BOO!

I finished my BOO banner this afternoon. I got the black glittery letters at Joann's awhile ago ($1 each) and wanted to make some kind of Halloween banner. I saw a tag banner on Kris Hurst's site that was so cute and, since I purchased her Halloween image CD last year, I decided to make these similar tags to add to the letters. I like how it came out! It's hanging on my kitchen bar that looks out into the family room. When I finally get around to getting out my Halloween and fall decorations, I will be decorating above it with some leaves and pumpkins.

A few cards and a tag

Two friends have had surgery this week so I made some simple get well cards today. I used my new Stampin Up set, "Upsy Daisy", with the new "in" colors of Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze and Pacific Point. I love those colors together. I white embossed the daisies on white glossy paper and then swiped the Baja Breeze inkpad all over for the background.

I also finished a Halloween tag for an Inspiration Mingle for an online group. Every month a picture is posted for inspiration and you send your project to a mingle partner. Here is the photo for this month - a black lace skirt from the Coldwater Creek catalog.

The black lace on the skirt made me think of spider webs and Halloween, so I made an oversized Halloween tag. The background was embossed with a sparkly black embossing powder and vintage black lace and rick rack are sewn on the bottom. The images are from a Halloween image CD I purchased from Kris Hurst. Of course I had to add orange Stickles to a few of the hats; the others were colored with black glaze gel pens so they are a bit shiny.

Class tonight

Aren't these pretty? I made them in a class tonight taught by Tracy, the gal I teach with. These started as the cheap carvable pumpkins you can buy at any craft store this time of year. We layered on paints and glimmer mists and added lots of fall floral goodies to the tops. The photo just doesn't do justice to these - they are shimmery and look almost like glass. I love how they turned out! Thanks, Tracy.

several things...

First, I want to update everyone on the Breast Cancer Auction that was held last Sunday. You can read more here (scroll down to the Charity Success button), but the event was very successful. More than $1,100.00 was raised with the twenty altered dress forms! I was so proud to be part of this creative endeavor to help raise funds for breast cancer research.



Here's a simple card I made today for a friend's upcoming wedding. I used the Cuttlebug heart embossing folder on the front and used a Martha Stewart punch on both sides of the strip I attached to the left side. The wedding cake is a Michael's $1 stamp which I embossed in silver and layered on a scalloped silver metallic square. Sorry for the shadows in the poor scan - scanner doesn't like lumpy bows or white on white!

I finished the first of my six altered cabinet cards for a swap with an online group. Cabinet cards are formal photograph portraits from the 1870's to the 1920's. They are usually on a single panel of stiff cardboard or matboard and sometimes have a decorative embossed or printed frame. Usually the name of the photography studio is printed on the front. They do not have an easel back so were typically propped on a cabinet or sideboard, hence the name.

For the swap, we are to make six altered cabinet cards and will receive six different ones back. I could not bring myself to use the original, so made a copy and mounted it on heavy matboard, approximately 4" x 6". I gessoed around the figure and then randomly swiped several blue acrylic paints over the gesso. Then I tore text from a book and glued pieces in several places. Next I stamped some swirls in blue ink and some text in brown and gessoed over this lightly. I stamped snowflakes with gesso and sprinkled glitter on while wet. Final touches are the words made with a label maker, a crown punched from silver paper and covered with Stickles and some Stickles along the bottom.

This was so much fun - can't wait to get to the other five!

a whirlwind few days

Stop the world, I want to get off - for a nap at least! The last few days have been a blurr. Thursday I taught two classes from 10 am to 3 pm and today had a class from 10 am to 1 pm (which lasted til 2).

And yesterday four good friends and I went to Canton, TX, for "First Monday Trade Days." Canton is a typical little Texas town of 3500 which happens to also be a county seat. Trade Days started in the 1850's when the District Judge would stop in the town to hold court on the first Monday of every month. As people came to town for legal matters, they would also bring goods, produce and livestock to sell or trade. This has now grown into quite an experience. The town hosts approximately 7000 vendors and 300,000 people on a typical weekend before the first Monday of every month.

There are metal bunker-type "pavilions" which have roofs and cement slabs but are open on the sides. Vendors set up their "booths" and sell arts and crafts, jewelry, clothing, just about anything you can think of. At this time of year especially, there's tons of seasonal decorations, floral arrangements and gift items. It's so huge, there is no way you could see everything in several days, much less one day.

We usually take a girls' road trip for this several times a year. It's a long day with two hours' driving each way. Yesterday was hot and very crowded, but we had a great time, spent some money, ate some junk food and, most of all, spent pleasurable hours with good friends.

Here are a few of the things I bought. Doesn't look like much when you get it home, but it feels like alot when you're paying for it and carting it around!

Three pumpkins for $3.50 each! These will look cute with some fall leaves for a centerpiece.

Love these little holiday hangers. The Happy Hallween and Merry Christmas are covered with glitter; the Happy Holidays is a magnet!

I absolutely fell in love with this shabby bird. He will be nestled in some snow-frosted greenery for Christmas time.

A New Art Friend

I met a new art friend at the art retreat a few weekends ago. We each drove about 100 miles to the retreat and we live less than five miles from each other! Yesterday LaDonna graciously highlighted my blog and my cancer auction altered dress on her blog.

LaDonna does beautiful and meticulous paper cutting. I don't know how she has the patience for such detail and fine work. Visit her blog at : http://ladonnawelter.blogspot.com/ to see her lovely work. She is also a member of a group of primitive artists that sell their work on http://www.tdiptmercantile.com/ so check that out as well.

Here is a very simple card I made yesterday for a friend's birthday. It snuck up on me, so I had to do something fast and get it in the mail! The scan is horrible - the bow is baby pink; the blue is baby blue; and what shows as yellow on the bottom of the card is actually a green like what is near the scalloped border. Love that little bird $1 stamp and the simple Martha Stewart border punch.

Another round robin page

I've finished yet another of the round robin pages for my local stamp group. Laura's book is made from regular CDs - she punched holes and attached them together with a large ring clip. Her theme is "Fruit of the Spirit" and she wanted bright "fruity" colors.



I chose faithfulness and used deep purple cardstock on the front of my page. Unbelievably, I only had one cross stamp and nothing with faith! For the background I stamped the cross stamp with Versamark and wiped over it with silver Perfect Pearls. I filled in the center cross with a silver Krylon pen, attached the cross charm and added silver Stickles. I borrowed a stamp for the wording and cut it up. The "faith" metal embellishment was part of a $1 package and I used alcohol inks to color it. I heat-embossed a glittery silver embossing powder around the edges.

On the back, I adhered a song page from an old hymnal, stippled it with purple ink and coated it with a sparkle glaze. I think the ink ran but I like the mottled coloration. The scripture is, again, a borrowed stamp. Then I added purple and silver fibers at the top.

Only two more books to work in! Can't wait to see my own finished book.