Moxie Bright "I {heart} U" Card

Here I am just under the wire again posting a card I made for the Moxie Fab Chiclectic Challenge.  I am all about the colors, so I used all the bold, bright colors of the inspiration photo (below).  The large die-cut was a piece I had sitting around: I used an ink pad to change it from white to pink, then adhered to the orange designer paper.  I added a PC-generated piece of checkerboard paper and an "altered" length of tape (I'll be back with instructions for the tape). 

My favorite little never-used bronze frames were the perfect touch (see bed frame in photo) - I simply strung the alphabet beads through the frames with some wire and attached everything with glue dots.

[Edit: The designer "tape" is easy to do: simply adhere a length of tape to any designer paper - keep a bit of tape unstuck and then use a fingernail or bone folder to press down firmly on the rest of the tape. Now, quickly pull up on the tape all in one motion. The tape will pull off just the top layer of the designer paper and leave rough edges like the ones shown on my card above. You can stick the tape to your project with more adhesive (the back of the "designer tape" will not be sticky enough). You can also start with a longer piece of tape and after pulling up, fold the raw edges back to make an interesting ribbon - that will match any paper you have on hand! I have been able to tie the ribbon into a crisp bow - it looks a bit like oilcloth].

Geometric Punch Card - Moxie Fab Punches Challenge

For my cousin Rich's birthday today, I came up with another design for The Punches Challenge at Moxie Fab World.  I created my own designer paper by using the punch tool seen below to form a pattern on a piece of graph paper.  Using graph paper made it easy to punch a geometric design without a lot of measuring and penciling.  After the holes were punched, I brayered fabric paint all over it.  The paint soaking unevenly into the lightweight paper gave it a bit of a suede texture, I think.  I printed the sentiment on my PC and cut it to fit the metal tag.

The punched paper was layered over two other designer papers, and the card was finished off with a little ring embellishment and a paper "ribbon" through the tag.   

[Edit - of course I realized later I had not linked my post to the Moxie Fab Challenge, so I was not really entered, but in my defense, I've been on "vacation mode" these past few weeks looking for a job and reorganizing my studio.]

Happy 31st Anniversary, AJ and RJ

This is an anniversary card for my friend AJ and her husband that I'm posting to the Moxie Fab blog for this week's Tuesday Trigger: Winter Blossoms.  I repeatedly stamped a Studio G (dollar stamp) flower on different shades of white and tan cardstock and paper, cut them out and highlighted just the centers with silver glitter pen.  One of the papers I used was tissue, like some of the flowers in the Trigger photo below.  The flowers are layered over some sheer ribbon over a diamond pattern paper to which I've added an "argyle" line.  The sentiment is done with stickers and the little metal clock embellishment is attached with thin wire over the flowers.   

Winter Whimsy

After a long day of job-searching, it was fun to finally finish a card I've been working on for The Punches Challenge over at Moxie Fab.  As it started to come together, I thought it would make a good banner for my blog, so I photographed it before I added the sentiment and then keyed in my blog name in a text box to use as my banner. 

We were to use a punched element in an innovative way.  I happened to have this EK ornament punch on my desk prior to cleaning up the post-holiday chaos and the thing that caught my eye was the tree-like shape that could be made when the punched piece was turned upside down.  So, I played around with a combination of shapes and patterns to create this wintery scene.  All the "trees" came from the EK punch - I only snipped a bit off of the tall trees and left the round trees exactly as they were punched.  The sun was made with a Martha Stewart punch and the sentiment is separate rub-on letters.  The paper is all DCWV: Blossoms & Butterflies 4.5 x 6.5 stack.  The size of the stack is important here, because of the smaller scale of the pattern.        

And if you want to see the ornaments as they would normally be punched and used, here's the card upside down.

Hello 2012 - Happy New Year

I started the New Year off with a bit of a change to tradition.  Usually, Mom and brothers and sis-in-law and I get together for breakfast and bowling or a round of miniature golf.  This year we were invited to Cousin Keith's house, where we had dinner and shared memories of his sister Laynie, who died of cancer in October just short of her 42nd birthday.  Knowing how hard it is to go through the first holidays after a loved one's death, it was good to be with extended family and hear their favorite Laynie stories.

Nancy G decorated a theme tree this year, something she says she does every so often.  I love her color scheme and the idea of a theme tree.  Many years ago, I decorated a tree in a southwestern USA theme, using sandbakels tins that somehow really fit; looking like the silver jewlry of Arizona and New Mexico, I suppose.  But I have now collected too many ornaments to leave any unpacked each year.   

Another member of my cousin's family was there - their pet chinchilla (I have forgotten his name).

Goodbye 2011 - Happy New Year!

A beautifully fluffy coating of snow to usher out the old year...

Goodnight and Happy New Year!

Happy Fall - Leaf Special Effects

C and I took a walk last weekend and discovered some interesting pre-fall maple leaf colors.  I've never noticed this dark/light pattern before, so I pulled out my camera.  Although it was still light out, my flash went off and turned the background black.  I took the second photo without the flash to show the true scene. 

But, I liked the contrast-effect, so I took another flash photo (below).  I will try this "technique" again very soon.   

Remembering Ten Years Ago

I wanted to re-post this card from a couple years ago. It was not made with any occasion in mind, but it seems to be appropriate for today, the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

This is a re-post of what I wrote two years ago:


Although this is not a serious or controversial blog, it IS a personal journal of sorts, and I can't let the day go by without pausing for a moment to remember that day and thank God I didn't lose any loved ones. I was in London with my oldest nephew (for his high school graduation trip) when we started to hear that something had happened - via talk on the street, a canceled performance (because it was USA-related), and an eerie photo of a single WTC tower with smoke pouring from it. It wasn't until we returned to our hotel later that day that the whole shocking series of events was played on TV before our uncomprehending eyes. We had several days left of our vacation, so the delayed flights home didn't affect us. In fact, we flew home the first day planes were allowed back over U.S. airspace. When we landed in Pittsburgh, the passengers gave the pilots a round of applause and we were greeted by airport personnel as if WE had done something heroic.

And maybe we had. We got on those first planes and returned to our homes and lived our lives, because that's what the living must do to honor the departed.

If you have any thoughts or memories of that day, please feel free to share them here.

Tuesdays Around Town - Renaissance Festival

[Time is flying as usual, so I'm posting the first batch of Renaissance Festival photos, with more to come]

Over Labor Day weekend, I went to the Renaissance Festival in the southwest metro with my brothers and nephew.  The weather was nearly perfect: not too hot or cold, with a few clouds to keep the sunburn to a minimum. 

            

We got there just after it opened, and saw many of the actors entering the village (above).

David and I were looking at a map in search of breakfast when we were waylaid by a dance troupe in need of a couple of extras to help them learn a number.  We had fun, but learned our lesson: heads up if you don't want to be part of the act :)

A bald eagle from the Raptor Center.

Some of the quirky buildings before the crowds appeared.

(Above and below).  A trip through The Secret Garden and Enchanted Forest.  Inside a hobbit house.

Miniature houses - about 5 feet tall.

A sleeping fairy - or woodland nymph?

It became a popular day, but never really too crowded.

Look closely at the roof above (click to enlarge) - there's a dragon  coming out of the windows.

Wind Rose Mill and Wine Cafe

The Wacky Chickens comedy act.  They clucked and pointed to snatch this boy out of the audience and make him play along.  He was hilarious.  See him in before and after photos of the glasses and chicken cap they made him wear. 

A new feature at Ren Fest this year - the alligator cage, with saddled turtle (above)

Mead, the first wine, was sold in a few places.  I had 2 glasses for good measure.

Color Inspiration Challenge - Blue Shamrock

Happy Labor Day Weekend, Everyone! I am spending the first day of the 3-day holiday making some cards. The first one is for the Papercrafts Connection Color Inspiration Challenge 8:

The Bazzill (company) color equivalents are Breaker Bay blue and Shamrock green. I did the best I could to match them. All cardstock is by DCWV. Shamrock paperpunch is Martha Stewart. The ribbon is actually 2 layers - plaid over 2 widths of blue. The two little metal tags were in my stash - the white one has embossed lettering and edges - I slid it through a Stazon black ink pad. 

The black cardstock is "faux" embossed with more shamrock punch-outs.