50 Is Just an Illusion

Unless you're my brother, for whom turning 50 next week is a reality!  I suppose I shouldn't rib him too much, since I'm not far behind him.

I pulled out some Basic Grey patterned papers from my stash and created this card using stamps from Artistic Outpost.  Both the main image and "illusion" were heat embossed in black.  I masked the swami and lightly rubbed some walnut stain distress ink on the background around him to make him pop.

Thanks for stopping in!

Supplies:
Stamps from Artistic Outpost; black cardstock by Bazzill; whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; patterned papers by Basic Grey; Colorbox black pigment ink; clear embossing powder; walnut stain distress ink; border punch by EK Success; antique silver brads; Bo Bunny self-adhesive rhinestone; pop-dots.

Czar Nicholas II - The Man

This is the third and final card in my ATC series "The Romanovs."  I created these cards for a swap where the cards are to use a book page (text only, no pictures) as the background.

A book page in Cyrillic, a gift from my friend Barb, formed the background for this card.  After coloring the page with distress inks, I used gel medium to transfer the Kremlin image.  I think this is my favorite card of the three in the series; the colors (which are more vibrant than this scan might indicate) work so well together.

Thank you for visiting my blog!

Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; Cyrillic book page; faded jeans, rusty hinge and vintage photo distress inks; Kremlin and Nicholas II images from the internet; Soviet postage stamp; Golden soft gel medium; postal cancellation rubber stamp from Stamp Francisco; postal cancellation clear stamp from 7 Gypsies; Stazon timber brown ink; Adirondack gold acrylic paint dabber.

Czarina Alexandra ATC

This is the second ATC in my three-card series "The Romanovs."  I created these cards for an ATC swap featuring book page backgrounds.

After coloring my Cyrillic book page with distress inks (the colors are much prettier in person), I used gel medium to transfer the Kremlin image to the page.  Alexandra was the wife of Nicholas II, the last czar of Imperial Russia.



Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; Cyrillic book page; bundled sage, Victorian velvet and vintage photo distress inks; Kremlin and Alexandra images from the internet; Soviet postage stamp; Golden soft gel medium; postal cancellation rubber stamp from Stamp Francisco; postal cancellation clear stamp from 7 Gypsies; Stazon timber brown ink; Adirondack gold acrylic paint dabber.

Nicholas II - The Boy

I missed a fun blogging opportunity last week because I forgot to take my camera on my "Wacky Wednesday" outing with my mom.  Rats!  On this particular day we were joined by my mom's best friend from high school.  (Imagine Lucy and Ethel from I Love Lucy, and you'll have an idea of their personalities.)  After I gave Ethel, I mean Janet, a lesson on jewelry making and made her a new bracelet and earrings (another missed photo op), we headed to Kava House Cafe for lunch.  From there we hit the road toward Amish country where we visited the Kalona Cheese Factory and Stringtown Grocery. (Sorry, no website; they're Amish!  They don't even have electricity.)  On the way home we stopped at Sisters' Garden and The Rug Cottage.  It is always a treat to poke around in these shops, as they both sell a variety of antiques as well as new decor items. 

At Sisters' Garden I found some Soviet postage stamps and the light bulb went off!  I could use the stamps and the Cyrillic book pages gifted to me by my artsy friend Barb to create some ATCs for the book page background swap I signed up for.  Here is the first card I completed in my Romanov series.

After coloring my Cyrillic book page with distress inks, I used gel medium to transfer the Kremlin image to the background.  The handsome young chap is Nicholas II, the last czar of Imperial Russia.  I know I'm mixing my time periods here (Imperial Russia vs. USSR), but it's only art, after all!

Stay tuned over the next couple of days as I post the other cards in the series.  Thanks for dropping by!

Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; Cyrillic book page; stormy sky, wild honey, and vintage photo distress inks; Kremlin and Nicholas II images from the internet; Soviet postage stamp; Golden soft gel medium; postal cancellation rubber stamp from Stamp Francisco; postal cancellation clear stamp from 7 Gypsies; Stazon timber brown ink; Adirondack gold acrylic paint dabber; gold Dresden trim from ArtChix Studio.

Giddy Up, Pony!

My mom has decided that every Wednesday between now and when my parents leave for Arizona for the winter, she and I are going to "do something."  Our first outing was to visit one of my mom's uncles at his new apartment in a senior living community.  He invited us for lunch and we didn't know what to expect, so we were pleasantly surprised at how lovely the dining room was and that they even had a menu to order from!  (I had cheesy potato soup, chicken salad on a croissant, coleslaw, and for dessert, rocky road ice cream and cookies.  Yum!)  After lunch we had the nickel tour of his apartment, where we sat to visit some more.  It was a great way to spend a day with my mom and one of our favorite uncles.

My uncle has always owned horses and in fact, still has two "ponies" (Babe and Dolly, who are actually 28 years old!), that he boards with the family who bought his and my late aunt's farm.  So I decided to use this image by Oxford Impressions on a thank you card to him.  After I embossed the background paper with the distressed stripes folder, I swiped some vintage photo distress ink on the raised portions.  The look reminds me of an old barn. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Blue cardstock by Bazzill; white cardstock from Oxford Impressions; patterned papers by DCWV (Old World Stack); stamp from Oxford Impressions; vintage photo distress ink; Martha Stewart border punch; Cuttlebug embossing folder; We R Memory Keepers baker's twine; antique copper eyelets; button from my stash; pop-dots.

Distinctive Rooster ATC

I created this ATC for a book page background swap.  I used scraps from three different books, including a page from a shorthand textbook that made me think of the term "chicken scratch."

I stamped the rooster on a piece of vanilla cardstock and colored him with Prismacolor Premier pencils before cutting him out.  The old eyes were really working overtime around his little feet!

Hurray for Friday!  Have a great weekend everyone.


Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; scraps from three different books; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; rooster and chicken wire stamp from Oxford Impressions; black Stazon ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; antique linen, brushed corduroy and dusty concord distress inks; text cut from an old book; medium charcoal pencil.

Birthday Road Trip

I've been waiting all year to create a birthday card for my buddy Ron, using images from the Route 66 set by Artistic Outpost.  And coincidentally, Ron is planning a road trip this very weekend!  (But not on his Harley).

I made my own patterned paper using the atlas stamp and for once, am pleased with the way it turned out.  The motorcycle was heat-embossed and adhered with pop-dots to give it extra dimension against the background.  I also popped-up the Route 66 and Road Trip images. 

Happy Wednesday!  Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Stamps by Artistic Outpost; black cardstock by Bazzill; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; decorative paper by Graphic 45; Colorbox black pigment ink; clear embossing powder; distress inks: black soot, forest moss, rusty hinge, and brushed corduroy; medium charcoal pencil; pop-dots.

Lily Means Hope ATC

Since I love to use old text on my artist trading cards, I decided to sign up for an ATC swap requiring cards with a book page background.

For my background I chose a page from an old children's book that was made with inexpensive paper.  The pages have a wonderful umber patina that contrasts nicely with the lily image, a gift from my talented friend Bluelotusflower.

Have a great day!

Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; page from an old book; word hope from another book; vintage lily image; frayed burlap, peeled paint, and walnut stain distress ink; splatter pattern rubber stamp by All Night Media; flourish border stamp by Inkadinkado; medium charcoal pencil; blending stump; Adirondack gold metallic acrylic paint dabber.

Marlene's Beret ATC

I think Marlene Dietrich is one of the most intriguing, and beautiful, women of the 20th Century.  I watch her movies any time I have a chance, usually on the Turner Classic Movies channel.

This ATC featuring Ms. Dietrich has a background made with the melted crayon technique.  You get some really interesting effects depending on how you manipulate the craft iron on the paper.

Thanks for stopping by!


Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; glossy white cardstock from Stampin' Up; blue and blue-green Crayola crayons; craft iron; Adirondack silver acrylic paint dabber.

For Kathy

This is a 5 x 7 photo album I made for my friend Kathy, who is one of the dearest people I know.

I may add some journaling, captions or light embellishments, after I have a chance to show this to Kathy and to ask her some more questions about the photos I chose.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Kolo mini photo album (purchased at Barnes and Noble); decorative papers by My Mind's Eye (Meadowlark collection); kraft cardstock from Stampin' Up; black cardstock by Bazzill; border punches by Martha Stewart and Fiskars; die-cut border by K and Company; various Nestabilities by Spellbinders; copies of old photos.

Farm Fresh Greetings

I created this card for a friend's husband who recently suffered a mild stroke.  He grew up on a farm, so I think he will appreciate these country-inspired images by Oxford Impressions.

I used scattered straw distress ink to tone down the white of the baker's twine.  I like how the twine, in combination with the Grade B image, resembles a farm windmill.  That was just a happy accident.

I hope you have a great Monday!

Supplies:
Brown cardstock by Bazzill; patterned paper by Cosmo Cricket; stamped images from Oxford Impressions; black Stazon ink; vintage photo and scattered straw distress ink; We R Memory Keepers baker's twine; pop-dots.

Nature's Bounty

In spite of the sometimes wild and wacky weather we've had this year, our little garden is now producing cherry tomatoes and cucumbers like crazy.  And today I had the pleasure of picking the first big tomato of the season:  a golden yellow one the size of a softball.

I sliced the tomato and had it with dinner, and it was absolutely delicious!  Juicy, sweet, melt-in-your-mouth goodness.  It was everything you want in a tomato, but can't get unless it's home grown.  It looks as if there will be two more of these bad boys to pick in the next day or so.  I cannot wait!

I hope you're having a fabulous weekend.  Thanks for stopping by!

Paris 11 ATC

I sat down to create something for this week's Theme Thursday challenge, which is Paris, and I ended up with this ATC that is far different from what I initially had in mind.  Sometimes you just have to let your muse take you down a different path.

The base layer is white glossy cardstock colored with alcohol inks and then stamped with a French script.  The top layer is a variety of ArtChix Studio clipart collaged onto a black glossy cardstock.

Thanks for visiting my blog!


Supplies:
White glossy cardstock from Stampin' Up; black glossy cardstock from Ranger; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; Adirondack alcohol inks; Adirondack alcohol blending solution; French script stamp from Stampin' Up; black Stazon ink; clipart from ArtChix Studio.

Happy 90th Birthday

We have a relative turning 90 years old this month.  Just think how different life is now, compared to when she was born in 1921.

My mom asked if I would make a card for her to send, and I knew immediately I wanted to use this Hampton Art stamp.  My relative would have been a young girl in the 1920s when this type of dress was the fashion.


Thanks for stopping in!

Supplies:
Black cardstock by Bazzill; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; patterned paper by The Paper Studio; rubber stamp by Hampton Art; black Stazon ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities; Martha Stewart border punch; Cuttlebug Swiss Dot embossing folder; Glossy Accents; pop-dots.

Papillon Thank You

In a conversation recently, my friend Stella confessed that she doesn't like butterflies.  WHAT?!  Who ever heard of such a thing?  I think she meant she doesn't like decorative or fake butterflies, but still!

To help her overcome this shortcoming, I created this card using stamps from Tim Holtz's Papillon collection. (Although I think the creature in the middle is actually a moth, an insect that gives me the willies).

Thanks for popping in!

Supplies:
Black cardstock by Bazzill; patterned papers by Deja Views; stamps by Tim Holtz; black Stazon ink; round and scalloped round Nestabilities; ticket corner punch from Stampin' Up; pop-dots.

Carte de Visite Emmeline

This ATC features a photograph from a carte de visite purchased at an antique shop.  I collaged the background papers and heat embossed the flourish border in silver.

Happy first day of August!  Thanks for stopping by.

Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; vintage sheet music and text from a book; patterned paper by Basic Grey; photocopy of a carte de visite; medium charcoal pencil; white acrylic paint; frayed burlap and stormy sky distress ink; flourish stamp by Cornish Heritage Farms; Versamark ink; silver embossing powder.