FIRST ATTEMPT AT COLORED PENCILS!

 It's probably hard to tell by this picture, but it's been fun learning a new medium.  The colored pencils enable me to do some grown-up coloring!  Since I never did well in arts and crafts classes during my school years, I actually have to laugh!

The brand of pencils I used is "Fantasia" which I purchased on Amazon at half the cost of a set of Prismacolor pencils.  The only comparison I have is with the Crayola pencils I have in the tower, and these are much better indeed. YouTube is indispensable for learning new things, especially artist techniques like this.

The card I made looks a bit washed out here (but not IRL.)  I started with Very Vanilla cardstock for the base and stamped the poinsettia with Versamark as a background.  The red banner was embossed with a Cuttlebug leafy folder.  The flower was stamped twice on drawing paper, colored in, cut and layered.  Yellow glitter was added for the center.

What medium have you always wanted to try?  I took a seniors class in watercoloring two years ago, found out I didn't like working with it, and went on to other things.  I didn't look at that as a failure, but rather as an opportunity to try something new.  You're never too old to learn new things, so give it a try!

 Like I used to say to my kids when they balked at new foods, "What if you never tried ice cream?"

Challenge: Second Chances

A Blog Named Hero (HERE) is challenging us to remake a card that we made before.  The one I chose is the one shown here on the top.  I liked the way it looked, but wanted to incorporate some of the new techniques I've learned since.

To start, I chose Very Vanilla for my card base and clear embossed the Christmas hymn for the background.  Then I sponged Tea Dye and Forest Moss Distress Inks over it.  Then I gave it a sheen with Glimmer Mist spray.

For the poinsettia, I first stamped the music with black ink on a piece of Very Vanilla and heat dried it.  Then I clear embossed the poinsettia over it, doing this twice so that I could layer it.  After sponging Wild Honey and Fired Brick Distress Inks  over them, I cut them out and layered them, slightly offset, with a dimensional and mounted the flower as shown.  Next, I added pearls in the center and several loops of jute twine for embellishment.

The greeting was stamped on a piece of scrap and mounted with glue dots.  I rounded the top right corner for the final touch.  I like this card better than the original!

Merry Snowflake Card

This is one of the cards the Moms Club will do next.

After embossing a piece of dark blue cs with a Cuttlebug snowflake folder, I sanded the cardstock to bring out  the white core.  (Note:  This technique will not work with SU cardstock  due to its solid core; but you could gently rub a white inkpad over the raised snowflakes after sanding for a similar effect.)

Next, I used a Marvy punch for the large snowflake and a Martha Stewart punch for the smaller one.  After attaching a large square of silver paper to the cardfront where the cutout would go, I mounted the snowflake panel over it with SU dimensionals. I mounted the white snowflake in the center with a thicker pop dot so that it would stand above the blue cs beneath.

The blue metallic center is from Hero Arts and is self-stick.  For the silver cord bow in the upper left corner, I adhered it with a glue dot and added the tag with its tiny blue metallic embellishment.  (This card looks more sparkly in real life than it does here.)

Thanksgiving Pumpkin

What is it about an oval window card that works so well?  Just that little bit of detail adds depth to a card that would have seemed plain otherwise.

After cutting the oval with a Nestabilities die, I attached the green panel to the back with thick pop dots so that it would add a deeper shadow to the card front.  I then stamped the greeting on a piece of scrap and embossed it in white.  My square punch was used to create the notches on each end.

The pumpkin was cut with a Provo Craft die and embossed with the matching embossing folder.  I sponged it lightly with brown ink and taped the banner across it.  To attach it to the card, I used a mini glue dot on each end of the banner and added the orange gems.  The last finishing touch was the rounded corner at top right.

Assembling it this way allowed me to use the inside for a larger greeting and a note. 

CASEing the iPad #7

I think my favorite stamp set of all time is the French Foliage set from SU!  Here I used it as the background for the barn scene and Happy Thanksgiving stamps.

First I stamped a variety of leaves on the left panel of a gate card and the left side of the main image.  Then I stamped over them with India Ink black with the barn stamp, coloring in just the pumpkins in the foreground and the windmill blade.  After stamping a separate oak leaf in brown, I cut it out by hand and attached it to the card with a dimensional.  I'm amazed at how realistic that leaf  looks.

Next I covered the right panel of the gate card with autumn leaf dsp.  Then I mounted the front panel on green cs and attached it to the left panel of the card base.

(I apologize for not having the blog address or name of the card-maker who inspired my card.)

Storm Story

Yesterday was Moms Club at our church, which has heat.  It was delightful!  We made this card using an overlay and the Sizzix snowflake die.

When I got home later, I decided to do some stamping in the tower while it was still light enough.  As it started to get dark, I was determined to finish what I was working on and then go downstairs to see what I could make for dinner.

Just as I was getting ready to leave the "tower",  I heard a strange sound.  It took some time before I realized it was the heat gun that I had tried to use several days ago and forgot to turn off.  Then it took a few more seconds to realize that it was on because the power had returned!

In His Providence. the Lord had led me to spend time in the Tower so that I would be in place to prevent the house from burning down!  I can now once again personally testify that His tender mercies are AWESOME!


(Scroll down to previous post for storm photos.)

AFTERMATH OF HURRICANE SANDY

These photos were taken from my car AFTER the roadway was cleared.  This is the lower end or our street.

CLICK TO ENLARGE.

This picture shows a generator hooked up by the phone co. to restore our phone and internet lines.

The rest of the photos speak for themselves and were all taken from my car as I drove down our street.  The blue "sky" is actually the tint on the windshield.  We've had sun for a total of 4 hours since before the storm, making it gloomy and colder.

Last night we got a dusting of snow, which is nothing compared to what they got closer to the coast.  One area got a foot of snow overnight!

Notice the transformer laying in the dirt on the side of the road in the last photo.

Our power returned last night at 5:00, but we don't dare put the storm supplies away yet!