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.

Christmas in July

Christmas in July – time to start working on your projects for the holidays.  This is the challenge at Mixed MediaMojo.  The extra twist is to use a Santa on your project. 

 I started with a canvas board.  It measures  6 x 8.  I covered the board with part of a carry out bag from Panera.  I love this muted pattern on the kraft.  It was adhered to the board with gel medium.  After it had dried, I put a layer of clear gesso on the paper.  I did not want to lose the background color but wanted some bite for the layers to be added.

The Santa for this piece is chipboard from My Mind’s Eye from 2013.  He is super cute but needed to be more vintage looking.  I took  distress ink and rubbed it across the Santa to give it a more vintage, mellowed look.  Well I didn’t quite like that so I started adding in some color on the jacket trim, the gift bag, belt and gloves. 

The clear gesso covered all the muted pattern on the kraft paper so I decided to just start adding some paint.  I put on blue distress paint.  I then used crackle paste through a stencil.  After it was dry I rubbed green, brown and red distress paint on it.  Now the fun with begin - Adding all the layers of stuff. 

I adhered the chipboard with gel medium.  I also used gel medium on the baubles.  The canvas seemed a little naked in the corners so I found this green trim and added it to two corners.  The edge of the canvas has a copper metallic paint along the edges.

So on those hot summer days, get out some of your Christmas stuff and start creating beautiful projects.

ATC - Groovy Chicks

I am having fun making at least one ATC a week for the challenge weekly challenge at Wicked Wednesday Weekly ATC Challenge.  The theme this week is Groovy Chicks.

I love this quote from Audrey Hepburn "If you obey all the Rules, You Miss all the Fun."  I think maybe it is time to start breaking some rules.  The beautiful stamp is from Dina Wakely.  Since she is groovy she needed to have magenta/pink hair.

The background of the ATC is distress paint.  Over the top I sprayed some spray through a stencil.  I don't think you can even see that layer.  The chick was stamped on some gessoed pages and colored with distress paints and gelatos.  She was glued to the ATC with gel medium.  I added the purplish dots through a stencil and then dabbed them off with a paper towel.  To finish off the background I stamped my favorite circle stamp and colored them with distress paints.

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a good week.  I do hope to be a little more creative this week.

Christmas ATC

I have found a new love for creating.  It is tiny pieces of art called ATC's.  They measure 2.5  x  3.5.  They are very fun to do.  I also found an ATC challenge site so I am going to try and play along each week.  The site is called Wicked Wednesday ATC.

The challenge this week is April Fools Day or your favorite holiday.  I chose to go with Christmas.

I dug through my box of backgrounds I have made and found this pretty blue.  I believe it was made with distress inks.  The little stamp is made by Hampton Art.  I inked the stamp with VersaMark Ink and Black Versafine Ink.  I then put clear embossing powder over the top.  The little penguin and sentiment really pop and shine.  The beak and flippers were colored with distress ink.  Glossy accents was added tot he eyes.  I matted the image on black card stock to frame it.  I added a strip of patterned paper on the side.  I thought it needed a little bit of something.  I also randomly colored some of the squares with blue distress paint.  The stars and circles were punched out of silver paper that I made.  I rubbed VersaMark ink along a piece of paper and then added silver embossing powder.   You now have Silver paper.  A few rub ons were added along with some small enamel dots.

Everyone enjoy your Friday.  I am not working today so that is a plus to start the day.

Blue Bird of Happiness

I am in love with this bird stamp and I have only used the one bird - there are three more to use.  The stamp is by Dina Wakely for Ranger.  It is called Scribbly Birds.

On Sunday I shared a canvas I made with the bird and one of the sentiments, but there was this saying going through my head when I painted the bird blue - blue bird of happiness.  Inside the sentiment says "so blank blank blank be happy".  I think I will add happy valentine's day.  I think it would make a few people smile.

Did you notice his/her heart is broken?  I have never had my texture paste do that before.  Maybe there is something very symbolic in this.  The card front is made on mixed media paper with layers of gelatos, acrylic paint, texture paste, distress ink, regular ink, gel medium, and gessoed dictionary pages.

I am going to enter this in the weekly challenge on Monday's Simon Says Stamp.  The challenge is "H is for" - well for me it could be happiness or for those three little red hearts.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoying my humor - hey another H.

Greeting from Wisconsin - Contents Still Frozen

Last week I shared this card.

I assembled four more of the same card this week end.  I had one colored image left and not enough of my patterned paper to make this card so I improvised.  I flipped the card base and let the image hang off the bottom of the card.  Luckily the paper was double sided so I could use two small pieces side by side to do the front of the card.  Dug out some ribbon.  This time I stamped my sentiment with black ink and then put clear embossing powder over the top - it makes the sentiment pop.

Both stamps are from Wisconsin stamp companies.  The sentiment is from Crackerbox Palace in Janesville and the rodent is from Whipper Snapper Designs in Brookfield.

I am entering this card in the weekly Wednesday challenge on Simon Says Stamp.  The challenge is Anything Goes.

Well I am glad this week is half over with.  I have started some mixed media projects and still need to make some more valentine cards.  So do you also spend more time on Pinterest than you do creating.  I have been looking at tags and ATC's.  Lots of creations to drool over.

Enjoy your evening.

The Dog Ate My Birthday Card

This was the birthday card I made for my daughter.  She never got to see it; she brought it from the mailbox and laid it on the table and Axl (the dog) ate it.  Axl loves paper.  He even ate the dog shaming book.

The stamp is by Whipper Snapper Designs.  It was colored with distress paints and Gelatos.

It was a very nice card.  He also ate her Christmas Santa canvas.  Good thing I love that darn dog.

Getting Caught Up on Cards

Well I did not get all my Christmas cards sent out this year so I am sending some winter cards and then some valentine cards.  Here is the winter card I am sending to friends in warmer clients.  Three have been mailed and I have 5 more images colored.

I colored the Whipper Snapper stamp with distress inks.  The sentiment is from Crackerbox Palace in Janesville, WI.  Normally I stamp it on envelopes but I thought it would make a cute sentiment with my handsome friend.  The image hangs over the top of the card.  I have made several of this design this year and really like it.  It still fits in an A2 envelope.

I am going to enter the card in the Monday Simon Says Stamp challenge which is winter stamping.  Stamping in the winter, stamping a winter image - this qualifies for both.

Spent Monday off work so I worked in my crafting area.  I have found the floor and vacuumed it.  The tables now need to be cleaned.  Slowly but surely.  I should have done some cleaning upstairs also.  Oh well, there will be another day.

Enjoy your Tuesday.  I know this 4 day week will seem like 6 days.

Winter and Snow

We started the new year out with some snow.  I was thankful it was on the week end so my driving could be limited.  I had wanted to do some visits but that will wait for another day. My snow shoveling fairies came through last night but I should go out this morning and do it again.  More snow fell during the night.  Of course, one must make a snow card during this time.  I am getting caught up on cards I did not get sent during the holidays.

This stamp is from My Favorite Things.  It is such a sweet image.

I colored the image with distress paints and gelatos.  Embossed my white cardstock with a snowflake folder.

I am entering it into two challenges.  The first challenge is the Friday Mashup.  Winter theme and snowflakes.  I think I have both of those covered.

The second challenge is the weekly challenge from The Paper Players.   Their challenge is to make a card using a recycled or repurposed item.  The cardstock used in my card - the base and the embossed layer - are recycled cardstock from commencement programs.  It is a wonderful heavy cardstock and every year at the graduation ceremonies I can't stand to watch all those programs get thrown away.  I now have people who are so into my recycling of these programs, in May, we have two ceremonies - when I get to the 2nd ceremony to work, they will already have a cart full of the programs for me.  As I wait for the graduates to arrive, I pull out the insides and save the covers.  It has saved me so much money over the years.

Thanks for stopping by today.  I have enjoyed playing with my paper and having some well earned paper therapy.

Holiday Ornament

I have had this ornament design rolling around in my head for awhile so it feels good to get it done.  I really do like how it turned out.  I do wish I could get a better photograph of it.

The challenge on the Paper Smooches Sparks Challenge Blog is anything goes.  Yeah - my ornament came to life.

The clear glass ornaments that you can buy at the holidays are wonderful to create with.  They are a blank canvas.  I put a coat of clear gesso on the front of the ornament.  I painted some dictionary pages with gesso and when it was ready I stamped Mr. Snowman.  I colored the few things that you need to color on a snowman.  I used my Faber Castell Big Brush pens.  I put the snowman on the front of the ornament with gel medium.  I then used some embossing paste for my snowbank.  The sky was painted with distress paints.  I used a stencil to add the white dots in the sky (snow).  I brushed Glass Bead Glitter Gel over the snowbank and snowman.  I added some snowflake stickers to the sky.

I am also going to enter this ornament in the monthly challenge on the Faber Castell blog.  The challenge this month is to make a gift for someone using your mixed media supplies.

I am also sharing this ornament on the Simon Says Wednesday Challenge Blog which is Christmas/Holiday.

Next week I will do a tutorial on the different steps for making this ornament on the Mixed Media Mojo blog.

You too can have your own Paper Smooches stamps by shopping here.

Thanks for stopping by.

Oldie Moldie Monday, Unity Stamps and SRM Stickers

Boom - they all collide and out of the dust comes a little fall canvas.  It is a very whimsical canvas because there are no leaves - just dots of paper to give the allusion of leaves.  That is why I say it is whimsical.

It is oldie moldie because the canvas is a $1 canvas that had an image on it for kids to paint.  I always picked them up because hey - it was a cheap 5 x 5 canvas.  I have had the stamp for awhile.  The SRM Sticker has been hanging out in my crafting area for a couple years.  You get so many stickers on a sheet it is hard to use them all up.

I covered the canvas with a page from a dictionary.  I used gel medium to adhere it to the canvas.  I then applied a layer of gesso.  I stamped the tree with VersaMark and used brown embossing powder.  The background was painted with distress paints.  The sentiment strip was painted with three colors of distress ink.

I am going to enter this into the monthly challenge at Unity Stamps.  You have a choice:  a picture to inspire your color selection or a sketch.  I chose the colors. I used different pieces of paper to coordinate with the colors in the inspiration picture.  I get so much use out of my little hand punch.

I am also entering it into the SRM Monthly challenge.  This time my project is inspired by the picture in the challenge.  The colors and the leaves.  (I used whimsical leaves.)

I am also going to enter this in the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge which is "falling love with...".  I really am falling in love with mixed media.  I guess I just like to get my hands all goopy but I sure am having lots of fun.

It was kinda fun for me to be able to actually have my oldie moldie Monday creation work itself into a couple challenges.

Enjoy your Monday.  One day closer to the week end.

Anything Goes Paper Smooches

Today I am playing along with the Paper Smooches Spark Challenge.  This week it is Anything Goes.

This was also supposed to be for another challenge - a new Tag challenge - but when I read the rules again it said it had to be CAS.  My tags aren't CAS so I am not entering them in that challenge but the color inspiration and black accents come from that challenge.  I love the brightness of the tags.

The tags were cut out of watercolor paper with a Paper Smooches tag die.  I then colored the tags with distress paints and also some gelatos to intensify some of the colors.  I used the dies from Denim and Daisies to cut out some flowers from watercolor paper.  I also used the center of one of the flowers to stencil the white dots on my tag with gesso.  I used the negatives of some of the flowers and used them with embossing paste which I colored with the distress paints.  I love to do mixed media.  I used sentiments from three different sets for my cards.  Obviously, you can see, I made cards out of my tags.

I had my 45th class reunion this last week end.  I found out one classmate is battling cancer.  The "thinking of you card" is for her.  I think these bright colors will cheer her.  The other card is for the classmate that has been involved in the planning of every reunion our class has had.  It is a mini card.

I am also going to enter the card in the Mixed Media Card Challenge - a new challenge blog - this is my second entry.  The first theme is Nature.

Everyone have a great hump day.  Getting ready to go on vacation so need to stop making cards and pack my suitcase.  Trying to get some things together - I am visiting a card making friend so we need to have something to do.

New Technique

Last week I was out looking at a challenge site and was looking at some of the entries - now I don't even know where I was or whose card it was - they had a link to a video - I went at watched it.  I had all the supplies so I decided to try it.

You take an embossing folder and you ink the front panel.  You spritz the paint with water and then place paper on top and just rub it.  I tried it two different times.  You can see I got two different looks.

The stamps on this card are from Unity Stamps.

On the second card I probably could have gotten another rubbing off the paint.  The bottom card was sent to a TV broadcaster who I have watched every morning for probably 10 - 15 years.  He is retiring and I wanted to thank him for starting my mornings.  The TV and big sentiment are from Lawn Fawn.

It was a fun technique to try and I will try it again.

Yeah it is Friday and I am home two days this week end.

Paper Smooches Challenge - Picture Perfect

This is my entry in this week's challenge on Paper Smooches Sparks Challenge Blog is Picture Perfect.  Here is the picture to inspire your creativity.

What sparked my creativity?  I love the leaves - I love leaves - one of nature's most beautiful color scapes.  I love all the colors in this picture also.

I cut my leaf with my Silhouette out of some scrap card stock.  I then colored the leaf randomly with distress paints and a purple gelato.  (after coloring the leaf - it reminded me of a peace sign done in tie dye).  I cut the letters with my Silhouette also.  I colored them with the reddish distress paints.  I also made my own mat so that the color matched perfectly.  I stamped the little pennant, colored it with distress paint and cut it out.  I stamped the sentiment and added pearls and the letters to make up the sentiment block.  I love the patterned paper I found for my background.

I like how the card turned out.  Now I should make a few more since I have a few more leaves cut out.  I did glue two leaves together for a little dimension and the same with the two letters.

Thanks for the fun.