Butterfly Book

Hello Everyone I've been busy for a couple of days so no posting - Sorry.  Yesterday (Friday) my friend Di and I went on a long coastal walk.  It was a stunning day and we had a great time walking along the rocky shoreline of Cape Palliser at the southern end of the North Island of New Zealand.  It was quite windy - enough to make for spectacular waves breaking over the rocks but not enough to be unpleasant.  We took a picnic lunch and enjoyed the tranquility of the ocean waves as we ate our lunch.  How lucky are we to have that right on our back doorstep?  Anyway when I got home I spent the evening finishing off this little book. I have this thing (fettish?) about little books but I haven't made one for quite some time so I enjoyed doing this one.  It was an experiment really to see if it a possibility for a class.  Quite a simple exercise but I did have to hunt for embellishments.  I have a HUGE stash of embellishments (haven't we all?!!!) but they wern't any good really because they were too sticky uppy (3 dimensional is the correct term I think) and that was no good because I wanted my little book to close flat.  I resorted to computer generated sayings and punched elements like butterflies and flowers with a bit of glitter thrown in for good measure.  The basic book is a Kaisercraft MDF board kit which I painted and covered with scrapbook papers (also by Kaisercraft)  I do have flowers and ribbons to match the papers (bought by my daughter as a gift for me)  but as I said they too sticky uppy.  Maybe I'll try to create another project with the rest of the papers and use the flowers and ribbons on that.  Keep checking back to see if I manage to come up with something.  Thanks for visiting today.

A Button, a Bow and Some Bling

A slightly different version of one of my Black and White Ladies which I am entering in the Ooh - La - La Challenge called A Button, a Bow and Some Bling. My lady has all the requirements so off she goes. The button reminds me of a hat which I think my lady might also like!

http://ooh-la-la-creationschallenges.blogspot.com/

Country Cottage

Well now this warrants getting a bit more excited about don't you think? It took me all afternoon but it was sooooo lovely to do. Very theraputic once I got going. I recently bought Barbara Gray's 4th DVD and this is one of the projects on it. So, I set myself up on the dining room table, in front of the TV, played the DVD and worked along with her pausing when I needed to and continuing on when I was ready. It was such a nice afternoon, I tell you I can't remember such a nice afternoon in a long time and I am absolutely thrilled with my piece of art. I haven't mounted it up yet. It is just sitting on a piece of chocolate chip coloured card. I will keep it with my other large pieces and decide later if I will make it into a card or frame it and give it (or keep it tee hee!!) as a picture. I'm off to find another project to do (after I have done the dinner dishes!! Yuk!) Thanks for stopping by.

Cute As A Button

Just a simple little card tonight to welcome a friend's new baby boy.  Very basic but very cute.  I have teamed it with this Origami box to hold a wee gift for him. I haven't had much time to craft the last couple of evenings as I have been glued to the TV because the ANZ Netball Championship started this weekend and I do love my netball.  I hope to have something a bit more exciting tomorrow.  Thanks for stopping by again.

Kasha in Green

Kasha is the name of this stamp and she is one of my most favourite ladies in the whole entire world (as my two little Grndchildren would say) She is a Clarity Stamp (as are all the stamps used on this card) designed and made by Barbara Gray. The card is a copy of one of Barbara's which she tells how to do in her book Handmade Clear Stamped Cards. The design down the left hand side of the panel is made using one of her Clever Corners stamps. Each medallion is made up of one corner image stamped 4 times. So cool! It takes a bit of practise (like most things) but with a bit of patience and perseverance the results are very rewarding. At last count I think she had 120 different Clever Corner designs so there's sure to be something you like. I stamped Kasha onto the panel and then again onto a piece of white copy paper. I used her Trailing Vine (which was designed to match up with this particular corner stamp) and the corner stamp too to stamp the design on Kasha's dress and hat (I used second generation ink so that it wasn't too dark. That is I inked the stamp and stamped it onto scrap paper BEFORE stamping it onto the dress to make her designer fabric. Or as Barbara puts it INK, BLOT, PLOT!) I then cut out just the dress (chop off her head, neck and legs) and glued it onto Kasha stamped on the card panel. Don't throw away the severed head because you want to cut out just the hat and stick that onto Kasha on the panel too. Colour in her shoes and collar points and she's dressed. I drew a green line around to form a frame and then I masked off the panel and stamped the Trailing Vine all around the edge. This makes it look as though the panel is mounted over some designer paper - which just happens to match Kashas dress! How cool (and easy) is that little trick? Hope you like her as much as I do and I hope you are enjoying your weekend wherever you are and whatever you are doing. Thanks for looking.

Over the Hills . . . .

. . . and far away. That's just where I felt like going today! I think it was Elvis who sang 'D'ya ever have one of those days boys, when nothin' goes right from mornin' 'til night? D'ya ever have one of those days?' Well I certainly did today. It was such a beautiful day outside too. Maybe I should have gone out in the garden instead. Everything I tried at my craft desk today turned into a disaster, everything. I tried new things, I tried things I usually can do with my eyes closed, I tried all kinds of things and I didn't like any of them. My waste paper basket beneath my desk badly needs emptying after today. Finally I managed to produce this post, which was half decent, to show to you all. I used the Direct To Paper (DTP) technique to 'paint' my little picture which made me think - over the hills and far away. Right I'm off to bed with my book before I do any more damage!! Thanks for stopping by.
P.S Tomorrow afternoon about a dozen of us are having a get together for an afternoon of stamping fun run by my friend Diane who is a Stampin' Up Demo so I am looking forward to that. Maybe I'll post what we make tomorrow night. Sleep tight.

Serenity

What a nice way to end my day - with this serene swan scene. It took me a while to do because I kept making mistakes and having to start over. It is a while since I did a reflection scene and I kept doing things in the wrong order!!! Maybe I am a bit tired tonight. Never mind I got there in the end. Of to bed now so 'night 'night and thanks for stopping by.

I love this one so much I am entering it as my third card in the Ooh-La-La challenge at http://ooh-la-la-creationschallenges.blogspot.com/

Blue Moon

Hi again and I hope you are all well. If you are a tad unwell this morning then I hope my Blue Moon will brighten up your day a bit. I used all kind of stamps in this creation - one from Lavinia Stamps, one from ISC and one from Stampscapes and they all work together beautifully don't you think? I love creating the sky and mountains with my brayer. It takes a wee bit of practise but persevere 'cos it's definitely worth it. If you are trying and struggling look up some terrific brayer experts like Barbara Grey or Michelle Zindorf. They give great examples and tutorials. Then it is really a case of practise but sooooo worth it! I hope you like the clear, coolness of this one today and thanks for looking.

I am entering this in http://ooh-la-la-creationschallenges.blogspot.com/
 challenge - Anything Goes

The Sand Dunes

Good Monday Morning Everyone and I hope you all had a great weekend. I certainly did with our eldest daughter and our two youngest grandchildren staying from Friday evening until Sunday afternoon. Our daughter was attending a homeopathic seminar and The Littlies and I spent a large part of Saturday at the swimming pool followed by the playground. Then yesterday Tayla (girl) and I made a dolly out of buttons whilst Trent played his computer games. They are such cool kids snd I love it when they come to stay. (Have I told you that before???????) Anyway after they went home and I restored the house I painted yet another little piece of art on Stampbord. (Have you sourced it yet? You can get it in NZ from Glamour Girl Stamps www.glamourgirlstamps.co.nz The price compares VERY well with what I paid overseas so get some and give it a go. You'll love it too.) This is one of my favourite stamps from ISC which I think stands for Innovative Stamp Creations (just do a search on ISC stamps and I'm sure you'll get there) It makes me feel very tranquil when I am working on this image and I imagine the sound of the waves lapping onto the beach , nice warm sunshine on my skin and relaxing peacefully reading my book in the shelter of the dunes. I'd better go before I drift off to sleep. I hope you like the artwork. Have a good day and indeed a good week all of you. Me? I'm off for my Monday morning swim and Nifty Fifty session. Talk to you all later. Thanks for looking.

African Plain

Good evening Everyone. This afternoon's artwork whetted my appetite for more Stampbord miniature artwork so I used the larger of my two acacia tree silhouette stamps and tried to create an African safari plain. I think I would have liked my sky to be a bit more orangey but I was too scared to do it in case I messed it all up. (How many times have I done that! Put in all the work and then stuffed up with the last touches!!) On the whole I am quite pleased with it and will keep it somewhere safe to create a card with when I need one sometime in the future. It would make a good male card don't you think? They're always a problem to come up with interesting and different ideas for aren't they? I have done all my March cards and don't have any April birthdays so it may be a while until I actually need it. My two favourite Little People are coming to stay for the weekend starting tomorrow evening. That will keep me on my toes so I'm done for today. I'm off to brush my teeth and jump into bed with my book. 'Night 'night.

A Hint of Autumn

 A couple of mornings this week have just had a hint of autumn about them I'm sorry to say. The days have still been beautiful though with high temperatures so maybe we still have a bit of summertime left yet. Anyway the cooler mornings led me to colour this little piece of artwork in autumn colours. I stamped one of my Stampscapes images onto Stampbord with archival ink and dried it off with my heatgun. I let it cool off before colouring it. I used my brush markers to scribble a patch of colour onto a tin lid. Then I used a fine, slightly damp paintbrush to pick up colour from the lid and paint the picture. If you haven't used Stampbord yet you are missing a treat. It is lovely to work on - soooo smooth. I bought mine overseas but you can get it here now so do a search on the 'Net for it. It comes in packets of pre-cut sizes. I have domino size pieces, one inch square pieces and the size I used here is ATC. This is a birthday card for a friend and the idea is that she can remove the artwork and frame it to enjoy long after her birthday is over. I hope you are all having a good day whatever you may be doing. If you're not feeling too well today then I hope you feel better soon. Thanks for stopping by.

I am going to enter this in the http://ooh-la-la-creationschallenges.blogspot.com/ challenge Anything Goes

Inky Fingers in the Moonlight

Second time today - wow!!! I have very inky fingers after playing with this little card. The idea is so very simple - the effect so dramatic. I watched Barbara Grey's 2 hour TV program on the laptop from midnight until 2am and this is one of the cards she demo'd. I love it so I got out my trusty brayer and Adirondack inks, some Post Its, plenty of scrap paper and just one of my beloved tree stamps. I used coated cardstock (glossy surface) it works better with the brayer and ink. Have a go it's fun. You may need to have several tries until you get the feel for it but it is well worth perservering. I'm off to try some more. 'Night 'night.

Notelet Holder

Good Morning Everyone and I hope you all had a lovely weekend. I know I certainly did. On Saturday I taught my first classes of the New Year and what lovely ladies I had. The afternoon was the Patchwork Classes (remember I told you I was going to make them do the hard way and then be mean and show them the easier way?) Well they all coped extremely well and although it did take a considerable amount of concentration everyone went home pleased with their afternoons work. They loved the easier version too but said they were glad to have mastered the acetate (more difficult) version. Both methods give stunning results but quite different looks. The difficult method becomes easier the more you do of course and they breezed through the second card having learnt all the pitfalls on the first one. Anyway onto the new week and today's post. I found this little project on the Internet (of course), loved it and had to have a go. A cute little notelet holder with a pocket to hold 6 notelets on one side and a pocket to hold 6 envelopes on the other. How cool is that for a wee gift for a friend? With all those gorgeous papers out there the colour combinations are endless. The instructions said to use cardstock for the holder but I was afraid it wouldn't hold firm once it had the weight of the cards and envelopes in the pockets so I used lightweight chipboard. I knew that would be strong enough AND I like the 'grey' colour which takes distress inking sooooooo well. It also gives you a blank canvas to decorate to your hearts content without having to worry about clashing with the base colour. I made the roses on the front out of copier paper following one of the many tutorials out there at the moment (so many flowers, so little time). I used the Nestabilities Labels 1 through my Cuttlebug for the front. The flowers on the notelets were made using EK Success Retro Flower punches in medium and small. Add a bit of bling and ribbon and Hey Presto!! Right I'm off for my swim and Nifty Fifty Aquaerobics now. Thanks for dropping by.

Good Morning

I'm bright and early today.  I finished and photographed this card last night but was too tired then to post it .  I found a weekly layout challenge somewhere On-Line and thought I might participate in a few of them as my mojo is a bit down at the moment.  So here is my effort at this particular challenge.  Choosing all the ingredients took me forever!!!  It's nothing clever but pretty if nothing else.  Hopefully I will feel a bit more inspired today.   I had an e-mail from a long lost schoolfriend today.  We re-established contact last year after some 40 odd years and it's been great.  Anyway this e-mail is to celebrate IVGLDSW Day.  Some of you may have been lucky to have been sent it from your friends.  It stands for International Very Good Looking Darn Smart Women's Day.  Now I'm sure you ALL fit into that category so have a Happy Day girls!!! (Sorry if there are any guys who look in.  I do appreciate your support too!!) Hope everyone has a great weekend doing whatever YOU want to do for at least some of the time.

Motto for all you IVGLDSW

 Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, wine in the other, totally worn out and screaming 'WOOO HOOOOO what a ride!'

Mid Week Post

Sorry for no postings (if you care) but I have still been getting things ready for this Saturday's classes.  I like to check and re-check to make sure all is well and I have everything needed ready to go into my crate to take to the shop.  Saturday afternoon's class is Patchwork Cards which I posted some little while ago on here.  I got the project from the English magazine Craft Stamper.  Lovely as the cards are, as I wrote the instructions I got to thinking that there must be an easier way to create patchwork cards.  So I gave it some thought and have come up with these cards which look just as lovely (I think) and are certainly much easier to create.  I will show these to my ladies (11 of them!!) on Saturday but not until AFTER they have worked hard (and possibly torn out their hair) on the other ones!  The Windmill card I have made with a coloured centre patch and then again with a black centre patch.  I think I probably like the coloured patch best but it a close run thing.  The beauty is that after cutting up the lighter patches you have enough triangles left to create another card.  Lots of combinations possible if you give it a little thought.  A good idea is to draw up a grid on some scrap paper and colour in triangles to create different patterns and then re-create them onto cards.  Have fun and thanks for stopping by.