One of our best friends has been waiting to have an operation on his brain for over eighteen months. Due to various reasons, the operation has been cancelled and postponed but yesterday he was operated on.
We heard today, that the operation went well and that he should be out of hospital in a day or so once the drain has been removed - such a huge relief as he has known about the cyst on his brain for about four years and it has obviously been weighing heavy on the whole family.
He is a big fan of the lemon cake that I make, so this evening I made him a cake, I also bought him his favourite biscuits: Fig Rolls and Chocolate Hobnobs, so the card was the last thing to make ready to give him when he gets home. Hubby will be collecting him from Liverpool tomorrow/Thursday.
It's a simple card. I used Versafine Clair "Warm Breeze" ink, coated in Wow! Clear Embossing Powder and heat set the Waffle Flower sentiment.
I used a circle mask and over the top lay the Funky Fossil Designs "Cellular Stencil" over the top, then applied three shades of Distress Oxide Inks through the stencil: Peacock Feathers, Tumbled Glass and Cracked Pistachio.
Finally, I added three Funky Fossil Enamel Dots to the bottom edge of the inked area.
I'm still playing with the new Lavinia Stamps. I seem to be swinging from one busy card, to a quieter design. With this card, I have used a selection of old and new stamps.
To make this card, I started by stamping the wreath, using Versafine Clair "Shady Lane" green ink to stamp the left and right "Wreath Flourish Stamps". I then coloured the leaves, by painting with Derwent Inktense water colour pencils.
I then filled in the cetral wreath area using "Coffee" Archival Ink through the new Lavinia "Waffle Stencil" with a very small stencil brush.
Next I used the new Lavinia "Rose Set" for the roses, stamping in Versafine Clair "Chianti" which is a dark red ink. I then coloured the roses using Derwent Inktense Water Colour Pencils, applied with a brush.
I decided more foliage was needed, so added some using the Lavinia "Flower Collection" and "Foliage Set" stamped in Versafine Clair "Shady Lane" and "Acorn" ink. I added touches of gel pen to replicate tiny flowers.
Finally, I stamped the "Just For You" sentiment, which is part of the Lavinia "Heartfelt Verse" stamp set, stamping in Versafine Clair "Morning Mist" grey ink.
I'm still playing with my new Lavinia goodies, this time just stamping on a Brusho background.
I rummaged through my stash of prepared backgrounds and came across a Brusho piece. I've no idea what powders I used or when I made it, so it seemed a good time to use it for this background.
I stamped the Lavinia Stamps new "Tick" time piece in Versafine Clair "Twilight" dark blue ink, then stamped it again on a Post it note. I fussy cut the post it and placed the mask over the top of the clock on the Brusho background.
I then stamped the new "Texture 1" and "Texture 2" stamps in Versafine Clair "Warm Breeze" ink.
Next, I stamped the text using Versafine Clair "Blue Belle" a mid blue coloured ink to stamp the "Steampunk Script". Then removed the mask.
I decided an older Lavinia stamp set called "The Crow Set" would be an ideal pairing for this, so stamped two of the crows, using Versafine Clair "Nocturne" black ink.
I wasn't happy with the feet of the lower crow, so added three roses using the new Lavinia "Rose Set", stamped in two shades of Versafine Clair ink: Tulip Red and Morning Mist.
Now I started the finer detail. I used a metallic gold pen for the edge of the time piece. I used Derwent Inktense red pencil for the roses, adding touches of red Posca Pen and then further detail on the roses with a white gel pen. I used the same pen to add detail to the crows too.
Finally, in the bottom right hand corner, I added "Time Flies" which is the name of a new Lavinia sentiment stamp set, stamped in Versaine Clair "Twilight". I then inked the edges of the card in Twilight ink and mounted the card on to dark blue card and a white card blank.
A clean and simple card featuring the timepiece from the new Lavinia Stamps steampunk collection and two of their new stencils to make this retirement card.
I started by dusting the card with an anti-static bag, then using Wow! Clear embossing ink to stamp "Tock" the pocket watch. I coated the stamped image in Wow! Rich Gold Super Fine embossing powder then heat set.
While the watch was cooling, I stamped another pocket watch on to a post it note, fussy cutting the image to create a mask.
I positioned the mask over the heat embossed pocket watch image, then secured the new Lavinia Stamps "Filigree Stencil" over the card using a piece of low tack tape. I then applied "Garden Patina" Archival Ink through the stencil lightly, keeping relatively close to the bottom right hand corner of the card.
I removed the Filigree stencil then positioned the Lavinia "Red Brick Stencil" in the same way. This time using "Shadow Grey" Archival Ink through the stencil.
Removind the stencil and the mask, I coloured the face of the pocket watch using "Antique Linen" Distress Oxide Ink to give it a more vintage look. Using a black pastel pencil, I created a slight shadow on the bottom right of the card.
I couldn't fine a suitable Lavinia retirement sentiment in my stash, so chose one by Clarity Stamps, which is part of their "Entwined Sentiments" stamp set. I used Wow! Clear Embossing Ink and once again the Wow! Rich Gold Embossing powder and heat set the sentiment.
I decided the card needed something else, so I dug out some metallic paint, popped a blob onto my mat and added a littel water, this was enough to make the consistency right to splatter droplents of the gold paint from a fan shaped paint brush on to the card. Once the paint was dry, I mounted the card on to a piece of gold card then on to a kraft card blank.
Today, I received delivery of my new Lavinia Stamps goodies. A few days ago, they released eleven new stencils and twenty-three new stamp sets. The stamps are on a steampunk theme. The stencil designs are fabulous and I'm sure they will be appearing in lots of my future makes.
Here's a short video clip of the card, as the photograph doesn't really show the clear embossing of the cogs to the side of the wings.
On a gel plate, I brayered Lime Punch and Bermuda Elements Inks. Using a fan paint brush, I splattered some water on to the plate. I then added some "Confetti" elements inks to my glass mat, added a little water then used the fan paint brush to splatter coloured droplets of water on to the plate. I popped a piece of white card on to the gel plate, smoothing the surface of the card so that it had full contact with the gel plate, then lifted the card to reveal the image.
I used the heat gun to dry the surface of the card, then cut the piece of card down to size as it was an odd shape.
I stamped the text in the middle of the card using the Lavinia Stamps "Steampunk Script" stamp with Versafine Clair "Charming Pink' ink.
I used the new Lavinia Stamps "Honeycomb Stencil" with "Pink Peony" Archival Ink in a few areas around the text. I then used another new stencil called "Waffle" with "Vibrant Fuchsia" and "Plum" Archival Ink in other areas.
Next I stamped the central "Small Heart" over the text using Versafine Clair "Morning Mist" grey ink, to get my placement for the wings. I then coated an off-cut of card in "Peat Moss" Archival ink, ran an antistatic bag across the surface, then stamped the heart using Wow! Clear Embossing Ink Pad, I then coated the image with "Wow! Rich Gold Super Fine" embossing powder and heat set. Once cooled, I fussy cut the heart, edging the heart with Versafine Clair "Charming Pink" ink and set to one side.
Returning to the card itself, I used Versafine Clair "Shady Lane" green ink to stamp the "Angel Wings Large", I quickly coated the stamped wings with Wow! Clear Embossing Powder and heat set.
I dusted the surface of the card with an anti-static bag again then usine Wow! Clear Embossing Ink and Wow! Clear Embossing Powder I stamped and heat set the cogs, from the "Cog Set 2" stamp set.
Using Versafine Clair "Shady Lane" green ink, I stamped the numer 4, which is part of the Lavinia "Numbers" stamp set.
I edged the card with Versafine Clair "Charming Pink" ink then a very thin edge of Versafine Clair "Glarmorous" pink ink. I then adhered on to pink card and then on to a white card blank.
I added some touches of metallic gold to the wings using a gel pen. then added a few dots of glue to stick the chain in to position. Returning to the heat embossed heart, I added some foam pads to the background and adhered over the grey stamped image of the heart.
This morning I made a card for a young lady that used to live across the road from us, but moved house recently. She would be out in the garden in the summer dancing and singing like nobody was listening, she also attends dance school, so I thought these dancing mice would appeal to her.
In the background of this card, I have used the Lavinia Stamps "Dynamic Stencil" with three shades of Archival Inks: Pink Peony, Violet and Watering Can.
I used the Lavinia Stamps "Hill Mask" with Versafine Clair "Morning Mist" grey ink to create the ground that the mice dance upon.
I used two of the Lavinia Stamps mice stamp sets, the "Minnie and Moo" set and the "Tilly and Tango" stamp set, both stamped in Versafine Clair "Monarch" Purple ink.
The sentiment by Hobby Art Ltd, part of their "General Greetings CS016D" is also stamped in Monarch.
Finally, I used a 2B pencil to draw in grass and added some flowers using a pink and a silver gel pen.
Another quieter card, this time using Clarity Stamp products.
This card was a really quick make. I used two shades of Clarity "Artistry Inks": Wedgewood Green and "Fancy Fuchsia" through the Clarity "Leafy Swirls" stencil.
I used Wow! Clear Embossing Ink to stamp the anniversary sentiment, which is part of the Clarity "Entwined Sentiments" stamp set, coated in Wow! Silver Embossing Powder and heat set. I then mounted the piece on white and then on a green card blank.
