Japanese Paper

Whilst out shopping with a crafty friend last week, she showed me a beautiful piece of Japanese paper that she had fallen in love with. "What can you do with this?" she exclaimed. So I rose to the challenge to create some cards using the sheet of paper that she so desperately wanted to buy. 

The photos below are my creations and I hope they will help to inspire.

I have used Darkroom Door Kimono Stamp Set for the main figure and the sentiment comes from Waltzing Mouse Stamps

This card showcases another stamp from Darkroom Door and again a sentiment from Waltzingmouse Stamps

I have used the paper to create the hanging lanterns by cutting circles
 and putting them through a crimper before adding the tops and bottoms
 out of a small piece of cardstock.
The tassle and topper comes from  WaltzingMouse Stamps and the sentiment from Stampin Up.

I have used a Japanese character stamp for the background . The weeping tree on the front panel comes from Jemac Stamps

I hope you are having a creative day,

xx Liz

Digital Stamping

Have you ever used digital stamps?

I have bought a lot of them over the years, but never seem to know how to use them. I have printed them out and have them lying around on my craft desk in piles waiting for that moment of inspiration on where to use them.

After moving the pile for the upteenth time, I decided that last week was the time to have another closer look at them. I chose a lovely little stamp of a mouse in a cocktail glass. For the life of me I don't even know which company this comes from any more! I used him/her on a birthday card for a friend that has a celebration coming up later this week. Colouring in with copic markers and then using glossy accents to make the glass look realistic, I mounted the cut out image on a background that I had water-coloured after heat embossing an image of cracked glass. Adding a sentiment to the bottom of the card completed the picture and here is the card:

I might need to play around a little more, but it was a bit of fun and something to not feel frightened about using. Digital stamps are now on my 'use list' which opens up a whole new world of stamping. If you haven't given it a go, then bite the bullet and have a go, you never know where it might lead you.

I hope you are having a creative day,

xx Liz

Creative Friday

Today, I have enjoyed a wonderful day of card making in my Craft Haven. This is the name that a dear friend of mine named her craft space the other day and I have adopted it!

The card I have made, is using the terrific stamp set from Art Impression called 'Celeste'. She is a beauty, and oh so right for our stage in life. I can see me making lots of cards for my friends using this delightful stamp. So, without keeping you in suspense any longer, here is my creation.

I have coloured her in using Copic markers in various colours. The floor is stamped with Darkroom Door 'Woodgrain' background stamp.  The couch stamped with Impression Obsession 'Distressed Corduroy' after I masked 'Celeste'. I have distressed the edges of the card with Vintage Photo distress ink and a blending tool.

                      

 I hope you are having a creative day,

xx Liz

Spring Has Arrived

Here is Sydney, Spring has arrived. The weather for the past two days has been amazing. It has been hard to be inside my craft room to be creative.

However, I have a special card today. I work 2 nights a week as a midwife and have a colleague who is just the best. When I get snowed under attending to patients, she just quietly gets all the necessary stuff done. I would be lost without her as my right hand man!

 Don't we often forget to thank those kind of people. Well today, I decided to let her know how much I appreciate all that she does. Here is the card that I will be giving her tonight.

I have used Memento Tuxedo Black to stamp the light image from Kaisercraft. The background is then coloured using Distress Inks in Mustard Seed, Dried Marigold, Dusty Concord and Peeled Paint. The 'Thanks' is cut using a Silhouette Cameo and then inked and raised up on tiny pieces of clear foam tape. The lace is just a piece that I had lying around my stash.

I hope you are having a creative day,

xx Liz