Do what makes you happy

It is something my hero, Tim Holtz always says ... 

"Do what makes YOU happy"

so I did

Not feeling very many arty vibes right now ... been on a real downer for months about it all but unable to quite take the plunge and give it all up

so I went back to what I love doing - the first thing I ever saw Tim doing

and as I needed some cards to have on stand-by to cover all those unexpected events that crop up I just made some to keep for as, when and if

Tried to be mindful of not everyone sharing my love of grungy colours

so whilst they don't rock my boat I made some brighter ones too 

only for the ladies though

the men are stuck with grunge!

First I did pink ... and I hate pink 

but the process made me happy so not all was lost!

Distress Oxides : Victorian Velvet, Worn Lipstick, Picked Raspberry

Distress Archival Ink : Black Soot, Hickory Smoke

Sentiment stamped in Versafine Clair : Nocturne

Stampers Anonymous Stamps : Flutter CMS294, Media Marks CMS 363

Finnabair : for the background stamping

Sentiments from Claritystamp

Not awfully fond of orange but, hey-ho, won't be sending one to myself!

Distress Oxides : Scattered Straw, Dried Marigold, Carved Pumpkin

everything else as listed above

Don't mind a bit of green!

Distress Oxides : Cracked Pistachio, Peeled Paint, Mowed Lawn

everything else as listed above

These are the first layers of ink on the tags for the men's cards ... before any background stamping

And this is how they ended up

Distress Oxides : Faded Jeans, Stormy Sky, Brushed Corduroy, Antique Linen

Distress Ink : Chipped Sapphire, Gathered Twigs

Stampers Anonymous Stamps : Fragments CMS368, Classics #3 SCF003

Stamped images using Versafine Clair :  Twilight, Pinecone

and embossed with clear embossing powder

Background stamp was one from Finnabair

You can just about make out the shiny embossing 

The backs are left pretty plain on which to write

Stampers Anonymous Stamp : Stitches CMS365

14 ladies cards (should have been 15 but I wrecked one!) and 10 for men

all done during the hottest week of the year when it hit 33 degrees on the one day ... the powder was practically embossing itself!

So all pretty much back to basics but most definitely what I love to do

Yay! a happy tatteredrock!