prefer snow to gray (KIS, Catered Crop, SSSS)

Coming from MI, "the four seasons" are an integral part of my make-up.  Twenty-some years ago when I moved to Germany, I would tell people at home that Germany was gray from November to April.  What happened to my change of seasons?

Well, two things.  I moved to a Karneval-Krazy area which insists on adding a fifth season to the year AND Mother Nature has seen it fitting to dump the white stuff on us on a more regular basis in the past few years. And the past few days.   I'm happy.

And therefore I'm also willing to partake in the KIS Challenge #7 asking for Snowmen cards.  And since I can't resist a polka dot challenge I'm also playing at Catered Crop's Polka Dot Recipe Swap.  And since I got my fingers nice and messy when smearing white paint on the PP BG (the jury's still out - does it give a snowy feel or just a messy feel?) I'm hooking up at Simon Says Stamp and Show's - Something Messy.

I applied glitter to a few teensy snowflakes.  Got your magnifying glass handy?

So, join me in adios-ing winter (cute as this little chica is, I don't think I wanna make any more snowman cards) AND the fifth season (tomorrow is Ash Wednesday).  And hello to my second year of blogging.  I feel a giveaway coming on...

Supplies for welcome winter:

Paper: cardbase Buttinette, CS Neenah, polka PP echo park, floral PP MME, vellum The Paper Co.

Stamps: Paper Smooches

Ink : Jenny Bowlin, Versamark, Versafine

Tools: sewing machine

Other: acrylic paint, orange colored pencil, embossing powder Ranger, Stickles, thread

my mia bella (Moxie Fab, Retro, SSSS)

Have to give you the rundown on this card's birth.  Cath of Moxie Fab fame took us on a photo tour of CHA Winter 2013.   Thanks, Cath.   "Cool.  Cool.  Sweet.  Nay.  Cool... WHOA." - that was me scrolling down Day 1's Tour as I got to the third photo from the end.  The Mia Bella collection from SEI.  Go ahead and check out my link, have a gander at the drippy-inky-bokeh-ish PP in the upper right corner of Cath's photo. I'll wait...

It was love at first sight.  So my brain starts toying around with ideas... how can I create that same effect? (There I go again, trying to do a job that teams of people at these companies get paid to do!)  This is all I could come up with.

Some masking.  Distress inking.  Splotching and splattering of DI reinkers, Maya Mists and watered down white and gold acrylic paint.  And a jumbo sentiment.  I likey :)  And boy was it a blast to make.  You may recall my quest for the perfect splatter... I'm still questing.

I'm hooking up to the Moxie Fab - 75 Challenges #49 Make your own background paper cuz it's Cath's fault that I did this ;)

You may have recognized the Retro Sketch:

Because this card shows the true me - my-artsy-fartsy-give-me-a-good-technique-to-try-CAS soul, I'm playing at Simon Says Stamp and Show - What are you known for?.

Thanks for visiting.

Supplies for happy belated:

Paper: CS Neenah

Stamps: sentiment The Craft's Meow

Ink : Distress ink, Maya Mist, Versacolor

Tools: eyedropper, paint brush

Other: masking tape, acrylic paint, water

itty bitty background that i used to know... (Moxie Fab, SSSS)

Challenges.  They motivate me.  They drive me crazy.  They have on occasion caused me sleepless nights. They regularly prove that I am a procrastinator.  And I love 'em.

I'm sure you've seen the Paper Crafts 75 Card Challenges issue out there.  Did you participate in the blog hop too - where the designers had to create a card based on a song?  I posted a comment on the PC blog about my fave song of the past, well, 12 months!  Know it?  If not, wanna listen?  Somebody that I used to know - Gotye  Indie pop?  Never even really knew what that was but I guess I'm a fan.  I LOVE this song.

Image credit

Well, after posting my comment at PC I went back and watched the video again and DUH!  Meet my itty bitty homemade background.

This was so fun.  And therapeutic.  Cut two strips of watercolor paper.  Heat embossed the haphazard lines. Then spritzed the paper and painted some of the areas with gray, brown and green watercolors.  Cut the pieces apart and adhered to 3x3" kraft cardbases.  Added a sentiment and raffia and here's a set of mini-cards.  I'm hooking them up to:
Moxie Fab World - 75 Challenges #49 Make your own Background Paper
Moxie Fab World - 75 Challenges #23 Make and itty bitty Card
Simon Says Stamp and Show - What are you known for? (my answer:  a post mixing cards and my up-close-and-personal cardmaking process... hope that qualifies)

I'm envisioning them adorning a lovely bottle of Riesling.  Like so.

Did I mention I LOVE that song.  Of course it's in my head all the time now.

Um, it just dawned on me that you may not actually like that song.  I do have a "just somebody that I used to know" in my life who chose to "treat me like a stranger and it feels so rough" which may explain my affinity for the song - but, nope, I'm not sharin' details.

Happy creating.

Supplies for tags:

Paper:watercolor paper Hero Arts, kraft ?

Stamps: red rubber strip from packaging of mounted rubber stamps , sentiment Klartext

Ink : Versamark, Versafine

Tools: 

Other: embossing powder, watercolors

thankfluke (CFC, SSSS)

Start with a project involving an old jewelry box of DD's, foam stamps and acrylic paint.  Have too much blue paint left when finished with jewelry box.  Grab nearest cardbase, already stamped with a mesh pattern from an old project, stamp a couple flourishes, add some paint around the edges, pick and stamp a thank you sentiment cuz there's a real nice gal you definitely need to send a thank you to.  Oh yeah, then decide you need some yellow dots.  ... and voila!

A fast and oh-so-mailable fluke of a card.  Already in the mail to abovementioned recipient.  Hope she doesn't cringe when she opens it ;)

Playing along with:
CASual Fridays # 84 - Thank You
Simon Says Stamp and Show - Embrace the old (cuz both the cardbase and foam stamp are!)

Have a wonderful day, friends.

Supplies for so thankful:

Paper: cardbase Buttinette

Stamps: BG CHF, Making memories, sentiment Studio G

Ink : Inkadinkado, Adirondack

Tools: foam paint brush

Other:  acrylic paint

bow-dacious (Little Red Wagon, Crate Paper, SSSS)

"Bow-dacious", how clever is that?  That's the challenge over at Little Red Wagon.  These tags of mine got pretty bow-dacious, don't ya think?  Close up below.

This was actually a spontaneous project thanks to these 40 or so gourds which were growing in my weed vegetable garden.  Spent Saturday out cleaning up the garden and harvesting these lovelies.

What to do with so many?  Give 'em to neighbors.  Hmmm, means a project.  Which I really didn't have the time for, but oh well.

Cleaned up the gourds.  Found hoarded containers to dress up a teensy bit with recycled packing paper and napkins.  Had to make some sort of tag and when I saw these pincushions from Melissa P. I had my design.  Found the color challenge for Crate Paper (and I used the Prudence collection) and voila.

A close up for you.

Also hooking up over at Simon Says Stamp and Show - inspired by Wendy Vecchi - cuz I built these houses out of various little fun parts.  A bit Wendy-ish.

Thanks for coming by.  Hope autumn is beautiful in your neck of the woods.

Supplies tags:

Paper: PP Crate Paper, scraps

Stamps:  PTI

Ink: Versamagic, Versafine

Tools: dies Sizzix and Spellbinders, heart punch The Paper Studio

Other: seam binding, button, twine

creative liberty (CFC, CAS(E), SSSS)

Man oh man oh man.  When will I get the different challenge deadlines into my head?  Let me say right now that I am not a big fan of weekly challenges.  My brain doesn't work that fast!

May I take you on a recap of my creative process?   Major pressure with the heart challenge idea over at CASual Fridays.  Something so easy and near to my heart (ha ha ha) but how to make it new and different?   Along comes the second sketch challenge at CAS(E) This Sketch.  And much to my amazement, I was a FAVE in their first challenge, so THE PRESSURE IS ON TO PERFORM.  Know what I mean?!?

Add a rough night's sleep to the matter and I wake up with, IMHO, a great idea this morning.  Actually pulled this one off is less than 10 minutes.  (Maybe I will try the 10-Minute-Dash challenge one of these days...) A heart stamp and some fave Distress Inks.  Easy, once you have a plan.

But alas, the CASual Fridays heart challenge has ended.

Then to my amazement I see that the new CASual Fridays (who, by the way are now making stamps!!!) challenge is titled "Over the Edge".  Which is basically what the CAS(E) Sketch #2 is too.  How lucky am I?

Not.  Enter the "creative liberty" part.  Cuz, you see,  my artistic soul would not allow me to "chop off" part of my gorgeous (IMHO) stamped creation once I had stamped it.  Tried both variations (mentally) but just couldn't do it.  What do you think?  Is the goal to follow the challenge 100% or to make a card which makes your heart smile?

I'm smiling.  Hope you are too.


CASual Fridays CFC75 - Over the Edge

CAS(E) This Sketch #2

Simon Says Stamp and Show - Your Favorite cuz Distress Inks are one of my alltime favorite products.

Supplies celebrate:

Paper: cardbase Buttinette, CS Neenah

Stamps: heart Fancy Pants, sentiment PTI

Ink: Distress Ink

Tools:

Other: 

erwin...forever young (distress inks)

Time for inky fingers again.  Gotta love distress inks.  And Erwin, our neighbor - gymnist in his younger days, loving Opa today - celebrating his 80th.

I like to make these personalized collage cards - and decided to keep two challenges in mind when making this.  Lily Pad's Simon Says challenge wants stars.  And Simon Says Stamp and Show wants something for the boys.  OK.

Heat embossed the sentiment and distress inked the BG.  Stamped and heat embossed the nest, masked and stamped the branch.  Added some leaves and stars.  Added Erwin (photocopy) with an "e" on his chest and gave him a crown.  Even at 80 he's open to English so I went with the sentiments in English.  The 80th is stamped, the other PC generated.  Rounded corners and distressed edges.  Mounted the image on CS and distressed and made it into an oversized tag.  Put in a vellum envelope since I was hand delivering.  Like it when the "artwork" shows through.

Thanks for looking. 

Supplies Erwin!:

Paper: CS Coredinations

Stamps: BG CHF, nest Crafty Secrets, branch Artemio, crown Viva,  star ?, sentiment Making Memories 

Ink:brown chalk Versamagic, brown Memento,  black Versafine, Distress Inks
Tools: corner rounder EKS, eyelet setter

Other: PC

no more tears in doggie heaven

Task at hand was to make a card for DD's friend whose dog has gone to doggie heaven.  Had no ideas until I saw the newest Runway Inspired Challenge photo.  Coupled it with the latest Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge and this is what happened.


 

Certainly not CAS but there's a ton of inspiration here so I'm gonna tell ya about it.  I think you can see the sketch elements.  Used a WMS sentiment stamp from French Country and a teeny weeny doily from Large Doilies for the sentiment "banner" near the top.

As for the RIC.  Chose the BG from Clear and Simple cuz it has the "V" look to it but also a bit of texture - more than just chevron - which is how I saw the blouse in the photo.  Stamped strip in orange twice and then gray once, similar to the proportions in the photo.  Gold embossed cuz how rockin' is that gold skirt (not that you'd ever see me in it!)  Wanted to capture the matt and shiny black of the model's hose and shoes.  Thus the Hero arts Envelope Pattern BG and the big shiny button.  Added a big of orange netting for a fabric-y touch.  Lastly, the die cut strip up the left side captures the sheerness of the blouse.  Whew.

Now to poor Jessy.  Have this ancient stamp which actually looks a bit like Jessy (bearded collie).  Mounted her on a rosette and gave her some feathers as angel wings.  Painted a "J" bead and let it dangle with another button at the top.  Added a few ribbons and felted yarn through the tag hole.

Also hooking up to Simon Says Stamp and Show Anything Goes.

Thanks for visiting.

Supplies Jessy:

Paper: shipping tag, old textbook, tissue paper
Stamps: dog Hook's Lines and Inkers, Clear and Simple Stamps,  Hero Arts, sentiment WMS
Ink: Versamark, Versacolor, black Versafine
Tools: score board, die Cottage Cutz
Other: embossing powder Knorr Prandell, button Sew Sweet, bead, acrylic paint, ribbons, netting

mucho fun with pink, yellow and green (DIY embellishment)

Had a blast playing with the colors from Kathy's challenge at the Lily Pad.  How could you not?



Lawn Fawn is sponsoring this month and I'd love to become the proud owner of that plain and simple Many Thanks stamp I see everywhere.

I followed two Hero Arts sketches and played.



Numero uno:

Mucho fun to make.  Heat embossed BG.  Applied yellow distress inks.  Spritzed water droplets.  Spritzed with pink mist.  Heat embossed vellum.  Made tag, stamped and distressed it.  Attached felt button.  Heat embossed sentiment and made banner.  Colored a few embossed flower centers with a Sharpie.  Attached to card base.  Looking at it now, the yellow seems to have "left the building"...

But not here.  I'm much happier with numero dos.  Nice and clean.

Love my new Waltzingmouse BG stamp.  Heat embossed the green and pink images and cut strips.  Stamped the yellow directly onto cardbase.  Notice the wider yellow and white strips?  I'm happy with the result, but just want to tell you that there was no brilliant design involved here.  Just don't own yellow embossing powder.  Figured I could stamp directly onto the cardbase.  Was too lazy to mask off.  Figured since the yellow was the lighter color, it would be OK if the strip was wider.  Cut the woodgrain embossed strip a bit wider too and voila.  I'm happy.

Saw a DIY crepe paper flower in the new issue of Paper Crafts.  Totally my style.  One button and one stamped leaf later my card was done.

Numero Uno's also parking over at Simon Says Stamp and Show Anything Goes.  Who wouldn't love to be the random winner from 1000 entries!

Have a sunny day.  And thanks for looking.

Supplies Thinking of you:

Paper: CS Neenah and American Crafts and DCWV, vellum
Stamps: BG (Flowers and Vines and Fabric Cling)  Hero Arts, sentiment Technique Tuesday
Ink: Distress Ink, Versamark, Maya Road mist
Tools: button die Marianne Creatables, square punch for banner end EKS
Other: Sharpie marker, embossing powder Zing

Supplies Hi:

Paper: CS Neenah
Stamps: BG WMS, sentiment Hero Arts
Ink: Versamark, Colorbox, black Versafine
Tools: embossing folder Craft Concepts, leaf die Spellbinders, corner rounder EKS
Other: crepe paper, button Sew Sweet, twine, embossing powder Zing

it's so easy being green - (upcycle)

Take a bowl, buttons, toothpicks, steel wool and a piece of moldable foam. 

Add some ironed-to-remove-the-wrinkles packing paper and an empty tissue box.  Add some vintage book page and recycled raffia and what do you get?

My entry for this week's Simon Says Stamp and Show challenge to create a tag (OK, eight).  And my contribution to Cath's challenges at Moxie Fab to:

Use Household Items

Don't Throw it Away and

5 for $5

Can you guess which household items I pressed into my moldable foam to use for stamping my packing paper backgrounds?

leaf shaped beads

 the bottom of a retro bowl

toothpicks

buttons

steel wool

I also made some with metal washers, coins and rice.  Think of all the possibilities!  I absolutely LOVE techniques like this.  The image does not come out crystal clear, but for artistic backgrounds it is too cool.  BTW, I stamped these with Distress Inks

Once I had stamped my packing paper I die cut the paper as well as a piece of tissue box and sewed them together.  Stamped a wildflower with brown acrylic paint.  Attached some branches and blossoms die cut from a vintage childrens book page.  Finished with a torn strip of book paper stamped with a sentiment, inked around the edges and blinged.  Punched a hole.  Set an eyelet.  Added the raffia loop hangers.

These tags are now a set to be given as a gift using one more thing that I couldn't bear to throw away.

DH's old jeans!  Of course I could have goodwilled them, but they were cargo pants so I got four pockets out of 'em!  Oh yeah, the "tag card" is what I stamped off on after stamping my little tags.  Just attached it to a second one (scored at the top to open nicely) and added a button (from an old suitcoat).

Can't really do a cost breakdown on this set of tags.  Didn't actually buy anything.  The only "non-recycled" items involved were 8 pieces of bling and 8 eyelets.

"Don't Throw it Away" shoulda been my middle name.

Assuming you're still here,  vielen vielen dank for looking!

Supplies set of tags:

Paper: tissue box, packing paper and vintage book

Stamps: moldable foam (Ellen Hutson), wildflower CHF, sentiment PTI

Ink: Distress Ink, acrylic paint

Tools: paintbrush, die Spellbinders and Sizzix, sewing machine
Other: eyelets, bling, button, thread + various household items

late for the party

I cruise the Internet taking notice of various challenges.  They roll through my mind over and over.  Keep me awake sometimes at night.  Then I get an idea.  Make a card.  And when I go to post I'm late to the party.

First example:

The Play Date Cafe challenge 119 was to use black and white with a splash of hot pink.  Was beyond me until I was flipping through my stamps last night looking for something else when this Martha Stewart set jumped out at me screaming "make me black and white and let the tulip be hot pink."  OK.  Seriously, probably the quickest card I've ever made.

Late to the party.

Remember this inspiration photo?  The last  Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger maybe.  Tuesday.  Unfortunately due on Sunday!

But, I decided to go with the "Chicletic" anyho.  I had thought about this Trigger photo awhile.  Knew if I touched it, it would be with distress inks.

 Then I saw the Simon Says Stamp challenge to make a tag (too late for this one too I just saw :().  And the Simon Says Stamp and Show challenge to include N.Y., London or Paris.  And the girls at Lawnscaping want you to distress.  And CPS has another cool sketch that fits the headboard idea of the Trigger.

OK, so this actually came together.  Girlfriend's bday approaching.  She likes to read.  Enter tag/card/bookmark.

Stamped tag with BG stamp using pigment ink and heat embossed with clear.  Applied Worn Lipstick Distress Ink.  Stamped white CS with distressed harlequin BG and cut strip. Had to make my own Eifel Tower out of foam... stamped with Versamark and heat embossed with black. 

Die cut the half-circle from gold hammered CS and stamped with ticket stamp using Stazon.  Applied letter stickers and teal (looks blue) seam binding.  Stitched it a few times with gold metallic thread (by hand - my machine won't work with it).

Distressed tag edges.  Applied Vintage Photo to edges.  Stamped with French text BG, Tim Holtz spots and some swirls.  Used bubble wrap to hit it with some white acrylic paint.  Added seam binding and ribbon to hole and tied with gold metallic thread.  Hung two beads on thread.

It's fully loaded.

Notice the blue around the top of the tower?  Tried to freehand it first, using an embossing pen.  For some reason the embossing powder didn't stick, thus the homemade foam stamp.  The blue?  Hey, it's a distressed card.  I don't care.

OK, so important question for you.  How do you keep track of challenges/due dates?

Supplies feel better soon:
Paper: Neenah,  pink unknown but cute embossed with hearts

Stamps: Martha Stewart, text WMS

Ink: pink Cats Eye; black Versafine

Tools:  clear embossing powder,sewing machine

Supplies  Paris tag:
Paper: Neenah

Stamps:  backgrounds CHF, Tim Holtz, Crafty Secrets

Ink: black Versafine and Stazon, Distress Inks

Tools: die Spellbinders, edge scissors

Other:  clear embossing powder, bling, metallic thread, seam binding, beads, letter stickers KI memories