You make life beautiful -

 Took advantage of my non-working day yesterday to have a play.   I had done the housework first thing, and then travelled about 20 minutes to got to the Outlet Sports Shoe shops to get some new walking shoes and then had time in the craft room. 

Grace had been playing with some watercolour powders when Pop was looking after her on Thursday (the long summer school holidays here in NZ) and she made several sheets of mixed colours.  One of which was a vibrant mixture of purples, blues and greens.  Very rich looking and they inspired this card

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Isn't it a stunning colour.  I used Altenew Pitcher Vases die and embossing folder set to cut out the pitcher.  In real life, the shimmer is incredible.  I chose to have just a single flower - Altenew Petite Mountain Aven die.   I cut it from some Lawn Fawn Pearlescent cardstock. I added some colour with alcohol markers for the centre.  Cut the leaves with some dark green card and added a couple of die cut twigs from Altenew - Charming Foliage - that did get a bit of pruning first.  I decided to keep the background simple and did a little partial embossing with Altenew's Dotty Circles 3D folder and added a thin strip of gold across the edge.  Trimmed a 1/4 inch off one side and added to my card with a strip of the some card I used for the pitcher.  And die cut some dots to add as embellishment.  The sentiment was one I had in my stash from Pinkfresh - Peony Glow stamp and die set.

I am entering this into the Time Out challenge - A favourite card making technique   in my case - two favourites - 3D embossing and die cutting and a bonus - using homemade dots for embellishments 

Summer has forgotten us here in NZ... The whole country has had some horrendous stormy, wet weather - lots of floods and slips - an unfortunately lose of life.  Two people died when a slip ploughed through their home and in a beach town a few hours south of here, 6 people have been caught in a large slip which came down on a camping ground, demolishing an ablutions block, tents, caravans.   This was on Friday and it is now a "recovery" operation.   Very very sad times.  

  

Scrap busting inspired by Natalie Bowers.

Last week I managed to make some cards while I was looking after Grace.  It was school holidays here in NZ and I had her on Tuesday for the day.... Morning was spent at the swimming pool - boy is that girl a little fish... she has improved immensely over the last 4-5 months.   And our afternoon was spent in the craft room.   She made a card copied from one of mine and made some lovely watercolour powder backgrounds.  I had been watching this video from NB Cards...(Natalie Bowers) - where she used Aperture dies with some of her scrap backgrounds....  I had cleaned out all my backgrounds when I relocated the craft stash back into the craft room - so I had to make some more.  Love her colour combo of Wilted Violet and Peacock Feather Distress Oxide inks, so smooshed some onto some card to make my backgrounds for two of my cards... and the third one used some of Grace's gorgeous background. 

1st card

For this one, I used a Tim Holtz Sizzix die set.  Added the background behind the die cut panel.   Added a Prettty Pink Posh Sentiment die on vellum shadow and finished with some home made gold dots.

2nd card 

Used more of the first background for this one.  Another of the dies from the Tim Holtz/Sizzix set.  Sentiment from a Gina K set called Birthday Sparkle and more home made dots. 

3rd card

This time I used an Altenew die - Leafy Border and a sentiment from Altenew Classic Greetings embossed in black and cut with the matching die, with Grace's background. And more of my homemade dot embellishments.

 Still lots more to share over the coming days.