Friday, September 30, 2011

friendship book cover



This is the cover for the friendship themed mini book
I've been working on . . . there are still several layouts
I'd like to complete, but you can see some of the finished
layouts if you care to scroll down a bit and take a look.

This mixed media collaged cover fits perfectly with the
current color challenge at Gingersnap Creations, which is
Turquoise, Blue, and Purple.

This little book also fits in fine as frog's hair
with these fun challenges:
4 Crafty Chicks-Crazy Egg Anything Goes
Crafty Purple Frog--Lots of Layers
The Outlawz POM--Anything Goes
Southern Girls Challenges--Anything Goes
For Your Inspiration--photo inspiration

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Japanese Maple



Made some fall cards using hand painted (well, yes, fingerpainted!)
backgrounds, some crayon, and stamping on vellum with black staz-on.
The verse stamp is from Our Daily Bread Designs, the Japanese Maple
leaf is Stampin' Up.

There's a jewel, too--I always forget how badly they photograph,
but people really seem to like receiving cards with a little bling,
don't they?

On this beautiful fall day (I hope you're having some lovely weather,
as well), if you'd like some autumn inspiration, check out these fun
challenges:

The Play Date Cafe--color challenge
4 Crafty Chicks--Celebrating Fall/Autumn
Delightful Challenges--Happy Fall, Y'all!
Crafting for All Seasons--fall colors
I Brake For Challenges--Fallin' For You
Our Daily Bread Designs--distressing
More Than Favors--Fall
Paper Pretties--fall
Penny's Paper Crafty--fall
PaperWorks--photo inspiration

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

WARNING . . .

So you know I'm easily amused, right? While recently
perusing the plethora (speaking of easily amused, "perusing
the plethora" is particularly fun to say, just so you know)
of rubber at Viva Las Vegas Stamps, this lady literally made
me laugh out loud:


She looks a little too happy to me. Maybe I'm just
suspicious AND easily amused.

ANYWAY, she's part of a hand bound book layout for
this month's Gingersnap Creations Random Challenge:
Shared Moments. I may have played fast and loose
with the theme, but you can decide:


WARNING: When my friends don't call, I VISIT!

As always, the pics enlarge with a click . . .

Monday, September 19, 2011

atc cards--as in, they open . . .



Some silly Halloween atc mini cards--these are atc
size (2 1/2 by 3 1/2, except for the parts sticking over
the edges!) using Basic Grey papers, Altered Pages images,
some rich textured German Scrap, inks, crayons, tulle, and
silly jokes! Not sure where the Mr. Batty die cut flew in
from, but there he is . . . the riddle is on the outside,
and the atcs open to reveal the goofy answers! I'm thinking
these would be great to swap, or as little treat bag tags,
or as just a little Halloween greeting.

Trick-Or-Challenge:
Rogue Redhead Designs--Think Outside The ATC (going out
of bounds, so to speak!)
Getting Cricky--Halloween
Send A Smile For Kids--Fall or Halloween, kid friendly
Hmm, mine are goofy enough, but the pics are little creepy . . .
Sew Many Cards--Halloween
Crafty Purple Frog--Fall into Fall

Are you ready for this?


The Outlawz Challenges

Friday, September 16, 2011

friends layout

Hand bound book layout--there's another layout
from this same book in the following post . . .






(click to enlarge pics)

Been working on the layouts in a hand bound book; have
had this image around for a while, I think it's very striking,
and have been itching to incorporate into something.

Vintage ephemera, stamped images, vellum, crayon, paints,
label maker warnings, computer printed text, netting, and
homemade heart charm.

Challenge me this---
Gingersnap Creations, Gal Pals
Card and Scrap, charms
Cooking It Up With Kate, green, girl, group of something
Crafts and Me Challenges, add a heart
I Brake For Challenges, backgrounds
Shopping Our Stash, Vintage or Shabby Chic
Crazy Amigo Challenge, together
The Cheerful Stamp Pad, Let's Reuse--well, most of the elements
in this are reused, but the two most unusual ones start with the
typed text that came from an old composition book. HOW did she
get it typed, when it was bound? I dunno. Maybe she took it apart,
typed her notes, and then bound it all back together? Also, the
label tapes are adhered to pieces of a shipping envelope that came
to us from India. My daughter and I had ordered kurtas, and the
envie they came in is a lovely shade of light turquoise, PLUS it
has all these fun fibres stringing all over it, so of course I had
to save it! It's actually used in several layouts in this book.

Happy Weekend, everyone!

:)

(Don't forget to check out the other friend layout below!)

friends are like shoes . . .


You can never have too many!
(click to enlarge pic)

Don't you like that sassy flapper, shoe flipping photo
from Altered Pages? I like how it pairs so well with
the shoe stamp, it's from Viva Las Vegas Stamps. This
layout is from my latest, friendship themes, hand bound
book. Mini file folder page, vintage text page, the
sentiment is printed in various fonts on vellum, and the
shoes are stamped on vellum. Paints, crayons--the usual!

Challenge, anyone?
jens digi stamps, anything but a card
Papercraft Star, anything goes
Ruby's Rainbow, for the girls
Inspire Me Fridays--anything goes
Freshly Brewed Monthly Challenge--use something new
first time that shoe stamp had hit the ink!

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

a real friend . . .

(click on the pics for larger images)

A real friend will tell you the truth, even if you don't
want to hear it, but you can't trust an enemy no matter
what . . . that's a quick paraphrase of Proverbs 27:6.




But a looser translation is this:

Only a real friend will tell you when your face is dirty.

The latest Spicy Supply Challenge at Gingersnap Creations
is to use that crimper that's probably collecting dust in
your art room corner. I used mine like my good friend (she
would definitely tell me if my face were dirty!) Rhonda
showed me years ago.

Take a nice heavy weight piece of cardstock and run it through
the crimper oh, maybe 7 or 8 times, different directions, to
break down the fibers a little. Then, split the paper down the
center and peel it apart, giving you two sheets of crimpy, soft
textured, flannelish-looking paper.



You probably know we have chickens, especially after hearing
the rooster crowing in the video tutorial, so you may have
guessed I'm kind of partial to chicky images. This photo
stamp is from Viva Las Vegas Stamps, who is sponsoring some
fabulous gifties for this round of challenges, and let me tell
you, if you can't find something you like at that store, you must
not like rubber stamps. At all.

Really, there is every style under the sun at that place--
funny, sarcastic, serious, sweet, sassy, artsy, cutesy--you
name it, it's at Viva Las Vegas.

I'm still suffering from rubber brain overload from my last
visit there . . . but it's worth it!

;)

Monday, September 12, 2011

What Would You Make With My Stuff???

Here are the results of the What Would You Make
With My Stuff?
Challenge and swap! I want to say
a big THANK YOU to all the ladies who played along,
all your pieces are so pretty, and it's great how
everything is so different, even though I sent the
exact same items. The images were the only things
that varied, and even they were very similar:

(Thank you to Cris for the "stuff" pic--I didn't
think to take one until the envies were sent!)
The "stuff" included some black lace, iridescent
ribbony something, a girl or woman image plus a flower
image from Altered Pages, tickets in orange and turquoise,
Basic Grey patterned paper, a few tiny jewels & brads,
some translucent plastic stars, and a page from a vintage
textbook. The challenge was to use at least three of
these things prominently, but most of the participants
used much more.

1. These first three photos are from Chris Flynn;
she posted details of her pocket and tag creation
at Redwood Mountain Musings. Chris used almost
everything included in the challenge envie!



That iridescent stuff made a great dragonfly!


2. Here's To A Good Woman by Sharon Briss

Shar at Ill Tempered Ink made a canvas--how pretty
is this? I'm all into greens right now, so this
beauty charmed me right off!


3. hello kitty by Beth Rudolph

That lace was originally black--I really like how
Beth painted it to make it her own for this sweet
tag. (Beth doesn't have a blog, so don't think I'm
ditching her link.)


4. Sing Out by Gerri Herbst

Pretty atc by Gerri at It's All Treasure--she
used that iridescent stuff in the background,
which would never even have occurred to me,
and neither would have making a basket from
the lace!


5. Happiness Always by Alison Manning

Lovely card by Ali at New England Stamper; I'm
thinking, you know, I sent Ali this envie with this
stuff, but would I have ever made anything nearly
this pretty with it myself??? Uh, duh, no!


6. Admit One by Diane:

Diane used some of everything except the orange
ticket in this beauty. I'm not a "natural" card
maker, so I always enjoy a good nosy around Diane's
blog--1 Card Creator.


7. Listen To Your Heart by Marjie Kemper:

Precious bookmark by Marjie, who always has something
inspiring to see at She Who Stamps and Scraps. Marjie wins double
triple bonus points for sending me the bookmark
in real life, as well as in e-mail life--no, wait,
that means I win! THANK YOU, Marjie!


8. I call this a Card Book--it's by Cris Peacock:



I'm not entirely sure, but I think she used
EVERYTHING in this super fun piece! You can
see more of Cris's goodies at "Cris' Page."

9.
Let Your Dreams Take Flight
by Diane K.

I like the flighty trail of gems across this--
you can see more of Diane's art at Diane's Page.


10.I Saw It First by Shelly Schmidt




I'm still looking at this card, soaking in all
the elements . . . mostly I'm surprised to see how
Shelly used my signature--what a great touch!
You can find all the details, and much more, on
Shelly's blog, "My Creative Rumblings."

We had one more player, but due to slight complications
(if you call breaking a leg and a daughter getting married
slight), Mary, whose blog link I can't find to save my life
right now (sorry, Mary!), may not be joining us this time
around . . .

Thank you again, ladies, that was fun!
:)

Friday, September 09, 2011

whoa, I feel dizzy!

I made a "real" tutorial, go figure! What's even
weirder in my world, is that it's up for all to
see at Gingersnap Creations . . . would you please
imagine some Twilight Zone type music at this point?

Super Simple Bookbinding Tutorial


Stuff you will need:
paper for the pages--plain, colored, or
various papers such as: security papers (from envelopes),
handmade papers, sheet music, ledger paper, pages from books,
vellum, patterned papers

heavy weight cardstock for cover--I usually collage mine first
ruler
pencil
punch tool—either a fancy Japanese screw punch or the type with
a needle like tip. If you do not have a punch tool, they are very
inexpensive, or you can make your own using a sturdy tapestry/darning
needle with the eye end shoved into the end of a large cork.

2 or 3 book binding clips--those big black clips with the silver
flippy sides, available in most office supply sections of stores,
or (where else?) any office supply store

scissors

some type of "thread"--waxed linen thread, beading thread,
embroidery floss, or narrow ribbon--whatever you want to use
to bind your book

tapestry needle--basically any needle with an eye big enough to
hold your thread

work pad such as a folded up towel, magazine, phone book

What to do:
Determine how big you want to make your book, and cut or
tear the two cover pieces to size. I like using a ruler as
a straight edge and tearing at least one side of the cover,
leaving a distressed edge.


Now, select the various papers you’d like to use as pages in
your book. I generally use some ledger paper, vintage blank
music note paper, handmade papers, some patterned papers, and
vellum. You may prefer to have your pages all the same size;
I make mine a variety of sizes. You may even want some of the
pages to extend beyond the cover of your book—whatever your
personal preference.

If you plan to stamp on your pages, or distress the edges,
it’s a whole lot easier to do BEFORE binding the book, but
I almost always construct the book prior to knowing exactly
what's going to happen between the pages. If you decide to
distress/stamp/etc. before binding, keep in mind that your
pages are going to be bound about ¼ inch in from the left side.

On the front cover of the book, measure in about ¼ inch from
the book spine, and make a straight line from top to bottom.

About ¼ inch from the top, and ¼ inch from the bottom, make
a dot—these will be holes for binding.

Measure halfway between those two dots, and mark another hole
spot. You may want to stop with three holes, but if you prefer
five, measure again, half way between the middle hole and the
two outside holes, and making two more dots to punch.



After you have your hole spots marked, sandwich your lined-up
pages in between the covers, lining up the edges to be bound,
and clip together with a couple book binding clips. Place the
book sandwich on a work pad of some kind, such as a folded up
towel, old magazine, or phone book. This is so your don't
scratch up your table and dull your punch tool.

Carefully punch through the hole spots you marked, using the
punch tool. You may need to twist slightly, not just jab
straight through, depending on how thick your pages are.

Thread your tapestry needle and knot the end of your binding
thread/ribbon.

Okay, are you ready for this? Here's a video, which is
a whole lot easier to follow than written directions
when it comes to something like this, but you'll have
to bear with me and be merciful. We've never made a
video before, and I sound like total dork, but at least
you'll be able to follow along . . . I hope . . . and
yes, that is a rooster crowing in the background!



Need some ideas? Here are some books I've made using
this super simple book binding technique:
Spring

Howdy cover and layout, Howdy LO, another Howdy LO

Garden book cover, Titania LO from garden book

Hot Beverages, coffee LOs, tea LOs, final pages

Over at Bella Creations, the September challenge
for the l'a arte transforme group is to share
a favorite technique--this is one of mine! :)

Wednesday, September 07, 2011

i'm still here!

No, I haven't disappeared, just busy with
end-of-summer happenings. The results of the
What Would You Make With My Stuff? Challenge
are coming up, and so far, everything has been
fabulous--I'm excited to share all the lovely
creations with you all!

:)