An image from Joanna Sheen's 'Elegant Fans' printed on to parchment and then embossed. Some lovely linen look mirri card used for the matting and the card. A new discovery for me and very friendly to scoring and cutting.

When having a rest from doing parchment I often do stitching or stitch and beadwork on card. There are some beautiful designs around and they are mostly inexpensive downloads so it is easy and quick to find a suitable pattern. You just need to keep a few beads in your stash and some good cottons. But like all crafters I don't know the meaning of the words 'a few'. Boxes of beads would be more honest. The card above is a downloaded pattern worked with a mixture of plain and metallic threads. The butterfly background is from Joanna Sheen's 'Elegant Fans' CD.

This is my current contribution to the Ooh La La Challenge Blog #52 'Vintage Man'. I am very proud to be a member of such a great DT and as soon as I have learned how I will post a link to the Blog.

I have used an insert from OLL 'Passion for Fashion' as an outsert, Bonus Pages on the same CD for the man in the trilby and the smaller images came from Joanna Sheen's ATC Assistant. Not my comfort zone but a challenge is a challenge. (Sorry about that).

CD Sunday - Artfully Asian

This is my entry to the second week of the new CD Sunday Challenge Blog. This week the theme title is 'Artfully Asian'.
I have used Cupcake Crafting 'Oriental Origins' CD. I printed out two of the 5 x 5 papers on parchment - used one for the wrap and then embossed and snipped out the flower from the second and attached with silicone . I have used some new tiny brads to fix the wrap and added a toning chiffon bow.

CD Sunday - Wings and Things

I am going to enter my first challenge with this card. My own design parchment card using butterflies from Ooh-La-La-Creations 'Shoes in Bloom' CD. I have printed out the butterflies on parchment - added 'stamens' as antennae and shaped using a bone folder. The challenge is 'Wings and Things' on CD Sunday Challenge.

This lovely card was made by Jocelyn who is very very new to parching and is a natural.

This glamorous lady has been created by another special friend - Mandi.

I had a good few parchment Birthday cards this year and here is another - from my special friend Jacqui. The image is from the Mettemusen site and Jacqui has done it brilliantly.

This lovely parchment Birthday card was sent to me by my good friend Debs. Thank you so much.
Hugs
Carol
xx

I have had a few days away with a 'crafting' friend and it was a very pleasant break.
I came back to my last lesson on the Ballerina and she is now finished except for finding a suitable frame. The basic image and 3d effects are from a pattern by Ann Jennings in the Parchment Craft Magazine back in Jan 2006 and was originally designed as a card. My Tutor, though, gave us two borders to do - to make it into an A4 picture.

The completed card.

When I was helping on a 'Parchment' stand at a craft show earlier in the year we were very pleased to meet and talk to a great many would be parchers but some were worried that as they couldn't paint or draw that perhaps the craft wasn't for them. This does not have to be true. Whilst we are learning the craft, and it is true that to learn all the aspects properly it takes quite a while, there are ways of using other craft mediums to help achieve work of which to be very proud. Stamping directly on to parchment instead of tracing or drawing is one way but you can also use many of already available images on craft cd's or photographs.
The above card is made using a photo that I took last year of a Dahlia in a park in France. I printed the image straight onto parchment paper, worked a gridwork border around it and then embossed the flower from the back. I did each petal individually which seemed to bring the flower to life and I think makes a very acceptable card. The photograph above was taken halfway through the embossing process to show the difference between the embossed part and the unembossed part of the flower head.
The photo above the posting here shows the completed card.

Well I have finished my two ATC's and here they are. I don't think the subject needs any introduction.
I have used a mixture of 'mediums'. Joanna Sheen's Egyptian Adventure for the little theatre and for the triple one the backing paper is from Robert Addams CD and the gold highlighted with a Sakura Metallic pen. The 'head' was stamped, coloured using a mix of pencils, watercolour and felt tips and then reduced in size, cut out and attached with a concertina spring made with card. A fastener has been made with thin silk ribbon and gold beads.

Too busy today to do any parchment. I have a couple of ATC's to finish for this month. I am the postbox and 'swopper' for our forum ATC Club and it's a poor do if I haven't done mine. Especially as I chose the subject.
I also belong to the UK Stampers Network, a group of crafters who also swop ATC's, RAK's and other allsorts. I'll post more about them later and perhaps put a contact on here for the benefit of anyone who might be interested in joining.

Elemental Ballet - Quintessence

Elemental Ballet - Water

Elemental Ballet - Air

Elemental Ballet - Fire

I am having a rest between chores so I thought I would continue posting pictures of some of the images from OLL Cd's that I have used with parchment. These are from a CD called Dreams Of Tranquility. The wonderful paintings on this Cd were painted by an American artist called Jonathon Earl Bowser.. The paintings are inspirational and there is a series called the Elemental Ballets. I have printed the images on to glossy photo paper and for each I have made a parchment mount. To tie the series together I have added a butterfly to each, in toning colours, made from a pattern by Pauline Loweth. Another of my favourite designers. Her grid work and lacework are awesome.

The image above is the first one I did. Elemental ballet - Earth

Take the Quiz here!

Last one of the Shoes for the time being. This is Morning Glory - and a card I made as a Birthday card for my sister earlier this year.

This is one of the two Hibiscus folders. I have printed out one of the backing papers on to parchment and framed one of the images with an oval grid pattern from a grid by Alison Yeates. It has then been mounted on to another of the backing papers from the same folder.

This is one of my many favourites. Golden Rhodedendron I think.

This is the Tulip folder and it is a particularly beautiful shoe and a perfect one to emboss. There are 60 such folders on the CD and all using different flowers.

A bit more chat tonight I think - can't settle to parchment this evening.
Last month - my Tutor Marilyn Pybus organised and ran a wonderful one day Parchment Festival in my home town. Debs (the one who did the Elephant)) and I ran a stall for Ooh-La-La-Creations showcasing two of their Cd's used with parchment. The main CD used was 'Shoes in Bloom'. This one is my personal favourite of all their Cd's and it lends itself to parchment superbly, as well of course, to other card skills.
I printed out the images (and they are all jpeg) straight to good weight parchment, embossed and added borders of lace and or grid work. I was very pleased with the results and will post some above for your perusal.
Above is a photo of part of the table that we did for the Show.

Charming Chaps - 'Lifeguard' by Carol

This is the third pattern by Judith. This one has proved popular with all who have seen it.

Glamour Girls 'Winter Walk' by Carol

This one and the one above were recently done by myself and they are both from patterns by Judith. All of the 'parchment guru's', as I call them, have their own special style of design and these three I have posted today I think show off Judith's style. Although my main love is grid and lacework I love using these as I can always find a subject to match my need at any time. I am attending one of Judith's workshops later in the year with another 'parching' friend.

Guest Spot: 'The Elephant' by Debs

This has been done by a very good friend of mine - Debs - who has a similar passion for this craft. The pattern is one by Judith Maslen - but with an alteration to the border.

I couldn't leave this newly created project overnight without anything to view so here is a little advertisement and a sample of some flutterbies made in the last few days.
I won't just post parchment work as I do make other sorts of cards and I will also try to persuade some of my friends, who have also fallen in love with this craft, to allow me to post some of their work.

Thank you - to anyone who is visiting this new adventure. I am not sure quite what I am doing but I will muddle through I am sure.

I am very new to the 'Blog scene' having been introduced to it by Ooh La La Creations as one of their Design Team. I was very honoured to be asked to join them.

Each couple of weeks I have been visiting the Blogs of those who have entered OLL challenges and whilst admiring greatly the wonderful cards I couldn't help but notice the lack of parchment work on all but one of those that I have visited so far ......so ....... here I am hoping to promote an interest in my new love.