She's a bulldog now!

My niece/goddaughter just landed a new position...teaching art at a local high school.  She had been teaching the younger students at another area grade/middle school but with insurance costs sky-rocketing and not as much of a challenge she found a super spot here in Mahomet.  Not only that, but her commute will be much, much shorter.  A complete win-win situation for her.  Yay!!!

Mixed media, navy, white cardstocks

White Sharpie; Chit Chat Stickers

Ranger:  white enamel accents; Spiced Marmalade distress oxide ink; adhesive-backed fabric; distress inks; Jet Black archival ink

Stampers Anonymous: Crazy Dogs CMS271

Sizzix Crazy Dogs thinlits dies 661593; mini scallop/pinking on the edge die

Haunted house

front view

 side 1

  side 2

Oh my gosh...what a lot of work...but LOVE the results!!!!!!!!!!!  This is my version of Tim Holtz's Haunted Mansion.  (If you want/need to see larger photos jlmk and I can email them to you.)

I watched Tim's latest video (on today's blog) after I had completed my house and was waiting for everything to set up.  My roof was shingled before I added the tower.  I didn't start out with 110# cardstock but with the black posterboard so I could create texture directly onto the pieces.

The tower was painted in the distress paint colors listed below once I had stamped 'All Cracked Up' in clear embossing ink and heat set with clear powder.  Looks like old stonework, doesn't it?

No mica could I find in my stash so I created 'glass' out of old Sizzix packaging and alcohol inks.  The lower part of the smoke stacks were covered in the stucco, wrapped in gauze then letting it all air dry before I added some Forest Moss, Hickory Smoke and Black Soot distress inks to bring out the texture.

Before assembling the chimneys I traced around the bricks using the white Sharpie then colored them in.  I wanted a base layer so I could add the pigment inks over them.  I was afraid on the black posterboard they wouldn't stand out.  Before the ink could dry I sprinkled clear embossing powder over them; heat set then assembled.

Both roofs were a light green paper that I covered with the distress paints - Forest Moss (let dry), Hickory Smoke (a bit less, let dry) and Milled Lavender (even less, let dry).  IRL this is a really sharp look and rather eery...like moss-covered stone work.  Over the lower roof I stamped the reflections (text in Hickory Smoke and numbers in Black Soot distress inks).  Adds interest without really being able to determine what is on the shingles.  The mansard roof was run through the Notebook texture fade then covered with the same paints.  Again, the colors IRL are just really neat looking...IMHO.

The windows and rings around the upper windows were painted with Hickory Smoke distress paint (just dabbed it on unevenly with my fingers) and stamped the Marble Cube using Black Soot distress ink over it.  Up close it really looks like marble...as least as real as it gets using paper and paint! 

The doors were covered with distress woodgrain cardstock (distress stains and distress crayons to color them).  The door handles are long fasteners and jump rings...so glad the scale was just perfect!

The ghosts I edged with Pumice Stone and Black Soot distress inks then covered with the crazing medium.  Once dry I smooshed Hickory Smoke distress ink all over them.  A flickering tea light was put under the house and voila!  I'm ready for some trick-or-treaters!

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Here are the items I used to create my spook-tacular haunted house...

Stampers Anonymous: Studio 490/All Cracked Up WVBG030: Tim Holtz/Reflections CMS111

Idea-ology: long fasteners, jump rings (door handle/knocker)

Ranger:  distress inks (Pumice Stone, Black Soot, Hickory Smoke); distress paint (Hickory Smoke, Forest Moss, Milled Lavender); distress crayons (Black Soot, Hickory Smoke, Walnut Stain); distress stains (Antique Linen, Walnut Stain); distress embossing ink and clear embossing powder; Texture Paste (Transparent Matte); archival inks (Black Soot, Hickory Smoke); Micro Glaze; Adirondack pigment inks (Sunset Orange, Mushroom, Terra Cotta, Red Pepper); distress woodgrain card stock; distress collage medium (crazing); alcohol inks (Mushroom, Caramel, Blending Solution)

Sizzix: Village Dwelling 660992, Village Manor 661591, Notebook texture fade, Wood Planks texture fade, mini stencil 038 Bricked, ghost trio die cut (courtesy of The Funkie Junkie)

Miscellaneous:  Stampendous Marble Cube stamp TC01, Liquitex Ceramic Stucco, gauze, plastic packaging, black posterboard, white Sharpie pen, skull beads (courtesy of The Funkie Junkie), pumpkins (purchased from The Funkie Junkie)

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I sure hope that covers everything!  Both my workspaces are an absolute chaotic mess right now!  lol

Still puzzled

It's week 8 of the Altered Puzzle Challenge hosted by Claudine Criner.  Her inspiration pieces were simple to create but pack quite a punch with color and texture.

Imagine...HVAC tape; Tim Holtz/Sizzix 'Bricked' embossing folder; Ranger distress paints (Fossilized Amber, Abandoned Coral); Ranger archival ink (Potting Soil); Idea-ology (hitch fastener, token, mini fasteners); All My Memories word tag; corrugated cardboard scrap

My puzzle piece was a bit thick for the hitch fastener so I carved a bit of the chipboard out of the back...now it will lay flat and screw on correctly.

By the sea...Dylusions Ink Sprays (Vibrant Turquoise, Calypso Teal); Jet Black Archival Ink; Tim Holtz/Sizzix 'Waves' embossing folder; lighthouse charm; black Sharpie

I inked up the embossing folder and used it like a stamp...pretty clever, huh?

I can't tell you how much I look forward to creating these mini pieces of art...just a lovely way to jumpstart my week!  Thank you, Claudine!

Altered puzzle pieces - week 3

You can check out Claudine's blog to see the inspiration pieces.  I use her work as a guideline; I don't intend to copy her idea.

Ingredients:  Tim Holtz distress paints (Antique Linen, Brushed Corduroy); Claudine Hellmuth Blank Canvas paint; Antique Linen Distress Glitter; colored pencils; Another Stamp Company "Timeless" sentiments; Just For Fun "Color"; Tim Holtz Star stencil; Ranger archival inks (Jet Black, Potting Soil, Tree Branch); Tim Holtz Alterations Labels die; Tim Holtz idea-ology star colored yellow with Sharpie; Tim Holtz tissue wrap; white card stock scraps

Tag assortment

Here are a few tags I recently created to send to a friend who lives north of the border.  The tags were entirely my own ideas...usually I've at least perused Pinterest for a jumping off point.

Dylusions sprays (Calypso Teal, London Blue, After Midnight); vellum; Sizzix Thinlits dies (Paper Snowflakes 660059); Jet Black Archival Ink; Martha Stewart snowflake punch; Stickles; black machine stitching

By stamping on vellum and stitching it over the base tag, the dark background around the snowflakes is still quite visible but muted so the message stands out.

Stampers Anonymous stencils (arrows, stripes, schoolhouse); lime, turquoise Sharpies; misc. card stock; Stampers Anonymous Phrases 2 stamp; Sizzix mini M & S jalopy die; clear embossing ink & powder; Black Fude Ball pen

I first drew around each arrow with the Black Fude Ball Pen.  Left the stencil in place and overlayed it with the arrows stencil and drew around it in turquoise.  Removed that stencil and overlayed the arrow stencil with the Schoolhouse stencil and drew around it with the lime Sharpie.  I'm a terrible doodler left to my own devices!

Black #8 tag; white pigment ink; white embossing powder; Stampers Anonymous snowflake CMS066 and snowman CS067; Sizzix mini branch die; Martha Stewart fern punch; Hero Arts alphabet stamps; white card stock; Jet Black Archival Ink; White Enamel Accents; Orange/Brown Sharpies; Glossy Accents; Sizzix Typewritten dec. strip die

Studio 490 translucent embossing paste; red/brown distress inks; Stampers Anonymous hearts stencil; Sizzix mini cupid; Die-namites Dies 'Love Heart' DN-1008; Brushed Pewter distress stain; Black Marble Dylusions spray; Black Enamel Accents; tissue wrap; Glue n' Seal; black card stock

Altered Playing Card challenge - week 4

Oh boy.  Claudine chose to use items completely out of my comfort zone.  But isn't that what a challenge is all about...stretching and reaching?  This week she chose to work with bright colors, some doodling and gelli plate prints.  I am definitely not a 'brights' person, am the worst doodler and don't have a gelli plate.  I opted to use some background tags I'd made although I could have used patterned paper but felt what I had wasn't what she had in mind.

I love how the word 'draw' appears just under the word 'artist'.  Certainly not planned!

Pink:  gesso; Studio 490 'Residential Artist' SCS044; Black Sharpie; miscellaneous background tags; distress paint (Picked Raspberry and Worn Lipstick)

Yellow:  gesso; Studio 112 paper tape; Hero Arts alphabet; distress paint (Mustard Seed, Mowed Lawn); watercolor paper; Jet Black Archival Ink; distress markers; Sakura Black Marker; Art Impressions woman (mini size)

I found the sentiment on the Anne Taintor website.  She's a hoot and I'd love to have some of her pieces.

To learn more about this challenge you can click on the link on my sidebar or go to Claudine's blog.

Earth Day 2014

Happy Earth Day...please demonstrate your support for environmental protection every day...not just today!

Ingredients:  green card stock, Bazzill card stock, Hero Arts alphabet stamps and calendar year, Ranger distress inks (Bundled Sage/Tumbled Glass/Gathered Twigs), Tsukineko Desert Sand Memento Ink/Versamark Ink, gold Sharpie, Stampendous paper cube stamp

Happy anniversary!

Back in April, Wendy Vecchi shared a card she'd made using her stencils and stamps.  I loved it so much it was the inspiration for these anniversary cards.

Stencils:  Never Enough Hearts, Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend

Stamps:  Art From The Heart, My Kind of Art

Stencils:  Never Enough Hearts, Dots & Stripes Borders

Stamps:  Art From The Heart, Art For You

Stencil:  Never Enough Hearts; Stamps:  Art From The Heart, Wildflower Art, My Kind of Art

Stencils:  Never Enough Hearts, Dots & Stripes Borders; Stamps:  Wild Flower Art, Art Parts, Art Gone Postal

This card is an 8.5x11 sheet of dark blue card stock folded in half.  It's large but that's okay...it's for my hubby!  *vbg*













Ranger distress inks, distress markers, distress paints, archival ink were used on all 4 cards.

Happiness is...

using Studio 490 stamps, new techniques seen on Wendy's blog and Ranger products!  Oh yeah, baby!

The latest challenge on the EWV Yahoo group is due Tuesday and asks that we use selective embossing techniques as taught by Wendy in two different blog posts (here and here)...because there are 2 different ideas she shares.  Same stuff, just a different look!

I used the Be Happy...Make Art stamp set with loads of Ranger products...archival ink, distress ink, distress stain, distress paint, matte medium, embossing pen, and  embossing powder.  After playing with both ideas I decided to combine them on my #8 tag as well as add a 3rd embossed flower...just stamped with clear embossing ink and powder.

This sentiment should be my daily mantra but sometimes I let other stuff get the better of me and I forget that I am usually bigger than whatever is bothering me.

'L' is for leaf

Have you used your masks and stencils lately?  Seems like they're all the rage lately.  Over on the Inspiration Emporium blog they've issued a challenge for them.  One lucky winner will be randomly chosen from all the entries to win a $50 gift certificate to the store.  Are you in?  I am...

I don't honestly remember what the background mediums are on this tag, nor the colors.  However, I do know that Bundled Sage distress paint is on top...I used it to mute the base colors since I don't care for the color in this medium and this seemed like a good way to use it.

At the top of the tag I've used a Studio 490 stencil with translucent embossing paste mixed with a drop or 2 of Peeled Paint reinker.  I tapped the paste with my palette knife while the stencil was still in place.  The added dimension makes for interesting texture.  Tim's alpha masks spell out the word 'leaf'.  You can barely see The Crafters Workshop leaf stencil (pinkish-red) all around the word. 

#8 tag; TH alpha masks; Sizzix tattered leaves die; TCW: Mini Leaf Frame Stencil; Studio 490: Lovely Leaves stencil; Dreamweavers: Translucent Embossing Paste; Ranger: distress paints, distress reinker, clear rock candy crackle paint, Claudine Hellmuth studio paint; Stampendous marble cube stamp; white sharpie; black micron pen; paper tape; chipboard letter

Masks and stencils...they're not just for journals!

Happy birthday!

They say it's my birthday!  Yep, they're right!  So I made myself a card...nah, this one is for my aunt who turns 90 in a few weeks.  I saw the inspiration card in a recent Papercrafts magazine.

I used whitewashed core'dinations paper but embossed (Provocraft - Number Collage) the solid side.  Sigh.  So I drew around the numbers with a white Sharpie.  The candles were cut from corrugated cardboard, painted white, then inked up with distress ink.  The flames were smeared with some yellow glimmer spray.  Tim's new stamp set, Simple Sayings, (love this!!!) provided the label and phrase. A bit of crinkle ribbon was dropped into some Spun Sugar distress stain and tied into a bow.  Ta da!








***I've created a blog that will describe our journey as we battle Walt's lung cancer.  Please feel free to join us over there.  We can't thank everyone enough for their support.

Chipboard & metal birthday greetings

Haven't done a two-fer in a long time and this one just 'happened' so I'll take advantage of it.  A recently issued challenge on Frilly and Funkie is to use chipboard and metal on your project.  You have two chances to win; one winner will get a $25 gift certificate to the store (random draw) and the other will be given a blog badge (chosen by the design team).  Over on the EverythingWendyVecchi Yahoo group site you are challenged to create a birthday card (or whatever) for Wendy, who has a mid-December birthday.  Talk about a challenge! 

So, all that's left now is to show you the card I created and tell you a bit about it.

Outside

Behind the door

This is an A-2 card with a top layer that has been bricked with Wendy's stencil and embossing paste; colored with distress markers, distress inks and a water brush.  The Sizzix door (new die!) was cut from chipboard and run through the Sizzix Woodgrain embossing folder (inked up first) then inked afterwards.  The hinges (older Sizzix die), door knob, and wreath were cut from metal adhesive sheets that were stuck on chipboard. 

A Sizzix candle die (older die) provides the birthday candles as well as holiday lighting.  They're also made of chipboard and colored with distress inks.  The flames have Crackle Accents on them with Gathered Twigs distress stain splashed into the cracks.  The center swirl and wick were colored with a white Sharpie.

One of Wendy's background stamps was inked with Scattered Straw and is the wall behind the open door.  I carefully stamped Wendy's sentiment 1-2 words at a time down the center.  Inside the card is her birthday sentiment.

Bet this door die gets a lot of use in 2013!

An interesting and unique card front

I took Wendy Vecchi's art journal class last Saturday at The Scrapbooking Studio in Bloomington, IL.  It was a lot of fun to create the covers and pages using her Art Parts, stencils and stamps.  One of the top tips I learned was how to not fear the blank page.  Don't you just hate looking at that naked page and try to figure out what you're going to do?  Enter Wendy's advice...just get some base color(s) on it first then let the page speak to you.

Using Ranger's Specialty Paper (oh my gosh, this stuff is totally amazing!!!) I misted it then applied distress stain.  I pressed another sheet onto it...two pages for the effort of 1!  I don't remember the order I did things but here's what I used on my card front.  Studio 490 stamp sets (Original Art and 3 Cheers For Art), stencils (Dots & Stripes Borders, Large Heart, Funky Words, Brick Wall).  The tree was stamped in Jet Black Archival Ink.  Too many distress inks and markers were used for me to remember them - sorry!  A white Sharpie was used as well as a water soluble graphite pencil by General.  We used a Stabilo graphite pencil in class but this is what I found in a local big box store and wanted to compare them.

I sure wish I knew how I created the depth of light on that tree.  I bet that won't happen again any time soon.  Everything about this card front pleases me.  A big 'thank you' to the creative gods who were sitting on my shoulders while this came together!

Studio 490 4 Seasons Art Journal

I was thrilled to see that over on the Simon Says Stamp & Show blog they were featuring the wonderful art of Wendy Vecchi and her line of stamps, stencils, Art Parts and Clearly For Art marketed under the name of Studio 490.  As the by-line says on my emails...I'm a Wendy Vecchian and I live in the state of Creativity! 

Wendy's line is quite versatile, especially when you think beyond the scope of what you might see at first.  Open your mind, let it wander and see what creative spark is just waiting to pop.

For the challenge and a chance to win a $50 gift voucher to Simon Says Stamp I've created a 4 Seasons Art Journal.  When you see all the products I used to create this 4"x4" journal, you'll see why I don't include many details.  But I'm sure you'll be able to figure them out for yourselves.  If not, send me an email and I'll do my best to answer your question.

back and front covers - Sticky-Back Canvas (natural)

inside cover - spring divider - spring page

spring page - summer divider - summer page

summer page - fall divider - fall page

fall page - winter divider - winter page

winter page - inside cover

I thought it would be neat to use Tim's On The Edge Sizzix dies to create the dividers.  Don't the gears make you think of suns?  All are cut from paint strip samples and offset with a black card stock die cut.

Distress inks, stains and markers created all the backgrounds.  I even used the stains to create my own version of plaid and stained glass.  Sometimes I colored with the markers, other times I colored the stamps first.  It was such fun to just sit and play with all the wonderful coloring products that Ranger offers.

Ingredients list:


Stampers Anonymous - Studio 490 stamps: Call it Art, Art Journal Basics, Botanical Art, Art Of Making It Merry, Art Gone Postal, Mail Art, Life & Art, Dimensional Rose Art, Lower Case Art, Destination Art, It's Face Art, Sketch Art, Art For You, Original Art, Evidence of Art (15)

Stampers Anonymous - Studio 490 stencils (3 Fresh Flowers, Dots & Stripes Borders) ( 2)

Ranger Distress Inks: Stormy Sky, Faded Jeans, Chipped Sapphire, Fired Brick, Dusty Concord, Forest Moss, Walnut Stain, Vintage Photo, Old Paper, Ripe Persimmon (10)

Ranger Distress Markers:  Shabby Shutters, Peeled Paint, Forest Moss, Scattered Straw, Wild Honey, Spiced Marmalade, Rusty Hinge, Weathered Wood, Chipped Sapphire, Stormy Sky, Faded Jeans = 11

Ranger Archival Inks:  Sienna, Cobalt, Jet Black (3)

Ranger Distress Stains:  Wild Honey, Spiced Marmalade, Rusty Hinge, Peeled Paint, Forest Moss, Pewter (6)

Ranger Distress Stickles:  Picket Fence, Rusty Hinge, Spiced Marmalade, Crushed Olive, Barn Door, Dried Marigold, Forest Moss ( 7)

Ranger:  Manila cardstock, Sticky-Back Canvas/natural (Claudine Helmuth), Super Fine Detail Black Embossing Powder, Glossy Accents, Multi-Medium/matte

Stampers Anonymous - Tim Holtz: City Central, Remnants

Junkitz 4"x4" chipboard covers

Sizzix/TH dies:  Butterflight, Steampunk, Townscape, SnowFlurries, Halloween Shadows

Sizzix die:  Pine Tree



Miscellaneous:  Silver Sharpie, White Sharpie, black cardstock, Sakura Black Micron pen, WeRMemory Keepers eyelets, Idea-ology corners, Advantus grungeboard textured circle, recycled product package

I LOVE Studio 490!!!