HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Image courtesy of netanimation.net

May 2015 be full of Creative Blessings!

RECAPPING 2014

We are in the final days of 2014. While this has been a creative year for me, I didn't accomplish much of any of the items on my GOALS list. You'll see the ones I did accomplish in GREEN and the ones I didn't in RED. At a glance, I don't feel as if I did anything this year that I wanted to do.

Let's start with the 52 Scarf sets for the Mitten Tree. I know I was thinking one per week. What I didn't take into account is tht I didn't have that many glove/ hat sets to crochet scarves for. I only had 25. And that's what I turned in on December 12th. (You'll see a post about that on Thursday).

I also submitted (and sold) 3 articles to Polymer Cafe magazine. They publish six times a year and I was in three of those. I'm starting out 2015 with a sale to them. I will have the Last Word column in the Jan/ Feb issue (on stands now) with a request to send her as many more articles as I can ASAP. So yeah... 2015 is off to a good start there.

The other areas I really need to work on. Some will be tricky until we can get the studio finished. Right now, I don't even have insulation let alone a floor and ceiling. I do have electricity. So there is progress. More on that progress in future posts. (Just need to resize pics,)

I've already started the Mitten Tree sets for 2015 and completed one. My goal is to do 50. I've also joined forces with the company my daughter works for to crochet hats/ scarves for the Veteran's Camp in Arlington WA. So I'm adding 24 sets there... bringing my crochet total to 74 sets! I'll need the ones for the Veteran's Camp by the first of November.

I still want to do the girls' albums but those will have to wait until I'm in the studio... probably sometime after June 1. The other albums will have to wait as well but all are going on my GOAL list.  I'm also adding the Documented Life Project to my list. I attempted this last year. I succeeded in discovering this is the perfect dayplanner for me! The artwork never even got attempted. So this year I'm starting 'with' the rest of the group and hope to keep up. If I can do that until I'm moved into the office, I'll be thrilled.

I also did not get into any challenges this year. However, I've signed up for the Christmas Card Challenge again this year. I HATED sending boxed cards and don't ever want to do that again! I've already marked Reindeer Club on my calendar. And I signed up for the Stamp 2 Spend Challenge again. I didn't participate last year. Since all my money has gone into the new studio, I have to focus on using what I have rather than spending more. (Except for Sal A bration coming up in Jan). I do need to replenish my SU Cardstock. And there are a couple more organization items I need. But aside from that, I should be good.

For the rest of this week, I'll be showing you some of what I've done and what I have in store. Next Monday, I'll change the GOAL List to reflect my plans for 2015.

How has your year been? Please share.
Creative Blessings!

PLANNING FOR A SUCCESSFUL 2015

We are getting close to the end of the year. December is always my month to clear out the present year and begin setting files up for the next.

I'll have pics to show you beginning the first week of January but I've been in PLANNER mode. I really liked working with the Composition Book this year as part of the Documented Life Project. While I never got to the 'art' challenges, I did use the planner daily for the first half of the year. After that, I still kept the planner handy but still used a LIST pad for my To Do List. So I'm combining the two for 2015.

I've also been cruising YouTube (Links coming in later posts) on various ways people are setting up and decorating their planners. A couple of gals really got me thinking. Set up a Planner Art bag. A place to keep all the things I would use in my planner such as post its, pens, stamps, stickers, etc. So when I sit down to plan out my week all my tools are there in one place.  I'm also thinking this may help in actually doing the challenges as well.

So I spent all of yesterday (Sunday) pouring through copious amount of supplies in the studio and condensed some of the basics into THIS  Mine is all black. I bought it when they first came out several years ago and I was teaching at Michaels. Mine has cycled through various project options through that time. So when I saw THIS video by Nadine at Nadine's Mixed Plate on YouTube, the light bulb went on.

If you don't follow me, I hope you do. And if you and your friends want to be more organized in your studio (and your planner) please follow me. I'll be doing giveaways throughout the year and you won't want to miss your chance to add to your own stash.

Oh.. and I have not forgot I promised a giveaway before I got sick. I will be drawing for that on January 2 (want to wait so things don't get lost in Christmas mail mess) when I post the first Give Away for 2015.

Merry Christmas!
and a Creative 2015!

COMPUTER ISSUES, CONSTRUCTION AND SINUS'

In case some of you thought I'd vanished beneath the construction rubble... I'm still here.

Two days after the construction began I got hit with a horrid sinus infection that lasted 6 weeks! I've never had vertigo or thought it was really a 'thing'. I am now a true believer. The cursor on the computer would make me nauseous. LOL I've spent less than 10 minutes a WEEK on line until yesterday.

I've also had to continually work out things on this new laptop. But at least now my head is up to the challenge and things should run more smooth.

I had planned to post pics of the build in progress but by the time I fed the crew lunch, I just wanted to go to bed... and did as soon as they were done for the day.

Those of you who've been with me for a while know I LOVE  to decorate for Christmas.This year my decor consists of a new 4' pre-lit Christmas tree and 2 gift bags to be decorated and used in place of stockings. With the construction and my being ill, the house is a disaster. At this point I just want to get business caught up before I lose my hard-earned contacts. Everything else will fall into place - or off the counter.

And to top off my holiday season... I am not making Christmas cards this year. I want to enjoy the process, not be stressed out trying to get them made and in the mail. My work space downstairs is buried under items I've either purchased or been working on as part of the new space organization.

But, as my husband said, 'next year - look out!' LOL Christmas in all it's colorful glory will return to our house and mailboxes nationwide.

My biggest thing I'm looking forward to is that in the new space I'll be able to display my Christmas Village on the big work island I've not unpacked my village with the exception of a few pieces a couple years ago, in over 8 years. And I can shut the cats out of the studio so they won't be playing Godzilla through the snowy set up. hehe

WOYWW #282

Exciting stuff, eh?

As you can see, I am working on the dining room table this week. 

I had hoped to show you all of my completed Christmas Cards. The ones I was going to spend all day Saturday making. That plan fell through when I booted up my laptop to print out some more CAS to find my Gateway of almost eight years was no longer a part of my life. 

Coincidence that I get the Black Screen of Death the same week I made my Zombie Bride centerpiece? Hmmm 

So, instead of making Christmas cards I was shopping for a new laptop. I came home with a Dell. They are good systems, was on sale and - comes with Windows 8. yep. But so far I'm not having a lot of issues. I'm actually enjoying some of the new stuff this system offers.

My nightmare came on Sunday when I tried to load my Print Shop software to find my new system and my old software are not compatible. So I'll just buy the newer version of the software, right? 

WRONG!

The newer version is written by a different company, that do not have license to the original images. So everything (and I'm sure I'll be finding files I can't open at every turn) I've created in the past 12 years is not accessible.

So now, I'm either on the hunt for an older system to use just for graphics

or buy the newer versions and recreate everything in the new program as needed. 

I think I'll just label all my washi tape... which is what I'm showing you today.

Why am I showing you my Washi tape and spilling my woes?

Because Ms Julia Dunnit at Stamping Ground invites us all to travel the globe looking at everyone's workstations. Come on, show us yours! 

Creative  Blessings  

THE BIG REVEAL! - The Build Part 1

My Inspiration Colors

The day is FINALLY here! Well, we are getting closer. A bit of backstory:

My office (I'm a writer) and studio are in the basement. My space is about 120 square feet (10x12) and has one small casement window. Air flow is a real issue. Then I have a separate room about the same size for my sewing and mixed media - no window. When we moved here seven years ago I had a place for everything and room to work. However, with time to play and explore new mediums - not to mention new techniques and products being introduced daily - I've outgrown the space.

During a quiet dinner for two about four years ago, my darling husband made the comment I needed to get out of the 'dungeon' (the basement).

Challenge 1: Funds
We looked into determining the cost of building an above ground addition for me. Though the estimates were comparable, I was not ready to go into debt for my work space. So we put the project aside and I continued to outgrow my 120 square feet.

Challenge 2: Knees
I know I'm overweight by about 50 pounds but for some reason I never considered myself 'fat'. I am very active, though not athletic. I never was. But I don't stand still for more than about 5 seconds... if you're lucky. Since I also work from home, I have to make multiple trips up and down the steps every day to multi-task between work and household stuff. I have finally gotten to the point where by the third trip my knees are telling me to pick a level and stay there. I was raised family and home come first yet I'm at a juncture in my writing and music promotion career where I can't let that slide either.

So with both vehicle payments behind us and needing to put a new roof on the house, we revisited the possibility of my addition. We signed the papers on Monday afternoon.

This is a check register designed specifically for the project. I will track every bit of spending. Over the coming weeks I'll share some of my inspiration pieces with you. However, I am querying a couple of magazines and since they will want 'first rights', I may be limited to what I can show. I hope to know more on that part soon. In the mean time, updated posts of some sort will run on Fridays... recapping the week's progress.

And Now... The Floor Plan:

Our house is the front rectangle - about 1200 square feet. The new studio will come off the south side of the house into the backyard from off the dining room. The new space is 16' x 30' = 480 sq. ft. 

Thanks to a 1/4 credit in Home Ec in the 1970s I am able to draw floor plans to scale. I have utilized every inch of space to accommodate:

Office

Mixed Media

Sewing

Spiritual (currently in our bedroom)

Paper Crafting

Collections (Broncos & Girl Scouts) that are currently still in tubs in storage

In future posts I'll show you more of how I'm utilizing the space. Some of what I've learned along the way will be used in my Organization Class in mid January. 

In the mean time, tell me what you would do with this much space and what your medium of choice is (paper/ mixed media/ fabric/ etc) . I'll draw one person for a Surprise Bag of goodies! 

WOYWW #281 - Zombie Wedding!

Before I show you my desk, I want to remind everyone to come back tomorrow when I reveal that Super Sekret Project (phrase cloned from my friend Deborah Blake). For those of you who've been following along, you do NOT want to miss what I have to tell you. :-) At least, I hope you don't Hehee

Okay... On with the show!

This is my desk this week. With much encouragement, accountability and determination I've finally completed the centerpiece I wanted to make seven years ago. We have our Ozarks bride and groom and 13 black roses. 

If you check out the previous blog post HERE 

you will see the supplies. I used 2 blocks of the floral foam and glued them side by side in the clay dish. I glued the tombstone in place and covered everything with Spanish Moss. 

Each rose stem had 2 leaf sprigs so I stripped the bottom sprig off, cut the stem down to about 9" and stuck them into the floral foam. I used the remaining leaf sprigs as filler around the base. The two candles are battery operated and will add a nice touch in the evening. A drape of cotton spider web and you have a fitting tribute for any Zombie Apocalypse or Day of the Dead.

Now that I'm in the spirit I hope you'll hop on over to Julia's Stamping Ground and join me as I travel around the world visiting other creative folks.  

WOYWW #280 - Zombie Attack!

Okay... so this was not actually on my desk but this is the tub of zombie centerpiece supplies I've had since leaving Michaels Arts & Crafts almost eight years ago. Every year I pull out this tub with the intent of getting the centerpiece constructed.... and every year the tub goes back into storage due to lack of time.

This next photo is staged, but I wanted to try and get all the components in the shot of what is on my desk this week... a better (though not good) shot of the items I'll be using.

A zombie bride and groom, a tomb stone, battery operated candles and black roses. For lack of space I left the floral foam and Spanish moss in the tub at the moment. That little dish sits in a hammered wrought iron stand. I am determined to have this constructed by the end of the week and ready for the sofa table or dining room table. Halloween, or Samhain in my tradition, is upon me. 

So that's my desk. What's yours? Every Wednesday almost 100 of us gather at Miss Julia's Stamping Ground to pick up our map of other desks to visit. Come join us, won't you? Don't be shy. We've all seen the disasters - and shared them ::: cough cough :::

Creative Blessings!

Kel

MIXED MEDIA MONDAY - Shopping Mini Album

Because I knew I was going shopping over the weekend I wanted to make sure I got my shopping mini notebook put together.  I was inspired by pinkaboo6691 video which I have on THIS blog post. 

This is what the (5.5" x 7.5") notebook looked like before:

I dismantled the notebook and cut pieces of SU Marina Mist cardstock to be 1/8" smaller on 3 sides than the cover. I punched tabs using the SU Scalloped Frame punch and run them through the 1" Xyron. Rather than fold the label in half I chose to stick 2 together, giving me the decorative edge on the tabs.

The OCD in me wanted to have the same amount of pages behind each tab. Except for the Washi Tape category.. well ya' know LOL So here are the eight stacks ready for assemblage. 

I used papers from the ROSEWOOD slab by ColorBok. I LOVE that slab. If I seem to be running low, a replacement goes on my WalMart shopping list. Thanks to my novella book cover, I'm in this Marina Mist color mode. Plus when I'm carrying my red purse, this book will be easy to find amongst the other red items inside the bag. 

My categories are:

CRICUT

DIES

EB FOLDERS

PAINTS

PROJECT LIFE 

PUNCHES

SLABS

WASHI

And I have one left for whatever comes along.

I used the one of the sheets of paper as a template for the holes and the crop a dile to punch the covers. I used a standard office hole punch for the page dividers.

I KNEW I wanted some Thickers or similar for the cover. But when I got to Michaels yesterday I could NOT remember what I wanted Thickers for so had no clue what to look for. I have them written down for next week. :-)

I'm also not sure I'll add trims to the spine. While they look fun and artsy, I think I'll spend more time untangling them from other things in my purse. The only thing I might have done different would have been to cover the tabs in clear contact paper for durability. I still can... just would have been easier prior to putting them in place.  

FRIDAY FREE-FOR-ALL

On Wednesday, my first ever Close To My Heart order arrived. This is what greeted me when I opened the box.

My CTMH rep is my buddy, Brenda (see DisneyGirl )  on my sidebar under PBR. I swear if we were the same age we could claim separation at birth! So this post is all Brenda's fault. She is such an enabler!

I moved the stamps out of the way to see the bottom two items. Though this picture does not show the item well, you can see the bat and cat. Those are stencil charms. I ordered these to use them as stencils. They are perfect size for ATCs or the APC Challenge I'm working on.

This collection is Christmas Assortment. They go with a paper collection. I have plenty of papers so thought these would be perfect accents for a mini album

But my main order consisted of these:

Since September was National Scrapbook Month and this is CTMH 30th anniversary, they offered a special set of stamps. But you had to order a minimum of $30 in stamps to get the FREE set. I picked out sets I knew I would get a lot of use out of just so I could get this:

These are perfect size for Project Life. I also have a punch set from Stampin Up that coordinates with some of thee. Cool, eh?

And if you've never ordered from Close To My Heart... I am in LOVE with their packaging!

The envelopes are square plastic with snap closure! Oh my. These are going to be so easy to store! They are about the size of a 6x6 pad. 

You can bet I'll be playing with some of these new toys in the coming weeks. Right now I'm afraid to see what their October special is. hehe

Creative Blessings! 

Kel

WOYWW #278

Welcome to Whats On Your Workdesk Wednesday (WOYWW) and what my desk looks like this morning. Remnants of various projects. Let's cruise:  The package of fall leaves I picked up while grocery shopping last night. Thought they might make nice masks for art journaling spots, the grid is where I made paint swatches of my acrylic paints before going shopping. the paints in the background are the new ones I picked bought to fill in gaps. Heat gun to dry those swatches fast - cause you know I thought of this like an hour before I needed to leave LOL The gold paint pen and the stack of APC. 

I'll have the details tomorrow what I'm doing with the paint pen.

In the mean time, hop on over to Julia's Stampin' Ground to hook up with an extensive group of bloggers opening their studios for your snoop.  If you're a player in our group, please remember to leave your # so I make sure to stop by. 

Creative Blessings!

Kelly

TECHNIQUE TUESDAY - or something ....

I FINALLY got some play time in the studio on Sunday. Before moving forward on the Altered Playing Card challenge, I wanted to have my alcohol misters done. I am making one for every SU color I own.  I have the 30 main colors (or will have once my order comes in next week to replace the 7 retired colors) plus my favorite neutrals - Creamy Caramel (retired but my 'go to' vintage tone) and two other browns.

So here's my supplies: 91% Alcohol, SU reinkers, Ranger Ink mister bottles, funnel, needle nose pliers and these: 

Although the alcohol inks are all liquid, I wanted to give a little agitation in the bottle so I used 3 BBs in each mister. I checked. I put 3 in a container with just the alcohol and left sit overnight. These do NOT affect the color.

With the exception of the misters from RangerInk and the 91% alcohol, my goal is to utilize what I have on hand. I printed labels out on my computer (okay, this one is hand written but I managed to miss typing a label for Real Red somehow) then punched them out using the mini curly label punch. I tried to place the labels at the same point on all of the bottles. By doing this, I could use the bottom edge of the label as my "Fill to Here" mark with the alcohol.

So I labeled the bottles then one at a time, filled them to the mark. After some trial and error I found that approx. 30 drops of the Reinker gave me the truest-to-stamped color.
Some of the reinker bottles were clogged. I used the needle nose pliers to remove the tip then dropped the tip in a little container of plain rubbing alcohol to swirl and soak for a couple minutes. Tip back in place and things worked fine again.

I stamped a heart with each color. This served two purposes. 1 - to give me a visual when matching the ink to alcohol ratio and 2 - for creating little labels on the top of the mister bottle. I used this mini heart punch by Marvy to punch out a color sample and adhered to the top of the matching bottle with a mini glue dot. 

In the coming weeks, you'll get a better idea of how this comes together.

In the mean time, check out this VIDEO from Tim Holtz from CHA 2014 on multiple ways to use Alcohol Inks! 

Creative Blessings!

Kelly

WOYWW #277

My desk is a bit bare at the moment. 

The gallon can in the back hidden under my notepad template is for an upcoming HUGE project. The smaller baked bean can is a part of the same. The stretch of Xyron tape is Recollections labels to go inside those 17 rolls of Halloween Washi tape spools. Yep... we won't discuss how those are a drop the drawer to what I actually own :-) But I have a purpose - I promise. :-D

Happy WOYWW! Haven't a clue what that stands for? Hop on over to Stamping Ground where Miss Julia will give you all the Details. Anyone can join this weekly journey around the world.

The notepads are done and passed around. You can see that post HERE.

Friday is my birthday. Bob asked what I wanted. Aside from wishing he could be home or the HUGE surprise we have coming soon, there really isn't anything I want - well except maybe to see some of my favorite Texas boys in concert but that isn't going to happen.

THE SCOTT TAYLOR BAND

Aside from these talented guys, I'd also be happy to go to Branson to see a recording of Larry's Country Diner. I love traditional country music - which is what Scott and his crew perform. I'd also be happy to have a number of my Texas Americana artists in my backyard around a campfire... W.C. Jameson, Mike Blakely, Chuck Hawthorne, ... yeah any of the above would make for a very happy birthday girl :-) All are true artists in their genre.

 So I am taking a 3-day weekend to spend in my studio. I'll be finishing up some partial projects and working on Christmas cards. Hopefully, I will have enough project to get the blog back on track. 

So... what's on YOUR desk this week? Leave your # so I can find you on Julia's list and pop over.

Creative Blessings!

MIXED MEDIA MONDAY - Notepads

I got a lot of compliments on the notepads at the conference Saturday. Although time consuming, they were easy to make. People were asking where I got them done. My reply - in my studio. Hehe

The picture on the front is my book cover resized to 2.75 x 4.25 I printed the image on Normal quality on the printer onto #110 Georgia Pacific cardstock.

I used the same size mat on the back to print the 'back cover' blurb from the book as well as the QR code.

The pads, which you saw HERE were also 2.75 x 4.25. I was able to get 8 from a single sheet of copy paper without any waste. That was pretty much my guideline for the size of the pads. Each notepad was 80 page.

The outside 'cover' was cut from Stampin Up cardstock - Marina Mist. The color just seemed perfect with the color tones in the photo as well as the book being set on the shores of Galveston Bay. I cut 2 covers from 1 (8.5 x 11) sheet of cardstock with a strip off the length. Not really a waste. I can use that in cards.
The full cover measured 6.5 x 4.5. Then was scored at the 3" and the 3.25" mark to create the spine.

I used my ATG gun to adhere the pads to the inside as well as the mats to the outside.

I am really pleased how these turned out. I used 3 of them in prize envelopes from a FB launch party I participated in for another author. Would I do them again? Probably everything except gluing all those pads (125!)

WOYWW #275

Happy WOYWW! Haven't a clue what that stands for? Hop on over to Stamping Ground where Miss Julia will give you all the Details. Anyone can join this weekly journey around the world.

Bob has gone back out on the boat for his 21-day shift. I miss him like crazy but I also get so much more accomplished. Currently, I have 3 projects going plus the day job.
1) Purge - which you saw in progress a couple of weeks ago HERE
2) Notepads.

These are 80 page count notepads I am making to use as giveaways at our local Ozarks Romance Authors conference this month. Each pad requires 4 passes with the rubber cement and has to dry completely between each stage. I have enough binder clips for 30 and each set takes about 4 days with drying time. I still have to make the covers and will show pics when they are completed.

3) Altered Playing Cards Challenge

I'm excited about this challenge because I came into the group at the beginning. I found this challenge by way of our own Bluebird & Elizabeth's at Altered Book Lover  The details about the challenge can be found at Claudine's Art Corner. So far we've applied gesso and altered our first card. As I looked at yesterday's challenge, I got an idea for a theme so today I need to flip the cards over and paint the back with a deep purple tinted gesso. I figure doing the back before I begin altering will be easier. I already have the idea for my first card so I'll be able to complete this one by the end of the weekend and be on track for Week 3.

What's on YOUR desk this week?
Creative Blessings!

Mixed Media Monday -

Hi everyone!

Just popping in for a couple of minutes. I am at a hotel in Springfield MO while Bob has his truck at Midas. The brake line blew last night as we were pulling into the restaurant for dinner. Thankfully, we were very close to the hotel and could take the back road over.

So with nothing better to do last night than cruise youtube (something I seldom have the time to do) I found someone I'd like you to take a look at. I just love Sam's overall personality. Take the 4-part tour of her craft room, smile at the antics of her furry office assistant and then subscribe to her channel so you don't miss any of the mini book tutorials she has to offer.

Here's a sample...

GIVE AWAY Opportunity!

Wouldn't this lovely, one of a kind piece look perfect in your home or studio? Cindy from Plant's List  (and one of our WOYWW gals) made and is giving away this lovely item.

All you have to do is leave a comment on her post connected with the giveaway. You have until August 30th! So hurry over HERE and enter. Oh, and if you share like I did, she'll toss your name in for a second chance. Cool, eh?

Good Luck, and Creative Blessings!

WOYWW #272 - Purging

THE BEGINNING OF THE END

My workstation is a bit different this week. I have something in the works that's very Hush Hush for now. But I HAVE to go through a ton of stuff in the studio and sewing room and PURGE - A LOT

This is a stack (including the tub) of magazines I've been saving for the sole purpose of cutting out things for art journals. I want to file the images in pockets of my scraprack for easy access... but that's another post.

So over the next couple of weeks, this is my desk(s) for the time being.

THE CUTTING TABLE

Positioned in front of the TV so I can get some things off the DVR while I purge. The Lobster notebook in the picture is where I've been taking notes from the series Deadliest Catch for a future set of books I have in mind. I didn't have any 'crab' paper but this lobster from 'Beach House' by The Paper Studio serves the purpose... aka being able to find the right notebook when I need it. LOL

These are the 3 areas where I have 'category' papers scattered about. As I cut out a bunch of pictures/ words/ phrases, I sort them to an appropriate category. I will store them in pocket pages when I get my scraprack. In the meantime, I am storing them in page protectors with their category sheet. 

So why am I sharing this all with you? Because this is what we do every Wednesday as part of What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday with Julia Dunnit at Stamping Ground. Everyone can play so come join the FUN! Details HERE.

What's on YOUR desk?

MIXED MEDIA MONDAY

Okay, this one needs some work, but I enjoyed playing with the background colors. I call this Windswept Leaves.

Another Pinterest find. The technique calls for you to apply your ink to an acrylic blog, mist then swipe across your surface. Takes a little practice to not overdo the mist while having enough moisture to spread.

MISTED BACKGROUND
By Lori Vliegen at elviestudio

Create a background by putting inks on acrylic block, misting with water then swiping across surface.


RECIPE:
Ink: SU – Elegant Eggplant, Chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke, Cherry Cobbler,
      Cajun Craze, Tangerine Tango, More Mustard
      Memento Tuxedo Black
Stamps: Northwoods Rubber Stamps (Broom), Craftsmart (pumpkins & Oct. 31),
      Uknown (spider web, spider, Halloween)

Wanted to try fall colors for a ‘blown leaf’ of color effect.
I wish I'd taken this the step further and used the diluted gesso she suggests in the center before stamping the Halloween. But I'll do this again so can try that next time.

MIXED MEDIA MONDAY

Continuing from last week's Mixed Media playing, I think this one is my favorite. This is one of those I really think needs some hardware. Maybe a birdcage charm or something. But since these posts for now are all about the technique, I'm happy with it for now.

I started with something like this:

That is an up-close look at the condition of my Papier Paints by Folk Art. I've had them for about seven years so I guess they are allowed to be clumpy. But as you can tell from the finished product, they still work. I took the fine tip out of the bottle and squeezed out a blob. Then I spritzed it good with water. A junk mail credit card spread the color around in a haphazard fashion just as if I'd used a good acrylic. I'm determined to use up these gunky paints and get them out of the studio so they'll be my base medium for awhile.

RECIPE:

Ink: Memento Black & SU Perfect Plum

Stamps: SU Nature Walk

Paper/ CS: SU Rich Razzleberry & paper scraps

Accessories: Folk Art Papier Paints – Baby Pink, Cobalt, Sunflower

WOYWW #267

Not a lot has changed on my desk this week. We spent the weekend in Lincoln NE at our niece's wedding. I spent some time Sat. morning taking pictures of the university grounds and downtown. I like creating my own 'morgue file' for blog pics. The campus grounds were beautiful with floral and architecture.

The 5 reams of SU Marina Mist cardstock are for the little pocket notebooks and the stamp set was a gift from one of my SILs.

On our way home Sunday we stopped for the night in Springfield - which meant I got to go to Michael's. I found this beautiful suitcase for 50% off... then had an additional 25% coupon off total purchase. This is one of the base colors in my studio and I knew if I left it behind, I'd kick myself later. My initial plan was to put my Sizzix dies inside then slide it under my Project Life shelf. As you can see, that was not going to happen. So I'll tuck it away for another use. But, this did give me the idea to use one I'd purchased on clearance last year for the same thing... Now this is how my die-cutting area looks.

The wooden cabinet to the left started off on my writing desk upstairs but was just too cluttered looking. For now I've been putting pieces of white cardstock  inside for when I just need a small piece for something. The box underneath is my embossing folder files. 

That's it for me this week. I have something to share with you very soon so stay tuned, and I hope if you are not already, you will follow me so you don't miss out!

In the mean time, head on over to Stamping Ground where Miss Julia will have the pass to tons of other inspiring blogs for you to visit. Want to know more about what we do every Wednesday? Go HERE.

Creative Blessings!

Kel

MIXED MEDIA MONDAY!

Yay! Thanks to wanting some posts scheduled, I took an entire day to play in the studio. I started with Pinterest for some tutorials I had on my boards. Then I grabbed a 9x12 Mixed Media Journal I'd purchased on clearance last fall. I decided I was going to actually USE one of them to play with some of the techniques. Will the pages be fabulous? Not anywhere close. But I am playing. I'm getting inky and paint under my nails (yeah, just in time to need them done for a wedding LOL) So for the remainder of the Mondays this month, you will see my first three pages. None of them are done. I want to go back and add some hardware and little touches. These are all just beginnings.

This first piece was inspired by Donna Downey at Design Memory Craft. Donna has some great tutorials on using the Gelatos by Faber-Castell. I LOVE  Gelatos and if someone doesn't mind some gently used basic colors, I might offer them up as a give-away at some point. I think I'm going to need the complete set - meaning I'll have some duplicate colors. I could also put them in my travel art bag. We'll see. For now...

If you're not familiar with Gelatos, they are a water-color 'stick' that comes in a tube similar to chapstick. This makes them really portable. You can create a palette tray as the video shows, dab a wet brush on the end and paint from there or scribble in an area then spread with a water brush. I usually don't use the last method unless I want some lines for interest because the initial scratch of the crayon tends to show.

I titled this one GARDEN COLLAGE because I used the Garden Collage stamp (retired) from SU as my focal point. I used the gelatos and sprays to put color everywhere as my foundation. The neat thing with selecting this Mixed Media Journal is that I did not have to prep anything... just dive right in spreading color.
The background color, though still soft does show up better in real life.

VIDEO:    Faber-Castell Design
Creating a watercolor palette using slices of Gelatos in a watercolor tray

RECIPE:
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black & SU Melon Mambo
Gelatos: Pink, Violet, Lavender
Stamps:
Hero Arts (heart & Eiffel tower), Stampede (Love), InkaDinkaDo (script & post)
SU Garden Collage

FRIDAY FREE FOR ALL - Pinterest

Today begins what I hope will become a series of Pinterest CASE cards. You know... all those cool things we pin to our Pinterest boards with plans to make or try... someday.

I decided needing inspiration for a wedding card was a good time and place to start.

This is the one I found on Pinterest... http://www.pinterest.com/pin/184929128422023878/

The original card was designed by Linda Gutierrez from Cypress CA. She is a StampinUp representative. You can see her blog with some great cool projects at StampingYearRound.

My layout is a bit different. Linda used the houndstooth embossing folder, which I don't have (guess what's on my to purchase list. hehe) So to add a bit of texture I had this darling spool of heart lace trip. Perfect for a wedding couple.

RECIPE:

CS: SU Lavendar Lace (retired) I really wish they'd bring back more purples! and GP White

Ink: SU Lovely Lilace (retired)

Stamps: SU Congrats, Around Array

Extras: 2 brads

I also printed the Mr & Mrs on the computer in Vivaldi size 8

I like how the card turned out. I hope my niece and her new husband like it, too.

Oh .. here's the inside with some marital advice and the envelope:

WOYWW #266

This is how I left my desk tonight (WOYWW eve). I got to spend all day in the studio working on mixed media techniques to schedule all of the remaining Monday blog posts for this month.

The tub to the left is a plastic shoe box of old Papier Paints by FolkArt. Although they don't mix up very well and don't come out of the bottle through the tip, I was able to take the tip out, squeeze a dob on the paper. From there it was just a matter of misting with water and taking the junk mail spreader. The sample I used them on comes up in a couple weeks and is my favorite piece I did today.

So yes, I'm scheduling this to post on auto in the morning. Bob comes home 'today' so I'm trying to get the house semi-presentable and taking care of last minute business things.

I have a wedding this week so not sure how many blogs I'll get to touch base with but will get to as many as I can.

A quick thank you to our friend, Julia Dunnit at Stamping Ground. She graciously takes the time each week to give us all a road map to over 100 creative blogs around the world so that we might stop for a visit. If you'd like to know more about WOYWW, you can check out the DETAILS.

Creative Blessings

MIXED MEDIA MONDAY - Day Off

I know I seem like I've taken a lot of days off lately. But I am making progress. My goal by Wednesday is to have gotten some things made and posts scheduled so I'm not absent the entire month of July.

Bob comes home Wednesday. Friday we have a weekend wedding to attend. Tuesday, family will be in for a 4-day visit. The good part of that is that my SIL whom I did the Virtual Stamping Night earlier this year is part of the equation so there will be some studio time. Yay! I'll finally get Cricut Craft Room up and running.

I also want to get my Christmas cards going. Only 4 months until they need to be in the mail. I have plenty of Christmas postage stamps. I bought them the last 2 years before prices went up. I've added a lot of businesses to my list this year so there will be some with more of an elegant flare than I usually do to design.

Yes, it's time to be thinking about Christmas cards. But more important... I just want to PLAY.
Creative Blessings!
Kel

WOYWW #265

First off, thank you to everyone for your well-wishes on my book. Yes, Julia, this is my first. I think the whole thing came at me too fast to be really excited. Probably be flying when my first 'print' book comes out. You know, that I can actually hold in my hands and cuddle like a new born :-)

Nothing overly exciting going on this week.. but thankfully that is about to change! 

To the left, a book on Nashville. I've been researching for an article I've been approached to do on the impact and importance of traditional country music. An art video by one of my favorite mixed media artists - Pam Carriker. The pile in the middle is  a collection of goodies I got from one of the Documented Life Project gals. Lots of little extras to incorporate into the journals. The 3 bottles of paint in the background are the colors I used to decorate the envelope I sent her in return, chock full of yummies I hope she can use as well. 

With today beginning the 2nd half of the year, I guess it's time I started thinking Christmas cards. I've been thinking about them a lot - just not enough time to get in the studio. Hallmark Channel is running Christmas shows all weekend so after my night out with Aaron Tippin on Friday night I plan to spend the weekend in the studio working on cards. Wish me Luck!

Have no clue what I'm talking about? Every week we gather at Stamping Ground to link the world to our creative blog where Miss Julia Dunnit gives us the opportunity to let everyone see what we're up to. This is not a secret club. Anyone can play. Just check out the details HERE. We love making new friends!

Creative Blessings!

Kelly

WOYWW #264

Crafting of a different sort this week. For those of you who do not know, my first book is up on Amazon. Somewhere Down the Line was released on June 12th. I was so NOT prepared with promo materials or anything. I've spent the last week playing catch-up on promotion while doing the day job of music promos. 

In the pic you'll see the bookmarks I designed. I've modified this since printing this sheet. The QR code is smaller. The other thing is I'm making notebook/ pen sets. Our Ozarks Romance Authors conference is Sept. 20th. I need approx. 250 of the sets to put in the goody bags. 

I still have some thank you cards to make but I see lots of paper trimming/ scoring, gluing in my immediate future. But I am thankful for the task. 

Have no clue what I'm talking about? Every week we gather at Stamping Ground to link the world to our creative blog where Miss Julia Dunnit gives us the opportunity to let everyone see what we're up to. This is not a secret club. Anyone can play. Just check out the details HERE. We love making new friends!

Creative Blessings!