Start the Art

I am still really struggling to find my mojo, as evidenced by the fact that I haven't posted anything since the first of February. This is extremely difficult for me because I struggle with debilitating physical and mental disabilities, and paper crafting has been my coping mechanism for over two years now. To lose my mojo, and my love for the craft, has sent me into a spiraling depression.

A couple of months ago I decided to try keeping an art journal to see if it would help reignite the fire, and frankly, it did the opposite. I am just not an artist, and everything I made looked like mud. But I kept at it, and three thrown-away journals later I finally made a few spreads that I liked, so I decided to go ahead and make a title page for that specific journal. This was the result.

I totally stole the whole idea, from the "Start" sign to the text, from someone else. I found her artwork months ago while looking for inspiration, and loved it so much it stayed in my head all this time. Unfortunately, I have no idea where I saw it, and feel terrible that I can't give her complete credit. If anyone happens to see this and recognizes her work, would you PLEASE let me know who had the original idea?

I really struggled with copying it so completely, but finally decided it was better to make SOMETHING than nothing. Like I said, I'm just not an artist, and really struggle with inspiration. I've just decided to be okay with that. The alternative is to do nothing.

I am entering it in the Inspiration Emporium's Playing with Watercolors Challenge.

Recipe:

Inktense watercolor pencils.
Dylusions "Luscious Leaves" Stencil
Dylusions Sprays in "Fresh Lime," "Vibrant Torquoise," and "London Blue."
Dylusions " Background Love" stamps
Cuttlebug letter dies
Sakura Glaze and Souffle pens
White and black gel pens
Stickles

 Honestly, my life has always been, and continues to be, very difficult. I had a horrific childhood and was abused by my father in every conceivable way. I've had an adulthood full of one relationship after another, with every single one that meant anything to me ending, most often, without even saying goodbye, leaving me to feel even more worthless than I already had. Of course, I understand the reason I had those types of relationships is because I never felt anyone could love me in the first place, and the only men I ever thought I had a chance with were losers. And then there's the fact that I have two children who I damaged terribly, so much so that my son is an extremely unlikable man who is capable of being abusive, and my daughter is like me, with one man after another leaving her. It is one thing to know no one will ever love me, but completely another, and far more terrifying, to know your children will never be loved either. I am disabled with fibromyalgia, a pain disorder that leaves me in crippling pain for no reason, and for which I have to take pain medications that scare the shit out of me. I am also disabled due to PTSD, and live in constant fear/anxiety that, had anyone tried to explain to me before I experienced it, I would have dismissed as not really as bad as it is. Just like my sister, my brothers, and every other person in my life has dismissed. And yes, it really is as bad as I say. 

The only thing that has helped me cope the last few years is paper crafting. Once I discovered it, it was like a miracle, for I was able to get outside of my head doing something I enjoyed immensely. But, lately, I feel like I've reached a plateau, and every card has begun to like the same. So, I decided to venture out and try my hand at art journaling, both as a new paper crafting medium, but also to see if it could be cathartic given my life is so difficult.

Well, the first two months of this were a disaster. I could not make anything that didn't look like a three-year-old threw it together. In addition, I felt like it was making me feel worse emotionally, than better. But, then I discovered stencils, and FINALLY, I made something I actually like. No, LOVE. I absolutely fucking LOVE this piece. 

Anyone familiar with art journaling will recognize the style I've used, and I realize it's not very original. And I do sort of feel like I'm cheating by using the stencils, but honestly, a big part of my problem is that I cannot draw worth shit, and yet I wanted drawing to be part of the page. So, if using stencils is cheating, I'm good with it. 

I want to add some writing to the page, but am afraid to touch it! I actually think I'm very good at backgrounds, and have made quite a few beautiful ones only to ruin them when I write on the page. The theme is "It does not matter whether I am outside looking in or inside looking out. All the vibrant, thriving kaleidoscope of life is wherever I am not." But, like I said, I'm afraid to ruin the page. That's because though I am quite good at making backgrounds, I keep ruining them once it comes to adding a focal point, be it written or drawn. So, I'm going to let this one set a while until I am comfortable adding the writing. Or, maybe I'll just let it speak for itself without it. Hmmmm. . . .

I'm not entering this in any challenges, and I realize no one is even going to see this. I'm good with that. I just wanted to put it out there because I really am very proud of it. So, if you do happen to see this, and slodge through this entire "poor poor pitiful me," entry, I give you my sincere and heartfelt thanks. I know reading stuff like this is a turn-off, but along with deciding to journal, I've decided I am going to start telling my truth, and nothing but my truth. If people judge me for that, as does those in my real life, fuck 'em.

Amy's Tag

This is my next attempt at getting Holtzy, and I have to say, I absolutely LOVE this tag, not only because I think it's very pretty, but because I have spent the last couple of weeks in a real funk feeling like I don't have a creative bone in my body. and to finally come up with something I really like feels great. I am going to give this to my niece, Amy, for her birthday, specifically because Amy is one of the few members of my family who truly appreciates not only the effort that goes into making a tag, but also the beauty of it. She's a fashionista with a Silhouette Cameo, and I adore her!

 I knew from the beginning that I wanted to use My Mind's Eye's Breeze papers for the flowers, and so to match the colors, I made my own glimmer mists out of Distress Ink Reinkers (Broken China, Bundled Sage and Mustard Seed). I added some Irridescent Medium (found in the paint supplies at the craft store) to the mists, which added a lovely sparkle.

However, what really made the colors work was Tim Holtz's Distress Ink Stain Picket Fence. I love that stuff, because if your colors are too bright, you need only swipe a little Picket Fence over them and they're toned down. If they're not bright enough, swipe a little over them and reapply your color, which now pops out better because of the white background. In fact, I feel like I succeeded in attaining a translucent effect only because of the Picket Fence. Love it!

Recipe:
Heartland Creations Bella Rose stamp
Tim Holtz The Moment stamp
My Mind's Eye Lost & Found 2 Breeze papers
Spellbinders dies: Donna Salazar Rose Creations
Prima Say it in Pearls flower centers
Sizzix Sizzlet Lear Die
Distress Inks for color wash: Broken China, Bundled Sage, Mustard Seed
Irridescent Medium (mixed in colorwash)
Distress Ink Stain: Picket Fence
Sakura Souffle pen
Stampendous dark blue and dark green Pearlescent embossing powders

Challenges:

Divas By Design--anything goes
Flutterby Wednesday--Open, must have a butterfly (there are three tiny butterflies on the tag)
Gingersnap Creations--Words of Wisdom
The House that Stamps Built--heat embossing (the words and stamped leaves are heat embossed)
Whimsy Stamps~~Make your own flowers.
Party Time Tuesdays--anything goes
Hook on Crafts~~something bright
Incy Wincy Designs~~flowers
Make My Monday--butterflies and/or dragonflies
My Craft Spot--anything goes

More Gettin' Holtzy

Continuing in my efforts to use Tim Holtz's techniques, I used Ranger's Distresss Crackle Paint to make this flower pin. This was so so so so fun for me, because it was something so so so different from a card or tag. It took me a couple of tries to get used to how the crackle paint worked, but once I got it, I fell in L.O.V.E.!!!!

I actually saw this idea in a Splitcoast Stamper gallery last month, and am just sick because I can't find it now to give credit to the person I stole the idea from. But, the following are the directions that she gave: 

1) Cut the flower pieces out of heavy paper. (I used white chipboard and then attached a matching pieces of white cardstock to make it extra thick.)

2) Cover each piece with Glossy Accents and let it completely dry. Though I have no idea why, this step was extremely important. I tried to skip this step a few times, and the result was always completely different, and not nearly as pretty, as what you see above.

3) Cover each piece with Picket Fence Distress Crack Paint and let completely dry. This step took me a few tries to get a feel of how much paint was needed for just the right amount of crackle. In fact, if  you've never used CP before, I would suggest first purchasing two bottles, so you can play with a lot of it without worrying you'll run out. .

4) Sponge the Distress Ink of your choosing over the crackle paint, being sure to get it into the cracks. I actually had a hard time with this step because the ink just wasn't seeping into the cracks like I wanted. Finally, I found that if I spritzed some Perfect Pearls (Forever Violet) on the flower parts, then wiped it off, the PP stayed in, and therefore highlighted, the cracks. I'm sure there are more effective ways to do this, but that's whatworked for me.

At that point, I repeated the above to make the leaves, and a swirl, then assembled the flower by adding a button, a feather, and the pin attachment.

+

Happy Accident

I just discovered a lovely blog called Enjoying Life. Barb is very talented at making simple yet stunning cards, something I am NOT good at at all. And I'm really impressed with how she uses color on her more complicated cards. 

I was inspired to try a technique Barb described called "watercolor blocking" where you put distress stains on your craft mat, spritz it with Perfect Pearls mist, and then smoosh your acrylic block into the color and stamp it on paper. When I tried it, I was delighted to discover the grid lines on my block transferred to the paper, something I had not expected. I'm making tags for everyone's birthdays this year, and think this will make a wonderful background!

I made quite a few using different colors, but they weren't photographing well. I thought the pic above would give you the general idea, though. I just love happy accidents. Thanks, Barb!

By the way, Barb is giving away some fabulous blog candy, pictured to the right. Click on the link to her blog, located above, to enter.

Doug's Tag

 My next  Tags for Twenty-Twelve (see sidebar) is for my brother-in-law Doug. Once again I tried to make it Holtzy, and actually quite like how it turned out. 

I wonder, though, if any of you feel as conflicted as I do about using Tim's trinkets. Don't get me wrong, I think they are wonderfully unique and full of character. But, I've always had issues with using pre-made embellishments because I feel like it's cheating. If I can't make it myself, I don't use it. Obviously, though, given so many of Tim's embellishments are metal, it's not possible for me to make them myself. But I really struggle with just slapping something pre-made on the card, even when it works, because I feel like it's the designer's work, not mine. 

Yes, there are so many really awful things to worry about in life, and this is stupid! But, there it is. :)

I recycled a paper bag for the tag's envelope. Because the bag was already a kraft color, the Distress Inks do not look as vibrant, but I thought it was cute anyway.

I picked up the My Mind's Eye burlap on sale at my LSS, thinking I had no idea what I could possibly use it on, and it's actually one of my favorite parts of this ensemble.

Recipe:

Tim Holtz products:

   Texture Fade Clock and Steampunk 

   Memo Pins

   Filmstrip Ribbon

   Timepieces

   Adornments Classic (crown)

   Type Charms

   Spinners

   Harliquen stamp

   Alphabet Soup Grungeboard (the "5" and "6")
Spellbinders Labels One 

Stampin' Up Circles of Friendship stamp
Distress Inks
Stampendous Kaleidoscope embossing powder
My Mind's Eye burlap

Challenges:

Splendiferous--Elements of Time
Raise the Bar Challenges~~circles
C.R.A.F.T. Challenges~~use numbers
Simon Says Stamp~~anything but a card

The Tags of Twenty-Twelve

I actually had a bit of inspiration last night, which you might want to mark on your calendar because it happens so rarely. I have decided that, instead of making everyone cards for their birthdays this year, I am going to make everyone a tag, and then for Christmas I will make each family a mini album with slots for their tags, giving them a remembrance of “The Tags of Twenty-Twelve.” I think this will be especially poignant for the four young families who are having babies this year.

The only thing I haven’t figured out is how to politely, and appropriately, insist that everyone put their tags somewhere where they’ll be able to find them come Christmas. I am disabled and am not responsible for taking care of anyone but myself, and I know how hard that would be for me to do. Everyone else has families and jobs, and I'm sure they don't need one more thing they have to do. So, if anyone reading this has any ideas of how to word a request that the tag's recipients keep their tags somewhere where they can retrieve them at the end of the year, I would be mighty grateful.

My favorite part of this tag is the pretty heart with my niece's age on it, shown above. I decided that, in keeping with "The Birthdays of Twenty-Twelve," I would add every person's age to their respective card. Here I cut the heart out of white chip board, stamped the "28" on it, then embossed it twice with Metal Art's UTEE. Once it was cold, I made cracks in the enamel, and it looks like old china with cracks in it. Unfortunately, I could not get a picture that shows the tiny cracks, just the large ones, but you still should get the idea. 

01-11-12: Edited to add: Lots of happy dancin' going on here because my tag made it into the top three at Tuesday Throwdown! This is my first time ever making it into a top three, and I am both excited, and honored.

Recipe: 

Melissa Frances 5th Avenue paper

Stampabilities Wire Dress Form stamp

Foam stamps for the number "28," but I don't know who made them

Martha Stewart Small Flower punch

My Mind's Eye Lost and Found trim

Spellbinders Ribbon Banner die

Melt Art Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Tissue Tape

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Trinket Pins

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Metal Charm -- bird

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Chain Tassels

Mubbleberry Bear paper mini-rosebuds and flowers

Bling and ribbon from stash

Challenges:

CES Challenges~~anything goes

Simply Create Too--more than two layers

Crafty Creations Challenges~~heat embossing

Fab 'n'Funky Challenges~~use something new you got for Christmas (Tim Holtz Chain Tassels)

My Mum's Craft Shop~~use something new (Tim Holtz Chain Tassels)

Simon Says Stamp~~use something new (Tim Holtz Chain Tassels)

Stampavie and Mor~~hearts

Ladybug Crafts Inc.~~-anything goes using your new stash (Tim Holtz Chain Tassels)

Party Time Tuesdays~~anything new (Tim Holtz Tassels)

Tuesday Throwdown~~something shiny (bling and the embossed heart)

Celebrate 26 Tim Holtz Style

 It's been a very long time since I've posted any new projects. I actually made quite a few Christmas cards as well as some really beautiful monogrammed card kits for gifts. But, to be honest, my heart really wasn't in it, and for some reason that translated into not wanting to post them on my blog. 

In an attempt to get my mojo back I had asked for anything Tim Holtz for Christmas, because his style is not something I'd previously been good at and wanted a challenge. So, I decided to try Tim's style for my nephew's upcoming 26th birthday card, and to be honest, it didn't work, at least not the first three attempts. I wish I had taken pics of those first three cards because they were so butt ugly it was hilarious. Finally, on my fourth try I was singing to myself "I think I've got it!" because not only do I think it works well, it is also one of my all-time favorites.

What finally did it for me was to stop trying to make my own background paper with Distress Inks and giving in to the gorgeous that is My Mind's Eye Lost & Found Two: Breeze. I LOVE OLVE VELO OLEV LEVO VOLE LOVE that paper! My favorite part of the card, shown below, is where I stamped and embossed Tim's Weathered Clock  in white in the bottom left corner, centered the circle of Stampin' Up's Circle of Friendship over the clock stamp, and then added those yummy Spinners for clock hands. I swear MME's designers are psychic and designed and placed that beautiful flourish just so I could make that clock! So, I am really really happy to start the New York with a card that I really really love.

Recipe:

My Mind's Eye Lost & Found Breeze paper

Colorbox black and sky blue pigment inks

Stampendous White Opaque embossing powder

Stampendous Kaleidoscope embossing powder

Versamark Watermark ink

Ribbon from stash

From Tim Holtz:

  Crackle Paint Picket Fence

  Distressed Inks: Tea Dye, Vintage Photo, Broken China, Concord Grape

  Alterations Die Weathered Clock

  Grungle Blocks

  Wordsticks "Time"

  Timepieces

  Game Spinners

  Ornate Plates

  Muse Tokens

  Trinket Pins

  Texture Frame: Postal

Challenges:

Top Tip Tuesday--anything goes

The Artistic Stamper--vintage

Cupcake Craftroom--anything goes

Cards for Men--recycling (I cut the Weathered Clock out of the three layers of cardboard backing that comes with paper packs. I had been saving them for quite a while, and they were starting to take up a lot of space, so I was glad to use them to make the clock.)

Craft Your Passion~~anything goes, distress

Crafty Boots~~celebrations

Critter Sketch Challenge Blog~~celebration

Heart Song Inspirations~~anything goes

House of Gilli--anything goes

Kaboodle Doodles~~anything goes

(Lawn)scaping Challeng~~birthday

The Pink Elephant~~anything goes

Truly Madly Crafty--anything goes

Fashionable Stamping Challenge~~-use something from new stash received at Christmas. All of my Tim Holtz products, with the exception of the Weathered Clock die, were Christmas presents.
Robyn's Fetish ~~ anything goes
Paper Sundaes ~~ something old and something new (Weathered Clock die is old, all other Tim Holtz items are new.)
Sparkles Forum Challenge~~anything goes
The Squirrel and the Fox~~use something new (Tim Holtz products)
The Secret Crafter ~~ anything goes
Splendiferous Creations--Celebration
Card Crafter's Circle--anything goes (I withdrew my entry because I failed to read the rules, which stipulated you could only enter 10 or fewer challenges. I HATE when I do that because I know it causes others more work. But I decided to leave the link in case it directed someone else to enter their challenge.)
Clearly Inspired~~birthday
Delicious Doodles~~something new
Stampin' for the Weekend~~anything goes
Chocolate, Coffee and Cards~~sketch

Win Webster's Pages gorgeous new "Sunday Picnic" Collection

 I am so in love with this new collection by Webster's Pages called "Sunday Picnic." And if you go to its blog and explain what you love best about the collection, you have a chance to win it! I don't really get any traffic on my blog, but if someone happens to chance on this post, and wins the prize as a result, then YAY for you!

Finally!

I apologize in advance for such a long-winded post. I warn you it contains quite a bit of poor poor pitiful me, with, hopefully, a glimmer of hope at the end. But it's also a bit boring, so if you don't read all this, believe me, I will NOT be offended. :)

My first Finally! is because I have finally made THE card. You know the one. The one that you've wanted to make since you'd discovered the art of making cards, but have never quite achieved. The one that makes your heart skip just looking at it because all of the pieces, inside and out, are dancing together in perfect harmony. The one that is your Starry Night, Cherubs and Mona Lisa all rolled into one. 

I have finally made that card. Okay, it's not the Mona Lisa, but the card that I am absolutely satisfied with has eluded me for so long, it comes awfully damn close!

Honestly, clever does not come easy to me and I'm not really very creative. What I am good at, however, is being able to look at something and know whether or not it works. I say this because the things I love most about this card were actually ideas I saw elsewhere, and I am very grateful to those who generously put their ideas out there to inspire the unspired masses, like me.

 For example, I got the idea for this little birthday circle from My Mind's Eye. I had bought some embellishments from its Lost and Found Christmas collection, which contained something almost exactly like this one. It was incredibly easy, and I think it's cute as can be, but it's not something I would have thought of on my own. (Yeah, I know MME makes a profit from putting their ideas out there, but I LOVE the ideas, so I am still grateful.)

My second Finally! is that I finally got all of my glitter--gobs and gobs of glitter--to stick where I wanted it to! Well, except for the glitter that's in my hair, my diet soda, and the dog's poop, that is. :) 

I absolutely LOVE glitter, but rarely use it because I've never been able to make it stick, especially when I want it to adhere to a stamped image. But I recently discovered the stupendous Scrap Happy Sheer Glue. It is the crack cocaine of glue in that it thinks it is ALL POWERFUL and can lift vst amounts of powdery substances with its little finger. Well, guess what? It can! That's because it dries sticky and stays that way until you stick something to it--like the tons of glitter I used on this card. Seriously, I've spent a small fortune on adhesives just for glittering purposes, including Sticky Stuff and glue pads, with very limited success. With the discovery of the Scrap Happy glue, my next project will be huge, gorgeous swirls of glitter--all over my bedroom walls!

In keeping with how others inspired me, my third Finally! is because I finally distressed a card, and it worked! I've tried distressing a number of times, but for some reason, it's always just looked like someone took a pair of scissors to the paper and then shoved it in mud, so I'd given up. But then I got very, very lucky and  happened upon  Clare's Creations. Seriously, my jaw is out of joint because I spent so many hours with it stuck to the floor while taking in one gorgeous work of art after another. Eventually, I began to see how I could combine the way Clare distressed her cards with some of my ideas, and voila! No more mud! I really think this took my card to the next level, and I am so grateful to Clare. If you're looking for inspiration, drop by her blog. You may not be able to chew for a while afterwards, but it will have been worth it.

My fourth Finally! is because I was able to finally stitch something close to a straight line!. I stitch by hand, and have thrown away a gazillion cards because the stitching always looks wonky. But this time, while the stitches aren't perfect, the overall effect is of straight lines, and I am ecstatic about that! :)

My fifth Finally! is that I finally decorated all sides of the card, inside and out. I utilized stamping techniques I've always been to nervous to try, like stamping layers of multiple images, and though it's hard to tell from my poor photos, they turned out very pretty. I also made a ton of embellishments and stuck them everywhere. (I purposely placed the black frame off-center, but it's not as out of kilter as it appears in the photo.) There are even flowers on the back of the card, which is probably a bit weird, but it works. The thing is, I've decorated the inside of cards before, but it wasn't until I saw how Clare did it that I realized I needed to step it up a notch. This is yet another example of how inspired I was by others who so graciously share their talents with peons like me.

My last, and most important Finally! is that I finally feel like I've gotten some of my Mojo back. I am disabled with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Fibromyalgia, both of which are extremely debilitating. I lead a very lonely, isolated life because I am unable to get out and about like normal people. I've been ill for eleven years this month, with the vast majority of that time spent full of despair and depression, and obsessing about how to end it all.

Then, about a year and a half ago, I discovered paper crafts, and for the first time, in literally a decade, I felt enthusiastic about something. Even though I had to craft from my bed, it was just so much freakin' fun I happily slept with the glitter, scraps of paper, ribbon, ink pads, more scraps of paper, punches, markers, and yet more scraps of paper, not caring a bit. All I knew is that I had finally found something to do other than being stuck inside my head feeling dead, and I was content.

Then a couple of months ago my illness got much worse. Other things happened as well that dragged me down that I won't go in to. But the pain has been unbearable, so much so that all I am is "pain." One of the symptoms of FM/CFS is a severe reduction in cognitive abilities, and I always struggle with that. But when my illness gets as bad as its been these last few months, I can't think at all--it's just one huge black fog of pain. This led to the loss of my enthusiasm for crafting, and I crashed. Bad. Scary bad. Suicidal bad. I know that sounds ridiculous, but making cards has been my life for over a year, and if I can't do that, I don't know what I'll do.

So, when I was able to pull this card together, and actually enjoy doing it, that was HUGE. I was very afraid I'd lost my love of creating permanently, and frankly, I'm still worried. Perhaps that giddy enthusiasm for it is gone, forever, which was probably inevitable. But I felt exuberant again as I watched this beautiful card come together in my hands, and that encourages me that I will again.

I have no illusions that things are fine. They're not, and I'm grasping at something to hang onto every moment. But the fact that I spent an entire day outside of my head, happily getting glitter everywhere, means something, and I just want to shout Finally!

Recipe:

My Mind's Eye Lost and Found Union Square papers

My Mind's Eye Princess stamps (birdcage)

Heartfelt Creations Bella Rose stamp

Fiskars Make a Wish (Lincoln quote)

Stampin' Up Circles of Friendship "Sending You Birthday Wishes" stamp

Stampin' Up Bliss stamp

Autumn Leaves Cling Rubber Stamp (Vintage Birdcages)

Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels One dies

Spellbinders Donna Salazar flowers

Spellbinders Heartfelt Creations Bella Rose die

My Mind's Eye Lost and Found Christmas brads

Scrap Happy Sheer Glue

Lots and lots of red glitter

Black Pearl Cotton Floss

Challenges:

Bunny Zoe's Crafts~sketch

Anything Goes~anything goes

Cards and More--red, brown and cream

Crafty Sentiments~birthday

Scrap Creations~anything goes

Crazy Amigo Challenge--squares

Bows 'n Berries--glitter

Die Cut Dreams~at least five flowers 

Incy Wincy Designs~distressing

Kaboodle Doodles~lots of layers

Nettie's Digital Gems--anything goes

Ooh La La Creations--punches/dies

Pollycraft Monday Challenges--swirls and pearls 

Stamp with Fun~anything goes

Stamps & Fun = Creativity--shapes and/or die cuts

There She Goes~Birthday with Pizzaz 

Addicted to Stamps--stitching

Corrosive Challenges~punches and/or dies

Gingerloft Challenge--distress

The Squirrel and the Fox--anything goes

CES Challenges~Use at least four different types of embellishment.

Di's Digi Designs~anything goes

Easy Craft Projects~at least six different patterned papers

Stamp, Scrap and Doodle~birthday

Clearly iStamp~glittery

Crafty Ann's Challenge Blog~something out of your comfort zone (Mine was distressing and stitching.)

Creatalicious Challenges--anything goes

Crafty Ribbons Challenge~anything goes

Cute Card Thursday~anything goes

Moving Along with the Times~sparkle

Paper Play Challenges~punches/dies cuts

Ruby's Rainbow~for a girl

For the Bachelorette

My daughter asked me to make a card for a friend's bachelorette party, and this is what I came up with. This was actually one of the hardest cards I've ever made because I cut it out by hand, and getting the round part accurate was not easy. I also generated the sentiment on the computer, so positioning the template so the words would be in the right spot took a few takes. Finally, getting the bra and panties to look exactly right took even a few more takes. But, when it finally came together I was very happy with it.

I absolutely LOVE the paper I used for the bra and panties. It's actually a fabric paper that's made in India  and is very similar to eyelet with sparkles in the holes. It was expensive though--$1.99 a sheet! I had a 20 percent discount coupon, so that helped, but lord almighty, that's a lot of money for one sheet of paper!

 I know it's hard to see, but the sentiment reads: Even though you're getting married, you'll always have your assets. My daughter came up with that, and to be honest, I'm not crazy about it. But, I was unable to come up with anything better on my own, and it's what she wanted, so I let it go.

I am indebted to Stamp Owl who provided the template I used to make the card.

Materials:

C'oredinations brown paper
The Paper Company Silver Dot fabric paper
Fiskars Lace border punch
Disney pink rhinestones
Recollections rhinestone hearts
pink roses and seam binding ribbon bow from stash

Challenges:

Aud Sentiments--for a girl
Craft Creations--anything but a square
Truly Scrumptuous--decorate the inside of the card.
Paper Take Weekly--anything goes or a shaped card

Trying Something New

There were a couple of inspirations for this card. First, and foremost, I discovered the extraordinarily talented Sue's Particraft blog where she does amazing things with intricate die cuts, especially the way she layers them. I have quite a few dies myself and decided to give it a try. Second, I recently won a blog candy that included a set of 8" x 8" cards with matching expandable envelopes to accommodate a 3-D card. I LOVE these envelopes, and even though 8" x 8" is larger than I'm used to, it turned out to be just the right size for the dies. 

I know I keep saying this, but I soooo wish I were a better photographer. This photo doesn't really show the card's intricacies very well, which is what makes it beautiful. So often I make a card that I feel so-so about. I like it, but then when I think of giving it to someone, I hesitate. But I think this is one of my favorites, and I will have no qualms handing it out when Christmas rolls around. If you click on it, you'll be able to see the die cuts better.

Recipe:

My Mind's Eye Lost & Found papers

Recollections deep purple shimmer paper

Martha Stewart Punch Around the Page Punch

Fiskars border punch

Spellbinders In Spades Pendant Die

Spellbinders Fleur de Lis Pendant Die

Spellbinders Labels Four die

Inkadinkado Winter Silhouettes acrylic stamp (sentiment)

I'm not sure who makes the poinsettia stamp, but it's acrylic and I purchased it at Michael's last year.

Stampendous transparent embossing powder

Stampendous white opaque embossing powder

Colorbox pigment ink--Chianti

Recolllections rhinestones and pearls

Challenges:

Little Red Wagon--diecut(s)

My Mum's Craft Shop--layers

Ladybug Crafts Inc--anything goes

Oldie But A Goodie--Christmas in September (the sentiment stamp is 9 months old)

Paper Take Weekly--anything goes

Crafty Boots Challenge--anything goes

A Thousand Sheets of Paper

Seriously, Amy at A Thousand Sheets of Paper has, literally, a thousand sheets of paper up for grabs on her blog. I've never actually looked at that much paper all at one time before. Can you imagine winning something like this? Well, actually, I CAN! :) :) Head on over to Amy's blog to enter!

Fifty Years--Wow!

I made this card for my mother to give to some dear friends of hers who are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary today. I loved Mojo Monday's sketch, which is both easy to follow and absolutely gorgeous, and really like how it turned out. 

I am always excited when someone asks me to make a card for them, because it gives me an excuse to buy more paper! Something I never have enough of! Which is exactly what I did here! Beautiful beautiful paper! Paper paper paper!!!!

Can you tell I have a bit of an addiction? :)

Recipe:

K&Company Elegance papers (LOVE THIS!)

K&Company Elegance bling

Recollections tiny roses

Recollection gingko leaves

Spellbinders Circle and Scalloped Circle dies

EK Success border punch

Martha Stewart border punch

Recollections pearl and lace border

Tim Holtz button

Stick pins I made

Scrunchy seam binding from stash

Challenges:

Mojo Monday--sketch

Little Claire's Designs--anniversary

Totally Gorjuss--something round

Crafty Ann's Challenge Blog--scallops and/or fancy borders

Wags 'n Whiskers--sparkly

Ruby's Rainbow--gems

The Sisterhood of Crafts--anniversary

Stamp 'n Doodle--ribbon, die cut and pearls

Quirky Crafts Challenges--numbers

Perfect Timing

This card is the result of the perfect timing of two of my favorite challenge blogs: Midnight Madness (sketch) and Lily of the Valley (thank you card), plus one blog new to me: Gltter Geeks (photo inspiration). I had already bought the paper on sale from Michael's, and immediately knew the California Poppy Thank You digistamp I had nabbed from Operation Write Home would be perfect for it, but I had no immediate need for a Thank You card, that is, until I came upon LOTV's challenge. So, with all three challenges in mind, I went for it, and the result is the card you see above. 

Recipe:

K&Company Watercolor Bouquet paper

Recollections Hot Pink Gingham paper

Recollections light blue pearl paper

C'oredinations yellow pearl paper

Thankful Thoughts digistamp from Operation Write Home

Spellbinders Nestabilities Lacey Squres 

EK Success border punch

Sizzix branch with leaves die

Copics

Button and Pearl Cotton thread from stash

Challenges:

Midnight Madness--sketch

Lily of the Valley--thank you card

Glitter Geeks--photo inspiration

The Poodles Parlor--Round and Round the Garden

The Stamp Man--anything goes with summer colors

Craft us Crazy--anything goes

Truly Scrumptious--lace

I'm on a roll!

I have yet another card to show you today. I've sold a few things on e-bay, and I always include a Thank-You card in the package. I've only done this about six times, so it's not a big deal, but it always gives me an excuse to play, and I had a lot of fun making this card. I followed Inspirational Card Sketch's sketch on this one, and quite like it. 

I wish I were a better photographer, because the colors are much more vibrant IRL. I've been playing around with lighting and stuff, trying to get more accurate pictures, but this one just wouldn't cooperate. I even purchased an "Ottlite" lamp, hoping it would make the colors more accurate, but it obviously didn't help, for this card's pink is very pink, not coral like it's showing here, and the colors of the flowers are much deeper than what you see.  I've seen some people set up very elaborate photo staging, and to be honest, I thought it was much ado about nothing. Now, I wish I'd paid more attention, because I could use some of that ado!

Recipe:

Basic Grey's Out of Print papers (Still love them!)

Recollections light-blue pearlized paper

Stampendous Flower Fields Woodland stamp

Spellbinders Lacey Squares die

Spellbinders Pennant die

EK Success Border Punch

Stampendous transparent embossing powder

Copics

Colorbox black pigment ink

Recollections sparkly butterfly

Seam binding ribbon from stash

Challenges:

Bearly Mine--Charm the spots off you (use spots)

Ladybug Crafts Ink--favorite stamp (This really is my favorite stamp, even though I don't use it much. I was very happy to see it work on this card.)

Incy Wincy Designs--Something Old and Something New (the stamp is old, the Spellbinders Lacey Squares die is new ((just bought it today!))

The Poodle Parlor--something found in the garden

Notecard for My Sister-in-Law

  

I am making a set of monogrammed notecards for my SIL's upcoming birthday, and absolutely love how this one turned out, so much so that I decided to enter it in a few challenges.

I started out with three musts: the paper, the bling, and a layout different from the other notecards I'd already made. It took me the better part of the day to finally make it work, but once it did, it became my favorite card of the set.

Recipe:

Blue flowered paper from Joann (I'm not sure of the designer's name, but it's always in stock at Joann's.)
C'ordinations pearl white and navy papers
Recollections light blue pearl paper

Monogram "S" stamp

Recollections bling swirls
Tim Holtz button
Spellbinders Square, Scalloped Square, Circle and Scalloped Circle dies
EK Success border stamp
Cuttlebug Embossing Folder: Kassie's Brocade
Colorbox Midnight Pigment Ink
Seam binding from stash
Stick pins I made

Challenges:

Crazy Amigos--anything goes
Sweet Stamps--bling
Karen's Doodles Challenge Blog--buttons and bows
Ellphantastic--layers

Sweet Sketch Wednesday sketch.

My newest favoritest choicest bestest-loved paper is Basic Grey's Out of Print. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! So, I went in search of a sketch I could follow that would highlight the paper and found one the fit perfectly at Sweet Sketch Wednesday. In fact, while paper is always a fundamental element to any card, I would say these papers, literally, decorate the card.

I don't have anyone in mind for this card, and will probably add a sentiment when an occasion arises, but maybe not. Hmmm. . . I'm thinking. What do you think?

I used a fun technique on the birdcase. First I heat embossed it in opaque white, then in clear enamel, and it looks like an aged white birdcage IRL. This probably sounds weird, but I really like it when I use a technique that makes an element almost look like I purchased it that way, yet anyone who takes the time to look at it will know I did it myself.

Recipe:

Basic Grey Out of Print papers
Tim Holtz Alterations birdcase and bird die
Stempendous white opaque embossing powder
Stampendous enamel embossing powder
Tim Holtz decorative button
Stick pins I made
Trim and crinkled seam binding from stash

Challenges:

Bearly Mine Challene--Charm the spots off you.
Clearly I Stamp--Things with wings.
Glitter Geeks--Furry and/or feathered friends.

So Proud of my Daughter

My daughter is going through a really difficult time that started a year ago, and included a broken engagement, the loss of her job and inability to find a new one, that kind of stuff. She's up and down, but lately has been very depressed, so I decided to make her a card with a sentiment that describes her perfectly: Courageous and Vulnerable. It's what I love about her, and what I believe will get her through all this.

I'm still feeling like I've lost my Mojo. I remember when I used to read other people say that and couldn't believe it had happened. All I thought about for a year was making cards, and it kept me going. I've also read other people get theirs back, and I'm hoping the same will happen for me. Blah blah blah. :)

Recipe:

Making Memories English Garden papers

Recollections pearl stickers

EK Success border punch

Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels Four dies

Digital stamp of girl (I'm sorry, I don't know where I found this.)

Stickpins I made

Flowersm ribbon and seam binding from stash

Challenges

The Shabby Tea Room--green, pink and yellow

Lili of the Valley--sketch 

Mami Doodles--flowers

My newphew, Kyle is celebrating his 20th birthday this Monday. He is on a mission for the Mormon Church, so I made some monogrammed notecards so he can dash off quick notes to his family and friends. I put the cards in one of the drawers shown here, and the envelopes in the other. I purposely stayed away from many embellishments, which was HARD! I hope he likes it.

I'm not entering it into any challenges because I don't feel it's good enough. I'm not sure what's going on with me, but I am having to force myself to work on my cards lately. I'm a little worried about that because, for over a year now, it's been how I cope with being disabled. I don't get out much, but was always happy when making cards. Now . . . not so much, and depression is seeping back in. I hope it doesn't last.