Oldie Moldie Monday

It is Oldie Moldie Monday - time to show some love to your old supplies.

The paper is from American Crafts - Lucky Charm collection and the date on the 6 x 6 pad is 2012.  It has such pretty colors in it.  The image is from Stampendous.  I had colored this quite awhile ago - and looking at the picture - I need to finish the color and bell and I think I will add glossy accents to the eyes.  The birthday sentiment is from SRM Stickers.

I hope this card brings a smile to someone's face when they receive it in the mail.  So go some love for your old supplies.  They will make great projects with a little creativity from your hands.

A Simple Thank You

I am in the need of some thank you cards so I decided to attempt the sketch on C(ASE) This Sketch.  I have a hard time making CASE cards.  I am a "many layers cardmaker" so simple cards scary - a single layer card - OMG - that send me over the edge.  Here is the sketch.

Here is my take on the sketch.

The background is done on watercolor paper.  It is smooshed distress ink.  I then added silver embossing paste.  I wanted to try the the look of the looped string (this is not easy - you should see the second card I made like this).  The sentiment is from Paper Smooches.  I added some sparkly dots to complete the card.

Here is a close up of the focal point of the card.

I am also entering it into the Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge for the week where the theme is Anything Goes.

You can buy your own Paper Smooches stamps at this link.

I am also entering this into the challenge on CAS on Sunday which is Splash (or use water on your card).  To Smoosh, you must spritz your distress ink with water.

If you have a spare birthday card for a little boy who is battling cancer it would be wonderful if you could mail him one.  I believe he will be 6 years old at the end of this month.  Here is his address:  Colin Cahill, 819 Capman Street, Milton, WI  53563

Thanks for stopping by.

Mixed Media - ATC's and Canvas

If you are anything like me you buy things, or are given things for your hobby.  I have multiple bottles or containers of flowers.  Many are in little bottles.  In fact, I must confess, I have 2 drawers full of flowers.  I was lucky enough to use one small container of flowers and to then start on a jar.

I am part of a group of cardmakers and we do exchanges. My project for this blog entry was to make ATC's with a flower theme.  I really have no idea how I came up with the idea to make a flower tree.

I first cut out of recycled cereal boxes the cardboard bases for my ATC's.  I then added book pages to the front and back.  A layer of gesso was added .  I then went through my tree stamps (I do have lots of tree stamps) and found a good one for my project.  It had the trunk of the tree and the basic circle for my design.  This is what the ATC looked like before I added  the flowers and sentiment.

I very carefully separated my little flowers into color piles and started layering them. (sorry there are no pictures - I was not home while I did this process)  I spend lots of time at my daughter's and always try to take projects along with me.  I sit outside and work while the dogs run around in the yard.  I first used distress paints watered down to create the background for the trees.  I glued the flowers to the ATC with Glossy Accents.  I built layers until I was happy with how the tree looked and the base was all covered.   As you can see from the image above I had a stamping boo boo so I covered the boo boo with a flower and then added a couple more to resemble falling leaves.  A sentiment was stamped, fussy cut and adhered to the ATC's with gel medium.  As a final step I added a glass/bead gel medium brushed lightly on all the flowers to give them a little sparkle.

I had used up the majority of the flowers but had a bunch of burgundy flowers left so I decided to make a little canvas.  I covered the canvas with book pages and gessoed it.  This time I had to free hand a tree.  Luckily this is not too hard.  I painted the gessoed background.  Once again I started adding layers of flowers on top to make the tree shape.  I did my own sentiment and cut it out.  It was an experiment.  I had fun I did add some gesso around the edge of the canvas and the glitter/glass gel medium on top of the flowers.  

Dig out those flowers and go to town.  Make them into something unusual.  

Journaling Adventures

I am going to share another page that I have made.  I had the wonderful experience of being able to take four classes from Dyan Reaveley.  I enjoyed myself so much and it opened another creative adventure for me.  I make no claims to being good a journaling but I am enjoying myself and that is what is important to me.

I believe this was a painted background.  You took the shape and laid it on your page and added black paint around it so the colored shapes showed.  You continued to do this until you had covered the page.  The next step was to stamp inside all the shapes.  I used some of Dyan's great stamps.  Here is a lose up to one of the shapes.

What was left to do was the doodling.  I think this is the scariest part of  journaling. You just need to be brave and start.  After I had added my dashed and big bump little bump dot lines I did not know what else to do.  With the help of a friend, I decided to add some Words to my page.

Now that I look at the page again, since I have added a large selection of new colored Sharpies to my collection (Staples - Back to School supplies) I may have to come back in and add some color.  Those eyeglasses in the photo may just need some purple on them.

I hope you enjoyed my page.  It is not perfect but I am happy with how it turned out.  I am enjoying playing with my doodling.  Be brave, try something new.  In art there are no mistakes  -  it is only you trying to release your creative soul.  Hugs to all.

Oldie Moldie Monday

Monday - time to show some love for your old supplies.  Yes I am still using paper from the 6 x 6 pad - it is not Basic Grey (my bad) - it is from My Mind's Eye.

I had actually made the owl panel a long time ago and it has floated around my table for awhile.  It is am embossing folder.  I "believe" I glued a book page to card stock, added a layer of gesso and then embossed it.  I then colored it with distress paints.  The sentiment is from JilliBean.

The card is going to my niece and her family for Back to School.  I had the lovely opportunity of staying with the kids a couple of weeks ago when the parents were on vacation.  I had so much fun and I hope they did too.  My niece is a 2nd grade school teacher and she is starting the year with an OWL theme so that is why I chose to send this card.  While I stayed with the family, we made two owl projects for her classroom.

Everyone dig out your supplies and show them some old fashioned love.  Good luck with the new school year.

Oldie Moldie Monday - a Day Late

I was not home last week and week end so did not get a card made for Oldie Moldie Monday.  I had hopes of posting the card yesterday but I had my eyes examined in the afternoon and they were dilated.  Need to say I was not able to work on the card last night.  So here it is today.

The paper is the same I used last week for Oldie Moldie Monday - it is a Basic Grey 6 x 6 pad.  It is one of the Tim Holtz crazy birds stamped on gessoed book paper and colored with distress paint.  The sentiment is from Jilli Bean Soup.

I am entering it in the challenge on Shopping Your Stash - where the challenge is layers - lots of layers.  I love layers as you can see from my card.  The added bonus is that you use up more of your supplies.  Yeah - because you know we do not stop shopping.

Everyone enjoy your Tuesday.  Show some love for your old supplies.

Fun With the Neighbors

Kristin came to play on Friday.  She has been my neighbor since she was three months old and now she is going into eighth grade.  How time has passed.  She loves to come play with my supplies and make things.

She made four cards and she was very happy.  She did such a nice job.  She did not even realize there were some teaching moments there when we talked about balance, uneven numbers, google eyes, glossy accents and foam tape.  She also learned about Wink of Stella.  She liked Wink of Stella.

Share your passion with young ones.  You never know where this will lead.  I know it gave us both some great memories.