Sunday, March 29, 2009

Sparkle, spring!


It's a very sparkly spring morning and I've been rushing around taking care of animals and trying to make a dent to the never-ending "to-do" list, but look what I spied, with my little eyes when I rounded the corner to go feed horsies this morning:


Well, shoot. This picture isn't exactly worth a thousand words, but trust me: it was a beautiful sight. Thousands of tiny purple flowers, standing at full attention to honor the morning sun... In a spot where I have NEVER seen such a thing. We've lived on these lovely seven acres for nearly 10 years and for some reason, this spring I'm already seeing a host of new visitors, including mustard flowers! These changes amaze me. For a few years, the top of our hill would be smattered with poppies, now it's got mustard: weird. I gave up gardening about year 1 of living here. Couldn't win over gophers, chickens or dogs, so I let "Mother Nature" wield her brush and then I just enjoy...

So, to honor NATURE doing it's thing: here's another card made with leftovers. It's not my favorite contribution to this blog, but it was surprisingly quick to make and all but the flowers were leftovers, table scraps, tote salad or CARD CASSEROLE (as miss Paperdaydream calls it..)...







All card stock and stamps are by S/U! and the daisies were created with my glorious Sizzix machine, as was the label shape (background -"Top Note"). The two original elements were the striped pattern paper which was, literally, that little fragment you see here: I couldn't throw it away!!! And the "Thanks a bunch" that I had stamped and colored and punched, just to play. I didn't love the way that looked enough to use it for the original card I had intended.. Still, I COULDN'T THROW THAT AWAY, EITHER! Sheesh. So, once again, to honor the Gods, paper lovers, hoarders and scrapaholics everywhere: this one's for you!

Enjoy your day!

Friday, March 27, 2009

Feeling SCRAPPY!?!

A card made, literally, from scraps! That is today's offering...

Just like ALL the idea books dictate: a card made from scraps from my last project and some ancient embellishments that were floating around the bottom of my tool tote! I really did it, "scrapping Gods", I hope you're listening...

It is written {in my head} that the Gods are pleased when we "dump tackle" ~an expression borrowed from fishing expeditions with my old neighbors from my college years, who introduced me to fishing and used that expression to describe losing prized lures, weights and spinners to rocks, branches and seaweed... I adapted it to paper crafting, to explain the act of purging old or once hoarded embellishments, paper and the like. An activity that is smiled upon, and rewarded by the Gods. "As a reward of 'dumpin' tackle' the scraping Gods will reward a crafter by easing her (or his) conscience towards the purchase and subsequent hoarding of more and newer materials..."

In case you haven't devoured every scrapbooking/card making idea book known to man... Or if you're new to the sport: one is always advised to collect scraps from a typical scrapbook layout type of project and then quickly dash together a nice card, since colors and materials are laying there, all coordinated and VIOLA! A beautiful concept. Like keeping my check book balanced and my to-do list current.... Um, yeah. It's been a while. I will always aspire to "Martha Stewart" perfection standards, but since I like her better post "prison", I'll just keep workin' on THAT..

Anyhoo, here's a SIMPLE card made exclusively from leftovers!




Remember when K&Co.'s "Grand Adhesion" line was BRAND NEW!?! I still get a little thrill when I recall the first time I saw them... THEN, there was the first time they were offered on QVC! Baby! Those were the days.. Old crafting materials are like an old love song that brings you back to a time long ago, when love was new... ahhhhh!

Okay, it was a simple card. More than enough said! I hope you like... Happy Friday!

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Party Time!

Howdy, folks! Sure am sorry 'bout the dry spell... I've been cooking up a lil' something and letting it simmer while I got caught up the "real world" to-do lists, etc. What are ya gonna do...

Oh wait, I know: SCRAP SOMETHING! Hello! Drought over!


My darling friend, Dana, over there at Paperdaydream is leading our little, local 4H crafters this weekend in creating a mini book! Fun, fast and simple (?)! Now, I know that mini books come in and out of vogue and I having been living more out than in.. as it were. But I've just drank from the water... And it was gooooood! Check it:


Don't underestimate the "dollar spot" or whatever they call it at Michael's! This little cutie could be worth its weight in scrappin' GOLD! Dana stalks that isle at Mike's regularly and cooked up this plan to dazzle our little crafters this weekend for very little $. After seeing how easily they dug in and started scrappin' last time we gathered, I thought I'd share this idea with grown ups! Sometimes we need a little MORE encouragement... Lil' books are fun! After attending a couple of back to back CKU's several years back, a lot of us scrappy gals were tired of mini books.. But after a few years of rest, and thinking about keeping it fun for the little crafty kids: this was a nice exercise! Freeing, really! And for a BUCK! Think of all the scrappy stuff you already own: sheesh! Look at all the leftover goodies right there on your workspace! I just cleaned out my tool tote and holy moly: the mother load of embellishments were hiding there!

Here's a quick list to prepare for a quick lil' book:

Choose a small batch of picts from an event or favorite photo subject. Organize them to tell the story you want to share...

Match them to some paper (I stuck to a Basic Grey pack, "euphoria," and matched some S/U! cardstock)...

Then just grab leftover embellishments! (Or make some, stamp some, you get the drill..)

With photos organized and paper selected, just start covering your chipboard. You can trace the shape and cut out, glue to chipboard and sand edges, or even just paint the naked chipboard with acrylic paint! (Yes: I said naked!) Of course it takes some drying time if you paint, but sometimes it's just a great foundation for chipboard. For my book, I was so pleased how well "euphoria" worked with my photos, I just wanted to PLAY with that!



Get CRAZY, friends: no real rules around here! This is a keepsake, but it must be fun and touchable! I used photos that a dear friend gave to me from the little girl's sixth birthday, so these were bonus pictures! I really let myself have fun and didn't worry about not telling the WHOLE story: I told MY fun story!




Bling it up!





Drop some tackle! (See the Tim Holtz fragments with picts of the guests! Yummmy!)

Food tells a nice story! I made a 3-D embellishment with a S.A.B. stamp from Stampin' Up! by stamping then mounting on chipboard! (Don't curse your craft and rubber scissors you don't have to use so much anymore now that S/U! die-cuts their stamps.. Those babies cut most chipboard like "buddah!")

Yes, that's me: a two fisted cwoffee drinking maniac! How else would have I survived the birthday party that started at 9 am and went until 11 pm!




Get interactive: I hid journaling and more picts to really make this a tactile experience!







I threaded some lilac colored ribbon under a well secured picture/embellishment of the backside of the book. There is plenty of ribbon that then is tied into a bow at the front of the album to make a lovely and functional closure....









Do one of these right away! Make it fun and easy and I guarantee you won't want to put it down, even when you're done! My kid is taking it to school for show and tell next week! (I wouldn't send a "mother ship" photo album to school, but this one is perfect!)

Have fun! And thanks for letting me share!

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Suddenly sleepy!


Nothing like a contagious yawn to make one think about cuddling up for an afternoon nap on a crisp and blustery, spring, Sunday afternoon... Well, WAKE UP! There's too much crafting to do! Tee Hee

Besides, this project isn't for you... It's for BABIES! Wee-little, super small, wonderful, brand new babies! Twins! My life-long, dear friend, recently gave birth to baby girls! I'm getting ready to send her a care package and I decided to paint these plaques for her nursery (if she wishes) or door, or wherever she decides to hang them!

What IS for you, is my instructions: this project is totally do-able! I'll share some secrets, if you are so compelled to make something like this for someone you love!

Here are some things you'll need:



Hit your local craft stores for:

A wood plaque (they usually come beveled and pre-sanded!)
Acrylic paint
Assorted size brushes (detail - approx 1in')

I'm betting that you already have much of this! If you don't want to mix paints, those cute little "Delta" pre-mixed bottles are great: they come in hundreds of shades and they're extremely affordable! I prefer "Liquitex" heavy body paints only because I can control the viscosity, but just about any type of acrylic paint will work!

I chose images from an OLD (out of print) children's book, but you could use an image from just about anywhere (old cards, plates, furniture...!) I love those ancient decals from the thirties or forties, I believe... that's the look I was going for here.

If you're handy with a pencil, just lightly draw the image on the wood. FIRST: prep the wood with a light primer or even light coat of paint in a neutral color. When dry, THEN draw the image directly onto the wood. Don't worry about mistakes, as long as you are "light-handed" they can be erased or covered with paint. If you're worried about accuracy in replicating the image, you can make a photo copy, reduce or enlarge to appropriate size, and then just trace it onto the wood. The pressure from a pencil or embossing tool can create a dent in the wood that can be retraced with pencil or directly with paint. Another tip is to use "graphite paper". This goes behind the image and transfers on to the wood. It can be a little messy, but is easy to see when you're done. Block in the image with one color, but leave the pencil lines exposed so you don't lose your drawing. Slowly add color, including shades and shadows. Hopefully, you've chosen an image based on your painting experience level. Simple shapes are the best place to start: you can do it!!!

Similar to my card making philosophy... Why waste ALL the time of painting such a beautiful keepsake if you're only doing one!?! DO five! I'm not kidding. You'll probably hate the first one, but you'll get better! The wooden plaques are inexpensive and you can even get them with a coupon: Hello! Sand paper is a great friend in the repair department. Start with a quality fine art eraser and if that makes a mess, SAND! I will confess that I have been painting similar baby signs for years! At one time I had them stock-piled! Now that most of my friends have had babies... Well, I needed to "stock up"... but they were much easier to paint because I literally had a drawer, filled with wood plaques, my original copies and drawings! I do the EXACT same thing with paper craft projects that I'm doing in multiples! Crazy! (I'm not exactly ready to confess to the fact that I hoard materials.... DOH! Maybe when we know one another a little better... Hee Hee) It's good to be prepared!

Here's the finished artwork! Apply as much or as little to the background as needed. I kept it simple since I have MANY more projects on the TO-DO list (and I'm not even counting TAXES! Yuck!). Next, some pretty "hanging" materials...



This funky looking, yellow-handled contraption is my new favorite tool! Husband brought me an industrial staple gun from work for a recent home dec project, but much to my disappointment.. it was BROKEN! In denial, I searched around the garage, hoping to find something to solve my problem. I've tossed this thing around so many times, usually on my way to find something else... No idea what the heck it was... THIS TIME I noticed that is said "Arrow" on the side. The SAME name as the staples! Joy of joy! It's a staple gun that operates like a hammer! My NEW FAVORITE TOOL (did I mention that!?!)! I love what scrapbooking and paper crafting has done for me in the carpentry department! I just don't look at those foreign looking "man tools" the same any more: there's so much possibility!

Anywhoo, I used it to secure ribbon (Yep, it's from Stampin' Up!) to the back of the wood plaque and it was so much faster! The end result was much more pleasing than the old eye-hook and wire hangy thingys of the past! Then, I decorated the ribbon a little so it will be even more sweet in the nursery! Lookee!





The ribbon embellishment is composed of felt flowers from Stampin' Up!, layered and then secured with "filigree brads" (S/U!). I completed the flower, secured the brad and then sewed the piece to the crossed point of the ribbon. I think it looks juicy like this, but the top loop of the ribbon could also be cut and then tied in a bow!


That came out so cute... It could ALMOST make me want another baby..! No. On second thought: I'll just take a nap.

Tee Hee


















Friday, March 20, 2009

Hi! It's today!

It's the first day of spring! It's beyond beautiful here in Northern Cali-FOR-n-i-A! I don't mean to boast: it just is! Sure, we might be facing the most severe drought in years and a host of gigantic global problems, but while the weather is pristine, I'm celebrating: spring is in my step(s)!


In honor of the new spring blossoms just beginning to lift their weary heads from the soft brown soil.... Meet bunny! Peeking out of a little spring basket! He's not necessarily the "Easter Bunny"... He's a spring bunny, not bearing marsh mellow peeps or chocolate eggs (there's plenty of time for that!) he's just here to say "hi!"

"Bunny" was a hostess set from the last S/U!'s catalog that expired in January. The set is called "Serene Spring" and it was very cute with nice sentiments. This is an extremely detailed stamp and worthy of quality time to give it some beautiful color. For this task I decided to let my impressive tray of "Watercolor Wonder Crayons" do their magic. In case you're not familiar with this product, I will distinguish "Wonder Crayons" from watercolor pencils. They are a solid chunk of pigment. Soft, but not as soft as a pastel crayon. They can be thinned and worked with water, they dry quickly but can create some beautiful water color effect with a tad more spontaneity than water color pencils, but much of the control. They can do a lot of work with little effort or can be used to really paint slow and controlled to create a very special piece.


I've had a lot of customers purchase these simply because they are exciting to look at! And that they are.. But they can be intimidating! They don't stay very sharp and they break easily... So here are some thoughts and tips to get you excited about using yours or getting some if you don't have them yet! I will work on some "getting acquainted" tips for card making, but I promise to do a little "fine art" exercise in the near future! Stay tuned for that.

Stampin' Up! calls watercolor pens "Aqua Painters." There's a cell that holds water and it keeps the brush moist or wet, if you apply pressure. Keep a paper towel handy to blot excess water and brush out color for transition to another color. They can be washed under running water to get them squeaky clean! I've shared mine with my little one and it still paints clean!

Rather than worry about putting these beauties in a pencil sharpener and risk waisting all that color, I love this trick: rub a square of the color(s) of your choice on a piece of scratch paper. Apply several coats to get good coverage, rather than pressing hard, which could break the crayon.. Then you can paint directly from your custom made palette! This way you can get the finest bit of color on the end of your brush! (A reminder to maintain the tip your "Aqua Painter" or any brush, is to rotate the brush in your fingers, as you work or add color, thus keeping the bristles pointy for detail.. ) Pressure of the brush will give you more coverage, or a bolder line, but watch out for extra water: this can be desirable for large areas, but don't be shy with your paper towel for blotting. Practice makes perfect here! As a rule, I stamp the image to be watercolored with black or brown "Staz-on." That way there is no danger of ink smear...

I like to work background color in first, very lightly: you can always add color, but taking it away is much harder if not impossible. To get to small spots when you are adding color directly from the crayon, go slow and always seek the edge of your tip.





After you've gone over the background with water, there may be some discoloration: allow to dry and the color should fix itself. You can always add more color to intensify the effect.











On such a beautiful, realistic image, it's good to pick a "light source" and then add "shadow" or color a little more boldly where natural shadows would fall. For this image, I imagined the light source from straight above (12pm!) Adding crayons direct to the image when the paper is still damp with create rich color.

Once completed, this image was mounted on "Always Apricot" cardstock and then sewn around the edge. A scalloped edge border was punched out of "Barely Banana" C/S with S/U!'s scallop border punch, and then adhered on the left side. "Hi" was stamped (from the "Say it with Scallops" stamp set) in "Cameo Coral" on "Very Vanilla" C/S and then punched using S/U's square scallop punch. "Canvas" background stamp was stamped on "Certainly Celery" C/S! (the base of the card) with "Certainly Celery" ink.










Whew! That was a long story for the first day of spring! But if reading it gives you drive to play with your W/W crayons that you've been meaning to use... it was worth it!

Thanks for reading!

Thursday, March 19, 2009

It's in the air!

Spring is in the air! For those of you with allergies, I'm so sorry. I sure hope there is some GREAT medicine available so that you won't miss a minute of this glorious season! But just in case you need to hunker in for a while, I have a great, allergy proof way of bringing a little spring indoors....

This fun little card!


I'm teasing you a little bit, by using a set from the "Occasions Mini Catalogue" from Stampin'Up! that starts from April 1st and runs until June 30th, 2009. As a demonstrator we can get our hands on products a little early, so if there is some drooling going on... just be patient...

I was NOT patient, so I grabbed this set, "Forest Friends" immediately! Just like the Leprechaun from "Pinch Proof", nice bold images! I LOVE the artwork and design. They are stylized, but classic, in my opinion. They remind me of children's images from the 1940's with their big, sweet eyes and bold image. Very versatile! I plan to play with these a lot! Maybe you will too!



Darling!

To make this card I stamped "little deer" with "Close to Cocoa" Classic Ink on "Very Vanilla" C/S (card stock). I inked the eyes and nose with a black "Stamp and Write" marker and used a q-tip in "Blush Blossom" chalk and just lightly swirled it on the cheek of the deer. I added a smattering of "Dazzling Diamonds" glitter to the baby spots on the body with some "Crystal Effects" and then just cut the little cutie out with my FAV detail scissors (shockingly, also from S/U!).











When silhouetting an image, I almost ALWAYS cut out six or more. I believe in making multiple cards for many reasons, but most of all, I think it's the best way to "re-coup" your time investment of developing a card composition... That's the time sucker, right there! So if you work in multiples, you then have cards to send, submit and maybe even sell! If for some reason I don't use all the cut images, I save them for quick labels & tags, mini cards or scrapbook embellishments... Great ways to make your creative energy pay you back!!!

The "Delicate Dots" paper assortment from the current "Sale-a-bration" from Stampin' Up! is quite a pleasing palette, I must say! So, I used the stripe, flowers and polka dot patterns to liven things up a bit for this little card. S/U! has brought back window sheets and even has thick transparency (20mil) for your crafting pleasure, offered in the new spring mini! I used the thinner gage (7mil) to make a window over the chipboard frame and then covered it with those "polka dotty, polka dot" paper and placed it OVER the Certainly Celery polka dotty flower print... You may think it's a shaker card.. It's not. Here's why: I used the window sheet to support the deer, so that he could cast an interesting shadow (without pop-dots/dimensionals) and keep his little body "safe!" In photography, I was able to catch a nice shadow and it was worth the effort. You could ALWAYS have made that a shaker box, but I wasn't shopping for that effect here. I glued the stripe paper to "Sahara Sand" C/S and ran it though my Sizzix with the Top Note die and HELLO, spring! "Happy"and "Day" is from the "All Holidays" sentiment collection and I just omitted the "Father's" day portion of the image... Yeee Haw! Mi likey! I hope you do, too!



I do, I do, I do hope it's a happy day for YOU! If you have any questions about this card or techniques used, please contact me! I love YOUR feedback, good or bad! Have a HAPPY DAY!