I'll be totally honest and tell you I was in two minds about posting today or even carrying on crafting, try as much as I have to be philosophical, everything that is going on in the World defies all that in which we believe. Hundreds of thousands of poor souls dying alone, their devastated families left to deal with nightmares they may never overcome and not one of us is exempt from the reality of there but the Grace of God. Yet still there are those selfish enough to ignore all we are instructed to do, carry on as normal and in so doing put others at risk.
Over the past three weeks I've not crafted and struggled to even comment on your blogs, not because I don't want to, more that I have this sense of guilt that it's just not right to indulge in something enjoyable and from which I take pleasure. For many, many years I've been active in the community one way or another, as a Councillor, School Governor and through work, with all the first priority has been to help others overcome their problems and find solutions for them to help support their quality of life. But at present non of this is possible, here am I reliant of food and medication deliveries which seems wrong and a feeling of total impotence that all of what is happening is out of our control, against that scenario every day 'normal' activities just seem so futile.
So why did I do this post after being in two minds, well my friend
Donna in Florida said to me yesterday that visiting friends in blogland may well help them during these difficult times and I should carry on for that reason if no other. And she is of course totally right, indeed I have read that craft is helping so many through these turbulent times, so thank you Donna for the reality check (much needed kick in the bum) as sometimes it doesn't require a phone call or letter from someone in need of help.
So new challenges
at Stamping Sensations and Penny Black and More where our themes are 'Somewhere over the Rainbow' and 'Anything Goes'. As always there are wonderful prizes to be won at both.
As with yesterday's post my shares were created weeks ago, the background of the top card was made by dabbing oxides onto a piece of acetate roughly following the sequence of a rainbow, spritzed with water and place a piece of card and rubbing the back gently to release the colour. I then stamped the beautiful Blueprint Freesia which was one of the stamps launched by CB Lesley a couple of months ago, stamped the flowers a second time to decoupage and sponged a sun and some spots. The sentiment is also from one of the blueprint sets.
This Penny Black stamp called Together was a release last year but hasn't seen too much ink as yet so I thought I would put that right, inking it with Distress Markers and stamping onto a Gelli Plate background, a lovely inspirational sentiment from the set called Just Beleive and some pearls.
And some Poppies, these are the lovely Spontaneous Joy, again inked with Distress Markers, some subtle background stencilling and a shrink plastic Butterfly.
And another reminder that my friends John and Rosie of
Limetree Crafts who many of you know from shows around the Country now have an on line shop so you can still but their paper products whilst the Country is on lockdown.
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