Asian Gothic Arch - Japanese

This backing paper came from a bit of Japanese shopping wrapping paper which my daughter in law saved from me.

Black and white book marks for a swap

This afternoon I made three black and white bookmarks for a swap running on CM&P forum



They are on A4 size card - cut width ways - and all slightly different.

I laminated them all to keep them clean - and added black and white knitting wool which has silver threads too so they look nice and sparkly




Here is a scan of just one of them - I couldn't resist adding a bit of pink blusher to their bottoms!

Orange and black themed ATC

This is a stamped Kodomo image on orange card which has been softened with orange chalks.

The actual image was stamped in black then embossed. I painted all the flowers orange, and highlight some of the petals with orange copper metallic paint. The butterflies were painted with the metallic paint too. All the other colouring is with pastels.

I rather liked the urn on this stamp - which is supported by rabbits - which too have been highlighted, along with the urn, in the metallic copper which I think looks really pretty in daylight.

It has all been edged with black - and again for some reason the edges have not been scanned in by the machine! But in real life it looks like a perfectly centred picture in a black frame

I hope the recipient likes it.

ATC Colour theme swap - duck egg blue and brown

The backing card is pale duck egg blue - although the scan doesn't show it. The image is stamped on in chocolate brown and parts of the image - namely the beetles are embossed so they look really shiny like beetles should!

The edges of the ATC have been inked and embossed too - although for some reason the scanner hasn't picked it all up.

Gothic Arch for Mandy's Swap

Christmas Decoration for a swap on Zuzu's Forum

For both sides of this decoration I used stamped music scores on thick card. These I coloured with distressed inks to make them look Victorian which the girls are of course - enhanced with water colours, and embossed (differently) on both sides.

I varnished both sides to protect the finished work.



This looks so much better in real life. It is an altered thick plastic business card - really thick so was quite a challenge.

I got my son to drill a hole through it when I went to visit yesterday - then stuck on the trim and made the hanging loop today.

Oriental Tag

This is the first tag I have made and it fits in nicely with with the Tuesday Challenge on Created by Hand

I cut out a tag shape on textured red card almost A4 size in length - then stamped using a Kodomo stamp and embossed the left hand side with gold, and used a fine textured Japanese paper bag for the right hand side.

I scanned into my computer a Geisha, enlarged her and then enhanced her with water colours.

On her back I painted the ‘material’ gold, then masked it and stamped it with cherry blossoms masking the stamp to just get three little parts I needed and masking the lady too. I edged it with dark blue ribbon to give it ‘depth’ so that it does look layered.

The patterns on the Kimono I enhanced then clear embossed them, ditto the hair and the shoes which now look realistically shiny!

The calligraphy symbol is made of paper which I enamelled so it looks like an ivory tile,

I edged one side in dark blue ribbon and edged that with gold, using a gold krylon pen to edge the rest.



I punched a hole in the top and added colour co-ordinating fibres.

It took quite a few hours to make - but was fun to do.

Themed Thursday

'You hold a special place in my heart'

Either of this or the one below could be entered for the 'Script Theme' this week - but I will enter this 4 x 4.

Stamped and embossed wording for the background paper. A Vintage card picture torn to fit the page. (I aged it with Tim Holtz distress inks and highlighted parts with water colours.

The Theme for November is the colour Green

These are for an ATC swap on Zuzu's forum. We do a different colour each month - and this one is green.

I scanned these into the computer - but I am not keen on scanning as it magnifies the image so that it is bigger than in reality - and so you get a different perspective than you would with the naked eye. The colours are sharper and darker and smoother not 'coloured in' looking as the scan makes them look

I coloured photo paper card with alchohol inks and when dry I stamped on the butterfly image and cut it out.

The backing card is green too although the scan makes it look cream. It
has been stamped, and I have painted colour on the flowers and leaves.

All the edges are painted lime green as a frame - but for some reason the scan hasn't picked up some of them!





For the above I have stamped the butterfly directly onto the card and also the flowers and foliage which I painted as above.

One more to do - might do a totally different medium for that - just waiting for some inspiration to kick in.

Autumn Inches

I have only made inches once before - they were all painted - then embossed - one of which is in my blog header above.

I decided to take up the challenge of making nine inches for a swap on Zuzu's Forum.


The Japanese calligraphy says 'Autumn' and is embossed with Tim Holtz distressed powder.

The little Japanese dahlia stamp is embossed with shiny clear embossing powder to make a contrast.

I rather liked making these.