Back from New Orleans & a Valentine's gift

Well we're back!  We had a wonderful time in New Orleans (when we finally got there!) we had a two day diversion first due to the weird snow-storm that hit the East of the US at just the wrong time!  It was great seeing my uncle again - it's been about 7 years since I saw him last - and 25 since I last saw his wife (!) we also got to spend time with two of his adult daughters - only one of which I'd met before.

Although we left before Mardi Gras proper, they run smaller parades in the run up so we got to see quite a few of these and the atmosphere was brilliant :o)  We did get (slightly) carried away with the beads and things they throw from the floats as you can maybe tell..........

We spent lots of time in the French Quarter which is beautiful - on a side note there is a pharmacy museum there with LOADS of old bottles - I just love bottles - had a trip on the only remaining totally steam operated paddle steamer and to keep the kids happy took in a basketball game.

Just before we left on our trip (and I do mean just - barely time for the glue to dry!) I made a Valentine plaque for Phil, then hid it in the case to give him while we were away.  We were stuck in a little motel on the day itself rather than in New Orleans but luckily we did have our cases so we could still exchange gifts.

This was actually a reworking of a plaque I'd worked on previously and really didn't like.  It was a rather odd shade of green with some texture paste stencilled on to it and just didn't look right.  So I found some silver tissue paper which I stuck down with the old faithful PVA glue, allowing the raised texture paste show through from underneath and I added in some creases too, this gave a really nice textural look.  I then swooshed (love that word!) some Tim Holtz distress ink-pads (antique linen, tattered rose & faded jeans) over it and over a piece of centura pearl card that had been embossed with a handwriting script.  I then stuck the card over the tissue paper on a slight diagonal.

 



Next step was then to stamp out some images, I used Steampunk Travels by Whimsy Stamps and an old watch stamp I have but can't remember the manufacturer of, stamping them onto matt cream card in Soft Suede by Stamping Up.  I also stamped a small heart stamp on the same piece of card using the Adirondack Cranberry - but I forgot to include a photo of that (!)  The quotes are: 'You are my Past and Future' and 'I would travel through time for you'.

 

 

 I then tore around each of the images to give a rough edge to the card and used the Antique Linen over the surface to give a finish a little like a tea stain and edged them with the Faded Jeans to tie it into the colour on the embossed card and worked out where to place them on the plaque - gluing them again with the PVA.  And there you have it!

I've another completed project to share with you later in the week from a recent Alice in Wonderland swap, and having discovered a wonderful quilt shop just four doors away from my uncle's house - where I may have spent a little birthday money (I'm now 44!) I'm planning a new little hanging too :o)

Take care