WOYWW, Coke Tin with Alcohol inks + Cuttlebug; Jemac stamps

{Warning - lo-n-ng post}

Hullo there everyone..

Welcome to WOYWW (What is On Your Workdesk Wednesday - do pop over to Julia's *here* to the crafty learning zone).  I have been meaning to share this for ages now, but been absent due to being poorly (see previous posts).
 I had wanted a stamp for back of my cards to save me writing details all the time on the back. Saw one on Jocelyn's blog ages ago now, and contacted the Aussie company. Have a luffly new stamp made here in Oz at Jemac stamps - a wonderful company, who are very helpful. They offer to make a stamp to your order ( eg.here and here). I actually sent them one of my watermarks and they were willing to to do it, even sent me a sample image. It would have cost a little more. However chose a simpler design, used watermark lettering, but one of their images ('cos gumnuts & gumleaves are so Aussie). May post overseas too, just ask, their post here was very cheap.

Cuttlebug Clockworks folder + Alcohol inks.

Beautifully etched rubber, so easy to get right every time. Maybe wood mounted too, chose "easier to clean" plastic mount and handle. No discount for promo, just like to let others know.

The focal point of this week's card was actually started ages ago now on the April WOYWW post (see back here) with a coke can die cut embossed and coloured with alcohol inks - some of you might remember. Had the potential card element sitting on my desk for ages wondering just how to feature is as did not want to cover it up. Then one day the perfect scenario dawned on me. Clockwork folder means clocks, clocks mean passing of time and who do I like to rib the most about getting older? a certain family male member, of course! so perfect opportunity was Monday, this week - his 60th no less! 

Used Perfect Pearl and Versamark colour the clockwork pieces, and the 60 and then used Dimensional magic to gloss them up. The background folder is Tim Holtz Dot Matrix think it is and distressed a little too. Printed a coloured sheet of card first as did not have right shade, so I guessed a Photoshopped piece then deepened a little after embossing. The sentiment, an acronym, is computer generated and printed on background of clock faces. Used Spellbinder labels 8 and 4 think it is (?)

The poem written below was inside (always do this for special birthdays, write a poem). First part was written after walking on beach, had some grains of wet sand on my finger, studying them wet tiny but wonderful in sunshine, talking to LORD, and then it just rolled out:

 Grains of sand, wet,

 Gleaming, glistening, glittering,

 Glinting in the sunlight on seashore.

Beauty caught in single grain,

Individual glory sculpted by an Unseen Hand.

 Such are the sands of time – present, passing!

Never to be caught again ....

SLG 12.8.13

(Edited out personal bit)

How precious are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them,
Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand.

Psalm 139:17-18

 

A beautiful beach ten minutes north of here, on walk with my dad last week, he is going to paint it...

This is zoomed in ultra close to the headland in the far, far middle distance in shot above this one. So you can see what aview they have up there living on that headland. I have friends who live there.

Our front garden at  Honeybird Yellow Grevillea - best one you can buy, flowers all year around compact and birds adore it.
Happy WOYWW everyone - very sorry limited blogging as health allows - but thank you so very very much if you take the time to say hullo.
Your words really bless my heart, may God bless your day wherever you may be,
Shaz in Oz.x
PS would like to link this up to:

1. Allsorts Challenge - Use your new stash (clock pieces and coke tin, never done it before though not strictly from stash :D)

2. Di's Snippets Challenge - Snippets of card used + die cut. Woohoo, I may get to play in playground!

3. Word Art Wednesday - Anything goes

About Art Accents ATC Iris ~ Brayered Cuttlebug folder

Hullo there everyone! Back again with post from drafts, done ages ago now. On a WOYWW post in June I was working on this card, using the bearded Iris ATC stamp (Stamp - see here) from AAA (About Art Accents). On this desk shot (here) was trying out several methods.

It was for a very dear friend, Iris, who is in her eighties and lives in the Old Blighty in Lincoln. I visited her last year and so enjoyed my time there. I made this present (click here) - also an Iris with calligraphed verse to take over to her.

This card was stamped in white on black card then coloured with my Art (Caran D'Ache) pencils. Used 5 x 7 Cuttlebug Kassie's Brocade embossing folder brayered in SU Lavender lace ink pad for the background. Mounted image on Double layered Crafts-Too (Labels 2) Nesting die. Edged with some braid used for first time and toned in so well, with punched white card edge of Arrow EK Success punch.

Still as not 100% so not blogging much at all; I had to cut back the calligraphy teaching to once a fortnight (see last post). Not managing to teach the weekly lesson, so maybe able to pop on here more often. Now hope to finish a card for a four year old :D  - and, God willing, possibly back for WOYWW tomorrow.

Many thanks for popping over for peek and chat. I  may or may not be able to reply to comments but each and every one of them really cheer my heart, so I thank you very much!

May God bless your day wherever you may be, Shaz in Oz.x

I would like to link over to following challenges:

1. Allsorts Challenge - Use your new stash  (braid)

2. Di's Snippets Challenge - Snippets of card used with images + die cut. Woohoo, I may get to play in playground!

3. Word Art Wednesday - Anything goes

4. Papertake Weekly - Occasion - Birthday.

Blue + White Card ~ Give thanks unto the LORD, for He is good...

Hullo there everyone..

 Well just dropping in with quick post to let you know I am not going to be blogging for wee while. I am not sure how long, possibly a few weeks, Lord knows. 

Some folk have been asking so thought should let you know. I still hope to pop by when able, but just very low key.

Some of you may recall I am teaching a class on Thursday the calligraphy course I do. They are years 7/8 at our local church school. While only five teens are doing the course, have found I am very unwell this time around. The spirit is willing, but the body not so.

Rather than give this particular class up, (as told to do by family/ friends), after prayer I am cutting back on everything else. I also have decided (with the LORD) in the long wakeful hours to make it the last time I will teach it to a group - one on one maybe okay.

Saying farewell to this aspect of teaching is a real sorrow of heart.. “the LORD giveth,and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. In all this Job charged not the LORD foolishly” Job 1:21, 22

So spake Job, (in the oldest book in the Bible), he was one who gave up much, but how much more did the  lovely LORD Jesus, Who gave His very life blood for us, and our salvation from sin.

God knows - He understands as no-one else does. His way is perfect. As he says in His word above - "Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good".  

He does know best.. and gives grace for the way.

Thank you all for your kind thoughts on the post before this one, dear friends, and most of all for your prayers.

Thanks so very much for popping over for a peek and chat – you do cheer my heart so, may the dear LORD bless you all, Shaz. x

 Card is made with a Bible verse stamp unnamed and many years old + Marianne dies corner frames, Spellbinder Fancy labels 3 I think it was.

I would like to enter it in Di’Snippet challenge (Used snippets) and Word Art Wednesday.
{EDIT: I re-did card as "Thinking of you" card and this how it became - verse is from Word Art Wednesday}