Hello, Friend - Rooster Greeting Card

Hello, hello!  I hope you're having a good week.  I spent all of yesterday with my mom and a friend of hers who is visiting from out of state.  We took a short road trip to a neighboring county which has numerous boutiques and antique shops in and around a small town with a substantial Amish community.  At the "English" owned shops, I found a few vintage paper and alterable items to use in artwork.  At the Amish grocery store, I stocked up on things like basmati rice, couscous, and spices, as they charge much less for them than our local grocery stores do.

Sisters' Garden outside Kalona, Iowa

Being in a rural area, we saw a lot of rooster and chicken decorative items (both new and antique).  This made us think of another friend of my mom's, who is decorating her new kitchen with roosters.  My mom texted her several photos of things to ask if she was interested in any of them (some rather jokingly, like a large rooster cut out of sheet metal which was displayed on the door of a former outhouse!).  And thus roosters became the unexpected theme of the day; so much so that I ended up buying her something rooster-related at one particular store.  I think she will appreciate some unexpected happy mail, as her husband was diagnosed with cancer in the spring and their entire summer has been spent "doctoring."

To accompany her gift I created this card featuring, what else, a rooster!  I used a variety of patterned papers from my stash that go with the color scheme of her kitchen.  The rooster from Oxford Impressions was stamped on vanilla cardstock and colored with Prismacolor pencils and distress inks.  The sentiment is from Red Lead Paperworks.

I'll leave you with more photos from our day trip.

My mom and her friend at Sisters' Garden

My beautiful mom

A fall vignette at Sisters' Garden

Have you ever seen so many old wash tubs in one place?  They mostly held potpourri and other dry goods for decorating.  Iowa Farmhouse and Barntiques outside Iowa City

Iowa Farmhouse and Barntiques

Iowa Farmhouse and Barntiques

Thanks for popping in! 

Supplies:
Red cardstock from Stampin' Up; miscellaneous patterned papers from my stash; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; rooster from Oxford Impressions; sentiment from Red Lead Paperworks; splatter background stamp by All Night Media; Ranger Archival black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; antique linen and vintage photo distress ink; round and scalloped round dies by Sizzix; oval and scalloped oval punches from Stampin' Up; border punch by Martha Stewart; pop-dots.

Poppy Packet Thank You

When I make a greeting card, I usually have a plan for it.  That is, I know who the card is for and the occasion (birthday, get well, etc.).  I like to work this way because it allows me to customize the card for the individual.  I choose images that suit the recipient, or I use a color scheme that I know s/he will like.  This method works pretty well for me most of the time, but occasionally a card will take off in a different direction and end up somewhere I didn't envision at the start.  This was one of those cards. 

So instead of being a birthday card for a friend, this became a thank you card for my cousin.  She and her husband recently traveled to Egypt where she purchased some postcards for me.  They are reproductions of old black and white postcards that will make great collage fodder.  She also sent me some vintage ephemera that she found while doing spring cleaning.

The Crosman's seed packet image is from Artistic Outpost.  The center of the stamp is actually blank, so you can add any vegetable or flower image you want.  I chose this poppy by Oxford Impressions and stamped it on a light green patterned paper.  I colored it with Prismacolor pencils and coated it with Glossy Accents for a little shine.  And here's where the card took a left turn:  I used too heavy of a hand in one spot while I was sponging gathered twigs distress ink around the edges.  The only way to save it was to keep going in that direction, which forced me to change the color scheme and therefore my plans for the final card.

The rust patterned paper is by K and Company.  The cream paper is from the same collection; I embossed it, trimmed one side with a scalloped border punch, and highlighted the embossing with my gathered twigs distress ink to tie everything together.  The sentiment from Artistic Outpost was stamped on the same cream paper and mounted on pop-dots for dimension.  My cousin has a lovely garden with a lot of pretty flowers, so I know she will appreciate the poppy as well as the sentiment.  But now I have to come up with a different birthday card idea for my friend!

Thanks for "poppyng" by!  Have a wonderful day.

Supplies:
Black cardstock by Bazzill; patterned paper by K and Company; stamps from Artistic Outpost and Oxford Impressions; Ranger Archival black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; gathered twigs distress ink; Glossy Accents; geometric rings embossing folder by Cricut Cuttlebug; EK Success border punches; small oval and small scalloped oval punches from Stampin' Up; pop-dots.

Mysterious Eyes - Altered Canvas

Once or twice a year, the altered envelope group I participate in has a "Weirdy Mail" option.  By weirdy mail, we mean an artsy bit other than an envelope or postcard, preferably sent through the mail "naked" (without packaging).  It's always fun to see what people manage to send through the mail with only a label and postage adhered to it.

I'll admit, I'm a little leery about sending naked weirdy mail, especially when I've spent so much time making something special for my partner.  I was doubly concerned this time, because my mail had to go to Canada (and Canada Post has been threatening to strike in recent months).  So I settled on a basic 8x8 wrapped canvas that could potentially go naked, but decided to wait until I was done with it to make a final decision.

Based on my partner's profile, I chose a Halloween theme and got to work creating a 4x4 collage for the hole in the back of the wrapped canvas.  The base of my collage was an old bingo card cut to size, and the focal point would be this lovely bat image from Oxford Impressions.  I stamped the bat on white cardstock and colored it with Prismacolor Premier pencils, then trimmed it closely.  I tinted the bingo card with distress inks and acrylic paint and added some rub-ons (the black grungy stuff) before adhering the bat.  The text was cut from an old novel.

Once I had my collage largely done, I turned my attention to the canvas itself.  First I gave the entire thing a coat of black gesso, then I painted the canvas with a mixture of black, purple and white acrylic paint.  Next I adhered a vintage-looking scrapbook paper to the wooden frame portion.  That paper was tinted with paint and ink to match the bingo card, and also received a few spots of the grungy rub-on.  At this point it was looking pretty good, but I still felt it was lacking something; it needed texture.  Molding paste to the rescue!  I applied molding paste through a stencil to the entire frame as well as to the central collage.  This turned out way better than I could have hoped, and it pulled the entire piece together.  Once the molding paste was dry, I tinted it with distress paints.

I adhered the central collage and outlined it with antique bronze Stickles.  I spattered white acrylic paint onto the entire thing (again, to integrate the collage with the frame) and then sealed everything with an acrylic spray.

I suppose you want to know whether my canvas got to travel naked or not.  Well, it did not.  I chickened out.  I didn't want it to get damaged or, God forbid, stolen by some crazed fan of winged mammals.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day.

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.

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.

Holiday Greeting by Western Union

As usual, I'm still working on my Christmas cards just days before the holiday.  Better late than never, I always say!

For this card I combined vintage images from two different Oxford Impressions stamp sets.  The little girl was stamped on white cardstock and colored with Prismacolor Premier pencils.  The Western Union image was stamped on vanilla cardstock and colored with distress inks.

I used a green color scheme for a second batch of cards.  The December 25 postmark was stamped in barn door distress ink, and the bow on her hat is red Stickles.

By the time I came along in life, not too many people were sending telegrams anymore.  I had never seen a real one until just this year.  I bought a 1940s scrapbook at a flea market in the spring, and it contained two telegrams sent to a woman by her husband when he was in the service.  The one above was obviously sent at Christmastime, due to the "Holiday Greeting" and Santa image across the top.  During World War II, telegrams were often the bearers of bad news, informing families that their beloved son or husband had been killed or was missing in action.  I'm glad to have found one that would have brought comfort to a lonely spouse.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a wonderful day.

Supplies:
Blue and green cardstock by Bazzill; Teresa Collins and Graphic 45 patterned papers; stamps from Oxford Impressions; Ranger Archival black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; old paper, antique lace, pumice stone, gathered twigs and barn door distress ink; red and green Stickles; vintage book text; crackle background stamp unknown; splatter background stamp by All Night Media; Color Box frost white pigment ink.

Thanks! Card and Domino Magnet

My friend Stephanie, card-maker extraordinaire and all-around fun person, not only came to my birthday celebration but also gave me a gift bag full of stamping and art goodies.  She is so generous.  And I absolutely adore the birthday card she gave me.  You can see her blog post about it here.

It was high time I thanked her in return, so I created this card for her.  The cute little girl is from Oxford Impressions.  The background papers are by Prima Marketing and the thanks die-cut is by Momenta/Little Yellow Bicycle.  I really like their word die-cuts and they are the perfect size for greeting cards.

I also made this altered domino magnet to give to her.  She and her husband have a loft condo in a former manufacturing building, and she mentioned that she'd like to get more magnets for the exposed steel beams.  I covered the front of the domino with a scrap from a Russian-English dictionary tinted with distress ink.  My gal from Artistic Outpost was stamped on a piece of vanilla cardstock and colored with Prisma pencils.  I edged the sides with a Krylon gold leaf pen, but left the back of the domino bare so you can see the pips (the dots).  Otherwise you might not realize that it's a domino.

Thanks for dropping in!  Have a fabulous day.

Supplies:
Card:  Black cardstock by Bazzill; kraft cardstock from Stampin' Up; patterned paper by Prima Marketing; titanium white acrylic paint; vintage photo distress ink; stamped image from Oxford Impressions; Ranger Archival black ink; thanks die cut by Momenta; EK Success border punch; oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities by Spellbinders; small flowers by Prima; frayed burlap Stickles; pop-dots.
Domino:  Domino; vintage book page; broken china and vintage photo distress ink; stamped image from Artistic Outpost; Ranger Archival black ink; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; Prismacolor Premier pencils; Tim Holtz word sticker; black Stabilo All Pencil; Krylon gold leaf pen; Glossy Accents; glossy spray sealant.

Bleeding Hearts -Envelope Mail Art

Back in March I sketched some bleeding hearts just for practice, and ended up making an ATC that I really liked.  I decided to expand that drawing and use it on my partner's envelope for this month's altered envie exchange.

I made my own #10 envelope out of watercolor paper and used Derwent watercolor pencils to make my bleeding hearts.  I added some outlining and doodling with a black Pitt artist pen.

I kind of lost my mojo after I did the front, so the back looks completely different.  I colored the envelope with distress inks and added a scrap of sheet music that I had made a monoprint on.  Because my partner likes birds, I used a variety of bird-related images to complete the envelope.

Thanks for dropping by!  Have a great day.

Winter Morning - ATC

I decided to participate in an ATC swap with a winter theme.  I'm glad I have to make only one card, because this is not an easy theme to do without it starting to look Christmas-y.  (Not that there's anything wrong with Christmas-y, I just didn't want my card to look that way.)

The Winter Morning sheet music image and the little girl are rubber stamps from Oxford Impressions.  I embossed the sheet music on white cardstock which I then tinted with distress inks.  The little girl was stamped separately and colored with Prismacolor pencils.  The snowflakes were created by stamping a splatter background using white pigment ink and then gently smudging each flake with my finger. I like how it kind of looks like she's peeking out of a frosty window at the snow falling outside.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a fabulous day.

Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; stamps from Oxford Impressions; whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; Ranger Archival black ink; Versamark watermark ink; black embossing powder; Colorbox frost white pigment ink; stormy sky, pumice stone and dusty concord distress ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; splatter background stamp by All Night Media; Derwent tinted charcoal pencils; titanium white acrylic paint; vintage book text; Adirondack silver acrylic paint dabber.

Poison? Nah....

A buddy of mine had a scary (no pun intended!) fall at home and after a lengthy hospital stay, he is now in a care center for rehab.  He doesn't want any visitors yet so I put together a small Halloween care package to brighten his day.

I started by making another quick skeleton card.  Using an old credit card, I scraped some gesso rather thickly onto an old book page.  I stamped the skeleton and a little crackle background, then stenciled on some distress inks through a piece of punchinella.

I also created this 2-5-7-10 box to hold some poison, I mean, candy treats.  I've made some of these before and they are super easy.  You can find the tutorial here on Splitcoaststampers.  Make sure you use a sturdy cardstock for the box (I used Stampin' Up basic black cardstock which is an 80 lb paper) and extra strong adhesive.  I decorated the box using a patterned paper by Authentique and images from Oxford Impressions and Artistic Outpost.

It's hard to put together a care package for a man, but he likes to do crossword puzzles so I included a couple of puzzle books and some mechanical pencils. I hope he enjoys the surprise.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Black cardstock from Stampin' Up; orange and kraft cardstock by Bazzill; patterned paper by Authentique; very vanilla carrdstock from Stampin' Up; skull and raven stamp from Oxford Impressions; poison stamp from Artistic Outpost; Ranger Archival black ink; vintage photo and antique linen distress ink; mini black brads; plaid ribbon from Michaels.

Trick or Treat

My Nomad in the Woodland ATC is going to an artist in California. Since this trade was part of a Halloween-themed swap, I decided to make a Halloween card for her also.

I started by swiping some white gesso onto a page torn from an old Czech book.  While that dried, I searched my stash for the other papers.  I stamped the skeleton from Oxford Impressions with black ink and added some stenciling using punchinella and distress ink.  

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a fabulous Friday.

Supplies:
Purple and orange cardstock by Bazzill; patterned paper by Authentique; vintage book page; skeleton stamp by Oxford Impressions; Ranger Archival black ink; crushed olive and dusty concord distress inks; cursive text stamp (unknown); Ranger Archival watering can ink; vintage photo distress ink; Golden gesso.

Nomad of the Woodland - ATC

I created this ATC for a Halloween-themed swap on Facebook.  It's a 1:1 swap which is good because my creative mojo has gone AWOL this week.

The background consists of patterned paper and vintage book text colored with distress inks and titanium white acrylic paint.  The bat was stamped on white cardstock and colored with Prismacolor pencils.  I added a lot of shading with tinted charcoal pencils to make the background look somewhat foggy so that the bat would stand out against it.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day.

Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; patterned paper by Authentique; vintage book text; bat image from Oxford Impressions; Ranger Archival black ink; whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; red Sharpie; wild honey, gathered twigs and dusty concord distress ink; titanium white acrylic paint; crackle background stamp (unknown); postmark stamp by Stampa Rosa; Ranger Archival watering can ink; punchinella; Derwent tinted charcoal pencils (white, lavender, medium); Adirondack black and white acrylic paint dabber; Plaid glossy acrylic sealer.

With Sympathy

A friend of my parents' (who actually was a cousin to my grandma, but my mom never knew him until about ten years ago) passed away last week.  Vic and his wife Edna wintered in Arizona, not too far from where my folks stay when they are there, and they became good friends after being introduced by another family member.

Since Vic and Edna have been life-long farmers, I decided to use this tractor image by Oxford Impressions as my focal image.  I heat-embossed it in black on a patterned paper by DCWV.  The embossed birds were already on the green paper which is from the same paper stack.  I thought it made a fitting background for the tractor and for this particular card.

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

Supplies:
Dark brown cardstock by Bazzill; soft suede cardstock from Stampin' Up; patterned papers by DCWV; tractor image by Oxford Impressions; Versamark ink; black embossing powder; frayed burlap distress ink; Martha Stewart border punch; corner rounder punch; pop-dots.

Monster Mash - Envelope Mail Art

My July altered envelope partner wrote in her profile that Halloween is one of her favorite holidays (which kind of surprised me, because she lives in Russia).  And even though it's the middle of summer, we're having an unusual cool spell with temperatures more akin to autumn. So a Halloween-themed envelope seemed appropriate and I hope it will be well received.

On the front I used this fabulous bat image by Oxford Impressions on what has become my signature background:  a mix of patterned paper, vintage book text, acrylic paint, distress inks, stamping and stenciling.  I added some eerie "found poetry" cut from my favorite 1920s novel.

On the back, I created a collage using stamps from Oxford Impressions, Artistic Outpost and Inadinkado.  I used a combination of Prismacolor Premier pencils and distress inks to color the images.

Here are closeup shots so you can see the artwork better.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day.
 
Supplies:
Strathmore Bristol vellum paper; Golden gel medium; bat, bottle, bottle label and mortar/pestle images from Oxford Impressions; skull by Inkadinkado; prescription pad by Artistic Outpost; text stamps from Red Lead Paperworks; patterned paper by Authentique; vintage book text; whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; Ranger Archival jet black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; titanium white acrylic paint; Adirondack espresso acrylic paint dabber; punchinella; crackle background stamp (unknown); distress inks: dusty concord, antique linen, vintage photo, pumice stone, peeled paint, rusty hinge, wild honey; Derwent peat and lavender tinted charcoal pencils.

Bloom Part Deux with Poppy Magnet

Hi Everyone!  TGIF!  I liked this poppy birthday card so much that I decided to make another one.  I simply selected different patterned papers (and used one of my favorite color combinations: red, black, and cream).

I also created an altered domino magnet to coordinate with the card.  Here are the two together.  There's some glare on the card at this angle because the poppy is coated with Glossy Accents.  Not only does that give the poppy added dimension, but it intensifies the colors.

I'm thinking I really need to find some place in the yard to plant a few poppies.  I've been reading up on them!   

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend.

Supplies:
Card:  Black cardstock by Bazzill; soft suede and very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; seed packet and sentiment stamp from Artistic Outpost; poppy from Oxford Impressions; Ranger Archival black ink; gathered twigs distress ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; patterned papers by My Mind's Eye and DCWV; Swiss dot embossing folder; Cuttlebug; small oval and scalloped oval punches from Stampin' Up; Glossy Accents; pop-dots.
Domino: plastic domino (1x2 inch); scrap from an old Czech book page; dusty concord and vintage photo distress ink; poppy from Oxford Impressions; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; Ranger Archival black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; sentiment rub-on by Tim Holtz; Krylon 18K gold-leaf pen; glossy acrylic spray sealant; Glossy Accents; magnets.

Bloom Where You're Planted

Remember the sweet poppy altered domino that I said I was turning into a magnet?  Well, I did just that and in addition I made a birthday card to coordinate with it.  I think the two together will make a nice little gift for someone. 

The seed packet stamp is from Artistic Outpost, but the poppy is a separate stamp from Oxford Impressions.  It is one of my all-time favorite images.

Have a great day!

Supplies:
Black cardstock by Bazzill; very vanilla and soft suede cardstock from Stampin' Up; patterned papers by K & Company and Crafty Secrets; poppy image from Oxford Impressions; seed packet and sentiment from Artistic Outpost; splatter pattern stamp by All Night Media; Ranger Archival black ink; gathered twigs distress ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; oval and scalloped oval punches from Stampin' Up; Glossy Accents; pop-dots.

Genuine Blue Butterfly and Sweet Poppy - Altered Dominoes

Quite a while ago I bought a cheap box of dominoes at a discount store.  I decided this was the week to try altering a few.  (I've altered some vintage wooden ones, which you can see here and here; but never any of the newer plastic ones.)  I have a few rubber stamps sized specifically for dominoes, so I started there but didn't like the results I was getting when I tried to color the images.  So I just covered up my experiments with collages.

The butterfly is a rub-on over vintage sheet music.  I added a stamped postal mark and word sticker and painted the sides with gold acrylic paint before sealing everything with glossy spray sealant.  The final step was to coat the entire top with Glossy Accents.

The poppy was stamped on cardstock, colored with pencils, and trimmed closely before being adhered over vintage Czech text that had been colored with distress inks.  I used a Krylon gold leaf pen to paint the sides, then sealed everything with glossy spray sealant.  To give the poppy added dimension, I gave just the flower and the word sticker a coat of Glossy Accents.

I think both of these dominoes will become magnets.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great weekend.

Supplies:
Plastic dominoes; Golden soft gel medium (gloss); vintage sheet music and book text; white acrylic paint; picked preserves and vintage photo distress ink; butterfly rub-on from Seven Gypsies; poppy stamp from Oxford Impressions; whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; postal cancellation stamp by Hero Arts; Ranger Archival black ink; word stickers by Tim Holtz; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; Adirondack gold acrylic paint dabber; Krylon gold leaf pen; peat charcoal pencil; glossy acrylic spray sealant; Glossy Accents.

My Heart is Like a Singing Bird - Altered Envelope Mail Art

I decided it was time to try something new, so I signed up to participate in an altered envelope mail art swap. I need to get my creative juices flowing again, and I like the fact that we swap directly with only one person each month.

I started with a real envelope and wanted to give a nod to Valentine's Day without being obvious.  I covered the envelope with torn vintage text and patterned papers, then layered on colored inks and acrylic paints using a dry brush technique, stencils, punchinella, and stamping. For the front of the envelope, I die-cut a heart from sheet music and then added one of my favorite bird images from Artistic Outpost, colored with Prismacolor Premier pencils.  The sentiment is from Red Lead Paperworks.

On the back of the envelope, I added a bird and sentiment from Oxford Impressions. Once the envelope had dried and been pressed, I applied two coats of glossy sealant.  Our envelopes are to be mailed "bare," meaning not inserted into another envelope, so I'm anxious to see how it holds up in the post.  It has to go all the way to California, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it arrives unscathed.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day.

Supplies:
Envelope (4.75 x 6.5); vintage Czech book text; patterned papers by Authentique; Golden soft gel medium; white acrylic paint; Adirondack white and silver acrylic paint dabber; Adirondack frayed burlap and espresso acrylic paint dabber; heart die Nestabilities by Spellbinders; bird on twig image from Artistic Outpost; heart sentiment from Red Lead Paperworks; small bird image and flying sentiment from Oxford Impressions; very vanilla cardstock; Ranger Archival black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; punchinella (sequin waste); hexagon and heart stencils by Heidi Swapp; festive berries, vintage photo and pumice stone distress ink; plastic lids and rings for stamping circles; charcoal pencil; Plaid gloss acrylic spray sealant.

Farm Fresh Eggs

Hi everyone!  I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.  I'm keeping my tree and decorations up until New Year's Day in order to enjoy them a little bit longer.

Speaking of New Year's Day, that is my mom's birthday.  She grew up on a farm and one of her chores was to gather the eggs.  It wasn't a job she always enjoyed, because sometimes the old "setting hens" would peck at her hand when she reached in.  In spite of this, she has many fond memories of helping her dad on the farm, so when I found some country-themed stamps by Oxford Impressions, I just had to have them.  I used stamps from the Farm Girl and Farm Boy sets.

The layout is courtesy of Sketch Challenge 466 on Splitcoaststampers.  I combined patterned papers by My Mind's Eye and my stamped images, which were colored with pencils and distress inks.  And yes, I hand-cut the little girl, her pail, the rooster AND the baby chicks.  Talk about a challenge!  But I think the final result was well worth the effort.  (Helpful hint: Use a Xyron to apply adhesive to small, fussy-cut images with detailed edges.)

Thanks for popping in!  Have a fabulous day.

Supplies:
Gray and kraft cardstock by Bazzill; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; patterned papers by My Mind's Eye; stamps from Oxford Impressions; Ranger Archival black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; antique lace and vintage photo distress ink; peat charcoal pencil; oval and lacy oval Nestabilities by Spellbinders; scalloped round punch by Martha Stewart; Xyron.

Christmas Telegram

This is the prototype for my Christmas card this year (yes, I'm getting a late start on them).  I'll be honest and tell you that I've had more than one thought about buying cards this year.  (I know!  Sacrilege!)  But I just can't bring myself to do that when I know I can make my own.  I just have to resign myself to the fact that my cards will probably be a little late.

I created a collage using stamps from Oxford Impressions, a page from an old Czech book, and patterned paper.  A dry brush technique was used to age the black and green cardstock.  Now that I have my prototype done, I can "assembly line" the rest and get them on their way.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Green cardstock by Bazzill; black and very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; Ranger Archival black ink; patterned papers by KaiserCraft; rubber stamps by Oxford Impressions; frayed burlap, black soot, and forest moss distress ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; peat charcoal pencil; Nestabilities Labels 8 by Spellbinders; warm white acrylic paint;  corner rounder punch.