Prima secret

Prima's got a secret, a secret...(never heard the song from Finian's Rainbow?). Oh well...lots going on over there and there's a big giveaway tomorrow for a super prize basket just filled with lots of goodies. Check Prima out here!

I heard about this from my good friend, Lori, who I met up with yesterday in Bloomington for a Wendy Vecchi class (tons of fun!!!) More about that tomorrow when I can post pictures and tell you about the day.

Take care and be happy!

The sun is shining! How about some color?!?

We're swapping spring-themed ATCs in the EWV group. I wanted to post something with some color today so I morphed one into card. The background stamp is one of Wendy's newest - love it! The flowers and leaves are polished stone on glossy paper but I stamped on the back side so I wouldn't have any outlines showing. An ultra-fine black marker gave these some dimension along with rolling them over a skewer. Add a few gems - I'm ready to see these in my garden! The butterfly was stamped on Lucky Squirrel's Clear Shrink Plastic with Ranger Snow Cap Pigment Ink. The antenna and trail are Christmas tree hooks I found on clearance ($0.09 for a pack of 150). The green beads were also a clearance item from years ago. I painted the chipboard scrolls with Ranger Salmon Paint Dabber but it was too pale. With my pinkie I dabbed a red metallic Createx paint over that. Oops - too in your face! I added a layer of Ranger Rock Candy Distress Crackle paint. Still a bit bold so I smeared some white acrylic paint over the cracks then wiped it off with a damp cloth. Now that's much better! The tag (yes, a stamp!) and blue layer are edged with Ranger DI Brushed Corduroy, the tag has a bit of Broken China in the center. All stamps are Wendy's. I have several large drawers of fibers & ribbons and always think I should get rid of some but then how else would I have been able to come up with this spring color combo???

I'm a WendyVecchian and I live in the state of Creativity. Enjoy today for what it is!

Black & White and snow all over

Off and on flurries today so this card certainly fits what I'm seeing outside my window. I'm participating in a black & white tag swap on the AllThingsTim Yahoo group. If we wanted to, we could submit an extra tag that one would be submitted (as a group whole) to a magazine. Several wanted to post their finished tags on their blogs but concerns were voiced if this was allowed. One suggestion was to submit the extra one as slightly different from the rest of the swap. I opted to take my tag and turn it into a 5.5 x 8.5 card.

Here's what I did: stamped the trees and pine branch using Ranger Archival Jet Black Ink on the tag. Edged the tag with a black marker. Stamped the snowman on black cardstock using Ranger Snow Cap White Pigment Ink. Heat embossed with white embossing powder. Cut it out. Tied a ribbon around the neck; added foam tape to the back side. I stamped the snowflakes using Snow Cap Pigment Ink; heat embossed with white embossing powder. I applied Ranger Black Soot Distress Ink to the tag from the top down to resemble a night sky. Carefully I wiped the extra nnk off the snowflakes. I tore white cardstock for the snow mounds, adhered to the bottom of the tag then applied Ranger Frosted Lace Stickles to the tops of the snow mounds. Placed the snowman so he could watch the falling flakes. I didn't like seeing the hole in the tag so I covered it with a black button (white floss bow). I stamped the sentiment (Just Rite) at the bottom of the tag. All other stamps are from Tim Holtz.

The card is black cardstock edged with Frosted Lace Stickles. The white layer I cut the top corners (like the tag) and ran it through an embossing folder of snowflakes. I strategically dabbed FL Stickles on the outer snowflakes and around the layer. Added snowflake, polar bear, penguin and igloo buttons (removed the shanks) and the word 'snow' as charms.

You might be tired of the snow but I don't mind it at all. Tomorrow's card will be quite a contrast. Enjoy your day!

EWV friends meet!

Yesterday I got a chance to play all day at a local stamp retreat with old friends, new friends and EWV friends! What a blast! The potluck luncheon was amazing; I ate way too much but it was all so yummy! The classes were so much fun and there were lots of laughs and hijinks and memories made. I broke 3 needles at once while trying my hand at needle felting, someone learned about the macro setting on their camera and there was a mention of a Big Sh*t - oops, did I say that???? You know how it is when your words get mixed up!??!!? My necklace didn't fit over my head (the cord was too short) so it became a headband. That's a private photo! lol

We made an ArtGirlz (they've gone out of business - sad) necklace using dollhouse wood roof tiles, a needle felted egg, a mini accordion album and an inchies picture frame.

Time's a wastin'...gotta make some art!

Funky Flower Art

On the EWV Yahoo group Allie (list mom) challenged us to use one of the older sets to make art. We're to post any pictures by Sunday noon as there are some giveaways to be had. Not one to shy away from a challenge involving Wendy's images I leapt at the chance to make something that has been on my mind for a while. I just hadn't taken the idea far enough to figure out which set would work best for my idea. So, I flipped through the sets and decided 'Funky Flower Art' would work just fine.

I ironed Heat-Bond to the back of some homespun fabrics then stamped Wendy's images on the front using Fabrico ink pads. Cut out the images then placed them coming out of the pocket I made from muslin. The pocket is actually the background stamp. Carefully I ironed all the flower pieces onto the sweatshirt, trying to keep the arrangement in place. I tried stamping the text directly onto the pocket but it just didn't work too well. So I kept stamping it onto more muslin until I got the clearest image, cut it out, then framed it with more homespun, raveling it a bit. I did machine stitch around all the pieces; I'm sure that Heat-Bond won't stand up to the use I'll be giving the sweatshirt. I don't care if there is some fraying at the edges, it will just add to the handmade charm. I didn't use the small circular stamp (flower center?) because I wanted to use old buttons tied on with embroidery floss as the flower centers. The petal stamps just seemed to cry out for button centers.

I'll be meeting EWV friends tomorrow at a stamp retreat and then again next Saturday at a class Wendy is teaching (the mini fat book) using Maya Road products, her stamps and the new Distress Inks. I am no fashion plate but I do love my Wendy sweatshirt!

Edited: I did end up using the small circular stamp! I stamped the image onto black shrink plastic (Lucky Squirrel) using Ranger Snow Cap White Pigment Ink. I adhered them to the last 2 posts I had (gasp - this sure worked out well!) and they're a perfect addition to my new Wendy fashion line!

Presidents' Day

A federal holiday, a day off from school, and another snowy day here in east central Illinois. The dusting we could have seen overnight turned into a few inches. The sun is trying to shine so if I get out soon enough it can dry any icy bits and keep the drive and walk clear.

I took an old atlas and tore out the Washington, D.C. closeup map for this ATC. I didn't want the boldness of the map to detract from the stamps so I placed a layer of gold-edged vellum over it. Three small star brads on the right and 3 cancelled postage stamps reflect the holiday. Love my Dymo labeler for small projects like this.

Whether you're reflecting on the day, taking advantage of retail specials, shoveling or being creative, I hope you're able to make the most of it!

Double the pleasure, double the fun!

Can't remember this happening in my lifetime...Valentine's Day and the lunar New Year - China's Year of the Tiger. Chocolate and chinese food...yum!

I'm sharing an ATC celebrating the Year of the Tiger as well as a chipboard wallhanging all about love. It's actually 1 page of 3, I'll be showing those to you later in the year (one's for our anniversary in June). The wallhanging is done Wendy-style. The pink covered buttons at the top I found at an antique store. They were in a glass bottle that I bought because of the other things inside. These were a bonus find! The ecru lace is an antique piece that has been in my husband's family for many, many years.

This Saturday I'll be attending a one-day retreat in Springfield, IL put on by the Prairie Art Stampers where I'll get to see some of my EWV friends and club friends. I'm sure I'll be making new friends along the way. The following Saturday I'll be taking Wendy's class up in Bloomington, IL where I'll meet up with an on-line EWV friend and possibly some I already know. In class we'll be making a mini book using lots of Maya Road products, Wendy's new stamps and playing with the new Ranger Distress Ink colors. I've not been to the store before so I hope to get there early enough to shop and see Wendy's demo before the class.

Whatever you do today I hope you have fun!