Gone Fishin'

Hello

I have had a headache all day so am glad to be home to get on with relaxing, forgetting about pain, and crafting.

My youngest dog, Millie (a dark brindle & white Staffie (she’s dinky)) is currently trying to entice me into a game of ‘ball’ and thinks chucking it on my knee will do the trick.  I have to say it does.  She’s no fool that dog.  We play, she’s happy; I get on with what I am doing.  All is right with the world.

So to today’s card which I have to admit I am just in the process of completing.  It consists of a gorgeous image from Elisabeth Bell called: One Sunny Day (oh if only).

I call it, ‘Coffee Stirrers: not just for Coffee’

Before I began colouring I picked my papers which I think (and unfortunately cannot confirm) are from K&Company.  I thought they were quite masculine, not a flower in sight, and would suit the design very well.  I then picked my Pormarkers & Flexmarkers to match.  I really enjoyed colouring this image.  There is so much going on. 

I had intended to simply die cut this little chap and place him on mats to complete the design.  However that was not meant to be as once again I had an idea that came to me at ‘stupid-o’clock’ in the morning that I had to do something about.  To complement the image of the bridge I thought I’d use lolly sticks to make a ‘wooden’ frame.  The realisation that lolly sticks were not something to be found in my house led me to my rather impressive collection of coffee stirrers.  I confess to having ‘purloined’ them from various beverage selling establishments in the local area!  Ho hum.  Hope Crimewatch isn’t tuning in!  I stuck them around the image with Collal 3D Glue Gel and embellished them with twine.  It looked good.  3 cheers for coffee stirrers!!  I need more now.  Watch out Costa!

I distressed the edges of all my papers and backing card with my scissors and added stitching around the edges with a white paint pen.  I was hoping to emulate the patch on the little boy’s dungarees but I’m not too sure that’s very obvious.  I wrapped more twine around the small mat then stuck them all down.

My fish embellishment came from an idea I had whilst playing around with my Martha Stewart Air Dry Clay.  This stuff is fab, I love it.  I thought ‘what would happen if I smooth out a piece and stamp into it’?  Only one way to find out!  So I found a stamp of a fish that I have had for more years that I care to remember and pressed it into the clay.  Hey presto! One impression of a fish!  All be it one with a rather grumpy face.  I carefully cut around him using my craft knife (beyond fiddly!) and left him to dry.  I decided it was a ‘him’, nothing to do with the grumpy expression! J   Once dry I painted him lightly with Aquamarkers. 

I had completed this phase when……… all hell broke loose…..

An explosion of dogs going barmy (I have 3, a Labrador and 2 Staffies – I know I must be mad), barking and running up and down the hall like the crazy canines they are.  It was someone who had the audacity to knock on our front door!  Well really!

But it was my lucky day as it was our courier bringing me my newly ordered Marianne Creatables Anja Vintage Swirls dies. I tore open the packaging and immediately cut 2 from green card and stuck them to my design.  Who says it’s not all about the timing!

So there we are.  A slightly too orangey sun later (bit miffed about that actually), cut from Spellbinders and using a Hunkydory sentiment, and I am done.

Close up of the colouring.  |(If only my pets were as good)

My grumpy Guppy!

Twine & vines!

Basic recipe:

            8 x8” card blank

Image: Elisabeth Bell’s One Sunny Day printed onto Neenah Solar White card

            12 x 12” papers from K&Company (probably)

            Brown and orange card

            Promarkers & Flexmarkers

            Papermania twine

            Coffee Stirrers (various café’s)

            Marianne Creatables die– Anja Vintage Swirls (a timely entrance)

            Sentiment by Hunkydory (inked badly with Rusty Hinge DI, good grief!)

            Spellbinders dies: Inverted Scalloped Circles & Standard Circles

            Martha Stewart Air Dry Clay (stamped then coloured with Aquamarkers)

           

Smiling always (got nothing to stir my coffee with now)!

Jane x