Resolutions, shmezolutions

Yup, posting my Daring Cards on time has already gone out the window!
I did start a new exercise dvd as well and then could not walk properly for two days (not joking). Tried starting again today without being so enthusiastic and so far so legs working.

Jo chose our first monthly inspiration piece for the year - this beautiful photo

 Look at all those delicate colours.
Mine are a little bit stronger...

 I was inspired by the circles of tape, the colours, the star, the sequins, the paper wrappers and that gorgeous sparkly bauble.
So I painted some watercolour washes as near as I could get (not that close obvs) and die cut circles and a star.
I didn't have the right colour glitter card so some white card was also watercoloured and that worked a treat!
I also cut some vellum to echo the cases.

(close up of the sparkly goodness)

Jo was on double duty as she chose this weeks dare - Leaf it alone - making leaves the centrepiece and not the bit on the side!

I decided to try stamping with my Kuretake cleancolour pens and a non outline stamp (this is an old Clearly Besotted one). I used three different greens and stamped onto watercolour paper. Bah, it was all splotchy. But then I filled in the colour with a water brush and oooooh, something very pretty happened.

I then decided to add some gold bubble wrap print (as you do). The patterned paper was also coloured in with some watered down Delicata gold ink which also went around the outside of the die cut panel.

I like the effect so much I did it again

This time I added a Clearly Besotted butterfly. I wondered if the effect would work so well with a stamp with more space. I think it does!. I have some extra thick vellum (sadly no longer made by the company I bought it from) and so was able to heat emboss the sentiment without warping the vellum. I wrapped it round the die cut piece which was mounted with foam tape to the white base card.

I did actually stamp another one and added some of the watered down gold paint over the top which looks very pretty. But I haven't done anything with that yet.

I'm still loving the crochet. This is now big enough to keep me nice and warm in the evenings whilst I make it. I'm following an Attic 24 pattern and kit so I don't really have to think about what I am doing much! (just as well as I am still a novice) I'm making it for my daughter so it needs to be done by half term when we are popping up for a visit.