused die cut was removed and layered over some more black card and placed on the left inside of the card

On the right inside I layered another piece of white card that I had sponged the edges of with Worn Lipstick DI ready for the message.

I am linking this to:

Fab 'n' Funky Challenge #396 - Shaker Card or Birthday With a Number

The Paper Shelter Challenge #342 - Use Letters and/or Numbers

Through The Craftroom Door Challenge - Anything Goes

Crafting From The Heart Challenge #209 - Anything Goes

Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge #1822 = Anything Goes

Simon Says Monday Challenge - All things Bright and Beautiful

The Paper Nest Dolls Challenge, June - Anything Goes

Addicted To Stamps Challenge #165 - Black and White and Opt, one Colour

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #69 - Anything Goes

Crafting By design - Anything Goes

Inspiration Destination Challenge #152 - Anything Goes - Opt Twist use a real stamp

(the sentiment was a 'real' stamp)

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #338-339 - Anything Goes

Masculine Geometry

Welcome

I had fun with this card playing with my watercolours!!

I started by white embossing on white watercolour paper the large geometric background stamp. (The company is now no longer trading)  

I then spent the next hour or so painting in the triangles randomly, but making sure that I did not have two colours the same in adjoining triangles.... 

The greeting was computer generated, printed on vellum and gold heat embossed.  The vellum was then wrapped around the main panel, along with some string, and then layered over the brown backing before being mounted on the the Hunter Green base.

I stamped the oak from the SU Lovely as a Tree set in Bottle Green on the inside.

'

I am linking this to:

Tuesday Throw Down Challenge #394 - Create Your Own background

Simon Says Monday Challenge - Masculine

Challenge Up your Life Challenge #92 - Gold - use gold on your creation

Archi Scraps June Challenge - Use More Than Two Triangles

Digi stamps 4 Joy Challenge - Anything Goes +for the men in your life

Hiding In My Craftroom Challenge #355 - Use four colours

Blank Page Muse May-June Challenge - Embossing

Paru's Cardmaking June Challenge - Masculine

Stemplesonne Challenge #202 - Anything Goes

Crafter's Cafe Challenge - Tic, Tac, Toe

(I used white, embossing and my own/self-made patterned paper)

Creative Artiste Challenge #39 - Anything Mixed Media Goes

(I have used water colours, embossing, vellum and twine)

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #336 + 337 - Anything Goes

Coffee Blessings

Welcome

I have been wanting to give some encouragement to someone going through a difficult time.  The Coffee Lovers Blog hop is the ideal time, as they love their coffee!

I deliberately kept it CAS as they are not 'fluffy' people. 

The two stamps above are from the  STAMPlorations Anywhere There's Coffee set.  The image was stamped with Memento Rich Coffee ink, and the sentiment with Ranger Espresso, and shaded with my Polychromos

The sentiment (also from STAMPlorations) was die cut in gold card, and on the card base, and the gold inserted into the base.

The white layer was then added to a soft brown card base, and both layers were edged in black ink to give some definition.

I stamped the ODBD Scripture Verse in Espresso in the left of the insert inside the card.

I am linking this to:

Digi Chooseday Challenge week #22 - Anything Goes

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #68 - Anything Goes

Through The Craftroom Door Challenge - Anything Goes

Crafting From the Heart Challenge #208 - Anything Goes

Pammies Inky Pinkies Challenge # 1821 - Anything Goes

Coffee Lovers Spring/Summer blog hop

STAMPlorations Never-ending Challenge - Anything Goes

Simply Papercrafts Challenge #58 - Anything Goes

Moo-mania - Die Cuts

Word Art Wednesday Weeks #336 +337 - Anything Goes