TIO #19 - Up, Up and Away...

This was my inspiration piece for the TIO #19 tag challenge this week... up, up and away. I decided to do dragonflies, but the theme is very open to different interpretations... I began with shiny cardstock and the usual distress inks in blues and yellows. I printed a whispy bamboo from Stamp Addicts by Judikins, in weathered wood and shabby shutters, then various plants from Lavinia Stamps in the other distress blues. The agapanthus and flower swirl from Stampendous and UMount, respectively, were stamped in onyx black then all inks were embossed in clear ep. The dragonflies are from a clear stamp but don't know where from and the ep around the border is a fascinating one from Stamp Addicts called Blonde Moments in festive fern. It is gorgeous and thick and yummy, shot through with green, blue and gold.
Thanks so much for looking again this week...

TIO #17 A Circle Embraces, a line divides

This is my tag piece for the DragonsDream TIO #17 challenge this week, a circle embraces, a line divides. It was inspired by the lovely ring Freddie gave me for our engagement / betrothal on Monday, this week!!! This is it below... it is rose and yellow gold and the flower centre has a diamond set into it... so very pretty. Well, I think so, but then I would I suppose!!! Woo... the picture does not do it justice, as I could not capture the lovely pinky tones of the rose gold. Still, you get the idea...

I started with a piece of soft gold, pearlised card and printed the UMount swirls and flower in gold and rose gold, respectively. The face and keys are from a Judikins cube called treasure. I masked the face and overprinted with my Aspects of Design net, and stamped the UMount sentiment . I used distress inks and my inky tool to blot colour on to various areas, then covered it all with clear ep, to give a dreamy look. The lips and flower centre are highlighted with pearlydoodles, in red.

Thanks so much for looking, and following mine and Freddie's story... there will be more to come next June, but not necessarily what you are thinking!!... the Dragon has dreamed something quite different...

TIO #16 Strictly for the Birds

Here is my entry for the TIO #16 challenge - strictly for the birds. I used several sets of stamps again this week (when don't I??!!) Two are by Kodomo, cranes and bamboo lake. I also used some clear stamps of bamboo and leaves. I used my brayer again, for the colouring in... I used the happy birthday Big n' Juicy, printing vertically with it and using it flat on the brayer. The tie is a bit of raffia. I think it works.
Thanks for looking...
xx

TIO #15 - Nature's Beauty

Finally made it to the TIO #15 challenge, Nature's Beauty. I have had such an odd week, but am so grateful to friends, bloggers, Creating Rainbow forum members, and especially my lovely Fred, for getting through it quite well. This horrid period finishes Wednesday 12th, which would have been my wedding anniversary...

Thanks especially to the lovely Beth, who has been VERY poorly herself, and has managed to keep up with you all and her challenge. XXX to you, Beth, the Queen of Cups!!

I have used a sheet from Elusive Images and words from Butterfly Kisses. I love conkers and toadstools, so that's what I chose. They were masked and then brayered with gumdrop. I coloured with distress inks and Inktense pencils.
Thanks for looking...

A Wedding Card for Nicky

This is the card I made for Nicky and Baz, my grandson's godmother, for their marriage that I attended with Fred on Saturday. Her colour scheme was white, cream and red... that's why I wore my red lace suit!!! But Fred loves me in red (well, in anything really!! tee hee) so he was pleased. This is the front, decorated with hearts from an Elusive Images sheet, and butterlies, ditto... The cardstock is cream, but the scanner can not manage as much height as there is on this card!!

This is the centre, and it folds out. Two hearts and butterlies have become one, here in the middle of the piece!!

This is the back of the card. I used a red envelope and decoated it with a heart and butterfly, and put some money in the pocket!!! Well, they already have a home together, so they don't need a toaster!! I do hope she liked it, when she finally got to look at it... it was very striking!!

Thanks for looking ...

The Very Happy Couple!!

The very happy couple... After a difficult week, Fred and I attended the marriage of my grandsons' godmother, on Saturday. It was a wonderful day and the weather was glorious!! After all the horrid stuff we have had, and the miserable few weeks of death anniversaries and such, it was great to feel so happy again. Here you can see myself (don't think you have ever seen me before, some of you!!!) and my wonderful Fred, outside the church. The photo was taken by my daughter's partner, and I have to thank him for such a great likeness of us both...
Thanks for looking...

Happy Birthday, Mum for 7th August

This is a birthday card I have made for my mum. It is actually a four-fold concertina, even though it is split image here. I began by antiquing the white card with distress inks and my lovely field of sky and splatter stamps from Stamp Addicts, by Judikins. I then atached an image from Joanna Sheen's oriental cd, and made a roundle with the greetings stamp from Hobby Art and the coin from the Asian set, by Stamp in the hand. The lovely lady is from Cherry Blossom, by Curious by Design. I love this stamp, as she looks out at us in such a haunting way... The butterfly is another one that regular visitors will recognise, from Stamp Addicts by Judikins. I coloured it with alcohol inks. I hope she likes it... I expect she will!!
Thanks for looking, today...

Huppy Burpday Geoff!!!

This is the card I made for Geoff, Rainbow lady's wonderful other half, on the occasion of his 60th birthday!! Happy Birthday, Geoff, from Fred and I !!!

I used the "time flies" tag, as it seemed apt for a life reaching three score!!!! I know he likes it because I spoke to him earlier today...

Thanks for looking

xx

My Garden Being Re-born... like Me!!

Above is the garden a couple of years ago... actually more like 4 years ago!! With the gate through, up the steps and its echo at the bottom, by the canal... you have seen this one before, I think, in my garden slideshow.

Well a few months ago, I was sitting on the wall beside it and noticed that the righthand (as you look here) post was wobbly!!! It had actually rotted... I did not want the gate to fall down, it would have been very distressing at the time, as I was very depressed about Pete's death again, having just found the wisteria flowering for the first time!!! So a couple of my lovely Taiji Quan lads said they would mend it for me... Below is the result. I decided to re-model it and add another post to the leftside... slats were then fixed in the two spaces, to echo those all round the existing woodwork. I LOVE it... the energy of this gate, now, is very strong, and leads you through to the bottom part of my garden, so well...


And lurking to the right, through the slats, is my new baby - the moongate.... I have re-modelled the "secret garden" - a small space to the right as you walk through the gate up the steps. It had an opening from the path, and now it is accessed through the moongate, which faces the canal... This picture is taken today - so this is part of my garden right now!!

And here is my new moongate... not completely finished, but some of the plants have gone back inside the space, and the floor just needs to dry off and be swept clean...

Woo, so exciting and so beautiful now the lines are softened by the plants... It will be a wonderful place for a very special time next year, but I shall save that for another day!!! I have a Taiji and Bagua Quan Master staying here in September, from Taiwan, so I hope he feels at home in my oriental garden... the grass here to the right, is a wonderful space to practise the form.

Thanks for looking...

TIO #14 - Time Flies - La Notte Scivola sul Mondo

My entry for the TIO #14 challenge on DragonsDream, is La Notte Scivola, on the theme of time flies. It means "the night creeps over the world..." My lovely Fred introduced Il Divo to me when we first met, and we play their music lots when we are together and when we are alone... you know how it is!!? The song it's from is Ti Amero. Well, we are learning Spanish together because he has family in the Canaries, and he has never managed to learn the language before... I have an ear for accents, so we are having a go!! For those eagle-eyes amongst you, I spelt a word incorrectly on the tag!! Never mind, I know what I meant!!! Tee hee...

How did I do it? Well, I stamped the moon - it is an old stamp from The StampMan, but not sure what sheet - on a piece of card, coloured with distress ink, then cut it out. The background card is black, pearly and gorgeous, stamped with splatter pattern from Stamp Addicts by Judikins, and embossed in Moonglow ep in midnight teal and midnight violet. The butterfly is an old, old real favourite, first seen used by Carol on a Stamp Addict's show, moons ago - I loved watching that lady work, she was SO inspiring!! Sorry to say, I cut his wings off, after embossing in clear ep and colouring with alcohol inks... The clock is from UMount, creative expressions, and the wings were stuck on with foam pads. I think this is quite a whimsical piece this week!!
Thanks so much for looking...