Saturday 28 April 2012

It's a Make-Over!

Originally this card had a different image and flowers I'd made from spirals of paper, but they stuck out too far to put the card in even a gusset envelope, and I didn't like the image.  I did like the papers and the pretty lace so with a little judicious knife work the original image and the flowers were removed.  I needed to find an image that was small enough to fit on the square mat that was left, and this little dandelion fairy by LOTV was perfect.  She's coloured with my Copics and to keep with the colour of the patterned paper I used RV91, 93 & 95 along with E70, 71, 74 & 77, and a touch of cream E50 & E51.  I added pale warm grey tones for shadow then inked the edges with Spring Pansy Versamagic chalk ink, and used the same ink to stamp the little Magnolia spray around the edge of the image.


And here she is in close up.  You can see that I've added lots of Stardust Stickles for sparkle, well she is a fairy after all!  To replace the flowers I've used Nellies's Choice retro flower punch and the mini butterfly punch along with little gems and my Waco cream pearl maker pen (but the blobs have gone flat - I'm not happy with my new pen).

Both the Crafty Catz Weekly challenge and Creative Inspirations challenge is an anything goes theme so I can enter my new fairy card with them.  And the Truly Scrumptious challenge is for distressing and die cuts/punches, so, as I've inked all my edges and used Nesties to cut my squares and various punches for my embellishments I'll enter with them too.

Friday 27 April 2012

Little Robin

As promised, here's the little card I made with my new Nellie's Choice robin stamp.  There's also a selection of snowflakes with the robin, but I didn't use them this time .. .. although as an afterthought I could have stamped a few off the edge of the circle and embossed with a sparkly EP, that might have looked nice.  I started with a plain white 4" square card then added the red mat to the front leaving a slight edge, then cut the Marianne Craftable lacy square from textured white card to mat on top.  I used a Nestie to cut out my little robin and another scallop Nestie to create a matching red mat for him before fixing onto the white layer with 3d pads.  Rummaging through a box of threads I came across a reel of this metallic red that frays into separate layers, and I managed to tie the bow before it unravelled!  A little Stardust Stickles on his hat finished things off.  I coloured robin with my Copics but they are fading in the bright sunshine in the conservatory so I had to go over them again, which wasn't terribly successful as the paper wouldn't take the extra layers of colour without going grainy .. .. another crafty problem I'm going to have to try and sort out.

I found out about a new Christmas blog challenge starting soon - Holly Jolly Christmas Challenge - and on the side bar they link to other Christmas challenges so I've been able to browse and can link my little robin card up to: Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas challenge for lots of layers, and Christmas Stampin' All Year Long who have an anything goes challenge starting today.

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope to be back soon.

Thursday 26 April 2012

Simply Charming

Hello again! not much to report on the building work for the past week, the walls got a little higher and the laundry room/conservatory wall is built so I can get a better idea of the space I will have to craft in - not large so I will have to learn to be tidy and put things away!  Hopefully the roof will be next week .. .. .. Mum has now come down with the virus that I'm still battling but the doc has prescribed something to loosen the phlegm - I hope it will work as she is having trouble coughing it all up.  I'm still coughing but not as bad as it has been so hopefully I'm on the mend.

I have been able to create a couple of cards from bits and pieces on my desk and in boxes that I can reach, this card is one of them and for the Less is More challenge to use a charm this week.  I do struggle with the concept of white space, or cream space on this card.  As I can't get to my picture stamps to colour, I've simply stamped a text with orchid pink Brilliance pearlescent ink and used the same ink to edge the 4" square card.  The little butterfly charm is fixed to the floral ribbon with a pearl brad and then stuck to the MS punched cream layer that I layered onto the card with 3d foam for a little added interest/dimension.

I have another LIM card made so hope it might fit next week's theme .. .. and, I also made a small simple Christmas card with a small Nellie's Choice robin stamp I treated myself to after the last visit to the dentist, and I managed to put a thank you card together for a friend using an image I'd coloured a while back - once I've posted it and given Mr Postie a few days to deliver it, I'll share with you.  Still not got the new computer up and working so struggling with the old one, I have been able to visit a few friends but I'm not a fan of the new blogger dashboard style, the list of blogs that I follow scrolls along with the posts - I want it to scroll separately but can't figure out if that's possible - any one know?

Thursday 19 April 2012

we have walls!

no cards to share with you yet - but there has been a lot of progress on the extension and we have walls. Next week we should start to get a roof as well .. .. then the fun can start. The gap in the new wall is going to be the french doors into my new bedroom. The gap by the conservatory will be the back door entrance into what I am hoping will be the laundry room, then into the conservatory which will have a solid wall at the adjoining end and give me a place to put my craft cupboard. That obscure glazed window is staying, currently at the back of the garage but that will be turned into the new bathroom so no need to replace it. As you can see, we have sunshine here in Cornwall today after the torrential showers of yesterday - at least it's filled up the water butt so I can water the garden again.

I've not been too well myself recently, battling a tooth abscess that's not responding to antibiotics and I have to have the tooth out under GA as I'm a big woos and the gum will need cutting to get at the broken tooth. I have managed to have a little minor treatment and hope to be able to cope with a couple of fillings next month - my phobia is the needle as I react badly to the local anaesthetic as it wares off, but needs must. On top of that, after visiting the dental department at the local hospital I developed a sore throat - a nasty virus the doctor says so no treatment, just time to get over it. Now though I've got the most disgusting cough and a bit of a temperature so all in all I'm in the wars.

I have been looking through my stash of cards as I've discovered that the nearby village has a craft event in their Parish Hall each month so I might be able to take a table and sell a few. However, with the cost of postage going up again, I'm rethinking my card crafting - either I have to go all out and make cards that are going to be for special occasions or, I keep things very simple so that the card fits through the 'normal' post slot - and that means only a couple of layers, and no buttons. blooms or bows that stick out. I am sure that people will still want to send Christmas cards, and cards for weddings and baby arrivals that can be delivered by hand will always be needed. Anyway, whatever I decide it will have to wait until I have my craft space back.

I'm not sure when I will be back on-line as my youngest has a new computer for me so I have to take my stuff off this old dinosaur ready to be put on the new one .. .. hopefully that might speed things up a bit then I can get around to visit you all again.