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This blue and green swirl waxed paper background perfectly suited the digital image I had colored with my new Distress Markers. I added one strip of patterned paper and a greeting stamped on another pattern. All of the pieces are banded with a thin black border.
The floral panel and the sentiment are popped up on foam tape. I added three pearls under the sentiment and another three in the upper left.
Ddd
I've been working on this card off and on for months! I started it with no specific swap or challenge in mind and would set it aside to work on one for which I had an assignment. Then I got a swap signup for 'beach/seaside' and I set to work to finish it up.
The shimmery, textured background was sent to me in a supplies swap and suited well for a sandy look. I stitched with rayon threads in bright green for the trees, taupe for the coconuts and tree trunks, and white for the sand and boat. Then I selected irridescent threads in blue for the water and purple for the hills.
I selected one of my pre-stamped phrases on an irridescent green scrap and matted it with irridescent blue to match the folded card base.
Ddd
The next color challenge in paper embroidery was purple and black. I chose to handle this one opposite of the yellow one by stitching with the black thread on the color. I backed it with black dotted cardstock and then used the same purple for the folded card base.
This is really not as blue as it appears. Crazy camera!
Ddd
On assignment to make a card with only yellow and black I dug out this pattern for a candle on a stand.
I used a golden tone for the stand. light yellow for the candle and bright yellow for the flame. I used gold Stickles to add a little shine in the flame.
I mounted this on a bright yellow cardstock in keeping with the theme. Surprisingly, for a card with so much black, it does not look really dark.
Ddd
The waxed paper background used today is made with the 'brick' embossing folder. It loses a little bit in the translation with this technique but makes a nice backdrop just the same.
I added some table scrap strips to it and one of them was covered with clocks. So I pulled out a clock stamp and then bordered it up with a decorative die-cut and backed it with a scalloped circle. These are popped up on foam tape.
The sentiment is stamped directly on the background. This is a bit of a risk as the wax resists some inks and causes others to dry very slowly, increasing the danger of smearing. Lucky break when it turned out so well.
Ddd
I was going for simple and elegant on this card but I don't think it turned out that way.
Love the background paper. Love the diecut flower. Loved the corner brackets but they may be too large. Loved the pink swirls but they didn't stand out enough so I added white dashed lines and now they stand out too much and the casual lines don't match the formal character of the card. Like the bow - don't love it, just like it.
Possible fixes: use the white pen to turn the dashed lines into solid lines, change up the bow for something more elegant like a rhinestone. Other suggestions?
Ddd
"Hey, Mom, will you buy this stamp for me? And since I don't stamp, will you take it home and make cards out of it for me to send out? Please...? It's on sale!"
Now who can resist a plea like that?
So I bought the stamp, brought it home, and made four cards to send to dear daughter so she can send them to friends and family. I must admit, the stamp is cute as can be.
I stamped the image in brown ink so it has a vintage feel and is not so stark as it would be in black. It is colored up with alcohol markers in different color combinations. I cut strips from table scraps as well as some yummy new paper pads I bought at the same time. Each also got the same sentiment stamped in the same brown ink.
Card #1
Card #2
Card #3
Card #4
This image makes a card suitable for adults OR children.
Now I'd better get them off to dear daughter before someone gets sick and she needs them.
Ddd
I think I've used this embossing folder more in these backgrounds than I ever did as embossing tools. I like that it does not impart sharp edges so the background is more casual.
I used a large block of the background for this first one and added some border strips from the table scraps. Actually, I cut into a brand new piece of paper for the stripes on the left, creating more table scraps in the process. The butterflies are punched from paint sample strips. The sentiment is from the new bin. I think that bin is going to come in very handy.
I had only a narrow strip of the bubble background left to I used it as one of the decorative stripes in this next card. I added table scraps and a strip of tissue tape over a rose-printed background paper for the layout. Then I pulled out this rose that I colored up LONG ago (its from that old stamp catalog) and popped it up on foam tape. The sentiment strip was pretty eye-catching so I added some leaves of the same cardstock to frame the heart.
MUCH brighter in real life.
Ddd
The sleep mouse is back along with more leafy waxed paper background. This one uses the same folder as yesterday but the coloring was done in more of a fall pallette. Strips of table scraps gives him a place to rest and I think it looks like he just fell asleep in a corner of the yard.
The sentiment is from that new stash I created and I used small scissors to trim it out. This imparts a more relaxed feel as do the rounded corners at the top and the landscape orientation of the layout.
Ddd
Still working my way through the pile of waxed paper backgrounds that I made. Today features the two-toned leafy swirls in which I placed red dots for berries.
First up is a layered approach that has a first peek at a sleepy mouse stamp I picked up on clearance. It is colored with alcohol markers and bordered by table scraps. One project I worked on in the studio lately was sorting those ever-increasing table scraps. Even though I use them all the time there always seems to be more! I took out all the smallest ones in solids and light patterns and stamped sentiments on them and put them into a separate bin. Now I can sort through to find one that has the right color/meaning and add it to a card. That is the source of this text.
For this one I stamped the sentiment and a small image directly on the waxed paper background to serve as the feature. I used OWH sketch 111 and then added a third stripe between the two specified. There was not enough contrast between the pieces so I bordered all of them with black marker before popping on the feature panel.
Both of these cards have the same papers but what a difference in character!
Ddd
I love a butterfly with raised wings on a card. Someone sent me this purple butterfly that has been embossed and I had some purple diecut words as well. The background paper I chose had brownish/purple toned flowers on a green background. So I backed the words and butterfly with brown and then added a dark strip at the bottom.
I popped the butterfly wings up on foam and added some green Stickles to the body and antenae. Then I placed three heart-shaped rhinestone stickers on the bottom strip.
Ddd
The assignment: make a card that is tone-on-tone blue. I raided the table scraps, the sticker bin and the die cuts stash for parts to use.
I started with a dark blue card base and cut strips from the table scraps to glue on in a tilted strips. Over to top I added a rectangle sticker on an opposite tilt.
Three shaped tags were stamped with the sentiment and mounted with glue dots and a blue brad.
Hey, what's with the camera inserting purple where I put in blue?
Ddd
In rummaging around in my scraps I ran across some die cuts I had tossed in a bin for 'later'. First I pulled out a lovely flower piece and used foam as a base under it to burnish and get a rounded shape. Then I pulled out the brown swirls - 5 of them and found the colors went so well with a particular piece of patterned paper that I had.
Adding a pink swirl and a pink patterned strip made it all come together.
I added some doodle lines around the edges, placed foam under the raised parts of the flower petals and a little multi-pearl center to the flower.
Yummy!
Ddd
Still working on 2 Christmas cards a month in paper embroidery.
These cuddly snow people don't show up too well on camera so I bumped up the focus to compensate. I stitched with muted tones on an aqua patterned paper. This got a simple trim and rounded corners accented with white dashed lines. The base card of pearlescent pink also got rounded corners.
I placed a thick clear acrylic sticker on a blue background to match the neckscarf and trimmed around it. This is raised up on foam tape.
Now, I've got 12 Christmas cards ready to go!
Ddd
My nails started growing back out enough to put on polish. I decided to carry on the summer red, white, and blue theme and substitute out silver for the white. Here's the polish line-up:
Base coat, blue (dollar store), red (dollar store), silver glitter, top coat, quick dry.
And here's the finished product:
Isn't that fun?
They'll look better when they get a little longer.
Ddd
I made posters for the VBS kick-off party again this year. As you saw in the giant advertising banners a few days ago the theme is based on an amusement park. The kickoff will have a variety of games for the kids to play to earn 'tickets'. These posters will mark these stations.
These are all lettered and drawn free-hand using alcohol markers.
Ddd
Occasionally I like to show the little seasonal vignettes I set up around the house for decoration. In the summer, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, I like to stick with a patriotic theme and go with red, white and blue, stars and stripes, flags and banners.
If you started outside you would see a bunting swag on the porch railing that sets the tone for what you will encounter inside.
Upon entering, this little grouping greets you in the entryway.
Then you would find this setup on the fireplace mantel. The letter blocks are a merry mix-up from my seasonal block set. I can't spell the word out properly for lack of a U. You get the drift, though.
Hope you enjoyed the tour.
Have an awesome summer!
Ddd
OK, so it is the GARDEN that is expanding. DH took my hint for a small raised bed for berries and fed it steroids! Now I have a 8 x 25 bed about 18" deep off the back patio. Added to the 12 barrels and three hanging planters I have been using for several years it gives me room for 25 varieties of foodstuffs.
Here's a view from the yard:
And one from the patio:
This is the planting plan:
There are also bulb onions planted along the perimeter of the three berry beds. Three varieties of potatoes in that bed: russet, yukon gold, and purple. Three tomatoes in hanging planters: roma, early girl, and jelly bean. Three herb pots in the garden window: thyme, rosemary, and sage. I planted 6 strawberry plants: 2 june-bearing, 2 everbearing, 2 earlybearing. There are just two blueberry and two raspberry plants this year. Will add more next year.
I will share progress of the growing season and harvest (assuming it is a success)
Ddd
My daughter needed some props for a skit and asked me to make them for her. We pulled up images of 'big check' on Google Images and I sketched them out on white foam-core. Everything is then drawn with markers.
You can get an idea of the scale of these as they are sitting on the couch for these photos.
I thought that there should be a logo on the checks and since the 'skit' didn't have a logo, I created this one to use.
This puts the project into the realm of 'art' and therefore, it gets a blog entry.
Ddd
Back to the background made with waxed paper in the Cuttlebug...
I made two with the same interlocking circles folder. One is color blended with extreme pastels and one is spot-colored with brights. What amazingly different effects with one folder!
The soft-toned one got strips and circles of pastel designer papers and then I stamped over all of them with the greeting. Where the strip edges were I had to do a little touch-up with a fine black pen to fill the gaps. I found the tag in my stash but it was too large so I trimmed both width and length for a better fit, tied sheer ribbon through the hole and mounted it on foam tape.
The brighter background is so busy and beautiful that I didn't want to cover it up or take away from it too much. I had this lovely table scrap that has a gradation of Glimmer Mist colors and they matched beautifully. I added a strip of Martha Stewart patterned tape under it. The image is stamped with Festive Berries distress ink on golden-yellow paper. I used a gold Krylon pen to border the edges and add some flecks and stripes in the image.
I stamped the text on the paper strip and mounted the image with foam tape.
Ddd
