Special birthday

19 Nov 2018 Comments Off on Special birthday

by Helen in Birthday, Cards, Ladies, teen

This is a birthday card for a special young friend on her 18th.

Having masked an area with post-it notes, I sponged on my favourite distress oxide inks Fossilised Amber, Wild Honey and added Cracked Pistachio and sprinkled on water. I stamped the Uniko script, and  a few butterflies and feathers from a mix of sets in the same colours, and added Nuvo drops. Then the big sentiment from Uniko and a set free from a magazine for the numbers.

#

I think this suits the challenge for a big bold sentiment from Just Add Ink #434

   

and Watercooler Wednesday’s WWC196 – Heidi’s “All About Occasions” Challenge

Haiku:

It’s a scary world
Don’t let them dictate to you
Always be yourself

 

Piano accordion

04 Nov 2018 4 Comments

by Helen in Birthday, Cards, Friends, Ladies Tags:

This card was made for a special birthday for a friend who plays the piano accordion. I made it on the day of her birthday celebration, so it went straight to her and she loved it 🙂

I used glittered card and honeycomb paper I’ve had for years and not touched… Also a gold peeloff Happy Birthday: I drew the keyboard and bass button elements on my computer. The card fits nicely in an envelope and the message was written on the back of the keyboard section.

Haiku

Play your music, friend
The melody of your life
is cheerful and young…

Entered in the Just Us Girls Word week challenge – Music

Also Simply Create Too November challenge #144, “More than One Fold”

and Watercooler Wednesday WWC194  where this week Anything Goes

 

Celebrating a love of theatre

06 Jul 2018 5 Comments

by Helen in Birthday, Cards, CAS, Friends, Ladies

Here’s a card for a friend who loves amateur dramatics and all forms of theatre.

The masks were hand drawn inspired by some I found online, and coloured with Emboss pen, and then gold embossing powder. The background is sponged Distress inks, Wild Honey, Fossilised Amber and Abandoned Coral, some fibre from my ribbon box, and a Uniko Simply Said Blocks sentiment.

Entered into:

The Paper Players “Celebration” theme challenge PP400

 

and CASual Fridays’ Heat Embossing challenge

Haiku:

Put on a bright face
Present a new character
Get lost in the play

Challenge honours

27 May 2018 Comments Off on Challenge honours

by Helen in Birthday, Cards, CAS, Ladies, Masculine

Having spent much of the past two weeks in and out of hospital with a family member needing medical care, I was enormously cheered up to be picked out in various challenges recently.

Agapanthus Drops

  and 

Weekly winner at CAS Colours and Sketches Colour Challenge #272  announced 25  May 2018 and Top 3 at Crafty Gals Corner #165 Add a Flower announced 23 May 2018

My 70th birthday card for a friend was Joint challenge winner at

 

Seize the Birthday “It’s Just a Number” announced 24 May 2018

and Happy Birthday Cat (which was a real challenge for me to make!)

was  and

Muse Challenge #366 announced 22 May 2018, CAS on Friday #132 Cute announced 18 May 2018.

Thank you to everyone who picked my cards. It’s such an encouragement!

Haiku:
When I’m feeling down
My phone chirps to bring good news
of cardmaking joy!

Seahorse and sequins

18 Mar 2018 2 Comments

by Helen in Birthday, Cards, CAS, Friends, Ladies

As soon as I saw this (free L’Aquarelly) sentiment I knew it had to be the one I use on the birthday card for my friend who loves wild swimming.

The seahorse and seaweed are also L’Aquarelly. The background is Distress Mermaid Lagoon and Peacock Feathers sponged onto the background and stencilled with Mermaid Lagoon Distress ink and Chestnut roan chalk ink through the Woodware Francoise Read circles stencil. The brown mat and stamping is in Chestnut roan chalk ink, with the seahorse painted in dilute brown watercolour so it looks slightly transparent, just like a real seahorse.

A tiny pearl for the seahorse’s eye.I knew I had some turquoise sequins somewhere, to put on the bubbles, inspired by the CAS on Friday Celebrate Sequins challenge. Took a long time to find them! And I can’t believe how much old stash I have: embellishments and “toppers” I have grown beyond…

Entered in Just Us Girls #432- Color Week

and CAS on Friday  Challenge #128 – Celebration card with sequins

And my friend is also a great haiku fan so here is hers:

Celebrate friendship:
Plunge into azure waters.
Swimming is heaven.

Oriental pink

11 Feb 2018 6 Comments

by Helen in Cards, Ladies

Pink and green and a very delicate feel was what struck me about the Muse card this week. Normally I’d have added the butterfly as on Anita’s pretty card, but I’m not fond of shakers.

Having painted the stamp with the pink and green watercolours, and stamped, it looks nothing at all like the original stamp in fact, but the result has a pleasing Oriental look, I think, so I ran with that.    I added some Chinese bling stickers to emphasise that feel. The text doesn’t mean anything!

So it’s not very similar too, but definitely inspired by Anita’s card!

So this is my entry for Muse #252 this week.

And this is definitely feminine enough for Watercooler Wednesdays’ Feminine Challenge WWC156 from Penny.

Serendipity
again delights me with green and
Oriental pink!

 

Pinks that aren’t Valentines…

11 Feb 2018 1 Comment

by Helen in Birthday, Cards, CAS, floral, Ladies

I’ve been playing with pink paint this weekend.  This is grey, pink and red for  Color Throwdown.

The painted lines are deliberately cut off true. Paper was watercoloured and the flowers stamped and fussy cut.  Although the colours are very ‘Valentiney’, I really didn’t want to make a Valentine’s card!

Entered in Color Throwdown #479

Is love always pink
and does pink have to be love?
No, pink’s just happy!

Pastel pencils

13 Aug 2017 2 Comments

by Helen in Birthday, Cards, CAS, Ladies

I need to learn a lot more about taking pictures of my cards. The lines on this one have become pixelated when I reduced the size to fit it on my page.

It’s inspired by the sketch and image at Fusion, and as we’re clearly in pastel country here, it uses the colours from Colour Throwdown.

pastel pencils

So entered into Fusion Pastel Pencils challenge, using the sketch and inspiration photo. I even used pastel pencils (watercolour pencils) to draw my lines…

And also entered in Colour Throwdown #455, aqua, light pink and lavender. Pastel Heaven!

I try draw my life…
But sometimes it seems someone
Else holds the pencil

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Butterfly thank you

23 Jul 2017 5 Comments

by Helen in Cards, Ladies, Thank you

Here is a card which is aimed at the Muse challenge.

Here is my card

muse butterflies

which is CASE of this week’s Muse card by Kim Heggins

I used: three butterflies, one outside the shape, green base, fibre, a curved shape, and a central scripty sentiment.

It’s a thank you card for a lovely lady who teaches dance beautifully.

Gliding gracefully.
Yet you say you’re no dancer:
Kindly share and teach.

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Colours that please

09 Jul 2017 13 Comments

by Helen in Birthday, Cards, CAS, floral, Ladies, Thank you

Here are two cards I made this week.  First a card which is partly a CASE of one of Susan Raihala’s HERE, though I arranged the feathers myself using two individual L’Aquarelle stamps (love that set) and masking.

happy feathers

The colours are taken from CAS Colours and Sketches this week. Lime and Lemon Twist seems to be popping up in lots of colour challenges and I haven’t the exact ink but I think I’ve now found something very similar in Colorbox Lime. Also used Catherine Pooler  Party Dress which is my closest to Berry Burst and Tim Holtz Mermaid Lagoon Distress Ink for the Island Indigo. Really liking this combination of colours.  The sentiment is from a useful set from Uniko.

And easily feminine enough for the Watercooler Wednesday Feminine challenge

The second card is inspired by CAS(E) this sketch#229, and by Karen’s wonderful backgrounds (see Snippets).

thankyoublocks

This is going to a temporary colleague who’s done wonderful work for us.

My favourite agapanthus again! And the Karen-inspired background was created with Catherine Pooler Party Dress and Tutti Frutti inks and white and black watercolours: then chopped up as per the sketch.

Orange like summer,
Outdoors, bright and enticing:
Pink like sunburned arms

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