October 5th Weekly Post

 Happy first Sunday in October!

I hope everyone is doing well and had a great week.

Okay, first up is what I made for this week's Sunday Postcard Art theme Museums hosted by Sabine.
I have absolutely nothing in my supplies for this except for Mona Lisa, and I was like, that's too easy. Ha! I wasn't going to make anything but then I got an idea to use my tissue squares that I've never used yet. Why I got this idea, I still cannot say, but I went with it. (I finally decided the squares represented an abstract art museum wall of hanging art.)

So on a 4X6 black card I glued them down with a glue stick. After I did that I wondered why I did it, lol. Then I got the idea to apply glue stick completely over the top of it and then add Diamond Dust glitter, which I did. And I put down a release sheet over it to burnish it in with a spoon but soon discovered there is tiny glass in Diamond Dust, ugh. So, I wadded up a paper towel and began to furiously rub as much of the glass off as I could. It was then I remembered my inchie stamps and had I not glittered my entire card I could have stamped some of the squares which are also inchie size. UGH! {smacks forehead} 

Then I look through my quote and phrase stamps and see this one by Tim Holtz. It perfectly captures my experience with this card. And I suppose it describes the role of an art museum too. (I stamped it in Versamark and heat-embossed it with white powder. It's cut with a Spellbinders label die.)

I'm not much of a fan of art museums and I have given them a chance. History museums I can spend hours in, but an art museum I'm done with in 20-30 minutes. After college graduation, I moved to Houston to work and live. One of my first outings was to the Rothko Chapel (not that impressed) and in the 5 years I lived there I eventually went to all the museums in Houston at the time. In 2004 when we went to Europe (London, Paris, Rome), I didn't even finish the Louvre's inside art tour. I was more fascinated by the architecture and standing outside among the huge buildings. I like plenty of famous art but I guess I prefer to read about them and see them on my computer screen. 

So anyway, to sum up: I played without thinking ahead and made some mistakes I don't want to repeat. But I'll leave it to others to determine whether I've made art... or not!

😁

This is the last Dream card I made for September's theme at Splitcoaststampers. I knew I'd have to piece together a bed for the My Besties Visions of Sugar Plums Besties IMG943. So, I got out several scrap pieces of Kraft card and stamped them with an Avery Elle woodgrain stamp, then I cut and pieced together the bed frame. I die cut the four bedposts with a Spellbinders nested postage die, the headboard with a Spellbinders flourish die and the sentiment banner with an Avery Elle fishtail banner die. I inked all pieces with Vintage Photo Distress Ink before assembling. For the sentiment, I stamped phrases by Crafty Secrets and Cornish Heritage Farms in Versamark and heat-embossed them with white powder. The Impression Obsession candy cane and peppermints stamped die cuts were leftovers from another project. The digital image was printed out on Springhill Digital card stock, then colored using Promarkers, Castle Arts colored pencils and glitter gel pens before fussy cutting it. The designer papers are Doodlebug and the lefthand triangle (sketch element 3) is trimmed with some of my mom's lace. The card base is Kraft.

And here is the sketch I used.

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Here's another card using up my favorite Chatterbox snowflake paper scraps, beginning my October cards for the Splitcoaststampers December 25 theme. I inked the dp edges first with Prize Ribbon DI. The card base is SU, as is the sentiment mat. I used a Neat&Tangled stamp with Versamark and heat-embossed it with white powder. The Santa Sleigh die was cut from white SU card, as were the snowflakes using a punch. The striped ribbon is from my stash. 

I turned this sketch sideways for the make.

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And another one for this month's current theme. I used the same Neat&Tangled sentiment stamp as the previous card, but this time after I heat-embossed in white, I trimmed it to cut just the December 25 out to use. Both the dark blue-grey and light blue card stocks are SU. The dp is mystery papers from my stash. I've used a corner punch on all edges and inked all edges of the designer papers. The image mats were cut using Spellbinders nested dies. The other sentiment stamped directly below the focal image is Stamplorations. I printed out the digital image on Springhill Digital card, colored it with Promarkers and glitter gel pens and then fussy cut it. It's My Besties Winter Santa, which is no longer sold except in her coloring books. And I added 3 blue punched snowflakes I found in my stash to finish.

And here is the sketch I used.

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Well, That's all, folks!

Thanks for the visit and I hope you all have a wunnerful week ahead.

XOX

September 28th Weekly Post

 Happy Sunday ~~ A little early!

😁

It's my week to host Sunday Postcard Art which is in the UK and goes live at midnight. So, as I am in Houston area and 6 hours behind, I must post at 6pm Saturday my time.

I chose JUKEBOX as the theme this week.

I have a very old rubber stamp set by Pink Cat Studios and while I've used a stamp from it here and there, I always wanted to do a collage with them. Let's see, I used stamps from the Pink Cat set, except for: Elvis (Technique Junkies, I think), Memories word and TV (Clear Dollar), Musical Staff (Moodtapes), and the mid-century sign (Uniko). So, the Fab Fifties and Rock 'n Roll sentiments, the jukebox, clothes, shoes, sunglasses are from the set. 

I first stenciled the background using Spun Sugar Distress Ink and the Tiles TH Layering stencil.

I stamped each stamp separately on white card, colored with colored pencils, Promarkers and glitter gel pens, fussy cut them out and layered onto my 4x6 stenciled background. (The notes and the sentiments next to it I stamped directly on the background.) Went around the edge of the postcard with a black Promarker and called it done.

I'm looking forward to seeing what others do with this theme. I have a high school friend who restores jukeboxes as a hobby in retirement. I wish I had the room because I would love to own one.

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Here's a Christmas card I made for the September Dream theme at Splitcoaststampers.
I printed out a My Besties digital image called Winter Window Bestie Doll 17 and colored her with Promarkers and Castle Arts colored pencils, accenting with a gold glitter gel pen. I cut the image (and a bit larger mat and the sentiment mat) with The Stamps of Life Stitched Rectangle dies. The vertical element strips were cut with LDRS Stitched Strip dies. The base mat was cut with a pierced rectangle die. The designer paper I used is Wild Asparagus by My Mind's Eye and is a Christmas collection paper, believe it or not. (I should say WAS because it's older than dirt.) It's double-sided cardstock and I LOVE that solid avocado side.

I made it work with this image because of the flowers and sticking to the paper colors, but I think I will use the rest of this dp for birthdays or sympathy cards and the like.

The sentiments are by Papertrey Ink and stamped with Versafine Clair ink.

And the sketch I used.

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I've also got a couple of beachy themed birthday cards to share.

While I had all the Summer scraps out to make my banner, I planned out these cards to use some of those scraps. I apologize to those of you already in the throes of Autumn, but it'll be Summer-ish for a few more months down here, usually until mid-November. And plenty of Thanksgivings have been sweaty and hot, lol.

Summer may live on here for a while longer, at least until I get tired of using these scraps, hee-hee.

And of course, if you are Down Under, this doesn't look odd to you at all!

😉

This card uses some greenish-blue wave die cuts (QK), some blue digital paper scrap, stash stars, Gecko Galz focal point image and the 100 Proof Press Bathing Beauty Row I stamped with Versafine Clair. I used colored pencils to color them. I also tinted the water and clothing of the focal point image with pencils. I used torn edge rectangle and oval dies (Creative Expressions). The center sentiment is by Clear Dollar Stamps.

I did not notice this until after I'd finished the card, but the focal image and the bathing beauties all have the same type of ballet slipper shoe. Must have been like flip-flops back in the day?

And here is the sketch I used.
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And another beachy card made with scraps, My Favorite Things sentiment heat-embossed with white powder and Gecko Galz printed images. I added the gold hexagons and white photo corners from my stash. I used a stitched arch die to cut sketch elements 1 and 2. I used stitched square dies for the base mat and element 3, and stitched rectangle dies for elements 4 and 5 mats. The sentiment was cut with a Lawn Fawn banner die.

 

Stretched the sketch out to 6x6".

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Well, that's it for me this time.

I can't believe October 1st is in 3 days.

Thanks for the visit and have a great week.

XXO

September 21st Weekly Post

 Greetings and Happy Sunday!

This week went by pretty fast for us.

Except for one rainy day, our weather has been sunny and warm days, pleasant nights.

Honey's 95-year-old mom is in the hospital for a few days.

She has developed atrial fibrillation and needed her vitals normalized before sending her home with medication. I thought they might shock her heart, but they said she's too old.

My dad had a fib and spent many nights in the hospital with bleeding episodes after they put him on those meds. Then he developed leukemia, which he died from after having a stroke when they took him off those meds. I'm praying that doesn't happen to her.

Marion is hosting Sunday Postcard Art this week with a Peace theme. As I will be hosting my final week for the year next Sunday, I decided to jump back in and make this card. The sentiment is a quote from Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya play.

First thing I did on a 4X6 white card was to stamp the Alluring Impressions Melanie Sage sentiment at top in Versamark and heat-emboss it with white embossing powder. Then I stamped the Technique Junkies Angel Holding Moon with Twilight Versafine Clair ink. When the stamping dried, I placed a rectangular mask over the angel and then ink-blended Faded Jeans Distress Ink over the entire card. I removed the mask and colored the angel with Zig Clean Color watercolor brush pens and glitter gel pens. To finish, I added some silvery stars that I had in my bits and bobs pile. I think I'd previously cut them with a TH Sizzix Falling Stars Thinlit die from some scrap foil packaging, if my memory is correct.

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I've about done the chickens theme to death this year on birthday cards, but here's one more!

I printed out this cute Bugaboo digital stamp image and sentiment, then colored the image with Promarkers and glitter gel pens. I cut a 6x6 card base from some pink Bazzill cardstock. I cut mats from some purple construction paper (yes, I use that sometimes and it works), and I cut pieces of my beloved and well-hoarded KI Memories Pieces of Me collection designer papers to add to the card front per the sketch. I used a white gel pen in a few spots to finish.

 

And the sketch I used, stretching it to 6X6.

On a side note, I did know that KI Memories had been bought out by Hampton Arts, but I did not realize that American Crafts had bought out both Bazzill and We R Memory Keepers, which then got bought out by Nicole Crafts (who had previously bought out AC Moore and then Notions Mktg). I am happy that these brands continue to live on, so consolidation may be a good thing here. If I can just keep up with the buyouts, lol.

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My last card to share today is truly a testament to the brilliance of Basic Grey papers, I think.

On a Kraft A2 card base, I layered pieces of Basic Grey's Green @ Heart collection designer papers, per the sketch. I even used the dp as mats and ink distressed all the edges with Vintage Photo DI (plus I ran a dark brown Promarker around) before layering onto the card base. I also used Wausau red paper cut with deco scissors as accent behind the main image. In my bits and bobs were several extra Rubbernecker tiny white flower buds die cuts and some small dots, so I colored the dots red with a Promarker and added to my design. (They match the flower in her hair.) The image is a Gecko Galz freebie from their July 2015 newsletter. The sentiment stamps are Leave Memories, My Favorite Things and Sweet Stamp Shop, all stamped with Nocturne Versafine Clair ink.

I chose this BG collection because the paper colors and patterns went so well with the image, so it was a no-brainer!

 

And the sketch I used, again stretched, but this time to make a portrait version of it, which moves elements 3 and 4 more to the center.

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Well, that's all for me this time.

Have a great week ahead and thanks for visiting!

XOX

September 14th Weekly Post

 Greetings and Happy Sunday!

Before Summer turns into Autumn, I wanted to share my Summer banner.

This was originally going to be hung from our giant grapevine wreath above our fireplace.

But when we tried to do that, the wreath became unstable enough for us to realize it might not be a good idea to hang anything on it! 

I do not know the lifespan of a grapevine wreath, but ours is at least 27 years old because we received it as a housewarming gift and has been hanging there all that time unadorned until this past year when I began making the seasonal banners to hang from it.

So, we have decided to take it down at some point sooner than later, but to definitely not hang anything from it in the meantime. So, my other seasonal banners will probably be hung on Honey's bar area or on the back door we never use (where this one is hanging). 

To make the banner, I pulled out my Summer papers and ephemera, so I basically made it with scraps from my stash.  I've used four dies on this banner (Spellbinders anchor, Memory Box bubbles, MFT wavy border and Amazon irregular nested rectangles). I was going for a swimming pool look to showcase the letter stickers from my stash. Don't know if I accomplished that but it is an eye-catching look. And it's done, so it is what it is. I am proud that it's symmetrical when it hangs as that was my intention for it.

An old curtain rod came in handy as the hanger.

Use what ya got, right?
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Next up are three more Christmas cards that I made for the Ding Dong theme at Splitcoaststampers:

I love how this one looks. If I were making several of one design, this would qualify.

I began with the sketch (below), but I also wanted to use this My Favorite Things 4-Way Chevron Coverup die (that I've had for years and never used) for my base layer. On that, I adhered a red vellum circle cut with a Spellbinders die. Then some pine branches cut with an Impression Obsession die. I also used an IO jingle bell die set to cut gold mirror card for my bells. I strung some striped baker's twine to hang them. I topped it with an Amazon bow die cut from the mirror card and added some small gold circles from my stash per the sketch. Then I used Versamark to stamp the MFT sentiment on a scrap of green paper and heat-embossed it with white powder, layering on a cut piece of the mirror card.

Fun Fact: The Brits call the gold card "Mirri" card, but there's is supposedly the Rolls Royce of mirror board. 

And here is the sketch that I used.
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This is a happy accident card, lol. I used a Stamplorations Doodled Christmas Bells cover die to cut my gold mirror card, thinking I was going to get a clean cut, but NOOOOO. I then realized I should have used my metal adapter plate in the cutting sandwich, but I really liked the embossed impression, so I quickly turned it over and covered the back with double-sided tape so that I was able to adhere the entire thing onto my card base front. I used the cover plate with some red and then champagne-colored glitter card cuts to get the bow and bells, which I layered onto the gold card. I then stamped the See D's sentiment onto a gold paper scrap, first with Versamark, then with Rhubarb Stalk Memento ink. I heat-embossed it with Ranger Red Tinsel embossing powder to give it a little glitter. I cut that with an SU Modern Label punch. I'd added a strip of red and gold washi tape along with my remaining scraps of red ricrac velvet, so I added the sentiment to the washi tape layer and called it done!

And here is the sketch that I used. The bow and bells are my 3 star elements in a little different arrangement.

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For my last card today, I've used some dark red SU card for my base. I cut the Paper Studio designer paper layer with a Spellbinders Distressed Edge die. On a scrap of dark red Junkitz paper I stamped the Carmen Veranda door using Nocturne Versafine Clair ink, fussy cut it and layered it on. I had an Amazon wreath die cut in my bits and bobs along with the bow, TH Sizzix holly leaves and red berries. So, I added them all to my scene. The Polkadoodles caroling gnomes are freebie stamps from Creative Stamping Issue 102. I colored them with my Castle Arts colored pencils, fussy cut them and they were ready to be added as the final touch.

And here is the sketch that I used.

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That's all from me this time.

Thanks so much for the visit and I hope this coming week is an enjoyable one for us all!

XOX

September 7th Weekly Post

Greetings and Happy Sunday!

I hope everyone has had a good week and weekend.

Ours wasn't bad. The daytime highs in the 90's came back, but the nights cooled down so I'm happy with that since I'm up at night for now. This morning was almost idyllic, and this evening as well. I thought I felt a fall breeze or two, lol.

So, I'll do my part to channel the cooler fall weather by sharing some Christmas cards that I made for the August Splitcoaststampers Ding Dong theme.

Unless I've stashed more somewhere I forgot about, I cut into my last sheet of this very old 12x12 Chatterbox designer paper to make this card. {Sob} I've always had a thing for their paper, the way it feels is almost like fabric, and I have hoarded a share of it for years. Anyway, I cut this final piece with an LDRS nested slimline postage die to make my card front on an SU blue slimline card base, after first adhering strips of white and silver washi tapes, as per the sketch:

Next, I cut a silver Spellbinders circle die cut and an Avery Elle zigzag signature seal die cut from the backside of the Chatterbox paper. I layered them and adhered to the card front. I used some silver mirror card scrap to cut the Amazon bells die to layer onto the circles. I used more of the silver mirror card scrap and some white card scrap to cut the Impression Obsession sentiment die cuts, layering the silver one onto the white one, and adhering it to the card front.

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Next up is a blatant CASE (Copy And Share Everything) of a card made 6 years ago by Shery Russ (owner of Stamplorations) as a sample for the stamps I've used.

Here's her card. Yes, not exactly alike, but close enough!

And here's the sketch I used.

It all started when I saw the sketch and remembered the large Stamplorations sentiment had a banner around the "all the way" like Element 3 of the sketch. Then, looking at samples I'd saved, I realized Shery's card was like the sketch. Then, I had to make it, of course!

😃

Here's an angled shot to see all the shine. I cut an A2 tent fold card base from 12x12 DCWV Copper shimmer card stock and rounded the bottom corners with my Cropadile punch. I cut a piece of Ranger TH Distress Specialty Stamping card for my card front layer, rounding the bottom corners. Then I stamped the sentiment and the 3 bells with Versamark ink and heat embossed it all with Ranger Copper embossing powder. Next, I stamped the Avery Elle dotted circle with Festive Berries Distress Ink and dried with my heat tool. To color the bells, I used Festive Berries Distress Marker and yellow and gold Spectrum Noir Glitter Markers. I heat-dried that as well. Then I rubbed the DI off the embossed sentiment with a Q-Tip and colored in a few of the dots with the yellow marker.

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My last card was made using all scraps, so I'm not sure about who made the papers. I know Queen & Co. made that ancient red felt "lace" that the adhesive dried up on long ago, lol. The sentiment die is Stamplorations, as is the bells stamp. And the doily is a Spellbinders die. I used a Fiskars corner punch on the striped designer paper scrap. The image was stamped with Morning Mist Versafine Clair ink and clear heat-embossed. I fussy cut it and then colored with Promarkers and glitter markers. The holly berries and leaves were lost in the stamping darkness, so I used a fine liner to outline their shapes before coloring them. I'm glad I did that as it really makes a difference!

And here is the sketch I used.

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Well, that's it for me this time.

Thanks for the visit and best wishes for a great week ahead.

XOX