A Calendar

I have been acquiring the PTI Year of Flowers stamps over the past year or so.  My mother in law loves flowers and used to have a florist business so I thought I'd make her a desk calendar using all the YOF stamps.  I've been loving the look of coloring on kraft paper so that's the route I took.  I colored and punched the holes for the binding...right through some of the flower names!  So I cut strips of patterned paper to put across the top and went from there.  All in all, I love the way it turned out.  

 The front, the tab tucks under the "2013".

 I used very pale colors on an embossed Morning Glory, didn't do any shading and then stuck the die cut '2013' over.

 The tab folds under and creates an easel type stand.  There is a strip of kraft to hold the front in place.

 I didn't keep track of the Copic colors I used.  I know that I used the Special Edition ones because they were easy to keep on my desk. These are Carnations.

 Violets, if I do any more of these I think I'll try to put the flower titles in kind of the same place.

 Daffodils, I outlined everything in T3 for definition.  I also thinks it helps keep all the images cohesive.

 Sweet Peas. I like how these turned out.

 Lilies of the Valley; white colored pencil is great on kraft paper.  Gotta remember to do it AFTER all your Copic coloring is done.

 These Roses look like velvet in person.  So rich looking.

 Larkspurs

 I used the fluorescent purple, I think it's the truest purple.  The yellow in the middle of the flowers is with colored pencils.

 I like this stamp but don't really like the way I colored it.  I was trying to creat some highlights with white pencil but don't like how it came out.

 Marigolds; the darker more saturated colors are so rich looking on the kraft.

 Mums

 I know the reds for the Poinsettias came from the special edition set, the ketch pens with a brush tip and a fine tip instead of the chisel.  I layered YG over the greens to get that yelowish cast that poisettia leaves sometimes get.

Made by me.

Supplies for Calendar

Stamps:  Year of Flowers ; all 12 months(PTI)

Dies/Impression Plates: Calendar page, Limitless layers ovals (PTI)

Cardstock:  Kraft, New Leaf dots and stripes (PTI)

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black

Other: Copic Markers (a bunch), colored pencils 

Felting

 Felting.  So cool, I love knitting something, throwing it in the machine and seeing what I get.  I know that terrifies lots of you out there but I find it exhilarating. Lately I've been making bags and bowls.  I made a couple of purses a few years ago and just finished a bag that is perfect for those weekend trips that Craig and I go on. 

BEFORE FELTING

AFTER FELTING (Washed twice)

I had some yarn left over and used it to make a little bowl.  It looked remarkably like a hat before felting!

There is this great book called AlterKnits Felt by Leigh Radford that had a pattern for pot holders using a blister stitch.  

I made those (I had some trouble with the I-cord edging) and then adapted the pattern to make...

...a bowl!  I have one just like it in red and charcoal on the end table to hold my knitting notions.

Sigh...so much wool in so many colors and so little time.

I Love To Knit

Anyone who knows me knows that I love to knit.  I do it while watching TV, attending meetings and conferences.  I have a love affair with yarn, kind of like I do with paper.  I love how it looks and feels and I like to acquire it.  

The problem is that I have this fear that if I use it I'll never find it again.  That goes for yarn and paper both.  I am trying to force myself to use what I have, it is much, MUCH harder than it seems. 

These are the projects I have going as far as knitting goes. Every little bag (and bags in bags) is a project.  I think if you count all the handles you see and divide by 2, that would be about what I have going on now.  

Christmas Tags - Take 2

I got onto this Christmas Tag roll.  Rediscovered the Essential Glue Pad along with Glitter Ritz microfine glitter for some pizazz on these snow globes.

I stamped a bunch of the snow globe circles along with the Santa, tree and snowman inside with Memento Ink then colored everything in with Copics. After that I used the Essential Glue Pad to stamp the "Snow" part of the set on top of the colored design.  Sprinkled with glitter and ta-da! Too bad you can't really see the sparkle, it's there though.

The little bag they are in is die cut from a Tim Holtz die called 'In The Bag' using silver shimmer paper from PTI.  I seem to have this problem with the paper scoring too much so that is goes all the way through.  So I scored the bottom part of various Tag Sale dies and hooked that over and under where the bag is scored all the through.  Finished everything off with a  Holly die cut, some bakers twine and sparkly gems.  All that's wanting is someones name on the tag...

Supplies for Snow globe tags

Stamps:  Winter Snow Globe, Mistletoe and Holly(PTI)

Dies/Impression Plates: Mistletoe and Holly, Tag Sale #3 (both PTI), In The Bag (Tim Holtz)

Cardstock:  Neenah Solar White, Silver Shimmer (PTI)

Ink:  New Leaf, Aqua Mist, Pure Poppy (all PTI), Memento Tuxedo Black

Other: Copic Markers (R46,G43,Y35, R81, YR68, BOOO, E50, C1 and black Spica pen), red bakers twine, Queen & Co  Twinkle Goosebumps embellishments

Christmas Tags - Take 1

I love making Christmas tags.  I really loved Dawn McVeys idea of making a little gift out of 3 or 4 of them with their own cute little packaging.  So this is what I came up with first:

I had a hard time coming up with packaging that the tags fit into.  The pillow box was just a smidge too short and narrow so I used one of the Front and Center dies trimmed straight on the sides. I think these are going to go to my managers at work.

Supplies for "Best Wishes Tags"

Stamps:  2012 Christmas Tags, Over-Under-Easy: Holiday (PTI)

Dies/Impression Plates: Tag Sale #5, Limitless Layers 1-3/4" Circle, Limitless Layers 1-3/4" Oval, Limitless layers 2-3/4 ' Ovals, Front and Center #1

Cardstock:  Scarlet Jewel, Simply Chartreuse, Rustic Cream, Kraft, Holiday Flourishes and Swirls (patterned), Simply Charteuse Pattern 

Ink:  Simply Chartreuse, Scarlet Jewel, Kraft

Other: Clear Embossing powder, white Embossing powder, red bakers twine

Make It Monday #89

I loved the whole idea of this MIM.  Below is my own take using one of the unusual holiday color combinations from last months blog hop-Ocean Tides, Pure Poppy, Pinefeather and Rustic Cream. I like the dimensional look of the stamped off once holly leaves with the die cuts overlying.  Nifty.

I have been saving all the acetate sheets that PTI stamps come on forever and used that for the window.  I am also pretty in love with the clear powder embossing technique using Versamark and the PTI ink for color.  Theat's what is used on the sentiment inside.

Supplies for "Loveliest of Seasons"

Stamps:  Over-Under-Easy:Holiday, Mistletoe and Holly(PTI)

Dies/Impression Plates: Mistletoe and Holly, Limitless Layers 2-1/2" Circle

Cardstock:  Ocean Tides, Rustic Cream

Ink:  Pinefeather, Pure Poppy

Other: Clear Embossing powder, red bakers twine, Queen & Co  Twinkle Goosebumps embellishments

Papertrey October Blog Hop Challenge: Take 2

The second color palette I liked was this one:

I love to knit.  In fact, I have several paper bags of projects in progress clustered around my end of the couch. I liked the whole stripey thing here and wanted to recreate it.  Too bad I haven't gotten the new Sweater Knit stamp from this months release yet.  I really made this a lot more complex than I needed too because I started out with another idea in my head.  I was going to cut out the center of the striped block with a limitless layers die and then stamp the Christmas sentiment inside it.  I am here to tell you that you cannot die cut through 3 layers of PTI cardstock! But, you can use an Impression Plate and get some nice embossing going on.  The rest is pretty self explanatory.  I popped up the Limitless Layers big oval over the hole I tried to die cut. Should have done that in the first place.  I like how it so clean looking.  I want to recreate it using the knit pattern stamp for the stripes when it arrives.

I was at work today stressing about how I was going to get pictures in the daylight and my son took these. I really, really like the photos, he has a great eye. Thanks for looking!

Supplies for "Cozy Holiday"

Stamps:  Happiest of Holidays(PTI)

Dies/Impression Plates: Herringbone Impression Plate, Limitless Layers 2-1/2" oval

Cardstock:  Aqu Mist, Ocean Tides, Smoky Shadow, Soft Stone

Ink:  Smoky Shadow

Other: Clear Embossing powder

Papertrey October Blog Hop Challenge: Take 1

I haven't ever participated in a Blog Hop before but thought I'd give it a shot.  I was inspired by the whole idea of non-traditional Holiday colors so I picked the following ones and this is what I came up with.

I love all these colors together and decided to experiment with this technique  that Heather Nichols showed.  I've certainly used colored inks to emboss with before but never thought of using Versamark first, then a dye ink on top.  Cool idea. I did all the embossing first and then the background stamping.  I really liked how it turned out.

Check out Take 2, and thanks for looking!

Supplies for "celebrate the season"

Stamps: Snowflake Medley, Backgroun Basics: Postmarks  (all PTI)

Sentiments: Framed Out #7

Cardstock: Classic Kraft, Rustic White

Ink:  Aqua Mist, Hawiian Shores, Simply Chartruese, New Leaf, Fine Linen

Other: Clear Embossing powder

Make it Monday #77: Painting With Ink

This week Dawn McVey showed how to use ink pads to watercolor in images.  I've done this before with Distress Inks on watercolor paper, even taught several Scrapbook Expo classes utilizing this same technique on embossed images for a cool resist look.  This was fun just to do for me, coloring is therapuetic and relaxing.

I love folk art and that's what I was going for here.  Clean and simple.  I had ink smudges on the left hence the blue piece of cardstock but I really liked how it turned out.

Thanks for bopping on by, Craig and I are going to Monterey this weekend.  I think I blew our budget on the hotel, good thing there's a free breakfast!

Supplies

Stamps: Stitches and Swirls, Year of Flowers: Violets (all PTI)

Sentiments: Framed Out #1, Tagged Sentiments (all PTI)

Cardstock: Winter Wisteria, Ripe Avocado, Solar White Neenah (Violets). Pure Poppy, Blueberry Sky, Solar White Neenah (Stitches and Swirls)

Ink:  Winter Wisteria, Plum Pudding, Lavendar Moon, Spring Moss, Simply Chartruese (Violets). Pure Poppy, Blueberry Sky, Summer Sunrise, Simply Chartruese, Ripe Avocado (Stitches and Swirls)

Other: Summer Sunrise button, Hemp twine

MIM #75 - Entry #2 Under the Wire!

I am getting this in just under the wire.  I had a great time yesterday participating in the Stamp-A-Faire.  I will most likely be posting those projects later, only one or two are completed, the rest are skeletons waiting to be fleshed out.

This is the second Roll the Dice MIM card I did.  My computer is doing something weird with PDF files, like not opening them.  I posted on the forum for help and Derbylea was kind enough to send an attachment.  Thank you!

My second bunch of rolls called for a Vertical layout using Sketch #1, Stitches and Swirls and We Go Together stamp sets plus patterned paper using the colors of Summer Sunrise, Classic Kraft, Canyon Clay, Spring Moss and Aqua Mist.  

I thought I did OK.  The buttons are Spring Moss, don't know if you can tell or not.  It was fun cutting up the sentiment to use a little differently as far as placement goes.  I used just the swirly bits from the Stitches and Swirls stamp set.  I have trouble using that one, don't know why.

First...Challenge, Sketch, MIM

I have been a rabid Papertrey Ink user/shopper/follower for several years now but always as a watcher.  This weeks MIM video for some reason inspired me to want to participate.  I've made lots of cards using the MIM concepts and techniques but never wanted to participate.

I'm not saying that I really like this particular card but I really enjoyed the PROCESS of creating it.  I have never created from a sketch and wouldn't normally have used these colors.  Everything about it is outside my comfort zone.  I didn't know it would be so satisfying!

I thought I would edit the post to include what my challenges were: Horizontal layout of sketch #5 using Trendy Tree Tops, Background Basics: Farm and Barn, glitter as an embellishment and the color combo of pure poppy, summer sunrise, simply chartreuse and aqua mist.  It probably took me 2 hours of messing around!