Retiring to the Bench

A retirement card for my friend's boss.  They've bought him a tree bench which they can't present to him at the party next weekend because the party is in Iceland.
I thought this image from WMS Asian Gardens would be perfect.  The top part is actually a removable tag onto which a photo of the tree bench will be attached.
This card was based on WMSC113.

Waltzing Mouse Stamps Christmas Card Challenge August

This month's Chrismas Card Challenge is to use the lyrics of a song as inspiration.  I had the starting lyrics sorted thanks to this lovely stamp in the Compliments of the Season set, but I thought it should be accompanied by some sleigh bells and I was racking my brain as to what image to use.  I thought of this very old stamp from PSX, mainly because of other lines in the song
In the lane snow is glistening ...
In the meadow we can build a snowman....
and then I noticed the sleigh bells strung up on the fence.  It seemed perfect, and I wouldn't be surprised if whoever designed this stamp had this song in mind.
The image was stamped with Versamark and embossed in black.
As usual I looked through my vast selection of designer papers and decided I would rather create my own background.  A gingham would have been perfect (Gingham and Co is on my wish list) but I compromised on a simple red tartan, stamped with the narrower plaid builder from the Pic-Nic Patterns set using Fired Brick Distress Ink.
I always like to decorate my envelopes so I used this little snowman stamp from the WMS Cottage Christmas set.

I've used sketch WMSC112 as inspiration.  I think the die cut holly leaves really set off the image, and I wouldn't have thought of using them if it hadn't been for the sketch. Thanks Mona !

Heart Spin

I had plans for this card when my Dad got sick last year but I ended up getting so caught up with Christmas and then travelling out to see him.  I have finally made it a reality and plan to send it as a very belated birthday card.  His birthday was in June so yes it is extremely belated and I was tempted to let it slide, but you should never miss an opportunity to show a loved one how much you care - especially when he's 88.
It's been a tough year for him - recovering from his emergency surgery late last year has been very slow, and he finally had to hand in his driving licence.  He is now quite profoundly deaf as well (although he may make it out to be worse than it really is to avoid confrontations with my mum - LOL).  
Dad has always loved cars - I don't mean he liked fast cars or had a string of them in the garage (during my childhood I only remember 2 cars - both of them Holdens).  No, I mean he loved cars and always made sure they were well maintained and immaculate.  He was a panel beater so every few years he would give them a new coat of paint to make sure they stayed that way.
Initially I was going to make this a car themed card but I thought this might be a harsh reminder that he can't drive anymore, so I changed it to a travel themed one instead.  He has travelled extensively, mostly around Australia, but he has seen a fair bit of Europe too, especially since I moved over here, so I thought I would make a collage background of travel images and sentiments.
The background was alcohol inked using Pool, Sandal and Butterscotch Inks (and afterwards blended with a little gold).  The various travel themed stamps are from Katzelkraft, Stempelwinkel, Non-Sequitur and Crafty Individuals.  The Heart Wings was cut from plain aqua card and alcohol-inked glossy card stock.  I used Glossy Accents to coat the heart and went over the heart with gold alcohol ink.
It might not be obvious from the photo but it's a penny spinner card.

Behind the heart is a circular track made using Spellbinders Circles (the smallest and 3 sizes up from this).  I've made this little movie so you can see the card in action.

The colours I chose for this card were inspired by the CR84FN61.  Although in the photos my card looks a little on the green side, I assure you it is in reality closer to a blue.