Christmas Santa's

I was so happy when I purchased these little  glass Santa's at a thrift shop last week  I was going to make cute sets of Christmas earrings for all of my friends.  Up until today I has not opened the bag that they came in.  Well I was in for a real surprise.  There are  23  of these little guys and each one is different.  There are two alike, but different sizes.  Now I will just have to purchase a tiny tree to put them on.  Too bad my original idea isn't going to work

Steampunk Balloon Tag

Steampunk Balloon Tag

A swap is a fun exchange of items created by members of a group such as  

Art for the Creative Minds yahoo group.  It may be cards or ATC's  4X4 pages, junk journal. the variety of items it endless.  Some swaps are one to one, a single exchange, others are multiples of the same artwork sent to a hostess, who then sorts them out and sends them to the members who are taking part in the swap. It is exciting receiving the swaps, and seeing each persons interpretation of the swap's theme

The swap was to be a faux metal Steampunk Balloon Swap.  It was a one to one swap for Art for the Creative Minds yahoo group Art for the Creative Minds yahoo group.  The tag  it a #8  6 1/2" by 3 1/8".  I covered the tag with a piece of metal looking wallpaper.  I used a rubber-stamp showing a series of gears and cogs to stamp the background keeping with the steampunk theme.  The picture of the lady was a RAK (Random Act of Kindness) sent to me by another member of the group.  I used a balloon stamp that I purchased years ago  and rubbed the design onto a piece of thin aluminium with the rubber end of a pencil.  These little balloons were cut out and then attached with foam tape here and there on the tag.  Fibers were added at the top.

Halloween Swap

 Halloween  Swaps

A swap is a fun exchange of items created by members of a group such as  

Art for the Creative Minds yahoo group.  It may be cards or ATC's  4X4 pages, junk journal. the variety of items it endless.  Some swaps are one to one, a single exchange, others are multiples of the same artwork sent to a hostess, who then sorts them out and sends them to the members who are taking part in the swap. 

It is exciting receiving the swaps, and seeing each persons interpretation of the swap's theme

This is a Tri-Fold ATC  2 1/2" by 3 1/2 ".  The swap was for a Art for the Creative Minds yahoo group.   The swap was to be to feature Edgar Allen Poe.  I used images from Altered Pages.
I started with a piece of black card stock folded down to measure 2 1/2 X 3 1/2.  The middle image of Poe was layer on the black and then a paper frame was place around it.  The Raven ticket was printed from the internet.  The picture on the left shows  Edgar Allen Poe gravestone.  The raven picture on the right is also from Altered Pages.

These tags are for a Halloween swap for Stamping Scrapping Swapping Democracy.  The tags were a multiple swap.  We sent 8 tags to the hostess and in exchange we will receive 8 different tags.
I cut black card stock to a #8 manilla tag. 6 1/4" by 3 1/8".   The orange layer was cut about 1/4" smaller all around and then the spiderweb piece was cut smaller by another 1/4".  I used a spider web washi tape that I received from a member of another group across the bottom.  I purchased a package of spiders with the angel hair webs from a Dollar tree.  I pulled the angel hair to give the appearance of a webs and then hot glued the spider in the middle.  I use a Halloween sticker to attach the ribbon to the top of each tag.

We were given an eviction notice the middle of June.  The owner's daughter was getting married and she wanted the house.  It took over 6 weeks to find something else suitable.  We needed 2 bathrooms, a garage,  3 bedrooms, a living room , dining room and a large kitchen.  We found  the house we were looking for, but unfortunately, it does not have a garage.  The price was right, so we agree to rent it.

It took over 20 days to move everything to the new residence.  Thankfully, it was just about 4 km from where we were living.  My son and his friends did all the moving.

I am still trying to unpack the boxes and find things.

Wolf my son left for New York today.  He is trying out for a new survival reality show.

Luka our Husky passed away about a month ago and we were offered a rescued husky.   The  original owner  got her as a puppy and had to leave her with his mother.  She did not want the dog.   We had not  planned on getting a new dog so soon, but this one needed a forever home.  She is black and white with beautiful blue eyes.   Luna has not left Wolf's side since she came to live with us and  has been going everywhere with him.   Now that he left, she is mopping up in his bedroom.

Composition Book Cover

"Composition Book" Cover

This is swap for the internet group  Stamping, Swapping, Scrapping Democracy (SSSD).  We were to choose a Month and create a theme for that month.  Seven people signed for this swap. We were required to make seven identical covers.

I chose October and a Halloween Theme. 

Once completed, I mailed the seven duplicate covers to the hostess of the swap for distribution among the group members.    

Materials Used:

• Cut a piece of black heavy card stock  6 1/2" by 8"
• Cut a piece of orange Cardstock ( I use Bazzill) approx 5 1/2" X 6"
• The middle of the orange card stock was cut out using a SizzixDie Bigx-Top Note
• Do not throw the cutaway piece out.  It can be stamped or embellished for future  for card fronts.
• Cut a piece of punchinella cut from corner to corner of the  base piece
• Attach the punchinella to the card stock with a piece of double sided tape.
• The main design ( the spooky house is a cuttlebug die)
• White pigment ink was dragged over over the house image to give an eerie  effect.
• The windows and moon where highlighted with gold pen
• Attach the main design on the backside of the frame with the coloured design showing.
• Attach the frame with the design to the card on top of the punchinella
• Stamp a Halloween saying on a piece of orange card stock and attach it to a piece of black card stock.
• Embellish as desired

A "composition book" cover is a particular style of notebook, pictured below.

Sewing ATC's

Sewing Artist trading card (ATCs) These are miniature works of art about the same size as modern trading cards baseball cards, or 2 ¹⁄₂ by 3 ¹⁄₂ inches (64 mm × 89 mm)  Generally they are small enough to fit inside shirt pocket. The ATC movement developed out of the mail art movement and has its origins in Switzerland. These Cards are produced in various media, including dry media such as pencils, pens, markers, etc., wet media like watercolor, acrylic paints, etc., paper media in the form of collage, papercuts, found objects, etc. or even metals and fiber. The cards are usually traded or exchanged. Generally ATC's are not sold, only traded.  When sold, they are usually referred to as art card editions and originals (ACEOs).

Here are two ATC's (Artist Trading Cards) I created from Altered Pages materials.

   To make these ATC's:

• Choose your theme idea 
• Cut heavy card stock or cardboard (such as an old cereal box) to exactly 2 1/2" X 3 1/2 "
• Cut and Glue scrapbook paper onto cardboard pieces you just cut out.
• Print off collage sheets from Altered Pages
• Cut images from collage sheets
• Glued images onto cardboard sheet
• Embellish as desired

Images were cut from a the following Altered Pages collection

• Sewing collage 
• Fashion collage
• Button Sheet

On the back of each card, the artists name, the date it was made, the number of this type of card that were produced, and any other contact information desired. This can be considered a unique form of a business card.


References:
Trading cards offer glimpse into Edmonton art scene Edmonton Journal Friday, July 27, 2007

Artists' trading cards put collectible creations in the palm of your hand Honolulu Star Bulletin Sunday, May 6, 2007

Main Yule Tree

Here is a picture of our main Yule Tree.  It stands about 12 feet tall.  A lot of our decorations are vintage and I make sure that they are wrapped in tissue very year and secured in egg cartons.  We celebrate Yule on the closest Saturday to the 21st of December.  This year December the 21st fell on a Saturday.  My son and I hold an open house each Yule and there are usually anywhere from 20 to 35 people at our home.  It is usually standing room only within an hour.  We provide a buffet meal, ( fruit tray, veggie tray, meatballs, turkey, cold cut tray, salad, devilled eggs  and dessert tray)  and soft drinks,  if the guests want anything else they bring their own.   The piggly was part of my Mothers day gift this year.

My son, Wolf worked at a place called Camp Edgewood as the head supervisor for the summer. When he was leaving, they gave him a mounted fish as a parting thank you gift. I decorated the fish with some pine boughs from the tree, and an extra santa hat.

Yule Trees

This tree is decorated with Ornaments that I have received in swaps.  The majority are from SSDS a group where we made 25 ornaments and sent each ornament to a different person.   We each received a different ornament.  Some of the members made greeting cards,  knitted dishcloths, a small runner.  It was exciting opening each little package.

This is our small hall tree. 

Here a photo's of Wolf cutting down the small tree for our entrance way.

The small tree is a juniper that was growing wild beside our irrigation ditch.  

Fathers Day Tool Card

This is a Fathers Day card that I made.  I used aluminum foil for the background and ran it through my cuttlebug.  The little apron was made from card stock and attached with Brads.  The ties are small pieces of leather.

The little tools are metal that I purchased from a dollar store.  They can be removed from the apron for use.

piggies, coffee, mothers day

My Mothers Day gifts from Wolf and Tori. Love them all. The Barrista coffee maker is from Starbucks. It makes great Coffee. The Coffee Wolf bought is from Cuba and he purchased it at the Mexican store on Vine Street. It is very mild and not bitter at all. The piggly looks round like Babe and has a sleepy look. Another piggly for my collection.

Shaker Card

This is a Shaker Card for a Just Cards Swap.  I received the large bingo sheet as a RAK and the small bingo card is from a collage sheet from Altered Pages.  The clear circle is from a packaging and I used Martha Stewarts glitter.  Wellbond was used to attach the round acetate to the card.

Coloured Image Focal Point

This card used a coloured image as the focal point.  I received this image in an image swap awhile ago.  The cupcakes she is holding in each hand are brads. The yellow flower is a made from glitter foam. I used two sided foam tape to attach each item to give a 3D effect

Food Card

This was for a swap using Food as the theme.  The large strawberries were cut from a newspaper ad as was the word Strawberries.  The word was layered onto a piece of polka dot paper.  The center where the strawberry is was cut using two different dies.  The center strawberry was from a swap a long time ago.  It was included in a card kit.

Sketch card

This was for a swap called Sketch card. The main picture is the Large Cupcake and then the little cupcakes 3 of them along the side at the bottom and 3 along the side at the top.  The large cupcake and the little ones were cut out and attached with foam tape to make them dimensional.

Side Step card

This is a sidestep card with an oriental theme.  The Geisha is from an Altered Pages Collage. The card was for a swap called "A Different Fold".   Instructions for making this card may be found on Splitcoast Stampers

Jean pocket with goodies

Jean pocket filled with goodies for Art For the Creative Mind Swap.  The pocket was cut from an old jean shirt.  No sewing needed.  I cut a 12 inch strip of material and gathered it to make the flower.  I made three of these and then used a brad to attach them.  I used weldbond to attach the flower and the other embellishments

 

Well so much for my Halloween Commitment to create one Halloweeen piece per day.  I got so far behind, I will leave it until next Halloween and then catch up.  I may start making things for Halloween a few months in advance. 

This post is about Trends.  I hope that you enjoy it.

WHAT TO SPEND YOUR MONEY ON THIS YEAR:

• Well, this isn't new - last year, travel themed products were everywhere.  If you invested, in maps, compasses, luggage, etc. you were wise because that trend remains HOT.
• Do you get a thrill from shopping at Office Depot or Office Zilla?  Well, our reporters saw lots of office/stationery stuff too - note cards, lines for notepaper, stuff like that.  You might be looking at the stuff in your office in a whole new way.  
• Arrows and feathers were hot last year and remain so.  I don't get the "feather thing" but whatever, if you do, you're HOT.  
• You'll see more companies carrying dies to coordinate with their stamps.  Hero Arts has been doing this for awhile, but you'll see more and more of it.  I love this but it's expensive -- you have to be careful to pick dies that you think will be used often and have a versatile appeal.  
• Project Life is HUGE.   It's all over.  Companies trying their own lines and if they're not, making elements that fit with existing 3x4 and 4x6 pockets from other companies.   I am a big Project Life fan.  Great concept for scrapbooking and many of the small journaling cards are still cute popped up on a card front.   
• Were you a fan of the chevron?  You trendsetter you!  Yep -- it's still around. Ditto for Hexagons.  In my mind, it's quilt patterns.
• Vintage -- cameras, typewriters, luggage, phones.  Here's a Tim Holtz stamp set that I expect to be very popular.  
• Felt, embroidery and twine.  Think texture.  Think sewing.  Think "homespun."
• Mixed reviews from my reporters on chalkboard as a theme.  I think this is a yes -- it's all over Pinterest and in the digital community, but not yet in stamps.  
• WASHI TAPE
• Want to know the hot colors?  The picture above is of the Pantone Colors for 2013.  Personally, I'm a fan of the "color of the year" EMERALD, as I think it's a neutral like Stampin' Up! Old Olive and will go with everything.  Heard lots of groans and signs about it.... but I'm happy.  Love the basics and think this will be a color that will stand the test of time. 

Halloween Blog continued.  Only one day behind.

Day 5:
Here is a tag that I created  last year using images from Altered Pages.  It was part of one of my design kits.



Day 6
I created this pop up card for a swap last year.

 

Day 7
This tag was also created using images from Altered Pages using their images.  This was the second tag created for the kit.

Here is Day 4 creation for my 31 Days of Halloween.  This is a Telescope Card for a swap that I am in.  I hope my swap partner likes it.
The picture shows the card closed.

This shows the Telescope Card open.

Sorry that I am late with my Halloween posting. I forgot how to load my pictures from my camera to my computer.  My son came home this weekend and helped me.  I wrote down the instructions, so I should have no more problems keeping up with my posts.
 Here is Wednesdays Oct 3rd's update.

Here is the card for the 2nd day of 31 Days of Halloween.  It may be large, I forgot how to scale down the image in Gimp.  The stamp is from Recollections and the image of Poe is from Altered Pages.  I stamped on an old book page, coloured the crow a little darker and added a few stickers.   I edged the printed page with a black marker to give definition.

My card for today will be posted tomorrow.  My son is not here and I cannot remember how to download from my camera to Gimp to size and then add to blog.  I have managed to get it on to Photobucket, but now I am stuck.  Sorry

Here is the coffin that I created for my Art For The Creative Mind Group coffin swap.  The close up of the coffin lid shows a picture of a Sea Captain in an oval frame.  The image is from Altered Pages.  I covered the image with Diamond Glaze and put it in the freezer until it dried than bent the image a few times to give it the illusion of cracked glass.  The coffin I made myself from a pattern I found on the intenet and the rest of the decorations are from the Dollar Store.  I sure hope that my partner will like it.

Promise of Daily Halloween Creations

I can't believe that I haven't posted on my blog since March.  I am going to make a promise to myself.  I will post a Halloween Creation every day starting October 1 to October 31st.  Will start tomorrow showing the Coffin that I made for a swap.

Tips and Techniques for March

TIPS AND TECHNIQUES

Here’s some vellum techniques if using this parchment

1. Always use special adhesive such as Helmar’s Vellum Spray or one of the following techniques to avoid visible adhesive behind vellum

2. Brad and eyelets, always cute, functional and helps dress vellum up for elegant pages or dress it down for a rustic or vintage look.

3. Wrap around, cut or tear vellum a little wider than your project and wrap ends around tags, photos and flat embellishments and adhere ends on back of project. This allows you to use regular adhesive without it showing.

4. Glue edges, chalk edges of vellum with Powder Puff Chalking Inks from Quick Quotes (which we now sell) and run a regular glue stick lightly along the edges of your vellum. Glue is hidden by the chalking ink.

5. Use windows, place vellum words or poems behind laser pieces and border punchouts and adhere on back.

Here’s some tips on using the Quick Quotes Chalk Ink Pads

1. These inks are beautiful to apply on canvas when using light smooth, horizontal strokes, avoid scrubbing motion

2. Holding the ink pad, put your thumb in the curve and hold onto the back of the ink pad.

3. Chalk edges darker and centre of canvas lighter. Allow the texture of the canvas to show through. To mix color, start with lightest colour and work to darker color.

4. Use on vellum, chipboard and cardstock. Chalk entire piece of vellum and chipboard or just edges. Try tearing cardstock edges before chalking and hold pad at angle against edge instead of perpendicular.

5. Use on glossy paper, transparencies and smooth surfaces. Pat the chalking ink pad on glossy surfaces, do not scrub or drag ink pad. Allow to dry.

These hints and tips come from Quick Quotes