Sunday, December 15, 2013

Something Old/Something New

A new challenge just went up over at Oozak which is to come up with a card, project, artwork etc. which represents something old/something new.  You may interpret this as you see fit; old supplies mixed with new supplies, past techniques mixed with new techniques, it's all good.  I've chosen to take an old tin and turn it into a new storage container.  I had a before picture and I accidentally deleted it from the camera thinking I had already loaded it on my computer.  Well I thought it was quite awful but you'll have to take my word for it.

  The first thing I did was gave the entire tin a coat of paint that is made for metal.  Usually I would have done this with spray paint, but it's way too cold here these days to use it.  I haven't yet dared to use spray paint in the house.  After giving the tin two coats of white paint, I mixed a bit of Golden Fluid Acrylic in Teal with the white paint and gave the top and inner tin 3 coats of this.
Memory Box Die, Chloe always looks so fun to me so I cut up about 4 of the dies, colored them with Copics and topped it off with a coating of Ranger Glossy Accents.  The dp is by Penny Black and I used a coat of Golden Soft Gel Gloss to adhere the paper to the tin.  I'll be keeping some little note pads in the box:
Thanks for stopping by today and hope to see you over at Oozak. :0)

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Winter Fun

*Celebration* is the challenge over at Oozak Blog, and the DT has come up with many different interpretations for this theme.  Join us with your *celebration* project and a chance at winning a prize!  The month of December brings coziness to mind for me and so I'm hoping my project reflects this.  The house is an altered stamp design from House of Gilli; love this little house stamp.

First step of the project was a coat of Gesso on a mini canvas and after giving this some time to dry I swiped some colors of Golden Fluid Acrylics across the canvas.
I ran my Memory Box Die, frosty border, through the die cut several times as I used various paper and cutouts from this die.  Using a Deep Red background stamp, crochet, I stamped over areas of the canvas with Golden Acrylic in white.  I held the canvas backing with one hand so I could get an impression; I tried with the canvas on the table and it was difficult to make contact that way.  When I had all the cutouts laid out how I wanted them, I glued them in place with Golden Medium in gloss, and then spread a coat of it over the entire canvas.  While it was still wet I added some glitter to the trees and Memory Box Dies.

Take some time from your busy holiday schedule to create your idea of celebration and join us over at Oozak Blog!  Thanks so much for stopping by!  :0)

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Holly Jolly Holiday

Hey, hope you're having a relaxing, fun-filled weekend.  The theme for the latest challenge at Oozak is Holiday ~ yay ~ now you can get another card finished and have an opportunity at winning a prize!  Come on over and join us.  :0)
The ornament dies are by Memory Box and I heat embossed the pattern using Hero Arts ~ Snowflake Borders Stamp.  It's difficult to see with this photo but I did shade the ornaments with Copic markers to give the ornament some dimension.  I then gave the ornaments a coating of Ranger Glossy Accents.  The design paper is by Bo Bunny from 2 or 3 years ago.  Looking forward to seeing your holiday creation!

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Giving Thanks

There's still time to submit your card for the Thanks/Thank You/Giving Thanks Challenge at Oozak!  I've used  a cute and versatile die from die-namites.
I ran the die cut through a few times with different papers; used clear embossing powder to give it a little shine, and added Stickles to the butterfly for a little sparkle.  Hope you stop by Oozak this week!  :0)

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Rose Watercolor

I've recently started watercolor painting again.  Although it's a challenge, it's the medium I love most.  Here's a rose I painted on Arches cold press:
The photo was taken with my old camera; didn't realize how much I like my new camera until I saw the photos I'd just taken.  Thanks for stopping by ~ Be creative.  :0)

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Friendship Card

Make a card for a friend; that's our theme over at Oozak!  You're welcome to come and join us and you'll get a chance at winning a prize.  My card was made using a Cottage Cutz die and dp by Penny Black.
I made a cut-out for a backing of the die so I could glue the different dp to it.  I added a little shading to the center with Copic markers because I wanted the butterfly to lay flat on the card, but wanted it to have some dimension.  Although the antenna looks a strange white color in the photo, in real life it's glittery with stickles.  Next time I'll color  stickle area with Copics first because I don't remember it photographing like this when it's over a colored area.  That's it for now; thanks for stopping by and hope you'll join us.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Operation Write Home Blog Hop!



Hello ~ Thank you so much for stopping by today!

          Several Design Teams have come together with the hope of inspiring you to join us in doing a good deed! As you all know, men and women from our armed forces are deployed all over the world.  Sometimes these men and women are in places that make it very difficult to pick up a sweet card to send a quick note home.  Fortunately they have Operation Write Home (OWH); a non-profit organization that sends special boxes filled with cards to soldiers all over the world.  How can you help OWH keep the good deed going?  By making cards!!! Yes! OWH angels receive tons of handmade cards from crafters all over the world, which they check, organize and send out to our soldiers.
          We would love for you to join us in helping OWH, and thought it would be fun to do a blog hop to inspire you! Design Teams from Paper Temptress, Oozak and Color me Creative  have joined together in one amazing Card Drive HOP.  You can join in the fun by making a project (following OWH – size and safety guidelines), entering a picture of the project on the hop inlinkz (One project linked per person please) then mailing the project to us. We would loooove it if you could send as many cards as you can by November 7th (we will screen them and send all of them to OWH) . You could win super prizes from our  amazing and generous sponsors!!!! You do a good deed and you also can win a sweet gift!!!
Thank you to our sponsors:
♥♥♥
I'll be making more cards this month for OWH, but wanted to start out with a card designed for a child.  Sweet Pea Stamps has so many darling images and I chose to use Concetta Kilmer's Giraffes in Wonderland digi:
I used Cryogen White for the digi and framed it with a beautiful pearl like paper called Starburst Lichen Glimmer from Paper Temptress
I used paper piecing so as to give the card more dimension and fun without adding too much bulk.

♥♥♥
It’s time to HOP around ~ feel free to leave a little note as you pass through the designers’ blogs!  Don’t forget to add your project to the inlinkz at the end of the Hop where you'll also find the address to mail your cards. Hop is open throughout the month of October ~ so you'll have plenty of time for designing your cards.  Thanks  :0)
Blog Hop list directory

Anary
SandyAllnock
Patricia St Martin
Steph Ackerman
Ann Fran * you're here* 
Dana Joy
Anita Autore
Danni Bindel
Lynne Haston
Monica Lowrance
Suzanne J Dean
Linda Payne
Amanda Reed

Nancy Jensen
Cathy Preissing
Vickie Kertz
Holley Barnhart
Karen Gautier
Samantha Casey
Christine Riley
Melanie
Jacquie Heffner/Paper Temptress

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Memory Box Dies

          Have you had a look at the selection of Memory Box dies lately?  They have such a wonderful assortment that it's hard for me to look through without purchasing more than I should.   For my recent card I used the Chloe Stem I love its whimsical look:
          A cute Bo Bunny paper pad had just the colors I had in mind for this simple card.  If you 're interested in winning some fun prizes; head on over to Oozak Blog to learn how.  :0)  The current challenge is Anything Goes ~ can't beat that!  Thanks for stopping by and be sure to stop back tomorrow for an OWH blog hop!

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Autumn Owl

       Hi ~ I have another fun fall themed challenge for you and this one is over at Oozak! I've made a mixed media project for this challenge.  I painted the background in watercolors and then added some tissue paper to the tree and fiber paper to the owl.  After waiting for this to dry I coated it with Golden Acrylic Medium.
      I painted the owl, leaves and swirls using Golden Fluid Acrylics.  While the paint on the tree was still wet I impressed it with a stamp.  To sharpen up some of the details I went along some of the edges of my drawing with a Faber-Castell Pitt Big Brush.  Thanks for stopping by today and hope to see you over at Oozak. :0)


Pumpkin Season

     Where I live, Fall Season brings to mind pumpkins, red/orange/yellow leaves, Halloween, Thanksgiving........what is Fall like where you live?  The theme over at House of Gilli is Fall and we'd love to have you join the challenge.  I colored up Balloon Gilli with Copics for the challenge, and gave her pumpkins to celebrate Autumn.
     I think she's a darling stamp, and I gave her a plaid skirt because this also reminds me of autumn.  Looking forward to seeing your projects at House of Gilli. :0)

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Twinkling H20's

Watercolor has always been one of my favorite mediums so I was surprised the first time I used Twinkling H2Os, and was less than thrilled with the results.  .....and then I took a class in using these fun, shimmering paints with Dion Dior ~ I not only love these now but have expanded my supply.  :0)  Here's Lesson 1 of 5 which I completed for Mastering Twinkling H20s I; so fun, I'm going to get started on the next lesson now..........
Thanks for stopping by.  :-)

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

There Must be Cake!

Hello and Happy September!  A new challenge is posted over at Oozak ~ make a project using a die cut.   I made a card using Uptown Girl Ava stamp which I colored with Copic markers.
I paper-pieced her skirt with Echo Park and this is also the dp used for the background.  The cake has little drops of Liquid Pearl to make the cake look yummy :0) .   The bow dies are my new ornament die; I gave them quick trim so I could use it for this project.  I knew when I bought this that I wanted to use this die for Christma,s but that I also loved the whimsical bows so would get even further use from it.  
Looking forward to seeing you over at Oozak and seeing your creative projects using your dies!  Thanks so much for stopping by.  :-)



Monday, August 19, 2013

Colors of the Sea

          The challenge over at Oozak is to use the below photo inspiration to design a project based on these colors.
So many beautiful colors to inspire you!  I've made a mixed media project and used one of my newest stencils by Judikins called Nouveu Fern,



....... Golden Gel Medium to fill the stencil along with Golden Glass Bead Gel.














My favorite markers Copics were used to color this Michelle Perkett digi image.....










......... Memory Box Fresh Foliage Die.














.....and several beautiful paints from Golden Fluid Acrylics.  Hope you'll join us for the Challenge!  Thanks so much for stopping by.  :0)

Saturday, August 3, 2013

Humor Us

     If you like making fun, humorous projects, we have the perfect challenge for your over at Oozak!  Create a card or any other project that you think is funny, and post it over at Oozak.  There's an additional chance to win a prize if you post about one of the Oozak products the design team has linked.  All you need to do is mention which craft product  linked is your favorite product to use, and you'll be entered to win a $10 Oozak gift certificate, eeeeee fun stuff!  I've always been a fan of Oozak shopping long before I was a member of the dt because of the wide variety of products, great prices and fabulous customer service.  (No one told me to say this, it's my personal experience.)

     For this challenge I made a wall hanging using an old frame I found in my supply of stuff that had been tossed in the basement.  Does anybody else have this type of supply store in their house?
     The wood was a very light natural color so I gave it three coats of Golden fluid acrylic and it came out with a beautiful, semi-gloss finish.  I think it's a little easier to see here:
     My paper is Echo Park ~ So Happy and I added  Ranger Stickles in Star Dust to random stripes on the paper, as well as to the sentiment, just because I like glitter!  I used my very favorite Copic X-Press It tape to adhere all the decorative papers together.  I hope you'll join us and thanks so much for stopping by.  :0)

Friday, July 19, 2013

Party Favor Boxes

     A year or two ago I picked up some little party favor boxes on clearance at Michael's.  I recently pulled them out to deck them out a bit with some pretty paper and glitter.  I used Penny Black paper and also Echo Park paper for the boxes.  I coated the paper with Mod Podge which makes the box feel more substantial:
     I also adhered the twine around the lid with the Mod Podge; it sets very quickly with this.  The letters were cut with my Cameo and after coating with Mod Podge,  Stickles Glitter was sprinkled on the letters.  The paper cutouts on the side of the lid tops was punched then embossed which leads me to the challenge over at Oozak Challenge Blog which is to add some texture to your project.  Any texture you desire ~ hope to see you there!  :0)

Monday, July 1, 2013

Happy July Everyone!

     Originally I was going to make a card using design paper and basic card supplies, but I can't seem to get mixed media out of my head.  So there's layers of watercolors and acrylics instead of dp.  :) I started out with a digi design by Tiddlyinks and colored the image with Copic markers    Then I decided I wanted to incorporate some twine into the scene, so I gave the flowers a whimsical center using it.

     I made the little flower centers by punching a circle, sticking a glue dot to it, then winding the twine right onto this, and the petals were made by coloring with Copics and coating them with Star Dust Stickles.

     It's a bit easier to see the glitter in this picture; sprinkled onto the paint/gel medium combination.  The lollipop is coated with Glossy Accents.  The challenge at *Oozak's Blog* is a card/project with a girlie theme.  Hope you'll join us; thanks for stopping by!

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Sweet Treats

          I love sweets, especially when the treat is something pretty like cupcakes or beautifully decorated cakes, pastel meringues.....I have a pinterest board that I dedicate to all of my finds in this category.  :) My project today is my first attempt at a cupcake treat using mixed media.  The Challenge over at Oozak is to include a sentiment in your project ~ easy stuff.  I coated the word *sweet* with Stickles in Star Dust after painting the letters which were cut using my Cameo.
          I painted the base with watercolors and added the chevron stripes using Golden Fluid Acrylic in Titanium White and a stencil/template which can be found here.  The border with the little polka dots is Washi Tape; a product that I've  started collecting only in the last few months, so handy and so many pretty patterns/colors.








The sprinkles on the cupcake are Liquid Pearls and the butterflies were coated with Stickles in Crystal.














          Stop on over to Oozak to join our challenge and a chance to win a fabulous prize. Have a relaxing weekend and thanks for stopping by.  :)  

Saturday, June 1, 2013

Stars, Stripes and Blue!

     I'm really excited to be on the Oozak DT!   Oozak sells a wide variety of products for stamping, card making, mixed media, all kinds of crafting and art, and also has great prices and exceptional service.  The challenge over on the Oozak blog is to create a project which includes stars, stripes and the color blue.  You can find all the details as well as some inspiring ideas here: Oozak Blog.  
     I began my project with a couple of star shapes, cut out a little arc on some sturdy scrap paper, and used this to draw lines for the stripes on the star.  I began painting and realized I didn't count the spaces before beginning painting and wouldn't be able to have an equal number of all three colors, lol.  So, I erased a few lines and it was all good, maybe better planning next time?  maybe not.  I used beautiful, vibrant acrylic paints Golden Fluid Acrylics  the specific colors are Pyrrole RedUltramarine BlueTitanium White for highlights, and Carbon Black for shading.



After painting the star I attached a slightly larger star to the back, and gave the border a coating of Stickles in Stardust.  For the flourish, I used a die cut but instead of using the cut-out, I used the template of the die.  I placed the template where I wanted it, and then swiped Golden Gel Medium tinted with the blue paint, over the entire flourish.  After I smoothed this out I sprinkled it with Stickles Fine Glitter in Stardust.  After I glittered I carefully pulled off the template.  

To make the splattered background, I added some Golden Acrylic Glazing Liquid Satin to the paint, and then just spattered away!  The little stars were made using a punch.

Oozak always has a terrific prize for the challenge winner ~ I do hope you'll stop by to join the Challenge!  


Friday, May 17, 2013

House of Gilli Challenge ~ Favorite Color Combo

     The latest challenge up at House of Gilli is to make a project using your favorite color combination.  I had a hard time choosing, so went with a variety of colors, love them all.
     This is PJ Gilli and I made a little robe for her and colored her with Copics.  I gave this card to my Mom for Mother's Day.  I was fortunate enough to be able to have lunch with my parent's this week; just a couple days after Mother's Day.  Here's a pic of them:
     It's always wonderful to spend time with them; they're in their 80's and stay very active.  They live a  couple hundred miles away from me so I don't see them as often as I'd like.  For a gift I gave my Mom a summer pink robe, much like on the Gilli card.  It's fun to coordinate the card with the gift when I'm able to do this.
     I hope all of you out in blog land are able to carve out some time to be creative.  We'd love you to join our challenge over at H.O.G..  Thanks for stopping by today.  :)

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Happy Spring

Inspired by a pinterest cake design, I made an Easter/Spring cake.  It took waaaaay more frosting than I thought I needed; next time I would plan with this in mind.  I don't make cakes very often and decorate them even less, so this one here is a bit of a practice one.  The frosting should have been a more creamy, but honestly, by the time I noticed this, I didn't care enough to remove the frosting from the decorating bags and begin again, lol.  Have a good weekend, thanks for stopping in.  :)

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Little Ballerina

This week I decorated a canvas for the House of Gilli Challenge:  Flowers and Ribbon. The canvas I used are the cute mini ones, and I purchased a package of them at Michael's.  First, I stamped Lady Gilli's head and then sketched a ballerina pose for the body.
One of my niece's had a birthday last week so I  created this for her since she's a wonderful dancer.  I colored the image with Copics, paper-pieced the top and used sheer ribbon for the tutu.  Also added to her outfit are sequins and crystals.
I hope you join us at House of Gilli with your flowers or ribbon project.  Thanks for stopping by today.  :)

Monday, February 25, 2013

May Every Day Be Magical

Happy Birthday to my Mom!

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Butterflies and Pastels

Our latest challenge over at House of Gilli.  I made a couple of note cards using the Gilli accessory butterfly stamp.

The little butterflies were colored with Copic Markers.
Come join us at House of Gilli, and bring your butterflies.  Can be butterfly paper, stamps, die cuts...you name it...have fun!

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hope you all have a beautiful day!  

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Challenge 49 ~ House of Gilli

We're back with a new challenge at House of Gilli!  Anything Goes with Pink and Bling and I've inked up Strolling Gilli to share with you.
I've paper-pieced Gilli's outfit and shaded it with Copics, and the remainder of her I colored with Copics.  The punch I used is MS, and I added lace along the bottom edge.
The bling on my card is Swarovski flatback crystals.  I love the little crystals and was happy to be using them and not hording them......
She has a little bling on her handbag as well.  We'd love to see what you create with pink and bling; so come join us House of Gilli!  Thanks for stopping by!

I'm entering my card in the following challenges:
Make it Monday ~ Anything Goes
Allsorts Challenge ~ Dies and Punches

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Laundry Room Makeover

Inspired by the lovely pics on pinterest; I've started to organize my home.  I came upon one blog in particular that I absolutely love:  http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/.  This blog is filled with beautiful pictures and practical ideas for every room in the house.  The first room I tackled was my laundry room; I have no idea how it got to the state it was in before I cleaned it.  Kind of snuck up on me; that and I think I tried not to look up when I entered the room.    Before:
I made sure I shut the door when we had visitors, lest something should topple over on them.   Before:
So I cleared everything out of the room, and wiped down all the dust, and this is what I was left with:  During:
Our washer and dryer aren't matching, but they tend to last for different lengths of time, and I really wanted the cobalt colored washing machine so that's the way it is...mismatched or eclectic....   :)  I actually forced myself to wait until after I had completed up to this stage before I went in search of organizing bins, so I'd have a better idea of what I would need.  This was hard for me to to because I love shopping for organizers. Here's what I came up with:  After
So what do you think?  It's been much more appealing for me to get laundry done.  Thanks for stopping by! Ann  :)