Mothers' Day

It is Mothers' Day in New Zealand this Sunday and I like to make Mum a card - let face it - if anyone appreciates your creativity it's your Mum - especially once you move out of her house and any resulting mess is not her responsibility.

I thought she'd really like the shabby chic card I made a few weeks ago for a challenge (see here), but that had already been nabbed by Eleanor for a friend's birthday card. So I decided I'd do something similar. For the original I copied a Shakespeare sonnet & used a nice font I found.  I was hoping to do the same with a mum-themed poem, but I couldn't find anything on the net that wasn't too cute ... so I decided to write something.

Mum's are complex things - as are our relationships with them - so I thought I'd just write about how it took being an adult and having my own children to appreciate all that she had done for me, and is still doing.
Anyway it sounded ok when I'd finished (though definitely not a poem), however, having written it I couldn't bring myself to tear it into a strip for a card, so I ended up making a bit of a feature of it and building the card around that.

It was another card that used up bits from my stash, so that always makes me feel a virtuous. The little flowers are cut from some vellum & I like the translucence of them.  I was pleased by how willing they were to curve - I thought the vellum would be too inflexible for that.

Now I need to find an envelope to fit it and get it in the post today otherwise it wont make it to Feilding by Saturday's post.
I'm not entering it into any challenges ... except the 'hope Mum likes it' challenge.
Well - enough fun - I'm off to do some housework
thanks for reading, & have a lovely day
Dianne

One Layer - Flowers

It has been a couple of weeks since my last posting.
I've wanted to craft and have kept an eye on some of the challenges, but somehow other things took my time. I guess it was good that I had so much productive time over Easter.

Yesterday afternoon I checked out the latest challenge at One-Layer Simplicity Challenge and the theme was 'fabulous flowers'. And, yes I am one of those people with a large collection of flower and nature stamps, so I knew I had to give it a go ... besides I should be working on a science paper I'm in the middle of ... so what better time to stop and do some crafting.

I tried to do some masking with a circle but the effect wasn't what I'd hoped (though I have not given up on it yet) and then uncovered a large single flower stamp that I have always liked. My card grew from that - keeping in mind the element of simplicity.

I masked the top edges and inked the stamp petals with a peony red and the stamens with yellow, I don't often ink with two colours on a stamp - but this time it came out better than I'd hoped.

Then I removed the mask and ruled a border round the stamp.  I really like borders - they add a bit of formality to an image.

I coloured my flower with chalks and popped the sentiment in the opposite corner for balance.
This was a reasonably simple card to make ... coming up with the idea is what takes the time.

Anyway I am really happy with it and will enter it into the One-Layer Simplicity challenge.
thanks for reading and please leave a comment
Cheers, Dianne

PS. I've just read over my post to make sure I have not done anything too stupid with my spelling, and looking at my card again ... I think a bee would be nice .... so I'll go away and think about that one - Dianne