A Quartet of Cards

It is not often I use "kits" or even do very much decoupage, but as I have a friend who is a keen gardener celebrating her 70th this week, I decided to use this kit from the latest Docrafts Goody Bag that my daughter bought for me at the weekend whilst at a craft shop.  It is an A4 card.

 

 

It is also my neighbour's birthday this week - and she too is a keen gardener - so I used this little decoupage image from the same kit for that.

 

 

 

 

This card and it's insert were created in CAP2 for a crafty friend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and finally one for a pal's son also created in CAP2:

 

 

 

Fantasy in Green

 

Green is not a colour I normally opt for.  In fact this card was nothing like what I had planned.  I had been going to make a card with a sunflower on it from justinklined NBT cd and colour it with promarkers!  However, I wanted some backing paper for my image, and during my search I came across a docrafts goodybag, that I had forgotten all about, and all these lovely elements were in it!

 

Needless to say the card I had spent an hour planning was abandoned.  (Fortunately I hadn't got around to printing anything!).  I just fell in love with all the different papers and the butterflies, and the card just came together.  Quite a different card style for me, but it does mean I actually used some of my stash!

 

Just goes to show that you can sometimes surprise yourself !

Busy Week and a Quick Card

It has been a busy week here.  My pal Sassie came to stay.  She came up with a mutual friend Donna, who had been staying with her.  We met up at Notcutts Garden Centre, and I paid the ransome for Donna to hand her over to me.  We spent a pleasant hour or so at the Garden Centre, buying the shop in our minds! and finished with a cuppa and a slice of cake.

On Saturday, Sassie and went to the Craft Barn and met up with another Sheenie Pal Christine for a Coffee and a browse around the shop and watching some demos. (more of that later).

On Monday we were joined by Sassie's husband and her stepdaughter.  (They had had a sleepover on Sunday on their way up to drop Ian's son off at Donna's as her son and Ian's son are great pals).

Ian has spent a lot of the week relaying my patio and rebuilding my patio wall.  It is 99% complete now - although Ian says it is 100% complete - as that is stage 1.  Stage 2 will be completed on his next visit!

We didn't make him work ALL the time - we did have a few trips out to the Park in the town, and some retail therapy; A trip to Brighton on the Volks Railway and the Pier; lunch out at our favourite tearooms, which also has a stream running through it and farm animals for the children to feed.  Unfortunately after we had lunch in glorious sunshine we ventured toward Worthing, and discovered the coast submerged in sea mist!  We did manage a walk around Brooklands Park, and a trip on the little Diddy train, but it was a bit to cold for the paddling pool!   We had hoped to get to Littlehampton on Friday, but Ian still had a lot of do to finish Stage 1 - so Sassie, Beth and I christened my new summerhouse, with me teaching Beth to Paint Fusion.  (oh yes forgot in the midst of all the chaos I had a new summerhouse delivered and erected by my tame local builders!)

The visitors departed on Saturday, after a quick visit from my daughter and eldest daughter who had been on holiday in Cornwall, so that the girls could catch up as the last time they saw each other was when they were Sassie and Ian's bridesmaids a couple of years ago!  As it was Beth's birthday today, she celebrated yesterday as well, and we all had birthday cake in the morning before they left!

And lastly, here is the quick card I made for Beth.  As we had to wait until she was in bed, it was a case of a quick raid of the stash for Sass and I to make her cards. 

thanks for popping by.  Tomorrow will share what I taught Beth to paint.

Put you feet up!

A quick card for a male gardener.  Created with docrafts digitil designer.

Bon Voyage

Just a very simple one today, but I think it looks a little classy - Less is more as they say.   Pearlised card stock with some paper, ribbon, flower and large pearl from a recent docrafts goodybag.  Sentiment created with card candi stamped using Craftwork Cards mini alphabet stamps made to go with the candi, and a few little pearls from my stash.

Made for my young hairdresser who is having a year out travelling in Asia and Australasia!

Thanks for looking

Mags

Gardening and Birds

 

A very quick card for my neighbour's birthday yesterday - bit of a panic when I looked at the calendar and realised it was her birthday.  Fortunately she has been away for a few days, but was back last night so it was waiting for her on her return. 

There was even more of a panic when I went to print the elements off as I hadn't realised I hadn't got the new printer linked to the laptop.  Fortunately OH sorted that out whilst I entertained the granddaughter's when they called in with Gramp's Father's Day card and pressie, so was able to print it out and assemble it once they had gone!  phew!

The images are from Joanna Sheen's Jane Shasky "From the heart of the garden" cd.  My neighbour is a keen gardener and bird lover - so a very apt image from the cd.

Images mounted on Papermania pearlescent card, a piece of ribbon from my stash,  a Docrafts flower with a pearl added to centre, and some card candi on which I have spelled out Val using a green sakura moonlight pen.

Mags

first bit of crafting for a while

I have been feeling distinctly below par for past week.  There have been visits to docs, and tests etc.  I am now awaiting results.  I think it is a flare up of my pancreatitis, which is very painful.  In addition my sugar levels have been completely haywire and horrendously high.  I seem to have spent most of the week asleep, apart from getting up to make meals, and if I have been up, I have just been laying on sofa or sitting in a chair reading, between my dozing!  Am hoping that I feel better tomorrow, and can perhaps tackle some very overdue housework!  Forecast is sun - so perhaps I may even sit in the garden and paint fusion or something.

Today I have been in my pjs all day - unknown for me - but I did manage to sit and make this card for a pal's birthday next week.  (just got to find the energy to make the insert this evening).

Apart from some cream cardstock from my stash, and a couple of bits from my jewellery stash, and the little zentangled "J" - all the paper and elements were from the May 2012 Docrafts Goody Bag.  Must admit I fell in love with the colour combos when I first saw them.

I created the beads from some strips of the top paper and hung them from one of the brads that came with the kit.  (Looking at the photo - looks if I need to do a little adjustment to the left-hand bead! oops - at least there is an advantage to taking a picture before the card is posted!).

Shame there weren't two of those half circle elements in the kit - could have used the matching second one on the envelope!

Mags

Ballerina Girl

So here is my second card for yesterday's family birthdays - a card for my three year-old granddaughter.  A 6" square scalloped card from craftwork cards.   Main image is from Joanna Sheen's Daisy and Friends, coloured with promarkers, and mounted on purple pearlescent card.  A strip of glitter card, another made from a Martha Stewart punch and a little bit of pretty ribbon from a Docrafts Goodybag..  Finished off with a couple of peel-offs.

Obviously no zentangle this card, but I played on the envelope! :-)

Thanks for looking.

Mags

90th Birthday

Made this card today for Iris, one of my mum's younger cousins, for her 90th Birthday next week.  Large A4 Card again.  She is almost blind, so wanted something with loads of texture and touchy- feely theme, and wanted to make it fairly large for her.  (As she lives at St Dunstan's - the pressure was on to get it right as it will be seen by the staff there!)

Backing paper and flowers from various Docrafts goody bags.  The 90 was cut out with a template from pink glitter card, which I also used for the matting of the main image.  Glitter card was from my stash (think it was C&C card from Wilkinsons).  Main image from "The Next Big Thing" cd, coloured with promarkers.  Purple imitation ribbon cut from Papermania pearlescent card with a tonic punch.  Finally a chiffon ribbon added (Joanna Sheen) to which I added a couple of peel-offs and a little head pin with beads on it, peel-off letters spelling Iris on the image, and some card candi for the centres of the flowers. 

I know she won't be able to see it, but hope she will be able to feel the different elements, if somebody describes them to her.

As she is one of my favourite "aunts" (yes I know she is really a cousin), but she was Auntie to me as a child, as we spent many happy times with her and her family on their farm, days out on the beach, and family holidays, and although I don't normally send her a present for her birthday, I am thinking of making a necklace, something simple on a cord that she can just slip over her head.

Before me she was the family historian, and she was a fount of information as she kept in touch with all the aunts, uncles and cousins in my mum's line.   I just wish she and mum hadn't gone blind before I needed them to recognise faces in photos for me.

Mags

Painting again!

Well it was another sunny day today, and I just had to take advantage of it and do some more painting out in the garden.

I managed to get all the coasters varnished - they look great.  I have tried various varnish/sealant mediums for acrylics, and I must say the one from Crafty Crocodiles gets my vote, it is a lovely consistency, touch dry in less than 30 mins.  Yes I know I do samples for them, but their acrylic satin varnish is really fantastic, and really brings out the colours, and as it is water based, it washes out of the brush very easily.   It says it is weather resistant, so think I shall be sealing my painting with it when I paint my hanging baskets.  Here is a link if you are interested:

http://www.craftycrocodiles.co.uk/crafting-pens-c30/acrylic-satin-varnish-p272  I used their one stroke wash brush to apply it - lovely coverage - glad I invested in it!

Right that is the end of the useful information - back to what I achieved today!

Artificial Candle



This is a candle I bought in the Pound Shop - it is an imitation one which takes batteries, so thought I would "give it a whirl" as the saying goes. According to the wrapper it is supposed to have a vanilla fragrance! What will they think of next?   The Holly leaves stamp was one of Sheena Douglass's Paint Fusion Christmas Stamps.  Not sure I have done justice to the holly - looks more like oak leaves to me!  More practise need on holly leaves!



Shade of Grey Candle

This was an experiment using shades of grey on a small candle I bought from Sainsbury's - completely freehand painting on this one.



Ball-shaped candle

Another candle using Sheena's Christmas stamps.  Although I forgot there was a stamp for the fircones, and did those freehand!   Not sure where I got the candle - think it was Sainsbury's again.  That's the trouble with sneaking stuff into the trolley with the food shopping!



Ceramic Candle holder



I couldn't get a very good photo of this candle holder, which has pink and white free-hand roses and leaves on it with pale blue sprays of dots.   This was an unvarnished candle holder, and I used the Crafty Crocs varnish on it to seal it.   I think I bought the holder in Wilkinsons, don't think it was the Pound Shop.



Side 2 of Fan



and finally I painted the reverse side of a fan that I started back in August.  I had been putting it off, as it was a bit of a nightmare to paint with all the folds - but it has turned out quite well.   The background is blue pearlescent acrylic from Craft Crocs, and the roses are white and pink pearlescent paint (the pink is a Docrafts one I bought at the Glitter Pot recently.   You may recall the other side of the fan that I painted ......



Side 1 of Fan - Paint Fusion Poppies on pearlised turquoise that I created mixing paints



I hope you have enjoyed my little selection.  Thanks for looking.

Mags