August Dare

It's ME!!!  YIKES!!  Not my favorite subject.  But, A dare is a DARE!  This is a picture Becca took of me last spring.  Payback for some pic I'd taken of her.  She dared me to save it & publish IT to FB which I did.  Then when Tracy dared us to take a pic of ourselves an make it the focus of our page, this was the result.

I'm not 100% happy w/how it turned out.  The stamping's too light & uneven.  And too LINEAR!!!  It needs SOMETHING but there's no time to fix it again (I origially SERIOUSLY messed up the "artist" stamp in the up right hand corner but managed to fix it w/o it being too obvious. 

Work is HORRID right now, draining ever ounce of energy I can muster so there's not be much done, craft-wise this month.  Maybe next month...

July Dare

As, I follow anything Angie does, I am now addictied to Tracy's Monday Night Live classes.  Even tho she LOVES butterflies & is getting Angie to embrace the flying worms, it IS alot of fun.  Really hard to keep up with the chat & Ustream isn't the best of sites, but it's FREE!!!  (Wonder if I paid the $4 per month, it would be better and/or easier to log into ???)   Anyway, she issued a July Dare.  And, being too stupid to realize I CAN'T CREATE, I participated.  Here is my entry:

Last September, I went back to work full time after 10 years as a nearly stay-at-home mom.  It was hard.  Even tho my kids are older, I have always been there for them.  Making sure they were up in time for school, making sure they had their gym clothes, running their gym clothes down to the school when they forgot (even after being reminded).  I knew it was going to be better for them to learn to take care of themselves, I was still scared!!  Plus, I wanted to be there for them!!  That was MY JOB!!!

IN addition, the world has changed in 10 years.  ALOT OF CHANGE!!!  Would I be able to adapt to working again?  Do I have a clue on how to do Medical Collections anymore?  Can I talk to grown up humans and not make too much of a fool of myself.  The answers were all YES!!!!  It IS like riding a bycycle.  I have a nearly perfect job &, most days, I enjoy it.  The work is fine, the pressure of producing, not great.  But I'm doing it.  And the kids are surviving. 

I still have to learn to LET GO, release my fears & anxiety.  It will ALL BE OK!!!  I will be ok.  The kids will be ok.  And Scott's learning ALOT about all the things I've had to do for the last few years so he's getting to "grow" as a parent.  LOL

Hmmmm, it's only been 10 months.....

Since my last post...  Maybe I HAVE been busy.  LOL 

So, now I've evolved from Scrapbooks (12x12) to Cards (4.25x5.5) to ATCs (2.5x3.5).  I loved the little bitty size, so easy to find ANYTHING to fill the space.  But now, thanks once again to Angie, my "pusher" for all things crafty, I'm PAINTING!!!!  10 art teachers from my past just rolled over in their graves.  LOL  And, to 9x12.  YIKES!!!  It's pretty hard to fill that giant space, in my opinion. 

And, a new art hobby requires more art supplies.  And more space for said supplies.  Luckily, I still had TONS of MM Paint from my s/b days (thanks to Lori P. for THAT obsession!!) so they already had a space in my closet.  But now I need space for more brushes, canvases (canvi??) and stuff called "gel medium" & "mod podge" & "GESSO"?!?!?!  Plus, I've got a hankering for "modeling paste" and "caligraphy nibs" & "india ink". 

Well, unless I want to build on to the house (is that an option???), something had to go.  I packed up about 25-30 sets of SU stamps.  I'm not going to get rid of them because I KNOW at some point, I'll want to use them.  But, they can't take up space when I dont use them anymore.  (I find myself using mostly TH & Ippity/Unity stamps for everything anymore.)  So, they got packed up & moved upstairs under my bed.  Makes NO SENSE to store them that far away but, there is no more space in this house!!!!

So, now I have room for my painting supplies and maybe will find time to actually clean off my scrap craft table to make the hubby happy....  (seems HIGHLY UNLIKELY). 

So, if ANYONT managed to read thru all that crap, here is page one in my "Art Journal".....

Archiver's Vintage Chrsitmas Cards 4

Isn't this just YUMMY???  Again, FOUR layers of shimmery cardstock.  Bottom layer, sanded & stamped all over w/a poinsetta stamp.  Looks so very cool!!!  Then, the green was just inked, the 2nd gold left alone & then the white was sanded, stamped in green, distressed & inked.  Then, we embossed teh Christmas greetings in gold & used a glue pen to add flowersoft.  Added stickles to the centers & the dots on the swirls.  SO cool!!! 

Going back today for ANOTHER class.  10 Christmas Tags.  I'll share them next week...

Archiver's Vintage Chrsitmas Cards 3

This is my least favorite of the group.  I think it's the black that turns me off.  The ornament is kinda cool but I LOVE the embossing of it.  Awesome!!!!  Once again, sanded glimmery paper & the Coredenations (sp?) paper.

This angel & the sentiment are the reason I never loved this stamp set.  I felt they were both not my style.  Too froo froo, even for Christmas cards.  THIS CARD changed my mind!!!  I LOVE everything in this set now!!  All 4 images are from this set, the angel, the sentiment, the music (seen above & behind the angel) and the crackle (under the angel).  Once again, this is all glimmery paper.  We sanded the heck out of the gold & I think it looks soooo cool!!  Then, stamped the crackle w/walnut stain.  The angle & music are a black ink & then the sentiment was stamped in versamark & embossed w/distress embossing powder.  Then we "smeared" walnut, peeled paint & pumice stone on the edges. 

Then, the BEST part was the GLITTER!!!!!

We just used regular ballpoint pen glue & scribbled as if the Angel were throwing glitter.  But this glitter is MEGA COOL.  And Mega Chunky!!!  I loved it so much I had to buy it.  Champagne Crushed Glass Glitter!!!!  Gives me the warm fuzzies just thinking of it. 

I will be making a version of this for Christmas.  If you get it, try to look surprised!! 

Archiver's Vintage Chrsitmas Cards 1

Took a class for my birthday, ON my birthday.  It was soooo much fun!!  I love Archiver's classes and especially anything that is based on Tim Holtz products.

This was my favorite card, going in!!  I loved the silhouette.  We covered it in shabby embossing powder.  It's these GIANT chunks of white embossing powder w/chunks of gold glitter.  Awesome!!!  And, the bottom is glitter ribbon.  It's so cool.  Should have taken a close up of that!  There are poinsettias stamped all over the background but VERY SUBTLE! 

All the cards in this class were made some very cool shimmery card stock.  We sanded almost all the shimmer off & then stamped.  Very cool technique.  Next time I'm in Archiver's, I'm going to have to buy some of that paper.  I think the card could be made just as easily with regular card stock..

This is an EXTREME close up of the embossing.  You can see the red of the background stamp.  One of the girls wiped hers off & all of it turned PINK.  I said I'd just leave mine, you can't tell it from a "real life" distance.  LOL

Archivers Unity Class

Tag made at the class.  I like the "idea" of this flower but not my execution.  I liked the ones Angie did at Palooza better.

Archivers Unity Class

This card we actually COMPLETED in class.  Making the roses was difficult to say the least.  I was NOT happy w/the results no matter WHAT I did.  Well, I tried to squish it a bit to make it look better & it SQUISHED but good. Well, I REALLY like how that looked.  The added benefit; it should be able to be mailed now!

Stamps, Unity.  Ink, TH Distress.  DSP, cosmo cricket

Archivers Unity Class

One of the cards I made at the Unity class.  I did this one at home as we ran out of time AT the class.  I loved the projects and getting to KEEP THE STAMPS!!!  Woot woot!!  Love getting some new Unity.  And, I was able to pick up my SMASH book while at Archivers!!!  I'm a HAPPY GIRL!!!!

Stamps, Unity.  DSP, I think it's Cosmo Cricket.  Ink, TH Distress Inks.

5 Fonts ATC

Ok, I kinda feel like I cheated on this one.  The 5 different fonts are all in the one stamp.  I went thru tons of different stamps trying to get related words in different fonts but couldn't come up w/anything cohesive.  I do like how this one turned out!  I love the green/purple combo!

Stamps:  either Ippity or Unity; I can't remember which.  Ink:  Pallet Hybrid. Cardstock & DSP:  SU

Whoa, it's been a LONG time!!!

I've got a TON of stuff to share!!  I'm going to do my best to get some stuff posted & some stuff that will post over the next couple days (weeks???)   I've taken pics of ALL the ATCs I've done (except that baby one I did for Jennifer, forgot to take a pic of that!) but NONE of the cards I have made have gotten a pic done.  Dang!  I need to send more cards!!!

Be prepared!!!

Tim Holtz Class

This is the last & probably my favorite card that I did at archivers.  I love the doily look of the b/g stamp & LOVE those canvas shapes!!!  Plus, who can resist a stick pin?!?!?

Tim Holtz Class

I do LOVE this card.  I have never been all that jazzed by this die but I think I might be now!!  Painted the wings, embossed the crown & covered the heart with stickles!!  I'm not sure you can see but the background is embossed too!  I love tying the twine around various elements.  I need to incorporate that into more of my swaps!  I also think I NEED that tiny attacher thing.  The tiny staples are so cute!!

Tim Holtz Class

While I LOVE the way this card turned out, I HATE those flowers.  I'm sure Archviers wanted us to buyt the 4 punches and the tool kit to make these flowers but the were toooo much!!  Punch them, ink them and then use a tool to curl them.  Nuh uh!!!!  I LOVE the ribbons stacked up & the cupid!!