Recycling plus Poppy Candle

Gosh I have been so busy lately - but at last the samples have been packed and shipped, and have had a bit of "me" time, although not as much as I would like - so much going on at mo.

I received an order from Crafty Crocodiles this week, and couldn't wait to play with one of the bits in the parcel - some pearlised acrylic paints - woohoo!  A few weeks ago I came to the end of a very large tin of cocoa and thought that it might be useful for all the paintbrushes I suddenly seem to have acquired, so put it to one side - so a little recycling!

It is not brilliant - but as it is only for me and it was a first attempt at painting a spray of roses - I am quite happy with it and you have to practise on something!  Also painting without a safety net as such - i.e. freehand (no stamped imaged for guidance!)

front - painted with my new pearlised acrylics - inspired by Stephanie Weightman's one stroke painting technique.

the otherside with an attempt at honeysuckle using ordinary arcylics (copied from my folk painting book)

another view

I also painted another candle - this time with a poppy on two sides using Sheena's poppy stamp.  I confess that although I was watching Sheena's video - initially I got the order of the colours wrong - I have to remember to reverse what I am seeing on the video.  I was also listening to her saying paint the centre green and then highlight with black and yellow - duh this here dipstick having layed the colours out - promptly painted black centre first - so had to highlight with green and yellow - must be a moment when brain doesn't connect with hands!  (CRAFT = Can't Remember A Flippin Thing !)

front

back

right I am off to look for other things to paint and recycle ! ..................



Sympathy Cards

I haven't posted on the blog for a while as I have been busy doing some samples for a Craft Catalogue.  However, that is nearly at an end, and I have taken a day off today as I had to make two Sympathy cards for the same family.  These are never easy cards to make are they.

The first card is a white DL sized hammered card, and I used an Art Impressions stamp I have had for ages and haven't used much although I love Arum Lillies.  I watercoloured it with aquamarkers, edge the card with purple and then matted it on to two shades of pearlised lavender card stock, and added the Thinking of You peel-off.

I think my choice of image was perhaps inspired by the fact that my Lily outside the backdoor came into bloom today.

The second one is a square card from Craftwork cards with one of their frames mounted on to pale lavender pearlised card (although it doesn't look lavender in the photo - it is the same colour as the underneath mat on the above card). I then cut the Marianne skeleton flower from black card stock, and created a sentiment in Publisher and mounted this on the same lavender cardstock.

Although the next photo isn't so clear - I think it shows the lavender colour better.  (Unfortunately when I came to photograph the card - it had started to rain so had to take the picture indoors!)



                          

Painted Candle

and to go with the card for my neighbour, I painted this today - my first painted candle!

Second Furry Friends card

Image is from JS Furry Friends, matted and layered on very pale pink shimmered card (forget the name -bought it at Ally Pally) and silver mirri.

The Martha Stewart trellis was punched from card created from the central part of the cat image amd resized.  Flower and sentiment (matted/layered as image) was also created from cropping part of the image and resizing to create matching card.  Basic card is my favourite Papermania Shimmer card.

Thanks for looking

Mags

Another Fishy Card

Made this card for a pal for her nephew.  The image is from JS Jane Netley Mayhew Collection, and I have also used the matching backing papers for the side squares.   However, using Publisher, I also used an image from the Frame Section and resized it and the fish to create the main image.  I couldn't resist putting the words I did on the sentiment for this keen fisherman!

Just a  basic cream card  and everything matted and layered on gold mirri and brown Papermania Shimmer Card.

This card isn't actually needed until beginning of  July, but as I am supposed to be doing some work for a Children's Craft Catalogue over next couple of weeks, once the items arrive,  I thought I had better get ahead.  I have also got to do a cake to go with the card - although it will be a joint male and female 60th cake.  Inspiration has not struck for that yet!  (Do fish and flowers go together??).

Cats and Gymnastics

As soon as I saw this image on JS Furry Friends, I knew I had to buy the CD - it was just what I wanted for a card order with the requirements Cats and Gymnastics!  I have even been brave and not layered it straight - bit diverse for me!  The photo doesn't really do the colours justice as the image is more aqua than blue.

Basic white card stock, trimmed with Woodware cutter.  The backing square of a gymnast was created in MCS by tiling a royalty free image, and changed to brown.  This was matted and layered using Papermania shimmered textured card stock in a brown shade to match the cats, and gold mirri, as was the image and the sentiments, which were created in Publisher.

I also created some flowers, by importing the image into Publisher and cropping the image, and then resizing it to give me the colour of card I wanted for the flowers (I printed card on both sides in different shades).  Whole thing finished off with a touch of brown ribbon and some matching jewels.

Close up of the flower detail showing how it matches the image.

Experiment with an image

I love the Joanna Sheen Enchanted Dreams cd, and in particular this image.   I imported the image into Publisher then copied and cropped it and then enlarged it to the size I wanted as an experiment to use as as a ribbon of backing paper.

I was thrilled when I was planning the design in Publisher to see that the "wings" appear to match perfectly.  I will confess that I had no idea when I started to play that this would happen, and am really quite pleased with the effect.

I edged the backing strip with a peel-off, and matted the image on mirri card, which is raised up slightlly on 3d tape.  Finished the card with a simple peel-off Happy Birthday and some pink sparkly stars which pick up the colours in the image.  Card was a pale green Papermania Shimmer Textured cardstock from the Aqua Marine pack. 

LIM: 70th Birthday Card

I wanted to try another Less is More card for this card for a forum pal.   Green Papermania Shimmer Textured card stock.  The green squares (mounted on silver mirri) and the green imitation ribbon were from MCS Print Click Go Paper Flower Expert, with an additional piece of green ribbon from my cake decorating stock added.  Finished off with a large 70 peel off and a couple of Flora Doodles and a sentiment from my stash (amazing how some yellow tint has shown on the Flora Doodle Flower - as there was no yellow showing on the actual flower!   Photography is a stange thing sometimes!)