What the heck happened...

...to March?

When people used to say 'the older you get, the faster time passes' I'd think, "What a load of piffle!" Now I know it's so, so true, and that's...well, it's scary, is what it is.

This month I became an 'empty nester'. Not before time, I know; heck, we were really lucky to have our younger daughter still living at home while she did her first three years at uni. But a couple of weeks ago I went with her to Auckland, New Zealand, where she's continuing her educational journey with a master's degree and now it's just me at home. Well, me and her cat (who'll be moving to NZ too soon) and the chickens. But they don't talk much. Hubby's been away for a month but he'll be back this weekend, so we'll be Darby and Joan, lol. It'll be 28 years since it's just been the two of us - now that's going to take some getting used to!

Any-who, life goes on, as they say, and this week I've got my regular class with my lovely ladies. As the Sale-a-bration promotion is about to end, we'll be playing with a few SAB stamp sets, some of which haven't seen much action. Here are the cards we'll be making.

Materials used:

• stamps - So Hoppy Together, Itty Bitty Greetings
• card - granny apple green, basic black, whisper white, Botanical Butterfly DSP
• other - googly eyes, Dimensionals, Stamparatus, Stampin' Blends

This one is a bit of a simplified CASE of a card by Nadine Weiner. I couldn't resist adding the googly eyes cos in my opinion they really make these cute little guys irresistable. 

Our second card is a peekaboo, inspired by a Tammy Beard creation. There's clear acetate in the 'window' for the glass cloche.

Materials used:

• stamps - Hello Cupcake
• card - whisper white, balmy blue, lemon lime twist, Gingham Gala DSP, acetate
• other - Big Shot, Call Me Cupcake framelits, organdy ribbon combo pack, mini glue dots, Stamparatus

And lastly a card sort-of cased from Nikki Spencer, using the aptly named Lovely Lattice stamp set.

Materials used:

• stamps - Lovely Lattice
• card - whisper white, basic black, powder pink, watercolour, Botanical Butterfly DSP, poppy parade
• inks - powder pink, poppy parade, granny apple green, craft black
• other - aqua painter, Dimensionals, Big Shot, Well Written thinlits, markers, scissors, clear embossing powder, heat tool, embossing buddy

All that colouring should keep my ladies busy!

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kez

Nautical Journey

Over the past few months since we bought our boat I've been "collecting" stamps and dies with a nautical/ocean theme - partly because I want to make a range of cards and hopefully sell them to fellow boaties and partly because I want to make some items to decorate the boat. The 'artwork' left on board by the previous owners is ... well, let's just say it's not to my taste, lol.

Here's my first attempt. I saw this verse on a canvas in a store and if it hadn't been hideously expensive I would have bought it. As it is, I've printed it on to some watercolour paper then stamped my image and coloured it in. I know it's not framed perfectly proportion-wise, but until (and if) I can find a more suited frame, this is to give you an idea. It will eventually hang either in my cabin or in the saloon (lounge area).

Materials used:

• stamps - Sailboat (Whimsy Stamps)
• card - watercolour, basic black, coastal cabana
• inks - daffodil delight, calypso coral, coastal cabana, Bermuda bay, Pacific point, cajun craze, Sahara sand, whisper white, soft sky
• other - aqua painter, inks, clear Wink of Stella, markers, white gel pen, Stamparatus

There's a hint of sparkle in the spray on the port side and in the wash trailing behind which look magical when catching the light.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments! And thanks for dropping in.

Cheers

Kez

Much Comfier

Another distress oxide card for you today, this one much more my style of blending and therefore I'm more comfortably in my zone.

Materials used:

• stamps - You Matter (Simon Says Stamps)
• card - thick whisper white, basic black
• distress oxide inks - picked raspberry, mustard seed, abandoned coral, wilted violet, peacock feathers
• other - blending tools, water spritzer, You Matter dies (SSS), Big Shot, small butterfly punch (SU retired), clear epoxy shapes, clear Wink of Stella, white baker's twine

I'm going to need a number of 'missing you' and 'thinking of you' cards in the future as both our daughters are heading overseas for work or study, the younger one in a week and the elder next month. It's an exciting time but I will miss them terribly; thank goodness for Skype and the internet. When I was doing my big 'overseas experience' it was snail mail and reverse charge phone calls home to my parents - how times have changed!

Thanks for dropping by.

Cheers

Kez

Playing with my DOs

I was inspired this morning to play with my distress oxides and just for something completely different from my usual style, tried the 'splotchy' background look. This is waaaaaaay outside the box for me and I'm not entirely sure I'm happy with it, but there you go. You've got to start somewhere, right?

As I applied my inks I dried between layers with my heat tool, then I stamped parts of the sheet music stamp using a contrast colour, stencilled the lattice design with a darker ink, then stamped with Versamark and gold embossed small splatters. Once everything was finished I applied a light coat of distress glaze, which seals and intensifies the colours. It was a thoroughly enjoyable process and I know realistically I'm just feeling uncomfortable about it because it's so far beyond my wheelhouse. Ho hum. More practise, methinks. I'll be very interested to read your comments.

Materials used:

• stamps - Gorgeous Grunge, Sheet Music, Picture Perfect Birthday
• card - Bermuda bay, gold foil, shimmer white
• distress oxide inks - picked raspberry, peacock feathers, wilted violet, spiced marmalade, mermaid lagoon
• other - stitched rectangle framelits, Big Shot, mounting tape, Versmark ink and marker, gold embossing powder, heat tool, water spritzer, embossing buddy, distress micro glaze

If you're into this look please do let me know how I've done and I'd appreciate any hints you may have for my next attempt!

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kez