Happy Day to You

I created this card to send to a fellow artist's sister-in-law who was recently diagnosed with cancer.  About half way through I wondered whether I should have chosen a focal image with a more cheerful expression.  But I forged ahead because I want to get this card mailed without delay.  Besides, you don't find too many vintage photos where the subject is smiling.  They just didn't do that back then.

I kept the card simple by using some pretty patterned papers for the background.  I sponged pumice stone distress ink around the edges to finish them off.

I also made this altered domino magnet to send with the card.  I stamped the little girl on smooth cardstock, colored her with Prismacolor pencils, cut her out closely, adhered her to a piece of book text, then adhered all to a plastic domino.  The word cherish is a rub on.  The trim around the outside edge is a mesh ribbon with rhinestones.

Have a wonderful day!

Supplies:
Card:  Kraft cardstock by Bazzill; naturals ivory and very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; patterned papers unknown (they may be old My Mind's Eye); focal image from Stampers Anonymous (Tim Holtz); sentiment from Stampin' Up; Ranger Archival jet black ink; pumice stone distress ink; scallop border punch by EK Success; oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities by Spellbinders; flower by Prima Marketing; twine from Stampin' Up; pop-dots.

Domino:
Plastic domino from Walmart; vintage book text; Golden white gesso; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; Ranger Archival jet black ink; focal image from Stampers Anonymous (Tim Holtz); Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; vintage photo distress ink; rub-on by Tim Holtz; Glossy Accents; Krylon silver leaf pen; rhinestone mesh ribbon from Alpha Stamps; magnet strips on back.

Take Flight - Altered Envelope Mail Art

I'm late in getting several things mailed out this month thanks to issues with the new computer, time spent on the bathroom project, severe storms and lack of electricity (more on that another day), and just life in general.  But I'm plugging away at several projects now and finally finished this month's mail art envelope.

I started by covering a watercolor envelope with various leftovers from my paper scraps file.  I toned them down by applying a layer of gesso using an old credit card, then applied some Tim Holtz rub-ons.

Since my partner likes bright colors, I sponged on some ripe persimmon distress ink and then finished the edges with gold acrylic paint.

Have a fabulous day!  Thanks for stopping by.

Supplies:
Strathmore 140 lb watercolor paper; matte gel medium; miscellaneous paper scraps; Golden gesso; Tim Holtz rub-ons; ripe persimmon distress ink; Adirondack gold acrylic paint dabber; Plaid matte acrylic spray sealant.

Bathroom Remodel

I mentioned that it's been a busy month.  It's actually been a busy two to three months!  The biggest reason for that is that we remodeled our bathroom.  This involved almost completely gutting an original 1964 bathroom.  (The floor had been replaced a few years ago and is still in good condition, so we kept it.)  But everything else is new: vanity, countertop, fixtures, toilet, tub, shower surround, towel bars, light fixture, shower curtain rod, shower and window curtains, paint color, and artwork.  Over the course of a month we had seven different tradesmen here to demolish the existing bathroom, install the plumbing portion, move an electrical outlet, install the new vanity and countertop, repair or replace a few of the floor tiles, install a little drywall, and repair the plaster.  Whew!

Overall the process went pretty smoothly, considering that one never knows what might be lurking behind the walls or under the floor when you dismantle a 50 year old bathroom.  Thankfully no major snags occurred, and within five days we had a functioning (but unfinished) bathroom.  It took another three weeks to get the other "trades" here to complete the drywall, plaster and floor repairs, but once those were done we were able to finally do the fun stuff: paint and decorate.  We're pretty pleased with how everything turned out.

The bathroom is long and narrow, which made installing and finishing off the shower surround a little interesting, but everything worked out fine in the end.  We found really good people to work with.

We are enjoying the taller vanity and soft-touch drawers, not to mention a toilet that flushes without having to hold down the handle for half a minute.

My favorite thing may be the curved shower curtain rod!  It makes the shower feel so much roomier.

The countertop looks white from a distance but actually has small flecks of black and gray in it.  The paint color is a bluish aqua called waterscape, which looks green or blue depending on the light.

"Le petit spa."  An appropriate piece of artwork for our little bathroom.

I hope you enjoyed the tour of our new bathroom!  Have a great day.

Country Life - Birthday Card

I'm sorry it's been so long since I posted last.  It's been a crazy month.  We got a new computer and it has not been an easy transition.  (Just because something is new doesn't mean it's improved!)  One of the most frustrating things is that I lost my old photo editing and watermark programs that were so easy to use.  It's taken quite a bit of time to figure out how I was going to do the things I previously accomplished in split seconds.  So without further ado, let's see if this works! 

I created this card for a friend of mine who shares my birthday.  The images from Artistic Outpost were stamped on ivory cardstock and colored with Prismacolor pencils and distress ink.  The flags and the cute little pig were adhered with pop-dots for dimension.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great weekend.

Supplies:
Brown cardstock from Bazzill; kraft and very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; Ranger Archival jet black ink; images from Artistic Outpost; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; vintage photo distress ink; orange waxed linen thread from Dick Blick; black pop-dots.