Fly High, fly free

Another page using mainly my Studio Calico kit but with a few extras from my stash. The striped paper, is 7Gypsies, Nottinghill-Elgin. I scalloped the edge with my corner rounder & punched the holes. The rub on frame corner is Fancy Pants. The dates down the side are from an old calendar, I am a great believer in recycling! Bird is from a team mate but source unknown! Photo was taken by my dad. I do wish Pixresizer would not blur the images but they are far too large to blog otherwise.

OLW - Be

Another page made using my Studio Calico Via Airmail Kit. I wanted to get creative with the paper & actually folded over one end & then turned up the corner to use both sides. You will have to click on the photo to make it larger to see the Hambly rub on on the turned corner. I glued on tiny pale blue buttons to the lace next to the prima flowers to match the 3 buttons neare the title. These buttons were Papermania & not part of the kit. I matted this fav photo of mine onto handmade paper from the kit. It is fabulous blossoms that go well with the floral dress Margaret is wearing.

The Journey of Life

Made using my July Studio Calico Kit Via Airmail. The red diamonds on brown are actually a rubber stamp I own stamped onto the brown paper bag that the kit came in. I have used Pixresizer & again it has ended up looking blurred. I had a terrible time getting a decent photo anyhow, it seems too much bright light is just as bad as none at all!!! The stamps are some sent to me from a friend. The photo is by Captured by Kirsty.

Time to Hope

This week's prompt is another fitting word. Hope. Where would we be without it? Without hope, dreams can't come true.

I never gave up hope of getting on in my life & achieving happy!

I stamped these Angels instead of using a photo as they sum up hope to me. I stamped them twice so I could mount them on foam. I used a Heidi Swapp journal stamp to create the box for the word Hope.

Two Cards

I have adored this BG Periphery since I got it but never really done much with it. I loved the bird sheet & so came up with using it like this. I saw something similar in an American Craft magazine.

This one is made using just two of my Heidi Swapp Stamps, one Studio G corner stamp & some Papermania stick on crystals. I'm on a week's holiday before I start my new job & want to get a lot of crafting done so I feel like I have made use of the time off.

More Flowers

I got more leaving day flowers today & this photo shows off the gorgeous pink vase that my beautiful bouquet from Denise came in yesterday. Look how fabulous & wide it is!! The new flowers are from all at the office wishing me well in my new job. Click on this photo for better detail. I love the Agapanthus they are some of my favourite flowers. I used a photo of them a few weeks ago for my time minibook. I am having a full week's holiday now & hope to do lots of crafting before begining my new job on 4th August.

Final Day

Today is my last day in my current job. Yesterday, a friend & colleague who isn't in work today but she is also leaving next Friday, bought me this gorgeous bouquet of flowers. They came in a box & they are in a pink glass vase. The pretty pink straw like stuff around them is actually a cage to hold the flowers together. Aren't they gorgeous. Mind you using the picture resizer makes them blurred!

Happy Birthday, Louise.

While this may not look very much of a birthday card, it has great significance for my friend, Louise. She is Canadian by descent & recently got her Canadian Citizenship through. So it seemed only fitting she had the Canada flag for her birthday complete with maple leaf which I luckily had a paper punch of!! She has to go to work today, but have a fab time anyway, Lou!

Cool Blues

I was playing around with gesso & distress inks recently & made up a few backgrounds. I thought the subtle tones would work perfectly with this new stamp & I have also finally treated myself to the Stazon Teal Blue ink pad. I have adored this colour like, forever! Stamped in this colour, the image looks like a botanical plate. Inks used for the background, Ranger distress, Broken China, Dusty Concord, Faded Jeans. Stamps a mix of Crafty Individuals & Studio G. I stamped the images in the distress inks & rubbed with a dry cloth to blur them.

Watercolour Card

I bought this Tin Can Mail stamp by Inkadinkado at the weekend as a reward for my new job. I love Hydrangeas & they always remind me of my Grandma. She had two large bushes in her front garden & I was always fascinated by the varying shades of the petals as they opened & gradually aged. I coloured them with my watercolour brush & distress inks. Unfortunately I don't have the Worn Lipstick shade which would have been more suitable with the Broken China & Dusty Concord. I used Tattered Rose. The green I used was Peeled Paint & the background is very watery Spiced Marmalade. I tore some patterned vellum & inked it with the Peeled Paint to make the pattern show more & the card was coverd in the matching patterned paper, both by Papermania. I really enjoyed doing this as the painting part is quite therapeutic. I like to stamp my pads onto acetate to use as a palette rather than putting my brush direct to the pad. This way you can gentle squeeze water onto the ink from the brush to dilute the shades.

Time ...to Seek

SEEK: to go in search or quest of; to try to find or discover by searching or questioning; to try to obtain; to try or attempt; to search or explore.

A perfect word for me right now as I am moving on. I have got a new job & resigned from my current position at the end of last week.

As part of my quest to be happy, I have decided to make changes to better my life. One way of doing this is to provide better for myself financially. Not just for now though, but also for 20 odd years down the line when I shall look to retire & need something more substantial to live on as I have little set in place.

It is the right word as I am seeking new skills & exploring more options. I have no regrets about my decision other than I wish I had believed in myself a lot sooner.

I used this map paper because my career change is a journey. I am going to be travelling metaphorically. I turned this wonderful photo taken for me by Kirsty Wiseman, (Captured by Kirsty) sepia as it matched the paper. The signpost is from a stamp set as are the words. Seek is spelt with Flea Market stickers from my Studio Calico Kit.

Congratulations Nikki....

on your wedding day.
Nikki my team mate & her partner Ian tied the knot today & this is the card I made for them based on a design in Craft Stamper March 2008 issue.

The card inside
The stamping in the card
I have been out & about today & not got this weeks Time minibook pages made yet. It is a perfect prompt for me this week. I shall share tomorrow along with some very good news.

Grunge background hanging for Carol

Last week I was feeling really creative, but unable to complete a project. So I settled myself down to make some backgrounds. They are fun to do & always useful to have laying around the craft table. Once created I cut them up into sections & the section below I turned into a hanging for my forum friend, Carol. She loves the grunge look & it gave me chance to get messy. I used distress inks & lots of stamps, overstamping in areas & wiping the ink straight off for a soft blurred look. I took this picture without the flash so you could see the design.

This second photo was taken with the flash so that you can see the shimmer I gave it by spraying perfect pearls mixed with water in a mini spray bottle. All stamps, Crafty Individuals & See D's. Flower Prima Artful Mosaic from my Studio Calico kit.

Time to bloom & Studio Calico

Another great prompt this week for the capturing Time Minibook. I love flowers, especially these Agapanthus. I kept the page simple with a bit of stamping this week.

I recently subscribed to Studio Calico kits & my first one arrived this week. I was at work so you might guess I missed the postie & had to wait 24 hours before I could collect the parcel. As it was my first one & Studio Calico's 1st birthday I treated myself to two add on kits as well. I can't believe how much stuff I have. Now normally the stuff would be stroked & hidden for weeks but I had to get scrapping straight away. I used some photos kindly donated to me as I don't go abroad. These are pictures from Thailand.

Materials are BG, Boxer; Corduroy & Wing-tip. Flowers, buttons, trim & die cut shape, all Making Memories Passport Collection. The flowers & one of the buttons along with the die cut came in this darling embellishment suitcase. I also used a BG Boxer glazed brad & the flower button is from a packet of KI Memories La di dah courtyard findings also supplied with my kit. Go See Do & the hand stamps are Studio Calico Limited Editions. The post mark & word stamp, Travel, Explore, Discover are from CI.

Another Tree card

I have made a few cards for birthdays, weddings & other occasions that I can't share just now but while I had the gear out i thought I'd have another play with this recently bought stamp. Instead of using background paper I made my own with a text stamp. It was a very simple design of white card blank with a black card rectangle mounted ontop. Then I added my stamped white rectangle ontop of that. I stamped the image & cut it out close to the design & mounted it onto a smaller rectangle & added it to the design. Then I applied frosted lace stickles all over the white ground area & the tree branches. It looks just like a frosty morning.

I'm pleased with it as I can't normally do black & white very well.

Time......

Finally got ink for my printer & could get up to date with these pages.

Time to laugh... I used a photo of some family friends because the way they are looking & laughing together is very infectious.

Time for friends... I collaged 4 pics of my friends for this one
Time to let go.... One of my fav photos from a royalty free CD I bought years ago. I made a cloud stamp cut from funky foam & dabbed on rangers acrylic dabber snowcap.
I am so loving these mini creations!

OLW - Now

The OLW challenge this week is the word Now. I couldn't play along with the last one, Strong, as I had no suitable photos to scrap & no ink in my printer! This photo was one I had printed by photobox.

Paper, Fancy Pants Wildheart, Dreamer, Pemberley & the reverse side of Stained Stripes. Clock & Title (font she), HS. Flowers & spot ribbon, Rebecca's June blossom kit. Maya Road velvet blossom trim, cream. Swirl stamps, Hampton Art/Studio G. Fake pearls from a junk shop necklace find. Stickles, Frosted Lace.

Close up of the flowers. Not sure you can see the stickles added to the petals randomly. I also glued seed beads to the flower centres on the velvet trim.All the swirls around the photo have seed beads glued onto them too. I love sewing beads as I have masses of Mill Hill cross stitch beads but glueing them is very therapeutic too. All you need is patience a cocktail stick & good strong glue.

I am very pleased with how this page turned out. I wanted something sophisticated & ultra feminine as now I am in my forties I actually feel more of a woman. I have spent very much of my life as a bit of a tomboy. I cut the reverse of the stained stripe paper for the journal block & thought the blue back of the paper was more of a contrast & adds impact. The papers were all in the kit I purchased from Bellaboo

Happy Birthday Tracy!!

Today is my sister, Tracy's birthday. Have a fab day, sis.

She likes her cards to be simple. Very much a "less is more" kind of gal. So I made this using some HS stamps that I bought & so far have never used. Well the chandelier has been used in collage stuff but the words stamps I picked up are still in their packets waiting for the right project. I adore all HS products they are very elegant. I added a few sticky flat backed crystals to the lower arms of the chandelier & one to the centre of the "o" for a touch of glamour. Paper is some HOTP scraps of a wedding pad.

Brand New Stamp

I got this brand new Crafty Individuals Stamp in the post today & just had to create something with it. Paper is BG Black Tie. Ribbons from my teamie, Anne. Buy the stamp here.

I can't normally pull off monochromatic but this was so simple. The torn edges give it a rustic feel. I only wish I could find my tissue paper it would have looked great stamped on it.

Happy Birthday, Den.

It's Denise's birthday today & she always takes the day off work so I passed this onto her yesterday.

I'm on a bit of a roll, I have several birthdays & a wedding this month & it has kicked my butt into getting some cards done. I'm quite pleased with how they are turning out as many were awful. Which is why I stopped card making in the first place.

This one is BG Sultry with a journal spot to stamp my message on. I thought about adding more to the design but decided less was more although I wish I'd punched holes in the scalloped paper before gluing down!! Paper was scalloped with my corner rounder. As always the edges are all inked & I love the hot pink ric rac it matches the paper perfectly.