My bags are packed…

My bags are packed…

Hi there!
How are you today?
How am I ?
Well, I’ve got a thist of dings to lo as yong as my larm;
if fact, I think I just saw myself fly past the window!
I keep humming this tune, which is never a good sign….

But joking aside, one day at a time is the only way forward.
So the first thing today is you, and our blog.
Here’s a simple step-by-step card for you to try.

The starting place is a 7″ x 7″ piece of our Gelli Card
Let’s construct a panel, an open aperture, 
using copy paper and masking tape.
 Like so:

Add a Moon Mask, and brush some Latte ink down the sides,
using a Clarity brush

Next come the clouds. 
We’ll use the Clouds mask from the same mask pack.
a brilliant addition to any craft stash.
Stonewashed Adirondack is a nice blue.
Lightly dust in the blue, 
moving the cloud mask down the aperture,

moving the cloud mask down the panel.

You don’t need much blue ink at all. 

When you have travelled from top to bottom with the clouds,
it’s time to add some stamps.
Here’s a beautiful set:
You can buy them individually, 
but I think they belong together …
Stamp the heart grasses along the base of the panel,
using a dark brown Archival ink.
I used Potting Soil.

More of the same up the edges, but second generation ink. 
In, blot, plot.
See the more faded grasses?
Remove the masking tape.

Stamp the lovely girl into place.
She comes unmounted in the set, so you might consider buying either a set of mounts,
or a Mega Mount.

Squiggle up the edges of the panel with a Distress Pen.

Colour in the areas where your squiggle lines have overlapped.

Layer up and mount.
Done.
So what about the boy?
Yep. They are both definitely up up and away…
But not I!
I’ve got both feet firmly on the ground. 
Not going anywhere!
Not today anyway!!
Way too much to do to go floating off!
Which of the Word Chain words you would add to 
A) the Girl Card, and
B) the Boy Card?
Tell me…
I’ll use the words with the most votes to finish the cards….
love and hugs,

44 thoughts on “My bags are packed…

  1. Hi Barbara words to use (amazing for the boy )( wonderful for the girls ) both these stamps are brilliant and so versatile for any cards happy crafting hugs xxx

  2. Hi Barbara

    Love both cards and my choice of Word Chain words to add, would be: Boy Card – Magical and Girl Card – You!

    My choice is because your cards are MAGICAL and I love all that YOU do!

    Lol Barbara W

  3. Both versions are beautiful, I'd put "awesome " on the boys and "grace" on the girls. Barbara these actually remind me of two little framed pictures above my bed, one a boy one a girl, both holding flowers and facing each other. We bought them 44 years ago with my husbands first wage packet after we were married at a wee cheap as chips bits and bobs shop. They've moved a few times with us but always hang above our bed, our girls keep telling us to get something new but I just couldn't part with them. X

  4. Hi Barbara, thanks for sharing these lovely pieces of artwork, I was hoping you would after seeing it, was it the telly. Thank you for making me laugh too, I'm needing bringing out of myself right now, and you always seem to have the knack in doing it ;-). Really bad at retreating totally inside these days, nothing and no one to stay in the present for, nothing to look towards just bleak! Until recently I used to be able to keep your blog and all you guys separate so I didn't shut myself off from here too, but it seems to be all clumping together now. Sorry to hear you're chasing your tail still, but hope you enjoyed your chill time with Dave yesterday, and can get out for a nice quiet walk this evening.
    faith for the boy – have faith to follow your dreams
    trust for the girl – trust in what your heart tells you
    love Brenda xx
    p.s. wish I could be leaving, any mode of transport would do!!!!!

    Thank you Donna, Sheila and Dot. Donna are you psychic, or am I that transparent?!!! That penetrated through to wherever I go inside, that puts you, and Barbara too, right up there with the special people I've been allowed in my life like Nicola, to be able to get through all these barriers
    Hope you're enjoying your granny time Dot, and it's not wearing you out too much.

    1. Hi Brenda – so sorry that you're having a bad time right now. You always have such lovely words of encouragement and help for others, so I'm glad you have found some friends to support you through this blog. Hope you manage to do some crafting to help get your mind into a different place, Susan x

    2. Oh Brenda I'm so sad that you are feeling down. I knew you was, I just felt that by the posts over the last few days. I also thought that it would be tough for you after going out on Thursday as that must take so much out of you. It made me feel very humbled to know you think I am special enough to let me through the barriers you build up. Please know that I think you are very special too, and I will continue to talk to you even when you can't post a reply, because that's what friends do 🙂 Sending hugs XX

    3. Hi Brenda I'm am sad to know your struggling so ,take the hugs that we leave for you here on this blog and know we care your not alone .hopefully when you get your groovi ordered it will help or take you new things you ordered in the members sale and just craft a little each day in crafting you will know we are there with you.big bear hugs thinking of you xxx

    4. You three have got me crying now, because you care so much :-). Thank you all three for your lovely words. Susan, you're a friend too, you've been there, right from the start, always leaving me lovely words when I'm struggling :-). I never mind feeling more ill and sore from doing something good, I'd far rather feel more ill and have had something good than feel less ill and done nothing :-). I have been doing tiny bits of craft, even getting some things finished rather than starting something and then adding it to the pile of 'to be completed'. That must be a good sign, until recently I never start and not finish and move on to the next and next and next, not how my brain works! Just simple stuff, nothing arty, but I did get finished the simple stencil art work I had started a few weeks ago, and I even like it, but that's probably because I like the colour combo I chose, they go well together, and it's very basic but my own take on inspiration from a couple of ideas I've seen. Got to start somewhere eh!!! Glad you've been crafting today Donna, good to know you're getting back into your crafting properly. I've still to order my Groovi stuff, got my orders to do it asap from Nicola on Thursday but she's on holiday this week so that gives me a bit of time to work up to it!!! xx

    5. Brenda so sorry to hear you are feeling down. Sending a big hug your way to cheer you up. How exciting you have made the decision to go with the groovi plates, don't forget the quicker you do it the quicker it will get to you. Are you brave enough to ring up and speak to the lovely lady ( I think it's Jan?) or will you do it on line?. How lovely you have finished a piece of artwork, I hope you have signed it ( don't forget Barbara says we need to own it), and put it on display. I thought of you today as I picked a bunch of sweet peas and some peas from our garden for dinner. How are yours doing? Hope you feel brighter soon lovely lady xxx

    6. I always choose colours I like when trying something new that way I'm more sure to like the results. I usually go for purple, blue, pink combos as they always look good together. Keep on trying to do a little bit of something crafty, I know it works wonders for the soul. Xx

    7. Hi Brenda I know we all have very tough days but as long as we can craft even a little not even having a Finnished piece of art what we do even a very little it takes away the sadness of what we cannot do no more ,if I craft only a little a day I feel I have achieved my goal like you I have things I haven't Finnished but I can look and think yes I did that .
      Lots of crafting hugs xxx

    8. Thank you too Diane, you're another friend who leaves me lovely words when I'm struggling :-). Online order for sure, I think I need to wait a while before thinking about trying a phone order, time for the feelings from the really bad recent phone experiences first. Oops forgot all about signing artwork, I'll need to have think how I'm going to do that, something very simple maybe just initials. your sweet peas are now doing better than mine, I was checking out the window if they were needing watered and there's no signs of any more buds! They're actually quite straggly this year, but maybe that's just because they were delayed and they'll bush up now. It's Thursday this week when I'll get to harvest anything I can find. The worker is off too this week but didn't warn us until last Friday! So I've actually benefitted from that, because of the short notice another manager that I know is stepping in, so it should be a problem free visit for a change 🙂 hug back xx

      Hi Donna, I try and pick colours to go with the theme of what I'm making, I chose quite muted blue, green and yellow-green. I try to make an effort to go for different colour combinations or everything would end up being in exactly the same!!! I'm going to try hard to do something every day, to keep going with it, and hopefully build on it. See how long it lasts this time until something bad happens that takes me right back to square one again!!! I think I'm getting wee bits of time, very wee bits, when my eyes aren't quite so bad, hopefully that will keep improving so we can start our rose bowls 🙂 Thank you my friend and hope you have an easy week at school big hug to you xx

      Hi Sheila, yeah, and that's something I'm not very good at, being satisfied with tiny bits achieved!!! It's not so much what I can't do that's the problem, it's what I can /could do if I were allowed. And the total lack of any human beings, us humans are social creatures, even a lot of us with Asperger's, it's innate, and it's sooo hard to have to live such a solitary isolated life. Hugs back xx

  5. Lovely panels Barbara – and I'm glad that you used some of my favourite stamps again! I would put Trust for the girl card, as trust and love go so completely together, and Inspire for the boy card, as your work and words are always so inspirational to me. Hope today is productive for you, and that the list for tomorrow is a bit shorter! Susan x

  6. Hi, i would use imagine for the boy and as the string of the girls balloon spells love I think it needs forever on it. Love panel cards as they always look so effective with the white spaces. Xx

    1. Yes did some groovi work. Did something similar to the butterfly caught in the net, although mine was in the vine plate. Pleased with my white work as I didn't put the tool through the parchment! Yay! Xx

    2. Hi Brenda sorry your out of sorts a wee bit the now but hope you bounce back soon
      to the Brenda we know and love wouldn't be the same without you….miss our wee bits o banter to but maybe have more time next week as my granny rota not to bad.. time maybe for a wee bit of craft you know Brenda I have so much stuff to that I have not even tried yet and so much Clarity that I would just love to have especially the Groovi plate but maybe if im good Santa might bring it.
      Take good care of yourself ….xxx

  7. I need to get a new set of landscape set mines a bit worn been used a lot. Lovely but simple love already their so forever making love forever. Awesome for boy xxx

    1. Don't forget you can wash the masks if they lose their stick. Just stick them in a bowl of water with Fairy in, swish them about a bit and then rinse and pat them dry. That gets rid of all the dust and general gunk (dog hair in my case) that gets stuck to them and they work like new. xxx Maggie

  8. Hey Barb, so beautiful, one of my all time favourite songs. I have to get the stamps, as I have the stencils. Let's see shall we! Not if, just when! With regards to the words, it has to be TRUST for the girl – Trust in the strength of love. IMAGINE for the boy – Imagine the possibilities. Stunning artwork, and something I am going to try. BTW got my NDC envelope, and I absolutely love both the stencil and the stamp. So many ideas going through my mind. As always thank you for the inspiration. Bx

  9. Hi Barb,
    Sorry to hear that you are snowed under again, but it's good that you've got Dave to help you through things. These two pictures are fabulous and would look lovely with matching frames. I think the words I would choose would be Cherish for the girl as it goes so well with love. For the boy I would choose dream or amazing just because I think that's what he's thinking! My NSC envelope arrived yesterday and can I say I love the stamp and stencil this month – has to be one of my very favourite animals – I won't say which animal in case I spoil the surprise for others. Thank you, love Alison xxx

  10. Oh what a joy it was to watch you on USA TV . And to hear that I will be able to order from somewhere in America . I ordered two extra joy stamps only needed one and the postage to mail back to the UK was bout the value of the stamps ugh . So returns if needed should be easier . Oh if I was younger I would apply for a job here .

  11. "Freedom" for the boy and "Joyful" for the girl. I love both of them and I am just working out how I can best use them with another idea. I think I need to bring them down to the Retreat to play with at night. xxx Maggie

  12. Beautiful images Barbara. I would use 'freedom' for the boy and either 'always' or 'forever' for the girl – to follow the love. Love the NDC stamp and stencil this month and look forward to seeing the others in the series. xx

  13. Hi Barbara
    Wow haven't heard that song for many years, my sister loved John Denver and wore the grooves out on her record playing it so it became my least favourite song for a while, but I've grown out of that now! ( oh the joys of teenage years and annoying your little sister!). Love the artwork today thse stamps keep calling to me so I must invest in them one day soon. I think Trust for the girl and Dream for the boy. Don't rush around too much, easier to say than do I know. Remember the Grand Canion !
    Take care
    Love Diane xxx

  14. Lovely, lovely cards, Barbara, especially for what you call 'simple.' I love using the boy stamp for family and friends with boys. I have two grandsons ( they're 'Magical') and could really do with a smaller version too, so I can do scenes in perspective. I try to get round it by second generation inking. I love the panel idea too, very distinctive. x

  15. Love these – in fact the girl & balloons featured in my weekends creations, together with some following your instructions for this month's club stencil and stamp – great results. Those colour bursts are brill too 🙂
    Anyway, in answer to your questions, my choice would be
    A) "& Hugs"
    B) "Happy, Happy, Happy"
    Have a great week ahead Barbara xxx

  16. Hi Barbara,
    Wow when I first saw the title of the blog I thought my god where is she off to now
    doesn't her batteries run out sometimes but glad your feet are planted for now even if you have a long list to do easier when its in the comfort of your own home I'm thinking.
    Love panel cards and I think the boy with birds is just lovely and I think Imagine goes perfect with him and for the wee girl & Hugs as I got my hugs set delivered yesterday and cant wait to play with them …..Dot ..xx

    1. Dot I thought exactly the same when I read the title, then breathed a big sigh of relief when I realised it related to the demo instead of Barbara being off to Germany TV or something!!! Thank you for the lovely message you left me above :-). I'll keep making an effort as much as I can (even though my head is screaming at me 'what's the point'!), that's all I can do, everything else being outwith my control. hug for you xx

  17. Love your work today Barbara I chose the boy for my special stamp I love him. My boy did a bike ride Manchester to Blackpool for Christies cancer care well done son xxxxxx

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