Moaning Lizzie

Sorry, could not resist that.  It should be Mona Lisa and features that famous face painted by the one and only Leonardo da Vinci.  Have you seen it in the Louvre in Paris?

Well, Von decided that this was to be the title of our next Challenge over at Artful Times.  I have three stamps that I could have used but one has the Eiffel Tower on it as a collage stamp, one is a huge stamp that does not stamp very well so requires a lot of patience so it fell to the third.  What to do with it?

I played about quite a bit with it and came up with a couple of examples so here is my bookmark.  Just done in black Archival ink on white with a black mount underneath.  A Lynn Perrella top hat embossed so it is shiny, a bit of masking and that is it.

Not sure what any of you are going to think about it, not even sure what I think about it but I just wanted to do something totally different from my usual work.

I am looking forward to seeing what you all do for this challenge and just how many Mona Lisa stamps there are out there.  See you over at the Artful Times?

Thank Goodness for LIM

Have managed to make a card for Less Is More and the challenge they have this time on their blog.  It was a sketch challenge and I must say I do like this type of challenge - I also like the fact that they want the blankness of the card.

Decided that the paper I had out on my desk top was just perfect to use and must admit that it is Liz's paper and not mine.  She did give it to me when we had a week away together and I used it in one of my tiny Friendly Plastic books.  Had a bit of a problem cutting the border out with the MS punch as the paper is too flimsy for intricate cutting but second go and it came out fine.

Here then is my entry for the LIM challenge

The main background is actually cream although I think it looks a bit pink on here.  Must be the reflection from the paper Liz created.  I then used the freebie stamp that came with Craft Stamper this month along the base of the strip I had cut and used the same paper for the border as mentioned above.  So often I don't want the stamps but this one really caught my eye and I can see me using it loads.  Love it!

I am disappointed that you cannot see the lines I made above and below the strip with my MS scoreboard but I can assure you they are there.  A final stamping of the words "Thank You" and it was finished.  You know what?  I think I might make a bunch of these to send out as Thank You cards.

WOYWW 165 Addition

Just forgot completely in my semi sleeping mode to include these two atc's, on my WOYWW post, which I have received recently.  One from Shaz in Oz which was featured on my blog last week but only as part of my desk and the other one from Donna (Doone) as a replacement for one which got damaged in the post.

Before I show you these two delightful but totally different atc's let me mention the Royal Mail.  Am sure I told you on here about my receiving a parcel which had damaged Pan Pastel's in it and on the bag an apology from RM saying I should claim if anything was missing etc. Well I did and instead of a £10 refund for my two PP's I got a book of first class stamps.

That to me was not recompense so I wrote to the next level and I have now got a cheque for £10 which means I can replace my two damaged PP's.  So, if you are not satisfied with the way you have been dealt with for a genuine fault do persevere.  I sometimes think that the forms (as was the case with the Royal Mail) are designed to put you off but you can always include a letter as I did.

Now to the atc's

The left one is from Shaz and is beautifully done with the embossing being the turquoise part.  It really does look effective and I did like the little note that came with it.  Look at the tiny Koala in his trunks and goggles.

The second one is from Donna with a very elegant lady so carefully cut out and a beautiful butterfly with gossamer wings is attached at the side.

Two lovely atc's which will go in my 3rd Birthday collection from you lovely WOYWW'ers.

Before I go here is a prayer Shaz also sent to me (with a picture of Tweety Pie who I used to love, still do if I am being honest)

Dear Lord,

So far today, I am doing all right.

I have not gossipped, lost my temper, been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, or self-indulgent.  I have not whined, complained, cursed, or eaten any chocolate.  I have charged nothing on my credit card.

But I will be getting out of bed in a minute, and I think that I will really need your help then.

WOYWW 165

In the absence of my making anything to show you all I thought I would upload a couple of the lovely cards I have received since my procedure.  I do have some lovely friends - remember the flowers the other week?  Well here are two of my cards - more to follow another day.

A lovely bright colourful card from my friend Jeannie where she has used my favourite Nestability shape from Spellbinders.  Love those little bird houses that she has coloured in so carefully and she has used Glossy Accents on the holes that the birds use to fly in.  Finally she has finished it off with a little bird bringing a flower which stands proud of the card.  A lovely bright cheery card!

Next is a card from Sam.

Sams card is stamped on fabric and secured to the card with stitching.  I would never have thought of it but she obviously had white in the bottom or her machine and green as her top colour of cotton.  There is some brown net on the top which she has burnt away so that it frames the images in a kind of "fringe".  To finish off there is a piece of sack cloth down the side - a lovely textural card from Sam.

As for my desk, well it hasn't really changed from last week!  Still got the same stamps on at the back but there is some red fabric there that I did think I was going to use and some new black taffeta lining material as I need a long underskirt for a dress that you can see through - oh dear!

Now I've shown you my desk please show me yours.  Just upload it to the Stamping Ground blog and I'll come and find you.  Ta very muchly.  (Good Golly, just realised it is August already - no summer again in the NW of England)

In the Absence of Mr Mojo

I did a bit of colouring in - and used the background I had done last week with my Gelatos.  You can't tell it is a flower so I figured it was a sunny colour and used it.

It's another of those Michael Powell stamps that I went a bit silly over - ideal for taking with you along with some kind of colouring medium.  I used my Caran D'Ache Neocolours which my 'mucker', Sam, told me are the same as the Artbars she loves using.  They are probably my most used colouring medium (next to Twinkling H2o's that I get hooked on now and then) and so handy to take with you on holiday if you have the small tin as I do.  I have the ten and the thirty tin and use the small one when away from home.  All you need is a paintbrush, a bit of plastic to scribble on and you are good to go.  I left the image quite pale, similar colours to the indices of the stamp, but next time I am doing my own thing.

This is in an envelope ready for the postbox and there are two others but I thought, as I am not doing much crafting, I would save those for another day,

Have a good week.

Made a Card at Last

Well Mr Mojo has obviously been left somewhere as I just haven't been able to get on in the crafting department as how I try.  Looked at a couple of my favourite challenges but as they required "sewing" that was out for the moment so no help there.  Usually a challenge can spark me off with something.

Then there are birthdays for friends, one lovely lady in particular has a birthday this weekend and so I did make her a card using one of my pre-hospital stamped images.  (I stamped several so that I could sit and play at colouring in when I got home but haven't even wanted to do that)  I really need to find Mr M.

Here is the card I sent to my friend

Think it was a CI image that I went over with the new Distress colours, avoiding the lettering and obviously trying not to give them blue faces.  Using a very sharp scalpel I cut out around the young girl. The cut out section gave me a pocket to insert the ticket into and the letters were raised with Glossy Accents.  

The main card background was stamped with a bottle top dipped in Acrylic Paint.

Happy Birthday Gill!

WOYWW 164

Well, what a night.  Chas has been updating my laptop or something has been being done and it has taken ages.  I have been asleep but woke needing a cuppa and now I am frantically trying to do my WOYWW post even though my desk remains more or less the same as last week.  Julia might post any time now and I might not have to wander out in the middle of the night when nature calls as she inevitably does to us ladies of a certain age.

More or less the same stuff on it but I pushed my clear box to the side and laid some Graphic 45 stamps out that I am looking at and hoping to be inspired with for a workshop I am doing.  Got one card sorted, now to think of others.  Do you want to look?

The only thing I have done stamping wise or should I say craft wise is colour a new stamp I bought over the internet with Gelatos and stamp with it.  You can hardly see it on the cardstock but  I will cut it up and use for backgrounds - well, maybe.

Oh I tell a lie, to the left you can see a turquoise atc that came this morning from my lovely friend Shaz but I haven't scanned it yet and am still tired with just having woken up so I will show it to you next week.

Thanks for all the good wishes last week, I am doing fine, got the date for my cardio version - 6th September - after that I should be fighting fit and ready to do battle with all crafting that comes my way.

"That's it Folks" as Bugs Bunny would say or was it "That's All For Now Folks"?  Off you go - over to The Stamping Ground and don't forget to look at Julia's last posting before WOYWW - a field of poppies - glorious!.