It’s that time of the year…..
NOOOOOO, not Christmas! Graduation time………it what I’m talking about!
I just wanted to pop in to share a couple of graduation card I made. The stamps are (sadly) retired from Clear & Simple Stamps. Although they are retired, I enjoy pulling them out each year.
I have to chuckle when I look at this card because I’m so OCD that I would have totally obsessed about the bright white background of the colored image and the off white base card stock color. I’m progressing, thank you very much! As you can see I let it go (even if it does bug me). Now for the inside sentiment, also from the retired graduation set:
On to the next card:
On this one I tried something new. I used a yellow instead of a light blue or gray to outline the stamped image.
Now one for the lady graduate:
and one more:
the inside:
All were colored with Copics. I kinda like ‘em. Except for the first one, which I like a little less then the rest 
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I’m working on my project for the new eP Picks Challenge – Gel Medium (part of my project is drying as I type this). Go check all the details over on the eP blog. I love the tips and tricks I always learn, not to mention the inspiration. Oh and Julie has a video tutorial. Fun stuff.
That’s it for me tonight. You know that garage sale we postponed because it was too cold and it snowed two weeks ago. Well, hubby was determined to have it this weekend. And now it’s soooo stinkin’ hot! Ugh and double ugh!!!! Oh well, you see I have to go to work so hubby has been sitting in the garage/outside. Still, it’s tiring getting up so early to set up before heading to work.
Thanks for stopping by! Until next time….
Supplies Used Card 1:
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Card 2: Paper is from MME Breeze 6×6 pack which I got at Michaels, however, I can’t find it anywhere online to link it.
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Card 4:
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I Did That…..
Already Wednesday, can you believe it? If you don’t already know, I’m kind of addicted to online classes, which is a good thing. I firmly believe you’re never to old to learn something new or to become better at whatever it is you are doing. The great thing about online classes is that I can do these at my own pace. Of course you know about my classes with Dina Wakley and my current eclass that is going on is FACEcinating Girls. So while still trying to come up with my own style of drawing faces, I’ve found that I’m combining several techniques. Nothing wrong with that, right?
I finished a journal page which started out as a sketch: I had to download from my phone and didn’t edit, so it’s dark but it’s neat to see the sketch and then the final.
I wanted to practice Dina’s technique on shadows and highlights and her abstract type of painting (which I love), it started to evolve into this..
I know, don’t ask about the hair (oil pastels) , lo. Really though I LOVE how the shadows and highlights turned out. (I used a combination of oil pastels and gelatos, blending them with my finger.)
And then here is my final page:
I applied Distress Stain to the background, then took a stencil and wiped the stain away with a baby wipe. I think Dina called it stencil resist…. added the stamped crown just because I thought why not. It’s an old stamp. Then I just did my journaling. And I love it, the hair not so much but the whole purpose for me was the highlights and shadows.
And yes, I can say “I did that”! I can not say enough good things about classes, actual or online!
On a side note, we went straight from winter, as in snow two weeks ago, to summer. Ugh! I want Spring!!!!!!! And my husband decided to have that garage sale that had to be postponed because of the cold snowy weather. Double ugh!!!!!
I better get going, thanks for stopping by! Until next time……
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Weekend with Dina
Awesome weekend as far as the classes with Dina Wakley at My Heart’s Fancy. I walked in at My Heart’s Fancy and was greeted with a big hug from Maura, a loud greeting from Lisa and was thrilled to see some new friends from my Donna Downey classes.
Dina is awesome and I don’t just say that. Really down to earth and funny. And OMG, information overload, lo. It was all good. So worth the time and cost of the classes. I will definitely be back next year for both Donna’s and Dina’s classes.
Yesterday I spent the day doing photo edits from a quick photo shoot. Sadly, I think they days of doing photo shoots are at an end (not that I did them often). My hands and back can’t keep up. This was the first time I had trouble getting up and down. And my hands and fingers….. ugh, I ended up taking the flash and bracket off and still killed my hands. Ah, the joy of old age. Anyway, so today I’ll just share a few pics from this weekend. These were taken with the cell phone and let me just tell after seeing myself…… one word….. DIET!
First up, Miss Dina. This was taken during her Facing the Fact class.
AWESOME class. Here is my painted face.
I have an issue with noses, lol. But I like it. I love Dina’s scribbles and you would think that that is easy but for me, I have major issues with scribbles and doodles.
Next up, me and Dina. I debated about showing this picture because, damn I have gotten fat. Honestly, since quitting smoking, I seriously have not noticed any advantages. I know…… don’t worry, I freakin’ gained the weight, so I’m not going to start smoking again. But really!!!!!
And this is Amy! Uber talented lady. We hit it straight off and already planned on meeting up next year.
I still have to take pictures of the other class projects but for now….. I’m still pretty exhausted.
And I hope you guys had a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend! Until next time…..
Love Bird
Happy Friday Folks,
This is going to be a quick post since I’m getting ready for Dina Wakley’s classes. Matter of fact, I am probably getting ready for my first class today. Taking one today and two tomorrow. But I wanted to pop in and tell you that I posted on the eP blog yesterday with several projects. A couple I already posted here previously and two that are new.
I also wanted to share another card I made in my card making frenzy last week. With Mother’s Day this weekend, I thought today is perfect to share this card.
I used a tag which I cut down a bit to fit onto the card. Just a quick card. When I was making all these cards, I literally set a timer so that I wouldn’t over analyze, lol. Apparently it worked, huh? I haven’t made this many cards in a long time.
Ok, since this is Wednesday evening, I have to finish laundry before heading to bed. We’ll be leaving right after work on Thursday and won’t get to the hotel until around midnight. Last time, in March for Donna Downey’s workshops, we left at 5 a.m. and that was cutting it just a little too close. Not to mention that by 8p.m. I was cross-eyed.
You guys have a wonderful weekend! Spoil your moms! And if no one spoils you, do what I do……spoil yourself! 
Until next time….
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Lovin’ me some Wayward Blooms….
ok, I am totally loving how Donna Downey’s gorgeous Wayward Blooms (or any of her stamps) look when using paint instead of ink. LOVE it.
Super easy, just used the paint dabber straight onto the stamp and stamped right onto the distressed tag. Easy peasy! You should try it, especially with flower stamps because it’s a new challenge over at The Sisterhood of Crafters with Lisa B as your hostess.
The theme is FLOWERS. So come on, try a new technique AND play along. Inky Impressions is our sponsor for this fun challenge, which means you have a chance to win a prize! To get all the details and inspiration from my fellow Sistah’s, head over to The Sisterhood of Crafters! Can’t wait to see what floral projects you come up with!
Tomorrow I’ll be heading down to My Hearts Fancy in OKC for Dina Wakley classes. Leaving right after work. I’m so looking forward to it – the six hour drive not so much. I’ll share photos next week!
Until then…… Happy Mother’s Day weekend!
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Birthday Sketch
Following Junelle’s example in The Art of Wild Abandonment online class, I created a mountain of squares which became a pile of birthday presents. Quick and simple, done during lunch a couple of weeks ago.
After trimming the colored image down a bit, I finally had a chance to create a card using some old SU Designer papers. The sentiment on the front and on the inside is also a retired Stampin’ Up! stamp.
I used brown watercolor crayon to give it a bit of a distressed, old look around the edges but can tell that I went a bit over board. Still, looking at this card makes me happy 
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It’s been a while since I’ve done any sketching, too many other things going on but I’m hoping to get back into my lunch time sketching. Hope you had nice weekend. It was still pretty cold and wet but no more snow .
Until next time…..
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eP’s Get Altered
Happy Thursday folks. It’s Thursday and that means it’s another fabulous Get Altered Challenge at the eclectic Paperie blog.
Donna-Marie is our host and has chosen glass bottles or glass jars as her challenge object. I grabbed my tray of flowers and die cut flower petals and started playing. Claudine Hellmuth had shared a picture tutorial on her blog on how to tint glass bottles using her Studio Paints. I just had to try it and I was amazed by the result.
The bottle I used was clear glass – didn’t take a before shot but look at the gorgeous tint I got using Claudine Hellmuth Teal Studio Paint:
Argh, sorry about the blurry picture.
The flowers, petals and leaves were left over from previous projects (or attempted projects that never came to be). I did add a bit of the Landscape Green paint to some tissue covered foil leaves just for a bit of color pop.
I’ll be honest, I was so thrilled with the end result of tinting the bottle that I had no real idea what to do next. And that’s when I just go through my trays and drawers and pull stuff out. I’m actually kind of amazed how quickly I made this bottle. Which means I, for once, am on time in playing along in eP’s Get Altered challenge.
So grab those glass bottles or jars (you know you’ve got ‘em, as in wine bottles, canning jars, wine bottles, lo) and head over to the eP blog to check out Donna-Marie’s awesome project and to get all the details of this fun challenge. Can’t wait to see your altered glass.
That’s it for me this rainy Thursday morning. We are expecting up to 4 inches of snow by tomorrow morning. And yes, it IS May 2nd. Crazy!
Until next time…..
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Super Simple Birthday Cards
Happy May Day!
Just wanted to pop in to share another couple of cards I made for the card order. These two are so stinkin’ simple but I love-love-love these:
card #1 supplies listed below
Sorry about the blurry picture. I’m just happy I took the (quick) time to actually take some pics before heading to drop them off.
Anyway, this is just cold press watercolor paper (140lb), no layers. Super simple, but always a big hit at the craft shows. These type of cards allow me to keep the cost of the card down – which may be the reason they are a hit with customers. Regardless, lots of white space, yet the watercolor paper adds nice texture. One of my favorite cards.
The next one is the same concept, except I added a couple of layers and a teeny bit of color:
card #2 supplies listed below
The card size is 4×6 to use up some of the odd sized envelopes in my stash. Again, super simple but lots of white space. Personally, I think lots of white space always exudes such elegance, don’t you think?
Alrighty, that’s it for me this fine Wednesday. We have –are you sitting down- snow in the forecast for tomorrow. Highs in the mid 30’s….needless to say, we’re going to reschedule our garage sale. That’s a little too cold, even for me and it’s supposed to rain Friday and Saturday.
Thanks for stopping by….. hope I inspired you to make some clean and simple cards.
Until next time….
card #1 supplies used:
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card#2 supplies used:
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Card Making Marathon
Happy Monday people! Well, I may be optimistic but I think Spring has finally sprung here in Kansas! We’ve had beautiful temperatures in the mid-70’s. Perfect!!!! Good timing since we are having our annual garage sale this coming weekend. Last year it was already hot and humid by this time, so I am very happy that the temperatures are mild. Actually, I don’t mind hot weather if it would just cool off at night.
Last week was quite hectic for me but in a good sort of way. My friend had messaged me that a local Leavenworth, Kansas cake shop had put up a request for local card makers to submit their cards to be sold at their shop. Since I live an hour away, I had emailed the owner asking her if I could provide a link to my Flickr photo stream and my blog for her to browse because it would be a week before I could make it down to drop off some samples. Not only did she agree, but a day later, she basically ordered an assortment of 50 cards. I totally had to pinch myself and then had to get busy, lol. I was in such a quick card making mode, that the quick pictures I snapped of the cards are really blurry. I’ll share those throughout the week this week. But for today, I thought I’d share another card that I finished yesterday.
I spent yesterday, trying to use up some of the odds and ends on my desk, as well as the new stamp sets I received from eclectic Paperie.
I used Quilt Prints and Strictly Sentiments 1, both from Wplus9 Design Studio. It’s a really simple card, and after stamping the quilt design, I decided to stamp the sentiment right over part of the quilt design.
I’m thinking the next time I’ll emboss the sentiment, what do you think?
And going with a CAS, this was one of the cards Renee from FouCakes, LLC purchased:
Pretty simple and I got to used some old stickers. The birthday sentiment is from one of my older Sweet Pea Stamps sets. One thing that Renee told me why she choose my cards was that she loved the variety of styles, from clean and simple to fantasy. She liked that I make cards geared towards kids, older adults, and for eclectic people. Something for everyone. And that my friends, really made the trip and the frantic card creations last week totally worth while 
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Now, this week it will be a frantic getting-ready-for-a-garage-sale event. And then following weekend, I have a date with Dina Wakley, wohoo!!!!!
Until next time……
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Everything but the Kitchen Sink….
pretty much sums up my art journal spread. And it all started so pretty, lol…..
Fits right in with the Free For All theme of the new challenge over at The Sisterhood of Crafters, which is a good thing since I’m your hostess 
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A Free for All truly is what happened to this spread and it all started out so pretty! I had grabbed all of the new Dylusions Ink Sprays colors and was pretty happy with the result. Left it and came back to it later thinking to add some texture using stamps. Worked great for the background texture but for the poppies, the StazOn ink didn’t show up like I wanted which is when I decided to try paint. Can you tell which poppy was stamped with paint?
The two flowers in the middle were stamped with paint, the flower on the left is StazOn and the one on the very right is pigment ink. Usually I just use my finger to dab paint onto a stamp, this time however I used a brayer (and palette paper).
I had to come up with a way to hide my double stamped poppy, so I stamped Dorris and the mushrooms onto regular weight copy paper, cut out and adhered to the page after I added some stencils. She’s colored with Faber-Castell Big Brush Markers. Below is a “before I messed her up” picture. I should have walked away at that point!
But I didn’t and totally messed her face up trying to add shadows with gelatos around her as you can see below:
See the dark smudges around the mushrooms? Trying to fix it, I literally wiped the color off too. But you know what, I left it. And instead played with my new Montana Acrylic Paint Markers. OMG….. ???.
The intend was to showcase the grungeboard alphabet letters which were colored with the Dylusions Spray Inks but the background kind of swallowed them up. So instead I grabbed my black alpha type washi tape (for the life of me I don’t know who makes it-if you know, please let me know) along with a few others and laid strips of the tapes down. Still felt that the letters were hard to see, so outlined them in white paint marker. Didn’t really work but it is what it is.
After coloring the grungeboard alphas, I added lots of clear Rock Candy Crackle Paint. Once that was dry I added a bit of Distress Ink around the edges. And still not being happy, I dipped my fingers into white gesso and randomly applied it to the alpha grungeboard…. and all was right with the world, lol! Seriously, sometimes just adding paint with my finger will make me feel sooooo much better about a project.
A couple of places where some of the white from the page still showed, were covered up with Pan Pastels.
And I also used the turquoise gelato “snow cone” from the new Tropical pack around the border, smoothing it with my finger. 
Lots of stuff with nothing in particular in mind and no rhyme or reason why I used what I used. And sometimes that is ok.
Oh the letters spell out: Material Girl – she with the most toys wins. That’s what kept popping into my head every time I looked at Dorris, so that’s what I went with.
Pretty? Maybe not, creative? Um, not so much but I used a lot of stuff and most importantly I finished it instead of covering it all up with gesso to start over.
Now, head over to the Sisterhood of Crafters for more inspiration from the team and for all the do’s and don’ts of the challenge. Can’t wait to see what you come up with!
Until next time…..
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