OWH sketch 80 is a previously unused (by me) one:

I saw on a blog where rubber stamps were used with Distress Ink pads to stamp on watercolor paper. These images were then spritzed with water to mute and blend. Neat-o!

For this sketch I used Distress markers to scribble colors and stamped over them with a solid stamp. When the image was dry I used black marker to thinly outline it for more definition.

Coordinating papers were used to construct the sketch and the floral head served as the embellishment. I used black as a bordering color to set off the layers from one another.

I used a gold Dazzle sticker for the text on a coordinating red solid.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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We suddenly come to a stretch of sketches where I used about half of them and skipped half. So for the next twelve days you'll get to see repeats on six of them. Today we are reprising OWH sketch 79

I was in the midst of making Christmas cards back at the end of October 2011 when I pulled this sketch to use. I used a lot of pieces from a Christmas pad of papers and many of the feature pieces were from old Christmas cards and a catalog of stamps that I colored.

Here are my three favorites:

This one got rotated:

Today was easy...

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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This was a hard entry to label with a 'topic'. Perhaps I should have created a new 'tools' category. Why? Because my dear hubby bought me a new sewing machine! Squeeeal!!!

I bought the last one a little over three years ago when my really old one totally crumbled (see entry at http://www.mystudio3d.com/blog/index.blog/2094566/breaking-up-is-hard-to-do/)

At that time I was midway through my second quilt and didn't expect that creative phase to last long. So I got a very inexpensive mechanical machine - the Janome MyStyle 100.

I liked it because it was simple to operate but, in the long run, it had a lot of limitations. There are only 12 stitches and half of those are the 'stretch' versions of 6 basics. Other than the zigzag there is no control over the stitch width of any of the stitches. Needle positions are either straight down the middle or at the far left with nothing in between. Switching out presser feet is not easy. Poor speed control. And the most problematic thing is the very small throat that seriously limits the size of quilt you can work on. Yes, I know I have done a king size and several queen size but these were assembled and quilted in sections to accomodate the limitations of the machine.

Well, I sat down with the salesman at Montavilla Sewing Center and told him what I wanted my machine to do. He answered every concern, one by one, with the Pfaff Quilt Expression 4.2 and even demonstrated other features that were a bonus.

This is the machine - look at that awesome throat opening!

I Love, Love, Love the built-in walking foot:

The chart of stitches and features is on a flip-up panel on the top of the machine (saves having to always have the reference book at hand)

The controls on the face are well marked and intuitive:

Here are the features listed by the retailers:

PFAFF Quilt Expression 4.2 Sewing Machine

Features and Benefits:

The Original IDT™ System

Integrated Dual Feed only from PFAFF® for over 40 years!.
Absolutely even fabric feed from both the top and the bottom.

Electronic Knee Lift

Raises the presser foot with an easy movement, allowing you to kee your hands on your project.

Sewing Features:

Quilt Stitches
Enjoy quilting with 47 different quilt stitches, with a beautiful hand-stitched character.

Automatic Presser Foot Lift
Raises the presser foot instantly when the needle is set to stop down and/or at the end of a seam after a thread snip.

Thread Snips
Automatically cut top and bobbin threads, pulling thread ends to the back side of fabric.

Start/Stop
Sew without the foot control - Makes sewing long seams, free-motion and buttonholes easy.

A Wide Variety of Beautiful Stitches
Select from over 250 stitches. Includes utility stitches, buttonholes, 9mm wide decorative stitches, quilt stitches, cross stitches and hemstitches.

2 Built-In Stitch Fonts
Choose from 2 fonts to personalize your project.

Tapering on all 9mm Decorative Stitches
Taper at the beginning and/or at the end of any stitch. Change the angle of taper for unlimited opportunities

Mirror Image of Stitches
Flip the stitch side to side and/or end to end for even more possibilities.

Stitch Positioning
Moves complete stitch right or left to easily align decorative stitches.

Three Free-motion Modes
Different modes for free-motion quilting, thread painting or darning. Select the best mode for your specific technique.

Needle Up/Down
Set needle to stop up or down in the fabric for pivoting, appliqué and more.

Sensormatic Buttonhole
Buttonhole columns are sewn in the same direction for precise stitch quality.

37 Needle Positions
For exact placement of your straight stitch.

Stitch Width Safety
Limits stitch width to center needle straight stitch while using straight stitch foot to prevent needle breakage.

Twin Needle Program
Enter twin needle size to automatically adjust the stitch width. See the twin needle stitch on the screen.

Easy-access Stitch Selection
Quick and easy stitch selection by means of the Direct Selection Buttons.

Immediate Tie-off
When pressed the machine will tie-off and stop automatically for a quick and easy finish.

Extra Presser Foot Lift
Raises the presser foot to its highest position so that thick fabrics can be placed easily under the presser foot.

Electronic Thread Tension
Needle thread tension is set electronically for every stitch – makes sewing simple.

Integrated Needle Threader
Makes threading the needle fast and easy.

Stitch Restart
Return to the beginning of a stitch or sequence without having to reset any special adjustments you’ve made.

Large Stitch Plate
Features seam markings to the left and right of the needle to help you guide your fabric.

Stitch Density
The stitch density control adjusts the density, the distance between stitch points that make up the entire stitch. Density can be increased or decreased without affecting stitch length.

Accessory Feet Included
Standard presser foot 0A, Fancy stitch foot 1A with IDT™, Fancy stitch foot 2A, Blindhem foot 3 with IDT™, Zipper foot 4 with IDT™, Sensormatic buttonhole foot 5A, Manual buttonhole foot 5M, Sensormatic free-motion/embroidery foot 6A, 1/4" Quilting Foot.

Other Machine Features:

Illuminated Graphic Display
The graphic display shows the stitch in actual size and all important information.

LED Lights
Optimized bright lights illuminate the entire work area with no shadows.

Large Sewing Space
Your PFAFF® quilt expression™ 4.2 sewing machine is the perfect choice for quilters, home decor sewers, fashion enthusiasts – anyone who creates. The sewing area to the right of the needle is supersized for sewing large amounts of fabric or batting.

Bobbin Thread Sensor
Alerts you when your bobbin thread is running low.

External Feed Dog Drop
Convenient location; lower the feed dogs from the front of the machine. Ideal for stippling, freemotion embroidery or darning.

Languages
Choose from different languages in the Settings menu. Make sure your PFAFF® quilt expression 4.2 speaks the same language you do.

Info Button
Simply touch to see important sewing recommendations on the illuminated graphic display.

Speed Ranges
Adjust your sewing speed for specialty threads, techniques and personal taste.

Stitch Sequencing and Memories
Combine and save up to 40 stitches and/or letters in one of 20 sequence memories - sew in one step repeatedly.

Personal Stitch Settings
Change the settings on built-in stitches to your personal liking. Save in one of the 20 personal stitch memories.

Program Sequencing Commands
Program a stop, thread snips or tie-off into a stitch sequence. Your sequence does exactly what you want every time.

Optimized Feeding
Enhanced to provide more control when sewing through thick layers or seaming small pieces.

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Now if I can do this ^ on my computer keyboard, imagine how impressive it will be when I learn how to do all that (and more) on my new sewing machine!

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

Updated: Friday, 6 June 2014 7:37 AM PDT

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Disclaimer: I did not make art for today.

Grandson's nearly first question when coming to our house is 'do you think we can do some art while we're here?'. After doing the panda carving shown yesterday I only made off-limits the stamp carving tools and the paper cutter. 

With the understanding that all the supplies are available TO BE USED I gave him full reign to use whatever he came across. Several times a day he would disappear down the stairs to work on one thing or another. Occasionally I would get a request (got any google eyes? What's the best glue for this? Can I really use these wooden birdhouses?) but mostly he was self-guided (he is almost 9).

He was fascinated with the bins of papers - especially one labeled WOW papers and my handcarved stamps.

Here is a 12 x 12 page on which he used various background papers and carved stamps to create a nature scene. He did this while I carved the panda.

He and a cousin made art from the 'test stamps' on the tabletop scratch paper.

And they used Distress Markers to 'paint' birdhouses.

The other grandson's talents lie in the technology and humor areas so he would use his ipad to film the artists and create little movie and movie trailers that are hysterical.

Good to know that my studio can be creative, even when I'm nowhere near it!

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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Grandmas tend to be rather accomodating with their grandkids and this Grammie is no exception. When some of the grands came to visit one made a special request that I do some crafts with him. Oh yeah! That's a big "Yes".

He was working on stamping a scene using some of my hand carved stamps and wanted to know about the process I used to make them. I got out the carving toolbox to show him and he asked if I would carve a stamp just for him.

He wanted a panda as that is his favorite animal and I was happy to do this for him:

Actual size is about 3 1/2 inches.

Ddd 

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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No drama at all in OWH sketch 78:

Also no excitement or interest. So I decided to create a little drama through the use of stark color choices, a little excitement with beautiful elements, and a little interest by varying the size and placement of the florals.

Black and white make a dramatic statement as the background on this card. I selected a paper with a subtle stripe for the feature panel. It also has little line-drawn florals around the three bottom sides as a natural setting for the featured flowers.

The central elements are those three vellum pansy stickers. I chose one larger and with more foliage for the centerpiece smaller blooms were placed on either side with a slight arc for more interest.

So hard to get the color right on this photo! It is actually more purple (less blue) and there is no violet tint to the background paper.

The sentiment is a silver Dazzles sticker.

Ddd 

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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I'm not sure who thought it looked good to create a 'bulls eye' on OWH sketch 77 but I did not like it at all:

I decided to create the elements but play with the arrangement.

I went back to my new stamps and did some tone-on-tone doilies. I selected three solid pastel papers and used a darker Distress Ink to stamp on them. These were hand cut and layered onto a background paper of stripes of lace in silver and gold. The heart doily is popped up on foam tape.

So much romance in this lace look that I decided to stay with hearts for the embellishments like the sketch shows. These are gold Dazzles stickers. On the small ones I colored in the center with Distress Marker.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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Time for OWH sketch 76:

When I first saw this sketch it reminded me of the one with the circle element on the end that I did not too long ago. But I decided not to fuss with turning the circle into anything and played it pretty straight.

The interest it built through the paper selections. I started with the stripe for the circle then chose the background because the pattern was subtle and it worked well with the neutral in the circle.

I found the center panel and the blue was a perfect match for the circle. I did have to give it a little border to separate it from the background. Note now the border slides behind the blue floral elements.

The sentiment is made up of cardstock stickers.

This is another case where I am trying to use up some of the scraps I create on a card soon after I cut that initial piece of paper.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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Yes, that DOES say sketch 75. Can you believe we've come this far?

I should call this card 'no imagination' because it is a straight-up version of the sketch.

I chose a tone on tome green for the background and added strips of alternating yellow-toned and blue-toned papers. I did a bit of fine marker bordering to separate the strips from one another.

Rather than the ribbon called for in the sketch I used a striped paper strip and extended the top and bottom. The botton edge got a banner end and I also used the pen bordering on this.

In place of the bow in the sketch I used a thick acrylic tag sticker and looped twine through the hole.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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I'm so glad I started this slef-challenge. It gives me an automatic starting point when I sit down to create and don't know what I want to make. I just open up the sketch, riffle through some papers, select some embellishments and the next thing you know I've got a card.

Today I'm using OWH sketch 74:

As soon as I saw this I knew I wanted to use a new Tim Holtz stamp I had picked up but not used yet. I stamped the globe on a patterned background paper and, since it had those sketchy lines on it I used colored pencils in sketchy lines for coloring. Then I trimmed off all the background around it to turn it into the round elements for the sketch.

Nifty distressed striped papers form the background.

I drew in some axis lines above and below the globe and popped it up on foam tape.

The words are cardstock stickers.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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Yep, its another OWH sketch today - this time its number 73:

Keep in mind that a heart or flower on a sketch is a generic element that allows for the use of your choice of embelllishment in that area.

I started with two papers that coordinated, one with an overall floral and one with only corner elements. I laid these together and cut the angle on both at the same time. When one of each paper was nested together at the cut I had the background for two cards at the same time.

The first one uses the over all floral on the top and on the bottom the paper had a right-side bunch of yellow roses. I used the decorative strip on an angle instead of across the bottom like the sketch. The large yellow rose at the bottom is a sticker as are the text and the hearts sticker.

Using the other set of papers, with the floral on the bottom,  I straightened the bottom strip back to the prescribed position and used a semtiment sticker at the angle of the papers.

The floral is a plastic sticker on which I used a fine line black marker to outline all the elements. This made it stand out from the background where it was blending in too much.

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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Sketch 72 from OWH is one that I used back on September 22, 2011. It was also another that I liked so much that I made several cards using it.

These are my three favorites:

For the first I cut down the height a bit and rounded the tops on the two uprights so I could add flames. They were canted a little for a little interest.

I love it when a sketch is so inspiring.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

Updated: Friday, 6 June 2014 7:27 AM PDT

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I bought a new stamp set... Okay, I bought it back in February thinking I would make some Valentines. Did I? No! But there is no expiration date on stamps so I finally busted it out and used it.

I was working from OWH sketch 71:

The new stamp set is a collection of doilies and lace elements. YUM!

I selected shabby chic and floral papers and stamped away using a large doily, a heart doily, a small doily and two lace trim stamps. I drew some doodle bordering in black pen and used distress markers to color in the heart doily on the feature.

I also added some real lace trim around the feature panel.

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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Sketch 70 was only the third one I used from OWH back on September 15, 2011. I remember, having looked at the sketch, driving down the road brainstorming all the things that the half circle could be turned into.

As it turned out I came up with 15 cards based on this sketch. Here, again, are my favorites:

I still like these as much as when I first did them.

Ddd 

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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"Not much to go on." That was my reaction to OWH sketch 69:

I actually went away from the scraps for this card and selected specific papers to make it. I did follow the sketch for measurements and materials (ribbon) and then used floral stickers to create a focal point that was not referenced at all in the sketch. I used two large and two medium flowers of two different types that coordinated with the colors in the background papers.

I moved the ribbon up a bit to fit between blooms and tied a knot instead of a bow.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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OWH sketch 68 was another that I felt was just too simple until I jazed it up with my selection of materials:

I had this silver on white butterfly cardstock that I wanted for the feature panel. It was pretty plain so I went for the lacy background. When I ran across some irridescent butterfly stickers I selected different ones to overlay those printed on the panel.

I used some 'champagne' rhinestones as heads for the butterflies.

I mounted a Dazzles sticker on a dotted paper and mounted it on foam tape.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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Look at me, all 'sticking to the sketch'... sort of. Here is OWH sketch 67:

All I did was change the size of the papers, add an extra strip, add twine and turn the tag on an angle. You still recognize it though, right?

I really wanted to use the rose paper so that became the driving force for all the other changes. It needed to be this size so I wouldn't cut off any flowers. When I added the lower piece it needed something to make the transition so I added the scalloped print. The purple ribbon is straight from the sketch but I needed the twine for attaching the tag.

The tag was selected for color and I stamped it before popping it up on foam tape.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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A little celebration is in order - this is the 7th anniversary of this blog. Since May 31, 2007 I have posted every day - with a few extra posts here and there. That is 'at least' 2,555 blog posts featuring art, crafts, quilting, writing, travel, photos, gardening, and other things that interest me and keep me busy.

I sometimes (often) wonder if anyone ever reads what I post as comments are nearly nonexistant (except for the occasional shout out from my mom or daughter). I have come to the realization that, if this blog continues, I had better be doing it for my own satisfaction and not for any acknowledgement or recognition from outside.

So, Happy Blog-iversary to Me!

And now, on to the project for the day - OWH sketch 66:

This is another card where I had specific paper scraps I wanted to use but they weren't big enough to follow the sketch. So I added some more scraps and pieced the vertical bars more than specified.

I wanted to use a fancy Dazzles butterfly sticker for the feature element but I lowered it for better composition.

As I was digging the waste dots out from the butterfly wings I realized I could use them on the card, too. So I placed them in a line down one of the vertical strips and that pulls it all together.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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After so many sketches where I used a lot of artistic license, I have found myself sticking more closely to the prescribed layouts. Such is the case with OWH sketch 65:

In this case I had the two outer papers I wanted to use but they weren't quite as wide as needed. So I did make that vertical strip a bit wider. That kept me from using a ribbon for it as the sketch shows.

I cut a piece of pink paper to coordinate with the colors in the hydrangea. I used a floral stamp on it, making three impressions. The black stamping was too stark so I over-stamped with Distress ink, slightly off register. I used the same ink to tone the panel edges and mounted this up on foam tape.

The text is a silver Dazzles sticker.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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This OWH sketch was, again, extremely simplistic

Well, what can you do with that?

I found a piece from a 12x12 sheet and cut the illustration on it to fir the sketch. One piece of coordinating background was used, though I did move the feature down and to the left so it wouldn't be running off the edges like the sketch.

I wanted to make some reference to the clock in a sentiment so selected two puffy acrylic stickers to use together.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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