The Artful Mama

The Owls Return - The 2nd Flock

2011-09-12T13:47:00.000-07:00

Oh, just more owls!! I am having so much fun with this little guys (and gals!) My daughter loves the "giggling" owls! I have to say that my favorite in this second group is my little white cross-eyed dude! :)

Next...... Xmas owls!! :)

Halloween Owls on Parade!!

2011-09-10T21:06:00.000-07:00

Cute little guys!!

This is a punch from Stampin Up that I borrowed from my friend, Marci. I must have punched out about 100 Halloween paper owls and about 40-50 Xmas paper owls. All of the little pieces pop out at once. You then put them together as you wish.......

I had a ton of fun making these little guys!

I'm hoping to make them into cards ...... we'll see what happens. They may nest for a while on my desk! LOL!!

Gotta love Stickles and the black and white pens!!

Here they are:

Well, Hello There!!! 2 Cute (gasp!) Xmas Cards!!

2011-09-10T13:45:00.000-07:00

Hi There!!

I have missed you!! Lots has been going on around here, just not much crafting. I hope to get caught up and post a few project that I actually have made!

Here are 2!! :)

I have a couple of cute cards to show you!! They were made using Print and Cut on my Silhouette SD. I used an image from Lettering Delights SVG set: Eskimo Kisses. I changed the color/texture of the hat and turned him into an Xmas Penguin!! (using the Make-The-Cut Program) (he is also inked on every layer!) His hat is pop dotted for dimension. I attached him to my card base using an Action Wobble. So fun!!!!!!!!!! :)

Here are pics and (I hope) vids of the penguins wobbling!

Ok, well, you have to turn sideways to see it (????) But, it's still stinkin' cute!!!! :)

I Got my New Gazelle!!!!!

2011-04-01T16:41:00.000-07:00

Hi All!!

As you know, I have been smitten with my Cricut for a while. That being said, I have never liked the company that owns the Cricut...... Provo Craft. There has been much bru-ha-ha over some of the most recent tactics by PC. I have jumped on the Boycott Provo Craft wagon!!

I decided to "dump" my Cricut and get a different electronic cutting machine. One that supports and embraces true creativity and does not try to restrict the owner on what they can produce/use.

That's all I'll go into......if you want more info, you can look here: https://www.facebook.com/BoycottProvoCraft

Now, onto the good stuff! :) After much research, I decided to purchase a BossKut Gazelle. I got it this Tuesday! Yippie! It is so much more sturdy than the Cricut! Makes super cuts and you can do so many different things with it!! (eventhough it's pink....... LOL) I have been playing around with making silhouettes of some old photos to make t-shirts. This is my first one!

I used the Heat Transfer Vinyl. I set up the design using the software program: Make the Cut. You can import pre-made images, or you can make your own. You can also import fonts to cut! Very cooooooooooooool!! Anywho, I cut out the vinyl on my new Gazelle. It worked REALLY well!!! Very easy to use.

Here is my first shirt!! :) :) I'm really happy with it. Yes, I know, it's pretty "Andy Warhol-ish", but that's OK with me! I was going for that artsy fartsy look! :)

Here is the original pic:

Thanks for lookin'!!

A Bird Book

2011-02-21T14:25:00.000-08:00

Well, I actually started AND finished a project! LOL! Big news, for me! :) I had a paper "play date" with my friend, Marci. I wanted to test out my new binding machine (The Cinch....... LOOOOOOOVE IT!) I made two mini books and I actually completed this one today! :)

I have to interject here that the Cinch machine is fabulous! It is super easy to use and very intuative. Sizing is simple and you don't have to measure (unless you really WANT to!) :)

Ok, the project.............

I have always wanted to make a little book out of shipping tags. I decided to just wing it and make it up as I went along. (Although, I'm very sure that this has been done before, but all I did was fold over the pages and make pockets for the little tags. Simple and fun! :)

I colored the tags by scrunching and covering with Distress Inks. (about 3-4 "coats") I stamped some random flowers as the background. Then I stamped the word TWEET (I know......soooooooooooooooo original) with the new Alpha Stamps by Ten Seconds Studio. They are awesome!! Colored the images with colored pencils.

The bird on the front cover is a Sizzix die cut (from a shipping tag) distressed and colored with Distress Inks. I embossed w/ a Tim Holtz folder and then highlighted some areas with Glossy Accents. It is "pop-dotted" onto the front cover.

The tags are just small shipping tags distressed with ink and then stamped with random bird images and topped off with some pretty fibers.

Tied the binding coils with fabric and lace strips........

Voila! 'tis finished!! :)

These are the tags (front and back) inside the book:

Too Stinkin' Cute!! LOL

2011-02-01T16:57:00.000-08:00

Hi All!

Here is another Valentine's Card I made using my Paper Pups Cricut Cartridge. I just love all of the cute doggies on this cart!! :) I had fun putting this card together! :)

Front:

Inside

Edited Feb 2, 2011 -- Added doll of my son, too! :)

Now, I have never been one into paper dolls. Not really even as a kid. I, of course, bought the Cricut Paper Dolls Cartridge more for the accessories and borders. Well, after looking around at other dolls made with this cart, I had an epiphany. Duh! Make dolls of my kids!!! :) :)

Here is my first........ my daughter in her Cross Country uniform.

TOO STINKIN' CUTE!

(even SHE likes it.........that says something!)

The cute little face with glasses is a stamp from Peachy Keen Stamps. Love 'em!

(I added Kyle to the mix! :) He is almost 6 yrs younger than Becca. He wanted a Spongebob shirt and jeans. I used a blue paper for his jeans and then smeared black chalk over them...... I think they look "jean-like" :)

Cute Owl Valentine's Card

2011-01-28T17:15:00.000-08:00

I just recently got the Wild Card Cricut Cartridge. Thanks to some FABULOUS videos on YouTube by Creations with Christina, I feel confident putting these cards together after they are cut! :)

Here is my first one.

The Owl Card (Valentine's style! :)

I think he turned out pretty cute! :) I glittah'd up his eyes and beak and inked up the edges of the paper pieces.

Here is the front of the card and the matching envie.

Here is the inside of the card. (ok. HOW do I get these long pics to NOT be sideways......grrrrrrrrrr)

Thanks for looking!!!!

Back in the Saddle...........

2011-01-21T12:20:00.000-08:00

Howdy!! Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season!! Happy New Year and all that jazz!

I have been having fun playing with my Digi Scrapping software and my new cutting toys! I bought a Gypsy to go with my Cricut Expression. (How sad is this...... it was so cheap [$49.99] that I bought it without REALLY knowing what it did....... LOL) For some reason Michael's had a Cricut blowout... cartridges for $9.99, the Gypsy and Create for $49.99, and some other accessories super cheap. So, I indulged and have been playing! :)

Here are 2 little projects that I have done.

The "Chick Card" is for my girlfriend that moved away to Colorado. She raises and shows chickens. I think she'll get a big kick out of it:

This next project is my first Wordbook. My daughter is going to her best friends B-day party tomorrow. She wanted a mini album to give her. I designed this wordbook in the Gypsy and cut on my Cricut. I embossed the top layer of the letter with a Sizzix Texture Impression folder. I think it give it a little "somethin'" :)

My daughter will decorate/embellish/add photos for Brianne. (I figure you already know her name! LOL)

Close up of embossed texture.

Book open. I made sure to have decorative paper on both sides and I also did the letter on both sides. :)

Overall I'm pretty happy with it. Some things I would definately do differently next time...... but, I appreciate my daughter chosing her best buddy as my guinea pig! :) :) :)

Wow!! Something productive! :)

2010-11-14T14:38:00.000-08:00

I participated in a Ten Seconds Studio Yahoo Group Holiday Ornament Swap! Whew! What a mouthful!! :) I'm pretty happy with my results!

I used my Sizzix X-mas tree die and cut out 2 chipboard pieces, 1 paper piece, and 1 metal piece. I embossed the metal, sanded, and then flattened. I glued everything together, inked the edges w/ Distress Ink, punched a hole for the ribbon, and added some glitter glue and bling! :)

I hope the recipients enjoy them!! :)

Oh, Mr. Mojo??!!!! Where are you???

2010-09-30T11:11:00.000-07:00

Yes, folks. It's me!! I'm still here! I have been seriously lacking in the "mojo" department. I just have not been able to create much of anything!!! The one outlet that I have been enjoying lately is my new Digital Scrapping software. I have been putting together some fun pages and that has at least allowed me to feel a little creative!

As far as "artwork and crafting", I just don't know where my Mr. Mojo has gone..... :(

I finally made a cute little post it note holder last night. Maybe my Mojo is going to show back up again. :)

Here are a few of my digi scrapping pages...... and my cute little Post It Note Holder at the end of the post. The software I'm using for the scrapping is called My Memories Suite 2. Super easy and fun to use! :)

Here is my Post It Note Holder. I found a few fun tutorials online. This one is a little too big for the pad, but I found another tutorial w/ smaller dimensions. I used up some scraps that I had and I think it turned out cute! :)

Off to make a couple more quickie Post It Note holders. Hopefully Mr. M will come roaring back home soon!! :)

xoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxo

My Last 2 Fair Entries! :) We are off to turn them all in today!

2010-07-14T09:42:00.000-07:00

Here we are!! My last 2 entries for this year's Fair. You have already seen this piece. I did add more color to the UTEE pieces and I changed the picture display. (I don't really like to display the kid's pictures in such a public venue) Plus, I always get such a kick out of this image! Isn't she great?!!! :) Of course, I sealed the piece with PYMII. If you'd like to read my process for making the mosaic pieces, you can see my blog post here: "Mosaic Frame"

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My final piece is a "Secret Necklace". My art is usually "lost" on most of the fair judges. They just don't get me. But, I enter stuff anyway. :) This is modeled from a piece I made in a class I took with Tim Holtz. It's all Ideaology goodies, Distress Stickles, and Glossy Accents. You have to look really hard, but you can see the "secret" through the keyhole. :)

(click any picture for a closer look)

It is a little easier to see in person. It just doesn't photograph that well.

Anywho, thanks for looking!! We are off to turn stuff in. Our fair runs the last week of July and the first week of August. I'll let you know how we do after we attend the fair on the first day!

Hey, I'm just happy to have the free entry tickets!! :)

Toodles!!

More Fair Projects...... Kid's Turn! :)

2010-07-13T23:41:00.000-07:00

Hi Again!!

Here are the kid's entries for this year.

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My daughter, Rebecca, wrote 2 poems and made one Mixed Media Drawing. The Retainer poem was actually done for her English class. They had to write an insult poem using some medieval language. It was written about 2 weeks after she accidentally tossed her retainer into a Costco trash can...........never to be seen again!

(click for a larger view)

This poem was written this summer. I really like this one.... great message!!

(click for a larger view)

This is her Mixed Media drawing. Pencil and Felt Pen. Slightly "Zentangle-like"

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Here are Kyle's entries!

First up, the Andean Condor! Clothes hanger, duct tape, foil, feathers, and paint! :)

(oh, and a plastic margarita glass for a stand)

A Wilbur drawing done in class this year... check out Charlotte in the corner! :)

No fair is complete without some Legos!! "Freestyle under 200 Pieces". Some sort of Jet Tank with Escape Pods (as it was explained to me)

And, the mother of all Solar System projects. Another entry courtesy of 3rd grade curriculum! Hey! We know when to double dip!! :) Yes, we included Pluto!

So, they are all tagged and ready to drop off tomorrow. It really is great because all of the kids that enter "stuff" in the fair are guaranteed at least a 3rd Place Ribbon. The kids look forward to seeing all of their creations displayed at the Fair!! Lots of Kodak moments modeling in front of their entries and ribbons! :)Every kid (and adult) also gets a free entry ticket into the Fair.

Tomorrow I'll post my last 2 entries. One is still drying! LOL!!!!!!!

Toodles...........

2 Sonoma County Fair Entries

2010-07-13T14:24:00.000-07:00

It's Sonoma County Fair time again!! :) The kids and I have been entering "stuff" in the fair for several years now. We are putting the finishing touches on our entries. This kid's stuff is almost ready. My stuff???....... I am blowing on my glue and trying to make it dry before we have to turn stuff in tomorrow! LOL

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Here are 2 of my projects. First, a copper leaf "sculpture". I stamped the copper with real grape leaves. (used black acrylic paint) I cut out the leaves by hand. I used the Ten Seconds Studio Salt and Vinegar Chips Patina method. Then I ran all of the leaves through my Big Shot with a different Tim Holtz Texture Fade folder. I did a little sanding.......... sealed with PYMII.........

Then I glued all 4 leaves onto a grape branch. (the branch has been treated with 2 coats of glossy wood sealer)

and......... voila!

Copper Sculpture! ;)

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(you can click on picture for a close up)

Close up of Leaf 1

Close up of Leaf 2

Close up of Leaf 3

Close up of Leaf 4

My second entry this year is a UTEE/Idea-ology Magnet. I used a UTEE piece that I made a long time ago and added some Tim Holtz goodies. :) A quick and fun piece!!

I have 2 more entries that are still drying! I'll post pics of those shortly! :)

Toodles for now!

Colored Pencils on Metal!!?? Why not!! :)

2010-06-29T10:11:00.000-07:00

Yeppers. Another metal experiment. I am a little disappointed in the outcome of this experiment. But, I do think with a few adjustments, it can turn out much better. So........ let me tell you what I did (and show the results) and then I'll tell you what I think it will take to turn out better! :)

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First, I have been smitten by the notion of drawing on metal with colored pencils. I have seen a matte black metal that is designed for drawing. I have not ordered any of the metal because it is rather expensive. Then I thought, why not try and make some out of what I have??!!

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I took some of my Rock Star Black metal from Ten Seconds Studio and sprayed 2 medium coats of PYMII on it. (PYMII is an acrylic sealer.... super fabulous stuff! Great for sealing all sorts of projects, including metal!!) This gives the metal some "tooth" to take the colored pencil.

On the top, the PYMII coated metal. Below (on the scrap piece of metal) colored pencil over untreated metal.

I ran the coated metal through my Big Shot Machine. (used a Cuttlebug folder.... Holly) You can see (sorta) that I debossed the metal. (i.e. the pattern is sunk in on the front and puffed out in the back)

Then I colored in the debossed areas with colored pencil. This is what it looks like unaltered after coloring.

This is the effect you can get if you sand the pattern after coloring. (Obviously you need to be a little more careful with your sanding!! :)

So. Overall, I think the technique has possibilities!! Now, how to make it better??

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1) Freehand embossing should give better results. The 90 degree (almost) angle of the Cuttlebug folder image is too sharp. It is very difficult to color the entire image w/out getting it on the edge of the image. You could try to use extremely sharp pencils to try and avoid this problem. So, next time I will try to do a freehand image and I bet the results will "pop" more off the metal.

2) Two additional coats of PYMII should give a more even coloring surface. I think the pencils will take better with a couple more coats of sealer. Also, using lighter colors obviously will make the image contrast more w/ the black surface.

3) Improve my coloring skills! LOL!! I think this technique could look really beautiful if colored by someone with a little more talent! :)

4) Just a note. This technique could also be done with the Brrrrrrr Blue, Dark Chocolate, Barn Red, and Plum metals. (The darker colors of metal)

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Now, I did try a little somethin' somethin' with a couple of leftover scraps. I think these would make really cool embellishment pieces!!

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I took a piece of the coated metal and used my colored pencil to emboss the image (instead of my paper stump)

Then I sanded the image. You can see the cool colored bits of metal under the sanded image. I think it looks pretty nifty!

Here is another example using a very light blue pencil over the coated black metal. Again, coooooooooooool! :)

So, overall I think my experiment has possibilities! :) Another medium that could be used: Chalk pencils!

Remember that you will have to seal over the colored pencil or chalk after you finish your piece. You can use the PYMII over non-permanent mediums.

A Metal Mosaic Experiment

2010-06-24T15:59:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but I really liked the Mosaic Technique on Taco Tuesday this week. :) Someone on the TSS Yahoo Group suggested that maybe you could put together the mosaic on top of a piece of Humungo Double Sided Tape FIRST, and then die cut the mosaic.

(this was presented by: Lori H aka "llhassle")

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I thought this was a great idea!! I gave it a shot!! :) I decided not to worry about the gaps inbetween the metal pieces. I filled them with "grout"!

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I took a scrap piece of Humungo Tape about 4x4 inches. I peeled the backing off and carefully put on top of my craft sheet. I cut up a bunch of scrap pieces of metal and randomly put them together over the exposed sticky-side of the tape. After I was done, I cut out 4 flower shapes with my Tim Holtz Alterations Die. One medium flower and 3 small flowers. After I cut out the shapes, I filled in the exposed gaps with extra fine glitter. (my grout!) I stuck one small flower over the medium flower and placed a blingy brad in the center. I just added the blingy brad to the other small flowers as well.

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I think they turned out pretty cool! A little funk-i-fied, but cool! :) :) What do you think??!!

TSS Yahoo Group - Our first SWAP! :) ATCs

2010-06-23T14:39:00.000-07:00

Hi! Well, I have set up our first Swap over at the new Ten Seconds Studio Yahoo Group!! We are starting "easy" with some ATCs. I thought I'd share my progress with you as I work through my creations for the swap.

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One of my most favorite "art things" to do is make backgrounds. I just love the freedom of abstract art. Slopping around with paints and inks...... doesn't get much better! :) I came up with an idea to use the TSS molds in my background! (I'm sure many others out there have already done this!:)

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I started with some heavy watercolor paper. I dabbed some of my Starburst Stains onto several of the TSS molds (can you find them??:) Then I "stamped" the molds onto the watercolor paper. There was a lot of puddling and generalized spreading of ink, but you can still make out the basic images of the molds. After the Starburst Stains dried, I did the same thing again with Distress Inks. After that layer dried, I then used my Tim Holtz Blending tool to "fill in" the blank spots with more Distress Ink.

You can see the full sheet here:

(You cannot see the shimmer from the Starburst Stains here.... it is really neat because they peek out from behind the Distress ink...pretty!)

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After all of the inks dried, I then cut 4 base pieces for my ATCs. Here they are!! :)

Who knows what the next step will be?!! That's the fun of it, isn't it??? :) Stay tuned.........

(p.s. If you'd like to join in on the fun, the sign up deadline for the swap is not until July 9. Come join the group and play! :)

Finished the Embossed Dog and made a Mosaic Frame

2010-06-09T15:55:00.000-07:00

Yippie! I actually finished off the "All Dogs Go To Heaven" project that I started with my metal embossing kit for the Cricut from Chomas Creations. The girl I made this for is a hippie wannabe, so I made it in sort of a grungy, tie-dye style. I hope it doesn't make her too sad.......

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I also actually executed a project that I envisioned a while ago! WooHoo!! :) I wanted to make a mosaic frame from UTEE and metal. I thought it would look pretty cool! I used the Ten Seconds Studio molds for the patterns on the UTEE. I did a freehand pattern on the metal. I used Rock Star Black metal and black UTEE. I cut the UTEE pieces while it was still warm. I embossed and sanded the metal and then I cut it up into pieces.

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I took a cheapo square wooden frame that I got from Michael's and covered it with the Humungo 2 sided tape from TSS. I cut out the hole in the middle and trimmed the sides. Then I painted the edges. Now, I SHOULD have painted the frame first...... oh, well.

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I placed all of the pieces of UTEE and metal on the frame. After I got it to look the way I wanted, I filled in all of the spaces with microbeads. I highlighted the UTEE pieces with Perfect Pearls. I touched up around the middle of the frame with some paint. I put in a photo and VOILA.... my altered item project for our local fair! :) :)

Super fun and pretty darn easy!

Is There Such a Thing as Cheating in Art??????

2010-05-25T17:24:00.000-07:00

Yippie!!!! I got to play with my new toy!! I ordered an Embossing Kit for my Cricut Expression! I was hopeful that it would work well on the Ten Seconds Studio metal..... I am NOT disappointed!!! :) I think it turned out great! I feel like I'm cheating!! LOL!! :)

I ordered it here: Chomas Creations

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I know there are those out there that say you can emboss by turning your blade upside down. But, because I plan on embossing metal A LOT, I wanted a dedicated tool for that purpose. To me, this is worth the money! The embossing cartridge is very sturdy and the mat worked great!!

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Here is my first attempt and I'm very pleased!!!!

I wanted to make a card for my daughter's friend who just had to put her doggie down yesterday. She was very attached to the poor poochie, so I hope this will remind her that "All Dogs go to Heaven". (I'll post my final card when I get it done)

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First, I found this cute image online:

Then I converted the image in Inkscape to a file to import into SCAL to cut with my Expression.

(SCAL is a third party software program you can use with your Cricut to cut out shapes. You are not longer restricted to images on the cartridges)

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I set the program to Multi-Cut 3 times. I think 2 would have been enough, but 3 certainly did not hurt anything!! :)

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Here is a close up of the back of the metal after the machine got done embossing.

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Here is what the front looked like after I took it out of the machine.

Notice the roller marks on the image. These are very superficial and I was able to easily erase them.

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Here is the image after I refined it. Terrible pic, but you can see that the roller marks are no where to be seen! :)

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Here is the image trimmed and sanded. I think it turned out cute, don't you??!! :)

Tellin' ya, loving this gizmo!!!! I really think I'll be using it A LOT!!

For all you Metal Heads out there, come join our new Yahoo Group! TenSecondsStudio Yahoo Group

Come play and learn with us!!!!!

C Ya Soon!

Come Join the new Yahoo Group!!! TenSecondsStudio

2010-05-24T09:30:00.000-07:00

You like metal?? You love metal embossing?? Are you a fan of Ten Seconds Studio and Taco Tuesday??? Come join the new Yahoo Group!!! Come share your techniques, experiments, and projects or just lurk and learn!!

See ya there!:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TenSecondsStudio/

Last Teacher Gift 3rd Grade - Lemons to Lemonade!!

2010-05-12T11:13:00.000-07:00

Whew! Talk about ducking under the wire! I just found out yesterday that Miss R.'s last day is THIS FRIDAY!! (Miss R is the student teacher in my son's 3rd grade classroom) She is fabulous and will make an awesome teacher!! The kids love her! I found out that she is a licensed pilot. (Wow!) So, Amelia Earhart was my inspiration for my final teacher gift of this year.

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I designed my layout and then went to embossing some Ten Second Studios metal (this time Brrrrrrrrrrrr Blue.... I thought it was a good "flying" color) I traced the bird and did all of the lettering freehand. The subtle backgrounds are 2 Sizzix texture plates that I have in my stash. :) I really do love this quote and I think it translates well to both a teacher and a pilot! :) :)

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So here is my lemon story. When I was done embossing, refining, sanding and basically all of the time consuming work, I cut out the design to fit the plaque.

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AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

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I could not believe it! I was so totally OFF it was not funny! I was close to tears!!! It looked terrible! "Suck it up, Susan!!" Ok. Regroup. Deeeeeeeeeep breath. (where did I put that Jack Daniels??....... wait, that won't help [ok, it might have made the cut look straight after a while]) I know!! Curvy!! Curvy is good!. So, enter the "curvy" left-hand side distressed with some acrylic paint. Whew!

Lemonade is served!!!!!!!!!!!

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Hope you like it Miss R!!!!!

(click on image for a closer look!)

This piece is sealed with PYMII to protect the paint from being worn or scratched off! Great stuff!!!!!!

Another Teacher Gift! :) I love METAL!!

2010-05-09T17:18:00.000-07:00

Ok. Why can't my son have one teacher like normal kids?? Noooooo........ he has to have 2 teachers and a student teacher in his class!! So, here is Teacher Gift number 2!! (this is for his "Friday" teacher) Mrs. "L." job shares and comes in on Fridays. She is the "fun" teacher! LOL!!! She covers art/science/poetry/current events, etc. She is a great gal and the kids LOVE her! (as well as their M-Th. teacher, Mrs. Brown) She has a thing for shoes and quotes. So, here is the gift that I made for her. I figured a Dr. Seuss quote would be appropriate for a 3rd grade teacher.

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I used the FABBY new metal color "Peacock" from Ten Second Studios. It is a beautiful color. It reminds me of Hawaii and tropical flowers. I found the flip flop image and the poem online. I designed my layout and then embossed away! :) I used the TSS flower mold for the background and the flip flops have a Sizzix plate design on them. I did puff the straps of the flip flops, so I spackled the back. Note to self: let spackle dry BEFORE you try and adhere double sided tape.

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Thanks for a great year, Mrs. L! Hope you like it!

This piece is sealed with PYMII to protect the paint from being worn or scratched off! Great stuff!!!!!!

Metal Flowers: C.R.A.P.

2010-05-06T13:59:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been inspired! :) I was watching the Taco Tuesday over at Ten Second Studios this week. They had an awesome tutorial on making metal flowers. You can see it here: http://www.tensecondsstudio.com/videos/050410.html

I really liked the flowers made in the tut, but wanted to try something a little different. Then I saw another great tutorial on a blog: Crafting in Croatia on how to make rosettes from paper spirals.

I decided to combine the two and I came up with my version of a metal flower.

I dub thee: C.R.A.P.! California Rosettes and Peonies (LOL ok, a stretch, but I had to make the acronym work! hee hee)

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I cut a piece of square metal, embossed a quickie pattern on it with one of my Ten Second pattern molds, sanded the metal, cut a freehand spiral with patterned scissors, and rolled it up like in the Nina B Designs blog tutorial. I worked the metal quite a bit after it was rolled..... bending and squishing and "fine tuning" the flowers. I added a little bling in the middle .........and........... voila!

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Whattya think???????
(click photo to see more detail)

Stamped Blog Candy!! (Some Cards n' Stuff.......)

2010-04-16T13:27:00.000-07:00

APRIL 23, 2010
**WINNER!!**
FibreJunky said...

What a nice thing to do!!
Carole
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Carol, I'm sending you an email.. Send me your snail mail addy and I'll get your candy out to you!!
Thanks to all who "played" this week. I'll be posting MORE candy on Monday! ;)
Hi All!

I have decided to give away some of the cards and tags I have made over the years. Hopefully they can go to homes where they will be appreciated and not sit in a lonely box in the closet!!! :) :)

For a chance to win this group of cards/ATCs/tags, just leave comment and I'll draw a name at random next Friday. (April 23, 2010) Make sure you leave your email address so I can contact you next week to get your address!!!! :)

***If you are feeling creative and like GRAB BAGS, check out my auction on Ebay. I'm "cleanin' out the stamping drawers"!! Awesome stamps.... many retired or from companies no longer in business!!!***

You can see the listing here:

http://shop.ebay.com/boog_dog/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686

Have a great weekend!!!!!

xoxoxoooxoo

More Metal and THANKS, CHERYL!! :)

2010-04-08T13:05:00.000-07:00

Well! I'm very excited to have a shout out from Cheryl Darrow over at Ten Seconds Studio's Blog! Thanks!!!! Kyle and I are loving our metal and playing with it!! (Kyle has his own paper stump and burnishing block) Here are a couple of pieces that my son, Kyle, has done. (and, for the record, he is 9 :) :)

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Here, Kyle used decorative wheels to emboss a "cover" for his DSi gaming system. No one will mistake Kyle's game for their own! :)

This sign will be hung on Kyle's bedroom door. Very important, girls, that you have a ticket to enter...... I'll have to find out if Mom's get a waiver.

Here is Kyle and his latest creation. A Super Mario characature for his wall. (we may frame and put in the living room! :)

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Here are 2 pieces that I recently finished. I just love this saying!! LOL!!! For any of you out there with teenage children, you know what this is all about!! This will hang on my daughter's bathroom door! :)

And, here is a Monogram. I'm not too crazy about how it turned out, but I finished it off anyway. I like the color combo......just not too crazy about the entire piece. But, what the hey......... I can always "enhance" it later!! :) :) :)

Off to sort through my new birthday toys that came in the last couple of days!!!!! Hasta la pasta!

xoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxo

Early Teacher Gift - Metalized Coffee Plaque

2010-04-02T15:41:00.000-07:00

I've had this idea swirling around in my head for quite a while. My son's 3rd Grade teacher is quite the Starbuck's Maven. I envisioned a coffee cup and coffee terms on a plaque for her wall. I hope she likes it! :)

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I used the Ten Seconds Studio Dark Chocolate metal for my piece. The coffee cup image is actually a cut file that this INCREDIBLY talented man created. You can see oodles of fabulous images designed by this man on his blog here: http://scale-files.blogspot.com/ Thanks, Paulo!!! :)

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I printed out his image and then traced onto tracing paper. Then I taped the tracing paper to the back of the metal and used my refining tool to outline the image onto the metal. I then "freehanded" the lines and sayings on the front of the metal. Therefore the coffee cup image is embossed on the front and the lines and sayings are debossed. :) :) I then sanded the entire piece, wiped clean and adhered to a Big Lots Plaque I bought for $1.25!! :) (It had this awful image of an apricot on it.... it just peeled right off! :) I glued a piece of wallpaper to the back and then added the eyes for the hanging wire.
As a final touch, I sealed the entire piece with Preserve Your Memories II. Because the piece is uncovered and may be touched, (who doesn't want to touch metal and feel the "ins and outs"?? :) I wanted to make sure that the piece is protected. PYMII is a fantastic product for protecting and sealing ALL sorts of projects. Paper, metal, clay, waterbased inks and paints, pencil and graphite.... the whole enchilada!! LOVE IT!! :)

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Mrs. Brown Plaque Front

CLICK PHOTO TO SEE LARGER IMAGE

Mrs Brown Plaque back:

Hope you like it, Mrs. Brown!! :) :) Happy EARLY end of the year!

More Embossed Metal..... Purty Flowers

2010-03-24T15:52:00.000-07:00

Holy Posting, Batman! 2 in one day????? I think I'm done for the year! LOL

Here are a few more pieces I did the other day on my "art play day". I took some aluminum sheet metal (in a roll) and cut out shapes with my Sizzix Big Kick. Then I embossed the metal using Ten Seconds Studio molds and a couple of Cuttlebug Embossing folders. Then I painted with the Tim Holtz Adirondack Paint Dabbers(by Ranger). Love the colors of this paint!! :) After the paint dried, I sanded the flowers/leaves so the embossed pattern shows up nicely! :)

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The great thing about using metal is that you can then bend and fold the pieces to give a really nice 3D effect. I have the flowers/leaves arranged on a canvas board that I colored waaaaaaaaay back when dinos walked the earth. I do believe I used some of my homemade color wash on it! :) Now, I just need to find the perfect photo and frame it up!!!!

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8x10 Canvas board with metal flowers:

Close up of the flowers and leaves:

Heavy Moving and Metal!!

2010-03-24T09:47:00.000-07:00

Well, let's see............

Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy MLK Day, Happy Presidents Day, Happy Valentines Day, and Happy St. Patty's Day. Whew!!!! I think I'm all caught up now! :)

Let's just say.........moving is NOT fun!!

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Waaaaaaaaay back in December, I got a whole bunch of Ten Seconds Studios toys for Xmas. (If you have not seen a "Taco Tuesday", you must go check out the site!! Fantastic product and tutorials....and, a terrific blog!!) I have finally been able to find some time to play with them a little. Here is one piece I did. I just have to find the rest of my "stuff" so I can mount it for a wall display! :)

I started with a Fred Mullett fish stamped on the back of the metal in StazOn ink. I then embossed the outline, fins, and face. I was going to try and emboss all of the little scales, but decided that my refiner was not small enough to do them justice. So, I improvised and "filled in" my fish with one of Ten Seconds Studios molds. (Big Mama Alphabet Mold: BM05) Then I refined, sanded, and did a touch of Payne's Grey acrylic paint over the image. I then used one of my texture wheels to add the "water" around the fish. I'm pretty happy with it for my first try! :)

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Here is the stamped image of the fish on the back of the metal:

Here is the front:

Gary Farrell Art Show!!!!! WooooHooooo!!

2009-11-02T12:27:00.000-08:00

OMGosh!! I have been stressing and working for months on my pieces for my first art showing! :) My friend, Sherre, and I have the November Art Display in the Gary Farrell tasting room!! It is very exciting!!!!! I was able to finalize my last pieces THIS MORNING!!!! (lol... how typical!!)

Here is the tasting room and our pieces! :) Come by in person if you are local..... it's a GORGEOUS tasting room!!

(p.s. Thanks, Mom!! for helping us set up!!)

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Leaf prints on cotton panel by me, grape painting by Sherre, small leaf print by me:

Framed leaf prints by me:

Paper collage by Sherre:

Grapes by Sherre, Leaves by me:

Same wall, different angle:

Leaf print and embossed copper leaves on grape branches by me, grape paintings by Sherre:

Embossed copper leaves by me:

Close up of one of my embossed copper leaves and grape branch:

Overall, I'm very pleased on how the room turned out!! Sherre's pieces are fabulous and I think our work compliments each other nicely! A big pat on our backs, Sherre!!!!! Yay, us! :)

(p.s. all of my prints and canvas pieces are protected with PYMII. I really have to plug them here.... fantastic product for protecting your work!! check it out here: http://www.precision-blue.com/)

Blog Candy Link and Checkin In

2009-10-18T15:17:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to say HI! I have not fallen off the planet, but I'm trying to spend all of my spare time on some art projects for a November deadline. I'm still quite BEHIND!!!! :)

However, since one can never have too much stuff, here is a link to some awesome blog candy!!!! Check it out and Happy October!

http://twinklesglow-glowbug.blogspot.com/2009/09/birthday-blog-candy.html

xoxooxoxooxoxxo

Susan

An ATP Swap! :)

2009-09-08T17:53:00.000-07:00

Hi All! :)

School is in session and I'm hoping to get back to some creating!! (I better find some time because I have a showing in the Gary Farrell Winery tasting room in November!!)

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Here is my latest creation. An "Artists Trading Pin" for a swap over at the Arttechniques Yahoo Group. I used some "starts" I had from my Tim Holtz class a few months ago. I "jazzed" them up a little and ....... voila! a pin! :)

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The flower is made from Grunge Paper, a button, a little wire, flower die cuts, Glimmer Mist, Radiant Rain, Distress Inks, Archival Inks, and rubber stamps. The butterfly is Grunge Board, Distress Inks and Stickles, and some Mica Magic Ink.

Hope my partner enjoys her pin!!!!! :)

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Click on the Pic for a nice close up!

Woo Hoo!! Some Cool-io new Cutting Files!! :)

2009-08-23T14:29:00.000-07:00

I watched a great tutorial today on how to create a Pattern Around a Path in Inkscape. Ok, that may sound like Martian-speak to some, but it means that I can now create almost an unlimited amount of "neato" frames, borders and mats! Yippie!!!!

A huge thank you and shout out to "ScrappyDew" for the fantastic tutorial!!!!

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Here are the creations I made today after watching the tutorial. If your cutting system uses .svg files OR if you can convert .svg files to a format you can use......please feel free to download the files!! I sure hope someone can use them!!! :) :) :)

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Would love to see your projects if you use the files. Drop me a line and let me know!!

Ornate Mat or Frame.

You can download the .svg here!

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Square Star Frame or Mat.

You can download the .svg Here!

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Sun/Flower Frame or Mat.

You can download the .svg HERE

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Saw Blade Shape Frame or Mat.

You can download the .svg HERE

2 Cards for the Sonoma County Fair

2009-07-15T14:13:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone!!!

I always try to enter a few projects in our local County fair. This year I made 2 cards, a magnet, a pin, and an altered laminate tag.

Here are the 2 cards.

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The first (the rose card) is entered under the "simple" category. Only paper and ink are allowed. I just love this rose image from Toybox Art Stamps! :) The colors are a bit bright, but it was fun to put together!!

I stamped the rose with clear embossing ink and colored by chalk pouncing. I then overstamped the rose with white pigment ink.

The second card is entered under the "embellished" category. All materials are allowed. I made this tag a few months ago and liked it enough to use it as the focal point of my card. I added some layers, corner punches, and colored edging and that is about it.

Normally both my kids enter items in the fair, too. This year my daughter has 3 big summer assignments due the first day of 9th grade. She is only entering veggies and herbs this year. My son made a "mini bullwhip", 2 lego creations, and a diorama. He'll also enter veggies/herbs and some chocolate chip cookies. We always have a lot of fun trying to find all of our creations at the fair!!

Thanks for looking!

xoxoxoxoo

Some "Request" Aperture Cards

2009-06-25T17:02:00.000-07:00

Hi there, folks!! Long time, no blog! ;)

Between end of the school year in May, vacation and kids home in June.... it has not been a very productive "art time" for me.

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I had a special request from my Mom to make some cards for one of her dear friend's birthday. Well, who can turn down Mom?!! (not to mention her friend, a wonderful lady!!)

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So, here they are. More Aperture Cards cut with my Cricut and designed with the software: Sure Cuts A Lot. I had a lot of fun putting the cards together and I like the look with the corner cuts. (by golly, I might have to get a few more! LOL!!) I also used some of the paper scraps on the envelopes. Just a small strip of paper across the bottom corner, but I think it adds that little extra "something". :)

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Peg likes bright colors, so I think she'll be pleased. :)

2nd Grade Teacher Gift

2009-05-20T10:22:00.000-07:00

Wow! Where has time gone?? It's the end of another school year. My son's class took a fun field trip to Safari West. A very unique wild animal preserve right in our own backyard! The private owners have over 400 acres and house several birds and mammals from Africa and Asia. (including giraffe, many different antelope, rhinos, cheetahs, flamingos, and oodles of other critters) It is a wonderful place to take the kids and the owners of the park offer very reasonable rates to school groups!

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Here is the teacher gift I made from a class group picture taken at Safari West. Not the greatest pic, but I think Mrs. Maas will like it! :)

I used my Cricut and some cool jungle-themed papers that I have had tucked away for months.

Now........to start thinking about Summer Vacation! :)

xoxooxoxooxoxo

Susan

A Day with Tim!

2009-04-19T16:53:00.000-07:00

Well, it has come and gone! The 2 classes I took with Tim Holtz..... what a BLAST!!!!

I know you have heard it a million times before, but the man is incredible! Both classes that I took were fantastic. A non-stop creative marathon! If you ever, ever, ever, ever get a chance to take a class with Tim, leap at the opportunity!!! He is positive, patient, funny, well-prepared, generous beyond words, and extremely approachable, helpful, and encouraging!

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Here is a run down of the day:

Sherre (my art buddy and partner in crime) and I took off at 7:30am to head to class. We arrived early and got a little coffee and bagel. We were allowed to check in for class and grab our seats early. Got both got great "front row" seats! ;)

The classroom was big enough for all 50 student with room to spare. Thanks to Scrapbook Territory for holding the classes in such a wonderful space!!!!

Our first class was : Idea-ology Intrigue - A class of working with Tim's Idea-ology line of products. We completed 6 (yes, 6!!!) projects!!! We were all given complete kits for each project and we worked through all of them in the 3 hour allotment with 1 minute to spare! :)

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Class supplies and set up:

Complete kits for each project.

Tim's class samples on display.

Tim displaying the project we were going to work on next:

Here are the creations that I made during this class. Aren't they all wonderful??!! I do LOVE the Memory Glass Collage piece. The Grunge Paper Flower/Ornate Plate is pretty darn skippy as well!! :) Ok, they are all great!!! :)

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Birdhouse Pin made with Box Corner for roof.

(Remember, you can click on the individual pics for a close up view!)

((Sidebar comment for those of you who attended class: I could NOT get that pretty black ribbon to tie into a straight "blankity-blank" bow, so I opted for the pink bird charm! LOL!! I think it looks cute! ))

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Simple, yet gorgeous Sprocket pendant.

Memory Glass Collage pendant

Grunge Paper Flower and Ornate Plate pendant.

Ornate Plate and Keyhole pendant.

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Whew!!! We all needed a good leg stretch, lunch, and little "pick-me-up" break between classes:

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After lunch, it was on to the next class: Generation Grunge! If you have ever wondered what you can do with Grunge Board and/or Grunge Paper, this class is for YOU! :)

Here is a terrific sample of Grunge Flowers that Tim had displayed: Aren't they beautiful?????

((**You really must click on this pic to see the detail!! Fab!!**))

Here is Tim's sample of what we were to make in class: A fantastic Grunge Board Memory Book:

Here is our class set up and project kit:

This class was VERY intense and the 4 hours FLEW by!!! We were able to get our base book done and several embellishments completed. I don't think anyone was able to finish (or even start) decorating their books. The whole point of the class, however, was to show us WHAT you can do with Grunge Board/Paper .... and we learned tons of different techniques!!!! Thanks, Tim!!!!!!!!!!

Here I am working away on my book!! Our workspaces were QUITE messy during this class! LOL!!! :)

Sherre concentrating on peeling the excess paper off of one of her pages.

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We were QUITE worn out towards the end of class (in a good way! :) Scrapbook Territory had the answer.................

You want an instant "pick-me-up"?? Forget the caffeine.....go for the sugar!!

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Here are my pages and embellishments that I created in class. I'm looking forward to completing my book and I'll post my final version when I do! :)

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It was an absolutely unforgettable day! I just cannot recommend Tim enough as a teacher. He is fantastic.

Behind every great teacher is his support system. James Brown may have been the hardest working man in Show Biz, but I can tell you that Mario is the hardest working man in "Mixed Media"!! THANK YOU, MARIO, FOR YOUR UNWAVERING SUPPORT!!! This man was running around like crazy all day helping students, assisting Tim, and basically doing whatever needed to be done!! I'm sure Tim could not do any of his classes without Mario!

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Here we are at the end of the day! Exhausted and happy beyond belief! What an awesome day!!!!!!!!

Does this guy ever take a bad photo? I don't think so. He may be the most photogenic person I've ever met!!!! :)

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On a personal note: Tim mentioned in class that he designs his products with other "crafters" in mind. (I must say he does live up to that promise.....!!) I found it curious that he would refer to himself as a crafter. To me he has the heart and soul of a true artist. He's openly generous with his creativity and talent. He holds nothing back and makes it quite clear that his creations, inventions, and ideas are free for us to share with each other......... he is a true inspiration.

One More Grungy Tag Before Tim Holtz Classes!! :)

2009-04-17T09:26:00.000-07:00

Here is my last post before I take 2 Tim Holtz classes! I'm sooooooooooooo excited to meet him in person AND take 2 fun classes from him! WooHooooooo! You can check out the class samples here: http://timholtz.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/04/workshop-samples.html

My friend (Sherre) and I are taking the Generation Grunge and the Idea-ology Intrigue classes! :)

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This tag is distressed with lots of ink. The yellow images in the background are a small tree image. The focal image, saying (and the tree) are all from I Brake for Stamps. I found some flowers, fibers, and the key in my stash to add as finishing touches. :)

Another Distressy/Grungy Tag! :)

2009-04-14T10:57:00.000-07:00

Not so much Grungy as "Distressy". All inks are Distress inks. Who knew that I had colors that coordinated so well with the flower and the inks?!! LOL. I guess that if you have enough "stuff" in your storage area, you never know what you might find!!! :)

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The background is the focal image stamped. I inked the stamp and then spritzed the rubber with water. Made a nice diffused, distressy background. (You can see a little of the background through the flower as well) Edges are distressed with ink and a little brad and fiber embellishment!

Image is from the Time to Stamp collection at I Brake for Stamps

Off for a Long Weekend!!

2009-04-09T13:34:00.000-07:00

Enjoy your holiday!! Will be back soon!

xooxo

Susan

aka The Artful Mama

In the meantime, here is a lovely quote for you to ponder:

"Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere."

Albert Einstein

Get your Grunge On!!

2009-04-07T18:59:00.001-07:00

My art buddy, Sherre, and I are attending 2 Tim Holtz classes on April 18 at Scrapbook Territory in Berkeley, CA. (will we see YOU there?????)

Thought I better start working with some "Grungy" themes to prepare for class! :) (wow, tough homework! LOL!!)

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Here is my first tag.

Chipboard flowers, manilla tag, oodles of Distress inks and images by I Brake for Stamps. Oh, and a smidge of Distress Stickles in the middle of the flowers.

Had fun with the colors!!

Should have a couple more creations to post within the next couple of days! :)

You can click on the photo for a more detailed view!

Bloom Where you Grow

2009-03-27T12:09:00.001-07:00

Well, this is definitely outside of my comfort zone. I HATE my handwriting. I decided to do a small 5x5 inch canvas piece with my writing on it. Thought it would be a "good for me" type-of-thing. Still hate it.......... LOL

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I love these UTEE pieces, though!! Great colors...... and hey, I needed to use that pink canvas that I had sitting on a shelf in my room for, oh, a YEAR!!!

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The UTEE pieces are made by placing a "greased up*" cookie cutter on a rubber stamp (all stamp textures are by I Brake for Stamps) and pouring the UTEE into the cutter directly onto the rubber stamp. I love how the leaves turned out. The flower is a rather subtle image, but I still like it! :)

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The blue edges are Marvy Metallic Paint Pen and the icky handwriting is Sharpie.

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Thank you for participating in my failed therapy session! :)

You'll always be my friend..........

2009-03-23T22:32:00.000-07:00

Isn't she a hoot???!! :)

I got some really fun rubber from I Brake for Stamps!! Great humorous images and wonderfully sarcastic and funny sayings! Right up my alley!!

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Here is my first one:

Made by stamping the image on white paper and coloring with pencils. Cut her out. She is perched on top of one of my Homemade Color Wash Spray backgrounds. She is complete with bling and a cocktail...... my kinda gal!

More UTEE!! Instant Art Transfers in Memory Glass Frames! ;)

2009-03-13T06:34:00.000-07:00

More projects from my Art Day with my bud, Sherre!! :)

I have done Instant Art Transfers with UTEE before. Suze has a tutorial on her website here: Instant Art Transferz

I decided to try a little twist. Now, I'm sure that some of you out there have already done this, but I was excited to try something new! :) :) :)

Instead of using a cookie cutter, I decided to use a Memory Glass Frame!! I was really happy with the outcome!! Voila! Instant Mother's Day gift! :) :)

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I used Laser copies of some old family photos. After washing the paper off the back (NO, I did NOT get all of the white fuzzies off.......) and letting the piece dry, I painted the back with a thick layer of Iridescent White Acrylic paint.

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Here is my first result. Whatta great looking coupla kids, huh??!! Get a load of our first dog!!! :)

I did decide to do a couple of pieces with some cookie cutters as well. I finished the same way with the acrylic paint on the back. I think I will get a small frame and mount these for a wall hanging.

((Remember!!! "Clear" UTEE is not inherently clear. It has an amber tone. The longer you let it cook, the more amber it will get. So, if you want a "clear" looking piece, you must pour your UTEE right after it melts!!))

Also decided that I would try a collage piece! Why not?! I just layered torn pieces of images, laid the frame over them and poured the UTEE on top. I think this has great possibilities for some very fun projects!!! :)

Comments always welcome!!! :)

UTEE, Memory Glass Frames, and Stamps. A Love Triangle!

2009-03-11T09:43:00.001-07:00

I had an "Art Day" with my good friend, Sherre, yesterday. I decided to work with UTEE! I haven't had my pot out in months and months!! I was long overdue for some UTEE play!!! ;)

I have seen the Suze Weinberg YouTube video about using Memory Frames, Rubber, and UTEE...... decided to give it a whirl!

Here are my results!! :)

You can see Suze's video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6Ba33m3wjo

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Rubber by: I Brake for Stamps. (This is the Old Strawberry Tree stamp sideways! :)

Rubber by: Toybox Art Stamps (Mable background stamp)

Rubber by: Toybox Art Stamps (Plumeria floral stamp)

Thanks for looking!! :)

Gate Fold Pop-Up Card!

2009-03-04T15:51:00.000-08:00

Well, another online find. I was visiting the blog: Capadia Designs. She posted about a Gate Fold Pop-Up Card that she had seen on a video!! :) I looked through her tutorial and decided that I would try an Aperture Card in the middle instead of a solid image.

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Overall, I'm pretty happy with the results!! I'm planning on sending this card to my friend, Sharri. Good thing, too....... I don't know too many women that spell their name like that! :) :)
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I did all of the cutting with my Cricut (designed the cuts in Inkscape) and my new little Mini Scor It was quite helpful with the folds!! :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SHARRI!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the great inspiration, Diane!!! :)

Diamond Fold Card!

2009-03-03T16:54:00.000-08:00

I discovered this great YouTube video on how to make a Diamond Fold Card! (Thanks to Jane at the Yahoo Group: DieCutsAll) I think it is really fun AND it's easy! (how can you pass up that combo??) Here is my first try.

All inks are Distress and all images are from I Brake for Stamps.

I had a little difficulty getting my folds just right, but not too bad for a first attempt! :)

Thanks for looking!! :)

Comments welcome!

My Cricut Expression Dust Cover! WooHoo!!!

2009-03-02T14:19:00.001-08:00

I love my new Cricut Expression dust cover!! I was looking for a heavier fabric and I ran across this great site! The fabric is a dark SPARKLY denim. I also like the fact that there is elastic around the bottom to hold the cover securely in place. The uber-cool thing is that she will personalize the cover for you!! Well, no names or initials for me... I had to have an "art quote". It is a partial quote by an unknown author... but, an appropriate reminder for me when I am creating!! :)

Not only does she make covers for Cricuts, but oodles of other machines as well!! Check out her site here: Cover Crafters She has lots of fabric choices, reasonable pricing and shipping rates, and great service!!

I Failed!!! What about you???

2009-03-02T10:47:00.001-08:00

Well, no great loss, I suppose! LOL!!! :)

Created by Train Horns

Created a New Image to cut with my Cricut and SCAL!!

2009-02-28T00:15:00.000-08:00

New image to cut with my Cricut!!! Hibiscus Flower Frame! Woo Hoo!!

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I would like to thank "Karma" from the blog: Crazy Cricut Cutz. Specifically THIS blog post she had on how she makes border frames for her scrapbooking.

http://crazycricutcutz.blogspot.com/2009/02/how-i-make-my-border-frames.html

I was so inspired that I decided to give it a go!! Here is my first result! :) Thought it would be fun for some of those Hawaii pics (from about 13 years ago!!! -- Yikes!)

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If you like the frame, you can download it from here: (You have to cut with an electric die cutting machine that is compatible for cutting an .svg file -- i.e. Using your Cricut and SCAL)

Hibiscus Frame

Tree ATC -- Post Number 100! Wow!!

2009-02-27T13:22:00.000-08:00

I don't usually make ATCs. I find the small work area intimidating. Well, I stamped this tree (I Brake for Stamps) onto this nifty little chalk ink background I made with the intention of making a card.

I decided that the tree would stand out better in a smaller venue.

So.....here we are.... an Artful Mama ATC. Write this day down, probably won't happen again for a while! LOL!!!

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I used chalk inks to make the background. I just smeared them around a bit. I also stamped the tree image with chalk inks. I used about 4 different colors on the stamp... all in the orangy-brown family. I inked the edges of the layers with Distress Inks. I like the contrast between the subtle chalk inks and the ka-pow of the distress inks. Distress inks are really quite bright and intense!! The sentiment is a rub on ( I thought it was fitting of an old, mighty oak tree) The flourish in the corner is grungeboard colored with distress ink and then smeared with distress stickles. :)

I suppose I should have a little giveaway for my 100th post! Whoopie! Leave a comment with your email address and I'll draw a random winner next Friday, March 6. I'll send the winner this ATC and a few other little goodies!! :)

Thanks for following along with me on my artistic journey!!

Pop Up Box In Action!!! :)

2009-02-25T13:41:00.000-08:00

Here is my pop up box in action!! Can you tell that I'm tickled pink??! :)

My First Pop Up Hexagon Ball! :)

2009-02-23T11:16:00.001-08:00

Hi!!

Well, I was watching one of the special QVC crafting shows last week. I was absolutely SMITTEN by the new Sizzix "Pop Up Ball" Die that is being released next month!! But, wait!! I have a super, spectacular, magnificent, NEW, electronic cutting machine!

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I cannot tell you how fabulous the online arts n craft community is!!! I posted a query on some of my online groups looking for a pattern or template for this nifty new ball that I saw on QVC. Before the end of the day, I had a pattern that was already set up to cut on my new Cricut!

LIFE IS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!!

(now, mind you, I may still buy the new Sizzix die, (uh, for my birthday??) it looks like you can use it to pop up other items and not just use it to make the Pop Up Ball.)

What?!!! You want to see the ball too?????? :) You can see the QVC video demo here: [[warning!! Get your credit card ready!!]]

Sizzix Bigz Pop Up Die

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Here is what I made with the pattern that was shared with me! I cut out the pattern and all of the pieces with my cricut. The exceptions are the chipboard flowers on the top and bottom. I had those in my stash already (I used something I already had! WoooooHoooooooo!!)

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This is a birthday gift for my son's teacher. Hope she likes it! :)

Here is another resource for those of you who are visual learners. (Like ME!)

This woman posted the making of the pattern on her blog as well as how to assemble! The blog is in German, but you can either just look at the pics or you can always translate the blog. :)

JennyReds Blog

Music Tag

2009-02-19T10:22:00.000-08:00

Got these fun music stamps from I Brake for Stamps. Both my husband and my daughter are very musically inclined, (I'm a designated "groupie") so I made this fun tag.

All done with distress inks except the words. I printed those out with my lable maker (way fun! :) and colored with a little StazOn. Fibers from my stash..... I think I have enough fibers to last until 2012. But, you know, you HAVE to have a color to go with just about anything, right?!!?

2 New Cards! :)

2009-02-12T10:03:00.001-08:00

Fun with a Cuttlebug embossing folder and stamps.

I ran this "groovy" background paper through my Big Kick. The embossing folders work great in the Big Kick! I really like how defined the embossed images can be seen.... even on this wild paper! :)

The edges are distressed with Distress inks and the image is stamped in Chalk Ink. (The image is from one of the collections over at I Brake for Stamps!)

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I also made a card for my nephew with SCAL (Sure Cuts A Lot) software and my Cricut. Overall I was pretty happy with how it turned out! I was very proud of myself for figuring out how to "curve" the letters for his name! LOL!! :)

I glued black cardstock behind the cutouts to try and get the image to "pop".

Definitely still enamored and having fun with my new "cutting" toy! :)

Yes! Another tag! :)

2009-02-06T18:05:00.000-08:00

More "tag-mania". Just havin' fun with my distress inks and tags. I finally got some of the new Distress Stickles....... I'll have to have a play with them soon, too! Also spent some time watching Tim Holtz demo some of his new "toys" at CHA via YouTube. More stuff to "wish for"! :)

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The main image is from I Brake for Stamps. (Isn't it sweet?? :)

The swirls are a stencil! :)

Cool Stuff on Ebay. Cricut, Rubber Stamps, Sizzlets, and Sizzix Embossing Folders and MORE!

2009-01-31T17:04:00.001-08:00

A true purge of artistic supplies! :) A nice variety of supplies for sale. Please take a gander if you are interested! :)

Toybox Art Stamps, Ink & The Dog, PaperArtsy, Stampsmith, 2nd Star to the Right, and more to be listed soon rubber. Sizzix and Cricut Supplies. You just never know what you might find! :)

Thanks for looking here: http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZboog_dog

Blog Candy - More Fun with Distress Inks

2009-01-15T10:38:00.000-08:00

**A Late Update.....the winner of the tag is: Sherry Goodloe

Congrats and thanks to all for playing!!!!***

More fun with Distress Inks over the holiday break! :) All of the images are from I Brake for Stamps. I had so much fun w/ the inks that I orders a few more with some Christmas money I had! ;)

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I sponged the base color over the entire tag and then stamped over a stencil in the opposite corners. I stamped all of the images over that and then added the rose rub-on in the corner of the girl image. I like how the stencil shows subtly under her dress. All by design, of course, HAAAAA!!!! :) Added some fibers from my stash and....... voila! :)

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO WIN THIS TAG, JUST POST A COMMENT WITH YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS INCLUDED. I'LL DRAW A RANDOM WINNER ON MONDAY, JAN 19 AT 12:00N PACIFIC TIME. You may leave an annonymous comment on my blog.....just remember to include your email address! :)
Thanks for looking!!
xoxooxoxoxoxo

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*******

p.s. I still have several Ephemera packs and Assemblage, Collage, Altered Art Supply Boxes available on Ebay!!!! Check 'em out here:

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZboog_dog

*****

Name Notecards! More FUN!!!!

2009-01-13T17:28:00.000-08:00

Here I am again with some more Cricut/SCAL Cards! :)

Heather over at the SureCutsALotUsers Yahoo group was delightful enough to post a wonderful tutorial on how to design and create "Name Notecards". I was thrilled that I was able to produce my own cards from her VERY CLEAR instructions! Thanks, Heather!!!!!

Here is a prototype card I made for my Mom. I think it turned out really pretty. There are so many possibilities with this design....it's really mind-boggling! :)

This card is done the same basic way. The wolf in the center is a "font/dingbat" that I found. Then I added the monogram "M" cut on the side. This is a prototype for my son's 2nd grade teacher. The school mascot is a Wolf Cub! :) Thought she would have fun using these to send notes from school, etc.

If you haven't noticed, I've been having waaaaaay too much fun with my Cricut! :) On the other hand, YIPPIE! A TOY THAT I'M ACTUALLY USING!!!! LOL!!! :)

Free Flying Pig SVG File for your Cricut! :)

2009-01-08T11:28:00.000-08:00

I converted an image to an .svg today! As London Tipton would say "Yay, me!" I just love flying pigs. Maybe you can use one, too! :)

Here is a pic:

You can download the image here:

Flying Pig Svg File

Distress Ink and Tag Fun -- Giveaway!!! :)

2009-01-08T09:09:00.000-08:00

***UPDATE***

The winner of the tag is: Hope
"This is so pretty... You are always such an inspiration!"

abbyroad2000@yahoo.com

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO LEFT SUCH LOVELY COMMENTS!!! STAY TUNED FOR ANOTHER GIVEAWAY, SOON!! :)

Over the Christmas Break I was able to make a few tags and cards. Here is a pear tag I made.

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Crumpled the tag, applied distress inks w/ the sponge blender tool thingy, stamped text and pear (I Brake for Stamps), added some doodling w/ my Inksentials Pen, and attached some fibers. Quick and fun! :)

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I would like to send this tag to YOU! :) If you are interested, just leave a comment WITH YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS and I will draw a random name from the list on Monday, Jan 12, 11am Pacific Time.

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Thanks!!!! xoxoxooxooxo

Cricut and SCAL - Silhouette of my Son

2009-01-06T16:39:00.000-08:00

Oh boy!!!

I'm pretty excited! I decided to go with a "low tech" method of getting the silhouette of my son's baby photo. I decided that my learning curve on how to do this in Inkscape is WAAAAY too steep. So here is what I decided to do:

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1) Convert the photo to black and white.

2) Printed out the photo on text weight paper.

3) Got an overhead transparency and a sharpie and traced the lines that I wanted cut.

4) Took a photo of my drawing (yes, I know! I need to get a good scanner!!!)

5) Re-edited the photo of my drawing to darken the black.

6) Uploaded the .jpg image of my drawing into Inkscape

7) Converted the image to an .svg file

8) Cut it out!!!!!!!!!!!

WOOOOO-HOOOOOOOOOO!!!

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I would love to make a t-shirt using this cut out as a stencil. I'll let you know if I am able to get it to work!!!

Here is the black and white photo: Is this a "prom night pic" or what?!! I LOVE this picture!!

Here is the pic of the drawing I made:

Here is the cut on vinyl. Yes. It did take forever to cut, but IT CUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) Yippie! I'm really, really happy with it!!!!!!!!!!!

Ephemera Packs Finally on Ebay!! :)

2009-01-06T13:33:00.000-08:00

Finally got some Ephemera packed up for sale on Ebay! If you'd like to take a gander you can see the listing here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200296144773

I have started with 10 packs, but, trust me........there will be MORE!!! :)

Thanks!!!!!

xoxooxo

Susan

Cricut and "SCAL" -- My First Original Art to Cut out! WooooHoooo!!!!

2009-01-05T10:39:00.000-08:00

I took the plunge and purchased a software called "Sure Cuts A Lot" for my new Cricut Create machine. (Check out what the software can do here!) I dilly-dallied around the holidays before giving it a go. I finally got it uploaded and did a few test cuts using a "dingbat" font (this is a font that has a shape). It was a silhouette of a pelican.....turned out great! Then I tested a stencil font and that also turned out fabulous.

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Now, the REAL reason I got this "SCAL" software is to cut my own designs and (hopefully) make stencils out of family photos. You have to convert your .jpg images to an .svg image (SCAL can only read 2 types of images: .svg ( Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) a file format for describing two-dimensional vector graphics, both static and animated) and .scut (this is an image proprietary to SCAL)
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No, I have not gone computer programming wonky. I have no idea how most of these images work, but I DO know how to find good tutorials for lay-people like me!!!!! :) My first attempt at producing my own art was to cut is a silhouette image of my dog. (a caricature, as it were) I hand drew an image, took a photo, edited the photo to enhance the "darkness" of the silhouette, converted it to an .svg file via a free down loadable software called Inkscape, and then cut it out with my Cricut Create using the SCAL software!!!! (whew...........) It may sound a little complicated, but trust me, it was really easy!!!!!!!!!!
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Here we go................!!

First, here is my subject. Isn't he handsome???? Hard to see, but he has a quite pronounced brindle (thus the stripes and his name: Tiger) He also has a very curly tail. :)

Here is my outcome.

Original drawing on the right, Cricut cut out in vinyl on the left. I think it looks pretty darn skippy!!!!!!

I have ordered some black and white "sign" vinyl that can be used outdoors for up to 5 years. I'm planning on making a "unique" family set to put on the back of my car window! :)

Now, I'm sure that making a stencil from a photo is going to be much harder. But, I'll keep checking out tuts and shamelessly soliciting help from others that know WAAAAAY more than I do. I'll be sure to post my results when I get it figured out! :)

Comments always welcome! Leave me your email address so I can respond back!

Xmas Project for my Folks! :)

2008-12-19T11:48:00.000-08:00

Whew!!!!! I have conceptualized this project since October. But, you know me......... much thought, not a lot of action. (well, creativity-wise) I'm really happy with the result. I started the project once, had to rip everything off and start over.

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So, here it is....... the "COOKIE" project! :) :) :)

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I was thinking that most grandparents get all of the really nice, clean, immaculate pictures of their grandkids. Now, come on people, we all KNOW that isn't the "real" story!! :) I decided to give my parents a "reality" brag book for their wall (well, maybe their closet???!!!! )

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I found this saying last year "In the cookies of life, sisters are the chocolate chips". I modified it slightly to fit this project.

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I downloaded copies of pictures and cropped down to similar sizes. Pasted them all together into a word document and then had them laser copied. I cut them into 4.5x4.5 inch pieces and mounted onto primed masonite. (the finished piece is 12 inches x 12 inches). I used my Xyron to adhere the panels to the masonite. I then matted and Xyron'd the focal picture to the piece. Used my new Cricut to cut the flower layers. (Drilled holes into the masonite to fit the hanging rings BEFORE I adhered the pictures). I used picture hanging wire covered with fiber to hang the piece.

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Voila!

Here is a close up of one of the hanging rings:

Close ups of the flower corners...... ;)

Comments always welcome. Please leave me your email address so I can get back to you!!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cricut Play!! :)

2008-12-11T09:22:00.001-08:00

Some experiments using my new Cricut Create!! ;) I have been having a lot of fun seeing what I can and cannot do with this fun machine. So far I have probably tossed more that I have kept, but I just have to see what works/doesn't work for me!! :)

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First, some simple cards. I cut the images from some pretty wallpaper samples that have been sitting in my "storage area" for years. :) A few quick layers and you have some cute cards!!

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Ok. Have been trying several Glass Etching experiments. What I have found is that the large, open area image do NOT etch evenly. Very frustrating. Now, if I had actually READ the back of the jar of etching cream, I would have seen that they clearly state: NOT INTENDED FOR LARGE AREAS. Doh! My question for all of you etching gurus.......how in the heck to you get a nice etch on a large area????? (for example, the tree images above, or a pear, or a reindeer, or an ornaments..... etc etc)

Here is my one etched ornament that I did not toss in the trash. I used Alcohol Inks on the back.

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I had fun with these experiments!!! These are cheapo white plates (material seems to be very similar to a Glossy Bathroom Tile) I purchased from a thrift store. I cut my image on sticky back vinyl and placed on the plate. I then mixed up a concoction of StazOn reinker, Blending Solution, and PearlEx in a Mini Mister (a super shrimpy spray bottle) Shook it up and sprayed away. I then blotted the inks with a paper towel and let dry. I pulled of the vinyl and touched up the edges. Not perfect, but I think they turned out pretty cute! I edged with Krylon Leafing pen and then heat set for 20 minutes at 250 degrees.

You can definitely see the PearlEx shine in this plate. I blended Sunflower yellow and Forest green stazon inks to make a brighter green for this plate. I blotted a little more to create some extra texture.

Note on plates:

The plates should only be used for decoration!! The StazOn ink is solvent based and would not be a good combination with food. I have decorated some clear glass plates on the underside with acrylic paints (sealed with polyurathane), and those were food safe (gently handwash)

COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS ALWAYS WELCOME!! PLEASE LEAVE ME YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS SO I HAVE A WAY OF CONTACTING YOU!! :)

Christmas is in the Air!

2008-11-22T17:08:00.001-08:00

My very first Craft Faire! :) It was a very small little faire at our local Curves. It was a lot of fun and I learned a lot from being there. It was a wonderful opportunity to participate in a faire without all of the high pressure of making sales. Here is my little set up. The ornaments did well and I got several compliments on my other art. :)

These are clear glass ornaments that I decorated inside with Mica Powders and Lumiere paints. I attended a demo offered by Jaquard and this was one of the projects we did. Very fun and serendipitous. Love the effect!! :)

UPDATE: HERE ARE GUIDELINES FOR THE TECHNIQUE:

DECORATED CLEAR GLASS ORNAMENTS:

There are several ways to "attack the glass" :) Try with clear and frosted glass ornaments! Look for ornaments with unique and/or unusual shapes.

1) Dribble Alcohol Ink Blending solution into the ornament and then dump in some mica powder (PearlEx, Perfect Pearls, or any Mica Powder.....) and shake around. (Shake quite vigorously, but be careful not to "squeeze too hard"!!)

2) Spray Acrylic Fixative or Spray Glue into the ornament (outside, please!!!) and then dump in the powder and shake around.

Tip for dumping powder into ornaments: USE A TRIANGULAR PALATTE KNIFE!

3) Dribble paint into the glass and shake or swirl around. Allow excess to pour out. Observation, if you get too much paint (too thick a layer) you risk cracking/sloughing when fully dry. Keep your paint layer thin and fill in gaps or thin spots with power. (it makes a very nice combination!)

4) Dribble alcohol ink into the ornament and add powder and shake.

If you have holes or gaps that are not covered, you can try any of the above techniques in combination to fill the ornament. Don't be afraid to toss some fine glitter into the mix for some extra sparkle!! :)

Someone suggested shredding mylar and stuffing it into the ornament as a quick and kid-friendly way to decorate them!!! :)

As always......experiment and HAVE FUN!!!!!!

Here is a close up of some laminate tag sample collages I made. Intended to hang on a tree or display on a mantle. The 2 kid images are from Lisa's Altered Art. Aren't they a hoot?? :)

Fred Mullett Classes!!!

2008-10-07T06:34:00.000-07:00

Wow! What a fun day!! On Saturday I spent the day in Placerville in class with Fred Mullett! (I left my house at 5:30am and got home at 9:00pm to attend these classes. Know what?! It was worth every hour I had to drive!! :)

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He lead 2 different classes on Saturday: Dancing Rubber Fish and Spritz Me, Baby! If you have not seen any of Fred Mullett's rubber stamps, what are you waiting for??? He has the MOST awesome collection of Nature Print stamps around.....and, they are GORGEOUS!!!! Once you find your way onto his site, check out his tutorials and the inspirational gallery!

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Fred is a wonderful teacher and quite the character!! He's probably running on pure adrenaline at this point because this was the last stop of a very busy and hectic teaching circuit.

He was gracious, friendly, helpful, clear and concise in his instructions (I'm sure the sugar rush helped.... we all had access to lots of cookies and candy. Bless the store owner's heart, she offered up pears and apples to try and round out our calorie intake)

The store where I attended class - "Stamp It Rich" in Placerville is one of the best stamping/scrapping stores I have ever been in!! Oodles of product and a super owner that would bend over backwards to help anyone!! If you are ever in the area, stop by!!!

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Fred and me!!

Some of my samples from the "Dancing Rubber Fish" class. Try not to notice the "worm" that my fish is trying to eat. That would be "too much pressure" when stamping! :)

The top sample has been "washed" with watercolors, the bottom sample has just come back from being heat embossed. No overlaid watercolors, yet!

Here is my 3rd sample. We chose our own colors for these. Choosing colors is not as easy as you would think!!

Here are some color samples from previous classes and students! Note how some of the color combos really POP!!!!

Here is a sample that Fred made for me with one of his stamps that I own. I LOVE this shrimp!! :) All of the bright color is from red ink and embossing powder! The only watercolor is the yellow and the hint of blue around the legs. Isn't this fabulous!!!!!!!!

Here is a close up for detail...........

Fred taking a "cookie break".

Here are some samples from Spritz Me, Baby! These were done with markers and stamped on plain envies.

Here is a larger sample we did on hot-pressed watercolor paper. I just love this technique!!

Fred setting up to show us the "bleach" technique during the Spritz Me, Baby! class.

Here is my sample from the bleach portion of the class. I really love the dramatic look of this technique. I'll definitely be playing with this one at home!!

Here is an enhanced close up so you can see how dramatic the white ink is over the colored portion against the black paper. Really beautiful!! (albeit, a bit blurry in this pic........sorry!)

If you ever have a chance to take a class with Fred Mullett, don't pass it up! Great fun and a wonderful sense of brain overload!!!! :) :)

Overstamped, Double Saran Wrap, & Watercolors ** A Tutorial!!

2008-09-26T10:42:00.000-07:00

Well, hello there!!! I must say it's been too long since I've posted....... I have been spending my free "art" time working on some 4x4 pages for a Fat Technique Book. This is the biggest swap I have EVER been a part of! I'm soooooooooooooooo excited about it!!!! The swap is with the ArtTechniques Yahoo Group.

There are (wait for it!!!.......) 120 participants for this book! WOW!!!!!! We are to make a 4x4 inch "technique" page for the book. Technique sample on the front, instructions on the back. Is that the greatest thing ever??!!!!! We will all have 120 technique samples WITH instructions! Whoopee!!!!!

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I have decided to share my technique here! :)

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REMEMBER: YOU CAN CLICK ON ANY PHOTO TO SEE MORE DETAIL!

Over-Stamped, Double Saran Wrap, and Watercolors

Supply List:
**Water Media (liquid watercolors, diluted dye inks, walnut inks, any commercial or homemade colorwashes, Moon Shadow Ink, Starburst Stains, calligraphy ink, etc)
Small spray bottles (found at Wal*Mart, Target, etc in the travel toiletries section)
**Watercolor Paper
**Saran Wrap or any plastic wrap
**Rubber stamps (or any patterned, textured surface: bubble wrap, textured wallpaper, sequin waste, etc)
**Rubber Gloves

Instructions:
Mix your water media of choice in a spray bottle. (for a little pizzazz, add some Perfect Pearls or other Mica Powder to your paint/ink) Shake well.
Spray a generous layer of water media over your watercolor paper. Make sure it is heavily covered.

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You can use a single color:

or, try multiple colors:

Lay a large piece of plastic wrap over the paint/ink and press into the paper. Allow to dry completely.

Gently pull off the plastic wrap and lay down paint/ink side up.

Here is the plastic placed to the side of the paper:

Spray a contrasting color over the plastic wrap. (experiment with heavy spray vs. a light spray over the entire piece)

Close up of sprayed plastic wrap:

Place back on top of watercolor paper and press into the paper.

Allow to dry completely.
Pull off the plastic wrap and throw away. You CAN use your background like this if you like! :)

Here are some other samples I made for the swap prior to being overstamped:

If you would like to do the overstamping:
Spray another contrasting color or complimentary color (experiment!!) over your Rubber stamp (I used an uncut sheet of text stamps from Ma Vinci) or textured surface. Make sure you have complete coverage, but not dripping wet! Press onto your watercolor paper and allow to sit for about 30 seconds.

Close up of sheet of rubber covered with sprayed watercolor:

Pull straight up and allow your paper to completely dry.
Enjoy!!!!!!!!!

Here are some completed samples prior to being cut into 4x4 pieces:

Here are the final 4x4 pieces:

Close ups!:

Quickie Fun Quiz - What American Accent do You Have??

2008-08-14T13:09:00.000-07:00

That's right, Cowboy, I'm a "Westie" all the way! LOL!!!

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The West Your accent is the lowest common denominator of American speech. Unless you're a SoCal surfer, no one thinks you have an accent. And really, you may not even be from the West at all, you could easily be from Florida or one of those big Southern cities like Dallas or Atlanta.
The Midland
Boston
North Central
The Inland North
Philadelphia
The South
The Northeast
http://www.gotoquiz.com/what_american_accent_do_you_have">What American accent do you have? http://www.gotoquiz.com/">Quiz Created on GoToQuiz