Happy Cards

I love happy cards that make me smile and this one does.  It seems I am not the only one enjoying our break in the temps, the birds, bees and butterflies are a jumble of activity in my garden, yard and neighborhood.  Windows open this morning to blue skies and gentle Delta Breezes.  All elements are mine, I had a drawing fest last week and played with my much neglected Copics, the background is a gelli pull and the photocorners are by EKSuccess.   Hope your week is moving gently along, hugs

Surrender Dorothy

Good Morning all, Surrender Dorothy?  LOL, one of the things that happens when I am working with a new medium or process, right now for me it is the tabletop chalkboards, it stimulates my inspiration and all I want to do is draw, I will usually stifel the urge unless I have a lot of time or it suits my purpose.  Surrender Dorothy is my muse calling me to the drawing board.  I wanted a butterfly and a dragonfly for my tabletop chalkboards and I wanted them to be my creation, so I spent 2 or 3 days coming up with something I could attach to one of the corners, after doing my line drawing I printed them out in black and white, cut them with the Cameo and then worked with the magic Copics.  These are the butterflies, the background on the card is one of my Gelli pulls printed out on tissue paper and added to a block for the card blank.  I did two sizes, the smaller one being the blue and the larger one in greens and rusts. The tag was a bonus as I was doodling.  Sometime getting so caught up in the mechanics of getting a project done, I forget what a release drawing and the working with color are, sort of cleans the pallet so you can get on with things.

this is the larger one.

and the dragonfly, so now I have jewelry for my tabletop chalkboards and my muse is sated for a while. Have a great week, hugs

May your day be filled

Monday, Monday, hope your day and week are filled with smiles!  This is another tabletop chalkboard, yesterdays post featured a 4X6 and todays is a 5X7.  This also has a little different look, it was done with chalk and with Marvey "Bistro" chalk markers, wow love these markers, they are fun with paper too. Another butterfly for the corner.  The Bistro marker will not wipe off as the chalk will, the board must be cleaned with a damp cloth.

Table Top Blackboards

I was invited to participate in a craft boutique in Southern CA the first week in Nov. and I accepted.  I had a couple of project ideas patiently waiting for me to execute.  One on the top of the list was a tabletop chalkboard, pretty direct and to the point - NOT, lol.  As I got into it I realized there were a lot of variables in products, means of application, etc., etc.  Also there were not a lot of details on product or really on the internet either, well not all in one place.  Finally after much research, trail and error with primer and paint I came up with a workable project.  The thing that scrambled the info was that I wanted to do these on glass, not the traditional board.  One funny thing that happened, I was consulting with a Lowes worker and he suggested a primer, he is reading the instructions, dry time and says "that the primer had to cure 7-10days before use, excuse me? 7-10 days cure time is just not going to work and that product was deemed unacceptable immediately.  When I got in my car, this idea popped into my head, "Michael Angelo would have jumped up and down with glee at a 7-10 day cure time.", I laughed out loud.  The above tabletop is one I am using in my kitchen, dh gets frustrated and cannot figure out if dishes are clean or dirty, so this sits on the counter over dishwasher when there are clean dishes that have not been put up yet.  I keep thinking of so many uses for these little treasures.  I will be doing 2 sizes 4X6 and 5X7.  Then the other night as I was looking at it, it looked a little undimensional, so I sketched a butterfly, colored with Copics, scanned in and created an element for my silhouette Cameo to cut, I adhere two together and then coat with a UVA gloss top coat, then a tiny adhesive dot and it will attached to one of the corners.  Yep, I am lovin the table top blackboards.  Have a great Sunday and good upcoming week, you know where I will be, I am still working on my Christmas card designs too, hugs

Happy Birthday Miss Carole

My Dear Friend Carole celebrates a birthday tomorrow, well that is a little mis-leading as Carole celebrates for weeks and has already had a couple of pre-birthday celebrations, lol.  But I cannot think of anyone who deserves weeks of celebrations more.  This card was done with just her in mind, the mesa and cactus, that blazing sun are her territories.  I had a card underway, when I saw this kit "Grande" by Sherwood over at Scrapbook Grapics, and switched mid-stream cause this was perfect for that Arizona Girl.
So, Happy Birthday Miss Carole, love ya bunches, hugs

Not So Tradition Christmas Colors

A Christmas card this morning, using non-traditional colors with the Tim Holtz deer (love them).  The background is one of my gelli pulls, I have also done it in red and white and love it.  The stencil was cut using a Silhouette library mask.  Merry Christmas was computer generated and the tim holtz deer were cut from Italian wrapping paper.  Have a great Thursday, hugs

Stay Cool

It sure would be nice to have a break from this heat, sometimes I feel like I am part of one of those slooooow motion clips from a movie, where you can see each movement and a minute lasts forever, lol.  The cats want to be outside, they stretch out on their backs and slow down their breathing, it is so shallow you cannot see a movement, have to reach down and pat them to make sure they did not die from a heat stroke.  Enough of my moaning over the heat on to the card.  The background is a printed gelli pull on tissue.  The thumbs up is an element I did for a card kit created for a friends birthday, she loves the thumbs up symbol.  Tag with a little doodling and the therm. from "Bits of Ivory".  Just a reminder to stay cool, hugs

By The Sea = A Birthday Card

A birthday card today, I have had a lot of birthdays over the last month or so, isn't it funny how they jumble up in certain months?  This was for a young woman, a professional photographer.  She loves the ocean and water.  The background paper is from "Paradise Discovered" by et designs at Scrapbook Graphics and the bottle is from NLD "Sea Whistle" also SG.  The camera is "Echo Park" for Silhouette Library.

I applied a BasicGrey rub-on to the bottle and wrote the 2013.  Hope your weekend yields rest and relaxation, hugs

A Collaboration of hearts

I am blessed with some of the best neighbors anyone could possibly imagine on both sides, across and up and down the street.  They are diverse, talented and loving people.  One of my next door neighbors are pretty new but only to the house, they lived down the street prior to becoming my next door neighbor and lived across the street from a dear friend.  A mom and her two daughters, all three beautiful, vivacious, fun and talented.  Today we are going to talk about Jessica though, her favorite symbol "a happy face", and "hearts" her favorite word "yes".  Jessica is 26 and will be 27 later this month, she was born with some challenges, Trisomy 13 being the hardest one, 80% do not survive past 3 years. Jessica graduated from high school with her class and now works for Pride Industries in Roseville. Jessica loves to make cards.
One of the blogs I follow "Funky Cards" is hosted by Madison, a recent high school graduate, who began "I Feel the Love Project" a number of years ago and has blessed so many people with her call for cards, prayers and help.  When I saw her July project I knew what I wanted to do and I wanted it to be a collaboration with my friend Jessica.  The call was for "Thank You" cards for the mom of the sweetest child "Mariyah", please visit Madisons blog for the full story on Mariyah.  I went next door and asked Jessica if she would like to work on the cards with me, she said "YES", no hesitation, just YES.  I took over 12 blanks for her to work her heart magic on, I gave her no guidance, suggestions or input it was up to her.  Here is part of the magic in all of this, despite a tooth extraction and a pretty traumatic seizure, they got done.  My part was to add the vinyl heart and inside cloud with "Thank You".

I love her rhythm of the hearts, some closed, some open, some with a side pocket. I think all hearts should have a side pocket, LOL.

I know this is a pretty long post and if you have traveled the distance, I thank you!  Hope you got some inspiration and pleasure from our collaboration.  Have a great rest of the week, hugs

Save the page

I love bookmarks and have not posted one in a while.  This was designed with the Cameo and then cut from 10mil vinyl.  I created a slot at the sleeve so the bookmark could be attached to a corner but can just be tucked between the pages as a traditional one.  Hope your week flows and glows with creativity, hugs

Impromptu 4th

My neighbor had an impromptu 4th of July and so I helped a little with some quick, practical decorations.  They were so much fun and all done with the Cameo.

 I started with a 3" circle then put a 1.5" circle in the middle and a slit on one side, all designed on the Cameo screen, then sent them to the Cameo to cut, then cut out the cute 4th decorative circles, approx. 1 1/4", created a stencil with some scattered stars and using  chalk ink dauber stenciled one side of the circles and put the 4th circles on the other side, they were ready to go in no time.

The guests used them for their wine glasses and also to identify their own wine bottles. Hugs

thinking of you

Vinyl, etched and grunged. I used alcohol ink on this first and then took it to my gelli plate and did a pull, I then used silver alcohol ink on the letters and butterfly and then began rubbing it off until I liked how it looked.  I think some more play with the technique will result in some amazing depth and texture on the vinyl.  My words and butterfly are from the Silhouette Library.  Have a great weekend everyone, hugs

America - A Digi Page

Morning All, The Art Journal Caravan has traveled into America this month, home sweet home.  I just hope I will have time to do some of the ideas rattling around in my imagination.  The background is one of my gelli pulls with a rose transfer.  The other elements are from Tangie's July AJC Kit over at Scrapbook Graphics, some wonderful chalk elements.  "In unity there is strength" is an American Proverb.  The journaling is mine, "Like a rose there are thorns but the colors and smells of home cannot be had anywhere else."  I am off today for a little RnR, going to see "The Lone Ranger", oh how I love Johnny Depp.  Have a great Thursday, hugs

Le Bistro-Teal Light Shoji

Well the Tea Light Shojis are evolving, that is always a good sign.  Tools and Techniques have a unique stamp on them of your rhythm and style and this is quickly evident when you bring out tools and supplies that you have not used in awhile.  My alcohol inks and daubers have been in seclusion for a long time.  So I have been getting reacquainted and back in the swing with them.  The Shojis will work on their own but take on a spark with a little embellishment. As I share them I have also decided to keep them strictly to the battery operated tea lights.  The vinyl is only 10mil and over extended use those panels will begin to warp some with wax or soy candles, I definitely do not recommend wax tea lights with these.  I am really falling in love with the process of these and they will be fun stocking stuffers for the holidays. For now I am using my Silhouette Library for the elements I am engraving into the vinyl. Hope your week is rolling well, hugs

Tea Light Shojis

 I love Shoji screens and room dividers and several years ago I created these using heavier acrylic panels etched with my Cricut, although it worked and I loved them it was just not economically correct to keep doing them, the acrylic prices soared and the acrylic was deadly on my blades so I quit doing them.  I have some 10mil clear vinyl sheets that I use for my bookmarks and journal covers and decided yesterday to design a TeaLight Shoji, not knowing if it would even work, I created a rectangle with 3 panels using 2 perforated lines and 2 different patterns with Cameo one for the center and the same design on the sides etched in with my Cameo.  I then used alcohol inks on the inside of the Shoji and Pan Pastels on the outside to catch in the etching lines and pop them out a little.  I do love how they turned out and they make a perfect meditation candle but a cluster on an outdoor table for a little romance would be gorgeous too.  The inspiration came when I was working with my luminary, you never know where the ole muse is going to whammy you, lol.  Have a great Sunday.

This is a side view showing how the panels come together in the back.

Luminary

July is traditionally my month to get focused and getting my designs done for the upcoming holidays.  For several years luminaries have been on my list for Halloween but just have not gotten done.  So with all my new skills and the Silhouette Cameo in my arsenal of tools, I decided this is the year I am going to get them done.  I found a bag design I liked by Lori Whitlock in the Silhouette Library and last week began gathering some Halloween elements that would work.  The hardest part for me was getting the bag folded correctly, I do have some directional challenges, lol.  But once I got it down, I was in love.  The photo was taken with a real tea light but for Halloween I will be using the little battery tea lights.  I have two designs right now but would like one more.  So here's looking at Halloween 2013.  Have a safe and happy weekend, hugs

Summer Love

A little Summer Love going on here.  Our triple digits have broken HURRAY, forecasted low 90s and we are all ready for a break.  Had a nice but really hot (110) 4th, spent the evening next door by my neighbors pool and watched some neighborhood fireworks go off (what were they thinking?), but all is safe.

Lori Whitlock one of my fav Silhouette Designers created this fab block card and I could not resist, I love the layers.  The image is also from the Silhouette Library, Beatrix Potter has the license for Harry Potter and this is a Harry Potter image, they hands are hold a chain that dangles down, I did not want it in the image so did a shabby chic bow to cover it.  Basic Grey and Bazzill for the card blank.  Hope all is well with everyone today and that you have a great weekend.  Hugs

Gratitude

I was inspired by a Memory Box die to do these trees.  I did my line drawing and then turned it into an element.  Colors done with a Montana marker and Black India Ink.  The background is a gelli pull on tissue. Font used was "Fine Hand".

Stay cool, hugs

fun notes

Good Monday morning all.  Hope everyone has a good week, we won't leave triple digits in temps until later this week, right after the 4th.

I found a stash of some neon lined notebook paper this weekend and thought it might make some cute note cards.  I printed a gelli pull on a sheet of yellow with my printer and then using my Big Shot and the next to largest block die (it is the biggest one that will fit the plate) I cut and folded, the note turns out to be right at 5 1/2" X 4 1/2", when folded in half.  I then stamped it with a Hero Arts "Blomming Meadow" stamp in black and added a sweet bird sitting on a Memory Box branch die cut.  Perfect for a quick note.  I love how the background gives depth to the flowers and stems.  Stay cool and create much.  Hugs