Cat Got Your Tongue? Or...fingers?

In this digital age where we're all so isolated, geographically, from each other, it's easy to lose the personal touch as well. For me and many thousands of others who 'put ourselves out there' by expressing our emotions, thoughts and feelings on a virtual page such as this, it can feel like a thankless task when you get absolutely no response from your 'audience'.

You see, it's difficult not to notice that so many of my recent posts have received no comments at all, and even a smattering of comments earlier were from my bestie alone. It used to be that there'd be a few comments of support, and that small amount of feedback nourishes the creative part of me and gives me incentive to create more. Honestly.

And I get it, I really do. I browse blogs as well and I don't always leave a comment. Sometimes the blogging platform itself makes that difficult if you have to 'sign up' to say anything. Sooooo, if an effort to make it easier for you, I've added some tick boxes at the end of each bog post - now all you have to do is simply click your mouse in one of the boxes and I'll get an idea of how much you like the card/s. But if you feel like leaving just a short message - even just to say hi from your corner of the globe - that would be wonderful and truly appreciated. In fact, why not resolve for just one day this week, this month, whatever, to leave a short comment on each and every blog you visit. You'll feel better for having reached out, won't you? For connecting with another human, even though you may never meet. And the blog owner will most definitely feel better, this I can say with complete and utter confidence.

In fact, I'm going to go blog hopping right now and spread some comment love as I go...

Here's a card to give you something to inspire box-ticking. You can even keep scrolling down and tick boxes for previous posts too - isn't technology clever?

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers
Kez

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