The Sum Of All Crafts

Sunday Digital Download

2012-01-29T10:31:00.000-05:00

To download click on the picture to get a full size image. Right click and "save to" your computer desktop or a folder of your choice.

Filigree Frames

2012-01-29T10:29:00.000-05:00

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Props To You

2012-01-28T07:33:00.000-05:00

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Here are some more streampunk parts all of which consist of parts with propellors on them. I know the last one doesn't look like it fits but it is a propellor.

The Octopuses Garden

2012-01-27T08:51:00.000-05:00

To download click on the picture to get a full size image. Right click and "save to" your computer desktop or a folder of your choice.

Big Brass Ones

2012-01-26T08:02:00.000-05:00

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Get your mind out of the gutter! I know some of you were expecting nude male models or something but really....

A Tisket, A Tasket, A Basketful Of Flowers

2012-01-25T08:03:00.000-05:00

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Just pretend that in the last photo that the basket is sitting at her feet just out of camera view.

Sweet Little Sisters

2012-01-24T07:16:00.000-05:00

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Put On Your Overcoat

2012-01-23T07:14:00.000-05:00

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Sunday Digital Download

2012-01-22T09:10:00.000-05:00

To download click on the picture to get a full size image. Right click and "save to" your computer desktop or a folder of your choice. (Images must be increased in size by 200% to use as 12" x 12" paper.)

Some more backgrounds in lovely shades of yellow.

I See, Hear And Speak Geishas

2012-01-22T08:56:00.000-05:00

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I just love the first image and wanted to share it.

All Wrapped Up

2012-01-21T06:53:00.000-05:00

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Steampunk Goodness

2012-01-20T10:09:00.000-05:00

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A nice selection of gears and mechanical parts as well as pretty and ornate stuff too.

WOW (What's On My Worktable)

2012-01-19T08:28:00.000-05:00

Click on the picture to see a larger view.

Sorry I forgot about doing this yesterday. I was so caught up in playing with the Angelina Film & Fibers that I lost track of time. Anyways this is what I was creating yesterday. It's some charm samples for a new class that I will be teaching at a local store called the Stamp Peddler Plus. This is one using Angelina Film & Fibers which is a heat bondable product. You simply lay down several layers of the film and fibers or any combination of the 2, in between 2 no stick sheets and then iron it to create sheets of pure delightful sparklyness. From there I cut them into small strips and then I stack the strips next to each other on a piece of red liner sheet. To complete the charm I stick it to a piece of shrink plastic that has already been shrunk. (You could use chipboard or any other surface to stick the strips to.)

Here you can see all the strips of film and fiber that I have bagged and sorted by color. I know some of them may look similar but they are all a little bit different including some that I colored with alcohol ink. (The film and fiber only comes in certain colors.)

More baggies of colorful strips.

Here's a close-up of some of the finished charms next to the sheets that I cut them out of. I learned this method of charms from Debbie at the CREATE convention that I went to in Chicago back in August. (Thanks again Debbie!)

Doric, Ionic or Corinthian?

2012-01-19T07:53:00.000-05:00

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Corinthian

Doric

Ionic

Ionic or maybe Corinthian

For todays lesson..... The three names in the title are different types of columns which are mainly designated by their designs at the top of the columns.

Cute Little Cupid

2012-01-18T08:01:00.000-05:00

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There Was A Farmer, Had A Dog....

2012-01-17T07:53:00.000-05:00

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Just Add Color

2012-01-16T09:49:00.000-05:00

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I decided to post some images that I colored on my computer.

Sunday Digital Download

2012-01-15T08:16:00.000-05:00

Here are some more backgrounds in serene shades of green.

It's A Nice Day For A White Wedding

2012-01-15T07:55:00.000-05:00

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A Little Asian Art

2012-01-14T06:39:00.000-05:00

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Art At The Auto Show

2012-01-13T17:42:00.000-05:00

Every year, without fail, like clockwork..... I get dragged to the Auto show by my dear husband. I have to go because he is a mechanical engineer and I think it is only fair that I try and show support for what he is passionate about. After all he lets me buy all kinds of art supplies and doesn't complain... at least not very much.

So this year I went with the idea that I was an artist and I should view it all with an artists eye. Mind you, every year that I go I do take lots of pictures but this year I took photos of stuff other then cars.

This was one of the first cars I saw that caught my eye. At first I didn't notice the paint job since it was turned away from me as it spun on the turntable. It looks almost like it is an actual texture on the car and not just paint.

At first I took this photo because I thought the car was unusual and very cool looking. Imagine my surprise as I went to snap the picture and images started to appear on the outside skin of the car. The whole thing is essentially an iPhone. You can call up maps on the outside and plan your route, find your friends on-line and all manner of things. This gives a whole new meaning to the term "mobile phone". (What will they think of next?)

This was a display by one of the electric cars. (Can't remember and don't really care which one.) There were about 10 of these tubes that you could touch and walk through to get to the next display.

This car may be a bit of a mystery for everyone to figure out. (See if you can guess what kind of car it is.) Give up? Well the dead giveaway is right in the photo if you think about it. The logo of the white circles is for Target which you can kind of see right below them on the fender of the car. So what kind of car has ads on it? Well.... a racing car of course. This one is a very low slung, very sleek formula one racing car.

This car and 2 other plus a motorcycle were sitting next to each other on an all red floor. (The car was pretty boring and plain and I don't even remember what kind it was.) I took the above photo because I loved the intense red of the floor that perfectly matched the car along with the reflection of the chrome wheel on the floor.

These 2 models of cars are from CCS (College Of Creative Studies) in Detroit. They had a whole booth that was full of these models but these 2 were my favorites.

This showcase with this beautiful glass sculpture was part of a huge retro looking wall for the Lincoln display. It caught my eye because it reminded me of Dale Chihuly's blown glass. (We are even lucky enough to own one of his pieces.) You can see the entire wall below with one of the many showcases that all contained pieces of art.

This fixture was also part of the Lincoln display inside hanging over 2 huge staircases. (There was another one on the other side.) I was so fascinated with them that I stood there for a few minutes and watched them open and close with the changing lights.

OK some of you may not consider this art but it is so super COOL! It is a replica of a Hot Wheels car that is available for purchase in stores. YES.... it is a real Camaro and it looks like lime green chrome. (Notice the orange " Hot Wheels" track that it is sitting on.)

Of course for me this was the ultimate artists car. This guy Brian had it parked in a city somewhere and he let anyone who wanted to, just draw on it with Sharpie markers. I'm not sure if it sealed in anyway but if it wasn't the first car wash or rainfall would certainly be a bummer.

So next time your better half drags you to some event that you are less then enthused about attending just put your "artist's glasses" on and I guarantee you'll see things that you might have otherwise overlooked.

Get Your Pilots Wings

2012-01-13T08:22:00.000-05:00

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For all you steampunk fans out there here are some awesome pilot photos including one of a women. (Isn't she fabulous?)

More Fabulous Flowers

2012-01-11T08:07:00.001-05:00

Click on the picture to see a larger view.

I was going to try and sneak this in under "What's On My Worktable", but I think I have tried that trick one too many times. (Right now there is just a big mess on my table and I really need to clean it up.) These are 2 more projects for McGill's CHA booth. AND...... the Carnation box you saw a while ago is part of their new "Flower of the Month" program for this year. The carnation is January's flower so be sure and check out McGill's blog for the project. I ended up doing 6 new flowers for them using the existing punches so I'm sure that they will show up for other months soon.

By the way, in case you didn't recognize him, that adorable puppy in the Queen Anne's Lace frame is the famous Dexter. He is ensconced in his favorite spot on the love seat in a pile of pillows. (Isn't it nice the prince has his own throne now?)

Shades Of Purple

2012-01-11T07:54:00.000-05:00

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Beautiful Butterflies

2012-01-10T07:05:00.001-05:00

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Kick Up Your Heels

2012-01-09T08:27:00.000-05:00

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Some lovely French Can-Can dancers in their frilly fluffy petticoats.

Sunday Digital Download

2012-01-08T09:26:00.000-05:00

Here are some nice background to get you started on some great digital artwork.

Familiar Flowers

2012-01-08T09:14:00.000-05:00

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Already I wish for spring and we still don't have any snow on the ground. Boy it's going to be a long winter. SIGH!

Fly Away Home

2012-01-07T07:13:00.000-05:00

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The 3 winged images are partials from the originals that I fixed in Photoshop. The zeppelin and the balloon are the whole images. Enjoy!

Postcards From Japan

2012-01-06T07:57:00.000-05:00

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A Three Quarters View

2012-01-05T07:32:00.000-05:00

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Here are some gorgeous black & white engravings of beautiful women.

Pretty Little Botanicals

2012-01-04T08:15:00.000-05:00

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Just a reminder that winter will not always have a snowy grip on us.

Sunday Digital Download

2012-01-03T08:19:00.000-05:00

To download click on the picture to get a full size image. Right click and "save to" your computer desktop or a folder of your choice.

For some reason Blogger either didn't post this entry or I just hit the wrong button. Anyways... so sorry that this didn't get posted yesterday. It's more bottle cap designs for all of you charm freaks.

Big Feathered Hats

2012-01-03T08:14:00.000-05:00

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A Collection Of Fonts

2012-01-02T09:05:00.000-05:00

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I have always loved fonts of all kinds so here is a small collection of handwritten and printed ones.

Triple Fitted Comfort

2012-01-01T12:10:00.000-05:00

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So sorry there were no images posted yesterday. Our internet service went out and because of the holiday they couldn't send someone until today to fix it. (We lost the phone and TV too which really sucked!) Anyways... I am still a little hung over from last night's wine tasting dinner so regular service will resume tomorrow. For now I am going back to bed to sleep a little longer.

Big Hats and Bigger Skirts

2011-12-30T08:05:00.000-05:00

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Random Steampunk

2011-12-29T06:40:00.001-05:00

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A Bit-O-Black

2011-12-28T08:05:00.000-05:00

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A Little Moth Eaten

2011-12-27T08:19:00.001-05:00

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The New Year's On It's Way

2011-12-26T07:22:00.000-05:00

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To You And Yours

2011-12-25T09:52:00.001-05:00

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Snapped last night at my sisters house after a fantastic dinner. Hope you are all getting lots of wonderful art supplies from Santa.

Santa Of A Different Sort

2011-12-24T10:26:00.000-05:00

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Many of you may have seen the familiar vintage Coca Cola ads in the first 2 images but check out the third and fourth one. Santa smoking and sporting a gun....WTF!!!!

More Flowers for McGill

2011-12-23T08:54:00.000-05:00

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Even though this is not supposed to be for Christmas I guess the season kind of influenced me on the color choices. Anyways this is another of the flower samples for McGill's CHA booth. My left hand is so knotted up from crimping petals that I can barely move it. I have no idea how I am going to wrap all my Christmas gifts.

Light A Candle At Christmas

2011-12-23T08:26:00.000-05:00

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Hope you all have your gifts wrapped and under the tree.

Deck The Halls With Christmas Kitsch

2011-12-22T07:07:00.000-05:00

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In my husbands neighborhood where he grew up there was a house they said that "Commander Tacky" lived at because of all the plastic lawn decorations this person had. Now I know where he got them all.

WOW (What's On My Worktable)

2011-12-21T09:06:00.000-05:00

As you can see my worktable is an absolute mess right now. I have been feverishly working on many punchart flowers for McGill and the upcoming CHA show in January. They asked me to come up with some new flower designs using the existing punches as well as doing samples to place in the booth to show how the punches can be used to create paper flowers. Below are some more samples that I finished recently to go in the booth.

These are both using a Clematis.

This is a cabbage rose which decorates a small mini pail. I have other flowers that I designed but I have been asked by McGill not to show them until they are approved for projects.

Beauties In The Snow

2011-12-21T08:14:00.000-05:00

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The Man In Red

2011-12-20T07:33:00.000-05:00

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Happy Holly-Days

2011-12-19T07:11:00.000-05:00

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OK.... so technically the first 2 photos have mistletoe in them. Just go with it.....

Sunday Digital Download

2011-12-18T08:51:00.000-05:00

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More bottle cap designs for you to download. I even included one that is all steampunk for you die-hard fans.

Color Me In

2011-12-18T08:47:00.000-05:00

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If your like me and love to use colored pencils for your artwork then these are the perfect images to print out and relax while scribbling on.

So Many Snowmen

2011-12-17T07:20:00.000-05:00

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Pecan Tarts Anyone

2011-12-16T07:54:00.000-05:00

Some of you have made comments that you wanted my Pecan Tart recipe so here it is. It is actually quite a simple recipe to make. Click on the recipe image below to get a full size page to download and print.

ENJOY!

Gather Round The Christmas Tree

2011-12-16T07:36:00.001-05:00

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More McGill Flowers

2011-12-15T13:35:00.000-05:00

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This is another sample to go into McGill's CHA booth for the January show. As you can see from the upper photo the mini paint can that I used is so tiny and cute that I just couldn't resist decorating it somehow. The rose was made from 2 punches only ...... the Floral Petals and Birch leaf punch by McGill Inc.

The Littlest Angel

2011-12-15T08:19:00.000-05:00

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Christmas Greetings

2011-12-14T08:35:00.000-05:00

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I Heard The Angels Sing

2011-12-13T07:53:00.002-05:00

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Cookie Baking Day

2011-12-12T17:44:00.001-05:00

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Every year before Christmas my sister, my mom and myself get together and spend the day baking Christmas cookies. They come over at about 9am and we just finished today at about 4:30pm. We each back certain "requested" cookies every year and then try to make one or two new ones if we can. The problem now is that there are too many requests/demands and not enough time or energy to make any new ones.

In the end we box them all up in Christmas cookie tins and give most of them away to people that do things in our lives that we appreciate. This year they will go to my manicurist, my hairdresser, my mail lady, the people that wait on us at a place called Toast where we have breakfast every Saturday, and my Dr. It may not seem like much to you for me to give these cookies to people but let me tell you it has assured that my nails look fabulous, my hair is perfect, my mail gets handled more carefully, the waitstaff knows what we drink and has it on the table 2 seconds after we sit down and my Dr. always seems like he is in less of a rush to get me out the door.

My requested cookie every year, without fail, is my pecan tarts. (I hate to see the anarchy that would occur if I didn't do them one year.) I actually make a quadruple batch and it never seems like it's enough.

I also usually do a 7 layer cookie or sometimes it is called a "dream bar" but this year my mom bought evaporate milk instead of sweetened condensed milk so I let her use my one can for her coconut drop cookies which is her requested cookie ever year.

My sister list of requested cookie seems like a long one so she actually baked 4 cookies before she even got to my house. Buck-Eyes, Lemon bars, Kisses Drop Cookies, Blonde Snickers cookies and fudge bars. She also made Baklava and some Orange Ice box cookies.

My mom made some Snickerdoodles like she does every year but the cookies are the flattest darn things I have ever seen. The usually are a nice rounded little cookie but she has an incident with those darn things every year for the past 5 or 6 years. (3 of those years it was forgetting to bring the Cream of Tartar which is essential to Snickerdoodles.) Coincidentally my sister and I each have about 3 bottles of the darn stuff. She also made some Creme de-Menthe Chocolate chip cookie which I think are a keeper.

Here is my regular old Toll House Chocolate chip cookies right off the back of the bag. I added some Heath toffee bits this time and boy are they good.

YUP... these are the famous, renowned, totally awesome pecan tarts. Believe me when I say they are as good as they look. (I am munching a couple right now as I type......Sorry about all the crumbs.)

Each year I also make the sugar cookies and then we all decorate them the last thing of the day because we really just want to sit down for a while.

These are the new cookies I tried this year which I am sure all of you have heard of called Russian Teacakes. My husband has been requesting them for a few years but I never had a recipe. (Plus I don't really care for them.) Well about a week ago I was at an estate sale and I found an old cook book from the 40's. I bought it because it had cool images in it that I could use for my art. well inside I found a whole mess of hand written recipes and one of them was for Russian Teacakes. According to him they are perfect .... but I still don't see why he loves them so much.

This is the one funny photo that someone always seems to snap every year. Most of the time it is a picture of my butt with 2 hand prints in flour on each cheek. (One year was my chocolate fudge that ended up looking like piles of reindeer poop.) This year the honors go to my mom who kept spilling and splattering herself through out the day. One was due to pulling the beaters out of the mixing bowl while they were still going. Thanks mom..... I'm sure I'll be finding flakes of coconut with condensed milk glued to the ceiling and in secret crevices for years to come.

A Visit With St. Nick

2011-12-12T09:04:00.000-05:00

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Today my mom and sister come over and we make Christmas cookies all day long to give away to neighbors, co-workers and friends. May your day be filled with visions of sugar cookies too!

Sunday Digital Download

2011-12-11T09:07:00.000-05:00

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I haven't had any steampunk parts in a while so I thought I would post some transportation of a sort.

Get Out The Greenery

2011-12-11T09:04:00.000-05:00

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If you haven't already you better get the tree out and start decorating.

Stamp Out Butterflies

2011-12-10T06:48:00.002-05:00

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Snow Babies

2011-12-09T08:12:00.000-05:00

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Yup.... I had to clear the car of snow this morning when I went out. It was the beautiful big fluffy flakes that sparkle too.

I'm So Blue Without You

2011-12-08T07:56:00.002-05:00

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The Bumble Bee's Hangout

2011-12-07T07:52:00.000-05:00

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Voyage of The HMS Beagle

2011-12-06T07:54:00.000-05:00

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Here are some beautiful illustrations from the book "The Voyage of the HMS Beagle" which is the famous ship of Charles Darwin.

Beautiful Marbeling

2011-12-05T08:35:00.000-05:00

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Here are some fabulous hand marbled end pages from some old books. The red and green ones would make fabulous backgrounds for Christmas cards... don't you think?

Sunday Digital Download

2011-12-04T08:22:00.000-05:00

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Here's a little something different for this Sunday's Digital Download. These are images that are designed to fit inside of bottlecaps. All you need is a 1" circle punch and you are on your way to making oodles of charms for yourself. (These are standard 8 1/2" x 11" sheets printed at 300 dpi.)

Everyday Life

2011-12-04T07:47:00.000-05:00

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I'm still stuck on asian images but I decided to post some that are a little bit more about everyday life outside of the "glamour" of the Geisha.

Play It Again Suki

2011-12-03T06:35:00.000-05:00

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Sorry but I am still stuck on asian images. Today is a group of musical Geishas.

A Walk Around Japan

2011-12-02T08:17:00.000-05:00

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As you can see I am currently stuck on asian images. (Mostly because of the Asian Circle journal group that we just started.) These are some gorgeous vintage scenery postcards of old Japan.

Fierce Samurai Warriors

2011-12-01T07:40:00.000-05:00

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Some of these are probably just actors but I still would not want to meet any of them in a dark alley.

A Group Of Gorgeous Geishas

2011-11-30T09:20:00.000-05:00

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There is something so enchanting about a geisha in full "costume" that I just love.

Beauty And The Beasts

2011-11-29T07:26:00.001-05:00

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Some more gorgeous vintage french dictionary pages.

Just Some Frames

2011-11-28T08:24:00.000-05:00

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Sunday Digital Download

2011-11-27T09:15:00.000-05:00

Here are some more of the Peonies based paper using flowers that had more pink tinges of color to them.

Freshly Squeezed

2011-11-27T09:10:00.000-05:00

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I was very bummed when I realized we were out of orange juice this morning. (My husband gave it all to my niece and nephew who visited us yesterday.)

Hats Off To You

2011-11-26T07:07:00.000-05:00

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It has been a while since I posted any women in big hats, so I rustled up a few for you.

What Is A Group Of Geisha's Called?

2011-11-25T07:24:00.000-05:00

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Gobble, Gobble!

2011-11-24T09:15:00.000-05:00

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I hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful turkey dinner with family or friends today.

WOW (What's On My Worktable)

2011-11-23T09:02:00.002-05:00

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I have been busy trying to get ahead on making my Christmas cards this year. I usually make each one individually so no 2 are alike but it takes me weeks to do it. This year I decided to make them in batches of 4, 6 or 8 at one time. Of course there isn't much on my desk except a messy pile of scrap paper because I just finished the last batch of 6 cards. Just scroll down to see each one and read details of what I did for each card.

1. I started this card by using a Corner Card Adorner punch from EK Success then inserted a piece of patterned green paper. The red oval behind the tree is stamped with Picket Fence Distress Stain and then I took Fired Brick Distress Ink and rubbed the pad over it to tone down the white. It makes a very nice tone-on-tone look that I really liked.

2. The tree is made but cutting out a triangle from a cream colored card stock and then gluing 3/4"strips of various green paper that I either had or made by stamping.

3. I added a small gold star to the top and some self adhesive rhinestones and I was done. I did also rub some Distress Ink along the edges of the green background and the red oval to darken them.

1. I started this card by cutting the edge with a new Tim Holtz die that I just got called Distressed Doily. I then rubbed the die cut part with Aged Mahogany Distress Ink on a blending pad to make it darker and stand out from the background.

2. I stamped the oval to frame the "25" on some cream card stock using a mossy green embossing powder then colored in some parts with a red and green marker. The "25" is another new die cut from Lord Tim which is one of the new Mini Mover and Shapers dies called Mini Reindeer and 25. (It is cut from thin chipboard covered with gold paper that was heat embossed first.)

3. The loopy border is a punch from Martha and it has a piece of moss green dotted paper cut into a strip and glued down the center. (I made the border by punching both sides of the strip of paper with the border punch.)

1. The background of this card has several layers and I started with a cream card stock that I edged with a postage stamp border punch by EK Success then rubber Gathered Twig Distress Ink along the edge with a blending pad.

2. The next layer of the background is made by running some moss green card stock through my Big Shot in an embossing folder and then rubbing Evergreen Bough from Tim's new Christmas Collection Distress Ink. (My new FAVORITE color!) I added some sparkle to the berries by putting little dots of Distress Stickles in Fired Brick and inked the edge with Gathered Twigs Distress Ink.

3. I took a 2" circle punch and punched the hole for the bird to nestle in and backed it with some distressed looking scrapbook paper. I punched the bird with an EK Success punch and then rubbed the edges of it with some more Gathered Twig Distress Ink.

4. The little "noel" banner was stamped and heat embossed with some tan powder and then cut into a strip. (I also rubbed the edges with more Gathered Twigs Distress Ink.) I scored a line on the left side of the "noel" and then another line about 1/8" from that. I then folded it in and out to make it look like a dimensional banner. To make it stand out further I put a piece of foam tape under the "noel" part and glued the outer piece directly to the card. That way it looks like the folded part is lapping over the background matt from behind.

5. The "25" is die cut from thin chipboard covered in gold paper and then I smeared on some Antique Brass Distress Stickles to give it some sparkle.

1. This was actually the first card I made and I started it by making a punched matt from a distressed looking cream scrapbook paper using a Martha Stewart corner and border punch set called Wrought Iron. I then matted that onto a darker green scrapbook paper and then a larger paid matt and then onto a red card.

2. The deer is cut from thinner chipboard covered with some brown scrapbook paper and has a punch art flower and holly leaves added to the neck. (I rubbed some Walnut Stain Distress Ink around the edges of the deer.)

3. The "25" is cut from thin chipboard covered in gold paper and backed with an oval punched from red paper and rubbed around the outer edge with Walnut Stain Distress Ink. It was then matted on a scalloped oval punched from more of the same gold paper.

4. The finishing touch was to take some tissue tape and scrunch it up as I laid it across the bottom of the card. (Of course I did this before I glued down the deer and the "25" oval.)

1. To make the background on this card I took a piece of dark moss card stock and cut and folded it to the finished card size then I ran through my Bog Shot in a Tim Holtz embossing folder. I then took some Pine Needle Distress Ink on a blending pad and lightly rubbed it over the embossing to highlight the raised areas.

2. The "25" is cut from thin chipboard covered with gold paper and it is mounted on a red circle punched from red card stock. You may not be able to see it from the photo but the red circle is stamped with a slightly darker red ink in a damask design. (This was a reject from a previous card but worked for the this one..... so don't throw your scraps away too soon.)

3. I cut out tags from some paper that I stamped with a Tim Holtz design and then rubbed the edges with Fired Brick and Aged Mahogany Distress Ink. (I also added en eyelet and some ribbon.)

4. To the left of the tag I added some punched pine boughs from a light moss green card stock and then I added some red glitter paper berries and Distress Stickles in Picket Fence to make them look like they are covered in snow.

1. The background of the this card started with the beautiful scrapbook paper I bought that was glittered and glossified in certain areas. (Is glossified a word?) I punched the snowflake border from a new Martha Stewart punch I just bought from a white pearl moire paper then I backed it with some matching icy blue card stock. (The edges are rubbed with Gathered Twigs Distress Ink.)

2. I stamped the saying on some white vellum with a green iridescent sheen and then matted it on some more of the white pearl moire paper that I tore with a deckle ruler. (The snowflake border on the envelope is punched from some more of the iridescent vellum.)

3. At the bottom of the card I added a wider brown organza ribbon with a thinner icy blue, brown edged ribbon over top of it.

1. The background for this card is something I learned from an on-line class I recently took which I highly recommend. It's called Holiday Card Boot Camp and you can register anytime even though the live classes are over. (There are videos to watch and PDF's to download for all the classes.) The best thing is that it is only $29.00 and it was a 10 day class. Click here to be taken to the site to learn about it and buy the class.

2. Once I made the background I punched a circle in it with a 2.5" circle punch so I could suspend the snowflake. I made the snowflake by gluing 2 snowflakes back to back (to make it thicker) that I punched out of cream card stock. I then spread some glossy accents over each side (let one side dry first before you do the other) and sprinkled silver glass glitter over it. I like the vintage tarnished look this glitter has rather then the glitzy, sparkly regular glitter. (And yes it is made from real ground up glass so be careful with the stuff if you use it.)

3. I took a thin strip of teal card stock and stamped "winter wishes" on it and embossed it with white powder. I then attached a rhinestone to each end and cut the ends into a "v" notch. Make sure that this little banner is long enough to extend over the opening because it is what helps the snowflake float in the center of the punched circle. To make the snowflake float you simply add a small piece of red-liner tape to the back of the paper strip and press the snowflake into it. (Yes you need to use some strong gooey adhesive to stick the glass glitter snowflake down good.)

I hope that gives everyone some inspiration to make their Christmas cards this year. Be sure and check out the Card Boot Camp as well as the other classes they have available. Even though I only did 7 cards I did multiples of each one so I now actually have 40 cards made in 4 days.

Happy Turkey Day

2011-11-23T07:58:00.000-05:00

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I hope everyone is getting ready for a fabulous turkey dinner tomorrow. I'm lucky that my hubby makes the entire dinner every year and all I have to do is clean up.

Yukata See This

2011-11-22T07:24:00.000-05:00

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I know a lot of you may not get the joke of the title unless you know what a yukata is. (Pronounced "you-ka-tah".) A yukata is a casual summer kimono like garment worn by the japanese and usually made of cotton or other light synthetic materials. (OK.... Now you can laugh.)

Bright Asian Backgrounds

2011-11-21T07:55:00.002-05:00

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Wise Old Bird

2011-11-20T08:48:00.000-05:00

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I finished these pages last week but I didn't post them right away because I don't like to pile too many posts up all in one day. These are for one of the circle journal groups I belong to called Artistic Evolution and they are for Eileen Bellomo's book. The previous page and really the whole journal has been based on the theme started from the first artist of using "eyes" and "eye glasses" for "Eye-leen". (Get it?) Sarah had used the game "I spy with my little eye" and had a whole bunch of images one of which was an owl. That made me think of the poem that I included with my artwork so I got busy making my little hooter.

Here are the details.

1. The background is done on heavy watercolor paper with Distress Stains. I just love these bottles of color and usually reach for them first when I start doing a background. To make it look more spattered I took a paint brush and threw clear water at the page and let it set for a few seconds then blotted it up with a paper towel. (The background color needs to be dry first.)

2. The owl is made of various die cut parts and punched pieces from the huge collection that I have of both. The edge of the page is also an over the edge die cut by Tim Holtz. I added the glasses to him at the last moment so that he would blend better with all the previous pages that had eyeglasses on them. (It is simply made of some 20 gauge gold wire.)

Sunday Digital Download

2011-11-20T08:38:00.000-05:00

To make these papers I started with a photo of white peonies with tinges of yellow, peach and pink.

Beauty Drawn In Black And White

2011-11-20T08:34:00.000-05:00

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Sew On and Sew On.....

2011-11-19T07:57:00.001-05:00

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I actually have a Five Drawer Manhattan machine sitting at the end of my hallway with a lamp on it. I have never used it because it was restored.

Frame It Up Real Pretty

2011-11-18T06:17:00.000-05:00

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Darling Little Angels

2011-11-17T08:07:00.000-05:00

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I know Christmas is a little ways off yet but I did have to scrape frost off my windshield this morning. Before you know it the snow will be flying here.

WOW (What's On My Worktable)

2011-11-16T09:44:00.000-05:00

The reason there is no actual photo of my desk is because there is nothing on it right now. (I finished these pages last night so the only thing on my desk was this book.)

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So here is another set of pages for the Artistic Evolution circle journal group and these are for Lori Otto. Her colors that she chose for her book were purple, red and cream but I added a few other colors to keep it from looking too "red hat" so I hope she doesn't mind. Another curious but fun thing that happened with Lori's journal is that somewhere along the way a story line about this woman named Caroline traveling the world emerged. So who am I to not keep it going and so I had Caroline fall in love with a young inventor named Walter F. Quinby. I wanted the pages to be slightly steampunk but without all the rust and grunge you usually think of so I call this version "Steampunk Glam".

I am not going to go into the details of how everything was done because I think you can figure it all out just by looking at it.

For those of you wondering what the little card in the pocket says here is a close-up of it so you can read the whole story about Caroline falling in love.

Let's Go For A Ride

2011-11-16T09:33:00.000-05:00

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A Sprig Of Holly

2011-11-15T07:52:00.002-05:00

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A Little Bit Of Asia

2011-11-14T12:49:00.000-05:00

Some of you may remember a while back that I posted the covers for a new circle journal that our group would be starting soon. It's all about an asian theme for the books and here are my first set of pages for Sue Young's book. The really interesting thing about her book is that one of the other group members offered to hand make her journal for her so Sue took her up on the offer. The way that Sox bound it was to insert a piece of fancy handmade paper around each signature so that the white of the blank pages did not show on the exposed binding that she did. That gave each of us 4 pages to work on instead of the usual double page spread. (We didn't have to do all 4 pages but I couldn't resist.)

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This first single page was done pretty quickly using a Chinese New Year card and envelope that I got for really cheap at a local asian grocer. (The cards were from 2010 so they were not worth selling as New Year cards.) When I told the owner of the store that I was doing an asian art journal she came up with all kinds of interesting stuff that I could use. I stamped some black card stock with Versamark ink and dusted it with gold Pearl Ex powder. Then I cut apart the card and pulled off the stamped sterling silver tiger and rearranged it all before I glued it back down. (The silver tiger hides the 2010 year.)

This is my double page spread and I just started by pulling out my drawer of asian papers and other goodies that I have collected for this journal. The silver square is a piece of joss paper that the chinese use for sending prayers to dead relatives. I stamped it with an image of a japanese maple with embossing powder that is called "Japanese Lacquer". (I thought it was only appropriate.) The other images were all from the paper drawer and the brass butterfly I found at a garage sale over the summer. The dogwood flowers you may recognize from an earlier project for McGill and since the punches were still out so I decided to use them. The bamboo branch is stamped and colored with pencils and the bamboo on the black paper is done the same way as the background for the first page using Veramark ink and gold Pearl Ex powder.

In case any of you are wondering the kanji in the lower right hand corner is actually my signature in chinese. I sent away to a company called Good Characters that does this sort of thing. They ask all about your hobbies and interests and come up with a kanji that is specific to you. Even if another Valerie asked for a signature stamp it won't look the same as mine.

This is the final single page and I again tried to keep it less involved then the center double page spread. I took an asian themed stamp that I had and stamped it on watercolor paper then I colored it with Perfect Pigments by Luminarte. (They are like Twinkling H2O's but in a powder form that you mix with a liquid binder.) I then tore it out and mounted it on the page after I had covered it with a piece of hand made printed asian paper.

Big And Bold Patterns

2011-11-14T08:09:00.000-05:00

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I guess these designers never heard of the idea that you should never wear a pattern that is bigger then your face.

Love Is All You Need

2011-11-13T08:30:00.000-05:00

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This set of pages is for another Artistic Evolution journal. This is the one where the pages are stepped out in one inch increments and we have to create an edge treatment that will overlap the page underneath it. These pages are for Carla Hayes and they evolved from a circus theme. I know you are all wondering how the heck I got from there to this. Well on the circus themed page that Gina did previously she used a bunch of postage stamps with circus images on them so I decided to make that my evolution theme. I thought postage.... mailing postcards.... love letters.... and writing by hand with pen and ink the old fashioned way.

Anyways here are the details on what I did.

1. The background started with a piece of a manila file folder simply because I liked the vanilla color of it. I had already planned to use the transparency overlay on the page but now I needed to create the background that I wanted to show through the image. I then pulled out all my old dictionaries and poetry books and started looking for definitions for words about "love". (I also used, devotion, adore, affection, cherish, and desire.) Once I got a bunch of stuff cut out of the books I started collaging them in an interesting design. I even took some old book pages that had blank spaces on them and I pulled out my own pen and ink and hand wrote some of the words I chose to include in the collage.

2. After all the words and lines were glued down I stenciled some designs over some areas in pastel colors with rubber stamp pigment ink and a finger dauber. I also added a piece of vellum that was torn in a rough outline to match the couple and ran it through my Xyron and attached it to the back of the image. (This did 2 things..... 1st it made the image stand out a little more but still let the words show through and it also protected the printed side of the image.)

3. The shorter page background was simply a piece of scrapbook paper with postcards printed all over it.
I took a digital copy of a postcard I had scanned from a friends private collection and removed all the handwriting that was already on it in Photoshop. I then created my own little note on it and printed it out.

4. The pen and ink I fussy cut from some more scrapbook paper from Graphic 45 and attached it along with the postcard to the page. (The rose is from an old Better Homes & Gardening book I found at a garage sale.) I then took some Distress Stain in Pumice with a little Black Soot mixed in and brushed it around the objects to create shadows. The stamps along the edge are real vintage postage stamps that I snagged from my hubbies collection. (They are all poor quality duplicates and really not worth much.)

Sunday Digital Download

2011-11-13T07:48:00.000-05:00

Here are some more lovely swirled designs that continue the collection that I posted last Sunday.

Put The Pedal To The Metal

2011-11-13T07:42:00.000-05:00

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Just as I promised your collection has been fortified with images of planes, trains and automobiles.