Oldie Moldie Monday

A Quick post for today.  Did not want to miss Oldie Moldie Monday.  This image fell out of a 6 x 6 pad so it is going to be used.  I just used some strips of paper.  You will notice that the angles do not match.  Hopefully it does not bother my Mom too much.

Thanks for stopping by.

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.

Paper Smooches Spark Challenge and Oldie Moldie Monday Collide

Monday - time to show some love to your old supplies.  I needed to make a get well card for my granddaughter.  She had to have her tonsils out on Sunday.  This is not something you want to do at any age - but at the age of 18 - it is not fun.

I decided to play the Paper Smooches Sparks Challenge - Anything Goes.

I got out some American Crafts paper that has a date of 2012 on it.  Not as well aged as some of my supplies.  I love the bright cheerful colors in the 6 x 6 pad. Teal is one of Emily's favorite colors.  I paper pieced the balloons.  After cutting out a shape that you have stamped, always run a black marker around the edge.  It gives your cut a neater finish.  The get well sticker is from SRM Stickers. The white border was cut with my Silhouette.  The yellow ribbon is from May Arts and it was just laying there on the floor waiting to be used.

I don't know if I like the enamel dots on the card but there was so much white space.

If you wish to buy your own Paper Smooches stamps, just pop over to their online shop.

Remember to show some love to your old supplies.  They do still make beautiful creations.

Happy Monday - is it Friday yet?

Another Friday - Another Friends With Flair

Friday - the most glorious day of the work week.  It is also Friends With Flair on the Unity Blog.  I am trying to use my Unity Stamps each week - so why - am I using the same stamp that I used last week.  Well I stamped it three times - so be prepared - there will be another card coming.  Last week's card was the more traditional color range of brown, red and green.  Today we have green, pinkish and white.  I even used the same basic layout for both cards.

The green paper and pink paper are from the new Lawn Fawn Collection.  The plaid is from last year's collection from some company (I am too lazy to go look).  The image is pop dotted.

I am also going to enter it into the weekly challenge at Addicted to Stamps where the challenge is holiday.  Yesterday was Thanksgiving and today is Christmas.

So what color will next week's card be?

Have a good Friday and a good week end.

Give Thanks

It is time to start thinking about making some Thanksgiving cards.  I have had a piece of fabric floating around my crafting area for years because I liked the images.  I decided to use some of it for a fall card.

I used the sketch from the SRM monthly challenge for the layout of my card.

Unfortunately I did not have an SRM Doily.  I do have some doilies in my supplies so I dug one out.  Of course it was white, so I took a wet tea bag and rubbed across the top of the doily to give it a creamier color and dried it with my heat gun.  When I use fabric on a card, I use a light iron on adhesive on the back of the fabric and then attach it to card stock.  I then cut out my image.  By doing it this way, it gives your fabric some stability.  After it is cut out, I take a marker and go along the edge and color it.  This fabric was then matted with some brown card stock.  I embossed the gold with a embossing folder.  The SRM Sticker was added to a piece of matching card stock and matted in the same brown card stock.  I did add a strip of orangish paper to the top of the sketch to pick up the orange in the one leaf.  The dry embossing was highlighted with brown chalk.  When you use chalk instead of ink to distress or highlight, it seems, to me, that I have more control and get the look I want to achieve.

I am also going to share my card on the Addicted to Stamps Challenge blog.  Their weekly challenge is Holiday.

Enjoy your Thursday.

Oldie Moldie Monday

Monday - time to show some love for your old supplies.  Even the image is oldie moldie - I found this cutie already colored in a drawer when I was looking for something.  I just had to use him.  If you check last week Monday's post, you will see it is the same little guy.  He is a favorite snowman stamp from Penny Black.  He is such a cutie.

The patterned paper is from American Crafts.  Somewhat non traditional colors for a Christmas card but I like the soft colors.  Of course I could not find any green that was this particular shade - no mint green at the top of the piles.  Oh well - we didn't use any green except there is a little bit in the striped paper.  I finished the card off with a sentiment from SRM Stickers.

Remember show some love for your older supplies.

SRM Stickers, Stencils and a Wedding Card

This wedding card started out as a get well card but it turned out the person did not need a get well card but all of a sudden I needed a wedding card.  The point of interest turned to a heart and a heart sticker and celebrate sticker were added to make it into a wedding card.

The card is based on the monthly challenge from SRM Stickers.  I chose to use the color challenge.  Grey, Black, White and Red.

I created my background on my card with embossing paste.  I used a Hero Arts stencil I had never used before.  I stenciled it on some Bo Bunny dot paper so it is very subtle.  I cut the pin stripe heart with my Silhouette.  The stickers were both matted and pop dotted on top of the background.  I added the ribbon.  The entire front is pop dotted on top of the card front.  I added some glossy accents to the heart sticker.  I thought about adding some bling or enamel dots but I stopped myself.  I didn't think it really needed anything more.

I am also entering this card in the Wednesday Simon Says Stamp challenge which is to make your own background.

Thanks for stopping by.  Going to a Bachlorette party tonight.  I think it will be lots of fun.  

Friday - Time to Challenge Yourself

It is Friday - time to use one of my Unity Stamps and share on Friends With Flair.  It seems I am on a "make Christmas cards" kick.  If you look at last week's post, you will see that I used the same paper for this week's card.  The paper just goes so well with the dark brown embossing powder.

The image was done with Zing dark brown embossing powder.  I colored the tree with some distress paints just to add a little color to the image.  I then layered multiple layers of patterned paper.  Thus my other two challenges.

Addicted to Stamps - Make Your Mark - I colored my tree with distress paints

Virginia's View Challenge - Patterned Paper - lots of patterned paper on this card  The paper is from Simple Stories.

As I was putting my card together this week, I realized I had forgotten to add the beige pindots to my card from last week.  No wonder I kept looking at it wondering what it was missing.  The piece of paper came in handy this week and I made sure to put it on the card.

I must tell you (a peak into next week) that the card will be the same image only stamped in white embossing color.  I am contemplating what wacky colors I can use on it.  Any suggestions.

Enjoy your Friday - I have some fun planned for the week end so my card making will be a little limited plus next week I am staying with my grand dogs for a couple days.  I wonder what mischief we can get into.

Design Team Post

I did my first tutorial as a Design Team Member for the Mixed Media Mojo Challenge blog.

Please stop over and let me know what you think of my step by step - I know I need to take more pictures next time.

Make sure you enter the monthly challenge which is Fall and to use embossing paste.

Paper Smooches Spark Challenge

Back to trying to play with my Paper Smooches stamps each week.  I try to play along with the weekly challenge at the Paper Smooches Sparks Challenge Blog.  The challenge this week is anything goes.  Yeah - I like anything goes.  I have been wanting to play with this coffee set for a long time so decided to make a little mixed media project.

Sometimes when I am out shopping I pick up little things that I think I will someday alter.  Usually they are pretty inexpensive.  This is a small plaque that measures - 2.75 x 4 inches.  I covered it with a book page which is applied to the plaque with gel medium.  I then applied a layer of gesso.  I used another challenge for my color inspiration and will share that picture a little later.  I took the pink, yellow and aqua from the picture for my colors.  The first color laid down was a yellow gelato - then I added layers of pinks and blues with more gelatos.  I stamped the cups on more gessoed book pages and then colored them with distress paints.  I hate to tell you it took me 3 times to get that blue cup correct.  I smeared the ink (I am not patient).  I had a good cup done and then noticed I had colored the inside of the handle blue also.  Well that didn't work so back to the stamping.  I added the cups with gel medium.  The sentiment was stamped on more book paper and applied with gel medium.  I added some embossing paste that I colored with distress paint through a stencil.  Added a few rub ons.  I think it is a fun little project.

The colors were inspired by this challenge from The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge.

If you want to get your own Paper Smooches stamps, just pop over to their online store.  Check out their weekly challenge.

Oldie Moldie Monday

As I was cleaning this room where things have been thrown for years, I came across this little pad of winter paper and out fell this little snowman that had been stamped on vellum and colored.  You color on the backside of the vellum so you have a very muted color.  This little was destined to be the star for my oldie moldie Monday card.  Of course, I had to use the paper pad it fell out of.

I have always been a sucker for houndstooth.  (I have no idea if that is how you spell that word).  The paper pad had a light one and a dark one.  I matted the light color on top of the dark color.  Over the top I laid the vellum.  I adhered it at the top with normal adhesive because I decided to cover it up with a strip of paper.  I added some SRM stitch stickers on the strip.  The sentiment was put on the light paper.  With the vellum laying over the top, it gives everything a very muted, soft look.  The vellum is loose at the bottom as you can see in this next picture.

You couldn't see the sentiment in this picture so I had to lay the card down so you could also see the sentiment.  I found a bling snowflake and added it to the corner.

See the wonderful things you can find in that room you don't want to walk in.  Show some love for those old supplies.  I have to warn you while I was looking for the snowflake - I found this guy colored in that drawer - he is in mint green and pink.  Come back next Monday.

Have a good week.

Mixed Media Card

Every month the Faber Castell blog Design Memory Craft has a challenge.  Sometimes I am able to play along.  This challenge was an interesting one. Make something in 30 minutes - mixed media in 30 minutes - WHAT - you got to be kidding - but it kept going around and around and around in my head.  Hopefully the 30 minutes does not include my thinking - because we would already be at several hours.

I have been making  a few fall cards and really enjoying myself so wanted to make a fall card.  I keep a container with all my experiments of backgrounds, leftover pieces so I may be able to use them in the future.  I looked through the container and found this piece of watercolor paper which I had colored with gelatos and did not make anything out of it.  I looked at all my tree stamps and came up with an idea.  I have some dies that have a stitched edge on them so I cut my background.  I heat embossed the tree.  I did it on purpose so that it looks like the tree is going off the edge.  I used a piece of leftover back ground to stamp my sentiment.  My layout is very simple.  The image is pop dotted on the card front.  After I was done, I thought it needed to look like fall so I got out some bottles of acrylic paint and a toothpick and made little leaves.  The tree stamp is from Penny Black and the sentiment is from Hero Arts.

This month on the Mixed Media Card Challenge Blog it is to make an Autumn Colored card with the optional add on of metal or leaves.  Hopefully abstract dots of acrylic paint count as my leaves.  (Insert grin here).

I am also going to enter it into the monthly challenge on the Operation Write Home Card Blog where the challenge that is sponsored by Our Daily Bread Designs.  They will pay shipping costs for at least two boxes - so we need to get 50 entries into this contest.

I like how the card turned out - once I had it thought out it was a quick card to make.  I may even make some more like it.  Of course, now I will have to make backgrounds.

Enjoy your Sunday.  The cleaning bug bit me yesterday - but did I clean something that showed - no but I did get rid of bunch of stuff.  I do need to get groceries today.

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 With Unity

Yeah it is Friday - time to play with your Unity Stamps for Friends With Flair.

It is time to start working on my holiday cards.  Living in the state of Wisconsin - deer hunting is quite popular so this card would be very popular with many friends.  I used a sentiment from the paper pad.

Happy Friday.  Why are short weeks so long?

Mixed Media Mojo Challenge

Exciting news - I am on the design team for the Mixed Media Mojo Challenge blog and this will be my first post as a member of the design team.

The September challenge is Fall and to use embossing paste.  I do so love to get messy so this is great for me.  Here is my first project.  I have had this fabric hanging around my house for years - was going to make cards out of it and so I have started.  Be prepared - you will probably see more of this fabric in the upcoming weeks.

The card is approximately 4.5  x  6 inches.  Many layers of paper which have all been distressed with my trusty Tim Holtz distressing tool.  I adhere light weight heat n bond to my fabric and then adhere the fabric to card stock and cut it out.  It gives your fabric stability for working with.  The image was matted.  The sentiment is a sticker from SRM Stickers.

The extra challenge for the month is to use embossing paste.  I mixed my own color.  I used distress paints to color my embossing paste to get the perfect gold shade.  I also added gold stickles into the mixture and it has lots of sparkle.  You can see some of the sparkle in the close up.

This was a fun card to make. Come join us on the Mixed Media Mojo September challenge.