Metropolitan Magazine Mortals - Artist Trading Coins

I created these four artist trading coins for a swap, but just wasn't thrilled with them.  These were my first attempts at artist trading coins, and there was a learning curve (literally and figuratively!).  Each one had a problem or two that bothered me enough that I decided to start over.  (I ended up submitting these calendar car coins instead.)  I do like the guy in the top right corner.  He reminds me of a young Omar Sharif.

I cut the people out of a late 1890s Metropolitan Magazine, which was a New York-based monthly periodical with articles on theatre, literature, business and well-known "high society" residents of the day.  I bought a bound book of them at a garage sale and have enjoyed reading some of the articles, but it's the pictures I really wanted.

This guy's head is just a little too large for an artist trading coin, and I wished I hadn't added the brown stenciling on the right side.  I do like the green and purple color scheme.

I chose this woman because of her fabulous hat and determined look, but I had a mishap gluing her onto the coin (120 year-old paper is pretty fragile), and her head got ripped off.  You can see the "scar" across her chin where I tried to glue her back together.  In addition, I didn't get the text scrap on the right knocked back enough, and the brown stenciling is too prominent.

This one isn't too bad. I just wish the original photo had been a little darker.  Also, I didn't get that scrap of music in the background obscured enough for my liking.

This last one was my favorite of the four.  I like the composition and how the background pieces work together.  The stenciling frames him nicely without being too prominent.  The quality of the original photo is better, and let's be honest, he's better looking than the other guys!

Since I didn't use these coins for the swap, I'm not sure what their fate is.  The Omar Sharif lookalike may become a bookmark for my daily journal.  That way I can moon over him every day!  As for the others, they may get put onto a greeting card or get used in an art journal. 

Thanks for visiting my blog.  Have a great day.

Little Bird Blue Ornament and How to Pickle a Tart Tin

My mom liked her bird tart tin so much that she asked me to make one to give as a hostess gift to her friend Jackie, who she was going to visit.  Since I had only bright, shiny tins left in my stash, and I like a grungier look, I started by "pickling" or aging my tart tin.

Unaltered tin on left.  Pickled tin on right.

I used a mixture of mostly hydrogen peroxide, white vinegar, and kosher salt to pickle my tart tin.  I put the three ingredients in a small plastic container and stirred them until the salt was dissolved.  (I didn't measure anything so I can't tell you any amounts or ratios.)  I swished the tin around in the mixture, shook off any excess, and set it on a paper towel in a glass dish to dry.  (Some folks on the internet suggest using a spray bottle to apply the mixture, but I didn't have one handy.)

As the tin dried, I turned it over every so often.  I repeated this process several times over the course of two days, until I liked how the tin looked.  Basically, I wanted to reduce the shininess of the tin but I didn't want a lot of heavy, orange-colored rust.  Once I had the amount of patina I wanted, I sprayed the tin with a matte acrylic sealant.

Jackie's finished ornament

Without further ado, here is Jackie's completed tart tin!  Doesn't that bird look adorable sitting on her little nest?  I love how the white berries really pop against the darker background, and the bows on top are so sweet.  I was super pleased with how everything came together.

Since I had just finished my mom's tart tin ornament and the steps involved were still fresh in my mind, Jackie's tin was easier to complete.  In case you're interested (and for my own future reference) here are the steps I followed.  I don't take step-out photos as I create, but I have inserted some closeup photos for you.

1.  Dab matte gel medium around the rim using a plastic palette knife.  Sprinkle on chunky glitter.  Let dry completely (overnight).  Spray tin with acrylic spray sealant, paying special attention to the glitter, and let dry.

Closeup of die-cut sheet music and leaves on Mom's tin

2.  Attach a piece of vintage sheet music to cardstock and die-cut with a scalloped circle die.  Sponge distress ink around edges.  Cut smaller circles out of chipboard and adhere to the back of the sheet music.  The number of additional circles needed will depend on (a) how deep the tin is and (b) whether your bird is small enough to fit down in the tin or has a tail that will extend over the outside edge.  Adhere the entire sheet music 'stack' to the center of the tin and let dry.

3.  Adhere "nest" to bottom of tin and let dry.  Amount needed will depend on size of bird.  Make sure it's packed in tight and adhered well.  I used regular matte gel medium.

4.  Adhere bird to nest and let dry.  Make sure the nest and bird are centered so the sheet music behind them is level.

Closeup of die-cut leaves on Jackie's tin

5.  Adhere vintage book page to cardstock and die-cut several small leaves.  Tint leaves with distress inks, and use fingers or craft tools to shape and bend them.  Trim leaves as needed to fit, dip ends or backs into adhesive (I used matte gel medium), and tuck them behind the bird and into the nest.

6.  Trim berries as needed and adhere behind bird, tucking stems into nest if possible.

View of jewelry bail and cord for hanging Mom's tin

7.  Adhere jewelry bail to back of tart tin (I used E6000).  Make sure the bail is centered with your bird so that he's sitting level.  Dry completely (overnight).

Closeup of ribbon on Jackie's tin

8.  Choose lace and/or ribbon(s) to make a bow.  On a larger tin, use wired ribbon so the bow will maintain its shape, like I did for the first tart tin I made.  For Jackie's tin, I used needle and thread to sew together two pieces of white lace to form a foundation bow, onto which I sewed the blue bow made of dyed seam binding.  Adhere bow to top of tin, making sure it is centered (I used E6000).  Let dry completely (preferably overnight).

9.  Adhere pine cones using E6000.  (You can't tell from the pictures, but there are three super cute, super mini pine cones on top of the blue bow.)  Let dry.

Closeup of bail and cord for hanging Mom's tin

10.  Cut piece of twine, ribbon or cording and thread it through the jewelry bail so you can hang the ornament.  One thing I discovered is that my tins wouldn't hang straight, because the weight of the bird made the front dip a little.  This isn't too big a deal if you plan to use the tin as a Christmas tree ornament, because you can usually tuck the ornament into the branches to steady it.  Or forget hanging the tin, and just set it on a small easel to display.  I may try to figure out a different way to add a hanger on future tart tins, or I may not.  Usually a problem like something not hanging straight would bother me, but for some reason it isn't in this case.

Another satisfied customer

And finally, here is Jackie with her tart tin!  She was thrilled to receive it and because we also got an easel for her, she can display it immediately (straight or not!).

Just two final notes I want to share about these tart tins.  First, quality adhesives are essential when you're adhering items made of different materials.  I recommend Golden brand matte gel medium (regular or heavy) and E6000 industrial adhesive.  Second, these tart tins require a lot of drying time after certain steps to ensure that pieces are firmly attached before adhering the next ones.  Give yourself plenty of time to make one of these, especially if you're not keeping it for yourself.

I hope you found this post helpful.  I know for myself, I found it useful to write down the steps and some of the little hints I had forgotten since I made that first tin.  And if someone else can benefit from them, even better.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a fab day.

Calendar Cars - Artist Trading Coins

Artist trading coins are all the rage right now in the mail art community, so I thought I'd jump in and make some myself.  At 2.5 inches in diameter, the coins are the same width as an artist trading card but not as tall and, of course, are round instead of rectangular.  I created these four coins for a swap with an open theme.  They're kind of a riff on the calendar car postcards I made a couple of months ago.

I started by adhering a road map to a piece of heavy cardstock, then used a Spellbinders Nestabilities circle die to cut four coins.  I used an old gift card to scrape on a thin layer of white acrylic paint, which mutes the background so it doesn't compete too much with the focal images.

After fussy cutting the cars, I selected vintage postage stamps to coordinate with each one.  Then I chose the stencil, which required some consideration due to the scale of these coins.  Achieving a good composition can be tricky when working on such a small piece, especially when it's round.  I settled on the Harlequin stencil by Tim Holtz and used distress inks to add the design to the background.

After adhering the cars, I stamped on some spatters and the text, added the postage stamps, then stamped on two types of faux postage cancellation marks:  the wavy lines in gray and the round mark in red.

The "Fig. #" images are rub-ons that were the perfect size for these coins, and they helped to ground the cars so they don't look like they're floating in space.  The final step on the front of the coins was sponging gathered twigs distress ink around the edges.

To finish the backs of the coins, I adhered patterned paper and a mini label with the name of the swap, my name, and the date.  I like my art pieces to have a clean back, and the additional layer of paper made the coins a little sturdier.

Other than working with the small scale of these coins, the biggest challenge for me was with the shape.  I've made a lot of really small collages, but most of them have been on substrates with straight edges. The curved edges of the coins was a new twist.  Have you tried making artist trading coins?  If so, what did you find most challenging about them?  And if not, what are you waiting for?!

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a wonderful day.

Chickadee-dee-dee Tart Tin for Mom

Last December I made this tart tin ornament for an art exchange, and was super pleased with how it turned out.  My mom really liked it, too, and has been waiting for me to make one for her.  Well, Mom, your long wait is over!

This tart tin is smaller (only 3.5 inches at its widest point) than the one I used for the goldfinch, so I used a smaller bird which looks somewhat like a chickadee.  My mom wants to display this throughout the year so the sheet music in the background is not a Christmas song, and I used darker berries that will go well with her furnishings.  The steps to create this ornament were pretty much the same as the first one I created, with minor adjustments needed due to the size of the tin (for example, the ribbon and pinecone are smaller).

I've started to prep more tins, because now my mom wants me to make one for a friend of hers, and I still need to make one for myself!  Stay tuned...

Have a beautiful day, and thanks for reading my blog.

Fishing Tackle Vintage Collage and Flying Fish Get Well Card

The 1952 Hammond's Nature Atlas of America in my stash is full of beautiful images that I've started to mine for collages.  Today I'm sharing two projects featuring fish.

This collage started with the lovely brook trout.  He appears to be leaping out of the water after a fly, which sent me on a search through some old geography textbooks for water photos.  The fishing tackle text came out of a reproduction 1900 Sears and Roebuck Catalog.  I chose the vintage orange postage stamp because its color complimented the fish, and the final touch was a postal cancellation mark stamped on top.

Since the first fish collage turned out so well (if I do say so myself), I made a second one as a get well card for a co-worker who was recently in the hospital.  She and her boyfriend love to fish, so I think she'll like this card.  I believe this fish is a tuna, and he is really leaping out of the water.  I chose a pink vintage postage stamp which played nicely against the green water, and stamped on two postal cancellation marks.  This collage was matted on vanilla cardstock before being adhered to a black card base.

In case you're wondering where I got a 1952 Hammond's Nature Atlas of America:  it was in a box of books that my dad purchased at an auction.  After he pulled out the books he wanted, he let me sort through them and take what I wanted.  My vintage book stash has definitely benefited from my dad's joy of reading!

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a fabulous day.

Vintage Birds - Altered Envie

My altered envelope for this month's exchange started with an "a ha" moment.  As I was going through my paper stash looking for a piece of 12x12 cardstock, I came upon a package of Graphic 45 patterned paper that I bought a while ago at Tuesday Morning (a small discount store).  I love Graphic 45 designs and I thought I was getting a great deal on a collection of patterned papers.  Imagine my disappointment when I opened the package and discovered not the collection, but 25 sheets of the same design!  I thought, what the heck am I going to do with 25 sheets of the same design?

Yep!  I bought 25 sheets of this two-sided paper.

Well, I shared a couple sheets with a fellow crafter, and then the packet went back into my stash until this month when I stumbled upon it again and had that "a ha" moment:  this paper would make a great envelope!  It's quality, heavy cardstock and the side with the text provides a neutral background.  So I used my We R Memory Keepers envelope punch board (another Tuesday Morning purchase) to create my envelope, then dug through my paper stash for items to build a collage.

The front of the envelope started with a vintage bird illustration from an old natural history book.  The yellow flower was fussy-cut from the same book.  I added an envelope wrap, a scrap torn from a reproduction Sears and Roebuck catalog, and a vintage postage stamp.  The final touches involved some rubber stamping.

The reverse side of the envelope features another bird from the natural history book, scraps of vintage sheet music and book text, rubber stamping, and the other end of the envelope wrap.  See what a great background that dark Graphic 45 paper makes?  I'll have no problem using 25 sheets of that!

Here's hoping you have many happy "a ha" moments yourself.  Thanks for reading my blog, and have a fabulous day!

Handpainted Tulip - Altered Envie

My altered envie partner for July has received the envelope I sent her, so I can share it with you here.

My partner lives in The Netherlands, which is famous for its tulips.  Since my signature flower is the tulip, I decided that would be my theme.  I started by creating my own envelope using a monoprint I made with a Gelli Plate.  I used acrylics to paint my tulip, and let me tell you, that right leaf took a looooong time to get right!  Thank goodness acrylics are very forgiving.

On the back, I wrote a quote by Anaïs Nin:  "And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."

Thanks for stopping in!  Take a risk and blossom.

Giveaway Winner

The winner of the mail art giveaway is...Gemini Norn!

Gemini Norn said:
Welcome „back to Life“ of art and blogs. I love that you used car images from an outdated wall calendar, it made me eye my own current wall calendar with greedy eyes. Thank you for being an inspiration for me today ;-)

Congratulations, my zodiac sister!  And thank you so much for your lovely comment.

If You're Lucky Enough to Be Different - Greeting Card

Do you ever sit down to make something and end up making something else?  (All the time, right?)  Well, that's what happened with this card.  I was trying to make a couple of cards using some monoprints I created (I'll talk about them in a different post), and they just weren't coming together.  So I switched gears and made this card which I plan to send to a friend.  She loves the color purple and I know she will get a kick out of the little girl on the front.  I've nicknamed her Celie, after the character in The Color Purple.

The background started with my monoprint.  To that I added a strip of vintage sheet music (my friend is a classically-trained vocalist) and a circular graph cut from a vintage engine manual (just guessing here, but my friend probably knows little about vintage engines, or modern engines, for that matter).  The sentiment and the Celie "paper doll" are Tim Holtz products.  The butterfly is a rub-on by 7 Gypsies.  To age the papers, I sponged distress inks around the edges.  A dark charcoal pencil was used to outline the sentiment and Celie; a blending stump and my fingers helped to smudge the charcoal.  Because of the charcoal, this card got a quick spritz of acrylic sealant as a final layer.

Thanks for stopping by!  If you haven't already done so, hop over to this blog post and enter to win an original piece of mail art.  You have until July 13, 2018, to enter.  (That's Friday the 13th.  Ooooooh...)

Supplies:
Purple and white cardstock by Bazzill; monoprint on Strathmore bristol vellum paper using purple acrylic paint; vintage sheet music and graphic illustration from my stash; sentiment and paper doll by Tim Holtz; butterfly rub-on by 7 Gypsies; mustard seed and walnut stain distress ink; dark charcoal pencil.

Calendar Cars Mail Art and...a Giveaway!

Hello there!   After a long (unplanned) break from blogging, I decided it was high-time for me to get back into the habit of documenting the things I've been making.  Not that I've been making a lot, mind you, but I have created a few things since I last blogged and I don't want to lose track of them.  So I'm going to jump right in and share with you these postcards I made last weekend using images of vintage cars from an outdated wall calendar.

I started by adhering a road map to pieces of 140 lb watercolor paper cut to size (5x7 inches).  To tone down the map, I scraped on white acrylic paint using an old credit card.  I added stenciling using distress inks.

After adhering the cars, I embellished each postcard with rub-ons, vintage postage stamps, and rubber stamping.  To finish the postcards, I sponged distress ink around the edges and sprayed them with a glossy acrylic sealant.

Gosh, it felt great to sit down and accomplish something at my art table!  And now to blog about it?  It's like I've come back to life.  To celebrate my return to blogging and to thank you for reading this, I'd like to send a piece of mail art to you.  Just leave a comment on this post telling me what you like about these postcards and how I can contact you if you win (an email address would be great).  If more than one person comments, I'll hold a random drawing to decide the winner.

Comment by Friday, July 13, 2018, in order to be entered.  Good luck!  And thanks again for stopping by.

Baseball-themed Sympathy Card

One of my dad's softball buddies, Bobby, passed away recently after suffering some serious illnesses.  I created this card to send to his family.

The background papers are from the Good Ol' Sport collection by Graphic 45.  The baseballs, sentiment and focal image are by Artistic Outpost.  I stamped them on vanilla cardstock and colored them with Prismacolor Premier pencils and distress inks.

My parents met Bobby and his wife through the softball team at the RV park in Arizona where they all spend the winter.  Bobby was the team's pitcher and my dad was the catcher, so they developed a pretty close relationship.  You'll never meet two guys who love playing softball as much as these two!  Here's a photograph of their team the year they took second place in their division.  Bobby is in the front row wearing the burgundy jacket; my dad is in the back row, fourth guy from the right.

Thanks for stopping by my blog.  Have a wonderful day!

Sending Happy Thoughts - Healing HeArts Mixed Media Postcards

At Healing HeArts this month (the art therapy program I attend for cancer patients, caregivers and family members), the project was right up my alley: mixed media cards.  Healing HeArts is held at a local arts and music academy where we have access to just about every kind of art supply you can imagine, and for this activity, the program facilitator brought hundreds of his own rubber stamps.  I took my basic supplies kit which included some of my favorite vintage ephemera.  To say I enjoyed myself is an understatement!

I made several mixed media collages on watercolor paper that I could send either as postcards or attached to a card front.  I started by cutting watercolor paper to size (4 x 5.25 inches) and doing a quick watercolor wash as a background.  I adhered random pieces of vintage book pages and postage stamps, then stamped on the butterfly, hash marks, and sometimes a sentiment.  Once I got home, I scraped a thin layer of white acrylic paint over the book pages in order to blend them in better, and added cancellation marks over the postage stamps.

I created this collage with the blue background specifically for a friend who recently learned that she has had a recurrence of breast cancer.  I attached it to a card front and sent it to let her know that I was thinking of her.  I love that Healing HeArts had a double benefit this month:  I enjoyed creating these cards, and my friend enjoyed receiving some cheerful mail during a difficult time.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a wonderful day.

Happy Mother's Day

I've been making a Mother's Day card for my mom for at least eleven years now, and it's important to me that I not duplicate a design I've used in the past.  That's easy enough to do if one keeps buying new stamps and papers, but I've cut back on my spending and am trying to use what I already have.  So I turned to the internet for inspiration, and found this card that I could put my own spin on.

For the flowers on my card, I die-cut patterned papers and vintage sheet music using some of the first Spellbinders dies I ever bought: standard circles.  The leaves were also cut using Spellbinders dies.  To ground the flowers, I added an embossed layer of cardstock in the same color as the background.  I like the texture that it gives without detracting from the flowers.  The sentiment was heat-embossed in a color called peridot which coordinated well with the color of the leaves.  It's not easy for me to make clean and simple cards  that feel like "me," so I was really happy with how this card turned out

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms!  Thanks for stopping by my blog.

Love and Sympathy

This past week our family said goodbye to one of the kindest people you could ever know:  Aunt Carol.  She was my mother's youngest aunt by marriage and absolutely my favorite aunt on that side of the family.  She was super sweet and had the cutest laugh.  I'm grateful that she lived close enough for us to visit often, and that I just went to see her a few weeks ago.

 

Aunt Carol loved pink roses, so I dug through my stash looking for the perfect embellishment and found this mulberry paper flower.  It is backed with some extra foliage sprigs, cut with a Spellbinders die.  The sentiment was stamped with Versamark ink and heat-embossed in silver.  I need to remember to do this more often!  It really elevates the level of any card.

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a great day!  

Supplies: 

Green and buttermint cardstock by Bazzill; poppy embossing folder by Anna Griffin for Cuttlebug; sentiment from Stampin' Up; Versamark ink; silver embossing powder; foliage die and scalloped oval Nestabilities by Spellbinders; mulberry flower by Recollections (Michaels); corner rounder punch.

Ring My Bell - Valentine Thank You

Yes, I'm still making valentines!  Kind of.  This is a Valentine-themed thank you card for my mom's cousin, who gave me the corrugated cardstock I used to make the scalloped heart.  She had received a bunch of art and craft supplies from a friend who was downsizing, and she happily shared some items that were right up my alley.

After die-cutting the scalloped heart, I scraped it with titanium white acrylic paint and sprinkled on chunky antique gold glitter.  Once it was dry, I sponged gathered twigs distress ink around the edges.  I used a piece of vintage ribbon to tie on the smaller red heart, adding a mini Tim Holtz bell.  The Slavic-language sheet music is from an old hymnal in my stash.

Have a beautiful day!

Supplies:
Buttermints cardstock by Bazzill; patterned paper and corrugated cardstock by DCWV; titanium white acrylic paint; vintage gold chunky glitter by Recollections (Michaels); spun sugar and gathered twigs distress ink; vintage sheet music and lace from my stash; tiny bell from Tim Holtz; pop-dots.

Healing Hearts Valentines

For the past year or so, I've been attending a monthly art therapy group for cancer patients, caregivers, family and friends.  I learned about the group from the hospital where my dad received his cancer treatments.  The group is facilitated by a local artist and we've done everything from mixed media drawings to needle felting to watercolor painting.  At the last minute, I decided to make Valentines for everyone this month.

This special card was created for the facilitator.  To suit his style, I wanted to make the card more masculine and grungy than one might normally expect a Valentine to be.  I started with the large heart, which was die-cut from a piece of gray corrugated cardstock.  Using an old gift card, I roughly scraped on titanium white acrylic paint and while it was still wet, sprinkled on some chunky vintage gold glitter.  After the paint dried, I sponged vintage photo distress ink around the edges.  The red heart was also die-cut, scraped with white acrylic paint, and sponged with vintage photo distress ink.  After tying on a piece of jute twine, the red heart was adhered to the gray heart using pop-dots.  The vintage sheet music underneath the hearts received the same white paint and distress ink treatment.

For the other members of the group, I made these simple die-cut hearts using a variety of patterned papers and cardstock in my stash.  The hearts are tied together with a piece of baker's twine, and I simply hand-wrote my sentiment on the back.  I was feeling cheeky and gave two of the guys the hot pink ones, which gave everyone a good laugh. (One guy's wife quickly swapped her red one for his pink one, however.)

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Solid cardstocks by Bazzill; corrugated cardstock by DCWV; patterned papers from various manufacturers; vintage sheet music from my stash; titanium white acrylic paint; rusty hinge and vintage photo distress ink; vintage gold chunky glitter by Recollections (Michaels); heart and scalloped heart Nestabilities by Spellbinders; baker's twine by We R Memory Keepers; jute twine from the hardware store; pop-dots.

Galentine's Day Valentines

I was invited to a Galentine's Day party, which (if you believe Wikipedia), is an unofficial holiday of "ladies celebrating ladies" that grew out of an episode of the sitcom Parks and Recreation.  I never watched that show so I had never heard of Galentine's Day until this month, when the concept seemed to be all over social media.

The party invitation said we had the option of making Valentines to exchange and I decided that could be fun, especially since everyone invited to this particular Galentine's party was some kind of artist or maker.  Because I had to make a dozen Valentines, I kept my design simple.  My small (4.25 inches) square card featured a page from an old textbook topped with a heart die-cut from a piece of patterned paper and embossed with a floral pattern.  The sentiment was stamped on smooth cardstock and punched with a scalloped oval punch.

Don't they all look so sweet together?

Valentines I received in the exchange.

After enjoying some refreshments, sweet treats and lively conversation, the Valentine exchange took place around the hostess's dining room table.  It reminded me of elementary school, when we walked around to each classmate's desk to deposit a Valentine in their decorated shoe box (although for this party, most of us simply brought a large mailing envelope or gift bag).   It was so much fun to see how different all of the Valentines were, and to learn who made each one.  As you can see, the Valentines were as individual as the women who made them.  Oh!  I also got two pairs of funky ankle socks, which I forgot to put in the picture.  One pair features French bulldogs, the other elephants. 

Happy Galentine's, and Happy Valentine's Day, to you!  Thanks for stopping by.

Supplies:
Butter mints cardstock by Bazzill; patterned paper by DCWV (The Old World Stack); vintage book text from my stash; sentiment from Hampton Art; Ranger Archival black ink; heart die Nestabilities by Spellbinders; Anna Griffin Rosa embossing folder; Cuttlebug; scalloped oval punch from Stampin' Up; pop-dots.

Froggie Went a-Courtin' - Get Well Card

I just couldn't resist this adorable bicycle-riding frog when I saw him recently at my local Michaels store.  He's so dapper and is sure to bring cheer in any number of ways.  Today, he's gracing a get well card that I'm sending to someone having surgery.

Froggie was stamped on whisper white cardstock and colored with Prismacolor pencils.  The patterned papers by Bazzill are in a color called intense kiwi.  Indeed!

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a great day!

Supplies:
Purple and white cardstock by Bazzill; patterned papers by Bazzill; whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; frog image by Inkadinkado; Ranger Archival black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities by Spellbinders; Martha Stewart border punch; corner rounder punch.

Blackout Bits #2

Follow the daylight

Follow the moon

Hope

 

It's a new year, and I'm excited to keep building on some goals I set for myself last year as well as tackle some new ones. In the coming days, I will share more details and how those goals relate to what you will see here on the blog.  In the meantime, I wish you all the best for 2018 and as always, appreciate your stopping by!  Have a beautiful day.