home for the holiday

It's been almost a year since my last post.  2017 was not my most favourite year.  In fact, I would classify it as challenging - extremely challenging - and not the fun kind of challenging.  Just challenging.  

I decided pretty early on in the year that the blog was not getting as much traffic as my Instagram account and, at this time, Instagram is a better fit for me.

The issue: entering craft challenges.

I don't mind breathing life back into the blog to use it as a platform for craft challenges.  It is fun to look around the corner to see what I have done over the years.  Kind of like a digital journal but a lot less messy.  In a fun way.

I am entering this home for the holiday card in Emerald Creek's Happy Holidays Anything Goes Challenge.

Keep getting messy!

the tan has faded, however, the memory will last forever

I suppose there is something ironic about disappearing for five months (to the day) after posting my excitement in reaching 100 blogosphere posts. Although contrary to good posting, you have to admit I have the sense of mystery down pat.

My first post back into the blogosphere world is really out of order in its creation.  I have been working on some new-to-me techniques and I wanted to share this particular journal page with you, and The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge team as my entry in challenge #32: Put a Stencil On It.

This was round two for this new-to-me technique of adding glaze to a page.  I did a trial run first, with a different stencil, in my practice/experimental journal.  And now I'm addicted. I might glaze everything in sight.  I might also use the Stencil Girl 17002 building stencil for every project.  It is crazy amazing gorgeous. It is almost a shame I covered it up; maybe next time I will create a page that highlights the stencil itself.  Oh mad stencil love.

As I mentioned this journal page isn't the first to be created in this journal.  It is the fourth page of my travel journal commemorating our trip to the Caribbean in 2014.  The photos are taken in Oranjestad, Aruba where the ocean was turquoise and the streets were lined with iguanas. Apparently, you may also choose to dine on iguana (not on an iguana as a table; the iguana is the dining bit), however, we decided to stick with swimming and eating on the cruise.

I have no great story to match this photo of a horse with a lampshade on its head (for some reason I think his story may be far more interesting than anything I can create).  I just loved the contrasted colours in this room.  There was so much dark ornate wood surrounded by white supporting structures which made this room really regal and beautiful.

Thank you to those who stayed on with me even though I took a lengthy blogging absence.  And thank you to my new friends on Instagram.  I appreciate the support.

Keep getting messy.

there are always flowers for those who want to see them - henri matisse

I feel like I should have better prepared to for this once in a lifetime moment .. it's my 100th post! .. how does one celebrate a 100th blog post milestone?  I think I'll get a green tea frappuccino.  Mmm.  Now you know my weakness.  Use it wisely grasshopper.

And I will also celebrate my 100th blog post by entering my not so perfect photo layout in the mid-August picture this! challenge.

This was a really fun layout to put together and I had tremendous inspiration watching donna downey's design team create gorgeous art pieces with her new stencils.  

But I'm getting ahead of myself.  I first chose the photo for this layout.  Yes, it is a photo of me around the age of 2 or 3 taking time to enjoy life and smell the flowers even though those flowers were not, um, authentic.  A few years ago I "borrowed" a bunch of my mom's photo albums as I readied myself for a milestone birthday (40) and came across this great shot.  Yes, it is blown out.  Yes, the flower makes me look like I have a horn on my nose (thank you monkey muse for pointing that out).  And yes, the quality of the photo is terrible.  But it is, and has been, one of my favourite photos of all time.  I cannot explain.  It just is.

And, as I mentioned, based on this photo I pulled out donna downey's flowers in vase #1, applied some modeling paste and added some delicious creamy colour with gelatos.  The flowers turned out great.  The vase, not as much.  Here's a tip.  If you want crackle paste to crackle do not add acrylic paint to it until it dries and crackles.  And then do not add acrylic paint to it after it has dried and crackled.  Use something else.  

The photo may not be perfect.  The memory may be blurry.  The sentiment is the same.  Enjoy every moment and take time in life to get messy.

12 tags of 2016 - august

Here is tim holtz's august 2016 tag:

And here is my version:

I finished the tag by the second week of August and I thought about pulling out the sewing machine.  Many times.  But it never happened.  And then I thought about doodling on the stitches and I came to the conclusion that if it was not the real deal it shouldn't happen.  I also was not 100% certain that I wanted to fill every spot on the tag.  I can see you all shaking your head.  Yes.  I showed some restraint.  It's progress.

Here are some close-up photos of the top bird, middle bird (oi.  I'm not giving you the middle bird.  It is all about posturing and by coincidence he turned out a bit blurry) and bottom bird.

I just came back from a fabulous gelli plate class and pulled 35 amazing prints.  The plan is to share the prints with you, my blogosphere friends, over the next few weeks and journey the adventure as they turn into journal pages for a trip we took to the Caribbean a little while ago.

Keep getting messy!

ever tried. ever failed. no matter. try again. fail again. fail better - samuel beckett

Blogosphere friends, you will have noticed that I wasn't the successful picture this! challenge blog design team member this time.  Don't fret.  It wasn't my time and I will keep trying.

This was the moodboard that inspired me to design a layout filled with aqua and pink bubbles.  As you know, I love bubbles and will add bubbles and circles to everything if it wasn't just plain odd.

I adore Audrey's elegance and style and have been using photos of her in some of my layouts and journal pages.  I have been waiting to find the right inspiration to use this photo and design this layout.

I love using bead paste and see it appearing more often in my work.  And I love creating embossed inked backgrounds.  You'll see this technique in quite a few of my other recent projects.

I am submitting this layout in the august 1st picture this! challenge: moodboard.

i put my heart and my soul into my work and have lost my mind in the process - vincent van gogh

I'm entering the birthday card below in Sweet Stamps July's Anything Goes Challenge.

 

Have fun, keep crafting and get messy my blogosphere friends.

picture this! challenge design team submission

Hey there blogosphere friends.  It's been a long while since I've been on a design team and I thought I would up my game and apply to be a part of the picture this! challenge crew.

I'm going to sneak peak my submission here today and if I'm one of the lucky selected design team members I will have the big reveal on August 1st.  Remember you saw the close-ups here first .. wish me luck!!

The picture this! challenge for the design team call is this very colourful mood board:

 

If you know me well, you would have guessed that I was immediately focused on those amazing giant pompoms in the image on the left and the coloured discs on the right.  Those colourful little dots became my focal point in the form of bubbles. 

Take a peak at the bubble splatter top right of Audrey's head.  That's bead paste medium mixed with finnabair silver mica powder through tim holtz's splatter stencil.  Crazy awesome result.  I'm hooked.

Come back on August 1st to see if I'm one of the lucky new design team members.  Even if it doesn't work out this time you have to come back to see the full layout which I'll post on August 1st.  It really was a fun one to put together.

Stay crafty.  See you soon.

you can't blame gravity for falling in love - albert einstein

As you can see although there is less media used to create this birthday card (it's pretty much all paper minus some stickles, marvy snow pen and gelly roll pens), the layers are quite typical of everythingshetouches.   

If you're new to the blog you will quickly learn that I have a mad love affair with gorjuss girls.  I can design a card around these little treasures all day long.

I coloured in gorjuss i love you little rabbit with coloured pencils.  I know what you're thinking .. coloured pencils? but it has such an amazing consistent blended texture! how on earth can this be coloured pencils?  Ah, but they are coloured pencils.  I use a blending solution to gain that amazing creamy blended texture.  Yes, this is now at the top of the top five colouring techniques (sorry watercolour; still love you loads but you're now a close second).

Here's a close up of little miss gorjuss i love you little rabbit and rabbit.

I'm entering this birthday card in three challenges:

1.  Craft Stamper Take It Make It Challenge: July Anything Goes!
2.  Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes 
3.  DL. ART July Linky Challenge: Anything Goes
  
 

a happy twinkie birthday

Twinkie is one of those precious little Stampotique stamps that make me so happy.  His joy is infectious.  I made this birthday card for one of Alex's friends at school.

The brick wall was embossed on gold mirror paper and coloured in with permanent markers.  Tim's crazy bird accessory presents were also stamped, cut and coloured in using gold mirror paper.

The background was torn from an old book now used for .. well, my crafting amusement and eventually a memory book (whenever I get around to it).

 

 

I'm entering Twinkie in the:

 

1.  Craft Stamper February 2016 Text Me! Challenge

2.  SDC February Mardi Gras Challenge



 

you can't blame gravity for falling in love - albert einstein

Valentine's day is just around the corner and I get to share my love with a whole craft room of very talented ladies.  Here is the card that I put together for my stamp club Valentine swap:

 

As you might have guessed, for those who know me, there are a few layers involved in this little 5x4.

 

Layer one: Tim's tissue paper torn and randomly glued onto grey cardstock

Layer two: acrylic paint through heart stencil

Layer three: washi tape

Layer four: die-cut heart

Layer five: die-cut love

 

All mounted on my cheat: a pre-fab ombre card purchased at Michaels.

 

I'm entering this not so cute card in:

1.  Anything But Cute Mixed Media Challenges Challenge #10 Grungy Love

2.  Craft Stamper February 2016 Text Me! Challenge

3.  Simon Says: Have a Heart

 

 

 



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. 

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:

 

1.  DL.ART December Linky Challenge: Anything Goes

2.  Sweet Stampin' Christmas Challenge

 

 



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.

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.

the lights will guide you home: arctic sky winter wonderland tag

I participated in an alphabetical winter wonderland tag swap this holiday season with my stamp club.  My letter: "A".  Designing a winter-themed tag with the letter "A" is both a blessing and a curse.  "A" can almost be transformed into anything: a holiday song, a snowman, angel, antique sled, abominable snowman.  You get the idea.  And sometimes that amount of craft freedom can drive a girl nuts.

I decided to go with arctic sky.  I had been playing with my gelli plate and I loved the shine and flow I was getting from my shimmer paints and Izinks.

Using stampin' up's white christmas stamp set, my marvy snow marker and champagne stickles I created this sweet little winter wonderland and sky-filled northern lights.

I am entering my tag in Anything But A Card's Challenge No. 42: Celestial, Simon Says Bling It On Challenge and Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #7 Tic-Tac-Toe (tape-glitter-stamps).

Coming soon: I have designed and created a bunch of holiday cards this season that I would love to share with you and I also plan to share my year's favourite posts with you.  It has been a fantastic year and the holiday season is in full swing.  I cannot wait to hear how you celebrate and plan for the new year.

patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet - jean-jacques rousseau: an advent atc

I participated this year in an advent ATC swap.  Last year a few of the ladies gave me their extra copies to whet my appetite and inspire me to join in this year.  I opened all five of them as soon as I got home.  And I got grief from my bestest enabler/friend and my son (who was four at the time).  This year I promised to open them properly (so many rules) and Alex has monitored my ATC opening behaviour.  I get gold stars so far.

I wanted a monotone card which highlighted my number.  Both the background stamp and the cardinal and birch die cut are by Impression Obsession (I'm obsessed with IO).  They make the most incredible cover-your-card backgrounds.  The picket fence, which I embossed, is by Ellen Hutson.  I emphasized the two cardinals by covering them in glossy accents.

The wrapping is often as important as the thing you're trying to wrap.  I love Stampin' Up's tree embossing folder and the tiny clothespins I found at Michaels.  The stamped #2 is also a Stampin' Up holiday stamp set.  Brilliant.

I'm not sure how we ended up in December.  And, as for most people who celebrate anything in December and January, this week promises to be filled with getting ready for celebration, getting ready for next year and enjoying all of the wonders of the holiday season.

I look forward to seeing all of your creative crafty holiday treasures.  Thank you for sharing!

ten candles and a cupcake

As you know clean and simple isn't really in my repertoire and believe it or not this card starting off being both clean and simple.  I got into a bit of trouble when I decided to borrow an idea from one of my craft enablers (you know who you are) to create the candles.

The background was created by inking painter's tape with distress inks (pumice stone, weathered wood, festive berries and worn lipstick).

I coloured Tim Holtz's cupcake (birthday blueprint) with markers and watercoloured distress inks.

And then I started working on the candles and my simple idea turned into something a bit more complicated (it's just in my nature). 

I die-cut the candles (poppystamps dies picket fence) and decorated each one individually using bits of scrap paper I had lying about.  

The foundational candle layer was die-cut out of sookwang.  The sookwang gave me an easy way to build up layers and to cover the flame with glitter ritz (sand).  I embellished with my trusty and well-loved black gelly roll.

I am entering my cupcake and candles card into Sweet Stamps' Monthly Technique Challenge: Painter's Tape Technique.

Soon to come:  Father's Day cards (yes, I know how late they are but consider them for inspiration for next year or a masculine birthday card), another attempt at a clean and simple birthday (teaser alert: not entirely successful) and, not one, but two memory books for retiring colleagues.