You want to see what I've been up to?

It's not cards! LOL Not even stamping (gasp!). :)

Actually, while I was reading some of the myriad of blogs I subscribe to I ran across this. Don't get me wrong, I will never do the wedding thing again, but I *loved* this. I loved the random eclectic look - add a candle and WOW. However, I'm not interested in fake candles. I have some, but they always look too yellow for me. I like *real* fire! :) Of course I also like to have a home, and really prefer not to get surprise visits from the fire department!

The only answer was to change it up a little. Make it my own - as Simon would say. :D

This was the first one I managed to finish. It went through a couple of different concepts (and one broken glass) before settling on this. I wanted to evoke the feeling of being at the beach, surf and sand being a bit overdone, but still pretty. I bought a fairly cheap ($5?) candle holder from Michael's and three different colors of thread. The beads and shell dangles I used for this one were already on hand (bonus) but I did buy a big jug of fabric stiffener. Ummm, how come I didn't know that fabric stiffener and Elmer's are practically the same thing?!

Because I didn't think I could make an effective form I taped parchment paper around the glass & did my wrapping over that. In retrospect I don't think it was strictly necessary. I strung a bunch of random beads on the beige color of thread (still on the spool) and started wrapping around the glass. I dipped my fingers in the fabric stiffener and ran them over the thread every so often - it is messy, so protect your surfaces! I repeated those steps with the blue thread (stringing the shell dangles on the thread before wrapping - good thing cause this thing is *tight*). Finally I wrapped with the white thread over the top and down onto the blue. Once I was done wrapping I allowed several hours of drying time. Dh had to help me pull the parchment paper off - the worst part was getting it back on the glass! It isn't glued on there, it's only held up by tension.

So, this next one was more of a nod to the wedding theme of the original. I wrapped the same white thread over glass, this time using clear glass beads. I couldn't use any parchment paper to cover the glass because of the shape, but the thread kept rolling over the surface and leaving glue tracks. I think it would've been less messy if the glass was a more regular shape, but I really wanted this to work! I've thought about etching the inside of the glass, but after my last experience I'm feeling a little... hmmmm, hesitant? LOL I don't think it's good enough as it is to give as a gift, but I can certainly burn tea lights at home.

Then, of course, I went in yet another direction (talk about crafty ADD). I wanted to wrap glass using wire instead of thread, but I just couldn't get the wire to stick well. E6000 wasn't cuttin' it. Finally I remembered that I still had some plain white candles from my foray into stamping on candles last Christmas. Once everything was wrapped I ran my heat gun over it to set the wire. If I ever do another of this type I think it would work better to heat as I wrap. You can see how the wire bunched in the middle - it didn't always look like that! It just wanted to scooch toward the middle as I was wrapping - I think I needed six hands to do it all at once!

I do think this is my favorite and it will probably be the one that burns the best (or at least with minimal worry).

So. Interesting? :) Hope you liked this crafty detour... promise I'll get back to cards soon!

Thanks for visiting!

I finally caught up to the curve!

Remember when, oh say, six to twelve months ago etching glass was all the rage? Well, I finally did it! lol (yup, I'm usually behind the curve!) I have to say, this was NOT as easy as I anticipated - in fact it was quite frustrating. But we'll get to that.

First I want to show you this card (it goes with the etched glass). I made it for my friend's birthday (happy birthday chica!) which comes just a few days after mine. Sort of quiet - I'd call it understated I guess. The base is 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 (another unusual size for me) because that was what really 'fit' the tree image. Graduating half circles were cut using my Curvy Cutter on the front of the base, a patterned ivory paper and the main panel.

The tree image is a new stamp from the people who put out Glimmer Mist (Tattered Angels). I didn't use the screen (which I also bought), but it does look mighty intriguing! The technique is called Pierced Spotlight from Technique Junkies - not that you can see it all that well from this angle. The spotlight was colored with green and bronze perfect pearls, with a dab of blue burnished in.

I added some perfect pearls to the edge of the back panel that shows also. You can't really see it in this pic, but I stamped some of the tree branches in the corners and brushed them with the same green/bronze mix. It is much more interesting in person!

Since the card was for my friend's birthday, I decided to make her a matching candle holder as well. This is where the frustration began! lol First I stamped the tree with versamark, then embossed with clear. Since this was my first try (and I didn't know if I'd even like doing it) I only bought the small bottle of etching creme. Ummm, yeah. If *you* are going to try this - READ THE BOTTLE FIRST! Apparently this creme isn't for 'large areas', and worse, their definition of a large area differs greatly from mine!

After my first 'thin layer' (another definition that greatly differs) I washed it off and... WHAT?!?! It was patchy! Horribly, horribly patchy! Some areas looked great, most looked half done and some weren't etched AT ALL! Now, before you ask, yes I cleaned the glass with rubbing alcohol before even starting - so I know that wasn't the problem! I kid you not, I must have applied at least a dozen different coats of this creme. I actually had to go buy another bottle (the big expensive one, thank god for 40% off coupons!) so I could complete it.

I finally got it looking pretty good (ummm, yeah, use thicker coats than you think you'll need) - not perfect, but pretty good for a first try. Of course by now all the blog posts about actually doing this are impossible to find, so I had to guess the best way to remove the ep without messing up the glass. I grabbed a bunch of paper towels and the heat gun & went to town. lol I have to say, this was one of the most frustrating things I've ever attempted. I'm happy with the end result, but I imagine it will be a *long* time before I try it again! On the other hand, I now have a large bottle of etching creme.... *sigh*

It does look pretty awesome when lit up, and I love that the card & glass matched. And my friend is absolutely worth every minute! There were some more candle holders in process while I was doing this one, but they're for a different post! Drop by soon - they've got beads (and thread!) on them! LOL

Thanks for stopping by!

I've been away too long!

But I'm back now and that's what matters, right? :) Between vacations, car problems, my birthday, illnesses and a new car I haven't had much time to create anything fun. I *have* done some really fun stuff, but I can't show you for a few more days (super secret birthday stuff ya know!).

This, however, I can show you! My most wonderful husband bought me stamps for my birthday. Not just any stamps, mind you, but one that I've lusted after for a long time. Not only did he buy them for me, but he had to order them from Denmark. Talk about forethought! (yes, I did get the last good one - and no, you can't have him!) You can see both things he bought me here and here - aren't they luscious??

Unfortunately it came out a little darker than I envisioned, but you can bet that this won't be the last time you see Maribel. Besides, I have to practice getting a good image of the photo stamp (cause I'm not so great at it yet).

Maribel was stamped with VersaFine in Onyx Black & colored with prisma pencils. I used Milled Lavender and Dusty Concord Distress inks to color the background. Nestie ovals (although I started with a different shape & had to cut it down) and some of the gorgeous grunge borders were next. That final grungy edge piece was done with VersaFine ink and brushed with purple Perfect Pearls.

It took me a while to figure out how to frame the ovals, but I finally remembered these grayish half pearls. I think they were for using on fabric? You know, those little studs with hot glue on the back for making patterns on your clothes?

This is a different card size for me too. Once I had everything put on the base it looked like she was swimming! :) So I cut it down to 3 1/2 by 4 /1/4 - perfect! I have a very special person in mind to send this to - hope she likes it as much as I do!

Thanks for dropping by!

Family matters

I promise I'll be back later on to do a crafty post, but for now I have a family related post. If you're only her for stamping stuff - feel free to skip it! :D

This is a quick video of Titi Susan and Zachary reading the spanish/english book she bought for him. I just took a quick video with the regular camera, so the quality isn't the best - but the humor can't be beat! :)

Did you have a happy Fourth?

I did! :)

We had a nice little BBQ at my dad's house and then off to see the fireworks. I've done a little studying since last year so I actually got some cool looking fireworks shots! Amazing what you can do with a digital camera at night....

Anywho, I have a little something pretty to show you. I found these great clear overlays that just begged to come home with me - how could I resist? They're about the right size to lay over a 4x6 photo, not exactly card sized, but I figured I'd make them work!

I clear embossed the birdbath stamp (also new from Inka) on white paper. Using cotton balls I rubbed in Peeled Paint, Broken China, Pine Needles & the denim color to make a nice scene. After that had dried I used some VersaMark & white Perfect Pearls with a Rhonna Farrer swirl to give a little depth and shine.

Since I had to allow enough space for both the flowers at the top and the word at the bottom I had to position the overlay over the image and draw around the edges of where it should be placed in relation to the image. I could have cut all in one go, but I was terrified that I would mess up the cut somehow and ruin this gorgeous overlay (there are four more designs in the pack - that rocks!)! I cut the main image down to 4x4, repositioned the overlay on it (using vellum tape) and trimmed the overlay down to size. Since the tape showed just a tiny bit (and I didn't like that!) I pulled out a heart shaped corner punch and made a half inch white vellum mat. Finally I mounted the whole shebang on a 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 base card - sort of a purple/blue IRL.

Here's a 'side shot' so you can see the PP a little better.

While it's not very 'wedding-y' I think it is appropriate for something like an anniversary? Either way, I love how it came out!

Thanks for dropping by... hope you're having a great week!

Opals embossing powder

Hello out there! I'm back with just a quick post using Opals Embossing Powder.

Opals are a gorgeous ultra thick ep from Australia. Amazing colors, rich & sparkly. I *love* them! You can get them from After Midnight along with tons of other really cool stuff.

For this card I used my nesties to cut a circle the right size for the tree stamp (it's new from Inkadinkado). After some trial and error I pulled out my long neglected Melting Pot and heated a bunch of The Nut for the base. After pouring the molten ep on the circle I sprinkled some Eucalypt and melted that with my heat gun. While it was still hot I pressed the stamp (coated with VersaMark) into the ep and let it cool. Finally, I rubbed a little Galaxy Gold on the raised parts of the design.

Because I don't have any paper that can come close to matching the rich color of those eps, I spritzed Hot Cinnamon Glimmer Mist over a piece of brown c/s - it's almost a perfect match! I also used a new punch from EK Success on the edges of the green base - it punches and embosses at the same time. Once I figured out the placement of all the pieces I used VersaMark and stamped just the branches on the green area.

A little ribbon and some serious double stick tape et voila! I really like how it came out - hope you do too! :)

Have a happy Fourth of July if I don't get back before then!

Depth of field and a visitor!

Back again! I've been having a heck of a time getting things done! I finally finished this card last night - after it had been sitting on my table for almost a week! Sheesh.

Anyway, it's a technique called Depth of Field from the latest TJ newsletter. This wasn't the best stamp (the ship) for this technique, but I do like how it came together. The ship and wave/ripple background are from Rubberstamp Ave and the sentiment is from River City Rubber Works - both great companies!

Otherwise, there were a lot of Distress Inks, some Perfect Pearls and a little twine. I know you can't see it in the pic, but the base card has the waves stamped around the edges with more Perfect Pearls - very shimmery in real life!

We also had a visitor a few days ago. Late in the evening I heard a crazy buzzing noise and wondered if a wasp had gotten in. Can you see it?

How 'bout now? :) (ummm, yeah, ignore the cobwebs, kay?)

Isn't that amazing? Dh & the boy managed to net it and put it outside to go on it's merry way. I do so love dragonflies! Gorgeous, wasn't he?

Thanks for dropping in!