Family Arch

Ooops! I haven't had much of an opportunity to get caught up on Gothic Arches. The theme "family" was the theme two weeks ago. I created this arch to swap with an awesome artist, Lianna of Llama Tales. I hope this travels safely and quickly to Lianna. I can't wait to see what she's sending me.

Marvelous Mauve

It's a day to work with Mauve scraps today. I had some scrap mauve and burgundy cardstock, and complimenting paper, so off to work I went. The picture makes the paper look more pink, than a mauve/lilac color. I incorporated a few "standard stuff" like heat embossing, stitching, and pop dots. Just wanted to keep it all simple.

Hauntingly Yours

While I was working on another "masking" project, the idea for this card came to mind. The tricky part was knowing exactly where I stamped the moon lady's face, and where to add additional embossing ink for the "aura" surrounding her face. I used black, gold and silver EP on and around her face; and red EP for the sentiment. I decided to go with a textured cardstock (although I don't think you can really see it in the photograph), to give the card added interest. Finally, Swarowski crystals added to card gave the look for sparkling stars surrounding my moon lady.

Expanding my horizons a little more

I've had this stamp in my collection for at least one year, now, and I've never used it. I was attracted to it, the minute I saw it, but I think I've been too intimidated by it. I finally gave myself the "nudge" to use it in order to meet a challenge by a friend. I'm glad I did, because I'm rather pleased with how this card turned out. It's simple, and it didn't need to be cluttered by anything else like an overly busy background. I learned the "saran wrap" technique from fellow Stamp Shack Creative Team member, Jan Jenitis (blog-host of Far North Designs.) . Just take a good size piece of saran wrap and crumple it up. Dab it on your ink pad and start stamping on your cardstock. I used Nick Bantok Vermillion and Brown ink on my background. The stamp of this African man is by Stamp Cabana.

Cards from sketches

Just playing around with a couple of card sketches. I wanted to create two completely different cards using the basic same sketch (cards one and two above). One being a vintage collage, while the other being an asia-theme collage. I couldn't believe I struggled with the third one. As simple as it looks, I didn't have a sentiment that was the "right length" for this card. It kept chopping off the little boy's feet! LOL! And, my colors were way off, initially. After about an hour struggling with it, I finally pulled it off!

Altered Index Card

I created this altered "index card" for a swap I'm hosting on the Stamp Shack. The theme of the swap is "Notes to my Younger Self." It is inspired by a book I saw on 2peasinabucket.com. The premise is to take a photograph of yourself, when you were younger, and write a letter or note to yourself. It can be a piece of advice or just an observation you've made now, about the person you see in that photograph.

On the front is a picture of me, taken when I was 22 years old. I asked a friend to take a series of pictures of me for my parents. I couldn't afford a professional photographer. I had this lacy dress (which I had purchased to wear on special occasions), and the grounds of Villa Montalvo in Los Gatos, California provided the perfect backdrop. Back then, being as young and inexperienced about life, I did EVERYTHING my parents told me, without hesitation. I was the "perfect daughter," excelling in school, choosing career over anything else, and just being "perfect" in order to earn their love and admiration. In other words, I didn't want to "rock the boat."

My reflection of myself is written on the tag, which is tucked in the pocket on the backside of the card (on the right, in the photo). It says, "Sitting in this photograph is that perfect daughter. Hair done the right way, wearing the perfect clothes, wearing a happy smile. What others don't see is your desire to spike your hair, or to wear it orange and purple. To wear black clothes and to pierce your nose. You want a tattoo, but you're afraid of what your parents and friends might think. If you could do this all over again, I'd encourage you to find a way to be genuine to yourself. If you can't accept yourself for who you are, then there's no reason for others to accept who you wish to become."

The stamps I used on the pocket are by Stampin Up. Some stamps were DTP (direct-to-paper), while the flowers were heat embossed with Seafoam White EP (Ranger).

Thanks for stopping by!

Faith, Hope and Love

I had to create "something" this last Saturday. I "think" while I work, so this was a great thinking project. It gave me clarity. LOLOLOL!

This shrine is called "Faith, Hope and Love." I guess it could be a wedding-theme shrine or an anniversary-theme shrine.

It started out as a mistake. I stamped the King and Queen and discovered they were both too tall for the card I wanted to make. So, I set them aside. When I woke up at 6:45 AM. I walked into my craft room, and started pulling cardstock, paper, stamps, inks...and just started to create. Really didn't plan to work on a shrine, but Lynn Pirella's book on Art Dolls was the last thing I read last night; and I was inspired by a shrine one of the contributing artists had made.

By 9 AM, it had developed into a full-blown shrine-project. Before I went to do my grocery shopping, I made a pit-stop at Michael's and bought an 11 x 14 shadow box (they're all on sale at 40% off this week, by the way). Also, I picked up some beads with peridot (green) crystals, to stay with Stacy's color choices for the week.

Anyhoo, the rest is self-explanatory. I THOROUGHLY enjoyed making this shrine, and plan to make some more. I am thinking of selling a bunch of shrines that I make at a local co-op gallery. I've seen some things sold there, and I think my shrine would sell.

Rosarch Blot background

I pulled out my reinkers this evening and decided to create a Rosarch Blot background. All you need is glossy cardstock and coordinating reinkers. Two would be enough. Three would be more than enough. Anything more than three, you may end up with a muddy glob. Anyway, just take your two pieces of glossy cardstock. On one, drop your reinkers randomly. Not on top of each other, but spaced closely enough to cover any white spaces when you press the two pieces together. When you're ready, just press the other glossy piece on top of the first piece. Press, don't rub. Lift from one corner, carefully. Voila!

Oh, wow!

My dear friend, JENNIFER bestowed upon me the Nice Matters award. I don't know what I did to deserve such an honor. I believe that we are a reflection of the company we keep; so if Jennifer thinks I'm nice, it's because she is 10x nicer than me! LOL! We're just going to keep throwing this back and forth to each other. To pay this forward, I will shout out TEN names of folks who I think are super nice. I'm supposed to name five, but I think I shall name 10. In no particular order, here they are: GODELIEVE, KIM, TAMI, SUE, NANCY, LIANNA, JANE, JAN, DAWN, and DYMPHIE . These ladies bring sunshine to my days and I look to them to pull me through my creative slumps. They are all so wonderful, and I am honored to know them all!

School Days Gothic Arch

This week's theme on the blog Gothic Arch Challenge is "School." I used stamps by Tim Holtz and Purple Onion Designs. The vintage image of the school girl came from one of my vintage CD's.

Take my poll (on the sidebar) and add your comments here

I'm curious about what people do with the cards/papercraft projects they make? Post below, and be as specific as you'd like, with your answer.

Thank you for taking my poll! Deadline is midnight, August 31st, 2007. Drawing will be held for some fun cardmaking treats/goodies!

If, for some reason it says "Poll not available at this time" just hit the "refresh" button on your menu bar. The poll choices will pop up for you.

Doodling away

The image of this sweet little boy came from Bill's Antique Photo pages. I had the urge to doodle this morning, so I drew a little bit on the little boy's bloomers and then on the chocolate brown cardstock, using my silver gel pen. I've been wanting to do "something" with this cute little boy for the past four days, but it's been hectic at work. So, now, I'm at my craft table on this Saturday morning, and decided I just wnated to have a little bit of fun with him. His wings are stamps by Lost Coast Designs. The "original" definition stamp is by Stampin Up.

Wow! I've been nominated as..........

.....a "Thinking Blogger" by my Shackie/2peasinabucket pal, Beth of "Sunflower and Dragonflies." The original concept of the "Thinking Blogger Award" comes from this link: "The Thinking Blog." I will need to quote Beth on the "rules" of nominating someone for this award:

The participation for nominees' rules are simple:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think. Please, remember to tag blogs with real merits, i.e. relative content, and above all - blogs that really get you thinking
2. Link to this post (click here) so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,
3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn't fit your blog).

Now, keep in mind that I can think of (easily) at least 20 people who inspire me with their blogs. But, I have to abide by the rules set forth. So, here are my nominees for the "Thinking Blogger" award (in no particular order):

1) Jan of "Far North Designs." I like to think of Jan as my "partner in crime" when it comes to comparing results of "lab experiments." We think of a technique we've not tried before (remember our Northern Lights experiment from a few years ago, Jan?) and we both experiment with the technique and compare results. She just tries and tries again, tweaking a few steps a little, until she achieves the results she is going for. I call Jan my fellow "technique junkie."

2) Audrey Hernandez is one rockin' papercrafter. She is top-notch in every category in my book. Check out her blog "Small Creations" and you will see what I'm talking about. Is there anything Audrey can't do? She rubber stamps, takes awesome pictures of her cutie-patootie son, Montana, and her photograph is next to the word "humble" in the dictionary. Visit Audrey's blog, just once.....JUST ONCE....and I guarantee you will come away with so many inspiring images and ideas that will make your head spin.

3) Here's another "Rock Star" blogger. Barbara Smith's artwork is elegant, uncluttered and has a simplicity about it that makes you appreciate each detail of everything she creates. Check out her blog "Smith411" to get a glimpse of Barbara's mastery of collage, transfer techniques, rubber stamping and cardmaking.

4) Kerry is another papercrafting friend who I go w-a-a-a-y back with. She's another fellow technique-junkie. When we went shopping together at a rubber stamp store, back in May, Kerry shared so much information about different products in the market, and how to use them. Of course, that left me with buying a TON of stuff that I had to have because Kerry said the stuff was "cool!" LOL! Well, she was right. You can find Kerry's creations at "the stampinbug."

5) I can't have this list of five inspiring blogs without mentioning Godelieve. Who else isn't afraid of experimenting with ecoline ink, bleach and every ink or paint under the sun? Godelieve does it all, and she does it with flair! She's also awesome with giving me all sorts of technical/computer/HTML coding tips for my blog. Mine is not nearly as awesome as Godelieve's, but she is always willing to help and encourage me along. You can find Godelieve's blog at: "Stamping Mathilda."

I am having way too much fun with typoGenerator

One of my favorite bloggers, Dymphie, shared this website on her blog Papieren Advonturen called typoGenerator. Basically, you type in text (I used the words "I love you", and it generates a graphic design using the words you typed. It's so awesome! Just click on the word "typoGenerator" and it will take you directly to the website. Have fun!

We're getting to know each other on the Stamp Shack.....

I LOVE the musical "King & I". I especially love the song "Getting to Know You." I'm hosting a swap on the Stamp Shack, and it's a "Getting to Know You" theme. Each person is asked to include a photograph of themselves, and words which best describe them. I chose to poke fun at myself, as you can see; but in all honesty, sometimes I AM a drama queen. I know I'm rarely serious (unless I'm at work, and then I'm being paid to be serious). But, those close to me know that I'm 99% silly and I love to keep things light. The first version has me wearing a party hat. BTW, this is a picture of me when I was about 2 1/2 years old. Apparently, I was a handful. LOL! Some of the puzzle pieces were not large enough so that I could place a party hat on my head for each one. I tried to make all of the pieces a little different, so each person was getting a unique puzzle piece.

Reinkers experiment

I thought I'd play with my reinkers this evening. It's basically the same idea as using alcohol inks on glossy cardstock, but instead of AI, I used Stampin Up Bashful Blue reinker; and instead of Blending Solution, I used a fine mist spray bottle filled with water.

First, lightly sprtiz your cardstock. Don't soak it, just spritz it. Lay it on a flat surface and achor down the corners with something heavy. This wil help to prevent your cardstock from rolling up too much (or, if at all). Apply 3 to 4 drops of reinker to felt (which is attached to the daubing tool you normally use when you play with alcohol inks). Start daubing on the wet surface. Allow to dry for about five minutes before you start stamping on it. Voila!

Stamp used: Stampers Anonymous. Paper: Basic Grey.

My pages for Debbie's CJ

These are my pages for Debbie's CJ for the swap I'm hosting on the Stamp Shack. Paper (paisley) is vintage paisley by Basic Grey. I used coordinating papers and tags, also by Basic Grey. Stamps (fingers pointing) is from the "What's the Point?" set by Purple Onion Designs. The theme of the book is "Top 10 things you want to do before you die." Here are my Top 10:

10) Travel into space
9) Learn to ski
8) Learn to speak another language fluently
7) Travel to all seven continents
6) Wake up each morning to a view of the ocean
5) Become a photojournalist
4) Discover God's purpose for my life
3) Meet my grandchildren and possibly my great grandchildren
2) Celebrate my 75th wedding anniversary
1) Don't let a day go by without telling family and friends how much I love them