Cards That Pop!

  

Black makes colors really pop, there's no doubt about it. It's why we go to the classic 'little black dress' for special occasions...it makes the wearer stand out and you can add that one stand-out piece of jewelery, belt, purse that makes a statement. Recently, I had made some bold cards with flowers and bugs on a light background. One morning, I woke up with the vision of a similar card with a black background so I played around with this idea. Having recently used Color-Core cardstock and enjoyed it; I opted to use it again. I just love the visual texture it creates when you sand it.Here's the assembly line...


Lot's of punching flowers, hand-cutting centers(I didn't like the look of 'perfect', round centers!), and
die-cutting stems.

Stems were glued onto black cardstock and ribbon threaded across before gluing that onto the actual card. A Xyron sticker-maker was used for the stems. TIP:  A cuticle tool works REALLY good on intricate shapes, to rub around those edges so that you don't have bits of glue hanging off or areas it didn't stick well. Just trace around the shape!

 
Many evenings were spent sanding all the flowers and centers. I watched a British comedy series called 'Black Books' during this time, that I rented from the library...which btw is TOO FUNNY!!!! I've got all my family watching it now!

And.........another evening of adding glitter glue embellishments.

 What was just a matter of me hurrying through making a mock up of my plan...not gluing my flowers down quite...turned out to be a Happy Accident! I found that I loved being able to bend the petals up off the card a bit for some dimension.

And that's that! Thanks for stopping by! These can also be found on my Etsy shop in 4-packs if you don't feel like going to the trouble of making some yourself!

Mini Composition

I don't know about you, but I just love things in mini.

 Everything seems more charming in mini...babies, kittens, tea sets and even these mini composition books!Plus I'm sort of on a roll with covering all kinds of notepads and notebooks lately. Muslin, canvas, and burlap all seem to be textures that I love for a base. Plus, they are pretty neutral palettes to begin with.      

 
I simply stamped French script as a background and then added a flower stamp.

 In keeping with the theme, I then machine-stitched French lace onto the canvas.

 Last, I hand-sewed a button onto each and glued them down. And VOILA! Just a nice little notebook to carry in with you. These will be available on my Etsy shop.

Spring Is Here!

Well, I sidestepped my last project temporarily. It's that I'm waiting for my new glasses that are being made for the third time...it's a process. So, in lieu of doing any close up work that is tough at the moment; I decided to fill my blank wall in the living room with some summer collages.It may not look like Spring in some parts; although here in California it is beginning to. We still have a lot of overcast and some rainy days. Those days, I struggle with feeling down and decided to boost myself up and get into Spring!

 

First I took 8x10 canvases and added torn-edged, patterned/text papers with gel medium and applied a light coat of acrylic paint.

 After drying, I added another coat of acrylic.

And then wiped most of it off to reveal the layers.

Next I stamped randomly around to add more 'texture'.

This is what I ended up with.

I selected some collage papers and roughly cut out flower shapes and centers. Also, I had some hand-made paper that has actual leaves and stems imbedded in it...I thought that would be cool to cut out and use.

Those were pasted down with gel medium also.

 
 After that I added some yellow and white paint to make the flowers 'glow' a bit to look bright and happy. Finally, I outlined the flowers and leaves with a copper gel pen and put some scrapbook flowers and buttons in their centers.

And...voila! No more blank wall and a happy, sunny one in it's place! (Ok, they aren't hung straight yet, lol! The camera is probably wonky too.) Have a wonderful, looking-forward-to-Spring day!

Notepads to Notebooks

The notepads below reminded me of a notebook I made a couple years ago inspired by Jane Eileen  in an old 'Sew Somerset' magazine.It is a well-loved item that I still use(note the missing button!). I recalled how much I enjoyed this project and how many compliments I got on it from my fellow Chemistry students. (It made Chem. better!)

So I dug around and found my leftover upholstery fabric and samples(TIP: You can grab the bits of samples free at your local craft/fabric store!)

 And grabbed an old notebook for sizing.

 And off I went creating a design.

For the words, I used my printer. I applied iron-on stiffener to the back of the muslin, then glue sticked the bottom edge to a piece of printer paper to feed it through my printer. Be sure to change the setting to 'Specialty Paper' or 'Cardstock' to get the printing heavy enough.

  decided to make a book mark to go along with it too.

The fun part is left! Erratic, free-sewing! I'll show you that and the finished product coming up soon! Enjoy your day!

Listless No More!

Admittedly, I've been a bit listless lately. Just a few too many overcast days and seasonal allergies leaving me a lethargic and unambitious. On one of those days I got to thinking about how much I like notebooks and making lists...I started gathering forgotten little crafty treasures that I squirrel away for just the right occasion.

 First, some blank 3x5 note pads.

 Assorted buttons.

A mix of lace and ribbon scraps.

Old muslin scraps that I experimentally stamped some bird cages that I never used, and tried a few word stamps to go with them...and grabbed the sewing supplies.

 Lists serve many purposes: 1.)On the fridge to jot items I need on the next major grocery haul. 2.)In my work tote for ideas that strike me, quotes etc. 3.)On my desk or by the phone to organize all those 'to-dos'. 4.)Random stuff. Ok, much of the time, my creative ideas don't see action for months or years but they are there for those days that I start wondering what I was thinking...back when? And, yeah, many of the 'to-dos' get re-prioritized, forgotten and ignored; but they still serve their purpose in organizing my thoughts when I get overwhelmed. (Can I get an amen here, ladies?!) Whatever the purpose they serve; those little lists and notepads are just a bit nicer when you have something pretty to write in!

Armed with my new note pads and a sunny day...I am not longer LISTLESS! If you like these, you can find them on my etsy shop. Have a lovely day!

Finishing Touches

 Well, I've put the finishing touches on my greeting cards.

 
 I simply added some glitter glue and ribbon.

The ribbon works double-duty as a sweet place to tuck a small gift; bath sachet, tea bags, gift card, etc.

 
 And, of course, I had to have matching envelopes to give the recipient a sneak-peak of what's inside!

 

 
If you enjoy these, I have them available on my etsy shop. When I look at them, I keep thinking...'a little bug told me...'

 I'm working on a new mixed media project coming up soon! It's a lovely sunny day so I'm off to walk the dog. Have a great day!