Moments

This year, I post with a promise to craft more then disappear for several weeks. Truth is, my only excuse is too much screen time. But I broke away from the current events long enough to make this card using Simon's Monday challenge prompt, "We're Going Around in Circles."

It's simple enough, the paper is all Tim Holtz along with the foregound stamp (Tiny Prints). The flowers were accented with white Distress. A thin line of silver Stickles along with Nuvo Crystal Drops (Malted Milk) were used to accent the edge of the circle and I used a Small Talk sticker for text.

I felt I had to balance out the top of the circle somehow so I added a scrap of cheese cloth and a tiny Mirrored Star.

As always, I hope this post finds you well and happy and I appreciate your visit.

Until next time, take care.

Window Cat Times Three

I really like this stamp (Colorado Craft Company, New Day Windowsill), so I used it to make three more greeting cards that I'm sharing with you today.

The first one was cut-out after water coloring, placed on a stamped background (Tim Holtz Tiny Prints), and trimmed with Nuvo Crystal Drops and a Remnant Rub.

The next one was left on the watercolor paper (hot press), placed on a stamped background and trimmed out with lace and another Remnant Rub.

The final card (which is my favorite) was also cut-out and mounted as above. I tinted the tiny flowers in the background with white ink, distressed the edges with walnut ink and trimmed it with Nuvo Crystal Drops and a stamped greeting (from the set).

I tried to select sentiments that conveyed contemplative thoughts--human or feline.☺

As always, I hope this post finds you well and happy and I appreciate your visit.

Until next time, take care.

Big Bugs

I was put to the task of making a birthday card for my 13 year-old nephew. Not easy since most of my stamps/supplies are on the girly side. With all the "What is a Woman" stuff in the news recently, it seems funny to be even writing this. Sure hope no one's offended.

I did have a stamp set by Tim Holtz called Entomology that I haven't used much (purchased mainly for the script text included in the set) and thought, "boys like bugs!" So that was the starting point for this card.

The bugs were stamped, tinted and hand-cut then mounted on scrapbook paper. Strips of washi tape were applied along with a text sticker and a few dots, here and there, of copper Scribbles.

Well, I hope he likes it, I've not spent time with any boys this age and times are, as they say, a changing. ♫

As always, I hope this post finds you well and happy and I appreciate your visit.

Until next time, take care.

New Day?

It's been a long time since I've posted--I've had the time but lacked the inclination. Worry about the economy, the open border, high crime rates, etc., has dampened my creativity and I'm struggling to overcome it.

Maybe today will break the habit--a new day--and it's no coincidence that my post features a stamp set called New Day Windowsill by Colorado Craft Company.

I used watercolors and stamped a background (Tiny Prints by Tim Holtz).

Here's another version mounted on scrapbook paper (Asuka Studio).

It was fun to play around with different shades of green but I have a tendency to over-work the colors. Practice is the only way to overcome this.

I'm linking up to Simon's Monday challenge, this week it's Watercolor.

As always, I hope this post finds you well and happy and I appreciate your visit.

Until next time, take care.

Sensibility

The typewritten text from a favorite author was the inspiration for this tag made with an image transfer of a vintage photo, a scrap of Tissue Wrap and a Tim Holtz stamp (Mail Art).

As always, I hope this post finds you well and happy and I appreciate your visit.

Until next time, take care.

 

Madame Grès

As always, I'm constantly inspired by vintage images. This one is a gown by Madame Grès, a Paris fashion designer known as the queen of drapery.

After printing, I fussy-cut the outline and pasted it over various collage bits: The inside of a business envelope, Collage Paper and Paper Stash scraps. The text was cut from a book.

The tints came from inks, the edges were distressed and the figure outlined in black for dimension.

As always, I hope this post finds you well and happy and I appreciate your visit.

Until next time, take care.

Sweet Prize

Today I'm sharing a tag inspired by, of all things, a new craft mat! (Which can only be said by one seriously bonafide and confirmed craft-nerd who, perhaps, should get a life?)

I started with a piece of scrapbook paper (Epiphany by Prima) for the background then layered scraps of Idea-ology Tissue Wrap, washi tape and stenciled tissue paper along with a hand-cut vintage image.

It was tinted with Distress inks and stenciled texture paste (Dot Fade by Tim Holtz). The text is a Clipping Sticker.

My trusty 10+ year-old Ranger Inkssentials craft mat was getting harder to clean and I didn't realize just how shabby it had become until I got a new one.

I keep it mounted on an inexpensive canvas panel with double-sided Scotch tape on the inside edges and strips of packaging tape around the outside edges. The back side of the panel is coated with gel medium to protect it from wetness.

This one is 9" x 12" and I use it most often but also have a larger one (14" x 18") mounted in the same way when I need a bigger work surface.

As always, I hope this post finds you well and happy and I appreciate your visit.

Until next time, take care.

East Palestine

So much bad news lately, but the heart-breaking environmental catastrophe in East Palestine, Ohio, is truly hard to bare. I too, live close to a rail line and realize just how easily this could be me.

I am grateful to have crafting to distract me and provide an outlet for my feelings. If you like good writers, may I suggest this brief posting which describes the feelings around this event perfectly:

Smoke on the Water by Walter Kirn

My tag was made from an old Canadian watercolor postcard and the gents were cut from a vintage image. The tinting in the sky was enhanced with colored pencils and I added some typewriter text.

As always, I hope this post finds you well and happy and I appreciate your visit.

Until next time, take care.

A Bouquet of Kittens

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone--I'm making this spur of the moment post to share the Hallmark card my husband gave me this morning. I just think it is really great!

Our baby of almost 20-years passed away awhile back and we still really miss him. My husband always gave me two cards every year--one from him and one from the cat.

I don't know if a kitten will ever be in our future again so for now I'll just enjoy my bouquet.

Give a hug to the ones you love! Thanks for stopping by.

 

Howie 2001 - 2020

Kansas

Most times, my inspiration for tag-making starts with a vintage photo that speaks to me somehow. I'm never sure where I'll end up but usually that voice gives me an idea on how to proceed. This one said, "Dorothy, you're not in Kansas anymore."

It began as a vintage postcard that I trimmed and pasted to give it the standard tag dimensions. Then I applied an image transfer of the photo (technique here) and used thin washes of acrylic paint for color.

I knocked-back a portion of the postmark where it covered the dress with transparent white, used glitter on the corsage and shoes and added the appropriate text cut from a book page.

Most tags look better with a border, this one is washi-tape. Since it was too wide, I taped it to my cutting mat, used an X-Acto knife to cut smaller strips and (as is always the case) it was still sticky enough to be reapplied to the tag.

I'm linking up to Simon's Monday challenge, "Frame It."

As always, I hope this post finds you well and happy and I appreciate your visit.

Until next time, take care.

Valentine Love

My card-making friend, Thelma, always mails a large batch of her handmade Valentine's Day cards to Loveland, Colorado, each year, where they receive a special postmark before forwarding to the recipients.

A special poem is also stamped on the envelope--here is what was on mine this year:

Travel by train, by letter or card,

My love note will find you, wherever you are.

Via Sweetheart City my message departs

And speeds on its journey straight to your heart.

 

The card above is what I'll be sending to her. It's made with Idea-ology lace, Botanical collage paper, paper stash, a scrap of fabric and lots of Stickles and Nuvo Crystal Drops.

I'm linking up to Simon's Monday challenge, "Love is in the Air."

As always, I hope this post finds you well and happy and I appreciate your visit.

Until next time, take care.

 

Time Goes

After a month-long absence from posting, I bring you my first bit of crafting for the new year using an image inspired by, no surprise, how quickly time goes by.

After printing, I masked the child and clock then stamped (Hero Arts Succulent Bouquet) into the background using gray archival ink. For tinting, I used water-soluable oil pastels and a white Signo Uni-ball pen to highlight the dress lace.

I sanded some areas to give it a more distressed appearance and fussy-cut around the flowers before mounting on a piece of Paper Stash.

The text came from a song recorded in 1969 by Fairport Convention called "Who Knows Where The Time Goes." Here's a link if you'd like to take a listen.

As always, I hope this post finds you well and happy and I appreciate your visit.

Until next time, take care.