Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Minibook Page-WORK

jan page2 w border

Continuing my participation in SplitCoast Stampers challenge for monthly Bible verse projects, having joined in April, I had some back-working to do. I chose to put my verses in a minibook, with a page for each verse. I have just completed my January page with one of my favorite verses about doing everything with excellence.

This is my first attempt at a minibook, and it is really fun. It is fairly quick to complete a page. For the theme of this verse, I wanted to use some metallic techniques with a bit of a steampunk theme. I started with a technique posted by May Flaum (learned from Tim Holtz at Ranger U). She did a lot of sanding away of the alcohol ink after applying, but I opted to leave the heavy colors of the alcohol ink.. First, I cut metal foil tape into “puzzle” pieces, stuck them down to completely cover the blank #8 manila tag, and then used various tools to imprint the area of each seam. I then used three alcohol ink colors: Slate, Stream, and Terra Cotta. After drying, I stamped random background images with Archival Ink. Then I dry embossed the whole tag in the steampunk texture fade. I used papers from Graphic 45 and embellished with lots of metal from Tim Holtz.

Here is a close-up of the tag itself:

heavymetal2 w border

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Color and Beauty

color4 w border

I recently remarked to my husband about an observation I have made about myself. More and more I am loving COLOR. Well, I’ve always loved color, but my preference is leaning more and more toward bright and vibrant colors. I think that is one reason I was so “taken” with the new Distress Ink color “Peacock Feathers.” In fact, I was in that frame of mind (loving color vibrancy) when I happened upon the current challenge at the Frilly and Funkie Challenge Blog. It is a “photo inspiration challenge,” which, as I understand it, means you create a project inspired by a photograph they post. I love that idea. This is the photo:

The first thing I thought of when I saw the beautiful photo is how incredibly beautiful are the colors of God’s creation. How could man ever possibly create something so wonderfully perfect as the natural colors present all around us. So, I was inspired to do a project about just that: the beauty of color.

I am also entering this as my second entry into the Compendium of Curiosities 2 Challenge at Linda Ledbetter’s Studio L3, as she has extended the tissue paper flower technique challenge for another week. Her challenge is sponsored by the Funkie Junkie Boutique and is based on the technique outlined on page of Tim’s book, Volume II.

To create this tag, I dry embossed a #8 manila tag in my Vagabond, using one of Tim’s texture fades. I inked it with Peacock Feathers and Mustard Seed Distress Inks. The tissue paper flowers were made from Tim Holtz’s Terminology tissue paper, inked several times with Peacock Feathers and Mustard Seed. The box of crayons is a stamp in the abc Primer set from Graphic 45. I used Distress Reinkers and a water brush to water color the stamp after cutting it out of watercolor paper. I inked the edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. The seam binding was inked with Peacock Feathers and Vintage Photo. The little ticket is also a stamp from G45 abc Primer. It was watercolored and touched up with Glossy Accents.

I love that the Frilly and Funkie challenge gave me a fresh reason to be inspired by the beauty of color.

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Cover for Minibook-Tissue Paper Flower (CofCC2 #10)

iphone4cropped to use w border.jpg

This week’s featured technique in Linda Ledbetter’s Studio L3 Compendium of Curiosities 2 Challenge is Tissue Paper Flowers, details to be found on p 37 of Tim Holtz’s book (CofC Volume II). This week’s challenge is sponsored by The Funkie Junkie Boutique.

Wanting a flower with some color, I used alcohol ink to color the tissue paper. You will never guess the colors I used, because the outcome was totally unpredictable: Butterscotch, Eggplant and Terra Cotta, about the same amount of each, with a bit of Blending Solution along the way. The resulting color made me think of a couple of items in a prize package I had just received—sure enough, the rusted bookplate and rusted skeleton keys were a perfect match for the surprise-color flower. Of course, Vintage Photo Distress Ink was an obvious choice for coloring the seam binding for the ribbon at the top of the tag slipped behind the bookplate.

For the papers, I pulled from Graphic 45 8x8 stacks: Olde Curiosity Shoppe and A Proper Gentleman.

The letters for the title were cut from Tim Holtz’s Once Upon a Time, using the Vagabond and some of the papers I used on the background. I covered each letter with Glossy Accents to add more dimension.

As I have been posting, I am creating my first minibook, each page being a Scripture verse for each month of the year, for 2012. This “page” will be the cover for the book.

Friday, June 15, 2012

Mother Sew Dear

“Mother Sew Dear” is the title of one of the Precious Moments figurines, and I always think of my mother when I see that one. As I’ve mentioned here before, she was quite the seamstress. She still has her Singer sewing machine, though she doesn’t use it now.

Multi-media art is very new to me. I am terribly inexperienced, but I do enjoy my attempts. Recently I decided to “tackle” a canvas—sometimes there are too many elements for a tag! So, I used an 8x10 stretched canvas as the platform for a sewing theme project to take to Mother soon, hoping it will cheer her, in her illness.

IMG_2055 auto correct w watermark.jpg

First, I covered the canvas with gesso. I painted the edges of the frame with Making Memories Cranberry acrylic paint. Then I covered the canvas with Studio matte medium and laid an actual pattern down, scrunching it up to make wrinkles.

Then I stamped a couple of sewing theme impressions onto pattern material (using Ranger Archival Cobalt), gently tore the edges around the images, and used medium to apply them. I liked the look of the multi-thickness of the pattern pieces, and so then tore strips of pattern and glued them down all over, as a collage. (Thanks to Marjie Kemper for sending me some authentic patterns to work with!) Probably the greatest challenge of the entire project was trimming the excess pattern material from the edges. I’m NOT a good cutter!

For the focal point of the canvas, I used a tag that I had made a few weeks ago, swapping out the flowers from the original tag (I was never happy with them). I added a flower from my stash, and I love the Wendy Vecchi sewing machine element. Thinking of the sewing notions Mother always had on hand, I added some measuring tape, buttons and ric-rac.

One of my favorite passages of Scripture is Proverbs 31, and the description of the “virtuous woman” in that reference well describes my mother. So, I pulled a portion of that reference that is relevant to sewing.

sewing canvas side view w watermark.jpg 

So, Mother, if you’re reading this, we’ll have to find a place to display this, next time I visit!

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Minibook Page-Apothecary Theme

Joyful Heart minibook page w border.jpg

Long before Reader’s Digest included “Laughter is the Best Medicine” as a segment in their publication, the wisdom of this adage could be found within the pages of the Old Testament (the likely source of this age-old “proverb”).

I was recently reminded of this truth. While we are usually sentimental with our cards, my birthday card from my son’s family this year was hilarious. Inside, he wrote, “Laughter sometimes really is the best medicine.”

It was fun to use this theme for one of the pages in my minibook that will eventually be a scripture for each month of 2012. I started with paper from Graphic 45 Olde Curiosity Shoppe and used some coordinating chipboard pieces and rubber stamps from the same line. The metal knob attached to the medicine cabinet door is also from Graphic 45.

It’s difficult to tell dimension from a photo, but the frame of the medicine cabinet, as well as the medicine bottle, are lifted from the page with foam tape.

The accent color happens to match my current favorite TH Distress Ink (Peacock feathers), so I used that to dye the trim. For the pills in the corked vial, I colored some glass beads with Stream Alcohol Ink. I finished off with some lace and ribbon trim.

My husband thinks a project depicting the last part of the verse might be interesting as well. However, I’m not that much into Halloween-looking projects (LOL)!

The complete verse:

A joyful heart is good medicine,

But a broken spirit dries up the bones.

-Proverbs 17:22 (NASB)

Monday, June 11, 2012

Art Journal Page – Soar

soar 2 w border.jpg

Taking inspiration again from Andrea Walford, I created this spread for my moleskin inspiration journal.

  • Masking tape in seam
  • Gesso
  • Tim Holtz Terminology Tissue Paper over all
  • Broken China Distress Stain over all
  • Paints: Claudine Hellmuth Studio Classic Teal and Sky Blue
  • Dylusions Spray Fresh Lime
  • Crafter’s Workshop stencil, used with stencil and with Golden Molding Paste
  • Tim Holtz Stamps
  • Birds, cut from cereal box, on Cricut, covered with TH tissue tape, gessoed and painted with CH Classic Teal, stamped with TH stamp, sprayed with Perfect Pearls

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Art Journal-Pan Pastels with Stencil

hope is a thing with feathers

I’m starting to zero in on things I do and do not like for my own art journals. After some of my attempts lately, I was actually ready to give up…

I have learned that I do not like the messy, drippy style that others can handle so beautifully. I also have decided I prefer the journals that are bound, and I have started a large moleskine sketchbook for my “real” art journal. I am using the Canson (used here) as a “practice” journal.

Having been really discouraged when trying to use spray inks with stencils, it was encouraging to learn that I could use Pan Pastels with stencils and achieve a soft, clean look that I like (this one is from The Crafter’s Workshop).

Friday, June 8, 2012

Compendium of Curiosities 2 Challenge – Technique #9: Time

pocket watch 2 w border.jpg

This week’s Compendium of Curiosities 2 Challenge at Linda’s Studio L3 involves the use of Tim’s pocket watch and the technique he outlines on page 35 of his CofC2 book. This week’s challenge is sponsored by Simon Says Stamp.

I opted not to get terribly creative with this one. I will use it in a project, maybe even a scrapbook page, but will go ahead and post the watch project itself at this point. This project begins with an empty watch case.

This is a subject that has been on my mind a lot lately—with the high school graduation of my two granddaughters and some other life happenings, I’ve just become more acutely aware of the passing of time, and of the accompanying memories.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Minibook Page – Lovely Thoughts

lovely minibook page w border.jpg

Still working backwards in my Verse of the Month Minibook, here is my page for March. The kraft glassine envelope contains a minitag with a personal journaling note. Since I used kraft and twine on this project, I will participate in the Frilly and Funkie blog challenge. I will also submit it in the SplitCoast Stampers Bible Verse Challenge for 2012.

The kraft glassine is from Tim Holtz. The paper is a stack from My Mind’s Eye, Lost and Found Two: Sunshine. The verse is computer-generated.

This is one of my favorite verses, but for me it represents a challenge—controlling my thoughts to such an extent that there is not room for other than these virtuous thoughts—yep, that’s a challenge for me! But, I’ve no doubt the rewards would be great if I could “think on these things” as much as possible.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Minibook Page-JOY

Ps 16-11 minibook page w border.jpg

I am participating in a faith-based challenge at Splitcoast Stampers, submitting a project with a Scripture verse for each month. I am doing a minibook (my first), with a “page” for each month. I got started late, so have submitted April and May so far. This is my June entry. I found this verse yesterday morning, and I love it. The entire passage [emphasis mine]:

You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. Psalm 16:11 (NIV)

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

12 Tags of 2012 – June: Tinting Old Photo

June tag-tinting old photo w border.jpg

Though I’m not totally thrilled with my finished product, I do love anything that has to do with old photos. For such projects, I will always opt to use my own pictures. Through the years, I can imagine grandchildren asking, “Who is that?” and I don’t want the answer to be, “I got that picture from the internet—I don’t have a clue.” But then, when I create a project, I almost always am thinking about who will view it in years to come (truth is, no one may ever see it, but it makes me feel better to think that way, anyway)! Besides, I have SO MANY old photos, and I love them all, so why not use them in special projects!

This particular photo is one of my favorites. The twins in the old “wagon” or “stroller” are my mother and her twin sister (now 84). Their older sister, pulling the wagon, was 12 when they were born. The 28 represents the year the picture was taken. They were born in January 1928, and I believe they are less than a year old in this picture, so I’m relatively certain on the date of the photo.

The metal number 2 symbolizes the twins (of course).

I followed many of the suggestions on Tim Holtz’s blog. I used Bundled Sage and Broken China for the main colors for the tag and trimmings.

PS (Note added 6/6): My mother and her twin have enjoyed discussing and remembering this photo. Mother’s twin remembers that it was actually a lawn mower, not a wagon or stroller. She remembers that you could flip over the mower and the blades would not turn.

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Compendium of Curiosities 2-Technique #8

packaging flowersb w border.jpg

This is my entry in the CC2 Challenge at Linda Ledbetter’s blog. This week we are using the technique that Tim teaches in his book, on page 62. It was really fun to “repurpose” the packaging from one of my dies. Now I have to start saving plastic packaging!

I first embossed the tag with one of the book plate texture fades, inked it, and then attached a sentiment that was stamped with Black Archival on natural sticky-back canvas (idea from Tammy Tutterow). I inked the edges of the canvas and the tag with Vintage Photo. Colors used on the tag: Ripe Persimmon and Wild Honey Distress Inks and Sunflower Sparkle and Mandarin Perfect Pearls. The seam binding was colored with Dylusions Spray (Squeezed Orange).

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Oldest Granddaughter Graduates

   IMG_1901

What an emotional time of year for our family! My husband, an old softie for sure, wasn’t sure he would make it through TWO granddaughters graduating from high school!

Tory’s parents had a very nice snack buffet for Tory at their home, with lots of her favorite foods, including sushi (me, not so much).

  IMG_1908

IMG_1970

At the conclusion of the gift-opening, Tory’s dad had some emotional things to say. So sweet—and so true, the observations he made about her delightful personality and her dedication and desire to follow God!

IMG_1977  Tory’s Aunt Sharida and Cousin Dawson came from southwest Missouri to attend the party!

IMG_1991

During the processional, I got a great photo! (How sweet, she remembered to wear her new pearl earrings from Mamo and Grandad!)

IMG_2002

Tory’s brother’s choir, A Capella Choir, sang the National Anthem.

Tory getting diploma 2

After the ceremony, it was beginning to get dark, but family groupings were absolutely necessary.IMG_2045IMG_2046IMG_2049

 

IMG_2054

Congratulations, Tory.

We love you and are so proud of you!