Freshly Made Sketches Challenge

I have been such a lazy blogger this year even though I have created I have not been posting on my blog.  I do need to keep myself posting as I create.

Today among a couple other cards I made, I decided to do the Sketch for this week at Freshly Made Sketches Challenge Blog.  

I do struggle with doing clean and simple cards. I always want to add more and more to the card.  I kept this card very close to the sketch.  I used all patterned paper from the same 6 x 6 collection.

This Hero Arts stamps was on the top of the pile of stamps on my table so it was used on another card.  The sentiment says so much.  I have so many friends that this wonderful quote applies to.

Have a good day.  We have rain and more rain and the wind is picking up, but at least it is not snow.

Oldie Moldie Monday

I am working my way through an oldie moldie 6 x 6 pad.  Here are two more cards from the pad.  The stamp set is a new one from Jo Ann Fabrics for $1.99.  I will get my money's worth out of the stamp set.

I am sure you might have a few 6 x 6 pads to make cards out of.  Just grab one and get busy.

Happy Easter

I had this sheet of die cuts for more years than I know.  The scary thing is I knew exactly where it was when I decided to make a card for my Aunt for Easter.  I know she will love the images and all the layers.  I have no idea who even made this set of images.

I am entering the card in the Monday Simon Says Stamp Challenge Blog.  The challenge is Lots of Layers.  This card sure qualifies for that challenge.

Here is a close up of  the bow and flowers.  The purple one is one I made awhile ago.  It was colored with acrylic paint.  I believe it was made out of coffee filters.  The other flowers were in my supplies.

Here is the upper corner of the card.  You can see a doily that was sprayed with ink to distress it.  You can see a layer of cheesecloth also which was colored with a spray.

Here is the lower corner.  The other half of the doily is peeking out.

Here is the upper right corner.  I had these pearls in the perfect shade of purple to match the card.

After I assembled the card, I splattered cream color paint over the front.

Thanks for stopping by.

Oldie Moldie Monday

Time show some love to your old supplies.  Easter is coming so I need to get a few cards made to mail out.  I used some paper that I have aged for a few years.  The stamp of the bunny is new but I am using up a bunch of old paper on these cards.  I think I have a total of 10 cards with these two designs.

Remember to show some love to your old supplies.

Happy Friday

Of course, when you are retired, every day is a Friday but actually a Saturday or Sunday.  It is your time to do whatever you want.  I have been trying to get back into the creativity mood.  I made a card for a friend who is battling cancer.  She likes artsy fartsy stuff so I know she will appreciate this bright card.

The background was made with Dina Wakely's acrylics.  Love these bright colors.  The sentiment and the woman are her stamps also.  I did the background on a piece of old book paper that a layer of gesso had been added to it.  After I painted the lady's dress aqua I knew I had to add some of this color to the background.  I took some of the paint and added water to it.  I then splattered it on top.  Everything now comes together.  The thread was added with gel medium.  I cut apart the sentiment and added it with gel medium.  I then drew around the outside of my words with a black marker.  Of course, I did it very messy like.  I should have done a second grouping of lines and then it would have looked artistic.  

Here is a picture of the pleated accent.  I just tore a couple strips of the paper and hand pleated it.  I tore a strip of black fabric and then sewed the pleated strip on top of the card front.  Any threads hanging out add an artistic touch.  I also used this strip to place my lady so she was grounded and not floating in the air.

Here is a close up of the lady, the thread, and the sentiment.

Thanks for stopping by.  I do love to get all painty.  I think I am going to try a journal spread.  I watched a video this morning and it intrigued me.

Everyone enjoy your Friday and your week end.  I am off to have coffee with a good friend who has moved away from the area.

Traveling Art Journal Crafted with Canvas Corp

I am participating this year in a traveling art journal group with designers from Canvas Corp.  Our group is from all around the world.  Many of the participants made their own art journal - I was about to start some traveling so I found one in the correct size.  I am in Group Two.

If you wish to see the journals from Group One check out the post at this link.

Group Two will post their journals on the 15th of each month.  You can find them on the Canvas Corp Blog The Creative Studio.  

Here is a picture of the two page spread.  I learned many things doing this page.
Be careful when you use sprays.  They can bleed through your page even though I had put clear gesso on the pages.  All paints and sprays are from Tattered Angels which is owned by Canvas Corp.

Here is a close up of some of the corners of each page.  The brushes are from a sheet of patterened paper from Canvas Corp.

This pot of paint was also on the same page as the brushes.  You can see some of the embossing paste I used and some of the stamping I did on the background.

This is a Hero Arts stamp.  I thought it was a good quote to use on the first pages of my traveling journal because I would have so many new friends when it returns to me.  I stamped it with Versafine Black Ink and then embossed with clear embossing powder.

Here you can see a paint tube and another paint brush.

This is the first page of my journal.  I love this little bird and his sentiment "why hello there".

Canvas Corp Products Used.  You can shop at this link.

Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist Patina
Tattered Angels Baseboard Paint:  Blue Bird and Iris
Tattered Angels High Impact Paint: Lime Green, Yellow, Orange
Canvas Corp Heirloom Collection: Brushes on Ivory

Please visit Canvas Corp to see all the other journals in Group One and Two.

Oldie Moldie Monday Returns

I have been doing some traveling so have not been creating for blogging.  Now it is time to get back into the swing of things and make some cards and use up some supplies.  I have been having a hard time getting started but I just picked out a 6 x 6 pad with beautiful paper and colors and started there.  I also used a new stamp set from Simon Says Stamp.

The paper pad is from 2012 Echo Park - For the Record 2.

These are the two cards I created from several sheets of paper.  The second card is from the scraps left from the first card.

On the second card, I stamped in orange ink a floral design to give some depth to the solid paper.  It did not stamp perfectly but for what I wanted - it worked wonderfully.  

I decided today I am going to use this 6 x 6 pad up so expect to see it on Oldie Moldie Monday again.  Only 499 6 x 6 pads to use.  (I really don't think I have that many - I hope.)

Happy Little Stampers Anything Goes With Dies March Challenge

It is March and a new challenge at Happy Little Stampers using your Dies.  The challenge is Anything Goes With Dies.

This month I decided to make a sewing themed card.  I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut out all the elements.  All the designs used were in one file.  I love the Silhouette because you can always size your dies to fit the size of your finished project.  The sentiment was done on my computer.

You can not see it on the picture of the whole card but when I completed the card, I sprayed it with a gold spray so it sparkles.  You can pick up the gold in the close up pictures of the card.

Spool of thread with a real button tied with twine to embellish it.

Love all the layers on the dress form.  The basic dress form, the torso and the skirt.  At the top of the skirt, I added a small strip of lace and a small bow of twine.  You can pick up the gold in this picture also.

Here is how I finished the hole on the card.  I put twine and lace through the hole and then tied it with a small piece of twine.

The back of the card is scored so it will fold back and actually stand up.

Please come join us at Happy Little Stampers this month for our Anything Goes With Dies challenge.

Happy Little Stampers March Mixed Media Challenge

Hard to believe that March is already here.  Of course when you travel for several weeks of a month, time does fly.  I am now done with my travels and will have time to create.

This month the challenge at Happy Little Stampers for Mixed Media is books.

The fun thing with this challenge is how you artistically interpret Books.  I chose to use pages from books.  Book pages are a favorite surface for me to create one.  I usually put gesso on my pages before I had color.  I had lots of fun creating this card.  It will be a birthday card for my great niece who turns 17.  She is artistic also so I think she will really appreciate the card.

The face is a Jane Davenport stamp from her new collection from American Crafts which is being sold at Michael's.  I am not very skilled at drawing faces so I jumped on this stamp set when I saw it.  There are four face stamps with the face looking in different directions.  I colored the face with some watercolors I had.  I added some color to her cheeks and painted her lips a bright pink.

The flowers are also pieces of book pages that have been gessoed.  I die cut the flowers with a Spellbinders die.  I just used two layers of the book pages and the third layer (the center) is a set of flowers I bought at Michael's and just painted.  The flowers were painted with watered down Dina Wakely acrylic paints.

Here is a close up of the face and flowers.

I cut the bottom of the book page with the face on it at an angle.  The head seemed to be floating so I cut it to match up where the neck lines ended.  It was matted in black.  I added the small strip of black dots to add some extra interest to the card front.  I think black/white stripes would have been fun also.

I made the background paper which is the main layer on the card.  It is another gessoed book page.  I used the water downed Dina Wakely paints and smooshed them onto my paper.  I love how the paper turned out.  It made my little heart sing.

I matted it in black.  I laid the face on the colored paper to find out where to stamp the birthday sentiment.  I did this in my Misti so I knew I would get a good image for my sentiment.  The sentiment was stamped with Versafine Black Ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder.

I then added white embossing paste in a couple different places on the card.

I then added black splatters to the front of the card.  I did cover the face and flowers so they were not splattered.

Please join us at Happy Little Stampers March Mixed Media Challenge.