Christmas Flutter

Our latest CD Sunday theme and my cards at the recent Exhibition gave me the idea of having a go at designing my own card.  As I am starting my Christmas cards for this season it was a good place to start.
Here is my offering:

I used elements from 3 Pergamano Multi Grids in the making of the parchment oval.  This was sewn to the matting layers with red glass beads.  The butterflies are of my own design.  The wings have  been coloured on the back with pencil and blending oil and the top surface then enhanced with Wink of Stella clear.  I love this product - brilliant on parchment. I even spread some on the edge of the  green matting layer.  Difficult to see in the photo but it is there.
I have - I hope - kept the design clean and simple and any comments would be appreciated.  I hope to go on to design some more of my own.
Carol
xx

CD Sunday - Flitter and Flutter - chosen by Jenny

Good Morning. Whilst writing this the weather is gorgeous - puffy white clouds and the slightest of breezes. Let's hope it continues.
The card I have made for this challenge - which I made a few weeks ago - turned out to be the idea for the cards I made at the Bristol Parchment Exhibition (last Sunday).  A girlfriend was spending the day here and we were crafting together and it was really she who suggested it would be a good project.
Here is the one I literally 'made a little earlier' for the Challenge

I made a smallish square card (just under 150mm square) from some beautiful blue card I found (last piece). I die cut a circle 8.5cms diameter from a piece of backing paper from  Jane Shasky's 'from the heart of the garden' CD 1 and attached this to the centre.  I made 10 butterflies in plain parchment using Pergamano Multi Grid No: 31 and  attached these to the edge of the paper circle getting them as evenly spaced as possible.  I then added flat backed self adhesive pearls to act as the heads and bodies of the butterflies.  Heart shaped for the heads and round for the bodies. The centre coloured butterfly was cut and decoupaged from the same background paper as the circle. The antennae were made using haberdashery stamens.I used so many of my flat backed pearls that I have had to order some more and managed to get a great deal on Ebay.  I can now do hundreds of butterflies.
I look forward to 'flitting' from Blog to Blog to see your ideas on Jenny's theme.
Carol xx

Bristol Parchment Exhibition 2015

Back from my trip to the West.  I had a great few days with my sister and got back yesterday late evening.
Lots and lots to see at the show.  Some beautiful work as always but this year I was so taken with some coloured Zentangle work on Parchment. I was so busy admiring the work and taking photographs I failed to ask the name of the artist and I am sorry about that.
Here is just one of the fine pieces of work that this charming lady produced.

If it was a better photograph you would be able to see how delicate and fine the work is.
I decided to work on something simple. Simple to prepare and easy to demonstrate and something that didn't need massive concentration like a complicated grid pattern.  I made butterflies.
I printed out several sheets of parchment in different colourways using a favourite CD background from a CD by Carol Anne's Studio.
I cut this in half and used  half as a front only wrap to a square card approx 15cm x 15cm.  The card had been printed in a toning colour using Sharon Duncans CD - Embossibilities. The other half of the parchment I used to make butterflies using Pergamano Multi Grid No:31.
The finished butterflies were attached in a circle on the coloured parchment and then the wrap fixed to the card using the butterflies to hide the fixative.  I used heart shape and round white half pearls for the bodies and added a butterfly from Artylicious CD Butterfly Bliss to the centre.
I made two to show on the table (the first has butterflies made with plain parchment), made one whilst there in between chats and then made another at my sisters but it isn't finished yet.
Here they are.

I might leave the last one without pearls and put something else in the middle.  Depends how the mood takes me.
We met lots of lovely people as always - including Margaret and Vernon again.  Lovely to see them and we had the chance to sit down and have a cup of tea together and catch up with news. I am looking forward to it all again next year.
Carol xx

ATC Swop UK - June 2015

Our theme for June is 'Oriental'.  I sent in 5 as usual and used  a CD of Japanese backgrounds as the basis for all 5.  They all have a little decoupage - and this is how they have been presented.  As always -  beautifully arranged by the organisers.

Carol xx

CD Sunday - Four legs and a tail

Good morning.  It is jolly cold and wet whilst I am doing this scheduled post.  Surely our Summer will come soon.  If nothing else I want to test this new very expensive Conservatory roof and see how it keeps out the hot sun.  No chance at the moment.

Thank you all for your Bling and Glitter and it is now time for my choice of 'Four legs and a tail'.  So many possibilities - normal and everyday or different and exotic.
I went with a mouse.  From the very popular House Mouse CD's and here it is.

And a juggling mouse at that.  Everything comes from the CD except the red half pearls to highlight the juggling balls and some die-cut pine tree fronds.
I have taken the opportunity to start my Christmas card box with this one.  Just about 99 to go.
My fellow team members have made some great cards so please visit their blogs and get some ideas for your own creations. My last theme choice of Sentiments was well received so I hope to see as many for 'Four legs and a tail'.

I am off down to the Bristol Parchment Craft  Exhibition next weekend (Sunday 21st June).  I am taking  the opportunity to stay with my sister and catch up with all her news,  If anyone is coming to the show please drop by tables 87 and 88 where I will be helping my Parchment Tutor Marilyn Pybus.

Hope to see you then.
Carol xx

A Fine Hat

At our workshop last Wednesday I decided I wanted to make a particular parchment card.  I have made it twice before and both times I managed the central image OK but made a pigs ear of the background/border.
It is a lovely pattern by Judith Maslen and was designed back in 2012.  I have not yet determined if it was a freebie pattern or one from the Parchment Magazine but Judith is going to let me know when she gets back from her 'jolly'.
Here it is:

The background is by no means perfect but I love the image and I am determined not to abandon this effort.
I love the tones and would like to do more in Sepia.

Carol
xx
p.s.  Judith has now resurrected this design (originally done in 2012) and it is renamed  'Rosalind' and will be added to the Edwardian Charm range.

A plethera of butterflies

I have been playing with a couple of my Pergamano parchment grids, some beads and gems and a butterfly die - and of course a CD and here is my finished card

I traced the inside of one of my oval dies onto parchment paper and used that as a pro forma for the oval butterfly pattern on Grid 33.  To match the oval I had drawn I had to move the grid a little every so often to match up the outside edge. I then cut out the purple card  oval background using the same die which gave a little edge showing.  I then stitched the parchment oval to the card oval using tiny heather mix beads.  The two large butterflies were made using Grid 17.  These were embossed and snipped out  - fixed to the oval with Perga glue  - and then given a coat of Wink of Stella clear glitter brush pen.  This shows beautifully in the flesh but doesn't photograph well.
The card itself was printed straight from the CD using a backing paper on  CD1 of Jane Shasky's 'from the heart of the garden'.
The two purple corner die cuts were made using a Cheery Lynn butterfly corner.  I adapted them by cutting off one of the flourishes from each side.
The tiny little butterflies were made using my Pinflair punch.  I spread some of the Wink of Stella on to a scrap of parchment paper - let it dry and then punched with the butterfly tool.