Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends!  

I hope you have a wonderful day.

Peaceful Prancer Deux #6

This is my sixth Christmas card using the same image and papers, and although I have enjoyed this series, I am ready for a change.  Tomorrow starts a new week and a new direction!

The large reindeer from The Cat's Pajamas was gold embossed on vintage sheet music sprayed with homemade glimmer mist.  The patterned papers are by My Mind's Eye.

Thanks for popping in!


Supplies:
Green cardstock by Bazzill; gold stationery paper from Target; patterned papers by My Mind's Eye (Lost and Found Christmas collection); vintage sheet music; large reindeer image from The Cat's Pajamas; peace sentiment from Cornish Heritage Farms; homemade glimmer mist (aged mahogany distress ink; gold Perfect Pearls, water, mini mister); Versamark ink; gold detail embossing powder; black Stazon ink; Martha Stewart border punch; Labels 8 Nestabilities; oval and scalloped oval punches from Stampin' Up; Adirondack gold acrylic paint dabber; corner rounder punch.

Peaceful Prancer #5

After spending an entire afternoon running errands (10 stops--whew!) and navigating construction zones, I was ready for some peace and quiet at my craft table.  I don't know about you, but the creative process is a welcome respite from attending to life's annoying necessities.

For a change of pace, I used the Labels 8 Nestabilities to frame my reindeer.  I used Stazon metallic gold ink and the stenciling feature of the die to add some shimmer to the green mat.  It's not really visible in this photo, but it gives a subtle detail to the card.

Thanks for dropping in!  Have a fantastic weekend.

Supplies:
Green cardstock by Bazzill; gold stationery paper from Target; patterned papers by My Mind's Eye; vintage sheet music sprayed with homemade glimmer mist (aged mahogany distress ink, gold Perfect Pearls, and water in a mini mister); large reindeer stamp from The Cat's Pajamas; peace stamp from Cornish Heritage Farms; Versamark ink; gold detail embossing powder; aged mahogany distress ink; Stazon gold metallic ink; Stazon black ink; Nestabilities by Spellbinders; Stampin' Up oval punches; EK Success border punch; corner rounder punch; pop-dots.

Musical Prancer #4

Here is the fourth card in my Prancer series that I will be sending out for Christmas this year.

I was able to sneak in sheet music, one of my favorite things, in two places on this card.  The reindeer was stamped on vintage sheet music; the music paper in the background is from My Mind's Eye.

Have a great day!


Supplies:
Brown cardstock by Bazzill; patterned papers by My Mind's Eye; gold patterned paper from Michaels; vintage sheet music from my stash; large reindeer from The Cat's Pajamas; Versamark ink; gold detail embossing powder; homemade glimmer mist (aged mahogany distress ink, gold Perfect Pearls, water, mini mister); aged mahogany and walnut stain distress ink; Martha Stewart border punch; oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities; ticket corner punch from Stampn' Up; pop-dots.

Celebrating with the Bee's Knees

I won the October Referral Program drawing on Artistic Outpost's blog, and wasted no time placing an order for a couple of stamp sets that I've been coveting.  The stamps arrived just in time for me to use them to make a very special birthday card this week.

I paper pieced the champagne bottle and coated it with Glossy Accents.  For extra kick, I added gold Stickles to highlight the champagne spraying out.  The sketch is #359, courtesy of Splitcoaststampers.

Thanks for stopping by my blog!

Supplies:
Stamps:  Artistic Outpost; orange cardstock by Bazzill; patterned papers by Basic Grey; green and whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; black Stazon ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits;; Fiskars corner punch; corner rounder punch; white metal dots by Colorbok; Glossy Accents; gold Stickles; Adirondack gold acrylic paint dabber; pop-dots. rectangle and scalloped rectangle Nestabilities; Stampin' Up small oval punches.

Forest Prancer #3

My Christmas cards may start to look alike to you, because so far I've used the same reindeer stamp and color scheme.  I like this reindeer very much, and I am enjoying mixing the beautiful papers in the Lost and Found Christmas collection by My Mind's Eye.  Not only am I not getting bored (which is what usually happens when I try to mass produce cards), but I'm doing a pretty good job of using the small paper scraps I always end up with.  Without further ado, here is another card I've completed in my Prancer series.

Similar to my previous cards, the reindeer was embossed on vintage sheet music that had been sprayed lightly with a homemade glimmer mist.  Because this is a larger card (4.5 x 6.25 inches), I used the wider border punch by EK Success.


Thanks for dropping by!  Have a fabulous day.

Supplies:
Brown cardstock by Bazzill; true thyme cardstock (retired) from Stampin' Up; patterned papers by My  Mind's Eye; gold patterned paper from Michaels; vintage sheet music from my stash; large reindeer from The Cat's Pajamas; Versamark ink; gold detail embossing powder; aged mahogany and vintage paper distress ink; homemade glimmer mist (aged mahogany distress ink; gold Perfect Pearls, water, mini mister); EK Success border punch; oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities; corner rounder punch; pop-dots.

An Awful Lot of Coffee in Brazil

I never acquired a taste for coffee, but I did enjoy a few cups when I was in South America.  I created this birthday card for a friend who will be able to do the same when he vacations in Brazil and Argentina this winter.

I stamped the images by Artistic Outpost on smooth cardstock and colored them with distress inks using Cut n' Dry Nibs.  I added Crackle Accents to the blue areas for texture, and distressed all of the paper edges to give this card a more rugged look.

Thanks for popping in!

Supplies:
Stamps by Artistic Outpost; black cardstock by Bazzill; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; patterned papers by 7 Gypsies; black Stazon ink; distress inks (old paper, frayed burlap, black soot, walnut stain, aged mahogany, scattered straw, tumbled glass, vintage photo); EK Success border punch; black brads; Crackle Accents; pop-dots.

Merry and Bright Prancer #2

Here's another Christmas card.  You may notice that I'm keeping the bulky embellishments to a minimum this year, in order to make my cards easier to mail.

The reindeer was gold embossed on vintage sheet music that had been sprayed with some homemade glimmer mist (a few drops of aged mahogany distress ink, gold Perfect Pearls, and water in a mini mister).  The patterned paper already included the sentiment.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great Monday.

Supplies:
Burgundy cardstock by Bazzill; dark green cardstock unknown; patterned paper by My Mind's Eye (Lost and Found Christmas collection); gold patterned paper from Michaels; vintage sheet music from my stash; large reindeer image from The Cat's Pajamas; Versamark ink; gold detail embossing powder; gold Smooch Spritz; homemade glimmer mist (aged mahogany distress ink, gold Perfect Pearls, water, mini mister); walnut stain distress ink; oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities; corner rounder punch.

On Prancer #1

I finally have all of the supplies needed to make my Christmas cards, and not a moment too soon!  Can you believe it's just 42 days until Christmas?  I need to get crackin'!

I love the classic elegance of this card.  The reindeer was embossed in gold on vintage sheet music sprayed with homemade glimmer mist (a few drops of aged mahogany distress ink, gold Perfect Pearls, and water in a mini mister).

Thanks for popping in!

Supplies:
Burgundy cardstock by Bazzill; gold patterned paper from Michaels; patterned paper by My Mind's Eye (Lost and Found Christmas collection); vintage sheet music from my stash; large reindeer image from The Cat's Pajamas; Versamark ink; gold detail embossing powder; homemade glimmer mist (aged mahogany distress ink, gold Perfect Pearls); oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities; corner rounder punch; Martha Stewart border punch; walnut stain distress ink.

Bohemie Hollyhocks

We've had several nights of below freezing temperatures and even some measurable sleet/snow, yet somehow this plant has managed to not only survive, but to retain its rich, vibrant colors.  It's on the south side of the garage, which gives it some protection from the elements.

I don't know the true name of this flower.  We call them Bohemie hollyhocks, but they may not be a hollyhock at all.  Any horticulturists out there?

Have a great weekend!

Sweet and Sassy Birthday

I created this birthday card for a friend who is sweet and sassy at the same time.  She would have made a great flapper in the 1920s (if they had flappers in Ecuador!).
 

I love the soft colors and botanical prints of these Pink Paislee papers, and I think they work well with the image by Hampton Art.  I added three paper roses and loosely pleated my vintage lace ribbon to embellish the card.

Have a great Monday and an even better week!  Thanks for dropping in.

Supplies:
Brown and green cardstock by Bazzill; patterned papers by Pink Paislee; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; image by Hampton Art; black Stazon ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; spun sugar and peeled paint distress inks; square and scalloped square Nestabilities; oval and scalloped oval by Nestabilities; EK Success border punch; mulberry paper mini roses by Recollections; vintage lace ribbon purchased at an antique shop; Glossy Accents; pop-dots.

Youthful Days

I started working on this mixed media canvas last May or June, then ran into a roadblock while choosing the embellishments.  I tried a lot of different things but nothing seemed quite right due to some issues I had with the overall composition and spacing of the piece (things I couldn't change as they were already glued down).  Since I wasn't in a real hurry to complete the project, I simply set it aside for a while. Then this past week I did a major cleaning of my work table and actually had room to display a few items; this collage was one of them.  It made me think I really should finish it.

I started by painting a 4x5 inch stretched canvas with a dark chocolate acrylic paint.  I aged the paint by dry-brushing on some white acrylic paint, sanding away some areas, and using a heat gun to "bubble" up the paint.  Next I adhered a piece of green scrapbook paper and a scrap of 1870s sheet music.  I sealed the papers with gel medium, then used gel medium to transfer the photo.  The vintage lace and buttons were also adhered with gel medium. As a final step I covered the back of the canvas with a pretty scrapbook paper.

This sweet-looking young woman was a friend of my parents.  She passed away earlier this year and this is the photo the family used on the memorial cards.  I would love to keep this collage for myself, but I think I will send it to her daughter to enjoy.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Stretched canvas (4x5 inch); chocolate and white acrylic paint; Walnut Ink antiquing solution (Java color, by Tsukineko); Golden soft gel medium; green paper by Basic Grey; old sheet music; vintage lace and buttons.

Halloween Scrap Gift Cards

I had some Halloween scraps that I couldn't bear to just throw away, so I made a couple of 3x3 inch cards to add to a couple of packages I mailed this week.

I stamped my images from Artistic Outpost in black, colored them with Prismacolor pencils, and embellished them with Stickles. 

Daylight saving time ends this weekend, meaning we get our "lost" hour of sleep back tonight.  Does anyone else wish we would just leave the clocks alone?  Some years the time change really gives me that jet-lag feeling.

Supplies:
Stamps by Artistic Outpost; black and orange cardstock by Bazzill; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; patterned paper by Authentique; black Stazon ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; frosted lace and gunmetal Stickles; oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities by Spellbinders.

Mr. Owl is Watching You

Here's another fairly simple Halloween card using this stylish owl image from Artistic Outpost. 

It's Friday!  I hope you have plans for a great weekend.

Supplies:
Stamp:  Artistic Outpost; black and orange cardstock by Bazzill; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; patterned papers by Authentique; black Stazon ink; black soot and pumice stone distress ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; Marvy markers; fleur di lis and square Nestabilities; oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities; ticket corner punch from Stampin' Up; pop-dots.

Growing Grateful

I'm sending this sweet card to a friend who recently treated me to lunch before an intense afternoon of shopping for crafting supplies.  I am helping her to make eight duplicate scrapbooks for her kids and nieces and she is starting completely from scratch!  We met again this week to get started and had a grand time.

I used my largest scalloped oval Nestabilities to die-cut the base.  This card is less than 4x5 inches so it will easily fit into a standard A2-sized envelope for mailing.

Thanks for dropping in!

Supplies:
Stamps:  Stampin' Up; pink cardstock by Bazzill; whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; Stazon black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities by Spellbinder; leaf Shapeabilities by Spellbinders; oval and scalloped oval punches from Stampin' Up; Swiss dot embossing folder; Glossy Accents.

Halloween Isn't Just for Children Anymore

I didn't attend any Halloween parties this year, but "the kids" (aka my parents), did.  Last year they threw together costumes at the last minute for the Halloween party at their winter resort in Arizona, and I said with a little planning we could do better.  So I pulled out a couple of costumes I have used in previous years, my mom added some accessories, and the results were fabulous!

That's Mom on the left as Betty Bedpan, head nurse.  Dad is dressed as the Mad Chef.  Apparently it took a while for people to figure out who they were because of the glasses and hair (and the extra stuffing Dad was wearing under his clothes!)  They came in second place in the costume contest.

Their friends came in first place, and for good reason.  Guess which one had to sacrifice a full mustache for the event?

I can't wait until I can retire and act like a kid again, can you?  Thanks for dropping in and have a great day.