Tales of the Orient

This is my entry for this week's Simon Says Challenge over at http://simonsaysstampschallenge.blogspot.com/ The theme this week is "oriental". In putting it together, I was thinking lots of red since it is a lucky colour in China, a couple of my favourite cherry blossoms on the Yuzen paper underneath for Japan and a newly acquired Asian sticker in the middle... I wonder if it will win? All the other cards are really lovely and being a newbie to cardmaking, I think it's fun just to give it a go.

Creative even in illness...!

I seem to have been attacked by a cold/sinusitis/tummy-bug combo. Yay me! But, you will be relieved to learn, my creativity has not been felled by this conspiracy of germs. Quite the opposite. Had a fiddle around last night and came up with two cards which I am quite pleased with - especially the blue one with the very cute stamp (see it in close-up) and, since teaching myself to cast on on the weekend, I have also been knitting madly, and in my favourite colour - is it chartreuse?

And, by the way, for those of you who are craft and especially cardmaking minded, check out the blog candy giveaway at Claire's lovely website: http://clairebsd.blogspot.com/

Thursday night cardmaking

Something about Thursday nights...I made three new cards last night while plonked in front of the telly on a diet of "Inspector Rex", "True Beauty" (you know you're watching it too) and Louis Theroux. I know. Too much tv. But if you're being productive at the same time, it's ok. Right?

Anyway. Again, we're Japanese themed but this time the other part of Japanese culture I loved so much while I was there - pop culture. All the little characters and cartoon figures. Hello Kitty. Little baubles with faces and big eyes hanging off the ends of mobile phones. Loved it just as much as the ancient culture which is also much in evidence there. Just for different reasons.

So, what I did was simply cut out some shapes of Japanese paper (is it Yuzen?) and slap on (it's a technical term) some Momiji stickers. Oh, and up top is a snap from Ueno at night, where we stayed in Tokyo.