Silhouette

Weather wise it has been a strange couple of weeks - brilliant sunshine, temperatures in the 30C's, thunderstorms and torrential rain that the car's wipers could barely cope with. During a break in the wet weather, hubby finally got around to putting up the 3 panels of fencing that he's promised to do for the last 3 years - hooray!!!

Our wee Jack Russell is happy that he's finally able to enjoy the freedom of the whole garden again rather than just as far as his long lead allowed him to go. He was really funny on the day of the thunderstorm, this is a dog that hates the rain but he was absolutely fascinated by the storm & kept pawing at the patio door. I knew he wasn't going to out in it so I opened the door for him.  Straight out the door went his nose and he seemed fascinated by all the scents that were being stirred up by the lightning and heavy rain, he'd sniff the air, then he'd look at me as if to say "can you smell that" all the while his tail was going nineteen to the dozen. At one point he did take a step out into the rain but shot straight back in again.

My friend is finally on the road to recovery and, although she couldn't see it before, she now admits that she's making improvements everyday. It's hoped that in a few weeks instead of going to a stroke rehab unit she will be able to go home and continue her treatment here.

Not been making anything this last couple of week's but thought it was time to get started again. This Freshly Made Sketches Challenge  seemed a good place to start.

The only thing I knew I wanted to do was not to make the horizontal piece a sentiment - but wasn't sure what it should be! I had a look through my stash and came across a Cottage Cutz Petites "Bird on Branch" die and decided to use that as the basis for the card.  Originally I'd thought of using a Kraft card base as the ready made tags I had were Kraft card but finally decided to make my own from white cardstock and have the die cut bird on a branch as a silhouette. Originally I thought about the circle as the sun but after making up the card decide and mulling over it overnight, next morning I decided that a. I felt I'd made a couple of mistakes in the placement of things  & b. A paler, perhaps moon-like, colour would be better for a silhouette.

The tag was embossed using the trunk section of the embossing folder from "A Walk in The Park" set, free from Simply Cards and Papercraft Issue 150.

So I started over again. 

To do this it was just a case of changing the colour of circle and extending the branches across the tag. I decided to add a little movement to the card by setting the tag at a slight angle:

What I Used

300gsm White Card - Fabiano

Black Linen 12x12 - Black Cat

Dies, Embossing Folder & Stamps

"Bird on Branch" - Cottage Cutz Petites

"A Walk in The Park" Set, Tree Folder - Simply Cards & Papercraft Issue 150 
"Just Because", Paula Pascal Mixed Sentiments - Personal Impressions

Inks

Weathered Wood - Distress Ink Tim Holtz

Scattered Straw - Distress Ink Tim Holtz

Tuxedo Black - Memento

Father's Day

It's been another eventful week one of good news and of bad.

My friend is continuing to make progress after her stroke although she is still unable to stand up on her own as she has been left with severe vertigo. She has had a visit from a Doctor from the Rehab Centre and they have said that as soon as a bed is available she will be transferred. She is desperate to get more intensive physio as she is wanting home soonest - unfortunately soonest is likely going to be longer than she wants.

Her Brother-in-Law, who had been in a coma for 3 weeks, unfortunately lost his battle last Monday evening. His 15 year old daughter had already started fundraising for the ICU where he was being cared for and it was planned that she, along with her Highland Dance school friends, would dance over the Forth Road Bridge on Father's Day. Everyone thought it would be cancelled but no, she bravely went on with her fundraising event.  That's one gutsy young lady & her Dad would be rightly proud of her!

I decided to use this week's Freshly Made Sketches Challenge as the basis for the Father's Day card my son commissioned from me and also for a Birthday Card.

After making the dandelion card last week the main dandelion die disappeared, been searching high and low for it for a week.  Couldn't understand how it could vanish into thin air.  Fast forward to Saturday when I was making the Father's Day card and got out my Tonic Studio nesting dies to create the background. Once I finished using them I was putting them back into their packaging and felt something on the back of the magnetic sheet - yep, it was the dandelion die!

I Used

Cardstock

White 300 gsm - Fabiano

Colours - Trim Craft

Stamps, Inks & Dies

Dog from "Bubbly" Stamp Set - Penny Black

Gathered Twigs Distress Ink Pad - Tim Holtz

Scalloped Rectangle Nesting Die Set - Tonic Studios 

Tim Holtz Stitched Ovals - Sizzix

For this Birthday card I used another Penny Black Stamp also from the "Bubbly" set. I went for the "Birthday Wishes" sentiment rather than a "Happy Birthday" as the impatient patient isn't a very happy bunny at the moment!

I Used

Cardstock

White 300 gsm - Fabiano

Stamps, Inks & Dies

Party Cat from "Bubbly" set - Penny Black

Birthday Wishes - Personal Impressions

Assorted Tim Holtz Distress Inks

Assorted Promarkers

Tim Holtz Mixed Media #2 - Sizzix

Tim Holtz Stitched Ovals - Sizzix

*****

One final card this week is a variation on one I made for a previous sketch. While I was doing the earlier version I realised it would be nice as a sympathy card - didn't dream I would need to make it quite so soon!

I slightly darkened the colours and instead of the round gems I used smaller tear drop shaped ones. The sentiment is by Cheery Lynn and was cut from card which had been shaded to match the feather background.

  

With Love

There was a bit of nail biting going on this afternoon watching some Six Nations Rugby. The "Auld Alliance" was put to one side with Scotland taking on France at Murrayfield. France had won the last 9 matches they've played against Scotland & it didn't get off to a great start when they scored a try within the first few minutes and it was 0-5. My heart sank a little but the Scots lads came through in the end winning 29-18 - I was exhausted just watching them by the time the final whistle blew! Next week it's Ireland at Dublin, always torn with that match, whilst I like Scotland to win, the Irish blood in me is always happy when Ireland win too!

My Maid of Honour's nephew is getting married in May next year & boy does that makes me feel old! He was at a Wedding Fayre with his Fiancée yesterday and they saw some invitations they liked. Taking ideas from the photos of the ones they like, I've offered to do something for them - new dies on order (just so happens one was already on my wish list!).  It's only going to be a small family ceremony at the local castle Balgonie, (the castle appears in episodes 13 & 15 of "Outlander") followed by a larger function at a hotel for friends in the evening. So fancy cards for daytime and simple ones for night time - plenty of time to get them done too, hopefully I'm not being too ambition in the design of the family ones!  I think my MoH is also planning to sub-contract some of her contributions to the cause - there are hints being dropped!

I'm still slowly but surely working on the cards for the Cat Rescue charity but this sinus infection I've had for the last 3 weeks has been making me rather lethargic and my get up and go definitely seems to have got up and went. Having said that the Freshly Made Sketches Challenges have been great help for design inspiration and I did manage to do some colouring in of a couple of stamps although I'm not entirely happy with the results! Originally I thought about trying a technique I saw Sheena Douglass from Crafter's Companion do using Tim Holtz Distress Inks to paint with but I don't have any watercolour paper at the moment and the cardstock I do have doesn't really like getting wet.

The stamps I've used are from the Penny Black's "Hugs" set

Can't make up my mind to submit the Hedgehogs or these Mice so I may end up trying to sneak them both in!

I Used

Cardstock

SS Pearlised - Create & Craft

White - Image Supersmooth

Stamps

Penny Black - "Hugs"

Personal Impressions - Paula Pascal Mixed Sentiments

Inks

Tim Holtz Distress Ink

Winsor & Newton Promarkers