'What you do speaks so loudly, I can't hear what you say.'
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sunday 30 October 2011

When it comes to Hallowe’en, I’m afraid I’m a conscientious objector ;)

But I really fancied some grey and black stamping, which just happens to be one of the themes at Gingersnap this month, so here’s my offering in four different formats.

I always scan through Photoshop and have never tried the various scanner settings before because at first I didn’t have time and then I simply didn’t even notice them! So today, I played a little and scanned with all three settings: –

Colour (24 bit)
hope colour
Grey (error diffusion) 
hope greyscal error diffusion copy
Grey (error diffusion) inverted
hope error diffusion inverted
and True Grey (my favourite).

hope true grey



Just a bit of fun…
I’ve been after these hand stamps for years and, thanks to Willy, I now have them in my possession, lol.  I suddenly thought the bird (Lost Coast) would be great in one of them, so had to try it out. Should have put some seed in there, though cos it looks as if it’s pecking the poor bloke’ to death! I know the bird looks too small compared to the hand, but I wanted the effect of the huge hand of God, always caring and providing.
I used three shades of grey – Storm Grey and Dove Grey (Stazon) and Adirondack Slate.
I’ve been a bit of a foodie since I came back from France – my friend always has that effect on me, serving delicious meals effortlessly, and feeding me up as if my life depended on it, lol.  I kept telling her I don't like cheese, but would she listen???? (If you know me, you'll know that is NOT true, he, he!) I’ve been enjoying rediscovering my love of cooking. Unfortunately, the drawback is that I also eat it, so I’ve put back half the weight I lost for Phil’s wedding!  But at the moment, I’m in a patriotic mood and am refusing to buy anything not grown in the UK, so I’m sticking to lots of veggies and fruit in season and eating really healthily. I’ve really enjoyed making soups and fruit dishes, along with the odd tart and apple crumble. Yesterday, I made some mulled autumn fruits and since I’m the only one who eats them, I had some after lunch today. Scrummy yummy with a spoonful of natural Greek Yogurt – just as nice as fresh cream, if not nicer!
This is a ladle full before I dished it out, warm and comforting, smelling beautifully of cloves, oranges and cinnamon.
<KENOX S1050  / Samsung S1050>
It's a bit blurred because it's taken over a hot, steaming pan of simmering wine and fruit and I'm not very good at holding the camera steady with one hand!

Autumn is now in full swing and it’s almost dark already (4.40pm) – the days will draw in now and we’ll have less and less light until the effect begins to reverse on 21 December. I really miss the natural light and hate going to work in the dark but hey ho - this is the beauty of England!  Time to stay warm and get some crafting time in, when time allows, methinks!

26 very kind comments from lovely people:

Craft Addicts - Tracy Evans said...

Fabulous creations, really love that hand and the bird in the hand is a fantastic touch. Love the grey tones too. Cooking too, how talented are you, think I will give the cooking a miss and stick to crafts LOL. Tracy x

Carol Q said...

what a perfect combination of stamps Cath and interesting to see your photoshop experiments too. send me some of your yummy looking fruits please!! lol what a colour contrast

Sally H said...

beautiful cards, and your fruit has made me hungry - I can almost smell it! My class have chosen food as the topic for the coming half term, so I've planned for us to visit the local supermarket to talk to them about seasonal local produce

Inkypinkycraft said...

This is awesome, it looks fab, wouldn't have a clue how to do all that technological stuff!!!
fab trace x

Paula Whittaker said...

a super piece of stamping.

Sue said...

This is fabulous Kath, you've used some beautiful stamps to perfection. I love the negative effect your achieved, - very gothic.
Those mulled fruits look delicious!! x

Paul B said...

What a beautiful example of how expertly you collage together stamp images. I love the monochromatic look too. I know what you mean about France and food. Any weight I lose before i go over is soon gained back the moment I see a buttery pastry. And good for you, promoting food in season & in the UK. Thankfully oysters need an "R" in the month so I'm sorted until May lol. Pxx

Dotpat said...

They look great Cath, love how you have done them, love the bird in the hand. reminds me of my fairy I did sitting on a hand

cockney blonde said...

Firstly I love your composition of the card and secondly I love the special effects you've created.
As for the fruit...Mmmm! you've got me tempted, x

sam21ski said...

Great piece Cath, love the stamps.

Did you get anywhere with the winter stamp?

Sam xxx

Ephemera said...

Another who ignores Halloween LOL. Your black & White collage is stunning. Amazing stamping, the bird and hand look like one stamp. The berries looks gorgeous too I love warm fruit compote & crumbles how lucky no one else in your family likes them. XX

Di said...

Really super - I thought it was one stamp too. Do you normally scan rather than photograph your cards then? Great results - oh, and the fruit looks mouthwatering! Di xx

Anjas-Artefaktotum said...

Gorgeous creation, love the bird in the hand, great idea!
Hugs Anja

Sandy said...

Wow this is amazing Cath.
So wonderful work. I love them.

flutterbycrafter said...

What a fantastic card, I love it, I like the grey inverted the best, but they all look fantastic. I don't think the bird is too small for the hand, I think this is brilliant xx

Von said...

Wow fabulous ! the bird in the hand inspired :) very neat PS experiment too
Von xxx

Silvia(Barnie) said...

A wonderful black and grey creation. Love this bird in a hand image and your different settings are fabulous. Thanks for sharing the yummy photo :)

JoZart Designs said...

Such an emotive piece and I love the quote.
Thanks for your lovely comment on mine too!
Love Jo x

trisha too said...

Lovely black and grey creations!

And your fruity concoction looks luscious!

:)

hazel said...

Fabulous Cath. I love the bird in the hand stamp and your fruit looks delicious.
xxx Hazel.

Femmy said...

fabulous pieces!!

Tessa said...

Love this one! Love how you make one in negative. Beautiful.


xx Tessa

Ali Manning said...

Your cards are really beautiful - I need to check out this stamp!

Laura said...

A bird in the hand. Love the powerful imagery.Thanks for joining us at gingers.

Ali Manning said...

Your card is really awesome, Cath and I love the different scans. That's such a great idea! Now I'm hungry after all that talk about food....Thanks for joining us at Gingersnap Creations :)

trisha too said...

Cathy! Congratulations on your card being chosen as a Ginger Gem!! I love your experimentation with it!

:)