Gelli Plate Efforts

Hi Everyone on this Christmas Eve.  I hope you are not too stressed and that your plans for Christmas are almost finalised.  It has been a very different build up to Christmas for me this year as we are taking our two daughters, their partners and three grandchildren to Disneyland LA.  As we fly on Christmas Day and don't return until 7 Jan, we decided not to put up the tree and all the trimmings so I have to say it has been VERY weird. We have been planning this trip since June and now here we are just a day away from the big adventure beginning.  In between all the little panics that have arisen I had to find time to make my early January birthday cards as I need to get them away in the mail TODAY since I won't be back in time to post them after Christmas.  So here you see my efforts using stencils and my Gelli Plate.  Thanks to Barbara Gray for the instructions on how to get this effect.  These are my first efforts using this technique and I have to say I really enjoyed it.  It was a little warm the afternoon I did it and so I had to work VERY quickly because the acrylic paint was drying out quickly in the heat.  They turned out alright I think and on the whole I was pleased.  I touched up 'dodgy'areas with my Promarker (LOVE these) and Hey Presto no one would ever know there was an 'oopsie'!!  I hope you enjoy looking at them (maybe taking a breather with a cuppa?).  I'm off to the mail to post these.  Have a lovely Christmas whatever you may be doing.  Travel safely.  Enjoy the sunshine if you are in the Southern hemisphere or stay warm if you are in the Northern hemisphere.  All good wishes to you and your loved ones and I hope for a happy, healthy 2014 for you all. Hugs from Crafty Granma x

Thrilled to Bits . . . .

. . . .with this card. Back in July I bought several designs of Special Cards at a craft fair when I was in the UK .  I haven't had time to play with any of them until now.  With classes done for the year and with 2 very good friends with birthdays in January I tried out the first of them today and I have to tell you that it was a delight to make and I am thrilled with it.  I will try a different design for the second card I have to do and post the results of that for you to see.  Hope you are having a good day and thanks for stopping by today.

Last Lot.. . . . .

. . . . . of Christmas cards.  I just needed 6 more and so zapped off this design 6 times.  Had a good production line going and it didn't take long at all.  The inner is computer generated and I really like it.  Just need to look in the drawer for envelopes or else make them with my Envelope Maker.  Good investment :o)) Thanks for visiting today.

Hows Quickly The Years Go

They just disappear in the blink of an eye.  Our Darling Grandson turns 12 this coming weekend.  It seems no time at all since I watched as he was delivered by Caesarean section and now here he is almost as tall as me - and gorgeous into the bargain.  He asked his Mum for a Minion birthday cake so I thought I would try my hand at re-creating a Minion on a birthday card for him.  I have to say I am pretty pleased with it but also that my Minion looks like he needs to enrol at Weight Watchers.  Hope Trent likes it.  We love you so much Trent.  Have a happy day with your friends on Saturday. PS Minion is on a spring so he wobbles about when touched!

A Couple of 'Specials'

 These two cards are for Special People if you know what I mean.  I think you do.  We all have at lease a few Special People in our lives who we make things for. These people are Special for many reasons, not least of which is for the fact that they REALLY appreciate the cards you make for them.  It is such a joy to give to people like this.  I don't know who said it but I'm right in there with him/her 'It is better to give than to receive'.  I do SO love giving things to people.  Have a lovely day.

Through a Hole in the Wall

 Hello Everyone and I hope you have had a good weekend.  Early Sunday evening here in NZ and the weekend is almost over.  It's been quite productive for me I have to say.  This is this afternoon's ceation and I must say I am quite pleased with it.  I am getting to like these stencils/masks more and more.  First time I have used my brick one and the concept of 'a hole in the wall ' appealed especially as a male card (always hard to come up with as we ALL know).  Had a dummy run on copy paper and discovered a lot from that so that my 'good ' effort turned out pretty well.  I'm thinking up more things to view through the hole as I type.  Hope your week goes well.  PS this card is for my nephew.

A Few More Christmas Cards Done

Hi Everyone on a dismal, drizzly Satruday morning. The temperature is not exactly tropical either!!!  Never mind get on with the post.  Two more designs of Christmas cards and my total is now up to 50 completed so the end really is in sight. I am really pleased with the bauble one.  I spent a bit of time doing a 'mock up'  on scrap paper but it was well worth it.  These two are for the Nifty Fifty instructors but I think I will do a few more like this.  The church one I did with a new stencil/mask I bought whilst I was in the UK.  I hope your weather is brighter than mine wherever you are.  Enjoy your weekend and thanks for looking.

First Attempt with Gelli Plate

When I first saw the Gelli Plate artwork I decided it was definhitely NOT my kind of thing.  I was watching Barbara Gray move out of her very talented comfort zone and try this new medium called Gelli Plate.  No not for me!!! but as she progressed and tried more things and different things I began to get more interested.  So long story short I ordered one but before I had chance to try Barbara's technique Tracy from Lavinia stamps came up wih a completely diffrent way to use the Gelli Plate.  Google it and watch her video.  So that's what I tried here and I loved it.  The stamps are Lavinia Zentangle stamps.  I still have to try Barbara's way with acrylic paint and masks but for now this is my first Gelli Plate attempt.  Hope you like.  Have a good day.

God Rest Ye . . . .

. . . .Merry Gentlemen.  Another 6 Christmas cards compleed this morning.  Have had good intentions over the last week or so but somehow just never got ink to card!!!   First time I've used these two stamps which are from Clarity Stamp by Barbara Gray.  Love the brayer as you well know and the masking for the houses was fun and diffrent to do.  Just have envelopes to make for them.  The end is in sight I think as I only have 12 more to make.  Have a couple more cards to post for you and then it's back to the craft desk to see if I can knock out 12 more cards today.  It's a bit cold and miserable today so an excellent day for card making.

Just For You Ali

These are the other designs I have made so far.  I have 20 of the reindeer ones.  I bought the reindeer die in the UK .  Can't think of the name of them at the moment but Stephanie Weightman designs them.  Google her and you will find her lovely range.  The side step cards are real simple once you get your head around where to cut and where to fold (and which way to fold).  See you Monday YEAH!!!

I Really Do Love. . . . .

. . . .this technique.  This sepia version is a get well card  for a friend who was involved in a serious car accident on Thursday. Glad to say she isn't too badly injured but the young man who caused the accident paid the ultimate price.  What a waste of a young life.  Anyway I hope the card cheers her up.  Enjoy the sunshine today here in NZ.

Coming Along Nicely

Good Evening Everyone.  Well I'm pleased to report that I've had a successful week this week.  I have plodded steadily away at Christmas cards (2 designs you see here) and now I have made 40 whch is two thirds of my total.  Six of the remaining ones have to be 'Special' for the Special people in our lives so they will take a bit more time and thought but I'm looking forward to the challenge.  Have a nice weekend one and all and stay safe out there if you are travelling.

I Love This . . . . .

. . . . .card/technique.  Thank-you Barbara Gray for the idea and inspiration.  That lady never ceases to amaze me with the beautiful things she comes up with. Very simple but very beautiful (I think anyway)  This is my third attempt and I am VERY happy with this one.  Quick learning curve on this and now I have it I am going to use it often.  The card is for our lovely neighbour who turns 80 something this next week.  Thanks for visitihng today.

Golden Wedding

I've had quite a productive few days.  This card was for good friends of ours who celebrated their Golden Wedding on Saturday.  I may have posted the card before as I made it quite a while ago but I just made the box on Friday night.  It's always hard to get nice card big enough to make boxes for bigger cards so when I suddenly thought of trying 12x12 scrapbook card I was delighted to find it was plenty big enough.  Don't know why it never occurred to me before!! Anyway Ann and David loved their cxard and I certainly had enjoyed making it for them.

How Easy Was This?

VERY easy.  Not my own idea but very ingenius.  Even better because it is another use for the Enveloper Punch Board which is all the rage just now.  Google it and you will see for yourself just how easy it is.  Thanks to the ladies who share their talents so generously with the rest of us.  Have a good weekend Everyone.  Especially here in NZ where it is a long weekend for Labour Day.  The workers love it as it is the first long weekend since Queens' Birthday weekend WAYYYYYYY back in June so ENJOY People.  Hope the sun shines.

Beautiful Nails

 Good Morning Everyone  So far behind with stuff hence no Blogging!!  This little post has nothing to do with craft but flashes back to the school hols when Tayla and I went to see Estelle at Beautiful Nails in Upper Hutt to ge our nails done.Tayla's were half pearlerised purple and half paua shell foil.  At the beginning of the year she was biting her nails and Estelle told her she couldn't have them done until she stopped biting them.  Here you see the result.  Beautiful and of course she loved the girly treat of getting them painted.  That same day I had mine done in the pink and yellow foil which was fantastic but this week I got them done again and you can see they are even more fantastic.  The first photo is a bit dark and doesn't show the jewel colours as well as the second photo even though the second one is a bit blurry.  Estelle does such a fantastic job and she has made me feel good about my hands again after all my problems with them (some still on going) last year.  Thanks Estelle.