PAY IT FORWARD

Have you all got over all the snow - wasn't it a mess?  We had several inches and as I live on a very steep street it was a bit of a nightmare.  It stayed all week and was just getting clear when we got hit with a second dollop last Friday - fortunately as I knew it was coming I managed to park the car at the bottom of the hill on Friday as I was off to Preston on Saturday to a workshop with Maria Simms.  We had a lovely time, made some great cards and I was so glad I managed to get there. On the down side the two friends that I was supposed to be taking with me were snowed in and were unable to go.

At the beginning of January I was asked to comment on a friends Facebook post to volunteer to make something for the first five people that commented if I shared her post.  I have successfully carried out 3 of my missions and here are my first two.

 

I made these little frames and put a little picture in each one for the recipients.  Both started life as a sheet of A5 heavy grey board from which I made two little frames. I covered them with white gesso and allowed it to dry.  I then coloured with distress inks and embossed the fronts using frantage embossing powders and antique gold embossing enamel.  I die cut some hearts from some lighter weight grey board and gave the same treatment to the blue on but just used the antique gold on the pink one.

They looked a little bit lost without a picture so I made designed two little pictures from Clarity mini stamps.

I really enjoyed making these - it was a complete change from doing cards.  The recipients have kindly said that they like them and have given me permission to post them on my blog.

MUM

MUM

This is a happy birthday card for a Mum but could just as easily be a Mother's day card.

I embossed some cream pearl card for the  background. and matted it onto some Paper from a graphic45 paper pad.  I used a fancy edge on my trimmer - cos my daughter bought me a set for Christmas (good daughter).LOL 

I trimmed around one of the images in the pad and this was mounted onto some more paper from the pad. the Mum stamp was from a set that came free with a stamping magazine.  I distress all of the edges with antique linen just to give a subtle shade.

I made the flowers from some more of the pad and added hat pins and pearls just to finish off.

Spellbinders dies are resplendent rectangles, spiral blossom 1 and blossom 5 .

21st Birthday

A 21st Birthday card today.  

The background and topper are both brayered with sunshine yellow and eggplant

The main image is an Indigoblu stamp in eggplant.  the fancy twirls around the edge is a Clarity stamp and the numbers are from a set I got at a craft show. They were from a European firm but can't remember the name. 

The greeting is computer generated. 

Football Hubby

Yet another man card today. This was done in Serif  I started with a background and then used a football image and created the first of the background football.  I then made it semi transparent and by using stamp mode randomly "stamped" the background.

I used the same football to make the toppers but didn't make them semi transparent. These footballs are two layers and the trick was to make them the same size as my spellbinder circle dies.  I put the first lay directly onto the background and then made another page to print off, cut out and mount on foam on top.

I added some words through the text  and made it on a wavy path.

I put the whole thing on a navy mat before layering on a white card.

70th birthday

Final day of the 70th birthday cards.
For this one I used a cogs mask embossed through my GC and inked through with grey onto a white background.

I embossed again onto black card and cut around before inking through with white.  The clock stamp is from Kanban and I think I got the little round happy birthday stamp from Little Claire.  the numbers are separate so you can use for any birthday.

Ken's 70

Day two of the 70th birthday cards.  This is a simple one.  I used a mask and inked through randomly to create the background.  I have a Tim Holtz paper pad (it's getting a bit thin now) and I cut out the letters to make into little tiles .  I added some copper coloured webbing stuff I once got from Gwen at the Stamp Pad in Greenfield. http://www.stamp-pad.co.uk/

I have been over a couple of times its a lovely little shop.

 Wey Hey I am here again! I have a friend who is 70 this week so as a result I have 3 cards to post .

This a card I made for his wife I apologise for the picture its all a bit dark but the card is made in black and grey.  The stamp is from stamps away and the button is a 10p that a friend drilled to make into buttons.  he made me quite a lot and they are great for men cards but I have used most of them (I might have to tap him up to see if he will do me some more!!!!).

Trees are green aren't they

HAPPY NEW YEAR ..... Late aren't I  ?

I have been a very bad blogger and not visited here so far this year I have intentions to amend that LOL.

We had a quiet New Year we were a bit subdued as my youngest daughter was busy packing to go and start a new job in Gibraltar.  She left on 4th January ready for her start date 7th. So as you can imagine it has taken me a while to get really back into the swing of things.  She is loving every minute.

 I thought I would pick up the gauntlet that Barbara Gray from Clarity stamp threw down to encourge people to start making ATC's again. You can view it here: 

http://www.claritystamp.co.uk/Art-Stamps/Artist-Trading-Card-Stamps

 I made the first one by inking up my splodgemat with several colours adding a little spray of water and then "picked"it up on card. the Change the world stamp I thought was fitting .. changing tree from green! (if you get my drift).I added the trees and embossed in white. 

I then had a thought.  wonder if I could do a series of them using the same stamps in roughly the same layout but using different techniques or backgrounds so here are the results.

The background was brayered and then I inked though a mask randomly. I stamped the trees in orange and overstamped with brown .  

I created the background to this one by distressing around the edge and then adding ink through a mask in the corners. I stamped with vintage photo.

Here I used versamark on the card then added perfect pearls mica powder. Added more versamark through a mask on the corners and added another shade of perfect pearls.  The stamps were stamped in Denim adirondak and embossed with clear powder.

 The background on this one was brayered and then distressed around the edges. I added a few water droplets from a stamp by http://designsbyryn.com/

 I started with black card this time and perfect pearls through a mask again. The photo doesn't really show but the stamping is in eggplant and embossed with clear. 

My final one (which I love) is again a black card and  added two different colours of perfect pearls  through yet another mask and the stamped embossing is in gold.

I really enjoyed making these. ... I think I will have another go next month.