Ladies Choice

Hey Peoples!!  Happy Friday! As you read this, I am probably on my way to Flagstaff, AZ., to take a continuing education course.  My family is treating this as a mini vacation, but I have informed the Toad that sitting in a classroom from 8 am - 5 pm for two days is NOT a vacation for me!!

AnyHoos!  Friday means another Just for Fun Friday Color Challenge!  I've noticed that we're getting more players each week, which is very cool!!  I try to look at each participant's project, as I find lots of inspiration in what other's create!!  Remember~~there is a $50 gift certificate from Just For Fun® Stamps that is given away each week!! Aaaannnddd!! You don't have to use Just For Fun® Stamps to participate!! There is no excuse and lots of incentive to play along with us! Just link your creation on the Just For Fun® Blog.

This week we are to use the following colors: 

I'm still trying to play along with the Dare to Get Dirty Challenges on SCS.  In looking over the different challenges and the stuff still on my desk from the last one, I was inspired to create this:

Let's just clear the air about my inability to cut metal straight!! Yes, my metal frame was cut slightly off kilter and so the entire panel looks off.  BUT! I was NOT going to redo the entire thing for a "charming, homemade, artistic " accent that occurred at the end of this endeavor!!

Moving on to the more relevant details on the makings of this!!  The base is a A9 sized card (meaning 8 1/2" x 5 1/2") made of textured grey card stock (I believe it is SU....no guarantees).  The design paper is from my old stash and again, I believe this is a blast from the past SU. 

The dress form image is from Just for Fun®. This is a large image, approximately 5 1/8" tall, so I thought it would work great for some more metal fun! It was stamped on a scrap piece of typing paper and then traced onto the backside of some Brrrrr Blue Metal from TenSecond Studios that was still out on my desk from the last project.  I then embossed the wire lines and stand, while debossing the blank areas.  *I would strongly suggest following the link to the actual image as it would seem my beginner metal working skills have taken out the fine detailed swirls at the waist and has changed the lines slightly!!  I then sanded the embossed lines, giving the image a more realistic "wired" look in real life.  I took a small wire bristle tool and brushed the color away from the main image.  I used a small wheel to emboss the frame for the image (yes, slightly crooked) and sanded it to show the texture more.  The image was then matted using Humungo Tape to the gray panel that was scalloped using SU's scallop punch.  The itty, bitty, teensy little pearls on the dress form were taken off a strip of self adhesive and adhered using a drop of glossy accents.  Half back pears in two different sizes were placed along the edge of the scallops.  The horizontal panel was embossed using the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug embossing folder. 

The wonderfully tied dark navy bow was a RAK (random act of kindness) from the Queen of Bows herself, Anne Ryan.  Thank you Anne!

Make sure you check out what the other team members have for inspiration!! 

Sherry

Roni

Glenda

Beth

Rita

Sandy

Broni

Thanks for dropping by again today!!  It is sooo appreciated!!  I probably won't be be back until the end of next week as we won't be home from our trip until late Tuesday and I have work the next three days.  I'm guessing I'll get some blog cruising done in the evenings, so show me what ya got!!  Till then......

Later!!

Just call me Pig Pen

Hey Peoples!! I've been working on a card that combines 6 of the Dare to Get Dirty challenges!! I'm tellin' ya~~I'm getting so Dirty that you are going to start calling me Pig Pen!  (rolling in the dirt on that one!!) Today's card combines Bev's, Kim's, Julie's, Amber's, Betty's and Suzanne's  challenges (again~for those of you just joining, details on the challenges will be very vague as these are special challenges for Fan Club Members on SCS.) 

Enough jibber jabber, let's move on to the goodies!!

(eeeeaaakkk!! in this photo the background to the horse and star look a much brighter blue than they are in real life....I SWEAR that in my preview it looked the dark dusty blue that it really is!!)

AnyHoos!! The beginning inspiration was any of the western TV shows that I watched growing up (Bonanza, Wild, Wild West, Lone Ranger, old western movies).  I started with a 5x5 base of SU's River Rock and stamped over it with SU's background Sanded in Blue Bayou ink.  The edges were then sponged with the same ink.  The "design" paper is faux.  I stamped another piece of River Rock with SU's Wanted set medallion in craft ink and embossed using white embossing powder.  The star is from the same set and was stamped between the medallion images with blue bayou ink.  The edges were also sponged with the blue bayou.  The "design" paper was then matted on a piece of Blue Bayou that was distressed and sponged with the same ink. 

The main image (again, from the Wanted set) was stamped with white craft ink and embossed with white embossing powder.  The generation stamping with done with (guess!! come on!!) blue bayou.  The oval was cut  and embossed with my  classic oval Nesties from Spellbinders. 

Now the fun part!! I used a piece of my much hoarded Brrrr Blue Metal from TenSecond Studios and cut it with a slightly larger classic oval die.  I then ran a tiny dot wheel around the edges and sanded off the color to make the dots "pop".  I made the star from the star  5 nesties and traced a small circle in the middle which was then puffed out.  The "squiggles" were added using a fine tip refiner.  I used the same small dot wheel around the embossed edge of the star (all metal products from TenSecond Studios).  The embossed edges were lightly sanded to remove the color. Metal backing paste was used behind the star to keep it from being smooshed flat. 

The suede ribbon strip is also faux.  I took a scrap strip of Blue Bayou paper and ran it through my crimper several times to start the process of breaking down the fibers in the paper.  I then see-sawed it several times over the edge of my desk until I was able to pull apart the layers.  I then sponged lightly with blue bayou ink to darken the roughened fibers. 

The "Wanted" sentiment was the most frustrating!!  There is a "WANTED" stamp in the set, but it was too large for my layout.  I tried to download a western font but could not for the life of me figure out how to open it into a document (have I ever mentioned that I am VERY computer challenge?!).  I finally gave up and found a so-so replacement on my Word program.  THEN my printer jammed several times while trying to spit out the River Rock card stock.  FINALLY I got the sentiment printed , torn and sponged.  Both the sentiment and star embellishment are on dimensionals. 

I have to say that I'm pretty pleased with how this turned out!  It will make for a great card to give to my father in law for his birthday (HEY!! That isn't until October!! For ONCE I'll be ahead of the game!! LOL!!).

I wish I could say that I'm almost caught up with all the Dare to Get Dirty Challenges, but I'm still behind 11!  With my messy house and having to get ready to leave for Flagstaff, AZ at the end of the week for a continuing education class, I don't think that I'll ever catch up!! Oh well!!

Thanks for dropping by again today!!  Remember to make time for some type of creativity in your day today!!  I'm off to get creative with hiding my messy house!! hehe

Dare to Get Dirty

Happy Saturday Peoples!!  This weekend is the Dare To Get Dirty on SCS.  This is a special challenge for Fan Club members to join the Dirty Dozen (past and present) in  some special challenges to show how we mere wanna be's would get in the dirt!!

I glanced at the challenges this morning before I went for a walk.  Somewhere along the way,  Mojo must have decided that it was WAAAAY too hot to be a runaway and decided to come home.  So, I tackled Kittie's Lost and Found Challenge first.  (Warning:  details of the challenge will be somewhat vague as you have to be a Fan Club member to participate.  Trust me, it is well worth the $$ per year!!!)

I started with this glass soap dispenser that I have had tucked into a corner for probably 10 years (I vaguely remember that this was suppose to be a alterable craft at a MOPS (mother's of preschoolers) group but I think my MoJo had taken a hike that week also (what is with my MoJo anyways?!!  Always deciding to leave me high and dry at the most inconvenient moments?!!).  I added some alcohol inks in Meadow, Rust, Stream and Copper to the entire bottle.

Then I decided to put into action TenSeconds Studios "Drab to Fab" challenge and add some metal.  I had some small squares of copper metal from a starter pack that I got at CHA in January.  I pulled out my

Spellbinders Daisy Heads dies and went to work cutting out and embossing the different sized daisies.  I then increased the depth of embossing by leaving the metal in the die and using a paper stump and refiner to define the edges a bit more.  I then place all the dies on a piece of Humungo Killer tape.  Hint:  it may prove much easier to go ahead and place the tape on the metal before die cutting.  Let's just say that cutting that EXTREMELY sticky tape was a JOB!!   I got smart with the leaves after an hour of tedious cutting of the daisy head and cleaning of my snips!!  I removed all the liner off the flowers and leaves and placed them randomly on the bottle.   Results?  Definitely FAB!! hehe

                                 

I found the quote online and printed it out on glossy card stock.  I then used the same colors of alcohol inks that were used on the bottle and went over the sentiment area.  The tag was cut using Spellbinders Labels Eleven.  I uses my cropadile to place a copper eyelet and threaded some copper cording and black ribbon to attach the tag. 

Here are a couple of other views of the finished project (not the best quality, but I was having a devil of a time getting a decent picture without glare due to the glass!!)        

                                                

                                             

And a close up that shows the embossing detail  a tad better

I have envisioned the copper turning a lovely patina as it sits on the counter, blending in with the inked glass.  We'll see! LOL!!

Well, I'm hoping that MoJo decides to stick around a bit more today.  I need to take a break and clean up this mess and tackle the kitchen mess, but I have a couple more ideas starting to form in my noggin!!

Thanks for dropping by today!! Remember to include some type of creativity in your day!!