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...

Mooning About!!

This simple ATC was created for 2 challenges - moon, and moon and stars, at TMTA and Created by Hand Tuesday challenges, respectively. I used my beloved cloudy moon and the small trees from StampAddicts, by Judikins. I masked the moon to keep it white and brayered over the shiny card, using the gum drop big and juicy!! I promised I would do different backgrounds this week!!! Field of sky stamp, also by Judikins, adds the illusion of grass in the corner.
Thanks for looking today
xx

Rainbow Friend Birthday Card #2

Rainbow Lady's challenge, hats, was the beginning of this card for another Rainbow Friend, who also does not blog, I think... sorry if she does!! I added two sets of ribbons and some beaded flowers to the piece, and mounted on dark blue card. Below is the back of the card, where I stamped her twice and decoupaged the hat!! The backing paper is another from the Joanna Sheen Victorian CD - daisies in a field of grass, and the colours just go so well... I hope she likes it...
Thanks for coming to look...
xx

Rainbow Friend Birthday Card

I used my flowers tag to create this card for a Rainbow Friend's birthday, over on the Creating Rainbows forum. Above is the front of the card, whilst below, is the back. I used a Wendie Rhodes stamp for this, embossed in clear, then splodged and painted with my alcohol inks, which I have not used in ages, and really enjoyed!! I do hope she likes it... don't think she blogs, so won't spoil the surprise!! I used some paper as an insert, from the flowers disc by Stephanie on her CD, and made use of the scrap left over, as a backer for my stamped image.

Thanks for looking!!

xx

A Special Card for a Blogger Friend

I created this card for my good blogger friend, Beth, who admired the challenge piece so, and was poorly after surgery, so I decided to send it to her!! The top image is the front of the card and the image below is the back. I created a postcard feel to this one, and used an image from Joanna Sheen's Victorian CD to match the stamp on the front... I also used similar paper inside, for the unsert. I DO hope she likes it when I arrives over there in America!!!!

Thanks so much for looking

xx

Rainbow Lady's challenge - Hats - Klimpt Lady

This is my answer to Rainbow Lady's challenge this week, which is - hats... I don't have many stamps of people and so I got out the Klimpt ladies and chose this one, which looks like she is wearing a close cap/hat... well, that's MY interpretation!!!

I have used my new MicaGloss inks for my background this time, so it shimmers beautifully, but does not show up on the scan, as usual... The colours are green, blue and aquamarine. I shall definitely have more of these - from Stamp Addicts, by Judikins - but not until later in the year, as I have just been having a major, expensive project done in the garden... photos when finished!!! I stamped bits of all the cube around her, to soften the image, and embossed with clear ep as usual. I also used some stamps from an early Elusive images plate and long agapanthus, from Stampendous. I think it works, and hope Cynthia likes it!! - she might think it does not qualify!!!
Thanks for looking ...

TIO #13 - Spots and Swirls in Pink

This is my tag for the TIO #13 challenge this week - can't believe it is 13 already!!! The theme is spots and swirls in pink, so I began by swirling distress inks in dusty concord, worn lipstick and twilight brilliance, on to my shiny card (note to self, begin in a different way next week!!!). It has been the anniversary of the lunar landing, and last night saw the longest eclipse of the sun to be seen in this century, so I used my cloudy moon stamp and Leda, from Stamp Addicts, by Judikins. The dots/spots are also by them. The swirls are from a UMount plate and I also used a Kodomo stamp - woodcut iv.

I began in the top left and bottom right, stamping the small spots and Hero Art small solid circle, then building several other textures by using clear ep. as I stamped. This pulls out the colour in some places and not others and adds to the intensity. I always start with the palest colours of ink and get darker towards the top. That way the piece acquires more depth - perhaps this would help those of you who say you can't collage and layer your stamps without it looking muddled!!?? I finished off with some narrow ribbon and strands of wool from my bit bag. I hope you enjoy the challenge this week, if you are joining in.
Thanks for looking!!

InchyByInch Challenge - Text

Here is my entry for the InchyByInch challenge this week - text. Right up my street again , this one as I love using calligraphy and text in my art - but curiously, I never use it on the front of cards!! Odd lady...

The backbrounds are swirled distress inks on shiny card (yet again!!!) in mustard seed and tattered rose, and I printed using a variety of stamps from UMount plates and Butterfly Kisses. The spots of colour are from Sakura pens... really enjoyed myself here...
Thanks for looking!!