Sharing ... Curiously Cute Creations

Happy Monday!  I just wanted to stop by and ask you to please visit a new website, just launched today!  The artist who owns the website is the daughter of my sweet and very crafty friend, Mary Ann.  And she is such a talented artist!  She has all kinds of artsy things available, most with doggies and bunnies and other pets that she created.  So please go check her out  ... Curiously Cute Creations!

Sharing ... Mixed Media Art Journaling ... Five Little Words

Hey there!  Welcome to my little blog home!  Today is my last post as a member of the Anything But A Card Design Team.  It has been a fun few months, but my life is changing and so are my priorities, so it was time to go.

Our theme this week, because it is the fifth Sunday of the month, is FIVE, and we invite you to make a project that shows your take on fives.  My take on fives was five little words!  Faith, Hope, Charity, Love, and Peace.  So I made a pretty art journal page with those words in mind!  Here you go ...

Five Little Words ... Faith, Hope, Charity, Love and Peace

The journal is the large Dyan Reaveley 'Dylusions' Art Journal.  The pages that I used were actually some that I had gessoed and done some pastel flowers on back last summer.  So I took some 'sand dune' colored paint and lightly painted over it.  Then I added layers and layers of different colors of paint and stencils and such ... most of which you can't even see any more ... but isn't that the point of this kind of thing?  ;)

Some of the doodling was done with the black 'superfine' pitt pen, others with some multi colored 'Spica' markers.

The blue sky is painted in 'morning blue' paint with a little water and a little glazing medium, and painted really lightly.  Next, I used a piece of punchinella (sp?) or the mylar ribbon that is what is left after sequins are punched out of it.  and stenciled on some 'blue bird' paint with some 'sapphire metallic' paint mixed in for the dotty look.  The sun ... well, the sun was made by taking a ketchup cup from Hardee's.  It is one of the old white paper ones that, if you unroll the edge, and spread it out, it becomes a pretty round shape with creases.  I simply painted it with some yellow paint and pressed it onto the page.

The clock stencil is from The Crafters Workshop

The flowers and leaves are actually cut from Gelli prints that I did on deli paper ... or a paper that looks like waxed paper without the wax.   It has a clear, almost transparent feel that works great with a decoupage medim ... I used Collage Pauge in Matte for this one.  I used some My Minds Eye 'tiny  type' small adhesive letters, plus the word sticker for 'love'.

Deli paper gelli prints ... beautiful!

So there it is ... my last project for Anything But A Card.  Bittersweet, but the right thing to do!  I hope you will go and visit the ABAC blog and make your own project based on the word FIVE!  And come back soon for something fun!  Blessings,

Sharing ... Creating ... Sketches ... Queen & Co. Featured Card

Hi there!  How's the weather in your part of the world???  This time last year we were already in an early summer ... temps in the 80's and pollen counts off the roof.  But this year, spring is dragging her feet and we even had some snow flurries last night.  I am so ready for warmer temps and sunny spring days!

And speaking of sunny spring days ... I have a card to share with you that is colorful and cute and brings thoughts of blue skies, yellow sunshine and pretty flowers to match!  A couple of days ago, Queen & Co., a manufacturer of crafting embellishments extraordinaire posted a card sketch on their Facebook Page and encouraged us to try making a card 'inspired' by the sketch.  Now, I love a good card sketch, so I took it as a challenge and went right to my crafty space and got to work.  Here's a pic of the sketch ...

So I gathered together a few supplies, including a few of my favorite rolls of Queen & Co.'s 'Trendy Tape' and went to work!  I cut and trimmed and glued and even used my Cricut Expression to cut a cute label and some flowers ... and here is what I come up with ...

I love it!  I used the trendy tape to cover the piece of cardstock between the patterned paper and card stock label.  Kind of like 'wallpaper'!  And I also used it to cover the die cut daisy in the top righthand corner.  Here are the details ...

Ingredients:

• Card stock - Bazzill
• Patterned Paper - Lawn Fawn
• Washi Tape - Trendy Tape 'Summer Blooms'
• Stickers - SRM Stickers
• Button - Buttons Galore
• Twine - Maya Road Corded Twine
• Sequins - Lawn Fawn
• Adhesives - Ranger 'Glossy Accents', Scotch ATG and Foam Squares by Recollections (Michaels)

Notes:

• Cricut cartridges used are Walk in my Garden and Elegant Edges
• Glossy Accents works great for adhering the sequins or other small bits
• For the die cut flower, cut it first, then add the Trendy Tape and trim around with a craft knife or small detail scissors.

And that is everything!  A piece of advice ... if you love hearing all the latest crafty news, seeing sneak peeks of new products and giveaways, you really should go and 'like' your favorite manufacturers and stores on Facebook!  They all do a great job of keeping their customers and 'fans' informed!

Okay, that's all for today.  Hope you come back for a visit soon!  Blessings,

Sharing ... Three Pretty Cards!

Hello!  Yes, I have been MIA again ... no excuses other than life takes precedence over blog!  Also, part of the reason is that I have been working on some 'large' projects that I can't share with you yet.  One is for a birthday gift, and I will share that one with you in a few weeks, and the other is for the 'Retro Color Challenge' over at May Arts Ribbon, so I can't share that one with you yet, but I will!

Today I want to share with you three cards that I have made in the last couple of days.  I love them all, but I have to say the two masculine cards are my faves.  First up, though, is the 'Celebrate' card ...

Close up of rose image

Celebrate card by Melissa Frances

Paper flower by Prima

Sideways view so you can see how I layered the yellow rose

Ingredients:

• Card stock - Bazzill
• Patterned Paper - KI Memories 'Shimmer Paper' Baby Thin Stipe
• 'Celebrate' tag - Melissa Frances
• Pink Paper Flower - Prima
• Ribbon - stash (flea market purchase years ago)
• Stickles - Ranger - Waterfall, Diamond
• Brown Ink - Stampabilities
• Adhesives - Foam Squares from Recollections (Michaels) and Scotch ATG 1/4"

Notes:

• As you can see, I printed two of the vintage images (found on Pinterest) and fussy cut the yellow rose bloom, inked it and adhered it over the bottom image using foam squares.  
• To make tying ribbon across the top of the card, use a sharp craft knife and cut along the spine of the card and run the ribbon through it, and tie in front.  

'Daddy' Card ...

Vintage bird image found on Pinterest

Close up of image

Small bow, metal embellishments

Close up of detail ... bird fussy cut from another print of the image and put on the image, bumped up with foam squares

Ingredients:

• Card stock - Bazzill
• Patterned Paper - Authentique 'Blissful' Pleasant paper
• Metal pieces - Tim  Holtz 'Ideaology' Foliage, Mini Paper Clips, and Game Spinners
• Sticker (Daddy) - SRM Press
• Stickles - Ranger - Mercury Glass and Cinnamon
• Ribbon - Tim Holtz 'Trimmings' Inked with ...
• Art Anthology 'Colorations Spray' Focus
• Brown Ink (edgings) - Stampabilities

Notes:

• To change the color of the ribbon, simply place it on a scrap piece of paper or a 'splat mat' and spray with mist(s), crinkling and blending as you go, until you get to color you want, then dry with heat gun.

'Fathers Day' Card ...

Dear Lizzie 'Feather and Leaf' Sticker.  I removed the embellishments that were on it (too feminine) and added some metal bits to make it a little more masculine.

 

Close up of  image (Pinterest)

 Ingredients:

• Card stock - Bazzill
• Patterned Paper - Authentique 'Blissful' Pleasant paper (reverse side from previous card)
• Metal pieces - Tim  Holtz 'Ideaology' Foliage
• Vintaj Small Star
• Robins Nest 'Dew Drop' (in center of small flower)
• Dear Lizzy 'Feather and Leaf' embellishment sticker
• Sticker - SRM Press
• Stickles - Ranger - Mercury Glass and Cinnamon
• Brown Ink (edgings) - Stampabilities

 Notes:

• The Dear Lizzy Feather and Leaf layered sticker had a couple of jewels and a pink bow that I thought were too feminine for a masculine card, so I removed them and added some Tim Holtz and Vintaj metal pieces.  They add a great touch to this simple card.

Well, that's my three cards!  I haven't made this many cards in a long time, and it sure felt good!  I am also working on .... ummm, a couple of mini albums, and hope to show them to you one day, when they are finished.

Thanks for visiting today, and I hope to see you back here soon!  Blessings,

Sharing ... Anything But A Card ... Sparkle!

Welcome!  Today I want to share my latest project for Anything But A Card, Challenge 33, theme of Sparkle!  I really loved this challenge, because I truly love sparkle and shine on my projects.  I also love them on ME!

A few years ago for Christmas, my sweet hubby of 29 years gave me one last, unexpected, gift, but he made me read the card first.  It was a sweet card, but inside he had written 'I finally found something that sparkles as much as you do'.  I know ... go ahead ... Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww!    And when I opened the package, inside was a gorgeous diamond ring, and it sparkled (and still sparkles) more than any ring I had ever seen!  And I am wearing that ring right as I type this post!

Anyway, for my project this week I decided I needed to make some 'greeting tags' to take to a store where I sell some of my things on consignment.  Several years ago I found a brand new box of envelopes (500 in the box, with only a few missing) for a whopping big ten cents!  Yep, a dime for a whole box of envelopes, and the #5 manila tags fit inside perfectly.  I have sold a lot of my tags for sending, and my stock at the store is almost gone.  Here is what I made ...

Six greeting tags, each with the same sweet bluebird vintage greeting card image, with three coordinating color schemes of pink, green and a deep orange-y yellow.  Each tag is different, some with bling, some with flowers, some with sequins, some with buttons, but ALL with lots of Stickles!  The small sentiments are just printed on white 110# card stock, cut out, inked and glued down. 

Can you see the sparkle?  All along the edges of the image, as well as on the pink flowers, and wings of the bluebirds.

Don't you love that rich, deep yellow seam binding?  It was a part of my swap package from Debbie.  I love those sequins from Lawn Fawn that are on the left hand tag.

Aren't they so cute!  All you have to do is write a quick note on the back and stick it into an envelope and send or give it to someone special.  A friend, family member, child's day care teacher, hair dresser, anyone who needs a bit of encouragement.

I know this last one isn't a very great picture, but you can really see the sparkle on the birdies and flowers.

I hope you have enjoyed visiting today ... this will be my last post for Anything But A Card.  I have enjoyed my time on this team, but my heart just isn't in it, and I am in a different place these days than I was the last few years when I was really into doing the DT thing.  There will be a new team member to take my place next month, so please make her welcome!  Blessings,

Sharing ... Swapping ... What I Sent To Wendy

Happy Saturday!  This morning I want to share with you the things that I sent to my 'receiving' partner for the swap at A Swap For All Seasons.  Her name is Wendy, and she lives in Iowa.  That is about all I know about Wendy, as she was not the most communicative person, which made it hard to know what to send to her.  Part of the fun, the JOY of doing this swap is getting to know someone new, and maybe even making a new friend.  My 'sending' partner, or the person who sent goodies to me, was Debbie, and we hit it off and visited via email quite a few times during this swap, and I feel as if I got to see a peek into her life in Ohio, and that was fun!

So, since I didn't know the types of things that Wendy likes, I just sent her things that I would like to receive in a swap.  As I said in the previous post, the swap was to consist of a handmade card, a handmade tag, and some yellow things from your crafting stash.  Here is what I sent to Wendy ...

Some yellow ribbons and trims, wrapped onto tags and tied together with seam binding.

Some yellow buttons, a couple of chocolate chicks, and a handmade pin cushion made from vintage chicken feed sack fabric from the 1950's.

A close-up of the pin cushion ... it is only about 2 1/2" tall.  The fabric is chicken feed sack from the chicken house we had when I was a child.  The chicken house was struck by lightening and burned down in 1958, just weeks before I turned 6 years old.  Does the ribbon look familiar?  I used some of the hand dyed seam binding that my 'sending' partner, Debbie sent me, and it was a perfect match to the fabric.  (see previous post.) 

The card and TWO tags that I made for Wendy.  The tags come with envelopes too, so that she can mail them to a friend or family member.  There's plenty of room on the back to write a quick note.  I love the image, from a vintage greeting card.

And a hand crocheted, 100% cotton dish cloth that I crocheted using two strands of yarn, one yellow and one white, and which makes the cloth very thick and heavy and great for tough jobs!

Before I packed everything up, I put it all into cellophane envelopes to protect it, then stacked it up and ...

... wrapped it all up in yellow tissue paper, wrapped it in yellow seam binding, and slipped a cute hand made tag on top, just under the seam binding.

What do you think?  How would YOU like to get this package in your mail?  I know I would, and I really hope that Wendy enjoyed opening the treasures she received.  Thanks for visiting today, and blessings!