Love is in the Air

Today is an exciting day with the launch of the new challenge blog - International Art & Soul, a challenge which has been put together to incorporate any type of craft, paper, wood, flowers, recycling, glass - the world is your oyster :).

Challenge #1 - Love is in the Air

For my first design team creation for this new challenge I have decided to do a bit of pyrography.  My youngest daughter was married on January 4th of this year and this was a wee personal gift from me to her and her partner.  My daughter was born in Kenya and we lived on the slopes of Mt. Kenya.  Hubby and I recently returned to Kenya for a holiday and I thought it would be rather nice if I could find a piece of wood from 'home' and make it into a wall plaque for Nicole and Meesh.  It was only a few days before we were due to fly home that I found the perfect piece of wood - cut from an old cedar fence post.  You are not allowed to cut the cedar trees on Mt. Kenya now as they are protected but this old fence post was cut some 60 years ago, well seasoned and legal.  Thank you so much Anne from Suyian Soul for letting me raid you wood pile :) :) :) This piece of wood along with two similar pieces were put into my suitcase and boy were they heavy hahaha and brought home where I burned the saying into the wood, added names and dates and varnished.  The plaque then had hooks and chain added ready for hanging but I needed to get a photo taken before this was done as time was short.  My daughter was in tears when she saw it the day before her civil partnership to Meesh and her only words spoken as she caressed it was 'A bit of home' :) :) that is the exact reaction I so wished for so you can imagine how I felt inside.  Both my daughter and her partner are in the British Army and, Meesh is a medic and travelled a fair bit on exercise etc. It turns out she has been to Nanyuki, Kenya (on the slopes of Mt. Kenya, and where we lived) twice and was on exercise on the neighbouring ranch to Suyian Soul where this piece of cedar wood came from.  How cool is that, the plaque has meaning for both of them, both knowing where it came from, both having walked the same land even though it was years apart :) :) :).  So as you can see, this plaque really is a 'Love in in the Air' creation and I hope you like it.

To make the plaque I first created my design on Illustrator taking into account the placement of the holes and markings in the wood.  I then printed my design on tracing paper and transferred it to the wood.  It was then out with my pyrography tools to do the wood burning and to finish off a couple of coats of varnish.

I also made three wedding cards for Nicole and Meesh, one from hubby and I, another for my mother to give them and one for Nicole's eldest sister to give.  The wedding theme colour was navy blue with orange flowers so this colour scheme was carried through with the cards.

Card from hubby and me

Card from my Mum

Card from Natasha, Nicole's eldest sister.  I saw this idea on the net and thought it was perfect but for the life of me I don't know the source - sorry.

Challenges entered:-

• A Bit More Time to Craft (2W, P1/15, E3) Always Anything Goes
• A Perfect Time To Chraft (M, P1, E3) - Always Anything Goes
• Crafter's Cafe (2W, P1/15, E3, F) #166 - Recycle Something (recycled old fence post for pyrography wall hanging)
• Crafts and Me (M, P1, SIO) February - Anything Goes
• Crafts Galore Encore (M, P1, E3) February - Anything Goes
• Creative Craft Cottage Digi Creations (2W, P1/15, E3) #66 - Add a Heart
• Delicious Doodles Challenge (M, P1) February - Anything but a card
• Dies R Us Challenge (2W, P1/15, E3, die cuts) #66 - Hearts
• The East Wind Challenge (P1/15, 3E, no digital coloring) #70 - Love and Romance
• Creative Fingers -  2W , 3E, No totally digital projects - No.124 - (W1 of 2) Anything Goes
• Simply Create Too - M - February - Love
• Craft Rocket Challenges 2W,3E #32 It's A Love Thing (W1 of 2)
• Crafting With An Attitude M,1st Thurs,3E Always Anything Goes
• Crafty Girls Creations M, 3E Anything Goes - Feb
• Crafting By Designs - W, F, 3E - Anything goes
• Creative Moments - 2W, 3E - #110 Anything Goes (Week 2 of 2)
• Mod Squad Challenge- W, 3E, F  Use Both Hearts and Flowers