Butterflies

Yippee! The sun is bright, the skies are blue - it would appear that Spring really has sprung! Hard to believe that there was snow on the hills a week or so ago - some parts of Scotland were warmer than some parts of the Mediterranean!

Had my son out for some driving lessons at the weekend - didn't get off to a good start as when we got to the car rental company he suddenly remembered that he'd left his licence at home! Back in my car to get the paperwork from home and then back again - fortunately they let us get the hire car for the full 2 hours we had booked. I took him a bit further afield this time to a local industrial estate which has quiet roads on a Sunday and plenty of them to get a good bit of driving done instead of a lot of stops and starts on smaller roads - even went over our mileage allowance. He actually felt as though he was doing some "proper" driving - and managed to overcome his reluctance to get out of 2nd & finally got the car into 4th gear! He just needs to calm down a wee bit with his overenthusiastic steering technique. Once again, thank goodness for dual controls - he wanted to do some tree hugging!

This week's Freshly Made Sketches Sketch had me scratching my head a bit - probably because I left it to the last minute.

When we were out driving yesterday we saw butterflies just about everywhere we went so with that as a theme I decided on the Butterfly Floral Lattice from Kaisercraft.

I knew I wanted to use some distress inks in the background so decided to make my own background paper - several attempts with sprays later, I decided that using the ink pads and a blender tool may be a better, easier, idea. I have used graduated brown, green & pink colours down one side then sprayed it with some bleach solution and came up with this. 

I wasn't too sure which sentiment I wanted to use, the sketch shows a sentiment going across the width of the card. I wanted something that didn't take away from the image so in the absence of any velum (I know I have some somewhere if only I could find it!) I decided on strands of twine across the card and a small sentiment that would fit into the white area.

I Used

Cardstock

A6 Card Blank - Anita

Smooth Uncoated White 300gsm - Fabiano

Stamps

Butterfly Floral Lattice - Kaisercraft

Love (from Flutterby set) -Debbie Moore 

Inks

Assorted Distress Ink Pads - Tim Holtz

Versafine Vintage Sepia - Tsukinenko

Nine Lives

One of my oldest friends, we've known each other since we were but teenagers, now spends a lot of her time looking after rescue cats and is always looking for ways of raising funds to care for both those she rescues and for others who also carry out the same work at home and abroad. As part of her fund raising efforts I've offered to make cards she could sell and so I have been looking for more cat-themed stamps etc that would be suitable.

One of the sets I finally decided on was the Penny Black T for Transparent "Nine Lives" (I've also got the "You're Retro" Set on order too) so here are the first three cards I've made using them.

I think these stamps lend themselves rather well to little stories. In this one we have a puss who seems rather pleased with their efforts at performing a handstand!

This one seems to have just come up with a great idea!

As soon as I saw these next stamps I knew exactly the words I wanted to use with them so out came one of my Dyan Reavely sets - it's a Christmas set but just seemed to fit the expressions of these cats to a T!

I used

Cardstock

Linen DL Card Blank - Hobbycraft

Kraft 6 x 6 Card Blank - Hobbycraft

Other card - PayPer Box

Stamps

Nine Lives - Penny Black T for Transparent

Christmas Words - Dyan Reavely

Inks

Vintage Sepia - Versafine

Various - Promarkers

Krafty Poinsettia

For anyone who didn't see the Scotland v Australia Quarter Final at the Rugby World Cup - we wuz robbed! A penalty kick awarded to the Wallabies in the final minute of the match, for something they did (if Ref went to the TMO he would have seen it!) and the Aussies won by a single point. I think the whole of Scotland was gutted for those lads who gave it their all!  The way the Ref sprinted off the pitch as he was blowing the final whistle was probably the biggest clue that he knew he'd made a huge mistake - the rude so and so never even shook hands with the Team Captains!

Ah well, there's always the Six Nations to look forward to in the New year!

Still not got a lot done regarding Christmas cards but I have been experimenting using Kraft paper with clear embossing powder and came up with a poinsettia that looks like it's made from spun caramelised sugar! I decided to use it for this week's entry into the Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #208

 

 

The Christmas bauble in the background of the photos is a work in progress. I used the Darice Ivy Corner embossing folder to create a strip detail instead of a ribbon.

 

These filigree dies are lovely but all the chads that come off are a pest. I have found that putting in a poly bag (zip-lock best) and giving a sharp tap on the edge of the table frees them from the die without going everywhere. If they are still stuck within the die cut, again put it in a bag and try using one of the rotating brushes on the market seem to free them without them making a mess!

 

 

 

 

 

Cardstock

 PayPer Box - Kraft

PayPer Box - White Linen

 

Embossing Folder

Darice - Ivy Corner

 
 Dies 

Sue Wilson Creative Expressions - Filligree Poinsettia












Stamps

Magazine Freebie
 

Inks

 Versafine - Antique Sepia

Distress Ink - Evergreen Bough

It's Started!

It's Started!

Last week I decided to get a shift on and get some crafty stuff done for Hallowe'en, I've made up some goodie bags for the bairns out Guising*, for the neighbours children I've made and filled some decorated boxes.
 

Anyway, after sorting out Hallowe'en I have given in and started making stuff for Christmas - a load of baubles! I also thought I'd make a start on some cards and ended up only making one because I couldn't decide what to do!

The one I did make is based on this week's Freshly Made Sketches Challenge

 

although it didn't start out as what I had originally planned to make for it! My original plan for the Christmas card went awry when I unknowingly had managed to get ink on my fingers and smudged a part of it - aarghh! Then I remembered the sketch and decided to chop off the bits that were ok and re-arrange them and add another panel.
 

  

All the stamps used this week came as a free gift with the latest Creative Stamping Magazine. They were classed as Christmas stamps but there are several which can be used at anytime of year - especially for making cards for the male of the species, including a rather nice stag's head.

 

 

 

Cardstock

 

PayPer Box - Kraft
PayPer Box - Ivory

 

Stamps

 

Creative Stamping - Woodland Christmas

 

 

Inks

 

Versafine - Vintage Sepia

 

Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pads:

Faded Denim, Peeled Paint & Evergreen Bough

 

 

* Guising - The verb to guise comes from Old French (se) déguiser, meaning to disguise oneself, is a practise not only associated with All Hallows Eve but also, in days of yore, with Yule. 

On the last Tuesday of January  each year, at Lerwick in Shetland Islands the men  participating in the Viking Festival of "Up Helly Aa" are known as Guizers, chief among them being the "Guizer Jarl")

 

Photo of Up Helly Aa  - Burning the Dragon Ship from http://www.shetland.org/things/events/culture-heritage/up-helly-aa

When I was younger going Guising at Hallowe'en wearing an old white sheet with holes cut for eyes sufficed as a ghost but these days, as the rather commercialised import of Trick or Treat seems to steal a march on guising, it seems the shops are full of more theatrical style costumes. 

Another tradition was the long, labourious, and a bit smelly, task to hollow out a tumshie (swede) and then carve a scary face into it but with the candle lit turnip (neep) lantern it was off to knock on the doors of friends and neighbours. The tradition was to do your party piece (tell a joke, sing a song, dance or recite a poem) to receive your fairins (presents, especially sweets, apples, nuts although you may be lucky to receive some money) rather than modern, imported, demand  of "Trick or Treat".

"Canty dame wi kindly looks,

Ye hae fairins in yer neuks,

Aipples reid, or aipples green,

Up, and gie's oor Hallowe'en!"