A Birthday Card for Jean

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This was for Jean Hardy, the founder of Crafty Individuals, for her birthday in February. I used her 'Baroque Splatter Script' stamp in the background, and the beautiful 'Rose Stem Script' from Chocolate Baroque, fussy-cut out (as I didn't want both scripts). The 'Happy Birthday' text is a Sara's Signature die set from Crafter's Companion. A few random pale green and pink sequins complete the picture.

Art Journal Page

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This was made to launch the current March Challenge on The Bunny & The Bee's Crafty Hive Facebook group. The theme this month is to create a journal page. I have done a bit of scrapbooking, but never journalling, as we know it. I had to put this together in a hurry, so I used a card front from a Crafty Individuals creation made for their January 2020 Challenge. (Here's the original blogpost HERE.)

I also used the Totally Dotty stencil in the background, from AALL & Create, and their lovely Bursting Buds die, cut in half (cut in rose gold, to reflect the pinks in the CI paper I used on the cardfront. They are there.. honest, but very subtle.).

Beach Tag

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This was made to launch the March Challenge on the Crafty Individuals Facebook Group. In between Jean's shows on Hochanda every other month, the members of the group choose the theme for the Monthly Challenge by voting in a poll. This month, it's tags. You guessed that, didn't you? Lol ;-)

The boy and the words background are from the Crafty Individuals stamp set CI-459 'Sandy Toes & Salty Kisses', the large seagull on the left is from CI-397 'Call of the Sea'.  The black gulls are Memory Box 'Flying Gulls' dies. The sun is part of the Tim Holtz Scribbles & Splats die set from Sizzix. The starfish is from a Kaisercraft die set, and the 'summer' word is from Tim Holtz Handwritten Vacation words die set.

The sky is using the Totally Dotty stencil from AALL & Create to reflect clouds, though you can barely see them, and the sand on the beach was created using one of the new background layering stamps that will make its debut on Jean's next Hochanda shows on 7th April.

Springtime In Paris

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My final sample for Crafty Individuals' Hochanda shows on 4th February (Ticket to Ride theme), using their new stamp CI-538 'Eiffel Tower', designed by Ellie Mulligan, fussy-cut and placed on top of CI-430 'Baroque Splatter Script Background' (with a few extra ink speckles added by me in the same shades of Distress Oxide).

The silver die-cut is from one of my favourite Russian die suppliers a while ago, but I can't recall which.. Could be Scrapman Dies or Fantasy Dies. Both supply gorgeous dies!

Paper roses on top for a floral touch, and a few sequins. The 'Springtime in Paris wording was computer-generated in Word using the Lydia Puente (TrueType) font.

City Icons ATC Accordion

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This is also one of the samples I made for Crafty Individuals' 4th February Hochanda shows, with a Travel theme. This uses the new stamps set, CI-537 'Icons of the World', and some co-ordinating images from CI's Miniatures glossy pictures pad, and one of CI's papers in the background.

I made them as individual ATCs (Artist Trading Cards), but mounted them as an accordion to keep them all together. Turns out, someone else in the Design Team had a spookily similar idea! :-)

Voyage of Discovery

I wasn't too keen on this one, either. It was also intended as a sample for Crafty Individuals' 4th February Hochanda shows. The stamp is gorgeous - CI-295 'Voyage of Discovery' - but I could have done a better job. Matted onto black, then holographic gold, then Crafty Individuals paper background.

Nearly all my cards have sequins on them to complete the picture. This is no exception.

Hot Air Balloons

This is not one of my favourite pieces. Not my best work. It was made for samples for Crafty Individuals' shows on Hochanda on 4th February, starting with a brayered background. I used the new stamp set, CI-535 'Fly With Me', with beautiful hot air balloons in different sizes. The stamp superimposed on top is an older CI stamp, CI-336 'Around The World'.

The balloon in front was raised up, and then I spoiled it with a black shadow. Ah, well.

Computer-generated text and gold sequins completed the effort.

Vintage Spring

This is my most recent piece, but there has been a bit of a gap, I'm afraid, and I have some posts to catch up with.

This one was just for the fun of it, using Crafty Individuals supplies. The background paper is from CI's paper pad, 'Book 7' - Shades of Summer, the stamp is CI-302 'Floral Postcard' and the little girl is from CI's 'Miniatures - People & Places 2' pad of glossy images.

The extra touches are a generic honeycomb die that I cut in half, so I could have bits cut in embossed gold card showing at either end of the postcard, which was distressed by tearing and using deckle-edged scissors with Dark Brown Chalk Eyes ink around the edges. I stamped a second image, coloured and cut out the flowers, and mounted them on top of some curled up dark blue cotton for that touch of random abandon!

The bluebird is cut out from the paper that would be hidden by the postcard, and I brushed it with blue watercolour (leaving its throat paler), to make it stand out more. Some gold sequins finish the effect.

I hope you like it, and as those of us who are at risk face quarantine for (at least) three months, and the rest are close to being cut-off socially, I wish you all well. Stay safe. Hugs.. xxxx