OLW72: Variations on a Sentiment

These cards are for the One Layer Wednesday Challenge: Variations on a Sentiment.  The challenge is
1) use ONLY a sentiment stamp on your card...no other stamps or embellishments allowed!
2) use a NON-STANDARD size for your card
3) make at least two cards using the same stamp that vary something (color, type of ink, technique, placement of the stamp, size of card) Susan isn't happy unless she makes things kinda hard!! LOL

The top card is my favorite - love the white embossed on the kraft and the lines drawn with markers really draw the eye to the sentiment.  Then it was time to get out of my comfort zone and use COLOR!!

It may seem challenging at first to stamp a sentiment with all those colors (Cherry, Orange, Papaya, Grass, Blackberry) but here is an easy way to do it.  First I taped off each individual letter and then inked up.  Once you've peeled off the tape you have a perfectly inked stamp.  Just use your Stamp-a-ma-jig to line your stamp up.  While it was kinda time consuming to tape/ink/stamp each letter individually (compared to stamping the entire word at once) the end look was worth it!

Wanted to try the same stamp in some vertical cards.  BTY - my non-standard card size was 2.75" x 5" - makes for a tall skinny card that easily fits in a 4b envelope -

Stamped my sentiment in Slate ink and added a couple of scored lines to ground it - easy peasy.  This is one of the most fun challenges that I've done in a while and I have a little pile of thank you cards too!!
All products used are from a muse|studio (sentiment stamp is retired - sorry).

Happy 5th Anniversary, Ellen Hutson

Did you know that Ellen Hutson is celebrating 5 years in business?  Her online shop is chock full of the best papercrafting products out there but she carries more than that  - her shop is one of the only places where I can find my favorite soldering products (Simply Swank solder, etc and Ranger glass slides).

To celebrate this milestone Ellen is hosting some challenges in The Classroom blog including this sketch by Julia Stainton.

My Basic Grey Curio called out to me again - LOVE these patterned papers - so gorgeous and lush!!  The Lifestyle Trellis die made the elegant cutout layer on the left.

For fun a KaiserCraft birdcage replaces the circle element on the sketch - see the a muse|studio bird flying away to new adventures??  Check out the other challenges at The Classroom.

Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger: Red and Rustic

I wanted to play along with the current Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger: Red & Rustic but wanted to do something "different" than my usual MO (I watched Law & Order this morning - har har) so I decided to make an art journal page.

The Trigger Challenge rules are to make a paper crafted project so I think an art journal page should work just fine.  LOTS of papercrafting goodies are featured on this page including: Making Memories - Sienne Paper Reverie ribbon and gemstone brad; Jillibean Soup - Corrugated shapes; Basic Grey patterned paper (Curio - I should have bought two of these!!) and paper ribbon; Pink Paislee rubons, etc.

The idea behind the girl is from the online SheArt workshop (Christy Tomlinson) - I've been making a plethora of the girls lately and they are fun!!  Like paper dolls but you make the dolls and the clothes.  The weather has turned for the worse around here - wet and cold!!  Guess winter has decided to stay now!
I am linking this post up to the Show and Tell Saturday #13 on Artists in Blogland.

CFC29, LIM43 - Sizzix leaves

The boys and I braved the crowds shopping on Friday for a while and when I was in Joann's I picked up the Sizzix Branch and Leaves Sizzlits die that has been winking at me for a few months now.  When it was less than $5 it became too irresistible to pass up -

Two challenges inspired this card - the first is the sketch challenge from CAS-ual Fridays pictured above and the second is the Less is More - A Bit of Bling challenge.  My "white space" is really kraft space on this particular card.

I wish you could see how sparkly this card is in real life!!  The pretty green twinkle stickers, cardstock (Lichen, kraft) and sentiment (Friend to Friend) are from a muse|studio.  Baker's twine (Honeydew) is from The Twinery.  

SheArt 2 - 6" canvas

This is my first canvas with a SheArt girl!!  I loved the first SheArt class but the second one has really resounded with me - I think it has to do with the fact that I finally started to let go with the thought that things

in my art journal had to be perfect.  Back in January when I started my journal I was feeling brave but in reality I was super afraid to mess things up.  As a result there were times that months went by without me attempting a new page. . .

Now I get that the journey is a huge part of the process.  Since I've loosened up and have started to have fun I wish I had time to play in my art journal every single day!!

The colors are reflective of the Play Date Cafe Challenge 109 (Maroon, Copper and Tumeric) - One of the things that I absolutely love about this particular challenge site is the ability to load up any kind of creative work that reflects the colors - I've even seen jewelry uploaded!

CP142 - Natural Beauty butterfly -

I do believe that it has been a "month of Sundays" since I've done a card based on a sketch from the Card Patterns blog.  How long is that precisely?  A "month of Sundays" is longer than "a blue moon" but considerably shorter than "a coon's age" (hope that clears up any confusion, LOL).

The butterfly from SU!'s retired Natural Beauty stamp set is a favorite of mine and is colored with Copic markers and layered onto Curio patterned paper from Basic Grey.  

Time to skedaddle. . . 

LIM42 - Miss you

This week's challenge at Less is More blog is to do a one-layer card featuring silhouettes.  I used watercolor paint to make a wash of green on the background and then stamped my birds (Inkadinkado) and sentiment (retired amuse artstamps).  Tied a piece of copper cording.  Should've stopped there - oh yes, I should've stopped there.  Alas, I did not - I had a thought that some splats would add that extra needed oomph - in fact, it looks as if my card has the "bird flu" - oh well, can't win them all -
Here is a link to a silhouette card I made back in February that I really love - it is definitely not a one layer card but there are no splats to be seen!

Art Journal - She Art 2

Monday marked day 1 of the SheArt2 class taught by Christy Tomlinson - I took the first SheArt class and made this girl who had no face.  However, 

in this class we are learning how to paint faces - Week one includes eyes, noses and mouths.  (Doesn't this girl look a little like Anne Hathaway with blue eyes? - just step back about 10 feet and squint your eyes - do you see the resemblance now?)

Today I played and painted two girls and I am amazed at how they turned out!!  Seriously - they look kinda like people - WHOO HOO for me!!

 Their faces/hair are painted - their clothes are paper pieced.

 Rub-ons, stamps and markers add details -

I should probably quit while I am ahead - Did I ever tell you about the time my mom and I decided to take up tole painting?  Donna Dewberry was in NO danger of losing her job to either of us!  Mom and I gathered up our supplies and got down to business and the best work I ever produced was on a paper plate!!  YUP -  I still have that paper plate to this day - 10 years later - (Mom, are you embarrassed for me?)

That was the finest outcome I had produced in my "painting life" other than the many pieces of furniture that I have repurposed by repainting.  These girls look more like people than my "rose" looked like a flower!
Linking up to Artists in Blogland - Check out all the great work on this site!!

Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger: Fall is in the Bag

Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger time!!  This card is based on the trigger picture below - I love that bag!  Love the colors and pattern - I even think that peek of orange in the middle of the handles is super cool too!

I figured that this inspiration pic would "trigger" a flurry of circles to appear on cards so I decided to take a different route and try another shape.  Not sure what you call this shape (I should ask Connor since he had Geometry last year) but you can make it too with a 1.25" square punch and a Corner Puncher.

I have a notoriously hard time lining things up perfectly so I used a gridded ruler sheet to line these shapes up the way I wanted - flipped them over, applied glue - then set the kraft paper background right over them.  Used scissors to trim where a few errant pieces went over the edge.

LOVE the graphic look of this card and it is a perfectly "mail-able" card since there aren't lots of bumpy layers!  All cardstock and supplies are from a muse|studio and available online.

LIM41, Embellish - LEAVES

Leaves!!  They are everywhere right now - and not attached to the trees!  There is a house in particular that I think about every year at this time.  It is a teeny cottage on a tiny lot near where we live that has the most beautiful huge tree in the front yard.  I'm pretty confident that they bought that house in the spring, summer or winter.  Why??  Because in the fall, when the leaves drop, that front yard is literally about 8" deep in leaves!!

We are suckers for gorgeous trees too - one of the big attractions to our home was the huge tree in the backyard - so gorgeous but we have a long haul to get the leaves to the front curb to be picked up.  As much as I hate those leaves right now, I am very grateful for their shade in the summer!!  Today's card is based on the One Layer Challenge on the Less is More Blog and the colors from the Embellish Color Trends Challenge.

The leaf stamp is from the Autumn Beauty stamp set and the sentiment is from Monogram Frames.  Ink colors are Currant, Eucalyptus and Fern.  All supplies are from a muse|studio and are available in my online shop!

CFC28, FTL166 - Too stinkin' cute!

Made this card the other day but didn't have a chance to upload until now - based on the CAS-ual Friday challenge of using a tag coupled with a perfect sketch from Clean and Simple Stamping.

 All products are a muse|studio and available in my online shop.

Art Journal - Birds!

More art journal fun - this month the Sketchbook Challenge is Imaginary Animals.  Granted, birds like this aren't all that imaginary but I do think I would look twice if a bird with "backward legs" was walking around my backyard!!

The birds themselves were cut with Nestabilities dies from dictionary paper - I sure have gotten a lot of use from my $1 French dictionary!!

The negative page was adhered with Mod Podge in my journal and then painted with acrylic paints.  Letter stickers, rub-ons, stencils, oil pastels, markers, Tim Holtz tissue Tape, stamps, etc add lots of fun details -

 BALANCE IS HARD - That is one smart little birdie!

Have you tried the new Martha Stewart paints yet?  They can be used on virtually any material - These are the colors I started with -

Surf, Gray Wolf, Cloud, Beach Glass, Sycamore Bark.  Since then I've bought 5 more colors including Wet Cement (hee hee - I love that name - how exotic??!!)

"A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song." - Lou Holt

Show and Tell Saturday - Friendship Soldered Necklaces with Leaves

A couple weekends ago I got to spend a great day with my friend, Kim in Glendale, KY shopping and eating yummy food.  We had such a good time and it was such a beautiful day - there were oodles of the most colorful autumn leaves that I had ever seen.   Leaves so pretty that I wouldn't even complain about raking them (I might grumble a little - I am only human).  Anyhoo, to commemorate our fun day I decided to take a couple of the leaves that I had gathered and make soldered pendant necklaces for Kim and I.

I can never resist a monogram so I stamped a tiny initial onto some linen and then backed it with a 1" square punched section of leaf.  The glass is from Ranger and the copper tape/lead free solder is from Simply Swank.  Another reason these necklaces are special to me is that I learned to solder in a class that I took with Kim.  Today we went to lunch - look at what I ate - 

Yummy bento box lunch with a crunchy shrimp sushi roll!!  

I'm linking up to the Artists in Blogland: Show and Tell Saturday - be sure and check that site out to see loads of beautiful creations!