Retirement gift

Friday! Yee-haw!

Hello, my friends! Are you dancing a jig as I am? Friday... probably the best day of the week. Later today we're having a very special ladies-only gathering .... the coven meets tonight! LOL. Frederica, a good friend and bridge buddy is retiring at the end of this month (oh so lucky!!!) and a few of us are taking her out for a meal. We'll make a fuss, she'll protest and we'll all have a gala time. That's usually how it goes with this lot!

Instead of adding to her growing collection of retirement cards, I made a Post-It holder, with a difference. You'll see in the pics what I mean.  And, we've all pitched in to get Fred a year's membership at a Wine Club. Very often Conan and I invite her as our guest at the club events. She always enjoys herself, immensely. I think Fred's old enough to have her own card now!

For this project, I've drawn inspiration from several challenges. The sketch is from Tuesday Morning #160 and the colours are from Colour Throwdown #206. Stitching is the theme over at Crafting For All Seasons #34 and at Paper Play Challenges #34 it's all about sentiment as main image or focus. I'm also incorporating the baby wipe re-inker pad technique from Technique Tuesday August Challenge... albeit with limited success <sigh>.

Here's my project:

The patterned papers are from Basic Grey's "Sweet Threads" 6x6 pack. That paper has a boho-hippie look, which is exactly how I'd describe Fred. 

Here's a close-up of my baby-wipe re-inker stamping. It's speckled, mottled, almost mouldy! So what happened? First I stamped my image on the baby-wipe, to leave an impression so I can choose where to ink. I don't have any solid stamps, but according to Beate Johns in her baby-wipes tutorial over at Splitcoastampers, if using ornamental stamps stick to monochromatic inks. And I, very cleverly, picked peachy-pink tones with some blues and greens.

I applied the pink tones on the baby wipe first, then with a cocktail stick I randomly put tiny dots of blue and green. At this point the phone rings and I leave everything to go have a chinwag. 20 minutes later I come back and continue where I left off... oblivious to the fact that the baby-wipe is not so wet anymore. The result is what you see. 

Quite disappointed with the way this turned out. It's not bold and vibrant. But what was I thinking? Just how feisty can Tattered Rose and Old Paper be? Seriously! Probably high time I retired! The sentiment in the middle is from WMS, heat embossed on blue CS. Other embellis include green twine, a felt flower, pink brad and pearls.

Here's the inside. I embossed the green CS with Crafts Too Love Hearts folder.  The Post-Its are looking a little "fluffy" because I stamped a daisy on random pages. 

 There's a pocket for little notes, tags etc. I've put her membership card there. There's a little compartment the pen ... because Fred is notorious for losing pens only to discover she has 15 buried deep in the carpet-bag she calls a purse!

Supplies:
Tim Holtz Distress Inks: Spun Sugar; Tattered Rose; Old Paper; Broken China; Shabby Shutters
Stamps: WMS Seasons of Love; WMS Vintage Ornaments
Die: Spellbinders Lacey Ovals  S4-314
Paper: Basic Grey "Sweet Threads" 


Today's lesson, my friends, is this: if you want a striking tie-dye-ish image with the baby-wipe technique, don't do what I did.  Here's what you should do if you don't want to end up with a speckled, mouldy mess image:

• choose contrasting colours;
• don't answer the phone; 
• don't spend 20 minutes gossiping about the neighbour's son (or anybody's son); and
• this is key: get stamping while the baby wipe is juicy. 

Thanks for dropping in for a look-see. Until my next post, y'all have a wonderful weekend!

Beijinhos


Blogged to:
Cinnamon roll (yummy), coffee and 

New release

Ooodles of love

Happy Wednesday, my crafty cronies. We're half way through the week...only a couple more days. So hang in there, the weekend is drawing nigh.

Someone very very dear to us started chemo yesterday and we're planning on stopping by her place later this evening to give her a hug. What she'd really like is a bottle of wine, but I suspect her doctor will be none too pleased if we did that. So, I'm taking the next best thing - chocolate! To house this Swiss sensation, I made a "fat" card (or "phat card" 'cause I'm hip and trendy that way!). It looks like a card from the outside, but has a pouch on the inside for goodies. For this project, I'm pairing the sketch from Waltzing Mouse #111 and with colours from CR8FN #61.

I apologise for the number of pics... but I just couldn't decide which ones to leave out... so I threw the whole lot it. Anyway, it will give you an idea of how I made my phat card ... (that's my excuse!)

For my background, I stamped that damask-ish pattern using a stamp from the Seasons of Love set on some textured layering CS from the Bohemian collection.

The card measures 7" x 3.25" and ...

... is half an inch thick.

The sentiment is from WMS Compact Semtiments 2 with Memento Tuxedo Black. For the label I used WMS Very Vintage Labels 18 and VersaMagic Chalk Ink. All of the action took place on cream CS.

Here's a close up of the stamped background. For embellishments I  used  cream  lace and pearls.

Here's a quick peak of the inside. I layered it for a more finished look.

The card is actually quite sturdy and securely holds the candy bar.

I layered the back as well ... didn't like it undone.
  

Supplies:
Dies: Spellbinders Labels 18  S4-310
Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black, Memento Bahama Blue, VersaMagic Chalk Ink Gingerbread
Stamps: WMS "Seasons of Love", Compact Sentiments 2" and "Very Vintage Labels 18"


That's offering for today. Thanks for stopping by and spending time with me. I'll see you at my next post. Have a sun-shiny Wednesday!

Beijinhos


Blogged to:
Banana cake, coffee and

Released yesterday... Love it!

Hello there!

It's Monday... again! And that means time to play the Mojo game. I'm loving this week's MojoMonday Sketch #255 - simple and perfect for a Christmas card for someone dear to me. Let's get straight to the card, shall we? I'm in a bit of a hurry today, plenty to do... typical Monday stuff. No waffling today!

I'm also linking up with Pile It On #34 "Cuddly Critters", Crafty Catz Challenge #146 "Animals" and Eureka Stamps #2 "Anything Goes"


Here's my card:

The patterned papers are from KARS X-Mas Collection 6x6 pack.  No sentiment, but it's pretty obvious this is a Christmas card, no?

The little doggie is from  "Scottie's Christmas" by Adam Pescott. I'm practicing colouring white here. Quite pleased with the way it turned out. I coloured the little doggie with Caran d'Ache pencil - too teeeny for markers. Can you see all the Stickles I slapped on the edge? What's Christmas without some shine, eh?

Some pop-dots, lace trim, twine and Bob's your uncle!  This was such an easy card to put together.

That sentiment is courtesy of Stampendous Cling stamps.... too cute!

Supplies:

SN Pens:  IG1, IG2, DR7, DR5, DR1, True Black

Die:  Spellbinders Labels 18  S4-310

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black

Thanks for dropping in. Must dash. Speak soon!

Beijinhos!

Fa la la la la la

With a title like that it has to be a Christmas card post. Spot on!

How's the weekend going so far, my friends? We had a fun-filled Saturday with little Zara, my almost 3 god-daughter. I shoo-ed her parents off to pursue some adult activities such as grocery shopping while we had our way with the little imp. Not quite how it turned out, I tell ya! All morning she was on a mission share her love of bubbles with our dogs, without much success. Snoopi, the fast-riding biker-chick, was terrified of things that pop in mid-air while the Andy & Rosie remain unimpressed, preferring to carry on snoozing. After lunch, I introduced her to the sophisticated art of card-making. She seemed intrigued but I suspect her true vocation lies in face-painting. By 7pm we were slightly fatigued (read: zonked out) and draped ourselves on the sofa while Zara continued to entertain us with an impromptu 20-minute solo rendition of "La la la .....". The concert was cut short when her parents came to rescue us take her home. Kids at that age are a delight to be with but you need the stamina of a world-class marathon runner to keep up!

And that, folks, is how I got to making today's card. Zara's concert finale reminded me of the carol "Deck the halls" so I fished out some freebie stamps I got last year to make a Christmas card for my precious god daughter.  I'm taking my card to sing along with 52 Christmas Card Throwdown "Christmas Carol / Hymn" and Christmas Cards All Year 'Round "Kid's Christmas". The sketch is from Freshly Made Sketches #48.

Stir 'em up and we get:

The patterned papers are from Papermania "Festive Frolic" 8x8 pack. It's from a few years back and  probably retired now. I chose these papers for the card because the colours and dots matched Zara's sun-dress. 

Mindful of her need to taste-taste everything, I kept embellishment to the minimum - just some twine and bits of ribbon. Instead, I used Diamond Stickles to jazz things up.

Stamped the robins with are free stamp set from 2010 and coloured them with SN pens.  Haven't a clue what that stamp is called. 

See? No pop-dots. It's as child-safe as can be. 

Just for laughs, I added another famous carol character on the inside. Guess who?!

Here's a close-up of the red-nosed fella. Gave him a healthy splodge of Red Stickles and SNs. Something about the way I coloured Rudolph, he looks like a moose... or, according to my plain-spoken Conan, a sock puppet! 

Ink:

Memento Rich Cocoa

Spectrum Noirs:

Robins - GB8, GB10, CR8, CR10, CT4, GB5, EB1

Rudolph - EB5, TN7, GB10, GB8, EB2, TN2, TN1 

Thanks for stopping by. Have a blessed Sunday and I'll speak to you tomorrow! Ta-ta!

Beijinhos.


Blogged to:
Peanut brittle (I will regret this!) and

Non- fa la la la la la music

Wintery Birthday box

August Blog Party - "Birthdays"

Is it Friday already?!

Hello again my friends. Can't believe how fast the week has whizzed past. It's been a mixed bag of good and bad news for us this week. Good: we got the house fixed-up, so no more scrambling with pot & pans when it rains! Bad: they discovered numerous other "small things" to fix = more money. Good: cat's appetite is at its peak. Bad: cat's constipation is at its peak. Good: it finally rained. Bad: 3 wet dogs...urgh ... off to the vet for a wash and blow-dry.

Enough whinging, here's the real reason for this post: a birthday gift box I made for a friend. Earlier this week I met her for a quick coffee and we got to talking about doing something for her up-coming 40th birthday. Most of her friends are away on vacation so it will have to be a low-key affair. I felt sad for her but she said she's used to it. It's how she remembers all her birthdays. When she was young all her friends were away in August, just as they are now. According to her December would be the best time to have a birthday. Why? Because "nobody goes anywhere, party decorations are everywhere and people are kinder." Well, I'm not sure about the last bit :-)

We're having a low-key do over at her place this evening and I made this wintery box to house her gift. Hopefully she'll know that I heard her desire for a December bash! In a short while my entry for this month's Waltzing Mouse Blog Party will actually be on it's way to a Birthday party.

Here's the ariel view of the box. It measures 4" across, 3.5" down and the sides are 2" wide.  I used dies  by Nellie Snellen and Marianne Designs for the box.

The box is 1.5" tall,  just enough room for the brooch I got her. 

Here's a close-up of the flower on top of the box. You may recognise it as a  poinsettia.... and you'd be right!  I've used Tim Holtz inks and Stickles to jazz it up.

I didn't want to clutter the outside of the box, so the greeting got relegated to the inside. I've used a stamp from WMS Compact Sentiments and Memento ink. 

I wanted to add texture to the card and give it a snowy look, so everything got shoved through the Swiss Dots embossing folder. To soften the edges I used Tim Holtz's distress inks.

Here's what it looks like from behind. Very little patterned paper on this card.  It's by Stampin' Up! from way back when. Love that cotton lace. Matches the dies cuts too - quite by accident, actually!

Finally, some sheer blue ribbon to tie it all up with a pretty little bow. Pretty dsp - been hoarding saving it for a "special" occasion. I do that a lot - "save" but only things but not money!  

Dies

Nellie Snellen Multi Frame Die Dots Hexagon  MFD026

Marianne Designs Creatables Poinsettia Straight  LR0122

Spellbinders Label 20  S5-026

Inks

Memento Danube Blue

Tim Holts Distress Inks: Faded Jeans, Broken China and Peeled Paint 

I'm off to get stuff ready for the party. First on the list is to organise the gift. My obsession with boxes is still going strong - I've got 5 more in the works - yep you read right: F-I-V-E! Oh it's so much fun, you really ought to try it!

Thanks for popping by for a peak. Y'all have a smashing weekend and I'll see you at my next post!

Beijinhos

ps: Swing by MIM #103 for truck loads of groovy creations!

Blogged to:
Giant choc chip pecan cookie and

Birthday Wishes

Well hello there, dear friends. Trust you had a sizzling weekend. And now its the start of a brand new week. We've having some home improvements done - nothing fancy, just the usual maintenance bits and bobs like weather proofing the exterior walls, reflooring the roof-top terrace, replacing a few wonky roof tiles and retouching the painting-work. Most importantly we are also taming our angry bougainvillaea and over-zealous creeping ivy. They're pretty but completely out of control. With all this confusion at home crafting is a little tricky right now. But here's my MojoMonday #252 contribution - can't miss that! I'm using colours from The Ribbon Reel Challenge #34 "Retro".

Here's my card:

I'm using papers from Basic Grey's "Sweet Threads" 6x6 pack. It has all the colours  for the Ribbon Reel challenge. The sentiment is from WMS Basket Additions set. For embellishment I have twine and a single pale pink mulberry paper rose.

The the wild roses stamp is from a freebie set called "A Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady". I coloured it with Spectrum Noir markers. Did some out-of-the-box die-cutting and tied a yellow bow around the rose that's sticking out.  

Here's a close-up of the wild roses. Need more practice my colouring. Good news is with the wallet-friendly Spectrum Noirs  I don't feel so bad playing with colour blends as I do with my Copics. 

See? I haven't forgotten my pop dots! And everything is stitched down tight in case of gale force winds.

Here's the inside of my card. Still stitching away...

Dies

Spellbinders Labels 14 S4-290

Spellbinders Labels 20 S5-026

Inks 

Memento Tuxedo Black

Memento Potter's Clay

Tim Holtz Tattered Rose Distress Ink 

You'll also find me at Stamp & Create "Stitch It Up" and  Paper Pretties Monday Challege #52 "Anything Goes".

Thanks for taking the time to check out my blog. See you again at my next post? Until then take, have a rockin' week.

Beijinhos!


Blogged to:
Tia Maria on ice and