Gothic Arches Challenge

This week's Gothic Arches challenge is to make a fold out card - my take on this challenge is a little bit reversed - the completed card is seen when the accordion is folded up. The first picture shows the folded card from the front and the others show it opened. The 1st panel is acetate stamped with white StazOn, the middle panel holds my Paper Whimsy image and flowers, and the back panel is the rest of the Paper Whimsy background where the cut out flowers came from. When the card opens, unfortunately the white back of the image is evident (and not all that pretty either) so I misted it with Glimmer Mist so it didn't stand out so much. I really liked the layered effect you can get by folding this card up.

Altered Book/Journal

I wanted to share pictures from an online class I took from Roben-Marie Smith (for the details and a video preview go to her blog HERE ) called Urban Journal. She teaches you how to make a really cool, grungy art journal from a repurposed book with sewn-in signatures of your choosing. Mine although turned out to not be all that grungy, but I think that's ok. I plan to use the pages to hold some of my favorite challenge projects - you know those things that keep piling up around your creative space - my bulletin board can only hold so many even when I rotate them!! I made pages of various sizes - some half-sized like tags and some that fold out.



I enjoyed the process so much that I made a second one using papers of different weights and textures to experiment with an art journal. This one contains cardstock,canvas, pieces of manila folders, watercolor paper, and acetate. You still have time to check out her class, it is ongoing until the end of June.

Tag Tuesday - Recycle, Repurpose, Reuse

Wow, all the sudden it's Sunday evening - where did the weekend go? We've had nice weather and did some yard work - springtime doesn't always leave time for creative pursuits.... I had this idea brewing in my head all weekend for Louise's challenge at Tag Tuesday (I think someone used a quote on a tag last week about how it's not art until it leaves your head - how true!). It started with this video from Vicki Chrisman about using the paper towels that you use under Glimmer Mist projects (see the video HERE). I knew I held onto those for some reason! I did make a few to start, but then my cats found them and even though we were supposed to REUSE something on this challenge, I figured that once they've become all mis-shapen (and slightly soggy) after being carried and batted around my house that it would be taking the challenge too far - so I made a few more! Also I used corrugated cardboard from a box sent to me, and finally used a dry baby wipe sprayed with Glimmer Mist and cuttlebug embossed after attaching to cardstock - Faux Velvet from the latest Technique Junkies newsletter.

Gingersnap Creations flower swap

Just thought I'd post this picture for a swap I'm participating in through the Gingersnap Creations yahoo group. I had a lot of fun making something with this shape! My background is stamped tissue paper crumpled and sprayed with Glimmer Mists and my main image is a beautiful photostamp from Oxford Impressions. Stamp credits: Crafty Individuals, Oxford Impressions, Stampin' Up!, Stampers Anonymous and Hero Arts

Lots to Do Challenge - Alcohol Inks

This week's Lots To Do Challenge is to use alcohol inks. My piece is a tumbled ceramic tile (the surface is more irregular and textural with a tumbled piece) and I covered it with several blue toned alcohol inks then created kind of impressionistic-looking flowers with alcohol inks in reds and yellows. To add the stamping, I stamped onto tissue paper and applied it over the top using Diamond Glaze - love using that trick - it gives you a nice crisp stamped image! Stamp credits: Technique Tuesday and Crafty Individuals

Paper Whimsy ATC for Theme Thursday

This first ATC I made playing around with a Paper Whimsy image and other miscellaneous stuff from my stash. I used Prima paper flowers to make her flowery crown and rolled parts of other paper flowers into the dimensional ones she's holding. It's a good fit for the challenge this week at Theme Thursday where the theme is hats/crowns.

The second ATC is another Paper Whimsy flower themed one - when you're having fun playing with great images, sometimes it's just hard to stop, right?

Stamp credits: Stampington and Hero Arts

Tag Tuesday - Inspiring Quote

This is my inspirational tag for the challenge at Tag Tuesday this week. I was inspired to try some new things - I used some Cosmo Cricket tiny type stickers to replace 2 words in my quote stamp. I also tried out a new-to-me background technique that I think is called Antique Glimmers - basically, I used distress inks directly onto my craft sheet, misted with Glimmer Mist as well as water (it blended the inks better for me) and did the wrinkle-free distress technique to build up the background layers (how did we ever live without Tumbled Glass and Bundled Sage inks??? - just love them!), and finally I added white doodling to my swirls. Stamps: Stampin' Up! and Crafty Individuals.

Sunday Postcard Art - April in Paris

This is my project for the April in Paris challenge at Sunday Postcard Art. I wanted some rain drops and subtle spring-like flowers in my background - I would suppose April showers bring May flowers in France, too - so I used a Distress Ink background and flicked it with water so I could get those cool water drops. My stamped collage contains images from Stampers Anonymous, Oxford Impressions, smARTworks and Hampton Arts.

Lots To Do Challenge - Black and White

This is my black and white card for this week's Lots To Do Challenge. I wanted to build it around these cool shabby flowers made by following the video tutorial on Roben-Marie Smith's blog (HERE). The background collage uses a text stamp from Rubber Stampede, punched circles from the stamped piece and a black piece stamped with the cap from a white paint dabber to create the open circles.

French Kissed contest

If you're like me and like vintage images, I think you'd like the Etsy shop French Kissed and the beautiful digital scans of vintage french postcards Trishia sells there. She's having a contest until April 11th using this image that you can download from her blog.

Create something with it and email her a picture (all details are on the blog post HERE) for a chance to win some vintage french postage stamps. My project is a shadowbox. I cut apart the postcard image and slightly rearranged it then transferred it onto canvas with multi medium. Then I used the floral border from it to create a border around the opening and added 7 Gypsies gaffer tape and some Dresden trim. The main image is another one of her postcards and I gave her an elaborate Prima flower hat with pearls and a feather. Voila!

Art Creations Friday Challenge

This week's challenge at Art Creations Friday is to use this butterfly image. My collaged piece is done on an acrylic block (it is a little hard to tell the depth from the photo). On the top I stamped the border (Hampton Arts) with StazOn and adhered the small butterflies printed onto a transparency. The large butterfly and the image of the little girl and postcard - both from French Kissed - are adhered to the back of the block.