I have read blog posts where people talk about losing their Mojo ... I felt like I had lost even more than that for a while. It wasn't just inspiration, but the confidence to actually sit down and create.
I looked at challenges but didn't feel I had the courage to start things, or see them through. But I still enjoyed checking out entries to challenges and have seen some awesome cards over the last few months.
It's interesting how when one part of your life is out of kilter it effects other parts. Now I have started a new job and made some decisions about parts of my life, I feel so much better about myself and where I'm headed. I don't have the aswers to anything much - but at least I feel like I have some idea of what the questions and issues are.
Possibly the fact that it is winter (Spring supposedly - though you wouldn't know it) here and the family have all had horrible colds (sometimes more than once) has impacted my mood - so maybe the beginning of spring (if only notional) will boost my confidence.
Some Months ago I bought the Mackintosh Windows & Mackintosh Beauty stamps from Chocolate Baroques. They were so beautiful I almost felt unworthy of them amd, apart from a card for my daughter's birthday I have not used them. But my husband really likes these stamps, and it's his birthday this week so I sat down with them.
I can't show his card because he may well read this blog & I want to keep it as a surprise since he made the effort not to peek while I was working on it. Anyway having been envigorated by my success with his card I went on with the same technique and made a card for his mum's birthday, which is coming up in a couple of months. This is it and I'm really happy with it.
I stamped the rose window stamp from the Mackintosh Windows set & embossed with copper & coloured it in with copic markers. The 'happy birthday, is from another Chocolate baroque set. The pink card has been versamaked with a selection of the single rose stamps & I popped it onto a dark blue card.
I was so chuffed at how this turned out that I went on to 'experiment' with different colous using the mini version of this stamp that came with a Craft Stamper magazine a few months ago ... & I now have my first Christmas card
I was nicely surprised by the different effect created by using red for the roses. I still need to stamp a sentiment onto it. None of my current ones look quite right, so I guess I will have to have a look for one - but that's ok - I can handle the shopping :-)
The interesting thing about these Mackintosh Windows stamps is that they are so complete they don't need much in the way of extra work. They are definitely the star of anything they are applied to.
It's back to work for me tomorrow morning - but my crafty mess is still on the table and I have lots of ideas to keep me busy - yay
Thanks for reading & looking.
Happy crafting everyone :-)
