Random on Purpose

Bunny Love

I recently picked up a few new Close to My Heart stamps, and I am officially smitten with the "Bunny Love" set - very appropriately named!  These li'l guys are soooo cute, so I had to play with them:

 

These are little "lunch notes" - 2 1/2" x 3 1/2".  I combined punched scalloped squares with scoring on the Scor-Pal and embossing with 2" x 2" Cuttlebug folders to add some dimension.  A little ribbon, a couple of flower punches and sequins - done!  Here are shots of the individual cards:

 

 

 

There's a fourth bunny in the set who's blowing bubbles, and he's wicked cute, but I couldn't make him work with these colors, so I'll have to play a different way with him.  Aren't these the cutest, though?  Okay, back to finish watching "House" - I've been writing this post during commercials... 

Stamps: Close to My Heart Bunny Love, Stampin'Up! A Good Egg (sentiment); Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, CTMH Bubblegum,SU! Lavendar Lace; Paper: CTMH Amethyst, Bubblegum, Sunkiss Yellow; Accessories: Scallop square punches, tiny flower punch, Cuttlebug w/swiss dot and small square frame embossing folders, Scor-Pal, ribbon, flower sequins, decorative-edge scissors, Bic, Prismacolor and LePlume markers

Step Outside...

...the box, that is...  I did several things today that I either haven't done before, or that I don't normally do.  It's "inspiration challenge" day today on Splitcoast, and we were directed to Glenda Mosher's art blog (she is also known as Robin Ringtail on Splitcoast), where she posts her beautiful paintings.  I chose this painting as my inspiration for this card:

    

Inside it says, "When they made you, they broke the mold!"  So, what did I do that I normally don't?  Well, you may have noticed that I almost never make masculine cards, and I almost never make cards for anything specific (except obvious occasions like Halloween or Christmas).  This is DEFINITELY a guy's birthday card, so there you go!  Plus, did you notice all of the piercing?  Yeah - don't normally do that, either...  Lately I've been tending to color images with markers or watercoloring, but this one is Gamsol Magic (although I used baby oil and q-tips* instead of mineral spirits and paper blending stumps - cheaper and just as effective, if you ask me...)  The bling is some of the "bangle bling" I scored back in the fall, stuck on with glue dots.

*Edited to add: I misspoke - I used Swisspers cosmetic applicators, not q-tips.  sorry if I've messed any of you up...

Wondering about the sentiment?  I played around with fonts and spacing and all of that on plain paper until I got what I wanted, then stuck my already-colored-and-trimmed image over the printing where I wanted it (poster tape on the top edge only worked just fine) amd ran it through the printer - perfecto!  Same dealie-o on the inside of the card...

I have several (dozen) ideas bouncing around in my brain right now, so if I can execute any of them, I'll post again later.  Meanwhile, enjoy your day (if you are somewhere that the weather is cooperating for that) and/or stay safe (if you're in all of those areas with flooding and tornadoes and all that mess) and thanks for stopping by!  Ta!

Stamps: Close to My Heart Toadstools (retired); Ink: CTMH Outdoor Denim; Paper: CTMH Outdoor Denim and Plum Mist (retired); Accessories: Computer (Stiltskin Font), bangle bling, piercing tool and guide and mat (mat pack from Stampin'Up!)

Thankful for Odd Brain

This is my second post today.  The fun, creative one you'll need to scroll down for - this one is because I need to get this "out there" while I'm thinking about it...

I know I kind of poke fun at myself about how oddly my brain works, but as I was going about the business of the day, I was doing my usual "mulling things over" that I do when I don't really have to focus on the task at hand, and realized a few things:

I've come to the conclusion that how I personally remember anything is not random, as it appears at first glance.  I have to have an emotional attachment to information in order for my brain to store it in any accessible area.  I'll refine that even a little farther and say that it has to be a positive emotional attachment!  For whatever reason, if something strikes me as quirky or amusing or elicits a sentimental or affectionate response, then I can hang onto that.

If my response is negative - anger, sorrow, whatever - then I remember it only for a very short time, if at all.  Even the absolute worst things that have happened to me ever, ever in my life are only vague recollections, and I generally remember it without any emotional response in the remembering - just kind of a "Wow, that sucked, didn't it?" type of thing...  What a blessing!

The downside of this peculiarity of mine is that I sort of feel like an aloof observer in my own life sometimes.  I truly enjoy my siblings, my children, my grandchildren, my husband, etc., etc., and love them all dearly, but I don't have that "I'll die if anything happens to them" passion thing that you hear about/see in the movies.

Maybe part of that, too, is my belief in the why we're here/what comes next deal.  I truly believe that this "mortal existence" or experience being "human" or whatever is just a stage of progression in the big scheme of things, and therefore temporary.  My personal belief is that we always were and always will be, in some form or another.  I don't know (nor do I care) what the other forms could possibly be, but I refuse to accept that this is all there is...

So, there's my little philosophical discussion for the day!  Now I can move ahead with what I'm supposed to be doing, without worrying that I'll lose the train of thought before it reaches its destination - thanks for coming along for the ride!

...and little lambsie divey...

A few months ago I toyed with the idea of developing my own line of stamps, and started making sketches toward that end.  I've since decided that the market is saturated enough, and I don't need to join the fray, but I still have the sketches...

Today's "limited supply" challenge on Splitcoast is to  use ONLY black and white - NO other colors allowed!  Well, I just happened to have sketched some little lambs, and guess what color they are?  Uh-huh - black and white!

 

Well, okay...dark gray and white...  If I used black, you wouldn't be able to see their li'l eyes, now, would you?  Gray is a shade of black, so we were allowed to use it, too, so I didn't even cheat!  I wanted to keep this super-simple so as not to overpower these little guys, so I just made a 4 1/2" square card using some simply patterned dp I've had forever, matted my sheep and assembled the card.  The sentiment is written on black cardstock with a white gel pen, and the little embellishment is a flower sequin with a mini brad center.  Pretty quick card, and I'm pleased as punch to have it finished and posted so early!

I may make another, classier card later if I have time and the inclination, but for now I'm moving on to "work" mode (getting harder to do every day...)  Have a great day, thanks for stopping by, and make sure you take time for YOU at some point today!  Ta! 

Odd Brain Strikes Again...

You've heard of left-brain and right-brain people, correct?  I have self-diagnosed the gray matter in my skull to be Odd Brain.  I just can't seem to get away from general weirdness there, and often very specific oddities occur!  Case in point:  all of the items on this post were inspired by.....wait for it....my UNDERWEAR DRAWER!!!  Yeah, I know - totally TMI...  I can't help it - misery loves company or whatever so I'm sharing my affliction with you (so lucky, aren'tcha now?)

It all started when I had to remove all my undies from the dryer and fold them neatly and tuck them into the drawer.  I have a favorite pair (you do, too...), and noticed that the reasons why would translate well to a card.  They are a gray heather t-shirt type knit with little eyelet-type flowers embroidered in white and they're banded with a softer version of lime green.  So, I made this:

 

Stamps: Stampin'Up! Boho Backgrounds, Heidi Grace Tags and Words; Ink: Versamark, Stampin'Up! Going Gray; Paper: DCWV Gray, SU! Gable Green; Accessories: Flower trim, crochet thread and epoxy sticker from my stash, SU! curly label punch and Hodgepodge Hardware, Treasured Memories buttons, detail white embossing powder

I embossed the sweet little flowers from Stampin'Up!'s Boho Backgrounds onto some texured gray cardtock from DCWV, distressed the edges and stitched that panel to some Gable Green cardstock from Stampin'Up!, which was also distressed (just not as heavily), along with a strip of the same.  I have a bunch of random scraps of laces and trims and such, so I snagged these flowers, colored some pale yellow buttons with a Bic Marker to make them match the cardstock, tied them with crochet thread, and layered them on.  I punched and distressed a curly label, stamped a sentiment, and put a clear epoxy sticker over it.  I had this silver Hodgepodge Hardware label holder, but wanted to make it less shiny, less silver, and more shabby so I got out the gesso and just sort of swiped some on there.  Then I layered it over the curly label, poked holes through all the layers to thread more crochet thread through and tied everything together.  I noticed (after it was all stitched down and there was nothing I could do about it) that my green strip is crooked, but I decided that since this is sort of a shabby card anyway that I would just consider it part of the charm (I meant to do that...that's my story and I'm stickin' to it!)  It's prettier in person - the colors are softer and it doesn't look quite so beat-up...

I have another pair the same style, but different colors - all white with red and white banding - and we are VERY familiar with my opinion of red and white, so no surprise here:

 

Stamp: Stampin'Up! Love Matters; Ink: Close to My Heart White Daisy pigment ink; Paper: Stampin'Up! Real Red, Georgia Pacific white; Accessories: Cuttlebug w/bloom dot embossing folder, detail white embossing powder, ribbon, heart brad

Super simple 3" square card...  I Cuttlebugged some bloom dots and trimmed them down, embossed the sentiment on a strip of cardstock and stuck it on, wrapped a piece of ribbon around it the other way, added a brad and a bow, and matted the whole thing with red.

I have a fondness for all things tropical, especially flamingos and hibiscus, so that's sort of a recurring theme in many areas of my life, including the undie drawer:

 

Stamps: Close to My Heart Hang Ten, The Paper Studio Botanicals and Birds, Stampin'Up! One of a Kind; Ink: CTMH Sea Foam, Baby Pink; Paper: CTMH Blush, Buttercup, Seafoam; Accessories: Fiskars and EK Success oval punches

Isn't that flamingo pretty?  It's from one of the new stamp sets I got at Hobby Lobby - Botanicals and Birds by The Paper Studio.  And, of course, I had to haul out one of my fave CTMH sets to make the background...

There's one more that I wanted to do, but it's past midnight and I'm going to bed now, so stories for another day, I guess!  I hope I didn't skeeve anyone out with this little romp through my dainties - I just couldn't help myself!  Okay, g'night, and thanks for stopping by!

Itchy, Itchy...Scratchy, Scratchy...

Another brain itch got scratched last night and this morning...  I have this beautiful set of stamps from Close To My Heart:

 

and have used most of them on various projects, but had a hard time coming up with a use for the gargantuan stamp (other than as a background).  The itch started out as a little tickle, then became this:

 

I haven't decided whether or not I love it, and I certainly have NO clue what to do with it  - it's 8 inches across and on a 2-foot dowel!  Ah well, the itch got satisfactorily scratched, and I never know what to do with most of the stuff I make, anyway, so there you are!

You've probably already figured out what I did, but just in case:  I stamped the motif six times on white cardstock with Versamark, and embossed each with pink embossing powder.  Then I cut out each one, adding a little tab at the base of each:

I used a sponge dauber and Vineyard Berry ink to add color, especially around the edges and on a couple of spots on the motif that I wanted to emphasize:

 

I didn't have any green embossing powder that was a color I would have been happy with (my choices were lime green and hunter green - um, no thanks...), so I stamped the image on Garden Green cardstock and embossed with clear, then used a sponge dauber and New England Ivy ink over it. 

To assemble the flower, I stacked the petals with the outer tips lined up (I didn't use a template or anything for the tabs, just winged it, so they weren't exactly the same) and punched a hole with my Crop-a-dile.  Then I stacked a couple of Primas on top of the stacked petals and put a big brass office-supply brad through all of it (as opposed to the smaller papercrafting ones) and fanned the petals out.  The center of the flower is a faux cabochon off of a piece of costume jewelry I had hanging around, adhered with a glue dot.

To put the flower and leaf on the dowel, I first used the dauber again to put green ink on the dowel (not too fussy - I didnt' care if it was even, just green), then put a glue dot at the top, wrapped the ends of the brad around the dowel and glue dot, stuck the ribbon in the mix and wrapped the ribbon around the dowel, letting the dowel show through.  When I got to the  point where I wanted to add the leaf, I just pinched a pleat into the base of it, laid it flat against the dowel, and wrapped it several times with the ribbon before proceeding down the rest of the length of the dowel.  I tried reinforcing it with a staple and with tape, but neither did a very good job, so I'm taking my chances that it'll stay...  The ribbon is just taped off at the bottom.

And that's the whole story!  Like I said, I have no idea what to do with this, but I think it's kinda pretty, and I may do a scaled-down version with the smaller image in the set, and do a whole bouquet or something - you just never know with me!

I haven't done anything even remotely resembling work yet today, so I'd best go try to knock out something, I s'pose.  I had to go get a mammogram this morning (oh, so fun!), and just haven't been able to get into work mode since I got home - I've made phone calls, made and eaten lunch (which I never do), finished, photgraphed and uploaded these pics, done four loads of laundry, so I've not been idle, exactly - but none of these adds to the family budget in any way, shape or form, so...

I also started another project that I'll finish tonight and share tomorrow, so check back!  Thanks for stopping by and have a great afternoon!

Stamps: Close To My Heart Adorable; Ink: Versamark, CTMH Vineyard Berry and New England Ivy; Paper: CTMH Garden Green, White Daisy; Accessories: JoAnn's pink and clear embossing powders, Offray Ribbon, dowel from craft supply

Look What I Did!

So here's the dealie-o:  I work from home, and my work involves large items (sofa cushions, barstools, bolts of fabric, etc.) that take up large amounts of space.  Since I live in a very modest two-bedroom apartment, space is at a bit of a premium.  It seems that one corner of our living room was perpetually in "warehouse" status, as was a portion of our bedroom, in addition to my sewing/stamping/workroom.  Greg's been making noises that sounded suspiciously like "find a different job" (as in one I'd have to clock in on every day and leave my comfy space to do) or "rent a workspace" (which means working x number of hours to pay for before I turn a profit), so I decided drastic measures were in order and spent three hours yesterday doing this:

 

That 's the closet in my room, with newly installed shelving.  Being the Queen of Cheap, when someone moved out several months ago and abandoned all the pieces/parts for one of those DIY wardrobe thingies, I hauled most of them - in shifts, in the middle of the night (hey, I'm not proud, but I have to remember that Greg lives here, too...) - five flights up (okay, I used the elevator, but they're still heavy and there were still a lot of them) to my apartment.  I've been using one of the side pieces as a counter of sorts to stamp on, but my need for shelving and my non-existent budget for it required that I rob from the stamping side of things to sustain the income-producing side of things.  The reason I'm so proud of this endeavor is because it didn't cost me anything and because - even though Greg is a construction guy - I did it completely without his help, and with nothing but a miter saw, a razor knife and a drill.  Ever try to cut a 20" wide board with a miter saw (the manual kind, not the power kind)?  Tricky, tricky, that...!  Anyway - the right side has 28" wide, 20" deep shelves that are 24" apart, so I can put cushions and stuff there, and the left side has 23" wide, 20" deep shelves that range from 10" to 18" apart for crafting/sewing/stamping stuff.

The downside here is that, in order to build this beast, the closet had to be emptied.  Also, since I was stealing parts from the room itself, that got more than disheveled - closer to "blowed up real good"!  So now I'm putting everything back together in a "new and improved" configuration and actually attempting to make it pretty instead of just functional.  Hopefully I can have enough progress to snap a pic or two in the near future and share here.  I have a couple of mostly-completed cards, too, so after I un-bury them, I'll finish and share...

Okay - gotta go see what Greg's doing - back a different day with other stuff!  Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Day!

Happy First Day of Spring!  It was a little on the chilly side here in upstate New York, but the sun is shining and the sky is blue, so two out of three ain't bad!  I haven't scratched the other two itches yet (maybe tomorrow), but had a random idea cross my brain while I was blow-drying my hair ("look what just blew in!") and did this:

 

Can you say "10-minute card"?  Seriously, it does not get faster or easier than this!  I cut a piece of white cardstock 4 1/2" x 9", scored and folded it to make a 4 1/2" square card, ran one side through the Cuttlebug with the Floral Fantasy folder, wrapped ribbon around the top, layered three Primas and attached them with a bling brad, stuck three smaller flowers on and stuck a rhinestone in the middle of each, applied a rub-on to the tag and attached it - done!  Or....that's how long it would have taken me if that's all I'd done...  To be completely honest, it took a little longer because I felt compelled to remove the plain white paper from the tag and replace it with pale green leaf-patterned paper...  Still, though - it only added a little longer to the total time!

Two little tricky tidbits:  1) Since the A2 embossing folders are only 4 1/4" wide, and my card is 4 1/2" wide, I put the card front in sideways to cover the whole thing.  This still left a strip across the top that was un-embossed, but the ribbon covers it, so who's to care?  2) If you pull the paper out of a metal-rimmed tag there's a tiny space between the top and bottom edges that you can wedge your tweezers into and then rotate them to spread the two edges apart a smidge.  If you continue the length of the tag, you eventually get it open enough to put in your new paper (which you have cleverly cut to size by using the removed white piece as a template - tricky you!)

I have three or four more 10-minute cards in my head, so look for those soon, too.  Meanwhile, have a fab weekend (it's FRIDAY - HOOOOOORAYYYYYY!!!) and Happy Spring, and thanks for stopping by!

Paper: Georgia Pacific white, DCWV pale green; Accessories: Stampin'Up! "Love and Happiness" rub-on, CK bling brad, Prima and CTMH flowers, Hillary Duff rhinestones, Treasured Memories tag, Cuttlebug w/floral fantasy folder

Butterflies

I still haven't quite made up my other mind what I'm going to do anytime soon, meanwhile - as typically happens - I've had another "brain itch" that required scratching...  Well, three, really, but today I'm just sharing the first one.  You may have noticed that butterflies are EVERYWHERE in cardmaking, scrapbooking, home decor, etc., etc., and that butterfly punches are a go-to tool these days.  I have a few of them, but I was also curious how else I could get a butterfly without buying more punches, so I experimented with some punches I already had.

First off, I tried out the five-petal flower punch from Stampin'Up:

First I punched it like this to get this...

Then I trimmed it like this:

  To end up with this...

 

Then I tested out a retro flower punch from EK Success:

Which gave me this shape...

But if you turn it, it looks like this...

And you can just add a body to fill in the gap.

Then I got out my Fiskars heart squeeze punch:

And got this:

 

And here are a few other punches and resulting shapes (some require trimming like the 5-petal one...)

 

And here is a card made with the original ones:

 

The sunshine (!!!) is pretty bright, and washes the colors out a little, even with editing, but it's preferable to the murky ones I got indoors...  That's it for today - thanks for stopping by!

Stamp: Inkadinkado Kathy Davis Expressions; Ink: Stampin'Up! Regal Rose, Groovy Guava;Paper: Stampin'Up! Regal Rose, Ginger Blossom Designer Series Paper; Accessories: Sewing machine, Stampin'Up! 5-petal flower punch, Hillary Duff rhinestones

Things That Make You Go "Hmmm..."

Today's post has no artwork, no brilliant ideas, no tricks or tips or techniques...  Instead, I'm throwing a "something to ponder" out there.  The Thing To Ponder is this:  what is going on in the creative community and, more specifically, the creative blogging community?  It seems to be polarizing - some of the blogs have upped the creativity/ingenuity to an amazing level, while many seem to be stuck in some kind of rut and/or just getting boring...  I have to think I'm in the latter category because of several things:  1) my energy level and mojo level have been low of late, largely due to stressors from work and family (I know I've whined enough about things here on this blog to make you cringe), 2) I've had several people unsubscribe from my blog this week, 3) I'm not all that thrilled with some of the stuff I'm putting on here, and feel generally uninspired - like there's something else I'm supposed to be doing but haven't nailed it down yet.

Understand - I don't take it personally when anyone unsubscribes.  It's a bit disheartening because there's a bit of a sense of failure - or at least of having let someone down, but I started this blog with a whole different intent in mind and it evolved into a "creative sharing" spot, and I've continued it mostly as a way to keep myself motivated and involved.  If someone likes it well enough to subscribe then yippee, but if they opt out that's okay, too.  And - like I said - some of the blogs I subscribe to are rapidly approaching un-subscription status, as well...

Which brings me back to the pondering part:  are we generally hitting burnout (except the rare few who seem to be burning brighter)?  Is there something else going on?  Is there just TOO MUCH for it to not start looking all the same?  Are we on the cusp of some new wonderful revelation in the stamping/crafting world?  I have ZERO answers, but I'm wondering if taking a break from blogging entirely might be smart, just to recharge the batteries and come back with a fresh perspective.  Or maybe go back to my original intent with this blog (which was pretty much just tapping out my ponderings - if you read the first few posts in the archives, you'll see what I mean).  I don't know...  I'm certainly open to any and all suggestions/feedback/answers any of you out there in blogland care to send my way.  Meanwhile, have a blessed Sabbath, a great week, and we'll see what tomorrow brings!