Weekly challenge Hero Arts - SUMMER!

I didn't think this theme was easy, but it gets you thinking. Actually, once again the HA gallery provided just one little bit of inspiration which opened new possibilities for stamping once again - would never have thought of it myself!
The background of the image is a pot of Geraniums which I took last summer in Spain. It was sitting on a wall on the terras of our Hotel. Geraniums are a summer plant and can be seen everywhere in the Mediterranean region. I softened it up in Photoshop and printed it out, then stamped over the top with my collage stamp. Stamped the words 'I' and 'summer' on left-over scraps and attached them to the card - then I added a butterfly to the summer scene.



I'm adding this one today (Thursday) as it has the same theme - only this time the background is a photo of my lavender bushes and I added 'France' as the senitment.

14th of July - National holiday in France

Quote:
July 14th is Bastille Day in France. It symbolizes the end of the Monarchy and the beginning of what is now called the First French Republic. The Bastille, a prison at the time, was stormed on July 14,1789. This event came to represent the end of the king's power and the transfer of power to the people.

Today, Bastille Day is a national holiday and a day of celebration, which takes the form of military parades and fireworks. The most famous military parade takes place on the Champs-Elysées in Paris and has all the pomp and pageantry you would expect. The Republican Guard - The French President's personal guards, leads the parade. Bastille Day and the days leading up to it are one of the few times when you will see the French flag everywhere. In general, the French are very low-key about their flag, only showing it off on special days like Bastille Day. Unquote.



I found out that the word 'Bastille' which is a huge Fort means 'Stronghold' and I was reading just about this in my quiet time this morning, which I will share after showing you a picture of the magnificent Fort we have very close to us in CARCASSONNE. This is 1000 years old!! We always go there when we have visitors, it's just too cool to miss. It's about a 40 minute drive from where we live and is a favourite spot for the American tourists. Actually there is a five star hotel inside the Fort which is run by Americans.

Now, here's something to meditate on!
Quote:
'Pulling down.. strongholds; casting down imaginations.. bringing into captivity every thought'. 2 Cor. 10:4-5

What are you to pull down? Strong holds: areas of your life that are held in the grip of the enemy. What are you to cast down? Imaginations: always fearing the worst instead of believing God for the best. What are you to take captive? Thoughts: thinking that doesn't line up with God's Word or submit to the rule of Christ in your life.
Unquote
(From 'The Word for today' from Bob Gass.

And now for a couple of simple cards I made with scrap papers after I got a little inspiration from the Internet. I made my own template petal and just cut around it. I sewed the first card and pricked holes around the petals on the second one. I used a couple of sentiments from Hero Arts.






Have a great day!

Sneak Peek holiday spot

Andi gave me an idea to show you some photos of our holiday spot in Spain. The village is called Callela and is in the North of Spain on the Costa Brava. The above photo is of a little fishing harbour just next to the village we will be going too - it's called La Franc - but Callela looks just it. We always go to the beach here. Our sons love to search for treasures in the sea and this is the perfect spot for them. They have saved their treasures in shoe boxes.



This is downtown Callela - all the houses are white and look so beautiful against the blue sky. There are flowers everywhere! We love to sit on a terras and eat, my favourite being goat's cheese salad. They have lovely little shops everywhere too.



Leaving you today with a card made from my scrap basket. Still enough in there to mix and match and punch out!

Cone flower shabby chic style

Have to say I love this cone flower stamp from Hero Arts - it is so versatile. As a room of one of my sons isn't used at the moment I have the sewing machine on a permanent spot which means I can easily sew on cards now - didn't always feel like setting the machine up every time.
The sun is still shining here and we will be organising ourselves to leave for a holiday in Spain very soon. I'm so looking forward to that!

Cone flower in white

The heat seems to be sapping inspiration as well as energy! But, again I got some ideas from the Hero Arts gallery and gave a slight vintage turn to these stamps. I used some craft paper, which I love and I also love stamping in white for a change!
Hope everybody is enjoying the summer!

Using part of a collage stamp

A couple of cards made using the collage stamp pictured. I love to frame certain parts of a stamp and see how I can use it on a card.



My second card is made using white ink for the image, which is something new I discovered on the Hero Art blog. I didn't do that very often because I couldn't find a good white inkpad.

Interactive cards - Hero Arts challenge for this week.

I don't usually make this kind of card, probably a bit too lazy!
But, as it was this week's challenge I made an effort. All the stamps are Hero Arts and I used primarily 'Aged Mahogany' distress ink, light and heavy sponging. The first photo shows the tag inside the pocket and on the second I have taken the tag out. The 'lace' is a stamp which is embossed and cut out on vellum.




This card was a total card-lift from the Hero Arts gallery. I did not have a clue what to do with these cherry blossom stamps until I saw something that looks a bit like this. I did choose completely different colours and gave it a different look, but I was happy to get some inspiration!



Another photo of my garden.
Getting alot of exercise in the swimming pool which is 30°C (86°F) at the moment!