Sue's Birthday - Purple, antique, a touch of France...

 Oh I had such fun with this one, so purple!  I really like the antique look and bit of distress I've added, mostly with ink, just a little "distressing" to the edges in places and with the chunky stitching.  Love this Guitterman thread!  This colour bought from Daisy Chain Scrapbooking Store in Nambour Qld.


Images - Photo stamp and verse from Daisy Chain retreat weekend, papers from Cosmo Cricket Mitten Weather Mini Deck -LOVE IT!  Flowers, lace and pearls, various purchased from Bizzy Becs,   Cuttlebug used for shapes and embossing, braid from Hollyhock Cottage and velvet ribbon from Cooroy Drapery.  Will post the stamp set's details when I find them!!! 

 Below I've put two photo's of this same card front, I was experimenting with background colours and am amazed at the different effects you get, what makes our work POP and what makes it disappear.  I really liked this on both the brown and while backgrounds but it does appear to have more contrast on the brown I think, brighter on the white perhaps?  What do you think?  What do you personally prefer for posting?

Below is just a touch of detail to show you the lovely thread and bit

of distressing applied to the edges.  Also the full inside.  I really liked the vaguely monochome concept with the added brown for "antique" look and cream to lighten the whole.  

Lastly, if you have seen this add on TV you will get where I was going with the stamped verse - "Charter boat!  What Charterboat".  I think it's an RACQ add???  Anyway, when I read this, I heard this woman reading these words in my head and I thought it was hilarious!  

I wish Blessings for you all.  Dawnie. xx 

Yes, I've been making cards, no I haven't forgotten to post!

Laptop went to heaven so I've got to re-load all my photos and start again.  When we only have the PC in this house there are sometimes issues with who's gonna use it when so I just caved didn't I!  What a pushover!!! ;) xx

Bizzy Becs Store Blog: Freebie Digis For You

Bizzy Becs Store Blog: Freebie Digis For You: "Hi All, I was having a play on the computer today and came up with these Digi sentiments that I was going to use on some cards.. I thought ..."

French Connection - for Francoise of Maison de Provence with love xx

 This is my favourite card so far I think, which I hope speaks for itself; mainly because I made the cream pattern paper from scratch myself and because of the awesome, flamboyant, amazing woman it has been given to (and her incredible family).  Her expectations of my creations led me to aim for heights I would not nor could not ordinarily spend the time to reach but on occasion it's nice just to spend the time just because.  

Francoise, her husband Eric, grown son & daughter (my only and very special French friends) along with their TRIPLET sons now TWO, are happy owners of the French Tea House & gift ware business called Maison de Provence newly re-opened in Cooroy.  We sadly miss them in Pomona but wish them every success in this new incarnation of Maison.

 The cardstock (Very Vanilla, Always Artichoke & Bravo Burgundy & Chocolate Chip) is accompanied by pattern paper from a 6" Stack in my stash.  All the edges are distressed with my free and favourite "fingernail technique" as well as edges inked, smudged and sponged.

The Very Vanilla was first lightly stamped using Stampin Around Wheel "Antique" using Creamy Caramel & Mellow Moss inks.  Then I used pieces of this to make the Card front "face" on which I've stamped the Eiffel Tower then cut out it and the mats with Spellbinders nestable labels.  The artichoke layer is embossed with cuttlebug texture folder and inked with off white and gingerbread chalk inks and then I've trimmed this by hand with scissors on the embossed edge and cut a chocolate mat to fit nicely behind.

All the other lightly "antiqued" vanilla pieces I have stamped with the remainder of the stamps from this set (Purchased from her original store in Pomona several years ago Pre-triplets) to make the patterned paper, stamp, post mark circle and "Paris" sign.  They have then been cuttlebug dry embossed using various folders, inked, sponged and variously distressed, matted and foam mounted.  I hope this photo's show some of the detials.

This Camelia like flower I made myself with leftover hand made pattern paper and loosely interpreting the instructions from Magnolia Magazine (#3?), distressing it in my own fashion.  I have really gone to town with these and am now branching into different sizes and using different punches to make variations.  I love that they match the project so perfectly.  This one is suitably flamboyant and spritzed with Glimmermist and touched with Stardust stickles.

The Roses are from Bizzy Becs & Wild Orchid, note the bright red which adds a focal point and POP to the whole creation.  The pieces of pearl swirls are Prima I think, purchased in a store in Hervey Bay while visiting my Mum; the tea pot is from Patchwork habidasherie Cooroy as is the organza. The Braid & lace which hold up the Easel card are from Daisy Chain Scrapbook store in Nambour.  I hope you enjoyed viewing this as much as I have enjoyed making it.  I'm wondering where I go from here;) Have a wonderful week. xx

 

Simple Easel Card (variation) made from bits and pieces

Leftovers (including the pattern paper) were used from my previous project (and posted card) with some added bits and pieces.  These colours really make me think of Autumn in Australia, the sky is so blue and the river and sea so green but we still have some changes of foliage in the hinterland...  

Next time I think I would leave the "face" just a little bigger, overlapping the actual Easel by perhaps 1cm either side rather than 6mm or by as much as might take to fill a business envelope for another variation - the ideas are flying this morning!!!

The stamped sentiment is from Daisy's workshop and punched with their scallop punch which I LOVE.  I messed this image up when making the first card but by distressing with gingerbread chalk ink you can't see where I smudged the image and so it was saved.  It was a very wet day and ink was not drying as usual.  I have found there are very few "mistakes" in paper craft that can not in some way be taken advantage of! ;)

The Doily is spritzed with Wheatfields Glimmer Mist to make it less white.  The Sage paper has been embossed with my new Cuttlebug folder and then inked to create a shabby pattern that would match the overall effect and then sewn with zig zag to the cream card face. 

The cardstock is Very Vanilla & Sage from Stampin Up; ribbon is from my stash and there is also a punched lace border which the face is resting on - Martha Stewart punch which I threaded gold ribbon through for a bit of extra sparkle.  All edges are inked flowers from Stash:)