Saturday, July 27, 2013

'Water, water, everywhere...."

.... but  nor any drop to drink"  The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
 by Samuel Taylor Coleridge


Now this was a challenge to me!

I know that almost every card maker hits a wall occasionally, but for me, this card created a head-on collision! It all started with me thinking along the lines of 'using what I've got' and that would be several more images of the vintage bathing beauties that was part of my download purchase for the "Flag" card from a couple of challenges ago - here is the link. So I started on another tag card and had reached the part where I needed to consider a sentiment of sorts. Wanting to keep within the theme of the challenge, I Googled 'Water, water everywhere...' and up popped the details regarding the rhyme I have quoted above. OMW! now I am confused. Perhaps there is more to the 'challenge' than meets the eye, thinks I, and I screech on brakes with the tag card and have a rethink! Perhaps Cec is wanting to see if we pick up on this.... Perhaps I need to reconsider my card.... Perhaps I have missed a 'hint' somewhere??? OMW!! So, now the hunt starts. Ships, boats, vintage, water, lots of water, sailors,...... not a stamp in my stash that fits in with any of the aforementioned. Now what! Off I go looking at digi's to color. Nothing takes my fancy, all to 'cute' and I know how Cec feels about 'cute', so not going there! I test her patience enough as it is.....lol! OK, now what? So lets see if I can find a good colored digital image I can work around. Eventually I found a couple, but now what?? I need to 'work' this image. What do I do??

That my dear friends was the prelude to this card hitting my blog. Yes, I used the colored digital image. No, I could not find a way to 'work' it so that I got all the elements in that I felt related to the rhyme and challenge, so, I stepped back from it at this stage and ask your forgiveness and understanding. I could not do another thing with it. Now, and it is way too late, I see I could have cut up the sails and 3-D'd them. It may have changed it a lot, but it's not going to happen now! So I am going with the card as it is, with my doubts about it, but happy that I did pick up the 'link', whether it was meant to be or not and hope that Cec and my teamies understand where I was coming from and forgiving where it lead to!
Here is the 'masterpiece'......





Even the photographs are left wanting! Other than the image, I used a compass from a Tim Holtz set, stamped on acetate and backed with with gold card, some awesome twine and a button from my Gran's button bottle that has an anchor on it. 

Please would you link up with my teamies (see links in the side bar) and take a look at their awesome creations and after digesting it all, please join in the challenge. I will be very interested to see how everyone interprets it!

Thank you so much for indulging me with my insecurities. I do hope this brought on a smile or giggle. Even at the age of 60, I still think and act like a kid at times....ha-ha!!
I always appreciate your visits!

Oh, and by the way, this was the 4th card I settled on! It took me most of last weekend, can you believe it??
I will post the tag I spoke about above, next week, just for a laugh!

Take care and lots of hugz
Moz

Monday, July 15, 2013

Spring Butterfly Card

I just had to play with these Joy Craft Butterfly dies I added to my stash this month!

I also wanted to use this stamp which is an old one I bought years ago from a stamp company that closed down and I remember I paid $1 for her. It is a photo stamp and is beautiful to work with.

 I stamped her onto white card stock and then onto the patterned paper I wanted to use that matched the background paper, using Versafine Sepia ink. I cut the white card image out and added a touch of Tattered Rose ink to the skin areas. I cut around the arms to loosen them so when I added the 'dress' I could lay the arms on top again. 

The Joy Craft butterfly border die is 6002/0251 and the single butterfly is Joy Craft Vintage Flourishes 6003/0023. Both were cut out of white card. I did find the single butterfly a battle to cut out of card. It much prefers a lighter weight paper, FYI! The greeting is from a PTI set I have just inked up, Boutique Borders: Birthday Stamp Set #2642 and I stamped it in Versafine Sepia onto half of a Marianne Creatables LR0272 oval, which is part of a stunning set. It fitted the side of the tag beautifully cut in half! 

Pearls and ribbon finished off this little lady perfectly.

Thank you so much for the visit and I hope you enjoyed my pretty creation!
Hugz
Moz

Saturday, July 13, 2013

"Classic" set of Wheels

Today starts another two week challenge from Sugar Creek Hollow - 'Things with Wheels'. 
Our sponsor for this challenge is Doodle Pantry who will be sponsoring a random draw prize of 3 images!


 

They gave me this adorable bicycle to work with and and I decided to make a tag card. I have long admired Martha's tag cards and I have to say I really enjoyed making this one and know tag cards will become a firm favorite of mine too!





I decided to 'flip' the image as I wanted to use the hand with the pointing finger and the three gentlemen from the Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Collection Warehouse CMS124 set.

I worked with the Ranger 'Dylusions' TCW Stencil DYS34230 Diamond Border and Ranger Distress Ink in Pumice Stone and a touch of Aged Mahogany onto the white tag and then printed the bicycle onto it. The bicycle is colored with Copic pens and Sakura Gelly Roll Clear Star pen to highlight the chrome. Unfortunately it does not show up in the photograph, but in real life it is extremely effective. The white tag was trimmed down slightly and I added some washi tape to the bottom right corner then mounted it onto a Gunmetal Metallic tag. The 'hands' and 'gentlemen' were stamped using Versafine Onyx Black ink and the 'hands' were fussy cut and attached to the white tag. There were several sentiments I could choose from and settled on the 'your'e a Classic' for this tag. I used a die from the set of 17 on the on the Docraft Xcut XCU503035 Speech Bubbles set. It just looked right placed at the top of the tag card.

I used the same stencil and inks for the inside of the tag card and added a die cut pocket watch 'just because' it looks right....lol!



Inside of the Tag Card
A peek into the inside of the Tag Card



























Please won't you join in our challenge and create your own 'Wheels' card or tag card and upload it onto our blog? Besides, it is always great to have a masculine card in stock, isn't it?

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and I look forward to visiting your blog when I see your creations posted in the challenge.
Hugz
Moz

I have entered this tag card into the challenge at Southern Girls Challenge for 'No Spoolin" where they are offering 2 prizes - one for Auz and NZ residents and another for Internationals. Great prizes as well......

Friday, July 12, 2013

Vintage at it's best!

I have been drooling over this postcard stamp since it was released and finally got my paws on one and made this card! I'm besotted with it and have several all colored up ready to go!


It is a Joy Craft Clear Stamp - Floral Flourishes 6410/0044 and I call it the Old Rose!

I stamped it onto off white card stock and distress it with Pumice Stone, Tea Dye and a hint of Tattered Rose and Vintage Photo around the edges, trimmed it down and mounted it onto burgundy card stock.
The background stamp is a B-Line Design stamp CTD015G Damask Collage and one of my favorites! This stamp was 'ponced' with Pumice Stone and Aged Mahogany Distress Inks and stamped and had a little distressing treatment the same as the postcard. It was also mounted onto a burgundy background and had sheer organza ribbon and beautiful antique lace from my stash, wrapped on the left side.  I die cut the Joy Craft Corner 6002/0135 out of the burgundy card stock and attached it to the top right corner. I brought my lovely Nellie Snellen Floral Punch set FLP031 out of hibernation and punched leaves for my paper rose mounted in the left bottom corner. Of course pearls had to be added to finish off the vintage classic!

I loved this card and feel a 'mass production' may well be on the cards, excuse the pun!

I'm starting to feel the joy creep back into my soul and am having a creative surge, so may well be posting more regularly. Thank you to all who so sweetly left me kind words, hugs and encouragement after my last post. It was the bottom of a dark period and thanks be to God, I'm well and truly 'lifted' by all your love and prayers. God Bless you, one and all!

Enjoy the weekend and thanks so much for the visit!

Friday, July 5, 2013

Page 1......

I have been wanting to start an Art Journal for ages now, but it has been so intimidating! I've been laying awake at night thinking about what to start with, how I was going to do it, with what mediums etc....

I've been all over the Internet, reading blog posts, visiting sites that offer starter courses, watching You Tube videos on how to get started and beyond that, but still was not able to kick start the project. I made a lovely little 4"x 4" Coptic Journal (love it!), bought El Cheapo water color pads, invested in a Moleskin Sketch Journal, & fished out some lovely Fabriano paper from my art folio. I rounded up paints, water color pencils, Distress Inks, Twinkling H2O's, in fact anything  and everything I thought I could work with in the journal, and placed it all on a desk in my craft room. Every day I just looked at it and walked away, disappointed that I just could not make a start.

Then a series of events/incidents happened that upset me deeply, tore at my soul, gripped my heart in a spasm, made me cry, sad, disillusioned, disappointed in my fellow human beings, made me question 'friendships' so badly, I needed to do something to let it all out. This morning, I realised that this was what I was waiting for, something that affected me so deeply I had to work it out of my system, and I sat down and started my first page. And so the healing begins......