Cog Train

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This card was made for Crafty Individuals' 'Ticket To Ride' shows on Hochanda last week. I am not an official member of the Design Team, but Jean Hardy very kindly invited me to send her some samples, and this one made it on to the show. Hurrah! :-) It is also entered into the February 'Travel' Challenge on the Crafty Individuals Facebook Group.

I used Crafty Individuals fabulous CI-404 stamp, 'Chunky Steam Train Tag', stamped in Onyx Black Versafine and heat embossed with clear powder. 

Mounted on a black mat, the background paper is a beautiful smudgy grey from Phill Martin's recent 'Sentimentally Yours' Stamping Magazine (box), Issue #2, which I have spattered in black & white gesso. The cogs and 'travel' word are die-cuts from Sizzix/Tim Holtz 'Gearhead' and 'Handwritten Vacation' sets. Silver thread and sequins from stash.

Dragonfly Accordion

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This one is for a current (hurrah!) challenge on Tracy Evans - Craft Addicts Facebook group, which is to produce something monochrome, with a pop of colour. I've got four pops, so I'm not sure if that's kosher, but I wanted to incorporate last month's theme, which was accordion cards, and of course, I missed the deadline for that one! #sigh

So anyway, I used Tracy's most beautiful stamp set, 'On Dragonfly Wings' (AALL & Create #230), stamping the background in Hickory Smoke Distress Oxide ink, the words that I've highlighted are in Versafine 'Smoky Grey', for emphasis. The little dragonflies are stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on panels inked with Distress Oxides - Cracked Pistachio, Squeezed Lemonade, Picked Raspberry and Salty Ocean, and I've glittered the wings with slightly diluted translucent glitter glue by Craft Planet. I was too lazy to fussy-cut each dragonfly, but I did give a watercolour shadow around the two panels.

I'm not sure I'm totally pleased with this, and if I'd had more time, I would probably have done better, but it is what it is. Hope you approve! :-) Thank you for looking. xx

Bright Fairy

This was made for a January Challenge on The Bunny & The Bee's Crafty Hive (Facebook group), and - as you can tell from today's date - I missed it! Lack of time, energy, etc.. excuses, excuses. Ah, well. I'm an admin on that group, anyway, so I wasn't eligible for the prize draw. Poo.

However, I am a 'Completer/Finisher' (eventually), so had to do it. The theme was 'Bright & Beautiful', and I'm not one for colouring, much, so I used the brightest alternative background I could find... from DCWV, 'The Blossoms & Butterflies Stack', with a cute fairy by Janet Klein at AALL & Create, with accompanying sentiment from the same set.

I added some sequins (obvs), and some glitter (not so obvs). In an attempt to show the bling, I have also made my first attempt at adding a video to a post... below. If it worked.

Escape Across Europe

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This card was made for the February 'Travel' Challenge on the Crafty Individuals Facebook Group, using their fabulous CI-404 stamp, 'Chunky Steam Train Tag'. To me, this image is evocative of a story I was once told by an Eastern European aristocrat, who was fleeing across Europe by train during WWII. How true the story was, I have no idea, but it was an intriguing tale of mystery and romance.. very Agatha Christie! Lol ;-)

I created the background by smooshing grey paint across the card, and adding splats on top with a fan brush. I thought it might pass for smoky steam! I used number stamps from Tracy Evans' Brushflower stamp set (AALL & Create) to add to the background, and added some cogs from Crafty Individuals CI-353 stamp set, 'Cog Workings Clock Face'. I used black cotton thread to wrap around the card, and added the stamped & embossed train image on top, cut out and raised onto recycled grey board for a touch of dimension. I added die-cut cogs from Sizzix/Tim Holtz 'Gearhead' die set, the 'travel' word from his 'Handwritten Vacation' die-set, and scattered some silver sequins on. (My 'thang', lately.)

CRAFTY INDIVIDUALS HOCHANDA SHOWS - TUESDAY 4th FEBRUARY
Jean Hardy will be live on Hochanda at 10.00 am and 2.00 pm, and you can catch up on Rewind on Hochanda's website for several weeks afterwards. Watch out for some giveaways! :-)