It's Spring Break Time!

I am taking a break from the craft room and my blog in order to take care of some essential spring business.

   I will be back soon.  Until then, stay well and 

remember to take time each day to relax!

First Lady of Song ATC

Hands down, the best female vocalist ever is Ella Fitzgerald.  If I am ever stranded on a deserted island, I hope I have some of her recordings with me to pass the time.  So how could I make ATCs for a music-themed swap and not include Lady Ella?  Well I just couldn't, even though it means sacrificing one of my coveted Ella postage stamps.

I let the colors of the postage stamp dictate the direction of this card, which has an elegant silver shimmer to it that wasn't picked up by my scanner.  The border paper is a beautiful blue and silver design by Pink Paislee.  I stamped the music with Versamark ink on a black patterned paper (from the same Pink Paislee collection), and heat embossed with silver powder.  The text was computer-generated.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; patterned papers by Pink Paislee and The Paper Studio; U.S. Postal Service postage stamp; music background stamp by Stampabilities; Versamark ink; silver embossing powder by Ranger; Adirondack silver metallics paint dabber; black Dresden trim from ArtChix Studio; computer-generated text; fired brick distress ink.

Singing Cowboys

I'm participating in a swap on ATCs for All with the theme Music in the Air.  I was inspired to make these two cards after seeing the postage stamps and remembering that I had some cowboy-themed papers in my stash.

I hope you're having a great weekend!

Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; postage stamps from the U.S. Postal Service; miscellaneous patterned papers by Cosmo Cricket and the Paper Studio; antique cracking background stamp by Stampin' Up; black soot. frayed burlap and vintage photo distress ink; Martha Stewart border punch; computer-generated text.

For the Birds

I really like this bird image by Graphic 45, so you will probably see me use it quite a bit.  In this case it's on a card that I made for some friends of mine who have had a stressful winter dealing with a parent's health issues.  I think it was Bette Davis who said, "Growing old isn't for sissies," and she was definitely right.

This is an A2-sized card (4.25 x 5.5 inches), with 3/4 of an inch trimmed off the front panel.  This sketch is perfect for showcasing some beautiful coordinated papers.

Thanks for dropping by!

Supplies:
Brown cardstock by Bazzill; whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; patterned papers by Making Memories; bird stamp by Graphic 45; Archival jet black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; rectangle and scalloped rectangle Nestabilities by Spellbinders; corner rounder punch; copper brads; pop-dots.

Diane Defiantly Endured

Last night while waiting for the ink to dry on some other projects, I threw together this ATC using a variety of leftover paper scraps on my craft table.

I purchased my Diane at an antique shop, and in the original photo she looks like a sweet girl on graduation day.  But with these words floating above her head, I imagine her to be the defiant daughter-in-law of a meddling mother-in-law!


Best wishes to you on this first day of spring!

Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; miscellaneous paper scraps; photocopy of old photo; text from a 1920s novel; white acrylic paint; frayed burlap; rusty hinge and vintage photo distress ink; flourish stamp from Inque Boutique; light charcoal pencil; mica chip; mini brads.

A Little Bird Told Me

I am so excited that spring is almost here!  I can hardly wait for warmer days, tulips and daffodils in bloom, and green grass.  And of course everyone is on the lookout for the first robin to appear.

I don't know if this bird is a robin (I didn't color him that way), but to me he signifies spring.  He is backed by some of my favorite papers from 7 Gypsies.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great weekend.

Supplies:
Goldenrod cardstock by Bazzill; whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; patterned papers by 7 Gypsies; bird stamp by Graphic 45; Stazon black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; rectangle and scalloped rectangle Nestabilities by Spellbinders; corner rounder punch; scalloped border punch by Martha Stewart; mini black brads and black button brads; pop-dots; Glossy Accents (on the bird's eye).

Beware the Ides of March...

...for they sneak up on you and you realize that you forgot to make a birthday card for a friend, who was born on the Ides.  So this card will be a little late but the greetings are just as enthusiastic.

Graphic 45 has some new rubber stamps on cling mount that are just beautiful.  I combined this classic-looking bird with some decorative papers by Crafty Secrets and just had to add a little bit of sewing around the edges (the recipient will understand).

Have a great day!

Supplies:
Blue cardstock by Bazzill; kraft and whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; decorative papers by Crafty Secrets; bird stamp by Graphic 45; frayed burlap distress ink; square and scalloped square Nestabilities by Spellbinder; photo corner punch from Stampin' Up; blue dew drops by The Robin's Nest; Janome Sew Mini and ecru thread.

ArtChix Cutie A266

I did not spend much time in the craft room last week, so I decided to kick off the new week by making something that made me smile.

For this ATC I started with a piece of background paper from a Stampington magazine, added the red diamond stamp and clipart from ArtChix Studio, and topped it off a French letter transparency, also from ArtChix. I like the vintage sweetness of this card.


Have a great Monday!  Thanks for stopping by.

Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; patterned paper from Stampington and Company; vintage diamond stamp from Paperbag Studios; fired brick, faded jeans, and frayed burlap distress ink; clipart from ArtChix Studio; French letter transparency from ArtChix Studio; Golden gel medium.

Mr. November Gluebook Page

A 1929 children's book that I bought at a flea market has a wonderful art deco illustration as its endpaper and I've been itching to use it in a collage.  For this piece I used a copy, but the color is very true to the original.

The 1903 calendar page is original as is the letter N, which was cut from a 1930s card game called Crossword Lexicon.  I found Mr. November's photo at a local antique shop and was immediately taken by his lush mustache.

Thanks for visiting my blog! 


Supplies:
Strathmore Visual Journal; dusty concord and frayed burlap distress ink; vintage calendar page; vintage letter N; laser copy of vintage cabinet card; laser copy of 1929 children's book endpaper; new clipart from ArtChix Studio and K & Company; scrap of old sheet music; glue stick.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Today is my dad's birthday and I hope he is enjoying the warm temperatures and a swim in the pool at their park in Arizona.  Currently it's only 33 degrees at home with a "wintry mix" of precipitation; definitely not pool weather!

Here's my dad as a baby, with his brother John, having his bath outside in a metal wash tub.  They did not have running water in the house yet.  It looks like it was a sunny day; I hope the water was warm! 

I Love Paris ATC

Over the weekend I spent time at a copy shop making laser copies of some of my vintage ephemera.  Now I have more smear-free images and backgrounds to use in my artwork.

This artist trading card is a combination of those copies (the background and the girl), rubber stamps, and some midnight blue acrylic paint.  I love the amount of interest the peeling paint technique adds.

Have a great Monday!


Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; copies of vintage notebook page and picture postcard; dusty concord distress ink; Stazon black ink; Eiffel Tower stamp by Artistic Outpost; Paris postmark by Tim Holtz; midnight blue acrylic paint; Vaseline petroleum jelly.

The Beginnings of All Things

My dad grew up in a rural area and spent a lot of time outdoors.  He was the 10th child (out of 14!) and was born during the Great Depression, so money was scarce.  In spite of the hardships, he talks fondly of those days and even jokes about their version of fast food, which meant going out to their huge garden, pulling up a carrot, and eating it right there.  My dad has a real green thumb and when I was growing up he had not one but two gardens that he tended lovingly so that we, too, could have some "fast food."

So in honor of my dad's upcoming birthday, I created this farm-inspired card using images from Oxford Impressions.  I pulled out some of my favorite patterned papers from Cosmo Cricket that to me, embody the rich and hearty colors of the countryside.

Thanks for dropping in. Have a great day!

Supplies:
Stamps:  Oxford Impressions; brown cardstock by Bazzill; patterned papers by Cosmo Cricket; Stazon black ink; vintage paper distress ink; copper brads; pop-dots.

I Love My Jean Collage

I had some free time last night so I sat down at my craft desk with the desire to create a true mixed-media (i.e., not just paper), collage in my visual journal.  Happily, this piece came together fairly quickly.

The background papers are both vintage.  I found the dried carnation in the big dictionary that I use to press my ATCs.  I have no idea how old it is, but I was lucky to get it adhered before it completely fell apart.  I had to be extra careful applying the gel medium.  My "Jean" was free clipart in a Stampington magazine.


March is coming in like a lamb here.  It's chilly, but calm and the sun is shining.  Have a great day!

Supplies:
Strathmore Visual Journal (140 lb watercolor paper); spun sugar distress ink; vintage dictionary page; vintage poetry book page; female clipart from Somerset Studio magazine; old lace from my stash; dried carnation; pewter craft key (could be by K and Company?), aged with Stazon black ink; Spellbinders oval Nestabilities; Golden gel gloss medium.