Boats Against the Current

Hello and Happy Labor Day to you U.S. folks!  I hope you are enjoying a relaxing day.  We often grill out on Labor Day, but it's supposed to rain and my brother is here from California so we're having a big family dinner.  Turkey and mashed potatoes will make the meal look a little like Thanksgiving, but fresh tomatoes and cucumbers from the garden will be screaming summer.  Personally, I think it's going to be a yummy combination!

I found a little time this weekend to play with my papers and inks.  One of the items I completed was this card for my friend Doug.  We had a great time together when he came to Iowa recently for our high school class reunion.  We also hit the open road for two quick day-trips.  One trip was to southeast Minnesota, to visit his uncle who is in hospice care.  On the way back, we drove down the Wisconsin side of the Mississippi River and took in some gorgeous scenery (which reminds me, I should write a blog post about that and share my photos!).  The next day, we headed to southern Iowa on a genealogy mission.  You can read about that day here.

Doug's visit, which kind of had a theme of the past, made me think of this F. Scott Fitzgerald image by Artistic Outpost.  To jump-start my creativity, I chose Sketch Challenge SC597 on Splitcoaststampers.  I modified the sketch a little by using an oval rather than a circle, simply because the circle was not the best choice for this focal image.  All of the papers were from my stash or scrap bin.  I aged them by dry-brushing on white acrylic paint and sponging on gathered twigs distress ink.

Normally I wouldn't put a flower on a card for a guy, but I think old F. Scott (and Doug) can handle it.  I aged the flower and the leaves by dry-brushing on white acrylic paint and then sponging on distress inks (gathered twigs on the flower, peeled paint on the leaves).  I added a piece of Tim Holtz film strip ribbon to complete the look.

Thanks for popping in!  Enjoy your day.

Supplies:
Black and Kraft cardstock by Bazzill; various patterned papers from my stash; Great Gatsby stamp from Artistic Outpost; Ranger Archival jet black ink; titanium white acrylic paint; gathered twigs and peeled paint distress ink; Tim Holtz film strip ribbon; flower from Prima Marketing; leaves from Recollections (Michaels); oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities by Spellbinders; foam tape.

You Are the Cat's Meow

A couple of weeks ago I went to a local brew pub to hear a band that plays Prohibition Era jazz music.  The band was absolutely fabulous, and in addition to the music I was greatly entertained by a group of folks dressed in 1920s attire.  The ladies looked fabulous in their flapper dresses, but I think my favorite was the guy in a vintage football uniform, complete with soft leather helmet.  Ever since then I've been itching to make a card using some 1920s-themed stamps in my stash.

I used patterned papers by My Mind's Eye to create the background and a Spellbinders scalloped oval die to cut out a large opening before adhering it to my black cardstock base.  The focal image by Artistic Outpost was stamped on another patterned paper from the same MME collection, die-cut, and adhered to the card with pop-dots.  The flowers are by Prima.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a terrific day.

Supplies:
Black cardstock by Bazzill; patterned paper by My Mind's Eye; stamps from Artistic Outpost; black Ranger Archival ink; frayed burlap distress ink; flowers by Prima Marketing; oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities by Spellbinders; EK Success scalloped border punch; black ribbon from my stash; frayed burlap Distress Stickles; black Stabilo All Pencil; pop-dots; corner rounder punch.

Thank You

Here's another thank you card for a friend who helped make my birthday extra special this year.

The patterned papers are by My Mind's Eye.  The main image from Artistic Outpost was stamped on vanilla cardstock and colored with distress inks.  I added Glossy Accents to her glasses, a simple technique that I just love.

TGIF!  Have a great weekend.

Supplies:
Plum and black cardstock by Bazzill; patterned paper by My Mind's Eye; very vanilla and crumb cake cardstock from Stampin' Up; Ranger Archival black ink; Victorian velvet, bundled sage and pumice stone distress ink; Momenta/My Little Bicycle die-cut; Prima paper flowers; brushed pewter Stickles; Glossy Accents; oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities by Spellbinders; border punch by Martha Stewart; corner rounder punch; pop-dots.

Cute as a Button - Mother's Day

Hello and Happy Mother's Day!  This is the card I made for my mom.  The little girl reminds me of her because my mom does not like to smile in pictures.  She says it makes her eyes crinkle up too much.

I created the 12x12 scrapbook page below several years ago.  It features my mom's high school graduation picture.  See?  No smile; even though her description in the yearbook included "has a smile for everyone." Smile or no, I think she is absolutely, classically beautiful, and I am lucky to have her as my mom. 

I hope you're having a wonderful day!  Thanks for popping by.

Card Supplies:
Plum cardstock by Bazzill; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; patterned paper by Teresa Collins: focal image by Stampers Anonymous (Tim Holtz Collection); sentiment by Red Lead; Ranger Archival black ink; antique linen, wild honey and peeled paint distress ink; oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities by Spellbinders; oval and scalloped oval punches from Stampin' Up; border punch by EK Success; flower by Prima; leaves from Michaels (Recollections brand); corner rounder punch; pop-dots.

Flowers in Your Hair - Envelope Mail Art

By now my April partner should have received the altered envelope I sent to her, so I've decided to share it with you all before my memory fails me.  I started with a handmade #10 envelope on which I had painted an abstract design using acrylics.

On the back I stamped this large (5x8 inch) female image by Prima Marketing.  I applied white acrylic paint over it to obscure my painted background (which was quite busy), but I could still see a faint outline.  I then used Prismacolor Premier pencils to color the image, using odorless mineral spirits to blend the pencils.  I was happily surprised with how well the pencils and mineral spirits worked on top of the white acrylic paint.  I added some outlining and the song lyrics with a black Sharpie pen.

On the address side, I drew a simple tulip, painted it with white acrylic, and then colored it with pencils using the same technique described above.  You can see more of the original background on this side.  I love how fun and "springy" the colors are; it's a change of pace from the muted, vintage color palette I tend to use.

Thanks for popping by!  Have a great Friday.

Supplies:
Strathmore bristol paper; Golden gel medium; "Jing" stamp by Prima Marketing; Ranger Archival black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; Sharpie black pen; mail art stamp from Red Lead.

School Picture Day - Moos

Raise your hand if you have at least one embarrassing school picture from childhood.  Come on, admit it.  Everyone does!  I have one from elementary school, 2nd grade if I remember correctly, where my mom set my hair in rollers and then styled it like hers.  I think I look like a strange version of my dad wearing a lady's wig (because I take after my dad quite a bit).

The kids on these moos don't look as scary as that, but their pictures (from a scrap of Prima Marketing scrapbooking paper) did remind me of school picture day.  I was supposed to be cleaning but decided to make a couple of quick moo cards with some scraps left on my table.  The background is a Gelli Plate print and the geometric designs along the bottom are washi tapes.

Thanks for dropping by!  Have a wonderful day.

Supplies:
Strathmore 140 lb Bristol paper; Gelli Plate print; images from Prima Marketing; various washi tapes (unknown); Derwent peat charcoal pencil; Tim Holtz rub-ons; Adirondack white acrylic paint dabber.

Be Silly - Scrap Card

As a stamper and card maker I always end up with a variety of paper scraps.  Cardstock, patterned paper, old book pages and sheet music, you name it.  If I were smart I'd use those scraps right away to make another card or something.  But I'm not, so I don't, and I've just decided to accept this fact about myself.  On the bright side, when I come across these scraps during one of my cleaning and decluttering phases, I'm inspired to create something.

I bought these patterned papers by Prima Marketing because of the education theme and the fun black and white photos.  I added the "be silly" sentiment from Artistic Outpost for a quick and cute card for a friend of mine who teaches first grade.  I decorated the envelope with another photo and an envelope wrap that was a gift from my friend.

Thanks for dropping by.  Have a fantastic day and don't let anyone play an April Fool's joke on you!

Supplies:
Gray cardstock by Bazzill; patterned paper by Prima Marketing; sentiment from Artistic Outpost; Ranger Archival black ink; oval and scalloped oval punches from Stampin' Up; pop-dots; envelope wrap by We R Memory Keepers.

Most Likely to Marry - Altered Matchbox

This was actually the first matchbox I completed for the swap I joined.  I was planning to do a "sweet and sassy" series:  sweet on the outside, sassy on the inside.  I ended up switching gears when the other ones weren't working out the way I wanted.

The wedding cake on the cover is a stamp by Inkadinkado that I colored with pencils and then covered with Glossy Accents for dimension.

On the inside, my ersatz groom is from a patterned paper by Prima Marketing.  The photo looked like a yearbook picture from back in the days when the seniors were given titles such as "most popular girl" or "best male athlete."  I decided my bow-tie-wearing cutie was the class cad.  Watch out ladies, he'll break your heart!

Thanks for visiting my blog.  Have a great day!

Supplies:
Small matchbox; patterned papers by Prima Marketing and My Mind's Eye; silver Lumiere acrylic paint; Adirondack silver acrylic paint dabber; cake stamp by Inkadinkado; whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; Ranger Archival black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; Glossy Accents; ring fastener brad by Tim Holtz; black and clear self-adhesive rhinestones; Pitt black artist pen.

Who is Harold Lloyd? Envelope Mail Art

My July altered envelope partner says, "I would have Harold Lloyd's babies if I could."  Since that's not possible, she'll have to make do with this graphic altered envelope featuring his photo.

Harold Lloyd was a silent film star in the 1910s and 1920s, and from what I've read he was quite the comedic innovator.  I don't think I've seen any of his movies even though I watch a lot of old movies (TCM is one of my favorite cable channels).  I'm just not a big fan of the silents; I think it's the subtitles because I don't enjoy watching foreign films either. 

I found the Harold Lloyd images on the internet and printed them as 5x7 photos, then trimmed them closely.  On the front of the envelope, I used distress inks for the background and added a stamped border.  On the back, the background was created by scraping on acrylic paints through a stencil.  Once they dried, I laid the stencil back down and traced the design using a black Pitt artist pen.  The final result reminds me of old textured wallpaper.

Have a great day!

Supplies:
Strathmore Bristol vellum paper; Golden soft gel medium; picked raspberry, tumbled glass and faded jeans distress inks; miscellaneous blue and green acrylic paints; Ranger Archival jet black ink; Versamark ink; clear embossing powder; Prima Marketing stencil; rubber stamps by Artistic Outpost, Stampabilities, 7 Gypsies and Red Lead Paperworks; Marvy hot pink marker; Pitt black artist pen; Derwent ocean tinted charcoal pencil.

School Memories Get Well Card

I've worked in education for all of my adult life.  So when I found some school-themed papers with a vintage vibe (the School Memories Collection by Prima Marketing) while on vacation in January, I just had to buy them.  And finally I'm getting around to using them: on this get well card for a colleague who recently had surgery.  This card didn't involve any stamping (except for the inside sentiment), although I did ink up all the edges and distress the report card to make it look genuinely old.

To accompany the card I created another moo-sized magnet.  I just love making these!  I even went and bought more magnets today because I was running low.  I won't say I'm obsessed, but I know I will be making more moo magnets in the near future.

Welcome to my new followers and thank you all for stopping in for a peek at my blog. Have a fabulous day.

Supplies:
Card:  Black cardstock by Bazzill; naturals white and gray cardstock from Stampin' Up; patterned papers by Prima Marketing; pumice stone and vintage photo distress inks; pen nibs by Tim Holtz; pop-dots.
Moo Magnet:  140 lb watercolor paper; patterned paper by Prima Marketing; vintage Czech book text; white acrylic paint; focal image by Artistic Outpost; Ranger Archival black ink; very vanilla cardstock by Stampin' Up; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; dream sticker by Tim Holtz; peat charcoal pencil; Adirondack gold and espresso acrylic paint dabber; Plaid gloss acrylic spray sealer.

She Sends You Hope and Heart

A friend of mine had surgery and I wanted to send her a bright, cheerful get well card.  But I think my own mood got in the way and I ended up with this somewhat somber card.  I tried to compensate for the color palette by dabbing metallic paint around the edges and adding some Stickles to the flower.

The sentiment is from Red Lead Paperworks and the main image is from Artistic Outpost.  I used three different dies from Spellbinders' Grand Labels 1 set for my card base and mats.  The card is just a little over five inches square.

Is it spring yet?  You can lie to me.

Supplies:
Black cardstock by Bazzill; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; patterned paper by Teresa Collins; female image from Artistic Outpost; sentiment from Red Lead Paperworks; Ranger Archival black ink; vintage photo distress ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; charcoal pencil; Adirondack copper and gold acrylic paint dabbers; Prima paper flower; Recollections paper leaves; Spellbinders Grand Labels 1 die-cuts; oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities; EK Success and Martha Stewart border punches; pop-dots; Glue Dots.