Sunday, May 29, 2011

Use It Tuesday - Challenge #8!

Salutations!  While I was reading my favorite blogs, I stumpled upon a fun challenge blog called Use it Tuesday - Challenging you to dig into your scappy stash.  The object of the blog is to use all the crafty things we buy!  I go out and buy the latest paper, embellishments, tools, inks, and stamps and add them to my stash but completely forget to use it all.  This blog helps you use that stash. 

The current challenge (#8) is Flowers. Use the stash of flowers you have that you've never used plus a stamp you have not previously used.

For flowers I used cardstock flowers from K&Company. Its 12x12 and it's full of flowers - 578 pieces. I bought it on sale years ago and haven't used it.  The stamp set is from Stampin Up and I used the tag and the smile circle from the set. I don't know what it's called because I bought it on sale and there is no sticker and it was slightly used.  Here is my card:


The background was made using a Crafter's Workshop flower template with Distress Ink in dustry concord and Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink in bisque and the purple paper is Color Core by Cordinations. The photograph is a Meerkat from the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago that I took. I love to use him on cards.

Doesn't he look like he's smiling?

Thanks for stopping by.
Go Create and Be Extraordinary!

Thursday, May 26, 2011

MOJO Monday #192

Salutations!  I've been in my craft room a lot this week. I started playing with inks on Sunday and I haven't been able to stop. I made this card for Mojo Monday's challenge this week.


I seem to be using a lot of orange lately which isn't like me.  For some reason my hands go right for the orange ink pad.  I made the larger background with a swirls template and distress inks. The background for the flowers was also made with distress inks but I rubbed the inks on my craft sheet and sprayed with water.

Supplies:  DCWV citrus paper pack, distress inks in spiced marmalade, peeled paint, broken china, worn lipstick, jet black archival ink, glossy accents, copic sketch marker YG63, Outlines Rubber Stamp called Flowerful 2, blue card stock, white bristol board, pink flower embellishment, plastic canvas cord in blue. 

That's it for now. Time to clean up all the ink on my table before I start anything else.

Thanks for stopping by!
Go Create and Be Extraordinary!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

The Altered Alice Blog - Chapter 4 Challenge: Time

Salutations!  I had a claybord started with an Alice and Wonderland theme and saw the Altered Alice blog and decided to join in on the challenge.  The challenge was to make something that represents time. Here is my project:

Tea Time:


SUPPLIES: 5"x5" claybord. I typed up a few Alice quotes over and over, printed it out and used it as a background.  Stamps: Mad Hatters Tea Party by Tweety Jill and Stampin Up (clock);  PPA Perfect Paper Adhesive, SU Ink Tempting Turquoise, gold embossing powder, grungeboard letters colored with a Krylon gold leafing pen; tea set is from Halloween in Wonderland 6x6 paper pack.

I love using book paper or anything with words for backgrounds. I usually use a little paint to add color to the background but I liked it without the paint.

Thanks for stopping by.
Go Create and Be Extraordinary!




Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Inky Artsy Card!

Salutations! I've been having fun with inks and acrylic paints. I had a great time creating this tag card and I love all the colors.


This is the inside which is under the small tag:


I made the background with distress inks and water and then added stamped images with distress inks and jet black archival ink.

Supplies:  Distress Inks in spiced marmalade, broken china, worn lipstick; warm white acrylic paint; jet black achival ink; Stamps: Unity Itty Bitty Stamp The Little Things, HOTP Fancy a Cuppa, and Rubber Soul, Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Collection Spring Sprung and Bitty Grunge, orange ribbon and fancy brad from my stash.

That's it for now! I'm running into my craft room to play with more inks.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Go Create and Be Extraordinary!


Sunday, May 22, 2011

Create, Dream, Inspire!

Salutations!  I have had one of those weeks where whatever I create ends up in the trash. After being away, I've had a hard time getting in the creative spirit!  I decided to just stop what I'm doing and just play in ink. I love distress inks and tags so I decided to make some backgrounds and see what happens next.  This tag I made with three inchies. I thought since my last post was all about inchies that I would include them on a project.


Supplies: Manila tag; Stamps: Birds by Crestwood Studio, Flourishes Inchies by Inkadinkado, Bliss by Stampin Up, For the Birds by Fiskas; Distress Inks in worn lipstick, spun sugar, and fired brick; Antique brad by Stampin Up; ribbons from stash.

Thats it for now. I just got my mojo back and I don't want to stop now. I will post another fun size sometime this week!

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Go Create and Be Extraordinary!

Friday, May 20, 2011

Art Comes in All Sizes! Inchies, Inchies, Inchies!!!!

Salutations! I grabbed a cup of tea and walked into my craft room and couldn't decide what I wanted to do.  As I'm sitting staring at all my supplies my phone rang and it was someone I met at a card workshop a few months ago.  It was her first time making cards and walked out of the store with a large bag of supplies.  She called because she bought a few items that she didn't know what to do with or forgot why she bought them. We've all done that, right? I do that all the time. I see something that I want to learn to do buy the supplies and then months later don't remember why I bought it. Well, she bought a box of precut inchies and didn't know what she was going to do with those little squares. After our conversation she was excited and couldn't wait to start. I'm sure she is still in her craft room!

This phone call helped me decided what I wanted to make, inchies. I know quite a few friends who do not know what they are or what to do with them.  I decided in the next few weeks I am going to show you all the sizes of art that you can make.

First, what is an inchie?  An inchie is a 1"x1" square. This is what a blank one looks like.



The inchies that I use are precut and are thick 4-ply matboard. The matboard precut inchies come in white, black and nuetrals. I stocked up on these a while ago from Ellen Hutson, LLC.  At the time that was the only place I can find them. Now you can find them in quite a few online store plus craft stores in your area.  You can also cut them yourself. If you do make your own out of cardstock, glue two pieces together so they are sturdy.

What can you do with inchies?  They can be added to cards or layouts as embellishments. I swap them on forums.  You can also trade them.  The list can go on and on. 

The first one I used a flower stamp and colored the image in with sparkle gel pens.  



The next one I colored the inchie with yellow marker, stamped the cup twice and colored the second one with gel pens and used a pop dots so it would pop off the inchie and some wire for the handle, then added four blue paper punch dots in the four corners.



Next is a 1"x1" metal tag that I added paper to the back, adhered the flower and sealed it with glossy accents.



Once I used glossy accents I had to use crackle accents. This inchie is a little abstract. I have a cup of odds and ends on my table and found wire and beads and this is what I came up with.



This next one was really easy and it's made with a black inchie. All I did was take an eraser and white chalk ink to make the back ground and then punched holes and inserted the three brads.


Inchies can open like a book, three dimensional, have beads dangled from the corners, tiny scenes made with cut paper, pen and ink drawings, photographs, etc. It's amazing what artists can do on these tiny pieces! You can also Google inchies and you will be amazed at what you will see.

These are so much fun to make.  The possibilities are endless.  Why don't you give it a try!  Stop by next week for another fun size!

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Go Create and Be Extraordinary!











Wednesday, May 18, 2011

MOJO Monday #191

Salutations!  May 15th my daughter graduated from college. It was a wonderful ceremony. Columbia College Chicago puts on such a show.  May 13th was Manifest! It's a party in the streets. The college takes over the South Loop where the seniors can showcase their work whether it is dance, writing, art, photography, fashion, etc. including watching the sign language interpreters doing what they do best! The ceremony itself was like a party too.  A few different bands, singers and choirs entertained us while we waited for the graudates to enter the pavillion.  The graduates entered the stadium dancing to the music all the way to their chairs.  It was long but lots of fun!

She graduated as a licensed sign language interpreter!  I'm am so proud of her.  She has accomplished so much in four years not just with school but with herself. It's amazing and sometimes frustrating to see the changes they go through. She has grown up so much in just the last year. It is truly amazing.

Today was my last day off before I head back to work and face reality. It's been raining, no pouring all day!  It was the perfect day to be in my craft room.

To get myself back in the groove I made a card for Mojo Monday's sketch #191.


Supplies: green, white, black and orange cardstock, distress inks, black ribbon, black crystals, 6x6 circle template, scollop circle punch (StampinUp) and stamp is from Inkadinkado.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Go Create and Be Extraordinary!

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Dream Big!

Salutations! One of my many favorite stamp companies I've been playing with lately is Unity Stamp Company.  I love their designs.  This card I used a stamp from their Itty Bitty collection called Dream Big. I used Tim Holtz Lost & Found paper for the background and the words, dream big.  The flowers were made from grungepaper and I added Stampin Up antigue brads. The stamp's background was made with distress inks.


This was an easy and fast card to make for me. I have a few more Unity stamps that I haven't used but I might use them for a mixed media project.  Not sure yet.

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Go Create and Be Extraordinary!





Tuesday, May 3, 2011

MOJO MONDAY#189

Salutations!  I made another card for Mojo Monday.  I love the paper Stella and Rose from My Minds Eye. The colors are wonderful. I think this will be the first time where I use every single piece of paper in the pack!


Supplies:
Paper: Stella and Rose from My Minds Eye and black carstock
Black Crystal
Metal label frame I found in my stash
The yellow flower I made myself with an apple paper punch

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Go Create and Be Extraordinary


Friends ATC

Salutations! Going through my scraps I found this ATC that I put through the Big Shot with Tim Holtz Texture Fades called Cracked. I had already added distress ink to the ATC so I thought I would add more of the bits and pieces from the Lost & Found paper stash. I love the old photos in the paper. They are so much fun to use. The word, Friends, are letters I typed and cut out and added vintage photo distressed ink.


A quick post for now. I'm trying to design my daughter's graduation card and having a hard time deciding what I'm going to do. You know when you have so many ideas going through your head and nothing is coming out right?  This happens to me a lot lately. I go sit in my craft room and my head says one thing but my hands just can't make it work that way. Very frustrating!!

Thanks for stopping by!
Go Create and Be Extraordinary!



Sunday, May 1, 2011

A Tim Holtz Inspired Tag!

Salutations! I grabbed my cup of tea and walked in my craft room and my eye went directly to Tim Holtz Lost & Found Paper Stash. With his papers all the little pieces you keep because there is so much there you don't want to throw anything out.


For this tag I decided to distress the edges and use a stamp from Tim Holtz's Bitty Grunge stamp set. I stamped and embossed it in clear and used distress inks (antique photo, aged mahogany) to bring out the stamp.  The car, arrow and frame are grungepaper.  All the other bits and pieces are from Lost & Found paper stash. 

I had lots of fun using all the bits and pieces from that paper stash. I'm thinking of making a mixed media piece with these papers but using old family photos. The problem is choosing the photo!

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Go Create and Be Extraordinary