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Thursday 31 December 2015

holiday cards 2015

2015 was a very interesting and challenging year in my personal life and I'm not sorry to see it all end.  Have I been able to learn from the challenges?  Mostly, yes.  I think I've changed a great deal this year; mainly for the better.

I haven't really given 2016 a lot of thought yet, however, I do have some exciting new projects coming up in the first part of the year that I will share and I have decided that crafting needs to be more of  a marathon than a sprint.  Crafting in 2015 came and went in huge bursts of energy and frenzy.  I'm still a member of the stamping club and creating for 40-something members had been a bit of an endeavor with long bouts of rest and breaks from crafting in between.  It has been just like a swimmer coming to the end of the race, for which she was unprepared, and gulping for air until the next race.

Here are the card templates for the 2015 holiday season.  There are two versions of the light garlands; one without any additions and a second with stickles and glossy accents.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Happy New Year fellow blogospere friends.  I wish you and your families and your friends all the very best in 2016.  And have a very crafty new year.

tea and friends: bestest things in the world

I decided to enter this little gorjuss teacup and warm wishes holiday card in The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #19: Silver and Gold challenge and the Sweet Stampin Food and Drink Challenge.


Isn't staying warm with a ginormous pot of tea and enjoying time with someone special the absolute bestest?

make new friends, but keep the old; those are silver, these are gold - joseph parry

This snowfall and village card was one of the many card templates I crafted for the 2015 holiday season.  I am posting this one separately because I have entered it in The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #19: Silver and Gold.

The snowfall background is an indigoblu stamp (snowflake lace) embossed with stampendous aged embossing enamel. 

winter is a season of recovery and preparation - paul theroux

I designed and crafted this birthday card for my amazing aunt who is very much enamoured with everything winter.  I have to admit, I don't really get it.  Sure snow is pretty when you're inside and you're not expected to travel anywhere and you're in the mountains, however, winter when you're heading out to work and it's minus a bazillion and there's ice and the mush covers the back of the work pants you just washed and ironed is pretty darn crappy.

Regardless, this little gorjuss foxgirl and her adorable companions make my winter-grinch heart warm and happy.

a twinkie and mirror paper birthday

I crafted this card for a little guy who turned six this year.  Thought Twinkie had the right amount of enthusiasm.

 
 
I have taken to colouring on mirror paper lately and I strongly recommend you give it a go.  It's quick, simple and the results are spectacular.  Add a little glossy accents and the final product has tremendous wow factor.

it is not the strongest or the most intelligent of the species that survives, it is the one that is most adaptable to change - charles darwin

I created this steampunk mixed media card for a friend who is very much obsessed with everything steampunk.



 
 
 
This was definitely a fun card to build: so much mess! (Yes, short text means I'm pushing through to get all the 2015 projects posted before the year ends)

Wednesday 23 December 2015

a little holiday cheer: santa and his caribou

I know. I know. It's been a long time.  Six months?  Reason for MIA: nothing exciting.  I took a mini break from crafting which turned into a much longer break from blogging.  But the bug is back and I have a whole bunch of crafts to share with you before the end of the year (can it be done? I'll try my bestest).

I created the Santa and Caribou card for the current holiday season (there's a Halloween tag in the cue).  Distress ink background, garland die cut out of silver foil coloured in with permanent ink markers and Santa and his caribou stamped, coloured and cut out.

 
 
I'm entering this card in a few challenges:
 
 
 


Thursday 16 July 2015

thank you for helping me grow

Last year Alex and I borrowed a fellow blogosphere friend's idea for teacher gifts and because we're at an entirely new school this year I decided to go with the same idea (Alex helped decorate the flower pots and he made the tie-dye t-shirt).


 
It's a fun easy and inexpensive project.  Before painting I like to apply a layer of gesso even though the acrylic paint has pretty good coverage.  The gesso just makes the application of paint easier and apply more evenly.
 
I taped off the bottom to allow for nice clean lines.  And then with permanent marker, Alex decorated the flower pots and chose begonias for planting.
 
 
I inked the base of the manila tags with distress inks (twisted citron, cracked pistachio, peacock feathers, abandoned coral, worn lipstick and victorian velvet)and added bokeh circles with white permanent ink.  I then layered on tim holtz tissue wrap (mélange), added the dina wakley silhouetted women stamp, banner and thank you sentiment (tim holtz thinlit dies celebration: script).

I found the adorable music box at Chapters.  Alex's music teacher had taught the class the words to what a wonderful world this year.  It was a perfect find, and addition, to our thank you gift.

 


 
 
This is definitely a quick and easy little gift to say thank you to someone special in your life or for no other reason than to bring a bit of colour and happiness to their day xx
 

Thursday 18 June 2015

remembering a mixed media collage with finnabair; dreams do come true

Last summer I participated in a Finnabair class.  I have always loved her style and craft elegance.  After the class I can honestly say she is one of the most talented, incredible and lovely people you can hope to meet.  Her teaching ability is as great as her talent.

The class focused on building layers using an image as a focal point, gesso, sprays, little treasures you find around your home and odds and ends from other craft projects. 







I'm participating in another Finnabair class this July.  This time we'll be working with paper instead of canvas and although I didn't think I could top last year's excitement, I am simply over the moon with anticipation.

Saturday 6 June 2015

subway graffiti

I made this masculine birthday card for a friend a little while ago using prima julie nutting aidan, my trusty and well loved brick stencil and pumice modeling paste.  I sprayed the pumice bricks with dylusion sprays (squeezed orange and cherry pie) and primary elements artist black emerald.  I absolutely adore finnabair's primary element artist pigments.  Such incredibly beautiful colours.  Have you seen dragonfly wings?  Stunning.  Simply.  Stunning.


Aidan was coloured with distress inks (pumice stone, vintage photo, black soot, weathered wood) and markers.



I'm currently working on a whole bunch of new projects using a whole bunch of new product.  I think my favs (memory box, tim holtz, mft, finnabair,gorjuss, elizabeth craft designs) have outdone themselves this season(don't worry mr.everythingshetouches I have shown some restraint).

I also have some very fun class crafts to post.  Two dragon bits (an eye and an egg) and a finnabair project canvas.

What has been your favourite new product that you purchased this season?

Sunday 10 May 2015

mother's day x2

I have two wonderful mothers with tremendous style.  My mom loves everything New York and my mother-in-law is enamored with European style and Italy.  I decided to design their Mother's Day cards around Tim Holtz's runway and cityscapes stamp sets and Penny Black's venetian summer stamp with a bokeh background.

I inked up 130lb watercolour paper with peacock feathers, mermaid lagoon and cracked pistachio, sprayed it with water and heat set it.  Once dried I inked different sized circles with brilliance moonlight white and stamped the united states skyline directly onto the background.  This lovely runway fashionista was stamped onto 130lb white cardstock and embossed with clear embossing powder to give her a little more dimension and sheen.  I coloured her in with purple and copper permanent markers.


For the Italian fashionista, I inked the 130lb watercolour paper with abandoned coral and picked raspberry.  As I did for the U.S. card, I inked different sized circles with brilliance moonlight white and stamped Penny Black's venetian summer stamp onto 130lb white cardstock and embossed it with clear embossing powder and highlighted the hat and dress with purple and copper embossing powders.  Getting embossing powder to go where you want it to go is really a feat.  I painted on versamark, added the powder and with a second brush I brushed away the excess powder.  I love the results and it was well worth the time.


Happy Mother's Day!  Thank you to all the amazing women who on a daily basis make incredible differences in people's lives.  Your love and caring bring happiness, security and joy.  All the best xx

Monday 30 March 2015

tim holtz march 2015 tribute tag

I have been wanting to play along with mr. holtz in a monthly tag adventure for a super long time and I finally did it.

As many of you know, I cannot help but add my own style to whatever I do.  I was planning on making two tags; one that more closely resembled tim's version and a second which followed the same techniques with some interpretation.  The first tag never happened.  I simply ran out of time to craft it.

So here is my interpretation of tim's march 2015 tag:


In lieu of tissue tape I stamped tim holtz flower garden petals onto tissue paper with black archival ink and adhered it to a manila tag using gel medium.  I added mustard seed, abandoned coral, cracked pistachio and salty ocean distress paints using tim's paint swipe technique and once dry, I doodled with a white gel pen.

I stamped and clear-embossed one of the crazy birds over the tissue paper images and paint.  By chance, and less by design, he ended up over the flower with petals which look like bird feathers so I simply emphasized the feathers with my white gel pen.

I added the tracks using tim holtz tracks stencil, gel medium, silver paint and glitter paint.  After I peeled off the stencil I covered the wet medium with silver embossing powder.  When heated it has a gritty silver texture.

The crinkle ribbon was dipped into tea dye and salty ocean distress paint and heat set.

Thank you mr. holtz for great craft fun.  I'm looking forward to April's tag!


I am entering my tag in the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #10 Birds of a Feather.

Monday 9 February 2015

they invented hugs to let people know you love them without saying anything - bil keane

I used santoro gorjuss the runaway stamp set to create two slightly different versions of this Valentine's Day card.



I created a second layer by stamping elements onto tissue paper.  The images were painted using pink, brown, black and grey pearlescent paints and highlighted with glam pink and gold stickles.

I am entering this card into The Mixed Media Challenge #9: Think Pink and Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: All Things Bright and Beautiful.

if you have only one smile in you give it to the people you love - maya angelou

I used santoro's mirabelle pursuit of happiness to create this sombre and elegant Valentine's Day card.


I added two layers with tissue paper using pieces of the stamp set and stampotique's heart banner.  Mirabelle was painted with soft pink and grey pearlescent paints and the images were highlighted using glam pink and gold stickles.


I am entering this Valentine's Day card in Live & Love Crafts: Challenge #32 Hearts, The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #9: Think Pink and Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: All Things Bright and Beautiful.

a heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others - frank morgan

I created this little hedgehog tag for our 44 (yes, we have grown by two) Valentine tag swap.  I die cut the heart blooms out of a regular manila tag (size 8) and placed a pink tag (die cut)  behind.  Although these little Lawn Fawn hedgehugs do not need help in the cute department I added a bit of washi, stickles and sequins for interest.


I'm entering this tag in the The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #9: Think Pink.

Tuesday 6 January 2015

happy new year! resolutions and rememberlutions for 2015 and january dt project

Resolutions have never been my strength.  They tend to be monster-sized goals that seize your attention for a few weeks until your best friend says to you, as you're carrying your gym bag out to the car with the greenest of green smoothies, there is a super sale at (you fill in the blank) and we will need humungous lattes to survive the rush.  Resolutions can be behemoths if you let them.  

But resolutions really are simply goals; we just tend to make them at a critical time when the world is bellowing sentiment of new beginnings and fresh starts.  Therefore we often take a reasonable, probably meaningful, goal and turn the little critter into a mountain of an accomplishment.

With that said, I have made two "resolutions" this year (I have many goals but two of which I really want to be mindful): (1) Organize better so that I may (2) spend more time with family and friends.  The first resolution may surprise those of you who know me.  I am quite the organized person.  Everything has a home and events and activities are always well planned and prepared.  What I need is a schedule.  

I read this article (Here’s What You Should Do Instead Of Making New Year’s Resolutions It’s called a “rememberlutions” jar and it’ll make you feel good all year) posted by Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine and decided to, in addition to my two resolutions, celebrate the smaller resolution successes as they come as well as all of the magnificent things, memories and accomplishments over the next twelve months by creating my own rememberlutions jar.

That coupled with our design team inspiration, I was off to the races.


I created a pendant for each of the four seasons of the year so that I have something to look forward to at the end of each season as the jar turns.

winter:


spring:


summer: 


autumn:


And here they are all together and assembled:




Whether you create resolutions this year or a rememberlutions jar, do what makes you feel good, makes you giggle and smile and let's you celebrate you all year long.

I'm entering my rememberlutions jar in the Sweet Stampin Challenge: NewMixed Media Monthly Challenge #8: Something New for the New Year and Anything But A Card Challenge New Beginnings.  The rememberlutions jar is a new project created for the new year.