A Zig-Zag card

 

 

 

You will have to forgive me for my photo editing today. I don't have access to photo shop which is on my computer. I am still posting from my DH's laptop which has Windows 8 and it takes some getting used to.

 

I found this card on a blog that was in German but there were some pictures and the measurements were in English which helped. It wasn't difficult in fact the hardest part was figuring out where to start the scallop punch along the sides. It is called a Zig- Zag card if you do a search for instructions.

 

 

I used two different papers from Authentique. The sage paper is from the collection Renew called Spring and the rose floral paper is from the collection Lovely called Fancy. I used the Martha Stewart Doily border punch along the sides. The belly band that holds the card closed was created with the same punch, some seam binding ribbon and a fancy brad that I cut the tabs off of. The image of the woman is from a clip art collection of fashionable women. There is a slight alteration that can be made to the card and that is to create a flap so the whole inside would lift up for the sentiment. I figured I would just write on the side panels that I left cream. This area could have had the same sage paper if wanted. The sentiment could also be made into a fancy tag that goes on the band. I think I will try another one and do just that.

 

The DH and I went to see the OZ movie this afternoon. Quite different than the Wizard of Oz that I grew up watching. Those darn monkeys always use to scare me. It was pretty awesome that it was filmed about 50 miles from here. I don't remember seeing the Emerald City anywhere around the Detroit area. They must have had that well hidden! We had to get home right after because University of Michigan is in the final four of the basketball tournaments. That gave me a perfect opportunity to hide in my stamping studio and create today's card. Tomorrow I am going over to a friend's house to help her make one.

~Have fun and enjoy!

Back but tired!

 This was card I made awhile back but I always like to have something in my stash in case I haven't been as creative (or ambitious) as I would like. This 6 hour time change from Hawaii has really kicked my butt. I didn't get home until midnight a week ago Saturday only to open the Sunday paper and find out a dear friend of ours had died. She was like a grandmother to my children, in fact they even called her Nana Sue. She was elderly and not in the best of health lately, but it was still a shock to see it in the paper. I was thankful I had made it back in time to attend the showing as tired as I was. I realized just how much the kids meant to her when I saw their pictures up on her picture boards at the funeral home. They loved her just as much.

 Honolulu was beautiful but we also flew over to Kauai and spent a few days there. Kauai was even more beautiful. The locals said that is where the Hawaiians go to vacation and I can see why. It was only a 35 minute flight from Oahu- much more relaxed and a much slower pace. It is also greener and less metropolitan than Honolulu.
It looks like I need a new video card for my computer so I am using the DH's new laptop to post today. Aside from being so tired the computer issues were also a reason I didn't post when I got back. For today's card I used Spellbinder's Shapeabilities Venetian Accents and French Frills. The designer paper is from Pinkpaislee's London Market. I put some silver accents across the bridge of the Eiffel Tower to add some bling. You can see it better in the picture below.

 

I had to include one of my pictures from Honolulu. We climbed Diamond Head on St. Patrick's Day. Still can't believe I made it all the way to the top. This is the view of Waikiki in Honolulu once you have made the climb- very much worth the pain of getting there.

 

 

 

 

I hope you all enjoyed my altered book in the last post. From the hits to my blog it looks like it was.

 

~Have fun and enjoy!

 

A different kind of altered book

Ok, here it is as promised. Another altered book but in a different fashion. To me it is sort of a diorama. One of my sweet friends saw an altered book like this in a shop and asked if she could take pictures. She did and then brought them right over to me. She said "here, I know you can make this". Without any instructions, just the picture, I jumped right in and of course it is a "Paris" theme. So here is my version. I didn't have to buy anything for this project. It was all bits and pieces, some of which I had stored in my "I know I will use this some day" drawers. I hope you enjoy it.

You can see in the above image, the pages in middle of the book are folded back and the others are just glued together. This gives it a very 3D visual image. I was rather pleased at how it turned out.

 

 

One more week and I am off to Hawaii. And the best part is- it is snowing as I type (sorry my Michigan friends). I am actually going over to my sister's place in Chicago by train next Saturday morning. I will get there just after lunch and as if this trip couldn't get any better- my brother and his wife are coming down from Milwaukee with the twins. Remember the ones I did the photo shoot with when they were 6 weeks old? Well that is the last time I saw them in person. I have seen tons of new pictures but it never captures their personalities. I can't wait to kiss those chubby cheeks. I still can't tell them apart in the pictures. I'll see how well I do after spending some time with them. My sister and I will fly out the next morning and arrive in Hawaii at 2:30 in the afternoon their time. A nine hour non-stop flight. What will I do to keep myself busy! 

 

I don't know if I will have time to post next week before I leave. If not I will try to post something the weekend of the 23rd when I get back. It won't be any vacation pictures because I think I am going to be too exhausted from the time change when I get back to upload images. I do have some neat watercolor technique cards ready to post that I would like to share with you.

 

~Have fun and enjoy!

From the heart

 

Here is another example how your designer paper can really be a focal part of your image. I stamped the foliage and bird cages (which is all one stamp) directly onto the designer paper so it actually looks like they were a design on the designer paper. Then I stamped the birds. The stamps are from KaiserCraft called Clear Hummingbird. I stamped them in SU Midnight Muse one of my new favorite colors. The sentiment is from Hero Arts. It was one of four in a box called From the Heart Greetings. I have two other sets that are the same four per box and the sentiments are small enough to fit almost anywhere. I like them because they work so well with punches. The punches used on this card are from SU- Decorative Label and Designer Label.

I used remnants from some silver trim stickers to look like chains on the cages. I also used the same over the top of the lace below.

 

My computer is giving me fits today. I have tried to post three times already so I am going to keep it short in hopes that I can it posted this time around. I have a special treat coming up in my next post. I have been working on another altered book. It is nothing like I have created before and I am sure you will all really enjoy this one. With that I am not going to say any more and you will just have to check back next week. I promise, you won't be disappointed.

 

~Have fun and enjoy!



Altered Keys

 

 

I have a thing for keys. I love to use them in my altered art whether they are old or new. My favorites are the skeleton keys but I have not been lucky enough to find many of them. I had seen some altered keys on Pinterest last year and I decided to make some of my own. My favorites are the three that have faces and wings on them. The one on the top right I used a mustache to look like wings. I used gems, rhinestones and very small bottle caps to glitz them up. If you click on the image you can get a closer look.

 

I thought I was excited about my trip to Hawaii but after 5 inches of new snow, I am beyond ecstatic. It still doesn't seem real because it was such a spur of the moment trip. I always imagined a trip like this taking a lot of planning. Several people have told me that the best trips are the ones that aren't planned- I hope they are right. I didn't think I would go to Florida this year because of the cost of the Hawaii trip but my friend was disappointed I wasn't coming and my DH said the Florida trip doesn't cost that much so I should do both. It didn't take me long to start planning the Florida trip and I even found a flight that is cheaper than last year.  I have to admit I was really torn about the Hawaii trip after thinking I was going to miss spending time with my pal in Florida. As I said before, being in Florida is such a relaxing trip and I come back ready for anything. It is going to be a very wild spring.

~Have fun and enjoy!

 

Some old fashioned Valentine's

 I wanted these Valentine"s Day cards to look old fashioned like the die cuts. I started with pre-made cards from Studio G. that I got in the $1 bin at JoAnn's. They had several different designs and shapes in pink and white. These are all the same color pink but I photo shopped each of them individually and I didn't have the same setting for the saturation and contrast- something I need to remember when doing multiple images. They are actually a lighter shade of SU's Melon Mambo like the last card of the little boy. I stamped the Stampendous Carte Postale stamp in brown as a background. Then I rubbed distress ink around the outside edge. The cards already had a 1/8th embossed frame and down in the lower left corner there are some swirls which can be seen better in the pictures below. To highlight the frame even more, I dry brushed some acrylic cream paint over it.

The Valentine die cuts are from K & Company and I distress these a bit also with Vintage Photo distressed ink. The hearts were cut from Prima's 6x6  Botanical collection with the Scallop Hearts Spellbinders die. The sentiment is a Studio G.

 

 

My sister called me at work this week, which she very rarely does, and the first thing I thought was something was wrong with my dad. She asked me if I wanted to go to Hawaii with her. It took me a minute to realize what she had said since I was expecting the worst about my dad. Once I got it together, my head was spinning with excitement. Someone on her husband's side of the family has a place on Oahu that offered it to her for her son's spring break. Her hubby can't go because he has too much work and then her crazy son didn't want to go, so she said let's not pass up this opportunity and make it a "Sister Trip". We fly out on March 10 until the 21st. Now I just have to get past the guilt of not taking the rest of my family. As much as we would have loved to stay the entire 2 weeks, we thought we would need some time to rest up from the jet lag before we went back to work. We have never been on a sister trip before so this will be exciting. We both love to do the same things and we both like the sun and water. I can hardly wait, but it looks like I will have to pass up my Florida trip this year which makes me a little sad. I have such a great time with my friend Carol and it is so relaxing and peaceful at her place in Cape Coral. But since I didn't win the lotto I can't do both. Decisions decisions!

 

~Have fun and enjoy!

Not what I had envisioned

 

This card is a bit different than what I had in mind. I knew I wanted to use this image but after I stamped it on regular card stock I pushed it aside. I think it would have turned out better had I used glossy paper. None the less I picked it back up and decided to use it. Sometimes things have a way of evolving into something totaly different than what we envisioned. I stamped the Hampton Arts image of the girl in SU Midnight Muse. I layered the stamped panel onto gold brushed card stock. The DS paper is from Prima's Botanical Garden. It is very faint but on the left side of the DS paper I stamped a vine by Impression Obsession. There wasn't a name on the package of this cling stamp but it is an individual stamp that is about 1"x5". I stamped the vine onto a piece of scrap paper first and then I re-stamped it without inking it up again. This gave me the faint image I was looking for. I layered this on SU Not Quit Navy card stock. The gold flourishes are from Jolee's Boutique called Leaf Flourishes. The seam binding is Claret Brown which looks more like a gold. The sentiment is from SU Loving Thoughts which was layered onto a brushed gold scallop oval from the SU punch.  

 

 

 I know a lot of you will be involved with crafting in some sort of way; either creating or surfing the web today as it is such a big day for the men in our lives. Superbowl Sunday- I can hardly wait. Darn those Packers. Had they won, I would have had the house all to myself this weekend. The DH isn't as into the game as he would have been had his beloved cheese heads been there. It really doesn't matter because I can still enjoy a day in my studio whether I am home alone or not. I plan to spend the whole day there warm and cozy in my PJs - A crafter's heaven. Just have to find some chocolate.

~Have fun and enjoy!