What diet?

It's very easy to feel creative when work is over for the week, and to top it all up there is a whole week of annual leave to look forward to. On Monday I jet off with Sis for a few days away in Cyprus. As the weather over here is showing no signs of summer, I'm happy to get away somewhere sunny and warm for a while. Of course, that means a whole week away from my crafty stash so today I'm crafting enough for a week! 

I am continuing to play with my new STAMPlorations goodies, this time I inked up the Sugar Rush set. My inspiration for today's card was the gorgeous sketch over at Viva la Verve. I was also inspired by the Daring Cardmakers challenge where the theme is bokeh and The Friday Mashup where the theme is to use stencils. I used stencils for the bokeh effect. I'm also linking up over at the STAMPlorations June challenge which is stamps and washi as well as the STAMPlorations Anything Goes for anything using STAMPlorations stamps.

I started by stamping the yummy looking Sundae and colouring using Copics. I also added some Glossy Accents to the sundae glass bowl to make it look a bit more like glass but it doesn't show very well on the photo. For the background, I inked using Tim Holtz Distress inks in Spun Sugar, Picked Raspberry, Cracked Pistachio, Mowed Lawn and Seedless Preserves. Then I used white craft ink and a Tim Holtz stencil along with a stencil I made using a circular die. I die cut the background using a Lawn Fawn stitched rectangle stencil. Last, I stamped a sentiment from the Sugar Rush set and attached the panel to some linen pattered white cardstock and added some washi for a finishing touch.

Card: 300 gsm white linen card, Hobbycraft 160 gsm card
Stamps: STAMPlorations Sugar Rush
Ink: Tsukineko Staz-on Jet Black, Tim Holtz distress ink Spun Sugar, Picked Raspberry, Cracked Pistachio, Mowed Lawn and Seedless Preserves
Other: Lawn Fawn Stitched Rectangle Die, Tim Holtz Bubble stencil, washi tape from my stash

Rainbow bokeh

Sometimes you need a harsh reminder to remember what's truly important. I was so incredibly upset yesterday when I got home from work. After a long and rather stressful week at work, with a bit too many hours of overtime I had looked forward to leaving early on Friday to get home on time. However, there was a meeting that couldn't be scheduled for anything else than Friday afternoon, and it went on and on. It was a very useful meeting, but on a Friday afternoon, it just was a bit too much. Then I finally got in the car at the worst possible time with rush hour to the n-th degree, made worse by congestion due to a bad accident. I was so annoyed by the added delay. To add insult to injury, I saw the most amazing sunset on my drive home, all I wanted to do was be at home taking photos, instead of sitting stuck in traffic. Once I got out of the congestion I may (not admitting to anything here) just have stepped on it a little bit, trying to make it home to catch the tail end of the sunset on film... or, well, memory card. And I missed it all by about three minutes. I was so gutted I just sat down and cried until I looked like a panda with mascara all over my face. I was so tired, mad, annoyed and disappointed.

Then the Culinary Consultant arrived home, and after listening to my tear-filled rant pulled out a piece from the local newspaper website about a young man who had died in a car crash on his way to work that morning. It was the IT manager from the Culinary Consultant's work. That kind of put things in perspective. There will be another sunset for me, unlike some much more unlucky people who didn't make it through the day. So I cried a bit more.

One of the reasons I have been so on edge the last few days is that I simply haven't had any time to craft at all. I feel like I'm neglecting my blog, and I get so restless if I don't get to do something creative. Last night I decided I need to feed my soul by crafting more than I need to feed myself with food. I just felt so much better after creating this card, which I had already put together in my head on my drive home from work. It came together so quickly when I knew exactly what I wanted.

The card is inspired by the amazing rainbow bokeh inspiration picture over at ShowCASe Your Style. I also fell in love with the amazing sketch over at CAS(E) This Sketch. I'm also linking up over at Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge B is for (bokeh), Sister Act Card Challenge Anything Goes, Creative Knockouts Stitching (real or faux) and Paperminutes where the theme is Bokeh.

I created the background by inking with Distress inks. I used my various circle dies to cut out masks through which I inked white ink onto the background for the bokeh effect. I die cut the frame and "You" from a very subtly shimmery silver cardstock and stamped the second part of the sentiment. And that's it! Finally a card I am really happy with, after so many rather average ones. 

Card: 300 gsm white card, 160 gsm Hobbycraft white card, silver card from my stash

Stamps: Paper Smooches Sentiment Sampler

Ink: Tim Holtz distress ink Chipped Sapphire, Peacock Feathers, Spiced Marmalade, Seedless Preserves and Picked Raspberry, Stampin' Up Whisper White, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black

Other: Dies Lawn Fawn Stitched rectangles, Stampin' Up Hello You, circle dies