Thank you

My sister and her family hosted Easter lunch, gave out lovely Martha Washington geraniums and her art teacher daughters taught us how to dye eggs the Ukranian way using bees wax to create designs before dipping the eggs in various dyes.  Needless to say, a paper 'thank you' is necessary!

Ingredients:  Bazzill card stocks; Ranger distress and archival inks; Stampers Anonymous CMS156 'thank you'; Stamp Camp 'Make A Tree Set' #SS014 & 'Hanging Stuff'' #SS204; Martha Stewart rabbit punch

This card also works for 'Throwback Thursday' because the Stamp Camp stamps are quite a few years old...but so much fun to use.

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 Easter!

I think these guys make a decorative statement on the Easter table.

During one of my late night raids on the computer I saw a similar one.  Sadly, I neglected to note where.  I think I used 3-4 strips of Tapered Fringe taped end-to-end.  I hot glued the bottom to a pink button for stability then pulled the layers apart and crumpled them.  The Sizzix mini movers & shapers rabbits were cut from EcoAfrica all natural materials paper.  I glued 2 back-to-back with a toothpick in the center to stick down in the grass.  I thought about adding some small eggs to the base but wanted to be able to use them for spring, not just Easter.

My version of Tim Holtz's April tag

I really had to wait for more spring-like weather to get my mojo going this month.  Our temps have been on a rollercoaster...70s one day, snow the next.  You get the picture.

Ingredients:  Idea-ology paper stash 'Vintage Shabby', philosphy tag, mini pin, jump ring; tissue tape; #8 tag; coffee cup holder, grungeboard; distress paints (spun sugar/mustard seed/squeezed lemonade/peeled paint); distress inks (pumice stone/worn lipstick/tea dye); silk ribbon; Sizzix (tattered pine cone bigz die, honeycomb frameworks die); collage glue stick; Multi-Medium; hot glue;recycled acetate packaging; alcohol inks

You can see Tim's version here.

Pine cone to a rose...sometimes this works first time, no fiddling; other times I could just pull my hair out (not attractive!) trying to get the rose to look like a rose.  But when it works, I LOVE IT!

Pet sympathy card

Sympathy cards are never fun to make; I find pet ones even more difficult. 

I found this scrap of decorative paper and added it to a brown card base.  Using the same brown, I created a belt and buckle.  To the belt I added eyelets; the buckle was embossed with gold embossing powder; heat set. 

From shrink plastic I cut a dog bone using an old Sizzix die.  I stamped the sentiment (Jody Poesy-no longer in existence) with Tree Branch archival ink and smudged the bone with the same ink.  Shrink and dangle from the dog collar with gold metallic thread.

Iron Gate

I was intrigued when I saw the Iron Gate texture fade by Sizzix.  I am always looking for additional ways to increase the usage of a product.  And cutting apart an embossing folder is one of those ways.  With some tape you can easily create a new hinge wherever you want it.

I carefully placed a sheet of 4.25x11 in the embossing folder so that one edge would be in the center of the gate.  Emboss, then do the same with the other edge.  I used Core'dinations Core Color for this card.  Sand and decorate.  (There's a piece of paper tape holding the edges together in this photo.)

Products used:  Sizzix (Iron Gate texture fade, Susan's Garden Forsythia die, Spring Greenery dec. strip die; Core'dinations Core Color card stock; misc. card stocks; Martha Stewart rabbit & bird punches; Ranger (Watering Can Archival Ink, distress inks); Sunshine Yellow Flower Soft; Stampers Anonymous 'Lost & Found' CSS 25887 (birds)

The card is 3-D so not suitable for a regular envelope.  Thankfully I've saved a lot of Sizzix packaging and it works perfectly.  A bit of decorating and you have another gift!

I used double-stick tape to adhere decorative paper to the box.  I created the rose from Susan's Garden; the smaller rose was cut from the pine cone die.  Some bits from the Spring Greenery die and Tim's Tapered Fringe (cut, manipulated, curled) finish off the floral display.

Products used:  Sizzix (Tapered Fringe/Spring Greenery dec. strip dies, pine cone die, Susan's Garden - Rose); misc. card stocks

Archaeology dig

I'm a member of a bulletin board where the recent topic of discussion has been about all the ancient stuff we never use any more.  One of the members challenged the group to use a tool, stamp, technique or ingredient that has NOT been used or done for at least 5 years.  So, I'm going 'old school' with this 10.75" square scrapbook layout.

Once upon a time (late 1990's) I road-tripped with 2 friends from NJ to numerous stamp conventions in the northeast.  On one such trip I found these really cool packages of EcoAfrica scrapbooking kits by ProvoCraft.  Each kit contains handmade papers, fibers, beads, metal embellishments, etc.  At the time I was very much into items from other countries as my husband traveled the globe for his job.  Into my shopping basket they went.  Only to be buried under mountains of other things I just had to have.  You know how that goes.

***Qualifying items for this challenge:  EcoAfrica scrapbooking kit, Color Box stamping guide, Rollagraph, Stampin'Up Heart of Africa wheel, Prismacolor pencils, animal stamps (U-2280, U-2284) from Art Impressions, and a Repeat Impressions map stamp (5419)

Other items used:  Ranger distress and archival inks, Sizzix mini mover & shapers globe, numerous card stocks