Technique Speak

One Little Word

2012-01-01T20:51:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year! Here's to a Happy 2012.

2011 was a rough year for us; for reasons so personal they can not really be discussed in this format. 2011 was such a year that I do not even clearly recall the "One Little Word" I selected. It might have been "grow" but I honestly do not recall.

(If you are not familiar with "One Little Word" click here for Ali Edwards' posts, they're the ones that got me started.)

It was difficult for me to identify a One Little Word for 2012. I wanted so many things from the year, healing, growth, progress, joy...

I found PERSPECTIVE and it seemed to fit the bill. I will attempt to count my blessings and maintain PERSPECTIVE in all things.

Step 1. I have woefully neglected my creative side during the last year. But, as in all things, my creative side has evolved since last I attempted to chronicle it in this format. Therefore, very soon, you will see some changes to this blog. It will transition from being a scrapbook-based technique blog to being a guidebook for my personal creative journey. I am signed up for a ceramics art class during winter semester, keep an eye out for those projects.

Step 2. Yet to be determined. I'm making this up as I go along.

Drawing 1 Class - Day 12

2011-07-25T16:00:00.000-04:00

Final drawing. Charcoal on Canson, two days. Pick six spatially related objects from the pile and draw and shade them.

Drawing 1 Class - Day 11

2011-07-25T08:00:00.001-04:00

Drapery.

Ok, this is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, art-wise. It was frustrating and time consuming but I'm happy with the results.

Charcoal on Canson, two days.

Drawing I Class - Day 10

2011-07-24T16:00:00.001-04:00

Shading for plane change, charcoal on white paper, one day.

The purpose of this drawing was to practice our ability to make minute changes in shading with a limited number of pencils. Each plane was to be shaded differently.

Drawing 1 Class - Day 9

2011-07-24T08:00:00.000-04:00

Shading for light, drawing 2, charcoal on Canson, two days.

Drawing 1 Class - Day 8

2011-07-23T16:00:00.000-04:00

Midterm drawing, with charcoal.

Drawing 1 Class - Day 7

2011-07-23T08:00:00.000-04:00

Shading for light, drawing 1. This drawing was also a two-day event, and our first foray into charcoal. Previous drawings were done with graphite.

Drawing I Class - Day 6

2011-07-22T16:00:00.000-04:00

Shading for form:

Drawing 1 Class - Day 5

2011-07-22T08:00:00.000-04:00

Class 5, which was really two days, was all about perspective. We were required to draw a hallway at the college with correct proportion and angle based on our perspective. I was sitting to the right of center in this particular hallway, which made it a bit more challenging:

Drawing 1 Class - Day 4

2011-07-21T16:00:00.001-04:00

The focus for this class was negative space:
There is a ladder and a stool in the background with another stool coming out of the ladder toward the viewer.

Drawing 1 Class - Day 3

2011-07-21T08:00:00.000-04:00

Day 3 focused on circles and ovals. We were required to draw three "pouring-vessels" (aka, jars) in correct proportion.

Jar 1:
Jar 2 (which is really a watering can):

And Jar 3 (which my mother should recognize, she gave it to me :) ):

Drawing 1 Class - Day 2

2011-07-20T17:14:00.002-04:00

On day 2 we did a number of contour drawings. If you're not familiar, contour drawings are done by drawing the outline of your subject while following the outline with your eyes, very little looking at your paper, no measuring for proportion.

Here is my contour drawing of my left hand with object:
These are blind contours (no looking at the paper):

This is a wrong handed (for me left-handed) contour:

And these are my figure contours:

Drawing I Class - Day 1

2011-07-20T17:08:00.003-04:00

This summer I took a Drawing I class at the local college. I'll be posting my class-by-class drawings over the next few days. Today....the FIRST class.

Giving us no instruction, our instructor provided us one pencil and a sheet of white paper and asked us to draw the still life in front of us:
After 30 minutes of instruction on measuring and proportion, he asked as to redraw the same still life:
He kept both of these drawings until the end of class. So that we could compare where we are with where we were.

ATC

2011-07-03T14:44:00.001-04:00

The universe speaks...

2011-07-03T14:16:00.004-04:00

After nearly six months of disuse and accumulation, I clean off my studio tables to find this on the underlying paper covering...
You're welcome. I'm glad you're clean now too.

So, in the last six (uhm, plus) months, I've missed blogging the following:

Hosting Thanksgiving

December Daily Album

Hosting Christmas

Winter semester (yuck!)

Spring Break house projects

Dina Wakely classes

Tim Holtz classes

Vacation

Severe family illness

Continued infertility

Drawing classes

That should catch me up. I may try and get some photos posted this holiday weekend. Hope everyone has a safe and happy Fourth!

Still here...

2010-12-03T22:09:00.001-05:00

As soon as I get through finals, I'll start posting my December daily pages. Oh, for those who don't know, I started a Ph.D. program this fall, that's why my blog has been suspiciously vacant. Just five days to go and I'll be back in action.

One Last Halloween Hurrah

2010-11-03T19:51:00.003-04:00

Well all, I apologize....I'm obviously not going to make it to 13 tags for Halloween. But here's one more Halloween project for your scrapping pleasure.

I created this in response to a Challenge at my local scrapbook store. We were provided a kit with the mini album, paper, two alpha sets, ribbon, die cut stickers, glitter, die cut bats, and a manila tag. I wasn't able to do everything I wanted to with the kit, ran out of time, but here's the gist.

I split the middle pages of the mini album in half so that I could create a pick-a-pumpkin face book:

Because of the split, you could flip the eyes/noses and mouths separately to create a unique pumpkin face:

Background pages were created using a pumpkin mask (cut with Cricut), Glimmer Mist, and Distress Ink. Pumpkin faces were cut with the Cricut.

Money Saving Technique

2010-10-28T19:30:00.002-04:00

So, I'm working on a larger project....really wanting to use some printed tape to cover a chipboard box, but looking at the 1/2-inch roll that cost me $8 and thinking there's no way. So, then I got an idea...

Step 1 - This is the hardest part. Cut a non-stick craft sheet down to a size that will run through your printer. I cut a Ranger sheet in half so I now have two 9x15 pieces.

Step 2 - Cover the craft sheet lengthwise with strips of masking tape. I used 2-inch strips because I'm working on a larger project.
Step 3 - Run it through your printer, I printed Christmas sheet music on mine. Experiment with your paper settings to find one that uses less ink. DO NOT print as a photo, it will take forever to dry.

Step 4 - Heat set the printer ink. When dry, peel the strips off and use as desired.

Here's a photo of the beginning of my project:

Disclaimer. I assume no responsibility for any damage you may cause to your printer. I abuse my printer on a regular basis and therefore know what I can and can not do to it. Do not try this if you are unsure how your printer will handle this technique.

13 Tags of Halloween - Tag 6

2010-10-10T06:00:00.000-04:00

Stamp text onto tag and distress ink edges. Emboss with swirl embossing plate. Ink and then sand embossed swirls. Cover both sides of grungeboard with text paper. Die cut leaves from covered grungeboard. Ink edges of leaves, curl leaves with fingers. Ink chipboard letters and cover with Stickles. Adhere all pieces to tag.

GO RAYS!

2010-10-09T22:26:00.001-04:00

Well, we lost this one (Game 2), but we won Game 3. We have tickets to Game 5, so here's to Game 4.

GO RAYS!

A-choooooo!

2010-10-06T11:15:00.002-04:00

Of course.

I start a project for the first time in like, six months, and I come down with a cold.

But not a REALLY bad one. There's no way I'm missing the playoff game tomorrow. Go Rays!

So check back in a day or two for the next in the 13 Tags of Halloween.

13 Tags of Halloween - Tag 5

2010-10-05T06:00:00.001-04:00

Distress inked tag. Vintage image printed three times and distress inked. Rock Candy crackle paint over the base image, distress inked when dry to color the cracks, then wiped with a damp paper towel. Adhere base image to tag.

Face and shoulders trimmed from second image, edges distress inked, adhered with two layers of pops dots behind face down to no pop dots behind shoulders.

Hand, candle, and smoke trimmed from third image, edges distress inked, adhered with two layers of pop dots behind portion of smoke, candle, and hand, down to one layer behind arm and no layers behind end of smoke (tuck behind first layer to add dimension).

Rock Candy stickles on goblin eyes, scattered straw stickles on candle flame. Moonlight smooch on woman's eyes and candle for a little extra shimmer. Tim Holtz charm with ball chain, stamped with "31".

Tag 4, an amendment

2010-10-04T20:15:00.002-04:00

I was a bit tired yesterday and forgot to add the embellishments I had planned. Candies made from small I-top brad daddies, fabric, and (gasp!) plastic wrap. Yes, I know the plastic wrap isn't add free, but, no photos here!

Looks like a vanilla-chocolate swirl, orange chocolate, and orange chocolate cream, YUM!

13 Tags of Halloween - Tag 4

2010-10-04T06:00:00.000-04:00

I think Garfield the cat said it best....."candy, candy, candy, candy, candy"...

Distress inked and texture stamped background. Vintage image of jack-o-lantern, printed twice. Top image trimmed and popped with pop dots to create 3-D pumpkin. Cricut candy images cut from black cardstock, Stickles for shimmer. Making memories letter stamps, Heidi Swapp chipboard letters.

13 Tags of Halloween - Tag 3

2010-10-03T06:00:00.000-04:00

Alcohol ink on glossy paper, adhered to distress inked tag. Tattered Angels clock stamp, Cricut fence topped with Smooch for shimmer. Tim Holtz game spinners. Words were printed on a spare tag, hand cut, distress inked and adhered. Moon is shimmery vellum over silver cardstock, adhered with a glue stick. This method creates the shadows that make the moon look more realistic, hard to see in the photos.

13 Tags of Halloween - Tag 2

2010-10-02T06:00:00.000-04:00

Stamped copper metal over chipboard letters, debossed, sanded. Glitter rubon letters.

Made this little guy last year from a black velvet bead, black beading wire, and googly eyes.

10 Years Ago, today

2010-10-01T08:45:00.001-04:00

13 Tags of Halloween

2010-09-30T21:59:00.002-04:00

Ok, I've been away for a while. I need to get back into creating. What better way than small daily projects. Momentum is so vital.

So here we go, inspired by Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas, here are my 13 Tags of Halloween....Tag 1.

Starting simple. Distress inks, edge distresser, and texture stamps to create the background. Embossing using one of Tim's new embossing folders. Grungeboard lantern and bat. Hand cut pole and signs. Pumpkins, lantern, signs, and bat colored with distress inks. Copper metal, stickles, and Smooch for a little shimmer.

Better - Warning LOOONNNGGG Post

2010-08-17T18:31:00.010-04:00

Well....where the heck have I been?

All I can say is that my "one little word" this year was EVOLVE. And I'm living up to it in ways I never expected.

I've evolved into quite the proud little home owner.

I posted photos in June of some minor landscaping work we had done before moving in, and a few more photos in July of some landscaping work we did ourselves to test out some ideas.

This is better...

BEFORE:
AFTER:

Method Playground Challenge 73

2010-07-26T19:20:00.000-04:00

Method Playground's Challenge #73 is to create a mono-chromatic white layout with a doily.

I kept it simple this week, to keep the focus on the irresistible photo. I used a distressed cream, white, and gray background and added an off-white photo mat, white doily, and collage and metal elements.

New Home...New Scrap Room

2010-07-18T15:24:00.004-04:00

OK, we've moved in and (mostly) unpacked. Here's a quick peek a my new scrap room, at least so far. Knowing me, I'll move things around a bit for a few months as I figure out what works best.

Here's a photo into my room from the hallway. I have a ton of natural light and a ceiling fan(!). We've laid down two 8x10 rugs to protect the new hardwood floors from the rolling chairs and paint, etc.
My main work surface is two tables placed right in the middle of the room. The Cricut is on a rolling cart beneath the tables.

The the left of the main working space is an Ikea Expedit with my paper, copic markers, and art tools. I still have about 5 or 6 empty cubes for "expansion". Also a lamp and the closet door (back to that in a second).

In front of the main working space is the TV (go Rays!), a large window, and

a standing height table. I use this table for cutting and other activities that are easier to do standing up. The table also holds my spray inks, Sizzix machine, and sewing machine (which I can move to the main tables when needed). Below this table are two sets of drawers that hold my art and sewing supplies. These drawers are only about half full (more expansion space!).

To the right of the main working space is another Ikea Expedit which holds my albums, printer, scanner, computer supplies, and Etsy supplies.

Also to the right of the main working space is my desk and another large window.

Behind the main working space are two bookshelves that hold embellishments and tools.

Oh, and the bathroom door is here too.

Here's a peek into the closest, which is where all the mess is:

I'll post more photos after I actually get a chance to "decorate".

Opinions?

2010-07-18T12:46:00.002-04:00

Lots to share over the next few days, including new scrap room photos. But first, what do you think?

This is what came with the house we purchased as far as landscaping goes, 3 years of leaf buildup and no structure:
This is what we tried out this weekend, just on one corner to see if we liked it. I can't decide, what do you think (and yes, I know I need more grass, that's NEXT weekend)?

Still here....

2010-07-08T13:08:00.002-04:00

I'm still here, I promise. Just been busy putting the house together. Pictures of my new scrap space soon, I promise!

Joys of Home Ownership

2010-06-17T12:01:00.001-04:00

There's a freaking snake in my holly bush!
Sorry for the lousy photo. Taken with a camera phone (my spare camera battery is packed in a box somewhere) while trying to keep a weary distance. Click the photo for larger.

Method Playground Challenge #70

2010-06-15T18:50:00.002-04:00

Method Playground Challenge #70 is to use borders on a page. On this page I used borders in several ways:

- a subtle painted photo border
- a green punch out paper border
- a border strip trimmed from 12x12 paper
- a notebook edge punch
- a title trimmed from 12x12 paper

Lessons in Moving, Part 1

2010-06-11T17:55:00.002-04:00

- Spackle in an inconspicuous location first, to test rather the paint in the garage REALLY matches the wall color.

- Confirm your start time with your moving company. Don't just assume that their morning starts before 1 PM.

Spooky

2010-06-09T16:23:00.001-04:00

Saw this guy sitting in a tree the other night:
Photo is lousy because it was full dark. But, I actually kinda like it, very spooky. Not to mention this one:

Empty

2010-06-09T10:09:00.001-04:00

Seeing these photos makes me think I need more stuff :) .

Pay no attention to the other 18 medium sized boxes full of scrappin' stuff staged in another room.....

Landscaping 101

2010-06-08T10:32:00.002-04:00

Before:
After:

Now we wait for them to fill out and find some other plants for the spaces.

Day 3

2010-06-04T19:16:00.002-04:00

All the wood is laid in the Master Bedroom, and the floor has been cleaned:
And we have transition pieces to the tile:

Master Bedroom closets are done and the doors are back on:

Wood is laid in all the rooms except the Studio, which gets laid on Day 4. Quarter round goes in the Master on Day 4 and some places upstairs.

Day 2

2010-06-02T13:11:00.000-04:00

We have floors!

Day 1

2010-06-01T14:59:00.006-04:00

Okay, so it's really Day 7, but it's Day 1 of the heavy duty work inside the house. To this point:

Wednesday, May 26 - We closed on the house. Had an exterminator do the termite booster for the ground surface and an interior treatment.

Thursday, May 27 - First load of flooring delivered, carpet and pad removed. Started cleaning the kitchen.

Friday, May 28 - Phone, internet, Fios installed. Finished cleaning the kitchen. Shopped for a couch.

Saturday, May 29 - Met landscaper at house for consultation. Spent a ton of money on plants.

Sunday, May 30 - Moved first load of kitchen stuff to the new house. Purchased new couch, to be delivered in (ugh!) 5-7 weeks. Purchased rug for studio (to protect my new wood floors :) ). Purchased pull out cabinet drawers for pantry.

Monday, May 31 - Moved second load of kitchen stuff to the new house. Purchased curtains and curtain rods. Purchase ladder shelves (on sale!). Hung curtain rods.

And, today, Tuesday, June 1 - Wood floor installation begins with leveling the slab in the Master Bedroom, trimming the overhangs off the stairs, and notching baseboards.

Looking forward to actually seeing some wood on the floor tomorrow!

Method Playground Challenge 69

2010-06-01T07:05:00.001-04:00

Method Playground Challenge 69 is a scraplift challenge! Here is my take on the original. Click here to see the original and all the other Design Team scraplifts!

2010-05-16T09:07:00.007-04:00

Okay, I can't post photos of the front of the house for personal security reasons, but I can share a few shots of the inside and a few judicious shots of the outside.

First, this is the 44-inch Live Oak in the front yard. The current owners had added these fake decorative trim pieces to the house. Well, they're made of Styrofoam and we had a woodpecker make herself at home. Here she is sticking her head out to see what I was doing in her driveway.

Here's the tile medallion in the front entry.

My new kitchen:

The upstairs bath (totally forgot to take a photo of the Master bath):

And the backyard (with a second Live Oak):

And, because this is supposed to me a mixed media scrapbooking blog, here's a current project I'm in the middle of:

Come in, Come in!

2010-05-15T09:28:00.005-04:00

Okay, I promised pictures right?

I'll start with the soon-to-be scraproom (I call it my studio) and I'll post pictures of the other parts of the house tomorrow.
Photo taken from the door. The room is about 14x16, 225 square feet. We are removing the carpet in putting in hardwood floors.

There are two 51-inch windows, one facing east (on the left in the photo above), one facing south (on the right in the photo above). View to the east:

View to the south:

There is a giant walk-in closet:

And direct access to the upstairs bathroom:

Now, the plus side to a engineer scrapper......ROOM LAYOUTS! Here is my first, very preliminary, attempt to layout my dream studio (click for larger):

Suggestions are ALWAYS appreciated!

Two Weeks from Tomorrow...

2010-05-12T18:40:00.002-04:00

Sounds like a disaster movie doesn't it....

But it's actually good news.

Really amazing news, actually.

Two weeks from tomorrow, we are closing on our first home. Yep, we found it. We've actually been under contract for a few weeks at this point, but I didn't want to tempt fate by sharing the news too early.

But now we've been through inspections.

And the appraisal has come in.

And there are not many hurdles left to jump.

We're about to be home owners....

Now stop thinking about disaster movies.....I'm nervous enough.

(pictures soon, I promise).

Easy Twisted Paper Flowers

2010-05-02T17:39:00.002-04:00

Here's a quick, cheap, easy way to may your own flower embellishments.

Step 1, tear a sheet of vintage paper (dictionary, book, music, etc.) into strips lengthwise. Strips should be 3/4 to 1-1/2 inches wide.
Step 2, rub Modge Podge onto a strip with your fingers. No need for complete coverage, you're just trying to make the paper easier to work with while adding strength and structure to the finished embellishment once the glue dries.

Step 3, while the glue is still wet, twist the paper strip from both ends.

Step 4, while the glue is still wet, roll the twisted paper strip, starting at one end, into a swirl/flower shape. Add a bit more glue to the outside end of the paper strip and tuck under.

Step 5, color with ink, paint, glimmer mist, etc. and add a center embellishment if desired. It's that easy!

Document

2010-04-27T18:50:00.003-04:00

I am documenting our hunt for our first house.

I started with a $1 chipboard house book from Michael's. I had the idea of creating a mini-book that actually looked like a three dimensional house.
I covered one side of each house shape with white cardboard backing and the other side with the corrugated part of the cardboard. I liked the "moving box" look and texture these papers provided.

I used my bind-it-all to bind three of the four house "corners" together. At the end I will devise a way to close the fourth "corner".

The book still lies flat like a conventional mini-book.

Or it stands up like a conventional mini-book.

Here's a quick peek inside. I'll share more when it's further along.

Where oh Where....

2010-04-17T09:02:00.002-04:00

Ok, time to fess up...

I've been
hunting.

Nearly bought this one last weekend. Still considering and still looking. It's been sucking up all my free time (first time home buyers and all).

Be back soon with a mini-book that is currently in the works.

Found Embellishments

2010-04-04T16:52:00.002-04:00

Many people these days are looking for less expensive ways to scrapbook. Sometimes I point people with questions about budget scrapbooking to my blog because, while I spend an obscene amount of money on supplies, my style can generally be duplicated with only inexpensive or reusable supplies such as paint, cardstock, book pages, cardboard, stamps, ink, fabric, and found or handmade embellishments.

For example, I found this gem in my local Sunday newspaper this morning:
Imagine this page trimmed into 12-inch strips, borders, or tags and used on a travel or life-journey themed page.

Now, newspaper is not acid free. I will spritz this page with a buffering spray (like Archival Mist) before storing it and before using it on a page. I will also not use original or non-replaceable photos on a page with non-acid free items (I rarely use original photos anyway these days).

Keep an eye out for other objects you can incorporate into your pages for little or no money. I will continue to try to post what I find.

Where's Waldo?

2010-03-31T20:42:00.000-04:00

*sigh*

Travelling for work again. Be back soon.

Method Playground - Challenge 64

2010-03-22T08:00:00.003-04:00

Method Playground Challenge 64 is mine! I challenge everyone to creatively use CARDBOARD on a layout, card, altered item, or other project!

AND...I'm offering an awesome RAK to one challenge participant....keep reading.

For this challenge, I created a layout with a storybook feel, using cardboard to create a textured background (the white, lined paper the Mad Hatter drawing is on) and a tear away look (the corrugated kraft paper).
One challenge participant will win Mathe Le Van's "Stencil Me In" (a $25 value!). This book contains 28 reusable stencils and all the ideas you need to apply them. These stencils work awesome with spray ink!
Layouts for this challenge are due by midnight Eastern, Sunday, April 4. Come play with us!

Method Playground Challenge 63

2010-03-10T08:02:00.002-05:00

For Method Playground Challenge 63 we were challenged to use White-Out on our pages. I created this art journal page using White-Out tape for my journaling spots:

Journaling reads "the plight of the artist is to make people feel that which that can not name".

I also tried out a new photo transfer technique on this page. Worked like a charm, and ..... no laser print copy required. I will post the how-to soon.

Playing Around...

2010-03-02T17:29:00.002-05:00

...in my new art journal. Seeing how the pages hold up to all I will eventually do to them. Not bad...
Fortune reads "You eat too much Chinese food".

Okay, not really, fortune actually reads "Your life is a daring and bold adventure".

Record Book

2010-03-02T09:19:00.002-05:00

We're in the process of cleaning out our spaces at work in preparation for some construction and reorganization. So, lots of us are purging things we've held onto for years. I was bequeathed this little vintage jewel on it's way to the trash:
It's about 7 x 11.5 and was nearly full of ledger sheets, only the first 50 pages or so were missing. The pages are heavier than regular paper, and have nice vintage color. So my first thought was that I had just met my next art journal.

So, while watching TV the other night, I liberated it of all but the middle sheets of each signature, to give me space in which to work. I ended up with a ~40 page art journal. I just need to do a little repair on the binding.

I also ended up with about 250 loose pages to use on other projects.

Method Playground Challenge 62

2010-02-22T19:00:00.000-05:00

I created this layout for Method Playground Challenge 62 - Heat Embossing.

You don't need a stamp to emboss an image. For this layout, I punched three rows of "birds on a wire" from white cardstock using the new Martha Stewart punch. I then rubbed my punched images with embossing ink, poured on black embossing powder, and heated. I was really happy with the slightly distressed/faded on the edges look. It you want a more finished look, you can add a second layer of embossing ink and powder to fill in the bald spots.

The heart was hand cut from my own collages and inked with Black Soot Distress ink around the edges. The title is Colorbok glitter rub-ons. Background Paper is Basic Grey "Frosting".

In progress...

2010-02-21T16:40:00.002-05:00

Was hoping to get this piece done this weekend, but I have been unexpectedly called out of town by my day job. Have to leave soon and drive to south Florida tonight. So I thought I'd share an "in progress" glimpse.

Collage Flowers and Giveaway!

2010-02-17T17:31:00.006-05:00

For the most recent Method Playground challenge, I created some collage flowers for my layout:
Here's a step-by-step on how to create these flowers. Scroll all the way to the bottom to see how you can win some!

Step 1 - Create a collage background from paper scraps in a color theme. Add ink, paint, stamps, etc., as desired. I used black, white, and gray paper scraps, Black Soot distress ink, and a graph stamp. See this post for more instructions on creating a collage background. Use light weight 12x12 cardstock as a base for this collage.

Step 2 - Cut your collage into 1 x 12 inch strips. Because of the thickness of the multiple layers of paper, your paper trimmer may not cut all the way through. Use scissors to finish the cuts if needed.

Step 3 - Because of the multiple layers of paper, your strips will be rather stiff. Make them easier to work with by rolling each strip four times, twice from each end (once with the front side up, once with the back side up).

Also bend your strips lengthwise, both upwards and downwards.

Step 4 - Starting at one end, fold the strip over approximately 1 inch.

Step 5 - At the base of the first petal, fold the strip again, offset from the first petal.

Step 6 - Fold the strip over again, at approximately one inch, creating the second petal.

Step 7 - Repeat steps 5 and 6 to create three more petals.

Step 8 - Lay the flower on the table and press down to flatten the folds.

Step 9 - (Photo is looking at the back of the flower) Glue the first fold (the first petal) together, then glue the overlapping portions of the remaining petals together. Use glue dots or a heavy duty glue like Glossy Accents.

If you used a wet adhesive, place the flower under a heavy object to dry. (This photo has a very Wizard-of-Oz feeling to it!)

Step 10 - Lay the bottom side of a 1/4-inch grommet (found in the notions section of craft stores) in the middle of the flower and trace the inside.

Step 11 - Use the Crop-a-Dile Big Bite to punch through all the flower layers inside the grommet hole. This will take multiple punches.

Step 12 - Set the grommet using the grommet setting instructions that come with the tool (also available in the notions section of craft stores).

These flowers are a bit different, but I like them. Leave a comment on this post and I will pick two commenters, at random, to receive a set of these collage flowers (3 flowers each).

Canvas Pennant Kits

2010-02-16T18:32:00.002-05:00

Canvas Pennant Kits are now available in my Etsy store.
Kit includes:

- 6 x 5.5-inch double sided canvas pennants, with stiff 1/8-inch batting and silver toned grommets
- 12 - 10-inch torn raw muslin ties
- 2 - yards of 100% raw cotton braided cord for hanging
- 2 - 2-inch silver toned rings for binding

...with a Twist

2010-02-15T06:00:00.003-05:00

Here's the twist to the pennant banner shown in the previous post. Because I covered both sides of stiff 1/8-inch batting in canvas, the banner can be bound into a really cute mini book after use.

I tied the muslin hangers to two 2-inch book binding rings. I placed the last pennant first in the book as a title page.
Then I added photos to the back sides of the pennants, which are embellished similarly to the fronts.

I you temporarily adhere the letters to the fronts of the pennants, you can use both sides of the pennants for photos. Or skip the banner all together and just make a mini-book!

I will be offering kits to make these pennant banners/mini-books in my Etsy shop. The kits will consist of:

- 6 double-sided raw canvas duck pennants with 1/8-inch batting and silver toned grommets.- 12 8-inch raw muslin ties.

- 6 feet of braided raw cotton cord for hanging.

- 2 2-inch silver toned binder rings.

I will also be offering fat quarters of the corduroy butterfly print that I cut my butterflies from for this project.

I will have these available for purchase early this week.

Canvas Pennant...with a Twist

2010-02-14T14:47:00.002-05:00

I've been working on a canvas pennant banner project... with a twist. Here is my finished pennant banner:
Each pennant is approximately 6-inches tall. Each pennant is made of stiff 1/8-inch batting with raw canvas duck on both sides and two silver toned grommets for hanging. I decorated my pennants with two shades of Glimmer Mist (Starfish and Tuscan Sun), Basic Grey ribbon, felt flower ribbon, white embossed circles, corduroy circles, corduroy butterflies, Stickles, and glitter chipboard. The hangers are raw cotton muslin sprayed with the same colors of glimmer mist. The hanging cord is braided 100% raw cotton cord.

Click on the photos for larger images.

Come back tomorrow for the "twist"

Method Playground Challenge 61

2010-02-08T19:30:00.000-05:00

Challenge 61 at Method Playground is to use ruffles on your layout. Now, for those of you who have been round here for a while probably know, I'm not much of a ruffle girl. I was to the point of seriously considering my husband's suggestion of gluing potato chips to my layout (you know, "Ruffles") when I started wondering if there was a way to make "urban" ruffles. So I created a black-white-gray paper collage with the idea of ruffling strips from that. I was much happy with my final result: Instead of creating just ruffles, I offset each layer of the ruffle slightly to created a flower shape. The collage paper base lends alot of interest to the final result.

Also, in case you're wondering, the title is a play on words (read the journaling, you can click on the photo for a larger version).

Still here...

2010-02-03T22:36:00.001-05:00

I'm still here....just mid-project on many different projects. Here's a sneak at one...
Be back with finished projects soon!

Art Flowers

2010-01-30T17:04:00.002-05:00

These flowers are created from original acrylic artwork on canvas.

Flat enough to scrap or dimensional enough for altered art pieces. I will list these in my Etsy store this weekend. Each will be unique and there will be a limited number per series.

Days like this...

2010-01-30T10:22:00.001-05:00

Haven't we all had days when we've felt like this?

Saw it on Etsy.

Fell in love.

Had to share.

Have a great day!

Playing Around...

2010-01-29T22:02:00.002-05:00

Started creating this for Creative Therapy's Catalyst 98 which asks "What does your future hold?"

My future could hold anything, but whatever it holds promises to be exciting, interesting, and totally unexpected.Piece says "my great wide blue serendipity shall be orange and violet with black polka dots..."

Not sure if this piece is done. Right now it feels like a background to me but I haven't quite figured out what to put in the foreground.

In the meantime, this piece has sparked another idea. Keep an eye out for a follow-up post tomorrow.

Welcome 2010 Layout

2010-01-27T08:02:00.002-05:00

I created this layout for Method Playground Challenge 60 which was to use felt or wool on a layout.
I die cut star borders from red, glittery, self-adhesive felt and backed them with patterned paper.

Older Layout...

2010-01-23T20:34:00.003-05:00

Here's a layout I did about 5 years ago. I'm just sharing for the funny.
Journaling in contained in the 2x2 magnetic album in the bottom left hand corner (under small photo). Here is the journaling:

"Out of all the things I was told could, or imagined would, go wrong during our wedding, I never considered man-eating ladybugs. Japanese beetles to be precise, but they look just like garden variety ladybugs. Biggest difference? They bite hard! And alot! And without provocation. Seems Milwaukee was suffering from an infestation of the carnivorous little insects. And during our wedding, they infested the layers of my dress. I had to be shaken out after the ceremony. One particularly annoying red and black sucker decided to nibble upon my elbow for about five minutes of the ceremony. I tried to rub my elbow against my side to dislodge the pest without looking like I've suddenly decided marriage wasn't for me and that I was seriously considering running back down the aisle."

Quick Share

2010-01-16T20:49:00.003-05:00

I created this piece in response to Creative Therapy's Catalyst 95 which asks "What's something you struggle with?".

As a full-time engineer by day, I struggle with disengaging my brain long enough to create without inhibition by night. I created this piece 8x10 so that I could frame it as a reminder that it is ok to not know every step of the process before I start.

Here are quick instructions for this piece:

1. Adhere book text to an 8x10 piece of watercolor paper.

2. Brush two washes of off white paint followed by by two washes of white paint, allowing each layer to dry before adding the next layer.

3. Choose, crop, and convert to black and white a photo of your choice. Print the photo on watercolor paper without gloss coating. Trim the background from the photo. Edge the photo with black ink.

4. Adhere book paper to light weight cardstock. Print clip art butterflies on the book paper/cardstock. Cut out butterflies.

5. Wrap wire around a pencil. Remove the wire from the pencil and pull both ends away from each other to flatten the spring into looped wire.

6. Place you photo on your background and trace around the photo lightly with a pencil. Remove the photo. Stamp multiple stamp images around the photo outline.

7. Adhere the photo to the background with foam tape. Push packing material beneath your photo, allowing the ends to stick out. Adhere butterflies, wire loops, and sprocket gears.

8. Add title.

One Little Word 2010

2010-01-12T21:43:00.003-05:00

EVOLVE

This is the one little word I've chosen for 2010.

- I would like to evolve artistically.
- I would like to evolve personally.
- I would like to evolve professionally.

Perhaps I will take some more formal art classes to hone some techniques. Perhaps I will try to publish some layouts. Perhaps I will publish a professional paper. Perhaps we will finally buy a house or consider expanding our family.

This is my focus for 2010.

And for inspiration, an ATC I made a while back:

One Little Word 2009, Part 3

2010-01-11T13:50:00.000-05:00

Here is the layout I created celebrating my "One Little Word" for 2009 (layout is 2 12x12 pages, click the photos for larger, more detailed images). Page 1:

Page 2:

Most of this layout was upcycled. The denim used in the background was from a "well loved" pair of jeans that started falling apart during all my 2009 "EXPLORE"-ations. The kraft colored circles were cut with a Cricut from a brown paper shopping bag. The title letters were cut with the Cricut from a newsprint magazine called "Skirt!".

One Little Word 2009, Part 2

2010-01-10T21:20:00.003-05:00

Here are my 12 Florida "Explore"-ations for 2009. Come back tomorrow to see the layout I created with all 24 "One Little Word" 2009 photos.

Yes, there is hiking (and mountain biking) in Florida.

Giraffe petting anyone?

Two, count them TWO water parks for my birthday this year!

Tiger cub petting.

And a little culture to top it off.

One Little Word - 2009, Part 1

2010-01-08T21:24:00.005-05:00

Did you participate in "One Little Word" for 2009? How did it go?

If you're not familiar with "One Little Word", read this post by Ali Edwards.

In a nutshell, you pick one single word on which to focus your year. Your one little word acts in some ways like a New Year's Resolution, but instead of identifying a single action you wish to take during the year, your word identifies a focus for your year.

For 2009, my one little word was EXPLORE. This word had two meanings for me, I wanted to explore the depths of my creativity and my new home state. I envisioned ending the year with one art-related and one adventure-related story to tell for each month.

Here are my art-related explorations for 2009. I will post the adventure-related explorations tomorrow. Sunday I plan to share my one little word for 2010. And Monday look for a layout of the results of "One Little Word" 2009.

January - First formal art class, Mixed Media at St. Petersburg Art Center.
February - An example of my Photo-a-Day challenge for 2009.
March - My first attempt at art journaling.

April - Making my first home decor pieces. This was made for a friend (for her one little word).

May - Participating in swaps for the first time.

June - Creating an inspiration journal.

July - Taking a fabric scrapbooking class with Donna Downey.

August - Playing with collage.

September - Creating my own Etsy store.

October - Joining Method Playground's Design Team.

November - My first attempt at book binding.

December - My first time playing along to the "12 Tags of Christmas".

Checking in....

2010-01-04T00:34:00.001-05:00

Didn't mean to worry anyone. I'm fine, just healing slowly. I haven't been able to be up and around for more than an hour at a time until recently, but I am starting to feel much better these last few days. I hope to be back to a regular schedule soon. Thanks for all the well wishes!

The best laid plans...

2009-12-18T22:37:00.002-05:00

Ok, so I was supposed to have a two-day stay in the hospital. Things did not go as planned. Let me say first that I am home and healing.

Minor surgical complications led to my hospital stay being extended to 3 days right from the beginning. The complications basically made the surgery last longer, which led to more bleeding, so they wanted to keep me an extra day as a precaution.

Pain management issues led to extending my stay one more day.

Blood clots in my arm resulting from multiple IVs almost led to another full day. The blood clots ended up being small and in peripheral veins so I was able to come home late Thursday night.

The surgery ended up being more extensive than I originally envisioned. I had had open abdominal surgery before, so I was thinking that laproscopic surgery would be a walk in the park in comparison. Apparently this isn't true, the main difference seems to be the amount of time you get off work.

I hope to resume posting this weekend, lots to share. Thank you all for your well wishes and prayers.

Off I go...

2009-12-13T23:43:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow is the day. I'm off for surgery. Send me happy thoughts.

I won't be coming home until Tuesday at the earliest. I hope to resume posting on Wednesday.

December Daily - Page 17

2009-12-12T23:10:00.003-05:00

Page 17 displays the three Christmas wrapping papers I selected for this year. I simply adhered the papers to the back of Clear Scraps ornament shapes with Glossy Accents, added silver eyelets, and adhered silver ornament hangers (also with Glossy Accents).

The twelfth tag of Christmas

2009-12-12T23:08:00.001-05:00

Here is my take on the twelfth of Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas.

December Daily - Page 16

2009-12-11T19:49:00.001-05:00

Page 15 consisted of an embellished 5x7 photo mounted on a page protector. To create page 16, I simply mounted a 4x6 photo on a 5x7 photo mat behind the previous photo. Before adhering it down, I embellished the edges of the photo mat with a Martha Stewart edge punch.

The eleventh tag of Christmas

2009-12-11T19:13:00.000-05:00

Here is my take on the eleventh of Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas.

The tenth tag of Christmas

2009-12-10T23:28:00.001-05:00

Here is my take on the tenth of Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas.
I think this one might be my favorite so far. Very modern.

Taking a night off from the December Daily. Come back tomorrow for my next daily post.

December Daily - Pages 14 and 15

2009-12-09T22:49:00.001-05:00

Two photos of my Christmas lanterns with a few Making Memories confetti words...
and the closing bling flourish from the previous page.

The ninth tag of Christmas

2009-12-09T18:21:00.001-05:00

Here is my take on the ninth of Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas.
This one is totally for my mom. Yes, that is me in the photo, circa 2-years-old. I was not pitching a fit, Santa's fake beard was merely tickling my nose.

The eighth tag of Christmas

2009-12-08T23:11:00.000-05:00

Here is my take on the eighth of Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas.

December Daily - Pages 12 and 13

2009-12-08T22:13:00.002-05:00

Another 2 page layout, this one showcases the wreath I made:

Also, I felt pages 11 and 12 were missing just a little something. So I added some poinsettias topped with mirrored snowflake brads:

December Daily - Pages 10 and 11

2009-12-07T21:59:00.001-05:00

A two page layout of our new ornaments on the tree.

The seventh tag of Christmas

2009-12-07T18:47:00.001-05:00

Here is my take on the seventh of Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas.

The sixth tag of Christmas

2009-12-06T22:48:00.001-05:00

Here is my take on the sixth of Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas.

December Daily - Pages 8 and 9

2009-12-06T08:00:00.001-05:00

Pages 8 and 9 are a two page spread.

On the back of the "December" calendar page, I placed a piece of patterned paper cut to size and a matted 5x5 photo (with brush by Christine Borgfeld).
In front of page 9 I added a "1" chipboard piece from 7Gypsies. I covered the chipboard piece with embossed Bazzill and added Hiedi Swapp rubons and a stamped embossed frame (Unity stamps).

Behind the "1" is a photo of our decorated tree. I outlined the ghost letters with Stickles.

The fifth tag of Christmas

2009-12-05T17:35:00.000-05:00

Here is my take on the fifth of Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas.

December Daily - Pages 6 and 7

2009-12-05T15:47:00.003-05:00

Page 6, easy peasy. I adhered a cropped 4x6 photo on the back side of the clear tabbed page, framed by the kraft envelope. I printed a quick title on a Fontwerks label by adhering the label to a piece of printer paper (where I had already printed the title) and putting the paper through my printer again. Page 7. Another Jenni Bowlin calendar card.

The fourth tag of Christmas

2009-12-04T18:58:00.001-05:00

Here is my take on the fourth of Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas.

December Daily - Page 5

2009-12-04T18:10:00.002-05:00

To make page 5, I adhered a Maya Road envelope to a clear acrylic tabbed page from Zutter. I stamped "tradition" on the outside of the envelope. Inside the envelope is a little flip book I made to hold photos of our favorite Thanksgiving specials.

I created the flip book by adhering pieces of stationary weight paper back-to back to create four pages. I then scored these pages 0.5 inches from the left edge. I sewed the four pages together, just inside the scored line.

What I love best about a book of this type of construction (mixed pages) are the serendipitous moments. After I made everything for page 5, I realized the word "tradition" could be seen from previous pages:

How perfect is that?

The third tag of Christmas

2009-12-03T23:23:00.000-05:00

Here is my take on the third of Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas.

December Daily - Page 4

2009-12-03T15:04:00.002-05:00

On the back of the 5x7 photo on Page 3, I adhered a 5x7 patterned paper photo mat (Little Yellow Bicycle) with my day-after-Thanksgiving menu printed around the edges. I then nestled a 4x6 photo in the middle of the mat, with a little "home sweet home" sticker.

On Thanksgiving Day we had done dinner out with my in-laws, on the day-after-Thanksgiving, we had a more traditional Thanksgiving dinner, just the two of us, at home.

Second Tag of Christmas

2009-12-02T20:38:00.002-05:00

Here is my take on the second of Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas.

The frame stamp is from Unity, the letter stamps are Art Warehouse. I used scarlet Glimmer mist for the background, copper Zing for the frame embossing, and bronze Perfect Pearls.

December Daily - Pages 2 and 3

2009-12-02T19:57:00.002-05:00

I like to start my December Daily album with Thanksgiving, because that's really when the holiday season starts for me. On the back of Page 1, I added a Jenni Bowlin November 2009 calendar. You can see in this photo that Pages 1 and 2 were built on a page protector. I added trimmed transparencies to all of my page protectors so that I could use them as clear pages instead.
The front of the next page is a photo from Thanksgiving. The photo is adhered to a trimmed die cut paper.

First Tag of Christmas...

2009-12-01T19:59:00.003-05:00

Here is my take on the first of Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas.
I'm making mine ATC sized. I used an Inkadinkado stamp and black glitter Zing embossing powder.

December Daily - Page 1

2009-12-01T08:54:00.002-05:00

On the opening page of my December Daily album I used a photo of some of my Christmas decorations (decorated lanterns) matted with red cardstock. I digitally added a poem and an edge brush to the photo. I added Thickers for the year (covered in Glossy Accents to keep the glitter from getting everywhere). The patterned paper label shape backing the year is actually the back of the following page, but it provided a perfect spot for the chipboard numbers.
Remember, you can click the photo for a larger version. You can see my other posts regarding this album here (cover), here (binding), here (alterations), and here (base pages).

Method Playground Challenge 55

2009-11-30T08:05:00.001-05:00

Method Playground challenge 55 was my first issued challenge as a Design Team member. I have challenged you to design a layout using negative space, in any way you choose. Negative space is that space "around" a shape. For example, the left overs after you punch out die cuts or chipboard letters. Negative space is that space which defines a shape, without being the shape.

You can check out all the Design Team members creations here. I chose to create a spray inked background using a mask I made from a photo of myself. Here's how it turned out: You can see the use of negative space in that I did not create the shape of my face, instead I created the space around my face and the surrounding shadows.

Here is how I did it (the first four steps use Photoshop Elements 6). Remember, you can click on the photos for larger views:

Step 1 - Open the photo you want to use and crop it to the size of your background. I cropped my photo to 12x12. Step 2 - Create a threshold adjustment layer by going to -->Layer -->New Adjustment Layer -->Threshold. Step 3 - Name your new layer and click "OK". Step 4 - Vary the Threshold Level until you get a look you like. The higher the number, the more black, the lower the number, the more white. Remember, we're going to be cutting out the white portions to use as a mask, so you want a Threshold Level that gives you large, somewhat connected sections of white. Step 5 - Print your Threshold photo on medium weight cardstock. If you do not have a wide format printer you can print a smaller photo, you'll just have more background in the final product. Step 6 - Use a craft knife to cut out the white sections of the photo. Make any adjustments to the photo you think are necessary. Note, now is not the time to give yourself that nose job you've always wanted, you still want the photo to look like you, but you can remove distracting background objects, for example (I removed my hand from the upper left hand corner).

Try to keep your white sections large and semi-connected. I ended up with three large white sections. The more pieces you have, the more time you will spend trying to piece them back together in the correct locations (unless you like that Picasso look). Step 7 - Using temporary adhesive, adhere you mask to your background paper.
Step 8 - Using spray ink (I used Adirondack Color Wash in Plum and Glimmer Mist in Dewberry) cover your entire background paper. (Note: after this photo you'll notice I switched background papers, I liked the tone-on-tone result better than the on-white result). Step 9 - Remove your mask, blot with paper towels, and let dry. Step 10 - I chose to add some additional texture. I re-adhered my mask and stamped a text stamp repeatedly over my background/mask using black Staz-on ink. Step 11 - I then stamped again using a Tim Holtz circle stamp and Distress Embossing Ink. I embossed the images as I went with clear embossing powder. Step 12 - I added photos, stitching, and a title. And here's the end result:Come on over and play with us at Method Playground. This challenge will be active until December 13.

Technique Speak

One Little Word

Drawing 1 Class - Day 12

Drawing 1 Class - Day 11

Drawing I Class - Day 10

Drawing 1 Class - Day 9

Drawing 1 Class - Day 8

Drawing 1 Class - Day 7

Drawing I Class - Day 6

Drawing 1 Class - Day 5

Drawing 1 Class - Day 4

Drawing 1 Class - Day 3

Drawing 1 Class - Day 2

Drawing I Class - Day 1

ATC

The universe speaks...

Still here...

One Last Halloween Hurrah

Money Saving Technique

13 Tags of Halloween - Tag 6

GO RAYS!

A-choooooo!

13 Tags of Halloween - Tag 5

Tag 4, an amendment

13 Tags of Halloween - Tag 4

13 Tags of Halloween - Tag 3

13 Tags of Halloween - Tag 2

10 Years Ago, today

13 Tags of Halloween

Better - Warning LOOONNNGGG Post

Method Playground Challenge 73

New Home...New Scrap Room

Opinions?

Still here....

Joys of Home Ownership

Method Playground Challenge #70

Lessons in Moving, Part 1

Spooky

Empty

Landscaping 101

Day 3

Day 2

Day 1

Method Playground Challenge 69

More

Come in, Come in!

Two Weeks from Tomorrow...

Easy Twisted Paper Flowers

Document

Where oh Where....

Found Embellishments

Where's Waldo?

Method Playground - Challenge 64

Method Playground Challenge 63

Playing Around...

Record Book

Method Playground Challenge 62

In progress...

Collage Flowers and Giveaway!

Canvas Pennant Kits

...with a Twist

Canvas Pennant...with a Twist

Method Playground Challenge 61

Still here...

Art Flowers

Days like this...

Playing Around...

Welcome 2010 Layout

Older Layout...

Quick Share

One Little Word 2010

One Little Word 2009, Part 3

One Little Word 2009, Part 2

One Little Word - 2009, Part 1

Checking in....

The best laid plans...

Off I go...

December Daily - Page 17

The twelfth tag of Christmas

December Daily - Page 16