Buy it - Try it: SU Moroccan nights stamp set

Something a little more current than the last post - in fact I think this might be either a first, or part of a very exclusive club LOL.  I have actually tried out a new stamp within ten minutes of its arrival!!!!
The stamp set in question is the Moroccan Nights from the latest Stampin Up catalogue.  I did hesitate over buying it, as I am not sure what I am going to do with the lantern images, but the medallion just called to me :-)
I knew I wanted to try it with gilding flakes when I first set eyes on it, so that's what I tried first.  I got an Indigo Blu starter kit some time ago, have used it a couple of times, and it's high up on my "I really must use that more often" list.  So here are Autumn Blaze, Morris Dance (both from IB starter kit) and Mulled Wine flakes from Cosmic Shimmer.  I did have a go with Chocolate Box (IB), but I stamped too enthusiastically and there was too much glue to give a good result, or even one worth photographing LOL.  I'm also including a picture of some essential pieces of kit for using gilding flakes .... First, anti static tumble dryer sheets as the stuff floats everywhere and clings everywhere it lands!  Second, a mini dustpan and brush for clearing it all up.  I got mine from the Glitter Pot, but there are a few different brands around.  Also really good for clearing embossing powder off your desk LOL.

Next up was to use embossing powder.  I had also ordered some SU embossing powders, as I wanted to try the new copper and someone had recommended either the silver or the gold, since I couldn't remember I ordered them both!  The silver didn't photograph at all well, I'll try to get a decent pic another time, but it does look fine.  The gold and copper, and indeed the silver, seem to have a matte metallic effect, although they shine, it's in a subdued kind of way :-).  They do look nice and there wasn't any shadowy residue which some brands leave behind.  The last colour to try it with was an old one - Verdigris by Stampendous.  It's a variegated powder and I wasn't sure how it would hold up to such fine detail, but it looks fantastic and is my favourite of all the embossed ones.

So I have had an experimental kind of day, it's been fun :-)

Father's Day Cards

That time of year again! Two cards to be finished and posted in time....... Apologies for the not-so-great photo, the light was appalling, to say nothing of my camera skills :-)

The first one is a bit of a retro card for me. I haven't plonked - er, artistically placed - a topper direct onto a card blank without a mat for years! I found the medallions I had so painstakingly cut and coloured when we went to visit Lyn in Devon in 2009 and I already had the Nestie die cut amongst my bits and pieces ....... and I really like the way it looks when the two are put together and the way the die cut edges contrast with the white card - hence the lack of a mat of any kind! I cut a ribbon banner, initially to put the sentiment on, but tried it attached to the back of the medallion and I think it looks really effective. Corners are also something I haven't used for a long time, but I cut these from the same Nestie set as the motif (Nestie Parisian) and again really like the contrast.

The second card topper has a background mat done with smooshy inks and a marble stamp, matted onto brown (Bazzill Mud Pie, my favourite brown). It was supposed to have eyelets in the corners but I messed up the hole punching so they got covered with brown corners instead! The border strip is done with an EK Success punch, the flourish with a Sizzix die. I added ribbon and a bow, I have so much ribbon and yet hardly ever use it! A stamped image on a scalloped circle mat and a sentiment complete the card.

Almost the last of the Christmas cards!

But not quite ....... :-) Here are some medallions, stamped & embossed, coloured and layered up onto mirri-matted craft creations paper. The stamp is my favourite sentiment stamp of all the ones I have bought this year, gives a lovely crisp impression and I was quite surprised to find it is from the Penny Black range - I thought they just did "cute" which of course I don't do.......... :-)

We made it back from Devon!

We got back from Devon at about 8:00 last night, had a bite to eat and a glass of wine or two, then off to bed - we were so tired!

The journey there was, er, interesting ........ Sy doesn't like single track country roads, so that is exactly where the sat-nav took us! We had to swerve into a hedge to avoid an AA van driving a wee bit too fast while towing a vehicle - it looked like there was room until suddenly we realised that the trailer was wider than the van ........... When we arrived, Lyn said well why didn't you come by the main road.........?!!! We made sure we left by that route :-)

A good time was had by all - Sy made some beads with her melting pot, Karen got lots of Christmas cards done and our hostess Lyn showed us some new techniques for backgrounds. We actually made Karen do something "messy" with ink (though she did cheat and wear gloves)!

I took my cross stitch and some medallions to colour and assemble ........ unfortunately I forgot my magnifier, so couldn't do any stitching - it's a pale colour thread on 16 count aida and I just couldn't see it properly even with my glasses on! So I made up my medallions, which look rather good - I will take a photo and add it to this post later.

So it was a lot of fun, but I am glad I have the day off work - I definitely need to recover :-)