A whole lot of bling…

Submission to the layering technique challenge over at the Hero Arts Club Blog.

I got the idea from a rather unique technique I saw the other day over at Gina K Designs (http://blog.ginakdesigns.com/) under "Inspirations" (January 7, 2009). You really need to check it out...you'll love it!

While cleaning my guest bathroom, I glanced at the leftover guest paper towels I put out for our New Year’s Eve party and had a light bulb moment…why not use the decorative paper towel as background paper? I'm sure it's been done many times before.


While I’m a bit short on Hero Arts stamps, I remembered these little ladies and thought they would complement the design on the towel.


I added glitter glue, embroidery yarn (but please don’t look too closely at the sewing), lots of ribbons and some crystals.

Hope you enjoy…and thanks for looking.

Blogging...A New Fontier

I’m feeling more comfortable…a little bolder…taking more risks in this new frontier called blogging. I’ve added a bit more to my profile and a photo…sort of.

I’m still a bit “shy,” which is really an oxymoron because…how can it be possible for someone to feel “shy” if they blog (especially if they keep it anonymous)?! But there it is. I do feel shy…and tentative…and silly...and embarrassed every time I publish a post and especially photos of my cards, which is crazy because after all, the cards are really what it’s all about. My hand always hovers a few extra seconds (or maybe minutes) above the “send” button before publishing a new post. Frequently, I think about deleting a post immediately after publishing, and…sometimes I do.

I groan (and then smile) each time I visit other blogs and see all the beautiful, polished and amazingly creative and awesome cards with exciting new techniques. [Speaking of which…check out this amazing “technique” at http://blog.ginakdesigns.com/ by Gina, of Gina K Designs under "Inspirations" dated January 7, 2009…you’re going to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this idea. I know I can’t wait to give it a try, but first I need to check my brand of tp!]

We all eventually jump over the precipice. It just takes some of us a bit longer to get up the nerve. I’m glad I made the jump. I’m still on the fringes of this wonderful world of bloggers...but I’m having fun finding my way there.

As for my “photo,” it really is a photo of me---at my son’s school during the Halloween parade. I blasted the color out of it. I like that I’m incognito and that it depicts the fun, wacky, creative and frivolous side of me…because believe me, there is another side, which is not so fun and frivolous and wacky (just ask my family!)

So here’s to Blogging…for me, a new frontier. I’m looking forward to this voyage and its continuing mission: to explore the world of paper crafting, to seek out new friends, to boldly go where others have gone before…and most of all, to have fun!

Thanks for stopping by…

Blogging...a lot like exercising

I had a few doctors’ appointments before the holidays and got into conversations about my exercise…or current lack of…routine and what it would take for me to keep up with my daily regime.

Later that evening, I got to thinking about how long it had been since I last wrote a blog entry and realized...trying to maintain a daily blog is a lot like trying to maintain a daily exercise regime!

I’m committed…really into it…on a roll…working towards a goal and getting in great shape. Then bam! Something rolls around and knocks me off schedule and it takes f-o-r-e-v-e-r to get back on track.

So one of my goals for this New Year is to try and maintain my routine(s), even as life throws the occasional curve-ball or tries to up-end me or knock me off balance.

I also need to strive to be more flexible and forgiving of when I do get off schedule…otherwise disappointment, frustration and self-pity can creep in leaving me to accomplish less and less while time marches on.

So we’ll see how it goes.

Happy New Year!

No card today...just a thoughtful sentiment that describes how I feel about crafting

When I first saw this quote in the June/July 2006 issue of Paper Crafts magazine, I thought... "This is so me!" I pinned it to my bulletin board because it describes to a “T” exactly how I feel when I create and give something hand crafted. I sometimes worry and wonder…"Where’s the value in my little creations? Am I wasting time that could be used for something more meaningful?” But I love crafting...it's my relaxation...it de-stresses me...it brings me so much pleasure. So on I’ll go...to continue to enjoy myself and to create and feel...

When I give a gift I made myself
First I feel proud, excited
And thoughtful

Then I feel embarrassed
And silly

And then I feel like I’ve given
The best present
I could give…
A part of me…

And then…I feel
embarrassed again.

Alicia Hamilton (Paper Crafts)

A layering challenge

This card was inspired by a layering challenge over on the Hero Arts Club Blog, which I just found and you can find at (http://heroarts.com/blogs/club/). There are currently some awesome cards on display on this website.

I don’t have many Hero Arts stamps, but I had just experimented with pounding some tulip petals onto water color paper and was going to toss it when I spied this stamp.

(For some reason I just can't seem to get this photo to rotate.)

I decided to use the water color paper as the background and stamped the image with StazOn ink and colored it with water color pencils.

My layering was influenced by a description on the side of the stamp...“Artistic Drawings” and decided to frame it like a piece of art hanging in an art gallery.

I attached a "price" tag using this “priceless - price code” stamp by Inkadinkado.

The inside…"Thanks for being such a good friend.”

Thanks for looking.

Got Paper!

(A post written before the holidays)

I’ve been waiting for some paper to become available from the Paper Source. Today I finally got my hands on it! In particular, I’ve been waiting for this taxi paper so that I could make this card.
I’m a Chicago native and this paper so reminds me of the Windy City. I first spied this paper last year on the PS website. I wasn’t able to get my hands on it, so I printed a copy off their website and created the card below. I submitted to our local PS for their annual holiday card but alas, I did not win (but I was one of the winners the previous year! ) I tweaked this year's version by adding a layer of white cardstock for snow on the road and the trees. The paper is so much nicer in real life. Inisde, the card starts out…

Star Bright, Car Light,
The first light you see tonight...

(card I created last year using copy of downloaded paper)

This next card is a re-make of a card I showed earlier using one of my favorite penguin stamps by Dawn Houser for Inkadinkado. This time I used ‘Black Modern Dots’ paper from the PS for the background and turned it into a Hanukkah card with a sentiment from the Papertrey Ink Mazel Tov” set, which I just got. The Star of David die cut is also from the Paper Source.

This third card uses two papers from the Paper Source…the Black Modern Dots and some sky blue paper covered white polar bears. I cut and glued a section of the polar bear paper onto white cardstock and then cut out the bear images.

This last card was created for my father-in-law using Papertrey Ink’s Mazel Tov set. I made gold Gelt using a small circle punch. I hope to use the Mazel Tov set quite a bit this next year.
Thanks for looking.