me time

Oh how good that sounds! Dont get me wrong, I love making samples, and find it an incredibly challenging experience, but sometimes there isnt actually enough time to go around!
Well as I paid for it I decided that by jove I was going to do it!
At the end of last week I had a phone call from Aly's Inky Fingers. Back at the GNPE Harrogate show I had signed up for Aly's email stamp thingy, well I said to send me the stamps, for a small charge  and they arrived mid last week.
So mid sample making, I had these stamps sitting there staring at me, (actually nothing new there, there's normally stamps sitting there staring at me, but in the end they get put away unused, one day I promise I will stop buying, and start using, just not right now lol.). So, and as its an area that I still havent mastered, I decided to get to grips with Aly's Stamps, She of the appearing Fairies, and Pan Pastels.
So I pushed aside the samples I was making, and started following the worksheets Aly had sent with the stamps.
Oh Blast not using Pan Pastles! Drat! Oh well, use the distress inks then, as instructed:

Okay, done! lol, but as with all crafters, you always add your own touches, so turn the base card, add some ribbon, a Staple, 3 gems and some of the Holtzers Crackle Glaze (slight problem with this glaze is that it always distorts my base card, ggrr!).
Okay done. Now what bits have I got left?............... Hmn, some of the base card I used for 3d'ing the flowers with, so what can I do with that?

A Tag, using Spectrum Noirs to colour the flowers, and a freebie stamp from Card Making and Papercraft magazine.

Now to get the Pan Pastles out to play.....................

This one I really like. Pan Pastels on the base card, stamped with Versamark, and dusted with Pan pastels. Freebie backing paper from my stash in a lilac Damask, Purple satin ribbon, colour the flower heads in with Spectrum Noirs, add a peel off glittered butterfly in the same shade of green, and Hubby was VERY insistent that this was an Easter card, so again freebie stamp from Cardmaking and papercraft magazine.

This is basically the same, but this time making a feature of the other Stamps Aly sent, the Frame and sentiment. Again coloured the flowers and inside of the frame with Speccies, added glitter, some card and ribbon from my stash. a very Vibrant card.

Now one of my private new years resolutions this year was to return to my first form of Craft. This was back in my mid teenage years, when I had some spends, and we made a visit to London, probably for School uniform, I know I ended up with a skirt from Jaeger as a result of that trip, but I clearly recall standing in the old mid floor of Liberty's, the bit that bridged the buildings, the really old and ancient bit, looking at beads!

I know I came away with lots of lovely little packets, and spent many a happy hour creating earings for myself, and yes I did get a bit extreeme, but I was a teenager!

So I got myself a bead spinner, and some beads, and here is my first attempt in over 25yrs at jewelry making:

I can see a few strands I missed, and will get them with a magnifying glass later. For some reason the clear strand of beads isnt as vibrant as it is in real life, its more of an Opal than it appears in the photos!

Right back to samples, 

hugs,,

Lou