All Abuzz

I've been playing with the Vintage Bee 

Calm collage sheet from My Artistic Adventures all week. I made a simple card by layering a tea colored doily over kraft card stock, then added two images from the Collage sheet along with some black paper. I added Liquid Pearl drops around the edge of the tag shape and called it done! Not every card has to have half a dozen techniques or layers. 

I was buzzing along having so much fun in my scrap room that I also made a tag...

See the cute bumblebee button? I've been saving this bee ribbon I found at Michael's and it was perfect for these collage sheet projects!

...and then I decorated an envelope to go with the card I made a few days ago. I didn't have enough of the yellow striped paper to line the inside of the envelope, so I wasn't quite sure how I was going to make it coordinate with the card. Then it came to me - what if I ran the envelope flap through the Cuttlebug and embossed it with the honeycomb design? 

I used my oval scallop punch on what little bit of yellow striped paper I had remaining, used a small round punch on a bee image, and voila! Now the envelope flap has the same honeycomb texture as the card.

I usually don't decorate the envelope other than 
to stamp a coordinating image onto the front upper or lower corner. This adds a bit of panache and also helps me to remember what the card's theme/design is when I have them stored and waiting to be mailed out for the right occasion. 

I had so much fun decorating the flap for this
 Bee Happy card that I think I'm going to 
emboss others!

sharing this post with:

Monday Funday
Freedom Fridays
What To Do Weekends

My Artistic Adventures and Craft Hoarders Unite

Hello Friends!

On Monday November 3, the
 My Artistic Adventures Challenge Design Team is blog hopping with
 Gloria's Craft Hoarders Design Team!

Challenge #19 For all that You do, Thank You!

Create a "thank you" gift for this challenge. It can be a Thanksgiving hostess gift or a simple thank you card. It can be a "thanks for helping me out of a jam" present, or a "thanks for being you" scrapbook layout. As long as your project says, "THANKS," enter the challenge! We want to see you de-hoard some of your stash and say thanks to someone!
(Your project does not have to be Thanksgiving-themed)

One Talented Participant that Links up their "Thanks" project to the

Craft Hoarders #19 Thanks Challenge 

will receive a $25 Gift Certificate to the

$25 Gift Certificate to the My Artistic Adventures Etsy Shop!!

     

        

Here is my inspiration piece - 
I made a thank you tag which will be attached
to a hostess gift. I started with 

  Heather's Vintage Mini Mittens Sheet

I used a vintage book page as a base, then layered card stock, a doily, distressed mittens and embellishments.

Next, I used Heather's

Shabby Vintage chic Victorian Christmas Blue Birds Music Tags Digital Collage sheet

 to decorate a re-purposed tea tin. This tin 
will be great for holding a candle or homemade
 baked goods.

Top view - I used mini pine cones and bias tape ribbon

We will be starting the Hop at 
Craft Hoarders Challenge Blog

You can see her Design Teams Inspiration Pieces there and on

their individual blogs.  Here is a list below.

Amber Milone

Christy Butters

Debbie Seyer

Donna Idlet

Glenda Brooks
GLORIA
Jan
Karen
Kathy

Pam
Wendy

My Artistic Adventures Design Team

Helene

Shawn

Carol

Lisette

Sandi

Candy

Heather

How would you like a SECOND chance to win a 

$25 Gift Certificate to the My Artistic Adventures Etsy Shop?

Hop on over to the 
My Artistic Adventures Challenge Blog
to get all the details!!

Thank you for Hopping with Us!!

The Twelve Tags Of 2013- January

If you need any inspiration for stamping and card making look no further than Tim Holtz's blog. I took a peek at his 12 Tags of January today and ended up making a tag because I just couldn't stop myself, even though I had planned to make something completely different when I walked into my scrap room! Click on the link above for Tims' complete photo tutorial. I also took a few pictures, as I worked, to share with you. I started with a blank tag (2.6 x 5.25), Ranger Distress Ink, and my Cuttlebug Clockworks folder (5 x 7).

Next, I sprinkled water drops on my inked tag

 

 

 and dried it with my Ranger Heat It Tool

 

 Then I cut a clock die cut into two pieces; I painted one segment with gold metallic paint and embossed the other piece with Tim Holtz Spiced Marmalade Distress Powder. I glued them to the tag and trimmed off the overhang. I adhered a piece of Film Strip Ribbon to the left side with Glossy Accents.

I cut a smaller tag from off-white card stock and stamped a sentiment on it, then inked the edges of it. 

 

Here is the completed tag. I used a grunge board number '3' which I misted with Perfect Pearls Biscotti Mist, then finished with a light coat of Platinum Liquid Pearls. The three represents my family. I stamped the bias tape ribbon with a calendar and the word 'January'. There are metal sprockets attached with brads and a game spinner inside the bottle cap. I am going to share this with Tim's blog. It is really fun to see the variety of January tags people have made after seeing Tim's version!

I did not have the grunge board gears Tim used on his tag, so I substituted the die cut clock.

I had so much fun I can't wait to see what inspiration Tim has in store for February~

sharing this post with;

Tim Holtz blog, 12 Tags of 2013 
Time Travel Thursday The Brambleberry Cottage 
Clever Chicks Blog Hop 
Share Your Cup 

 

Brewing Up Some Mischief~

I'm praying that everyone on the East Coast is safe and made it through the storm with no damage. It is times like these when simple pleasures such as carving a pumpkin and being able to turn on the lamps become so meaningful. Hope all is well as you clean up after the storm.

Lomonosov teacup with gold flowers

 Our days are still quite warm but the temperatures cool off nicely after dark - perfect time for a malty cup of Assam with a touch of milk and turbinado sugar. Today I was using a cobalt beauty! See the crisp white center of the saucer?

I could not resist using my favorite Halloween teapot too! It's a colorful witch's boot.

I used a spiderweb place mat with an orange and purple spider on it.

After tea and a few Indian Corn for my sweet tooth, I got to work on some cards using my new Stampabilities stamp called Up, Up and Away.  One of my sweetest friends sent this charming stamp my way and I love it! Muzzy, Amanda and Mudpie look like they are having a wonderful time flying kites.

I fussy cut (hand trimmed with precision scissors) the entire scene after stamping it onto white card stock. I embossed the background with my Cuttlebug and a swirl pattern folder. I colored the scene with Distress Ink and a Zig H2O pen, then adhered the mice in the grass on foam to give it dimension and lift.

Here is the second card I made, but this time I only stamped and fussy cut the 'flying' mouse - I altered the kite to make it a Halloween greeting card. I imagine the surprised mouse let out a little squeal when he went airborne! Ha Ha~ so, I added his exclamation using label maker tape. The clouds have white enamel on them and the tree is glittered. Still in the mood to create, I masked and inked a plain tag.

 This little vampire has a full moon to light his way as he trick-or-treats! I blended Distress Ink on the tag then gave it a little spritz of Tsukineko Walnut Ink. The last few days flew by and I realized we had not carved our jack o lantern yet. College Girl will be too busy later today to help with the task, so I grabbed our tools, a pattern, some aprons and cranked up the stereo with Monster Mash and Ghostbusters and she happily took a break from her laptop. While she did the initial designing and carving, I got out some black paint, a Sharpie and a small white pumpkin so we could also make Jack Skellington. 

Here is Mr. Grim with the lights turned off and the candle aglow inside~

College Girl done good! Her jack o lanterns are always amazing...this one gives me the shivers!

  
We thought Jack would enjoy a snowman for company. Now, time to cook the pumpkin seeds; I'm soaking them and will roast them in the oven later. Do you have a favorite way to prepare pumpkin seeds after carving your jack o lantern?

 I can't wait to see all the children's costumes when they stop by for candy. Have a safe and happy Halloween.


sharing this post with~
Martha's Favorites 
Artful Affirmations 
Mosaic Monday 
Have A Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson 
You're Going To Love It~ Kathe with an 'e'

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
`'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door -
Only this, and nothing more.'

The Raven by E.A. Poe

Lil' Pumpkin~

The sweet calm sunshine of October, now
    Warms the low spot; upon its grassy mold
The purple oak-leaf falls; the birchen bough
    drops its bright spoil like arrow-heads of gold.
   William Cullen Bryant

Ah! We woke to soft rain and a crisp Fall breeze. The sky was filled with billowy kohl-rimmed clouds and I would have loved to have breakfast in bed, but the schedule did not allow for it. College Girl headed to class, while I did a bit of Christmas shopping. By eleven the rain was gone. I did errands, laundry and worked on some Halloween tags. In the afternoon Handyman and I filled our new bird feeder with sunflower seeds and hung it in the Myrtle Tree. Here is one of the tags I finished~

 I used;

• Inkadinkadoo stamps
• Distress Ink
• Zig H20 pen
• Martha Stewart fence punch
• Ranger Rock Candy Crackle paint
• micro beads along the bottom
• Stickles, Inkssentials black enamel and Liquid Pearls 

I used a paper circle to mask the moon, then blended several inks on a plain tag. I put a coat of Rock Candy on the tag and when it was dry I rubbed ink into the cracks. The 3-D star is actually a tiny ornament but I liked it hanging near the moon! 
I think this Lil' Pumpkin is so cute! One of the best parts about October 31 is seeing adorable Trick Or Treaters on our doorstep :)


sharing this post with~ 
Made You Look
Have A Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson
Time Travel Thursday

Naturally Decaffeinate Tea at home~Natl. Hot Tea Month

A cold morning, chilly afternoon or blustery evening and a good hot cup of tea sounds like just the thing!  If you need to steer clear of too much caffeine, but don't want to switch to an herbal tisane, I have a tip for you! I am not promoting Bigelow, but they have a well researched and informative video explaining how to decaffeinate a cup of tea.

This process works with loose tea (which I prefer) and with teabag tea, and takes only 60 seconds~ You will eliminate more than 50% of the caffeine from your cup of tea! You can buy decaffeinated tea at the store but you take a risk that a chemical process was used, so read the container.

We enjoyed a pot of Kusmi tea this morning, and actually put some of it in the fridge for iced tea later today as it has been warm recently. Thursday evening we enjoyed dinner outdoors with no need for a jacket even after sundown! Don't throw snowballs at me! lol~ the down side to this So Cal weather is that we don't get 4 distinct seasons like everyone back East!

I am working on some samples for the Voila, Ink! Group I moderate at Bella Creations and was up to my wrists in ink and paint today! Going to keep you guessing until I complete the item. However, I can show you something I made using my new Cuttlebug and an A2 script embossing folder from Paper Studio.

• Distress Ink: Dusty Concord/Vintage Photo/Broken China
• Lisa Pace Antiquated Collection, bottle stamps
• Tim Holtz cardstock, Crowded Attic
• clear embossing powder
• grungepaper (behind bottles)
• vintage book page
• wood button, jump ring, ribbon

Tim's Tags~

Anyone making Tim's Christmas Tags? I just started with the first two, but he is already on #5. He embossed a tag with snowflakes, but since I do not have a way to emboss I used a piece of cardstock with embossed snowflakes and cut a tag from it...voila! Here is my tag~

There are beads and a small teardrop gem at the top and glittery vintage mica along the bottom~

This one has a canvas deer, brads across the bottom, and I sanded the Muse coin to make the word 'thoughts' stand out better. I discovered that you can use Martha Stewart edge punches on grunge paper :)

Emerson~

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. ~~R. W. Emerson~

I made this tag using my three favorite colors together...blue,green & brown.
I stamped a tree, music score and script lettering on the background. I also used Distress Inks blended on the tag, then put a coat of Clear Rock Candy Crackle Paint . The fleur de lis was stamped, embossed and fussy cut. I also put actual postage stamps on the tag as well as a clay tile I painted and stamped. The Emerson quote is on the backside.

 

Have Ink, will Travel...to the tropics!

Well, we can just pretend we are in the tropics, right? Ocean breezes, balmy temperatures! Here is a super quick tag card I made using a 'direct to paper' ink method. I cut a blank 5"x 6.5" card in half, and used a 3 by 6 inch tag, a piece of ribbon and various Distress Inks. No need for an ink blending tool yet....you are going to simply drag the ink pad across the tag. It does not need to be 'perfect'.

I decided to make the sky and used my inks in 'rainbow' order. Then I added a bit of twine netting and 3D stickers to complete the scene.

I used my Ranger Ink Blending Tool to add soft yellow coverage to the white card edges. Next, I stamped a greeting inside. It was easy but provided a striking scene! 

Lightbulb Moment~

Don't you love 'lightbulb' moments? I had one last night while working on a tag. I have been playing around the past week with crayons, wax paper and ink. After using T!m Holtz The Journey stamps on a tag, I decided to stamp a car image and fussy cut it. I wanted to ink it with Distress Weathered Wood, but did not want blue windows. Suddenly it hit me...why not use the uncolored wax crayon (like you use to make images on hardboiled eggs before dyeing them at Easter) to protect the car windows?

I got a bit rambunctious with the wax crayon and it broke in half! LOL~ But I achieved the results I wanted. No blue windows! I used a vintage image from the Love Tickets I posted in my "Voila, Ink!" Group at Bella Creations under a T!m Holtz fragment, which I think pairs nicely with the automobile. In my imagination, this newlywed couple are taking the car to their honeymoon destination.  

Wax Paper fun~

I have been 'experimenting' this week, as my husband calls it, in my Scrap Room with several resist techniques and Distress Ink. First I used a regular Crayola crayon~ "blue green"~ to draw spirals on a blank white card, then blended ink over the drawing.

I tried it again using a plain uncolored wax crayon and wrote words on a blank card, then used red Distress Ink~

Today I used regular kitchen wax paper and an iron. The iron hasn't seen the light of day for awhile! LOL~
I crumpled up a piece of wax paper that had been cut to fit my tags. Then I smoothed out the wax paper  and placed it between the tags, like a sandwich. Next, I used a dry iron on each side of the sandwich for about 5 to 10 seconds. Remove and discard the wax paper. When you hold the tag (or card!) up to the light, you will see the waxy design on the surface.

Now, the real fun begins. Mist, spritz, or blend ink over the waxy surface and watch the design appear!

See the awesome texture the wax leaves behind?! I matted the tag and embellished it with K& Co die cuts.