Continuing to work on some OWH sketches, turning them into winter and Christmas cards. Don't forget - I will be featuring the best one on October 6 for an OWH bloghop for World Card Making Day. Be sure to check back then and I'll provide a link to the rest of the bloghop for you.

Today I worked with sketch 138:

I had some blue paper with a very wintery feel to use as the background. I didn't want to detract from it so I used a tone-on-tone gold metallic print text block. I added three snowflake stickers and a puffy acrylic clear sentiment. The sentiment is mounted on coordinating blue paper and trimmed out before adhering to the card.

You can almost feel the icy chill of winter coming!

Ddd

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

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I've been working on some OWH sketches, turning them into winter and Christmas cards. Some have met with limited success. I will be featuring the best one on October 6 for an OWH bloghop for World Card Making Day. Be sure to check back then and I'll provide a link to the rest of the bloghop for you.

Today I worked with sketch 97:

I started with a patterned paper to get a color scheme and then selected papers for the blocks with very subtle prints. In the process, 99% of the original paper is covered up but you still get to see flecks of colors in the cracks and creases.

All of the decor is created with clear stickers, including the text. Some of the stickers are actually layered to get a better composition.

Ddd

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

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For a swap on the subject of 'clocks' I stamped on patterned blue paper with 4 clock face stamps and used the stamps of hand to 'set' them to all different times. I spritzed three shimmer sprays in random areas and this made the base.

I took apart an old wrist watch and used Diamond Glaze to adhere the tiny gears to the centers of the clock faces. Glue dots adhere the actual clock face to the card front. This as well as two of the stamped clocks got Diamond Glaze to make them shiny.

I stamped an appropriate sentiment on patterned paper and cut a flag end on the left before adhering to the card.

Ddd

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

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On assignment to make a paper embroidery card on the theme 'Autumn' I often come back to this leaf pattern that I designed a few years back. This time I selected a coral tone-on-tone paper with small dots and used a burgundy thread and a simple outline stitching scheme. This is an oversized card at 5.5 x 7.5 but I really did not want to shortchange the leaf by going any smaller.

The background paper is printed with cable knit like a warm sweater and I added some scraps of clock that I created for another assignment (you'll see that tomorrow). Lots of leaf peel-off stickers link the elements and the sentiment ties together the leaves and clocks.

The leaves outside my window are starting to show their colors and I am excited for them to get as brilliant as this card.

Ddd

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

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Anybody should be able to hear with forty-four ears!

I got FORTY-FOUR EARS OF CORN in my garden. I've mentioned before that this is the first time I have grown corn and I am totally jazzed that this crop came out so well. I blanched it all and froze it on the cob. That's the way we like it and it will be great having corn on the cob all winter long.

Yummo!

Ddd

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

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I harvested my first plant of purple potatoes! I had no idea what size they would turn out and I was excited to see that they are at least as big as the russets. Not sure how I will be cooking these - first I have to admire them for a few days, though.

Aren't these awesome?

Ddd

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

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Yes, I'm back with more of OWH sketch 39, just like the last two days.

I switched to papers in blue green and cream for this set. This time NONE of them are exactly like the sketch. That's just how I roll. But this one is the closest to it. I tucked two of the triple blocks under the ends of the next largest one and then dropped the center block down to the bottom. This left an open place for the peel-off sticker greeting. The dragonflies are 'Dazzles' stickers that the body only has stickum and the wings float free. That's exactly how I like to have my dragonflies and butterflies anyway so these make me happy.

This one uses copper butterfly stickers, one for each of the triple blocks. Classy.

More peel-off stickers on this one - going for a masculine card this time. The center panel is popped up on foam so the image of the moose is cut so part is on the raised panel and part on the base card.

I pulled this bird image from my stamped bin and colored it up to match the papers. I also colored up a pre-stamped greeting and colored it as well. I backed it with some coordinating scraps. Both the bird and the greeting are popped up on foam.

The key to a project like this is choosing the right papers. Every one of them needs to be capable of being the feature on the front but not being so busy that an image is overshadowed.

I can't wait till Club Scrap comes up with another formula for us.

Ddd

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

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I continued using the sketch and cutting formula from yesterday and switched to pink and brown papers. I've always liked that color combination.

I totally whacked out the layout on this one and decorated it with clear stickers. Love these little hedgehogs! The greeting is part of the sticker sheet. 

This one follows the sketch exactly and it looks very nice this way! I like the overriding look of chocolate! I used two floral sticker sprays and no greeting.

I moved the triple block off to the side so I could see more of the paisley paper. These three blocks were very plain so I used them to be a calm background for three sprays of butterfly stickers. They are pink and shiny and oh-so elegant. The greeting is also peel-off stickers.

With all the paisley on the triple blocks this had such a cute feel. I found a cute stamped image and colored it up with alcohol markers to match the papers. I trimmed it out with a thin border and popped it up on foam tape. The greeting, of peel-off stickers, was mounted on a matching scrap and cut like a little flag.

Cute, cute, cute!

Ddd

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

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Every now and again Club Scrap comes up with a cutting formula for one of the OWH sketches. This time they posted one for sketch 39:

With their plan you start with 4 pieces of 8.5 x 11 coordinating cardstock pieces and whack them by the forula and have all the parts to construct 4 cards on the sketch. You also end up with a few scraps and, since I start with 12x12 papers that I cut down to the 8.5 x 11 I end up with even more scrap pieces. With this plan in hand (http://clubscrapcreates.blogspot.com/2012/09/new-formula-for-owh-sketch-39.html) I selected my cardstocks and set to work:

You know, I just can't seem to follow directions so the parts are rearranged on alost every card I made. This one I decorated with puffy fish stickers. The one on the far left is also popped up on foam tape. I used gold peel-off stickers for a greeting.

One of the papers I cut up the other day had these great glittered feathers on it so I cut them out right to their edges and popped them up on foam tape. The pre-stamped greeting is also popped up.

Another  sheet of puffy stickers was full of hearts. I created a meandering line of them and connected them with a double-dashed line up and over the raised center panel.

The fourth one got more of the feathers, this time cut with a thin border. For the greeting I used a pre-stamped sentiment on white that I tinted using 'old paper' Distress ink. I mounted it on an angle over the corner and trimmed away along the card edges. This is the only one that follows the sketch faithfully.

That went quickly!

Ddd

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

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I couldn't resist the pun!

I swap one-on-one every month with another Oregon lady using stamps and Oregon themes. This month I wanted to use some of my hand-carved stamps and decided to create a little scene of things you might find at the beach. I haven't been to the coast for a couple of years and I miss it, but this made me feel right at home.

I used watercolor paper and stamped in black. I added more detail around the base of the lighthouse to extend the ground off to both sides more. I used Distress markers to color on an acrylic block and then picked up colors with an aquabrush for painting on the images. After I dried it with a heat gun I laid on the chevron stencil and sprayed with blue glimmer mist.

Then the pun occured to me and I added it with letter stickers.

Ddd

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

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I finished up another quilt for the Passages program at the hospital. For this one I started with a small piece (only about 1/4 yard) of a print that had little desert oasis pictures in framed panels all over it. I cut each out and used scraps to build multicolored log cabin strips around them. They were various sizes and shapes so when they got up to a good size I squared them up to the same size and arranged them for a pleasing layout. I didn't have enough to fill out a squared quilt so I found some blue frog print batik and used that as whole blocks at the four corners. I attached vertical rows together with green bars and then attached thost together with vertical orange strips. Orange around the outer edges for a border pulled it all together. I cut the backing large enough to double wrap to the front and stitch down with a decorative stitch.

I think this turned out so fun!

Ddd

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

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While I had the waxed paper background papers and the Distress inks out I did simple coloring on three more pieces and turned them into cards.

The first is this herringbone that I colored with both a blue and a yellow and burnished to blend and create a green.

I got out some sheets of floral stickers and layered some blossoms on this. Then I rounded only the right side and mounted flush to the left edge of the of a sage green card base. The prestamped greeting was trimmed out and mounted on foam tape.

For the star background I used a blue ink

I used more of the floral stickers and added the prestamped greeting along the outer edge. Three pink rhinestone stickers match the card base.

The swirl background got sage green Distress ink.

For this one I had several sheets of vellum stickers with pansies. I added them randomly across the bottom and then added more of the leaves at the bottom. By letting them run off the edges it looks like a slice of a larger scene. I added a prestamped greeting that I trimmed down and mounted on foam tape. Then I placed a golden rhinestone in the center of each flower.

What's next?

Ddd

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

Updated: Thursday, 13 September 2012 11:10 PM PDT

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The other new stencil I picked up is this zig zag

I started with a floral waxed paper cardstock and laid on the stencil. Then I sprayed with two colors of shimmer sprays. I dried it but the color did not burnish off the pattern. I thought I would use Distress ink to make the background pattern visible. This actually made the simmer mists migrate, too, so I began to see the background pattern over the whole thing. It made the zig zag very subtle.

I chose some table scraps that went well with the colors of shimmer spray. These were layered and an orange card base added. The stamped greeting was on yellow so I added soem light blue Distress ink to bring it into the right green range.

Next I went with a herringbone waxed paper background and used a dark purple simmer spray. A light blue Distress ink over the top keeps the pattern visible and reinforces the herringbone.

I added a strip of violet under a blue ColorMe strip and dropped on some diecut swirls. One of those stamped hearts (yes, another one) is popped up on foam tape.

I turned the still-wet stencil over and pressed it to another herringbone background. After drying it I used a sage Distress ink to bring out the background. Not very exciting.

I had a sheet of stickers in the right color range so I really went to town with them and created a little scene, along with the sticker text.

Much better as a card than as a blank background.

Ddd

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

Updated: Thursday, 13 September 2012 11:08 PM PDT

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I picked up another couple of stencils and just had a chance to use them. Today I'll feature the butterfly stencil. Unlike the others I have used this one makes the feature item the blocked out area, leaving the background open to take coloring. It covers a 6 x 6 area.

I got out some of the waxed paper Cuttlebug cardstock I had left over from the first session I used it for. First I tried using Distress ink on one and then laid the stencil on and sprayed with shimmery mists. It did not make enough contrast for me so, after drying it, I outlined the stencil with a brown fine-line Sharpie.

To turn it into a card I just rounded the corners and added it to a tan card base. Then I selected a pre-stamped greeting, rounded the corners and popped it up on foam tape. I added bodies of 'nail head' stickers.

While the spray was still on the stencil I turned it over and pressed it to another background covered with Distress inks. This was missing some of the outline so I used a red Sharpie to freshen the lines a bit

I used the corner rounder on the front as well as the red card base and added a stamped banner along with three red half-pearls.

Then I switched up methods and laid the stencil on the background and held it in place while rubbing Distress ink over and through it. I love the white pattern this leaves!

For the card I used the corner rounder again on both the front and the brown card base. The finishing touch is nothing more than a stamped greeting, cut out and mounted on the card face.

This one is done exactly like the last one with the stencil moved to create more background color

Like the last one this got a brown card base and rounded corners. I gave these butterflies nail head bodies and craeted a banner from a pre-stamped greeting.

I like this new stencil!

Ddd

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

Updated: Thursday, 13 September 2012 11:13 PM PDT

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I've bought several 12 x 12 pads of printed cardstock over time andhave been storing them separately from the card-sized stuff. So today I decided that, since I really use it all for cards, I would cut it down to suit that.

Depending on the pattern I cut some to 6 x 6, some to 5.25 x 4, and some I cut to feature items on the cardstock. The 'backgrounds' stuff in 6 x 6 all went into the box with the stuff from 6 x 6 pads

The feature items got set aside in another box so they are ready to pull out for card fronts

Then all the smaller bits got sorted in with the table scraps for use as 'whatever'

Now I'm all stocked and ready to make a bunch more cards.

Ddd

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

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I have been moving my alcohol inks from place to place and from one kind of rack/box/shelf to another. Then I was walking through the store the other day and came to the section for 'as seen on TV' products. There I found a spice storage rack that has two sections that slide out and rotate to make the items accessible.

Well, I thought that looked like just the thing for the alcohol inks, and for $10 I brought it home.

I used the inks to color up 1/4" dots for the tops of the lids and divided them up into color groups.

Here is the unit closed:

When I want a bottle I just slide one of the sides forward and rotate it to make it fully accessible.

I just want to label the fronts of the units to indicate the color groups that are on each shelf so I open the right side the first time.

Ddd

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

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Wow! The whole summer flew by and I forgot to show the progress of the garden.

So much of the produce has come and gone that there is not much to show at this point but we are still eating from it and a few things are just coming into their own. Tonight we had spinach, beets, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, green onions and potatoes from the garden for dinner. I have white onions in the crisper, too.

The deer ate the strawberries right down to the stems and the blueberries produced two berries this year. No raspberries at all. None of the garlic came up. Lettuce did well but the deer snacked on that, too. Radishes did like every year - about half a dozen created radishes and the rest went right to seed. A re-planting did even worse with no radishes produced at all. Green beans did good, peas did fair and sugar snap peas did dismally.

Successes are green onions:

Beets:

Carrots:

Potatoes - this is the first time I have grown potatoes and I planted three kinds: purple, Yukon gold, russet:

Tomatoes - I planted two regular and one cherry tomato plants. They are not loaded but all have a few fruit and they are just starting to ripen:

and, finally, sweet corn - this is the first time I have grown corn, too. It is doing GREAT!

Look at these cobs!!!

We'll be eating on this garden for quite a while yet.

Ddd

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

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For a challenge to stitch yellow and blue I chose a glittery yellow cardstock and stitched up this peacock in two shades of blue and some gold - all metallic threads. The sequins (two blues) are stitched on with beads (two blues).

Then I bordered in dark blue and mounted on a teal blue card base.

Ddd

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

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For a challenge to stitch a Halloween card I chose a witch's shoes. The pattern has only one so I flipped it to make the second and overlapped them a bit for effect. I added some matching shading with Distress markers and bordered with the same three colors.

The text at the top is some printed satin ribbon. I wrapped it from the inside to the front and folded back the raw edges of the ends. then I used glue dots to adhere four punched-out bats

Ddd

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

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An online challenge was to stitch a 'water animal'. This is the only pattern I had that fit the bill (other than frogs and fish). I stitched him on a paper with a lacey pattern and afterwards founf the thread blended in too much. So I did some coloring with colored pencils. I was disappointed that the threads on the back made the colors lay down strangely on the front (like doing a rubbing)

I rounded the corners and used the last corner of a diecut swirl cardstock in my scraps. There is a blue paper with a subtle print behind that and a plain blue card base.

I do love seals. They always look so friendly, like a big puppy.

Ddd

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

Updated: Wednesday, 12 September 2012 7:40 AM PDT

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