Earth Day/Newspaper challenge/Dream and believe

The challenge is to use newspapers as crafts materials. I folded a little boat and slightly painted it over with acrylics. The newspaper background has also been painted.
My idea was that a little boat, floating in the puddle, is dreaming of adventures and being a pirate's galleon.
And that you should always have dreams, small or big, and maybe, one day, they will come true.
Stamps used: Clearly Defined Pirate treasure and TT Pieces of the Puzzle.

Not much

Feeling rather listless lately, and hence the lack of anything creative.

Purple Challenge on Caardvarks

Yet another purple challenge, this time on Caardvarks site.
Stamps used: Inka and Technique Tuesday.

Catching up on birthdays

One more off my birthday cards' list, two more to finish. I used yesterday's ATC, just painted two snowdrops in the corner. Snow, snowdrops, spring...

Purple/Wed Stamper

It surely brought memories of my childhood, when I was colouring in the pictures with watercolours. :)

Spirit of Spring/TMTA Textures

While walking in our garden, I found this small piece of birch bark hanging off the tree, so I gently peeled it off, and decided to make an ATC with it. I stamped the border with The Stampsmith stamp. The main image - the Romanov family in the early spring, digging in the snow, is also from The Stampsmith plate (From Russia with love).

A bunch of birthday cards

This week I had to make several birthday cards. The top one is for my forum friend Joanne, and it is a homage to Joanne. I hope she found it amusing. I used an Inka stamp.
The one in the middle is for my dearest friend David, who's in his 80s, and is like a father to me. He's been very poorly recently, but he's a fighter, and is my hero.
The last card is for a forum friend Paula, another talented crafter.

Relax/Wed Stamper In the Garden

I am taking part in a sketch challenge/swap, and thought that MM reading in the garden fits well into this week's Wednesday Stamper.
Stamp used: Stampsmith.

Birthday book page

I've been invited to take part in a birthday book project. I had to make a page, anything I like, but within a colour palette. Lilac and blue are the colours I seem to work a lot with recently. I used a BG patterned paper for my main background, and painted it over with powder blue and lilac acrylics. The main image is by Stampsmith.
Stars are BG chipboard, painted with silver acrylic. There's a bit of an empty space on the side for binding.

What you do for the sake of friendship

My dearest friend Anne is 81. The other day, over lunch at Fleece, celebrating my birthday, she asked me to make a birthday card for her friend. "Maybe flowers... And a Happy birthday message" So far so good. "And could you add her name Joy on the card?" OK. "And her age - 82" (No! I'm tearing my hair mentally, lol) So here it is, as been requested. Adding name and 82 made me wince. But what won't you do for the sake of friendship. :)

Easter card

Easter celebrations always bring to my mind Faberge eggs, and for my card I used Stampsmith stamp (From Russia with love plate), golden mesh ribbon, carved glass leaves and Tulip paint.

Wish upon a star

Stars is this week's Wednesday Stamper theme.
And Caardvarks micro challenge is Say No to Patterned paper, which is almost a sacrilege to me, as patterned paper and I are the best friends. :)
So, I decided to combine the two challenges.
The main image is by Stampsmith. Swirl - PM. Alphabet - Clearly Defined.

40 today

Not something I was looking forward to. But I feel like the most popular girl in the class today, I got so many cards and phone calls and email greetings. I am so deeply touched that people remember and think of me. Thank you all! You made my day!
My special thanks to my niece who drew this wonderful hedgehog playing a violin. She's 6 years old.
She also wrote a very sweet message inside, bless her. Isn't it fabulous?

recent what to call it?

artwork? too pompous... creations? again, a bit too loud... something I made in between running after Sasha who's on the stairs to the attic again, serving him chocolate muffins and changing his DVDs and videos and computer games etc etc:)
A birthday card and four more or less same-ish ATCs for an ATC swap titled Poetry. I have chosen yet again Francois Villon's poem "Ballade des Dames du Temps Jadis ("Ballad of the Ladies of Times Past") .

More DT cards

I had to produce this batch at a rather short notice, and we also moved home just two weeks ago, so life is pretty hectic here.

Ready Steady Design

This is a selection of my Design Team work for Stamp Addicts, using the latest stamps from Judikins and PrintWorks range - JK Poppy Mosaic (that I found most inspiring), PW Life is in Bloom, PW New Curls, JK Happy Flowers, JK Solid Vases cube (another excellent stamp that reminded me of ancient Greek vases) and a PW Life blossom quote stamp.
It is a bit like Ready Steady Cook programme, you can use only a limited amount of stamps that you get and some other stamps by the same companies. I also got two lovely Stazon inks in lilac and fuchsia pink, hence my choice of palette for many cards, JK glass beads (I never tried them before).

trolley dance

yet another charming piece from Antnhec. Great to see people throwing away their inhibitions and enjoying the freedom.

Who are you? (Scraplift challenge)

The SM magazine runs the Scraplifting challenge in every issue, so here's my attempt.
This photo was taken when Sasha was about two years old. Here he's looking at the goat's sculpture in the Museum garden. It makes me smile, as Sasha's expression here borders on squeamish bewilderment, like who the heck are you.

There was a boy/ Kings at Wed Stamper

This piece is for Fede, we both love the Nature Boy song. Also as we are moving in a week, I don't think I'll have time to do anything sensible for Valentine's Day.
The difficulty will be to hide it until the day, and with all the packing will I find it once we move? :)
Stamps used: Paperartsy, Stampsmith (king) and Clearly Defined Alphabet.
The fool is an antique Tarot card image.


There was a boy
A very strange, enchanted boy
They say he wandered very far
Very far, over land and sea
A little shy and sad of eye
But very wise was he

And then one day,
One magic day he passed my way
While we spoke of many things
Fools and Kings
This he said to me

The greatest thing you'll ever learn
Is just to love and be loved in return.

(Nature boy by Eden Ahbez)

Magic Tree/LotusPaperie Tallest tree challenge

Sasha is a nature boy. He might hug and kiss a tree in the park like a dear friend.
And I believe he can see things that we don't see.

Small steps (OLW Steps challenge)

I love this photo of Sasha, and had this LO in mind for a long time, but finally the OLW challenge pushed me to start and finish it.
The message says:
"Some people call you a special needs child, but for me you're my very special boy.
You constantly move forward - one small step at a time.
You fully embrace life - disability or not.
I'm so proud of you!"
The chipboard frame is Technique Tuesday, painted with acrylics.
Stamps used: Technique Tuesday, Clearly Defined and PaperArtsy.
The fab tag is KF, I think. I just had to get one, didn't I? lol

Timeless (Caardvarks template challenge)

This is the first card of the new year, made with The Stampsmith/From Russia with Love stamp and the fab carved stone leaves that I got for Christmas. These leaves reminded me of the marvellous carved stone vases you can see in the Hermitage in St Petersburg.

We wish you a beautiful Christmas!

and a happy new year!
And in case you think we have a house with such posh decorations, let me assure you these are photos taken in the Palace, lol.

Sunny card for a cold day

I've been playing with my new stamp, a Secret Santa gift. I know I was supposed to open it on a big day, but I couldn't wait for so long. :)
It is a birthday card for a forum friend. This stamp was asking for something sunny and hot and almost tropical, hence the orange colour.

Christmas is coming

And I am frantic with worry, I need to do more cards. The list is never-ending. :)
Here are some of a few things I managed so far.

This world of words/Wednesday Stamper

I dedicate this little piece to my beloved son Sasha and all kids who cannot talk.
Sasha will be six next year, and he is not talking.
When Sasha is "tuned", he understands a lot, but there are times when I feel that words go through him like sounds which don't make sense. He is surrounded by words, that are more like a cacophony. He tries to express himself, but words that make perfect sense in his mind, come out as sounds that nobody else can understand. This world of words is very frustrating and confusing.

I thought that the scratchy white Sandylion paper was perfect for stamping the main image. Stamps used: Technique Tuesday and PaperArtsy.
And the word HOPE is essential here, as there is always hope, and we should not give up.

Rub-ons challenge

I have used my favourite Anastasia stamp (Stampsmith) and BG Wholy Cow rub-ons for this piece. I particularly like the antique ribbon, it fits well with the nostalgic look of the card.

Snow maiden

My piece has been inspired by the Russian fairy tales, and shows a Snow maiden or Snegurochka in Russian. The maiden's face is painted with the acrylic paints. It is later attached to a Christmas tree ornament, which is painted with 3d paints. The ornament is attached to the card with a ribbon, but can be easily untied and used as a Christmas tree decoration.

Christmas ornaments

After a long non-creative pause I have finally made something. I took my guys yesterday to the Blenheim Palace (where I work) to see all the Christmas decorations and ornaments. Sasha was enjoying himself a lot. All the splendour and colours gave me a necessary inspirational kick, though my ornaments don't look like anything to do with the Palace itself.
I add two photos, as I can't decide which one is more truthful to the colours of my Russian girls. I will call them Olga and Tatiana. :)

Christmas tag (swap)

My Christmas tag was made using a Lost Coast stamp (on shrink plastic). I have painted the stamped image on plastic with acrylic paints. The little icon is a heart of my church tag, with three added cupolas. I am also entering my little collage into a collage challenge on Saturday Stampers.

Sketch challenge/Friends

Here is a sketch for the challenge and my card. This is the stamp that always make me go awww.