Under Lock and Key

I'm participating in a huge 4" x 4" "fat book" swap online. The theme is "Under Lock and Key" and we each made 38 pages. The hostess will bind the pages into a fat little book for each of us.

This is my page which I finally finished late, late last night. I had no idea what to do for this swap until I found this quote from Winston Churchill and the accompanying stamp set from Cornish Heritage Farms.

I stamped the quote on ledger paper and adhered it to the background cardstock and patterned paper. The number stamp in the background is from Paper Bag Studios. The title was embossed with black embossing powder. The keyhole was embossed using the Cuttlebug and Ten Seconds Studio art metal and a real metal keyhole from Tim Holtz. (It was far too expensive to put one of these on each of 38 pages, so I made my own!) And the keys were cut with a Sizzix die out of chipboard. I then used Versamark on them and embossed with Antiquities Rust Embossing Powder (a couple of layers).

These are going in the mail tomorrow and I can hardly wait to receive a finished book back to see all the unique pages everyone made!

Technique Cards

I've been busy making projects for August classes. These cards will be a technique card class. The first one uses the spotlight technique with alcohol inks.


The second uses stamps to make patterned backgrounds.

Stamping with water is the technique on this one.

This is a "matchbox" card and uses vellum and a special, sparkly embossing powder.

So, if you're a local, check out the Create Joy website for more information. These aren't listed yet but will be online at the end of the week.

Metal and canvas

Another week without posting - my apologies! It was a busy week of classes and then I went away for the weekend to attend my daughter's bridal shower. And it doesn't look like it will slow down any time soon!

I've been meaning to post this project from a "Hot Metal Mamas" class. It is held at Ten Seconds Studio but taught by Tracy from Create Joy. She sends us a list of supplies to bring and we also get to use the tools and metal at Ten Seconds. The project is always a mystery.

This month's project was a canvas, combining embossed metal and papers. I used my favorite Graphic 45 Fashionista papers along with red metal and the new Brrr Blue metal frm Ten Seconds. The canvas was first painted with a sandy-colored paint. The red metal was embossed with one of the new Kabuka molds and the blue metal was embossed with a new Stampin Up texture plate using the Cuttlebug. The butterfly is a Cuttlebug embossing folder. I just added a mat of dark blue cardstock as I haven't decided which photo to add. This was a fun and simple project - I can see it in so many color and pattern combinations - a great alternative to an expensive frame.

Scrapbook in a Day

Tracy, Jaclyn and I designed and taught an 8-hr Scrapbook-in-a-Day class for Create Joy using the new canvas album by Donna Downey for Prima. This is an 8"x8" album made from canvas with five canvas pages and five page protectors for paper layouts. We divided the album among us, each taking a few canvas pages as well as protectors for papers. We used the Delight paper line from Fancy Pants, several printed fabrics, several colors of felt and burlap, four paint colors and four colors of cardstock. After about a week of working individually, we put everything together into one fabulous album for the class - a total of five double-sided canvas pages and ten layouts for the page protectors.

It is amazing how well this went together and how it all flows even though three designers worked separately on it! Now that the class is finished, Tracy kept the sample album for herself but gave Jaclyn and I full kits to make one for ourselves. I have spent most of this past week, on and off, working on mine and finally finished this afternoon! I love it! I think I shared the pages I actually designed on an earlier post, but here are sequential photos of the entire album. If you have never worked with canvas or fabric, you absolutely must try it. This was such a fun, fun project! (Remember, you can click on each picture to enlarge it.)

COVER

Inside front cover and first canvas page
pg 2(canvas) and 3(paper)


pg 4(paper) and 5 (canvas)

pg 6 (canvas) and 7(paper)

pg 8 (paper) and 9 (canvas)

pg 10(canvas) and 11 (paper)

pg 12 (paper) and 13 (canvas)

pg 14 (canvas) and 15 (paper)

pg 16 (paper) and 17 (canvas)

pg 18 (canvas) and 19 (paper)

last page (paper)

This is truly a mixed-media book. We sewed, stamped, painted, inked, and used lots of ribbons, buttons and other embellishments. I can't wait to find the perfect photos to add to this album.

Final Two

I can't believe it's been a week since my last post! Where does the time go? I have been super busy with going to Albuquerque for a bridal shower for my daughter, teaching classes, taking a class and just the day-to-day regular stuff.

I received the final two patriotic 4" x 4" squares from the swap. The first one is from Jeri who lives in Texas near me. I love the image of the window box with flags and how it's sandwiched between the red and blue papers.


And this one is from Nancy. She said the picture is of her father (center) and his two Army buddies from WWII. His draft photo is on the tag and the postmark is a stamp made from her uncle's original draft letter. Nancy owns Sugar Lump Studios so you can check out more of her work as well as her stamps there.

Two More

The mail brought two more patriotic 4x4s. This one is from Jean - I believe it's a photo of the ship her father was assigned to. It looks like she did this all digitally - wish I was better at that.

And she printed the Navy Hymn on the back superimposed over the flag. Very nice!

This one is from Angie. I love the image she used on this as well as the German scrap borders!

I'm still expecting 4 more. Can't wait to see them.

Finished at last!

After weeks of stamping, punching, cutting, printing, folding, scoring, taping and gluing, all 115 wedding invitations are finished! Although I was very excited and honored that my daughter wanted me to design and make these for her wedding and enjoyed every minute of the design and assembly, I am also sighing with relief that this task is now behind me! I am going to Albuquerque this weekend for her first shower and will hand-deliver this special package to her.

Here's a photo of all of them stacked neatly in piles ready to be boxed up somehow so I can get them on the plane with me.

And here's a closer photo of one to show the beautiful metallic Prism paper we used for the folders. I also used the Just Rite Stamper monogram for the centers of the scallops. Her colors are gunmetal, deep pink (almost fuschia) and dark orange.

I used white Prism textured cardstock for the invitations. They wanted them very plain - no ribbons, hearts etc. - but I thought they were a bit too plain. After receiving "permission," I cuttlebugged the top and bottom with the Swiss dots embossing folder.

Since I had plenty of offcuts of the metallic paper, I will probably make wedding programs too.