For Julie

Do you remember that Angel, Julie who cooked my Christmas turkey for me when the oven broke? Well, today she has gone into the Christie hospital in Manchester for MAJOR surgery. She first became ill a year ago and was told she had ovarian cancer. She went through chemotherapy only to be told that she had pseudomyxoma peritonei. You can find out more about it here. Tomorrow she will have a 12-14 hour operation. They will be removing everything she can live without and filling her abdomen with warm Chemotherapy in the hope of finishing off this awful cancer. We met at antenatal classes, and have been close friends ever since. We have watched our daughters grow up together as close friends too. So, whatever you are doing tomorrow, spare a thought or say a prayer for this incredible, kind, generous, brave, amazing, courageous woman, in the hope that she will make a full recovery.

Real Mushrooms!

I took photos of these mushrooms in Glen Trool whilst on holiday in the summer. Definitely the Amanita family, but which member I'm not sure. We all enjoy woodland walks, and Fungi were some of the first things that helped fuel Megan's love of nature and photography (She has posted some of her Mushroom Pictures from the same walk). There are also some great mushroom photos on D.K. Fisher's blog too.

Mushrooms!

As a fan of Fungi I thought Steve would appreciate a card made with the Graphicus Nature's Table plate. I started off thinking 'Fly Agaric', but forgot to put the white spots on before I embossed it! These mushrooms are more like field mushrooms in shape though, so I had another go.

Stamps in the background come from the Arboretum and Wild Meadow plates (also Graphicus).

More ATCs

These are my final two ATCs for the Crafty Individuals competition. They both use stamps from the crafty elements range. The leaves are stamped over an adirondack colour wash background using butterscotch, lettuce and cranberry. I overstamped the leaves in versamark and brushed over with Blonde Moments pigment powder in Gold.

The last was meant to be a very quick stamp and sponge, but I made 4 before I was totally happy! This is not the one I sent, as I was hurrying to get them in an envelope, but it was the next best! Adirondack Dye inks in Butterscotch, lettuce and Red Pepper this time.

Plum and Gold Challenge

Here is my entry for the Graphicus Colour Challenge, Plum and Gold. The background behind the bird was made with Adirondack colour washes in cranberry and eggplant. The background paper was made using versamark ink and rubbing over with twilight, cranberry and eggplant inks.

A Guitar and an ATC

I was asked to make another guitar card for a friend's daughter. She is seventeen and has just saved up and bought herself a Fender with polka dots! The shiny card was silver mirri card, put throught the cuttlebug and then rubbed over with stazon. I thought it looked a bit 'grungey' and suitable for a seventeen year old rock chick!

Here is my 4th ATC for the Crafty individuals competition. I used a stamp from one of the Crafty elements plates. Now I've sent my entries in I'm feeling all inspired to make some more, but I need to get on with Steve's birthday card and not end up making it the night before, as I have on numerous occasions in the past!

Another ATC

Here is my third ATC for the crafty individuals competition. The background used stamps from the Crafty elements range, stamped in versamark and sponged over with peeled paint and broken china distress inks. The wren was stamped in stazon and coloured with adirondack dye inks. This is a very well used stamp - I love the clear image.

A birthday card and an ATC

My friend Kate asked me to make a card for her Neice who is forty next week. I resorted to the cuttlebug again, but used the paisley embossing folder on these numbers. The background paper is from the Artilicious cd called Filigree Fusion. I thought they complemented each other well.

This ATC is my second for the Crafty Individuals competition. I stamped the Swirl stamp over Direct to paper using broken china distress ink, and highlighted with a white pen. the butterfly is from their flowers and butterflies minatures book.

A productive weekend

It has been a very cold weekend and staying indoors has meant that I've got lots done. I now have 6 ATCs for the Crafty Individuals competition, I've done a couple of cards that people at work asked for and one I need myself. The card above uses a Hero Arts stamp called Dandelion. The photo doesn't do it justice, as it is stamped onto a background using crative colour sprays from Crafty Notions.

This is a cuttlebug card - the lettering is a sizzix sizzlet and the shoes are made using a brass stencil, then coloured with chalks.

Finally, this uses a stamp from Stamporium that I've had for years, but have only used a couple of times. I can't begin to tell you how much better this one is compared to the previous cards made with it! I used clear embossing powder over the dolphins to protect them from the ink. This is sponged rather than brayered onto a semi- shiny card stock. I will post pictures of my ATCs when I've had the chance to photograph them in daylight.

Babies and Birthdays

I've been busy trying to make a few ATCs for the Crafty Individuals ATC competion. This is my first. I'm rather pleased with it!

This was the card we sent to my mother-in-law. She loves pansies and violas, and I just had a small piece of this lovely backing paper left. the stamp is from Hero Arts.

When I returned to work, one of my friends asked me to make a card for her niece who is due to have twins on Friday. After a bit of thought I decided to make a gatefold, as she is having a girl and a boy, and use one side for each. No stamping at all on this one, but lots of use of my cuttlebug, embossing folders, a sizzix sizzlet, a circle punch and a heart-shaped punch. I'm quite surprised I managed to make it without stamping once!

Sunsets

I had a look on Michelle Zindorf's latest blog entry and she asked about favourite colour combinations for sunsets, so I had a look for some of the sunsets Meg and I took photos of on holiday in the summer. Some are in the Lakes and some are views across the sea to Arran and Ailsa Craig on the West coast of Scotland. I love the colours in all of these.

Playing with adirondack colour washes

The background papers for these two cards were created with Adirondack colour washes. Every so often I get them out and make a pile of paper really colourful. I then let them dry off, iron them flat and wait to be inspired! The first card features stamps from the Peacock Glory plate by Graphicus. The second card has a Dandelion seed head by Crafty Individuals and 'Real Dill' from Hero Arts on the background. These cards were the result of my last colour wash session. Messy but fun!