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.

Oldie Moldie Monday

Oldie Moldie Monday - time to show some love for some old supplies.

The 6 x 6 pad I used for this card had a date of 2011 on it.  It is well aged but it sure had the right colors to go with this crazy bird.  The sentiment was a tag bought to go with the paper but it was too big for my card so I just trimmed it down.

I will send this to someone and tell them how happy I am retired and thanks for the gift.  After I took the picture, I added google eyes and glossy accents to the beak.

Enjoy your Monday.

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.

More Mixed Media Fun

Retirement is grand.  You actually get to create when you are not tired.  It makes the process so much more fun.  I also get to play along with challenges so I am a happy retired person.

Today's share is a picture of two cards (same design) but it shows how things can turn out a little bit different on each one when you are working with inks.  I actually kinda CASEd this design from my friend Peggy Biggs - a wonderful card maker.  As always, my cards always go down a different road.

I am entering the card in the monthly challenge - Mixed Media Card Challenge where the challenge is Butterfly and the option is Gold.

I am also entering it in the weekly challenge on the Wednesday Simon Says Stamp challenge where the challenge is to tie it up.  I tied a bow on each card with twine.

I am still making thank you cards for my retirement gifts.

I first started out spraying ink on a piece of acetate and adding water and then squelching it onto my watercolor paper.  I did this a couple times.  You can see how differently that always happens when making a background.  I then added the two pieces of tape on the card front.  I did have a plan in my head for what to do, steps and colors.  I stamped the little flowers randomly on the card front and then colored when with the ink.  I did paint splatters in pink ink and black chalkboard paint.  As you can see on the card on the right, I got some big splats.  Oh well, I was not going to scrap the card front.  Some additional texture was added with embossing paste.  I wish now I had done a different shape rather than dots to mix it up a little.

The butterfly is a Martha Stewart punch.  I punched it out of white card stock and covered it with VersaMark and gold embossing powder.  The sentiment was also gold embossed on more squelched colored watercolor paper.  (I use the smoother side when I plan to stamp on the paper)  I matted the front on black.  The butterfly and sentiment are pop dotted.

Thanks for stopping by today.  My neighbor girls is coming to spend the day with me, I wonder what kind of trouble we can get into.  She likes to play in my paper.

More Mixed Media Fun

I played yesterday and made a couple cards.  I was able to combine several challenges for this card.  I don't know who will receive this card but I do need to mail it to someone who would appreciate the humor in the card.

The first challenge that inspired me was Shopping Our Stash   The challenge was to make a snarky card.  I had just bought a new set of Dyan Reavely sentiment stamps which are all wonderfully snarky.  The "Stash" part of my card is the woman stamp.  I have had it for years and this is the first time I have used it.  She will get lots more use.

The second challenge is from House of Cards which is to use metallics.  I used some metallic embossing paste I had to add texture to my card.

The third challenge is from Mixed Media Monthly Challenge.  Their challenge this month is to get texty.  The background of my card is a dictionary page which has been gessoed and colored with gelatos.  The sentiment is also texty.

The image was stamped on a background I had made awhile ago with spray inks.  I also dyed the ribbon with the inks so that it kinda matched.  The image and the sentiment were heat embossed so they stand out.  I also did some paint spattering.  I was really into that yesterday.

I hope you enjoyed my snarky, metallic texty card.  Have a good day.

Non Traditional Christmas in August

In a private facebook group of cardmakers, the challenge was to make something with pink and purple.  I knew I had two of Tim Holtz's crazy birds colored with pink.  I did not know it would lead me down the road to a Christmas card.  It was not going to be a Christmas card but once I stamped the branch on the card front to ground the bird, it became and Christmas card.  Probably because it is a stamp from a very old Hero Arts set.

This is a square card approximately 4.25 inches.  The base is mixed media paper.  I scribbled a purple gelato on the front and used a baby wipe to blend it.  I placed a stencil over the top and rubbed out some of the color because I thought it was too dark.  You can see the faint circle in the background.  This did not lighten it enough for me so I watered down some gesso and swiped it across the front.  I finally got a soft lavender for my color.  (I know it looks darker in the picture - let's say I am not a good photographer.)  The bird was stamped on gessoed dictionary pages and colored with distress paints.  It was fussy cut.  I adhered the bird to the card front with glue and he was floating so the branch was added.  Now he is grounded.  I clear embossed both the sentiment and the branch.  I splattered watered down gesso across the front of the card.  White string was colored and tied around the top of the card.  The front is mounted with foam tape.  I even finished the inside of the card so it is ready to be mailed.

I am entering this card in two different challenges.

The Paper Players challenge is Hip To be Square.  The card is square.

The other challenge is Merry Monday Christmas where the challenge is to use pastels.

Thanks for stopping by.  I did enjoy the journey my crazy pink bird took me on yesterday thanks to Cora's color challenge.  Come back tomorrow to see my snarky, texty card.

Journaling - A New Creative Path

Last week end I had the utmost pleasure in taking four classes from Dyan Reaveley at my local scrapbook store in Milwaukee, WI.  By local, it is an hour and 15 minutes away from where I live.  I want to share with you one project that I have completed from the class.

I challenged a fellow classmate (we are attending another class on August 15 at the same store) that we needed to have done journaling on at least one page we created in class.  I am happy to say I am working on my third page.

We worked with both Dylusion Inks and Paints.  I have on order a set of the paints and keep thinking I really need those inks but I struggle, I am basically a card maker.  Should I or shouldn't I?  Do you want to know the reason I bought my paints is because I ate a Dove chocolate and on the inside of the wrapper it said, buy something extravagant - so I bought the entire set of paints.

The page I am sharing with you today is done with the paints.  We made our background with a brayer.  We then used a masked and rubbed black paint around the mask leaving parts of the background showing.  I chose to use her flower.

As you can see I did some very simple doodling.  I did white dashes around the outside of each flower and a tiny circle at the end of each petal.  Inside the flower I drew a checkerboard line and colored in parts of it.  The center of each flower is stamped.  I chose to use a stamped sentiment on white to pick up the white that is showing in each flower.  Big dots were punched out of green painted paper and added to the journal page.

I kept my doodling to a minimum.  I did not want to chance ruining it.  I also used a stamped saying instead of hand writing a message.  I promise I will be more adventurous in my journaling in the future.

If you ever get a chance to take a class from Dyan, do - she is so much fun and you learn so much.

Mixed Media Mojo August Challenge - Anything Goes

It is the first of the month and time to get your Mojo rev started with the monthly challenge at Mixed Media Mojo.  The challenge for August is anything goes.  I love those challenges because then you can do a project you may need to get done.

I had to make a card for a challenge on a group I belong to.  The challenge was "something sweet" - well cupcakes are pretty sweet. 

The cupcake is a digital image that I traced onto patterned paper and cut out.  The background is patterned paper adhered to mixed media paper for support.  I then coated the paper with a layer of clear gesso.  The design still shows through but when you color on the surface the color has something to bite onto to.  I then added different colors of gelatos on the patterned paper.  The cupcake and sentiment were adhered with gel medium.  I added a coating of glass bead gel over the top of the cupcake.  The bow was colored with gelatos and water.  Embossing paste was colored with gelatos also and using a stencil added some random polka dots around the card.

Please join us for our monthly challenge.  I am excited to see your projects.  

I am entering this into the weekly challenge on the Monday Challenge Blog for Simon Says Stamp which is to not use ordinary paper.  I did use the mixed media paper as my base for the card.