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Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Cards and a Recipe

I just finished a couple more cards with the Fresh Vintage set from Stampin' Up.
    • navy and lt. brown cardstock is from Hobby Lobby
    • denim ink from Adirondack
    • decorative paper is KC & Company (Merryweather)
    Just playin' around, then got a smudge and had to cover it, so I used a pearl. That one pearl looked dumb, so I added more. Now that I've had time to look at it and think about it, I wouldn't put the smaller portion of doily on the right.
    • navy and blue cardstocks are  from Hobby Lobby
    • denim ink from Adirondack
    • doily die from Stampin' Up
    RECIPE
    Pizza Meatloaf:
    Two eggs
    small can spiced tomato sauce
    about a pound of ground round
    1 package Lipton instant onion soup mix
    2 slices some type wheat bread tear up into small pieces
    4 slices swiss cheese
    ketchup
    3 slices of bacon or 1/3 ish cup of bacon bits
    Mix eggs, tomato sauce and onion soup mix, then add ground round and torn up bread. Mix with hands and put 1/2 in a loaf pan. Cover with cheese slices, than add the rest. Squirt ketchup on top, then put bacon slices or bits. Bake at 350 for 45 -50 minutes.


    Tuesday, May 29, 2012

    Fun Design

    This is another card featuring the Fresh Vintage set from Stampin' Up! The cardstocks are Pool Party from SU, Olive Green from Paper Studio and the white is Pure Luxury from Gina K. The image was stamped after sponging Distress Ink (Tumbled Glass) and Memento (Bamboo Leaves) right onto the rubber. The decorative paper is from a KC & Company, (Merryweather) from Joann.

    I miss  you Daddy


    Monday, May 28, 2012

    Fresh Vintage

    I'm on a bent right now to make several different cards with this stamp set from Stampin' Up, called "Fresh Vintage." I don't just love blue, I simply ADORE blue!! I fought the urge to do all four of these in blue. I MADE MYSELF do the first one in greens. Then the second one in green and some pastels. I would have really liked both of them better in blues:)  I'll do some more in the next couple of days.
    Certainly Celery from Stampin Up for the card base, hunter green cardstock from Paper Studio. The white squares were stamped with Memento Cottage Ivy and the circle flower was done in Memento Bamboo Leaves. The ribbon is from my stash, and the embossing folder is from Sizzix, it's called Tropical Paisley.
    The base cardstock is Wild Wasabi from Stampin' Up. The tan layer is from my stash, probably Paper Studio, and it was embossed with Diamonds from Sizzix. The flower postage was stamped in Memento inks: Bamboo Leaves, LuLu Lavender, and Summer Sky. The ribbon is from my stash.
    This faux tile was done with the scoring board, then I stamped the image randomly on the paper with Denim ink from Adironack. The sentiment is "Happiest Birthday Wishes" from Stampin Up, and was stamped in Mediterranean Blue Brilliance ink. The blue cardstocks are Paper Studio.

    Wednesday, May 23, 2012

    Art Cork Board DIY

    I made of these for my classroom a few years ago when I was teaching. When I retired, I thought I wouldn't want it, so I gave it to another teacher. Welllll now I want one for my studio. So I made another:) It's cheap and sooo easy. Best of all, it's very light on your wall.
     Here's how:
    1. For about ten dollars you can get a 4 by 8 sheet of this foam insulation stuff at Lowes or Home Depot. I used a little less than half for this board.
    2. Buy some pretty fabric (on sale of course) to cover it with. This can be inexpensive cotton. This time I used a home decor fabric because it was blue (my fav color) and a paisley kinda design, and of course it was on clearance!
    3. Cut the fabric a bit larger than the board of course so it will wrap around. Then secure with tape. You can use clear packing tape, or even duck tape.
    4.  Foam core doesn't always hold thumbtacks real well and you want some dimension on your board, so you some cork tiles. I got mine at Hobby Lobby with a coupon, but I've seen them at Staples, Walmart and Lowes.

    5.  Now add some wide ribbon to hang it with. You can poke holes in the insulation with a paper piercing tool, or an ice pick. I used a hand drill. Then I used a paper piercing tool to poke the ribbon through.
    Look closely to see the cork squares. Yeah, I need two more, but Hobby Lobby is out of them! {gasp} I'll add them as soon as I get some more.

    6. On Pinterest, I found how to make fabric covered thumbtacks! I'm working on those now. I'll show them to you tomorrow.
    This is the first one I made for my classroom. It was my "keep up with everybody & everything board." 29 kids last year, extra computer lab times, speech, spec. ed, Phy.Therapy for individual kids, meetings, and assemblies to keep up with ... oh and alll the due dates for paperwork. Arrrg! I'm retired and I don't miss that part!!

    Couple more projects
    Some old wine corks and picture frame make a great trivet. Add handles to mason jars with some wire (I soldered them) some sand and scented candles. These are all gifts for my friend Patty, who is retiring this year from teaching. She's a great teacher, and countless kids won't have the opportunity to be in her class. To keep teachers like us from leaving the profession, give teachers  more respect, more support for discipline issues, more pay, less students and less paper work.


    Saturday, May 19, 2012

    Card Portfolio Tutorial

    I love this portfolio for holding cards, because it's so easy, doesn't involve any glue or tape and it's pretty!I adjusted the measurements to accommodate 5 by 7 cards.
     If you'd like to make it for 4 1/4 by 5 1/2, use an 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of cardstock and score at 5 inches and 6 inches when placed landscape. Turn and score at 2 1/2 inches and 2 inches.

    Materials
    Cardstock 12” by 12”
    Hole punch
    Score board or tool
    Ribbon
    Embellishments


    1.       Take a 12 by 12 inch sheet of cardstock and score as shown in the diagram, at 5 ½ inch and 6 ½ inch, then turn the sheet and score at 7 ½ and 8. Cut out the gray area and fold. 


    2.       Punch a hole on each side through both the flap and the front/back panels. Then thread ribbon through holes.

    3.       Embellish the front as desired. Fill with cards, close and secure by tying a bow.

    Friday, May 18, 2012

    Serendipity Tutorial

    This collage style card is so easy and there are no specific rules to follow. There are endless possibilities with various designs, color schemes, or themes such as: Christmas, Easter, Valentines, or Oriental that can be achieved with this beautiful technique. Have fun and let your imagination run wild!
    Cardstock: Baja Blue - Stampin' Up and navy - Paper Studio. Sentiment from Stampin' up, also used pop dots on sentiment.
    Cardstock: So Saffron - Stampin' Up and navy - Paper Studio. Sentiment from Stampin' up, also used pop dots on sentiment.
    Serendipity: noun – coined by Horace Wolpole after the Three Princes of Serendip; a fairy tale in which the princes make discoveries.
    1. A seeming gift for finding something good accidentally.

    Paper Salad: Scraps of all types of paper, all shapes and sizes; “cut off pieces” left over after cutting cards, stamping mistakes that didn’t emboss correctly, etc.

    Materials:
    cardstock 8 ½ X 11
    paper cutter
    stamps
    scissors
    paper salad
    metallic ink pads
    glue stick, double stick tape or Xyron
    3 ½ X 3 ½ square of cardstock to mount squares on
    3 ¾ X 3 ¾ for frame around your serendipity piece

    1.   I make these on black cardstock, but you can make them on any color you like. The first step is to use your 8 ½ X 11 sheet of cardstock and design a collage with paper salad. Begin placing paper salad randomly on the background cardstock. Metallic papers and other papers with nice textures look especially good. Tear some of the paper pieces, cut some with decorative scissors, or cut some straight. Don’t worry about the quality of your collage; the design really doesn’t matter, because you’re going to cut it up into squares anyway. Don’t cover the whole sheet, just stick bits here and there, leaving some background showing so you can stamp on it. (I run my paper salad through the Xyron machine, then cut and stick down.)

    2.   When you have a pleasing arrangement of papers, stick it down with your choice of adhesive. 
     3.   Ink desired stamps and randomly stamp images on top of the papers and in the spaces between papers. You can emboss pigment or metallic inks if you like. I always stamp with metallic ink, and some of my favorite stamps are text/handwriting images. You don’t have to cover every bit of the paper with stamping, open areas are nice.
    4.   Cut this large sheet into smaller squares. 1 ¼ inch or 1-inch squares work will on cards. I prefer the 1-inch size because it’s easier to cut on the paper cutter by using the lined grids. Accurate cutting is important so that the squares are all the same size. Getting these little squares exactly the same size does leave some room for error. If a few squares are too small, don’t use them. Embellishments such as charms or layers of stamped images can always hide areas that you don’t care for.
    5.   When you’re finished cutting up squares, mix them all up and choose them randomly to piece back together. Select a color of cardstock on which to mount your squares. The squares can be arranged in any manor that appeals to you. One basic pattern is 3 rows across and 3 down.
     
    6.   Glue arranged squares to cardstock leaving about a 1/8 inch border around them. You can layer this on another color paper which you apply directly to your card.
     7.   Your card can be embellished with any number of things like: charms, embossed images, or fibers.

    Thursday, May 17, 2012

    Sending Comfort Challenge

    For this challenge at Impression Obsession, I chose Peach Blossom F12006. I experimented again by stamping in brown and coloring more softly. I wanted to have a delicate rendering... then I saw these pretty cardstock colors while looking in my files and I thought some brightness would be cheerful if sending comfort. The green is Certainly Celery from Stampin' Up while the pink is from Paper Studio. I used the Cuttlebug 'Script' embossing folder, sponged the background with Distress inks and colored the image with Prismacolors. The sentiment is computer generated and cut out with Spellbinders' Labels Eight. Visit the Impression Obsession Blog to see all the other beautiful entries and what the Design Team has created.


    Timeless Tuesday Challenge

    This is my entry for the challenge at Flourishes. "The challenge is “Alphabet Letter” Pick one alphabet letter and use at least three supplies/elements that start with the letter of your choice. For example, if you choose “B” for your alphabet letter, make your creation with “B”rads, “B”uttons, “B”ow, color “B”lue, designer papers by “B”asic Grey and so on."

    My Alphabet Letter is F. French Poetry, Flower and Frame.
    The poppy stamp is from Flourishes, the set is called 'Poppy Patch' SS037. The French poetry script is from Hero Arts. The cardstock is from Stampin' Up and the colors are,  Baha Breeze and Certainly Celery, while the orange for the frame is from Paper Studio. The sentiment is on a Spellbinders' grommet tag, and the embossing folder is Swiss Dots from Cuttlebug. I stamped both images with Mementos tuxedo black, used distressed inks on the background and colored the flower with Prismacolor pencils.

    Adventures Under The Desk

    See that butt sticking up in the air? That's me. The good news is my new knee works really well. Wait til I tell Dr. O'Shea how well I can crawl on it. See I was getting out the grommets for a card. I keep them all in these little tins which I used to think were so clever and adorable. Now I just think they are evil inventions of some MAN trying to drive women crazy! The tops get stuck on, and I was trying to get the dumb thing off when whoosh.... it came off with a burst of energy scattering grommets alllll over my studio. Many naturally landed under and behind the furniture. The only way to get these little things was to get down on my hands and knees and crawl under the furniture. What's the big deal you ask? My new knee hasn't been used like that yet, but it worked! I'm happily crawling around gathering grommets and there was one elusive little guy waaaay on the other side of the dresser. Well I'm tall, I have long arms, so I reached and stretched and scootched and squirmed and shimmied myself all around underneath the desk and.... I got it! Then I realized getting out wasn't so easy. In fact it was downright difficult. So difficult in fact, that I was stuck. Yep, that's me stuck under my own desk. I kept telling myself, "you got in here so you can fit through to get out." It took several interminably long minutes, but I finally managed to unwind my long arms and legs and get myself free from the clutches of my childhood desk. I was hot and my head hurt. It wasn't dusty, because I just vacuumed under all the furniture last month. Must have been from all that hard thinking. I no longer think the tins are cute. In fact, I'm going to look for a replacement storage solution for my grommets. But not right now, I have to go take a nap, my head still hurts.

    Wednesday, May 16, 2012

    Experimenting

    I've been experimenting a lot with color lately. I'm beginning to wonder about this whole "be adventurous" thing, cause it doesn't always work out well. Maybe that's the point, you take a risk and sometimes you end up with something beautiful and other times... eh... not so much. I've taken a few of my experiments apart and changed cardstock colors because I just couldn't stand it. The past two days have been full of experimentation.

    I had something in mind when I started playing around with inking an embossing folder. In my head it looked elegant and simple. In real life, I didn't have that color of paper. I needed crumb cake from Stampin' Up, but used what I had and it looked drab. Not at all like it did in my head, so I went through my cache of decorative paper looking for blacks and tans. I added it as a background and liked it better. I'm still not sure if I want to add a sentiment or not. The embossing folder is from Paper Studio, and the stamp image is from Magenta.
    I was going to repeat the same color scheme with this one, but I didn't have enough of the same paper. I saw the black in the decorative paper and thought perhaps double matting would look pleasing and provide a little pizazz too. I love the way this one turned out:) This stamp image is from Magenta and one of my absolute all-time favorites. I use it a lot. In fact, I've used it so much I'm surprised it hasn't worn out!
     This was one was disappointing. Purple and green are supposed to go together, according to my color guide. Maybe it's just my particular taste, but I'm not using this combination again. It seems kind of jarring to me. It feels upsetting, just not right. The ink is Crushed Olive Distress, and looks more yellow than green but I still don't like the Wild Wasabi and Perfect Plun together. The stamped image is from Stamper's Anonymous. For the sentiment, I was inspired by one of Longfellows' poems and came up with what you see.
    I discovered something about my level of creativity this week. Reading. I haven't been reading in the last month or so. I picked up a Nora Roberts novel this weekend and wow! Between that and listening to music while I work, I just felt more... in touch or sensitive. Colors were brighter and my senses were more alive. I had a high school writing teacher who really encouraged me to write and actually told me that I was good. He's the only K-12 teacher who ever told me I was good at something. Over the years I've toyed with the idea of writing a book. I even put together a children's book once but I just didn't like it. When I bought a book on how to get published, it was so daunting that I became discouraged. A few years later, I tried a love story. I did some research and had the story line worked out, but again I just thought I didn't have enough talent. Plus the fact that I was teaching didn't provide me with enough time to write. I sure have enough time now. I've had lots of stories in my head. Since I was a little girl, I'd make up stories to try and occupy my mind. I suffered from ADHD and I just couldn't seem to get enough stimulation, so I'd make my own! I may try again to write. Geeze I'm 55 years old and this would be my first attempt at writing a book...who does that? Plus I don't think I could write steamy love scenes. I would be so totally embarrassed. What publisher would look twice at a book without steamy love scenes now days?

    Monday, May 14, 2012

    Time Spent in my Studio

    It's raining outside and I've been in my studio listening to Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood. I worked on two things this morning, a floral set and one featuring time. When I saw this clockworks embossing folder from Cuttlebug, I knew I had to have it. In my stamp collection there are a few time related images. I selected a small one so that the design of the embossing folder would show. I bought a bunch of watch parts at an art convention about ten years ago. Also in my stash is a roll of this copper looking stuff. I was so excited thinking I could use salt and vinegar to age it to a beautiful patina. Then my husband came into my studio, peered over my shoulder intently, and dashed my hopes as he calmly informed me that it was not copper, but aluminum. So I decided to try alcohol inks. I used a deep green, brown and a bit of gray. I really didn't take my time, I just swiped the ink on the copper-colored aluminum with a piece of felt.
    • Clock stamp image is from Just For Fun
    • Spellbinders Labels Eight provides the green layer
    • The time sentiment is computer generated on Microsoft Word
    • Distress inks
    • Spellbinders Grommets Tag
    This is how the copper-colored aluminum looked just after embossing before I used the alcohol inks on it.

    I finally used this stamp set from Flourishes in a way that I'm pretty happy with. I really hate masking, but it worked much better to create a bunched scene.
    • The Spellbinders Grommets Tag 
    • Brass hummingbird and ribbon came from my stash
    • Distress inks 
    • Prismacolor pencils 
    • So Saffron cardstock from Stampin' Up
    • Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder 

    Time for Art

    I bought these watch parts at a convention 10-12 years ago. I've used them a couple of times.

    Tuesday, May 8, 2012

    Card Set Holder Tutorial

    This is a pizza box. There are directions all over for a small one, but I wanted one to hold 5 by 7 cards. So I adjusted the measurements and created my own. It took me 6 tries (or 6 sheets of cardstock) to get it right, because I am analytically challenged.

    Supplies
    • One 6" x 11" piece of cardstock                                                                                          
    •  For 5 by 7 cards: 9 ½”  by 14 piece of cardstock, and a 2 ½” by 9 ½”  piece to make it 14 inches long (if you score this very lightly at ½” it will give you a nice line to keep your piece straight when gluing it to the end of the 12 inch side, making it 14 inches long.  There will be a seam on the bottom of your box.
    • Scoring tool
    • Scissors
    • Adhesive
    • Additional cardstock and embellishments to decorate your box
    Step 1
    With the short side of a 6" x 11" piece of cardstock at the top of the scoring tool, score at 1" and 5"
    For 9 ½” x 14” cardstock:
    1” and 8.” The length of the scoring board is 12 inches right? So turn the cardstock to complete scoring the 14 inch length.
     Step 2
    Turn the cardstock, and on the 11" side, score at 1", 5”, 6” and 10”
    Turn cardstock, and on the 14” side, score at 1”, 6 ½”, 7 ½“, 13” (to do the 13 inch you will have to turn the cardstock and score at 1 inch) The add-on piece is on the right, then turn so the add-on is on the left to score at 1 inch.
     Step 3
    Following the scored lines along the 11” or 14” side, use scissors to cut flaps. Be sure NOT to cut on the seam line.
    Begin each cut on outer edge of paper and stop at the perpendicular scored line as shown. Be sure NOT to score on the seam line.
     Adhere flaps to inside of box.
     

    Now comes the fun part, decorating the box!