Friday, May 15, 2020

International Family Day


Hi there
How are you?  Are you as concerned as I am about the relaxing of the lockdown restrictions here in the UK?  It seems we are rushing into it and I wonder how much pressure the Big Businesses who donate to the various political party coffers are bringing?  And then of course, there's the various members of the Media who are more concerned with muck-raking and sensationalism than supporting the measures that will protect us and OUR well-being.
Yesterday nearly 430 people died here, and well over 3000 new cases were reported - that doesn't sound like we're winning yet.  Not to me anyway.
I'm not a particularly 'political' person, I just want my nearest and dearest to be safe, and for everyone to think about the people and their health, ahead of powerful men and women's pockets. 
 You can rest assured, the money-men will not be taking risks with their own families health, oh no, they'll be locked safely away while you are out earning that safety for them.

 rant over 
and meanwhile, back in my crafty world it's anothe
 Daring Cardmakers day!

It's Joanne here with your challenge today which focuses on the fact it's International Family Day
When I chose this topic, I had no idea that there would be an extra poignancy for many of us who can't see our families because of the current lockdown restrictions. 
So, let’s celebrate families on our projects this week. It could be a welcome to a new addition to the family (a baby or an adoption, or maybe even a new pet), something to mark your relationship with a special family member, or you might choose an image representing a family. 
Show us what family means to you!
 Click HERE to check out this week's inspiration from the Design Team 
We look forward to seeing what you come up with!
 

I  decided to get ahead and make my card for one of our nephews who's birthday is next month - hopefully I won't forget where I put it before then! I also thought it was about time I actually used some Wallace and Gromit die sets I bought a while back but haven't made anything with yet.

Info
Smooth white card blank
Blue card square for the background
I used the "Wallace" and "Gromit" die sets from the range 
(Build 'ems Craftstash - more about these later) 
and made up the characters from scraps of card and paper, with a bit of inky shading added

The Union Flag image was found on the internet, I  lightened the colours a little to give a softer appearance, before resizing and printing onto white Bazzill card. I then used a die to cut the circle for W&G to sit on, and added some small pieces of chipboard to give some dimension
For the balloon I used Paint Shop Pro to make the wording to fit the balloon die, then altered the colours to make the background orange and the wording white before checking the sizes and printing. After die-cutting, I used a large ball tool to add some shape, some chipboard on the reverse, and glued in place, adding some black and white twine for the string
To complete I again used PSP to make the suitably Yorkshire sentiment 
"have a grand day"

Now, just a word about these die sets!  
I love these die sets so much - they are really cute and such fun to have in my collection - however, they are a real pain to use.  
There are a lot of tiny pieces and they are incredibly fiddly.  
But the worst part is the poor instructions.  There are no instructions at all in the packet with the dies - you have to go to the Craftstash website to find them and they are not great.  The written instructions are a bit on the vague side.  There is also a picture showing all the pieces, and what they are, but its very small and not particularly easy to read, plus you have to use a certain amount of guess-work to figure out how all the small pieces go together.  It's not at all clear, especially when there are options for, say, arm/hand/paw positions.  I'm an experienced crafter and have hundreds of dies, but it took both me and my hubby to work out some of how Wallace went together!  And there are extra paw pieces for Gromit I've not tried out yet, at least, I'm assuming what they are.  As I said its all a bit vague - so be warned.

That's all for today, Thank You so much for visiting,
please leave a comment, I really love seeing your messages!

Happy Crafting, and stay safe!



5 comments:

KarinsArtScrap said...

so cute and beautiful Kathy
Gr Karin

Jackie T said...

Hi Kathy your card is gorgeous. I do love. I for one am not in a hurry to see restrictions lifted. I think it is too soon. Take care. Hugs Jackie

Angelnorth said...

Cracking card, Gromit! Well done for persevering, you got a great result - you’ll have to use them regularly so you don’t forget in the meantime! The union flag circle makes a great backdrop for them, too.

Miri said...

Oh! I haven't watched Wallace and Gromit for quite a while now ... thanks for the little reminder.
The card is so colourful and fun. Your nephew will love it!

Shabneez said...

Totally agree with you about the lockdown as far as I am concerned we are still abiding by it and as you say it is far from over.
I adore your card - the boys love Wallace & Grommit but I'm sorry you got a poorly produced set. Shabneez x