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.

She Sends You Hope

A friend of mine had major surgery this week for a problem that has bothered her for quite a while.  I know she was hoping to avoid surgery, but sometimes that's the best option and in the long term, I hope she enjoys better health as a result.

I mailed this card the day after her surgery so she may get it before she has even left the hospital.  I paired one of my favorite gals from Artistic Outpost with a sentiment from Red Lead.  Both were heat embossed in black for a little dimension and shine.  The patterned papers are by Teresa Collins and were sponged with vintage photo distress ink.  I used a get well sentiment on the inside of the card.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great weekend.

Supplies:
Gold cardstock by Bazzill; patterned papers by Teresa Collins; very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; Generation Redux image from Artistic Outpost; sentiment from Red Lead Paperworks; Versamark ink; black detail embossing powder; oval, scalloped oval, rectangle, scalloped rectangle, hearts, and banner Nestabilities dies by Spellbinders; border punch by EK Success; vintage photo distress ink; pop dots.

Cute as a Button

Hello and Happy Earth Day!  Today I'm sharing a birthday card I created for a dear friend of mine.

I chose these papers by Authentique because (1) I love the color red and (2) the gingham pattern conjured up the image of a summer picnic eaten off a checkered tablecloth.  What could be more joyful than that?  I stamped one of my favorite images from Artistic Outpost on an ivory-colored paper from the same Authentique collection and colored her with Prismacolor pencils.  The sentiment is from Red Lead Paperworks; I've used it a lot because it's such a happy saying.

Thanks for popping by!  Have a wonderful weekend.

Supplies:
Gray cardstock by Bazzill; patterned papers by Authentique; focal image by Artistic Outpost; Ranger Archival jet black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; pumice stone distress ink; sentiment by Red Lead Paperworks; small oval and scalloped oval punches from Stampin' Up; oval, scalloped oval and lacy oval Nestabilities by Spellbinders; border punch by EK Success; corner rounder punch; pop-dots.

Let's Play - Altered Envelope

A new month means it's time for another altered envelope exchange with the Addicts.  I've been playing with this group for two years now and always look forward to each month's exchange. I didn't realize how much I anticipated that one piece of mail until the month I didn't sign up.  I felt so left out that I decided I wouldn't skip another month, no matter how busy I am.

This month I made my own 5x7 envelope out of Strathmore bristol vellum paper.  It's a heavy paper (100 lb) so I don't have to insert anything extra inside, and because it's a smooth paper it's great for stamping.  I used stamps from a bunch of different vendors including the tricycle by Deep Red and the ball from Artistic Outpost.  I colored both images with Prismacolor Premier pencils.  The zigzag stitch and ruler are Tim Holtz images.  I sponged ripe persimmon distress ink around the edges, then used the same color to stencil on some bubbles for a tone-on-tone effect.

On the reverse, I stamped the borders and some fun sentiments before sponging and stenciling on ripe persimmon distress ink.

Thanks for popping in!  Have a wonderful day.

Supplies:
Strathmore bristol vellum paper; stamped images or sentiments by Artistic Outpost, Tim Holtz, Deep Red, Viva Las Vegas Stamps and Red Lead Paperworks; Adirondack Archival black ink; ripe persimmon distress ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils.

The Fish That Ate Wales - Mail Art Postcard

I've had several pieces of mail art come in, so I better get cracking on sending some out!

This clip-art fish was the perfect size for a postcard.  I adhered him to a vintage map and added the bubbles using watercolor pencils and acrylic paint.  The sea-themed sentiments are from Red Lead Paperworks.

I'm usually not one for puns, but the title of this postcard basically wrote itself thanks to the map I chose at random.  It reminded me of a letter a friend wrote to me from college (many moons ago).  In that letter she told me that she was thinking of studying abroad in "Whales."  She misspelled Wales several times in her letter, and the thought of it still makes me smile.

Have a fabulous day!

Supplies:
4x6 index card; vintage geography book map; clip-art fish from a Stampington magazine; sentiment from Red Lead Paperworks; Ranger Archival black ink; faux post mark by Inkadinkado; black soot and tumbled glass distress ink; titanium white acrylic paint; Derwent watercolor pencils; naturals ivory cardstock from Stampin' Up; postcard image by Tim Holtz.

ICAD No. 9 Children of Kildare

Tonight's ICAD features a mixture of vintage and modern papers, treated in my signature way to bring them together to form a cohesive, vintage collage.  Well, I don't know if it's accurate to call it my "signature" way, and I certainly didn't invent it, but it is a method I use often.

The focal image and wrapping paper are both new.  I adhered them to an old novel page with some sheet music, plaid patterned tape and a strip of Cookie Jar savings stamps.  I just received these in a give-away package from Julie Fei-Fan Balzer.  I assume they're comparable to S&H Green Stamps, but I've never heard of them and a quick search on the internet didn't turn up any information.

After dry-brushing on titanium white acrylic paint and sponging on pumice stone distress ink, I used a tinted charcoal pencil to add some shadows and depth.  The title of this card comes from a song in a 1936 school book of music for children.

Thanks for popping by!

Supplies:
4x6 index card; page from an old novel; little girls image from Red Lead Paperworks; wrapping paper from my friend Barb; vintage sheet music; text from old music book; Cookie Jar savings stamps; green plaid patterned tape; titanium white acrylic paint; pumice stone distress ink; Derwent natural tinted charcoal pencil; Tim Holtz alpha stencil.

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.

The Bird Sings - Mixed Media Postcards

I created two postcards last weekend but since they were going to folks who now read my blog, I waited until after they had been received to share them with you.  It's the two year anniversary of the "Envie Addicts Unite!" group, and I wanted to surprise the hostesses with a piece of mail art.  Not only do they do a phenomenal job of organizing the swap every month, but they keep the group going with lively conversation.  They have created a community of artists that is truly a pleasure to belong to, and I have had so much fun and learned so much in the few short months that I've been participating.

I was so happy with Marylee's birthday card that I decided to try to replicate the look for my postcards.  I started again with 140 pound watercolor paper, stencils and spray inks.  I wanted to try different colors though, which led to a happy discovery:  the Perfect Pearls Mists I had bought long ago and never found a good use for (especially the sunflower sparkle) were perfect for this project!  I'm not typically a glitter girl but I love the subtle color and shimmer that this spray ink gave to the postcard.

On the other side, I created a bright and festive collage featuring a cupcake by Inkadinkado with two candles (drawn by yours truly).  The postcards are 4.25 x 5.5 inches so they fit into the standard A2-sized clear envelopes that I already had.  I purchased mine from Stampin' Up but I'm sure there are other sources for them. 

Thanks for popping in!  Have a fabulous day.

Supplies:
Strathmore 140 lb cold press watercolor paper; Dylusions fresh lime ink spray; Ranger sunflower sparkle Perfect Pearl Mist; Ranger scattered straw, black soot, ripe persimmon, spun sugar, dusty concord and seedless preserves distress inks; Heidi Swapp stencils; Tim Holtz stencil; Tim Holtz patterned tissue paper; vintage sheet music; bird and sentiment stamps from Red Lead Paperworks; washi tape; Gelly Roll white pen; Adirondack black and white acrylic paint dabber; punchinella; splatter background stamp by All Night Media; Adirondack Archival jet black ink; Georgia Pacific white cardstock; Derwent white and lavender charcoal pencil.

The Bird Sings

A friend of mine turns the big 4-0 today and we're having a celebration at a local winery this evening.  I bought her presents several weeks ago (including this cute little book), and had an idea for the perfect birthday card to go with them.  Well, I procrastinated and wouldn't you know?  The card was not coming together for me AT ALL.  As the night turned into the wee hours of the morning, I decided I better just switch gears.  And boy, did I!

I started by die-cutting a piece of watercolor paper and using orange and red Dylusions sprays with the honeycomb stencil.  (The honeycombs on the bottom half of the card look rather orange in this picture but are actually a color called postbox red.  There's something about red that is difficult to scan or photograph accurately.)   After adding the torn strip of sheet music, I stenciled on the letters and numbers using black soot distress ink.  The bird and sentiment are from Red Lead Paperworks.  My friend is a professional vocalist so any reference to singing is a good thing.

This card is very different from my usual style, so I hope my friend likes it.  I'm personally thrilled with it!  It reminds me of the art journal pages I see but have never been able to pull off myself, and I can't wait to make more things in this style.

A warm welcome to my new followers!  Thanks for popping by and have a great weekend.

Supplies:
Strathmore 140 lb watercolor paper; Nestabilities Grand Labels 1 by Spellbinders; white cardstock by Bazzill; vintage sheet music scrap; bird and sentiment from Red Lead Paperworks; Ranger Archival black ink; whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; Heidi Swapp honeycomb stencil; Tim Holtz schoolhouse stencil (letters and numbers); squeezed orange and postbox red Dylusions ink spray; black soot, salty ocean and mustard seed distress ink; Adirondack white and black acrylic paint dabber; punchinella; washi tapes; Gelly Roll white pen; Derwent white and peat charcoal pencil.

Cute as a Button

I don't make many "cutesy" cards; they just don't come very easily to me.  But once in a while that's exactly the kind of card I want to send to someone.  In those cases, I've discovered that the right images will do most of the work for me.  So when I found this Cute as a Button stamp set by Red Lead, I had to buy it.  The set includes three stamps: the dress, the button and the sentiment.

I paper-pieced the dress by stamping it on yellow, blue and white papers, then I cut out the blue and white pieces and adhered them to the yellow.  Although I have a stash of real buttons I could use, they add weight and bulk which means using a padded envelope and paying more postage.  Even if I add some thread to my paper buttons like I did here, I should be able to use a regular envelope and just an extra piece of lightweight cardstock to protect the front of the card.  (Oh, and 21 cents more postage because it's a square card!  LOL!  But it's still less than package rate.)

I'm sending this to a friend who recently had surgery.  I thought some unexpected happy mail would be appreciated.

Have a great day!

Supplies:
White textured cardstock by Bazzill; patterned paper by Basic Grey; whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; stamped images from Red Lead Paperworks; Ranger Archival jet black ink; Cuttlebug Swiss dot embossing folder; oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities by Spellbinders; scalloped border punches by EK Success; oval and scalloped oval punches from Stampin' Up; scrapper's floss by Karen Foster Design; corner rounder punch; 5/8 round punch; pop-dots.

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.

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.