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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Usually a very simple sketch will be a challenge for me and I end up throwing in extras to give it some zing. However, with OWH sketch 63 I stayed the crazy impulses and kept it simple:

How did I manage that, you may ask? By using papers with lots of character! I selected a scallop all-over print for the background. Then I used up more of the woodgrain scraps. The boards had flowers printed on them so that added some interest to the cross-piece. The dotted paper I used yesterday had a little border with birds in the right colors for this card so I cut a square unit from that to replace the heart on the sketch.

I used a black inkpad to enhance the edges of this piece and mounted it on foam tape.

Ddd

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

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Bonus sketch 'b' from OWH's sketch 62 post looks like this:

At least that's what they say. However, I had a specific paper I wanted to use and it was oriented on the horizontal so I rotated the sketch 1/4 turn to the right.

That special paper was of painted roses and the size was determined by what was already cut. This left more toom for the layer underneath to show so I filled that with a lace print.

I wanted the background to be active but not so busy it would compete with the floral so I decided to use this grey and white dot.

Both the butterfly and the entiment are from one of the new Dazzles sticker sheets I bought.

Ddd

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

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When OWH posted sketch 62 on the blog they included two bonus sketches. Since I am trying to create the sketches in order I figured I'd slip these in today and tomorrow.

In my scraps I already had a diecut shape left over from cutting a frame card. I stamped an image on it using brown ink and used alcohol markers to color it in. It needed a bit more definition so I did some line enhancements with a fine black marker.

Also in the scraps I found a paper which I had rounded the corners on and outlined with white dashed lines. This matched my birds so that was a 'go'. Then I found the 'sample sheet' from one of my 6x6 paper pads and the colors were perfect so I cut the crosspiece from that.

Chocolate brown paper for the card base echoed the striped paper as well as the illustration.

The stamped sentiment actually shows better in real life.

Ddd

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

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Hey, I'm back with more OWH sketches - working my way through from beginning to end. Today we are up to sketch 62:

I wanted this to be a 'manly' card so I started with papers with woodgrain on them. The background is printed like boards and the frame is just stained wood. I pulled out a paper with a mesh print on it and stamped a star sketch stamp from a new set I bought.

I colored the star with Distress markers then roughed up the panel edges and used Distress ink pad to darken them. 

Three star brads were mounted in place of the single element on the sketch and the panel was popped up on foam tape.

I used a lattice strip across the card bottom and stamped with a sentiment.

I used the same two Distress markers to color in the stars in the sentiment.

Ddd

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

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On the Missouri Star Quilt Company's video tutorials I found one for what they have called disappearing pinwheels - churndash version: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZUXNMpKF74)

This fascinating construction starts out by facing two contrasting squares together (I used 11 inch) and stitching around all 4 sides with a 1/4 inch seam. Then the blocks are cut on both diagonals and opened up to reveal 4 matching half-square triangles. These are then placed together to form a pinwheel and stitched into a single block. 

I made these pinwheels with six each of red/white and blue/white fabric combinations. Each red and each blue were different fabrics from my stash.

All of the pinwheels got trimmed to 12.75 inches and then were cut into 9-patches of 4.25 inches. I rotated the corner blocks and the side blocks so all the color faced the pinwheel and then swapped the pinwheel centers to the opposite color of block. I then swapped the reds from block to block to make then scrappy and repeated the process with the blue ones. These were all assembled back into churndashes with contrasting pinwheel centers.

I cut strips to frammed the blocks with one-inch of contrasting color and assembled my quilt top with 1/2 inch white sashing. A white border wraps it all up.

The most challenging element of this construction is that, after that initial cut, every seam is on the bias until the block frames go on.

I quilted this in the ditch on the inside of the frames and on the 'tic-tac-toe' lines of the blocks.

Ddd

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

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I needed a new manicure and decided I wanted to do something with sponging which gives a gradient effect. For this to work you need to have at least three related colors of polish. The only ones I had were blue and purple - by chance two shades of each.

The first step is to base coat and then apply the polish you want to be closest to the nail bed over the whole nail. Apply a second coat to the half nearest the cuticle. I chose my darker blue for these coats.

Then a makeup sponge is used to pat on the next color to 3/4 of the nail starting at the tip of the nail, blending as this color ends. This polish was my light blue.

Repeat this process to only half of the nail from the tip up with the next color. This was my light purple.

Finish with the fourth color on only the 1/4 of the nail at the tip. This was my dark purple. Then everything gets one to two coats of topcoat to smooth and seal the nails.

Here is a closeup of the thumb so you can see the way the blend works.

This color combination reminds me of hydrangea blooms which are my favorite flower.

This is a really easy treatment to accomplish - on both hands. Some manicures are hard to do on your dominant hand because of coordination/control issues. But this one only requires patting with the sponge and does not need precision.

Both the dark blue and dark purple are dollar store polishes while the light tones were coupon specials. What a beautiful effect for a bargain price!

Ddd

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

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We seem to have some new residents in our yard. For a few weeks, this pair of geese have been seen strolling about the back lawn, up the access road, and in the pasture.

Unlike the ducks who have also been frequenting the area, you can't tell who is the 'he' and who is the 'she' as one takes the lead for a while and then the other. Usually one is grazing while the other keeps a watch for danger and then they will switch off.

We assume they are nesting in here since they only appear as a pair and it is the right time of year for that sort of thing. 

We're hoping we'll get to see little goslings waddling around at some time and also hope these will become permanent residents and not just tourists passing through.

The duck pair do have at least three little black and yellow splotched ducklings. I was uable to get a photo of them but did manage to catch dad in a couple of shots.

Mom is there on the left but blends in too well to pick out.

UPDATE: Okay, a few hours after this post went live the mama duck broght out EIGHT babies and herded them up and down the road, right up to the edge of the back lawn.

Aren't they so cute?

Then we had the first visitors to the new birdfeeders we put out off the deck railing. I believe these are goldfinches and we had put thistle seed in the feeder to attract them.

Ddd

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

Updated: Thursday, 22 May 2014 8:26 AM PDT

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****This is the 50th quilt I have made since starting in September 2010****

Project Linus is a charity that gives handmade blankets to children in need due to illness, catastrophe, trauma, etc., as a source of comfort. These can be knitted, crocheted, quilted or tied fleece and they cover all ages birth to age 18. I had read about it in one of Jennifer Chiaverinni's Elm Creek Quilters novels (The Giving Quilt) and then picked up a book at the library about the organization as well (Quilt it with love : the Project Linus story : 20+ quilt patterns and stories to warm your heart by Mary Balagna). This group immediately came to mind when I was gifted with THIS fabric:

I mean, REALLY? That just screams to be a kid's quilt!

It did take me a long time to come up with an inspiration pattern and companion fabrics, though. The first thing I knew I wanted to do was contain those critters in a frame. I found the perfect stripe for this and knew that I wanted to miter the corners of the frame.

Then I ran across a pattern advertising a new line by Andover Fabrics called Blackbird Acres and knew I had my pattern:

I whittled the layout down to just the center part with no borders and shortened it by one row:

Then I went to Electric Quilt 7 on my computer and re-drafted it to suit the sizes I wanted for the purple blocks because I had in mind to use some other already-cut scraps for those. Once I had it in EQ7 I worked on some color schemes and then it was off to buy fabrics.

I started with some black with colored dots for what is white in the pattern and to use with the purple blocks to create this: (the pinwheel triangles were accidentally cut extra when I made the Four Friends quilt)

Then I needed something to carry the jungle theme while remaining cartoony but more as a support fabric so it wouldn't compete with the monkeys. I found the perfect green print:

So what is the final result?

As you can see, I used the stripe for the binding. The back is red with monkey heads on it in an all-over pattern and multicolored dots in the background.

So there you have "Monkey Shines" my first quilt as a 'blanketeer' for Project Linus and my 50th quilt overall.

Ddd

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

Updated: Tuesday, 6 May 2014 2:42 PM PDT

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This large lap quilt is made in the style of 'jelly roll race' construction. The initial 6 strips were gifted from someone's binding leftovers. I used them as the color palette inspiration and selected more greens, pinks, creams and purples from my own scraps. After the main panel was done I pulled a striped fabric from my stash and it had the same colors but in darker tones. Serendipity!

The striped body is quilted with 'feathers'...

...and the borders are echo quilted around the birds and two large flowers.

This is the 24th quilt I've made for the hospital's Passages Quilt Project.

Ddd

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

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I had so much fun selecting fabrics and layout for the Silent Runners wolf quilt that I had another go at it with some fabric featuring deer. Because of the elusive nature of deer I wanted them to blend into their background more so selected fabrics that were closer in tone to one another and to the colors in the feature fabric. The deer are actually much smaller than the wolves so they blen in better by scale also.

I used the same layout for the quilt as for the wolves and did the same quilting - large X through every 9-patch and free-motion outline on all the deer. I made the 9-patch blocks with four fabrics rather than just three but mixed both oranges with both gray/green so they would  create more of a blend instead of patches of color.

The back of the quilt is cammoflage fabric which is in keeping with the hunting/nature theme.

This lap quilt will go to the Passages program at the local hospital.

Ddd

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

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If your nails looked as refreshing as these, you might be tempted to have a little nibble! I saw an ad in a magazine, advertising nail polish in a 'pen' and showing various ways to use them for nail art. I liked the look of the watermelon slices and thought I'd give it a go with my regular nail polishes.

The layers/sequence: base coat, red (2 coats), white strip at tip, green strip at tip over most of the white, black dots, top coat, quick dry. The white and black have very fine tip brushes but the rest are all regular - in fact the red and green are from the dollar store.

I think I'm ready for a little taste of summer.

Ddd

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

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