It's a been awhile

I discovered Instagram and have been posting over there instead of here. It's so much easier, and the response I've gotten, the friends I've made over there, well, it's kept me away. I feel badly that I probably won't have a blog book published this year. But I'm so lazy! Posting photos here requires some footwork, but with Instagram all I have to do is upload directly from my phone, boom, it's done. *whine*

I just now tried to figure out to post photos from my Flickr, but I've forgotten how, argh! So I posted directly from my computer, which isn't the best way because it eats up storage.

Here's a card I made for a friend. I'm in love with this stamp! I water colored the card and then used colored pencils for the envelope. I like this so much I'll definitely be doing this again.

The 100 Card Project

...and beyond!

I set a goal for myself to make at least 100 cards for the Chihuahua Pride Day in Monterey (story by The Monterey Herald Newspaper). I was excited to be a part of a day where funds were raised to help spay and neuter Chihuahuas, which are in over abundance at our local animal shelters. I sold my cards, Dawn sold bracelets she made and Valerie sold necklaces she crafted from sea glass and other things she found at local beaches. Here are a few of the cards I did:

If you'd like to see the entire collection, here's a link to my 100 Card Project on Flickr.

Not all of the cards were about this specific breed because I wanted to offer a variety. Although I only sold 6 cards (hey, the space was free! Also, I have sold a few more since then), we still had a fabulous day watching all of the adorable dogs and their owners fuss over them with so much love. It was a great success and I hope to be a part of it again next year.

Watercoloring and Cards

I'm a little behind in posting some of things I've been up to the last few months, so I'm posting several of my favorites.

The above was my attempt at making a card-sized bouquet, but it kept getting bigger and bigger until it took up the entire 8-1/2" x 11" piece of watercolor paper. So I put it aside and thought I would use it during one of my die-cutting sessions, maybe make some butterflies and leaves.

While I was making this card (inspired by a couple of photographs of flowers with these colors; the person I was making it for posted them on her blog), Valerie discovered the big one and claimed it as her own. She called me to her place and when I saw it on her wall, I was taken aback. It actually looks like a piece of art! Framing and matting makes quite the impact.

These are a couple of cards I made. I need to practice my signature and find a better color to sign my work.

This double page spread is in my just-for-fun art journal. I always wanted to try using a page from an old book as a background. I love the results and will definitely be doing that again. The flower on the left was created using a rub-on and gelatos. The one on the right was cut from the image from the rub-on left behind. I found the center for the flower in my scraps (cut from deli paper), and adhered it on top of the layer of gesso and the spritzing I did. I like flipping through my art journal and seeing this.

I have a deck of cards that was my sister Martha's, and I've been altering them like people do with ATC's (artist trading cards). I use things like gesso, tissue paper, paint, ink, molding paste, ribbon, twine, and whatever else I feel like experimenting with. I usually grab one when I want to clear my head or in the mood to make something just for the fun of it. I've given a couple away as bookmarks, and I'd like to put a few in a shadow box I picked up for this purpose.

One more picture. I made these cards for a Dachshund rescue group as a way to thank people for their donations. I love the background paper with the sewing on it, it gave it such a nice touch. One of these days I'd like to try my hand at sewing on the paper myself. But right now there's no place to set up my sewing machine; it's all I can do to find room for my paper crafting.

I'm currently working on a note card order (!), all dog-themed. I sent an on-line friend a sympathy card for the loss of one of her dogs and she asked if she could order some note cards. I've made 12 cards so far and I'm on the final two (they're bonus cards). I'm nervous as all get out because I rarely sell anything. Maybe this will give me the confidence to finally start putting things on Etsy like my daughters have been encouraging me to do forever.

A little of this, a little of that

I was able to spend time with my sister and two of my brothers the last couple of weeks!

Do some cooking...

 

and some crafting.

Feeling productive.

Art and Easter

 

I grabbed a little 5"x7" canvas board, pulled out my pitiful collection of acrylic paint, inks and a handful of those triangle-shaped make-up sponges and just started sponging on a few lighter colored paints. Before I knew it, I created this! I stepped outside my comfort zone yet again and I couldn't be happier. As I sat there, staring at it, I actually said a prayer of thanks for giving me this surprise gift. It wasn't pride I was feeling, it was more like magic, that I, someone who can't even draw a straight line, painted a scene that actually looked like something.

And when Dawn spotted it and said, "Wait, what have you been up to?" (looking at my paints all over my craft table) and then looked up to see my little work of art, "You did that?! Are you kidding me?!" it made me feel so great!

It's nothing out of the ordinary for most folks, but to me it is huge because it came from my imagination. I didn't have a starting point with stamps or stencils. I was totally in the moment and made some art from nothing.

I used the edge of the sponge to make the grass, stems and blue and purple flowers. The pinkish-red puffs were made with a Tim Holtz Distress dauber. I did the blue parts of the flowers first and thought I'd ruined it. It needed something more. So I spilled out some purple acrylic paint and sort of smooshed it on. As I was doing that I kept telling myself, you're making a mess, oh, man, you're gonna have to gesso over the whole thing and start over again. But I didn't! They actually look like whispy things found in a field of wildflowers. (At least, to me.)

I'm in love with the sky! I still can't believe this was done by my own hand. On the back is place to name your art, so I wrote "Accidental Beauty."

Okay, enough about that.

Last week I made a few cards. This sympathy card was for someone who had a 9-month old chocolate lab puppy. He swallowed parts of a squeaker toy and rubber, which caused a blockage. Although they did surgery on him, he didn't make it and his owner was really torn up about losing him. I don't know why rubber is included in dog toys. It doesn't make any sense.

I only made 3 Easter cards this year. Dawn gave me this stamp because it's one of our favorite songs, and it's freaking adorable. So it was the natural choice for her card. I fussy-cut the two little birds and popped them up. The bow gave me a hard time, it just wouldn't glue down, so I ended up using a stapler to tack it down.

Valerie has been having a tough time lately, so I made this one for her to set out and be reassured when she looks at it. (Dawn also gave me a set of stamps with darling dogs on it; this is one of them.) The butterfly on the pupper's nose is sort of 3-D. And I didn't even try to glue this bow down, I went ahead and stapled it in place as well.

This is for my husband because he IS "egg"stra special!

If you haven't noticed, the common thread is the pastel card stock I spritzed with Recollections pastel sprays. The squares on my daughters' cards are cut from it and the bunny and sentiment were stamped on it as well. I also started with the same pre-made card base in a pretty shimmery purple. All say "Happy Easter" on the inside from that same sheet of spritzed white card stock.

On this Easter Day, I am thanking God for sacrificing His son so that I can live this wonderful life. In the words to a song we sang in my youth choir (back in the day), from the CELEBRATE LIFE musical, "He is alive, he IS alive"

For Sisters

 For my best friend's daughters, one is a newlywed.

 The other is a new mother.

It's rare I get to make cards for either event, so it was extra fun.

Wizard of Oz Note Cards

Someone contacted me and asked if they could buy some Wizard of Oz cards similar to the ones I made last Christmas. We had several conversations about it and I made two sets of eight blank note cards so they could choose which one they liked best. Then that person flaked and even ignored my emails. Just tell me you don't want them, geez.

So I shared photos of them with the Oz club I belong to and sold the top set! It really gave my crafting ego a boost. And the person who bought them is the founder of a major Oz convention, so, extra booster. I'm so appreciative for the sale, it came at a good time.

Card-making Frenzy

I've been making cards like ca-razy!

This is for one of my beautiful nieces. I did a lot of detailing on the paper doll because she's worth the extra effort.

The next two are for my daughter's co-workers. I love the little dress my other daughter cut with her Silhouette.

And that bow!

This was for my brother, one of my favorite people in the world.

I was excited to use the confetti pieces I embossed and inked up.

This was for one of my closest friend's parents. They celebrated 65 years together, can you imagine that?!

I helped decorate, and when I saw the colors I went directly to a craft store and bought paper especially for it, even splurged on some confetti vellum and pretty blue ribbon.

Topped it off with a bow on the envelope.

My daughter Dawn made this sign, by request, for the basket of goodies my friend laid out for the kids who attended the celebration. She used paper left over from my card and foam stickers. Isn't it adorable?

I use these dresses every chance I get.

I always pop them up with pop-dots.

I love the simplicity of these. And the pink ribbon with a fine line of gold trim? My new favorite.

I have so many, I'll make another post so this one won't be never-ending. ;-)