Thursday, November 29, 2007

I'm here......

I've been working on a stack of 13 altered notebooks to give as gifts to the staff ladies here before we go home...also need to finish my kids' ABC books with the stamps I have before I pack them away...I'm not going to be packing my smARTworks stamps to store, so next week if there's time left I do still plan to get that tutorial done for those who were interested in making envelope books with my instructions.

I've been trying to finish up one more week of school with my 1st grader, and pack in my other moments...yesterday was a loss as far as packing was concerned, but fun otherwise. The other day one of the staff ladies asked me if I could help her make some Christmas cards for her sponsors in America. I was glad to help...came up with the simplest card design I could muster, which I forgot to take a picture of...but it had a single stamped design on light colored paper, a few white gel pen highlights, a vellum layer with stamped saying, and a no-tie bow. It took her 4 hours to make 10 - there went my whole afternoon. I didn't think until afterwards, I should have set her up more assembly line style rather than making 1 card at a time. It does seem to go faster that way. Anyway! These are the cards I made while I was sitting and visiting with her!

This is the only Santa Claus stamp I have (Trish, did you give this to me?) and it comes from Art by Moonlight. I hadn't used it and it looked like fun to watercolor...decided to give it 2 different looks just for fun...it's amazing to me what a different look you can achieve by coloring an image with just one tone (I used a sepia watercolor pencil from Derwent on the 2nd card). I couldn't get a clear image on the watercolor paper, so I couldn't really tell...where the beard actually ends...and how to handle that black mass to the left...

That button is made from a coconut shell - I'll have to find some more of those when we come back - that's a cool embellishment, I think!

Starting to realize lots of "lasts" as we get closer to our departure date...also realizing how much we have adjusted to life here and almost dreading trying to readjust to American culture...not sure who we are anymore in the context of things in the States and how much we have really changed....how our kids will struggle to adjust (the 2 middle ones probably don't even remember America, and the youngest has never been there!)

OK, back to my project at hand...making prayer cards for the students...which have to be done tomorrow...so probably another day of no packing for me! Sigh..............................

4 comments:

  1. Dina,
    Both are beautiful. I could not choose which I liked better!

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  2. Ooh, I love them both! Yes, that image was from me. I'm not really a Santa fan (we don't "do" him at our house) but I really liked the sheet of vintage images from ABM - and then I ended up with a duplicate in my bonus grab bag. I must admit that mine has yet to see ink, but you've definitely inspired me!

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  3. These are both elegant, lovely and almost simple all at once! I am so glad you shared your cards - I have this stamp too, and have not used it for a long time~ I am going to get it out rather than buy MORE new stuff....well,, except I might go for the B3GO -- but that's different. I wouldn't be looking for Christmas stamps there...I have my eye on some other images!! :)

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