Valentines

Good Morning bloggers, I have been working on my valentines for this year already.  A bit early for some but not for most.  My inspiration piece was some little flags that I found at the scrapbooking store, all on one sheet that you just had to punch out.  Well, they didn't make the grade because by the time I got done, they didn't fit in at all.  Sometimes it goes that way, it's own way.  They just take on a life of themselves and away they go, lol!  They did turn out pretty though.

I started with an 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 sheet of a rose colored cardstock.  My normal intentions are to fold that in half and make a card that fits the small envelopes that I have.  But I also have some bigger ones that never seem to get used so.....I didn't fold this time.  I did have to cut off like a 1/4" so they are probably more like 8 1/4 x 5 1/2.  I inked the edges with vintage photo.  I used a white doily and inked the edges and then gave it a spray of heirloom gold perfect pearls mist. I had some gold doilies that I found at a flea market for a song so I die cut the 'hugs & kisses' out of that.  The two center pieces are Spellbinders 'fleur de lis' squares.  I had boughten this valentines e-kit from Crafty Secrets last year and was thumbing through it again and found this patterned paper in there that looks like old wall paper so I printed off a few sheets of that on some tan colored paper.  You would have to click on the photo to really see the design, I think.  I inked the edges of that one too.  The center piece if cut from old glassine bags one of my friends gave me.  They are the old ones you used to find in women's restrooms that you put sanitary napkins in before depositing them in 'the bin', lol!  Next I cut out a heart from a roll of burlap and tied a ribbon through it.  Then I added some gold stickles around the doily and a few gold buttons and a filigree corner to the top cut from the same paper.

 The doily was large enough to wrap around the back side and I added another fleur de lis and this time I stamped a sentiment on it.  I also made a picture frame stand out of chipboard and covered it in the same paper so the card would stand up by itself.  It worked very well.  It will lay down for mailing and then fold out upon arrival. 

First one is done, now need to make five more.  I actually cut six of everything when I did it the first time so all I have to do is assemble now, I think.  Hope you enjoyed them as much as I did.  Have a great day!
Hugs,
~Jody

Altered Boxes

Hey bloggers, I have the cutest display to show you this morning.  I was perusing the blogs the other night and came across an altered box that Annette Green did using the configurations boxes, OMG!  It was the cutest dang thing, I just had to make one.  Hers was for a challenge over at the Eclectic Paperie but I just wanted to make one. I love miniature stuff and so this was right up my alley.  I have never used the configuration boxes so I had to go buy some, hello Michael's and a 40% off coupon, AND THEY HAD SOME!  My Michael's seems to be a smaller one and alot of time they don't carry what I'm after.  So I came  home and went to work.  This is what I came up with.

I covered the edges of each box with tattered rose distress crackle paint and after it dried I rubbed some vintage photo ink in to the crevices.  I also tried some distress stain on them and it seemed to do better.  Then I sprayed each one with a floral spray so as to keep the crackle from falling off too easily, it worked well. Then I made a cardstock covering to insert in to each one and inked most of the edges.  Then I set to embellishing.  I pulled out everything I could think of that even slightly resembled Valentine's Day.  I'll add some close-up shots so maybe you can see it better

The little book on the right side I made as well as the sign sitting above it.  The glass heart was just in my stash.  The forever sign was from a Close To My Heart collection from a few years ago as is the paper pack I used.  I think it was called That's Amore.
    




The flower vase was what looked like a skate key that I found in my stash.  It was heart shaped at the top and had a shaft that my flowers would fit in, ha!  Found a sticker of a bird that fit perfectly in the bird cage, although you can't see him very well.  The 'picture' of the ladies hat was a sticker and then I added a couple of flowers, a heart and a spool on top of a piece of an old handmade doily I cut apart .









The 'H' wall plaque is a bottle cap with an H sticker in it and then I just put some platinum stickles around the outside.  the 'keys' that are lying on the shelf are a locket with a key and a heart and a chain bangle.  The square heart emblem down below, that was done with an embossing folder.  Actually one of the very first ones that I ever bought.  The labels on the bottles I made on the computer.  And the ink well that is holding the nib is a screw and a nut from the tool box, ha!

Then the other night at the ATC Club at Scraporium I found this little 'postcard' charm.  she has a zillion of these little charms there in her store and I was so thrilled to find this one.  How cute is that!!  (I know, my photography needs work hugh?)





So, there you have it, my latest creation.  I just love it.  I am going to take it to work and sit it on the corner of my desk so I can look at it every day for a while, lol!  Hope you have a great week!
Hugs,
~Jody

ATC Club Haul

Good Morning bloggers,

Just wanted to share my haul with you this morning. There were so many cute ATC's that I decided you'll would love to see what the artist's came up with.  The theme for this month was 'Anything Goes' and the special embellishment was acrylic paint.  Honestly, I don't see any acrylic paint on some of them but who's to say, right!!!  They are all pretty cute. 

 

Have a look see and tell me what you think.  Gotta run and hit the shower right now so have a great day!
Hugs,
~Jody

ATC-January 2013

Hey there bloggers, it's time for another ATC.  This time our chosen embellishment was to be acrylic paint.  I started with plain white cardstock and sprayed some Cranberry Glimmer mist on them.  It turned out more like purple but I went with it.  It was something that had been in a winner's package and I had never used it before so thought, what the heck.  I really need to use up some of this stuff, instead of just always buying more.  I think they call those kind of people 'hoarders', don't they, lol.  Next, I tried my hand with a Dylusions stencil and a copper acrylic paint dabber.  Worked pretty well.  Found out that more is better in this case, at least I like the ones that seemed to have more texture on them than just color.  Then I used the other end of the stencil and sprayed some copper Perfect Pearls on them as well.  I added a bit of rusty hinge ink here and there and a bit of vintage photo around the edges as well as some seedless preserves.  Then I die cut a tattered floral small flower out of some cranberry glimmer misted cardstock and inked the edges with seedless preserves. Then I curled the edges and glue dotted them to the card.  Then I found a baggie of scrabble tiles that had not been used in forever either so Viola'.  I thought it needed just one more little punch of color or bling or something so I die cut some small flourishes with some purple foil and added those.  ATC Club is Monday night so I am going to be ready now, YA!

Hope you have a super fun weekend.
Hugs,
~Jody

Marvelous Mom Card

Hey bloggers, today I have a card that I made for my mother's birthday.  It's always been a bit of a challenge for me to come up with something different for her every year, just three weeks after Christmas.  My creative juices are usually zapped by the time Christmas is over.  This year, make that last year, while I was blogging around looking for Christmas inspirations, I found this cute card that a gal had made with snowmen on it and the trees were off to the right side on a couple of graduated steps.  It was a round card that she had folded in half and then cut the graduated steps out of the top right side.  I kept the page open for a few days looking at it, tediously studying it, trying to come up with an idea with which to incorporate the idea into a birthday card for my mother.  I finally got the time to play around with it a little bit and I came up with this.

Actually her name is Marva and she is my Mom and she is Marvelous, so the "M" worked triple duty.  Below is a different shot so you can kinda see the graduated steps better.  It just dawned on me why I couldn't get the second one to cooperate, it should have come up a little bit more before it folded because the first two steps are the same height, too late now, lol!!!  Old age really sucks some days! 

  

On the inside of the card I added an additional tag to the first graduated step as part of the sentiment.  It actually folds down when the card is closed.

 

The brad up on the left hand side holds a little "M" charm that I made out of shrink plastic.

I am sad to report that I forgot to bookmark the page and/or write down where I got it from before I x'ed out of it so I have no clue who to give accreditation to.  I did make a mock-up with measurements and such so if any one wants those just leave me a comment and I will post them.  I applaud her ingenuity though, it's a pretty cool idea.  I really liked how the card came out.  Hope you like it too.

Happy 2013!!!