Welcome to my blog

I hope you enjoy reading my posts, and please leave me a comment. I always enjoy reading them, and will try to visit you in return.

For security reasons for me and for you, I would appreciate it if you would leave your name on your comments.

You are welcome to copy any of my designs, as long as you do not take credit for them yourself. I am very happy for you to sell them. If I have used anyone else's design, I always try to give credit where it is due. If I have missed anything, please let me know and I will put things right.


This is intended to be mainly about my crafting stories, as a personal record of what I do. However, I interpret crafting quite widely, not just paper crafting but other things too. I have a butterfly mind and like to change from one thing to another depending on what I feel like on a given day - knitting, crochet, cross-stitch, cards, baking and several others, including my favourite right now, parchment, both traditional skills and Groovi, very relaxing and calming to do.

I have decided to put some structure into my blog so that each day will have something of a theme.
Monday- for Mindfulness; Tuesday - Tidy Up Day; Wednesday - What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday; Thursday - Technique and Tips; Friday - Finish Off Day; Saturday - Start Something New; Sunday - Anything Goes
These themes are not hard and fast and will be changed if I feel the need.

Wednesday 28 September 2011

WOYWW - 121

No pictures of my actual desk this week, just a couple of cards just completed, done in rather a rush.  I am still in the middle of a major tidy up, so there is not a lot of space in which to play.  This first one is for the anniversary of our close friends.  Hopefully they will not see it before the day.  

I used a couple of the Big and Juicy ink pads to brayer the background onto a Clarity silk art card.  The brayering could have been better, but fortunately the stamp covered the worst faults.  The stamps were all from the Clarity range.  The couple in the boat came out better than I thought they would.  I did the reflection first, by inking the stamp and running the brayer up it.  Then I could position the reflection roughly in the right area, before stamping the main image just above it.  When the whole thing was dry, I used a white Sakura pen to add highlights.  The whole thing was mounted using Pinflair glue on to dark blue card from Paper Mill, and finally on to a A5 Clarity silk art card.
 
This second card was done in the same way, with the same ingredients, but for some reason the printing seems to be darker on this one. I really like the oriental feel of these stamps, and they really lend themselves to this blend of colours.  I do need a lot more practice again with the brayering to get the smooth blends that Barbara Gray achieves.  I still have a lot of Christmas cards to do so the brayer will be well used in the next few weeks, not to mention a lot of masking, embossing and stamping (not necessarily in that order).


I thought you may like to see one or two more photos from our flying visit to Spain.  The area was completely free from touristy rubbish, well off the normal trails, more of the real Spain.  This castle is Berlanga de Duero, so spectacular, and seriously dramatic in a thunder storm.  The wedding reception was held here, the canapes on this terrace, the main meal and speeches in the marquee, and the evening reception back out on the terrace.  The whole place is spectacular, especially when floodlit at night, and visible from quite a distance.

This is the church of San Juan de Rabanera in Soria, again beautifully lit at night.  It is classed as an ancient monument, with good reason, and really well kept.  The area around it was pristine, no rubbish anywhere.  In fact, that was one thing that struck us about the whole town - no rubbish lying around, the town square washed every morning.  The people were so proud of their town.

The last photo for today is not a wonderful picture but it intrigued me.  I took it from the plane as we were dropping down through the clouds coming home.  If you look carefully, you can see the shadow of the plane on the clouds.  It shows a phenomenon called a Glory, where you get a rainbow halo around the shadow of the plane.  Sadly, the rainbow does not show up as well as it did in real life, but you can see the brighter cloud around the shadow.  The science is that the sun is directly behind my viewpoint, so shining through the ice and water in the air to create the rainbow.

Maybe, next week there will be a bit more crafty stuff to show you, but till then, why don't you wander round to Julia's pad (http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com/) to find the link to many really crafty people who give us the chance to take a sneaky peak at their desks.

PS Does anyone have any idea on how to get mica powders off a Versamark pad?

16 comments:

Shoshi said...

Hi Maggie, those cards are gorgeous - love the graduated backgrounds which make fabulous sky backdrops for the stamp images. Also your Spanish photo is gorgeous. Thanks so much for your lovely comment on my blog. I've had a bad few days (my own fault for enjoying myself so much at the craft show on Friday lol!) and this evening I got so frustrated that I just went up in my ARTHaven anyway, and painted a whole lot of little boxes with primer - been sitting with my feet up on the recliner all day and got fed up with it! My lovely hubby is cooking supper bless him! I'm now back on the recliner and have got a back ache in addition to everything else. Grrrr. Boxes got done though!!!

Angie said...

You have such a knack with that style of card .... so beautiful. love the night shot.

Lunch Lady Jan said...

Those cards are really pretty - I love the soft graduated backgrounds! xx

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I think you did a phenomenal job with your brayer. I am brayer challenged, so your art is fantastic. Loved the photos from Spain, too. And at first, I thought that was another plane in the clouds. Good to know the science behind the image. Happy belated WOYWW.

sandra de said...

Lovely cards you have created. Sorry I can't help with suggestions for removing mica from ink pads. My glimmermist is everywhere! I know what you mean about the kindle being addictive ... I can't stop buying books. Good price and soooo convenient. Love it.

Mrs A. said...

Your cards are stunning. Have heard brayering mentioned on blogs before and not really taken much notice but I'm obviously missing out on something. Love those stamps. Where do you purchase them from?
Yes genealogy is so addictive and the other all time consuming hobby of mine. When we cleared FIL's house we found a scroll giving all the family tree for MIL's side of the family. I had only gone back 2 generations so am busy verifying all the new history on there. Interestedly the chart does not show MIL 's Mums brother who I know existed in 1901 (not showing on 1911 census) so there is a little mystery to clear up. (dosen't show up in the forces and no death certificate for him. hmmm!) Have managed to get back to 1543 on one branch of my family. How are you doing? Hugs Mrs A.

Spyder said...

oh Maggie!! Why didn't I think of that! (usingthe pictures I've got saved???) I have millions of woyww pictures and my desk is sooo messy every week, who would know!! Great pictures, even though I know you cheated!! Shh! I won't tell!
((Lyn))
Happy WOYWW

The Crafty Elf said...

Your cards Maggie are stunning! I'm always nervous to use a brayer and I'm not sure why. I probably just need to play with it a while and it would help to know the best type of paper to use. That might have been my problem right there! Those pictures are amazing....what a gorgeous setting for a wedding!

Neet said...

Those cards are beautiful and I think brayering is a technique which is quite difficult. I also do not think it is easy to stamp silhouette stamps and get a good image every time so take a bow you have done a marvellous job.
Thanks for sharing - #26 Neet xx

karen said...

Hi! Just popping by to say I am having a giveaway and would love for you to enter! I will try and pop back later for a proper look but want to invite all the wonderful WOYWWers for a chance to win!
xoxo Karen

Helen said...

We don't mind "no desk" when you share things like this . Lovely!!

karen said...

Those cards are spectacular! I am still trying to wrap my mind around how you did the reflection with a brayer! I mean, I get the idea of it but I cannot imagine what would happen if I attempted something like that! Your photos of the castle and church in Spain are beautiful as well! Must have been a breathtaking wedding!
Thanks for entering my giveaway! Good luck!
xoxo
p.s. I have no idea how to get mica powder out of anything much less a inkpad, yikes!

fairy thoughts said...

Cracking cards, i think you made the backgrounds just fine.
oh to be in Spain lol
Thanks for your comments on my blog. Ithink you could add glitter to the UTEE (must try myself)but not sure if youcould re-melt it I suggest having a go, what the worst that could happen? no dont even think about it
lol
janet

Elizabeth said...

Hi Maggie, lovely cards and you have certainly got the brayering technique ... I've not tried that reflection in the water thing yet. Great photos taken in Spain and what your observation on litter strikes a chord in me ... I so hate how much we see lying around in the UK. A bit of civic pride wouldn't go amiss here ... get me off my soapbox someone ... Hope you have a happy weekend whatever you're doing. Elizabeth x #73

shazsilverwolf said...

Hi Marg- love the cards- I also think thats a very clever idea to put the reflection down first, then stamp the main image. Guaranteed match, brilliant!You can add, or embed, a lot of things into UTEE, so I am sure glitter will work fine.By the way, apparently you can also melt UTEE, or any embossing powder for that matter, with a heat gun using the little tin foil baking cases.Sort of like a melt pot, but way cheaper, lol.Its advised to hold it with a wooden clothes peg to stop it moving about, but I will be trying this. Off to Cornwall for the week tomorrow, so will try it when I get back. Interesting you said you need to practice again with the brayer. I haven't done any for a while, and had a go last week, and I found the same thing!Couldn't quite get it as good as I know it can look- seems to be something you need to do regularly to get & keep the knack. Love to you both, Shaz

Julia Dunnit said...

Mica - I think you have to scrapeit off with a knife and then re-ink the pad, best I've managed before now!

You've won the draw for the Microcrafts book Maggie - let me have your address when you've a mo!