The crafty countdown now stands at 34 days remaining

Good afternoon crafters.  Owww it's cold.  This house has old rubbish windows, and the wind is cutting today isn't it.  Who has snow?  There's not a spec in the sky yet here.

Well, today I seemed to drift away from masculine cards again - it was the colour of the inks I was drawn to (yes, I'm blaming an ink pad!).  I started with a nice big stamp, which is another one from Wendi Vecchi, and embossed with clear embossing powder

I then used two cats eye ink pads, one is a brilliance, and one is a versamagic.  I used the direct to paper technique - literally wiping the ink pad onto my card stock.  The embossing powder acts as a resist, so you can still see the colour of the card stock under the stamped image

Next I stamped a solid border at the top and bottom of the card, and embossed it using white embossing powder.  I liked the way the image I had already embossed reacted - it seemed to emphasis it

I then picked a flower stamp, which is again a solid rubber image (as opposed to an outline image).  This allowed me to build the colour of the ink on the stamp.  So I stamped with the teal first on the stalk.  I then inked the flower head in pink, and added a tiny bit of yellow on the top.  I used the teal to just edge the petals - and then stamped onto plain white card

I cut out the flower, attempting to leave a tiny white border. I just popped it on the background to see how it looks

I cut the card down, and then added a little white and yellow ink just under where the flower is going to sit.  This just allows me to knock the colour back a little.  As I now seem to be into tissue tape, I added a little bit under the flower, and inked it with white brilliance 

I found a piece of embossed card, and added it to the left of my panel, and then glued the panel in place

To finish my card, I glued the flower in place using Pinflair glue.  I added ribbon at the top and bottom of the card, and then the stamped sentiment.  I also used my cosmic shimmer PVA to add little dots, where there are circles on the stamped image

When I finished the card, I randomly spritzed it with MoonGlows Scintillating Silver - just to see what it did.  It just gave it a nice subtle sparkle

60 DAYS!!! Crafty countrdown....

....60 days!!  Whoop Whoop.  Tonight is a bit of a cheat night - not because I'm off out sipping (!!) the Prosecco - but because I have been mega crafting this week, so fancied a night off, and a dip back into my old craft projects.  I love looking back on my old craft makes, it's reminiscing after all.  Generally we look back at photo's for our memories, but looking back on my crafting definitely reminds of a moment, a place, a feeling.  It's good to keep old craft makes as it also can show you how far you've come - or remind you of a technique you may have forgotten.

Today, I dug out one of my favourite favourites:

I love this stamp.  The first time I used this image, which was basically the same, it was produced by Hampton Arts.  I adored it - and have the wood mounted stamp knocking about somewhere!  It was then reproduced, with a few added bits, by Stampers Anonymous - I think (but don't quote me) it may have been one of the Tim Holtz collections.  I have used it over and over again.

This actual piece was made for one of the demo weekends I did at Ally Pally, with Creative Expressions.  I was demonstrating with Angelina Fibres (again), but wanted to try something different.  Normally the fibres are very shiny - which doesn't appeal to everyone.  I wanted to use the fibres in a alternative way, more grungy.  

I made my sheet of fibres as usual, but then glued it onto my card.  I then used acrylic paint over part of the fibres - making sure I don't cover the full sheet, as I still wanted a bit of that shine coming through.

You get a subtle shine, but you also get the texture.  

Something else I loved about this piece was the flower.  This is made out of grunge paper.  I used a Wendy Vecchi stamp, painted it using acrylic paint, and added to my piece with brads.  It's the perfect finishing touch

I decided to call today "Throwback Friday"....realised it probably should have been Throwback Thursday.....so renamed it Feet-up Friday :)

Have a lovely evening everyone xx