As I am so busy packing I don't have any craft work done to show until later tonight when my WS project is dry enough. So here is a mazebook I made at Xmas for a January birthday. I didn't take detailed shots as it was for someone elses relatives.
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The background was made similar to my other pieces. I add my distress inks to the card on damp kitchen towel swirling them into one another & then I spritz them with a little water to get them to puddle & bleed into one another. Using more kitchen towel I blot the excess water & leave a mottle effect where I press the towel firmer on the piece. I use my heat gun to dry it off & then its ready to decorate.
I would love to have a go at more of these once I have broadened my collection of background stamps. That is one of my goals for 2008!
Below is my page for paper08, Freeze It! 
I froze a day in time that wasn't a working day. I know exactly what I would be doing on such a day & wanted to capture a special day. Paper is 7Gypsies. I had a massage & spent time crafting. I read friends blogs & enjoyed nice meals & plenty of relaxation in front ot the telly!
As I am going away in a week for a Scrapping Retreat, I have not done the Wednesday Stamper challenge. I can't undertake anything that requires a lot of time. I have stuff to make to take with me & preparations need to begin very soon! I have to plan what I will need as I can't take it all!!
I am quite disappointed with this picture. The light is poor & the papers look more purple than blue. I tried to tweak it a bit but the contrast went too dark. This is my entry for the latest Caardvark theme, Blue. I painted a sheet of text with gesso & stamped the Crafty Individuals image onto vellum. Once both were dry I roughly tore the text paper & fixed the image with blue eyelets. The corner stamp is Design Objectives.
I am very pleased it is Friday as this week has dragged at work & I am so tired. I went out for lunch today & refuse to feel guilty about it as I haven't gained any weight this week, unlike last week when I went up 6lbs!!! At least staying the same is better & I need to push myself harder. I am finding it hard on only 1,200 Calories a day mind you!
The first background piece with the clocks was made earlier last year & featured on my 4x4 Friday Mona Lisa. I had some left over & thoght it would work perfectly with this piece I made with my distress inks last night. I feel it really needed a different shade of red adding, but I only have the Fired Brick & Spiced Marmalade for the time being. Image is from Rein.
The Arty Girlz theme this week is Red. I first thought of a totally red card, but then decided mostly red with touches of green would look more elegant. Inks used are Versamagic Chalk, Tea Leaves (Green). Ranger's Fired Brick (Red). Stamps are all Crafty Individuals. Script, Words & Daisy. EDIT: The flowers over the top of the stamped text are a photograph I took last year & I cut the flowers out.
Last night I found an hour to have a play with my new Ranger distress inks. I would have loved longer but it wasn't to be. How is it the minute you play the more you realise if you just had that shade you could have done this & if you had that shade you could have done that! The story goes, scroll to the bottom if you get bored! I have only the 6 shades to begin as they are a present to myself for sticking to the new exercise & healthy eating plan. Its not a New Year Resolution fad, it is a health think. I have managed to become 1 1/2 stone overweight partly due to the steroids I have been on & partly due to having been ill for the best part of 3 months. Of course I really ought to take into consideration the fact I've had a cyst growing inside me for I don't know how long, only diagnosed in May last year. I need to shift it, I am struggling to walk from A to B without getting breathless. I have never been overweight in my life, so this is a shock for me & I decided regular, useful treats were the only way to go with this. 
I made this 12x12 page over the Christmas holiday. I can't remember the paper as it was part of a vinatge kit. Photos are Jacksons Hole, Wyoming. Kindly given to me by my friend Joy. Embellishments are Papermania chipboard & ribbon & some gel circles, Royal & Langnickel. I scribble with a glue pen & sprinkled fine glitter over. The brads top right were painted with Rimmel 60 second set ice blue nail varnish to match the colour scheme. I really enjoyed this piece but took several days to get a half decent photo of it!
This weeks card sketch on Sketches {by Tamara} really caught my eye. I had made the background a while ago but had no use for it. I stamped random flowers & hearts onto card & sponged it with inks in greens blues & reds. Flower, Dunhelm. Centre gel sticker, from a gift. Ribbon, market stall. Skeleton Leaves & Best Wishes stamp, Lakeland Ltd. Greeting & edges of the card inked Versamagic Tea Leaves.
The other side of the page is the Butterfly lady as used on the tag. With one corner stamp & my journalling.
I have been award the Make My Day award from Em, Silvia, Lynn, Ink n Rubba & Msscrooby. thank you for this. The picture wouldn't upload with this post. I won't pass on this award as everyone I can thinnk of already has it several times. But there are a lot of fabulous arty people out there that inspire me.
I stamped text & postage symbols from one of my travel sets of clear stamps onto a cream piece of card cut to ATC size. Then sponged reds, oranges & greens onto it. The red floral is a free stamp from Craft Stamper mag. I then glued on a red vellum envelope that I had made on a previous occasion. (one of my makes when I can't complete a project. I just create envelopes & elements to use on cards & pages so at least I create some sort of art every day!) I glued a stamp in the flap & two onto the card.
First page Balance. 
Reverse of the page.
I am leaving the page relatively plain as I couldn't think of the right thing to embellish with. In the past I have completed pages & wished i'd done something differently. So that's another new thing for me this year. Stop until Im sure. In a week or a month I might see the perfect thing to add, I might not. Only then will I do it. I have rushed art sometimes in order to finish on time.
Handmade paper from an old pack Lakeland Ltd. Flowers are a mix of Dunhelm & Scrapfairies. KAren Foster clear gem brad. Tag stamped with See D's from Garden set. All edges are inked softly with Versacolour Sky Blue ink. Unfortunately the light isn't good enough to show the true colours of this card. Im keeping some quite simple for posting this year as Xmas cost me a packet!!
The papers are both textured, but the lightest piece is actually wallpaper. I left the torn edge uninked for softness. I stamped the wheelbarrow stamp lightly to give the effect of watercolour & filled in the space with textured paper flowers & gorgeous Flower Soft, given to me by a dear friend, Cat. I added small gems to each of the flowers. I then stamped flowers & words all over. All stamps are See D's. Flowers are from Got Flowers, Crafty Carrot, although she doesn't sell them anymore sadly!!
The first challenge for Theme Thursday is Quotes.
I made this ATC, floral stamp is one of my See D's, inked with sponge tips.
I added a scroll stamp by Design Objectives & inked the edges.
Quote is printed on my computer using font Vivaldi. Dragonfly brad given to me by a craft buddy.
I'm shattered today. Need to get an early night or three!!!
I'm back at work now full time, as all my holidays are used up & its going to be hard getting used to going 5 days a week again after only working 3 for two months. I miss my two crafting days at home very much.
