My Nanie, O!

Some time ago I stumbled upon the delightful blog Cappuccino and Art Journal by Pamela Gerard.  Pamela is a mail artist extraordinaire and her use of vintage papers, postage stamps and other postal-related ephemera really sends me.  So I was thrilled to learn that I was the winner of a 2017 datebook that Pamela offered to her blog readers at Christmastime.  It arrived in an arted-up envelope and the whole package really made my day.  I've been "using the heck out of that datebook," let me tell you.  As a thank you, I created this mixed media collage for her.

I knew I wanted to use an old bingo card and this lovely girl's photo, but the piece of Victorian scrap (the hand holding the flowers) and the stanza from a Robert Burns poem were pure serendipity.  I found both of those items in a pile of scraps that I was sorting through and they were just the right size for this collage.

I found the photo a couple of years ago in an antique store and bought it because the photography studio was not only located in my home town, but in the part of town where I grew up. With just a little online research, I was able to find a reference to that very studio in a 1922 trade publication for photographers; it was a one-sentence announcement of the opening of the studio.  (It's amazing what people have scanned and uploaded to the internet, isn't it?)

After mounting the finished collage on a piece of poster board, I decorated the back with vintage postage stamps and faux cancellation stamps. 

Happy last day of February!   Thanks for stopping by.

Supplies:
Print of bingo card; print of old photo; Golden gesso; Tim Holtz flourish stencil; pumice stone, fired brick and gathered twigs distress inks; spatter background stamp by All Night Media; cursive text stamp unknown (Stampington maybe?); Ranger Archival black ink; Victorian scrap, French postage stamp and Robert Burns poem from my stash; black Stabilo All Pencil; Ranger tarnished brass and espresso distress paints.

If You Won't Sing in the Car with Me - Postcard

Every year I buy a large wall calendar for my home office.  My first choice is a calendar that features corgis; I think they're just adorable and looking at their happy faces makes ME happy.  But sometimes a corgi calendar is hard to find and I have to select something else.  Last year I ended up buying a calendar that featured classic automobiles, for the sole reason that I knew the car images would make great collage fodder!

With 2016 behind us, I started to cut up the car calendar and then didn't waste any time using one of the images, a 1955 Ford Thunderbird.  After trimming the car closely, I went in search of a driver and found this serious gent in an 1890s magazine.  Doesn't he look like the kind of guy who buys himself a convertible during a midlife crisis?  In reality, he just happened to be the right size and orientation to sit in my car.  I made a horizontal slit along the dash board and inserted my driver so it looks like he's driving the car (use your imagination).

For the background, I started by gluing an old road map to a 5x7 piece of watercolor paper.  I swiped the map with white gesso, then added stenciling and the yellow border using distress inks. The illegible text and gray "blobby" images are rubber stamps from Artistic Outpost.  The double circle image was made using an empty roll of scotch tape.  Because distress inks are water soluble, I sprayed everything with a workable fixative before proceeding.

I computer generated the text on my computer and printed it on cardstock.  I also computer-generated a new personalized license plate for my gent (the recipient will understand).  After adhering the car, I added some outlining using a black Stabilo All-Pencil.  Because the All-Pencil is also water soluble, I sprayed the completed postcard with acrylic sealer once I was finished.

I kept the address side very simple.  And because of all the wet weather we've been having across the country, I popped this postcard into a clear cellophane envelope for mailing.  My real postage stamp, which was adhered to the outside of the envelope, was large enough to cover up the faux Abe Lincoln stamp on the postcard.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day.

Supplies:
Strathmore 5x7 140 lb watercolor postcard; old road map; Golden white gesso; calendar and vintage magazine images; harlequin and bubble stencils by Tim Holtz; text and blob stamps by Artistic Outpost; spiced marmalade, ripe persimmon, mustard seed and peacock feathers distress inks; Ranger Wendy Vecchi watering can ink; black Stabilo All-Pencil; postcard header stamp from Artistic Outpost; Abe Lincoln stamp by Deep Red Stamps; authentic mail art sentiment by Red Lead; hand stamp by Tim Holtz; Ranger Archival jet black ink; Stazon blazing red ink.

Aunt Dee is Unsupervised - AGAIN!

That crazy Aunt Dee!  She just can't resist shouting to the world how happy she is to be on the loose.  And since she loves to travel, she doesn't mind at all that I'm sending her to visit friends.  This time she's off to see Stella, who happens to be the person who gifted me this sassy Dyan Reaveley sentiment.

I used ripe persimmon, peacock feathers, and scattered straw distress inks on bristol vellum paper to create the background.  Aunt Dee was stamped separately on white cardstock and colored with markers before being adhered.  Similar to this postcard, I embossed a plain piece of bristol vellum with a postcard folder by Sizzix and adhered it to the back, then finished off the edges with a washi tape. 

TGIF!  Go grab some unsupervised time for yourself. 

Supplies: 
Strathmore bristol vellum paper; ripe persimmon, scattered straw, and peacock feathers distress inks; spray bottle of water; Aunt Dee image (unknown manufacturer); Dylusions sentiment by Dyan Reaveley; Ranger Archival black ink; Staedtler pigment ink pen; Tim Holtz stencil (Bubbles); white jelly pen; washi tape; postcard frame embossing folder by Sizzix.

Aunt Dee Says - I Am Exhausted

It's been a trying week.  What with the election and the trauma of catching a burglar trying to break into our house, Aunt Dee and I are both pretty exhausted!  A little irreverent art therapy is just what the doctor ordered.

A friend of mine recently gifted me a set of Dylusions (Dyan Reaveley) stamps with snarky comments, and they pair perfectly with good ol' Aunt Dee.  I decided to make a couple of postcards to send to friends who are similarly exhausted this week.  I used picked raspberry, spiced marmalade and mustard seed distress inks to create my background on a piece of bristol vellum paper.  Aunt Dee and the sentiment were stamped separately on white cardstock and cut out.

For the address side of the postcard, I cut another piece of bristol vellum the same size and embossed it with the postcard frame folder by Sizzix.  (The embossing did not show up well in the scan, so I darkened it a little for you.)  I glued the front and back together, and sealed the edges with a polka dot washi tape.  This was a fun little project that lifted my spirits and will no doubt do the same for the recipients.

Have a fabulous day!

Supplies:
Strathmore bristol vellum paper; picked raspberry, spiced marmalade and mustard seed distress inks; spray bottle of water; Aunt Dee image (unknown manufacturer); Dylusions sentiment by Dyan Reaveley; Ranger Archival black ink; Staedtler pigment ink pen; washi tape; postcard frame embossing folder by Sizzix.

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.

Cheerio!

I know that "Cheerio" generally means good-bye in Great Britain, but in my case I'm using it to say hello on this greeting card.

To create the background, I randomly stamped a collage image from Artistic Outpost's Loverly London set onto vanilla cardstock.  I blended scattered straw and gathered twigs distress ink around the edges and sponged on barn door distress ink through a piece of punchinella.  For the focal image, I stamped the Big Ben images onto the same vanilla cardstock and then die cut the oval.  My top hat guy was stamped separately and trimmed closely before being adhered.  The sentiment is from Artistic Outpost's London Underground set.

Thanks for stopping by.  Cheerio!

Supplies:
Blue cardstock by Bazzill; black and very vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; images from Artistic Outpost; Ranger Archival black and watering can ink; barn door, scattered straw and gathered twigs distress inks; punchinella; oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities by Spellbinders; pop-dots.

You're a Star! Father's Day Card

Taking care of my mom after her knee surgery has meant that I haven't had a lot of time for leisure activities.  But she continues to improve each day which means she can do more things for herself, freeing me to get down and dirty at my art table.  And just in time, too, because I still had to make a father's day card for my dad.

When I don't have a specific idea for a card, I flip through my Artistic Outpost stamps and hope that one jumps out at me.  This handsome gent from the Gatsby set gave me a sly wink as I passed by, sealing his fate for the evening.  I started by stamping him twice on a patterned pattern by BoBunny.  The first image was diecut with a Spellbinders oval; from the second image I fussy-cut my gent and adhered him on top of the first for dimension.  (And I just noticed that I lopped off his left ear, poor fellow!)

For the background, I doctored up two other patterned papers from the same BoBunny collection.  That included dry-brushing white acrylic paint, applying molding paste through a stencil, rubber stamping, and sponging on various distress inks.  I can't describe how much joy this process gives me; I could play for hours this way.  After adding the sentiment and some tinted charcoal pencil for shading, I sprayed the entire collage with acrylic sealant.  My Father's Day greeting was added to the inside of the card after the front was dry and assembled.

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

Supplies:
Brown cardstock by Bazzill; patterned papers by BoBunny; titanium white acrylic paint; Golden molding paste; Tim Holtz ruler stencil; fired brick, wild honey, gathered twigs, walnut stain and pine needles distress ink; Derwent forest pine and natural tinted charcoal pencil; rubber stamps from Artistic Outpost; star stamp by Tim Holtz; Ranger Archival black ink; oval and lacy oval Nestabilities by Spellbinders; border bunch by EK Success; pop-dots.

America's Greatest Pastime

I was really rocking the card for my uncle the other night, so I decided to stick with the masculine theme and make a card for my buddy Ron.  He's been house-bound for quite a while due to a serious illness, and I send him a card or care package periodically to brighten his day.  Ron enjoys sports and since it's April, that means baseball.

I started with patterned papers from a Graphic 45 collection called Good Ol' Sport.  I chose the red papers initially as a nod to Nebraska (where Ron played football) and coincidentally that works for the Boston Red Sox, too.  I antiqued the papers with distress inks, stamping, stenciling and some acrylic paint applied with the end of an old plastic hair roller.  The Boston slugger from Artistic Outpost was stamped on a solid ivory paper from the same paper pack and masked before stamping on the stadium names (also from Artistic Outpost).  I used distress inks and a charcoal pencil to color around my slugger so he would stand out against the background.

Thanks so much for stopping by.  Have a sweet day!

Supplies:
Gray cardstock by Bazzill; naturals vanilla cardstock from Stampin' Up; patterned papers by Graphic 45; stamps by Artistic Outpost; festive berries, gathered twigs and vintage photo distress ink; Ranger Adirondack jet black and watering can ink; splatter pattern stamp by All Night Media; bubble stencil by Tim Holtz; Adirondack espresso and old paper acrylic paint dabber; circle and scalloped circle Nestabilities by Spellbinders; small oval and scalloped oval punch from Stampin' Up; pop-dots.

In Time

Last night we learned that my mom's sole surviving uncle had a fall at home, broke his leg, and is rehabbing at a local care center.  We don't know how long he'll be there, so I made a card to go into the mail ASAP.

For this card, I used an image by Paperbag Studios that was one of the early stamps I bought when I started to make my own greeting cards.  I stamped it on a Daisy D patterned paper from my stash and set it aside until I chose my overall color scheme.

I used two patterned papers by DCWV for the bottom layer, but of course had to doctor them up a bit.  I stenciled distress ink through a piece of punchinella, then added coarse molding paste through a measuring tape stencil.  Once the paste dried, I tinted it with stormy sky distress ink.  I added more stenciling using just the ink.  Then I went back to my focal image and sponged on coordinating inks to tie everything together.

Making my own cards brings me such joy, and I don't know anyone that doesn't appreciate receiving a card or letter in the mail.  I think this is especially true of my generation and my elders, who grew up without email, texting or Facebook (or even cheap phone calls!  Remember how expensive it used to be to call long distance?).  For past generations, the mail was the method used to keep in contact with friends and family, both near and far.  It feels good to carry on that tradition.

Thank you for stopping by my blog.  Have a great day!

Supplies:
Dark gray cardstock by Bazzill; patterned papers by DCWV and Daisy D; In Time stamp by Paperbag Studios; splatter background stamp by All Night Media; Ranger Archival ink jet black; punchinella; Tim Holtz measuring tape stencil; Golden coarse molding paste; bundled sage, stormy sky, brushed corduroy distress ink; Ranger Archival ink watering can; oval and lacy oval Nestabilities by Spellbinders; EK Success border punch; pop-dots.

Love Heart Trio - Valentine Postcard

I sent several Valentine postcards like this one this year.  I started by creating the hearts. I used three different distress inks and the wrinkle-free distress technique on watercolor paper, then cut out the hearts.

The base of the postcard is bristol vellum paper covered with vintage sheet music and book text.  After stamping the sentiment on white tissue paper, I adhered it to the background and sponged distress ink around the edges.  The hearts were adhered with gel medium and outlined with Gelatos and a black Stabilo All Pencil.

The final step was to spatter on some white acrylic paint.  Some pieces just need that extra little touch of white all over to pull everything together.  On this last one, I also sponged on additional distress ink through a piece of punchinella.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  Thanks for dropping in.

Always...Love

I created this Valentine to send to my buddy Ron.  I'm sure he would prefer a real pin-up girl, but he'll have to settle for this paper one.

I started by creating a patchwork of patterned papers on the background.  I muted the tones by scraping on white gesso using an old credit card.  The raised letters and numbers were achieved by applying modeling paste through a stencil.  After the paste dried completely, I laid the stencil down again and sponged on some distress ink.

I ended up using a lot of Tim Holtz products on this card: the patterned papers, the film strip, two stencils, the ticket, the photobooth cutie, a rub-on and of course, distress inks (one of my all-time favorite art items).  I love the muted palette of this card which gives a nod to Valentine's Day but isn't overly feminine.

Thanks for dropping by.  Have a fabulous day.

Supplies:
Red cardstock by Bazzill; Tim Holtz products: photo booth image, patterned paper, film strip, ticket, alphabet stencil, burlap stencil; festive berries, stormy sky and gathered twigs Distress Inks; paper flower by Prima; antique copper brad; love die cut by Little Yellow Bicycle; heart punch by Marvy; Golden modeling paste; white gesso; titanium white acrylic paint.

Men in Groups - ATC

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

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

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

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

You Are Here - Tag

I haven't felt like creating much lately, but I did manage to squeak out this small tag that will make a sweet bookmark for someone.

I found the "You Are Here" stamp at a craft store and thought I could have some real fun with it, since I like to use old maps a lot in my designs.  I used a scrap of a map on this tag, although most of it ended up underneath the photo booth picture which is a Tim Holtz product.

Thanks for dropping by!  Have a wonderful day.

Supplies:
Tag from The Paper Studio; vintage map and textbook scraps; photo booth image by Tim Holtz; You Are Here stamp by Stampabilities; Little America postal cancellation stamp by Inkadinkado; splatter pattern background stamp by All Night Media; alphabet stencil by Tim Holtz; peeled paint, tumbled glass, gathered twigs and vintage photo distress inks; Ranger black Archival ink; Wendy Vecchi watering can Archival Ink; polka dot washi tape; Stabilo black All Pencil; gold seam binding.

Extra! Extra!

The brother that is receiving this 4x4 chunky for his birthday will also receive this card.

I adhered patterned paper to a chipboard circle and colored it with distress inks to match the other patterned papers (all by 7 Gypsies).  The buildings were stamped directly on the background with black soot distress ink which helps to make them look like they're in the distance. 

The cute little paperboy from Artistic Outpost was stamped on a scrap of vanilla cardstock, colored with Prismacolor pencils, and cut out before being adhered.  I stamped "extra" twice on patterned paper and again used distress inks to tint them.  They are attached to each other with a garment pin from my stash.

I can't believe it's the last day of August already!  Make it a great one.

Supplies:
Brown cardstock by Bazzill; very vanilla and crumb cake cardstock from Stampin' Up; patterned papers by 7 Gypsies; stamps from Artistic Outpost; Ranger Archival black ink; dried marigold, tumbled glass, walnut stain and black soot distress ink; titanium white acrylic paint; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; punchinella; circle chipboard shape from Hobby Lobby; Martha Stewart border punch; Nestabilities lacy round die from Spellbinders; garment pin by Making Memories; pop-dots.

ICAD No. 35 September Song

I don't know why I felt like creating an autumn-themed card on such a warm, summer day.  Perhaps the dry, brown leaves I noticed in the yard this week made me think of fall.  Perhaps I'm feeling a little melancholy, thinking too much about how short life really is and how much of it I've squandered.  For the umpteenth time I have had to tell myself to "turn over a new leaf" about certain things.

I was digging through my paper scraps and found a piece of watercolor paper that I had used to clean off a stencil.  I drew a leaf on a text tag using a black Stabilo All Pencil, went over the pencil with a water pen, then cut out the leaf.  I tinted it using distress inks before adhering it to the background.  I added a strip of old sheet music and some stenciling, then willed myself to stop before the card got too busy.  I didn't want to lose all that beautiful white space, which really sets off the other colors.

In case you're not familiar with September Song, I've included some of the lyrics below.  It was originally used in a 1938 movie but has been covered by many artists since then.  My favorite version happens to be by Willie Nelson.

Thanks for popping in!  Have a great day.

Supplies:
140 lb watercolor paper; TCW stencil Mini Time Travel; Dylusions spray ink (dirty martini I believe); text tag by American Crafts; mustard seed, wild honey, spiced marmalade and gathered twigs distress ink; vintage sheet music; Pigma Graphic 1 archival ink pen (sepia); Tim Holtz stencils; Stabilo All Pencil in black and white: Faber-Castell PITT black pen.

September Song

(Weill, Anderson)

Oh, it's a long long while
From May to December
But the days grow short
When you reach September

When the autumn weather
Turns leaves to flame
One hasn't got time
For the waiting game

Oh, the days dwindle down
To a precious few
September, November

And these few precious days
I'll spend with you
These precious days
I'll spend with you

M Cubed: Mary, Mary, Margie

I'm slowly getting around to projects and gifts for various friends and family members.  I created this mixed media collage for my friend Mary, an artist I first met about three years ago when I took her class Found Object Sculpture.  It ended up we had quite a few things in common, and we have so much fun whenever we get together.  When she posted this adorable picture of herself, her mom and her grandmother on her Facebook page, I knew I had to make something with it.

I started by adhering patterned papers and vintage sheet music to a 4x4 cradled wood panel.  I dry-brushed on white acrylic paint and added texture by stenciling modeling paste through a piece of punchinella.  After the modeling paste dried, I tinted it with distress ink.  I printed the photo on matte paper, trimmed out the three figures and adhered it to the background (note: you need to print photos on a laser printer if you're going to use wet media).  I added more modeling paste, charcoal pencil and Stabilo All Pencil to bring everything together.

After much debate as to whether to add a hanger or some feet, I decided on feet, using two old metal bobbins wound with a strip of book page.  And of course, I had to finish off the back with more book text, because those kinds of details are important to me.

I think this turned out so cute!  I love the juxtaposition of the vintage photo with the colors, and the modeling paste looks like a bunch of abstract flowers, especially after I added the glitter glue.  I hope she likes it.

Have a fabulous day!

His Timeless Story

This collage was created on a 5x7 canvas panel for my partner in this month's altered envie exchange.  It wasn't long ago that she sent me a marvelous painted canvas panel in lieu of an envelope, so I'm glad to have the opportunity to reciprocate.

The panel started off routinely enough, by my adhering an old book page using gel medium.  However, when I adhered my photo, I "boogered it up."  It couldn't be saved so I set to removing it by rubbing it lightly with a damp sponge.  In the process a lot of the old book page also came up, but because I had used gel medium to adhere it, I ended up with a transfer of some of the text!  This was one time where a mistake resulted in something better.

In this closeup shot you can see the transferred text as well as some of the grungy texture that resulted from removing the original book page.  In spots where I rubbed harder with the sponge, you can see the canvas peeking through.

The strip of washi tape along the bottom set the color scheme for the rest of collage.  I added blue and red stenciling using distress inks in addition to an old French postage stamp and some rubber stamping in black.

On the address side, I adhered another book page, muted it with white acrylic paint, then added the same type of stenciling and stamping that I had done on the front.  I sprayed both sides with a matte acrylic sealant before adhering the postage stamps.  I chose stamps that coordinate with my artwork, including one of my coveted Inverted Jenny stamps.

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a great week!

Supplies:
5x7 watercolor canvas panel (Hobby Lobby); old book page; Golden soft matte gel medium; laser copy of old cabinet card; titanium white acrylic paint; Liquitex burnt sienna acrylic paint; vintage photo, black soot, chipped sapphire, pumice stone and barn door distress inks; vintage French postage stamp; punchinella; splatter pattern stamp by All Night Media; Tim Holtz washi tape, ruler stencil, star stamp and word stickers; dark charcoal pencil.

ICAD No. 12 Gelli Print Make-over

If you think this card looks like a companion to yesterday's (ICAD No. 11 Silhouette), you would be right.  I actually started this card first, reached a certain point, and got stuck.  So I set it aside, made yesterday's card using the paints I still had on my palette, and came back to finish this card today.

The background is a Gelli Plate print I made on sheet music a while ago.  Unfortunately, the original color scheme (blue and yellow) was not inspiring me at all.  So I dry-brushed white acrylic paint over the entire piece to tone down the colors, and then used pink, green and additional white accents to transform the color scheme to one I liked.  Like yesterday, this card was also inspired by a couple of Dina Wakley techniques: drawing simple shapes and fixing overwrought layers.

Have a great day!

Supplies:
4x6 index card;  Gelli Plate print on sheet music; titanium white and pink acrylic paint; black and white Stabilo All Pencils; picked raspberry and mowed lawn distress inks; Signo Uniball white gel pen; Tim Holtz collage stamp; Faber-Castell black Pitt artist pen; Tim Holtz alpha stencil; punchinella.

ICAD No. 1 Purple Coneflower

In my attempt to get my mojo back, I've decided to try the ICAD Challenge (Index Card a Day) this year.  The concept is simple enough: create something every day on a cheap index card.  As the hostess says, "The challenge is about the DOING and not the KEEPING or PRESERVING or ARCHIVING. It is the process of creating each day that matters."  This is exactly the kind of challenge I need right now.  So I bought some unlined 4x6 index cards at an office supply store and away we go!

The theme for week one is drawing and doodling with pens, markers and ink.  The prompt for day one is chevron.  All themes and prompts are optional, but in this case they did give me an idea.  I drew a simple coneflower and colored it using Derwent watercolor pencils and a water brush.  I then stippled on distress inks through a chevron stencil and a piece of punchinella.

More information on ICAD can be found here.  It just started today but you can join anytime.

Happy June 1!  Thanks for stopping by.

Supplies:
4x6 unlined index card; Golden white gesso; Derwent watercolor pencils; Niji water brush; Ranger wild honey and dusty concord distress ink; chevron stencil by Studio Calico (Huey's Masks); piece of punchinella Staedtler pigment liner pen; vintage sheet music; Tim Holtz number stencil; date stamper.

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.