tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62171837452960833402024-03-14T06:16:31.120-04:00Meanderings of a Mommy's MindRamblings on whatever strikes me at the moment...Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01684857266119499066noreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217183745296083340.post-44336854116601309252014-01-19T21:46:00.002-05:002014-01-19T21:46:46.556-05:00She was THERE!So some of you are aware that Bill & I have been lackadaisically looking for a new church home for a few years now. Long story and old news, so I won't get into it here. Hubby moved around so much as he was growing up that it's easier for him to feel God in strange places, so he's been letting me figure out where I feel the most comfortable. Anyway, I haven't yet found a place that screamed out 'HOME' to me. Strange, perhaps, but I've been waiting for some kind of significant statement,
feeling, sign, SOMETHING to say "stick around" at a particular church.<br />
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One of our family goals for 2014 is to find that home, no more putting it off and sleeping in on Sundays! We've made a list and are visiting twice. Thanks to a timely invite from Jessica, her church jumped the line. Divine Appointment, methinks. My soul desperately needed the balm of corporate worship today. (Everyday, really, but especially after this week.)<br />
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<u><i>CONFESSION TIME</i></u>: After growing up in a liturgical church with all the bells, whistles & formality that comes with being a conservative Presby maverick congregation, I sometimes struggle with churches lacking in the 'trappings' that I've always equated with church services. I miss the robes, the processional, the organ, the chancel steps & altar cloths. I miss the rarified air of a church building with pews and hymnals tucked into them. I know it's superficial. I do. Really. I don't want a replica of the church in which I was raised...there were many challenges, there, too. As you know from my last post, I resigned my membership shortly before my marriage<i> (more old news). </i> It is easy to become enamored of the trappings themselves and forget to focus on the One those things are meant to magnify. But still I miss them sometimes. Oh, the blessing of voices raised to sing the Lord's Prayer together!<br />
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This area is full of lovely churches in lovely little church buildings. Also full of churches held in borrowed school buildings. I usually gravitate toward churches in their own buildings--hard to transport a pipe organ in a church truck--but we've visited congregations of all sorts. Today was the first time I entered a church in a school building and felt like I was actually entering a church sanctuary. There was an almost tangible change in the atmosphere of that school auditorium-- I found myself expecting a sermon and not a lecture on bullying prevention. I settled in to worship, comfortable in a way I hadn't been a long time.<br />
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I've spent a lot of time this week wishing I'd been in touch with Linda more, appreciating the blessing of her friendship and mentorship. She's been there for me--even discussing this problem we've had finding a church home--and has often been a spiritual reference point for Bill & I. What Would Linda Think of this church? Weird, but whatever works, right? You will probably think this is weirder, then...<br />
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Partway through the service, a woman walked down the aisle to rejoin her family; if I hadn't known that Linda was already with her Heavenly Family, I <i><u>really</u></i> would have thought she was visiting the same church. Seriously. Same hairstyle as the last photos I've seen. Same color palette, same posture. My eyes teared and I wondered if I was just seeing things--but her hair bobbed to the music and nodded during the sermon. Gift from God #1...that somehow, Linda was there with me, enjoying the sermon as I had. (Don't worry, my friends, I know it wasn't her in the flesh!) Today's sermon was wonderful...laced with humor and depth!...and about the sovereignty of God and how sometimes that is tough to swallow. Linda would have liked it...her absolute faith and confidence in God's sovereignty AND His Grace would have been pleased by today's lesson. <br />
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Gift from God #2: The Benediction. Something I've oft missed in my visiting. Who knew that not all churches close with a Benediction??? And this one, today? The one that defines Benediction in my memories, my heart and my mind; these are the words that, to me, are "The Benediction." The God of Comfort knew I needed to hear familiar and meaningful words today and He gave them to me. <br />
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Are these signs that I've found a new home? Only God knows, today, but He has given me the comfort of knowing that there IS a church family out there for our family. Thank you, God. And thank you, Linda, for showing me that you are already looking out for me and my family. (And thank you Sovereign Grace folks for bidding me welcome as a stranger in your midst.)<br />
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Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01684857266119499066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217183745296083340.post-12611708019115537752014-01-14T20:24:00.001-05:002014-01-14T20:34:50.138-05:00It Had to HappenI met her when I was 6 years old. She seemed rather old to me even then, but perhaps it was her wise soul that made her seem so. I prayed the "Sinner's Prayer" at her knee during a Children's Sermon and grew in faith every Sunday and Wednesday thanks to her tireless efforts as the Children's Education Director at our fledgling church. Covenant Presbyterian was, back then, a small but sturdy set of believers who had broken away from the Presbytery...a mighty maverick church in the making.<br />
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In every child who came through the doors of that converted bar, she instilled a strong faith and steady confidence in the promises of God. And reminded us that "a little child shall lead them" encouraging all of us to be brave in our sharing of the faith. And even as she was a shining neon sign pointing to Him, she had struggles of her own. As we grew and came to understand more, her strength became an inspiration because we saw that her faith had survived the devastating loss of a child.<br />
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On Confirmation Sunday, it was her beaming face we sought in the congregation (after our parents', of course!). <br />
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She prayed with our parents as we navigated our teenage years. She prayed with us when we brought her our trials, no matter how silly. By taking these things seriously, she taught us to lean on Him for everything. <br />
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When we were young women, she was there for us girls, praying over us...even as she grieved her daughter. God knew we all needed each other. Her home was a haven--and often the residence!--for most amongst us. (I used to address her mail to "Wests' Wayside Wigwam for Wonderful Women.") Rarely did it occur to us not to include her in our plans. And it was there, in her own home, that we learned of her greater grief, an unbelieving husband. And we learned to pray for our mentor. And to pray for Godly men to come alongside and share our lives, knowing that it had been her earnest prayer for so long.<br />
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When my church refused to allow me to marry there, it was she who came to my side to help plead my case with the Session. It was she who knew my heart. And it was she who comforted me when I turned in my treasured church key and letter of resignation from the congregation. And it was she who knew me well enough to choose to gift my husband and I with her take on Ephesians 5:22 - 33 at our wedding reception:<br />
<i></i><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span class="text Eph-5-22" id="en-NIV-29327"><sup class="versenum">22 </sup>Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord.</span> <span class="text Eph-5-23" id="en-NIV-29328"><sup class="versenum">23 </sup>For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.</span> <span class="text Eph-5-24" id="en-NIV-29329"><sup class="versenum">24 </sup>Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.</span></i><br />
<i> </i><i><span class="text Eph-5-25" id="en-NIV-29330"><sup class="versenum">25 </sup>Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her</span> <span class="text Eph-5-26" id="en-NIV-29331"><sup class="versenum">26 </sup>to make her holy, cleansing<sup class="footnote" value="[<a href="#fen-NIV-29331a" title="See footnote a">a</a>]">[<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+5:22-33#fen-NIV-29331a" title="See footnote a">a</a>]</sup> her by the washing with water through the word,</span> <span class="text Eph-5-27" id="en-NIV-29332"><sup class="versenum">27 </sup>and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.</span> <span class="text Eph-5-28" id="en-NIV-29333"><sup class="versenum">28 </sup>In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.</span> <span class="text Eph-5-29" id="en-NIV-29334"><sup class="versenum">29 </sup>After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church—</span> <span class="text Eph-5-30" id="en-NIV-29335"><sup class="versenum">30 </sup>for we are members of his body.</span> <span class="text Eph-5-31" id="en-NIV-29336"><sup class="versenum">31 </sup>“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”<sup class="footnote" value="[<a href="#fen-NIV-29336b" title="See footnote b">b</a>]">[<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+5:22-33#fen-NIV-29336b" title="See footnote b">b</a>]</sup></span> <span class="text Eph-5-32" id="en-NIV-29337"><sup class="versenum">32 </sup>This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.</span> <span class="text Eph-5-33" id="en-NIV-29338"><sup class="versenum">33 </sup>However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.</span></i></blockquote>
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Five children, 4 moves and almost 20 years later, her encouragement and exhortations from that day are oft repeated in our household. "What would Linda say?" is a frequent query between my husband and I....in a loving way, of course!<br />
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She rejoiced over the birth of each of our children. When Patrick was first diagnosed and I was wrestling my faith, she reminded me that I had chose James 1:12 as my Life Verse during Confirmation Class...and then gave me the rest of that passage: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span class="text Jas-1-2"><sup class="versenum"> </sup>Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,</span> <span class="text Jas-1-3" id="en-NIV-30270"><sup class="versenum">3 </sup>because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.</span> <span class="text Jas-1-4" id="en-NIV-30271"><sup class="versenum">4 </sup>Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.</span> <span class="text Jas-1-5" id="en-NIV-30272"><sup class="versenum">5 </sup>If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.</span> <span class="text Jas-1-6" id="en-NIV-30273"><sup class="versenum">6 </sup>But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.</span> <span class="text Jas-1-7" id="en-NIV-30274"><sup class="versenum">7 </sup>That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.</span> <span class="text Jas-1-8" id="en-NIV-30275"><sup class="versenum">8 </sup>Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.</span></i> <br />
<i><span class="text Jas-1-9" id="en-NIV-30276"><sup class="versenum">9 </sup>Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position.</span> <span class="text Jas-1-10" id="en-NIV-30277"><sup class="versenum">10 </sup>But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower.</span> <span class="text Jas-1-11" id="en-NIV-30278"><sup class="versenum">11 </sup>For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.</span></i><br />
<i> </i><i><span class="text Jas-1-12" id="en-NIV-30279"><sup class="versenum">12 </sup>Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.</span></i></blockquote>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUE4NkHjk3U90VRpvzCDVXliEQYkcu_dB2UlgkTZYtTMlW9ZLpzeAXvRpw66zgROxSHJ5u0KuzpSJyDIH9tWzHH1BwLyhY6Vt6r71C5HfOw2G_G4tvRkSZ-G-WEzFQjHv5tkRg9U7bwhun/s1600/Linda+West.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUE4NkHjk3U90VRpvzCDVXliEQYkcu_dB2UlgkTZYtTMlW9ZLpzeAXvRpw66zgROxSHJ5u0KuzpSJyDIH9tWzHH1BwLyhY6Vt6r71C5HfOw2G_G4tvRkSZ-G-WEzFQjHv5tkRg9U7bwhun/s400/Linda+West.jpg" width="276" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Linda West, 1994</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="text Jas-1-12" id="en-NIV-30279">You know, Pastor thought it an odd choice for a 13 year old. I remember telling him that I knew the road ahead might not be easy, and so I was just getting ready. Eighteen years later, Linda remembered that discussion and helped me see that He was readying me for motherhood and the special blessing of a son with bonus features. </span><br />
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On Easter Sundays, it is Linda's voice I hear in my memory, calling out across the churchyard "He is RISEN!" and "He is risen INDEED!" <br />
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Linda entered hospice today.<br />
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He is calling her Home.<br />
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Linda, thank you for building the foundation of my faith by living yours. See you in Heaven.Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01684857266119499066noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217183745296083340.post-86802675171255963112013-04-24T15:15:00.000-04:002013-04-24T15:15:20.678-04:00Just Another Normal Day?How often do I just blaze on through from one thing to the next, rarely stopping to look around and just ENJOY the moment? So caught up in dealing with the day to day I fail to just appreciate the day itself. *sigh* <i>I don't think this is what God had in mind for me or any of us, for that matter!</i> I found these verses and would like to share them: <br />
<ul>
<li><i>Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? Matthew 6:27</i></li>
<li><i>Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34</i></li>
</ul>
It's time to take back the moments, sit back and relish them...<br />
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Today,
I'm home tending to a sick Patrick-man. For a mom of five, taking a
sick day to take care of a beastie isn't too far beyond the norm. But
Patrick is his own unique brand of sick. He sleeps on the couch with a
blanket pulled over his head. He is restless, wakeful now that the
fever has broken; each time he wakes, the blanket comes down, he grins
sleepily and flashes "I Love You" in sign, blanket back up and back to
sleep. We've shared an invaluable moment of connection, he and I. This
is a moment to cherish, I realize. Setting aside the thoughts of piles
of work waiting on my desk, the dirty dishes in the sink, the laundry
piled up, the cleaning undone....I just wait for his next appearance.
Weird, maybe, but I think I will accept the challenge to stop and
recognize these odd little moments.<br />
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What's a 'normal day' anyway? Around here that's an EXCELLENT question! At the very least, we do try to make it normal to tag up at the end of our busy days, spending a few precious minutes together before we all head off to bed. But it looks like we will be accepting a "new normal" soon enough...<br />
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This is a big year of change for our family--lots of moving on and moving up! When the new school year begins this summer, Katie will head off to college, Patrick will enter high school and Ben will tackle middle school. <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> (and if you are saying YIKES! in your head, imagine how I'm feeling...)</i></span> We are all looking forward to the excitement and uncertainty of the future. <i>But I need to remember NOT to look too far ahead, to STAY in the moment. </i>Quite frankly, I'm not entirely sure how I got to the point where I am the Mom of a soon-to-be high school graduate! <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(but that's a topic for a different blog post!)</span></i><br />
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There will be visits to Katie at college, new sports to follow, new activities to attend, new challenges to attack. New routines to establish. And yet, somewhere in between, there will be today's normal, too--lacrosse practice, basketball games, choir concerts, homework and school projects--giving us a continuity that won't let us grieve the changes for too long. Cords that weave the past into the future and strengthen our family. When we made the change from "growing family" to "growing-up family" all that time ago, I had no idea that THESE were the kinds of things we would be thinking about so soon.<br />
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Now y'all know that I'm a deep thinker, but you're probably wondering what spurred <i>this</i> unlikely bit of introspection? My wise and wonderful friend Alice posted a quote on her FaceBook page recently that encouraged me to get my mojo working to turn it into a little printable so I could frame it as a reminder:<br />
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This quote will be on my desk tomorrow, so I don't forget my resolve. If this quote would be a good reminder for you, too...click here to <a href="https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64297927/Normal%20Day%20Metro.pdf" target="_blank">download the file</a>. You can pick a color scheme you like better if you want! (Check these out! <a href="https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64297927/Normal%20Day%20Median.pdf" target="_blank">Median</a>, <a href="https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64297927/Normal%20Day%20Flow.pdf" target="_blank">Flow</a>, <a href="https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64297927/Normal%20Day%20Module.pdf" target="_blank">Module</a>, <a href="https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64297927/Normal%20Day%20Concourse.pdf" target="_blank">Concourse</a>, <a href="https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64297927/Normal%20Day%20Clay.pdf" target="_blank">Clay</a>) <i> (What do you think of my first attempt at turning a quote into something fun?)</i>Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01684857266119499066noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217183745296083340.post-31949285256729633872013-03-01T21:18:00.001-05:002013-03-01T21:18:24.168-05:00The Blue RoseMy pal Erika Shared this lovely writing with me. It was on a day that I really needed the revelation of a silver lining. <i> (Ever had those moments when you realize you've been waiting for REAL life, only to have to acknowledge 'this IS my life' ?? It was THAT kind of a day.)</i><br />
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It's too good not to share...so I will! <br />
<u><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></u>
<span class="userContent"><u><b><span style="font-size: large;">A Blue Rose</span></b></u> <br /> <br /> Having four visiting
family members, my wife was very busy, so I offered to go to the store
for her to get some needed items, which included light bulbs, paper
towels, trash bags, detergent and Clorox. So off I went.<br /> <br /> I
scurried around the store, gathered up my goodies and headed for the
checkout counter, only to be blocked in the narrow aisle by a young man
who appeared to be about <span class="text_exposed_show">sixteen-years-old.
I wasn't in a hurry, so I patiently waited for the boy to realize that I
was there. This was when he waved his hands excitedly in the air and
declared in a loud voice, "Mommy, I'm over here."<br /> <br /> It was
obvious now, he was mentally challenged and also startled as he turned
and saw me standing so close to him, waiting to squeeze by. His eyes
widened and surprise exploded on his face as I said, "Hey Buddy, what's
your name?"<br /> <br /> "My name is Denny and I'm shopping with my mother," he responded proudly.<br /> <br /> "Wow," I said, "that's a cool name; I wish my name was Denny, but my name is Steve."<br /> <br /> "Steve, like Stevarino?" he asked. "Yes," I answered. "How old are you Denny?"<br /> <br /> "How old am I now, Mommy?" he asked his mother as she slowly came over from the next aisle.<br /> <br /> "You're fifteen-years-old Denny; now be a good boy and let the man pass by."<br /> <br />
I acknowledged her and continued to talk to Denny for several more
minutes about summer, bicycles and school. I watched his brown eyes
dance with excitement, because he was the center of someone's attention.
He then abruptly turned and headed toward the toy section.<br /> <br />
Denny's mom had a puzzled look on her face and thanked me for taking the
time to talk with her son. She told me that most people wouldn't even
look at him, much less talk to him.<br /> <br /> I told her that it was my
pleasure and then I said something I have no idea where it came from,
other than by the prompting of the Holy Spirit. I told her that there
are plenty of red, yellow, and pink roses in God's Garden; however,
"Blue Roses" are very rare and should be appreciated for their beauty
and distinctiveness. You see, Denny is a Blue Rose and if someone
doesn't stop and smell that rose with their heart and touch that rose
with their kindness, then they've missed a blessing from God.<br /> <br /> She was silent for a second, then with a tear in her eye she asked, "Who are you?"<br /> <br /> Without thinking I said, "Oh, I'm probably just a dandelion, but I sure love living in God's garden."<br /> <br /> She reached out, squeezed my hand and said, "God bless you!" and then I had tears in my eyes.<br /> <br />
May I suggest, the next time you see a BLUE ROSE, don't turn your head
and walk off. Take the time to smile and say Hello. Why? Because, by the
grace of GOD, this mother or father could be you. This could be your
child, grandchild, niece or nephew. What a difference a moment can mean
to that person or their family.<br /> <br /> From an old dandelion! Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.<br /> <br /> "People will forget what you said, People will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel!" ANON.</span></span>Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01684857266119499066noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217183745296083340.post-54638773511665766922012-07-22T20:04:00.002-04:002012-07-22T20:09:59.822-04:00Making Art Challenge #46 -- YAY!Finally managed to get one done before 11 pm on the due date, LOL!! Lovely List-Mama Lori over at <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverythingWendyVecchi/" target="_blank">Everything Wendy Vecchi</a> threw down gauntlet #46: Using Page #33 of <a href="http://studio490art.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Wendy Vecchi</a>'s Third Making Art Book as our inspiration, MAKE ART!! The gist? Use a circle as a base, 3 buttons and at least one Wendy Vecchi stamp! Here's what I came up with:<br />
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Started with a 5 inch circle art parts frame. Covered the pieces with coordinating paper from 7 Gypsies' Lille collection. On the base stamp, I used a bit of Antique Linen to darken the paper, then background stamped with the Bubbles from <i>She Created Art</i> in Tea Dye. Topped that off with the Splatters from <i>Ticket to Art</i> in Wild Honey. A few bits of the Queen Anne's Lace from <i>She Created Art</i> in Gathered Twig around the bottom edge and away we went. On the outer frame, I went a wee bit darker: dabs of Tea Dye ink and the funky square background from <i>Optical Art</i> in Rusty Hinge, all edged in Vintage Photo. I spritzed the top frame layer with Perfect Pearls mist in Pearl. Ummm...helpful tip...a LITTLE goes a LOOOOONNNNGGG way!<i> (anyone have any thoughts on how to tone it down a bit, once it's done?)</i><br />
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The butterfly is from Tim Holtz, a grunge board die cut, inked in Rusty Hinge. Same fun background from Optical Art stamped on there in Vintage Photo. After it dried I topped it with Rock Candy Distress Crackle paint. Didn't plan on it, but it ended up in the splatter line of the Perfect Pearls mist spritz...so super sparkly it is! Butterfly's body is a tiny clock hand that I cut open at the end and bent the antennae. ;-) Added another Timism with the subway token "Unique" to finish off the butterfly. The bar sentiment is also from Tim.<br />
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Small flowers stamped & cut out from <i>She Created Art</i>. The larger ones are cut from extra background paper and glassine paper with a Martha Stewart punch. Rick rack is distress stained in Tea Dye. I used some Wild Honey and Dried Marmalade to liven up the flowers a bit, too. Be Yourself sentiment is from <i>A Form of Art</i>. <br />
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The rest of the random goodies are from my stash. <br />
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So, there it is. What fun! Wanna play along? Come <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverythingWendyVecchi/" target="_blank">join the fun</a>, get inky and Make Art!Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01684857266119499066noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217183745296083340.post-24782146709356197402012-07-10T22:39:00.002-04:002012-07-10T22:42:04.678-04:00Challenge #45 to MAKE ART!!Greetings & Salutations! Lovely List-Mama Lori of the Yahoo! <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverythingWendyVecchi/" target="_blank">Everything Wendy Vecchi </a>group challenged her groupies to Make Art, <a href="http://studio490art.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Wendy Style</a> using page 17 of her 3rd book as our inspiration. Basic theme? Blue with green and dots. Here's mine:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">EWV MAC #45: Blue & Green with Dots!</td></tr>
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Funny what shows up on film that doesn't look the same in person, LOL. (like the escapee glue seepage! *sigh*) I started with an Art Parts bookframe, inked in Faded Denim, which turned out a wee bit too dark, so I added a layer of Faded Denim Distress Crackle paint. I stamped a few word snippets from Wendy stamps around the edges--"play," "discover," and "enjoy."<br />
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Background is a mixture of Salty Ocean (from the YUMMY new summer DI colors!!) and Tumbled Glass. Script background stamp in Shaded Lilac tops that off. Sentiment is Wendy's, embossed in black. Made my own epoxy memo pin using Wendy's fabulous directions and a tidbit from one of her sentiment stamps "see."<br />
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Grunge paper shapes from Lord Tim of Holtz--flourishes and arrows--are also inked with the new summer DI colors in Picked Raspberry and Mowed Grass. The arrows have "Life" and "Believe" snippets from Wendy sentiments stamped on them--easier to read in person, methinks. Coated 'em both with Distress Stickles in Rock Candy. Maya Road mini-ticket is stamped with "Love" snippet from a Wendy sentiment, too. Dots, are, of course, quite Wendy.<br />
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Flowers, brads & bling are from my stash. Thanks for popping by...check out the group and join the fun when MAC #46 kicks off tomorrow morning!Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01684857266119499066noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217183745296083340.post-60555370298341479752012-06-13T00:55:00.002-04:002012-06-13T18:30:59.329-04:00Sneaking in Under the Wire...MAC #43Whoo hooo! Managed to sneak this one in under the wire for the Making Art Challenge #43 over at <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverythingWendyVecchi/" target="_blank">Everything Wendy Vecchi Yahoo!</a> group. The gauntlet thrown this time? Use 3 circles, 2 hearts and at least one <a href="http://studio490art.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Wendy Studio 490</a> stamp. List Mama Lori used Wendy's project on Page 28 of her Make Art, Studio 490 Style III book. <i> (if you don't have this one yet...GET IT!!)</i> She gave us 2 weeks to do this one...a good thing, too, since the last week went flying by.<br />
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And then there was the "Patrick cleaning incident"....let's just say that my beloved boy decided that he could earn some extra allowance by helping Mommy tidy up her crafting area. A lovely thought, really, but his cleaning concept involved a large trash bag and scissors. His creative cleaning drove a creative rethink on my part, so I started over just this afternoon. Stuck with the same idea, but my poor froggy princess suffered for it, I think, LOL.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">AGB Making Art Challenge #43</td></tr>
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Here's my take on the challenge...more ZooCrew than Studio 490 style, but that's how we roll around here! And boy did we ROLL...turned into a fun "Mommy & Me" project with my three youngest as advisers and helpers! What a fun way to spend the evening!<br />
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My background is Distress Ink in Shaded Lilac and Dusty Concord using the Wrinkle Free Distress method. Added a spritz or two of Espresso color wash just for fun. Can't really tell too well in the picture, but I clear embossed a Hero Arts heart stamp randomly here & there in the background, too. Overstamped the whole shebang with my fave splatter background by Wendy in CTMH Vanilla Cream.<br />
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My pal down in the corner is from Worried About Art, as is the "some days need a DELETE button" sentiment. ;-) The larger sentiment I found at my favorite brick & mortar store, <a href="http://ahappystamper.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Angela's Happy Stamper</a>. <i> (Figure I can get a LOT of mileage out of it, given the antics of the Zoo Crew!!) </i> Froggy Princess is a converted sticker from CTMH, improved by the addition of a very kissable pout from <a href="http://studio490art.blogspot.com/2012/04/embellish-your-art-with-blossom-bucket.html" target="_blank">Wendy's Blossom Bucket embellishments</a>. Her crown and wings were actually Ben's idea...he said that adding 'em would "really crystallize the idea that she's a princess frog, just in case people didn't get the joke." <i> hee hee hee </i> All the kids were chock full of ideas this afternoon, trying to help my creation recover from the Trash Can Adventure. My circles are topaz Swarovski crystals from my stash; hearts are random brads from my stash.<br />
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Thanks for visiting and looking at my insanity! Lori will issue Challenge #44 tomorrow...think about getting inky, <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverythingWendyVecchi/" target="_blank">join the fun</a> and find time to <a href="http://studio490art.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Go Make Art</a>!. <br />
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<br />Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01684857266119499066noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217183745296083340.post-82694128692233575712012-05-29T18:22:00.002-04:002012-05-29T18:22:45.353-04:00Everything Wendy Vecchi MAC #42Since the slow return of my creative juices has continued, I ducked into my inks again for the Making Art Challenge #42 over at the <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverythingWendyVecchi/" target="_blank">Everything Wendy Vecchi Yahoo! Group</a>. Creative List Mama Extraordinaire, Lori, challenged the group to <i>MAKE ART</i> modeled after a project in Wendy's third book, page 36...make a tag with a house on it. Use of at least one stamp from the amazing <a href="http://studio490art.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Studio 490 </a>is, of course, a must.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">EWV MAC #42: House Fun</td></tr>
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I just picked up my Spring seasonal Distress Ink set and I've fallen in love with the lovely colors! Decided I'd ink up my tag with Peacock Feathers and Shaded Lilac, added in a wee bit of Tumbled Glass and "voila!". Followed up with a light stamping of a Wendy background (from Celestial Art) in Broken China. Since the theme this week involves a house, I embossed the tag with one of <a href="http://timholtz.com/" target="_blank">Lord Tim's</a> Sizzix folders that has great architectural details. Hit the high spots with some Dried Marigold and Gathered Twigs.<br />
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The house is a Wendy original from the Residential Art set. Stamped it twice, once on a solid background of Dried Marigold and the second on a Peacock Feathers background. Reverse stamped onto some metallic brown paper to cut out a mat. Then , I cut the door out of the marigold version and mounted it on the peacock one to create a 3 layer house. I was playing with my Rock Candy Distress Stickles, so I outlined the roof and the door with it. Stamped "Important Stuff" (Journal Art) on a little dried marigold scrap. "This Side Up" (from Label it Art) stamped & embossed across the bottom--both directions. ;-)<br />
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Brads, spinner & metal flower from Tim Holtz Alterations. "Family" acrylic from the $1 bin at AC Moore <i>(SCORE!!)</i>. Twill sticky words, sheer orange flower and ribbons from my stash.<br />
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Next Challenge will be issued tomorrow bright & early...join the fun and go MAKE ART!!Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01684857266119499066noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217183745296083340.post-87828194647324437012012-05-15T21:34:00.001-04:002012-05-15T21:40:24.157-04:00Inky Again for MAC #41How wonderful it feels to have inky fingers again!! It's been a weird and rather rough spring for the Zoo Crew (and their Mama, too). My mojo has fled and, well...<br />
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'NUFF excuses!!!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making Art Challenge #41</td></tr>
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Lori, our fabulous and challenging hostess over at <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverythingWendyVecchi/" target="_blank">Everything Wendy Vecchi</a> tossed an ATC challenge to the group, based on Wendy's Book 3, page 20. Working with these adorable little canvases is fun stuff! I enjoy this format, so figured I should just dive back in. That said, this didn't quite match up to my "vision" but that's OK....I finished it! To quote a stamp I recently acquired...'bad art is better than no art' !!!<br />
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I started with a couple of Wendy's super cool Art Parts...an ATC and the stemmed flower. I covered the art parts flower with some <a href="http://www.basicgrey.com/scrapbook/shop/collections/show/current/out-of-print" target="_blank">Basic Grey Out of Print </a>paper, then stamped the corresponding <a href="http://studio490art.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Studio 490 </a>stamp (Art in Bloom). A little clear embossing powder to shine it up and finished it off with a stippling of Spun Sugar and Shabby Shutters.<br />
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The background is sticky-backed canvas. It's spritzed with walnut & cherry blossom inks, then overstamped with the spotty Wendy background from Ticket to Art. Sentiment is another Wendyism (from Tools for Art) stamped onto sticky backed canvas; used a little Worn Lipstick and Spun Sugar to color that up. Bottom lace edge, buttons and baker's twine are all from my stash. Journey charm & memo pin are, of course, from the fun Tim Holtz collection.<br />
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Sadly, my photo doesn't do it justice....the color combo is quite nice, if I do say so myself!<br />
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I'm picking up Tim's Spring Distress Ink set tomorrow...can't wait to start playing with those!! Wouldn't say the mojo floodgates have opened, but....I'm feeling the flickerings of *some*thing going on in those dusty creative cogs....YAY!Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01684857266119499066noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217183745296083340.post-58688094316072033722012-02-14T21:54:00.000-05:002012-02-14T21:54:11.423-05:00Lessons Learned from a Week of MondaysLast week was, well, pretty crappy. Errr...pukey. VERY pukey. Started on Sunday afternoon with a houseful of kiddos feeling so ill they were completely disinterested in SuperBowl snacks. (Crazy, right?) *sigh* The week just "got better" from there...and even Friday brought little relief. (Though my attitude was much improved just by virtue of Fridayness.)<br />
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The good news is that I had the opportunity to prepare for half-times at Saturday's <a href="http://www.upward.org/">Upward Basketball</a> games. I got a little tired of listening to myself whine. (OK, a LOT!) So I decided to see if I could tie a week of Mondays to Valentine's Day and the Universe's Ultimate Valentine. Rather, I tuned into some major Divine prodding...and this is the result, which I shared (in random iterations) during half-times on this last Saturday. I was incredibly blessed by the opportunity to share these thoughts with the Upward families. After a few requests for the write-up, I thought I'd share here on my blog: <br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="nowrap">SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO…anyone know what Tuesday
is??<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Valentine’s Day)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="nowrap">Anyone here hoping for one of those BIG
mushy, flowery cards cut in the shape of a heart?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe some flowers?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A box of chocolates?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A stuffed animal?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Got big plans for a romantic night out?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="nowrap">No plans?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Going through a dry spell or a loss? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="nowrap">Well, I’m not trying to be a wet blanket
here, but, well, get ready for disappointment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What if the card isn’t mushy enough? The flowers wilty the chocolates
all those weird nutty ones?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What if you
are alone? What if the stuffed animal isn’t big & fluffy enough? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="nowrap">Don’t worry!! No need to turn into a Valentine's Day Protester…you’ve got a chance
to get to know the best Valentine EVER.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You could even say the Universe's Ultimate Valentine!! In the Psalms, we are told:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><i>For
as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who
fear him (Psalm 103:11). </i> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I don’t know about you, but I have no CLUE exactly how high
the heavens are above the earth, so I’m just going with “that’s a really long
way.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> And let's assume that I've accepted the reality of God's love for me. But I'm a people. And people need reassurance sometimes. So, just how</span> do I know?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How does He show it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> (I'm hearing that song from the movie "Enchanted" in my head right now!) </span><b>Just ask Him!!!</b>…later in the Psalms, we find out
that David did just that!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i>In <a href="http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Psa&c=143&t=NIV#8">Psalm 143:8</a>
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing <span class="criteria">love</span>,
for I have put my trust in you. <span class="criteria">Show</span> me the way I
should go, for to you I lift up my soul.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Have you ever had one of THOSE weeks?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The kind where you muddle through, praying
for Friday?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Well, long about Monday #3, I got pretty sick of wallowing in myself. So, </span>I went looking for
encouragement this week and I found it in a rather odd place—the book of
Lamentations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>YUP, Lamentations!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> (Okay, I'll admit that I usually skip that one--right up there with Leviticus!)</span></div>
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<span><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><a href="http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Lam&c=3&t=NIV#32">Lam 3:32</a>
Though he brings grief, he will <span class="criteria">show</span> compassion, so
great is his <u>unfailing</u> <span class="criteria">love</span>.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><a href="http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Lam&c=3&t=NIV#comm/22">Lam
3:22</a> Because of the LORD's <u>great</u> love we are not consumed, for his
compassions never fail.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So there you go… God’s love is there even in a week of
Mondays—and sometimes easier to spot because we need to be LOOKING for it
actively.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No great big stuffed up bears
fell from the sky into my arms, no M & Ms rained down on me, but rather small, unexpected moments brought Him to
mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few examples from my week, in
retrospect:</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>a 7 year old beastie who thanked me for cleaning
up her puke (no, really!)<span> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>a surprise latte delivered straight to my desk
by a thoughtful co-worker</li>
<li> the *right* song playing on the radio at just the right time (Check out "<a href="http://theafters.com/lift-me-up-official-video/">Lift Me Up</a>" by The Afters--GREAT song!!) </li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>a brilliant, clear 4am star filled sky and a
lovely bright crescent moon on my way to work</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>a 16 year old joining in a family Veggie Tales
sing-a-long when she thought we weren’t looking</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>And my favorite…a random conversation with my
children about WHY God made a bazillion kinds of flowers instead of just
one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(I LOVE this idea!) Think about it...He loved us soooo much that he gave us a HUGE variety of flowers, trees, what have you, knowing that, like him, we would enjoy variety. WOW!</li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here’s what else I’ve learned this week. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God’s greatest gift of love is the Cross,
true. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That kind of amazing event doesn’t happen
every day…but the demonstrations of His enduring love DO! It’s not just hearts
& flowers that romance us to His side. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have His love letter—the Bible—and we have
each other.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, Upward families…a challenge for you—be on the
lookout.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What Valentines did God send
YOU this week?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01684857266119499066noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217183745296083340.post-39057198315439335892011-09-19T19:27:00.000-04:002011-09-19T19:27:13.333-04:00Everything Wendy Vecchi: Making Art Challenge #26This week Making Art Challenge #26 rolled around on <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverythingWendyVecchi/">Everything Wendy Vecchi</a><a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverythingWendyVecchi/">.</a>..and List Hostess extraordinaire <a href="http://ibeenthinkinboutinkin.blogspot.com/">Lori</a> challenged us to create a <a href="http://studio490art.blogspot.com/">Studio 490</a>esque project based on Page 27 of Wendy Vecchi's Making Art Book #2. Rough guidelines were to use polka dots, a face and, of course, at least one Studio 490 stamp.<br />
<br />
Inspiration struck when I received my package from the wonderful gals over at Absolutely Everything which included a sampler package of Wendy's Clearly For Art. I decided to try to play with it a bit for this project...learned a few things! <i>(Um...this stuff gets hot. So does the air coming out of a heating tool. So do the tweezers or clamps you use to hold your Clearly for Art embellishment.) </i>I have a lot more to learn about this fun medium...in the meantime, I like the flowers.<i> ;-) </i>Also tried a different--for me--color palette than my usual blues & greens, and I think I'll have to try these colors more often.<i><br /></i><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTr72HabQLmW57i9IF_3yrpqiAvqM0DDex1TjNnr512oVGXPHUcm_XSHq05gK-lxt5Fbp1LF136UbHIwqC6CqVR3Zt1aqljdZf3DKBQMFozXZs_1J18ksMvVOzXXqbD0GjG2zazUJTywhG/s1600/EWV+MAC+26.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTr72HabQLmW57i9IF_3yrpqiAvqM0DDex1TjNnr512oVGXPHUcm_XSHq05gK-lxt5Fbp1LF136UbHIwqC6CqVR3Zt1aqljdZf3DKBQMFozXZs_1J18ksMvVOzXXqbD0GjG2zazUJTywhG/s400/EWV+MAC+26.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">EVW MAC #26: Face & Polka Dots</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Lacking possession of a Wendy face, I had to go a different route. Luckily, I benefited from a recent stash sale by <a href="http://susank-nimblefingers.blogspot.com/">Susan K</a>, a fellow Wendy Vecchian. I started with a <a href="http://studio490art.blogspot.com/">Studio 490 </a>Art Parts ATC, thinking I would crop the face quite a bit, but when I saw the whole face together, I just had to leave her the way she was. ;-) (She did lose a bit of her mouth...but the eyes were the key feature here anyway!) The lady on the base is stamped on a background of Dried Marigold, Antique Paper, Scattered Straw and a wee bit of Pumice Stone. Script background is from Hero Arts stamped in Pumice Stone. My gal is stamped in Frayed Burlap.<br />
<br />
Wings are more Art Parts, stained with Fired Brick. I softened the color a wee bit with some Worn Lipstick Distress Ink on top. To make the flowers, I used a couple of different Wendy stamps on Clearly for Art and grunge paper. Orange floral bits are punched from the same background as the framed sentiment. The grunge paper flower is stained & inked with Fired Brick & Dried Marigold. <br />
<br />
Sentiment is Wendy's, stamped in black archival. I wanted to punch up the color a little--was hoping to pull more of the orange tone from the base--so the sentiment background is Wild Honey, Dried Marigold and Scattered Straw. Frame is another Art Part, stained in multiple layers of Dried Marigold. Polka Dots on sentiment background are in Frayed Burlap; on the frame in Vintage Photo. I put a layer of Rock Candy Distress Stickles on the grunge flower, wings and the small frame to give 'em some sparkle.<br />
<br />
Artful charm is from Tim Holtz. Random other stuff from my stash.<br />
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Thoughts? Tips? Suggestions? For TRUE inspiration, join the fun with the talented ladies at <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverythingWendyVecchi/">Everything Wendy Vecchi </a>...Challenge #27 should kick off on Wednesday morning!Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01684857266119499066noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217183745296083340.post-76979501322210549922011-09-19T17:19:00.000-04:002011-09-19T17:21:31.780-04:00Catching Up: Everything Wendy Vecchi MAC #25I've been behind the 8 ball for a few weeks....in my house, this is how we know that school started again!!...jumped into the Making Art Challenge #25 over at <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverythingWendyVecchi/">Everything Wendy Vecchi</a>, but didn't finish it before the challenge time was up. But since I went to <i><u>all</u></i> the effort to finish it up, I'm gonna inflict it on you, despite my tardiness!! hee hee hee<br />
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The challenge was to create a tag using only one or two of <a href="http://studio490art.blogspot.com/">Wendy's Studio 490</a> stamp sets. Since I had a crazy idea to do a tag that told a little story, I picked Gentleman's Art and Residential Art. Tried my hand stamping onto an Art Part, too.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">EWV MAC #25</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I started with a manilla tag, stamping a Stamping Up background stamp called "Ticking" in Scattered Straw, embossed with clear. Inked it up with Peeled Paint and Shabby Shutters. The gentleman is one of Wendy's Art Parts; he's inked up with Distress Stain in Story Skies. I stamped the coordinating stamp on top of him in Black Soot, then embossed with black Zing powder. Helpful tip...make sure you are stamping the right side of the guy!! (That whole spatial relationships thing still eludes me!)<br />
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A few Creative Memories punchies--flowers & heart--and some thread from my stash make up the bouquet. Journaling ticket is from Tim Holtz; edged Pumice Stone. Last touch? A few dots of black Enamel Accents and....<i>VOILA</i>!!<br />
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Never guess it took me so long to finish this simple project...but packing 5 lunches is really time consuming!! LOL!!<br />
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We've moved on to Making Art Challenge #26 (post to follow soon!) and Challenge #27 will begin on Wednesday this week. But do check out the fun by clicking here: <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverythingWendyVecchi/">Everything Wendy Vecchi</a>. <br />
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<br />Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01684857266119499066noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217183745296083340.post-84365187453262979542011-08-16T17:11:00.000-04:002011-08-16T17:11:34.134-04:00Everything Wendy Vecchi...MAC #22This week's challenge from Lori at <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverythingWendyVecchi/">Everything Wendy Vecchi</a> is from Wendy's first book, page 15. We needed to make a card using two similar border strips and a scalloped edge. Use of at least one <a href="http://studio490art.blogspot.com/">Wendy Studio 490</a> stamp goes without saying, of course! I learned three valuable "whoops!" type lessons with this project...<br />
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Keeping with my plan to learn some new techniques and try working with new materials this week, I made my base from a piece of grunge paper, something I'm still trying to figure out. I used Peeled Paint distress stain to ink it up...I really wanted a nice brightish color. <em>(Sidenote...cannot seem to get a decent picture of the colors here...in real life, the greens are nice and bright, offset by nice light, medium & dark blues. *sigh*)</em> Once it was dry, I spritzed it with a little Faded Jeans. Rounded the corners on the left edge; used a Martha Stewart scallop punch to create the required scallop edge. Okay, not so creative, but well...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">EWV MAC #22</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I used two coordinating pieces of Making Memories paper--a light blue gingham print and a bright green stripe--for my borders. Stamped 'em with Wendy's polka dot and splatter background stamps in CTMH Outdoor Denim. On the blue gingham, I topped it off with some Pumice Stone just for fun. 'tude Lady was stamped on grunge, inked in Outdoor Denim and embossed with clear. <em><u>Lesson Learned #1</u>...If you are going to cut out your image, do it BEFORE you emboss!!</em><br />
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<em><u>Lesson Learned #2</u>...heating grunge makes it curl, which makes it even weirder when you've already attached regular paper that doesn't curl. Harder to flatten, too. How did I learn this?</em> I stamped & embossed Wendy's sentiment (and my little twist--there's a question mark under the flower petals) AFTER I had the border strips attached. Also added part of another Wendy sentiment in Peeled Paint along the right edge..."Attitude.:<br />
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The crown to go with the royal sentiment is a bit of grunge board from Tim Holtz's random die cut package. First attempt, I inked it in Outdoor Denim, then embossed with both clear and diamond sparkle powders. <em><u>Lesson Learned #3</u>...apparently, you CAN over emboss.</em> You'll note that the crown now bears a coating of Stickles in Tiara. ;-) <br />
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Rayon seam binding dipped in Peeled Paint and Faded Denim stains makes my card a tag. Flowers & buttons are from my stash. Needed a wee bit "more" so my Peeled Paint distress stickles came in handy for some dotty fun. <br />
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Join the fun yourself and check out the talented contributions of fellow Wendy Vecchians by clicking <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverythingWendyVecchi/">here</a>.<br />
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PS: <em>Lesson Learned that I Should Have Already Known</em>...when used to cover up embossing mistakes, stickles take a REALLY long time to dry!! But I have a nice sparkley thumb now...Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01684857266119499066noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217183745296083340.post-29374840981531351352011-08-15T00:08:00.000-04:002011-08-15T00:08:57.899-04:00Simon Says...Stamp & Show us some Tim Holtz<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal">The talented folk over at <a href="http://simonsaystampandshow.blogspot.com/">Simon Says Stamp & Show</a> asked us to show them a Tim Holtz technique.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I pulled out my personal copy of A Compendium of Curiosities and perused the volume on a quest to find something new and fun to try.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Settled on a couple of new—to me—techniques:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rusted Grunge (page 45) and Double Distress (page 40).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here goes:</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzNlm-rYaVPG91HsvbZCAc8rIWtjLcw2JbqX0pOggTV0thznB63nStKgsv_BhjqfrhKO11UDWWjB-wYCCS1AyZPSfYV1yY0Gk0MytPSBosldmEC1LS10qXwl5iqH9Uz6L8rEQtcIyhRaaE/s1600/SSSS-8-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzNlm-rYaVPG91HsvbZCAc8rIWtjLcw2JbqX0pOggTV0thznB63nStKgsv_BhjqfrhKO11UDWWjB-wYCCS1AyZPSfYV1yY0Gk0MytPSBosldmEC1LS10qXwl5iqH9Uz6L8rEQtcIyhRaaE/s320/SSSS-8-14.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Simon Says Stamp & Show Us some TIM HOLTZ</td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">My base is a piece of grunge paper inked in Vintage Velvet and Peeled Paint.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After it dried, I ran it through my Texture Boutique with a Postcard texture fade (also from THE Tim)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the Double Distress technique calls for you to take a coordinating color and rub the pad direct over the raised areas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I used Forest Moss for that step.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next, you take a darker color—I used Black Soot—and wipe the pad directly on your nonstick mat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Face down, swipe the embossed item across the darker ink.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I like the results…the second step only hits the highest points and really highlights the texture of the design.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That Tim Holtz is a smart guy!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The Rusted Grunge bit is the bookplate in the upper right corner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Originally, it was a grunge board bit from Tim’s assortment of pre-cut designs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Embossing ink, Vintage Photo Distress embossing powder and a few swipes of Vintage Photo Distress Ink later…and there we go! Years of rust in a few short minutes.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal">The photo, clock face, ticket & 27 are from Tim’s Lost & Found Idea-ology sticker book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sentiment is also Tim’s, as are the foliage leaves and paper clip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Crackle Accents helped age those up a bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Flowers, brads, rhinestones & charm are from my stash.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Ended up mounting the whole thing on a piece of cardstock that I inked up in the same colors—Vintage Velvet and Peeled Paint.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I like how the white cardstock took the ink differently from the grunge, but sets it all off well.</div><div class="MsoNormal">This was a great learning experience…thanks <a href="http://simonsaystampandshow.blogspot.com/">Simon Says Stamp& Show</a>!</div>Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01684857266119499066noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217183745296083340.post-60704548506633224982011-08-10T06:53:00.000-04:002011-08-10T06:53:44.516-04:00Making Art Challenge #21...Distress ResistHowdy, howdy, hi HI!! Welcome...please do NOT fall out of your chair. Two posts in one week? YIKES! This might just become a habit!<br />
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This week's Making Art Challenge over at <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverythingWendyVecchi">Everything Wendy Vecchi </a>was to create a card based on Wendy's book 1, page 15. Wendy's fabulous example uses a pigment ink resist technique. But since I'm not overly successful at doing it myself, I'll let you see it from the wise woman herself...<a href="http://studio490art.blogspot.com/2009/04/pigment-and-distress-inks.html">click here to check it out!</a><br />
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Here's my take:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiwHSd4KJHkTGW-4edAzfH-P264loAWk2FemwNrqww8rp3QvIUFGL_SUlxQ5M1eaWCA1Xguqc4wJsfSbor9c6KMFmzrzNPYacnIVFaJEohAQMKe9IqSJ3jTCmeZnovdhDGff6NHmWnQl8W/s1600/EWV+MAC+21+a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiwHSd4KJHkTGW-4edAzfH-P264loAWk2FemwNrqww8rp3QvIUFGL_SUlxQ5M1eaWCA1Xguqc4wJsfSbor9c6KMFmzrzNPYacnIVFaJEohAQMKe9IqSJ3jTCmeZnovdhDGff6NHmWnQl8W/s320/EWV+MAC+21+a.jpg" width="255" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">EWV MAC #21</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
I struggled with this one a bit, since when I tried it the first couple of times, I ended up with more white pigment ink on my inky blender than was left on the cardstock. *sigh* So....I used the couple that turned out well--smaller bits!--and used them for accents on a larger card. Pretty simple, but I think hubby will like it when he finds it on his car seat tomorrow morning!<br />
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Base is a simple kraft cardstock. I covered it with some 7 Gypsies paper from their Lille 8 x 8" pad. Top edge continues into the inside of the card and is anchored with another freehand pink heart. I inked the base patterned paper with Worn Lipstick & Antique Linen. The patterning on the paper was so pretty I didn't want to mess with it too much.<br />
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The brown distressed items are actually two torn pieces of the same stamped & inked image. Base stamp is the ledger from <a href="http://studio490art.blogspot.com/">Studio 490</a> Artfully Noted, stamped on kraft paper in white pigment, dried, then distressed in Vintage Photo. I tore the whole image into a few pieces and roughed up the edges. Added more Vintage Photo to the torn edges and called it 'mah-velous, dahlink'! Stamped the "happily ever after" sentiment from Homemade Art on the larger bit.<br />
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Hearts are freehanded from a piece of cardstock that was also resist stamped. For those, I used the number background from the Studio 490 Dimensional Rose Art stamp set. Inked in Worn Lipstick over the resist, cut out and then edges inked in a bit of Vintage Photo & Fired Brick. Here's a close-up so you can see the resist background a bit better--but you still have to look closely to see the numbers in the background:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYPnIiYyFWjkCwTIKwhpS89ZGoEK26NJUr1wYnFq97lx21s1jUQmJL2CixfIopmH5E0KCVZ_FH0pc2l9UD-Pt8-qIuPzrFVM96pKwUwx1n0aErZRnzJjB28fLwwsR1l5HPCPV5M3wOXYxo/s1600/EWV+MAC+21+b.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYPnIiYyFWjkCwTIKwhpS89ZGoEK26NJUr1wYnFq97lx21s1jUQmJL2CixfIopmH5E0KCVZ_FH0pc2l9UD-Pt8-qIuPzrFVM96pKwUwx1n0aErZRnzJjB28fLwwsR1l5HPCPV5M3wOXYxo/s320/EWV+MAC+21+b.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close-up of Hearts</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Inside, I stamped the "Let your heart lead the way" stamp from Gentleman's Art--from Wendy Vecchi, of course!! Hubby will find this wee bit of lovey-dovey-ness in his car tomorrow morning...hope he likes!<br />
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Hope you like it, too! Somehow, my stuff never quite makes it to the level of the other players in this game, but that's OK. hee hee hee Just bought a Stampotique stamp that says "Bad art is better than no art!" I quite agree... Now...get out there and join in the fun. Get a little--or a lot!--of ink on those fingers! (or glue, or marker, or whatever floats YOUR boat!)<br />
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Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01684857266119499066noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217183745296083340.post-34558635026579238172011-08-07T22:07:00.000-04:002011-08-07T22:07:46.700-04:00Simon Says...Stamp & Show Us a TAGGreetings & Salutations, Fellow Travelers of the Crafty Road! This week's challenge over at <a href="http://simonsaysstampandshow.blogspot.com/">Simon Says Stamp and Show</a> was to create a tag. Now, I'm throwing my creation in the ring, but I gotta tell ya'...these gals are AMAZING with the stuff they can figure out how to put on a single tag. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEDloyRLEhNoIgxJD7Q3bhMIXICean2lJxk_dcDLkpEmM3QZp75jBGE4nkr32vgcHcdbny3B-KDFkdUgFjPNg_zZdXkduo-til_WvIdt7_JL4cTuXbI7JTtsv59BebuMNZZn7fC9vdH3lE/s1600/SSSS+8-7-11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEDloyRLEhNoIgxJD7Q3bhMIXICean2lJxk_dcDLkpEmM3QZp75jBGE4nkr32vgcHcdbny3B-KDFkdUgFjPNg_zZdXkduo-til_WvIdt7_JL4cTuXbI7JTtsv59BebuMNZZn7fC9vdH3lE/s320/SSSS+8-7-11.JPG" t$="true" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SSSS a Tag</td></tr>
</tbody></table> I picked up Tim Holtz' Umbrella Man in a set just last week, so I felt the need to get him inky. ;-) Brolly Boy needed a storm to back him up...mine was created with Ranger's Distress Inks in Tumbled Glass, Dusty Concornd, Faded Jeans and some Black Soot. A spritz or two of water with my mini-mister and one stormy background was in play. I stamped my guy in CTMH black archival directly on the tag. Stamped him again on another bit of cardstock in Black Soot DI and embossed it in clear. Fussy cut him out and then popped him up on a few foam dots to give him some dimension. Rain drops are both "Rain Dots" by Cloud 9 Designs and some Glossy Accents. <br />
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I filled in one of Tim's memo pins with Glossy Accents to highlight the word "be"--a tidbit from another Tim stamp. (Can you tell I just read that part of Tim's Compendium of Curiousities book?!) Tacked on the "Courageous" token for a bit of an accent in the corner. The sentiment, of course, is but a well-worn cliche...the extra is my own take on making lemonade out of lemons. ;-) I printed it on plain paper, snipped the words apart, then inked it up with a bit of Dusty Concord and Faded Jeans. The brackets are brads from my stash. I thought I was done but for the ribbons, but when I looked again, it didn't have that "pop" factor, so I added a backing of textured black cardstock spritzed with some Tsuneninko Frost. Now, the ribbons could finish things off!<br />
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It's not too late to join the fun...I'd imagine you're much faster at this than I am! Check out the weekly challenges over at <a href="http://simonsaysstampandshow.blogspot.com/">Simon Says Stamp and Show</a>. <br />
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Now off to work on my Challenge #21 for <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverythingWendyVecchi/">Everything Wendy Vecchi</a>!Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01684857266119499066noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217183745296083340.post-52508906552930845842011-07-31T20:14:00.000-04:002011-07-31T20:14:05.539-04:00ANYthing Goes at Simon Says Stamp & Show!This week, the gals at <a href="http://simonsaysstampandshow.blogspot.com/">Simon Says Stamp & Show </a>are busy with Design Team selections, soooooooo it was time for an ANYTHING GOES Challenge. I figured that since ANYthing would go, I could try my hand working with some new things for me...ATCs and grunge paper.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOfIWNWjCtdFGVYosIJOXJDHZzAxZZAs4RW29dxkC19MvKqxvCBum72ATqF6An0CE6NlcSg6BL6IcgCAQK24VWYRuegF-wE0BFLxgEAtENABviR1m5PjMgqFyt5SJOdOd9sEjd4l-10HTO/s1600/SSSS-Anything+7-31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOfIWNWjCtdFGVYosIJOXJDHZzAxZZAs4RW29dxkC19MvKqxvCBum72ATqF6An0CE6NlcSg6BL6IcgCAQK24VWYRuegF-wE0BFLxgEAtENABviR1m5PjMgqFyt5SJOdOd9sEjd4l-10HTO/s320/SSSS-Anything+7-31.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SSSS--Anything Goes!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I bought the grunge paper awhile ago, but haven't had the courage to play with it yet. Dove in today...errr...dipped my toe in. I inked it up--both sides!--with Dusty Concord, Faded Jeans, and Broken China. Then I kinda thought.."now what?" Stamped a whole buncha different Wendy flowers and fussy cut 'em out, when I remembered that flowers weren't really part of the original plan. hee hee hee But now I have a random stash for when I need 'em! And--as you can see--a couple even made the cut. ;-)<br />
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The ATCs are another item I bought awhile ago after seeing the amazing ones created by my fellow Wendy Vecchians in a swap. The smaller format is appealing, but WOW! smaller is right!! I started with a sticky backed canvas ATC that I inked in Tumbled Glass, Broken China, Dusty Concord and a smidge of Faded Jeans. Added the birds in black archival from one of Tim's stamp sets, but only used a few of the larger ones. Decided I needed a few more and a little depth, so I stamped the same birds on the grunge paper and fussy cut those out, too. Popped 'em up on varying heights of pop dots. Then I stuck the canvas onto an ATC Art Part...wanted to give it some heft.<br />
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The sentiment is one of Tim Holtz's. I was really happy that I bought the smaller size of this sentiment...it's the perfect size for creating ATCs!! The tickets are Tim's, too. Brushed those with the Dusty Concord and Tumbled Glass. Ribbon trim is rayon seam binding dyed with Distress Stain in Dusty Concord and Tumbled Glass--that was another first for me, too! I love how the colors just mixed themselves all up!! Added the grunge paper flowers and a dangley jewelery bit (Industrial Chic from Michael's) for the finishing touches.<br />
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So....whaddya think? I know I've only scratched the surface of these new (to me!) things, but this was FUN! Suggestions are welcomed!!Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01684857266119499066noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217183745296083340.post-41229166208890171962011-07-31T00:55:00.000-04:002011-07-31T00:55:00.525-04:00Walkin' on the Wendy Side: MAC #20<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRZChjffKTBG-fhyphenhyphen-zbrvioDgmKl1FrX0NDMuDQnnebgUGdZLt_lGmOoHacGZzWuuD_0yao4uTrjpAZuX9u4PzbC8cZqtLA7H53Sv3W3-SV-eWkk1HhQCabHxuaTCAj19OpSCYKpouK44Z/s1600/EWV+MAC+20.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRZChjffKTBG-fhyphenhyphen-zbrvioDgmKl1FrX0NDMuDQnnebgUGdZLt_lGmOoHacGZzWuuD_0yao4uTrjpAZuX9u4PzbC8cZqtLA7H53Sv3W3-SV-eWkk1HhQCabHxuaTCAj19OpSCYKpouK44Z/s320/EWV+MAC+20.jpg" style="clear: both; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">EWV MAC #20</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Greetings! Faithful List-Mom Lori over at <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverythingWendyVecchi/">Everything Wendy Vecchi </a>threw Making Art Challenge #20 at us this week. If you are lucky enough to have <a href="http://www.ecrater.com/p/8862916/make-art-studio-490-style-book">Wendy Vecchi's Make Art, Studio 490 Style Book 1</a>, take a peek at Wendy's creation on Page 12. This week, we were to use 4 squares as our background and at least one <a href="http://studio490art.blogspot.com/">Wendy</a> Stamp. Since I'm on a Basic Grey roll this week, figured I'd work that in, too. I've been itching to start working with my newest of the <a href="http://www.basicgrey.com/scrapbook/shop/collections/show/current/out-of-print">BG Collections...Out of Print</a>. I just LOVE this paper.<br />
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I started with a black 5 x 7" folded card. I trimmed about 1/2 inch from just the front along the long edge. For the first layer, I cut the BG stripey paper so that the stripes would be horizontal. Embossed that layer in my Texture Boutique, used Tim Holtz' Tonic distresser on the edges, then ran a little Black Soot over it to bring out the pattern (that's the Xs you see). I also cut a 3/4 inch strip from the stripey paper and adhered that to the inside of the card, along the open edge. So...when the card is closed, you can see the vertical stripe along the right edge (can't see it in the photo..oh well!).<br />
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Since I'm a scrapper first, I decided that I just couldn't mount squares straight on that stripey background, so..I cut 4 squares of light pink paper (the reverse of one of the patterns on my squares). Distressed each one with a little roughing up and more Black Soot ink. After I stuck those down, I used a script stamp across the pink tiled background for another layer.<br />
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Each of my other squares is a different bit of <a href="http://www.basicgrey.com/scrapbook/shop/collections/show/current/out-of-print">BG Out of Print</a> paper. A couple of different tries with different background stamps turned into several "well, THAT didn't work" moments. Ended up leaving the squares 'as is' with just a wee bit of Black Soot on the edgest...and just a smidge of Spun Sugar & Worn Lipstick. Each square is embellished with a variety of flowers, brads, bling & ribbon from my stash. The sentiment is a <a href="http://studio490art.blogspot.com/">Wendy</a> stamp, stamped in black archival and embossed in clear. That last square, I popped up on foam dots and tried to make it look like it's hanging from the square above.<br />
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So there it is...MAC #20. Now, y'all oughtta play along! Hope on over to the <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverythingWendyVecchi/">Yahoo! EWV Group</a>, check out the fun and then..GO MAKE ART!! Thanks for stopping by! Please do leave me a comment...would love to know what you think!<br />
<div style="clear: both; text-align: RIGHT;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img align="middle" alt="Posted by Picasa" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" style="-moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; border: 0px none; padding: 0px;" /></a></div>Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01684857266119499066noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217183745296083340.post-37217575058752360372011-07-26T23:14:00.000-04:002011-07-26T23:14:51.416-04:00Everything Wendy Vecchi--MAC #19<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">This week's challenge over at <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverythingWendyVecchi/">Everything Wendy Vecchi</a>--use a bird and at least one Studio 490 stamp--was truly a challenge for me. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEKYprLwGsx139-k0H82DaAl98VCkUSYpvfC3sConhMIFqTIqPQXWnAGv0OPp6n54jeERfNyNpOIJFyC4W0krj16rO7NS-OtkYNvggA73HyiQjMNL4piCLgqQAcfG3NhCghHrPQJ7Pe__G/s400/IMG_2688.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="305" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">EWV MAC #19</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">Not really sure why, but I just struggled with finding ANY kind of creative mojo this week. Admittedly, it's been a wee bit of a rough one with the Zoo Crew, so...anyway, inspiration was running low. But I felt like I REALLY needed to do this...stretch a little, FIND a little something. So, without further ado, my MAC #19. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Taking a page from <a href="http://marjiekemper.typepad.com/my-blog/">Marjie's</a> book, I decided that I REALLY needed to use some of my Basic Grey paper stash. <i>(Hi, My Name is Angie and I'm Addicted to Paper...I'm working the steps, but seem to be stalled outside the local scrapbooking store!) </i> Anyway, the papers are all from the Origins collection, as are the bird and the chipboard embellishments. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The "a little birdie told me" is a Pink Paislee stamp. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://studio490art.blogspot.com/">Wendy's Studio 490</a> stamps used are the sentiment (black archival, embossed in clear), Queen Anne's Lace flowers (stamped multiple times in Frayed Burlap), and the bubbly background (Tea Dye). Added some texture & gloss with Glossy Accents and some bling from my stash...VOILA! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Check out the creations by my fellow Wendy Vecchians by clicking here: <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverythingWendyVecchi/">EWV</a>! Great gals with amazing talent!</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEKYprLwGsx139-k0H82DaAl98VCkUSYpvfC3sConhMIFqTIqPQXWnAGv0OPp6n54jeERfNyNpOIJFyC4W0krj16rO7NS-OtkYNvggA73HyiQjMNL4piCLgqQAcfG3NhCghHrPQJ7Pe__G/s1600/IMG_2688.JPG"></a> </div><div style="clear: both; text-align: CENTER;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img align="middle" alt="Posted by Picasa" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" style="-moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; border: 0px none; padding: 0px;" /></a></div>Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01684857266119499066noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217183745296083340.post-57487713006303091442011-07-25T10:43:00.000-04:002011-07-25T10:43:51.919-04:00While Mommy Creates...The Zoo Crew crafts right alongside me....<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzStXIbg2StiM8-9P0RRYhPTL2Kcx0qiEMyxp4Io2LfVnpIdeXCZCDmeHsKnJKh74qKQcFsQvn7Lqe7x71uf3qBASQniqhkxSJIvErHfb8Pobe3aqv-ddgaSK9Vfm3cLAKIzzBfcpeLLvE/s1600/100_1605.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzStXIbg2StiM8-9P0RRYhPTL2Kcx0qiEMyxp4Io2LfVnpIdeXCZCDmeHsKnJKh74qKQcFsQvn7Lqe7x71uf3qBASQniqhkxSJIvErHfb8Pobe3aqv-ddgaSK9Vfm3cLAKIzzBfcpeLLvE/s320/100_1605.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>How I love sharing crafting time with the beasties! Patrick likes to do things on a grand scale, thus the poster board cards. The best part of this project was the caption he put on the picture of Daddy..."You take that picture and you're dead meat!" Almost verbatim a quote from Dad when he saw me taking pics for the blog, LOL!<br />
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Ben is all dialed up on techniques and how to get the best detail in his designs--and he's not afraid of mixed media and 3D. His most amazing creation used 100 bright red plastic cups and army men...sadly, no photo exists of THAT lovely item. Oh...and he wanted me to take it to work for my desk!<br />
Abbey digs the bling & the bright colors--she is the queen of more, MORE, <b>MORE</b>!! is better. (hmmmm...wonder where she gets that from?) Matthew is more of a straight-line guy...and he prefers to work in pencil and monotones.<br />
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Katie has moved away from paper crafting and is loving her ceramics classes at school; she's made some wonderful animals...including a purple porcupine with hand sculpted quills!!<br />
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We have fun planning "projects" for our company, too. For the Fourth of July, Abbey and I chose some cool summery paper palates and set up a card-making session for the Pigg-Kabrick ladies:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpFsHcncaI8QcVKiixjpfmEML-jH1KO2HDLgrHF75kByEEE57rJs-QQZHSTMwCkCpRitBzGojOomjGc-rSa6lKwLqdzgqWMzotm3-VXBcbpnsGY2Fkvbp6338NzWDqFbxa6TeeatknblpF/s1600/100_1619.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpFsHcncaI8QcVKiixjpfmEML-jH1KO2HDLgrHF75kByEEE57rJs-QQZHSTMwCkCpRitBzGojOomjGc-rSa6lKwLqdzgqWMzotm3-VXBcbpnsGY2Fkvbp6338NzWDqFbxa6TeeatknblpF/s320/100_1619.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I'm glad these guys share my love of crafting!Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01684857266119499066noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217183745296083340.post-10728286335239486842011-07-17T21:16:00.001-04:002011-07-17T21:16:58.608-04:00Challenge Two-fer! MAC #18 & SSSGreetings! I know, I know...it's not 11:57 pm!! Pick yourself up off the floor...<br />
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<b>FIRST things FIRST: </b>HUGE big <span style="font-size: large;">THANK YOU!!</span> to <a href="http://www.simonsaysstamp.com/">Simon Says Stamp</a> and <a href="http://www.ibeenthinkinboutinkin.blogspot.com/">Lori</a> for my new <a href="http://studio490art.blogspot.com/">Wendy Vecchi</a> stamp set, Nature's Art. I am sooooooo appreciative of your generosity! And very much in love with this set!!!<br />
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Now, on to the deets:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QFgczUCsFoM/TiNnPl1fxHI/AAAAAAAAIeE/K_I1PEeg0Iw/s1600/MAC+18+n+SSS.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="245" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QFgczUCsFoM/TiNnPl1fxHI/AAAAAAAAIeE/K_I1PEeg0Iw/s320/MAC+18+n+SSS.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">EWV MAC #18 and SSS Some Stitching!</td></tr>
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Lori, hostess extraordinaire at <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverythingWendyVecchi/">Everything Wendy Vecchi</a>, challenged us to work with Book 1, Page 20's example and create with striped paper and a rectangular frame. I'm tweaking that a bit, as I believe squares are just an extra special rectangles. ;-) Hopefully, my fellow Wendy Vecchians will agree. My base is actually a random dollar bin find at Jo-Ann; it's a slightly padded frame with a lovely texture...but you have no way of knowing that since my original plan to ink the frame fell through. I have NO IDEA what kind of paper was covering that thing, but NOTHING I tried worked..not even alcohol inks. Weird. Could be lack of expertise, but what a MESS! Thank God for Backup Plan A! Textured chocolate brown cardstock to the rescue!! Rubbed some Vintage Photo DI on the top to give a little more depth to the design, but the swirls were handily already on the paper.<br />
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Striped papers are from the fabulous Mr. H's Retro Grunge stack--an interesting combo of deep greens, reds & cranberries that I did NOT want to go "holiday" with. Inside the frame, I inked the stripes with Fired Brick DI and a little Tea Dye. Then used my brand spankin' new Wendy gingham background from Nature's Art in CTMH Brown Bag. The sentiment is Tim's, stamped in CTMH Archival Black & embossed in clear to give it some pop. The brads are from Bo-Bunny, Mamarazzi. The outer frame is one of Wendy's Art Parts, covered in the same striped paper. Edges inked in Fired Brick and Tea Dye. I left the background stamp off this frame use of the striped paper. A few brown toned buttons and Voila!<br />
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The flower is also a Wendy Art Part, the smaller of the two flowers in the Florals set. Paper covering the flower (and making the butterfly) is from My Mind's Eye LifeStories stack. Flower edges are lightly inked with Fired Brick, then brushed with Tea Dye. Flower's center is a Wendy stamp from Homemade Art stamped in CTMH Garden Green on vellum. Roughed up the edges a wee bit, then inked with Antique Linen DI. Finished the flower with a button, key and Cranberry Waxy Flax (CTMH). Tag is from 7 Gypsies. That one came down to a choice between one that said "Real Life" or "Become"...went with this one because the tear-off bit at the bottom says "<a href="http://www.pomona.edu/Magazine/pcmfl00/1.shtml">No. 47</a>." Forty-seven is a bit of a cultural phenomenon at my <a href="http://www.pomona.edu/Magazine/pcmfl00/1.shtml">alma mater</a>, so I just HAD to go with the 47!! Actually kept wondering if the tag crossed into 'too much of a good thing' territory, but now that I'm looking at it more, I like how it offsets the symmetry of the piece a bit.<br />
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Butterflies are both stamped from the super awesome dotty butterfly in my new Wendy set. <i>(Have I mentioned that I LOVE it?? THANK YOU again, Simon & Lori!!)</i> Bottom layer was given the same treatment as the center of the flower. Top layer matches the flower, but is stamped in CTMH Barn Red. Both layers were embossed in clear. Butterfly's body was given the Glossy Accents treatment.<br />
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This week, our friends at <a href="http://simonsaysstampandshow.blogspot.com/">Simon Says Stamp & Show</a> asked to see some stitching (faux or otherwise!). Since I'm not so handy with a needle, this artist greatly appreciates the leniency to be faux! I incorporated "stitching" on the striped frame & flower on this creation. Stitch stamp on two sides of the frame is from Tim's Seamless Experience set. "Hand-stitching" around the flower done courtesy of my CTMH Chocolate pen.<br />
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I'm liking this project so much, it just may go with me to kick it in my cubical at work! <br />
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Still time to get yourself inky and play along--Simon's challenge goes 'til midnight tonight. EWV 'til Tuesday midnight. Click the links above to get started!Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01684857266119499066noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217183745296083340.post-24182184089006692902011-07-10T23:59:00.001-04:002011-07-11T11:13:03.541-04:00Simon Says...Show us a FLOURISH!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2TQObD_TFPc6022zAED07bTR_7OLh7s0E9voRLZuFVz6B-PiWtOfx9RYAOHd_9cDJ40AjK0env4fQA5d17lr7-oSdK9-8LPYIXCUXuSge4wsi1P106oJ8NreEjhTzN8jCZtfksd2qyGqH/s1600/photo%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2TQObD_TFPc6022zAED07bTR_7OLh7s0E9voRLZuFVz6B-PiWtOfx9RYAOHd_9cDJ40AjK0env4fQA5d17lr7-oSdK9-8LPYIXCUXuSge4wsi1P106oJ8NreEjhTzN8jCZtfksd2qyGqH/s320/photo%25283%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Simon Says Stamp & Show...a flourish!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>So the team over at <a href="http://simonsaysstampandshow.blogspot.com/">Simon Says Stamp and Show </a>challenged us to show 'em a flourish. And here's my valiant effort, LOL.<br />
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The base is a light cadet blue, inked in Vintage Photo over a Tim Holtz compass mask. I added a wee bit of Antique Paper DI after I removed the mask. Then, I used my favorite <a href="http://studio490art.blogspot.com/">Wendy Vecchi </a>spotty background stamp from A Ticket to Art in Tea Dye lightly misted with water.<br />
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The flourish in the upper left corner was stamped on the reverse side of some Graphic 45 Steampunk Debutante paper with a CTMH stamp, then cut out. That brown paper has got a small print of lighter brown & golden gears all over it. Finished off that element with a Tim swivel clasp and tag charm. <br />
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The reverse side of the darker brown paper is used in the lower right corner as a mat for a Tim Holtz stamp "Not all who wander are lost" which I stamped in Faded Jeans on vellum. <br />
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NOTE: ANY and ALL tips on working with solid stamps like that so they turn out more legible will be gratefully welcomed!<br />
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Under that matted stamp is pleat folded vellum, stamped with a map background. Another couple of flourish-y stamps and some random gears and brads to round out the fun. Top it all off with some Vintage Photo Distress Stickles...and VOILA!<br />
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Now...since I'm posting this at the last possible second, there's not much time to play along this week, but DO join the fun for the next challenge at <a href="http://simonsaysstampandshow.blogspot.com/">Simon Says Stamp & Show</a>!Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01684857266119499066noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217183745296083340.post-14705927761602514702011-07-03T16:33:00.001-04:002011-07-03T19:49:32.471-04:00Wency Vecchi: MAC #17 Red, White & BlueThe challenge at <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverythingWendyVecchi/">Everything Wendy Vecchi </a>this week was to make something Red, White & Blue. And, of course, a Wendy stamp is required! I decided to try my hand at using a bingo card as a base; last week at <a href="http://www.greatamericanscrapbook.com/ehome/index.php?eventid=20164&tabid=28508&">GASC</a> I saw some lovely things done with bingo cards. Mine is from <a href="http://jennibowlin.blogspot.com/">Jenni Bowlin</a>. Not sure I did it justice, but well, I'm still claiming "newbie"! Thanks to another nice sale at Jo-Ann, I'm also the proud owner of <a href="http://studio490art.blogspot.com/">Wendy Vecchi's </a>Seriously Art stamp set...one I've been coveting for quite some time. Pretty much all of the stamps on this 'creation' are from that set.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHe-WFXQKrhNU4pBahfw4Qz9EGTAKHJeArxtbwDvCESoC8Iq2zv7T2REvg1L6cXZBAjkqWvsctGNQlgK6ANAt0IrKEfWP4koLp4D6vs-uoxx9LVEJ-tmhYvreYUNEFkzS8hJT1MAcTJfRT/s1600/MAC+17+RWB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHe-WFXQKrhNU4pBahfw4Qz9EGTAKHJeArxtbwDvCESoC8Iq2zv7T2REvg1L6cXZBAjkqWvsctGNQlgK6ANAt0IrKEfWP4koLp4D6vs-uoxx9LVEJ-tmhYvreYUNEFkzS8hJT1MAcTJfRT/s320/MAC+17+RWB.jpg" width="249" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">EWV MAC #17: Red, White & Blue</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I started with a bingo card with HOME as the title. A little distress ink in Fired Brick, Faded Jeans and Broken China turned it into the beginnings of my base. I stamped the polka dot background in both Fired Brick and Faded Jeans by dabbing both on the stamp at the same time. Using a large star as a stencil, I lightly sprayed sparkly mist in a star shape...mostly on the larger red section in the middle. Doesn't really show up here, but you can see it better in person. The red got a little watercolor-y and darker. It's a nice effect and I wish it showed up better on the photo!<br />
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I stamped the Serious dude twice..first in Faded Jeans, then in Fired Brick. Embossed both in clear. To give him more dimension I mounted the blue version on cardstock inked in Black Soot. I cut out the Fired Brick hat and bow tie, then popped them up on him with foam dots. I think he's my favorite part of this project.<br />
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After I goofed up the letter heading that was on the card, I attempted to resolve the problem with some chipboard letters. Inked 'em in Fired Brick, then embossed with clear. <br />
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Fireworks on the left upper side are done in stickles over a lightly inked Wendy Stamp--it's a Queen Anne's lace looking floral that, when upside down, looked firework-y to me. Patriotic brads, red rhinestones, chipboard button are from <a href="http://jennibowlin.blogspot.com/">Jenni Bowlin</a>. (I scored a $20 grab bag at their booth at GASC that had TONS of awesome goodies!) The jean pockets are die cuts from my stash. I roughed 'em up a bit and then put Crackle Effects on them. First time using the stuff. I think I'll get better. ;-) Stars are chipboard from my stash inked with Adirondack ink in Denim. <br />
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I'm glad I dove into this one...my fingers haven't been inky in a few weeks, but...this is one of those "it looked better in my mind" projects, LOL. Anyway, my friends from <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverythingWendyVecchi/">Everything Wendy Vecchi </a>have done some AMAZING stuff (REALLY--don't let my ineptitude keep you from checking out their talent!). Join the fun and check it out by clicking the link above.Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01684857266119499066noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217183745296083340.post-35532181670576101672011-06-22T18:45:00.001-04:002011-06-22T18:47:17.433-04:00Happy 100th, Marjie!!<span style="font-size: large;"><b>YAY for my friend <a href="http://marjiekemper.typepad.com/my-blog">Marjie</a>! </b></span> She's already hit her 100th blog post...and to celebrate, she's giving YOU the chance to win a present! An AWESOME prize package, really, that goes wwwwaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy beyond a mere "present."<br />
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Check out her super creative artwork on her blog...leave a comment on her <a href="http://marjiekemper.typepad.com/my-blog/">100th post</a> and you just might win!! (And even if you don't, we are all a little richer for her <a href="http://marjiekemper.typepad.com/my-blog/">presence on the web</a>! So check out her blog and get inspired.) <i>On the other hand....maybe don't...betters my chance at winning, right??</i><br />
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Keep blogging & making art, my friend!Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01684857266119499066noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6217183745296083340.post-15303171833630585382011-06-19T23:06:00.001-04:002011-06-19T23:09:15.188-04:00Tear it Up!! Simon Says Stamp and Show ChallengeThis week's challenge over at <a href="http://simonsaysstampandshow.blogspot.com/">Simon Says Stamp & Show</a>...Tear It Up! And get a little Distressed. Here's my pitiful attempt...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRJmECZnzNSe4Gl60z6JSlZMWoZ2ei8K2vNcs_FlpIY8NzxAL6eE-b2ZiVsJs9reK1JJGCbUbzyfRin8jLRxqrT7XMVqmVRsgWIfC8mZyUGDX1JCifA6-sPvjFWJZ9c9Hi9F1GeatgWGkU/s1600/101_1263.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRJmECZnzNSe4Gl60z6JSlZMWoZ2ei8K2vNcs_FlpIY8NzxAL6eE-b2ZiVsJs9reK1JJGCbUbzyfRin8jLRxqrT7XMVqmVRsgWIfC8mZyUGDX1JCifA6-sPvjFWJZ9c9Hi9F1GeatgWGkU/s320/101_1263.JPG" style="clear: both; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Simon Says Stamp & Show: Tear it Up!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Never have been very good with the whole "torn paper" thing, but I have to admit that I do LOVE the way the distress ink makes the edges pop. My card is simple enough...chocolate brown 4 x5 base with edges distressed in Tea Dye, Frayed Burlap and a wee bit of Faded Denim. I used a Stamper's Anonymous script background in CTMH Chocolate over that. <br />
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Cadet blue card was stamped in the bubbly background stamp from <a href="http://studio490art.blogspot.com/">Wendy Vecchi's Studio 490</a> She Created Art set. First stamped in Faded Denim, then in Frayed Burlap. Misted with water and pounced. I let it dry, then used the watercolor stamping technique to stamp the dotty background from Wendy's Ticket to Art set in Tea Dye. Next, I tore the edges, then inked 'em up in Antique Linen and Frayed Burlap.<br />
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The saying is from Tim Holtz, stamped on dotted vellum in CTMH Chocolate. Roughed up all the untorn edges with a Tonic Distresser (on the brown base, too!).<br />
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Butterfly charm is from Industrial Chic and is hanging on a Tim memo pin. Waxy Flax from CTMH; bling flourish is from my stash.<br />
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The whole thing is a wee bit simple (and perhaps too boxy), but since I stink at tearing it up, I'm gonna call it a win. ;-) Check out the entries this week by clicking the link above. And...if you're up for more fun, a new challenge will post each Monday!! Now get out there and make some art!<br />
<div style="clear: both; text-align: LEFT;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img align="middle" alt="Posted by Picasa" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" style="-moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; border: 0px none; padding: 0px;" /></a></div>Angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01684857266119499066noreply@blogger.com2