Tim Holtz Grunge Roses

For forever I've been wanted to make these Tim Holtz style roses... but I never seemed to find the right time.
This morning I made my mind up to do something just for me... and after two tries, I was able to make a satisfactory rose! (The first one was a mess. Glue not sticking well, petals not curling just right, ...)
The biggest thing for me tho, is that grunge paper seems to be a bit thick to make these roses. I think i will try with card stock next time. Either that, or the grunge paper I have is actually grunge BOARD and I need the paper version instead (if this actually exists).
I will check on this later when I get a chance. (I threw away the packaging it came in so I will have to do a little research).

Either way here's how it turned out! I used a tutorial off of youtube (click here for link). - she makes it look really easy!
The main things you need to start is a good glue (like SU Crystal Effects or Ranger Glossy Accents), three inked 6-petal flowers (Sizzix originals die FLOWERS #5 used here, scissors, paper clips to hold your work, and a thin paint brush handle for curling the petals.

I also used the TSUKINEKO travel sized SHIMMER SPRITZES (in frost, sparkler and copper) for added shimmer! And for some darker spritzes I used the same company - WALNUT INK Antiquing Solution in a spray. I LOVE THEM!

It was a interesting to put these together. I can't wait to make more indifferent colors and sizes.
Have a great weekend! And see you soon!

Vintage bookmarks

Here's something a little different.
I cut strips of fabric and sewed them with vintage red thread... then poked a hole and added charms and detail.
Love how they turned out. they have a real old world feel and lay so perfectly in between book pages.

Artists papers

I was looking through some issues of Somerset Studios Magazine and saw something really interesting.
The concept is similar to paper fabric... where you make a background using collage techniques for the base of your work. What I did was take Manga art pad paper (which is really sturdy) and collaged on a layer of french book pages. then gessoed over it (watered down a bit so the pages could show thru) and then painted with acrylic paints. Again letting some of the pages show thru.
Then I stamped on them, basically making my own designer paper!
I cut the sheet up into bookmark size pieces and then continues to collage or stamp/doodle on them. Each is one of a kind unique...
I really enjoyed making this set. I will try a different color base for my next set. Perhaps a blue... or ivory!
Getting started right away!
See you soon!

Spring is here!

I finally feel like Spring is here! It feels so great to go outside without my heavy coat on... It's WARM! YEA!

I spend most of today thinking about new ideas for my business. I want to add a line of bookmarks (baubles, paper and metal) and perhaps something else. I really like handmade beads... so I will incorporate them somehow.

I also have a few handmade journals I want to list as well. Each is hand made from the bare pages. I hand cut and hand bound each register ... covered chipboard for front and back cover and made a spine. Each is complete in fabric (some are patchworked) and have liners.
We'll see... not sure.

For now, I have two cards to share:
The Bridal Shower card is stamped in silver pigment ink and has a vellum cardstock liner. A swarovski crystal earring... and a satin red ribbon.
The easter card is a Stampin Up stamp colored in alcohol ink. with added satin ribbon and dimensionals for accents. Don't forget the vintage buttons!

Hope you are having a great week.
See you soon!

Beads... and more Beads!

I spent the better part of today making and listing Beads on greenNOTIONS. I made metallic beads, soft dainty ones and ones from hand made/decorated papers...
Fun!
My Favorite ones are these made from leftover Children's Wrapping Paper! I juts love what you can make out of things you might otherwise throw away...This week is going to fly by. I am preparing tons for the FINRA show coming up ... that will be my focus til the end of April.
Hope you have a great week! See you soon!

Happy Birthday To My ABBY!

Today is Abby's 7th birthday.
I can't believe how quickly time flies!
I love you with all my heart babe~...
Thanks for being my light!

Bookmarks! Fun with MICA

TODAY I spent a whole day with my friends crafting and having fun. It was just that... FUN!
I got to play around with MICA. Stacie shared some of this "odd" glass like material and I immediately thought ALCOHOL INKS!
I dabbed some on with some metallic ink and applied Then cut the mica to mimic a glass bottle.
I adhered the mica to my bookmark with just crystal effects glue. Made for a clear bond.

The middle bookmark was inspired by a designer paper that Stacie had in her stash! I love all of them. i think I'm going to make another and perhaps keep one for myself.

Well, Tomorrow - Back to the daily grind... which luckily for me is just what I love to do!
see you soon!

Quick one!

Quick! I only have a few minutes before I go meet my friends for our monthly crafting date!
I am so excited because today I just get to play! Usually I'm making cards for sale or finishing up some other business...but today... I am making BOOKMARKS! I signed up for a bookmark swap on ATCsFORALL.com and today is my fun day!

But before I go, I just wanted to share my daughter's art color wheel Kaleidoscope that is currently on display at the Delaplaine Art Gallery here in Frederick! We ran there after school yesterday so we could get a look at all the work! It is really amazing what the kids in FCPS are creating. From ceramics, paper mache, collage to portrait, pop and landscape art - I was really impressed by all the work.
I have to say THANK YOU to Mrs. Jachowski (her art teacher) for all that she is doing at the school. The kids really have a great love for the arts and it helps to have great teachers!

Ok! I have to gather my supplies and I'm OFF!.....
Have a great day!

TGIF!

Well... this has certainly been a challenging week. Thank goodness it's FRIDAY!

With the weekend will come some "feels like spring" weather! upper 50's and sunny - YEA~!

Something to do this weekend:
check out the FCPS All-County Student Art Exhibit at the Delaplaine.
Emily has an exhibit on display there... can't wait to see it. It is open to the public until the 28th and it's FREE!
Here's more info.

Something interesting to look discover:
Stacie has a step by step look at her jewelry making process on her blog now! click here! It's really impressive to see how much time and effort goes into each and every piece of jewelry regardless of size and shape!

and last but not least- Something I made today:
It's a bookmark made as a wedding favor. I really enjoyed making this. It reminded me how important works of the heart really are. Something that can be cherished and used as a reminder of something so special!

hOpE yOu HaVe A wOnDeRfUl WeEkEnD!!!

SnuggleBUNNY...

Today's card is made with the stamp set: CUDDLEBUNNIES by My Favorite Things (www.mftstamps.com).
Reminds me of my many nights with my girls.
Every piece is stamped on several different papers and cut out for some paper piecing. The moon piece uses a mulberry paper with self adhesive. The star is glittered with ultrafine glitter by Stampin' Up!.
machine sewing with white thread around border of card base.

Love the PANDA!

This stamp was too cute - a meditating panda -yoga! I had to make it into a card.
These are 100% recycled card base (kraft in color) taken from reclaimed file folders! I get so excited when I can use recycled materials. It just plain FEELS GOOD!

These pandas are stamped onto designer paper and then stamped again on vintage white card stock... and again onto a scrap piece of the same designer paper!
The panda is cut out of the white card and the belly only is cut out of the scrap piece.
then everything is pieced together. Layer on layer and then raised with dimensionals... which are a Stampin' Up exclusive. I've used pop dots and foam squares before and nothing (NOTHING) compares to dimensionals. They are a STRONG adhesive and there is NO WASTE! (they are hexagonal in shape so there's no skeleton foam piece left!)
anyway, here it is!

Wishing HAPPINESS to all!

First of the gift HANG tags are available!

I am excited to say that the first sets of hang tags are now available at the MUSE in downtown Frederick!
Made using 100% recycled card base, hand trimmed to 5.75" x 3" in size and an appropriate string will be included for each tag.
The backs are blank, left for you to write your sentiments.

each set of 4 is $4.50.

Many more to come soon!

Happy Birthday TAGS

Weekends are usually allotted for fun... however as you know, many times your workweek seeps into your weekend!
So here's something I am working on. Hang Tags (gift tag sets) made from 100% recycled folders. Cut and embellished and sold as a set!
One of my major hurdles this year is to make items that are sale-worthy, don't take too long to make and have a correct price point (keeping in mind the time it takes to make the item, materials cost and customer value). This is a surprisingly difficult thing when it comes to papercrafts.
Here's something that everyone can use... a little extra tag on a gift that can be used in place of a whole greeting card and is especially aesthetic - a finishing touch to the look of the whole package!
I started with the "all-difficult" MAN(ly) category!
Loved making this tag. I layered a script background and added a sun ray background. (Which then I added some pearlesence (perfect pearls) and then added the cityscape layer. Distressed modestly on the edges and added a sentiment!
This tag measures 6"x3". I will add some sort of appropriate string (for this one hemp or linen) for hanging! Use it also as a BOOKMARK!
I think I will have the sets for approx 4.50 for set of 4 tags. With FREE shipping of course!
I will also offer custom orders as some customers may want a set for their book club, or family reunion! The possibilities are endless!

Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more info!

New news!

So after having so much fun making these wonderful little beads, I decided to make them for sale on etsy! This will be a perfect way for me to use up all my smaller pieces of wonderful paper that I would otherwise throw away...
The new etsy store, greenNOTIONS, will feature handmade paper beads and hand felted beads. The beginnings of new projects for you!
I am very excited and have a few products ready to go!
All items will SHIP FOR FREE in the USA.
Come and check it out when you get a second!

FUN FUN!!!

Today my daughter is having her best friend over to make paper beads! And since we had never made any before... we thought we'd give it a first run. OH WHAT FUN!!!
So easy... using any and all recyclable catalogs and magazines full of COLOR, and you get... instant product!
Emily is so excited for her friend to arrive... you can just feel the anticipation! (don't tell anyone... but I am sooooo excited myself! shhhhh....)
There are lots of sites with instructions... here's a good place to start!


Here's an update: My finished mini tin of beads!
Love it!!!

Finding my Rhythm...

Well. After 14-ish days snowed in with the girls... they returned to school yesterday. And after taking care of missed business yesterday, I finally feel like I am getting back on schedule today.

Yesterday, Stacie loaned me her book - THE HAPPINESS PROJECT by Gretchen Rubin and after reading 1 and 1/2 chapters I was compelled to start clearing out some clutter in my life. I will admit, since the start of 2010, i have been feeling a little (ok, very) disorganized and have been wanting to clear out my life. I did do my closet a few weeks ago and my studio has been cleaned numerous times (ending up in a mess every time I work in here)...

But reading the book reminded me to start clearing out clutter in my mind. The things that constantly nag me... like ordering my kid's contacts, or making a car brake appt. Things that can wait, but are constantly poking at my brain.

So as soon as the girls took off for school (2hrs late - snow delay...) I started on my clutter clearing. I made my to-do list and started checking things off one at a time. Did a heap of bills all at once... mailed back all my online purchase returns (which I almost never do because of the hassle... & end up losing $$ to balance), wrapped bday gifts, send out long-over-due email replies, cleared out some old food in fridge (while waiting for my lunch to heat up in the microwave), sent away the stack of cards my friends and I made for donation to US Troops...

and more!

so then I decided to treat myself a little. Last week I strived to do a challenge for MY ARTISTIC LIFE (http://myartisticlife.typepad.com/my_artistic_life/) and was sorely behind.

I did finally end up making my Twinchies, but never entered them for the challenge contest. So today, I got to this week's challenge - which was to take your make twinchies (mini works of art 2"x2") into a display of some sort.
I decided to make bookmarks... I'm really new at this mini art form... but I am having tons of FUN!

Now back to my to-do list. I have a little time before the family gets home... so i think I may tackle my craft closet now!
Tomorrow am... going to wake up before the family and write out my monthly resolutions. YEA!

THANK YOU...

This entry is more personal than anything but I just wanted to say THANK YOU...

Exactly one week ago we had to put our beloved Akita, LEXY, down.

She lived with us for 14 years and each moment has been precious. From the moment we picked her up and brought her to our home, we knew we loved her. She was a fuzzy little bear already full of personality.
Throughout the years we had kids and moved around a few times. She was always faithful, loving and loyal... She was fiercely protective and motherly towards our girls.
We remember all her little quirks... Little things like having to run through our apt entrance after a walk so she wouldn't be tempted to flop down and enjoy the cold marble floor... (once she was down, she was down til she was ready to get back up! - and at 100lbs... she was definitely the one to decide.)
Other things like not knowing her size and wanting to sit on your lap... like scared to go down a small flight of stairs... even though she was up to our waist in height. Can you imagine my poor husband carrying her up and down?
Befriending a kitty cat and always giving her a warm place to snuggle and sleep.
Having to walk her in the middle of the night so she wouldn't scare the neighborhood dogs; by the way, she could hold her business for 20 hours at a time... so we didn't worry much about indoor accidents. (much...)
When we brought each of our girls home for the first time, she would come and sniff and then leave us alone for a week or more. Picking up and leaving a room when we would come in and only returning when called for.
One time I had ordered a pizza for dinner and while waiting for my husband to come home from work... she stole the whole thing right out of the box! Picture our surprise when we opened the box ready to eat and discovered the dinner was missing! She had left the box perfectly in place, closed with no trace she had tampered it.
Waking up every night to her sounds of chasing something in her dreams... her legs running in air and her panting!
There is so much more... more than I can even remember at one time. Memories come flooding back again and again in the quiet moments of the day. and Now our nights are eerily silent.

The overwhelming thought that keeps coming back is her loyalty and her respect for our family. She was the perfect dog for us! She put up with us and called us her family.
We miss her every second.

My friends have been so comforting during this time. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for all your love and kind thoughts. This really has been one of the hardest weeks of my life. Thank you also for letting me tell you of all the things I remember and for not "turning me off" when I repeat myself.

And THANK YOU LEXY for being our dog for the last 14 years. We love you. Happy Valentine's Day!

Cute fishies!

Saturday already...

Here's a new card I made. it is clear on the front with only the fishbowl. The bowl and fish detail are all on the backside of the clear cover.

Need to get out! Too much snow this past week... but I'll bet the whole world is at the mall and movies today.

We'll give it a try...

Daggers and MAGIC!

Well... we are having yet another snow storm. Blizzard... #2 this week!
I have to say... even though it is very beautiful there is a sense of danger too... check out these daggers hanging from my house. i couldn't get a better angle because I can't strp out onto the 4+ft of snow right under my doorstep.

On the flip side... these kind of days make for great crafting!
I have a showcase on etsy tomorrow so I wanted to get my last minute items for that ready. Here's a new card... a little magical birthday wish! Perfect for any girl... or woman! Features a cute fairy, hand stitches linen thread detail and layers on layers of wonderful card stock and papers!
This card and more on etsy soon!

Hope you are having a great day... weather you are in a sunny and warm place or you are in my neighborhood under foot after foot of snow... !

30 inches so far and counting!

It started snowing yesterday around noon and hasn't stopped. So far we are at the biggest snowfall since I moved to Maryland! (i think in the 20's there may have been a big one and once in the 70's?). This morning I woke up to bright white light and a cheery mood! I had found some time to be by myself quietly crafting this LOUD card...
recently there was a request for a 12yr old boy's birthday card... and you know... I didn't have one. Men and kids cards have always been my difficult area. So I perused some of my magazines (stamp it!) and found one similar to this. I especially love the cardboard detail. Real cardboard ripped and separated layers in a few places really bring in a ton of texture!
anyway, I thought I'd incorporate more of these genre's to the mix!
Well, while the kids are outside enjoying the blizzard, I can spend a few moments longer crafting. Later... knitting socks.
If you are anywhere in the mid-atlantic... HOPE YOU ARE ENJOYING this historic weather!