Anniversary wishes

While the card may look very wedding-ish to you I don't see why it can't be for anniversaries as well.  I saw this card on Pinterest and made some minor changes.  I used a rubber stamp to create the letters; the original used alphabet and shape beads.  Not sure what they used for the ring but I coiled wire into a circle and used a heavy duty glue dot to keep it in place.

White cardstock and ribbon; Sizzix Swirls embossing folder; Hampton Art Stamps - Vintage Alpha; Jet Black Archival Ink; wire

Altered puzzle - the last pieces

I can't believe another challenge has ended.  This one was for altered puzzle pieces.

13a

13b

13a
--Ranger:  distress paints (Dusty Concord, Milled Lavender, Shaded Lilac), archival inks (Jet Black, Potting Soil, Deep Purple), Glossy Accents
--misc.: cork paper, white cardstock scrap, Krylon 18kt Gold Leafing Pen
--Stamps: wine varieties background, cork (Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers), wine! (Ann-ticipations 9845E)

13b
--Ranger:  distress paints (Fossilized Amber, Abandoned Coral, Mermaid Lagoon), archival inks (Jet Black), watercolor paper, Glossy Accents
--stamps:  books (Anita's), text (Art Impressions P-2125)
--Martha Stewart: butterfly punch
--misc.:  white cardstock scrap, vellum, foam tape

My puzzle had 25 pieces so I used it as my title page.  On the last piece (lower right hand corner) I painted it with several coats of Antique Linen Distress Paint.  Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink was lightly applied around the edges then spritzed with water and dried.  Potting Soil Archival Ink was added around the edge and heat sealed.  I found an old Stampendous clear stamp (Journal Border SSC605) and stamped it in Cornflower Blue Archival Ink.  'Favorite', from an old Inque Boutique stamp set, was inked in Jet Black Archival Ink.  The rest of my title was handwritten using a Sakura Micron Black pen, #05.

It also came with its own frame so I altered it as well.  I applied a generous coat of gesso to seal in the bright, colorful colors then covered that with lots of brown distress paints (Brushed Corduroy, Vintage Photo, Tea Dye, and Gathered Twigs).  I used Tim Holtz' Woodgrain stamp and Potting Soil and Tree Branch Archival Inks to make the frame look like it was real wood.  IRL you'd think it was!  Success!

Finished puzzle

Before alterations

Seasonal magnets

We get quite a few magnets in the mail, especially ones from credit card companies.  I decided to alter four of them to make a seasonal set of magnets.  While they won't hold much more than a single sheet of paper, I do like seeing them on my refrigerator or file drawers.

Sticky back canvas was applied to the front of the magnets (I tried gesso but it just wasn't covering well enough for me).  To seal the fabric and make the images stamp better I coated each with a layer of gesso. 

Ranger archival inks were used to stamp all the images.  The seasons are by Stamp Camp and the other images are Rubber Stamp Tapestry (Cherry Blossom SFL34068, Sand Dollar and Starfish Border AQU00003, Fall Leaves and Acorns SLE18008, Cardinal in Holly SLE18007).

I let them dry thoroughly overnight before spraying them with a Krylon matte sealer.  This way there should be no issue with fingerprints or sticky fingers.  (I know how it is at my house!)

Imagine

Imagination is boundless but I need to open up more because I keep finding boundaries.  Most likely they are subconsciously self-imposed.

Here's my tag for the 34th and final entry for the Compendium of Curiosities Challenge, Version 3. You can go to page 48 of Tim's latest book to see the 'how-to' information for Monoprinting with the Layering Stencils.

Items used: Sizzix (Tattered Banners, Spring Greenery); Stampers Anonymous stencils (Rays, Honeycomb, Cargo), stamps (Stuff To Say, Spring Sprung, Oddities); Ranger (Jet Black Archival Ink, distress inks, distress paints, grungeboard, sticky back canvas, Glossy Accents); Idea-ology (fragment charm, jump ring, bulldog clip); miscellaneous (silk ribbon, watercolor paper, green/white card stock, foam tape, #2 brad)

The sponsor for this challenge is The Funkie Junkie and they're offering a $25 shopping spree to a randomly chosen winner. And don't forget that the Curiosity Crew is also choosing a winner who will receive a wonderful package of Tim Holtz goodies.

 I can imagine this rabbit hurrying through my yard when he comes upon a young boy lying in the grass gazing at the clouds. Who is more surprised by the sight of the other?

Home

it's where I want to be in August.  School begins the middle of the month in my community.  While we don't have children and as such aren't affected, our lives are altered by the bus routes and parents taking and picking up their children in our neighborhood. 

Artistic Outpost 'Home' stamp; Jet Black Archival Ink; brown cardstock; black mulberry paper

Ranger distress watercolor cardstock; Dylusions sprays (Lemon Zest, Squeezed Orange, Postbox Red, Dirty Martini, Black Marble); green fiber; Sizzix 'Months' ShadowPress

paint chip strips

Revolvers and Pistolas...

A very good friend has penned a new book, 'Revolvers and Pistolas, Vaqueros and Caballeros'.  While it's a fairly dry read for me (I usually read murder mysteries), I did learn quite a bit about the debunking of the Old West and Mexico's role in establishing the United States as we know it. 

One interesting fact I uncovered was that the writer of the Zorro stories was from Illinois; Chillicothe and Ottawa, to be exact.  Both are within a 2 hour drive from me.  Who knew????  I certainly didn't.  I wonder if either town shares the knowledge with its residents?

I wanted to send the author my congrats on the book and let him know of the valuable lessons I learned.  Here's the card I sent.

The woodgrain embossing folder (brown Core'dinations cardstock) is from Tim Holtz's collection of designs.  The stamp in the lower left corner is by Stampin' Up (brown and black distress inks); the upper right one is by Sunday International (Jet Black Archival Ink, distress markers on watercolor paper).  I've had some gun brads in my embellishments drawer for ages; not many occasions arise for them but felt this was the perfect one.  A bit of brown twine was twisted to resemble a lariat.

Have you read a good book lately that made you think differently, or opened your eyes, about a subject?

My altered puzzle is nearly complete

We're on the 12th week of altering a puzzle piece; my theme is 'These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things' so it's been difficult choosing just one for each piece, let alone making sure I have stamps, stencils, and embellishments that support my choice.

Top: Hero Arts C2604 (Winter's Butterfly); Ranger archival inks (Cornflower Blue, Sky Blue); Picket Fence Distress Paint; Clear Rock Candy Distress Glitter; distress inks (blue, purple); Tsukineko Sheer Shimmer Spritz Frost;  Sizzix mini move & shaper snowflake; Stampers Anonymous snowflake stencil; white cardstock scraps, washi tape, foam dot, doily

Bottom:  Lasting Impressions with Panache stamps (Small Rooster 167-003G, text 176-001F); watercolor paper; vellum; Ranger (Jet Black Archival Ink, Superfine Black Detail Embossing Powder, distress inks, distress markers), foam dots

Next week altered pieces will complete the puzzle for many participants.  I will still have a remaining piece which I shall use for my theme title.  This has been a fun and unique challenge and one I can see doing again but perhaps I would use each piece to support one overall theme.  Something to think about!