Art Journal Butterfly

Today I am sharing a new spread in my art journal on which I used three stencils by Balzer Designs for Crafter's Workshop (Mini Zinnia, Mini Flower Garden, and Hexagon). The Frilly and Funkie Challeng Blog has a challenge going on right  now to use stencils on your project and I am entering this spread there. The tree branch with flowers is also a stencil. It is made by Delta Creative.

This side is the back half of a butterfly which, when opened will have Zentangle patterns on it which I haven't completed yet. The butterfly is cut out of the books pages so the background you see is actually the page previous to the butterfly pages. This portion of the butterfly has a base of scrapbook paper with gesso over it. The stencils are done with Pan Pastel and Staz-on ink. The bird at the bottom is stamped with Ranger Archival ink on a stamp by Inkadinkadoo. 

The base on this side is a napkin with a petal edge. The hexagons are a Balzer Designs stencil done with Staz-on Ink. The tree branch and flowers are acrylic paint mixed with modeling paste. The flower centers are Ranger Perfect Pearls. There are various stamps for texture and the title stamp is done with letters by Close To My Heart.

Thanks for looking! I appreciate your comments!

Quilting challenge at Frosted Designs

Greetings! 

This week's Fabulous Friday Challenge at Frosted Designs is "Quilting"! 

I have a very unique project to share with you! 

 When I was working in the skilled nursing facility at our local senior community I noticed that in the activities area there were puzzles, coloring, yarn lacing, and other activities for the residents to do that are at the skill level of the residents. Unfortunately at that skill level, they are very much geared to children. I live in a Mennonite community, so many (actually most!) of the female residents in the SNF grew up with quilting as an integral part of their lives. 
I have many co-coordinating paper scraps and came up with the idea to use them to make an activity related to quilting for the ladies to work on in the activities center! 

I cut 4 1/2" by 1 1/2" rectangles and 1 1/2' squares out of my paper scraps, mounted them on chip board, and glued a magnet on the back of each piece. I found a 14" square magnet board in the school supply section (unfortunately blue was the only color they had). The pieces are large and easy to handle but because of the magnet on the back, they stay put and can be manipulated without them getting away! 

I made lots and lots (and lots) of these pieces

and then I lost interest in the project :( 

(or perhaps had too many other projects to do!)

When Frosted Designs came up with this challenge, it gave me a renewed interest in the project! In playing with the pieces I discovered that I need to make more (lots more) pieces and I need to make some that are 3" square. Not to worry - I still have a huge amount of scraps! I really think the ladies at the senior community will have fun making "quilt blocks" and it should stimulate lots of good conversation as well.

The other designers at Frosted Designs have come up with beautiful projects to inspire you, so hop over and check them out! Make a quilting inspired project of your own and link it up for the opportunity to win a great prize!

Thanks for stopping by my blog! 

I appreciate your comments!

Happy Mother's Day!

Here is a little gift card I created. 

I saw a tutorial by Jennifer McGuire and had to give it a try. 
I am thrilled with the result and can't wait to try it again with different stamps.

I started with Strathmore Watercolor paper, stamped it with VersaMark on a Studio G stamp. Embossed it with white Zing embossing powder, colored in the spaces with Tim Holtz Distress Ink markers, then sprayed it with Perfect Pearls Mist in Biscotti. I used the same process to make the butterfly using a stamp by Inkadinkadoo. The crochet thread is vintage, the gold pearls are by Recollections and the white base is by Bazzill. 
The final size of the card is 3" x 3".

Look at the sheen from the Perfect Pearls!

Thanks for looking! I appreciate your comments! 

Have a wonderful Mother's Day!

Jacob's Second Year Mini Album

"Boo is Two!" Can you believe my sweet grandson is 

2 years old already!

Here is a mini album I created with a page for each month of Jacob's second year.

The album is 4" x 12". I used the Max and Whiskers line by Basic Grey. The title is American Crafts Thickers. The edges are cut with Tim Holtz Alterations dies.

366 Art Journal/Calendar Apr/May

Here is installment #5 of my 366 Art Journal/Scrapbook/Calendar project! If you are unfamiliar with this project, see my original post here. (You can click on any of my pictures to enlarge for a better look if you like!)
Here is the completed April calendar:

 and the full April spread:

 The May calendar:

 and the full May spread: (full size of scrapbook side is in the post below this one)

 For the May pages I used the Alora line by BoBunny. I won a huge packet of paper and embellishments from this line from Page Maps for my April spread! In the interest of full disclosure, here is what the papers look like straight from the manufacturer:

So, you can see I had an amazing base to start with! In addition to the paper and embellishments by Bo Bunny, I used rub-ons by Kaiser, Karen Foster and k i memories as well as Thickers by American Crafts, ribbon by Santa's Workshop for Joann, and velour flowers from an unknown manufacturer. The stamp used to make the calendar days is by Martha Stewart with Distress Ink by Ranger.
Thanks for looking at my project, be sure to pop over to The Kathryn Wheel to see what other artists have created for their calendars this month.

Frosted Designs Fabulous Friday Challenge - Recipe!

Greetings! This week Frosted Designs has a recipe challenge for you-use any four of the following on your project:  

rub ons, ribbon, brads, stickers, 

glitter, the color purple, butterfly, flower 

Remember we are all about using up your stash so get digging, creating, and linking up with us! Our prize sponsor this week is Graphic 45 and the prize is THREE of their amazing paper packs!

On my layout I've used Rub-ons, Ribbon, Stickers, Glitter, and Flowers.

This page will be the May layout side of my 366 ArtJournal/Calendar. I will post the calendar side as well as the completed April spread over the weekend.

Thanks for looking! I appreciate your comments!

Frosted Designs Fabulous Friday Challenge - Hexagons!

Greetings and happy Fabulous Friday! Today's challenge at Frosted Designs is to use hexagons on your project. I took this gorgeous picture of my beautiful daughters on Easter Sunday and wanted to scrap it the second I saw it.

 I saw this pretty quilted tree on this blog and new that it was to be my hexagon inspiration!

Here are some close-ups:

I thought the hexagon scraps would make cute leaves!


My tree is made with Tim Holtz/Core'dinations Kraft Core paper from the Nostalgic Collection. Each hexagon (all 49 of them!) was hand cut, dry embossed, then sanded. The tree trunk is free form cut, sanded on the left side and inked on the right side to add the illusion of dimension. The "flower" hexagons are pop-doted for dimension also. The base paper is made by 3Birds and was in a collection I bought from HSN probably 6-7 years ago when I was buying everything they sold on scrapbooking days at HSN! C'mon - you know you did it too! The felt birds and felt tree limb are Maya Road. The journaling spots are My Minds Eye (Kraft), K&Company and Pink Paislee. The letters are by Doodlebug Designs, American Crafts Thickers, and Pink Paislee. All Ink is Tim Holtz Distress.


Thanks for checking out my blog! I hope you are inspired to make a project using hexagons and link it up over at Frosted Designs - a fabulous prize from Vintage Street Market will be awarded to one random entry and three entries will be chosen to be spotlighted on the blog!


Oh, and leave me some love - I sure could use it this week!

366 Art Journal/Calendar Mar/Apr

AAAACCCKKKK! almost 2 weeks into the month and I'm just getting my completed March and blank April calendar pages posted! Maybe if I start on May right now, I'll get it up on time! Anyway, if you're not familiar with this project, see my original post here! Pop over to Kate's blog to check out what other artists have done with this project.
Here is March Calendar completed:

and the full March spread:

Here is April Calendar ready to go:

and the full April spread:

Thanks for stopping by  my blog! 

I appreciate your comments!

Spring blooms!

Oh what a lovely spring we've had here in the Northeast! 

I managed to get a few pictures of my cherry trees just before the big windy day came and blew off all the blossoms, and I am thrilled that the pansies I put in last fall wintered over and bloomed as well!

The Fabulous Friday Challenge at Frosted Designs 

this week is "banner".

I made a cute row of upside down umbrellas into a banner for my layout! This layout will be the left side of my 366 Art Journal, when I get the calendar side ready to go I'll post the full spread. (See this post for more info on the  366 Art Journal)

I used this awesome sketch from the Page Maps blog and entered Becky's challenge this month:

Here are some close ups and an angled shot to show the dimension (I pop-dotted every other umbrella)

 

 Supplies include: Patterned paper - Echo Park (Victoria Gardens), SEI (Mimosa); Journaling block - Making Memories (Flutter); Distress Ink - Ranger (gathered twigs, tea dye); Lace Trim - Offray; Twine - The Twinery (blossom); Crochet Thread - Columbia; Embossing Folder - Cuttlebug; Stitching Pattern - Bazzil; Versafine Ink (Vintage Sepia); Staples - Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher; Letter Stamps - Studio G; Letter stickers - Doodlebug Design (Loopy Lou); Chipboard - Maya Road; Felt bird - Maya Road; Pearls - Close To My Heart; StazOn Ink (Cherry Pink); Rub-ons - unknown from stash. Punches used: Tags are EK Success and Butterflies are Martha Stewart

I hope you will create a layout, card, or off the page project using a banner and enter the fun at Frosted Designs this week! There is always a fabulous prize for one random winner and the staff chooses three submissions for special feature on the blog - c'mon - join us!

Thanks for stopping by my blog - 

I appreciate your comments!

My sweet Hello Kitty girl!

This week's Fabulous Friday challenge 

at Frosted Designs is "Grid". 

There are many interpretations of this challenge by the design team so hop on over and check it out! 

(I used background paper with a grid design)

I used this awesome sketch by Becky Fleck and entered her challenge this month:

The grid paper is by My Minds Eye from the Lush Blue collection. The rest of the papers and the die cuts are by Crate Paper from the Paper Doll collection. 
The cherub/heart is cut off the front of a Valentine card my mom sent me. The original banner says "Thinking of You", I made a new banner and stamped "so Sweet" on it with Studio G stamps and Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Brushed Corduroy. I raised it up off the page with American Crafts This to That Foam Dots.
The Hello Kitty label "sewn" to the side of the journaling block is cut off the jammies!
Other product used: White Pen by Inkssentials, Pearls by recollections, ric rac and pink trim from my stash. Border punch by EK Success and Corner rounder by WRMK. 
Tim Holtz distress inks: pine needles, broken china, brushed corduroy, worn lipstick.

Here are some close-ups (click to enlarge):

Thanks for looking! I appreciate your comments!

I hope you will make a project using the prompt "grid" and share it with us at Frosted Designs!