Farewell my friend.....

Sometimes, as the young of today say, "Life Sucks"..... This morning my friend Sue Radics passed away after a battle with cancer.  I got to know Sue through stamping.  I meet her at the monthly group held by Stamp'nCreate and joined her group of stampers who meet regularly at each other's houses.  Sue was around the same age as me.... Only last year we were comparing notes as we were both heading off on overseas holidays. Sue to Japan and other places.  On her return in September she found some lumps and was diagnosed with Melanoma which had spread to other parts of her body.  Life is not fair, taking all these wonderful people.

Our group has not meet together for some time, so our next gathering on the  19th February will be sad as we remember Sue.

I am working on a sympathy card to sent to her family....so no card to share at present.

Please take care of yourselves and your families...
RIP my friend

Lazy Sunday

Being on my own this weekend, I decided to have a Lazy Sunday.... I woke around 8.00am and popped the dressing gown on to walk up to the top of the drive to collect the Sunday Newspaper and brought it back to bed to read.... and then once I'd read that, picked up my book and read some of that.... It is one my daughter recycled to me.... "Falling Home" by Karen White.  I am really enjoying it.

Not too intense, but good for a laugh, a cry at parts and simply a good read.   I have been reading quite a few of the Jack Reacher books by Lee Child... compliments of my son..... a child who NEVER read but who as a young adult has read all of them.  I have just finished a book by Harlan Coben called "Caught"

 

Quite thought provoking about just how well we think we know someone.... 

Anyway, I finally surfaced near lunch time....and then took the book outside to read under the umbrella as the weather has improved.  Finally mid afternoon, I thought I'd better do a bit of tidying up in the craft space.... so started, but of course, had the computer on and Joy's tweet came up about her blog post and the lastest Jay Gee's Nook challenge.  The inspiration for this challenge is this

Of course I just had to make a card!!!!!!!  Actually it come together quickly as I had card on the desk waiting to be put away, and a piece of watercoloured paper I had made yesterday and which I did not like, till I stamped a Hero Arts Collage stamp over it....I had already matted it onto another scrappy piece with some stamping on it and it was just waiting for some inspiration to turn it into a card.  So within 15 mins I had this done

My rose was just a bit too dark for the inspiration, but I think it goes with the rest. 

So now I'm just catching up with blogs etc and think I'll have a go at making some more watercolour paper before heading off to bed to read some more.... and yes I did tidy up a bit more.... maybe finish that off tomorrow....

Thanks for stopping by...

Play Date Cafe ~ Colour challenge.

Two cards to share today.... first off is the last one I just finished for the Play Date Cafe Challenge #66 ~ A splash of Colour~  this time Lilac or any other version of Purple.  I have been thinking about this card for a few days....

It didn't quite go to plan.  I originally was going to reverse mask the spot I wanted to highlight and colour it directly on the card... but it did not stamp clearly so had to stamp it again and colour and cut out.  I then made the frame with the spellbinders dies.  I added the Martha Stewart punched lace at the last minute as I had cut it out to try out my new punch and it was just the right colour to add some texture to the card.

My next card is the one I spent most of the day working on.... using the wonderful watercolour paper that Sue made for me.

I used half of the sheet for a card front.  I stamped a whole lot of different stamps on it in very light colours ~ was going for a subtle look.  Used part of a Hero Arts Collage stamp( the writing bit), HA Musical background, Envelope Pattern and then an unknown Crackle stamp.  Used Brilliance Moonlight White, Platinum Planet, Key Lime and Starlite Silver and Distress Ink Scattered Straw.  The focal panel was a Freebie image from Crafter's Digital Art Centre (here, but get it quick as it is only available while the challenge is on).  I made the flowers as well, but didn't want to waste the wonderful watercolour paper so made some similar coloured paper with distress inks.

I cut out a small Spellbinders Eyelet circle die and cut it into a spiral and rolled it from the outside in to use the scallops.  Made one medium and two small ones.  And used another Spellbinders die to make the tag.  All in all, it took quite awhile but I am happy with the results.


Happy news is that Hubby managed to change his homeward flight and gets back Wednesday afternoon.  He will most probably fly back again for Helen's funeral mid February, this time with his younger brother.


If you made it this far, many thanks for stopping by.  All your comments are appreciated.

January CCC

It's that time of the month again.... no not THAT TIME OF THE MONTH! but the time to reveal the creations for Deborah's Card Chain Challenge....  Deborah had some interesting choices for January's challenge.

3 Challenge Options

You can use as many of the following options as you like, but you're only required to use one of them.

Color Palette:  

 
Note: the colours and names are a guide, so no need for a perfect match.

(You also don't need to use all of them.)

Template:

 

  Theme:

Valentine's Day  OR 

Friendship  OR

 Australia Day

I'm not very good with combining colours so I thought I'd do the Friendship theme and the sketch.  Here's what I sent to Mariette in the Netherlands

and in return I received this lovely card from Marian in Indonesia 

I really enjoy taking part in this Challenge.  I have some amazing cards from all over the world.

Today I was lucky to spend so time with my friend Sue.  Yesterday's card was a belated birthday card for her.   We had a lovely cup of Fennel Tea and then I got to see her wonderful cards ( so can you here).  Sue makes amazing watercolour backgrounds and today she showed me how.  She made two lovely pieces, very similar, so we have challenged ourselves to use it and see what we come up with.  Mine is still drying.... the rain started this afternoon and is still coming down steadily  and the humidity is high.  The edge of Cyclone Wilma.  Hopefully not as bad as last weekends storm which caused lots of flooding round Auckland's waterfront roads. 

Enjoy your weekend everyone.  I'll be crafting lots, to keep myself occupied... it's a long weekend here in Auckland...to celebrate our region's Anniversary so an extra day.

For a Friend

First off, many thanks for all your lovely comments yesterday.... it helped me heaps... it is hard being here and Peter and the family so far away.  I went and spent some time with my daughter and son in law last evening and tonight went out to dinner with my son.  Had a chat with Peter and they had been out for High Tea at Harrods, a favourite pastime of Helen's and had her favourite Custard Squares.  Her funeral service is not till the 15th Feb... (takes such a long time in England) so Peter won't be able to stay.

To keep myself occupied, I have been playing round with some digi pages I purchased from Webster's Pages.  The originals are 12x12 so I am still working out how to print them for cards.  I have a selection of bits... some parts of paper, some I've printed out in 6x6 size and will cut down and some I printed out onto A4 paper.  I decided to make a card, but printed the piece a bit small.... so some improvisation...some extra PP, punched edge and some ric-rack and here's what I did.

The  flourishes are from a set by Rosie's Studio and the sentiment by Hero Arts.  I had another go at a rolled rose... didn't turn out to bad.  Added some stickles for a bit of shimmer and for the leaves, I added some folded velvet ribbon.  This card is for someone special and as the rose adds bulk I decided to make an envelope box ( seen here at Splitcoaststampers)  I added some more of the Webster's Pages that I printed out onto plain copy paper.

As this week's Simon Says Stamp Challenge is "Animal Antics" I am entering this card.  I was trawling through the 'net and saw this challenge and thought it fitted perfectly for the card. I like when that happens!

Oh well, I have to go pay some bills on-line and finish reading the blogs on my list... so take care.

A very sad day for the Turley's.

It is with tears in my eyes and heart that I let you know Peter's sister, Helen, passed away overnight.   (Tues morning London time).  Peter did not quite make it.... she passed away around about the same time as his plane landed at Heathrow.  It is a very very sad day for the family.  Only 11 weeks ago this amazing woman ran the New York marathon in 3 hrs 44 mins and today she is gone, aged 46.  Life can be so unfair.... From having 6 sisters, Peter now only has 2 left, losing 3 to cancer in the past 7 years. 

Knowing the outcome was inevitable, I had made this card on the weekend, to sent to Helen's husband, Neil, when it eventuated... never dreaming it would be so soon.

I will post it off later today.

RIP my darling Helen.  You will be very sadly missed.

You know you are are stamper/card maker when............

you dream about making cards!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Yes last night I dreamed about making a card.... it had a Tim Holtz birdcage die, some distress inks..... but that's all I remember!!!!!!!!!  Honestly....I can't think why other than subconsciously I wanted to take part in Barb's 90 minute challenge.... it started at 6.00am my time and I was still snoring my head off!!!!

Now talking about the challenge ~ it was "Frame It"  and you should see the wonderful entries.... go here to have a look.  I was inspired by the idea of framing that I made a card this afternoon....

 I was inspired to try a frame I saw on Gina K's Stamp TV as well as all the beauties this morning..
 This card is really simple.  I masked off the edges of the base card with masking tape and stamped Magical background in Dusty Concord distress ink.  Once I removed the mask I edged the panel with a fine black Sharpie.  My centre circle is cut from some PP which is layered onto a white circle.  The fancy edging frame is made by cutting 3 Fancy Tags from Spellbinders, cutting each in half and laying round the circle.  I then cut out a CB little tag and stamped part of a sentiment from a HA set - it was Just for you but as you see that wouldn't fit so I just inked up the last two words.  Added gems at each end.  The whole panel was then popped up on dimensional tape.  
I have decided to enter this is into a number of challenges:
Wee Memories  ~ anything goes
Hero Arts ~ masking
Pile it On Challenge ~ anything goes
Simply Create ~ Use your punches

Today is a rather wet and steamy day so staying inside to make cards and check the blogs is in order.... I had left a bucket outside after washing the floors and this morning it was half full.... that's a lot of rain.... currently not raining but very very steamy.  Hope the tropical storms pass quickly.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for leaving all the lovely comments ~ they are much appreciated.  Take care

Shabby Chic....

I very much admire card makers who are good at making shabby chic/vintage cards....Sue and Jacqueline are prime examples  but just google " shabby chic cards" and you get a multitude.   I was looking through an Australian Card and Papermaking magazine yesterday and was inspired to give this look a go.  This is not my usual style but in the end I was rather pleased with the outcome.... even if it took quite some time to come together.

I started with a sheet of Webster's Pages (A Sweet Life ~Home Sweet Home) which I trimmed one corner to fit.  I edged it with Peeled Paint distress and then used a blending tool to colour the bottom third of the piece.  I stamped the words "dream" and "inspire" ( Fiskars stamp set) and then just inked up the bird from a Hero Arts cling (Bird in a Circle)  I coloured the bird with some Faber Castell pencils and OMS.  I added some lace and ribbon and then stamped a clock face (Teresa Collins set) onto some of the rest of the PP.  I used a small nestibility to cut it out and pop dotted onto the card.  Once I had it matted onto the white and tan card I added some flowers and the pin ( a gift from Pia from nearly 2 years ago!) I added some brown pearls... one to the flower centre and several others on the flourish in the corner. The Webster's Pages really made it easy to get the lovely shabby chic look.  I've just bought some of their on-line papers - here.  Just waiting for my download code so I can save them to my computer. 

I am also very pleased with the photo I look of the card.  Michelle is having a give away on her blog for a light tent.  It looked really cool so I did some research and found a place in Christchurch selling them on Trade Me.... very reasonably price too... so I ordered one and it arrived this week.  Its only 30cm x 30 cm but is perfect for a card.  It comes with 4 different coloured backgrounds... white/black/blue/red.  Plus I'm sure I could make more if needed. 

Update on hubby's sister.... she is still hanging in there.... He is flying off to London on Monday evening... arriving mid morning their time on Tues.  Praying she will last till then so he can say his goodbyes.  His older brother went over on Thursday.  A very sad time for them all. 

thanks for visiting.... take care