Boxing Up a Blue Christmas



Hey People!!  It is another exciting ride with the E-Team today!!  The Team was challenged to alter one of T!m Holtz's configuration boxes.  OH MY!  These are like a never ending puzzle!!  So many different possibilities!!  Of course, all these different possibilities mean that you will not want to miss what the other
E-Team members came up with!!  AND to add to the 'liciousness (that is a word, I'm sure!) of this hop,  you will want to leave ONE comment on each blog within the NEXT 48 HOURS (starting at 8am EST today) as Daisy will choose 2 winners from all blog comments by random draw for a Configuration box of your choice, plus lots of paper crafting goodies to enjoy with it.   The winners will be posted on the eclecticPaperie blog on Dec. 3!

Broni Holcombe

Linda Duke

Linda Ledbetter

Micki Harper

Sherry Cheever
And ME!

I absolutely love Christmas!! Even with all the added stress I put myself under, it is about the only holiday I go all out for as far as decorating.  I have different themes for each room.  The TV/family room is done in primary colors with Nutcrackers being the focal point.  My formal room is done in cobalt blue and white with my small collection of white/Silver (or cobalt blue) Santas as  the focal point.  My project today was inspired by a white and silver Nutcracker I found and the "Winter Wonderland" I try to create with my formal decorations of white/silver and bright blue. 

Now of course, this looks NOTHING like the idea I had in my head!!  But as I started creating, things just kept taking a different turn than I had planned.  I started by painting the 6.75 x 8.75" configuration box and the largest cube the brilliant blue.  I then used a crackle medium on the main box.  Once dry, I went over it with some spring white acrylic paint that had been thinned with some glaze. 

While the box and cube were drying, I cut off the top of a Styrofoam cone and wrapped the Lavish Trimmings around it.  A combination of Glossy Accents and straight pins held it in place until it dried. Just a note:  if one was to get involved in another project and walk off and leave the straight pins too long in the Glossy Accents, one just might have to twist and wiggle the straight pins loose from the dried Accents.  Just sayin'.  It would seem that I did not take into consideration any tree topper I might have wished to add to this when I cut the cone.  Soooo.  I  just cut off a couple of the ribbon flowers and glued them on top of each other for my "topper".  The garland was found in the "mini" ornament section of Michael's. 

The large cube was wrapped with the Symphony Tissue tape.  I used Spellbinders Create a Flake One and cut the second largest flake from some Pure Luxury  card stock and from a piece of scrap aluminum metal. I layered the two dies and topped with an Accoutrements Classic Button.  I used some Glossy Accents in the center and sprinkled some ultrafine Canadian Blue Art Glitter over the wet Accents.  I tucked in a French Horn ornament and  some Christmas picks, including a couple of Maya Road crystal trinket stars that were originally suppose to be my tree topper!  The stamped music sheet was a discarded scrap from Darcie's Cardinal Ornament that didn't make the cut on my previous project.  I covered the stamped image with Distress Rock Candy stickles. I used Glossy Accents along the edge and sprinkled with SU's chunky white glitter.  

More Spellbinder snowflakes were cut out of scrap metal.  For the larger die used, one must carefully remove the image from the metal and the "arms" are finely detailed and want to stick!!  While the metal was still in the die, I used a paper stump to emboss the details.  The flakes were adhered to the back of the box with Tombow Metal Liquid Glue.  

 The final touch was to paint another of the cubes the same shade of blue and wrap along the top and sides with the Snowflake Tidings Tissue tape.  I painted Distress Crackle paint over the cube and tissue.  I then used my Cuttlebug "Olivia" alphabet dies to cut out the letters from Claudine Hellmuth's Sticky Back Canvas, with the tape liner being the "front".  I removed the liner, exposing the sticky and covered the letters with SU's fine silver glitter.  I then used the still wet crackle paint as my glue.  I topped off the cube with another snowflake made of Pure Luxury cardstock.  I used my Glue Pad to apply a sticky layer and more SU fine silver glitter to the alternating layers. 

After 10 attempts to get a decent picture of the snowflake on top or a focused picture period, I admit defeat.  This will give you a general idea. 

Supplies:  Tim Holtz configuration box, idea-ology products, Claudine Hellmuth canvas, Ranger signature products all found at ecleticPaperie. 

I think these configuration boxes have soooo many fun possibilities!!  I'm already thinking of some other "themes" that I just might have to explore!!

Thanks for dropping by again today!!  I hope you ejoyed this ride with the E-Team!! Till next time.....

REMEMBER TO TAKE TIME TO EXPLORE SOME TYPE OF CREATIVITY IN YOUR DAY!

Grab your Ticket..........

And get ready for another rockin' ride with the E-Team tomorrow, Nov. 30. 

I hear tell there are some awesome goodies to be given away too!!

Mark it on your calendars.

Just sayin'. 

Ornaments

Good Morning!!  I hope those of you who celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday have recovered!!  I spent yesterday in my little cave working on projects.  With the Holiday season upon us, I really need to kick it into high gear!! 

Today, I thought I'd share a quick gift idea.  Ornaments blinged out in metal!!

I asked all the girls to send me a favorite picture for the year.  So far, everyone but *L, has picked up on my procrastination habit!  But that's ok!  *L gets the privilege of having her ornament done with undivided attention to detail!

I started with Darcie's Ariana Acrylic Ornament frame.  I painted all the edges, including the acrylic edges, with a Krylon Silver leafing pen.  I then traced the ornament twice onto TenSecondStudios Poision Ivy metal. I carefully cut out the metal using paper snips and then ran both pieces through the Big Shot with a Cuttlebug Christmas tree embossing folder.  QUICK and EASY way to emboss metal!!  Plus, with the clear folders, you can see exactly where the embossing image is placed!  I then sanded the color off the embossed areas. 

Now I "layer" the pieces different from the directions that come with the frames.  The frames use metal clips to hold everything together, but I like the cleaner edge of just gluing the pieces together.  Here is my layering order:  Acrylic frame covered on top with metal/paper.  This is glued to the backside of  two chipboard frames that have been glued together.  My photo, originally printed out as a wallet size, was reduced by 70% on my printer and cut to fit into the recessed frame area.  Then I fill with some Martha Stewart Snow Glitter and glue the second acrylic frame on top to "close" the shadowbox.  My top cover is the last piece of chipboard with the metal/paper. 

Here is a picture of the back side that shows off more of the embossing!

GORGEOUS!  I'm telling you!!  The Toad gave this the ultimate compliment of saying "This looks very professional or factory".  



I used Tombo Metal Liquid Glue to glue the metal to the acrylic and chipboard. The Humungo Sticky Tape is wonderful as far as not budging the metal from the surface you stick it too, but it also does not allow for fiddle room to line the edges up.  After waiting for the glue to dry (the hardest part of this whole thing), I burnished the edges of the metal with a paper stump.  I then touched up any missed spots along all the edges with the Krylon leafing pen again. 

All the girls will be getting a variation of this once I get their pictures, ahem!! 

Thanks for stopping by again today!  I will be back with more gift ideas later!!  Till then............REMEMBER TO TAKE TIME TO EXPLORE CREATIVITY IN YOUR DAY!!

Thankful

Today I am Thankful for this technology that lets me connect with wonderful people across this country and across the seas.  I have made so many "friends" through this medium.

I am Thankful for the the many men and women who are willing to give up their family time to ensure that I have the freedoms that I take for granted too often.  I am Thankful for their loved ones who carry on at home without them.

I am Thankful for The Toad who may grumble about the fact that the office was suppose to be "his" space but is now over taken with my crafting stuff.  And the fact that he is willing to bail me out of creative jams, more often than not.  And most importantly, that he understands my need for creativity. Even when I undertake yet another venture.

I am Thankful for the Kiddos.  Who knew that being a mom would be my greatest pleasure, my biggest frustration, and something I wouldn't give up for anything?!!  I am Thankful for the sweet hugs I still get. 

I am Thankful for the fact that I could just write a whole essay for what blessings I have.  How lucky am I?!

Still in the Kitchen

Hey Peoples!!  Are you all ready for Thanksgiving?  Lucky me, my mother in law does all the cooking for Thanksgiving.  Which means I don't have to have my house clean (yet).  And I don't have to stress on whether the turkey is moist enough.  Or if there is enough dessert. 

But I am requested to bring one recipe every year (and just so you don't think I'm a total slacker, I usually bring some type of dessert too!!).  Many years ago, I found this recipe in a book titled The Little Book of Christmas Joys.   This is a FAVORITE with all the family. It's quick, easy and soooo yuuummy!!  In fact, this was made last Friday for the oldest Kiddo's Thanksgiving feast.  And it will be made again tomorrow for our dinner on Thursday.

Rosemary's Cranberry Salad
Ingredients you will need

Pretend there is some OJ in the picture

Wash and sort your berries.  I ALWAYS have a few of these bags in my freezer.  One:  if there is a shortage, I have my supply for the year.  Two:  this would make a WONDERFUL summer salad too!

Can I just share the fact that I "borrowed" this colander from my mother when I had my first apartment?  She passed away 13 years ago from breast cancer.  I love this.  It is a daily reminder of her. 

Drain the pineapple, reserving the juice

Hmmmm....Now that I'm on a nostalgia kick, I believe this little strainer was "borrowed" at the same time.  How the heck did my mother ever cook after I moved out?!



Peel all but one orange and cut them all up.

Ya know, my mother must have had one heck of a shopping spree after I moved out.  The knife is an old stake knife that I borrowed too.  And, huh.  Whadda ya know.  That cutting board was hers too. 

The funny thing is, my mother was not known for her cooking.

Grind the cranberries and oranges in a food processor or food grinder.



Add the drained pineapple.  I grind it again.  Just in case someone doesn't care for the bigger chunks of pineapple.  Also grinding is easier than trying to stir in the bowl!!

Add the sugar.  The recipe (to follow) calls for 1 pound of cranberries.  I guessamate.  Sooo, I'm generous with my cups of sugar! 

Yep.  I just throw this in the food processor too.  Easy to make sure the sugar is blended well.  I fill my processor literally to the brim!!

Combine OJ and the reserved pineapple juice.  Sprinkle some unflavored gelatin on top.  Heat until it is completely dissolved. 

Add the gelatin to the fruit mix.  Believe it or not, I do NOT do this in the food processor.  By this time, I'm pushing the limits on having a major explosion of cranberries all over my counters.  I pour it into the serving dish I am going to use and then add the gelatin and mix it thoroughly.  (This would be the time to fold in the pecans if you are using them.  While I like pecans, my family prefers this recipe without them)

Chill until set. 

Rosemary's Cranberry Salad.  Yield:  16-20 servings

1 pound cranberries                                                        2 cups sugar

4 oranges, one unpeeled                                                 1/2 cup orange juice

1 15-ounce can crushed pineapple                                  3 envelopes unflavored gelatin

    packed in juice                                                           1/2 pound pecans (optional)

Wash and sort the berries.  Peel all but one orange and cut up all of the oranges.  In a food grinder or food processor grind the cranberries and oranges.  Add the drained pineapple, reserving the juice.  Stir in the sugar and mix well.  In a small saucepan combine the reserved pineapple juice and orange juice.  Sprinkle the gelatin on top and stir.  Heat until the gelatin is completely dissolved.  Add the gelatin to the fruit mixture.  Fold in the nuts (if using). Pour into a pretty dish (the recipe actually says to pour into a greased 3-quart mold.  Personally, I could never get the thing to release pretty.  So I opt to use a pretty dish).  Chill until set.  ENJOY.

I would love to hear of any favorite family recipes that you might have!  I am ALWAYS looking for something new to add to our family gatherings (or just week day dinners!)

I have some other CRAFT projects in the works on my desk just waiting for me to finish.  I made the mistake of going into the playroom yesterday.  Let's just say I now have a truck full to take to the local thrift store, a garbage can full of trash, a recycle can full, and a pile to give to the school.  Aaannnd, we still have one more corner to go!! Good grief!! Was this ever a job long over due!!

Till then.....remember~~exploring creativity is a journey that can be found in so many areas.  Try something new today.  Whether it be in the kitchen, your craft area or on the computer.  ENJOY





Pioneer Woman....

I am NOT!!  LOL!  I just love Ree Drumond, aka The Pioneer Woman. I love how her sense of humor comes out in her writings.  I love her photographs of life on the ranch.  They remind me of growing up in Wyoming. With real cowboys and wild mustangs too.  I love how she showcases her cooking and does not apologize for using fat, beef, and the yummy stuff (and the fact that she takes all the photos herself).  To me, she is personable.  Not afraid to tell of her so-called faults and mistakes.  I am incredibly envious of the lodge kitchen and her own kitchen.  Both of which I envision to be larger than my entire house. 

But I thought I would try and channel her with today's post.  Let's just say that there are MANY miles between California (me) and Oklahoma (Ree). 

Remember the Denmark Paper Doll the youngest Kiddo had to make?  Well, along with the fact report and the paper doll, comes the "make an ethnic dish" from that country to share at the Ethnic Feast.  Once again I'd just like to thank Mrs. M. for assigning the Kiddo a country that uses common, off the shelf ingredients.  Mind you, all the food made also has to be vegetarian or made with meat substitutes.  Just to add to the fun!!
After some research, the Kiddo and I settled on Danish Peppernut Cookies to make. 

Ingredients you will need:

                                   

In a large sauce pan mix the sugar, corn syrup, milk and shortening. 

Bring to a boil and after it cools, add the spices and baking powder

Stir in the flour

Chill for a couple of hours.  Roll out a 1/4" rope on a surface dusted with powder sugar.  Ignore the part of the directions that say to cut the cookies in 3/8" segments and bump it up to 2" segments

Also ignore the instructions that say to bake on greased cookie sheet and use parchment paper.  That way you don't have to wash the cookie sheets!!

Sprinkle with some more powder sugar

And dress the Kiddo up to look like a darling Danish boy!!

I must say that these turned out pretty yummy!! They are a "hard" cookie. Like a biscotti. Or, that is how ours turned out!! I think they are designed to dunk in coffee or hot tea.  Maybe someone of Scandinavian decent could let me know.  Personally, no one in this family has had any problems just munching on them!!  The cardamom and anise give these a nice flavor. 

Danish Peppernuts

Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar

2/3 cup dark-colored corn syrup

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup shortening

1 teaspoon anise extract

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

14 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

3-1/3 cups all-purpose flour

Sifted powdered sugar

1.  In a large saucepan combine sugar, corn syrup, milk, and shortening.  Bring to boiling.  Remove from heat and cool about 15 minutes.  Stir in anise extract, baking powder, vanilla salt, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves.  Stir in the flour until well mixed.  Cover and chill about 2 hours or until easy to handle. 

2.  Divide dough into 24 equal portions.  On a surface dusted lightly with sifted powdered sugar, roll each portion of the dough into a 1/4 -inch thick rope.  Cut into pieces about 3/8 inch long (or 2 inches like us!).  Place 1 inch apart on a greased cookie sheet (or use parchment paper)

3.  Bake in a 375 degree F oven about 10 minutes (5-7 min was better in my oven) or until lightly browned on bottom.  Immediately remove and cool on paper towel (once again, I just used my cooling racks).  Makes 8 cups of cookies (thirty-two 1/4 cup servings)

*****************

Now, I don't want you to think that I never take pictures of the oldest Kiddo.  He is at the age where he really doesn't care to pose for his silly mother.  But I did manage talk him into letting me take this quick photo of him kinda dressed as an Indian for his 8th grade Thanksgiving feast.  Basically, the kid wore brown shorts, a light tan t-shirt turned inside out to hide the graphics.  I kinda/sorta made an arrowhead he had into a necklace and a cheesy headband.  "Mom.  Could I be one of the Hopi gods tomorrow.  Me:  Dude.  It's 8:30 pm. Just how am I suppose to come up with an elaborate costume NOW?  "Yeah.  I  guess.  Can I have a large feather that looks like an eagle feather in the headband?  Me:  Bud.  It's 8:35pm.  I have some chicken feathers I think.  You get chicken feathers.  Deep heavy sigh...

Love, The Pioneer Woman Wannabe.  (snort)......



Darcie's Song

Hey People!! You are just going to LOOOOVE what the E-Team has to share today!!



Today I've TWO projects to share using Darcie's Cardinal Ornament and Darcie's Meghan Acrylic Ornament Frame.  Between the two, there are so many possibilities that my brain is about to blow a fuse!!



I'll begin with the card.  The base is a top folded piece of Pure Luxury.  The rich red paper is from My Mind's Eye Holly Jolly.  That is mounted on a small mat of basic black.  The frame was stamped with Stazon Metallic Gold unto TenSecondStudio's Pearl Metal,  I then used my paper stump and refiner to recess the back of the frame to add depth.  The music block was stamped onto a scrap piece of vanilla with Distress Ink in Antique Linen and sponged lightly around the edges with Distress Vintage Photo.  Using my stampamajig, I stamped the sentiment with Distress Fired Brick.  The sentiment panel was adhered to the metal using Sticky Tape. 

The cardinal was stamped onto another piece of scrap vanilla Pure Luxury and sponged with Distress Wild Honey on the beak (I just used the edge of a foam piece) and Fired Brick. The image was then clear embossed and cut out.  The branches are from a Martha Stewart punch.  The Toad (who is becoming my life line when I get stuck on cards) came up with the idea to add the white embossing powder sporadically on the branches to give them the look of having been snowed upon.  I used my Versamarker randomly on the branches and then heat set the white embossing powder.  Tiny 1/2 pearls were customed colored with my Copic marker to make the berries.  The elements were adhered to the metal using Tombow Metal glue.

Here is a close up showing the depth of frame and layers



The ornament is a "shadow box".  The base acrylic layer was covered in the same Holly Jolly paper as the card. I used Glossy Accents to adhere the paper to the acrylic.   I again stamped the music block from the Cardinal Ornament set onto vanilla Pure Luxury with Antique Linen.  I traced around the inside of the oval frame and cut and sponged around the edges with Vintage Photo.  The Noel sentiment was stamped using Fired Brick.  Two layers of chipboard and the other acrylic later were glued together using more Glossy Accents.  

The front (and back) of the ornament were traced onto more Pearl Metal and cut out using paper snips. I cheated just a bit on the stamping of the music.  The included music sheet in the stamp set was just this  much to small to go to the edges of the ornament and was lacking in length also.  So I pulled out a larger music sheet stamp, from Stampendous, that I have in my collection and stamped the notes again with Stazon Metallic Gold.  The metal was adhered with Tombow Metal Glue on the back and Sticky tape on the Front (I wanted to see if there was a difference in how they stuck the metal to the chipboard.  The sticky tape obviously sticks right away and doesn't leave much room for jiggle, if needed.  The glue seems to be holding just as well, but requires a bit of time to set.  If you try to rush it, the metal can slip off.  Ask me how I know!) 

I sprinkled some of Martha Stewarts Snow Glitter in the recess of the shadow box and then stuck the "cover" of my ornament over the top using more glossy accents.  The edges of the metal were then burnished with a paper stump.  I then used a combination of a black sharpie and marker to go over all the outside edges of the ornament to blend them together. 

The poinsetta was stamped with Archival Jet Black ink onto another scrap piece of vanilla and colored with Copics.  It was cut out and covered in Distress Rock Candy stickles. Again, Tombow Metal glue was used to adhere it to the metal.



If you haven't stopped by the other Team members blogs yet, you will want to head over there right away.  AND make sure you leave a comment on the EP blog!! I hear there is Darcie goodies to be given away!!



Darcie Heater (designer)

Broni Holcombe

Latrice Murphy

Linda Duke

Linda Ledbetter

Micki Harper

Sherry Cheever

And! This is where the goodies would be!!

Daisy Sparks/EP blog

Thanks for dropping by again today!! I hope this little hop by the E-Team inspires you to EXPLORE some

CREATIVITY!!

Kiddo Creations

Hey People!!  Not sure how it got to be Thursday already, but I'm glad that this weekend is almost here!!  I got a BIG BOX OF GOODIES and I cannot WAIT to start playing with stuff!!

There has been creativity going on here.....just not mine.  The Kiddos have had projects due and once again, Mom's "junk" adds those little "extras" that kick up the projects up a notch!!

First up:  Oldest Kiddo had to make a project from the Renaissance era.  Of course, being a "manly boy" he went for a weapon of war.  A siege tower to be exact. 

I'm not sure why I don't have any pictures of the actual work of creating this.  Heaven knows, all the Popsicle sticks, glue, felt, etc., were on my kitchen table for two weeks.  My best guess is it is due to the fact that this was a project that I had very little to do with.  The Toad helped the Kiddo design this and they worked on it together.  Sometimes while I was at work.  Or while I was making supper.  Whatever.  I failed to document the actual creating. 

This picture does not show the cool details on this project.  Like the drawbridge that drops down.  Like the floors between the three stories that have these itty, bitty little ladders that lead to the next floor.  I really should have taken more pictures of the project itself. But I'm lazy.  And it is 7 am and my hair is drying all funky because I'm trying to post instead of taking care of my looks.  Ahhhh!!  The sacrifices one makes for her blog followers!!  

Hehe.

Next project.  Each year at our little school grades 4-6 have an "Ethnic Feast" instead of a Thanksgiving Feast.  Each kid is assigned a country and must do a report of some type giving details of their country.  My Kiddo was assigned Denmark. Thank you Mrs. M. for not assigning my kid a country I don't even know how to pronounce.  In addition to a "fact sheet" on Denmark, the Kiddo had to dress this paper doll in the ethnic costume of his country.  



  I now know that I need a Big Bite.  My cropadile did not reach the center of this paper doll to place the jumbo eyelets that the kid was using as "buttons" on the vest.  Actually, the Kiddo is probably glad I don't have a Big Bite.  He had waaaaayyyy too much fun pounding the eyelets with the hammer.  Let me confess here that I have TOTALLY forgotten how to set eyelets the "old fashioned" way.  Didn't bother to look it up.  The Kiddo just smashed those puppers in the paper and got them to stick.  Works for me!

The finished project and the proud creator:





Well, that's it for me today!!  I get to spend the rest of my "day off" volunteering at the school, grocery shopping and trying to find an ethnic Danish dish that I can make for the Ethnic feast next week.  Oh yeah, and maybe sneak in some play time with my new goodies!! hehe!!!

Thanks for dropping by again today!! Remember that the day is not complete without some type of creativity!! 

MISTER Old Fart

Hey Peoples!! It's a dreary, rainy Monday here.  The moisture is desperately needed, so I won't complain (too much).

Thought I'd share the last of the cards I made for all the birthday's that we celebrated while in Solvang over the weekend. I'll share about the trip in another post.  Like I mentioned before, most of our friends and family tend to look at life from a snarky (but fun!) point of view.  Once again Bugaboo Digi's came to my rescue.  Here is my Old Fart for an old Fart!

Pretty self explanatory.   Sized and printed the Old Fart onto Georgia Pacific 110# and colored with my Copic Ciaos.  My printer liked this paper better, but I have to say, I much rather use Gina K's Pure Luxury.  What a difference!  This paper bleeds with copics, so it wouldn't do for a one layer card.  The texture is not as smooth (or luxurious, hehe) as the Pure Luxury.  BUT!! It did the job. 

The image was matted onto SU's Night of Navy.  The design paper is from Making Memories Just Chillin' pack.  Another mat layer of Night of Navy.  Base is a 5 1/2" square made of SU's Kraft (now called Crumb Cake, I believe).  The buttons are from Basic Grey's Granola line (I think.  I have had them in my stash forever).  They look much darker in this late night photo than in real life.  I added some hemp twine and adhered them with glue dots. 

The inside: 

Hate to cut this short, but I need to get my rear in gear and get ready for work!!  Thanks for stopping by again today!!  Remember~~make time for creativity.  It makes the world go round!!  Till next time......

Birthday, Shmirthday

WoooHooo!! This is card number 2 of the three needed by this weekend!!  I'm on a roll!!

I decided to show my true colors on this card and go with a snarky attitude.  Unfortunately, I don't have many snarky stamps.  Seriously, people.  This is a sorely lacking market in the stamping business.  Think Maxine.  Think Erma Bombeck.  There are those of us who think life is too serious as it is and prefer to lighten things up!!  Give me the demented, the snarky, the FUNNY stamps!!

Ahem.  Anyhoos!!  Since I have very few snarky stamps, I went on the hunt for some digital stamps that might fit the bill.  Found what I was looking for at Bugaboo Stamps.  Even better, Jodi is having a 50% off sell on all her digi's (I am not being asked, paid, compensated for this plug.  Jodi has a wide variety of digi stamps and I'm all about letting you know about good deals!!)  I will admit that with my limited computer skills, it took me a bit to get my images from one place to another, but if I can do it, ANYONE can.  It also helped that Jodi has a tutorial on opening her files into a word document.  If you need help, check it out here.

And this is what I came up with!! 

I printed my  4"x4" image out on Gina K's pure luxury (though my cheapo printer does not like the weight of this paper!!) and colored it with various copics (just a note for those of you who might be new to my little corner of blog land.  I know that there are those who list the markers that they use to color.  You will never find that on my blog.  I grab, scribble on scratch paper, lay down, pick something else, and in all honesty, have no idea what markers I finally used in my project!!).  The image was layered onto SU's Eggplant Envy. The sentiment was computer generated (this image actually comes with the sentiment "One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor", but I wanted to personalize this for the birthday gal!!), printed out on Georgia Pacific #110 paper (which my printer liked better).  I cut and embossed the sentiment and mat layer using my classic Spellbinders Circle Nestabilities.  Very light sponging was done along the edge of the sentiment and the main image using Distress Ink Dusty Concord.

The image and sentiment were then layered onto SEI "Black Orchid" paper. I couldn't get the black embossing on this paper to show up without a glare!!   My base is once again, Gina K's pure luxury, cut to a 5 1/2" square. 
Supplies:  Stamps:  Bugaboo Digi, computer generated sentiment.  Paper:  Gina K's pure luxury, SU Eggplant Envy, SEI dp. Ink:  Distress Ink Dusty Concord. Accessories:  Spellbinders Classic Circles, copic markers

I think once I figure out this digi thing, I could have lots of  fun with them!! It's nice to be able to resize your image to fit the project.  Explored something new today.  And that, my blog friends, is what it is all about!!

Thanks for dropping by again today!!  Off to switch the laundry and onto card number 3!!  Till then.......

Asian Inspiration

Hey Peoples!!  This week is flying by and I am sooooo behind! (yeah, I know....that is nothing new!!)

This weekend we are leaving to do a bicycle ride in Solvang, CA., with my in laws and some other friends. I am looking forward to the time away.  My only "hmmmmmm" on the ride would be I haven't ridden my bike for a couple of months. Life, weather and many other excuses just kept me from riding.  I know that I can bluff my way through the 25 miles we are going to ride with the Kiddos, but I'm not sure what condition my rear will be in!! LOL!

We will also be celebrating my mother in law's birthday and the birthday's of two of the other friends who are coming along.  It's Wednesday evening.  I have ONE card done.  We are leaving Friday after I get off work.  Nooooo stress here!!

I will spare you the over played song and dance about the lack of light in my office at night and the quality of my photography skills.  Just trust me that this card has much more POP in real life.

While panicking trying to find some inspiration for this card, I went to my favorites on SCS.  Immediately I came upon this INCREDIBLE creation by Anne Ryan.  This is my take on her lovely card:

The base of the top folded card is a piece of 6 x 4 1/4" textured black card stock.  The DP from 7Gypies' "Gypsy Market" was layered onto SU's Taken with Teal.  The vase was cut and embossed using my classic Spellbinders Circle Nestabilities. The circle was cut in half to make my vase.  I then placed T!m Holtz's mini flourish mask on the 1/2 circle and covered the entire piece with my Versamarker pad.  Black embossing powder was then sprinkled over the versamarker.  I carefully removed the mask and melted the embossing powder, giving me the tone on tone texture of glossy and flat finishes. 

I pulled out some REALLY old prima flowers that I have had forever and threaded them onto some black wire, twisting a flat loop. I deliberately flipped the flowers to the back side, so the petals would curl up versus down.   Black 1/2 pearls were then adhered to the wire using Glossy Accents as my glue.  I then bundled groups of the flowers together and held them with a strip of the 7Gypsie paper and score tape.  I used the unembossed 1/2 of the circle to make the "back" of my vase, and used score tape to place my flowers.  Foam tape and score tape were then used to place the "front" of the vase over the back.  Hint:  I usually color the edges of my foam tape to match the paper (in this case, black) so that the white doesn't "pop" out when the recipient is examining the card.  The final touch was to add the leaf trinket pins by Maya Road. I used my copic black marker to color the silver part of the pin black so it would blend with the wire.  I then raided The Toad's tool box and borrowed some wire cutters to cut the leaf off of one of the pins and adhered it to the back of the flower with a couple of small glue dots.

Supplies: Paper: 7Gypsies 6x6 gypsy market, textured black and SU's Taken with Teal.  Accessories:  black embossing powder, Tim Holz's mini flourish, Scor tape, Glossy Accents, Maya Road leaf Trinket pins, -all from eclecticPaperie.  Black craft wire, Hero Arts 1/2 black pearls. 

Thanks for dropping in again today!!  I'm going to clean up this mess so I can start another one!!  Till then....

Extreme Makeover

This past weekend was our little school's Fall Fair.  Each classroom, from K-12, is responsible for a booth (or as in the case of some classes, booths) that will provide either entertainment or food and hopefully raise some funds for the classroom.  The last couple of years, the Home and School has picked a theme for the fall fair and has asked each of the classrooms to decorate with said theme in mind.  This years theme was "Hawaiian/Luau".  And luckily, the weather decided to cooperate and give us a beautiful sunny day to enjoy!

This year the oldest Kiddo's class had three booths:  churros (which, by the way, were very yummy!), shaved ice and a sponge throw. 

One of the teacher's asked if I could update the sponge throw booth.  This is one of those booths where a "volunteer" sticks his/her head through the cut out in a piece of plywood and has the privilege of having someone pay to throw sopping wet sponges at him/her.  There was a board that had been used in years  past and all I needed to do was just update the theme. 

This is what I was given to work with (here comes the photo disclaimer again.  All of these were taken in the garage where I was painting.  The board was 8 ft. tall.  I leaned it up against the cabinets in the garage and had only about a 5-6 ft space between the cabinets and the opposite wall.  Not a lot of room to take decent photos):

 

This photo does not accurately show the horrible condition of this board.  While I saw it come out of the storage bin, it had obviously been left out in the elements for an extended time.  In addition to it being extremely dry with a wonderful splintered texture, it also had CHUNKS of wood missing.  I seriously considered sending the Toad out for a new piece of plywood, but given the fact that it would probably face the same fate as this one, I just decided to work with what it was.

The rattle can paint job was obviously done by the previous students who used this board a couple of years ago.  While I really do admire their skill with spray paint, I do not possess the same ability.  To be honest, I don't know if I ever even attempted to paint a "picture" with spray paint.  Objects, yes.  Picture, nope.  Don't think so.  One full quart of Kilz primer later.....

Then I painted the entire board with a base coat of light blue.  Let me just insert this one fact for anyone who is going to paint a project.  Whether it be a weathered piece of plywood, your living room or a canvas, you get what you pay for in the paint.  I bought the cheapest paint I could find at Walmart for the base.  And the clumps of paint that came out of that can prove it.  For years I have used a combination of the cheap craft paints and good quality paint to  paint murals. Mostly because the small containers are very convenient to haul to work sites.  And the large selection of colors.  But for my house, baseboards and such, I ALWAYS pay for quality paint. It makes a HUGE difference in the coverage and in the "workability" if you are doing any special faux or painting techniques. 

I found a piece of clip art as my inspiration and then drew the rough draft of my image.



Pulled out my drawers of cheap  craft paints and went to work.

I had thought about going with a "buff" body builder, surfer dude, but thought it would be rather funny to use a scrawny surfer instead, given the fact that most of the "volunteers" for this booth would be 8th grade boys.  8th grade boys who think their bodies are getting buff, but in reality, are still scrawny.  Just a glimpse into my demented sense of humor!

The Toad giving his "gnarly surfer impression"

The youngest Kiddo giving his "cool surfer dude" impression

The oldest kiddo giving his "Do I have to do this" surfer impression

Then finally giving in to the stupid fun of it all



And The Toad's favorite part of the whole project:

The "gnarly" mess that I make when I create taking over his garage!!

I still haven't downloaded the actual pictures of the Fair.  That will be for another post!! Thanks for dropping by again today!!  Remember~~creativity comes in all different mediums.  Make sure you explore one today!!

Till next time.......