Butterfly Trio

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Today, I decided to challenge myself to make something inspired by each Facebook Live demo I watch. This one is sparked by a demo by Jean Hardy of Crafty Individuals. Of course, it looks nothing like her version! :-D

I started with some beautiful papers, 'Mismesh', designed by Flo Langley. The panel in the centre has all kinds of layers on it, but it's all come out a mess, and doesn't show under the butterflies, anyway, so I won't bother listing the layers! Lol :-D

The butterfly die I used for the trio on top is also by Crafty Individuals, called the 'Lacewing Butterfly'. Currently on offer at £2.80, down from £7.45! Bargain.

'Hope' is from Sizzix Tim Holtz die set: 'Friendship words: script'.

Together, We Shall Rise

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This one is based on a Facebook Live demo by Tracy Evans of AALL & Create, focussing on using her 'Knibs & Mushrooms' border stamp set #276.

The base layer was using the smoosh technique, with brown and yellow inks. The nibs were added, then stamped again on an old book page. In this case, I have an old dictionary with yellowing pages, and I used the 'nib' definition, then tore the image out from the page.

The next element was creating a spotlight with more brown ink, then a layer of clear embossing powder. The more stamping of the nibs on a white circle, overlaid with a couple of dark brown nibs, fussy-cut out and adhered on top.

I used some stencils to fill in some blank areas with brown, again.. the 'human' and #6 stencil, and some white texture paste through the #21 dotty stencil, plus some random white acrylic paint splats. Then I added the white strip for grounding, and the sentiment base, 'We shall rise', printed on my computer. The 'Together' word is from a Sizzix Tim Holtz set of words: 'Handwritten Love'.

The final touches were the white flower, fussy-cut from a Tracy Evans A5 stamp set, 'Eclectic Stems' #199, with a little yellow watercolour in the centre, some numbers and a piece of trim from the AALL & Create 'Code' die, plus some scattered gold sequins for a hint of metallica.

Easter 2020

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Happy Easter, everyone! So sad that we're all locked down on this beautiful weekend, but staying home is where we should be right now. So, anyway, crafters.. This one uses one of the lovely new paper designs by Flo Langley for Crafty Individuals. I love them; they please my eyes so much and they're so versatile. The range of stamps she designed to go with them are also marvellous, enabling you to create your own backgrounds or add to the papers.

The yellow flower heads are also from Crafty Individuals, stamped twice using the CI-210 stamp, Pretty Poppy, embossed and fussy-cut.

The embossing folder I used is 'Cross with Script' by Darice, chalked with Pebbles i'Kan'dee chalks to co-ordinate with the background, and the 'Joy' word die is from Memory Box, ref. 94325 (Joy Airy Script).

Sorry about the photos.. I'll try again in better light later.

Enjoy your day! xxx

Lighthouse Clouds

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This was made using some of the wonderful new background stamps designed by Flo Langley for Crafty Individuals, launched on Jean Hardy's shows on Hochanda today. 

I'm not an official member of the DT, but Jean is kind enough to invite me to create samples. When I saw Flo's stamps, one of the things that struck me was clouds. So here's one of my efforts using just one of her stamp sets.. 'Abstraction', ref. CI-539, and using some of the stamps from CI-397 'Call of the Sea'. (This is a 6" x 6" card, and I doodled an extension to the lines stamp in one of the other of Flo's sets.) 

I wish now that I had taken a closer look at the bigger verse in the 'Call of the Sea' stamps.. the lovely poem by John Masefield. I would have used that instead. And I'm thinking of adding the word 'sea' to the lower left corner. Do you do that? Think of things you wished you had done differently? At least I got the flung spray and the blown spray! Lol ;-) 

I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied; And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying And the flung spray and the blown spray, and the seagulls crying. John Masefield

Positive Dragonflies

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This was made (too late) for the March challenge on Tracy Evans Facebook group (Tracy Evans - Craft Addicts - Create, Share, Inspire).. 'Things With Wings', using AALL & Create stamps. I ran out of time, but this idea was in my head, so it just had to be made!

I started out with the dinky and very funky little A7 stamp by Bipasha BK, 'Scripts' #292, matted and layered and raised slightly on recycled cardboard, along with the word panel from the boho tribal feel A6 'Good Vibes' stamp, also by Bipasha, #7. Then I stamped and fussy-cut both the dragonflies from Tracy's A6 stamp set, #45. Very sweet. I used a red from Phil Martin's 'Sentimentally Yours' brush pens, set 2, to colour the wings, which inspired the other red touches.

I added some off-cuts from the AALL & Create 'Code' mixed media die, some splats, some sequins and some silver die-cuts from stash.

Faith Tag

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This was made for the April challenge on The Bunny & The Bee's Crafty Hive Facebook group, to make a tag with a positive message to encourage others through the present Coronavirus crisis.

I wanted to present the biblical theme of 1 Corinthians 13 from the New Testament.. Faith Hope & Love, and as I have a collection of Christian-themed stamps that are almost from that era, it was obvious to use them! The first is the lovely background that I stamped in Hickory Smoke Distress Oxide. The stamp is wood-mounted, 'Faith Hope Love' (ref. G7070) from Paper Inspirations*.

The 'Faith' lettering came from another stamp, and I masked out the smaller text and superimposed the bold word in Versafine Onyx Black on top of the background.

This stamp, also ancient and wood-mounted, is 'Faith' (ref. S089-N ©2003) from Wordsworth* stamps.

The butterflies are both from the same stamp, also wood-mounted.. 'Butterfly #2' (ref. CDD-677C) from Cat Dancing Design (made by Cornish Heritage Farms*).

The poppy heads were cut from stamping the Crafty Individuals' 'Pretty Poppy' (CI-210), twice, and raised slightly on recycled cardboard. 

The 'love' word comes from my growing stash of obscure dies and die-cuts that I've been collecting for a while now... some from eBay, some from kind friends on groups. This word started out as 'lovely', and I cut the last two letters off. I wanted to add 'hope', too, but that's on its way and hasn't arrived yet. Delayed in the post because the Royal Mail is short-staffed, thanks to the virus, bless them.

It was fun revisiting some old favourites. Sadly, *Paper Inspirations, *Wordsworth and *Cornish Heritage Farms are no more. Such a shame. I miss them. Hand me a tissue. From 2 metres away.  #sniff

Blue Sea

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I have to admit that I really love this one. The background paper is designed by Flo Langley for Crafty Individuals.. one of a pack of papers and complementary stamps by the same designer for making backgrounds. I can't stop looking at them; they're gorgeous! Due for launch on Crafty Individuals shows on Hochanda on 7th April. Don't miss them! :-)

The seahorse is 'Sammy Seahorse' Signature Dies SD365 by Joanna Sheen. (The seaweed fronds are part of the same die.) Tim Holtz for Sizzix is responsible for the typewriter alphabet dies.

The white panel is raised on recycled cardboard, and sequins added from stash.