Altered Dominoes: Holiday

Before I leave Christmas 2010 completely behind, I wanted to post a photo of the altered dominoes I made for my mom and dad.

I die-cut the letters (my parents have the same first initial) on the Cuttlebug out of Grungepaper and decorative paper.  The poinsettia and reindeer are buttons from Michaels. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Old wooden domino; decorative paper by Memory Box; Grungepaper by Tim Holtz; die-cut alphabet by Provocraft; Cuttlebug; Adirondack Metallic gold paint dabber; buttons from Michaels; brass eye screw from the hardware store; smallest drill bit for my Craftsman drill; gold ribbon from Ellen Hutson; gold elastic cord from Michaels; Liquitex matte gel medium; Glossy Accents.

Dancing Through the Years

As teenagers and young adults in the 1950s, my parents spent a lot of nights in ballrooms and dance halls, as going to a dance was the quintessential date.  Now that they're retired and spending the winters in Arizona, they once again have the chance to "shake a leg" at dances and I'm proud to say that as they approach their 52nd wedding anniversary, they've still got it!

I colored this image with Prismacolor Premier pencils and used odorless mineral spirits to blend.  The unmounted rubber stamp was a gift from a friend so I don't know the manufacturer. 

You can probably tell from this photo that we have NO sunlight today.  In fact, it's raining and it's foggy enough that the airport has had to cancel flights.  At least it's warm enough to melt some of the snow.

I hope the weather is cheerier in your location!  Thanks for stopping by.

Supplies:
Stamp: Unknown; black cardstock by Bazzill; whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; Archival jet black ink; decorative papers from Me and My Big Ideas; oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; Martha Stewart border punch; dark pink eyelets.

Graphic 45 Communique Card

After spending a couple of hours cleaning up my craft area, including putting away all of my Christmas-themed stamps and papers, I was ready to create something new.  But I didn't have a lot of time so I decided to make an easy card that didn't use any stamping or embellishments.  This type of card is handy to have when you need to fire off a quick note to someone, and I never have enough of them.

All of the papers are by Graphic 45. I cut out the pen nibs and ink bottle and mounted them on black cardstock, leaving just a slim border of black around the images.  They were then adhered to the card with pop-dots for a little dimension.


Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Black cardstock by Bazzill; decorative papers by Graphic 45; pop-dots.

Holiday Pencil Folders

Now that my friends have received their Secret Santa packages, I can post some of the items I made for them.   In this case, I'm showing you the pencil folders I made for my friend's sons.

I created my own template for the folder.  It's basically a trifold pocket, checkbook sized.  Since my friend's husband studied in France, I thought it would be fun to use this particular sentiment from Artistic Outpost.

I hope you had a wonderful holiday!

Supplies:
Stamp:  Artistic Outpost; burgundy and green cardstocks by Bazzill; decorative papers by Creative Imaginations; Stazon black ink; small oval and small scalloped oval punches from Stampin' Up; green and burgundy ribbons from Michaels; corner rounder punch.

Merry Christmas!

May the peace and joy of Christmas 

be yours all through the year.

Altered Domino: Sandy Striper

This festive altered domino is for my friend Sandy.  Isn't the red striped ribbon super sweet?  I've had it in my stash for several years.

The poinsettia is actually a button from Michaels, brushed lightly with gold paint.  The initial is made from Grunge Paper covered with a decorative paper, die-cut on the Cuttlebug. 

It's officially Christmas Eve now and it's snowing here. The snow looks beautiful as it falls and everyone always hopes for a white Christmas.  But this type of weather can wreak havoc on the roads so if you're out driving today, please be extra careful! 

Thanks for stopping by today. 

Supplies: 
Wooden domino; decorative papers from Memory Box; Grunge Paper (Tim Holtz); poinsettia button from Michaels; Adirondack gold paint dapper; brass eye screw from the hardware store; Craftsman drill and smallest drill bit; striped ribbon (unknown); Liquitex matte gel medium; Glossy Accents; stretchy gold cording from Michaels.

Snowflake Santa

This was my final Christmas card for 2010 but it's also one of my favorites.  This color scheme has been really big in home decorating the last couple of years, and I can see why.  It's absolutely YUMMY.

My Santa is from Artistic Outpost and the decorative papers are by Memory Box. The snowflakes are from a Martha Stewart border punch; I just held on to them after punching my cardstock and then glued them on the top in a random pattern.

The countdown to Christmas is almost over!  Are you ready?

Supplies:
Stamps: Artistic Outpost (Santa and fir branch), Cornish Heritage Farms (sentiment), Stampa Rosa (postmark); Bazzill brown cardstock; decorative papers by Memory Box; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; Archival jet black ink; antique linen, walnut stain, and weathered wood distress ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; Martha Stewart border punch; pop-dots.

The Stockings Were Hung

I found this project idea in the 2010 Somerset Holidays and Celebrations magazine (Volume 4).  I'm happy with how it turned out, especially since this was my first attempt and the magazine didn't include really explicit instructions.

You start by using Heat-n-Bond Lite to adhere the sheet music to the muslin.  I used dark green canvas for the back.  My stocking is more decorative than functional, mainly because it won't hold much more than a gift card due to its size (it's only eight inches tall and 3.5 inches wide, and pretty flat!).

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Muslin; green canvas; vintage sheet music; Heat-n-Bond Lite; sewing machine; pinking shears; burgundy scalloped ribbon and burgundy velvet ribbon from Michaels; lace ribbon from the fabric store; Tim Holtz ruler ribbon; burgundy and ivory buttons from my stash; gold embroidery thread; silk leaves; black craft wire; Golden gel medium.

Christmastide Greetings

I was at the main post office ten minutes before it opened this morning, and was fifth in line in order to mail two Secret Santa packages and the majority of my Christmas cards.  I have a few more cards to make but I'm in good shape, even if it is just one week until the big day.

I love the Memory Box papers on this card and am so glad that I bought two packages of this particular collection.  My Santa is from Artistic Outpost and I colored him with Prismacolor Premier pencils.



I hope you are enjoying your holiday preparations!  Thanks for taking time to stop by.

Supplies:
Stamps: Artistic Outpost (Santa, Dec 24, and branch), Stamp Francisco (North Pole Post), and Cornish Heritage Farms (Christmastide); Bazzill brown cardstock; patterned papers by Memory Box; faux ledger paper by Pink Paislee; Archival jet black ink; antique linen, walnut stain, aged mahogany, and peeled paint distress inks; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities; pop-dots.

Altered Domino: K's Snowflake

We received over three inches of snow overnight so today I fired up the snowblower for the first time this winter.  It does a great job on even the heaviest snow so I am thankful to have it.  I've also been working on a lot of different projects but I can't post them here yet, since some of them are gifts and I don't want to spoil any surprises.  But I can show you one thing I made that is befitting of the season.

This is an old wooden domino that I altered into a small Christmas tree ornament.  I painted the sides with silver acrylic paint and covered one side with a pretty patterned paper.  (I left the "dots" side alone so you can tell that it is a domino.)  The snowflake and initial were die-cut and then dressed up with some rock candy Stickles and Glossy Accents.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Wooden domino; Adirondack silver paint dabber; Memory Box patterned papers; Grungepaper; Nestabilities snowflake die; Cuttlebug initial die; Bazzill dark blue cardstock; weathered wood distress ink; rock candy Stickles; Glossy Accents; ribbon from Michaels; eye screw from the hardware store; Craftsman drill and the smallest drill bit in the set.

Joyeux Noel Christmas Greeting

This is one of my Christmas cards for 2010. 

The vintage Santa and the sentiment are both from Artistic Outpost.  The sheet music is circa 1910s.

I can't believe December is half over already!  I have so much to do in the coming week.


Supplies:
Stamps: Artistic Outpost; Bazzill brown cardstock; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; patterned papers by Memory Box; Archival jet black ink; Prismacolor pencils; odorless mineral spirits; antique linen, walnut stain, and aged mahogany distress ink; unknown striped paper; vintage sheet music; copper brads; deckled rectangles Nestabilities; labels ten Nestabilities; pop-dots.

2-5-7-10 Joyeux Noel Boxes

I'm doing a Secret Santa gift exchange with some friends and wanted to include a little something for their families.  I finally settled on creating a 2-5-7-10 box for each of them and filling it with their favorite candies.

I used heavy kraft cardstock for the base of the boxes and decorated them with stamps from Artistic Outpost.  To finish off the vintage look, I lightly inked all of the edges with distress ink and tied the boxes with twine from the hardware store.  Here is a close-up of one of the boxes.

I'm very pleased with how the boxes look and I can't wait to hear what my friend and her family thinks, especially when they find their favorite bite-sized treats inside. Thanks for stopping by! 

Supplies:
Stamps: Artistic Outpost; kraft cardstock and very vanilla cardstock by Stampin' Up; red, green, or blue cardstock by Bazzill; Stazon black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; antique linen, brushed corduroy, barn door, and aged mahogany distress ink; Stickles; tag punch; twine; Terrifically Tacky Tape.

She Sells Seashells

This card looks very summery, doesn't it?  But it's actually a thank you card for the friends I spent Thanksgiving with.  I chose the color palette and the seashell theme because they fit the tropical theme and colors in my friends' house.

The patterned papers are by My Mind's Eye. The seashell stamp by Inkadinkado was colored with Prismacolor Premier pencils and then highlighted with Glossy Accents to give it some additional dimension.

We've had a lot of cold, gloomy days lately so it's good to be reminded that summer will return.  
Eventually. (And not a moment too soon!)

Supplies:
Stamp by Inkadinkado; pale yellow, red, and turquoise cardstock by Bazzill; patterned papers by My Mind's Eye; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; Archival jet black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; Martha Stewart border punch; scalloped-edge scissors; oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities; D'vine Swirls Cuttlebug embossing folder; pop-dots; Glossy Accents.

North Pole Post

We received our first measurable snowfall over the weekend.  We got only an inch at our house, but we still had to shovel because the temperatures were heading down and the snow would not melt on its own.  With weather like that, I don't mind staying indoors and being crafty.  Besides, it was high time I started working on my Christmas cards.  If you're on my Christmas card list (and you know who you are), you may not want to read any further!

The focus of this card is an ATC-sized collage with some easy stamping, a colored Santa, and the right amount of distress ink to age everything.  The "Dec 24" was stamped on another piece of paper, inked up, cut out, and adhered to the card to mimic a postage stamp. 

I hope you're staying nice and warm, wherever you are!  Thanks for stopping by.

Supplies:
Stamps:  Artistic Outpost (Santa, Dec 24, branches), Cornish Heritage Farms (sentiment), Stamp Francisco (North Pole postmark), Stampa Rosa (other postmark); red and brown cardstocks by Bazzill; decorative papers from Memorybox and Daisy D; Archival jet black ink; barn door, antique linen, peeled paint, and walnut stain distress ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; Nestabilities Label 10; pop-dots.

She Eats Like a Bird

This is a second version of a card I made for the Bird-a-thon last weekend on ATCs for All.

The bird was stamped on a vintage biology textbook page and colored with Prismacolor Premier pencils and distress inks.  I like the muted sage green and eggplant color combination of the background.

Thanks for stopping by my blog!

Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; text from a 1930s Biology for Today textbook; stamps by Artistic Outpost (bird), Wordsworth (letter B), Inkadinkado (triangle postmark), Stampa Rosa (round postmark), and Stamp Francisco (wavy lines on postmarks); Archival jet black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; crushed corduroy, bundled sage, and black soot distress ink.

Splendid Young Savage

I like how this ATC turned out, but trimming this splendid rooster image really tested my scissors skills!  I think I can say "I still got it."

I stamped the rooster from Oxford Impressions on smooth cardstock and colored it with Prismacolor Premier pencils.  The chicken wire stamped on the background paper is also from Oxford Impressions.  The text is from a 1920s novel.



Thanks for popping in!  Have a great day.

Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; stamps from Oxford Impressions; patterned paper by The Paper Studio; vintage sheet music; vintage book text; sticker typewriter letter; Archival jet black ink; wild honey, dusty concord, pumice stone, and walnut stain distress ink.

Altered Domino: Soar

Last spring I bought two sets of old wooden dominoes at a garage sale, with the notion of somehow altering them.  I finally got around to it last weekend during the Bird-a-thon and am really pleased with my first effort!

I painted the sides of the domino with gold acrylic paint and added an eye-screw to the top so the domino can be hung (it's hidden by the ribbon).  The German scrap bird is from ArtChix Studio.



Can you believe it's December 1 already?!  Where has the year gone?

Supplies: 
Halsam wooden domino from the 1950s; decorative paper by The Paper Studio; German scrap bird from ArtChix Studio; black cardstock from Stampin' Up; Adirondack Metallics gold acrylic paint dabber; computer-generated text; barn door distress ink; mini copper brads; gold ribbon; metal eye-screw (hidden in photo); Adirondack metallics gold alcohol ink.