What's Next?

Serious love!

2012-01-15T20:53:00.002-05:00

Ok, so sue me ... I'm still fixated on 6x6 paper pads!

Seriously, how could I not be?

Don't have much "me" time.
Want to create with that little time.
The papers coordinate with one another so beautifully.

Seriously ... how much easier could it be?

So, I needed a couple of sympathy cards - made 2 like this one.
And, I have to give credit where credit is due: the half-doily? My dear hubs suggested that touch. Yep, sometimes, he's soooo smart!

And it's time for January's "MoreLoveLetters" letters & I wanted something cheerful - love these papers!
I had big plans to work on Body Restoration today ... yeah, about plans ... Yep, it's January ... If you're one of the luckies in the US who doesn't have to work tomorrow - enjoy your day! Be thinking of me, slaving over W-2's and general ledgers - yep, it's hard to contain the excitement! lol

Could you use this?

2012-01-09T20:57:00.002-05:00

This is such a fun product!
I got it a year or so ago - as you can see, I got a number of the sewing heads, the fibers .. but, I've used it maybe twice. Sew Easy works really well - it's just not the sort of thing I'll dig out of my stash & use. So, would you?

If so, and you live in the USA, please leave a comment here & in a week or so, I'll draw the name of the next owner of my Sew Easy products.

The cards keep comin'

2012-01-09T20:46:00.002-05:00

Oh, how I love 6x6 paper pads! The coordinating papers sure help me create cards even when I'm feeling a bit tired or mojo-less ...Authentique's "Blissful" papers are such fun prints & colors - and Tim's fall seasonal Persimmon ink colored my ribbon bow perfectly!
And BoBunny's Ad Lib collection - what great colors & images!

Two sides

2012-01-09T20:42:00.002-05:00

What fun I'm having, finishing this little box ...!
Isn't it amazing how easy it is to cut out a paper shape, when your X-Acto knife has a sharp blade in it?
I so love all of the images on Graphic 45's ABC Primer papers!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T15:59:00.002-05:00

The last few weeks have been so crazy - I've just not had much time online. And, truthfully, the more I wasn't, except to check emails or whatever, the more I realized I needed the break from feeling committed to technology.

I'd set a few small goals for myself, once Christmas was over, that I've sort of met ... did get my stash cleaned out a bit, fixed a little area for my Vagabond & my new Tonic paper cutter - but I'm not sure I've really got myself ready for Brave Girls' "Body Restoration" class yet & I've not hardly touched a journal for Kelly Kilmer's online class - I'll get there. I will.

Anyway, I have gotten a bit inky lately ... did a Zentangle key tag for Angela at Creative Chaos. It felt good to let the brain just go....
And I made T's birthday card - he's a Christmas day baby & is now finally as old as me, again. (lol) 7 Gypsies' "Off the Wall" paper pad with the Stars' paper? Perfect! All my guy wears is Stars - has 20+ pair!
So, the last week, I've spent a lot of time vegging, hanging out with my family, learning how to use my new Nook tablet (what a fun toy! thanks again, T!) - but yesterday, I decided it was time to get back to creating.
This is a Naval Jelly box I've had for a bit, which I've now covered with G45's ABC Primer papers (the 8x8 pad). I'm thinking of making a mini-book to include, as this will be a gift for a friend. Though I have to admit, I'm really liking how this is coming together - I may have to make another for me!
Tomorrow, it's back to reality & that annual joyous time for those of who process payrolls: the preparation of year-end payroll returns, W-2's, 1099's ... all that fun stuff! (Yes, this is a motivational speech to myself! lol) Yep, the anticipation, the excitement is almost more than I can bear! (lol)

I hope 2012 brings us all good health, lots of wonderfully creative energy & whatever else we may each wish for most!

Love letters straight from my heart

2011-12-18T21:39:00.004-05:00

The Christmas cards are in addressed envelopes, tomorrow they'll be stamped & mailed - yea!

So, today, I was able to work on cards for other occasions. This first is a birthday card for a brother-in-law - love this Kaisercraft paper!
These few were made for The World Needs More Love Letters - I've made all 12 for the 12 Days of Letter Writing - and I loved it! Even if you don't join in the site's letter writing, isn't there someone you know who could use a love letter? a letter of support, care, encouragement? Go ahead - take a few minutes, pen a card, a letter, a note ... mail it to who you're thinking of - or, write a generic "hey, I'm thinking of you!" note & leave it somewhere - on the bus, a shelf at the store. Be creative & make someone's day! (Thank you!!!)
Love how easily 7 Gypsies, My Minds' Eye - ok, most every 6x6 paper pad! - works into cards!

Oh, yeah ... this isn't a card. Surprise! (lol) The finches finally decided to feed - and, boy, did they! What a wonderful thing to see, first thing in the morning!
Now, how is it one week 'til Christmas? ONE??? Yep, there are things I didn't get done I'd hoped to, gifts that will be created or finished as after-Christmas gifts - but, I've had fun making all of our cards, doing some crocheting & knitting, tasting my daughter's wonderful baking (hey, I can't do it all! lol), decorating the house. What's done, is. What isn't ... yep, there's always next year.

Come on in...

2011-12-14T21:06:00.003-05:00

I think our holiday decorating is done ... I think. Haven't done my part of our outside decorating yet - maybe tomorrow.
This is a sofa table that sits back in a hallway - full of vintage stuff, mingled now with Santa's & a picture of Kel with Santa, from about 10 or so years ago.
My grandparents' certificate hangs in our front hallway, now with it's touch of Christmas - one of the ornaments I made in Lisa Pace's online class a couple of years ago.
We're fortunate to have many of my parents' Shiny Brite ornaments - how I love putting them on our tree every year!
And one last thing about my Christmas cards: They're now all stamped, signed - since I added a touch of stamping to the inside of the cards. Some have snowflakes stamped, this set has evergreen boughs. I think it's a nice little addition - you?

Ok ... one more

2011-12-11T22:28:00.002-05:00

I've got to try to take a better picture of this set of cards - maybe tomorrow - but, for now .. One set of my cards uses Tim's embossing folder with his Core papers, placed over an assortment of background papers - then finished with snowflakes. The snowflakes are plastic packaging cut with Tim's die, touched with Snow Cap & gold paint dabbers.

Wonder if I'll now find time to work on Tim's tags .. or a version using Wendy's products ... or like the one Ellen Hutson's had on her site? Oh, I hope! I've not made a tag yet this year - ack!!!

Maybe the last of the cards?

2011-12-11T22:18:00.001-05:00

While I did laundry, unpacked Christmas decorations, etc etc, I got 20 more cards done. Well, the fronts are done - still have to stamp a sentiment on the insides, but the fronts are done. Yea!!
All in today's batch are made with Graphic 45 papers - this year's & last's. What fun I had! The past couple of years, I've hoarded my G45 papers - they're always so pretty - but, no more. I'm addicted - may just have to make more cards yet this year! lol

What a great guy!

2011-12-11T21:58:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago, my husband & I went to the Bruins/BlueJackets game in Boston. Last night, we went to the same game, but here instead. We lost both games, sadly - and last night's was extremely frustrating with lots of horrific calls & such - but, it was a night out with my guy - and that's never a bad thing!
Notice the cost of the tickets? T was quite proud of himself - buying tickets for the same number as my birthday number this year! Gotta love it!
Yep, still working on taking pictures of us, with my phone .. lol

Snowflakes, continued

2011-12-06T20:41:00.003-05:00

I decided tonight's studio time would be spent actually putting some of my cards together - not adding to the stack of pieces & parts. And I learned something invaluable (well, for me, anyway) - when you start planning your cards (or whatever else you may want to mail), think about how it will pack to mail. Yep, I'm putting together these dimensional cards & while most of them will fit in the envelopes that came with the cardstocks, there's not much room for putting in any material to protect the parts. *sigh* So, tomorrow, I'm getting bigger envelopes. lol
Here's yesterday's peek, completed. To help the snowflakes be a bit more visible, I placed coordinating cardstock behind each snowflake - really sets the whole piece off, don't you think?

I had planned to make many cards like this one - Tim's technique of stamping the embossing folder before embossing the cardstock, then coloring with distress inks. Well, yeah, you know about plans & all .. I ended up with 4 out of probably twice that amount that I felt were worth keeping. I jiggled when I stamped or colored weirdly - the ones I tossed just did not work. Oh, well, 4 did!
The bows on these don't show their additional coloring well - I sprayed the ribbons with Perfect Pearls mist, scrunched, heated - and absolutely love the dimension the spray adds to the ribbon!

So, let's see .... 16 out of about 80 are assembled? Oops! Anyone want to guess what I'll be concentrating on this weekend?

More progress!

2011-12-05T21:24:00.002-05:00

Bit by bit, I'm getting there! lol I thought today would bring me much farther along ... yep, so much for that thought. Oh, well, I was the good daughter & had Mom out in our hours of rain, finishing her Christmas shopping.

I think I need more of these snowflakes - these are too fun! They're from the Dollar Store - rosettes made with Tim's die, of course - then images from G45, mostly.

Dare I say I hope to make much more progress tomorrow evening?

Fun times out & about

2011-12-04T21:35:00.002-05:00

See? You're never too old to visit Santa!

While we were out with errands yesterday, Mom, Kel & I stopped at a local food service supply store. While we were checking out, we inquired about one of the owners - he'd been a former next-door neighbor. Well, guess what? Yep, he was "Santa" for the day (it was their holiday open house). So, of course Mom visited Santa!

Rosettes, anyone?

2011-12-04T21:33:00.002-05:00

Christmas card prep continued today, after I spent most of yesterday running errands, cleaning, doing laundry - all that fun (hahaha!) stuff. And, if I'd not waited until it was dark to finish, maybe the glitter on the rosettes would show better .. maybe ... Oh, and the white little tabs in the centers? Small Christmas pictures will be placed in the center of the rosettes, hopefully, tomorrow.

Well, I tried ....

2011-11-25T19:08:00.005-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a giveaway - and this past Sunday, I posted the winner. I've not heard a word from her, so, a new winner was chosen today - and, it's Stephen! Again, thank you all for commenting - and thank you to my followers for always being here!

How was your Thanksgiving, if you're here in the US? Thanks to my husband's wonderful cooking, we had a great dinner at home (and, no, he rarely allows a 'serious' photo). We all contributed - Mom made the cranberries, I cooked the kale - but, Tom certainly did the bulk of the work. I'm so glad he cooked a whole turkey - the leftovers today are so very good!
My daughter decided to host her first-ever Thanksgiving meal, wanting to offer food & company to her friends who don't have nearby family. One of her best friends, Chris, worked alongside Kel to cook for everyone.
We went over for dessert - before our dinner - you can see what a success their meal was!
Apparently, Lucy had a bit too much, too!
Today, I started working on our Christmas cards. It's been years since I tried to make enough to mail to everyone - we'll see how successful I am this weekend! I'll tell you this much: I'm still so lovin' my Vagabond!! Oh - have you ever used any Spellbinders Shapeabilities? I bought the poinsettia set at Absolutely Everything last week - does the paper always stick in the die???
Now to an evening of hockey watching with a bit of knitting - have to get things wrapped up for our annual mailing. Time's going way too fast!

Peeks revealed

2011-11-21T21:17:00.004-05:00

In amongst all of the things going on around me this last month or so, I participated in a swap with some friends - showed you a couple of peeks along the way. The swap's done now, so, I may share all of my pieces.

This first I'm keeping. It's a bit "darker" than I'd envisioned, but, it was my starter piece & I do like it. Can you see where I was trying to use what I'd learned in the online class this past summer?
Then I decided to lighten things up a bit, using paints & stains & stamps ... I think I pulled out most everything I have in my stash at one point or another!
And of course I had to incorporate seam binding ribbon ... love playing with the colors!
The pictures don't show quite as well as I'd like, but the 3 pieces I mailed out had one difference from my first that I had fun with. I covered each woman's image with a microscope slide - after I tinted the slide with paints. One's 'old silver' from Viva's Decor paints, one's a copper 'rub on' paint, but when seen in person, I thought the paints added a wonderful additional touch of age to the images.
So, there you have it ... what's kept me busy lately. I've received 3 wonderful 'pages' as well - can't wait to do another swap!

It's November 20, right?

2011-11-20T10:58:00.002-05:00

What a whirlwind few days I've had - thus, the question in the subject line! (lol) I flew to NH this past Tuesday evening - went to MA on Wednesday to visit with my friends Patti (of Absolutely Everything fame, if you don't already know her) & Joan (had a wonderfully fun evening in Boston - thank you, ladies!!) - went to the BlueJackets/Bruins game Thursday night with my husband, his brother, our niece (we won't talk about my gracefulness while en route to the game - suffice it to say I'm still a bit sore) - back to NH after the game to visit with more friends & family - home to OH yesterday afternoon. I had a GREAT time, with one & all, though I think I could easily spend all day today in bed. Oh, well ... we've a family Thanksgiving gathering today - hopefully, I don't fall asleep in my dinner plate!

Needless to say, I've not gotten any creating done this week, though I did some stash shopping at Absolutely Everything - love that store! Now to use what I bought to create our Christmas cards!

So, to the matter at hand - using Random.org, the winner of my Tim Holtz giveaway is JuliC! Congratulations, Juli! Please contact me (my email link is in the sidebar) with your mailing address so I may put your package in the mail this week. Thank you ALL who left comments on the giveaway - especially those who are now followers of my blog. I appreciate you all!!

See what happens....

2011-11-15T17:14:00.002-05:00

when you don't stay up with blog reading?

What am I talking about?

Before I became immersed again in paints & inks & papers, I counted stitches - I still love it, but rarely pick up a needle & floss. I made many wonderful friends through stitching - one in particular is "Pumpkin Patch" in Canada. She's a glorious stitcher, a wonderful photographer, is a breast cancer survivor (YEA!) ... and, I just found out, she's pregnant! I am so incredibly happy for her & her husband!

Yep, I really have to do better at staying up with blog reading! I even use Google Reader - and have some that come in email form - how do I get so far behind? What do you do to keep up?

Letters

2011-11-13T13:22:00.002-05:00

Do you remember hand writing letters - to friends, family, as thank you's or invitations or just plain ol' 'this is what I've been up to...'? I can remember having a penpal in England, way back when I was in junior high. How cool that was, to receive those periodic air mail envelopes from across the ocean!

Fast forward to 'now'. I do emails, Facebook posts - and occasionally send letters to our grandkids or pen a thank you to someone, tuck notes in with cards. Then, a friend posted a link of Facebook that intrigued me .. I checked it out & the simple card shown here is my second month of sending a "love letter".The site is The World Needs More Love Letters - I love it! I've not begun leaving random 'love notes' out in the world, but, I'm getting there. Who couldn't use a random act of love?

I've been working away on swap pieces that are finally being mailed out tomorrow. Yea! Here's a little peek ... more will come when I know they're all with the recipients. And once I've received my last one, I'll share pictures of those, too. Gotta love "art mail"!
To all who've left comments on my giveaway post - thank you! And welcome to my new followers!! Thank you for joining in the fun here!

A small giveaway

2011-11-10T20:49:00.004-05:00

Would YOU like to have a Tim Holtz Christmas stamp set? And two of the winter embossing folders? And this mask set? You just may, if you leave a comment on THIS post. And if you share this on your blog, you'll have a second chance to win (let me know you've done so with a comment here, please). And that's it!
On November 20th, I'll draw names for a winner.

Truly, that's it ...

One little peek

2011-11-10T20:05:00.002-05:00

I've been working on a swap - which I can't share in total yet - but, I can share this little peek.I've been playing with alcohol inks, Viva Decor paints, glass - and I'm lovin' the effect! This photo may not be the best - the real camera's MIA again - but maybe you get the idea?

Two weeks? really?

2011-11-10T19:50:00.005-05:00

I know I've been busy, but it's been 2 weeks since I last posted??? Yikes!

If you've followed my blog for long, you may have seen in prior years that my husband goes camping every fall with 'the guys' - they set up their teepee (the real thing) & hang out for a few days. I try to send him off with something that will remind him I'm home, tending the fires (lol) - ok, reminding him to think of me. (lol) This year was no exception...

You may have noticed my small "my hero" notes in my sidebar. Tom is indeed my hero, having survived a lot in his lifetime - not the least of which was coming home, 40 years ago, from Vietnam.
Most of the "mushy" stuff is written on the backs of the tags, but I really like the message Tim's stamp states - had to use it!And at least one tag had to have many layers - just 'cause it did!
And how could I not include something that's truly vintage? This is part of one of the pages of a vintage book I picked up a few months ago ... of course, stamped, inked ... all that fun stuff!

Tea, anyone?

2011-10-30T18:52:00.003-04:00

A few months ago, Kel & I saw a wonderful "Alice in Wonderland" triptych at Creative Chaos in Circleville - and since Kel loves Alice, I offered to make one for her. And this weekend, I did.
The images are all from Crafty Secret's 'Tea in Wonderland' Creative Scraps - aren't they all just so fun? Viva Decor's 'Old Silver' Inka Gold's my new favorite accent color - I used it along all of the edges of the triptych & around most of the cut outs. I love the soft metallic sheen!

I've got two other projects going on my desk, but, can't show either, yet. I spent way too much time today on one - kept trying this, then that ... why is it some days, the images in your head don't quite translate the way you want them to? (lol)

Hope you've had a good, safe weekend! It's been crazy busy here, again, but - no snow, fortunately. We've many friends & family without power as a result of yesterday's storms, but thankfully, they are all safe. Mother Nature's sure been having some wicked fun lately, hasn't She?

A somewhat different post

2011-10-25T12:38:00.003-04:00

So much has been going on in my life lately. I'm horribly remiss in blog reading - I love Google Reader for speed browsing, but, it also lets me do just that - speed through without commenting. And my emails ... my daughter gasps when she sees the number Gmail says I have unread in my inbox. (It's not a really true number - I mark things unread with the plan to go back & respond, follow-up, whatever - yeah, about that 'plan' ...) To those of you who read my blog - and especially when you leave me a comment - thank you. Your efforts are greatly appreciated! And you have my apologies for not giving you the same time right now.
This sweet girl is a big part of my distraction. Kel & I signed her up for obedience classes, once a week for 8 weeks. Because Kel has more commitments than .. well, pick an analogy ... I've been taking Lucy the last 4 weeks - just me. And I've been spending more time out of class with her, trying to reinforce what we do in class. And when Lucy's at our house, how can I do anything but play with her? Could you resist that face? We've only 2 more classes - and while I doubt she'll 'graduate' as there's a good amount of some mix in her that loves to sniff & explore instead of staying 'down', we've both learned a lot from the classes.

Do you ever watch The Today Show? For whatever reason (it's horrible how 'old-timers' runs off with my memory!) I knew of a recent episode with Ann Curry about misophonia. What's that, you say? Well, it's me.

"Misophonia – literally the hatred of sound - can be defined as a hypersensitivity to background sounds or visual stimuli that are generally ignored by other people. More importantly than the individuals inability to block out the offending stimuli or “trigger” is the acute negative emotional response experienced as a direct result of being in contact with a trigger.The response has been described as a reflexive emotional flood of rage and panic with a storm of fight-or-flight reactions becoming paramount."

I'll spare you details & TMI, but suffice it to say, when I realized I wasn't the only person who thought they were going crazy because of the horrific reactions I have to certain sounds, especially from certain people, well, it was a sad happy dance - but, a happy dance regardless. And I'm working on sharing this with everyone around me - so, at the very least, when I bolt from a dining table or scramble away from someone eating chips from a crinkly bag, they know I have to do so. And, I'm working on coping better with my reactions, have bought better quality earplugs for work & such, so the stress doesn't gobble up quite so much of my life. My reason for sharing this here is because someone reading this, might be experiencing the same fight-or-flight reactions I am - someone, somewhere, may find themselves, after reading about misophonia, breathing the same huge sigh of relief I did. I can't be cured, I can't live somewhere far away all by myself, free of sounds, but, there is comfort in knowing I'm not alone.

And, of course, there are other things grabbing at my time - some of which have pushed me to my art desk, thus, all of the Halloween tags & such. Call it getting inky, making art, whatever - escaping into the world of ink & paper always brings me peace, even if just for a bit.

Anyway ... as a reminder to me, to the world, as weirdness & stress & whatever swirls all around us ...

and let us consider

how to stir up one another

to love and good works.

hebrews 10:24

Thank you for letting me ramble here ...

Even more Halloween .. and a birthday

2011-10-22T21:01:00.003-04:00

I finished up my Halloween cards/tags today (and just realized I have one more to photograph - yikes!) - then, remembered my brother's birthday is the end of the week, so I wanted to get a card made for him. And, look! It qualifies for both Studio L3's Grungy Monday theme of "Tim in 10" AND Simon Says Stamp & Show's "stripes" theme! Go, me! (lol) Grabbed some BoBunny paper, an Artful Illusions stamp, lots of Tim's Distress Inks & Alpha Parts Ransom letters - and the card's done!

I don't know that I've ever had such fun creating Halloween tags & cards as I have this year!

Now, on to swaps, Thanksgiving cards ... and, NO, not the "C" cards ... yet!!

Wax on, wax off

2011-10-17T21:12:00.003-04:00

Don't you find yourself repeating that line from 'Karate Kid' when you work with beeswax? Come on .. I can't be the only one! lol

My friend Michael shared his Suze melting pot, UTEE & wax with me - and, yes, I'm going to get one! - but, I digress. I had this idea while we were together to drip some of the wax on one of the Tim Holtz Rickety Houses I'd cut from black cardstock. Yep, I love the effect! So I couldn't stop with the house - I had one of Tim's witches cut from this great black chipboard & had to give her a bit of wax, too.

I was able to completely finish two of the tags tonight - both of which were embossed with Tim's folders, colored with Distress Stains & Inks.

I absolutely love how these turned out! I've got at least two more ready to finish - we'll see if I stop there! lol At some point, I've got to work on a swap I'm in, start on Thanksgiving cards (I bought Tim's autumn garland die yesterday - it's going to be fun to work with!), think about Christmas cards, start on the Oz book kit I got from Jack & Cat Curio ... andandand.... Is your to-do list as long as mine?

More Halloween

2011-10-15T22:38:00.007-04:00

I'm having such fun with these Halloween tags & cards! I'm wishing I'd bought more black tags ... !

These skeleton images from Jack & Cat are way wicked - love 'em! The stamp & dome are from Red Lead - those domes are a new addiction for me - way fun!

Another Tim Holtz embossing folder with a black tag - love the Wild Honey & Dusty Concord Distress Stains! - and the image is from Tim's Seasonal Stickers.

Can't make all of these without a bit of the seam binding ribbon somewhere, right???

And another image from Jack & Cat - with part of a Tim stamp, a bit of Pink Paislee glitter - viola! a glam Halloween card!

Tomorrow I'm meeting up with some friends at Archiver's - I'm still not sure what I'm taking to play with! lol I'm so not a 'think ahead' artist! One friend's to show me how to use UTEE - I'm going to show him how to make the seam binding bows. Let's see if I get anything else done 'cause I know I'm going to have a great time chatting with everyone!

Boo!

2011-10-13T10:47:00.003-04:00

I grabbed a bit of time with my embossing folders & inks last night - LOVE these black tags from Red Lead!
A little Tim, a little Pink Paislee, a little Red Lead ... fun, fun, fun!

I've entered these tags in Linda's Grungy Monday #22 - but then forgot to tell what Tim products I used! Ack! I used Tim Holtz's embossing folders with each tag - the spider web one (love it!) & the pumpkins. And I think I'm finally remembering the side of the folder that has 'Sizzix' printed on it is the one that's "up"! lol

Love this!!

2011-10-12T21:45:00.003-04:00

Here I go, experimenting again .. well, ok, I don't have a lot of choice. This new laptop is Windows 7 - and I am so not getting it! So, yes, please, I'd like some cheese with my w(h)ine ... but while I attempt to learn all this, here are a few pictures of a WONDERFUL tag book I received from Annette, a fellow ATT'er. There are more pages - but, again, there's this learning curve going on ...

I wish you could feel this pages! She used an awesome assortment of vintage papers, inks, whatever all else & the pages feel ancient & leather-like.

Annette & I had talked about doing a swap later this year - but, then she decided to go ahead & make this for me now. Isn't she the sweetest??? Annette - THANK YOU!

Cards & more cards

2011-10-09T22:04:00.007-04:00

Have to love a productive day, right? I was able to ignore housework today - and able to spend the day with inks & embossing folders & all that fun stuff. Oh, did it feel good!This card - using an idea from "Take Ten" - is a wedding card for friends who will be marrying in a couple of weeks. So simple - but I love the look!
After a few tries - ok, a few messes! - I finally got Tim's technique of stamping the embossing folder, then running the folder through my Vagabond to work! I love the look - but I will tell you, you need to have more than the usual little cleared space on your desk to not have smeared ink on the folder. Ok, I need more than the usual room ... lol
And I've entered these Halloween pieces in Linda's Grungy Monday #22 - I finally remembered to link up this week!
I'm not sure what I think of Tim's kraft resist paper, especially the technique using Picket Fence distress stain, then inking - maybe I just need to practice more - but, well, yeah ...
This card's just fun ... I do love Tim's 'On the Edge' dies.
And, another wedding card for the same couple. This one's for my mom to give. This one, I stamped first since it's not a reverse image stamp. The 'pearls' are Versa - then I rubbed a bit of silver rub-on paint to the ridges, leaves, etc.

After a week of not making any art, today felt wonderful! I hope you had time this weekend, doing something you love.

Two years

2011-10-04T07:46:00.002-04:00

Today's my wedding anniversary - and of course I made a card for my guy! Ok, so it was last night - a little last minute - but, I did make it! (Happy Anniversary, my dear wonderful husband!)
And, it meets this week's EverythingWendyVecchi's weekly challenge - vintage text. Love double-duty - well, actually, I love that the challenge gave me the starting point for Tom's card!

Thank you all for your well wishes for my friend Jane last week! Her reconstructive surgery went very well - she's home now, resting & healing.

And, as always, thank you all for continuing to follow my blog - especially as sporadic as my posts have been of late. I truly appreciate you all!

Congratulations M&K!

2011-10-02T00:01:00.010-04:00

I can finally share the project I've been working on, since it's now been gifted. Yea!

First, many, many thanks to France for her wonderful box tutorial & for all of the outstandingly gorgeous art she creates & shares on her blog here!!!
Friends of ours were married out of town last weekend, so last night was their local reception. I wanted to create something for their gift - what better way than to make one of France's boxes, finished in our shared love-of-all-things-vintage style?
The papers are My Mind's Eye Lost & Found - they're one of my latest obsessions.
Lots of Tim embellishments, a bit of glitter here & there, Wendy's wonderful stamps ...
And, yes, the Tim stamp in the Wendy frame ... guess where they were married?
How could I not include this Glitz paper, especially knowing they have dogs?

I didn't get a picture of the inside of the box before I wrapped it up - but, it's lined with 7Gypsies' Parisian tissue paper.

The first box I made, using France's directions, is smaller & I decided to save it for another day when I saw the Lost & Found paper in my stash. Finishing that box may have to be my next project - this was way too fun!

It's been awhile...

2011-10-01T09:51:00.001-04:00

...since I've posted a 'teaser' (lol) ... but, here's one now!Come back tomorrow to see 'the rest of the story' ...

One I can share

2011-09-26T21:01:00.003-04:00

I've spent quite a bit of time recently working on something I can't share yet (next week!) but tonight, I finished a tag for the EverythingWendyVecchi group. The picture could be better, but I'm learning how to use this new laptop - well, maybe better said, deciding if I'm keeping it - and I still need to load some software (like real photo editing). Anyway, this week's challenge is to use one of Wendy's small stamps repeatedly, creating a background. I heat embossed mine, to make it stand out a bit more. So, a bit of fun creating tonight. Tomorrow, we become a 'hospital' again as my friend will be staying here a few days, recuperating from the reconstructive surgeries she'll be having tomorrow morning. Good news? She doesn't have to see her oncologist again for 6 months! And, her ta-ta's will be like the ones she had decades ago - what more could you ask for? (lol) We are all just beyond grateful that Jane's survived her battle with breast cancer!!

Paper Stacks continued...

2011-09-21T05:30:00.008-04:00

As I posted yesterday, Seth of The Altered Page, is hosting Paper Stacks, an online collaboration today. Those of us participating are posting images on our blogs of our stacks - be they papers, books, journals, or anything else of our liking.

Now, being the control freak I am, of course I have stacks - everywhere - in some form or another. I like to see/know where things are, always!

Stacks of books, especially those of the vintage variety ...
Empty boxes & containers I'll use to make something, some day ...
And, papers & papers & journals & journals .. some with actual journal entries in them!
Want to see more? Check out the links on The Altered Page - I'm sure many will be inspiring!

Stacks & stacks & stacks!

2011-09-20T21:50:00.002-04:00

Thanks to some of my online friends, I learned of the "Paper Stack" project, which can be found here. Too fun, huh? Yep, come back here tomorrow ... see my stacks, 'k?

Tags 'r us

2011-09-19T20:56:00.003-04:00

Came home tonight & decided that rather than work on the box, I'd see what I could whip out for the EverythingWendyVecchi Making Art Challenge. This week's necessary elements were polka dots & a face or eyes. All of the stamps are Wendy's .. love 'em!Tomorrow, I'm meeting a few long-time friends for lunch. We met when my craft-of-the-day was counted cross stitching (which I still love, though I've no time to finish anything). I realized this evening I've never shared any of my inky art with them, so I made them each a tag, using Tim Holtz stamps. The colors on the tags are a bit richer than they show here, but, you get the idea.
What's on your desk, being created?

Have a fork?

2011-09-18T20:58:00.002-04:00

See what you can do with vintage "hallmarked" silverware?
Who wouldn't love pounding on silverware to get it shaped differently? Yep, great stress relief-er ...
Then I started on a box. Francoise has shared such wonderful photos & tutorials on her blog (here) - I've drooled many times over her creations! I purchased one of her tutorials & went to it ... and I'm hooked!
I'm hoping my thoughts for the outside work as I'm 'seeing' them ... keep your fingers crossed for me, please!

Fun day!

2011-09-17T18:37:00.004-04:00

Started the day with one destination, ended with something different ... fun, either way!
Had a "girl" day with my daughter & my mom at a couple of local flea market/antique stores. And what finds! The picture above is the bulk of mine - a vintage child's case (doll? suitcase?), a vintage child's tray (love the graphics on it), a few books (another edition of A Child's Garden of Verses; Freckles has wonderful graphics sketched in the margins; and a book about Wm Channing, published in 1848!) & some miscellaneous ephemera. I also got a couple of vintage containers that are already placed on the shelf in our bathroom. FunFunFUN! My daughter got a porcelain-topped cabinet that will look great next to her Hoosier cabinet, a lingerie dresser that will be a good nightstand, some pretty green Depression glass - a vintage sifter, grater, a a vintage set of child's bakeware - great finds.

All in all, a truly great day! Now to get back to a gift piece I'm making for a friend ..time to get inky!

Alice

2011-09-13T07:00:00.001-04:00

Back in February, I started a tag book for my daughter. Guess what? I finished it! The original post is here. And as I type this, I realize how apropos it was that I worked on this Sunday .. how unreal Alice's life seemed to her, how unreal our lives were, 10 years ago Sunday.
The colors of these tags is majorly distorted - and I could not get it fixed with Photoshop. No idea why... Regardless, the blue ones seen here are tag stock colored with Faded Jeans - the 'yellow' ones are actually Peeled Paint. The phrases & images stamped on these are from Crafty Secrets' Greetings from Wonderland stamp set - what fun they are!Now that I've finally finished this little book, I'm going to make her another treasure box - since her dog ate the first one. Yep, hope it tasted good! (lol)

High five!

2011-09-12T19:44:00.004-04:00

Another from my 'to-do' list DONE! Yeah, baby!
In May, I made a "treasure box" for my daughter, following Wendy Vecchi's piece in her book #4. Kelli had it for a bit, then one day, her sweet little puppy got mad at her & had a field day chomping things up. And that treasure box was one of them.
Of course I had to make a replacement! Kelli really liked the first one, so I had to! And now I have! I followed the same colors I did on the first - Wild Honey & Peeled Paint, but I changed the stamp on the box to one from Tim Holtz's 'Papillion' set, made a ribbon flower & tie instead of the original paper, and changed the front trim style.
I've sent Kel pics .. this passes inspection. (lol) I've got another idea for one brewing ... but I'm liking this to-do list completion thing, so, we'll see what's next.

Label it ... art

2011-09-12T07:00:00.004-04:00

This week's challenge in EverythingWendyVecchi has been to create a tag using one stamp set.
I had the dress form cut out from an earlier piece that didn't work as I'd thought it would - and I remembered Wendy's "Serum of Art" fit in the opening, so ... from there, on I went. The numbers & "Serum" stamps are from Wendy's "Label It Art" set - love it!
Once the tag was all done & photographed for the challenge, I attached it to black card stock to make a birthday card for a special friend. (and I reattached the little black bling piece to the upper corner! lol)

I love how the Faded Jeans, Picket Fence & Peeled Paint Distress Inks worked so well together - especially in giving the black chipboard a bit of a patina look. I'm wanting to give one of Tim's ornate frames the patina look, as he showed on his blog a couple of weeks back - Picket Fence is too fun!

In remembrance

2011-09-11T22:22:00.002-04:00

This image was my office computer's screensaver for a long time after 9/11. All of the images, all of the memories today has renewed. I pray for all of us, I pray our world may know peace, soon.

Framing

2011-09-10T15:45:00.002-04:00

I've not totally been out of the loop, art-wise, lately ... but, yeah, busy with a few projects. And now that I have my laptop back (YEA!), maybe I can back in the loop in many ways.
I'm sure you've seen pictures of the old picture frames, distressed, then wired so pictures, tags, whatever may be hung within the frame. Last weekend, I was able to buy a few old picture frames, so I set to work. The picture above shows tags I hung in my grandmother's quilt hoop. My thought was to hang things only that were sewing related, but, as you can see, I strayed a bit. (lol)
And how I wish this photo were just a bit clearer - but, it works. I love how this frame worked out. It's quite large - about 2' high, 3' wide - and hangs wonderfully on the wall above the daybed in my studio. I've another to do - it will hold photos. I'm really pleased with how these worked out!

How do you display the tags & cards you receive? I can tell you - this is an inexpensive, easy way!

A great way to start a work week!

2011-09-06T07:56:00.002-04:00

Guess what?!?!!?

I'm the winner on Vicki's website, This Art That Makes Me Happy! ME!!!! Is that a great way to start a work week or what? WOW!!!

As you've seen here, I've not had mega time lately to create - lots of family responsibilities. And I've not had a lot of time to read blogs, which really frustrates me as I love seeing what you all create! Add to the mix my poor laptop which got sick last week & is in the shop - oh, how I miss it's portability & speed! But, I'll be back in force, soon!

And speaking of work weeks, I'd better be digging into mine.

Celebrating, Wendy style

2011-09-04T17:08:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow's my mom's 85th birthday, so what better reason to create a card, a la Wendy Vecchi - and put it to dual use as my entry this week for the EverythingWendyVecchi group's challenge #24? The main focus of this challenge was to have flowers & a flower "pot" - I'm hoping my layered cut-out qualifies.
I had to get a new phone last week - seems my original Droid was a "limited edition" - as in, not many made nor not many sold because it had so many problems. Nice to find out a year later, huh? Anyway, I have another Droid, a different manufacturer - and am still learning how to use it - but I think this photo turned out pretty good, don't you?

Tomorrow, we'll celebrate with a carrot cake made by my daughter - her first carrot cake - and all of us just chillin' as it's been a wild, busy weekend so far. We're all looking forward to a day of rest!

Time does fly!

2011-09-01T20:30:00.002-04:00

My great-nephew will turn 5 next week, so, of course, I made him a birthday card! And what fun I had with Crate Paper's Toy Box line!
Not the best photo, but ... the card's on it's way to our little guy, so, no do-overs. (lol)

The FINAL Final

2011-08-28T17:02:00.003-04:00

Yep, I had to work at it a bit more ...
I trimmed the printed fabric (backpiece) a bit narrower, then realized part of what was bothering me was the 'clean-ness' of the fringing everywhere - so, pulled out my trusty inked blending pad & added a bit of color here & there. Distressed the fabrics (the linen & the printed fabric) a bit more ... and, I'm done. This will go to my workplace tomorrow, to hang in my office.

I'm ready to begin another - but, have a few commitments to take care of first. Hmmm... maybe my next will be part of a giveaway here? I totally forgot my blogiversary (how is that to be spelled, anyway?) so, yeah, let's see what I can get together over the next week or two.

Final version

2011-08-27T19:50:00.002-04:00

Oh, how I loved creating this! I didn't get to Joanna's fiber part at the bottom, but felt this was right as it is. I'm not sure about the back fabric - it works well, color & all - maybe it's a bit too wide? Dunno ... will think on it a bit. If you have an opinion, I'd love to hear it.

I've been working on a project with my daughter, so my art time's been restricted this last week .. hope tomorrow brings a new week of ink times for me!

Hope all who may (or are) be affected by Irene stay safe ... wicked, wicked weather.

Mixing it up

2011-08-21T14:45:00.003-04:00

For a few months,I've had a link over there in the sidebar to "Artful Gathering 2011" - a group of online workshops that began at the end of July & end August 27. When I signed up for JoAnna Pierotti's "Mix It Up" class, I knew I had time to take my time with the project. Yeah, good ol' plans ...

Then, along came my husband's own project plans - which would give me a bit more uninterrupted time to create. Cool. Yep, then my daughter's plans changed & I'm spending the weekend as the dog sitter. I love the time with Lucy, but she's got me trained well - we play, take walks - you know how it goes.
All of that said, I have managed to get this much done on my project. It's not done - have a bit of hand stitching to do, may change out some of the black machine stitching - who knows what else - but, with this much done, I should be able to complete everything by the class end date. Cross your fingers for me, please!

A little "OT"

2011-08-16T08:20:00.003-04:00

GRATITUDE TUESDAY: Remembering to stay in a state of Gratitude every day can become a challenge sometimes... Know that the power of Gratitude is exponential... planting the first seed is enough! Did you plant your seed today? (from "Awesome Women Hub" on Facebook)(Image from Google Images)

Interesting that I'd read that just now, after reading this earlier this morning, from my daughter:

so on this creeper social networking site, it brings up your status' from a year or two years ago...
this was mine from 09, made me feel blessed & happy to know our family is still all together ♥

"Tom woke up & talked a bit before falling back asleep:)"

Talk about the Universe trying to get my attention!

I've been having this distraction the last few days that I couldn't quite figure out - little glimpses kept running in the background of my mind, but clarity just wouldn't happen. Now I get it! Two years ago on August 13, my now-husband Tom almost died - well, technically, he did, but thanks to our wonderful local EMS guys, he was revived & survived. Tom was kept in a medically-induced coma for 4 days, being brought out of it every 12 hours so the medical staff could check his progress, etc. It was a harrowing time for all of us, to say the least.

But, here we are, 2 years later - I am grateful every day that my ornery, silly, loving, wonderful husband is alive & making me crazier with each passing day. I am truly blessed...

Yep, a second post!

2011-08-15T22:15:00.003-04:00

A couple of friends & I have challenged one another to create specific tags - and until we're all ready, I can't show my whole tag, but here's a bit of a peek ... love inking new rubber!
And I've been remiss in sharing this, but my daughter has begun blogging - love it!! If you've a moment, check out her blog, please? It can be found here. Thanks!

Stampaway fun

2011-08-15T20:47:00.004-04:00

I can solder now (though I've no pictures of me doing so! lol)! Lori & I attended Stampaway 2011 this past week - had a blast! Our first class was "Haunted Little Houses" with Shari Replogle & it was wonderful! I learned one of the key ingredients to soldering correctly is having a solder gun set at the right temperature - see how nice Lori's looks? All smooth? Her solder just breezed along - mine got there, after I finally turned the temp up on my gun later into the class.
And here's Leslie & her creation - our table had a great group of women artists at it! Thank you all for sharing your knowledge & experiences with us! Leslie's in the AllThingsTim group, as are Lori & I - what a wonderful surprise to sit down at the table & discover her sitting next to me!!
Thursday we had only the one class, so our art buddy Michael picked us up (he's a Cincy resident) & we played - went to an antique store (you know, the indoor flea market kind) & all of us found some cool items, stopped at the local Michael's (a flagship store for the chain), and shopped in Jungle Jim's - a Cincinnati landmark. Lori & Michael posed under the Campbell's soup can for me - he talks when you stand underneath!
Lori & I also took a class with Sandi Obertin - Fantastic Embossed Glass Accents. What fun we had with 'fantastic film' & glass shapes! I've 2 more from class to complete & these two still need Diamond Glaze layered across the tops - will get to that later this week. The bottom pendant is my Haunted Little House - see how I applied a black patina to it? Fun stuff!
Now to get my own soldering iron & get to creating more 'cause I am in love!

She went down to the sea

2011-08-06T12:16:00.003-04:00

Last night so didn't play out as I'd planned (big surprise, right? lol), so I didn't get to this idea until this morning - but, I did get to it this morning - yea!I so love Wendy's Art Parts! I used her rectangle frame (both parts) & scallop trim with papers from Graphic 45's On the Boardwalk, coloring everything with Distress Inks. The embellishments are all from my stash - and, yep, more seam binding colored with Distress Ink Reinker (Rusty Hinge).
Now, besides the fact that I love being at a beach, the inspiration for this came from Paper Issues' current theme, "Make a Splash". Lots of wonderful layouts & such are being shared for this theme! I'm hoping to get another made when my photo prints from our recent trip to MI arrive. Hope to see something you've created linked to the blog, too!

For a little guy

2011-08-04T20:43:00.002-04:00

We're going to a baby shower this weekend, so of course, needed a card for the gifts! (Sorry the color's a bit off - even waited for sunlight to take the photo!) I covered a few pieces of sweet Maya Road chipboard shapes - cut the scalloped border with one of my new Sizzix dies (love their Tuesday online sales!) - strung a piece of yarn for a clothesline - and it's done.I'm really hoping to get one more piece done tomorrow evening - I want to have a piece to link to Paper Issues' "Make a Splash" theme - so, cross your fingers for me, please, that I do so! We have family arriving on Saturday for a 4-day visit, so little, if any, papercrafting will get done those days. Then it's to Stampaway for me - can't wait!

Let's get inky!

2011-08-02T20:50:00.003-04:00

The daughter's sort of got her days & nights mixed up (fortunately, she didn't as a baby!) - she gets home from work late in the afternoon, relaxes - then, about 8pm, gets crafty - starts baking, looking up recipes, or, tonight, gets inky! Yep, that's Archival black ink on her fingers!
And, why are her fingers ink-covered, you might ask? Because tonight, she remembered the Marah Johnson stamps she got a few months ago, so she started working on a logo for stationery & such for her 'k'atering business. (Hope she remembers she has a Ranger Scrubbie to use on those fingers! lol)
So, what's her mom been doing tonight? Well, getting inky, too, of course! I've been wanting to create a "two-fer" for awhile - and now have! This tag will be entered in both the Grungy Monday #18 and Simon Says Stamp & Show challenges this week. (Come on - you knew I couldn't stay away!) The colors aren't quite right in the photo for whatever reason - I used Scattered Straw, Fired Brick & Walnut Stain on the tag & seam binding ribbon, but none of the pictures I took would adjust properly. Anyway - the stamped/distressed/heated vellum meets Grungy Monday's technique - the tag meets SSSS' theme - and inking some seam binding feeds one of my current obsessions (let's see, that'd be dress forms, ribbons, bows, corsage pins...lol). Everything on the tag but the seam binding & the 'Finch' card are Tim Holtz products - the picker guy stamp is from one of the first stamp sets I ever bought. Cute li'l guy!
Wow ... inky art, 2 nights in a row! Me! Hmmm... what will I play with tomorrow night?

Made it!

2011-08-01T20:37:00.003-04:00

Ok, Marjie ... I got inky!! (see her comment on my earlier post lol)
The challenge this week (ends at midnight tonight - yep, I just made it!) in EverythingWendyVecchi is to make 4 patterned squares & use them as a background. Of course I had to use a dress form - I was having serious withdrawal issues, folks! The sentiment stamp truly spoke to me - this card will work well as encouragement for someone, don't you think?

Oh, it felt good to get inky! Wonder what I'll get into tomorrow evening...

Ahhhhh.....

2011-07-31T21:34:00.002-04:00

So, I had high hopes of creating art this weekend - does painting my toes count? How about finishing the laundry?
This was a weekend of much-needed house cleaning, garden weeding - and, sadly, no art making. I did get a few things reorganized - maybe that counts?
My daughter certainly did get food art completed this weekend! She's trying her hand a baking/cooking for others & today was her first job - food prep & hosting for a local business' grand opening. She worked hard this past week - baking cookies, cupcakes, brownies, scones - making appetizers from stuffed tomatoes to spinach wraps. We are so very proud of her!!

It's been a bit strange, not having an art deadline to meet this weekend .. but, art still will be made & shared here! If I uncross my fingers, maybe yet this week? (lol)

A few days away....

2011-07-26T20:03:00.002-04:00

Sort of on the spur of the moment, my guy & I decided to take a quick weekend trip to northern MI to visit his sons & our grandkids - what wonderful timing! The weather was superb! We were afraid we'd not get a room anywhere since the Film Festival started yesterday, but, an older place (mostly cabins) had a cancellation - again, timing! Sitting on the beach, feet in the water ... pure heaven!

Now I'm slammed with work at the office, but, that's a small price to pay for the time with our family, for sure. It'll be a few more days 'til I can get back to my art, but, I will, soon!

ROCK & roll CANDY!

2011-07-25T08:00:00.007-04:00

Yep, two posts from me this morning!

This one's all about Tim Holtz's Rock Candy, this week's technique at Grungy Monday ... 'cause I'm one of the Guest Artists this week! Yea, me! (Thank you, Linda, for letting me play with you & Stephen this week!)
The technique this week is not so much about technique as it is about the fun products from Tim - Distress Stickles Glitter Glue & Distress Crackle Paint, both in Rock Candy. I can still remember when Tim first introduced Rock Candy in 2009 - the clear glitter or crackle look you get using these was & still is awesome fun in blinging or aging papercrafting! Most of us can't own enough of either product, we use them so much!

So, a few details on my card: I cut 3 layers of papers with the Vintage Cabinet Card die from Tim Holtz/Sizzix, then coated the layer of dictionary paper with Crackle Paint. After it dried & crackled, I inked the edges & the cracks with Walnut Stain Distress Ink. Isn't it cool how the ink goes into the cracks & adds another layer to the vintage-ness of the paper?
Purely by accident, I found that the Stickles, on black chipboard, dry with a pink cast - actually, a "Victorian Velvet" cast! So, I stamped the Sewing Room dress form with the Haberdashery dress form stamp, "inked" with Rock Candy Stickles. I finished the front of the card with seam binding colored with Victorian Velvet re-inker - I love how the color came through!

When was the last time you used your supply of Rock Candy? Last Christmas? Well, dig it out & get creating! Need some more inspiration? Please visit the blog of my fellow guest artist, Stephen Jew. And the blog of our Grungy Monday host, Linda, at Studio L3. Then share your project with us all on the GM blog - sharing what we each create is the best fun!

A new journey

2011-07-25T00:01:00.011-04:00

A year ago, I was given an incredible opportunity - to be a member of the premier Design Team for Simon Says Stamp & Show. Me! A design team member!! Talk about a dream come true!!

And what a blast I have had! I've learned new techniques, met lots of wonderful people - but, it's now time for others to share the fun of being a design team member. So, may I present my final creation as a Simon Says Stamp & Show design team member...
I began with a Crafty Secrets 3D Portrait Shadowbox Frame, adding papers from Tim Holtz's Crowded Attic Paper Pad for backgrounds. Wendy Vecchi's dots from Seriously Art were used to add interest to the frames, Tim Holtz's Artful Flight birdcage & Haberdashery's dress form stamps were used for each of the side panels - and my fav die cut from Tim Holtz's Sewing Room took center stage.
I had such fun playing dress-up with the dress form! I twisted some heavier wire around a chopstick to make my 'belt', then hung a few of Tim's Baubles from it - gathered my tulle under it - and said "done!"
A few little touches .. I used Ranger's silver Paint Dabber to burnish the edges of most everything - I love the versatility of Ranger's paint! Besides playing dress-up, I got to finger paint! lol

I truly hope you'll join us for Anything Goes at Simon Says Stamp & Show! Show us your best vintage creation & maybe you will win the $50 shopping spree from SimonSaysStamp!

As a last note: I can't thank Heidi & her crew at SimonSaysStamp & Linda Elbourne, the Design Team leader, enough for accepting me a year ago, for giving me this wonderful opportunity! You all are THE best!! And my teammates? You ROCK! I wish you all the best!

And, please - you who read my blog, who share my fun times with me? Please don't be a stranger! I'll still be here, with the proverbial light on, sharing what I create!

* * * * *

p.s. To my 'staff', aka my husband ... thank you! Your support, your color consultations, your tolerance of my seeming-will-never-end "what do you think about....?" questions has meant more to me than I can express! Thank you!!

Lovin' some grunge

2011-07-22T10:23:00.002-04:00

Woke up this morning, thinking of Linda's Grungy Monday Challenge - had a cup of coffee & got to it! This week's challenge was to use Tim Holtz's grungeboard and/or grungepaper - two of Tim's best products, in my opinion.

My butterfly & flowers are from Tim's "Nature" grungeboard set, embossed & inked onto a piece of BoBunny paper. The stamp's from Tim's "Stuff to Say" set - it spoke to me this morning as I pulled all of this together for my card. Colored some HugSnug seam binding with Mustard Seed DI - and I was done!

Oh, yeah ... new toys!

2011-07-19T21:15:00.002-04:00

Tonight was free play time ... no commitments, no deadlines to meet. So, what did I do? I decided to see if I could get something made for the EverythingWendyVecchi group's challenge #18.

Guess what? I did!!
The only parameters were (1) use striped paper, (2) use a rectangle frame and (3) use something of Wendy's. Easy peasey! I started by looking through my Art Parts stash - one rectangle is the base - and I just love the hands & the scalloped trims! All of the stamps I used are Wendy's - love 'em!

Oh - the new toys of my subject line ... see the flowers? They're cut with the rolled daisy die from MFT's Die-Namics, which I just recently got. Oh, my goodness ... I'm in love! These are all paper cuts - wonder how this die will work with something like crinoline? Yep, I'll be finding out soon!

And the storm clears out

2011-07-18T21:36:00.002-04:00

After a day of high 90 temps, we finally got a bit of rain tonight - yea!! The humidity will probably return tomorrow, but, for now, we've been blessed with a beautiful, colorful night sky.

Going to be another crazy week here - lots to do at work, home projects to get into & maybe a quick weekend trip. If you've not yet been over to the Simon Says Stamp & Show blog yet this week, then maybe you don't know yet - but, 3 of us on the Design Team are leaving the team after next week's post. I have had a blast being part of the Team!! Would you like to be my replacement? Please check out the DT info at the end of this week's post from Linda & apply!

A different fold

2011-07-18T00:01:00.005-04:00

A friend shared a different card fold with me recently - and I just had to try it! When I saw this cloud-print Fine & Dandy paper from My Mind's Eye, everything started coming together for this week's "show us some embossing" challenge at Simon Says Stamp & Show.
I wanted Tim Holtz's Umbrella Man to be the focus on my card, so I used Ranger's Embossing Ink with Tim's Vintage Photo Distress Powder to stamp Mr. Umbrella - heating it with my Ranger Heat-It tool. I love Tim's mini stamp sets, especially Purely Random - they work so well in card making! And I've never used a quieter heat gun!
If you'd like a chance at the $50 gift voucher from our sweet sponsor, Simon Says Stamp, please share your embossed creation with us at the Simon Says Stamp & Show challenge blog. Just think of all of the CHA-Summer stash you could get!

What a fun day!!

2011-07-16T22:02:00.003-04:00

A few of we who are "Tim" fans & live in Ohio got together today & had a blast! I didn't get much creating done - had far more fun talking, browsing through Creative Chaos, soaking up creative energies - but everyone else did.
My daughter, Kelli, made this wonderful triptych with pieces cut from wallpaper samples Paddy shared with all of us. Kel stamped each of the panels & frames - and is going to hang pearls from each of the holes she punched in the top of the middle frame. Julie made the pearls for each of us - sweet, huh?
I sorta/kinda got the cover of my folder album created - but, I'll wait to share pictures when it's totally done.

Thank you ALL for a wonderful day! I can't wait to get together again!

3 more sleeps!

2011-07-13T21:20:00.003-04:00

This Saturday is the first TimsOhioFans get-together (have I mentioned that before? lol). Since I've been such a slacker lately (no, wait, vacation is not slacking!), I'm spending my evenings this week getting ready (well, trying!) for Saturday. And it's Wednesday already! Help!!!
We're going to each create a file folder album - using whatever "Tim" papers we bring. I am creating a new sample one - not a big deal at all - except I get so involved in thinking of what I want to add to the 'pages', that my covers are still blank! Maybe it'll just stay that way .. And, yes, these papers are 7 Gypsies' Lille (oh, how I love that paper!) 'cause my sample can be whatever paper ... right? I did use Tim stamps! See 'em?
I have another project I told Angela of Creative Chaos - our awesome host! - I'd have done. I think I told her I'd have it to her before now, actually ... ack! Well, anyway ... I'll get it all done. On time. Some time. This week. Right?

A needle & a thread

2011-07-11T00:01:00.004-04:00

Those are the usual tools for stitching, right? I did use them to create the seam binding ribbon ruffle on my card, but I also used an atYouSpica marker to give the look of stitching around my images. Since Simon Says Stamp & Show's challenge this week is stitching, faux or otherwise, I've got it all covered, right?

I started by using Tim Holtz's Sewing Room dress form die with paper from Crate Paper's Emma's Shoppe, backed the cut with a sheet from 7 Gypsies' Lille paper pad, layered all of that on paper from Crate Paper's Toy Box collection - I love how all of the colors & patterns work together! The images from Unity's Undeniably You were stamped with Ranger's Barn Door Distress Ink, then embossed with Ranger's Clear EP. Have to have a little shine!

Want a chance at the $50 gift voucher from Simon Says Stamp, our wonderful sponsor? Create something that includes stitching - faux or otherwise - and post it to the Simon Says Stamp & Show blog. Please remember when you post your creation to your blog - link it to the challenge blog & mention within your post that you're doing so.

Back in my room

2011-07-10T15:37:00.002-04:00

After 2 weeks away from home, a family cookout, my brother here visiting ... today, I'm back in my room, getting inky. Oh, does it feel great!!
I've got lots to do this week, both at work & home, so please check back to see what I create. One thing I've got is another file folder album to rough out, to share next Saturday at the "TimsOhioFans" get-together - which reminds me that I better get off here so I can get my organizing hat on!

And they lived happily ever after

2011-07-04T00:01:00.001-04:00

Flourish: an ornamental stroke; a decorative or finishing detail

I fell in love with the Ladies & Gents paper line from Webster's Pages & immediately thought of making a wedding card. The pink cardstock I put behind the image needed something more, so I embossed it with the Sizzix Regal Flourishes Texture Fades folder, then aged the image & the cardstock with Antique Linen Distress Ink.
As additional flourishes, Simon Says Stamp & Show Challenge's theme this week, I added a row of crocheted ruffling, then hand-dyed green silk ribbon from Tammy Tutterow's Etsy shop - and finished it off with a bow made with two of Tammy's ribbons.
I repeated the 3 colors of cardstock on the inside of the card, cutting them with my Nestabilities' Labels 4 die. Studio 490's Homemade Art stamp, "and they lived...." is a perfect stamp for a wedding greeting!

Our challenge sponsor, SimonSaysStamp, is again offering a $50 shopping voucher to one lucky person who shares their creation with us on the blog. It could be your lucky day!

Did you know I have issues?

2011-07-02T16:49:00.003-04:00

Paper Issues, that is!

Yep, I admit it! (lol)

And what fun it is & what fun it is going to be, as I'm now a member of Paper Issue's Creative Team!

What an easy-peasey challenge home - come see & play! Right now, in celebration of the 4th of July, we're having a "Red, White & Blue!" challenge - I'm lovin' the entries & wishing I were home to make a flag wreath myself! After today's cookout here in NH, I'm going to see what I've got pictures of that I can link up - hope you have a chance to do the same!

Yum!

2011-07-02T09:44:00.002-04:00

When we are in NH, we have to eat at least one meal at Bill & Bob's - so yesterday, we braved the pre-holiday traffic north & headed to Lincoln.
Then it was on to Littleton, to Generations of Memories, to spend a bit of time with my SimonSays Design Team-mate Lynne. Love that girl!
As we headed back south, the clouds just hung over the White Mountains, big time ...
but they cleared out when we got south of the Notch - and today looks to be a beautifully clear, New England day. Love it!

Jet-setting

2011-06-30T16:22:00.002-04:00

I am just such the jet-setter these 2 weeks! My guy & I flew here...
last week to help our friends get ready for this (their wedding)...
then I flew home the other night, for work (do I get brownie points for being such a devoted employee? lol), so when I'd finished up & got home today, I made this...
for a contest at Creative Chaos. Oh, did I need to feed my mojo! How I've missed my get-inky time!
Tonight, it's back on a plane, back to my husband & our family & friends, back to the mountains I love ... oh, I love my husband & everyone, too!

I hope everyone in the US has a wonderful 4th of July!

Just one???

2011-06-27T00:01:00.005-04:00

How do you narrow something down to "one" of whatever? Especially when it's something that has millions of that whatever? Well, to come up with "a word", the theme this week on the Simon Says Stamp & Show Challenge, I pulled out my stash of 7 Gypsies' Lille Tags, chose one, and started building.
I applied Weathered Wood Distress Ink Stain to an 8x8 canvas, then layered images from October Afternoon's Report Card:Recess, Crafty Secret's Vintage Photos, Tim Holtz's Idea-ology Salvage Stickers, 7 Gypsies Mini Vintage Ephemera - and whatever else I could find in my stash. A Maya Road Foundations chipboard frame around my word, BE, brings the focus in, don't you think? To give a bit more variety to the depth of what I'd layered, I finished with a flower made with seam binding - love that stuff! And of course, everything's distressed with Antique Linen & Walnut Stain Distress Inks. We all know I can't create without inking everything! (lol)
What word will you focus on for this week's "show us a word" theme at the Simon Says Stamp & Show Challenge? Will you make a card, a tag? Remember to share it with us for your chance to win a $50 gift voucher from SimonSaysStamp, our sponsor!

Hugs, anyone?

2011-06-20T20:41:00.002-04:00

My cousin just sent me this YouTube link - and I just have to share it. The actions of the people are set to one of my absolute favorite songs, Hallelujah. I'll be honest - watching this, makes me want to walk outside with a similar sign, giving hugs wherever, to whomever I can. Anyone want to join me?

Everyone loves a wedding!

2011-06-20T00:01:00.005-04:00

It's that time of the year, isn't it? We have a few friends getting married this summer, so it's time to get cards made for them - and the silver sparkle of Ranger Glitz Tiara Stickles is a bit metallic, right? Why worry about that? Well, it's this week's theme at the Simon Says Stamp & Show Challenge blog - show us some metal!While there's not a lot of 'real' metal on this wedding card, there is a bit as well as some faux metal. The brad & jewelry spacer in the middle of the crinoline/tulle/lace flower I made are the only real metal items on the card, but the Tiara Stickles around the edge of the card front & touched onto the flower petals lends a shiny, metallic touch to the flower. And I used the My Favorite Things' Die-Namics Decorative Doily die with grey metal cardstock to create a background for the flower - and what a crisp, clean doily it cut!

I so love the storybook feel of Wendy Vecchi's "and they lived...." stamp from her Homemade Art set! Perfect for a wedding, don't you think?

Hope you're going to be with us at the Simon Says Stamp & Show Challenge this week! I'm looking forward to see how everyone interprets "show us some metal" - so many different ways to do so! Your entry might win you this week's $50 shopping voucher from our sponsor, SimonSaysStamp...who couldn't use that???

Hummmmm......

2011-06-19T19:54:00.004-04:00

See our little buddy there, sitting on the railing?

We've averaged 3 or 4 hummingbirds every year at our feeders - we get such enjoyment watching them! This year, we have one little guy who seems to like sitting around, watching everything & everyone. He sits on the railings outside our back door, lying in wait for the other hummers to come near the feeder - then he bolts & chases them. He's never phased by us walking up to the door, talking to him, taking pictures. It's really funny to watch as he hunkers down, all squat down on the railing - then, bam! off he goes!
When my eyes or energy won't let me sit at my desk & get inky, I often crochet or knit. [Need a dishcloth? A potholder?] I needed a small clutch, so made this up this past week. It needs pressed so it'll lay better, but I'm pretty happy with it.

Time? What's that?

2011-06-18T18:18:00.002-04:00

For the next couple of weeks, I'll have limited internet access - will be busy attending a wedding, catching up with family & friends, taking a bit of a break. And to prepare for that, I've been spending as much time as I can creating - but much of it can't be shared, yet. And of course, this is when I have a lot of ideas rumbling in my head - I even woke up this morning, thinking of how I wanted to tweak what was on my desk! Well, that & wondering if I was ever going to find white sandals I need in a week! Thankfully, I did find the sandals today!

And I got that much closer to finalizing the plans for the TimsOhioFans get-together in July. What fun we're going to have! Remember the file folder album I made for OneWorldOneHeart this year? And gave away? Silly me ... it's what we'll be making that day & I've been thinking all along I had mine here to share! Yep, I forgot I sent it to Lezlei! As the saying goes, if I only had a brain ... Need to get one made, soon, to replace that one - and, Angela at Creative Chaos in Circleville (where we're meeting) has given me something else to play with before we get-together. Why is it I've not won the lottery I don't play so I have more time to play??!?!?

Anyway - I know my blogoversary's coming up - we'll be celebrating it here after it's actual date 'cause I've just got too many things on that proverbial plate right now. So, please stay tuned ... we will get to that!

Now, off to put another load of laundry in, then back to getting inky! Hope you're having a great weekend!

Rrrriiiippppp!

2011-06-13T00:01:00.002-04:00

Did you hear me tearing pieces of Basic Grey Kioshi & Memorybox Minuet papers to cover a piece of Jenni Bowlin packaging to create the background for this wall-hanging? What better way to begin my entry for the Simon Says Stamp & Show Challenge of 'distressed/torn'?
I've had this Hero Arts Let's Garden Silhouette stamp for a few months, waiting for 'the' project. Creating a torn-edge frame for it seemed that project. From there, it was building the layers, after I gesso'd the chipboard piece for the base. I added the torn pieces of papers, distressed them all with Antique Linen Distress Ink, rubbed some Blank Canvas paint around - then stamped Tim Holtz' Pause & 7 Gypsies' Avignon stamps for a bit more detail to the background.
For those of us who love the vintage look, creating something distressed & torn is our "normal", isn't it? And while I've been loving the darker browns & reds & honeyed yellows I've been using lately, using purples, greens, turquoise blues with this wall-hanging was a fun change!

Remember - to qualify for the $50 shopping trip from our sponsor, SimonSaysStamp, you'll need to share your newly-created distressed, torn piece on the Challenge blog before next Sunday night. See you there!

Shhhh.....

2011-06-08T22:22:00.003-04:00

Since my husband doesn't look at my blog - or, at least, not very often - I think I'm safe in posting what I made tonight.
Core'dinations & October Afternoon papers, that fun Die-Namics typewriter die & stamp - little whatever's from Artchix & Tim Holtz.
The other day, an online friend of mine - Stephen, of Bearcrazyman blog, was posting pictures as he went garage sal-ing. One picture was of a vintage typewriter, on which I commented 'cause I'm still wanting one. Later that day, he asked for my home address, he had a little something to send me. And look what it is! It's a "mini" typewriter!! His sweet note (in the "Live" card he'd made & included) told me this one could hold me 'til I find a real one. Isn't Stephen just the nicest guy??? I love my mini! Thank you, Stephen!
Oh, I should have posted the picture I took today of my car's thermometer! It was 99 degrees out when I left work this afternoon! What happened to spring???

Little boys

2011-06-06T22:03:00.005-04:00

Our older grandson turns 8 next week, so I thought it's time he get a "real" card from Grandma Nancy. I think he's old enough - as in, maturity, if you will - to appreciate something I've made for him. In other words, not another Star Wars birthday card from me. Now, Grandpa? Any bets he gets a little guy card? (lol)
A little Tim, a little Wendy, a stamp I bought from someone at Adventures in Stamping last year (who, me? remember?) ... the postage stamp in the lower right was one my mom found in amongst papers in her dresser recently.

Having this done now means our grandson might actually receive his card in time for his birthday! Wow!

AND (I almost forgot!), since I've distressed this everywhere, I'm entering this in Studio L3's Grungy Monday #10 Distress-Ink-o-Rama. Distressing with ink is THE first technique I learned when I was taking scrapbooking classes at PizazzIt, 5 years ago - and, as the cliche goes, that's all she wrote! That simple swipe of Walnut Stain distress ink around the edge of a piece of paper introduced me to Tim Holtz - I've always been grateful to Rebecca for pulling out that ink & saying "don't be afraid to use it everywhere!" I don't think I create anything anymore that's not distressed & 99.9% of the time, it's begun with ink.

I added the hinge clip & brown ribbon tonight (Wed) - what do you think?

You're IT!

2011-06-06T00:01:00.002-04:00

Hope you're ready ....

'cause .... TAG! You're it!

And it's time to join us at the Simon Says Stamp & Show Challenge where the theme is "a tag"! Share your tag entry on the challenge blog & you just might be the winner of the $50 gift voucher from Simon Says Stamp, our blog's sponsor!

I am still in love with the Sizzix/Tim Holtz Sewing Room die!! This time around, I cut 3 layers of different papers to create a layered silhouette. The tag itself is covered with October Afternoon's "The Thrift Shop" paper, then with a layer of Glitz's "Love Nest" paper layer.
Coordinating papers were used with My Favorite Things' Die-Namics Mini Rolled Roses & Rolled Flower dies to cut flowers, then with Sizzix/Tim Holtz Tiny Tabs & Tags die, to cut tags to hang from one of the Tim Holtz Idea-ology Hanger Clips. The tags are stamped with parts of Tim's Tiny Words stamp - what great, random words the stamp has! Everything was distressed with Ranger's Distress Inks in Walnut Stain, Wild Honey & Antique Linen.
I'm thinking next week, I'll try real hard to step away from the dress form die! I'm not making any promises, but I'll try ... lol

While I think of it, I'd like to thank you all for following my blog - and, for joining us at the Simon Says Stamp & Show Challenge every week! I hope you share my love of seeing what everyone creates each week - you all are such wonderfully talented paper artists!

When it's hot & humid....

2011-06-05T17:01:00.002-04:00

you stay inside & make cards! And it's been hot & humid here all weekend, so, while we puppy-sit, I made cards.
This is for our nephew's graduation - what fun I had, using Tim's cabinet die cuts!
The EverythingWendyVecchi "Making Art Challenge" #15 is to make a card & include some bling. Though I don't think it shows well in this photo, Wendy's bottle (made with Clearly for Art - love that stuff!) is lined with Wonder tape with lots of beads stuck on. And, her guy's got pearl cuff links on - tres chic, no?

And I got a third piece completed, but ... yep, you'll see it next week. Hope you've had a great weekend!

Really, Blogger?

2011-06-04T13:49:00.003-04:00

I've heard from a few friends that commenting on my blog - and probably many others - is still difficult, if not impossible. Fun times in ol' Bloggerland, huh? While it's not my fault (I've even checked my settings, to be sure), I am sorry 'cause I miss reading your comments on what I create. Isn't that part of why we all share on our blogs? The "see me?" part of ourselves? Anyway - not whining, just lovin' the 'can't live with it, can't live without it' of Blogger of late.

So, if you'd like to comment but can't get through Blogger's issues, please feel free to email me directly [address found in my profile here].

Regardless...Hello! Thanks for stopping by!

Another new die used!

2011-06-04T08:30:00.002-04:00

Remember when I got my Vagabond a few months ago? I'd debated about it's purchase for so long because I don't have a big history of using a die cut machine. I've always appreciated what others have done with them, but ... well, I always had to put mine away somewhere, drag it out to use, yadayadayada. But, now that I can leave mine out (though I still haven't come up with *the* place for it *lol*), I'm using it more - and lovin' it!
This week's peek shows the "Tiny Tags & Tabs" die-cut from Tim. I have to say, I love how I can cut many layers at one time...! As I was cutting these, I was thinking about the tags dies on this plate - yeah, I think I'm going to have to dig into a mini-book of some sort, soon! (Why is it I was born so stinkin' beautiful instead of rich, so I could be home creating every day???? Hahahahaha!)

For now, I'm off to see what I can come up with for Grungy Monday & EverythingWendyVecchi MAC - far better to be inside in the a/c than outside in 90+ temps, right? Hope you have a wonderful day!

It began in my garden

2011-05-30T17:12:00.003-04:00

We've finally had days of no rain! I got up this morning & headed outside to my flower beds, before the heat (it's 95 right now!) really set in for the day.
As I walked down the side of the house, I spotted our toad. Yep, "our" toad. lol I don't think a year's gone by since we've been in the house that I've not seen one somewhere in the flower beds. Since we live in a development that's in a suburban/country area, I always appreciate seeing 'wildlife' in our yard.
This is a plastic pot that just wants to fall apart (see the crack at the bottom?) - but I'm not ready to toss it yet. So, we'll see if putting it on it's side, filled with vincas & some new potting soil will help it succeed as a planter this year. One last chance ... lol

It sure felt nice to add some spots of color to the flower beds! The hummers are loving the hanging pots of red by their feeders - and this year, we had baby birds in a robin's nest in one of our crabapple trees. I am so grateful for the time today in my garden!

Get comfy....

2011-05-30T00:01:00.007-04:00

I'll warn you now: this is going to be one long blog post. Lots of pictures. If you're here from the Simon Says Stamp & Show Challenge Blog, you've already seen that I started out with the intention of making one tag or card or whatever, centered around one favorite stamp. Honest! I did! But, one focus stamp led to one background stamp led to one "this corner needs something" stamp to ... well, you get the picture.
The list of stamps I used is at the end of this post - you see why I couldn't use just one!

All of the tags were colored with Ranger's Distress Inks in Antique Linen, Rusty Hinge & Walnut Stain - as the base, then with the distressing I did along the edges of the tags. The stamps were done using the same colors, along with Chipped Sapphire, Fired Brick & Forest Moss, as well as Coffee Brown Archival Ink. Oh! I used my fav Platinum Stickles to add a bit of sparkle to the corset's tulle - love those little touches!

So, what's your favorite stamp? Share it with us, please, at the Simon Says Stamp & Show Challenge blog before next Sunday night! Maybe you will win the $50 gift voucher from our sponsor, SimonSaysStamp - think of the new stamps you could get with that!

Stamps used on my tags:
Tim Holtz: Haberdashery, Artful Flight, Curiosities, French Marketplace, Imagination
Wendy Vecchi: A Form of Art, Just Sew Artsy
The corset's from B Line Designs; Adore is from Memory Box

Plans, anyone?

2011-05-29T20:34:00.002-04:00

It happens to all of us, right? A day off, a week off, "I'm going to ...." and sometimes we do, sometimes we don't. I thought I'd spend most of this long weekend creating. Well, there is still tomorrow! (lol)
Today, I did create this card for the EverythingWendyVecchi Yahoo group's challenge #14. We were to make a card that included an ATC on it's side & a circle piece of chipboard, somewhere on the card. By jove, I got it! The ATC's a piece of Jenni Bowlin Memo Pad stamped with Wendy's "Well Worn Art" flowers - the alphabet & "live the SIMPLE life" stamps are also Wendy's. Love 'em!
These are my winnings from one week's challenge at EWV - Maya Road alphas, Jenni Bowlin chipboard & all - fun things to play with! Thank you, Wendy & Lori!
Now, this is today's accomplishment! One of the classes I took at last year's Stampaway was with Joni from Artful Illusions - we created all of these tags in class, but ran out of time before we put the mobile together. All of the parts have been sitting in a box, waiting on me - and I finally laid everything out on the floor, pulled up the pictures from the class - and got this put together! Yep, it's hanging in my studio - yea, me! lol

How are you doing with your weekend plans?

If you're in the US, please ... tomorrow, give a thought, a prayer, a minute in remembrance of all who have served our country over the many years of our country's history. And after tomorrow, please thank every veteran you pass on the street, in the airport, wherever ... they deserve our thanks every minute, of every day. Remember, all gave some, some gave all.

It's a bird, it's a plane ...

2011-05-24T21:49:00.003-04:00

Ok, not really ...
All I can say right now is, it's only Tuesday & I've already begun next Monday's Simon Says Stamp & Show piece! What's up with that? Whatever "it" is, I'm lovin' it! (Have you entered this week's "Wendy Vecchi Style" challenge yet? Hope so!)

Grungy Monday ON Monday?

2011-05-23T20:15:00.002-04:00

I think this needs to be recorded somewhere ... I completed Grungy Monday #8's submission on the Monday the technique is posted??? ME?!?!?
I love this technique - and making this card's convinced me I need more floral stamps! I love this one of Wendy's, but I'd like another of a similar long style. Anyway, I digress ... I wonder how many times I've used Tim's "Paris" postage stamp? It's truly one of my all-time favs!

I'm having such fun with the Grungy Monday challenges! How can you not love those that are centered around Tim's style & techniques?

Treasures

2011-05-23T00:01:00.004-04:00

Since seeing Wendy's "treasure box" in her box #4, I've wanted to create one of my own - and now have for the Simon Says Stamp & Show Challenge theme "Studio 490 Style"!
The 2"x3" box is from one of Tim Holtz's Idea-ology Configurations - it was colored with Wild Honey Distress Ink Stain, then stamped with Studio 490's Seriously Art polka dots. The lid's grungepaper cut with Tim's Scallops die, then colored with Peeled Paint Distress Ink Stain & stamped with Wendy's ticking stamp from Art Fit for a Queen.
The flower on top is many, many layers of a vintage pattern, cut with a Sizzix die, then spritzed a few times with Ranger's Heirloom Gold Perfect Pearls Mist. I love how spraying the tissue pattern paper caused it to curl & twist a bit! And Maya Road's Trinket Pins were that great finishing touch for the top of my treasure box!
Can't forget the inside of the box - I love the stamps that make up Wendy's Art Inspiration set!
Oops - can't forget the back either! The Idea-ology snaps & hitch fasteners were all attached with Art Glitter's adhesive - great stuff!
I loved making this little treasure box & am planning on gifting it to my daughter - then making another for myself. Do you have any "extra" boxes from one of the Configurations sets you could use to make one for yourself? Or some other small box or container? The Studio 490 stamps work so well to make these little boxes! I absolutely love them all! If you don't have at least one set of Wendy's stamps, well, you know SimonSaysStamp carries them all & what better way to spend the $50 shopping spree you may win when you enter our Challenge this week!

See what my daughter made?

2011-05-22T20:23:00.002-04:00

My daughter's settling into her apartment, decorating, upcycling, creating. I love what she's doing with her place - her home's warm, comfortable - beautiful!
This is a mirror she'd gotten at a local thrift store - plain ol' black plastic frame with the lines of an arts & crafts sort over the mirror. Just 'plain'. Kel picked out these beautiful papers at Creative Chaos when we first went there - then today, covered the frame. She trimmed out another paper, layered it over the first paper, added the flower - and changed this mirror from something plain into something wonderful. I'm so proud of her!!

More Grungy Monday fun

2011-05-22T20:14:00.003-04:00

I'd never seen Tim's Color Blocking technique, before Grungy Monday #7 this week - have you? What a simple, fun way to create a background!
Since I'd used so many of Tim's Sewing Room dress forms the other night at Creative Chaos, I wanted to use my own Tim die to make a dress form with corrugated cardboard - and, I have to say, I love it!
And Tim's Haberdashery stamps, that I used on top of the color blocking here? Yep, love them, too!

What a fun, quick tag this was to create this evening! Thanks, Linda, for choosing this technique this week - sure helped me out! (lol)

edit: I see, by reading Linda's post today that I'm one of those forgetful ones. I forgot - ok, did I even really read? does speed reading over words count as an excuse? - to link to Tim's site with my GrungyMonday posts! Please don't hit me with wet Idea-ology pieces! (lol) I'm just an overwhelmed papercrafter, trying to do the best I can ... ANYway, Tim's site is here - and you must check it out. Please?

Fun times in RoundTown

2011-05-21T12:57:00.002-04:00

Last evening, Kel & I went to Creative Chaos, my friend's new papercrafting store in Circleville (hence, RoundTown *lol*) to a card class. We had a blast!!
This was my first-ever iris folding - love it! Now, that zipper flower? Hmph! I got it done, but, it's one you have to really concentrate with - those zipper teeth like to fight back!
As you may have noticed, each card uses Tim's sewing room dress form as the base for the card. How fun using it so many different ways!

So, if you're in Circleville, stop at Angela's store - it's wonderful!

More Studio490 lovin'

2011-05-19T21:54:00.003-04:00

This week's EverythingWendyVecchi MAC (making art challenge) is about the brushless watercolor technique - one I don't think to use too often, though I love the effect.
This is currently a card front, but I'm thinking I may incorporate it soon in a journal or mini-album cover. We'll see.... (maybe I'll get a better photo of it then!)

What a wet, dreary week it's been here in central Ohio! Apparently, the Universe saw my whiny self whimpering around & decided to take pity on me 'cause I've won goodies from 3 challenges this week! Three! Me!! Sure lightened my soul a bit! Thank you's to AllThingsTim, EverythingWendyVecchi & Linda Ledbetter!!

Love the image!

2011-05-16T20:47:00.004-04:00

Easily a month ago - more, most likely - I got Wendy Vecchi's A Form of Art stamp set 'cause I just loved it. Did I use it then? Yeah, right. (lol) Have I looked at it & thought "oh, what can I make?" - of course. And tonight, I finally followed all the way through & did use the set to make a card for the EverythingWendyVecchi challenge #12!
The photo's not the greatest - I see it's a bit blurry at the top - but, it's gray & cold & windy here - and it's late & I wanted to get this in before the deadline.

Wonder which unused stamp set I'll use when I next sit at my desk? Oh, wait! Maybe I'll open one of my new die cuts! What a concept! lol

Wish I may, wish I might

2011-05-16T00:01:00.001-04:00

I've never considered "Star light, star bright" to be an old wives' tale, but, it showed up in the lists I found online as I thought about how to work within the theme for the Simon Says Stamp & Show Challenge this week.
So, I made an oversized birthday tag for a friend, centering around "Star light's" wishes. Wendy Vecchi's Celestial Art stamp provided the stars hanging over Tim Holtz's Rickety House & Iron Gate Sizzix dies.
For some inspiration to create, using an old wives' tale, please visit the Simon Says Stamp & Show Challenge blog - see what my teammates have created. Lots of fun interpretations of our theme! And, please remember - your submission to our challenge could win you a $50 gift certificate from Simon Says Stamp, our challenge sponsor. [Have you seen Abigail Ann's picture here? Her proud parents are the owners of Simon Says Stamp - congratulations to them, on the birth of their beautiful daughter!]

Busy day!

2011-05-15T19:41:00.003-04:00

Lovely weather here in central Ohio, again. Gray, chilly, wet. So, since I couldn't work outside in the dirt - which I want to desperately! - I got inky instead!
I finally created something for Linda's Grungy Monday challenge #6! Finally! This week's "Tim" challenge is from 2007, but I don't know that I've ever done this particular technique, so it was a learning experience as well as fun. All of the stamps are Tim's, as is the tissue tape.
One granddaughter has a birthday this week - can you tell she's going to be 10? (lol). Like the miniature sewing machine next to the card? A friend gave it to me the other night - am I a lucky woman or what? It seems to be in good working condition, but I've yet to really test it. The birthday girl's a RedLead stamp, as is the "Happy Everything" stamp; the grade card is a B-Line stamp - the little tags are Tim's, Crafty Secrets & 7 Gypsies.
And this card's for Tom's older son, who's birthday is also this week. The typewriter, "paper" & saying are a Die-namics die cut and stamps - a fantastic set! The background stamps are Tim's, the papers are 7 Gypsies.

What did you do with your Sunday? I hope your day was as enjoyable as mine!

Have to love a good sale

2011-05-14T21:23:00.002-04:00

If you don't know it, Michael's has their scrapbook storage on sale (40% off) - then yesterday, emailed coupons for an additional 20% off of anything (well, there were probably a few restrictions). Last night, I picked up two units I've been looking at - and today, Tom put them together for me. Perfect fit next to my desk and now my rub-ons & sheets of alphabets & such are in drawers, stored on their sides - much more preferable to me than laid on top of one another, helter-skelter.
Target has Closetmaid shelving on sale - yep, got this 8-cube unit (also assembled by my handy-dandy Tom) ...
and this 9-cube unit came home with me, too.
And, yes, I'm a neat-freak. I don't have much stash, but I like to be able to find what I have quickly & I think I'm finally getting there! [Now to get my old passed-down wire cubing disassembled & out of the room - tomorrow's job!]

Kel & I also stopped by PizazzIt, our LSS. They're being booted out of their storefront (they've been there 8 years!) & are still trying to work out a new space. If you live near central Ohio, please stop by their shop & lend your support - even if it's just in verbal form. I hate to see them dealing with this & I really hope a new storefront works out! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Sue, Ashley, Tiffany & the rest of the wonderful people there!

It's 11:37pm & I'm still up?!?!?!

2011-05-13T23:36:00.002-04:00

I am not a late-nighter. I'm an early-riser, 99.9% of the time, so my nights are on the shorter side. But, here is it, 11:37pm on Friday - and I'm posting on my blog? Decided I better, since Blogger decided to cooperate with us all once again.
I didn't get any art made today - had to work, then took the car in for routine stuff, then spent the evening with Kelli, getting new shelving & such for my studio. The little peek (above) is part of a friend's gift - love how it turned out! Hope you agree, come Monday morning.

Tomorrow, I'm hoping to get inky again. Want to get something made for Grungy Monday!