Christmas Card in January

This really should be an oldie moldie Monday card.  The paper for the card is from a 12 x 12 pad of Paper Studio paper.  For this card I let the paper do the talking.  The trees on the paper were quite lovely so just cut each piece to emphasize the location of the trees.  The cut was from the center of the 12 x 12 sheet.  I got two cards from this cut.  I just had to alter the placement of the sentiment.

I believe the sentiment is from Hero Arts.  It is embossed in brown Zing embossing powder.  I finished the insides also.  This is a goal for this year to finish the inside of all my cards as I make them.  I think I will go pull out the other sheet of tree paper, cut out the center section and make two more cards.  I imagine the remainder of these sheets will be used as green mats.

I think I have about six Christmas cards made for 2016.  I hope I maintain this rate.  When I am home, I am trying to do the different Christmas challenges.  This helps and you get a variety of cards.
Thanks for stopping by.  Have a wonderful day.

Oldie Moldie Monday - Valentine Card

I wanted to share a valentine card I made.  It is a prototype for a friend to see if she wants to make it for her church shut ins.  I hope there are not too many layers on it for her.

The stamps are $1 stamps I bought somewhere.  I am sure I always get my money worth out of most of these $1 stamps.  I have had the stamps for awhile also.

The paper is in my Valentine folder of paper.  There is not lots of paper in that folder.  I guess I do not make too many Valentine cards.  I will make two of these.  One will go to my Mom and the other to my Aunt.  Both are in nursing homes and I know the little pig will make them smile.

Remember to show some love to your old supplies.

Another Valentine Card From Scraps

This is a continuation of a post from Wednesday of this week.  I found these scraps on my design table in their home 6 x 6 pad.  The "hello there" sentiment was also in there plus the piece of paper cut at that angle.

I must confess the red strip was not a scrap.

I really should do this more often.  It makes you put on your creative hat to just use your scraps.

Valentine Cards from Scraps

I am in a group on Facebook of fellow card makers.  Many of us go back lots of years and then I met many of them through Operation Write Home.  We have this group so we can continue to share our creativity, challenges and lives.

A recent challenge was to use our scraps.  I was cleaning off my table and I found a 6 x 6 pad of Valentine paper and whenever I use a pad, I always stick the pieces back in the pad so they are all together.  

Here is one of the cards I made.  

The sentiment is from a stamp set I won from Simon Says Stamp.  The black mat and white embossed panel were also on one of my tables.  

Gather your scraps together and make some cards.  I will share the other card on Friday.

Journal Post - Word for the Year

In November, I shared how I was recycling a cookbook I found at Goodwill and I planned to make it into a journal.  You can find  that initial post at this link.

For 2016 I have chosen Explore as my word of the year.  I retired in July 2015 and now I have the time to explore.  There are so many things that I wish to explore.  I wish to explore the world of art and learn new things, try new things and develop my talents.  I want to explore the world and travel.  I already have two trips planned for this winter to escape the winter cold.  I am contemplating a trip west in August to visit family, friends and do some art stuff.  We will see.  I also need to explore my house - I need to see what hidden artifacts I have in this house and clean/clear them out.  I do get distracted when I do this.

Here is my double journal pages in my recycled book.  Please do not be critical, I have done very little journaling.  I am having fun and exploring all kinds of new things.

Here are close ups of some of the elements on the pages.

Do you see one of the birds I have been drawing was laying on the table and he decided since he was the same color he should be on the page.  All the "explore" words were stickers that were gifted to me by a friend as they were moving.

The orange flower is embossing paste that has been colored.  I tried to outline the petals with a black pen.

The black circles were done with the end of a toilet paper roll dipped in black ink.

See those little white things that look like Pac Man - those are the inside of the letter stickers.

Here are some more pictures of how the page evolved.

Thanks for joining us on our Monday journal entries.  Don't be afraid to try something new - EXPLORE whatever interests you.

Christmas Cards in January

Yes it is cold enough for Christmas so I am making some Christmas cards.  I am going to be gone for a couple weeks so want to get some made for the weeks I am not home.  It is warmer where I am going but not sandal weather.

The current challenge at Jingle Belles is Oh Christmas Tree.   I bought this beautiful tree stamp from Impression Obsession.  It is gorgeous embossed also.  The paper is a 12 x 12 pad from Paper Studio.  (Iguess I should have saved this card for Oldie Moldie Monday.)  Maybe I can come up with another one.  The card base was cut with my Silhouette.

The inside was finished and the envelope was decorated.  I need to go adjust the sentiment - it is a hair low on one side - I think - of course - it could be my photography skills.

Stay warm and create something.

Canvas Corp and Words and Paintery Team Up

For the January Challenge at Words and Paintery, they are teaming up with Canvas Corp Brands.

Here is the challenge.

I decided to make a 6 x 6 canvas.  I was working on another project and had used a cardboard heart and decided to use one on this project.  I dug out my box of crayons, found somewhat similar colors, shaved them and placed them on my cardboard heart and melted them.  I think this is the first time I have every melted crayons for a project.  I covered my canvas board with a piece of paper from the 6 x 6 7 gypsies pad Epicurean.  I used a stencil and added texture paste to the top of the paper.  When you see the final project, do you see any of this texture paste?

This is where I started, and you know with any mixed media project, you never know what creative path you will take.  There were two sheets of red and blue patterned paper in the same 6 x 6 pad and you can see a little of them on the final project on the right side.  This is where my path started to go a little crazy.  At one point, I walked away from the project because I was not happy with what I had done.  After awhile, a few things came together in my head and I found some pags on a 12 x 12 sheet from 7 gypsies Ordre Du Jour Collection:  Seize the Day.  I hand wrote the quote on a tag which I fussy cut out of the paper.  I trimmed this tag and you can see the other part tucked in an opposite corner.  Another tag was cut apart and tucked here and there along with some pieces of the patterned paper.  One little drawer image was tucked in the wrapped cord on the crayon heart.  The crayon heart was wrapped with Canvas Corp Cord.  I tore a narrow strip off of a large piece of Canvas Corp Canvas for my bow.  A small cord bow was added to the top of the canvas bow.

Are you curious to see what came out of this winding path of creativity that I took to make this mixed media piece?  I will not keep you in suspense any longer.  Here it is.

Here are some close ups of some of the elements on the canvas.

The wrapped heart with the picture of the drawer tucked in the cord.

The verse tag along with some of the other tags that are tucked in this corner.

Here is the close up of the bow and the papers that are tucked in that corner.

Thanks to  Words and Paintery and Canvas Corp for stretching my creative wings.

Christmas Card in January

I am trying to make Christmas card throughout the year so that I have enough in December.  Weekly challenges help to do this and these are good for me because I do not like to do bunches of the same card.  I can make maybe 4 to 6 of the same card.

This week the weekly challenge on the Christmas Card blog - Merry Monday - is to use plaid.  I love plaid paper.  As I went through some of my 6 x 6 plaids, lots of companies do not make plaid designs - what is wrong with them.  Plaid is so versatile plus you can put so many pretty colors in a plaid.

The stamp I used on the card is one I bought in the Christmas clearance section of Michael's.  I am not for sure I even like it after I used it.  Maybe I need to color it completed rather than just coloring different things on the image.  It seems that my favorite way of stamping recently is to  stamp with VersaFine Ink and clear embossing it.

This year I am also finishing the inside of the card and decorating an envelope when I make each card.  This way they will be all ready to be addressed and mailed in December.

Have a wonderful Thursday.  It has warmed up a little here in Wisconsin but we are going into the deep freeze again over the week end.  I am packing my bags getting ready to head to South Carolina for a couple weeks to visit friends.  It is only in the high 40's and 50's there but it is warmer than here.  I did cancel my pedicure - my toes aren't coming out for those temps.

Mixed Media Journal Entry - Time

I am trying to journal in 2016 and I have chosen the word EXPLORE as my word for 2016 and have incorporated it into a couple journal entries already this year.  One entry will be shared later in the month but I did want to share the one I worked on in the last couple days.

I am entering the journal page in a couple challenges.

Challenge #1:  Mixed Media Monthly Challenge - Time Flies

Challenge #2:  Carolyn Dube's A Colorful Journey

This journal page background started as little circles when I cleaned my foam pads from another project.  You do not want to waste any of that precious paint.  The thing that would have been thrown away is the insides of the letters from the sticker pages.  The white with the black line around it pops on the color and adds some different dimension and shapes to the page.  Here is my page and a few closeups of parts of the page.

Here you can see the sticker letters and I added the white dots to the black.  It is also a close up of the sticker remains from the letters.

Part of a clock - the entire clock took up too much of the page as an entire element but by cutting it in half, I added it to the top and bottom of the page and then had room for the title (I guess I did not do any real journaling on the page.)  More white dots were added around the black frame of the clock.

Just another picture showing the different circles.  Those teal circles started out being stamped with leftover black paint on the end of a toilet paper tube.  You can see the bright pink "clean off" spots in the background.

This page uses some of my favorite colors.  I love bright color and I have many of these colors in my wardrobe.

Thanks for stopping by.  Be creative - explore new things.  Art, travel, friendships - just have fun.  Retirement is affording me the time to do these things.

Hello Mixed Media Card

The monthly Mixed Media Challenge on Happy Little Stampers is Stencil.

The Monday Simon Says Stamp blog challenge is also Stencil so I am entering my card there also.

I do have a nice selection of stencils but I seem to use the same ones over and over again.  The background stencil on this card is one I like to use with distress inks also.  My background was done with Tattered Angels:  Blue - Baseboard (Wave); Green - Baseboard (Leaf); Yellow - Chalkboard (Canary) and Glimmer Mist (Dazzling Diamonds).

I first sprayed the yellow; then the green and finally the blue.  I wanted the blue to be the main color.  After all the color was added, I sprayed with the Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist to give all the patches of color some sparkle and shine.  The bias tape was tinted with the Blue Baseboard.

The floral image from Penny Black was stamped in VersaFine Black Ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder.  The sentiment from Hero Arts was done in the lower right corner.  The circles of green embossing paste were then added to the card.  After they dried the bias tape was tied around the bottom of the card.

The card front was matted with black and layered onto a white card base.  The bow was then added to the front of the card.

Christmas - Oldie Moldie Monday

It is Monday - time to show some love for your old supplies.  Lucky me - the Christmas Card Challenge Blog Jingle Bells is continuing their challenge of something old and something new.

This week I bought a new thinlit die - it is a sentiment - I thought it would make some great Christmas cards and they would be fairly easy.  (and I was correct - since I had the supplies out I made two)

The paper is old - it is a paper pad from Paper Studio.  Nice pretty paper in the traditional Christmas colors of red and green.

I was trying to make the cards flat to help with mailing costs but then I thought I needed something in the corners - a little more red - so now the card is less mail friendly.  Oh well - I think I am single handed keeping the post office in business.  Last week's trip to the post office was $13.00 and that cost does not include the envelopes that did not need extra postage on them.

Remember to show some love for your older supplies.  I now have 3 Christmas cards made for next year.  The insides are done on all of them and the envelopes are decorated.

Brrr It is Cold

A friend posted a challenge on Facebook to make a bright colored springy card.  I chose  to use my Dylusions Paints.  I wanted to try something new.  I decided I wanted to use the smooshing technique (putting your paint or ink on acetate, wetting it with something and then smooshing it onto your paper).  How lucky I am that this is also the challenge on Happy Little Stampers CAS Challenge.

Instead of water, I used a glimmer mist from Tattered Angels.  I wanted the paint to have a little sparkle in it.  The stamp is from Stampers Anonymous and the sentiment is from Simon Says.  I added the black enamel dots because I thought I needed some balance on the left side of the card.  I always struggle with that.  The flower was stamped with black ink and then clear embossed.  This seems to be my favorite way of stamping in the last few months.

Gee I have a birthday card done for February.  I don't believe it - of course - the secret will be to not lose it.

Thanks for stopping by.

Winter ATC

The challenge on the Wicked Wednesday ATC blog is "something new."  The stamps used on my ATC are new.  Love the cute little images.

Hope you are having a "ice day" - I believe we have that coming for weather in the next day or two - but I don't care - I am retired and can stay home.  But then the BRRRRR weather comes.

Christmas Card 2016 #1

I know we just ended the Christmas holidays but if you are a cardmaker, you really need to start now so you have cards to mail in December 2016.  This is especially true if you usually make one of a kind cards (although I am kinda toying with making some multiples this year - toying is the word).

Yes I am still mailing cards - I call these my winter and new year cards.

If you follow some of the Christmas card blogs, you have an advantage in getting some of your cards ahead of time.  This week the challenge on Jingle Belles is Something Old/Something New.  This challenge worked in well with my Oldie Moldie Monday challenge to myself.

My card this week uses new paper that I bought this year.  The image was already stamped and colored so that was a bonus.  The snowflakes were in my supplies (well aged).

Another goal I have for the year is to finish the inside of each card as I make it.  The inside is done and I even grabbed an envelope and decorated it also.

Remember to show some love for your oldie moldie supplies - they still make wonderful cards.

Favorite Cards from 2015

I consider myself a card maker and have started to dabble some in Mixed Media.  I did share my favorite Mixed Media projects on Thursday.  Today will be my favorite "normal" cards.

I had to include at least one masculine card.  It was fun to make with all the blues and greens.  The recipient really enjoyed it.

This card used backgrounds I had made with distress inks.  I believe I may have put it on a piece of acetate and squished it on the paper.  I hand dyed the ribbon with distress inks.  The flower is a stamp with coordinating stencil.

This was a birthday card for my oldest daughter.  She did not even get to see it.  She brought it in from the mailbox, laid it on the table and her dog Axl ate it.  Axl loves to eat my handmade creations. I love layers of papers.

This card has painted paper as the base for the card.  The flowers were heat embossed with white embossing powder.  The bow was made from fabric.  I love to make fabric bows.

This Halloween card uses a fabric panel as the focal point.  I love how I added the wiggle eye to the house.  Lots of layers and a pretty bow.

Penny Black stickers are a great way to make cards.  The images are so beautiful and the colors are wonderful.  I used another great bow.  This card the sticker panel is taller than the base of the card.  It was still an A2 card.

In January I sent this card to friends living in warm places.  It made them giggle.  The stamp is from Whipper Snapper stamps - a local Wisconsin stamp company.

I have been enjoying the Tim Holtz crazy birds.  If you look through my blog you will see many cards made with these birds.  I especially loved the non traditional colors for a Christmas card.  The background was done with inks.

This is another non traditional Christmas card.  The background was made with squishing ink on acetate and paper.  The elements on the card front were heat embossed in silver.  The stamp set is from Hero Arts.

I love the vintage feel of this Christmas card.  The white background is book pages with gesso on them.  The sentiment is embossed in gold.  The poinsettia is from my stash - it was very well aged.  I used a gold spray over the top of the card front when it was done.  A simple twine bow finished the card.

I just love everything about this card.  I used washi tape, embossing, ink to make the background.  This may qualify as mixed media but we will gloss over that.

There are some of my favorites from 2015.  I hope I can be this creative in 2016.  With being retired, you would think I would be able to do lots of creating.  We will see.

New Challenge - Mixed Media Mojo

It is January 1, 2016 (HAPPY NEW YEAR) and also time for a new monthly challenge on Mixed Media Mojo blog.

Winter - it returned this week in the state of Wisconsin.  It brought us inches of wet snow, sleet, and freezing rain.  I was very happy I did not have to be out in it.  In fact, I stayed in my pajamas all day - I said the first day it was snowing and it was a day I would have to be working - with retirement  I was staying in my pajamas all day.  It did glisten.

My canvas uses a snowman stamp from Stampendous.  He is the perfect size for a canvas - almost too big for a card.

The snowman was stamped on a book page with gesso on it and cut out.  He was colored with distress paints.  The stamped snowflakes were from several different stamp sets.  I also added snowflakes done with a stencil and embossing paste.  Adds more texture and depth to your canvas.

Please stop by Mixed Media Mojo this month and play along with us.