and the guided tours of the island and the lagoon by real experts in the biology of the islands (the directors of the UC Berkeley Gump Field Station at Cook's Bay and the Director of the Dolphin and Whale research project) were worth the extremely long plane ride in overcrowded coach airplanes, the humidity, mosquitoes (which love me no matter where in the world I am and no matter how much insect repellant I use), rain (which interrupted the cruise on numerous days) and the expense (would you believe $10US for a gallon of gas?).
My intent was to try to recreate the color of the lagoons we saw at Moorea and on six islands included on the cruise. I used Broken China, Tumbled Glass and Peacock Feathers (rapidly becoming one of my favorite Distress colors) Distress Inks to create a background over which I stamped a swirly background (Heather's Stamping Heaven stamp 275O) in Faded Jeans. Then I followed Tim's instructions to create the Rock Candy Glitter effect. You can't see it in this photo, but it is there, barely!
My intent was to try to recreate the color of the lagoons we saw at Moorea and on six islands included on the cruise. I used Broken China, Tumbled Glass and Peacock Feathers (rapidly becoming one of my favorite Distress colors) Distress Inks to create a background over which I stamped a swirly background (Heather's Stamping Heaven stamp 275O) in Faded Jeans. Then I followed Tim's instructions to create the Rock Candy Glitter effect. You can't see it in this photo, but it is there, barely!
the hotel bungalow on stilts over the water:
We are up to challenge #21, as hosted by Linda Ledbetter on her blog Studio L3 and sponsored by Inspiration Emporium. Inspiration Emporium is offering a gift card for one winner of this challenge, and the estimable TIm Holtz and Mario Rossi II have supplied a packet of goodies for another winner. Definitely worth the effort to enter, don't you think?
This challenge includes the very specific method of using Rock Candy Distress Glitter, on page 55 of A Compendium of Curiosities, Vol.3. If you’re glitter-phobic, as I am, this almost put me off, as I can never seem to a) get the effect called for and b) keep the glitter on the card/tag/whatever instead of all over my desk and myself. But despite this persistent head cold and cough, which is definitely constraining my ability to focus, let alone create, I did at least make an attempt.
As usual, the primary rule for these challenges is to NOT reveal the technique, which is so ably put forth in Tim's book. So it you want a tutorial, get the book and play along for the remaining segments of the challenge.
We have just returned from a bucket list cruise to French Polynesia and definitely the highlight of the cruise was the pre-cruise stay on Moorea! The color of the water:
This challenge includes the very specific method of using Rock Candy Distress Glitter, on page 55 of A Compendium of Curiosities, Vol.3. If you’re glitter-phobic, as I am, this almost put me off, as I can never seem to a) get the effect called for and b) keep the glitter on the card/tag/whatever instead of all over my desk and myself. But despite this persistent head cold and cough, which is definitely constraining my ability to focus, let alone create, I did at least make an attempt.
As usual, the primary rule for these challenges is to NOT reveal the technique, which is so ably put forth in Tim's book. So it you want a tutorial, get the book and play along for the remaining segments of the challenge.
We have just returned from a bucket list cruise to French Polynesia and definitely the highlight of the cruise was the pre-cruise stay on Moorea! The color of the water:
I then tore the background, rolled the torn edge, added lots of glue-and-Seal and more Rock Candy Glitter to simulate waves breaking, and glued it down on a blue tag.. To the bottom of a tag, I added a torn piece of card stock in sandy yellow (with the torn edge colored with Vintage Photo Distress Inks) for the beach. I stamped three palm trees in India Ink Black (Alex Stamping N15, N16 and M303) which I fussy cut and stained with Broken China (so it would look like you could see through the trees to the water) and added them to the beach. A little smudge of Gathered Twigs Distress Marker along each trunk added depth. Industrial Alphabet stickers (distressed with Picket Fence Distress Marker) and the stamped words "Ia Orana" ,which means "Hello" in Tahitian (using India Black Ink and Karen Foster Snap Stamp 00372, which allows me to create just about any phrase I want!) to finish off the beach:
The top of the tag, however was a little stark and needed something. Since the white puffy clouds were regular attendants on the scene every day we were there (it was the rainy season, we found out), I used some Picket fence Distress Paints and created some clouds with my fingers. Then, I added a collection of paper flowers from Color Me Crazy by Petaloo (#1543-000, too many petals by half but the closest I could get to the national flower: a small gardenia, or "tiare"; at every stop, from first service on the plane on Air Tahiti Nui to walking into a shop or cafe, you are greeted with the gift of a small bud of this flower - which is to be put behind your left ear if you are "taken" or right ear if you are "available"), tucked in a few leaves made by cutting up a green Hero Arts Art flower (CH297, Foliage Print), and topped off the flowers with a yellow seed bead in each center (in this photo, you can see some of the Rock Candy glitter, which had, true to my experience with glitter of any kind, had migrated to all parts of the tag by now...)
So my entry this week, which didn't work out how I wanted, but which will have to do, is "Ia Morana, Moorea"!
Thank you (or as they say in Tahiti, Mauruuru) for looking at my blog this week!
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