Monday, June 25, 2018

Floral Fantasies

Many things excite we crafters but there's not a lot that compares with a brand new catalogue full of shiny, gleaming new SCHTUFF! Yeah, baby.

So I've been having a play with lots of new schtuff and here are the cards we made in class yesterday - which, coincidentally, all feature flowers.

First up is new set Dandelion wishes and new colour Balmy Blue. This was cased from Monica Gale, who I think used the Bokeh stamp but as I haven't got that, I did the Bokeh the old fashioned way. I stamped the flower and sentiment with black craft ink and clear embossed (you could also stamp with Versamark and use black embossing powder, but I didn't have any at the time. I've fixed that now.) so I could sponge over the top. Post it notes were used to mask a portion of my white card, I sponged with balmy blue then with whisper white using my Bokeh template. Don't have a Bokeh template? Just punch a mixture of circle punches on a piece of firm acetate and voila!


Materials used:
  • stamps - Dandelion Wishes
  • card - smoky slate, balmy blue, whisper white
  • other - post it notes, sponges, circle punches, clear embossing powder, heat tool, Stamparatus

Our second card is another 'get well soon' type, this time using new set Healing Hugs, which is one of the new DisINKtive type stamp sets. These are deeply etched at different levels into the rubber, creating depth without having to 2-step. This one was inspired by a creation by Lynn Hoyt.


Materials used:
  • stamps - Healing Hugs
  • card - grey granite, lovely lipstick, whisper white
  • other - embossing paste, Pattern Party decorative masks, palette knife, Dimensionals

And lastly another case, this time from one of the Artisan Design Team members but I don't remember who! When I find their name, I'll come back and add it. They had used a different sentiment and also sponged an ombre effect in the background, but I chose to just use plain card. Varied Vases is the new stamp set (which I borrowed from my friend Robyn, along with the matching punch) and two returning colours are featured - coastal cabana and poppy parade, along with new colour grey granite. I'm rather liking this new colour, it's a great mix between grey and brown.


Materials used:
  • stamps - Varied Vases
  • card - grey granite, coastal cabana, basic black, whisper white, Delightfully Detailed laser-cut DSP
  • other - embossing buddy, white embossing powder, heat tool, Stamparatus, Dimensionals, Big Shot, pinewood planks embossing folder, water spritzer, vase builder punch

All the fussy cutting on this one should keep my ladies busy - and quiet! LOL! 

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers
Kez

Tuesday, June 5, 2018

Say It Isn’t So

My baby is 20 today.

But I’m okay. Really. I’ll be fine. Yes, my eyes are a bit wet, but it’s just my allergies playing up. You know, as they do...in winter.

And I had NO idea what to make her for a card. None. Zilch. Zip. Nada.

I even felt some performance anxiety...I mean, she’s this intelligent, talented, amazing person, who created an animation for me for Mother’s Day. Yes, an animation. How many mums get one of those from their kids? It’s so unique and so special and how was I supposed to top that? And there’ve been so many birthdays that I’ve used all her ‘favourites’ - favourite colour, favourite things. I did get one bright idea relating to the degree she’s doing at uni, but decided to keep that for her graduation card, which I’ll need in just a few more short months...okay, deep breath...put that thought away for now...I can do it. I’m fine.

Maybe I should keep it simple, I thought. She’s a no frou-frou kinda gal. Perhaps that cute little pig saying ‘Ham it up for your birthday’? But then, she’s a vegetarian. Flowers? Nah, floral cards are not really her style. She wears a lot of black, maybe a sympathy style card for the demise of her teens? Hmm, no, I think she’s quite glad to see the back of them.

When I asked her to name three colours she likes (at the moment), she gave me grey, a pastel and a touch of gold. Then I asked for bold colours (I had Bokeh in mind), I got deep burgundy and a dark sage green. Sounds like a Christmas card, right? But I gave it a go, valiantly. And there were a few rejected half-made wannabees, I'm not going to lie. So I slept on it and found my way back to her original three colour combo, and here's what I finally ended up with:



That's her cat Missy on the outside window ledge, lol. 

Materials used:
  • stamps - none
  • card - smoky slate, basic grey, whisper white, vellum
  • other - Celebrate You thinlits, Big Shot, sponge, balloon punch, gold sequins, mini glue dots, mounting tape, mounting strips, tweezers, glue pen

Hopefully she'll like it; she loves green and ombre, so fingers crossed. The green is new colour soft seafoam and I'm loving it already. I carried the balloon and sequins through to the inside...


We're off to lunch to celebrate (she has classes tonight, so dinner is out) and I've just finished icing the cake - more soft green here too, as it's a gluten free pistachio and lemon cake. Delish (we've had it before).



Thanks for calling in.

Cheers
Kez

Edited to add: She loves the card! Yay!