Answers to comments and a condolence card

Hi again,

The days just fly away, I blame spring! 

Firstly, I want to thank Darnell for the sweet introduction, I'm touched. I also want to thank everyone who has visited and decided to follow my journey into Blogland!

Because I haven't had a chance to check in again, I thought I'd do a blanket answer on the comments and ideas I had in the past week. 

About the glycerin and Distress Ink-spongeing thing, I want to do a separate post on my testings, and give the credit where it's due. I haven't come up with these things myself. Since I got my Mica-powders yesterday, I've been testing proportions in getting a nice shimmermist. However, having a 4-year old around who wants to help, it slows us down a bit.

As said before, I'm trying to learn to make cards without a specific recipient in mind, and doing the challenges has helped me TONS! I'm still trying to find more challenges that suit me, and something that will sort of "force me" to sit down and make more cards. Daring Cardmakers has done that for me - the themes are so fun that I just *have* to play along! Now I need to find more. Until I can get in the groove and make anonymous cards without help.

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Before I continue to ramble again and lose everyone's interest, here's a card I made a few days ago. I saw the stamp, (Scrapberry's Afternoon Tea, Memories) and instantly saw the perfect stamp for a watercolour condolence card. The handwriting is my own, since I don't have these kind of stamps yet, and the one printer I have that takes card this thick is out of ink. 

I wanted a very light, soft colour to the flower, so I did it in Victorian Velvet and leaves with a bit of Shabby Shutters and a hint of Peeled Paint for depth. 

I will be doing another one or two condolence cards today (sadly enough not for my stash), and hoping I will manage to join in the Arrow-challenge at Daring Cardmakers. For Saturday I still have to make a birthday-card and a happy new baby-boy card as well, so I will be really busy crafting now, yay!

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I loved what Darnell also pointed out, to buy new and proven brands when it comes to the real equipment and tools. My grandma always used to say, that "a poor person can't afford to buy cheap stuff". This is something that can be said about a lot of stuff, but one thing that springs to mind are the ever-loathed Crocs. 

I have the real-deal, and have used them for 6 summers (away from anyone who could see me use them, they're sort of my guilty pleasure in the countryside) and plan to use them at least one or two more. My mum has the cheap ones, and goes through at least two pair a summer. She has so far spent over twice as much on her off-brand cheap ones, than I spent on my real ones. Hence - also my son has the real-deal, if I have to skimp on some inks for his sake, so be it. 

I have been making use of the facebook groups where people sell their old stamps and dies, and have found a couple nice unused (or just barely used) Stampers Anonymous by TH stampsets, and some retired Golden Oldies and Girlfriends (Art Impressions) in nice condition. I've also got some dies that most of them have turned out to be good buys. I think I'm at the point now, where I can honestly say I have everything I need, except for the darn Walnut Stain reinker. Also, if I ever find Tim Holtz's die, the one for the mini spiral tattered flowers, and if I find it used, then boy will that one be well-loved here! I have noticed that a lot of crafters in Finland buy and resell their spiral flower dies. That of course makes me happy as rain :D

Thank you for (yet again) bearing with me!
Will be back soon with more fun crafts.

Hugs,
Sofia