Distressed

Well the essay is really very nearly done. For some reason I really get myself in a twist over important things like that. I get all churched up inside and it takes me forever to do the simplest part of it. If I could just put my big girl pants on and deal with it I would have felt sooo much better. I know this. But do I do it? No. Anyway I just have the Bibliography page to do and then I am FREE! until next year. I have actually loved doing the course and found it hugely useful. I love going to Cambridge and I love my student discounts! Just don't particularly love actual hard work. Although as it reflects on an aspect of my ministry I hope to find it helps one of my churches in the long run.

All my stupid self indulgent angst yesterday meant that I got my Daring Cardmakers card done in daylight hours! And as I was distressed with myself, distressing the card seemed apt! Keryn has dared us to

Distress your cards.

You can make a card for any season, any holiday, any occasion but you need to use either a fingernail, curled edges, sandpaper, tearing, anything you like really as long as looks like it's had a fair bit or wear and tear.

I decided to make a distressed flower my focus for the card and after choosing some old Gin X papers from my stash I was away.
I used my Nestabilities dies as the circles come up lovely and close together (and I get some upper arm exercise using the Cuttlebug) The cream curcles and stms are from some cardstock. All the papers were sprayed, crumpled and distressed. The pink bazzill background was roughed up with my Basic Grey precision file kit but I think I need to use a new file as it didn't really do much damage. And I ripped the flower paper as you can see. Everything was distress inked to within an inch of its life. I really, really wanted not to outline on this card. But it looked naked without. Here is a self indulgent close up of the flower in its crumpled glory and its cute little button from my button box.
I also finished off a layout that has sat for a while. It goes in our holiday album. We have some great photos from the holiday that I just like making into random memories rather than giving any sense of chronology
I have had these little scraps of material for an age and thought they would look funky on a layout. I'm not sure I have totally pulled the look off but I love the sentiment! (It doesn't matter where we are {the Pizza Hut in Glasgow in this case} you are always at home in a book). Which, apart from having to carrying said books around - and two of them prefer 500 pagers - makes life loads easier when you are out and about.
The material scraps are from Bits N Pieces - I bought them at the Stitch show. The two stamped scraps are identical but shiny gold doesn't photograph well. I used Purple Onion stamps. I also used Scenic Route Grafton papers and stickers, Adorn it stickers and um, some other letter stickers and some Acrylic Dabber paints.