Simplicity

This spread I did this week will also be posted to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge. I didn't originally make it with that intent but it worked out great. This spread was very simple and fun. I put distress oxides down all over both pages. Then I spritzed and sprayed and dried and added until I liked the outcome. Including just stamping the square ink pad right onto the pages at times. Then I used a large Dylusions stencil that has a great flowery print around the outside with fun random dots on the inside. I used extra heavy gel medium and went over the whole stencil in one direction on the left page, the I flipped it end for end and did it again to the right page. A day later when it was finally dry I spent several minutes just in awe of how it came out and the texture it provided. Then I sprayed the whole thing with silvery glimmer mists, it very hard to see if the picture, but in person it has a great sheen to it. Then I put normal white embossing paste through several word stencils, then I covered it in embossing powder, and I melted the embossing powder before letting the paste dry. Which gives it a fun squishy foamy feeling. I tore them all out, went around the edges with my orange wink a stella pen, stuck them down with foam mounting tape, and voila! It was so easy and so much fun, and is just bursting with texture, I love it!!

Braver, Stronger, Smarter, Loved

This weeks Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge is Shimmer and Shine. I decided to incorporate that theme into a present for my mother-in-law whose birthday is tomorrow. I started with a 5x7 chalkboard in frame. Used Dylusions yellow paint to cover the inner surface, let it dry, applied weathered wood, let it dry, then added pink Dylusions paint over that, and as it dried it brought on the beautiful crackle. I then ran a line of glue around the entire inside corner and covered it with a purple glitter (which I am still finding on random surfaces lol). Then I stamped the quote and cut it out, glued it onto purple card stock and cut it out, again. I used foam mounting tape to add it to the painted background. Then I painted the piece of filigree in the corner and the flowers and butterflies. I added little gemstones to the butterflies, and to the center of the smaller flower. Then I layered it all up and stuck it down. Then, to make the frame pop just a little I added some dots of stickles glitter paint.

Pet the Dog

This is a spread I did in one of my smaller art journals. It was fun and simple, but is very indicative of how I like my life. I first used Dylusions paint and just spread it over both pages, not worrying about whether it was perfect or not. Then I used black Archival ink through one of the Dylusions stencils on the top left and bottom right corners. Then I stamped the paw prints across the page. I added the laser cut Keep Calm and Pet the Dog sign I got at a stamp and scrap expo the weekend before. Then using a white gel pen I added the white circles around the stenciled spot, and the words. It was a fun and therapeutic spread that always makes me smile. Especially when I have a dog snuggled with me lol.

Card Exchange

While out in Iowa over Memorial Day weekend my mom was showing me some fun things you could do with stamps and infusions. Needless to say the Penny Black flower came out awesomely, and she made a couple of them since you can do it a few times before the infusions are all used up. I asked if I could take one home, and it was decided that we would each take one and make a card for the other person with it. I ended up not getting mine done until after my birthday in June, so I took the opportunity to try and use a variety of things that I had gotten for my birthday from my mom. So, the bottom layer is just ordinary card stock. The next layer I used the new harlequin stencil I got with the orange wink a stella pen that I got. The next layer I started with one of the pieces of paper that the stencil was wrapped in, and used some of the infusions that I got for my birthday with clear shimmer paint brush strokes. Then I added the flower that I was supposed to be using, added some more of the harlequin pattern, this time with paste through the stencil. Then I used one of the Tim Holtz metal embellishments, and used one of his distress crayons to lightly color over it, to fill in the words with white so it was more readable (these were the only other things I used that weren't part of my birthday package). I really enjoyed doing this card and was happy with how it turned out.

Mother's Day

Despite this being the card I made for mothers day, as you can see I'm a little behind in blogging it lol. I had a lot of fun with this card. I went digging through random papers of various my mom and I have done throughout the years and came up with one of the melted crayon backgrounds that was rich in warm colors. Over that I used a swirly stencil and put versa mark ink through it, then I brought out the powdered pearls. Funny thing though, the color of powdered pearls I wanted to use hadn't been opened yet. See where this is going. As I was trying to get the seal unstuck so I could use it it slipped out of my hands and landed on the table, which made it go EVERYWHERE, including on the two dogs that were sitting at my feet. Lets just say it was months before some things didn't have a nice silvery/white sheen. Once I got that cleaned up, more or less, that stuff sticks everywhere, I got it on the card here I wanted it and off where I didn't. For the large flower in the middle I colored it with an embossing ink pen and then used embossing powder to give it the colors that I wanted. The grass and flower vines at the bottom were a sticker piece, as was the butterflies. The small gravestone at the bottom is actually a piece of marble chess board that broke many years ago that was then etched wit the phrase "here lies my piece of mind". I had been waiting forever for the perfect time to use it. A flowery Mother's Day card seemed like the perfect place lol.

Quick Birthday

As everyone knows life can get a little crazy at times. When my sons birthday was upon us back in April I realized that I hadn't yet made him a card. I very quickly layered up some fun paper, added some washi tape, stamped the words and added a lizard (which he is a big fan of). All in all I don't think my card in 20 minutes or less came out bad at all lol.

Crazy Times

I am so incredibly far behind on my blog posts, mostly because it is not my favorite thing to do, me and technology do not generally mix. I am today however, trying to get caught up at least some. This is a spread I started way back at the beginning of the year, If you look through the three pictures below you can see the progression of the background. I loved it when I started it, hated it when I was finished, so there it sat for a long time. Eventually, while out visiting the Family in Iowa, and having some fun mother daughter art time, I decided it was time to finish it. After all my mom does have way more cool stuff than I do lol. Once it was all said and done I liked it better than I had but still not one of my pieces that I love. The crazy dogs do help though :)

Old and Interesting

So for this weeks Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: School or Study Related, I was at a bit of a loss. So I decided to interpret it slightly differently. I wish I had remembered to take before pictures. I started with an old German book from 1859. The covers and spine were falling off, it was pretty shambled. I had originally bought it just to use the pages out of it. However the thought of doing an altered book always appealed to me. So I decided that this weeks challenge would be a good time to try that out. It took me a couple days if gluing and pressing to get the spine and covers all together and working again. Then the fun began. I took a handful of fun antique steam punk style washi tape rolls, I then started at the top and did one after another going down the book, starting on the inside of the back cover and wrapping it around. Once I got that all done I took Tim Holtz antique collage medium and worked it over the covers and spine. To not only seal the washi tape, but to try and keep the aged look of the 150+ year old book. Then I took some cloth textured paper and went on the inside cover over the first page, to help reinforce the book, and to make sure the washi tape didn't decide to work it's way up. Then I stamped the quote on the same paper I used on the inside covers. Tore it out and adhered it with the same collage medium that I did the washi tape. I then added the small clock charm. Finally I went hunting for something to do out the spine. At first I looked for a good phrase or title, and finally decided that I would use the old studded spine idea. So I found some small metal embellishments and suited the purpose and measured it out and glued them on. I am overjoyed at how well this turned out. I can't wait to continue arting through the book. I hope that you all enjoy it, and that it fits the theme ok.