Tracy Hey Designs sentiment

Hi again. A lot of crafting done today…………….

I had some bad news from a dear friend of mine today. Her son has died from the dreaded Covid-19! Her son! How on earth do you cope with that? I don’t have children, so I couldn’t possibly imagine how that must feel. He must have been around 40 years of age, and was working as a bus driver after the lock-down………………..As nurses we are expected to continue to work, and as a bus driver, he who would be in more contact with the general public, was trying to get the rest of us to work during this pandemic. I can’t comprehend how she must be feeling right now.

I have a card planned in my mind, as I can’t go and give her a hug. I can’t go anywhere near her, with the lock-down in place, and especially as she is in the vulnerable age group, but at least I can send a card with some pretend hugs……………………at least she will know I am thinking about her!

I took to my craft room and tried a new technique to try and ease my own mind.

I tried some bleaching on my image. Here is the card before I tell you any more about my technique:

I ink blended the Distress Oxide ‘Barn Door’ as I wanted a very vibrant red colour, which would stand out from the bleaching. I dried it with my heat tool, then stamped and embossed the Uniko ‘Peony’ in Altenew Gold embossing powder then went hunting for some bleach……

Erm – as we have a septic tank – I didn’t have any pure bleach – we’re not supposed to use too much bleach – so I improvised. I took some ‘Domestos‘ – which is bleach technically – but it is ultra-thick…….and just tried it.

I noticed it took the colour away VERY quickly, but I also noticed I could determine how much colour was taken off depending on how long I left it there – so I tried a little ‘blending’. Removing some very quickly from the inner petals to try and create some darker petals, and removing a second or too later for the lighter and outer petals.

I then cut thisa piece into a square, and added a wonky stitched rectangle frame.

The sentiment is from a new Tracy Hey stamp set – full of encouraging words and phrases – I can see I’m going to be using those a lot in the next few weeks.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

CAS Mix-Up – CAS – bleaching + stamping + your choice (embossing and die-cutting)

Craft Friends Challenge – atg

Crafty Creations Challenge – atg

Crafters Castle Challenge – atg

Hi there. I have made a card today just for the fun of it. I took inspiration from several challenges – but I wanted to create a fun and colourful card, with some inspiring words. Inspiring for me – and for everyone else.

I wanted to play around with colour, I wanted to play with some water-colouring, I wanted to just play. I didn’t want to particularly think about what I was creating. I knew I wanted to use this stamp set from Hero Arts, and I knew what sketch and colours I wanted to use – so I began.

I played, I water-coloured, I used colour, I used dies. No shading, no thinking about which way the light was coming from – just played………..and in the end I am pleased with what I created!

I stamped the turtle onto Arteza water-colour card in Altenew Obsidian ink, let it dry a little, then collected the four colours together I was using from the current challenge at Color Throwdown.

I did colour a turtle in pink – but didn’t like that, so here is what I did the second time around. I used a little water with each colour, to spread things around a little, and I’d forgotten how pigmented these zigs are……..

The stitched waves were pieces of card coloured again with zigs and die cut using a Lawn Fawn ‘stitched wavy borders’ die, and they remind me of some sea-weed drifting in the motion of the sea.

I have just receievd some Tracy Hey Designs stamp sets – and this sentiment was just sat there looking at me………………it’s almost as though I am saying this to myself – and saying this to others. I may have to use this sentiment again…….

So – a fairly basic yet colourful card, I enjoyed the process, and I’m already planning what to make tomorrow…..

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Color Throwdown – orange, pink, yellow, green

CAS(E) This Sketch – sketch

Hero Arts Challenge – self care

Addicted to CAS – CAS Animal

Happy Little Stampers watercolour challenge – water-colour atg with option of stars