Monday 30 April 2018

If geeks are square how come they change the world?

Huge apologies to all at House mouse and friends for this not posting on time but I did think I had scheduled it but obviously I missed pressing a button and haven't been around to check as my son had been in hospital and on the day of his discharge I had a phone call to say I could have some surgery the following day on a cancellation that I had been waiting for so please forgive me and hopefully things will get back to normal now.

House mouse and friends Guest designer challenge 3 and for this challenge  I used another decoupage to create my version of 'Lets be square'.

When I was at school many moons ago those who did a lot of study or those who were just clever were called squares, I guess the interpretation was that they didn't know how to have fun, I suppose an updated version of 'square' is now known as 'geek' funny how names change with generations but really just mean exactly the same thing. I often wonder if those who do the name calling ever realise that the same peeps they called for being studious or clever are the ones that often go onto university and then get called names for being party animals or lay abouts' but later get well paid jobs and are often the innovators of changes to our world. If I were given the choice I think I'd like to be a clever square or geek.

Enough philosophising and onto my card. I used a white base card which of course had to be square. I created a background by doodling some mathematical equations ,alphabet and quotes that I dragged from the back of my brain and randomly added to the card.

I cut the image on a square of the decoupage paper and built up the layers so the cute studious mouse is truly the central focus of the card. 

I added one of the fun sentiments which I thought turned the card into a fun card for my neighbours daughter when she moves to secondary school in September(just got to put it somewhere safe till then).

Clean and simple but still fun and quirky.


Why not pop across to the House Mouse challenge blog and join in the fun yourselves, how will you interpret 'Let's be square'?




Monday 16 April 2018

Guest designer challenge 2 for house mouse and friends

Welcome to my 2nd post as a HMAF guest designer hope you are all going to join in by popping across here.
The challenge this time is lets eat, and I chose to make the earliest festive card I think I have ever made using one of the CD images. I think these wee mice eating candy canes or as we would call them in the UK peppermint canes are so cute and as the weather here has been a mix of wintery and Spring it was easy to make on one of the dull and dreary days and believe it was a dull November .December day not early April when I made it.


I mounted the image on gold mirri-card for my focal image.

I decided to keep my colour palette simple and used a white base card dressed with some red patterned mirri-card offset against some embossed white centura pearl card embossed with snowflakes using a crafter's companion  3D embossing folder. 
I didn't add another sentiment as the canes the mice are eating
 spell the word JOY  so I didn't think it needed anything else.


Hope you'll all pop along to Housemouse and join in the fun


I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:-

Fab n funky - cute critters

A bit more time to craft -anything goes


Saturday 14 April 2018

A little floral sax

 
Water colouring pens don't have to be pale and washed out colours this card shows they can be big and bold too. I used another stamp from Donna Ratcliffe from Crafter's Companion and just love how the entwined flowers make the image unisex. I again used pebeo masking fluid to enable me to create the distress oxide background. I thought the dark blue really offset the bold pinks of the flowers and gold of the sax.




The faux bleach is so easy to do and satisfying in a strange kind of way as is the painting with the water colour pens. The flowers are also stamps from the same set and after fussy cutting I stuck them to the card overhanging the edge of the card before cutting flush with the card edges to form a semi frame. No sentiment but one could be added but love how it just makes a statement as it is.







I would like to enter this card into the following challenges;-

Stamping sensations - one for the girls

Allsorts - spring flowers or showers

AYLI - favourite colouring medium
(at present water colour pens and oxide inks are my medium
 of favour think mainly as I only recently bought
 them and am learning as I go)

MAWTT- springtime

The Paper Shelter - flowers

Addicted to stamps and more- make your mark


Flutterby time

I love this quirky stamp it makes me think of some time travelling sci-fi the name of which totally eludes me , but its somehow hypnotic. 
I am quite addicted to the masking and water-colouring technique as those who have been following my blog recently have no doubt surmised and these 2 cards are more of the same. That apart I love how different colouring can really change the look and feel of the image even though the focal image is really similar in colouring.

Both cards were created using the same technique, the central image stamped in stazon and then masked with pebeo masking fluid. The background was then created using distress oxide inks and faux bleaching using water and kitchen paper. the images were then cleared of masking fluid and painted with aquablend pens.

The cards were then matt and layered using purple mirri-card on white base cards and to say the only major colouring difference is the background I love how different the 2 cards look.





I would like to enter these cards into the following challenges:-

HLS watercolour -anything goes optional rainbow

Make my Monday - things with wings

Not just cards - anything goes

Crafty creations -anything goes

Penny's-  amything goes

Monday 2 April 2018

House Mouse Challenge

I was lucky enough to be a winner at House Mouse challenge and part of the prize is to be guest designer for the next couple of months challenges. The first challenge is lots of images, now I don't have that many House mouse stamps but I do have a CD and a decoupage book so my GDT cards will be a mix of all 3 .The decoupage book I decided would fit the lots of images challenge perfectly but all my images are cut up to various parts and stacked on top of each other sandwiched together with little sticky pads.


















I used my image to make an easel card using white card and more images to decorate the bottom layer but also create the stop for the easel part of the card.

Why not pop over to HMAF and play along




I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:-

just us girls- CAS

Pearly Sparkles - anything goes

A bit more time to craft - anything goes

A bit more time to craft Extra - anything goes