Taking a blogging break for a few months or so

Hi there Creative Friends,
As many of you know my health has been a real pain in the arse over the last 2 years and it has resulted in the lack of creative action here on my blog.
I've just about managed to keep up with my DT efforts for the Opus Gluei challenge but I haven't kept up with even that lately.
So I am taking a break for a bit.
I have had lots of changes in meds to try and improve my health without much success but maybe in a few months I may be doing better and be able to get back into crafting and blogging.

I have loved interacting with you all creatively and have loved blogging and making up silly stories and funny stuff so I don't want this part of my life to end.

This is a card I made for an OG challenge but didn't blog here.
Click on it to make it bigger.

It uses Penny Black butterflies from a clear set that came out last year.

The good news is whilst I can't manage crafting, I can sit in my comfy chair and pin like a demon on my ipad.

I love Pinterest, it's been a real life saver!

You can find me as Gini Owen on Pinterest

http://pinterest.com/giniowen/

Why yes, I do love the Birdies and Red Squirrels. 

I have put some of my creations on there to. 

If you are also a pinner please let me know and I can visit your boards and share the pin love with you, blink blink.

As Arnie said "I'll be back" 

Only I don't have his muscles or his austrian accent or any man parts although I probably have more hair on my chest...

Just joking, now c'mon, I'm a proper lady, I only have hairs on my chinny chin chin - mwah!

I wish you all a very creative and happy spring!

Gini

xx

Opus Gluei Challenge #147. Free for all.

Happy New Year to you all, I hope it will be a very joyful, healthy and creative year for you :-)

The lovely Rosemary has set an Anything Goes challenge for this fortnight.

I have Steampunk Fever at the moment so I made a triple twisted easel card for one of my sons.

This is my most ambitious easel card to date. 

They are so easy to construct but look stunning, do give them a try if you haven't already. 

Beate at Split Coast Stampers has done some wonderful video tutorials on YouTube.com regarding their construction.

Click on any picture to make it bigger.

 

I've used Chocolate Baroque Steampunkery stamp set heat embossed in black and coloured with Cosmic Shimmer watercolour paints (same as Twinkling H20's) .

Stamped the blue cogs on the background blue card using the cogs from the Chocolate Baroque Steampunk Christmas set. Oh be still my heart they are such wonderful sets of stamps.

I also used Tim Holtz dies; cogs on the edge and the clock face one.

I used blue alcohol ink on some bottle tops and cut some spellbinders cogs out of silver mirror card and glued them on the top of the bottle top with glossy accents.

The metal letter tags I've had for years and have no idea who made them, possibly some Santa's Elves that retired long ago...

I've been greasing my axles and I feel all geared up for some piston powered creativity, I know you'll be riveted to hear this - mwah!

Happy steamy creating all through 2013.
Gini
xx

Opus Gluei Challenge #130. Beyond the garden gate.

The lovely Rosemary has set this fortnight's challenge at Opus Gluei.

And what a fabulous challenge from Rosemary, I could make hundreds of things with this theme as I'm sure you could too. 
I made an Easel Card of a posh house and garden scene which is a Docraft stamp by the artist Michael Powell, and er I went a bit mad with the lace, which unlike shiny stuff,  it would appear you can have too much of -hrumph.
I used part of a silk scarf (a bargain charity shop find) to make the curtains.

I am staggered by the two hours it took me to colour the picture with Derwent inktense pencils. I wasn't messing about honestly, but colouring solidly. The curtains mask some of the picture so the stamp is a bit wider than shown on this card.
His latest range of stamps, just out, are even better and are seaside, beach huts and lighthouse themed.
No wonder I don't do much colouring....
It would have been quicker to get my watercolour paints out and do it with them, but Inktense pencils are just fabulously vibrant and bright.
Once you get a taste of them there is no going back...

Hope you are inspired by this theme and join in.
Happy creating!
Gini
xx

Opus Gluei Challenge #128 What else do you know?

The lovely Kristen has chosen this fortnight's Opus Gluei challenge and it is to use a technique in your project that you haven't used for a while.

I haven't paper pieced a stamped image with designer's papers for ages so that is what I have done with this Mollie Bloom beach hut stamp in this easel card.
The chicken is hand drawn on designer papers and the sky is tumbled glass distress ink with a turquoise mica powder mixed with water sprayed on the top.

Now can you guess what the chicken is supposed to be sitting on?
No?
Now it may look like a box but that is where you would be wrong see, as it is in fact a raft -  allegedly. *cough*
If you are wondering why I have put a chicken on a raft in the sea, well why not, I like chickens and they lay lots of eggs and it's Easter... so I think they deserve a holiday by the seaside.
So as I'm sure you can do better than a box masquerading as a raft for this challenge please join in as I'd love to see it!

Happy Creating!
Gini
xx

Opus Gluei Challenge #109 Beat the Heat.

This fortnight's Opus Gluei Challenge is to Beat the Heat.
You have until 30 July 2011 to dazzle us with your scorching project.

I'd also like to enter this card in the Sir Stampalot Anything goes Challenge.

I was so lucky because Spanky knew the answer to this straight away.
Her advice is to stay in the fridge during the day and come out to play at night when you can comfortably rush about with the wind in your fur being all windswept and dangerous.

So that's what I did, I created a night scene.
I've provided the scene but you've got to provide the windswept and dangerousness 'cos I'm too shy. *cough*

This is an aperture easel card that I came up with.
Now whilst I love aperture cards, I don't like the way you can't control the position of the card flaps on a standard card to display the scene through the aperture correctly.

Click on any picture to make it bigger.

The stamps are all Stampotique Originals. I've used Daniel Torrente's Tree and some of Jo Capper-Sandon's wonderful stamps, Wee Owl (he's sitting on the tree), Owl with wings (he's peeping out around the aperture, and he has separate wings so he can be coy like this or in full flight etc whatever takes your fancy) and Small moon.
This is a tribute to Jo as she did a similar layout on her triptych card here.
I used basic grey papers and lots of Nesties; Circles, Lacy circles, Fancy Tags and Fancy Tags 2 and a Martha Stewart butterfly punch.
I coloured with Derwent Inktense pencils.

How to make this card so it'll fold down properly to fit in the envelop.
Take two square card blanks.
Stick one flap of each card blank to each other so you have a 3 flap card.
In the picture I have used a white card blank and a red card blank to make it clearer. Click on the pictures to make them bigger.

If needed cut 1 to 2 millimeters off the front edge of the aperture panel so that the card will fold down on itself to fit in it's envelop.

Stick dimensional embelishments on the horizontal card flap to hold the easel in place. Now the aperture sits exactly where you want it so your view through the aperture is in the correct place.

To fold the card up, allow the aperture flap to fold down inside the card like this.

 

I was so pleased with how well this card works.

But if you know of any other way of creating this type of card I'd love to hear about it so please leave me a link in the comments.

Happy creating!
Gini
xx

Easel Card. Autumn colours Art Journey's Dancing Lady

The last couple of projects I've made have included autumn leaves so I've had enough of leaf making for the moment but I adore the autumn colour scheme of reds, browns, golds and greens.

So I've used one of my prize loot stamps, the gorgeous Art Journey stamp plate Silhouette.

I am very disappointed in my photography of this card, I completely forgot to put my flash on to get a shiny shot of the gold mica that covers the inked paper I made for it.
But in real life it is lovely shimmery shiny golden-ness on the reds, oranges and yellows which tones them right down so they are not quite as bright in real life as in the photo.

 (It was late, I was rushing, and I nearly forgot to photograph it at all blah blah blah.)

 Unsurprisingly it was going to Alison the next day, for her Birthday.

 It would have been surprising if it had been for John's Birthday though wouldn't it? 

Unless of course he was in love with Alison, in which case it might have been quite sweet,
 unless his love was a secret unrequited love in which case I WOULD BE REACHING FOR MY COAT. 

Thankfully whomever John is in love with is a complete mystery to me, or if he is a John Doe with a toe tag that would be who he was in love with.
What is a mystery though, is why I started this train of thought because now I'm thinking, Spade. Hole. Digging. Stop.

Moving swiftly on.
I'm entering this card in:-

Sir Stampalot Challenge for October. Autumn breezes, buttons and a bow(s)
and
Daring Cardmakers Challenge. Welcome to the dance.

Here it is. Click on it to make it bigger.

I always think that if a project comes together really easily it's because the idea of it has been wafting around in your brain for a long time.
I've just realised from where my inspiration for this card came.
This is the silhouette of the dancing woman in the flames of the opening credits for Tales of the Unexpected isn't it?
If you're not old enough to remember Roald Dahl's televised series of stories then you won't know what I'm talking about. Never mind, you have fewer wronkles than me.

"Some say wrinkles and some say wronkles.
Let's call the whole thing off."

Wait! I've lost my place in the conversation, what were we talking about anyway?
Oh yes, John Doe and his magic toe...

Happy creating everyone with or without wronkles!
Gini
xx

Opus Gluei challenge #72 Ease(l) into fall. Autumn Leaves scalloped circle Easel Card.

Well talk about serendipity at work here.
Love the pun on the title ladies at Opus Gluei.
I have recently finished this card for my MIL who asked for something in Autumn colours.
Nothing too wacky although bless her she wouldn't have minded if it was, 'cos miracle of miracles in the wonderful world of families, she thinks I'm good enough for her son so she puts up with good grace the strange things I make!
She was lucky my Stampotique stamps hadn't arrived yet otherwise she would have got Poor Pearl.
Click on it to make it bigger.

How I made it.
Background paper made using inkadinks in Cherry Pie, Mango and yummy Yellow from the brights range. Oversprayed with gold mica powder. Instructions here

Largest scallop nestie used from the classic scalloped circle large set.
All stamping using Versafine in Vintage Sepia.
The leaves are from Habico, Autumn Leaves 2 set. I stamped them onto thin card. Coloured with watercolour pencils.
Silhouette birds on bottom of easel card are Crafty Individuals.
Heat embossed using Versamark and Stampendous in Detail Gold.
Quickie glue pen and Decor Art Glamour Dust in gold used on veins of the leaves.
Happy Birthday sentiment free with Papercraft Inspirations magazine.

I'm rushing now because OMG I think I might actually be first on the linky thingy on Opus Gluei.
See; miracles do happen everyday.

Happy creating everyone!

Gini xx

Three 3D cards.

I made a side step card to celebrate Craft Stamper magazine's 10 Birthday.
As always, click on the images to make them bigger.

This is a story that reads left to right and front to back.

We start with all the eager Craft Stamper readers waiting in a tree patiently or not so patiently for their local newsagents to open on the morning of the issue of the latest magazine.
Can you spot me?
I'm the one too fidgety with excitement to sit still.

 Up goes the shout by the scout. The lights are on, come on!

An orderly line all the way to the door. I think they've done this before.

Whoohoo we've got it, let's make a celebratory tottering tower of beautiful birdiness.
Can we run away to the circus?

A good trick is to make a "W" shape piece of card to glue to both inside edges to help the card stay upright and in place. Nobody likes to do the splits that they didn't intend.

One last shot, the centerfold shiny shot.

What I used.
I used distress inks for the background and versa fine black stamp ink.
I coloured in using Cosmic shimmer watercolour paints.
The birds are Elusive images. The house stamp is by October Afternoon.
I cut out the bottom window of the newsagents and replaced it with acetate and put the teeniest tiniest copy of craft Stamper in the window.
Did you spot it?


 I also made an Easel card and I hope to make a lot more of as they are so easy yet glamorous to make.

I used Elusive Images stamps. My minds Eye designer paper. Papermania butterflies with the holographic silver cut off. Some brads. The image is coloured with water colour pencils.
It's never too late for a desk calender!

Then I made a pop up card.
The card mechanism is disappointing because it has no means of supporting itself, so you have to prop it up against something and you have to decorate the front that won't be seen.
It would have made a much better Easel Card. So a big raspberry to pop up cards.
This is a Jo Kill design.
She designs for PaperCraft Inspirations magazine (among others) and all of her cards in this style are made as much as possible from punches. I adore all the animals that she makes, she's so clever!
You don't get templates, but this squirrel is just circles and ovals with a little bit of drawing needed for the tail and the ears. I used my nesties for the cutting.

Happy creating!
Gini
xx