Recycle and reuse!

I found a scrapping website, Artz de Scrap which focuses on altering items. Since I recently overdosed on making an abundance of Christmas cards and my craft room is now filled with an avalanche of scraps I am happy to jump into using a few of the leftovers for an altered matchbox challenge. Although I felt a little past the Christmas theme an idea to make a container for storing some recycled scraps for next season pulled my thoughts together. While pondering the matchbox I recalled wanting to save some of the snowflakes from the holiday Coke cans. Yes, a little can cutting and punching of metal and I have a stash of embellishments as well as some larger snowflakes like the one behind the bird.

Merry Christmas

One of my favorite things about the holidays is making merry for
others. Even as a child I can remember staying up into the wee hours to have enough time to finish a special surprise. Some things don't change much. I still do not get enough sleep when I am excited about making a special project to surprise my friends.

One of this year's highlights was sharing in a couple handmade ornaments swaps. Oh my, what fun I had! Most of the ornaments are fairly small since I am swapping internationally. I decide to place them on some frosted branches on a shelf which I can see when using my computer. Here's a few close-ups but click on the pictures to get an enlarged view.

Every one is a beauty! I received a knitted beaded tree from Sarah in Australia. Dymphie from the Netherlands made with copper embossed covered book and shares lots of photos of her process on her blog. Saddly she has waited over a month and not all her ornaments have just arrive . Other ornaments include a felted tree with beads, Daria made a mini canvas covered with embossed copper and inset picture, a paper block ornament, Christmas art under glass with a soldered frame, a memory framed ornament and Annie created the 3-D shadow box at the bottom.

Here are also a few of the cards I didn't have time to share while I was making merry.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas is Coming

Yes, Viriginia, Christmas is coming. How do I know, you ask. Well it is another year of 12 Days of Christmas Tags from Tim Holtz. This is a special gift that comes to papercrafters each December. Tim makes tags with incredible details and share lots of tips and new techniques for using Ranger products and his own. The first year I got to make many of the tags. Unfortunately this will be another light season of playing but I was extremely happy to work on inspiration from the first 2 tags.

O-o La-La Love the Rock Candy Stickles and Rock Candy Crackle Paint! This was my first time using them...lots of fun. The penquin is heated embossed with black embossing powder on grungeboard. Thanks Tim for a very fun technique!

For tag #2-Of course inspiration can result in items other than tags and take on looks very different than original work. For the 2nd tag Tim shared how to cut and bend his metal flower embellishments and create a rose. I just had to give it a try. After putting it on the card I felt it need to have a softer look so I added some frosted lace stickles as well as some green and gold stickles on the leaves.

Summer is quickly slipping away

Our Alaska summer has been absolutely glorious. I just love summer days in the 70's! Our flowers are now at their prime! But oh summer is quickly passing us by. I know because it is a now a little twilight when I go to bed at midnight and it is dark in the middle of the night.

I have been stamping but haven't been on the computer so much to post. So here are a few of my recent pieces. I am continuing to play the Thinking Inking series on Ranger and Hero Arts products on 2 peas.

This card used dimensional pearls for the background. The butterful is 3 D-stamped with Stazon on acetate and stickles added to the back. Folded on both sides of the body and placed on pop dots.




This is a clear acetate card. The green paper is a not a part of the card. The flower image was stamped on sticky backed canvas. The centers are embellished with dimensional pearls and stickles. The edge of card is highlighted with pearl dabber paint.







I used handmade paper for this card and began with color the hitting the high spots directly with distress ink, then wet it with glitz mist and embossing with the cuttlebug. Add more distress ink.
The paper flower was painted with marigold crackle paint and when dry highlighted with fired brick distress ink.

I had great fun playing with dabber paints and a little grunge board.


Hope you are enjoying your summer too!

Thank you for being a special friend

Once again I have a heavy heart as I say goodbye to another stamping friend. Amazing what special friendships we can make on the internet and yet never meet in person. The internet connection was the only connection Jean/micemom and I shared yet we still shared lots of e-mails filled with encouragment, inspiration and moments of laughter while writing about card making, stamping, inking as well as many related and unrelated matters. While I will miss Jean greatly, I know she is now in a more peaceful, restful place. Jean was a very supportive enabler encouraging me, as well as others, to try new supplies, techniques and challenges. She personally often took on the challenge of making a card that was considered a little more complex than the usual. So today I made this card in celebration of all the beautiful moments that Jean/micemom and I shared.

For this card I started with Mind’s Eye printed paper and embossed with the QuicKutz diamond and dots embossing folder and sanded to make the embossing stand out. I used Hero Arts real dill H3258 stamp in the background. I added liquid appliqué to the flowering tops and star dust stickles. The double layered butterfly is made with the new QuicKutz die cut. The bottom layer is a stamp from the HA Leaf cluster set D4947and sprayed with Memories Mists-Iridescent and finally embellished with gems and pearls. The top polished stone layer of the butterfly was made with alcohol inks. The black decorative border paper was sprayed with Krylon spray webbing paint and punch with the Martha Stewart lace punch.

Flood my world with color

After begining surrounded by the whiteness of snow for 8 months of the year, I can't wait for the landscape to flood with color. I tried to create a card that reminded me of the flower gardens with a single flower standing out. I started the background with my new Hero Arts stamp and used a gold dabber acrylic paint on the stamp to create a shabby chic imprint. I used Cut n' Dry sponge to blend the background distress ink colors, distressed the edges and covered the background with iridescent Memories Mist. A medium size flower from the background stamp was stamped, embossed and inked. I used the scrap of paper from inking the flower as the background for the HA sentiment. Final touches of embellishment included inking the lace and card base and adding stickles, pearl and gems.

Challenge Play

I have been busy playing at a few different challenges across the Internet. Here are a few of the cards I made.

Hero Arts sponsored a great "go green" challenge. I made several cards.

I save lots of the wonderful stamps that come my way on swaps. The sentiment is a RAK from lakeslady/Joan.

I used scraps for this card including the marble paper I created with shaving cream. This card is for my sister who loves cooking and flowers.

I stamped on old calendar pictures for this card and envie.

This card used the newly released Quickutz embossing folder...what fun to sand the images. The sun and flower image are stamped on more of the homemade marble paper. Thanks Tami for the RAK.

I created this fern card using Tami B/teabear's wonderful video tutorial on her blog. Perhaps you may have done the bleach technique in the past but this one has an added twist that is lots of fun.

My most recent challenge is on GinaK's Stamp TV site.

She had 2 tutorials on wax paper backgrounds. I used plain wax paper for the frame and ran some through the cuttlebug for the background behind the flower.

Ink-a-palooza challenges

For 10 days I played during the challenge week at the Stamp Shack. Lots and lots of ink...and here are a few of my favorites. Many thanks to all who played--it was a fun-tastic time!





Alcohol ink background.
Color challenge.









Aluminum foil on cardstock, embossed and colored with sharpies.

Distress ink backgrounds

Distress ink on fabric. Emboss resist.

Background stamp glazed with Perfect Pearls.

Earth Day 2009

I remember being excited at the difference we could make when I attended one of the first Earth Day celebrations in 1970. We still have a long ways to go but it only takes each person doing a little bit more. I am sure you know that so I just want to say-- thanks for doing your part!

Odd Bird Planet sponsored some great stamping challenges to celebrate Earth Day and to help us all think of some little things we can do. This first card is for a scrap aluminum foil challenge presented on Paperie Petals blog --thanks Kim! How many times do we not need the full piece that we tear off?...try saving the scraps and use them in your card making.

For this challenge I re-purposed one of the prima cans into a q-tip holder for in my bathroom. I used Claudine Hellmuth's sticky back canvas, gesso for texture and of course my fav OBP flower stamp! Nichole did a super job with sharing ideas on re-purposing package materials on her blog. Even if you don't have time to do the challenges take some time to see her great examples.

I have spent the last few months making home improvements to reduce the use of heating fuel and electricity. Who would have thought I would love looking at my cute new little yellow furance LOL! But even more I love looking at those looking at those bills going down!

What have you done recently to help our planet?

Hope I have some time to do a few more Earth Day challenges tomorrow night!

Sending springtime wishes

There is still two feet of snow on the ground here. But the temperature finally broke freezing this week and a the Canadian geese have arrived in Fairbanks. My thoughts turn to spring time.

This daffodil card is made with a crayon resist technique (the waxy kind like the one from the egg dye kit).

This one layer card was made for a Hero Arts blog challenge. The Happy Easter is heat embossed with Ranger's Glitter.

This card was made for a Ranger Challenge requiring making your own colors. The background is made by mixing Ranger's distress Fire Brick and Dried Marigold reinkers on a craft sheet...spreading it across the sheet and placing the paper on top. I then misted the leftovers making the softer color for the background around the birdhouse(inkadinkado stamp).

The Kreativ Blogger Award

Thanks to Anne, a stamping pal from the Hero Arts blog recently shared a lovely award with me.

The award asks that recipients share 7 things about themselves.

I love learning and sharing papercrafting techniques. In addition to visiting the many stamping blogs of friends, I most often frequent and participate in challenges at commercial blogs by Hero Arts, Tim Holtz and Ranger Inks. I love all the new U-tube videos that share techniques (only wish my computer had faster download capabilities). Because I like playing with paper and ink most of my work includes lots of white cardstock and very little printed paper. I have just started using watercolor pencils and love them. My long time favorite for coloring is Tombow pens or distress inks with cut n dry sponge. My favorite themes include elements of nature.

Thanks again Anne for the Award!

Challenges at Scrapbook News and Review

Today is the last day of classes and challenges for the Spring Fling at Scrapbook News and Review . Yes, you must register (free) at the site and then head to the forum and find the Spring Fling section for the Crop Challenges and Classes. Tami B. is on their staff and posted a terrific class yesterday on embossing distress. What a easy and fun cuttlebug (or othe embossing)techinque. Here is what I did with it.





I made this cracked glass for a sketch challenge.








A color challenge requested the use of jellybean colors.







Finally every spring has its insects...








Hope you are enjoying your spring days. Here warm sunshine is filling our days now and it is a few degress above zero. It is such a pleasant time of year to enjoy the outdoor activities like ice carving and the sled dog races. It truly is an amazing time of year to visit...just let me know when it works for you!

Weathered with wax technique challenge

My friend Tami B combined a couple techniques into one and created a wonderful Weathered with wax video for the 2 peas stampfest challenges. Here is my take on that challenge. I dry embossed the butterflies from the back to create a 3dimension look.