All wrapped into one

Huh?  Oh...my fave flowers, fave stamp (Wendy Vecchi's background plaid), fave saying...just lots of faves today...Memorial Day.  Remembering those who have served and thankful for those who are currently serving our country.

What a challenge posted by the Simon Says Stamp & Blog...use your fave stamp?  What?  One? You've got to be kidding!  My faves seem to be the ones I'm currently using but I really am in love with this background stamp...embossed, watercolored, subtle, bold...doesn't matter.

This time I inked it up with Denim and Frayed Burlap Distress inks, stamped, then misted the paper for a slight runoff.  I overstamped the stars in Scattered Straw and Wild Honey Distress Inks; ditto for the alpha chart.  The text was stamped in Jet Black Archival Ink.  Whatever brown distress ink was on my blending tool was run around the edge of the page for my garden journal.

This patriotic planter graces my front walk.  The red flowers are begonias and impatiens.  The blues are Wishbone Flower and Lobelia while the white ones are Scaevola and Snowstorm Giant Snowflake.  I really didn't want to write all this down so look at the idea I had to help me remember it all.

I glued down a small envelope to hold all the plant markers.  One was too large so I adhered it to the back of the photo.  I hinged the photo so I could get to the info easily and quickly.  Think how fast this would have come to me if I had had a V-8!  lol

Stamp sets used:  Be Inspired...Make Art, Evidence of Art, Celestial Art, Well Worn Art

Happy Memorial Day!

Time began in a garden

We have severe weather again and plenty, plenty of rain...at least another 2" after 4" the other day.  My backyard is beginning to look like a swamp and some of my garden statuary has even floated to a different location within the rock bed.  Raging river...a river runs through it...you name it.  But, it's a perfect day to Make Art!

Over on the EWV Yahoo group we've been challenged to create a piece using Wendy's art from Book One, Page 26.  Specifically, we need to include a horizontal ATC and a chipboard circle and use at least one of Wendy's stamps.  I decided to create a page for my garden journal (you can see the cover in my post from May 15). 

I covered a 5 1/2" x 5 3/4" piece of chipboard with some cardstock, distressed the edges with distress ink and added black penstitching.  From my pressed flowers box I found what I'm guessing to be a Black-eyed Susan, or something similar, and made my own slide to house it.  Wendy's leaves were stamped in Gold Paint Dabber onto black shrink plastic. 

The ATC is more chipboard on which I stamped a background image in Snow Cap pigment ink, heat set then rubbed the Peeled Paint Distress Stain across the surface.  More distress inks are on the edge.

The chipboard circle was painted with the Gold Paint Dabber before I stamped Wendy's clock face in Jet Black Archival Ink.  Tim's Idea-ology spinner works well for the clock hands.  More chipboard was colored and stamped with Wendy's belt for the watch band.

An EKSuccess Photo Labels punch was cut out of chipboard, distressed with green ink then stamped Wendy's text in Sepia Archival Ink.  The leafy stem is by Sizzix and was distressed with plenty of green and brown inks.  Love the Dymo Caption Maker for creating interesting text spots! 

Wendy's stamp sets:  Rose Art Part 2, Let Your Art Have Wings, Gentleman's Art, A Form of Art

Show your Vecchian style

Hey, one of my fave challengers (Simon Says Stamp & Show, doncha know) posted a theme of 'Show some Wendy Vecchi style'!  How could I not participate?  How could I think outside the box?  I don't need more art for my walls or any other flat surface and I don't need more tags.  Could make a card I suppose but I needed another avenue to travel.  Hmmmm...

How about a DIY hummingbird feeder from a room service bottle of mustard???????  I saw the article in a craft magazine some time ago; the artist used clay flower layers whereas I used Clearly for Art.  Flowers (3) and leaves (2) from Dimensional Rose Art, Rose Art Part 2 and Let Your Art Have Wings were stamped in Crimson and Olive Archival Inks.  Boy, with this humidity they didn't want to dry at all.

I tried stamping different background stamps on the Clearly for Art but they got lost while cutting, heating, etc.  I ended up using different red and green alcohol inks to color my CFA. 

Some wire and a red bead finish off the feeder.  Once we're out of the serious storm fronts passing through today and tomorrow this will go out on the shepherd's hook and hopefully entice a ruby-throated hummingbird to stick around for some photos!

Out of season

Right about now many of you have put away your cooler weather clothes and are sporting warm weather attire.  I decided to think out of the season for this Grungy Monday tag that features the technique Tim Holtz showed back in September 2008.  I love how the inks bleed when misted with water, especially on watercolor paper! 

Tim Holtz:  Falling Leaves, web from Trick-or-Treat, Odds-n-Ends ticket, Raven & Scaredy Cat  Sizzix die, Typeset strip die

Ranger:  Rust, Caramel, Currant, Lettuce, Butterscotch, Eggplant Adirondack inks; Jet Black Archival Ink

Misc:  Sakura glaze pen, EKSuccess spider punch, fibers, buttons

We do have a lot of leaves falling today but it's because of the high winds, severe t-storms and tornado watches and warnings in effect.  Hope everyone is able to stay and sound if you're in the path of nasty weather!

Moving on

May...a month of graduations for our family.  One nephew graduated from the University of IL (cellular & molecular biology) and will be taking his MCATs in a few weeks.  Another nephew graduated from Blackburn (pre-med) and will be off to Southern IL University for med school.  His sister graduated from Benedictine with an associate's degree in forensic science.  She'll continue her education in Colorado.  My youngest niece will be entering high school this fall.

I have 7 nieces and nephews - lucky me!  When they've finished middle school we've brought the first 6 to NJ to spend about a week with us (from their IL homes).  We take them to see the Atlantic Ocean, Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.  The highlight of the trip is the stretch limo ride into NYC where we spend the day walking around seeing as many tourist sites we can before taking in a matinee.  The matinee we've chosen is Wicked.  Now that we've moved to IL the trip is a bit different...more hotels.  However, we're able to lodge with friends for a few nights so that will be a nice visit and change.

Thought I'd share the cards I made the kids and the insert for the youngest one...the others got $...guess you know what that looks like.  All the cards were stamped with symbols of graduation on an embossing folder (thank you, Tim Holtz, for a wonderful idea!) then embossed.  Everything is in school colors and the embellishments are also from the Tim Holtz line (numbers, tickets, rosette).  The insert is Tim's witch and ticket.  All inks are by Ranger.


U of I




Benedictine




Blackburn



Monticello Middle School



insert



Distress inks, water and NO paint brush

Hey, would love to see more Wendy Vecchi fans join our Yahoo group!  We're having lots of fun with weekly (usuallyart challenges and periodic swaps.  This week the challenge is to create art using the card that can be found in Wendy's first book on page 22.  Wendy used the brushless water color technique.  There are several ways you can achieve this look...all fun and easy.

I smeared Crushed Olive and Forest Moss Distress Inks on Wendy's background stamp from Rose Art Part 2.  Stamped on watercolor paper the white was too stark a contrast for me so I added blue distress ink (whatever was on my blending tool) around the edges then gently misted.  Love this!  A bit of purple distress ink (again, whatever was on my blending tool) around the edges and I was happy.

Next I stamped the words (Just Word Art) in Jet Black Archival Ink then went over them with Glossy Accents (you can't tell it in the photo) and added some black pen stitching around the edges before layering the art on some ATC-sized black cardstock.

So simple, even a caveman could do it!  lol

Old wives' tales

When I first read the title on the Simon Says Stamp & Show blog I was completely taken aback.  How in the world was I going to come up with something that would fit the theme as well as incorporate the products I use most often?  Well, it didn't take too long after I started scouring the internet for some old wives' tales when I came up with ... hang a horsehoe over your door for good luck but don't put the flat bits pointing down or all your luck will fall out.

I started out with a 6x6 piece of chipboard and colored the sky and grass using the Distress Ink color blocking technique Tim has shown on the Ranger site.

Tim's dies: Branch tree, Rickety House, On the Fence, Mini Paper RosettesSmall Easel (holds it upright and is a-w-e-s-o-m-e!!!);  Tim's embossing folders:  Wood Grain, Bricked;  Tim's stamps:  Birds (Lost & Found)

Ranger:  Blues, Greens, Pumice Stone, Fired Brick, Walnut Stain, Broken China, Vintage Photo Distress Inks; Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint; Pebble Paint Dabber

Misc: Horseshoe punch, green Flower Soft, lace

So much angst for nothing!