GC88 - Coffee and Cream

For this challenge we had to use a coffee and cream colour scheme, a lovely combination, as I like everything in these colours which remind me of my fave beverage!
I used a large, square card in cream, which has been inked with antique linen distress ink and Adirondack *espresso*. Printed the image onto a square of cream coloured cardstock, also inked with the same colours. The background has been stamped first with a text in *espresso*, and then I added some small flowers in the corners. The image - from LaBlanche- has been matted onto brown cardstock. The wings and crown have been cut from a scrap of patterned paper in coordinating colours and fixed with foam pads. *Cherish* has been die cut using a *Bosskut* die.
Inside, I masked a scrap of cream cardstock with the *waste* from a cut-out heart and stamped it with my love stamp before matting it onto brown again. The sentiment is from *lavinia* stamps.



And this picture is of the coffee table which took up so much of my time and strength yesterday. 9 wooden pieces, 64 different screws, 20 rawl plugs,3 hinges, a handle, 2 metal tubes and 5 little rollers accompanied by another 20 screws had to be tackled till the table was finished. It is a modern one, to make a contrast to my mostly antique furniture, as I just need something new right now - and it has a big storage draw where I can put in all the crafty bits and bobs that I like to use when I am finishing things off while watching TV - now I can just throw them into the drawer, and everything will be tidy again! Well, that's the intention. Isn't there a saying about good intentions and which path they pave??

And the Rollodex on the left of the table is one I altered 2 years back, each card has been scrapped, mostly by me, some from friends, and it is a treasury or memories of nice papers used in other projects and sayings on all themes.

Have a good day you all, and thanks for looking!

The King....GC89 - Kings and Queens

This is my first attempt at getting majestic, for which I chose a lion, the king of beasts. The lion and window stamp is from LaBlanche. The tag has first been stamped with a diamond pattern in gold. Then I stamped the lion and window over it in black archival ink. I stamped the image again on a piece of scrap card, and cut out just the lion and window. I applied two layers of floral rub ons on the left of the tag to create the illusion of depth. Then I decoupaged the lion cut out and stuck it over the stamped background image. I added a crown brad. The brad was silver, but I painted it with my gold leaf pen, and added some *diamonds*. I used liquid pearls to add some texture to the masonry and eye. Put a scrap of braid at the bottom, and added a vintage, sparkly rose, and a piece of an old necklace at the top. Oh, and some mesh for the windows. I kept the colours a bit subdued this time, I like the *stony* air of the tag.
It made a nice break yesterday to make the tag after clearing up all day as I am expecting some new furniture. My flat hasn't been so tidy in years, let's see how long it lasts! I can actually sit at my desk again! And if you don't think it's really tidy - well, lucky you didn't see it before!




Thanks for looking and have a nice day!

GC86 - Spicy Supply: Coffee Filters, Take 2

Yesterday evening I made a second tag with the remains of the coffee filter flowers I had die cut the day before. Used all my *Glimmer Mist' remains to do this one, as the bottles were nearly all empty, and the result was this lovely grungy purple-blue colour. Sprinkled it all with gold embossing powder before heat drying and *crisping* the flowers up. The edges have been inked and curled a bit, too. The cardboard box tag has also been sprayed, embossed and then re-embossed with perfect pearly to give it some shine. I used some rub ons to put the roses and tiger onto the background, added a vintage child with wings picture, and the tattered flower and wings, with a metallic doiley as background. Used a gem stone, some pearls and a bit of stickles for the finishing touches, and that was it. It was, as always, great fun to make! And I did some clearing up yesterday!
Thanks for looking and have a good day!

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!