GC86: Spicy Supply - Coffee Filters

GC86: Spicy Supply - Coffee Filters

For ths challenge we had to use coffee filters to make something. I got given some by a friend, who had bought the wrong size for her machine, and cut out some flowers using the TH *Tattered Florals* die. At first they looked very floppy and uninteresting, but after they had been sprayed with Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist in terracotta, sprinkled with some embossing powder and heat dried, they stiffened up and twisted about and looked much better. Then I inked all the edges with a purple ink, stuck some layers together, added a centre of Prima pearls and really liked the result. IT's good to try out new things, even if you think at first that it's not so good! The tag has been made from a cardboard box, which has been partly peeled,clear inked and embossed with gold, bronze and silver powders, and highlighted with perfect pearls in pink and blue which have also been heat set. The lovely shimmer doesn't show up well on the photo. Added an image from LaBlanche, and a few other FAMT (flying about my table) bits and bobs, and that was it. I think I will have another go at playing with coffee filters this week if I have time!
Thanks for looking, and have a good day!

Hues of blues & Crazy or not?

This has been a great weekend. I stayed home, had time for myself – which means crafting, cooking, reading, listening to music – went to bed at more or less reasonable times and had some sunny walks through the frosty fields behind the house where I live. After weeks of cold and wet weather we have had a few days of frost paired with sunshine – the sky is blue, the birds are singing and I feel good.

I luckily remembered that I had some chicken breasts in the fridge, and started to prepare them for mydinner today. As I was standing by the stove I realised I was singing (to the tune of *I’m off to see the wizard*) *I’m off to fry my chicken, the wonderful chicken of Oz…dadum-tidum-tidum-tidum – the very best chicken there was!*
Sometimes I think I am a bit crazy, at times like this I am sure of it.
So what? As long as I feel happy with it!

I have been keeping warm at home by crafting, trying out a lot of techniques learned on *Gingersnaps* and other sites, making cards and tags and….and….finishing my third little canvas. The background has been painted with acrylic colours in indigo, cobalt and gold, with a bit of glitter sprinkled on while it was still wet. Then I decided to enter it into June’s challenge on *Dezinaworld*, which this week is *Hues of blue*. I die cut some flowers, birds and a cage using TH’s Alterations, and embossed the parts using a Texture Fade which I had inked with *faded jeans*. I also cut some flowers out of a dark blue, handmade paper and a gold bird and cage. Then the fun part came – playing with all the bits and bobs till it looked like I wanted, sticking them together and onto the canvas, and adding the final decorations – a button, some bling, a cameo and an old butterfly brooch, which has been fluttering about in my drawer for years waiting to be used!
I am quite pleased with the result, it is always tempting to alter things again and again, but once I start, I never stop, so I will leave it as it is!
I am also entering this into the following challenges:
Try it on Tuesday - Alter it with wings who are being sponsored this week by *The craft barn*





and The *Sisterhood of Crafters* - Anything goes

GC85 – Hot Beverages – Take 2 & *Oh la la* Tag for Bella Creations

Yesterday while I was sitting on the couch, watching TV and drinking coffee, this little verse popped into my head:





Give me coffee, but no tea –
Tea is not the drink for me!
Coffee, frothy, brown and hot -
I can always drink a lot.
Coffee topped with whipped-up cream,
This with joy will make me scream.
Café au lait with chocolate sprinkles,
Makes me happy, stops my wrinkles.
And if the point you have not seen –
A day without coffee makes me mean!

So I wrote it down before it popped out again, and decided that I needed a card to go with it, which I then made. The cup has been drawn on a piece of white card, pasted onto patterned paper, and cut out. The *foam* on the top has been made from a scrap of *snow* left over from Xmas, the chocolate sprinkles have been substituted with stickles in cinnamon. The easel has been made from cream coloured card, distressed with ancient linen and espresso inks, and stamped with coffee cups and quotes from *Justrite*. The verse has been printed in brown onto linen weave paper, distressed with the same inks as before, and matted with the same patterned paper – from LaBlanche - that I used for the cup.
Gingersnaps is a group which always gives lots of inspiration!
Need I say that it was fun to make? This was not a *make and take* but a *drink and think*.



Then, late at night, I decided to join the *Oh la la* Group at *Bella Creations* and join in their tag Challenge with a beautiful, vintage - and so romantic! - photo. I managed half of it last night, and the rest this morning. Used a large manila tag, which I distressed with TH inks in forest moss, wild honey, Victorian velvet and faded jeans, die cut some lace, which was distressed with Victorian velvet, printed the background with a French text, put the photo in a metal frame, added some wings - also coloured with Victorian velvet, some flowers and leaves, and a velvet bow. And then stamped and embossed *Ooh la la*. Voila - finished!

Yesterday was such a nice day. Sunshine & glittery frost outside, crafting & coffee inside. And today it's the same lovely weather, so apart from a little walk through the fields I will keep myself warm with scrapping. What a life!!
Thanks for looking and have a nice day!

More Makes

I always find it very difficult to make cards for men, which is probably the reason why I nearly always forget their birthdays....Anyway, yesterday evening I remembered that I was late, late, for a very important date, the birthday of an ex-colleague. I have a lovely *Belated Birthday* stamp, which someone gave me as a present ( I wonder why??) and which I use quite often.
I cut a waistcoat from wine red embossed card, stuck it to a hammered card, added two fob pockets and a shirt collar from some white scraps, and added details with white and black pens. Then I wanted to put a watch into the pocket, and although I have lots of clock stamps, they were all too large or too something else, they just didn't fit! And then *Craft Stamper* arrived this morning - yooohoo! Thanks a lot to Petra B. who so kindly sent it to me! And the freebie watch was just right. So, I just had to start stamping, still in my PJs, and tried it out in all colours. The one I have used for the card has been stamped with archival black and gold embossed, cut out, and fixed to a piece of golden chain, which I have glued into the fob pocket of the waistcoat. Added the *Tempus fugit* stamp and a red bow tie, and stamped the inside of the card with my *belated* stamp and a cup cake. Finished! Now I can get it posted off to the recipient, and hope I will be forgiven for being a week too late.
And I noticed this morning that I was chosen as a *Ginger gem* in the *Ginspiration* challenge on Thursday. I did congratulate the winners on Thursday, but must have overseen that I was one of them....thanks again to the Design Team at Gingersnaps!






So, here's wishing you all a happy weekend, take care, and thanks for looking!

Art Journal February 2011

As this month is almost over, I thought it was high time to start my February calendar pages. Used some freebie papers from *Scrapbook* magazine. I didn't like the papers much, but cut into small pieces, I like them better. For the 14th I cut a TH heart and wings out of a piece of scrap paper. The sentiments (Sizzix die cuts) have been cut from scraps of white cardstock and used to spray a negative image on the edges, and then, after drying, to add the *positive* words, a 2-for-1 effect. The month has been inked with a stencil, the weekdays have been printed onto some scraps of coordinating, patterned paper. Did some random stamping, to which I added a spot of stickles, and that was it.
It was, as always, fun to make, and this month I have been enjoying making short, positive comments every day, then every day has something positive about it, if only that it is over and it's time to go to bed....But seriously, nearly every day has some good times, and it's important, for me, to remember these moments, and not just the bad ones. I think I remember a song from my past which went *Even the bad times are good....* - by the Tremeloes?
So, here's wishing you all a good day! Thanks for looking!

Hello, hello, hello!

Yesterday I visited my friend Inge. Unfortunately, I was not feeling too good, and decided to drive home in the afternoon and just go to bed and sleep it off. Shortly before I get home there is a pretty lane leading between two fields, quite idyllic. For some time they have had a building site at one end of the road, where mostly nothing is being built, and nobody is working. But *they* have made a speed limit of 30 kilometers per hour for part of that road, and seem determined to have it kept!
Okay, I was driving too fast, but still not speeding, and still well under the normal limit. And all I wanted to do was to get home and get to bed.
But *they* were waiting for me. Three friendly, young policemen, just doing their jobs. And one of them waved so friendly at me - with his red *lollipop*. He explained the situation - in case I hadn't realised what was up - and said I had to pay a fine of 25€. Under other circumstances I might have had a discussion. But I was feeling bad and just wanted to get home. So I showed my identity papers, paid - with my bank card, as they have a terminal to hand, good customer service! And then drove home. Or tried to.
Next problem. Our road was blocked - with fire engines, ambulance and police cars. There was evidently something wrong in the house next door, although I still don't know what was up. So it took some time before I managed to get past and find a parking space. I dragged myself up the stairs and went to bed.
This morning I looked at the receipt they gave me yesterday. At the bottom it says: *Please keep this copy and give it to the customer*. Customer? What did I buy???
At least they haven't written that they hope to see me again soon!
Have a nice day, take care, and don't drive too fast....

Canvas with Valentine Theme

Here is the second of the small canvases which I prepared last week. This time I have painted it with blue tones and added some gold corners and a bit of gold glitter. Then I wrote some love quotes, and *love* in different languages, before decorating it. I die-cut a heart from an old cardboard box, embossed it with a TH folder, and heat embossed it with perfect pearls in copper and gold before swiping it with some black archival ink. Added some feathery wings, some prima leaves and a spot of bling. It was, as always, fun to make, although I don't really like the results, so the third one will be done differently. Thanks for looking, and have a nice day!