Craft Night is Coming Again

Because my friends from church are so fast, we'll make four cards the next time we'll meet.  Here's a peek at them:

I purchased a scrapbook store!  I'm really stepping out in faith with this.  Here's a sneak peak of what the store looks like inside:

Details of the "Grand Opening" will follow when we get the details ironed out.

Cards...

While vacationing in St. Louis this past week, I managed to make two sets of cards and do several pages in the bird art journaling album that I will teach in July at Paper Arts.  My mother and I visited the Checkered Cottage in Kirkwood - a real cute scrapbooking store that's been in business for 17 years.  Got some ideas and made some small purchases.

Let's get on to the cards:

I made the background using my version of the Bokay method.  First, I masked off some dots, using punched sticky notes.  Then I used a blending tool and Barn Red Distress Ink to add the ombre background.  Next, I placed a stencil I made from cardstock and various circle punches over the ombre background and inked in some darker circles.  Finally, I removed the stencil and masked circles to add just a hint of color to the lower white circles.  Using Versamark ink, I stamped the sentiment and embossed it with white embossed powder.  The panel is mounted on a white card base.

This masculine card is my version of one I found on Pinterest.  All the stamps are from Stampin' Up.  First, I stamped the world map onto a piece of white cardstock, using Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink.   After drying, I added some smudges of Salty Ocean Distress Ink.  This is attached to a khaki colored card base. The anchor  was stamped on white cardstock.  The brown ring was die cut.  Using the solid circle from the inside of the ring, I drew around it onto white cardstock for a guideline, then stamped the ship in the middle of that circle using Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink.  Using a wet paint brush and Wild Honey Distress Ink, I painted in the sails on the ship and the anchor.  Using the same technique and Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink, I painted in the ship's hull.  The water was created using a blending tool and Salty Ocean Distress Ink.  Linen string was wrapped and tied around the ring.   I cut out the ship's circle, outside the penciled guideline and adhered it behind the ring, then adhered the assemble to the lower card front.  After carefully cutting out the anchor, I adhered it using foam tape. 

Red, White and Blue

It's time to decorate the house for the 4th of July.  I just finished this table runner - it's machine pieced and hand quilted.  Don't you think it looks great on the island in my kitchen?

A rope design in quilted in the red border.

A star motif is quilted in the center of each pinwheel.

Spotlight

Do you like to be the center of attention?  I think this girl does:

I'd like to credit someone with the idea for this page, but sadly, I can't find the pin on Pinterest.  

The background is a Gelli print.  The next layer is the black oval "stage", then the vellum spotlight.  I stamped and embossed the doll's skirt on glitter paper.  The dress bodice shimmers from the pink Wink of Stella pen.  The shoes' sparkle comes from a glitter pen. Her headband is adorned with stick-on sparklers.  I used Stampendous frontage around the front of the "stage" and heated it from below.  The sentiment stamp, "I'm pretty sure that with sparkly shoes and a new tiara she could conquer the world" is from Dylusions by Ranger.  Lastly, I sprinkled some shabby pink embossing powder on the background and heated from below to add just a little more sparkle.

This is probably my favorite Prima Doll journal page, so far?  What do you think?

Laughter

"Laughter is the shortest distance between two people."  These friends certainly enjoy a good time together.  

The page is based on a Gelli print, using a home made foam stamp to remove paint from the plate before printing, to get the word "laugh" down the left side of the page.  (I used foam letters on a thicker piece of fun foam to make the stamp.) An acrylic paint marker provides the dark green ground for the girls to stand on.  The flowers behind them are from a two-layer stencil - I don't know who produced the stencil because there's no markings on it!  The sentiment stamp is from the "Feel Goods" set by Stampin' Up.  The girls dresses are paper-pieced,  and their hair and head bands are colored with Pitt pens.

Sure hope you like these friends!  I had a blast putting this page together.

City Girl

Let's go back to the Prima Doll Art Journal I started in April.  Here's another page:

Sometimes you can get lost in the big-city, but this girls finds inspiration in her surroundings.  I like the quote  "You are braver than you believe, Stronger than you seem, Smarter than you think, And loved more than you know."  when you feel alone and doubtful about what you are doing.

A book page and a piece of clothing pattern tissue was adhered to the card stock base before I added the Gelli printing - it makes a really nice background.  Apparently I used some metallic paint because there's a nice sheen to the whole page.  The house stamp is from Cocoa Daisy - who knows how long I've been hoarding that one.  I used Pitt pens to color the houses and an acrylic paint pen to color the street for the girl to stand on.  The "Today I Am" stamp is also from Cocoa Daisy.  The quote done in yellow embossing powder on the teal cardstock is a Dylusions stamp from  Ranger.  Across the bottom, I added some map style washi tape, outlined with Pitt pens.

Look back at the archives for more Prima girls and stay tuned for more - I just uploaded 4 more pictures for future publication.

Journal by 5's

This is how I spent last weekend - creating an art journal using Shannon Green's idea of journaling by 5's.  Check out her blog:  shannongreen.blogspot.com for more info on the process.  (Sorry - I don't know how to add a proper link.)  I didn't follow her instructions exactly - I forgot to time myself a couple of sessions, and I went back and repeated session one after completing session two.  (Personally, I would switch the prompts for sessions 1 and 2.)  After going through all the sessions, I had a good basis for a journal.  I added scriptures, quotes, stamped images, the instructions on the back of the front cover, my thoughts on the back of the last page, Gelli prints to the front and back covers and a couple more pictures to fill in the blank spaces.  Finally, I rubbed Van's wax on all the pages so they won't stick together - thank-you Donna Downey for that idea.  This was a great exercise and I'd like to do it again in different colors that maybe won't get so muddy.  Maybe I'll do a video of the next journal - have to keep trying new things, right?

Inside the front cover I included the instructions on how to create this type of art journal.

1st page

Back of the last page - I recorded  how I did the journal (because I didn't follow the instructions exactly) and added some ideas on how to maybe teach this type of journaling in a classroom setting.

This is actually the front cover - I used an old Gelli print to hide the Composition Book front.

This is the inside of the back cover - I used some Gelli print scraps to make it prettier.

Butterflies Prima Doll Journal Page

I'm continuing on my Prima Doll/Gelli Pringing Journal journey with this page about butterflies.  The stamp says "Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over it became a butterfly."  Sometimes we think the same way, all gloom and doom, only to find that God had another plan that was better than we could have ever hoped.

I used the Stampin' Up thinlets dies to cut the butterflies from gelli prints, then added  clear glitter.  For the background,  I used a heart stamp to remove blue sky paint from the Gelli plate before printing, and a Catalyst tool to create the green "grass".  

Connection Group Craft Night

Beginning next Monday, some of the ladies from my Connection Group (Sunday School class) will meet once a month to make a couple of cards.  This is something I've been planning to do for quite awhile, and since things are slowing down at Paper Arts (as far as the number of classes I'm teaching) I thought it would be a good time to start this.  Here's the first two cards:

I used "Sassy Salutations" stamp set from Stampin' Up and  patterned paper from my stash for this card.  Some people may make a purple version since I don't have enough of the flowered paper.  The final version of this card has a red bow at the top.

This card also comes in a pink version - I don't have enough yellow flowers for everyone.  The yellow background is dry embossed.  I don't know where I got the "hello" stamp.

The sentiments are embossed on both cards using a technique that was new to me - apply Versamark to the stamp first, then apply Distress Ink on top of the Versamark to get the right colors, stamp on paper, sprinkle on clear embossing powder then heat.  I'm really pleased with the results.  The hard part will be remembering to clean the stamp before making the next impression - you don't want to contaminate the Versamark.

School Art Journal Page

Since school's almost out for the year, I'd better post this Prima Doll School Art Journal Page before it's summer.

The background is printed from a Gelli Plate - the green reminds me of the wall color that we had in junior high years ago.  The arrows represent the decisions we all had to make in school.  The hardest part of this page was the lockers - done with lots of measuring, marking with a black Pitt pen, highlighting the vents with a white paint pen and coloring the number plates and handles with a silver Sharpie.  I used a Montana acrylic paint marker for the floor and numbered Washi tape across the very bottom.  The stamp is from Hobby Lobby - I liked the sentiment and thought it was good advice for everyone.  The Prima dolls are stamped and embossed on cream paper.  The clothes are stamped on different color/patterns of paper and embossed.  The shoes and hair are colored in with Pitt pens.  I really like Pitt Big Brush pens because they are permanent when dry, but stay wet just long enough to blend a little, if you want.

Steps Journal Page

"Trust the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding."  Proverbs 3:5
This girl is climbing the steps of life with doubt about her future.  I think we've all been there.

I used two Gelli printed pages - the blue wavy background with copper arrows, and the creamy paper with "bricks" and other stenciled layers.  On the blue background, I stenciled brown and aqua hexagons using Caran d'ache watercolor crayons. The gate and sentiment are stamped and embossed in black.  You can't see it too well, but I used a glitter pen to decorate the doll's headband. Proverbs 3:5 is written between the bricks of the steps.

On another note, I took the picture above on my deck, with the iron railing and trees in the background.  On the table on the deck was a smashed bird egg, directly below the ceiling fan - is there a nest up on the fan?  I couldn't see one, but the egg was pretty fresh. This last fall, a black bird flew over the table on the deck and hit a dining room window, killing itself.  However, the bird's beak was stuck in the window screen.  It scared me when I first saw it - a bird hanging from the window screen about 5' from the floor.  Was it a precursor to Hitchcock's "The Birds?"  You be the judge.

Cowgirl Journal Page

This cute cowgirl looks great out in the desert with the saguaro cactus.  Did you know that it's illegal to cut down a saguaro?  Did you also know that birds build nests in the saguaro?

I used a Gelli printed background and painted the brown desert sand at the base with an acrylic paint marker.  Then I added a thick layer of Glass Beads over the brown, and let it dry overnight.  Since the sentiment refers to stars, I stenciled some in the sky, using two different stencils and two different colors of Distress Ink.  The saguaro is painted with a green acrylic paint marker.  I cut slits by the cowgirl's left arm to insert her lasso.

Prima Doll Art Journal - page 1

I started this journal last week by creating Gelli printed backgrounds for each page, then stamping, embossing and cutting out one of each of my doll stamps.  Now, slowly, but surely, I'm creating an art journal with each doll and quotes from my stamp collection.  Here's the first one - and I just figured out how to add a watermark to my images - looks pretty professional, doesn't it?

The only unprofessional thins is the curved pages - guess I could iron them flat - maybe I'll try that.

How did I do it?

1.  I brayered blue acrylic paint on the gelli plate and pulled the paint off with a "LIVE" stamp I made from foam letters , then pulled a print.  Then I masked off the word with a torn piece of paper (on the print) and brayered on the Gelli plate a lighter shade of blue.  Using a texture plate, I pulled off some of the paint from the plate and pulled a print.
2.  Using a green Montana acrylic paint marker, I painted in the hill, avoiding the word "LIVE"
3.  Using a gray Montana acrylic paint marker, I painted in the path.
4.  Using some white acrylic ink, I stenciled in the clouds.
5.  I stamped "live the life you've imagined" with black ink
6.  For the doll, I used Pitt pens to color in her hair, headband, dress bodice, skirt ruffle and shoes.  I added some sparkle, with a clear Wink of Stella pen, to her shoes and headband.
7.  I stamped with black Versamark on some scrap pattern paper for her skirt and jacket, then embossed with clear embossing powder. After cutting out the clothes, I outlined the edges with a regular black Sharpie, holding the pen on the backside of the paper, using the side of the pen nib.  I also outlined the doll body, using the same method, then glued the clothes on the doll.
8.  I drew a basket, freehand, on brown paper, then added cross-hatching to make the basket look woven.  I snipped the handle and slipped the basket behind the doll's arm.  Then I glued the doll and basket to the background.
9.  I added some tiny Prima flowers to the basket and made a bouquet using the same flowers near the bottom of the page.  I freehand drew in the stems and leaves to the bouquet using a black Pitt pen.

I'm pleased with the way she turned out and hope you like her, too.

As promised, this quilted table runner is a recent addition to my collection.  My mother gave me the pattern for Christmas - it was one I had admired when we visited the Amana Colonies in Iowa last fall.  I used some fabric from my stash - who knows how long I've had it.

I did most of the quilting while riding the train to and from Austin last month, when I visited my son, and finished it at home while watching TV.

I used cross-hatch quilting for the background, quilted close to the appliques and used a scroll pattern for the borders on the ends.

I had long strips of the stripe in my stash which was perfect for the binding.

More cards...

Thought I'd share some more cards I've made for upcoming Stamp Club sessions:

Another sympathy card, this time using Stampin' Up's Thoughts and Prayers stamp set, archival ink and clear embossing powder to give the sentiment and tree a little gleam.  I punched a 3" circle to use as a mask to make the background, using Ranger's Distress Inks in Tumbled Glass for the sky, Peeled Paint for the grass and Crushed Olive for the horizon.  I tore a piece of scrap paper and used it as the mask for the horizon line.  

Graduations are fast approaching and I combined that theme with the "make your own background" theme required for an upcoming Stamp Club meeting.  First I stamped the script using an old Hero Arts stamp and red StazOn ink.  Then I brayered Ranger's Black Soot Distress ink onto the indented side of the Congratulations embossing folder,  inserted the printed cardstock and ran it through my Big Shot. I then layered this piece onto some black cardstock.  Then I wrapped some red and black ribbon around the layered card stock pieces before attaching it to the red card base.   I used Stampin' Up's Blue Ribbon stamp set with red StazOn and Black Soot Distress inks to make the ribbon embellishment.  

These two sweet baby cards used Stampin' Up's Baby Bumblebee and Little Sunshine stamp sets.  I applied a piece of tape to the words included with the Baby Bumblebee stamp while applying archival ink, then removed the tape before stamping the bee onto white cardstock.  The bee is colored with the yellow Chameleon pen, before layering onto blue or pink card stock.  That piece is then layered onto another piece of white card stock with decorative punched borders.  Tan lace was adhered under the decorative borders before the whole assemble was attached to the tan card base.  The "hello, baby" sentiment was stamped onto white cardstock using matching inks, then punched with the coordinating stamp from Stampin' Up.  The word bubble probably should have been attached with dimensional tape, but I forgot to do that.

I originally made this card for the "make your own background" assignment for Stamp Club, however, I'm going to use it for the "birthday" assignment.  To make the background, I embossed the chevrons using Stampin' Up's Positively Chevron background stamp, using clear embossing powder and Versamark ink on a white card stock panel.  Then I sprayed it with Dylusions sprays - Fresh Lime and Campso Teal.  Using a baby wipe, I wiped the spray from the embossed chevrons and blended the inks together in the background.  I stamped the sentiment using Stampin' Up's Remembering Your Birthday stamp set, using black archival ink on gray card stock.  I attached the gray card stock to the card, leaving the lower edge loose enough to slip in the green, yellow and teal card stock banners which I cut from scraps.  I then tied some bakers twine around the gray card stock and attached the panel to a white cardstock base. I continued the sentiment inside the card.

That's about it for the card creations - I'll report on a quilted table runner that I completed last week in my next post.