SIMON SAYS CHALLENGE - SOMETHING FROM YESTERYEAR

As the new year is upon us, it is a time of looking forward but also for reflecting on the past. What a great time for the Simon Says Challenge titled "Something From Yesteryear"!

This is a definitely a "yesteryear" for me.  It is an accordian book titled "Where I Come From".  It is a book I made including pictures and little "snippets" of memories I have from my childhood. 

This is the front side of my book.

This is the back side.

As I was looking through pictures to use in this book, I was instantly swept back to that time in my life. I remembered so many wonderful things that have been tucked away in my mind over the years...the people, the places, the things that meant so much to me.

These pages were devoted to my grandparents...some I never knew; some who passed on before I could barely remember them. But that is the beauty of pictures...they help remind us of those who were before us and in some ways, were a piece of the puzzle of "me".

These pages were devoted to my beloved parents. I am so proud to be their daughter and proud of the legacy they left behind. They were depression babies. They didn't have very much materially but they were rich in so many other ways.

I have wonderful Christmas memories and have carried on traditions to my own children and grandchildren that my parents began with my brother and I. My "yesteryears" are something I treasure and looking at this little book brings me so much joy.

COMPENDIUM OF CURIOUSITIES CHALLENGE #25

Here is my entry into the Compendium of Curiousities Challenge #25 using Tim Holtz' Scribble Stain Distress method on the background of this tag.  I have to admit that I have not used this method very much so it was fun to experiment with it again. I guess with all the cold, wintery weather outside, I am already starting to "Think Spring"!

 

I used Tim's birdcage die and cut it twice. Then I cut away the middle bars of the cage and added a cage door that is open. I glued the door in place but I wrapped some copper wire at the top and bottom joints to add some interest and metal. I love adding metal to pieces! The flowers and buds are from Tim's Tattered Flowers die. I used the smallest one and cut several out of crinolin. I sprayed them using a color spray I made using a mini mister filled with water, a dropper of Broken China and a little bit of Kiwi Perfect Pearls. I added a bit of spray made with Scattered Straw as well. I stamped the birds in dual colors - Frayed Burlap and Broken China and wiped a little bit of Vintage Photo over them.

For a subtle pop of pink and softness, I made a little vine out of Flower Soft and wrapped it in the bird cage bars. Finally, I stamped "THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX" on one of Tim's ticket stamps and added it to a memo pin that fits nicely on the bottom of the bird cage. I love that phrase and I think making the bird cage have an open door was a different use of that die. I glued it all down and added two ribbons at the top colored to match the tag.

A RANDOM TRANSITION....

Since this is a transition period between Christmas and New Years, here's something a bit random but funny I wanted to share it with you...

My husband and I were recently in Aventura, Florida on a business/pleasure trip. He was working, I was at the mall. Yes, that is how that works! Anyway, as I was walking around, I saw this and had to snap a picture because I had never seen one before!

You KNOW you're in the "high rent district" when there is a "CAVIAR & MORE" kiosk at the mall!

I hope you had a very Merry Christmas and I wish for you a blessed, happy and healthy 2011!



MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL ....



Wishing you a very Merry Christmas! May all your Christmas wishes come true!! 

IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK ALOT LIKE CHRISTMAS!

I love Christmas time! It's my favorite time of the year! Here is my Christmas "BELIEVE" banner that I made this year and hung on my entry hall mirror. It features pictures of myself and my brother sitting on Santa's lap when we were children.  Never mind the date..but the picture is in black and white, if that gives you any indication! I also have a pictures of my children sitting on Santa's lap and of my three little grandsons sitting on Santa's lap tucked on different flags of the banner. This was so much fun to make and I love the vintage feeling it adds. 

I love anything vintage or retro looking around the holidays. My entry hall is reflective of that.

This is on the right side of my foyer.

This display of Christmas trees and vintage toys are on the opposite side. I had intended to make all my ornaments this year to redo these two trees. I want them to be all handmade vintage ornaments from snowflakes to cones and lots and lots of vintage Santas. Maybe this coming year...I will get that done!

I made these Christmas books out of plain paper mache books I found at Hobby Lobby. They are the medium size books. They open up to reveal a scene from the story. These are so much fun to make. I made the "Christmas Carol" one this year. Next year, I hope to add "A Charlie Brown Christmas".

 From Our House To Your House ~ Merry Christmas!!

THE VINTAGE VALENTINE TRINKET BOX~sneak peek

Yes, I know that Christmas isn't over yet but I just finished my new class project for January and I can't wait to share it! It's THE VINTAGE VALENTINE TRINKET BOX!  

This whimsical little guy is all decked out in his party hat, complete with a Tim Holtz rosette and a little heart "bling" in the center.  The body is out Fancy Pants' beautiful and nostalgic Vintage Valentine papers. Class sign ups are already underway at Scrapbook Generation here in Springfield, Missouri. Don't miss out! This promises to be a fun class full of techniques as you bring your Valentine box to "life". He will be on display at Scrapbook Generation by Friday, December 17th. Stop by to visit him and sign up! 

COMPENDIUM OF CURIOUSITIES CHALLENGE ~ #24

A VISIT WITH SANTA VINTAGE KEEPSAKE

~ using Rock Candy Stickles ~

Here is my first entry into the Compendium of Curiousities Challenges hosted by L3 Studios. All of these challenges are taken from Tim Holtz' Compendium of Curiousities book.

If you were doing Tim's 12 Tags of Christmas, one of the unique ideas he suggested was using packaging from his products to create art. I loved that idea and wanted to use it in this challenge. So, I took the inside packaging from his Ideaology Time Pieces to create this Vintage Christmas photo keepsake. I added Rock Candy Stickles and a bit of Picket Fence Stickles around the outer edge of the circles to resemble snow or a dreamy feeling of days gone by.

The base is a 5x7 stretched canvas covered with a wonderful paper taken from Tim Holtz'  Seasonal Paper Stash. I covered the paper with Rock Candy Stickles. Then I sized pictures of myself and my brother, my children and my grandchildren sitting on Santa's lap...three generations!

I ran a piece of silver German scrap across the center of the paper, placed my pictures into position and adhered the plastic cover over the Rock Candy stickled paper. Next I used the flowers on  Ten Seconds Studio's  Kabuka Mold #14 to create a border Barn Red sheet metal. That was my basic border. I cut another set of flowers out of the Barn Red sheet metal to create 3D "poinsettias". I sanded the center of the flowers and alcohol inked them with Butterscotch alcohol ink. Next I put Rock Candy Stickles all over the tops of my "poinsettias". After they dried, I cut them out individually so that I could shape them and pop them onto the top of the border. After covering the edges of the canvas with the sheet metal, I hot glued a piece of green tinsel garland in the center of the flower border. Finally, I hot glued the Rock Candy stickled poinsettias in place on top of the green tinsel garland.

SIMON SAYS CHALLENGE

I was so surprised today when I got an email from a friend asking me if I'd checked Simon Says' blog this morning. At that time, I had not but she informed me that I had won something for my Christmas wreath I had entered in their contest. I won an honored position of being selected one of the "Elite Top 3" from all of the people who entered this past week's challenge hosted by Simon Says Stamps. Check out Simon Says Stamps' Challenge. It was the first time I had entered and I had a lot of fun! I was given a "Blinkie" that is now proudly flashing on the right side of my blog.
Tomorrow...I will be posting a sneak peek of my new class that will be featured at Scrapbook Generation in Springfield, Missouri in January.

VINTAGE CHRISTMAS WREATH

One of the things I love about this time of year are all the decorations...especially wreaths. I wanted a "vintage" wreath that would take me back to my childhood and rekindle the wonderful memories I have of Christmases past. This was a basic 18" wreath. I added pinecones from my white pine trees, Christmas greenery and various leaves. A few of the items were purchased but most of them, I made...which was the FUN part!

I love the old vintage postcards, so I took some of them and made ornaments out of them for my wreath. They were made from a plain paper mache base, then the post card, then I added some tinsel garland and stickles to make them "pop". I also love Tim Holtz' mini Christmas collage stamps. You can see that I multi-color stamped with them and mounted them on a gold sparkly cardstock rectangle. They really added to my vintage wreath.

What would any wreath be without a vintage copy of "The Night Before Christmas"? I used a small composition notebook and covered it with a "vintage" cover of "The Night Before Christmas" book. Then I made the first two pages of the inside of the composition notebook look like inside pages from that famous poem. 

Growing up, our tree always had Shiny Brite ornaments on it. I took an image of a Shiny Brite ornament box and sized it for my wreath. Then I made it into a real little box and added it to my wreath. Some of my favorite stories growing up were Frosty The Snowman and Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer. So, I made those little book covers and nestled them into the piney branches of my wreath. I added some Dollar Store gold bell garland, sprayed with a little Glossy Wood Tone to take a little of the shine off of them. They amazingly look "vintage". 

Last but not least, I wired in a sweet little victorian bear doll on to the side of my wreath. I added a string of lights for her to hold. As a child, I remember how those big multicolored Christmas bulbs on the front of our house would softly wash the ceiling and walls of my room at night as I was laying in bed. How I loved those big ol' light bulbs!

I made this wreath for myself but ended up giving it to a dear friend. It ended up being a class and we had so much fun making this wreath. We shared stories of our Christmases growing up as we worked. It was a really wonderful way to spend a day!

I hope looking this Christmas wreath has brought a smile to your face
and a memory of your own childhood Christmases! 
Happy Hannukkah, Happy Holidays to all!

TIM'S 12 TAGS OF CHRISTMAS HAS BEGUN!!

All I can say is, I'm just like a kid on Christmas morning this time of year...too early for Santa but just in time for Tim Holtz' annual "event"... Tim's
                         12 TAGS OF CHRISTMAS!
I ran down to my computer this morning as soon as I woke up, so I could "open up" the first tag...and Tim did not disappoint!  It's a wonderful tag, full of technique, creativity and great ideas for using his dies. I love all the texture and layering.

 

Here is the link to Tim's blog so you can be a part of this wonderful gift he shares with all of us every year. Grab a couple of friends and a cup of cocoa and make some tags together. What a wonderful way to spend a cold, wintery day!

 http://www.timholtz.typepad.com/

Thanks Tim and Happy Holidays everyone!  The Christmas crafting season has now officially begun!



Brayer Embossed Frame

This was a simple, inexpensive and fun project to do. It was inspired by Tim Holtz. Basically, it is a wooden frame covered in foil tape. Underneath the foil tape, are shapes or letters made out of cardstock that you "emboss" by running a brayer over them. To color the silver foil tape, simply use alcohol inks. You can get some amazing results just by using the "pounce" method to apply the alcohol inks. The frames are unique because YOU design them!  The alcohol ink colors I used on this frame were Terra Cotta and Expresso.  I removed the alcohol ink on the letters to make them really "pop" by using a waterproof or solvent based ink and wiping over the raised letters in a circular motion.  Then quickly wipe away the ink with a soft cloth, leaving the letters exposed.

I love how this frame turned out! "Life Is A Journey" sounds like a Tim phrase, doesn't it? 

But, isn't it the truth?

I made this frame for the occasion of our first grandson's first visit with Santa. I love this picture and I love how it looks in the frame! Same technique...but totally different look, thanks to different lettering, shapes and alcohol inks! The alcohol inks I used on this vintage Christmas frame were Red Pepper and Bottle.

It's just about time to get this frame out again....Christmas will be here before you know it!

Take time to play!  It's SOUL FOOD!

A PERSONAL VETERANS' DAY NOTE...

I don't usually post a lot of personal writings on my blog but I felt compelled to post a picture of my sweet father who was so proud of his military service. He served in the United States Navy during WWII as a radio man and a gunner in the Pacific. He flew 51 missions in and around the Phillippines. He passed away in May 2001 and took a piece of my heart with him. He was a gifted artist; however because he had a wife and two little mouths to feed, he never realized his dream of really doing something with his amazing talent.

So, Daddy...I want you to know that I'm living my dream and I'm taking yours along with me!

And thank you to all those brave men and women who serve in our Armed Forces and fight for our freedoms!

VINTAGE CHRISTMAS BOOK

Several of the ladies in my area asked me have a Christmas book class.  They wanted a decorative little book to display family pictures or keep little keepsakes in. So, I created this special little vintage book that
is not only a book but can be a display piece for a mantle.

I also wanted to encourage my students to tap into their creativity even more by doing something a little different on the cover of the book. Rather than doing a chipboard cover, we're going to make 5x7 canvas covers. This is the basic cover and from here, my students can use their imagination to make this cover as ornate or as simple as they choose.

The inside features Graphic 45's beautiful "Christmas Past Collection". This is an accordian book that is finished on both sides. It features pockets, some blank spaces to attach a favorite Christmas picture and  flip pages for extra pictures.

I offered two classes for this Vintage Christmas Book Class. One will be held two and half hours away in Thayer, Missouri on November 20th. It is being hosted by a good friend, Lynn. She asked me to come to Thayer because there are so many ladies there who love the vintage style but there are no stores or venues in her area for the ladies. I look forward to the opportunity of meeting and sharing this book with those ladies! The other class is on December 4th in Ozark, MO. I am so humbled by the fact that both classes are already full. I look forward to these dates and spending a day teaching, sharing and enjoying the ladies while they create a wonderful Christmas keepsake.

Christmas will be here before you know it! Better start planning your Christmas projects now!

YET ANOTHER USE FOR CUT 'N DRY FOAM...A MATTRESS AND PILLOW!

Yep...you read that right! You can use Cut N' Dry Foam for a mattress and pillow! Maybe not for yourself...but for a matchbox mouse!  Maybe I better explain ...

After making the Halloween and Christmas Configurations boxes in Tim Holtz' classes at Absolutely Everything last weekend, I had some left over compartments.  Six to be exact. Tim told us not to throw them away because there were all sorts of uses for those little leftovers. He was so right! USE YOUR IMAGINATION WITH YOUR CONFIGURATIONS!

I took one of my large squares and one of my large rectangular boxes and turned them into Santa with a shadowbox tummy and Matchbox Mouse.

My vintage Santa is a retro Christmas card that I sized to fix the box. I printed it out on cardstock and backed it with chipboard for strength. Then I lined the back and bottom (thanks Tim) of the inside of the Configurations Box with little snippets of Tim's wonderful seasonal paper. Now, Santa had a shadow box tummy! I added Tim's rosette, stuck a little "Merry Christmas" on it, cut off the edges of the rosette to make it fit in the box where I wanted it and glued it in place. Next, I added some "ornaments" to the little bottle brush tree. I had to cut the bottom of the tree off to make it fit, but no worries. It hot glued in place just fine. I added a little sled with a package stuck on top next to the tree. Then I glued some vintage silver tinsel garland around the outer edge of the box and added three vintage corsage bells and a thin piece of metallic candy cane striped ribbon to the upper corner. I painted two wooden spools black and glued them to the bottom of the box to represent Santa's boots.

A top view of Santa shows how I cut his arm away from the rest of his body and laid it on the top of the box, partially to hide the pipecleaner ends on the bells and partially for added interest to the top of the box. I popped the "A Merry Merry Christmas" ornament with a pop dot for added dimension. Finally, I added a little gold glitter snowflake with a wooden train on top.  Santa was stickled with Tim's Distress Stickles: Peeled Paint, Fired Brick and Picket Fence.

The Matchbox Mouse was made using a large rectangular Configurations box. I love "The Night Before Christmas". 

"...not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse!" I found my little mouse on the internet and sized him to fit my box. I printed him out, stickled his hat with Distress Fired Brick and the rest of him with regular Stickles; Fruit Punch, Stardust and a little Platinum.  I sized the vintage book cover to fit the box. I printed it out, leaving enough paper on the sides to wrap around the box, forming a matchbox cover. I inked inside and outside with Tim's Distress Inks: Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain and Black Soot and glued the outer cover together around the Configurations box, leaving enough space so the cover can slide off and on the box. I used Rock Candy Stickles all over the top of the book for a really cool understated glittery vintage look.

Here's where the Cut N' Foam pad comes in. I cut it to fit into the box. I used two layers of Cut N' Foam for the mattress. I covered the "mattress with a scrap of fabric and put it into place using double sided tape. I made the pillow the same way...just using one Cut N' Foam layer. Next, I stuck a little piece of Cut N' Foam in the middle of the bed to look like Mr. Mouse's tiny little body.  I covered him up with a different scrap of fabric and held it into place with double sided tape.

These little boxes can now be little cha-cheese to sit around or add a little hanger of some sort and they can be Christmas ornaments! The possibilities are endless!

Have fun and take time to play!  It's SOUL food!

A WONDEROUS EXPERIENCE

I just got back from probably the closest thing to an "out of body "experience I could ever imagine! I spent the weekend at Absolutely Everything in Topsfield, Massachusetts, taking all four classes that Tim Holtz offered. They should not be called "classes". They should be called "events". For anyone who has never experienced a Tim Holtz class, you are really missing something! He truly is a creative genius when it comes to not only creating these wonderful classes but also in developing so many wonderful products that work so perfectly together.
Tim's team of Mario and Michelle did so much of the preparation for these classes and let me tell you, there was A LOT of preparation. Kate, a dear person and the owner of Absolutely Everything, acquired help not only from her wonderful staff but also from other store owners across the nation who jumped right in to help her. The classes were nothing short of AMAZING! The projects we made were incredible. I learned so much about the mechanics of product and technique. But, Tim made it so much fun! It was more like playing than it was a learning experience...although it was BOTH!
This was my first time to meet Tim in person. I have to say, he did not disappoint! There is just an aura about him. He is one of the most genuine people I have ever met. A perfect example of this is when he was autographing something for me, he smiled and said something to the effect, "You know, I will never understand why people want me to do this! Why would anyone want me to sign something for them?" I found him to be very witty and charming.  He was fully engaged with his students throughout the entire class.  His instruction and presentation was just perfection! I am so happy that I had this opportunity. It is another dream come true for me!

This is a picture of Tim and I the first morning of classes.

He is holding a spool doll that I made especially for him.

An Experience I Will NEVER Forget! 

TAKE TIME TO CREATE AND PLAY!!!  IT'S SOUL FOOD!!! 

FUN WITH TIM HOLTZ DIES

I recently taught a couple of classes of "The Witching Hour" book (see earlier posts). We all had such a great time and everyone's books turned out amazing! But, I had not finished the back cover of my book and that had been bugging me! So, last night, I had this "epiphany" of what I wanted to do on the back cover. Here are the finished covers of my display book.  NOW...I'm finally happy with it!

I sprayed some black webbing on the orange cardstock background. Then I had a little piece of fencing that I spray painted with a flat black spray paint. I used some black chipboard and cut out the flying witch and scaredy cat Tim Holtz dies. I cut out Tim's wonderful rosette die, using a scrap piece of Halloween paper. I stuck a little raffia on the top of the rosette. My center is a funny little man in the moon stamp I have. I left a little of the orange cardstock around the stamp and inked it with Black Soot Distress Ink. Then I made it look a little more vintage by fringing up those edges. I laid it all out, glued it all down and added a little bit of Antique Gold Rub N' Buff to the fence, the cat and the flying witch as if the man in the moon was shining his weird little Halloween wisps of light on them.
For the finishing touch, I added some torn and tied scruffy black netting and a scary skeleton. Now this book will definitely be a display and not just laying on a table. 
If you have not purchased any of Tim Holtz' new seasonal papers, dies, or texture fades, you really need to check them out! They are amazing and so much fun to work with! And as always....you get great results with anything Tim's name is on. 
HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYBODY!

EVERY WITCH NEEDS A NEW HAT!!!

Recently, I posted a witch hat that I was going to make with some art buddies. We made them and had a wonderful time! I had some extra 12" x 16" paper mache witch hats. They are an awesome size because you can put lots of "stuff" on them! When you're finished, you have a really fun Halloween decoration...great for table centerpieces!
Instead of completely spray painting the hat black, this time, I opted to cover the main portion of the hat in text out of an old book. That way, I could have a lighter background to work with and also be able to colorize it with Distress Inks. Then I added some headlines or partial headlines out of our local paper I had seen yesterday morning as I was thumbing through the paper. I thought they added a humorous touch.
I am a HUGE Tim Holtz FANatic! So, I wanted to use some of my new Tim Halloween Stamps as well as some of my other favorites from his Ideaology and Alterations lines as well as some appropriate Distress Inks and Stickles.

I LOVE Tim's new Halloween stamps and his new rosette die. Here, I am combined the two with a little bit of orange tinsel thrown in for good measure. This witch is actually placed on the backside of the hat.

Here is the rosette die again on the front brim of the hat with a "31" stamped on the center piece and then inked around the edges with Black Soot. The black cat just behind the rosette was stamped onto orange card stock. I left an orange edge around the stamp when cutting it out and then edged it in Black Soot. Although the cat is not jointed, the two little brads give it that appearance.

This spooky skeleton was also done exactly the same way as the black cat. I tucked him onto the side of the hat among some really cute orange flocked Halloween fabric I used to make a cute sash on the brim of the hat. I also made some vintage looking "attic flowers" out of blackish ribbon, black netting and some spooky green pearls as the center of the flower. The bats flying all around the hat were made from a Fiskars bat punch, fishing wire spray painted black, Rock Candy Stickles on the front sides of the bat and little orange eyes painted with orange puff paint.

I used Tim's Tattered Flowers die to create these Halloweenish flowers made out of natural duck cloth. I cut them out, colored them with Spiced Marmalade, Rusty Hinge, Wild Honey, Walnut Stain and Black Soot for a spooky edging. Next I stamped them with a couple of Wendy Vecchi's stamps. I glued them together and added an old vintage black button as the center of each one. They are on the front of the hat, nestled into the orange sash and some black netting as well as the flying bats. You will also see Tim's new Halloween ticket stamp tucked into the flowers.

Mr. Skeleton decided to hitch a ride on the witch's brim.  He's a Dollar General find. He's resting on the back side of the hat.

I added some of my own little concoctions of a "Twisted Twigs" bottle and a Memory Frame with a portion of an old vintage postcard in it with a little owl charm attached to the top. I love things that dangle and move on my pieces. I found the "Twisted Twigs" label on the Internet, sized it to fit my bottle, glued it on with Glossy Accents and then put Rock Candy Stickles on the label to add color and dimension to it. I filled the bottle with little grape vine twisted sticks and glued the top on with Glossy Accents. The "Trick or Treat" metal hanger on the front of the hat was a JoAnn's Fabric find after Halloween last year. It was flat black and orange so I added Black Diamond and Orange Peel Stickles for that "zing" it needed to really set it off against the text background.
Then I added a top knot made out of more of the orange flocked Halloween fabric and stuck a few flying bats coming out of it. Wha-lah.......a new Halloween witch hat!

 Have fun being creative and making your own art!  It's "soul food". 

YEP....HALLOWEEN IS COMING!!!!

Fall is here although you'd never know it in Springfield, Missouri right now! Our weather is beautiful...sunny and in the mid 70s with not even a hint of the leaves beginning to turn yet. That's okay though. I LOVE this weather!
I finished my Halloween canvas! It was so much fun to do! It was inspired by my friend, Jeanne. She introduced me to frozen Charlotte. LOVE THESE! I have since also found frozen Charley and have a growing collection of both. (smile) Since Charlotte had no legs, Jeanne thought of sticking her in a pumpkin. More about that in a minute....

Here are the front and back views of my Halloween Canvas.

The witch's gate actually swings out to reveal Miss Charlotte in her cute little yellow mum tutu, sitting in her pumpkin. I also made a little Halloween mask for Miss Charlotte to hold. This was made out of a toothpick for the handle and a little piece of scrap cardstock painted with Black Diamond stickles. I glued a scrap piece of orange tinsel garland to the top for some extra color. 

The gate is actually a little piece of fencing from Dept. 56. I took the "feet" off of the bottom of the fencing so that I could use it for a gate. I made the gate swing out by sticking little eye pins into the wooden side of the canvas. Then I used Tim Holtz ' jump rings to attach the bar of the gate to the eye pins. The sign on the gate was made using Tim's fragments and Glossy Accents.

I love all the "stuff" on this canvas. The cool metal lion's head reminded me of something you'd see on a spooky old door of a witch's castle. Chains hanging from the lion's head hold bottles of "Witch's Brew" and "Life Renewal Potion". I found the little bottles at Hobby Lobby and filled them with orange and black seed beads in one and green paint in the other. I sized down the labels I found on the internet to fit the bottles. Then I coated the labels with Tim Holtz' Rock Candy Stickles. Those are amazing! They add so much depth and color to anything you rub them on.
The black cat is a Bethany Lowe place card holder that is holding Tim's new Happy Halloween ticket stamp. His new vintage witch face is also making an appearance on this canvas, coming out of a little "attic flower" I made out of black hug snug seam tape, vintage milners' netting and a little center brad from My Minds' Eye Halloween brads. Tim's ornamental plates are so versatile. I couldn't resist using one on this canvas. I loved the little pumpkin boy and his owl and cat friend I found on a vintage postcard. So, they stand guard at the gate.
Have a wonderful week and take time to play and create! It's "soul" food!



IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE ... HALLOWEEN!!!

I LOVE the fall with all of it's sights and sounds and smells. The trees are never more glorious than in the fall when they burst alive with their vibrant reds, yellows, oranges and every hue in between. Going for walks on crisp autumn days and watching the leaves gently float like snowflakes to the ground. Hearing the rustlings of the leaves as they are tossed about by the biting autumnal breezes. Eating candied or caramel apples. The wonderful aroma of pumpkin pie or homemade bread baking in the oven permeates every room of the house.  I can't wait for fall!!!  I also love it because of ...... HaLLoWeEn!!! 

What a FUN holiday to make art pieces for and then decorate the house!  I'm having some of my "Artchix buddies" over and we're going to make this cute little witch hat.  I say "little"...actually this paper mache hat measures 12" tall and 16" across at the brim.  Hardly "little".  But, it sure does make an adorable "vintage" table centerpiece or a cute addition to your Halloween decorations.

It's very simple to do. Just spray a paper mache hat with black flat spray paint. Cut tulle into strips. I used off white, orange and black tulle. I cut it into 4 1/2" wide strips. The length of the tulle was probably around 54". I gathered all three together: white on the bottom, then orange and black on top. I ran a running stitch on my sewing machine to gather them together. Then pull up the gathering to make a nice ruffle of tulle. There will be enough out of one strip to cover the brim and also make the little tulle "top knot" on the top of the hat. Hot glue those into place. Cover where you hot glued with some sort of covering. Gathered and ruffled crepe paper works well.  I used some tissue paper garland. Next, I sized and printed out some "vintage" Halloween postcards and Stickled them to make them come "alive". You can mat the postcards on Halloween fabric, card stock, kraft paper or pretty much anything you can adhere to the hat.  Stickles or a nice little tinsel garland makes a nice finishing trim. I found some gold stars in the Christmas section of Hobby Lobby. I sprayed them with Glossy Wood Tone to "vintage" them up and dull their gold shine. It worked great! Then I hot glued them onto the hat and it's done!

Next....I'm working on a mixed media piece.  It's a Halloween canvas!  Spooky!!! 
Can't wait to show it to you!!!

We're Off To See The Wizard!

One of my favorite movies of all time is The Wizard Of Oz. I love the all the characters, the songs and the dialogue. I wanted to create something fun that would pay tribute to all of those wonderful things I hold dear from that classic film.

So...I decided to make a little library pocket book. With five library pockets, a couple of small pieces of chipboard, some Tim Holtz Ideaology Corners, various colors of Tim's wonderful Distress Inks, some Perfect Pearls misting sprays (I made using Tim's technique of mixing Distress Ink refills, Perfect Pearls and water in a Mini Mister), a 1" Memory Frame and some ball chain, a little "Toto" sterling charm, some Hannah Silk ribbon, shipping tags, Stickles, a few Wizard of Oz scrapbook papers and die cuts and a little of my own computer ingenuity; I created this fun little book.

Each library pocket is devoted to the characters and a song from the movie that is associated with them.

As you can see, each of the pockets are full of fun "stuff".  Each pocket holds a two sided book mark with more pictures and dialogue from the movie. 

Here are just a few of the bookmarks.

They also hold the lyrics to all of the songs. I distressed all of those lyric sheets to make them look old and worn, as if they had been tucked away in an old trunk for years.

Here are just a few of the songs.

The book is packed with all sorts fun things to look at and read. It gives me so much joy to pick it up and rummage through it. It's amazing what just a little bit of "stuff" and imagination can do!
Take time to play! It's good for your creative soul! 

I remember the lesson that Dorothy learned on her "visit" to Oz...if you are looking for your hearts' desires, you should look first in your own back yard. What a simple yet truthful statement. How often do we take for granted the things that surround us and make us happy, thinking that there is something better beyond the rainbow?

I hope you enjoyed my little Wizard of Oz book!

I can't wave a magic wand and send you home. But, I bet if you click your heels three times and say "There's No Place Like Home" you'll get there!

Thanks for stopping by!