Fraulein Collage

I made this collage in my visual journal using ideas provided by Mary Green in her February Green Paper Collage Club.  Because I am still developing my collage skills, I find it invaluable to have Mary's prompts and instructions.

I collaged a variety of vintage papers directly to my journal page using the blended paper technique, stamped the flourishes, and added some distress ink.  The German postage stamps were in a package of goodies from fellow collage artist Marie of Lost Bird Studio.  The photo was free clipart in a Somerset Studio magazine.

Looks like I'll have to shovel a little snow today.  Thankfully it's not too deep.  Have a great day!

Supplies:
Strathmore Visual Journal (watercolor 140 lb); various vintage text from a dictionary, geography textbook, sheet music, German prayer book, 1920s poetry book; white acrylic paint; frayed burlap and vintage photo distress ink; Stazon black ink; flourish stamps by Hero Arts, Inque Boutique, and The Unity Stamp Company; German postage stamps; free clipart photo; light charcoal pencil; matte gel medium.

La Donna Peeled Paint ATC

This ATC began with mere bits of vintage papers leftover from previous projects.  I used the blended paper technique for the background and stained the papers with distress ink.

However, most of that distress ink got wiped off with a paper towel when my matte gel medium (used to adhere the female image), oozed out.  This step effectively gave me a wash effect.  I finished the card with some titanium white acrylic paint and the peeling paint technique.

Thank you for visiting my blog!  Your comments are always appreciated.

Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; various vintage text pages, sheet music, and atlas pages; clipart from Green Paper Packages; white acrylic paint; wild honey and vintage photo distress ink; petroleum jelly; matte gel medium.

Magnetic Peeled Paint ATC

This is my second attempt at the peeling paint technique, and it turned out much better than my first.  I know I will use this technique again as it goes so well with vintage images.

I started out with a peeling paper technique for the base layer.  The green acrylic was added using the peeling paint technique.  I finger-painted the yellow acrylic and used an old credit card dipped in permanent ink to create the black border.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; Basic Grey decorative paper; text from an old book (background and word magnetic); vintage sheet music; laser copy of an old cabinet photo; green and yellow acrylic paint; Vaseline petroleum jelly; pumice stone distress ink; Golden gel medium; Stazon black ink; medium charcoal pencil.

Life Begins at 40

That's what I'm telling a friend who turns 40 years old this week.  I don't think she's looking forward to it, but lots of Bud Light should help.

I like the way this card turned out.  The modern colors of the Pink Paislee papers work with this image from Artistic Outpost, colored with Prismacolor Premier pencils.  The Tim Holtz film strip ribbon mimics the brick wall in the stamped image.

Have a great Monday!

Supplies:
Stamps:  Artistic Outpost; Cornish Heritage Farms (Scratched Grid); black and white cardstock by Bazzill; whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; patterned papers by Pink Paislee; Stazon black ink; broken china and black soot distress ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; Tim Holtz film strip ribbon; pop-dots; black brads; Glossy Accents.

Happy Birthday

Due to its size (six inches square) and the fancy bow, I'll either have to buy a large, padded envelope to mail this card or else hand-deliver it to someone who lives locally.

The little girl and the ledger stamp on the red layer are from Artistic Outpost. 

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a great weekend!

Supplies:
Stamps:  Artistic Outpost, Stampabilities; blue cardstock by Bazzill; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; decorative papers by K and Company; Stazon black ink; brushed corduroy distress ink; Martha Stewart border punch; Spellbinders oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities; ivory ribbon from Michaels; pop-dots.

Get Well Wishes

My friend Loribelle had surgery on Monday and is the proud new mom of twin kidney stones.  It's amazing (and more than a little irritating), that something so tiny can cause so much pain and trouble! 

This cute little girl in her overalls is a rubber stamp from Oxford Impressions.  The lovely papers by Graphic 45 were in my scrap basket.  I'm so proud of myself for making five cards with just scraps in the last few days.

Have a great day!

Supplies:
Red and ivory cardstock by Bazzill; white cardstock from Oxford Impressions; girl stamp from Oxford Impressions; sentiment from Stampin' Up; decorative papers by Graphic 45; small oval and scalloped oval punches from Stampin' Up; Spellbinders oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities; small slot punch from Stampin' Up (where the ribbon is threaded through); sheer gold ribbon from Michaels; border punch by EK Success; antique gold stick-ons by K and Company; pop-dots.

Time to Love ATC

I created this vintage/grunge ATC during last weekend's Collage-a-thon at ATCs for All.  Each day of the "a-thon" included an optional theme or subject and with it being close to Valentine's Day, hearts was one of those themes.

The clock and text stamps are by Cornish Heritage Farms.  For the heart, I colored plain cardstock with distress ink using the direct to paper technique, stamped the musical score, and then used a heart-shaped punch.

Thanks for visiting!


Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; vintage novel text; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; clock and text stamps by Cornish Heritage Farms; music stamp by Stampabilities; fired brick, wild honey, and vintage photo distress ink; Stazon black ink; medium charcoal pencil; matte gel medium; Glossy Accents.

Scrap Cards

Sometimes one just needs a couple of quick and easy cards.  And sometimes one needs to be a bit more disciplined about reducing the pile(s) of paper scraps remaining from previous projects.  Here are two cards that accomplish both.

The stamps are from Artistic Outpost and the patterned papers are old My Mind's Eye.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Stamps:  Artistic Outpost; cardstock by Bazzill; decorative papers by My Mind's Eye; Stazon black or Stazon timber brown ink; Martha Stewart border punches; Spellbinders oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities.

Not Anxious to Marry APC

I see many wonderful altered playing cards by other artists.  Unfortunately, the playing cards I have are too small to qualify as an ATC.  However, the cards in my 1919 Pit game are exactly 2.5 x 3.5 inches and they have wonderful designs on both the front and back.  I'm quite pleased with my first-ever altered playing card.

I used some old sheet music, an image from ArtChix Studio, and two dried hydrangea blooms from our garden.  I thought the text I found in a 1920s novel was befitting this sexy secretary.

Have a great day!




Supplies:
Pit game card; old sheet music; lavender cardstock; clipart from ArtChix Studio; dried hydrangea blossoms; found text; dusty concord distress ink; Adirondack silver acrylic paint dabber; gel medium.

Time ATC

I made this card over the weekend for the Collage-a-thon at ATCs for All, and soon it will be heading to fellow ATC enthusiast Chardonnay1965 in Australia. 

The stamps by Cornish Heritage Farms were in a huge box of blog candy from Stephanie at Ingenious Inkling.  I believe CHF is now out of business so I feel fortunate to have these images.  The punched butterflies received a coat of Glossy Accents for added dimension.


Happy Valentine's Day!  Thanks for stopping by.

Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; old sheet music; clocks and time stamps by Cornish Heritage Farms; Martha Stewart butterfly punch; decorative paper by Deja Views; Stazon black ink; wild honey and walnut stain distress ink; medium charcoal pencil; Glossy Accents.

Even Linebackers Love Valentine's Day

My friend Ron is a native of Nebraska and back in the day he played football for the Cornhuskers.  So I couldn't wait to use my little running back from Artistic Outpost on his Valentine's Day card.

I found a picture of the Nebraska football uniform online so I could color my image in a similar fashion.  As luck would have it, I had an "N" stamp that was the perfect size for the side of the helmet.

Have a great day!

Supplies:
Stamps:  Artistic Outpost; black, red, and white cardstock by Bazzill; whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; Stazon black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; pumice stone distress ink; Spellbinders round and scalloped round Nestabilities; Spellbinders rectangle and scalloped rectangle Nestabilities; EK Success border punch; black brads; Glossy Accents.

Not Wanted on the Voyage

I completed several ATCs last night during the Collage-a-Thon at ATCs for All.  This fun card was inspired by the optional first-day theme of making cards with black, white and red (one of my favorite color combinations).

I cut and pasted some unrelated clipart from ArtChix Studio to create my Not Wanted poster.  The background is a Stampin' Up image that I embossed.  I went a little overboard with the white acrylic paint as a final step, but I still like it.

Have a great weekend!

Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; red cardstock by Bazzill; black cardstock (unknown); Ephemera background stamp from Stampin' Up; Colorbox black pigment ink; clear embossing powder; clipart from ArtChix Studio; white acrylic paint; walnut stain distress ink.

Peg o' My Heart ATC

There's a Collage-a-thon over at ATCs for All this weekend which motivated me to create a card using this young woman's image that I like so much.

The background consists of decorative paper by My Mind's Eye, some Tim Holtz tissue tape, and a rubber stamp by Cornish Heritage Farms.  I computer-generated the text.

Thanks for stopping by my blog!



Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; decorative paper by My Mind's Eye; Tim Holtz tissue tape (music); stamp from Cornish Heritage Farms Time to Stamp set; copy of old photo; Stazon black ink; aged mahogany distress ink; white acrylic paint; medium charcoal pencil; small heart punch; computer-generated text; Golden gel medium.

Altered Matchbox "Fire"

Here's a fun little project that doesn't take long at all, as long as you like to work in small spaces!

I covered a small match box (purchased at Target), with some vintage sheet music and topped it with an interesting photo.  I added some Dresden trim borders and a word from an old novel.   Of course, everything was appropriately aged with ink and paint.

The inside drawer was colored with fired brick distress ink and then lined with sheet music.  This box will hold some small trinkets for a fellow artist.

We are finally getting some warmer weather here; it may even get above freezing this weekend.  Yee-haw!

Supplies:
Small matchbox; vintage sheet music; white acrylic paint; Adirondack gold paint dabber; fired brick distress ink; reduced copy of old photograph; black Dresden trim; dark charcoal pencil; Golden gel medium.

Be Mine

This is the Valentine I'm sending to my mom and dad with the altered Jello box I shared with you yesterday.

This cute image by Artistic Outpost was colored with Prismacolor Premier pencils. I glammed up all the paper edges with a gold paint dabber.  The pretty paper is by My Mind's Eye.

Have a great day!


Supplies:
Stamps: Artistic Outpost; red and pink cardstock by Bazzill; decorative paper by My Mind's Eye; whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; Stazon black ink; spun sugar distress ink; Adirondack gold acrylic paint dabber; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; Spellbinders oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities; pink Dew Drops; pop-dots.

Altered Jello Box

I see projects like this in the Stampington magazines and think they are just adorable.  I finally decided to try my hand at one and use it as a gift box for Valentine's Day.

I started by wrapping a small Jello box with old sheet music that was dry-brushed with white acrylic paint.  I free-formed the heart out of black craft wire and also dry-brushed it to give it that shabby chic look.


I am sending this to my mom.  The box is just large enough to hold a bracelet of freshwater pearls in Valentine colors.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Empty Jello box with top flaps cut off; vintage sheet music; white acrylic paint; pumice stone distress ink; burlap and lace trim from the fabric store; black craft wire; red embroidery floss; vintage button from my stash; Golden gel medium.

Feel Better Soon

I made this card for my dear friend Jo's father, who recently fell on the ice and broke his hip.  Thankfully it was not a bad break and he is expected to make a full recovery.  I've never met her dad, but Jo has said that she talks about me "all the time," so of course I am happy to send him a card to wish him well.

I used some of my favorite masculine stamps from Artistic Outpost, papers from Basic Grey, and a herringbone embossing folder to create this card.

It's super cold today; only 2 degrees below zero at noon.  Time for a cup of hot cocoa!

Supplies:
Stamps:  Artistic Outpost; black cardstock by Bazzill; true thyme cardstock from Stampin' Up; patterned papers by Basic Grey; Stazon black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; walnut stain and peeled paint distress ink; Cuttlebug and herringbone embossing folder; border punch by EK Success; pop dots.

Be My Valentine ATC

I've been holding onto this lovely image for a few months, waiting for Valentine's Day to make a sweet card. 

My background consists of some old sheet music and decorative paper by My Mind's Eye.  The heart is a stamp from Artistic Outpost.

Have a great weekend!





Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; decorative paper by Mind's Eye; old sheet music; clip art postage stamp (unknown); heart stamp from Artistic Outpost; Stazon black ink; white acrylic paint; Memento cottage ivy dye ink; vintage paper distress ink; silver leaf swirls by Stampendous; pink metal flower from ArtChix Studio.

The Boy Who Would Be King Collage

I've been itching to get back into making gluebook pages and I really want to get over my fear of tackling larger, mixed media collages on canvas.  The solution came to me last weekend at Hobby Lobby, when I saw these Strathmore Visual Journals on sale.  I bought the journal with 140 pound watercolor paper because it will hold up to multi-layer collages, acrylic paint, embellishments, and whatever else I want to add to it.  Let the experimenting begin!

This 5x8 inch collage was inspired by the title of a book that was in a stack of ephemera from fellow artist Barb.  The background page and Tutenkhamon image are from a 1930s art textbook that I bought last month at a flea market.  The nine refers to the fact that Tutenkhamon ascended to the throne when he was just nine years old.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Strathmore Visual Journal with 140 lb. watercolor paper; royal ruby and glorious gold metallic paint by DecoArt; white acrylic paint; Golden gel medium; text and images from a 1930s art textbook; title from an unknown book; gold chipboard "thickers" letter by American crafts; medium charcoal pencil.

I Used to be Snow White, But I Drifted

That's one of my favorite Mae West quotes, and I thought of it today as I dealt with the aftermath of our blizzard yesterday.  I spent a good three hours today clearing the driveway and sidewalks of the snow we received.  No one is quite sure how much snow actually fell, because the wind blew the snow into huge drifts everywhere, but our local weatherman is saying 13 inches.

My biggest drift was about 45 inches deep.  As you can see, the yard stick was not long enough to get an accurate measurement.

Here is what the entire drift looked like, and that is the heavy duty, hard-working snowblower that I am fortunate to have.  But first, I had to use the shovel to knock down the drift to a height that the snowblower could handle.

And here is the "after" picture, showing the driveway free and clear!

I heard that the groundhogs did not see their shadows today, so let's hope that really does mean an early spring!  After this storm, I'm ready for winter to be over.  Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Deutsche Bundespost ATC

This artist trading card is a companion piece to Excess Value, which was completed first.  I decided to not let the other half of my Flinch card go to waste.  That is the great thing about making ATCs:  even the smallest scraps can pack a big punch.

The pretty red postage stamp from Germany was in a packet of goodies from my fellow gluebook page enthusiast Marie of Lost Bird Studio.  The background text is from a late 1800s German prayer book and the Berlin postage cancellation is actually a rubber stamp.


We're in the middle of a major blizzard right now, with 14 to 18 inches of snow expected by the time all is said and done.  I already have a three foot snowdrift down the driveway, and the storm isn't over yet. 

Stay safe and warm, everyone!

Supplies:
ATC cardstock base; vintage German text; vintage Flinch card; vintage sheet music; butterfly clipart from Green Paper Packages; ticket clipart from ArtChix Studio; German postage stamp; "D" dimensional sticker (unknown); postal cancellation rubber stamp by Stampa Rosa; fired brick and walnut stain distress ink; light charcoal pencil; Adirondack copper acrylic paint dabber.