Cards Cards Cards

After the first six bleak months of 2018 when I was barely able to leave our bedroom and made nothing more than a handful of birthday cards I did not see myself being able to make any Christmas cards at all.

But, time went on and things improved and I decided I simply could not bring myself to buy cards from a shop (and there are some beauties out there!) so thought I'd make a few cards at a time and see how I got on.  Got on quite well, actually, and made around 150ish ... not quite as many as usual but better than I expected to do.

Tim Holtz came to play ... well, at least his products ... and I did a variation on my much preferred tag cards for the family and close friends.  

So, still a tag but opened to please those that do not think my tags to be "proper" cards

Afraid it didn't occur to me to list the products I used ... the *s*n*o*w* was Finnabair's modelling paste through Tim Holtz's *S*n*o*w*cap stencil and Falling Stars stencil and then sprinkled with Glamour Dust. I used his Home for the Holidays thinlits dies by Sizzix and his Stampers Anonymous Christmastime stamp which stamped in red and then clear embossed.  .

Loved the crispness of the red against the white so then made a batch of my more regular tag shaped cards to add to the pile of general Christmas cards.

For the next batch I did my much loved swishing and swooshing of distress ink - the fabulous oxides this time - Black Soot and Hickory Grey splodged on my craft mat and spritzed with water and  Tim's (we've met -  I had a hug so am on first name terms now!) manilla tags were dragged through and left to dry and then water droplets distressed them even more.

Same stencil as before and the sentiment this time was from the Festive Overlay stamp set.

The last batch were a date with the Big Shot die-cutting trees, deer and logs but these came together quite quickly once that task was done.

Swished and swooshed the background again ... normal distress this time and old paper and antique linen spring to mind ... maybe with a bit of bundled sage thrown in.   Stamp was Tim's Music & Advert stamped using Versafine Clair Pinecone - added a little red bow that was flat enough not to incur the higher postage rate.

Then two final cards for the Great-nephews ... first our darling Henry - the three and a half year old whirlwind that keeps us all on our toes.

I saw the *s*n*o*w*man stamp on a friend's post and she very kindly stamped some out for me as it is a stamp I am unlikely to use in the future.

It did mean doing the dreaded colouring-in but, hey, if you look closely I even did shading!!!!!  

And then came Rex ... two months old on Christmas Eve 

Winter Memories

During a bit of a lull with my arty mojo I decided to work through an online class & kit by the very talented Dorota Kotowicz and purchased her Winter Memories Album from Mixed Media Place - rolled up my sleeves and spent a happy few days working my way through it.

I think the intention is to add photographs to the "postcards" that you add to the pages but I didn't want to do this so went ahead and decorated each postcard more fully than in  Dorota's video.  I also added a few extra bits and pieces that don't come in the kit. 

WOYWW 500 = WOW!!!

A huge WOW indeed for the 500 edition of WOYWW'ing and the hugest of

CONGRATULATIONS 

to our esteemed and very much loved, adored, cherished and cared for leader Julia who sits at head desk at The Stamping Ground

I was determined to join in today ... well, yesterday for today is now tomorrow and I am a day late ... but my problem was, is, I have no desk to show.  

Well, I could show you the dining room table which is where I am right now.

Or my warmer months desk out in the conservatory but that is buried under most of the contents of the kitchen as it continues its refit.

But ... and this is a big but ... any desk I could show you will be void of anything even remotely crafty or arty for I am busy battling with myself about whether I carry on or totally give up ... am at the totally giving up stage and have been for several weeks now but am not acting in haste and either binning or giving all my stuff away but, hand on heart honest, I think my attempts at anything even remotely art based are behind me.

Reason is not lack of mojo but rather facing the fact that I will never be able to produce anything I am even slightly happy with and no matter what wonderfully lovely comments my work gets I always think people are just being kind and bolstering me along - unfair thoughts from me I am sure but changing your psyche is bloomin' difficult and I have yet to manage it even a little bit.

I have learned to never say never but my mind feels pretty much made up - acceptance of my limitations and all that jazz.

So, I am about to blog the latest (and maybe the last) stuff I have done and hope to maybe make the crop in June (but doing WHAT I have no idea ... I hear talk of tea and cake so shall make tea and serve cake!) and end this sorry little post by thanking Julia for brining some AMAZING friends into my life ... truly friends for life ... and for the inspiration she had 500 weeks ago in starting what has turned out to be the phenomenal WOYWW!!!!!

Two for the price of one

Had an idea for this one for a little while

opened my box of this and that and a piece of lace happened to be on top of some hessian

a look I have always liked

so I made a couple of small pieces 

I kept one and the other went off as a raffle prize

PRODUCTS USED:

All Finnabair (Prima Marketing)

ART BASICS : 

3D Gloss Gel / Heavy Body Gel / Heavy White Gesso / Soft Gloss Gel

ART ALCHEMY 

ACRYLIC PAINT : 

Metallique Midnight Sky / Metallique Rustic Brown

METALLIQUE WAX : 

Bronze Age / Vintage Gold / White Gold / 

Opal Magic Turquoise Satin

ART EXTRAVAGANCE : 

Patina Effect Paste

Glitter Set - Cariribean Sea

*****

LOVIN' SPOONFUL

Had this one on my table for ages

got the idea in my head to do something in burgundy & gold

but that was as far as I got

trawled Pinterest and came across something similar to this

but I wasn't pleased with how it was turning out

so did a bit

left it a bit

did a bit more

and left it again

Got fed up of it hanging around so grabbed my boxes of metal bits

knew I did not want flowers of any kind 

so just picked random circular bits

When finished it still needed "something" so went with glass glitter

but am thinking I ruined it

looks okish from a distance so it is on the wall

when the light hits it it really looks sparkly pretty

PRODUCTS USED :

Finnabair (Prima Marketing)

ART BASICS : 

Heavy White Gesso / Soft Matte Gel / Heavy Body Gel

ART ALCHEMY 

ACRYLIC PAINT : 

Blackberry / Ancient Coin / Steampunk Copper

METALLIQUE WAX :

Vintage Gold / White Gold / 

ANTIQUE BRILLIANCE :

Amethyst Magic

OPAL MAGIC :

Royal Robes

ART INGREDIENTS :

Glass Glitter : Violet

Where the poppies blow

Bet you all thought you'd never hear me say this

I didn't think I'd ever hear myself say it either

but

I am really happy with how this one turned out!!!!!!!!!

Absolutely nothing like I had planned in my head for months and months

but one of those projects that evolves as you create

one idea doesn't work but inspiration comes calling and takes you in another direction

problems to overcome ... those poppies very nearly just about tipped me over the edge - from making them in the first place to getting them to sit right in the little tubes

Up close they look utter rubbish but from a distance, and if you squint a bit they just about pass muster as a poppy

besides, I have told you they are poppies, so you have to believe me

Did not want the gold lids on - was adamant there would just be the glass tubes

but just could not find a way of securing the poppies in place

so, with lots of help from Phil, a solution was found

and now I am really pleased those lids went on

Yes, I know, there is not a poppy on the planet that looks like them

but they are a new hybrid you see

a Tatteredrocks Wild Poppy

very rare 

so rare there will only ever be 7 in existence

Am so very cross with myself for getting the quote wrong though!!!!

Checked so many times and still got it wrong

it should, of course, read

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

and, of course, I only realised when Phil asked if I was sure it was "blow" and not "grow"

got a bit stroppy and snapped that of course I was sure and found the poem to show him

that's when the air turned blue

and my heart sank

so apologies for the misquote but, stuck firmly in place, there is nothing I can do

I think I know how it happened ... I knew I had 7 tubes so somehow distorted the quote in my head to give me 7 words as I originally intended to have one word on each tube 

The background is intended to represent the engraved memorials at the war grave cemeteries ... the crisp and precise marble engraved with so, so many names

and the tubes in a row to represent the lines and lines of crosses and the formality of how the cemeteries are laid out

Then the foreground is to represent the fields where the poppies grow wild and randomly and, in my mind anyway, the two extremes merge 

Early for Remembrance Day, I know, but we should not remember just on that one day at that one hour

PRODUCTS USED :

24cm x 30cm stretched canvas

random plank of wood from hubby's random planks of wood box

Powertex - Ivory / Red

Powertex Bister - Green / Brown

Powertex - Paperdecoration

Finnabair - Art Ingredients - Art Stones / Mega Art Stones

Finnabair - Art Extravagance - Stone Effect Paste Pumice

Finnabair - Art Alchemy Wax - Metallique Vintage Gold / White Gold

Finnabair - Art Basics - Heavy Black Gesso / Heavy Body Gel

Odds & Ends - Wire / Green Florist Tape / Flower Stamens

Stencil but no idea which brand

Along the Foxglove Path

Have made this for my sister-in-law ... it is her daughter standing on her foxglove path in her garden 

(she has asked her photograph not be shown)

Second piece I have done on a sheet of perspex (acrylic) - totally inspired by a FB live project that Finnabair shared with us

(scroll back through the posts here if you want to see my other piece - Lord of the Rings on a Swing)

Apologies for the rubbish photo' - no idea why & unable to retake it as I have now handed this over 

PRODUCTS USED

Finnabair for Prima Marketing :

ART BASICS - Heavy Gesso White / 3D Gloss Gel / Soft Gloss Gel

ART ALCHEMY ACRYLIC PAINT - Metallique White Pearl / Frozen Berries Romance Pink / Opal Magic Pink-Blue

ART ALCHEMY METALLIQUE WAX - Vintage Silk / Amethyst Magic 

 Brushed iron

ART INGREDIENTS ART SUGAR - Pink / White

Finnabair - Daisy Stencil

Finnabair - Melange Pebbles

LINDY'S STARBURST -

Edelweiss / Moss Green / Alpine Ice Rose /Gator Gumbo Olive 

AYEEDA MIST -

Pastel Dirty Pink / Chalk Lilac

TIM HOLTZ DISTRESS INK -

Shabby Shutters / Seedless Preserves

ODDS & ENDS - Lace / Cheesecloth 

Lacy Heart

Don't believe I am saying this but

I actually quite like this one

not something you hear me say very often

Loved making it

loved getting back to my much preferred colours and dark moody effects after all this experimenting of late with all things bright

So we have a happy blogger

for once!

Colours just don't show up very well ... it is much brighter than appears here 

ranges from green on the left through dark blue to purple with a few highlights of lighter shades of each colour and then a very few touches of pearly white 

Spray painted first and then highlighted with acrylic paint and wax

It looks flat in the other photo's but is really quite dimensional

Products used:

Finnabair for Prima Marketing unless otherwise stated

ART BASICS :  

Black Gesso / 3D Gloss Gel / Heavy Body Gel

ART INGREDIENTS : 

Mica Powder (diluted in spray bottles) -  Bottle Green / Frozen Lake / Purple /Opal Magic Green / Opal Magic Lilac / Rust

LINDY'S STARBURST :

Jazzy Jivin' Purple / Voodoo Violet Blue / Frosted Forget-me-Not

Cowabunga Copper / Frolic in the Forest Black

Afternoon Denim Delight / Mountain Lavender Gold

ART ALCHEMY :

Acrylic Paint - Metallique Deep Waters / Metallique White Pearl / 

Opal Magic Violet-Green

Metallique Wax - Aged Brass / Bronze Age / Rich Copper / Amethyst Magic

Opal Magic - Blue Velvet

ODDS & ENDS :

Half a polystyrene heart

Tim Holtz Stencil :THS074

Scraps of lace

Heart of Stone

Set myself a few challenges with this one

- leave lots of white space (EEEK!)

- use pastel colours

- use Finnabair's Impasto Paints (which scare me more than the texture effect paste!!!)Art

- use one of Finnabair's texture effect paste sets (which, apart from the rust set all scare the life out of me!)

- don't use metal (failed on that one as I had to use a few metal cogs)

- don't use glass glitter, glitter, micro-beads or art stones (teeny-weeny minor fail here!)

Something very different for me and not yet quite decided if it is headed for the Box of Failures or not. 

Keep glancing up at it and thinking "oh, that's ok" and then glance again and think "oh, what was I thinking?!"

Have to admit to my feelings changing about it the moment someone walked up behind me whilst I was Being Creative and said, "you've messed that up then" ... er, actually I didn't think I had at that point!!!!

Wanted more "dripage" but couldn't get what I had in my head to work so decided to just let it be rather than risk messing it up even more

Deep breath & Finnabair's texture paste applied to the heart 

The texture you get with these pastes is amazing ... really rough and gritty

Didn't have enough mdf / chipboard cogs so used a few metal ones despite my resolve not to ... not beating myself up too much though as you can't really tell which are which

Thought this was finished last night but wasn't quite convinced & when I came down this morning and saw it on my desk it just looked dull and flat so I added a very few sequins - you know those that come in a little bag attached to a blouse that you buy and the sequins on it invariably fall off but you never bother actually opening the little bag and sewing them back on - well, I used those!  A few clear transparent but sort of shimmery ones and a few a funny shade of blue - lifted it just enough I think

Products used :

ART BASICS

Heavy White Gesso

3D Gloss Gel

Light Paste

ART ALCHEMY

Impasto paint - Jade / Heather

Acrylic Paint Metallique - Crocus Fields / Frozen Berries / Dark Velvet (swoon) 

Mermaid Teal / White Pearl / Emerald Green / Ice Queen

ART EXTRAVAGANCE

Texture Fantasy Set - Northern Lights

LINDY'S 

Starburst Spray - Frozen Jack Frost / French Lilac Violet 

Jazzy Jivin' Purple

TIM HOLTZ 

(you know, my friend Tim!!!)

Distress Ink Pad - Dusty Concord

Mini Stencil THMS026

Heading back

Heading back!

ah, but to where?

THE DARK SIDE !!!!

my affair with all things bright has peaked

put off a little by various negative comments by those who have seen this and the CD project in real life

Yeah, yeah I know I shouldn't let it get to me

but maybe I was just looking for an excuse to revert to all things dark and grungy

So, short and sweet post just to record my Close Encounter 

with All Things Bright

Products used:

All by Finnabair for Prima Marketing 

ART BASICS

White Crackle Paste

Heavy Gesso Black

Heavy Gesso White

Heavy Body Gel

Soft Gloss Gel

ART ALCHEMY METALLIQUE ACRYLIC PAINT

Coral Reef / Fresh Orange / Lime Peel

Pure Sunshine / Vintage Rose / Romance Pink

Pink Blush / Red Wine / Dark Forest / While Pearl

ART ALCHEMY OPAL MAGIC ACRYLIC PAINT

Yellow-Pink / Aqua-Rose 

Violet-Green (there appears to be two versions of this colour now both with the same name - one from the original release of opal magic paint and one from the current new release)

ART ALCHEMY METALLIQUE WAX

Old Silver / Brushed Iron

ART INGREDIENTS

MICA POWDER

Lipstick / Tangerine / Sunny Yellow

GLASS GLITTER

Pitch Black 

ART SUGAR

Light Pink

ART EXTRAVAGANCE GLITTER SET

Luminous

8"x10" stretched linen canvas

scraps of lace 

more embellishments than I could count