Art - Coloring Contest - AAC

The Allied Arts Council is having a Easter coloring contest and adults can participate.  I was in for sure!  Coloring was my favorite thing as a kid. You can find the coloring pages at the bottom of the Home page by following the link above. Have a go and a bit of fun!

I love the small Forget Me Knot flowers in the basket as well as the colorful eggs. I used my collection of Prismacolor pencils which were delightful to use. 

Oil Diffusers - Tree Scent Ornaments - Wreaths and Hearts

I decided to use some of the few balls I had left over from the diffusers I made last year.

I paired them with these vintage light reflectors that I got from the thrift store a while ago.  I was not sure what I was going to use them for but vintage at a good price had them coming home with me.

Here I added a white pearl bead, a snowflake bead then the turquoise felt ball.  Those were strung onto white crochet cotton.  I put 2 reflectors back to back. They have large holes where the light bulb would have gone through so I needed something large to make sure the assembly stayed tight.

I dipped into my stash of buttons and now I was looking large ones.  Yes, there were some that were big enough.  I coordinated the color with the felt ball in the front.

You can see on the back that there are these metal tabs so I pressed all those flat against the body of the reflector.  I then strung the big button, pull everything tight and put a few knots.  Trimmed the end of the crochet cotton.

They look like wreaths which fits into the seasonal decor.

These reflect the light really nicely and will fit into any Christmas decor.

The reflectors came in 2 different styles.

Ones with round petals and these on this ornament that had pointy petals.

Here I used a black felt ball and 2 white snowflake beads and decided to have the ball parallel to the center.  After stringing the snowflake beads I brought my cotton to the center of the fell ball to go through the reflectors.

Again, I found a large black button to finish off the back and ended with another set of knots to ensure the full assembly would stay in place.

Just another choice for scent on your artificial tree this season.

Exchange Cards - Christmas Cards

I am playing catch up on my exchange cards.  With Dad`s hospitalization I have spent more time with Mom which involving traveling.   These are December`s cards then I will get the November and October ones done.

I chose Stampin Up Christmas Jingle designer paper because it had a green and red side.  I decided to make A7 or 5x7 inch cards. I printed a greeting layer of Very Vanilla with greetings in Real Red and Old Olive trimmed to leave a border all the way around. I punched 14 stars out.  Then applied thin 3D tape to the bottom ones and thicker 3D tape to the top ones.  The top ones match the card base color.  I placed them in a round shape to create a wreath. I added a Real Read wide grosgrain ribbon below the wreath and taped the ends to the back.

I adhered the greeting layer to the card front and pressed them over night.  This morning I added the prism elements of a snowflake on one and a star on the other adhered with Bling Zots.  I then added a thin gold cord bow to the wreath.

These are headed to my exchange partners. 

Christmas Card Challenge - Feb - Watercolor Cards 2

Here are the next 4 cards in this watercolor challenge.

I lightly drew the shapes with watercolor pencils. I then used red watercolor to paint this trio of elliptical ornaments.  The 140lb watercolor paper was taped down to a piece of glass and allowed to dry taped down.

Once dry, I added the black lines with a thin permanent marker.  

I then added spatter with gold liquid acrylic color. 

I mounted this on a dark card base.

This card is a round  ornament in fuchsia color.

I added a string where it hangs and a tiny bow. I added some pearl liquid acrylic to the sections of the shape.  Spattered with fuchsia color.

The greeting is from the Stampin Up Good Greetings set in permanent black ink.

I really loved the snowbanks I created in this composition. 

I added a twig tree with the black marker.

Stamped the greeting on the lower right hand quadrant.

This wreath was created with light and dark leaves. Remember to keep them in the same direction.

I added black outlines on the leaves and a bow at the bottom of the wreath.   

Stamped greeting above the wreath. 

Spattered with red watercolor.

Christmas Card - Wreath

I started with the canvas wreath.

I then printed my wreath drawing and greeting in Early Espresso onto a quarter sheet of vanilla card stock.  This layer was trimmed to leave a small border and adhered to a dark brown card.

I added the canvas wreath over the center of the string wreath.

I created the bow with chocolate brown cotton, vanilla cotton and red cotton strung together then used as a single strand tied into a bow.  This is held in place with a Zot.

Card Club - June - Polka Dots Birthday

I chose a kraft card.  I matched it with polka dot designer paper which was cut to leave a small border.  I cut an ivory greeting label with the Stampin Up Apothecary label.  I then stamped the greeting from the For a Friend stamp set with a warm green ink pad.  I pulled the caramel seam binding ribbon through the holes of the label and wrapped around the DSP layer.  I placed 3D foam tape behind the label and attached to the DSP layer leaving enough ribbon on the right to make a bow.  I adhered the DSP layer to the card front. I tied the bow and trimmed the ends with scissors.

Christmas Card Challenge - April - Green/Foliage

It's time again for my monthly Christmas Card Challenge.  The challenge for April is Green / Foliage.  Foliage could be pine trees, wreaths, evergreen branches, Christmas tree, poinsettias, holly, and much more.
My choice is  a green wreath on a window with a night sky behind on a deep red card. I pulled the Cuttlebug Holly Wreath die and folder combination from my die storage, which I have never used. I chose dill textured card stock. First, I cut the wreath with the sizzlet die then ran it through the embossing folder to add the textured design.  I cut the window from white card stock with the Memory Box Grand Madison Window die.  I spritzed a piece of navy card stock with white acrylic paint to create a night sky and adhered it behind the window.  The element was adhered to card front aligned along the top edge.  I then adhered the wreath centered on the window.  A bling Zot holds the red thread bow over the embossed one on the die.  I color printed the greeting onto white card stock and cut it with the Stampin Up Bitty Banners Framelits thin dies.  I adhered it  below the window.

R2G Card Kits - SU - Wonderful Wreath

Another Ready2Go Card Kit for a kid's Christmas Party!

This set has a Stampin Up True Thyme card base.  I used the Wonderful Wreath Stamp Set with the wreath in True Thyme.  The greeting in Riding Hood Red.  I added a RHRed Tafetta Ribbon bow held in place with a Zot.  This is such gorgeous ribbon, it ties beautifully and lies flat which makes a card which can easily be mailed.

R2G Card Kits - SU - Wonderful Wreath

I used the Stampin Up Wonderful Wreath on this card as the central element.  It's done in Handsome Hunter.  The greeting is from the All Holidays set, done in Cherry Cobbler. These are on a Whisper White layer trimmed to 4.00 x 5.25 inches leaving the small border all the way around. I added a bow made with Cherry Cobbler Scalloped Tulle Ribbon.  I cut the piece to about 3.5 inches then gathered it together in the center and tied it off with a piece of white thread.  The tails were trimmed even. Some times I trimmed the ends of the bow as well to have each side even. It's held in place with a Zot. This is a bow that does not create a lot of thickness so it makes it mail friendly. 

Card - Shower Baby or Bridal

These were made from pieces cut trying out options for my umbrella card club at the end of the month.
The umbrella was cut with the Cricut and the Tie the Knot cartridge.  I cut the solid piece from metallic card stock then cut the open cut work one from grey card stock. I added a pearl white thread bow on the handle just below the canopy. The greeting layer was color printed in grey with a fine border. The layer was trimmed close to the border.  I added a layer of the same metallic paper to the 4.00 x 5.25" size then layered these onto a top fold grey card.
I'm thinking either would for baby or bridal.  What do you think?  Leave me a comment.

Rusty Star Wreath Card Set

This is another set of cards for the auction.

This is a wreath is my own design.  I have printed it in a warm dark green.  I have placed rusty stars onto it.  I added a great greeting in several fonts in the same colors in the wreath.  I added a great organza ribbon bow in a warm copper color.

The stars were diecut with the Sizzix Stars#2 die from copper card stock.

Yet, again in a clear box.

Cards - Quilting - DP

On these cards I used some quilting related designer paper.
The card on the left I placed a 4" square of DP on the top portion of the bittersweet orange cad.  I added a seam binding ribbon below the square and tried a new way to tie it.  I made a hole in the centre of the space, then  ran the ribbon across the card through a slit in the fold through the hole to the front with one end going above and the other going below the ribbon going across the card.  Tied a knot and a bow.
The card on the right I split the 4" square in half and placed the pieces at the top and  bottom of the card. I placed a greeting in the centre space that was color printed then cut with one of the Apothecary Framelits.  It is held in place with 2 mustard brads.

Thanks - Good Customer Service

I made this card for a lady who I bought some dies from recently.  She's a Canadian supplier which is great.  I received my first order within 2 days of her letting me know it was in the mail.  The second order she managed to get a die that was being discontinued by making some calls. Thanks Elaine from Integrity Designs.
The greeting on this card is one of the dies I bought. It's a Memory Box thin die.  I love it.  It's a bit fiddly to glue down but it's worth it.  I started with a ivory card and die cut scallops with a Sizzix 12" border die.  This double sided designer paper so I used the few leftovers to create a strip of rose at the top and bottom of the card.  The scallop border was only glued at the straight edge so it creates a bit of dimension.  I added the greeting is a bit of a darker version of the color. Then added a ribbon across the card above the greeting and added a bow.

Card - Flowers Galore

I started with a taupe card which I embossed with the Rebecca Cuttlebug embossing folder making a frame around the edge of the card.  I decided to fill the centre with flowers.  I selected pink flowers, added a smaller white one in the centre and they are held in place with a white brad.  I added an organza bow at the top which is held in place with a tiny brad through some of the ribbon layers but not all so it does not show on the front. I managed 9 flowers over the front which filled the space very nicely.

Christmas Stack - Circle Ornaments

I printed the card with the tall oval ornament on the right hand side.  I cut the frame with a Sizzix die and embossed  the red with the Cuttlebug Devine Swirl embossing folder and the green one with the Sizzix Starry Night folder.  I cut a 3" square of black which was taped to the back of the frame. I selected black to highlight the ornaments. As the white circle ornaments were somewhat see through I had to place an extra paper punchie below the plastic one so that my Zot would not show.  I added strings with a white gel marker.  I wrapped the narrow black satin ribbon around the card and placed the bow to align with the string of the printed ornament.

Then the frame assembly was glued over the ribbon onto the left hand side of the card front.The strings for the pink and turquoise were printed and the cut down to the 3" square.  The pink and turquoise ornaments were more opaque and therefore just needed a Zot.