Altered Pages Stamp

Here is a card I made using a Rubberstamp from Altered Pages. I used a piece of material (burgundy with gold design) in the making of the card.

Birthday cards

Not only did I receive a bushelful of get well cards I also received wonderful Birthday Wishes from my Card Swapping Groups.





I would like to thank everyone for the Well Wishes.

Get Well Wishes

Here are the the wonderful get well cards that I received from all my group friends. The cards really brightened my day when I returned home from hospital.

Baby card

This card was made for one of my coaches at work. She is leaving on Mat Leave the beginning of April. The little charm that says "It's a Boy" may be removed and added to a charm bracelet I also made an afghan to go with card, but forgot to take photo.

Heart Attack

On March 1, 2011 I suffered a massive heart attack. I had to have two shunts placed in my heart. If you go to read my blog on Life with a Pig,you will read how Babe saved my life.

What colors are meaningful to you and why?

I like the colours Black, Yellow and Red.

Black because it is slimming and always looks elegant.
Yellow makes me feel good and energized. I can only wear certain colours of yellow. Sunflower yellow if my best choice.
Red because it makes me feel empowered. I feel that I can accomplish anything when I wear red.

Funny even tho I like these colours for clothing I don't often use them in my card making.

Little behind

I have been a little behind in my swaps this month. I have lost my creative mojo. I really hope I get it back soon.

I am having trouble with my blog template. I just can't get rid of the "Undefined" where the date should be. Anyone have any suggestions? I don't want to change my template, because I really like it.

30 Days of Creativity

I seem to have lost my creativity mojo. I do not have any creative ideas left in my head and I am behind on my swaps. I decide to jump start my brain again by taking part in 30 days to Creativity.

Day 1: When you were a child, how did you express your creativity?

I liked to sew and knit. Right now I am knitting a scarf for a friend at work. When I was in high school, I used to knit for the teachers for spending money.

My sewing machine is not working at the present time. I was having trouble with my pressure foot and decided to take it apart to see if I could fix the problem. I couldn't, and now I have to take it to a repair shop.

365 Day Creativity

What will you make to greet the dawn of a new decade? Whether sketching self-portraits, welding wildebeest sculptures or baking banana bread, a daily project can be just the thing to break out of your routine while making creativity a part of your daily life. As Noah Scalin, the brains behind the Skull-a-Day project and author of 365: A Daily Creativity Journal, says, "A daily project is like a marathon. It's a ridiculously daunting task, but making an original creation every day gives you an incredible sense of accomplishment. It also forces you to push beyond your mental and physical barriers (especially the ones you've erected for yourself). You'll be amazed at what you produce and what you learn about yourself in the process." Bring it on, 2011!

Dark Eyes

As part of the Altered Pages design team, I create artwork which is used on their website for promotional purposes. Here is my latest creation known as "Dark Eyes"

Please visit Altered Pages for more information on how this was created, and raw materials order forms.

New Year Decisions

I hope that everyone had a great Christmas and will have a Safe, Happy and Prosperous New Year.

I have had this blog for a few years now and have never really kept it up. One of my New Years Decisions, not "resolution" is to update my blog at least once a week. I will be explaining how I am trying to make my life better and also showing the swaps that I have received and the items that I have created.

Here are some of the cards that I designed for Christmas.

Card made for manager at work

This picture was from a swap I received. The background is a 100+ year old Lithograph Stamp
(it's difficult to see the lithograph because I used silver ink)

A friend of mine gave me some Christmas envelopes. I cut the Santa out.

My version of Serendipity

Here is my version of the Serendipty technique using the cuttlebug. After I ran the piece thro the cuttlebug, I highlighted the piece using a gold stamp pad.

I am signed up for a swap using two ribbons. Here is my version. I wove the two ribbons on a piece of cardstock. Then I ran it thro the cuttlebug. I covered the piece with mactac or you could laminate it. That way the weaving will not loosen up.

I hope you will try both of these techniques.

New slant on old idea

Here is a tip for Saturday, Jan 2, 2010.

Every time you make a card, or a background, make two, rather than just scan or taking a picture of it. If it is a little complicated write out the instructions, or, if you found it on the internet, what sight you found it on. That way, you will be making your own technique book to look thro when you have a mental block.

Happy New Year

I hope that everyone has a Happy and Prosperous New Year.

I spent the day cataloguing my craft supplies. I want to really concentrate on my business this year and so I have to make an inventory of all my craft supplies. It seems to be taking forever. I was hoping to find a program that I could use, but no luck. I am using spreadsheets created for each of my catagory's. I am listing some things according to season. Christmas - all paper, cardstock, brads, stickers, etc. Halloween and Fall the same way. I did not realize that I had accumulated so much stuff.

I hope to have a place for everything and everything in its place. That way when I start a project I will know where everything is and will not have to run out to purchase something I already have, just don't know where it is. I am sure that most of you can associate with this.

My New Years resolution===Buy nothing else until I get my stock down at least by 1/4.

Tip of the Day

I don't remember where I read this, but it certainly helped relieving my frustrations using the cropodile to place brads & eyelets. I could never get them to line up straight on my card.

Using an old credit card, or one that come thro the mail, punch a hole using your cropodile 1/2" in from the corner and 1/2" down. One the other side do the same using 1/4" measurement. Now when you need to punch holes for your brads, or eyelet, you will have a template.

Just remember to turn the card around at opposite ends of your paper or your holes will not line up. Front of card at top, hole in left side punch, flip card to punch bottom hole, flip left to right for right side punch, flip bottom to top for final punch

I hope this is understandable and helpful

Serendipidy with CuttleBug

Here is a great video I found on YouTube about how to do a Serendipity and use the CuttleBug to make it a bit more unique. I am going to try this, and post my results to the blog here.



I can't believe it's been almost a year to date since I posted my last blog!

Here is a card that I made for my mom for Christmas. I purchased a phone card for her, the kind that you just get a cash register type receipt for the amount of the purchase.

I used green card stock for the base of the card and layered it with a piece of holly/harlequin type of paper. I measured the size of the receipt and cut a piece of shiny Christmas paper to make a pouch. making sure that the receipt could be removed easily. I folded the sides in and then turned up the end making sure everything was even.
The pouch was then glued on a piece of contrasting card stock. I attached fiber to the back of the card stock before I attached both pieces to the front of the card. This gives tha appearance of a tag.

You get both a card and the gift. This idea may be used for other occasions, such as birthdays, anniversaries, etc.

August 9, 2008

Hi, I guess I have't been to consistant with keeping up my blog. Well that is going to change. Starting today I will update my blog at least once a week.

The format will sort of change. I want it to show organizing techniques that work for me as well as my artwork. So far I have just shown pictures of cards that I have made and received and pictures of my son. I guess you can guess I am very proud of his accomplishments. I will be showing more of my work as well as updates on the progress I am making in organizing my craft studio.

My studio is approx 24' X 20'. It it also used as my clothes closet and general storage area. My studio uses half of the space, but not efficently. This will change. I will show pictures of of each sections of the Before Studio. As my organization progress I will explain how I did it and then show pictures of the Organzied Section.

Well that is all for now, I have to get organizing.

April 22 - 2008 (Earth Day)

Here are a couple of cards I just finished. The first
one uses inchies that I made. First I cut 1" squares
from coloured wall paper, stamped on them with a small
rose stamp and then embossed. I used rub ons for the
word Rose. The inchies were layered on a
co-ordinating piece of card stock. The background
paper was made using cheap acyclic paint from the
dollar store. I spread first pink paint then blue
until I got it the way I liked it. Then the paper was
splashed with a little metallic gold paint. I am very
proud of the knot I made. I had asked for help on how
to tie a bow on "Just Stamps" a great group of
stampers that I belong to. I used their techniques
and voila. A great knot.



This card uses a technique called "Faux Silk". I took
a piece of coloured cards stock and covered it with
all purpose white glue. Then taking a piece of white
tissue paper I scrunched it and then opened it up
carefully so as not to tear it. The tissue was
applied to the card stock and was gently pressed down
leaving a few wrinkles. When the piece was dry, I cut
out an oval shape using my coluzzle. I stamped the
image using a graphite brilliance pad. This was then
glued on a co-ordinating piece of card stock. Again,
notice the bow.

Here is just a piece of "Faux Silk" waiting to be used
on a card. For this piece I used patterned piece of
wallpaper behind the tissue. It was then applied it
to a piece of cardstock.

Sunday, March 23 - 2008

Happy Easter to those who celebrate.

My son has started a photo album for me today, and
here are pictures of cards that I just finished
making.

It was my DIL's fathers birthday on March 17 and her
step mom's birthday March 10th. They are making a supper
tonight and here are the cards that I made for them.

Tori's Dad likes hunting. I found a picture in a
hunting magazine, attached it to olive green cards
stock and then found a great piece of wallpaper to
attach it to. The poplar bark is something that I
picked up on one of my hiking adventures.

Henrietta (Tori's step mom) likes tulips. I brayered
regular acyclic paint on card stock, the brayer was
not smooth and so I got a wavy effect. I then
sprayed it with gold glitter. The background again is
a piece of wallpaper.

I hope they like them.

Regards,
Christine T

Wednesday, March 05 - 2008

I finally have the time to update my blog. I know it
has been quite awhile. My son takes the photos for me
so I have to schedule picture taking for when he is
home and available. He is an avid outdoors man, so is
his wife Tori. Every Sunday, no matter how cold,
except when it is raining they go hiking. Up to and
including New Years Day they went diving. As soon as
I figure out how to get some of his underwater and
outdoors scenery on my blog as college sheets I will
add them for your enjoyment.

Below are two recent cards that I made for a couple of
girls at work. The shaker card with the porthole of
fish was for a one year old that is into fish. He is
still playing with it and his birthday was last week.
Still hasn't chewed it. The computer cards was for a
boy who is into computer.

I really liked how the nautical one turned out.

These are some of the cards that I have received from
different swaps. The Chinese Envelope Book is made
from authentic Chinese papers that were purchased in
China by her aunt. The note is posted as well.



These cards were from a Valentines Day Swap.



These are cards from other swaps. The daffodil card
is do bright and cheery, makes me think of Spring.
The one with four windows was done (I think with a
smushed acetate background, I could be wrong) and then
the metal flowers were attached. The Thinking of
You card is hand coloured .



I hope you like seeing these little works of art as I
have enjoyed them.

The weather here in Niagara on the Lake is snowy and
blowy. Not nice at time. Great time to stay indoors
and clean oops, sorry, I meant stamp.

Sunday, February 03 - 2008

These are two cards that I received from a previous
swap. The Christmasy one is from a collage swap, and
the grey, black and white one is from a tri-colour
swap. The cat stamp is very unusual.

The fire engine card is a collage made from wallpaper.
My friends little one turns 1 on Feb 6, 2008 and
likes fire engines.

Wednesday, January 30th - 2008

Well I am over the awful bug that I caught. I had to
take off more time from my job in the past three weeks
then I did all last year.

I am back to blogging again.

Below are three Swap Cards that I received. The one
with the zebra from an African theme swap is a motion
one. When you pull the ribbon, the zebra moves across
the veld.

The other two are from a gate fold swap and a
tri-colour, red, orange and celery. Love the little
contented bunny. Both are wonderful.



The card with the catface and sunflowers is one that I
did for a Rak.



The background papers are made using PVA glue and then
I rubbed cheap acrylic paints on the, then rubbed on a
gold metalic paint.

Sunday, January 20 - 2008

I am still fighting this virus that I caught. I have
taken off more time since January 1, 2008 than I did
all last year. My DIL thinks I may have walking
phenumonia. I was supposed to meet friends for coffee
this evening, but has to call it off.

The weather is bitting cold here. No snow, just windy
and very, very cold.

I am posting a picture of a card that I will be
entering in a contest tentatively called 1000 hand
made greeting cards. Please tell me what you think
and be honest. The gold background is wallpaper, the
collage is stamped on handmade background then
coloured in a little then it is layered on handmade
paper. I added gold filigree corners.



I will be entering another one as well. It is a
beautiful profile of my son's Huskey Cross with snow
and trees behind him. I just have to think of the
background I have to make yet. I will post when I
have it completed.

Wednesday, January 16 - 2008

I have been home ill in bed since last Thursday. A
week tomorrow. I hate being ill. I went to work on
Monday, stayed just until 4:00 pm and then went home.
Tuesday, I just called in sick.

My New years resolutios was to learn 1 new
rubberstamping technique or background each week. So far I am
behind 2, gee this is just the second week of January.
I have alot of catching up to do.
I joined Hearts in Touch stamping group as well as two
different PIF group.
Here is a picture of a tri-colored swap I was in, with inky-fun stampers. It was a black, grey, and white swap.