...and then there's this

I freely admit to being inspired by those artists out here on the web who use a variety of ephemera to create tiny masterpieces.....  Electra, this means you for one.......!!

My cousin Sue is a talented folk artist and possesses more than her fair share of ability at anything she turns her hand to, which makes gift-giving more than unusually fraught with difficulty: something store-bought just doesn't seem right.  I bought these wooden buttons from Aussie Woodcraft at the Healesville market and had something crafty in mind, but what?  After an evening blurfing (see Electra, there's that word again) I decided to combine the concept of an ATC with a collection of papers, and then frame the result.  Let me say that the frame was the easy bit.  I hunted through the big box of wooden things under the desk - and there was the perfect frame, all it needed was some sanding to neaten up the edges, and a bit of inspiration for the artwork in the centre.  The finished work has no glass because the picture is in 3D.

I've used a piece of handmade paper with a lovely textured edge for the hills; the fields are a combination of SU designer paper overlaid with green gauze ribbon, and the sky is the reverse of a lovely SU paper that matches their Fifth Avenue Floral stamp set.  The patterned ribbon at the bottom of the picture is a tiny piece from one of the TE kits. 

Merry Christmas Sue.

Made it!! (OG # 83)

Make it..... make it........ Who has time to make anything more than the bed?  Ah, but then the holidays were upon me and once I caught up with the bits of housekeeping I had conveniently overlooked, and wrapped some Christmas presents, suddenly there was time to play.  So Poobahs, here's my offering........

 My friend Kim and I started school together (more years ago than either of us are prepared to admit) and her birthday heralds the beginning of holidays for us because it was always the day after Speech Night (which at our school was on the last day of the school year). She and I share a love for silver jewellery so it was only a short stretch of the imagination to make this necklace for her.  I've used red coral, silver scallop shells and beads and a couple of tiny hematite (ironstone) balls as well.

And of course there had to be a card.  I used lots of TE goodies here, and some cream card stock that seemed like a good idea at the time, but never seems to look as crisp as black or white........FINALLY, thanks to TE pushing me outside my monotone comfort zone, I have the papers with which to grace colours other than white!