Vintage Wishes

Hey People!  Are you all in full throttle for the holidays?  I have my large, formal tree done, but that is it.  Still need to put up the family room tree.  Not even going to mention where I am in the scheme of things as far as  holiday cleaning, baking, shopping or even making Christmas cards!!

Today work celebrated the December Birthdays (mine and one other gal) with lunch out.  The other crafty gal in the office made my card, but I was asked to make the other gal's b-day card.  Originally, I thought I would use a card I had in my stash.  But, none of them flipped my trigger for N.  So, in true Starla fashion, I decided at the last minute to make a new card!  I LITERALLY finished photographing just as I needed to be leaving for the eats!

I started with the sketch challenge on SCS for my inspiration. 

  While I stuck pretty close to the actual sketch, I could not get the large panel to work for my embellishment and sentiment.  Sooooo.  This is MY take on the sketch!

Card base is Pure Luxury Ivory (vanilla) 5.5" square.  All the decorative paper came from MME's Lost and Found Sunshine.  I sponged Distress Ink in Vintage photo on all the decorative paper edges and on the tag that was cut and embossed with Spellbinder's Label Eleven.  The b-day sentiment is from SU's It's Your Birthday and was stamped with Chocolate Chip ink.

The Flower.  sigh...........I love the flower!  hehe. I covered Clearly for Art Whiteout with Broken China Distress Stain.  Now, you have to realize that CFA has more of a slick surface.  The Distress Stain just wants to bead up on it, rather than absorb.  But, that was ok with me!  I covered both sides of the whiteout with the stain, then wiping off the excess.  I repeated 2-3 more times until the color that did absorb was to my liking.  I then die cut some with PaperArtsy's Grunge Flower and Grunge Flower #2 and #3.  I snipped between the petals to separate them so that I could heat and mold the CFA better.  Let me just say that I REALLY need to get me those thingamawhoppers that you put on your fingers to protect them when hot gluing or working with CFA film!  Trying to heat this stuff BURNS!!! Either that, or I need to get me some hemostats!!  After heating and molding my flower layers, I then sponged Distress Vintage Photo on the edges.  Again, the ink wants to wipe off the slick surface, but I just wanted a hint of the color and it seemed to stick pretty well through all my handling of the flower to assemble it!!  As I was running  a bit short on time, I used my hot glue gun (why not?!  My finger tips were already singed!) to assemble the flower and adhere it to the card.  Colored a 1/2 pearl with Copics and ran out the door!!

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I just wanted to let you know that blogging is going to be even more sparse than usual the next few weeks!  I'm going to be working full time, covering for the other therapists who are taking holiday vacations.  Add to that schedule are the Kiddo's ball games, Christmas concerts (multiple performances for the Oldest Kiddo) and just trying to get ready for the holiday's myself!  All in all, that  is not going to leave much time for the ol' blog!  I DO HAVE a couple of projects that I'm still hoping to complete and share and I know that there is one more eP blog hop in the works!  So, until then.............

Remember to explore some creativity!!

A Very Good Day

Found this on my cyber friend Gail's blog.  It is too wonderful not to share.  And trust me....it is worth the 10 minutes to watch it NOW.

Have a VERY GOOD DAY friends.

Merry and Bright

Hey People!  Yes, yes!  Your eyes do not deceive you!  I'm back with another project.  It is amazing how much crafting one can do when off work!

Well, I made it to the semi final round for the SCS CAS winter DT challenge!  Here is the card I came up with for this round.

Let me just say that in real life, the paper and metal match so much better!  You'd think that as much as I like to use metal in my projects, I'd figure out how to photograph the stuff better!! Haven't figured out how to avoid over exposing and glares!!

Base is Pure Luxury 4.25"x 5.5" top fold.  I started with some Barn Red metal and embossed it on TenSecond Studio's Christmas Kubka mold (Sorry, it must be currently sold out as I cannot find it in the eP store or TSS!!).  I used a small wire brush to remove the metal color to a matte finish for the background of the package and a decorative wheel for the frame.  Swiss dots embossing folder was used on the SU Real Red background.  The sentiment is from Hero Arts Joy to All, and was stamped with SU's Real Red.  Added the button and the twine and called 'er done!

Well, I'm off to go make the yearly requested cranberry salad.  I'm also thinking of making some Ooey Gooey Caramel Pumpkin Blondie's.    No one in the family is ever overly excited with Pumpkin pie.  Everyone will eat it (except my FIL), but no one is thrilled with it.  The last couple of years, I've been trying out different pumpkin recipes to take the  place of the pie. I'm thinking that you can't go wrong with caramel and chocolate added to the mix!! 

And lastly, but not the least:  I hope everyone has a safe, wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow!  I know that I am very thankful for the visits, comments and friendships that I have made through this blogging adventure!!  

Joyous Holidays

Hey People!! Are you sitting down?  Yes, I am posting another card!  Two days in a row! OH MY!  I don't believe the world is ending or pigs are now flying, but, I haven't looked outside in the last little bit either!! haha!!

I recently bought a Memory Box die from my LSS that I have had some ideas floating in my noggin' on ways I might like to use it.  Yesterday, I received a comment  on SCS from Miss Boo (aka Jen), which alerted me to the winter CAS DT search going on right now.  One of my ideas for using the die fit the first DT challenge, so I decided to LEAP and give it a go!!

My card base is 5.5" square Pure Luxury, with a side fold.  I die cut the wreath from Echo Park's Season's Greetings by Lori Whitlock.  TIP:  I usually place my steel ruled dies face down on my papers or metal so that I can utilize my paper space as much as possible.  I found that with this particular die, I had to run the die in the "traditional" way of having the die face up with the paper on the top.  I also had to use a thin carboard shim for my machine to cut the image cleanly.  I then cut some small pieces of SU's Real Red cardstock and cut out the largest of the flowers from the die again, adhering with a glue pen.  I then used my VersaMarker and inked the red flowers and embossed with Ranger red embossing tinsel.  I used my Fiskers stamp press to stamp the sentiment from Hero Arts Joy to All.  I then adhered only the larger flowers and some random bits to the matting with the glue pen.  Tied the ribbon along the side and she's done!!

I'm thinking that I will just try out for a guest spot on the CAS DT.  My work schedule in December is HORRENDOUS and I really don't know if I can commit to creating for each week's challenge.  Yes, I know that the CAS challenge is on Monday's, which would give me the weekend to stamp.  But I'm thinking that since I'll be working late hours everyday, that maybe my weekends should be FAMILY focused versus stamping focused!!

Anyhoos!  I've actually made a Christmas card before December 23! 

Maybe I should go look out the window after all.



Just Another Note

Happy Saturday, People!!  It s a dreary, wet day here in California. What is up with that?!!  But, the weather makes it easy to stay inside and tackle the holiday To Do List!!

I was editing some photos for the family calendar that one of the in-law uncles puts together each year.  While scanning through the very limited photos I have of my boys in the last year, I came across a card that I haven't posted yet.  Thought I would share today!

This was actually made for an attempt at publication.  Obviously, since I'm posting it here, it wasn't accepted! haha!  It was for a sketch in one of the popular magazines.  I had just finished my Blue Note card and as everything was still out on my desk, I had this image on the brain and it seemed to me to work perfectly for the sketch (shows how much I know, huh?!).

Let's see if I remember the details on this!!  Standard 4.25"x 5.5" top folded card base from Pure Luxury White.  The image, Hero Arts Vintage Musical Clef, was found at Michael's.  Since I lacked black embossing type ink, I first stamped the image with VersaMark, then over stamped with Archival Jet Black ink and clear embossed with Ranger's Clear embossing powder.  While I had the clear ep out, I covered strips of black SU card stock in VersaMark and clear embossed to give the black card stock a nice glossy shine.  I cut my black piano keys and set aside. 

The white piano keys were cut from SU glossy card stock.  Then both sets of keys were carefully layed out onto black card stock.

The sentiment was computer generated.  Is it just me, or does anyone else lack sentiments in just the right size and font for sentiment flags?!!  I trimmed the flag by hand and scored and adhered by the flattened area, so the the sentiment is raised over the note. 

This will probably accompany a small Christmas gift to the kiddo's music teacher at school.  I'm thinking that he might appreciate it, even if the magazine wasn't wowed, haha!

So, even though this didn't make the publication, I am proud to say that I tried.  Will I submit again?  Maybe, maybe not.  To be honest, I'm trying to make a very conscious effort to use papers, embellishments and such that I have in my over flowing stash versus buying "new" stuff.  Publication requires all the "new" stuff.  I understand that people who read and get inspiration from the magazines want to be able to find the same product.  But, lately, it just seems to me that I am wasting money on "new product" that only gets used for a very short time then is cast aside since it is no longer the IT" thing. Disclaimer:  This is not to say that I won't be buying anything new, haha!!  It just means that before buying something new, I'm trying to USE what similar "old" stuff from my stash first. 

And on that NOTE (couldn't resist!), I'm off to tackle more of the To Do List.  Fun, fun!  'Till next time....remember to take time to explore some type of creativity!!

Be Merry!!

Hey People!  I hope that your week is starting off with a BANG!  I'm trying to catch up after falling to the season's first winter cold.  Ick.  But!!  I mustered enough brain cells to come up with a project for another E-Team hop!!  I didn't want to miss out on all the holiday fun!!

Be Merry Tag series #3

E-Team

Daisy

Broni

Latrice

Linda D

Linda L

Micki

Sherry

ME!!



And as you have all come enjoy and expect, it wouldn't be an E-Team blog hop without some wonderful goodies up for grabs!!  Leave a comment on all the participating Team member blog's for a chance at 3 Be Merry Goody Boxes that will be chosen randomly.  PLUS:  make sure you leave a comment on the eP blog on what your favorite Thanksgiving dessert is (or your favorite dessert period! hehe) for a chance at 2 $20 eP gift vouches to the eP store!!  Comments can be left from today, November 15 until Thursday, November 17.  Winners will be announced on the ep blog Friday, November 18. 

For this series Daisy gave us free reign as to what holiday stamps, papers, embellishments we could use from the wonderful eP store.  Our only instructions were to make a Tag and an ATC.

Have you noticed that lately I have had a very hard time following directions?!!  I'm going to grab onto the very thin life line that I have been sick and just did not have enough energy or mojo for two projects.  BUT!! In my defense, I did create a project that required a few more ideas!

My Be Merry Chunky  TAG ATC!!

Paper:  Idea-ology Paper Stash Seasonal.  Ink:  Distress Vintage Photo.  Accessories:  TenSecond Studios Barn Red and Poison Ivy Metal altered with alcohol inks in Meadow, Cranberry and Current. Dies:  Spellbinder's Layered Poinsettia.  Idea-ology Findings Curio Knobs and Numerals. 1/2 pearls colored with Copics from Want2Scrap.

Paper:  Idea-ology Paper Stash Seasonal.  Accessories:  Rock Candy Stickles (covering main image).  Glossy accents to adhere fine glitter.  Dies:  Spellbinder's Create a Flake One. TenSecond Studios Peal metal altered with alcohol inks Denim and Cloudy Blue.  1/2 pearls from stash.

Metal:  TenSecond Studios Barn Red.  Cuttlebug Dots embossing folder.  Letters are Idea-ology Grungeboard Mixed Mini Plain altered with Claudine Hellsmuth's Studio Paint Blank Canvas.  Essentials Glue pad used to adhere fine glitter (from stash)

Metal:  TenSecond Studios Barn Red embossed with Alterations Texture Fade Snow Flurries.  Letters again are Grungeboard Plain altered as above.  Snowflake is two layers of plain grungeboard cut with Spellbinder's Create a Flake One and altered with paint and glitter as above. 

Metal:  TenSecond Studios Barn Red altered with a Cuttlebug embossing folder (sorry, don't recall the name.  It is a Christmas tree).  Idea-ology Findings Curio Knob.

Other: 2x4 cut to ATC size.  Claudine Hellsmuth's Studio Paint Dash of Red.  Burnishing/sanding block from TenSecond Studios.  Tombow Mono Metal liquid glue.  TenSecond Studio's Killer Adhesive.  E6000 to layer metal embellishments and glue to project. 

I hope you enjoy!  'Till next time...................enjoy the creativity

Just a Blue Note

Hey People!  It would seem that fall has finally hit our little neck of the woods.  It's dreary out, raining and rather cold for this part of California! haha

I thought I would share a card that I made that wasn't chosen for another project. 



I spent my ENTIRE morning trying to figure out how to make a slide show video of the steps to make this card using Photoshop elements.  Got a video made, but the slides were all blurry!  I need to figure out what size settings to use for videos!  After much frustration, I resorted to using Picassa.  Much more user friendly, I must say. 

So, here is a picture video of the process.  Be kind...remember I have spent all day trying to get this to work and am beyond frustrated with technology at this point, LOL!! 



I'm off to watch the oldest Kiddo play in the season's first basketball scrimage.  The NBA may be on lockout, but the school season is soon to start!!

Till next time.............remember that trying something new may be frustrating (grrrrr on technology) but it keeps you on the path of exploring something new!