With Deepest Sympathy

I created this sympathy card to send to one of my mail art buddies whose father has passed away.

Have a beautiful day!

Supplies:
White cardstock by Bazzill; blue cardstock by Core'dinations; Dylusions London Blue ink spray; butterfly stencil by Tattered Angels; sentiment by Rubber Stampede; Ranger Archival black ink; corner rounder punch.

Aunt Dee Wants to Know - Snarky Postcard

Here's another quick piece of mail art that I made using mostly scraps found during my clean-up a couple of nights ago.  I'm planning to send it to some crazy art gal as a surprise.  The question is, which one?  I know so many!

A fellow stamper gifted me this image that I've dubbed Aunt Dee because she reminds me of one of my mom's aunts (and not in a good way).  I just love the expression on her face and I'm thinking she needs her own line of snarky cards.  I computer-generated the text which means the possibilities are endless!

Thanks for popping in!  Have a wonderful day.

Supplies:
Strathmore bristol vellum paper; patterned paper by Cosmo Cricket; vintage book text; washi tape; Aunt Dee image (unknown); Ranger Archival black ink; whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; miscellaneous markers; computer-generated text.

Smile! You're 70!

I have a lot of cousins on my dad's side of the family, and this month the eldest is celebrating his 70th birthday!  Good thing he's a big kid at heart and isn't bothered by this fact at all.  (I, however, feel the need to point out that I am *A LOT* younger than he is.)

My cousin collects toy cars and trucks, so I made him a card using this old truck from Oxford Impressions.  I also was able to use some patterned paper scraps from a previous card.  I heat embossed the truck in black then colored it with pencils and distress inks.  The fence was adhered with foam tape for dimension (and to hide an oops).

I hope you're having a fun day.  Thanks for stopping by.

Supplies:
Espresso cardstock by Bazzill; patterned papers by Cosmo Cricket; truck stamp from Oxford Impressions; Versamark ink; black embossing powder; Prismacolor Premier pencils; scattered straw and gathered twigs distress inks; Martha Stewart border punch; smile die cut by Little Yellow Bicycle; oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities by Spellbinders; foam tape.

Believe - Pickle Lid Christmas Ornament

In preparation for the Pickle Swap I participated in, I saved a couple of pickle jar lids.  I wasn't sure how (or even if) I would use them, but I ended up making myself a rather traditional-looking Christmas ornament with one.

This ornament was made with a lid from a small jar of pickle relish.  The Father Christmas image is a piece of English scrap from a Victorian Christmas craft book that I bought about 20 years ago (more on that below).  I cut a piece of vintage book text to fit inside the lid and antiqued it with acrylic paint and distress inks before adhering my Santa.  I lined the inside of the rim with silver Stickles, which you can't see in this picture but which gives the ornament extra sparkle when hung on the tree.  The wonderful snow around the outside is small Pearl Mica Flake by Golden dabbed on using a palette knife.  I guess I should backtrack and tell you that the first thing I did was paint the lid with gesso, in order to create a surface that all of these products could adhere to.

However, I did not paint the back of the lid with gesso because I did not want to hide the fact that this ornament started out as a jar lid.  I glued on a jewelry bail and added the silver cord as my hanger.  I made the bow on top with a narrow satin ribbon from my stash.  It finished off the ornament beautifully!

Like I said above, my Santa image came from a Victorian Christmas source book that I bought years ago.  At that time I was fully engrossed in my career and professional pursuits, and didn't have much time for hobbies.  I wasn't making any art and certainly did not envision that one day I would be making all kinds of creative items for myself and others.  But definitely the desire was there and I'm so glad that I held on to this book over the years and through several moves.  And believe it or not, the book is still available for purchase here!

So, who's going to start saving jar lids?

Supplies:
Pickle jar lid; Golden white gesso; vintage book text; titanium white acrylic paint; one of the blue distress inks; Father Christmas English scrap; stick-on word from Tim Holtz; black Stabilo All Pencil; silver Stickles; Golden small Pearl Mica Flake; silver jewelry bail from Michaels; E-6000 adhesive; silver cord from Hobby Lobby; blue ribbon from my stash.

Prohibition - ATC

This is my fourth and final ATC for the library card catalog swap.  The title on this card was Prohibition: Its relation to temperance, good morals and sound government.

I tinted the background with white acrylic paint and shabby shutters distress ink.  My stylish flapper from Artistic Outpost was stamped on vanilla cardstock and colored with Prismacolor Premier pencils before being adhered.  She needed some ground to stand on, so I smudged charcoal pencil along the bottom and then decided to extend it all around the card to create a soft border.

Now that all of my cards are done, I can get them bundled up and sent to the swap host.  I can't wait to see my returns!

Thanks for stopping by.  Have yourself a fabulous day!

Supplies:
ATC cardstock blank; retired library card catalog card; stamps from Artistic Outpost; Ranger Archival black ink; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; titanium white acrylic paint; shabby shutters, pumice stone and worn lipstick distress ink; splatter background stamp by All Night Media; punchinella; Derwent peat tinted charcoal pencil; Stickles.

Farm Boy Sympathy

I made this card to send to some childhood friends whose father recently passed.  Their dad farmed most of his life so I wanted to use these stamps from Oxford Impressions.

The tractor was stamped on a patterned paper by Cosmo Cricket before being die cut.  I stamped the little boy and the bucket on vanilla cardstock, colored them with Prismacolor Premier pencils and trimmed them closely.  The picket fence was cut from another piece of patterned paper and border punched.  The fence and the little boy were adhered with pop dots to make them stand out against the background.  The papers on this card are actually brighter than this picture would have you believe; I had a difficult time getting a decent photo due to lighting issues.

Thanks for dropping by!  Have a grand day.

Supplies:
Espresso cardstock by Bazzill; patterned papers by Cosmo Cricket; stamps from Oxford Impressions; Ranger Archival black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; grand circle and scalloped circle Nestabilities by Spellbinders; gathered twigs distress ink; Martha Stewart border punch; pop-dots.

Let's Go to the Desert - ATC

My third ATC for the library card catalog swap is a bit different in that I did not use the entire card as the background.  Instead, just a portion of the card became a part of my focal image.

The title on this library card was Let's Go to the Desert.  When I think of the desert, my mind immediately goes to the stately saguaro cactus of the Sonoran desert in Arizona.  I started by sketching an ATC-sized saguaro in my sketch journal.  I used that sketch as a guide to draw a similar cactus onto the library card, making sure that the book title was centered within the cactus.  I then cut out the cactus to use on my ATC.

I colored my cactus with distress inks and a brown Pigma micron artist pen.  For the background I used a portion of a vintage Arizona map.  If you look closely, you can see the city of Tucson which is where Saguaro National Park is located.  However, you can see saguaro all over southern Arizona, not just within the park.  I took the picture below while on vacation there, and besides the monster saguaro in the foreground there are all kinds of saguaro growing in the background (those are the Superstition Mountains).

I used a lavender-tinted charcoal pencil to add some shadowing around my cactus and stenciled dusty concord distress ink around the card to bring the color palette together.

If you've never been to Arizona, I would recommend that you add it to your bucket list of places to visit.  It's a fascinating place!

Supplies:
ATC cardstock blank; vintage map of Arizona; library card catalog card; sketch pencil; titanium white acrylic paint; mustard seed, forest moss, dusty concord and gathered twigs Distress Inks; brown Sakura Pigma Micron pen; old paper Distress Paint; Adirondack espresso acrylic paint dabber; Derwent lavender charcoal pencil.

Men in Groups - ATC

This is my second artist trading card for the Library Card Catalog swap.  The book title is Men in Groups, by Lionel Tiger.  Doesn't that sound like the name of a bad guy on a soap opera?

I used a bold color combination of peacock feathers and seedless preserves and Tim Holtz's wrinkle free distress technique to create the background.  The manly trio from Artistic Outpost was stamped on vanilla cardstock and trimmed closely before being adhered.  I added a strip of vintage book text along the bottom in order to fill in the composition.

Old Man Winter has hit the Midwest this weekend so I'm more than happy to stay indoors and make art!  Thanks for dropping by and keeping me company.

Supplies:
Library card catalog card; seedless preserves, peacock feathers and black soot distress ink; focal image from Artistic Outpost; black Ranger Archival ink; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; old paper Distress Paint; ocean Derwent Tinted Charcoal pencil; black Adirondack acrylic paint dabber; punchinella.

Great Traveler - ATC

In 2014, I participated in an ATC swap which required us to use a retired library card catalog card.  It was quite a successful swap so the host (who provided the cards) has organized another one and I was lucky enough to get a spot.

My first ATC is based on a catalog card for The Great Travelers.  A Collection of Firsthand Narratives of Wayfarers, Wanderers and Explorers in All Parts of the World from 450 BC to the Present.  My card features an image of Charles Lindbergh, who is arguably one of the great travelers of the early 20th Century.

I tinted the card with acrylic paint and distress inks.  The Charles Lindbergh image from Artistic Outpost was stamped on white cardstock and colored with Prismacolor pencils before being adhered to the background.  I added shadowing with a green tinted Derwent charcoal pencil.

Thanks for popping by!  Have a great weekend.

Supplies:
Library card catalog card; titanium white acrylic paint; mustard seed, ripe persimmon, and gathered twigs Distress Ink; stamp from Artistic Outpost;  Ranger black Archival Ink; whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits;  All Night Media splatter pattern stamp; Derwent forest pine Tinted Charcoal pencil; punchinella; Adirondack espresso acrylic paint dabber.

Fresh Off the Vine Greeting Card

I had one leftover pickle that didn't get used on my Pickle Palace door hanger for the pickle swap.  I didn't want him to feel lonely, so I created this greeting card and included it in my package to my partner.

My pickle was drawn on watercolor paper and colored with Derwent watercolor pencils.  After cutting him out, I enhanced him with distress inks, a brown Pigma Micron pen, and Glossy Accents.

I utilized card sketch #215 which can be found in the challenge forum on Splitcoaststampers.  The patterned papers are from K & Company and My Mind's Eye.  I thought up the two-line rhyme (an honest to goodness couplet, I dare say), and printed it on my computer.

In addition to this card and the door hanger, my partner's pickle package also included a lovely tin of Pickle Bandages!  I kid you not.  Shortly after I signed up for the pickle swap, I went to an art journal hangout at a local make-and-take art studio.  The owner has a variety of interesting items for sale, including these pickle bandages.  The tin included a "free prize" which was a temporary tattoo that looked like those old-timey Groucho Marx glasses with the big nose and furry mustache.  I bet the creative team at this company has a blast at work.

Have a fabulous day, and eat a pickle!

Pickle Palace Door Hanger

I'm sure you've heard the saying, "like two peas in a pod."  In the case of an art swap I signed up for, it's not two peas but rather numerous pickles in the pickle patch.  That's right, we're swapping pickles!  Not the kind that come in a jar with vinegar, but any kind of artsy pickle of our choice.  Some people created pickle ornaments a la the German Christmas pickle tradition (which may have been simply a marketing ploy to sell pickle-shaped ornaments, if you believe what you read online).  Others made pickle "stuffies."  The level of creativity in this swap has been astounding and you can just imagine the jokes and the giggles.  Let's face it, pickles are funny!

I don't sew, knit, or crochet, so a pickle stuffie was out of the question.  But I can draw and paint pickles, as I did for this art calendar back in August 2013.  After much thought and a visit to a big-box craft store, I decided to make a pickle-themed doorknob hanger.  The hanger I found is super heavy, two-layer chipboard so I knew it could withstand the mixed media collage treatment I planned to give it.  My first step, however, was to create my pickles.  I drew several pickles on watercolor paper and used Derwent watercolor pencils to color them.  After cutting out the pickles I enhanced them with distress inks and a brown Pigma Micro ink pen.  Glossy Accents was used to create those lovely bumps that pickles have.

For the background, I created a collage using patterned paper, vintage book text, acrylic paint, distress inks, and rubber stamping.  I added random texture by applying modeling paste through a stencil.  Once I had the background the way I wanted it, I adhered my pickles, building up the ones on top to give them more dimension.  The comma-shaped pickle on the right is actually three layers of 140 lb watercolor paper glued together.

I added the die-cut letters and the wooden stars, which were stained with distress ink and then dressed up with some gold Stickles.

I painted the edges with a mix of hooker's green and Mars black acrylic paint before adhering a green patterned paper to the back.  The final step was to give both sides two coats of acrylic spray sealant.

I am so pleased with this doorknob hanger and had so much funny creating it!  I love how the pickles turned out and that the final piece reflects my particular style.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a wonderful day.

Happy New Year!

 

Happy 2016!  May the new year bring you good health, happiness, and many special moments with loved ones.