Vintage Figments

Valentine Booklet

2012-02-14T06:14:00.000-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day

Some papers and images from Crafty Secrets/Heartwarming Vintage Valentine Vintage Download E-Kit.

Altered Bottle

2012-01-31T15:36:00.007-06:00

I'm happy to post another finished project from my collection of "things I started but didn't finish".

Take an empty bottle from the trash and start the transformation. I started by soldering bands on the bottle to add a little interest. Added an old crocheted heart and an old tool handle for the stopper.

I attached beads, charms, lockets, a key and a small bell to jump rings that were soldered at the neck of the bottle.

On the back of the bottle I adhered an old postcard using beeswax as a sealer.

I like being able to see the writing on the postcard through the bottle. I placed a few beads and shredded book pages in the bottle as well as a filigree dohickey suspended by beads from the wooden stopper.

No bottle is safe from me now. I had put this one aside to make about 20 or so bottles for a witches' apothecary that I had displayed in my kitchen for Halloween. You don't get to see those until next October!!

Altered Cigar Box

2012-01-23T15:09:00.016-06:00

To start out the new year, I decided it was time to put the finishing touch on some projects that have been sitting around my studio for a while. You know the kind...the ones that got put aside so you could start something else. Don't tell me that I am the only one to do that!

My first completion is an altered cigar box. I took this class back in October but just now finished the album that is housed in the box. The class only allowed time to construct the box and album. We were on our own to select what we wanted in the album and finish it at our leisure.

The inside of the lid with a few cabinet cards and cigar labels.

The inside of the box has been divided into 3 sections. The 2 small sections at the top hold a small cigar, tiny booze bottle and an old Jim Beam key chain. The third section holds a hand constructed album.

Here is a view without the album:

The album consists of 3 hand stitched signatures and a variety of page sizes.

I'll show you a few of my favorite pages:

The class was taught at the Stamp Asylum in Plano, TX by Joni of Mrs. Oleary's located in Wichita, KS.

Halloween Shadowbox-part 2

2011-09-02T05:56:00.000-05:00

Yesterday's post gave you an overall view of my Halloween shadowbox. It is 12 inches wide and 16 inches tall. Today I will break it down into sections and give you a closer look.

A metal bat (a junque shop find) colored with alcohol ink and distress ink shows off his wingspan by hovering over the corner of the box. The Tim Holtz ticket as well as the witch were stamped on dominoes. The sign says "Witches Castle 1 mile Trespassers will be Melted". Between the sign and the witch is a puddle of wax aka a trespasser.

The box on the top right is from The Toymaker.com where you can download a variety of fun Halloween items. Several of the images in this section are from a collage sheet by Itkupilli. For the grungy bottle, I took a clear bottle, swirled alcohol ink in it then used matte multi medium on the outside to tone down the shine. The top was wrapped with fibers and dipped in beeswax. The label from Love Manor is for a life renewal potion.

The creepy doll face from Digital Collage Images has been mounted on a cracked optical lense. The clock was a tiny brass clock that no longer worked so was distressed with acrylic paints and given a new purpose.

The cabinet cards, cauldron, and birds in the trees images are from Seneca Pond Crafts.

Tombstones are from Inka's Etsy shop Altered Artifacts. The fence is by Jolee's and has been covered with crackle paint and distress stain.

The outside of the box which I failed to take a picture of was covered with crackle paint, chipped off in places then covered with distress stain. When that was dry, I sealed it with Claudine Hellmuth's Studio brand multi-medium matte. It ended up with a nice chippy, grungy look.

I didn't list all of the sources of the papers and items I used. If you have a question or want to know where I came up with some of these items, please email me. You can find my email link on the sidebar. If you are still reading this, thank you!

Halloween Shadowbox

2011-09-01T11:21:00.006-05:00

I have been working on this shadowbox on and off for about a week and a half. Finally it is done...maybe. This was one of those projects that you get done pretty quickly without gluing anything down because you know that changes will be made every morning when you look at it again. Everything is now attached and there will be no changes...maybe just add one or two more things.
I am entering this in the Simon Says Stamp and Show challenge this week where the theme is Anything Goes. There is also a blog hop and festivities this month for their STAMP-tember festivities.
For close-ups and more info see Halloween Shadowbox-part 2.

Steampunk Time Tag

2011-08-05T17:52:00.006-05:00

For an embossed tag challenge on the ning group Paper Digital Arts and Imagesbykim.

Embossing folder by Sizzix. Steampunk stamp from Artful Illusions.

Art Swap-6 X 6 canvas

2011-07-30T14:33:00.011-05:00

What happens when 5 friends get together (online) for an art swap? You end up with some artfully cool creations!

Here is the cover I created for safe keeping of my 6" X 6" pages. I layered several colors of Tim Holtz Distress Stains, added a few Distress Inks, Distress Embossing Powder and Perfect Pearls.
The pattern was achieved by tiling one of my favorite stamps by Invoke Arts. The "ART" embellishment was made by stamping into black and bronze UTEE and brushing with bronze Perfect Pearls.

This page is my contribution to the swap. Once again, I used several colors of the Distress Stains on embossed chipboard for the background. The lady artist stamp is from StampLand. The little boy on the canvas is from Tweety Jill. Other stamps used are from Crafty Secrets. The small brown bag holds a copy of a vintage artist's calling/business card.

This page is by Pam Upper (Scrappy Pam Designs). The color combination and use of the white embossing as well as her beautiful stamped collage work makes this a stand out piece.

The third page in my book is by Lori Hassler (I Been Thinkin'...'Bout Inkin'). Check out the glasses on the guy...aren't they cool? Love the grungy gears, too. I'll bet this gal has a little trouble brushing out those gear infested tresses!

Next we have a sweet little art angel by Louise Granlund (Kard Krazy). She has very cleverly included a mirror (the glitter edged square) on her page. It is just perfect for emphasizing the quote she used "Art is a reflection of who you are".

The 5th contributing artist is Lynn Stevens (Trash to Treasure Art). She has presented her collage on a beautiful crinkled metal background and embellished with scrabble tiles and a striking lion.

It is so much fun to have such talented friends that like to share their ability to create. Thanks gals for some fabulous work.

Crafty Secrets Recipe Book

2011-07-07T20:32:00.006-05:00

Last month I had the pleasure of assisting Vicki Chrisman with her Vintage Recipe Book workshop sponsored by Crafty Secrets at the Great American Scrapbook Convention. Thank goodness she had a few extra kits so I could have fun at home working on a book too.

The cover of the book is Vicki's design and is just perfect. I did not change a thing about it all the way down to the cute little vintage ice cream spoon.

The divider pages are another story. I liked what was done in class but wanted to make mine a little more personal by adding family pictures and copies of old recipe cards. On these dividers I used a picture of my daughter in 1978 and her daughter in 2010. Photoshop helped give these photos a vintage look.

The little cook in this picture is my son in 1975. He had a lot of fun making and eating his gingerbread man creations.

The divider on the left shows some of the items that were sold in the A. J. Bush and Co. General Store located in Chestnut Hill, TN.

All of the beautiful patterned papers I used in this recipe book are from the new CD available from Crafty Secrets.

Creating with Vintage Patterns CS1 Patterns CD is a new venture for us and all of you. This CD is for card makers, crafters, fabric artists, home décor enthusiasts, digi and hybrid scrap-bookers, anyone with a creative soul. It is versatile and easy to use, save time, space and money. Print one of the 24 black png or one of the 72 colored vintage designs on paper or card stock any time as you need. Print on transfer sheets, fabric sheets in silk, canvas and cotton or make your own rub ons with adhesive film, today there is a great variety of printable mediums. The 70 embellishments include roses, frames, journal and recipe cards and so much more. Digi Scrap-bookers there are 173 items and all the jpegs are tagged for easy organizing. Instructions by Patty Debowski the digital scrapbooking teacher shows you how to change colors, build a scrap-book page from start to finish, add text, shadows, overlays and textures. There are 5 easy to use templates to just print and create. Make 3D envelopes to match your A4 cards, ring boxes, gift boxes, tussie mussies, candy holders and 3D library pockets with cards or tags over and over. The 2 digi stamps let you make cards for birthdays and thinking of you. They are pre-sized for A4 cards and the images are a beautiful rose with a text background and a bird perched in a heart wreath. We have included samples of the cards and sample scrapbook pages to inspire you, so let your creativity soar!

Another Altered Domino Book

2011-06-06T17:22:00.005-05:00

Here is the sewing related altered domino book that I made for Sandy Redburn using her products from Crafty Secrets.

I stamped the scissors, thread spool, and sentiment on almond Shrinky Dinks with black StazOn ink. Rather than going to the trouble of heating up the oven, I used my heat gun to shrink the images. I was surprised at the detail that was retained after shrinking the scissor image.

I left the dominoes their natural color and stamped a zigzag stitch around the edges.

Waxed linen thread tied in a little bow forms the closure.

Once again, as in the previous book, all of the stamps, papers and images are from Crafty Secrets.

Altered Domino Book

2011-06-05T19:35:00.007-05:00

I had the pleasure this past week to work at the Great American Scrapbook Convention with Sandy Redburn of Crafty Secrets, her husband Scott, and Vicki Chrisman, Crafty Secret's design team leader. Today I'd like to show you the little gift that I made for Vicki. Since I would be her TA for the Vintage Cookbook class, I thought a little cooking related book would be in order.

For the cover of the book, I inked a couple of dominoes with alcohol ink then added paper and stamped images from Crafty Secrets.

I used baker's twine laced through pre-drilled holes for the closure.

The back of the book cover has more paper, stamped border and sticker from Crafty Secrets.

For the inside of the book, I used various stamped images, stickers and papers from the Crafty Secrets Heartwarming Vintage collection.

I had so much fun making this tiny book that I made one for Sandy, too. I'll post it another day...maybe tomorrow.

Altered Charm Necklace

2011-03-24T08:22:00.004-05:00

I recently completed an altered charm class instructed by Joni of Mrs. Oleary's Art and Arful Illusions Rubber Stamps. We worked our fingers to the bone from 9am to 9pm...but it was well worth the time and effort spent. The following pictures are of my completed necklace...my first attempt at this form of art.

We used dapping blocks and leather hammers, steel die cutters, drills, punches, metal shears, and most fun of all...torches!

We also used copper, bronze, silver and tin as well as polymer clay and vintage images and dictionary pages.

Vintage buttons, beads and crystals were also used as adornments.

After taking this class I really felt like I had accomplished something, learned a lot of techniques and had a cool necklace to show for it. What do you think?

Reasons Not Excuses

2011-03-21T09:36:00.002-05:00

A couple of reasons for not posting recently:

Two grandchildren + Six Flags = Lots of Fun

Two grandchildren + Dallas Cowboys Stadium = Even more fun

Tag Tuesday-A Tag on a Tag

2011-02-09T23:13:00.003-06:00

Louise has asked us to use a tag on a tag for this week's Tag Tuesday challenge. The 2 little heart tags hang from a wire bow. The darling image is from Inka at Altered Artifacts.

Steampunk Inspired Card

2011-01-27T13:08:00.003-06:00

A quick unadorned steampunk inspired card. I really wanted to jazz it up with some metal gears and embellies but also wanted it to be sent in a standard envelope without padding or extra postage.
The background was done with a Cuttlebug embossing folder. The little flyer and the panel are from digital downloads that can be found in Inka's Altered Artifacts Etsy Store.

Tag Tuesday-Valentines

2011-01-26T07:09:00.004-06:00

We're doing Valentines this week at Tag Tuesday. You can find the sweet little typewriter girl in the Altered Artifacts Etsy Shop on the Steam Punkers Digital Collage Sheet.

Pay it Forward

2011-01-19T22:29:00.005-06:00

I came across this idea on Nathalie's blog here. It is not a new idea as it has been around for a while but I thought it would be a good way to start the year.

Here are the rules:
I promise something handmade to the FIRST 5 people who leave a comment here. However, to be eligible, you must repost this status, offering something handmade to 5 other people. The rules are that it must be handmade (or homemade) by you and it must be sent to your 5 people some time in 2011. Ready, set, GO!

If you would like to receive something handmade from me and would like to "pay it forward", please leave a comment and let me know. I will mail you something within the next few months and may even throw in a stamp or two!

Tag Tuesday-Winter

2011-01-19T22:21:00.002-06:00

Here is my tag for Louise's Tag Tuesday challenge using the prompt Winter.

ATC-A Winner!

2011-01-09T18:09:00.006-06:00

I made this ATC featuring the cracked glass technique and entered it into the ATC contest at the Heirloom Productions Stamp and Paper show in Grapevine, TX today. The theme for the contest was Everything's Coming Up Roses. I am pleased to say that it won!!

Tag Tuesday-Colors of Christmas

2010-12-14T09:25:00.008-06:00

It is so good to have the Tag Tuesday challenge back after a short 12 day TH tag delay.
Louise has challenged us to make a tag using the Christmas colors of green, yellow and brown.

The background sheet music is a freebie from Vintage Feedsacks. The lovely image is from Maries Freebies. The evergreen stamp is produced by Artistic Outpost and the small postmark stamp by Heartwarming Vintage. I also used beeswax, vintage glass glitter and stickles.

Guest Blogger

2010-11-18T08:32:00.002-06:00

I am honored to be Vicki's guest blogger today on This Art That Makes Me Happy.

Tag Tuesday-Backgrounds

2010-11-17T12:29:00.006-06:00

My friend Pam of Scrappy Pam Designs is hosting the Tag Tuesday challenge this week for Louise. She has challenged us to "create a tag that highlights the background that you've created through ink, stamps and inky techniques".

I have created my backgrounds using a technique that Pam, Louise and I played with at a class that we took at Stampland in Chicago. It involves taping off areas of your cardstock and then dusting with color.

Round Robin Project

2010-11-05T10:51:00.008-05:00

Have you ever been involved in a round robin project? Pam, Louise and I decided to give it a try. Pam started the creativity by coming up with some stellar backgrounds. Louise was in charge of the stamping department (and bird sighting). My chore was to embellish what they had done.
Below are the 3 stages of our projects.

Louise's eagle eye saw a bird in Pam's alcohol background. Clever! I hated to cover up Pam's background and Louise's stamping so I only added an embossed metal wing and a blingy eye.

Pam and Louise did such a gorgeous job on this one that once again, I hated to cover it up. I backed this one with black paper that I cut to give a deckled edge, added a crackle painted frame and a few paper roses.

This was the hardest one for me to embellish. You know how you can look at something and either draw a total blank or go into panic mode...yep I was in both. I finally decided to add the beaded trim, a keyhole and key, and the hinge clip with a muse token hanging from a swivel clasp.

The presentation of this completed project was made at Louise's house where Pam and I enjoyed a fun visit to the windy city. Our next round robin will be altered books and will be completed to take to Pam's in the spring.

I jacked the finished projects pictures from Pam's blog. Thanks for such good pictures, Pam!

Happy Hallowe'en--free image

2010-10-31T08:31:00.005-05:00

This is one of my favorite Hallowe'en images. Click to enlarge then right click to save to your computer. Enjoy!

More Hallowe'en Tags

2010-10-30T22:07:00.006-05:00

The front and back of another set of Hallowe'en tags.

This set of tags was put into an accordion booklet and given to my friend Pam (Scrappy Pam) when we met up in Chicago.

The tags in the previous post were included in the booklet that I made for Louise (Kard Krazy).
Louise's home is lovingly decorated for Hallowe'en with altered cabinet cards, tags, and other inspiring hand crafted vintage decorations that were made by Louise or were gifts from friends. I am happy that my booklet is now displayed in her home.

I forgot to take pictures of the finished booklets...oh, well!

Halloween Tags

2010-10-24T15:29:00.004-05:00

Some fun Hallowe'en tags that I made a few days ago.

The other side of the tags.

I am linking these to the Hallowe'en challenge at Dezinaworld.

Tag Tuesday--Orange & Black

2010-10-20T22:49:00.004-05:00

I am so excited to be going to hang out with Louise and Pam that I had to make a tag for Louise's Tag Tuesday challenge that reflects that excitement and plays on a little Halloween fun. The dancing witch image is from Inka's Etsy store Altered Artifacts.

Tag Tuesday--Moon

2010-10-13T14:39:00.006-05:00

Louise has chosen moon as the prompt for this week's Tag Tuesday challenge.
I have used stamps from Tim Holtz, Inkadinkadoo, and Stamping Sensations. The tag has been edged with a gold glitter pen. The flourished trail of the witch has been glitzed up with clear and gold glitter. Ticket has been "popped" up.

Design tip: I use black 3mm foam by Darice to pop up elements on my tags and cards. It comes in 12" x 18" sheets and is easily cut to any size you need.

Free to Use Collage Sheets

2010-09-18T17:58:00.004-05:00

On my recent trip to Italy I was fascinated by the beautiful doors that I saw....I know, I am easily entertained. I have taken a few of those pictures and made collage sheets for you to use in your artwork.

You can play around with some of these in Photoshop and come up with some spooky doors to use for Hallowe'en.

Click image to enlarge and then save to your computer.
If you click to save, please be sure and leave a comment. Thanks and enjoy.

Tag Tuesday-School Days

2010-09-17T12:03:00.006-05:00

The challenge for this week's Tag Tuesday is to create a tag with a "school" theme.

Here are my tags.

That go in this.

Folded and tied--it looks like this.

I used images from Green Paper, Tammy Tutterow, Tim Holtz, Night Owl Vintage, Vintage Stampers Freebees and Seneca Pond.

Window Shopping in Italy

2010-09-10T17:29:00.010-05:00

When shopping in Rome, don't miss the Via Dei Condotti. On this street you will find the shops of Jimmy Choo, Louis Vuiton, Bulgari, Ferragamo, Prada and many more. Some of these stores only allow a few customers in at a time and several of them had lines of people waiting to get in to shop.

Some of my favorite window displays were those of the pastry, candy, and gelato shops. Yes, they taste as good as they look!

There were so many stores selling masks for carnival (Mardi Gras)as well as those selling and renting costumes. Jewelry stores were in abundance also with their window displays a sparkling delight. Personally, I enjoyed a little shop that we found on a back street that sold vintage hardware and lighting. Unfortunately, it was closed or I would have purchased one of those old water closet pulls that you see in the upper left.

Mannequin Tag Swap

2010-09-09T19:45:00.003-05:00

Tags by (left to right)Evelyn, Me, Robin
Pam, Lynn, and Louise

Beautiful work, ladies! Thanks for a fun swap.

Tag Tuesday-Butterflies

2010-08-31T14:44:00.005-05:00

For the butterfly theme at Tag Tuesday, I chose paper from K & Co. which I cut, layered and colored with markers. I adhered a butterfly sticker to vellum, colored in with markers, trimmed and folded for dimension.

Sights of Europe

2010-08-29T21:46:00.014-05:00

Got in late Friday night from a fabulous trip to Italy and Germany. Here are a few of the photos from our 11 day trip.

Vatican City-Ceiling of the Hall of Maps

Rome-Artists set up in the Piazza Navona

Rome-Ercole Ferrata's Angel with a Cross

Assisi, Italy

Siena, Italy-Siena Duomo (Cathedral)

Florence, Italy-The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore

Padova, Italy

Venice, Italy-Courtyard of Doge's Palace

Oberammergau, Germany-Flower shop

Simon Says-Things with Wings

2010-08-14T23:11:00.003-05:00

Just a quick one to get in on the fun at Simon Says Stamp and Show where the challenge is Things with Wings. I used distress inks in scattered straw, wild honey, vintage photo, and black soot on the background and embossed with a TH texture folder. Clear rock candy stickles has been applied to the grungeboard wings and heart. The ticket stamp is from Invoke Arts. Corrugated paper has been used for the base.

Winner of the Tag Tuesday RAK

2010-08-08T15:03:00.009-05:00

On my post for Tag Tuesday last week, I offered an RAK to one lucky participant. Through the use of my own personal random number generator (my DH) the number chosen was 11.

Lucky # 11

Mr. Linky showed #11 to be Terry of Terry's Work in Progress. Congratulations, Terry. Please email me (link on sidebar) with your information and I will send a package your way.

*ETA- This post was drafted on Sunday with the winner added on Monday 9th. Didn't notice the date was wrong until I posted. Ah, the joys of Blogger and the technically challenged!

Tag Tuesday-Guest Hostess

2010-08-02T17:27:00.015-05:00

While Louise is taking a little breather this week, I am so pleased to be your hostess for Tag Tuesday.
I hope you will have fun using the mannequin template. Here is the link again to the template at Mirkwood Designs: Mannequin Template.

For this tag, I glued a couple of vintage ads to the mannequin shape. Over that I added a layer of tissue from a dressmaker's pattern, inked the edges and added faux stitching. The gal with the tiny waist is from a vintage ad and was colored with chalk. The thread wrapped card and the "Material Girl" are stamps from Crafty Secrets. This is a 5 inch tag.

The background of this 6 1/4 inch tag was made by spraying Glimmer Mist on a used dryer sheet, adhering to the tag with Studio multi-medium by Claudine Hellmuth and then dry embossing with an embossing folder. I then added the image, beads, and a flower made from the leftovers of the dryer sheet.

I hope that my tags have inspired you to take the challenge this week. As an added incentive, one lucky person will receive an RAK from me...a package full of goodies! I'll post the winner next Monday. So be sure and link up your creation at Tag Tuesday.

Tag Tuesday-Christmas "Colors" in July

2010-07-27T08:10:00.004-05:00

When I saw that the challenge on Tag Tuesday was Christmas "Colors" in July, I immediately knew what image I would use.

I found this lovely bathing beauty on The Sum of All Crafts and saved it knowing it would come in handy for a future project. The background was stamped with the cheesecloth backgrounder from CHF , inked with pine needles distress ink, spritzed with water, stamped with starfish by Tweety Jill, dry embossed and sanded. The British Sea Weed logo is from Vintage Printables.

Tag Tuesday-Faces

2010-07-20T15:31:00.004-05:00

Today's Tag Tuesday Challenge is "Faces". The face images I used are from Paper Artsy. The papers, inks, embossing folder and hinges are TH products. The ticket is from Tim Holtz's newly released stamp set Odds and Ends the 100th Collection.

Tag Tuesday-Hearts

2010-07-13T10:53:00.005-05:00

Today we are doing "hearts" at Tag Tuesday. I used Clear Art Stamps from Crafty Secrets and papers from Graphic 45. No scissors were used in the making of this tag. The paper was hand torn and inked with distress ink.

If you haven't already done so, please check out my fabric collages here and here. I would love your input on my new interest.

Tag Tuesday-Summer

2010-07-10T17:31:00.006-05:00

This is my submission for Louise's Tag Tuesday Challenge with a theme of summer. I used a background stamp from CHF and a shell stamp from Evolving Images.
I'm so glad this one ran for two weeks due to the holiday!

KC Willis Collage Camp Tuition Special

2010-07-09T15:43:00.007-05:00

To celebrate KC's 54th birthday today, she if offering the tuition for her Collage Camp for only $54.00 instead of $75.00. So if you have wanted to take this exciting class, sign up now as the offer is only good today through July 14th. You know you've been wanting to make a fabric collage. Now is your chance to learn KC's secrets on how it is done. You won't regret it...believe me!

For more info go to the KC Willis Collage Camp(site) or her blog Lipstick Ranch.

Another Fabric Collage

2010-07-09T10:03:00.005-05:00

My second attempt at this "new to me" art form. Approximate size 11" X 17".

Fabric Collage

2010-07-07T19:28:00.006-05:00

Well it looks like I barely finished one online class before going to another. The latest one for me is the KC Willis Collage Camp. I am so glad that my friend and shopping buddy Robin talked me into taking this one. I guess it's payback because I talked her into Mary Green's Gluebook Class!

This is my first attempt at fabric collage. I am pleased with the results and will hang this in my guest bath in keeping with a vintage beach theme that I have going on in there. The size is approx. 9 X 12.

I added part of a fish net that Robin and I bought at a thrift store. The sea shells are some that I picked up on a trip to Pensacola Beach, FL a few years ago. I added a few gold charms for a little bling.

Tag Tuesday-Postage

2010-06-24T11:36:00.005-05:00

For Tag Tuesday this week Louise chose postage as the theme. If you look closely you will find my postage stamp between the photo collage and the word passaporto.

ATC for the Teacher

2010-06-19T20:13:00.000-05:00

This ATC is for the talented Mary Green who put a lot of time and effort into making Your Vintage Gluebook class a huge success.

I lined the sleeve for the ATC with a page from a vintage German novel. The paper for the sleeve is a copy of an endpaper from an old book.

Using a nestability die, I cut a window to spotlight the image on the card.

I then slipped the ATC and its sleeve into a protective plastic sleeve and added an identification band to make sure Mary knows it is for her.

ATC Swap

2010-06-18T20:09:00.005-05:00

I made these ATCs for a swap with members of the Your Vintage Gluebook class.

The main image is from Land of Nod Studio's.

Tag Tuesday-Men

2010-06-17T21:57:00.004-05:00

Meet Jacob Fairdealer seller of tea and coffee.

The background for Mr. Fairdealer was made by adding linen, brushed corduroy, and vintage photo distress inks to the tag, stamping with a Studio 490 fly speck bg, and topping it off with Glimmer Mist in pecan. I then embossed the tag with one of Tim's new Texture Fades embossing folders and sanded. Other stamps from Artful Illusions and Pink Paisley.

You can see all of the tags for the Tag Tuesday Challenge on Louise's blog Kard Krazy.

And More Gluebook Pages

2010-06-02T06:17:00.001-05:00

Here are two more pages that will be included in special keepsake booklets I am making for Christmas presents.

The frame around my grandmother's picture is from The Sum of all Crafts blog. No digital work here....all done by the snip and cut method.

I'll have to say that I cheated a little bit here and used the beautiful papers from Graphic 45's Le' Romantique collection. The photo is of my maternal grandparents and is dated 1921.

What is a gluebook? You can find out more here.

Tag Tuesday-Music

2010-06-01T10:58:00.004-05:00

The theme for this week's Tag Tuesday is music.

A Couple More Gluebook Pages

2010-05-22T12:26:00.002-05:00

More Gluebook

2010-05-21T14:31:00.004-05:00

This is a 2 page spread that I made using 1 large image to fulfill an exercise in the online gluebook class that I am taking. The pages are each 3 1/2 inches by 5 1/2 inches.
It's not too late to sign up for the class! Your Vintage Gluebook

Happy Birthday Tag Tuesday

2010-05-19T15:44:00.008-05:00

Louise at Kard Krazy started making tags on Tuesdays and posting them on her blog. She challenged some friends to join her. Now, a year later, we are still making tags for the Tag Tuesday Challenge.

The challenge theme of using the numbers 5 and 2 was suggested by Lori (IBeen Thinkin'....Bout Inkin'). Yeah, Lori!!

I went back in my files to find my first tag for the challenge a year ago and decided to use a reduced size copy of it on this weeks tag. The lower right hand corner of last year's tag says " Tag No.1" while the lower right hand corner of this week's tag says "Tag No. 52". The small round tag says "Tag Tuesday Weekly Challenge".

Thanks, Louise for a fun filled year of tags!

Vicki's Challenge and Gluebook Class

2010-05-16T20:55:00.008-05:00

Vicki's Challenge: My friend Vicki issued a challenge to create anything "out of the box". This was the perfect time to try a gluebook since I have always wanted to make one. The fact that Mary's online class started today worked right in with the challenge.

Mary of Green Paper creates beautiful gluebooks and is offering an online class focusing on collage.
The layout above is my first ever gluebook page that I made for today's class. The image is a copy of a 1912 watercolor of my grandmother that hangs in my dining room. The music is from one of her books. Other images and ephemera were provided by Mary.
For more info on the class click here or on the button on my sidebar.

Tag Tuesday-That's theTicket

2010-05-04T11:41:00.006-05:00

Drive-in and a Soda

It's ticket day at Tag Tuesday.
My ticket background stamp is by Tim Holtz as well as the attached drive-in tickets. The couple, car and James Dean stamps are from VLVS.
Thanks for picking this theme from my list, Louise!!

Tag Tuesday-Glitter

2010-04-27T12:58:00.005-05:00

This week on Tag Tuesday we were asked to add a little more sparkle to our world....and our carpet and our hair.....by using glitter on our tag.
I have used Barbara Trombley's Vintage Glass Glitter from Art Institute Glitter. My glue of choice for fine lines and detail is a Quickie Glue pen by Sakura.

Tag Tuesday-Recycle, Repurpose, Reuse

2010-04-20T06:12:00.004-05:00

Louise challenged us to recycle, repurpose, reuse for this week's Tag Tuesday challenge. I have glued pieces of an old tissue sewing pattern to the tag and then stamped some texture over it and inked the edges. The flowers were cut from the same tissue using a Nestabilities die, putting a brad through the center then "fluffing" the layers.
See more ways to recycle, repurpose, and reuse by visiting Kard Krazy.

Tag Tuesday-Inspire Me!

2010-04-14T17:46:00.005-05:00

"This week's tag challenge is to use a quote or a word even that you find inspiring. That should be relatively easy"....NOT!
I am flat out of inspiration this week so I just used a quote by Milton Berle that I like: Laughter is an instant vacation.
You can find the other inspiring submissions on Louise's blog Kard Krazy.

Tag Tuesday-Sketch

2010-04-09T13:17:00.004-05:00

After "Spring Breaking" with the 2 youngest grandkids, it is good to be home and back in my studio. Not that I didn't have fun...I'm just saying...

Louise offered a sketch to follow for this week's tag challenge. You can find the sketch and other submissions here. This tag will be added to my "cruise" album.

Tag Tuesday-Black and White

2010-03-24T11:23:00.006-05:00

A super quick no frills tag for Louise's challenge at Tag Tuesday.

See you after Easter. I'll be busy with the grandkids and won't have time to post.

The Vicki Project part 2

2010-03-21T05:48:00.001-05:00

Welcome back for part 2 of The Vicki Project. This is actually the first shadow box that I completed and is my favorite of the two.

The images are from Crafty Secrets' Heartwarming Vintage Images & Journal Notes booklets. The back layers of the two side panels have been dry embossed with a Cuttlebug embossing folder.

I added gold wire antennae to the butterflies and moths that I cut from the Crafty Secrets Earthy paper pad.

I layered the petals of the flowers and added dew drops, mushrooms, and some unraveled sisal twine to finish off the shadow box panel.

This leaf vine ribbon from May Arts is one of my favorite products. The letter "B" is from the Tim Holtz distressables paper line.

The frame around this image is the cut-out from the center of the shadow box panel.

Supplies:

Die: Accucut Shadow Box Portrait die #VC101CSJ
Paper: Crafty Secrets Earthy collection
Ink: TH distress inks-vintage photo, black soot
Images: Crafty Secrets
Misc: May Arts leafy vine ribbon, dew drops, wire, mushrooms, sisal twine, Cuttlebug embossing folder-floral screen

If you missed part 1 of The Vicki Project, you can find it here.

Thanks to Vicki Chrisman, Crafty Secrets, and Accucut for providing some of the supplies used to make these shadow box frames and a special thanks to Vicki for allowing me to play with the products.

ETA: If you would like to see more shadow box die projects, Vicki has all of them listed on her blog here.

The Vicki Project part 1

2010-03-20T06:47:00.004-05:00

I was actually in the right place at the right time for a change and snagged a couple of new die cuts to play with. The die is distributed by Accucut and was designed by Vicki Chrisman. She was offering on her blog, This art that makes me happy, a chance to try out the die cuts. It was an offer I couldn't resist.

The base is a triptych and can be used as a standing project as shown or it can be folded for a dimensional card. The 3 large flower panels are from Crafty Secrets as are the pink and green patterned papers.

This is the center panel. The shadow helps to give you some idea of the 1/2" depth of the frame which forms the shadow box.

The little seed catalogue is made from a vintage image and several "pages" of cardstock that have been distressed and held together with 2 staples from the Tim Holtz mini attacher.

The bunny image is from a vintage postcard with a watering can added for watering the flowers. Notice the tiny seed packets I added to her basket.

And what good is a watering can without water? The water drops have been made with the help of a clear Gelly Roll glitter pen.

For the final panel, I embellished with a variety of watering cans and more tiny flowers. The top watering can is giving up its last drop to the nasturtium. You just can't see it in the picture.

Supplies:

Die: Accucut Shadow Box Portrait die #VC101CSJ
Paper: Crafty Secrets Earthy and Radiant collections
Stamps: grass stamp-maker unknown
Ink: TH distress inks-antique linen, mustard seed, brushed corduroy-Marvy-jungle green
Images: Crafty Secrets, vintage postcards
Misc: fence from Jolee's, cheesecloth, Gelly Roll glitter pen, assorted markers, tiny flower punch, distressing tool

Stay tuned for part 2 coming up in my next post!

Graphic 45

2010-03-18T21:43:00.002-05:00

I made this card several weeks ago for a challenge over at StampHaven. The entire card is made with Graphic 45 paper and a few brads...no stamping.

Tag Tuesday-Spring

2010-03-16T18:13:00.005-05:00

...and then my heart with pleasure fills
and dances with the daffodils.

You can check out the other Spring entries for the Tag Tuesday Challenge on Louise's blog by clicking here.

Tag Tuesday-Arches

2010-03-10T16:30:00.004-06:00

Arches is the theme for this week's Tag Tuesday Challenge. Stamp is from Hero Arts.

Note Cards-Mucha

2010-03-03T21:56:00.005-06:00

A little something for one of my neighbors-note cards featuring the art of Czech artist Alphonse Mucha. I also used these for a vintage themed challenge at Stamp Haven.

Tag Tuesday-Brown Plus Another Color

2010-03-02T16:54:00.004-06:00

Check out the Tag Tuesday challenge this week-Use whatever color you like to mix with brown to create your tag this week.
Image and paper from Heartwarming Vintage/Crafty Secrets, sentiment from Artistic Outpost, pearl from Prima, and flower by Kim.

Tag Tuesday-Shamrocks

2010-02-27T12:30:00.004-06:00

For Louise's Tag Tuesday challenge-Shamrocks.

Stamp Haven Challenges

2010-02-20T10:35:00.007-06:00

This card is for 2 challenges (buttons and vintage) taking place at Stamp Haven.
The background is torn tissue from a dressmaker's pattern glued to cardstock then distressed with stamps. I made the flower with pieces of the same tissue paper and added a vintage button for the center.

Tag Tuesday-Cutsie

2010-02-17T15:56:00.004-06:00

Louise asked for "cutsie" this week for her Tag Tuesday Challenge. Just how cute is "cutsie"?
I used stamps from Scrolls Work, Stampcraft, and CHF.

February 14

2010-02-14T06:25:00.000-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day

Tag Tuesday-Monogram

2010-02-12T20:19:00.006-06:00

This week's Tag Tuesday challenge is to create a tag using a monogram in any way, shape, or form. I used stamps from Studio 490, and Prima. I used a naturally distressed vintage shoelace for the bow and a piece of it glued to a grungeboard "S" for the monogram.

Tag Tuesday-A Touch of Red

2010-02-03T17:17:00.007-06:00

The theme at Tag Tuesday this week is A Touch of Red. I used stamps from Stamp Camp, Rubbernecker, Inkadinkado and unknown source (lips).

Tag Tuesday-Time

2010-01-30T14:32:00.011-06:00

Time is the topic of Tag Tuesday this week.

Will any of you admit that you are old enough to remember the Howdy Doody Show? Do you remember Buffalo Bob starting the show with the question "Say kids, what time is it?" and then the peanut gallery shouting "It's Howdy Doody time!". If you are not familiar with this children's TV show you can read up on it here.

I used stamps from Heidi Swapp, CHF, and the Howdy Doody face is an old stamp from Midnight Stamps. I used a vellum overlay to soften the background and some of the images.

Tag Tuesday-Doll Tag

2010-01-21T23:16:00.007-06:00

Louise challenged us to make a doll out of our tag this week. Just for fun I made dolls of Pam, me and Louise using a picture from our cruise to Mexico as inspiration.

You can find other submissions to the challenge at Kard Krazy.

Heritage Gate-fold Album & Computer Problems

2010-01-14T12:37:00.008-06:00

Front cover of a heritage gate-fold album that I did at a class that Robin and I took this past summer.

This is the inside of the back cover.

This is what you see when you open the album. The pages are made from recycled beer coasters. The cover is made from book board and special book binding fabric. Each page contains stamping, vintage photos and embellishments. The class was instructed by Joni of Artful Illusions.

Our computer will be spending the night at the home of DH's golfing buddy/computer geek going through who knows what to fix it. The guys just went to play golf and I am supposed to be doing the back-ups and whatever. Hopefully I'll be back in few days on a computer that works like they are supposed to work.

A Late Tag Tuesday

2010-01-11T19:14:00.007-06:00

Louise's Tag Tuesday challenge this week was to use polka dots and stripes. Mine is just a little late due to several house guests I had this past weekend...Louise, Pam, and Robin! More on that later!

The stripes are obviously the zebra and the polka dots were achieved by using a sequin waste stamp. This tag was a collaborative project done around midnight last night by Louise, Pam and me. (Robin, you should have stayed another night!) We stayed up a little too late (2am) but had an unforgettable time playing with some of our new toys that we purchased at the Heirloom Production show.

Below are some of the backgrounds that we made.

Metallic pigment inks (from JudiKins) on black glossy cardstock from Marcos Paper.

More metallic inks stamped on black glossy cs and a pearlized paper using the same stamp and colors.

Wish you could see the metallic goodness going on here. It is just dazzling!

What an incredible weekend...good food, good shopping, good fun, lots of laughs and fantastic friends. What more can you ask for...warmer weather maybe! Let's do it again!!!

New Stamps

2010-01-02T21:25:00.003-06:00

What a great way to start out the new year...with free stamps!

I won the Retro Holiday stamp set from the Simon Says Stamp blog. If you are looking for a one stop shopping store, head over to Simon Says Stamp. They have over 100,000 items in stock including those clay coated tags that Tim Holtz uses.

I also won a grab bag of stamps from the Scrolls Work Rubber Stamp blog. The grab bag included 2 photo realistic stamps, 2 Christmas stamps with sentiment stamps and a "contributing artists" stamp.
Scrolls Work Rubber Stamps is having their grand opening today and is offering a 20% rebate on your stamp order. The sale ends at midnight so you had better hurry!

RAK

2009-12-30T09:23:00.003-06:00

I feel so lucky to have received this beautiful RAK from Lynn Stevens. The ATC is a welcome addition to my ever-growing collection.
And check out that pendant...it is so cool! Isn't it amazing what can be done with a domino, a rubber stamp and some metal findings?
Go spend some time with Lynn at Trash to Treasure Art. You will enjoy your visit and leave with you head spinning with inspiration.
I love my blogger friends! Thanks, Lynn.

Tag Tuesday-Happy New Year

2009-12-29T23:09:00.004-06:00

The Tag Tuesday challenge this week has us greeting the New Year. Be sure to check it out and play along!
I have used vintage glass glitter on the "1", the "Happy New Year", and the edge of the tag.

Tag Tuesday-Punch It

2009-12-19T10:53:00.004-06:00

For this week's Tag Tuesday challenge Louise requested us to "punch it". I punched the corners and borders with a MS punch set. Vintage glass glitter around the image adds that little touch of nostalgia to the tag.

Hope everyone has a peaceful, love filled holiday. I'm off to see the grandkids!!!

Tim's Tags Days 11 & 12

2009-12-14T10:45:00.004-06:00

Day 11

Not exactly a favorite!

Day 12

Since I had already made the roses on the cruise and don't have the right flower stamp or punch at hand to build a rose, I went with snowflakes instead. Not exactly like Tim's but inspired by it!

Tim's Tags Days 9 & 10

2009-12-13T08:08:00.006-06:00

Day 9

This picture Tim provided is just priceless. Ran out of metal flowers so had to sub with Primas. The "25" is embossed with a mixture of silver and black embossing powders.

Day 10

I just happened to have a piece of the metal tape left over from a class at TenSeconds Studio so this one worked up pretty quick. To save even more time...you do that when playing catch-up...I followed Tim's layout. The grungy mottled appearance is due to using q-tips instead of the alcohol ink pens to apply the ink.

Tim's Tags Days 7 & 8

2009-12-12T07:03:00.000-06:00

Day 7

On Tim's tag you will see a big Santa face. I substituted a cute little girl since I couldn't come up with a Santa that worked for me. I still used the same techniques and cut a mask for future use. This is a size 5 tag due to the small size of the stamps I used.

Day 8

Along with day 8 came a little more improvising. Since my music stamp is small, I used another size 5 tag. I wasn't sure what I was going to do without a lamp post stamp but then read on Sherry's blog-Walkin' on the Bad Side-the great idea to build your own lamp post by using the Vintage Hardware stamp set from Crafty Secrets. The lamp had to be hand drawn (Sherry's looks better than mine). I also added a couple of shoppers as the key Tim suggested was too large for my tag.

Tim's Tags Days 5 & 6

2009-12-11T06:33:00.001-06:00

Day 5

Thanks to Shelly for the game piece. It was just what I needed to finish this tag.

Day 6

I really enjoyed making this tag and think it just might be my favorite so far. The images behind the fragments are from Crafty Secrets Heartwarming Vintage collection.

Tim's Tags Days 1 & 2

2009-12-10T09:29:00.005-06:00

Day 1

Since there were no snowmen in this part of TX, I substituted prancing reindeer on this tag so I could try the emboss and paint technique.

Day 2

A few changes to this one but with similar results.

You can follow Tim's 12 Tags of Christmas here.

Tim's Tags Days 3 & 4

2009-12-09T11:33:00.004-06:00

Day 3

I am working my way through T!m's 12 Tags of Christmas along with a few other enthusiast stampers. I am posting days 3 and 4 due to technical difficulties with days 1 and 2 plus playing catch-up due to a late start.
Even though I didn't have the same tree stamp or dark inks or the same washers and brads or any philosophy tags or the texture hammer, I am pleased with my results. And I thought I had a lot of stuff...just not the required things!

Day 4

I really enjoyed this tag for day 4. Thank goodness I bought this stamp set on the cruise.

Tag Tuesday-Christmas Color Challenge

2009-12-08T20:35:00.004-06:00

The colors for the Tag Tuesday challenge this week are teal (it really is), wine, and blue. You can see the other submissions on Louise's blog Kard Krazy.

Tag Tuesday-Picture

2009-11-11T17:41:00.006-06:00

This week's Tag Tuesday challenge is to use a picture on our tag. The picture I used is of 2 of my husbands aunts and an uncle waiting with tin cups in hand for the cow to be milked. That is really fresh milk!

Spooky Happy Mail and Sophisticated Happy Mail

2009-11-09T08:19:00.006-06:00

I was fortunate enough to be gifted with two very different blog candy winnings this past week. My first is from Mike at Jack and Cat Curio. Mike is a multi-talented, Ranger certified teacher and artist. He has quite an eye for turning out spectacular encaustic work. Would love to take one of his classes.
As you can see, I have the makings for an awesome Halloween project. There are transparencies, skeletons, skulls, word cards and a fantastic vintage photo.

Now to the softer, gentler side. You have to go visit Lynn at her blog Her Creative Spirit. Everything she creates is a reflection of "her creative spirit". You will be so inspired by her beautiful, amazing art.
This gorgeous tag consists of layers of fabrics stitched to a felt backing. It could be used for a bookmark but I would hate to have it concealed in the pages where its beauty would be lost so I am going to hang it in my studio where I can enjoy it daily. And those beads....

If you want to know how Lynn made these fabulous beads you can find her secret here. You won't believe what they are made from!

Thanks Mike and Lynn! Your gifts were so much more fun than the garage sale I had Saturday!!

Tag Tuesday-No Paper

2009-11-03T10:40:00.007-06:00

What a fun theme Louise chose for the Tag Tuesday challenge today...making a tag without using any type of paper! My tag is constructed out of thin packing foam that has been colored with alcohol ink (stream). I then covered it with sheer snowflake printed ribbon, added some Heidi Swapp ghost snowflakes that I glitzed with antique glitter and attached with a gem brad. I topped it all off with some snowball poms and silver tinsel trim.

Tag Tuesday-Paper Piecing

2009-10-28T09:39:00.004-05:00

Louise at Kard Krazy has chosen a paper piecing technique for the Tag Tuesday challenge. This particular technique requires using torn strips of paper for the background. I have torn off the top layer of corrugated paper to expose the inner layer and then added torn strips of eerie paper by basic grey. The lovely lady is an image from Itkupilli.

artful voyage in Mexico Class Project

2009-10-22T21:00:00.006-05:00

The creative fun on the artful voyage in Mexico cruise just went on and on! This project created for us by Wendy Vecchi was quite involved but oh so worth the time spent on it. We started out with an unfinished framed bulletin board and covered it with sewing pattern tissue using Claudine Hellmuth's multi-medium. When dry we overstamped with one of Wendy's background stamps.

We then set about cutting, inking, and stamping grunge paper to make Wendy's signature flowers. We also added a funky art chic with her own glasses, wings, and necklace by Vintaj.

I love being able to fold, roll and shape the grungepaper for added dimension and interest. I used waxed linen thread for the butterfly antennae and added vintage buttons as flower centers.

Want to see a picture of the Three Amigas (Pam, me, and Louise)? Head on over to Louise's blog and check it out!

artful voyage in Mexico Another Class Project

2009-10-22T09:22:00.005-05:00

This is a project from another of our 1 hour workshops. Wendy presented us with a pre-printed apron and our project was to embellish it with flowers that we created with grunge paper and metal idea-ology trinkets. As an option, we could stamp and decorate the pockets but I chose to leave mine plain...why emphasize the hips!

artful voyage in Mexico Class Project

2009-10-21T09:04:00.005-05:00

Here are the results of the one hour class charming intrigue. We took lots of different idea-ology components by Tim and linked them together to create this necklace and pin. Just goes to show the versatility of Tim's products.

The paper in the background is a handmade find from a stationery store in Cabo San Lucas.

artful voyage in Mexico Cruise Pictures

2009-10-20T09:40:00.010-05:00

T!M

WENDY

WHOOPI?

Just a few random pictures from the cruise
until I can take pictures of the projects. Enjoy!

Gone Cruisin'

2009-10-10T20:03:00.004-05:00

I'll be back after the 18th with fun things to share.

Crafty Secrets WCMD Challenge

2009-10-07T22:04:00.012-05:00

Saturday Vicki Chrisman posted on her blog that she was hosting a Crafty Secrets challenge on Splitcoaststampers for World Card Making Day. Since I like both Vicki and Crafty Secrets I thought I would check it out. The challenge was to make a card with dimension.

I made this diorama card using stamps, stickers and cuts from Crafty Secrets. I stamped, colored and cut out the little trick or treaters and attached them to toothpicks so they could walk on the embossed and inked path that leads through the spooky forest. Well that was fun and a nice change from doing ATCs.

Imagine my surprise when I read the list of winners of the challenge. My card won for Best Card Using Crafty Secrets! And the prize was a $50.00 gift certificate to use to buy more Crafty Secrets products. I love Crafty Secrets stuff!!!

ATC Sampler

2009-10-03T11:33:00.005-05:00

Here is a sampler of a few of the ATCs that I will be swapping on the cruise. They are now all sleeved and packed and ready to go. Only 1 week before sailing! Pam, Louise and I are excited!!

Tag Tuesday-Birds

2009-10-01T12:23:00.005-05:00

Here is my tag for Louise's Tag Tuesday challenge.
All stamps from Invoke Arts.

ATCs for Tim and Mario

2009-09-30T19:04:00.007-05:00

WANTED
Arizona Mario and "Ranger" Holtz
Last seen transporting large number of women and supplies to Mexico by boat.

These are the ATCs that I made to give to Tim and Mario on the cruise. The "mug" shots are from a poster that Melody at the Stamp Asylum (Plano, TX) made when Tim and Mario were in town for classes this summer. You may have seen it posted on Tim's blog (here). She kindly gave me permission to use them. Thanks, Melody!