Valentine's Day Ensemble

So you may ask, what is a Valentine Ensemble.  My ensemble consists of a card, a candy jar (which is a recycled dressing jar) and a small bag which could be used to hold treats or a gift card.

The bright pink dots paper, solid pink paper and white paper bag are products from Canvas Corp.

I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut the circles, scalloped circles and hearts for my ensemble.  I used my Cuddlebug and a dot embossing folder to dry emboss the bag, background on card and white centers on the pink scalloped circle.  Isn't that bag cute embossed.  The embossing dresses it up.  The sentiment is a stamp from Simon Says Stamp that I won commenting on a blog hop.  I have used it so much this year on my cards.

I am entering this set in the Wednesday challenge at Simon Says Stamp where the challenge is "heart".  There are a few hearts on my project.

Well I must confess the candy jar is almost empty.  Those M&M's taste wonderful.  I hope the remainder of your Friday is awesome.

Happy World Card Making Day

I have been lazy and not posted lately.  I have created but was taking a break from blogging.  I have lots of exciting things to talk about so hopefully I will share it all in the next couple weeks.

Today is a day near and dear to all card makers.  Papercrafts created this day to celebrate card making.  There have been so many wonderful things to look at on blogs today.  Simon Says Stamp had a beautiful card on their post today and are asking people to link up what they are working on.  I worked on this card all day since it has many layers and they had to dry.

The base for the image is a book page which has a layer of Gesso on it.  I have started doing some drawing so found a "how to" on Pinterest on how to draw a cupcake.  So Simple and I had so much fun doing it.  I drew the cupcake in pencil.  I colored the cupcake with two shades of purple and two shades of orange.  I then drew around the cupcake with a black pen. After this was dry I colored the background with another Gelato.  If you look closely you can see that I used a beaded/glitter gel through a stencil to add another layer.  The Paper Smooches sentiment was stamped and cut out.  I then went a little crazy adding black splatters.  It is matted in black on a purple card base.

Normally the person receiving this card gets a card with a monkey on it - the monkey will have to be on the inside.  I hope she is not too disappointed.  Maybe when I tell her it is original artwork she will be very excited.

Have a wonderful evening.

Happy Birthday Kristin

One of my sweet neighborhood grandchildren turns 14 today - actually two of them turn 14 today.  This is the card for Kristin.  When she was little she called me Bark instead of Barb.  She loved to play with my hair.

She also likes to make cards.  She came over a couple times this summer and made some cards.

I decided to make a card for her.  Luckily I am somewhat stuck in a design rut so I went looking for a sketch to use.  Sketch Saturday had a great sketch to use; it is square and the card is hand delivered so I don't have to worry about extra postage.

On my card the paper is from My Mind's Eye.  The cupcake stamp is from Whipper Snapper Designs colored with Copics.  The cherry has glossy accents on it and all the frosting has Wink of Stella.  The sentiment is homeless so I don't know who makes it.

The paper is My Mind's Eye.  The cupcake stamp is from Whipper Snapper Designs colored with Copics.  The cherry has glossy accents on it and all the frosting has Wink of Stella.  The sentiment is homeless so I don't know who makes it.

I am also entering it on the Wednesday Challenge on Simon Says Stamp which is to use a stamp.  I have used two stamps on this project.  They also have a blog hop with the challenge.  There were some wonderful cards on the blog hop.  They are celebrating Stamptember on Simon Says Stamp.

Enjoy your Saturday.

Calling Cards or Artistic Business Cards

I decided I wanted to make some business cards for my arty fun side.  I decided to make them ATC sized.  I bought the Sizzis big die for cutting the shape so I am recycling every box I empty into ATC bases.  I also have multiple dictionaries that are being used as a base on top of the cardboard.

This is my first set of cards.

The recipe for the card is recycled cardboard, dictionary page, gesso, Dylusions Paint, stamping, painting, fussy cutting, gluing, and splattering.  The quote is a new stamp I found at Tuesday Morning.  Once in awhile you get lucky in the store with finding craft supplies.  I am actually looking for a new rug.  No rug but I found stamps and some napkins.

I am entering this in two different challenges.

Simon Says Stamp - Monday Challenge - to use a trio of colors (orange, pink and teal)

The other challenge is Wicked Wednesday ATC Challenge blog - the challenge is to use splatters (White paint spatters) or sprays.

Six done - one has already been used - when I sent off a postcard exchange this week.  My contact information is put on the back of the ATC card.

Have a Plan

The challenge on the Monday challenge blog for Simon Says Stamp is to "have a plan."

My plan for now is to start sending encouragement cards to people who are struggling.  This last week I sent one to a sister in law of one of my Ya Ya's who is slowly loosing her battle with cancer.  I have know Diane for many years because her children went to the same schools my girls did and they were all in the same 4H.  Another card went to a fellow card maker friend who is finally returning home have a long tour in the hospital.

This card I am sharing is for the next time I need to send a word of encouragement.

I kinda lifted this design from a card I saw a long time ago somewhere.  I know my fox is not the same one on the card I saw.  I did some coloring with gelatos to complete the card.

The fox is from Stampendous and the Hello is from Hero Arts.

Maybe with retirement I will be able to do this more often.  I hope so.  I always hope my cards make people smile when they receive them.

B is for ......

B is for ...... Barb, of course.  This is the weekly challenge on the Simon Says Monday Challenge Blog.  How lucky for me that my Wednesday post is to share a fabric ATC I made for the Mixed Media Mojo March monthly challenge.

If you have been following along on my blog, you will see that I am starting to do art work with the letter B - which stands for Barb - which is lots of fun to do.  I have made several ATC's for my wall.  You can check out a couple at this link.  There are many ideas in my head.  I need to stop thinking and just make some "B" art.

I have a how to on the Mixed Media Mojo blog on how I created the ATC.  Actually it was too easy.  Pop over and check it out.

Hump day - yeah - downward slide to the week end.

Blue Bird of Happiness

I am in love with this bird stamp and I have only used the one bird - there are three more to use.  The stamp is by Dina Wakely for Ranger.  It is called Scribbly Birds.

On Sunday I shared a canvas I made with the bird and one of the sentiments, but there was this saying going through my head when I painted the bird blue - blue bird of happiness.  Inside the sentiment says "so blank blank blank be happy".  I think I will add happy valentine's day.  I think it would make a few people smile.

Did you notice his/her heart is broken?  I have never had my texture paste do that before.  Maybe there is something very symbolic in this.  The card front is made on mixed media paper with layers of gelatos, acrylic paint, texture paste, distress ink, regular ink, gel medium, and gessoed dictionary pages.

I am going to enter this in the weekly challenge on Monday's Simon Says Stamp.  The challenge is "H is for" - well for me it could be happiness or for those three little red hearts.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoying my humor - hey another H.

Getting Caught Up on Cards

Well I did not get all my Christmas cards sent out this year so I am sending some winter cards and then some valentine cards.  Here is the winter card I am sending to friends in warmer clients.  Three have been mailed and I have 5 more images colored.

I colored the Whipper Snapper stamp with distress inks.  The sentiment is from Crackerbox Palace in Janesville, WI.  Normally I stamp it on envelopes but I thought it would make a cute sentiment with my handsome friend.  The image hangs over the top of the card.  I have made several of this design this year and really like it.  It still fits in an A2 envelope.

I am going to enter the card in the Monday Simon Says Stamp challenge which is winter stamping.  Stamping in the winter, stamping a winter image - this qualifies for both.

Spent Monday off work so I worked in my crafting area.  I have found the floor and vacuumed it.  The tables now need to be cleaned.  Slowly but surely.  I should have done some cleaning upstairs also.  Oh well, there will be another day.

Enjoy your Tuesday.  I know this 4 day week will seem like 6 days.

Back in the Blog Saddle Again

I have been horribly lazy at posting on my blog.  I have made several cards but never posted them.  They will get posted in the upcoming days.

Today I am sharing a card for several challenges.  I made the inked background awhile ago with a couple of my favorite distress inks.  I love the colors that I always come up with this ink combination.

I used a Hero Arts stamp I have had for ages (of course I had to have it) that I have never used before.  I stamped it with VersaMark and then used a white embossing powder for the sentiment.  I made a top folding card which I don't normally do.  It is sorta a short/fat card kinda like the designer.  I matted it with a blue/green cardstock.  I added some dyed seam binding for my ribbon.  When I put the ribbon across the top I did not like the look so I had this small strip of the inked background that I put on top of the ribbon.  I tied my bow and added it.  I also added some pearls in a dark teal.

I am entering this card in the challenge at The Paper Players which is to make the sentiment the focal point of the card an it needs to be clean and simple.  Hopefully I achieved the clean and simple.

I am also entering it in the Monday Simon Says Challenge which is a "inky background."

Well off to watch the Packer game and make my Oldie Moldie Monday card.  Valentine card in progress.

Sunflower - Thinking of You

Friends of mine have lost both of their Moms within the last month.  I wanted to send them a card to let them know that I am thinking of them.

One week end I had been playing with this sunflower stamp from Penny Black and experimenting with my coloring.  The coloring is done with watercolor pencils, distress inks and distress paints.  I learned lots from my coloring but at least I had one image I could use - actually two.  I used another image for the inside of the card.

The sentiment and banner are from Simon Says.

I am going to enter this card in three challenges.

Wednesday - Simon Says Stamp Challenge - Anything Goes

Sunday - AAA Cards - Watercolor

Monthly - Penny Black and More November  Anything Goes

Have a wonderful Sunday - I hope you find some time to create.

Happy Wedding Day

Today is going to be a beautiful day for a fall wedding that is being held outside.  Wisconsin is experiencing a wonderful stretch of beautiful fall days.  I actually had to rethink what I was going to wear because it is going to be a little warmer than I had originally thought.

This card is for Matt and Christina.

The colors for the wedding are pink.  This card and I fought for three nights.  It is nothing like what I had originally planned in my head.  This card is very similar to a card I posted a couple weeks ago. The grey pindot in the background is tissue paper from the bridal shower.  I took all of the tissue paper and said it would be on her wedding card.  I applied the tissue paper to heavier paper with gel medium.  I laid a stencil over the top and spread embossing paste over the top.  There is lots of texture on the card.  The two hearts were cut with my Silhouette.  The sentiment is from SRM Stickers.

I am entering this card in the two challenges on Simon Says Stamp.

Monday - use a stencil (used a stencil and embossing paste)
Wednesday - Anything Goes 

Everyone enjoy your week end.  I am off to celebrate.

Friends With Flair and Mixed Media

It is Friday - and I always try to use some Unity Stamps on Friday to share in their Friends With Flair challenge/share.

I have had this little project in my head for awhile.  I am going to make these for 4 very special women in my life.  They are my Ya Ya's.  We lost one of our Ya Ya's to breast cancer several years ago so it makes them even more special to me.  We kinda like to have a drink or two once in awhile so that is why this is so fun.  Plus one of our Ya Ya's winters in the Keys and several of us have visited her there.

 
This is a set that Unity made exclusively for Archiver's.  We use to have a store in Madison and I do miss being able to have paper therapy when I go to see my Mom.  Now I get paper therapy when I go to see my daughter in the Milwaukee area.  I even have a step out for you today on how I made the project.

The 4 x 4 canvas is covered with a page from an old dictionary.  I apply the dictionary page to the canvas with gel medium.

I then paint over the canvas with gesso.

I had bought a new pad of paper and it had some blue patterned paper in it.  It was basically blue on blue - a very subtle design.  I was hoping to achieve this same look with acrylic paint and then using different stencils and varying shades of blue paint and gelatos.

I did achieve the look I wanted.  It is amazing how the same color on top of the same color but in a slightly different shade can make such a subtle background.  

I then stamped my Santa on more pieces of gessoed dictionary pages.

I colored the Santas with various gelatos, Big Pens and anything else that helped me get the look I wanted.  Santa is dressed in some wackier colors but hey he is having his afternoon toddy.

Ok now I stopped taking pictures.  I am working on trying to do a complete tutorial so you will have to picture the steps in your head.  I stamped the sentiment.  I could not get the 5:00 to turn out so I decided to just write it on the paper myself.  I adhered the image and sentiment with gel medium.  I carefully added gel medium over the top of the entire project to protect it.  I added a few snowflake rub ons and flourishes.  I use to  hoard rub ons so mixed media is a great way to use them.  I added texture paste down at the bottom to make it look like a snowbank.  I also rubbed Stickles over the top to give it some sparkle.  Swiped some gesso around the edges and called it completed.

If you notice, I flipped my canvas again.  The triangles were supposed to be on the left side well they are on the top in the finished project.

I am also placing this on the Monday challenge on Simon Says Stamp which is to use stencils.

I really like how it turned out and I know my Ya Ya's will enjoy it also.

Happy Friday.

Messing Around with Mixed Media

I have been doing bunches of messing with canvas, paint, gelatos, gesso, stencils, embossing paste, my Silhouette Cameo.  I have been having fun.

I had this lovely purplish paper bag so I glued it to my canvas with gel medium.  Isn't that pretty.

The I started layering all kinds of things on top of that pretty paper.

then some more stuff.

I believe at this point I laid a stencil over the top and dabbed teal paint through it.  It just adds another dimension to the canvas.  I then cut a flower and words with my Cameo Silhouette.  I painted them.

So once again I started adding layers, rub ons, embossing paste that I colored.  It did not turn out as bright as I wanted so I added paint in bright pink.  I then decided I needed to add a little white to balance the white in the letters.  Oh - I also added glitter.  Now do you want to see the final result.  I sure hope so.

Here it is.  I am sending this to a young lady who I am so proud of.  She has accomplished so much and overcome some bumps on the road.  I know she will appreciate this.

I am going to enter this in the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog where the challenge is to Go Boldly.  It is very vibrant.

Thanks for stopping by.

Friday - More Unity Stamps

Friday - the day I try to share a card I made using a Unity stamp or stamps - the Unity Blog has Friends With Flair on Friday - so I try to play along.  I think it is safe to post my daughter's birthday card here - I would be very surprised if she ever looked at my blog.  Plus she is away for a wedding this week end.

the card is larger than an A2.  This is wonderful paper and had the patterned paper with the little bikes on it so it was perfect to use for this card.  The paper is by Basic Grey.  The stamps are by Unity.  (insert smile here).

I am also going to place it in the Anything Goes challenge on the Wednesday Simon Says Stamp challenge blog.  

A long week end - I took today off to try and accomplish some things around the house.  Enjoy your day and week end.

Mixed Media Birthday Card

This month the challenge on the Mixed Media Card Challenge blog is to make a summer card and if you wish add some burlap.

I had been playing with acrylic paints in a old book and had added embossing paste through a stencil.  I was going to do a journal - well - that did not last long - but I had this great page of mixed media paper I had made and I did not want to throw it away.  Very slowly it has made it into a couple cards.  I think the colors scream "Summer" so thought I would use it for this challenge.  It also screams "Happy".  (See paper does talk to me).  If I remember correctly, it is two pages of the book glued together with gel medium.  I add a layer of gesso on each side and then go to town with whatever mediums I want to use.  This time it was bottles of acrylic paint (inexpensive so you can lots of different colors).  Are you ready - here it is.

It is a larger card but it is a birthday card for a very good friend.  She deserves a special birthday card.  I stamped the butterfly in white embossing powder on another sheet of paper I had made.  It was just teal and it stood out too much so I dabbled different colors of acrylic paint over it to bring in the hues of the background paper.  The sentiment was white embossed on vellum (I need to find some heavier clear vellum).  After the card was assembled, I thought it needed some more white to tie in the white mat and embossing.  I used my Big Pen to dab white circled diagonally across the card.  Some pearls and enamel dots were added to the card.  The sentiment and butterfly are from Hero Arts.

Since the paper was a "work of art" I decided to mat it like an art piece.  I used a small mat of a dark teal, added a larger mat of white and then another shade of teal. Birthday card done and I am so happy with it.  It is such great therapy to get messy.

I am also entering this in the current challenge on the Monday Simon Says challenge blog.  The current challenge is "Anything Goes".

Thanks for stopping by.  Now that I have had my therapy I must accomplish something.  I need to go to the post office, get some food and I was thinking of running to Janesville but I did say I was going to hibernate.

Friday - Time to Play With Unity Stamps

On Friday I try to post a card using some of my Unity Stamps an share it on Friends with Flair.  I am trying to use more of my Unity stamps but what do I do - but grab a stamp I have used before.

I decided I wanted to do a mixed media card - I love to play and get messy.

I am actually planning ahead - my youngest daughter celebrates her wedding anniversary in late September.  Don't you love those falling hearts that are really leaves.  It will probably gag Carrie - oh well.  The focal point of the card is a book page adhered to a piece of multi media paper with gel medium.  Gesso was added over the top.  The blue and green were gelatos.  The green did have other inks added to get a little more variation in the green grass.  The tree was heat embossed and it was colored in with distress paints and a Faber Castell Big Pen.  I added some embossing paste dots around the card.  The edges of all the papers were distressed.  I also wiped paint across some of the bottom mat which had been sanded also.  The sentiment and image are pop dotted.

I am also entering this card in to the Monday Challenge at Simon Says Stamp.  The challenge is Scratched Up.  Distressing, rubbing paint and ink over the paper, sanding paper - I think I nailed Scratched Up.

I also found another Mixed Media Challenge Site - Mixed Media and Watercolor - seem to be the hot picks in the world of card making right now.  Their monthly challenge is to use Stencils and Pastes.  I used a stencil  and embossing paste for my dots on the front of my card.

After I took the picture I did add glossy accents to all the hearts.

Thanks for stopping by.  Enjoy your Friday and week end.

Oldie Moldie Monday

Only one card to share for oldie moldie Monday.  I went to visit my daughter in Milwaukee instead of cardmaking.  There are two other cards on the design table but I thought my sentiment was too small on the card so I took all three and put them on the same card.

The paper is from We are Memory Keepers.

Remember to show some love for your old supplies.  The stamp is new though - it is from Simon Says and it is one that comes with a banner die cut.  Very cool.  I did use the banner on yesterday's card and another one of the sentiments.  The card will go in my next Operation Write Home box.

Mixed Media Retirement Card

I found a new challenge site that does a monthly challenge and it has to do with Mixed Media.  I love to play with Mixed Media.  I have made canvases, ornaments and cards.  I make mostly cards so The Mixed Media Card Challenge blog was made for me.   The cue word for the challenge is nature.

I needed a retirement card for someone on campus who is retiring to start a new adventure with a company in Florida.  I wanted to wish her well and thank her.  I returned to school in my 40's to finish my degree. Chris was the instructor for the two main classes in my major.  She made me stretch my abilities as a student. I am sure she regretted that several times when she had to read the papers I had to write for each class. One paper was 50 pages long.

My card has a background made with distress inks on watercolor.  I swiped the inks on my craft sheet and added water to them and then dunked my paper in the ink/water mixture.  The green was a little muddy so I used my green gelato and added it to the green sections to brighten the color.  The flower stamp is from Hero Arts.  They were colored with a variety of mediums.  Watercolor pencils and distress inks.  I may still add some glitter to the flowers.  It was supposed to be a flower on a stem but I did not like that so please do not look under the flowers.  The top flower is pop dotted for dimension.  I used embossing paste and a Hero Arts stencil to add the colored dots.  I put the embossing paste on a piece of wax paper and then dabbed some distress paints next to it to color the white embossing paste.  I didn't want the dots to jump off the page; I wanted them to blend more with the background.  I think I achieved the right color.  The embossing paste dots made me like the card.  I just new stuff in the mail yesterday and this banner die and sentiment from Simon Says perfectly finished the card.  It is also pop dotted.  The pearls and enamel dots were added around the card to put something in the empty spaces.

I hope you enjoy my mixed media retirement card.  Thanks for the great challenge.

Owl Send You A Christmas Card

Isn't this the sweetest little owl stamp?  The stamp is by Stampendous.  It is colored with Copics.  I chalked the background so it was not so "stark white" - now there is a tint of blue in all the open space.  Some crystal lacquer was added to the owl's eyes and to the bulbs on the tree.  The sentiment is from SRM Stickers and the paper is from Studio Calico.

I am going to enter this in the challenge on Simon Says Stamp blog "to use a stamp".  

Well now to get some more things done.  Probably run errands.  We are supposed to have freezing rain tonight so I am sure travel will be a little limited tomorrow morning.

Anything Goes

Yes I have made a card this week and I really really like it.  It has so many layers - I love layers and layers.  The paper is by Authentique.  The stamp is by Stampabilities because sometimes you just need to send a card "just because".  A friend is going through a rough stretch right now with her father and the aging process.

I am going to enter the card in the Wednesday Challenge on the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - "Anything Goes.   

Enjoy your Saturday, I am off to visit my Mom today.