Two Roads

Here is a card I was pleased to make as a sample for the Chcolate Baroque Design Team using their lovely new Woodland Dreams plate. It was bound to be a hit with me because of the nature theme.

I used a few of my favourite inking techniques on this card to build the image. First I stamped the trees in plum archival ink and then masked it. I cut a hill shaped mask out of scrap paper to match the curve on the trees and then cut two path masks from Eclipse tape. I then added shading with Spiced Marmalade and Vintage Photo Distress Ink in this bottom portion of the card. I then made the sky using my leafy background technique which I show here and here on my blog. I used a mix of Adirondack dye inks- Sunshine Yellow and Watermelon, plus Spiced Marmalade DI, I always use this in preference to the Adirondack orange which I find a little harsh. I finished the inking with edging in Eggplant ink. I love to add layers of ink to an depth to the image.It is so satisfying! The sentiment was stamped in Plum Archival to finish and matted onto black. 

Thanks for popping by - have a greet weekend. 

Elaine x  

Deco lady

I saw the stamped image on this card in the Aug/Sept 2010 issue of Stampers Sampler and felt one of the strongest yearnings I had ever had for a stamp. Recently my crafty friend Judith picked up this and some other Stamp Camp stamps for me at the Happy Stampers show in Port Sunlight. I was a very happy bunny.

I decided to let this striking image speak for itself and keep the overall card layout simple, so just stamped it in black archival, added some shading with Milled Lavender, Victorian Velvet and Dusty Concord Distress Inks. I mounted the panel onto a gorgeous dusky mauve My Mind's Eye paper. The final touch was some gems on the eyelid. I cannot take any credit for this idea for embellishing the image. This touch was added in the original project by Hedy Husarzewski in the magazine article I orginally saw. I have tried to see if Hedy has a blog, but haven't been able to find one so I haven't been able to thank her for her inspiration, but I want to acknowledge it here.

It's nice to have something else to blog again and my OH said he liked the card too, that's a once in a blue moon event! 

Elaine x

Back at last!

Well at last I have something to blog. Just a few Christmas cards assembled using ready made toppers would you believe! I made these cards when I was on holiday in Kent recently. I needed simple elements I could take away with me, without needing the entire contents of my shed and these were the results.

The background papers are from a Marianne A5 pad I bought on my recent visit to the craft show at Ally Pally. I love these papers as they are very Scandinavian feeling. I added various toppers, including from East of India, some buttons, hearts, bakers twine and pretty ribbons.

We had a great time in Kent. We visited some special places, including Great Dixter, a garden I have always wanted to visit.

It was a great time to visit Kent, the Garden of England, as the orchards are bearing their fruit right now and we indulged in plenty of local fruit and delicious local apple and pear juice. We had some juice made from a variety of apple called Red Pippin, it was truly wonderful. We fitted in a visit to the national fruit collection at Brogdale, which includes over 2,200 varieties of apple alone.

We paid a return visit to Canterbury Cathedral.



For me one of my special moments, was a visit to Camber Sands on the coast, the place where I went on my first every proper holiday with a school friend and her family. The day we visited it was quite blowy and the sand was blowing in patterns along the beach. I also collected some of the same sort of shells I had collected when I was about 8.

We went past Prospect Cottage at Dungeness where the late film-maker Derek Jarman made an amazing garden in the windswept shingle.



We had been to Sissighurst before, but very much enoyed our return visit on a perfect day and we managed a day in France stocking up on smoked garlic, Normandy cider and my favourite mint tea bags!



We also went to Whitstable, where I spotted these bikes, completely covered in knitting. I couldn't resist a picture!

It was a really great holiday, and an added bonus for me was managing to visit some great craft shops, The Craft Barn, Pickleberry Papercrafts and The Glitter Pot. Needless to say a little self induglence was in order.

Since being at home, we've had a busy time, getting the harvest in and preparing for what promises to be another cold winter, splitting logs and making jam and chutney and enjoying the last few warm days of autumn. I can already feel the chill in the air, winter draws on methinks!

Thanks for popping by!

Elaine x