Tuesday 16 August 2011

Flying High - and making clouds with cotton wool

Hello Everyone

Miserable day out so great excuse to stay cosy in the craft space. Here's the card I made for my son's birthday recently - one of the many August birthdays!


Alun has been flying microlights for two years now so when I spotted this little wood-mounted stamp from Hobby Art I didn't resist. I've yet to find a stamp of a microlight aircraft ... so this one had to do.

The background of the toppers was made using a technique I watched Barbara Gray demonstrate using a cotton wool ball. The cotton wool is fluffed out a bit, dabbed onto the VersaMark ink pad and then gently dabbed here and there on the coated card. This is followed with inking all over with a sky blue ink using a make-up sponge - I used the blue in the Hydrangea Big & Juicy pad. You can see the VersaMark resisting as you cover the card. The final thing to do is buff the card with tissue/soft kitchen paper to reveal the clouds.


I used an off-cut from the background to make the greeting to match.


The backing paper and insert are computer generated using a Joanna Sheen CD.


Even the back is covered in clouds.



Materials:
A4 white cardstock for base;
Snippets of sky blue & pastel blue cardstock and silver holographic card for matting and layering; Design paper and insert computer generated using Joanna Sheen's Nostalgia Collection CD1;
Clarity Stamp A6 coated card for topper and greeting;
VersaMark, cotton wool, Big & Juicy Hydrangea and a make-up sponge to create clouds and sky background;
Stamps - Hobby Art, Hawker Hart (plane), Craft Stamper free stamp, Flying High and Stampin' Up, Birthday Wishes from the So Happy for You set;
Memento Ink, Tuxedo Black;
ProMarkers - Poppy, Ice Grey 3 Cobalt Blue & Indigo Blue; Perfect Pearls, Forever Blue; Turquoise/white star patterned ribbon from stash.

And here's a shot of the birthday boy - can't believe he's now 42 years old ... where does the time go???


Love this happy photo of Alun with his lovely daughter, Jolene, and his great-niece, my baby great-granddaughter, Rhian, who was fascinated with my granddaughter's long blonde hair.  Rhian now weighs in at 16lbs, has eleven teeth and has learned how to crawl - her mother reckons she will be walking very soon!

I'm entertaining today so there's been a flurry of cleaning and dusting this morning. By special request, it's meat loaf on the menu - DH just loves meat loaf - so I'd better go and prepare it, ready for the oven. Sigh ... there won't be much crafting done until much later today.

Happy crafting,




8 comments:

Di said...

How clever Elizabeth - just love those clouds and a great card! Have a nice get together, and you can always send any leftover meat loaf down here! Bet there won't be any though :( Di xx

bohemiannie! art said...

I'm so happy I came to your blog. The card for your son is perfect!

Teresa said...

Oh wow stunning card Elizabeth, hugs Teresa xx

Bernie said...

Should have known Di would beat me to the leftover meat loaf. LOL!

Your card for your son is wonderful. I'm sure he'll love it. What a great cloud technique.
Blessings Bernie

Jackie said...

What a beautiful card, your clouds look so realistic.
What a beautiful family photograph too, a great one for scrapping :o)
Jackie xx

famfa said...

What a lovely card. I'm sure your son was very pleased. Lovely family pic.

Carrie said...

What a clever idea using the cotton wool and versa mark like that. This is a lovely card Elizabeth. I haven't popped by for a while so I am going to look back through all the things you have been making lately. I hope you are keeping well.
Love
Carrie

Sarn said...

Fantastic card. I love the way you create across the WHOLE card.

Great tips on doing clouds! I've just managed to do some with my duster brushes!

Hugs, Sandra