An ill wind

Hello crafting friends!

We've all seen someone struggling along in the wind and rain with an umbrella that is supposed to protect them from the elements but that has turned into a monster with a will of its own. I thought it would be a great illustration of being there for a friend whose life has turned upside down with troubles. Come and see:

I made a windy, stormy background with the swirl from Merry Christmas To All from Stampin' Up - I always said that was an all-year-round set! The swirl was stamped with white craft ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder, then distress ink was blended from the corner of the card panel towards the centre of the card. You can see that better if we zoom in:

Do you like the brolly? It's from another Stampin' Up set called Under My Umbrella. I would buy a flowery number like this like a shot if I saw it in the shops! To make it I stamped the umbrella outline in black ink, made a mask with a sticky note using the coordinating punch, and stamped the smallest floral image through it. The design was coloured using water-based markers - which are fine for small areas. The umbrella handle was stamped in Stazon black ink so that it would stand out over the embossed background and the little handle grip was punched out using the punch.

I thought this sentiment would work well with my stormy scene. It's basically saying 'when life turns your brolly inside out, I'm here for you' which, come to think of it, would have been the PERFECT sentiment!

Delighted that this card was a Festive Fave!

And very proud to have won at Inspire.Create with this card too!

CHALLENGES
I'm playing along with AAA cards, which wants to see cards with an image in one corner; Inspire Create, where Movement is the theme; and Festive Friday where I've chosen Blue, Green and Friendship Sentiment from the inspiration list.

AND IN OTHER NEWS
Forgive me for being obsessed about my broken oven, but an exciting new development has arisen. A part has been ordered which will hopefully restore the oven to its former efficient glory but, in the meantime, I've discovered from reading the manual that the top part, which I've always thought was just a grill, can also function as an oven! Pepperoni pizza - here we come!!!

Have a happy weekend!

Hugs,