Long Time ............. No Posts!!!!

Hi Everyone,

First of all let me offer a big apology to all you kind people who have kept checking only to be disappointed that there was nothing new to see.  Unfortunately in some ways, life has been throwing a few curved balls at my buddies and I.  I've been quite lucky in that most of my distractions have been pleasurable ones but poor Judith and Elaine have both been laid low by nasty viruses as well as being kept busy in other areas.  Hopefully, they are both on the mend now.  Anyway, I have finally managed to get round to the project that I chose for us this month.

I was very taken with Joanne Wardle's beautifully clean and uncomplicated cards on page 74 of the October issue of Craft Stamper.  I had a feeling that they were not as simple as they looked and a big part of the challenge for me personally was to keep them 'simple'.  I always find it a little difficult not to try and fill a large white space, Lol!.  Having said that, once I got into the swing of making these cards, they became quite addictive and although my challenge to my friends (and myself) was to make a set of three cards each, I'm actually posting four and I have, in fact, made a couple more for cards that I needed in a hurry.

                                  

                                         

This first example wasn't totally successful in my opinion.  I wanted to try that particular image because I like it's delicacy so much but obviously with not being a silhouette stamp the blended colours showed through where the image overlapped.  I also don't think the colour block is the right shape but I still quite like it.

As you can see I decided not to keep my blocks of colour symmetrical so that I wasn't 'copying' Joanne.  I think this Stamp n' Store image that I bought in a set of stamps from QVC when I first started stamping (and previously unused)  works particularly well with this coloured shape.

These last two cards are quite small at about 3.5" x 4" and were made from scraps.  I'm quite pleased with both of them as I think the two images work well for different reasons.  I really like the Lavinia Poppies and the Elusive Images design from the Eastern Grasses set is one of my favourites.  I think this little card has an oriental look to it.

I think these cards are so useful and can either be left as they are or just add a very simple sentiment to make a card suitable for any occasion.  I could have gone on making loads of these trying out different shapes, stamps and colour combinations.  On these particular cards I used three colours on each from a selection of  Adirondack inks in Juniper and Meadow and Distress Inks in Shabby Shutters and Crushed Olive.

Hopefully the other girls will find time to get their take on this particular project done fairly soon but I can say that I have really enjoyed playing with these and will definitely make more.

Once again, I'm sorry we kept you waiting and thanks for sticking with us.  I'm wondering what project Elaine is going to choose for us next as she has not given us any clues at all,  Hmmmmm!!!!

Hugs
Lesley  Xx

And finally 'Friends' (posted by Judith)

Well, here I am posting my wooden box project based on Isa Norris' idea in the August edition of Craft Stamper magazine. Last month was so hectic for me, I went to Barcelona, and had another two trips away. My box was painted, but unfinished for a few weeks before I could finally get around to completing it this week.

I decided very early on that I wanted a colour scheme of creams and heather colours. I used Eco-friendly Acylic paint, which comes in a variety of colours, and is very reasonably priced. I used clam shell as my cream option, adding just a bit of white. I then mixed Periwinkle, Pomegranate and White to get my heather colour. I painted the box in heather first, using the Vaseline technique on page 9 of the November Craft Stamper to get an aged effect, I then added the cream colour. I stamped the Crafty Individuals crackle stamp onto tissue paper, and added this to the frame onto some of the cream areas, using matte multi-medium by Claudine Hellmuth.

I lined my box compartments with a mixture of Crafty Individuals papers, and handmade backgrounds, in toning colours. My box is a larger option than the other girls have gone for, because I wanted to incorporate a lot of stamps into my project. I have used a photo tray, similar to a printer's tray, but about the same size. I have used lots of Crafty Individuals stamps, a few Katzelcraft stamps, and one or two by ISC. I have chosen a theme of 'Friends' to carry through the project, and Crafty Individuals have lots of lovely stamps to portray this. I have also stamped out four ladies to resemble myself and my three lovely blog friends, although whether we are that graceful, I'm not sure!

I have included lots of little bits and pieces that have been gifts from my friends. When we meet up, they come bearing little packages of craft gifts , and some of these appear in this project; the lovely cream metal butterfly, (it used to be bronze), the pearls on stems, the printed tape, which should have gone in our circle journals, but I felt it belonged on here.

I thought of my friends as I worked on this piece, and I hope that it shows in the final result.

Now, onto our next project! As I've been so tardy in posting this one, I need to let you know what our next project is going to be. Lesley has chosen Joanne Wardle's 'Sunset Silhouette' on page 74 of the October Craft Stamper magazine. Hopefully, you won't have to wait too long to see some items from the others, as I know that they have already been preparing for this challenge. Thanks for stopping by, Judith xx