G is for

This is my seventh post in a row - which means I have managed to keep going for a full week. An achievement for me. I think the wheels on the bus are going round and round.

I have decided that my seventh letter, G,  is for Generosity.  I don't mean being generous in a monetary sense, for me it is much more about the generosity of spirit, friendship - the sense of giving without expecting anything in return. In a world where power and greed, selfishness and a lack of consideration seem more and more prevelent, acts of kindness appear more and more rare. But I don't think they are; I think they are happening all around us they just don't make sensational headlines. 

And I think in our creative world crafters have a natural generosity built in. We are quite happy to share our art with others, we don't mind lending our equipment in workshops and giving our stash away. No reward required, just happiness that we have helped someone else.

Today's artwork is something I designed as part of one of the workshops I taught last year. And if you want generosity of spirit those workshops were full of it. Running a class single handedly (literally) is quite a challenge, but there was always someone to give me a hand, or at least the use of theirs. 

This tag is made from acetate, which was then run through two different embossing folders. The leaves are a mixture - the cream one was cut from cardstock using a Memory Box leaf die, whilst the other two are the 'waste' from using  parchment release paper with the dies.

The stamp is from Punky Flowers which was inked with Memento Tuxedo Black and then coloured with alchol markers. Another skill I have had to learn using my left hand. I won't show all the ones where I coloured outside the lines!

Finally the flower and leaves were attached using a wet adhesive.

The close up below shows the detail of the two embossed patterns and shading on the flower.

So next time someone gives you their parking ticket to use in the car park, or lets you go first in a queue or shares their stamps and gems with you in a workshop applaude their generosity. These are the people who help us keep faith in mankind.

Look forward to sharing again with you tomorrow.