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The home of exuberant amateurism.

Tuesday 24 August 2010

Opus Gluei Challenge #63 Sending smiles. The one where I stay up far too late.


The challenge over at Opus Gluei in the third century B.C. (or at least it feels like it was that long ago).
It was to make something to make someone smile, what a wonderful challenge, I can't think of a nicer one really can you?

Although this challenge has turned into a cautionary tale of what can happen when you stay up way past your bedtime crafting.

It all started off well, I had seen a card style in a crafting magazine that was of a wrapped bouquet of flowers, that I thought had loads of potential for variations on the theme. I made this first card for my Mum's Birthday which needed to be "normal" not like my usual stuff anyway. I used one of the Elusive Images flowers from their Big Flowers plate of stamps that I watercoloured and put glossy accents over the flower centers.
It doesn't matter what card size you use. Just have a play with some scrap paper to find the right size of square to use as the wrapping paper of the bouquet. It'll depend on the size of your blooms as well, so choose your flowers and card blank first.


 


Then once that one was finished I thought I would have a go at a grungy flower bouquet so I could use my new Tim Holtz distressing tool. The centres are Inkadinkado button stamps.
 I used the brayer technique I mentioned in my last post to ink up a background stamp with two colours and stamped the bouquet wrapping paper with a Chapel Road Artstamp called Celtic page (A) after I had brayed the white card with antique linen distress ink to make it look older than me.
 At this point I was concentrating more on being really chuffed with my newly acquired brayer techniques than  considering whether or not I was making anything that looked like a bouquet of flowers. I think this card still resembles a bunch of flowers sort of.
Can you see where this is leading?




By now it was getting late but I was on a roll. So my next thought was OK do it again but with musical flowers this time and so I got out some more white card and more stamps and made the flowers and wrapping paper using stamps.
Now if I hadn't already got you thinking about cards showing bunches of flowers would you even know what this was?
 No I wouldn't have a clue either, but this insight didn't come to me until I looked at what I had made the next morning.
So as far as I was concerned I was making smokin'  bouquets of flowers.....hmmm.




By now it was really really really late (I am not a fast crafter) and did I have the sense to go to bed?
I did not.
I can only imagine I was in a state similar to being punch drunk because my next thought was
"I know, make a bouquet of owls and trees!"
Owls and trees. WTF?
What can I say, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.
(Spanky made me do it.)




So now you know what'll happen if you craft way past your bedtime.
OWLS AND TREES

Happy Creating!
Gini
xx

6 comments:

SYLVIA-ANNE said...

Ooooh Gini, you do it every time. (Make me smile that is)!! I love your Mum's birthday bouquet - it really is so beautiful. The Owls and Trees is definitely my second fave. - it just makes me feel so happy when I look at it! Brilliant work as always.
Love and hugs, Sylvia xxx

Gorse Auto Detailing said...

Oh My Goodness... your progression thru that story is SO funny! Been there, done that! But your late-night creation really IS cute... you should see some of mine !!??!! (aauugghh!)

Unknown said...

I'm smiling! :-)
Cheers

Jana said...

IT WORKED. It made me smile. Laugh, really. I know the progression of which you speak. Happens to me all the time. Which is how I can completely relate to the Owls and Trees. I think they are really cute, by the way. All of these are really cute and make me smile. You hit this nail right on its head. LOVE them all. But especially your journey with them.

Rosemary said...

It's unanimous, I'm smiling too! I think this is very clever, and I'm not a speedy crafter either. Personally, I think the owls and trees bouquet is adorable.

Sending YOU some smiles!

Sherry said...

You are tooo funny! Your Mum's card is beautiful and the owls and trees hilarious!