Friday, 17 January 2014

Ducks and Dance

Hi everybody! 
Another week has sped by, and the days flow along like the Rhine - sometimes sunny, sometimes grey, but always different and interesting.
Today I visited some of 'my' ducks again, and then walked for a while along the Rhine before going to our little market to do my weekend shopping.



Cloud s and blue sky chased each other all day, but it stayed dry, and I managed good 15.000 steps, which made just over 7 miles.
 



Back home there was plenty of time to turn my tidy kitchen into a creative chaos scene, which I will have to clear up before I go to bed this evening. I have made this hanging for the 'monochrome' challenge at Country View Crafts, for which I chose shades of  reddish-brown wth black and white. I peeled and distressed my cardboard, and partly painted it with aged mahogony, onto which I sprinkled some gold perfect pearls for highlights. I added some background stamping using the same colour of distress ink. The image is from Crafty Individuals, and has been stamped with archival black onto speciality stamping paper and distressed with a mix of fired brick and aged mahogony. I mounted onto some scraps of black and dark red card, which I then matted with some hand-painted paper, a piece of vintage book paper and some dark red card. I used a Martha Stewart punch on the edges. I carried on the colour theme with some red flowers, silk buttons and fibres.



I am also linking to Paper Saturdays

Have a great day, take care, and thanks a lot for coming by!


32 comments:

  1. Love the photos of the ducks, Val, and your hanging is beautiful - great contrast between the elegant dancers and the textured cardboard background! Have a nice weekend, hugs, Sarah

    ReplyDelete
  2. I always enjoy seeing the ducks and your beautiful artwork! 7 miles is amazing! Have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a beautiful hanging and soooo dramatic the colors are fabulous. As for your ducks I love that one with the green head looks like he has been painted….you didn't did you !

    Marie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, I might have done if he had let me, but no, just gave him some bread!

      Delete
  4. I always enjoy the cyber walks down the Rhine. As to your card, I love the blend between the rustic cardboard background and the rich, romantic focal point. Blessings!

    ReplyDelete
  5. lovely monochrome effect. You must be really fit with all that walking!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Good Morning Val. What a wonderful walk among the banks of the Rhine. Brilliant photography and the ducks are so beautiful. Love the colours of your hanging and the fabulous textures you have used. Enjoy your weekend. Hugs Rita xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The ducks are really gorgeous, I love to watch them, they have such gorgeous colours!

      Delete
  7. The ducks are so cute.... I love the beautiful warm colours of your gorgeous art today Valerie.

    Karen x

    ReplyDelete
  8. guten morgen val,

    boah,deine bilder sind wider soooo schöööön,ich mag die enten und den teich,da wäre ich jetztauch zu gern.
    den Hänger ist gaaanz großartig,ich mag die schwarzen Tänzer und den kontrast rot schwarz,die Wellpappe hast du auch sehr schön bearbeitet.
    ich habe gestern meinen Stoff für den Rock bekommen,und habe den Rock auch gleich genäht,er sieht Wunderschööööön aus,und der Stoff ist genau richtig für kalte Jahreszeiten,stell ich nachher mal ein.

    GLG Jeannette

    ReplyDelete
  9. himmlisch - der fesche Erpel mit seiner hübschen Frau und das Szenario passt perfekt zu Deiner elegant schönen Karte Valerie!
    Schönen Samstag!
    xxx
    Susi

    ReplyDelete
  10. Very striking hanging Valerie :)
    Von ♥

    ReplyDelete
  11. What a gorgeous hanging Valerie, I love the colours. Nice to see the duckies too! Xx

    ReplyDelete
  12. The duck photos are a feast, the colours of the grass and leaves, and the male mallard's head - they all just glow. The monochrome hanging is lovely, great colouring, and I love the way you have used the end of the wire attachment as part of the decoration, peeping out of the flowers and berries.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Stunning piece Valerie! You are quite a Marathon Woman, 7 miles is amazing! I love it when you work with cardboard. The colors are beautiful and the floral spray is perfect. Great image too! Big hugs, ~Diane

    ReplyDelete
  14. Happy Paper Saturdays and thank you for sharing again. Gosh 7 miles I must get my bum of this chair and start walking a bit more. ManonX

    ReplyDelete
  15. What a beautiful hanging Valerie....wonderful rich colours and a very striking image.
    Cute ducks too...and well done on nearly seven miles...
    Hugs xx

    ReplyDelete
  16. Beautiful card and photos of the duck look lovely!!!

    Vic x

    ReplyDelete
  17. HI Valerie, Oh the ducks are so sweet and I love to see the markings on them. So beautiful and their colors so vibrant too.
    Gorgeous hanging you created. The color is stunning and I love seeing how you use all these creative elements. Beautiful graphic image too.
    WOW 7 miles today. You are amazing and such an inspiration. I must get going, I am not nearly close to 7 miles in my routine.
    Have a great evening. Hugs!

    ReplyDelete
  18. This is gorgeous Valerie, I love the silhouette against the dark reds. Well done on your 7 miles, and great duck photo's xx

    ReplyDelete
  19. Richness and depth and the most fabulous impact - a stunning creation with the Crafty Individuals stamp. Have you shared this with Jean and Malcolm?
    Wishes
    Lynne

    ReplyDelete
  20. Gorgeous project the colours are stunning with the black image.
    The photos look lovely and I think you are amazing walking so far each day.
    Yvonne x

    ReplyDelete
  21. Heart is a pounding over here! Oh how I love that corrugated background and all the beautiful details! What a lovely walk! My daughter fell in love with Germany when she went there with her boyfriend to visit his family! I can certainly see why!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Ich liebe deine stimmungsvollen Fotos! Sie sind toll ... und die Enten sind auch wieder dabei!
    Die Karte ist großartig! Tolle Farben und sehr elegant!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Die Fotos sind wieder sehr schön, Valerie. Und dein kleines Bild ist wieder ganz bezaubernd! Ich mag diese Farben und die beiden scheinen einen leidenschaftlichen Tanz aufzuführen. Sehr passend dazu auch die Blumen, die den Ganzen noch mehr Dreidimensionalität verleihen.

    ReplyDelete
  24. As you can tell I am running a little late - and I don't even walk seven miles everyday. Those ducks are so pretty and talk about pretty. You make is so romantic, are you thinking Valentines Day?
    Sandy xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I think it's going in that direction just now!

      Delete
  25. How did I miss this? Your corrugated card looks terrific in these colours and I love the lacy edged card.
    The way you have presented the image is stunning, I do like the whole piece very much, glad I looked back.

    ReplyDelete
  26. this looks great, love the corrugated background too! thanks for joining us at countryviewcrafts this month Trace x

    ReplyDelete
  27. Such a rich creation! All the elements go together so well, like in a joyful dance! Nice to meet you! :)

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment. All your comments are much appreciated! Please be aware that by leaving a comment you are voluntarily sharing your name and / or the details of your blog.