Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Cardmaking - CH - Class 5

Style 2 - Designer Paper Split.  I bought these 12x12 glitter papers together but don`t have a designer or manufacturer.

This is very versatile paper in that it has lots of colors.  The bottom piece is cut 4 inches wide by 3.5 inches tall.  The top piece is cut 4 inches wide and 1.75 tall.  These are taped together on the back.

I added a kraft ribbon over the join which was taped to the back.  This layer was then adhered to the front of a nice pink card.

The greeting was printed with colors from the designer paper.  It was punched with the 2 inch oval and adhered to the card front with 3D foam tape.

I created kits with kraft card and pink ribbon and green card with red ribbon.


Style 3 - Square - The ornament element is 3.25 inches square.  It was adhered to a 3.5 inch red layer which coordinated well with the ornament color. Creating a hole with a push pin, I added a clear crystal brad in the center and pressed the prongs apart on the back.

I chose a deep burgundy card which matched well with the background color on the accent.  I glued a piece of gold moire paper to the card front leaving a small border.

I wrapped a piece of gold ribbon around the card front and taped the ends to meet under the accent layer.

The accent layer was then adhered over the ribbon with 3D foam tape aligned with even borders top, left and bottom.

Style 8 - This card was designed with Stampin Up elements.  I chose a Garden Green card base.

The diagonal stripe designer paper is from the Be of Good Cheer DSP set.  It was cut to leave a small border of card color.

I cut a 6 inch length of Cherry Cobbler Tulle and wrapped it around the DSP in the bottom third of the layer and taped the ends to the back.

The greeting was created with ivory metallic card stock cut with one of the SU Apothecary Framelits.  It is attached to the card front over the tulle with 2 tiny green brads on the bumps on the right and left sides. The greeting was color printed and punched with the SU Word Window and mounted to the label with 3D foam tape.

The designer paper layer was then adhered to the card front.

The felt wreath is from the Stampin Up Stitched Felt Winter Wishes Embellishment Set.  I added a Cherry Cobbler bow made from thread which is held in place with a Bling Zot.  The wreath was attached above the tulle with Scotch Quick Dry Adhesive.

Monday, November 26, 2018

Mosaic Monday - recent photos

I attended this play last week.

I met a couple friends downtown and we had supper at the mall.  We met another friend at the theatre.

This play was presented at our local theatre. The playwrights are Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon.  The director was McAlear.

The story follows the Mary Bennett who is unmarried and visits her sisters at Pemberly where Elizabeth lives with husband Mr. Darcy.

Some of the story line was quite silly.  A tree in the drawing room was a curiosity.






Since I was going to be downtown I took advantage and spent several hours at the Royal Alberta Museum which finally opened Oct 3rd after being closed for several years while the new building was being constructed.

Natural History Gallery

The dioramas are there.  I love how this animals are placed in their natural environments. The paintings are so well done.



The Gem room has been put together wonderfully.

The stones are very well displayed.  The lighting is terrific, the labeling is great and there is lots of space.

This is Ammonite.  I love the red and green in this piece.

There are gems, ore, precious metals, and a bunch of wonderful stuff.



Human History Gallery











These blue and yellow dishes were produced in our province in Medicine Hat. Who knew?

A beautiful copper kettle.

The Indigenous people feature in this gallery.  There are lots of great objects to see and learn about. 
In four hours I did not cover it all.  Maybe half so I will be going back.

My body was happy to sit down and have something to eat.

I loved the visit.

Sharing with Mosaic Monday #4 hosted by Angie at Letting Go of the Bayleaf.

Card Exchange

I made a couple of these cards for my card exchange buddies.

I started with a black card and then added a layer of sparkly paper leaving a small border.

I cut a black card stock star with the Stamping Up Star Framelits.  I mounted a silver glitter star which was a bit smaller.  These were adhered together and it was adhered to the card front with 3D foam tape.

I created the greeting with the SU Modern Label punchie and the Word Window punchie.  It was also attached to the card front with 3D foam tape.

These are going in the mail and I hope they will be delivered.

Sunday, November 25, 2018

Framed Photos

I framed this beautiful Ninebark - Summer Wine blossoms in a gorgeous champagne frame. 

It features a warm champagne pearl mat with a white one behind. 

The frame is 9.5 inches square with an opening for a 5x5 inch photo.

I had lots of comments on the framed art but sadly no one chose to taken home from the sale yesterday.







At the sale yesterday, each vendor was asked to donate an item.  Items were arranged into gift bags and about 20 gift bags were drawn throughout the day. Folks filled out their names as they donated to enter the sale.


This the cute frame I donated.  It is a 6x6 frame featuring a floating 4x4 photo.  It was about 2 inches deep so it stood on its own. 

I chose 2 of my 4x4 calendar images and tacked them together.  They were sandwiched between 2 pieces of glass. One can then see an image from either side.  This side is a Blue Morph taken at the Butterfly Museum.

It would make a great photo for Instagram photos as it was very easy to access and change the photos at a whim.

Saturday, November 24, 2018

Photo Cards - Craft Sale

This is a photo of tree rings from a very old tree at the museum.

I chose auto enhance and it brought out some beautiful color and textures in this object photo.







Another shot from the museum.  This is a lava related rock from the gem room in the Natural History exhibit.  This is a great place at the museum.

I loved how the light shine through these amber colored transparent areas.







This is a fish net rolled into a ball in the Human History Exhibit.  It was displayed along with tools like fish hooks, and needles used in the repair of the nets.

Friday, November 23, 2018

Photo Cards - Frameable Art - Craft Sale

I love the leaves on this bush with their rounded ends and beautiful coloring of green transitioning to red as fall arrives.

My best guess is this is the Barberry - Crimson Pygmy bush.  I love the shadows captured along with small and medium leaf sizes.

With that coloring it could almost do a Christmas card if you did not expect it to have snow.

Love it.













Here I have captured a group of maple leaf tree seeds back lit by the morning sun.

I love how as your eye goes up the photo the seeds become darker and but still outlined by the light providing texture to the overall image.









A red poppy converted to the 4x6 format for this card.

It was taken at the Community Garden this summer.

These all make wonderful all occasion cards.

A note to the friend, a birthday greeting, the maple seeds could be a sympathy card.



You may recognize this image which I submitted to a photo competition this summer.

Resized into a 4x6 for photo cards.

Love the calm water and the water drops on the leaf.









These cards are easily framed in the 5x7 frame.  Arranged singly or in a trio would quickly perk up a room, front hall or office area. Great value too.  I`ve selected a small profile frame in basic black with makes the most of the Nine Bark flower in the photo.

Christmas Photo Cards - Craft Sale

I have been spending a good chunk of time working on still life photography as the weather outside is less conducive to being out with camera.

I filled a vintage hobnail candy dish with Christmas ornaments.  I chose a variety of sizes, shapes and finishes. Some were shiny others matte; silver, green, red were the colors I chose; and I had round, pinecone, stars and hearts for shapes.

I decided to make the silver heart the focal element.  Shiny surfaces are hard to photograph because your camera as well as anything else near ends up reflected in it`s surface.














This is a resin Nativity home decor item which I bought recently.  I loved the colors in it and it had enough relief to make it interesting.  It stands on it`s own.  I created a gold background which mirrored it`s warm tones and provided a nice bokeh effect.

I am not providing an insert in my photo cards to it`s nice to have the sentiment on the front.  I created on with a light sentiment but the one with the dark base is by far the best one.








I originally created this image for a Christmas card order a while back.

This is one of my stained glass Nativities with a tealight in behind.   I love the soft seamless background and how the pink is picked up on the bottom of the image.

I translated the image to a 4x6 format and printed a few in the different colors.

I have a good variety so they should appeal to quite a few buyers at the sale tomorrow.

All Occasion Photo Cards - Craft Sale

I am working on photo cards for my craft sale tomorrow at the Millwoods United Church.  This is my first time being juried for photo cards so I decided to work on 5x7 inch cards which were very popular last year at a sale I attended.

This is Mrs. Bear all decked out in her finest.  I took the photo during my visit to the antique mall a while back.  It required a good amount of editing to create a pleasing image.  Turned out pretty good. 

This would make a great all occasion card for any female recipient. 











Love this beautiful Dahlia - Alpen Diamond - taken at the St. Albert Botanical Garden this summer.  I love how the petals are separate which makes it a bit unusual as far as dahlias go. They usually have many petals tightly organized around a barely visible center.

Again, perfect for an all occasion card. 








These are the cosmos flowers I planted and harvested in a friend`s garden this summer.  I did not get very many but these are lovely. 

I paired them with my yellow glass vase.  Love how the yellow in the center of the flowers is repeated in the vase.  I was able to hide the water mark behind the yellow in the neck of the vase.

Super all occasion card.

I initialed all the photos to confirm my art work.

Friday, November 16, 2018

R2Go Christmas Stack - Prism Snowflakes & Trees

I started with a navy card base.

I tacked a 4" square of vellum leaving even borders top and bottom.

I added the silver metallic ribbon wrapped around the card front and taped to the front over the vellum where the accent will cover it.

The snowflake element starts with a small white sequin then a silver fiber one, then the prism one and finally the Stampin Up Snow Flurry white one cut from card stock.  Make holes as needed in each of the snowflakes. These are held together with a navy mini brad where the prongs are spread apart on the back.

Adhere the snowflake element with the 3D foam tape.

Glue the quarter sheet insert.



I started with a warm green card base.

I assembled my trees by cutting the black strip into 3 pieces then adding one to each tree with a tiny brad. The trees are adhered to the card front with double sided tape.

Remove the star & Zot from release paper and adhere to card front at the top of the tree one at a time.

Rip the white paper to create your snowbank.  Trim it to the card edge if necessary. 

Layer the white circle greeting onto the black larger circle. Add the 3D foam tape to the back and adhere to card front as shown.  Glue the quarter sheet insert to the inside.

R2Go Christmas Stack - Gold, Red, Green

I cut the Merry Christmas layer with one of the thinlets from the Sizzix Square set which is 3.75 inches square.  I cut the Christmas green layer to 4 inches square.  These are adhered together. I used a push pin to create the 2 holes for the brads - Star Glitter and Green Pine tree brads.

I spattered the red card base with gold Gleams acrylic paint and let it sit till it was dry - a couple hours. Once dry I wrapped a piece of ivory and gold metallic organza ribbon around the card front and taped the ends to the card front under where the greeting will cover.

I cut the 3D foam tape square into 4 pieces and placed them in the four corners.  I then adhered the greeting square over the taped ribbon ends leaving even border top and bottom.

Glue the quarter sheet insert inside.



I cut the metallic gold NOEL layer with the Tim Holtz Bracket die.

I used a push pin to create the hole in the middle of the O in NOEL and pushed the brad through and spread the prongs apart on the back. 
Inny Outie Bow - Put one end of the ribbon through the left hand hole then repeat with the other end through the right hand hole. Cross the ends on the back and reinsert the ends through the opposite hole from the back. Pull gently to take up the slack. 

I cut the 3D foam tape square in 4 and put on on each corner.  I then adhered the NOEL layer to the front of the green card.

Trimmed the ends of the ribbon with scissors and glued the quarter sheet insert on the inside of the card.

Thursday, November 15, 2018

Welcome to my Kitchen

Our ladies fellowship group met this morning and we had 22 ladies attend.  We were fortunate that our hostess has a social room where she lives which provided lots of space for all of us.

The ladies on snack provided toast, muffins, fruit, mini quiches and great tea and coffee.

The size of group meant I only visited with a few people because there were 7 tables.

Our devotion was on Friendship.  We are blessed to have friends who love us, support us, and appreciate us. 

A poem was read from the Psalms Now book which was very good.

Our prayer list was long but we are committed to being praying ladies which is one way can can support each other.

Books were exchanged.

Wednesday, November 14, 2018

Cardmaking - CH - Class 4

Style 2 - I started with clear embossed double sided designer paper from Imaginisce.

I cut the designer paper at a logical line to ensure I did not cut through a strip of the design.  I turned the top over to reveal the green polka dot pattern. These were taped back together.

I added gold foil ribbon across the join and the ends were taped to the back.

I added an accent of silk flowers.  White and red poinsettias were layered together with a gold sequin onto a gold mini brad.  Using a push pin I created a hole in the designer layer. I pushed the prongs through and spread them apart on the back holding the poinsettia accent in place.

I then adhered the layer to the front of a cranberry card base.




Style 3 - I started with this decorative card stock featuring a colorful ornaments .  The dark areas are gold foil. It was cut to 3 3/8 inches with a Sizzix square thin-lit.

I chose a eggplant purple layer of card stock cut to 3 5/8 inches to highlight some of the colors in the tree.

The next layer is a gold moire texture decorative paper which has been cut to 5.25 x 4 inches. 

I chose a warm blue card base to coordinate with another color in the tree.

The greeting is a Stampin Up Decorative Label in the same color as the card base.  I added a SU Word Window punchie in warm white card stock with coordinating color.   These are adhered together then it is adhered to the card front with 3D foam tape.

Style 7 - I started with designer paper from the My Mind`s Eye - Holiday Avenue - Sweet Dreams Glittered Holiday Paper pad. It was cut to 5.25 x 4 inches with the embossing placed on the left hand side.

The star element was created with a star die cut and a gold star circle. The die cut was cut from ivory pearl card stock with the the Joy of the Season cartridge on the Cricute Create machine.

The gold star circle was attached to the star with 2 tiny gold brads.  The element was adhered to the card front with ds tape.

Tuesday, November 13, 2018

Iris Flower

This is an iris from the my Aunt Winnie`s casket as I attended the service this afternoon.

She was woman who raised 5 children and was predeceased by my uncle a few years ago. She was also predeceased by 2 of her children.

She enjoyed gardening, growing food, collecting seeds and having flowers bloom.

She was recycling before it was cool.  She made sure good stuff was refurbished and donated to those who could use it.

Had a great visit with cousins, aunts and uncles.

I appreciated the time she took when I was 18 and needed to get some practice driving after I had taken my course and before I took my road test.  If I recall it was once a week for about 6 weeks.   I did pass my test and bought my first vehicle shortly there after.


Monday, November 12, 2018

Antique Mall Visit

I made a visit to the Antique Mall yesterday in search of some cool stuff and a few photos.

Found this Royal Doulton Toby Jug called the Poacher 1954.  There were several of them and they were well displayed.   At a price of nearly $50 I'm not sure how soon it will leave the shelf.

My Macro Monday challenge was green do I took a photo of these vintage salt and pepper shakers.  They were within the 3" limit.

These certainly are from the 50s or 60s and very classic shape and color.  The gold accents are really nice.

I ended up with another photo abstract from the Mall you can check out here.


I found the Lady Teddy all dressed up for a day on the town.   Her leopard print outfit I am sure is all the rage.  Pearls around her neck and a feather boa to finish off her outfit.

I love the button on her hat. 













Speaking of halts I found this gorgeous ladies felt hat in a light grey.  Very well done. Elegant and stylish.

There was a good variety of vintage glass Christmas Tree Ornaments in a variety of conditions. 

I noticed a lot of pink ones.  The trees used to display them also came in different styles.

This is my mosaic for sharing.

Mosaic Monday #2 hosted by Angie at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf.

Sunday, November 11, 2018

Remembrance Day

We owe those who fought for the freedoms we enjoy, respect.

I am blessed to live in my country.

Thank you for all who served and are currently serving to maintain the freedoms I enjoy.


Tuesday, November 6, 2018

Thank You Cards - Donation

This is a 4" square of woodgrain designer paper which was ripped into 2 pieces.  The pieces were adhered off set top and bottom on the front of a tan card.

I adhered a greeting of an oval color printed punchie adhered to a Soft Suede scalloped oval.  It was adhered with 3D foam tape to add some dimension to the card.

I am dropping off another set of Thank You cards as I teach my Christmas Card class at Compassion House.











I wrote a note to the ED in this hand painted daisy card.  I used to make these years ago and I love that it is my own work.

I need to get back to creating my own art which I do mostly with photography.  I do my own decorative paper and a bit of painting.

Cardmaking - CH - Class 3

Style 3 - I started with this decorative card stock featuring a colorful tree of peacock feathers with birds.  The dark areas are gold foil. It was cut to 3 3/8 inches with a Sizzix square thin-lit.

I chose a turquoise layer of card stock cut to 3 5/8 inches to highlight some of the colors in the tree.

The next layer is a gold moire texture decorative paper which has been cut to 5.25 x 4 inches. 

I chose a purple card base to coordinate with another color in the tree.

The greeting is a Stampin Up Decorative Label in the same color as the card base.  I added a SU Word Window punchie in warm white card stock with coordinating color.   These are adhered together then it is adhered to the card front with 3D foam tape.


Style 7 - I started with designer paper from the My Mind`s Eye - Holiday Avenue - Sweet Dreams Glittered Holiday Paper pad. It was cut to 5.25 x 4 inches with the embossing placed on the left hand side. 

The star element was created with a star die cut and a gold star circle. The die cut was cut from ivory pearl card stock with the Sizzix Star original die.  The gold star circle was attached to the star with 2 tiny gold brads.  The element was adhered to the card front with ds tape.

Style 2 - I started with clear embossed double sided designer paper from Imaginisce.

I cut the designer paper at a logical line to ensure I did not cut through a strip of the design.  I turned the top over to reveal the green polka dot pattern. These were taped back together.

I added gold foil ribbon across the join and the ends were taped to the back. 

I added an accent of silk flowers.  White and red poinsettias were layered together with a gold sequin onto a gold mini brad.  Using a push pin I created a hole in the designer layer. I pushed the prongs through and spread them apart on the back holding the poinsettia accent in place.

I then adhered the layer to the front of a cranberry card base. 

Monday, November 5, 2018

Mosaic Monday - Recently

Bound by Rachel Hazell arrived today!  It is a book on book making and I am very excited to read it cover to cover then provide a review and make some of the projects in it.

Keep an eye out here on my blog for further posts of projects.

I have dabbled in book making but this book provides detailed instruction based on a quick perusal of it.

I love the handmade decorative paper she has created for the book covers.   If you follow this blog you will know that I love to make my own decorative paper.


I finished my second Kate Morton book today.  A friend gave me this book a month ago knowing how much I had loved The Forgotten Garden I read this summer.  I read The Lake House amidst preparing for a large craft sale which ran the few days so my full attention was not on my reading.  Fortunately, I own the book so I will be able to read it again in the new year when I have more time.

Again, this story runs in 2 time periods the 1930's and the 2000's and involves a beautiful property in Cornwall England.  A young boy disappears and at the time the mystery is not solved as not many clues are found.

A detective in London is given an opportunity to take up the solving of the mystery.  Fortunately, one of the key persons at the Lake House in the 30's is still living but it will take her cooperation to get to the bottom of it.

It has a great ending!

I am working my way through this journal from one of my favorite authors Ann Voskamp.

I have read the book this is based on "The Broken Way".  It did not resonate with me as much as her earlier book 1000 Gifts did.

I am always interested in seeing things from a different perspective and working on my self improvement.


The sale on the weekend was successful in raising a good some of money for missionaries over seas.

It helps a lot when most of the items being sold have been donated so the funds are pure profit.   I purchased a set of wooden coasters from one of the other tables.  They will be useful in my photography.

I purchased some glass beads from a lady at another table. 

They have 925 imprinted on them which implies sterling silver cores.

I thought I got a great deal but it turns out I paid the going rate for them.  I bought them because I liked them and they will be a great addition to my macro photography so everyone is a winner.

I love the scissors charm as I have added sewing to my balliwick of skills this summer.

I did sell several sewing projects so I am very happy about that.





Joining Mosaic Monday #1 hosted by Angie at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf.  She is the new hostess for the photo linky.  The hours are better now so I may be able to participate regularly again.