Butterfly Thanks and a Cover

Happy Thursday - Just about done the week - hope it's been a good one for you.  I've been busy, but I've had my share of lazy moments too.

Today I'm sharing a card created with a sketch from Freshly Made Sketches....I can't believe I used these two pieces of DSP, but I do like them together.  My father would be scolding me right now though - because the patterns aren't matched up to flow properly from one into the other.  (That brings back sewing memories!!!! Yeup - my dad taught me to sew)

I embossed the framelit pieces just to add a bit of texture, and of course the butterflies are "flying" off the page.

I'm also sharing my 1st Altered Book Cover that I finished the other night.  I had a lot of fun with it.  

1) I added an expired strip of DSP along the spine

2) I added Marina Mist reinker to Gesso to paint the cover and get rid of the original yeuky colour.  I painted over some of the DSP, but left the spine free of paint.

3)  I created a "gel skin" with Self Levelling Clear Gel and used some of our retired beads mircrobeads and glitter.

This is the piece I created and I've only torn off chunks to use on this cover.  That much glittery goodness needs to be spread around!

Here is a side view of the book - it's full of the Mandalas and Zendoodles that I've been doing over the past couple months.

Have a fantabulous day - Thanks for stopping by.

Joan

Umbrella Thoughts

Well - considering I was challenged outside my comfort zone, I'm pretty happy with the end result.  This week at Friday Mashup! half of Amy's challenge was to use different patterns.  Because I'm a GenX gal, this goes against how I was brought up - but a challenge is a challenge and I was up for it!

I took DSP from Patio Party, Summer Smooches, and the new Sycamore Street.   I guess I really didn't follow the guidelines I learned from Carrie Cudney in the "I'm a Pattern Mixing Pro" session at Convention this summer - one of her RULES was to stay with the same package collection.    But then she also said that rules were made to be broken.

The sketch comes from Freshly Made Sketches.

So here are the challenges

1. Make a project using "Different Patterns".
2. Or Make a project with the three or more colors from "Summer Starfruit, Tangerine Tango, Island Indigo, Early Espresso and Sahara Sand".
3. Or "Mash it Up" and create a "Patterned Project with the Challenge Colors".

If you want to join the Friday Mashup you'll still have time, but I've just sneaked in under the wire for the Freshly Made Sketch challenge.

Hope you are having a marvelous day.

Thanks for stopping by.

Joan

Fresh Adventure

A very quick post for a very quick card - I've been on the run all day and creating a card for the Freshly Made Sketches challenge was the last thing before I head to bed.  This was an easy sketch to work with and I haven't used this set enough - Helen Keller was one of my first heroines as a young girl.

I've weeded out all the retiring sets from my cupboard, so I'm trying to focus on the ones that I haven't used much that are staying around for a while longer.  Like I've said before, I need to become a more savvy stamp purchaser.  I'm taking a "savvy" class at convention - so that will probably help me.

WoooHooo!  I can't wait for convention.  I haven't been for two years.  But right now, it's off to bed.  I'm flying to Vancouver tomorrow afternoon to attend a National Orff Conference.  I'm really looking forward to it.  I'm bringing along my laptop - so I'm hoping that MAYBE I can do some of the upcoming challenges using My Digital Studio.  We'll see how that pans out.

Ta ta for now - hope you have some awesome - and daring - adventures on your horizon!  Thanks for stopping here for a bit.
Joan

Joy Fold MashUp!

What a fun Friday MashUp! this was this week!  We had to work from a Tic Tac Toe board and use a Fancy Fold...

1. Make a project using " a Special Fold".
2. Or Make a project using the " Tic Tac Toe Board".
3. Or "Mash it Up" and create a " Special Fold card using Tic Tac Toe"

I got so excited about doing the Joy Fold, that I almost forgot about using the Tic Tac Toe Board..I'd already decided on the paper...which wasn't bright and I knew I wasn't going to use a baby theme.....so I went with Pearls, Ribbon and Buttons.  

I hope that you are having a very Blessed Easter!

Thank you for taking time to visit.

Joan

Recipe to Create

I love when there is a specified "recipe" to follow on challenge blogs.    This week at The Paper Players they have a "Let's get Cooking" recipe challenge which means a project that includes:

•  3 different patterned papers
• 2 different ribbons
• at least one punch
• and a sprinkling of glitter

I've used 3 different designs from the Beau Chateau DSP.  I've included the Chantilly crochet trim and the Velvet Stitched Ribbon.  I used some Linen Thread to gather up one edge of the crochet trim to create the rosette.  Three punches were used - Modern Label, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border and I used the Decorative Label punch to create the curved edges on the central piece.  The dressmaker's mannequin is covered in Dazzling Diamonds.

I hope your day is going well for you!  Thanks for stopping by for a visit!
Joan

Gem of a Friend

Mojo Monday - WoooHooo!  Very cool sketch today.  I pulled out my Beau Chateau DSP and decided to go with a totally Marina Mist card - not hard for me to do really - it's my favorite blue right now.  I guess I really only used one piece of the DSP, and coordinated with stamping from Vintage Vogue. 

I tried out the new Peekaboo Frames Bigz Die for the Big Shot.  I love the idea of being able to make little windows easily for cards, scrapbook pages and crafts.

I remember when the Big Shot came out I thought- "I just can't see myself using this enough to buy one"  Wow, I'm glad I broke down, got one with the Convention Special - I have used it sooooo much.  And now, Stampin' Up! is giving one for FREE to whoever purchases the Starter Kit in October.  Fabulous!

If you're interested in paying for your hobby or paying some bills AND getting a FREE Big Shot and a discount for your stamping or crafting , just contact me and I can help that happen for you.

I hope you've had a wonderful day -  Thanks for stopping by for a visit.
Joan

Leafy Smiles

 

Today's card uses the sketch from over at Mojo Monday.  I finally used the Gently Falling set in the manner to which is was created - two step stamping.  I do love two step stamping!!!!

I used the wreath from the Warmest of Wishes hostess set - the centre is punched out and the layer of circles have been raised above the wreath using two layers of dimensionals....because, of course, the wreath has been attached with dimensionals.

I AM SOOOOOO EXCITED - because the book I have poured my heart into for the past number of months finally arrived today from Stampin' Up!  Oh my word it's fabulous.  It's a book I created for my husband for our 25th anniversary using My Digital Studio.
The cover is below - perhaps I'll share some of the other pages along the way.

Fall Brad Mashup!

 Well, I'm sad to say that this is my last posting as a guest designer for the Friday Mashup!  I have thoroughly enjoyed my opportunity to work with these talented ladies.  The mashup is a fun concept and I will continue to work on these weekly challenges!  So - for this final Friday of September the mash up, which is a Fan Favorite Pick created by Lisa Runyon, is:

• Make a "Fall themed" project
• Or Make a Project that uses "Brads...lots and lots of Brads".
• Or "Mash it Up" and create a fun "Fall themed project that uses lots and lots of Brads".

One thing I love about fall beside the crunchy leaves on the ground, are the Black Eyed Susans which come into perfect bloom at this time of year.  I walk past a yard which has a whole bed full of them, and some other little groupings scattered around in other beds.  I smile each day I pass and see this one little grouping, standing tall and unwilted while the other plants around them are beginning to fade.  They're just so happy looking.  So - they were my inspiration for this card - and I chose to use brads to highlight the "eyes".

The Crochet Trim has been changed up a bit.  At the Regionals I was at two weeks ago, one of the home-office demonstrators showed how to colour the trim with ink.  You need to wash it out a bit first to remove the chemical that is on it - otherwise the ink sort of beads on top of the fibers.  I just rinsed the trim out with a bit of handsoap, dried it with my heat gun and then applied the ink from the ink pad with a sponge dauber.

Be sure to head over to The Friday Mashup! to see all the FALL-icious cards the DT have come up with.  Be sure to link your own creation to that blogsite and when posting on a public gallery remember to use FM26.

The last two Saturdays have been spent at Stampin'Up! events - now tomorrow I'm attending an Orff workshop.  Should be full of musical fun, fun, fun.  Hope your weekend is gearing up with things to look forward to.  And thanks again to Holly for the opportunity and privilege of being a guest designer for September!

Thanks for stopping by,

Joan

Mash(ed) up Directions

 WooHoo - it's Friday again- and Mashup time.  I can't believe how fast this week has gone.  I've been holed up with My Digital Studio finishing off my Anniversary Alphabet book for my husband (25th next month) and I finally got it sent off for printing last night.    So now I can stay focused -   Today's Mashup is:

1. Make a card using the "Sketch above that is Square".
2. Or Make a Project that has a "Masculine" theme.
3. Or "Mash it Up" and create a "Square Project with the Sketch above that is Masculine".

I love this sketch - so many things could be placed where the stars are.  I'm just not sure if I really want to trust this bear with all his arrows?  He has such a mischievous look on his face, holding all those arrows. There are just so many options for young people out there today - it's hard to make a decision!  You need a lot of confidence.

Be sure to find your way over to the Friday Mashup! to check out all the wonderful creations from the design team.  When posting your creations be sure to tag it with FM25 on public galleries.


So - hope you have a path to follow today - it's Friday, so my walking path to work veers off towards a 7-11 where I can get a more special coffee than I get at home.  Gotta love Fridays!  Hope yours is fantastic.

"Quilted" Leaves

 

Oh, I just love these huge buttons - I just got my first package yesterday.  I didn't think I'd like them, but then I worked with them helping Tamye get her swaps ready for Founder's Circle....and I changed my mind!  I just may have to get more!

Today's card covers two challenges....Hand Stamped Sentiments is looking for embossing - either with an embossing folder or powder - I used both because I love how the square lattice embossing folder embeds punched pieces into the background so that it's almost quilted.  SUO Challenges are looking for fall colours.  

I absolutely love fall colours - they're just so me.  I miss the wide range of colours available in Ontario with the huge oaks and maples - however, on my walk to school this morning I noticed that Mountain Ash trees give a wonderful shade of red.  So it's all good...and...since I walked home by myself, I did some major shuffling!  Happy, happy, happy!

Hope you find something to bring a smile to your face today - and thanks for stopping by for a visit.

Joan

Fall Mashup!

Have you shuffled through any leaves yet?  I have a little bit - I'm waiting for the big piles though!  Fall is my favorite season and so I was excited about this weeks Mashup! - Here it is...

1. Create a project with an "Autumn" theme.
2. Or Create a project using shades of "Yellow & Orange".
3. Or "Mash it Up" and create a "Autumn project using shades of Yellow & Orange".

I haven't used Autumn Splendor yet this season, and I have never embossed these leaves either.  Wow - they look fabulous embossed in gold.  I used Peach Parfait, So Saffron and Cajun Craze for the leaves as well as stamping those colours on the background piece. 

I really wish we had big oak trees here in Alberta - but alas, we only have small oaks, not like the ones in Ontario or the Okanagan.  But believe me, I'll take any kind of crunchy leaves to shuffle through - nope, never gonna grow up!

So, don't forget to pop over to the Friday Mashup! to check out the beautiful creations by the Design Team and remember to use FM24 as a tag when you are uploading your creation to a public gallery and also link it back to the Mashup! blog.

Hope you're enjoying some autumn splendor - thanks for visiting

Cajun Flowers

Today's card is fairly clean and simple - although I'm not that happy with how it photographed.  I was inspired by Lee Conrey yesterday with her  Vanilla Seam Binding Ribbon which she coloured to go with her card.  I tried it today - but I had to use the Crumb Cake Ribbon instead.  It matches well on the card, but the photo made it a bit darker. 

These colours - Basic Gray, Old Olive and Cajun Craze - are from Create with Connie and Mary and the sketch is from Freshly Made Sketches.

I'm yawning my face off right now, so I'll probably be calling it an early night.  There are too many fun things coming up in the near future for me to be tired for.  Hope your day is going well and you are enjoying the fall colours in your area.  Thanks for stopping by.

Halloween Bats

I know we've only just begun the month of September, but these colours today spoke Halloween to me.  The combo are the colours for this week's challenge over at The Paper Players: Rich Razzleberry, Basic Gray, Old Olive and Whisper White.  The sketch is from Create with Connie and Mary.  The area where the bats are (retired punch), is where the sketch has a folded ribbon.  I wasn't happy with any of the ribbon I have for this particular colour scheme, so I add the trio of winged creatures.  I can't believe that I cut out that jagged edge around the frame. - but once I started I had to keep going.  Finally there is the parade of spiders around the edge which I stamped with Basic Gray and then "coloured" in with a Versa Mark Pen so that they weren't too dark.


Hope that your weekend has gone well - It's been a busy weekend here - I've got to get my MDS book done this coming week - that's the goal I've set for myself.  I'll be sharing some of those pages with you in the future.

Have a great end to your weekend - Thanks for stopping by!
Joan

Sailing out of Summer

 Well, it really sucks that the last two days of summer were spent nursing a migraine! What a complete waste of time.  I woke up today relieved of the headache before heading to school for meetings.  After school I made sure I got some stamping done!  I decided that for this week's Paper Players sketch challenge  I would use one of the Summer Mini sets (The Open Sea) which will be gone soon.

I brayered some Early Espresson onto the embossing folder to add that bit of depth before embossing.  What a wonderful sketch this is - one to keep in mind for workshops!


I had an Open House this past weekend, and re-did my Door Prize box with some of the new Mocha Morning Specialty paper.  To be honest, I may never redo this box - I love it!  I used the Lace Ribbon Border, put it through the crimper which made it bend around the edge of the lid easily.

It won't take long before the school routine gets set in, but I'm happy I'll still have time for stamping and sharing classes with my peeps!

Hope the summer is winding up well for you also - thanks for stopping by for a visit!  Joan

Mojo Die Cuts

Happy Monday!  Truly my last week of summer for 2011 - gotta make it good!

I think I may be getting a wee bit of a handle on this "watercolour" technique - I used the glimmer paper for this flower, embossed the image on, used my aquapainter to "paint" water on the paper instead of misting it, and then dropped the re-inker on with the aquapainter....and let it go where it wanted.  I'll have to try it with one of the "Fifth Avenue" flowers to see if I've finally got the knack.  I have stacked three of these flowers on top of one another - can't really see that in the photo.

I used pieces from the Playful Polka Dots Simply Scrappin' Kit  to complete this sketch from Mojo Monday - different borders was the highlight of the day - so I used the ones from the kit as well as the scalloped circle and leaves.

Today I'm spending little snippets of time sorting my husband's music from his Men's Chorus - I gathered 3 bags and one box of music - Sheesh!  He hates organizing and I love sorting - so it all works out.  We're going to a music reading tonight with a couple of other choir members to see what's new.  Just one more thing that gets started up again in the fall.

Hope you're having a wonderful day.  Thanks for dropping by.  Joan

Holiday Extremes

What a productive day - and as I said - holiday extremes:
For this weeks' Paper Players there was a Clean and Simple Sketch.  Thought I would pull out my "Pick Your Poison" DSP and see what happened.  For the "light" inside of the pumpkin I coloured the sections with Daffodil Delight and then covered them with the Dassling Detail - just added a wee bit of sparkle.  I'm going to keep this sketch in mind for workshops this year - those three little sections could be filled with virtually anything!  Love it!

These are the Christmas Tags and the tin I created last week.  I'll be offering this whole thing as a class this fall.  I took the container on page 19 in the upcoming Holiday Mini as inspiration for covering my tin.  Ya gotta love how embossed paper no longer looks like paper - especially after you distress it a bit also.

Finally,  I created this scrapbook spread this afternoon....again, in preparation for classes this fall.  I love how preparing for SU events helps me to get my own scrapbooking done.  Allison and a friend spent an afternoon in the park last fall taking pictures of each other.  Since "I" rarely get pictures of her,  I'm glad to get them from other people!  Gotta love Facebook for that.

So, I'm going to relax for the rest of the evening - maybe finish my book.  I hope you have had a productive weekend - in whatever area of your life that needed "production".  Thanks for taking time to stop by!
Joan

Imagine Paris Possibilities

 

Oh I love this new Mocha Morning Specialty paper - it's so rich!  Of course bit of velvet swirled on anything makes it rich.  I've used the Sketch from Our Creative Corner today.

I received a warm fuzzy from my daughter this morning....she saw the card I made yesterday - with the cupcake.  She said, "Oh, someone has to have a birthday soon 'cause this card is so pretty."  It made me feel good after the fuss I had with it yesterday.

Spent a bit more time stamping today - I made up some sticky-note packages with matching pens to stock up on Hostess/Door Prize stuff.

I copied one that my friend, Amy, made a number of years ago for our staff at school with our Mascot on it.  There are large magnets on the back so it can stick on the fridge.  The pens have a piece of DSP inside.  Everything is quick, easy, and I'm not sure why I've waited so long to put them together.  I've had the supplies for ages!

That's how it works sometimes though - Hope you're having a wonderful weekend.  Thanks for taking time to stop by.
Joan

Butterfly Gratitude

I'm back from the mountains and raring to get into gear......I had planned on doing some planning while in the mountains, but that didn't work out -  which I guess is good in the long run.  The weather was pretty good - but it sure is warm back at home.  Perfect for spending a wee bit of time in the basement stamping.

I created this butterfly card for the Friday Mash Up! this week and I used the sketch from Stamping 411.

The Mash Up! was:

• Create a card with butterflies and bling  OR
• Create a card using Perfect Plum, Marina Mist, one other colour and a neutral  OR
• Create a card with butterflies, bling and the Color Combo.

I chose Wisteria Wonder as my extra colour and Very Vanilla as the neutral.  I actually like these colours together - I'll have to keep them in mind for the future.

I'm going to have to make sure that I get some school planning in during the next while - in addition to workshop planning....not much time left - but I'm NOT counting yet!

Hope you have some events to look forward to - and thanks for taking time to stop by to visit.
Joan

It's almost Time....

This week it's "School Daze" at The Paper Players Challenge.  I can't believe the school year is almost upon us again.  Ya Know - it's one strange profession - you close EVERYTHING down for two/three months (depending on where you live) and then you start EVERYTHING back up again.  I'm always excited to get back though - it's good to see the kids again and to see how they've changed in that short amount of time.

I had to go into some retired paper for an appropriate background - and when I found the die-cut "message" - I thought this would be a perfect card for one of my friends who retired in the spring and won't be starting up again in couple of weeks.

I'm spending this week in Banff - my husband has a conference - and will enjoy the final bit of relaxing before my head starts swimming with school start up again.

I hope you have a fantastic day - not filled with too many plans yet.  Thanks for stopping by!
Joan

Sweet Life

One of the great things about summer in our little city is the annual opening of the outdoor ice cream stand.  They have wonderful ice cream and places to sit under umbrellas.  So, for the Stampin' Royalty challenge of a Summer Card this week, I chose to create an ice cream cone, because it's the only time we get to go to Millers.

The sketch is from Splitcoast's Sketch challenge.

I'm loving the new white Baker's Twine - I prefer to sew my buttons on - being an old seamstress.

I hope your summer is full of treats - Thanks for stopping by!
Joan