TIO #9 Eternal Goddess

This is my tag for this week's challenge over on DragonsDream TIO #9. It was inspired by my new cube from the Stamp Addict's retreat weekend, Klimt Ladies, by Judikins. I also used some parts of stamps from UMount, travel and time. The shiny postcard was swooshed into a mixture of broken china, weathered wood, faded jeans and tattered rose (all also new) distress inks, then enhanced by the use of cut and dry. The main images were stamped in versafine black onyx and smokey grey, then embossed with clear ep as ever! And that's about it. The ribbon was coloured using the inks and the metal embellishment was from my stash. As always, thanks so much for looking.

An Award from Sally... a fellow Dragon!!

I have received a lovely award this morning from Sally, at One Dragon's Dream. I am honoured that she should choose my blog from so many others she visits. Her blog is a MUST, as she has been featured on Inspirational!!! Woo!!

Welcome to the New Baby and to the Granny Club for Christine

Well, my Taiji Quan student, Christine has just become a granny for the first time... so I have made her a card... don't know the parents all that well, so it's more important that she has it!! The image is from a Joanna Sheen CD and also the papers, which were cut into strips and glued diagonally... I added some paper lace and a ribbon from my stash!! Hope she likes it... Thanks for looking.

Stamp Addicts Retreat Weekend 2

Penny for them, Wanda... you thinking about sleeping in??

Aww, arn't they playing nicely!!

Julie looking very surprised when I told her about Fred!!!

Stamp Addicts Retreat Weekend 1

Vicky working hard... or is she giving out the sheets for our comments???

Sarah is in this background, overseeing the shopping!! Can I see Jenny and Cynthia buying stuff?? Surely not!! Here comes Lesley too...

Jenny crafting quietly on her own...

Elizabeth and Cynthia shopping - again!!! Fill that bag, Elizabeth!!

Here is my entry for the TIO #8 challenge this week - simplicity and serenity... it was inspired by the work we did on the Stamp Addicts Retreat, at the weekend... fantastic time and wonderful projects. More to come shortly!!

This tag was simply stamped on to cream cardstock. I used dusty concord to stipple the corners and added the ribbon, which was provided. The border is what I call "coming and going" because the gaps in the lines come and go as you draw!! I have coloured in the gaps with a pencil, and when I got home, I stamped with field of sky, also in dusty concord. And that, as they say, is it!!! Thanks for looking...

My Heart Song Poem

Here is a poem I have written, in response to events in my life. Almost 2 years ago, my beloved husband died, very suddenly. I was bereft, and my heart was completely broken. Recently, I visited a wonderful lady who gave me healing, and discovered my broken heart in a red casket... I loved the metaphor, so decided to write the poem. She told me I would meet a wonderful man, who would be very important to me, and who would walk with me along my path, because he had known I was coming for a long time... None of this made sense at the time, but then I met Fred, and now I understand so much more...

My Heart Song

The casket lay long-buried, deep
In boundless caverns, lost to sight and memory.
Blood-red and girdled round with iron,
Strong padlocked,
Sealed tight,
Locked down,
Walled up, and hidden from plain view,
To be forgotten…

Inside the blood-red box, was velvet
Soft-folded,
Padded,
Moulded into mounds.
The crimson creases caressed each other
And held the secret, broken life within.

In all the angles of the casket,
As if scattered to all four corners of the world,
Lay golden, gleaming, shining shards.
Bloodless pieces,
Pale shadows,
Locked away from light and love…

These precious pieces once formed
An object of desire,
Whole and hale – a heart
Fast-beating,
Slow-languishing,
Quick-tempered for love and hate and pleasure,
A treasure, honoured beyond price.

All suddenly then,
It shattered,
Snapped and split apart.
Broken, fragmented into pieces,
Crushed, compacted, cracked until
No longer could it be recognised as
A heart.

Cold, asleep, undreaming,
Fast-held in vicelike grip of unawakening,
It’s component parts most perfectly protected,
It lay in that blood-red casket, filled with so-soft, crimson velvet...
Nor song nor shout could enter and arouse it.
Nor animal nor insect could penetrate it’s gloom.
No love was felt inside there.
Nothing could cross the threshold
Of the box that held the
Secret of the heart.

But one came who had the knowledge of unbinding.
One came who dared unlock the iron padlocks.
She came, who understood the secret power of unsealing.
She came, but not alone, to that blood-red casket.
Together they lay bare, and set aside the crimson velvet
And, together, they lifted out the broken pieces
So they could heal them…

The heart that had been broken
Was unfettered.
Slowly, it began to dream
And then to sing.
It learned new dances and bright energy
All sparkly
And was haloed round with friends
And everything!!

It tripped along its path and was delighted
To see new sights, to make new friends and
Hear clear music.
To have happy days of light and pure enjoyment,
And peace, at last again.


But who is this now,
Bright and shining,
On the new-found path of light and laughter?
Who is he that he stands right in that way?
What does he want with this heart newly awakened?
What does he know
To come here in this way?

Oh, joy!
He brings love and understanding.
Oh sweet…
He brings hope and happy dreaming!
Oh love!
He knows the heart song and will dare to sing it
To restore the broken balance,
To enfold the beating treasure,
To cherish the shining jewel
In full measure.

We will sing my heart song
Together … maybe
Forever?


copyright F. B. Gaywood
9.06.09

TIO #7 Challenge - Treasure - Dragon's Hoard

Here is my tag for the TIO #7 challenge at DragonsDream, this week. The theme is Treasure. I wanted to use my lovely dragon stamp, which I have reclaimed from it's wooden block, that had warped, I think. I printed him on to shiny card and embossed with a copper ep. I used my wonderful starburst stains to bodge colour on to his body, and then to the background, after stamping with various texture stamps. Some of the scales have been further enhanced by adding Sakura colour. I cut several "coins" from embossed card and used 3 small Chinese coins from my stash. His treasure includes a golden pear and a blood-red casket, which held my broken heart!! **(thereby hangs a tale) Above the symbol "long" (with a rising inflection) which means "dragon", I have used one of my treasured knots as the tie. I have given this tag to Fred, who is my lovely, lovely new man!!! Woo. Thanks for looking!!!

** see above the poem I have written, to tell this story, if you are interested....

TIO #6 - Dragonflies and Butterflies

Here is my tag for the TIO #6 Challenge Butterflies and Dragonflies. I have really enjoyed this one, the colours and thinking about the symbolism. Living by the canal, we often get Dragonflies in the garden, and this year, I have already seen more butterflies than almost the whole of last year!!

So, a wonderful collage stamp by Creative Stamping, and a great UMount corner stamp are combined for this tag. I have overstamped with various leaves and words. The backgound was made by swirling the shiny card through the distress inks and spraying with Starburst stains and Glimmer mists - it's always a source of disappointment that the glimmer and shine does not show up on the screen!! A simple purple bow completes the piece. Thanks for looking...

Babes... better late than never!!

This card is for my partner in the Rainbows Swap... I have been really naughty and not finished it soon enough. Do hope she likes it. Problem was it was a challenge to do cute... and I just don't!!!

The image is one I have used before from my childhood - Mabel Lucie Attwell and the stamps are from Aspects Of Design from the StampMan, by Kay Carley... they are lovely plates - you NEED them!!! Thanks for looking.