Sympathy Greeting Card

Sympathy Greeting Card
Originally uploaded by okanagan_spirit

The Quietfire Design sentiment is stamped on cream cardstock and cut with the Spelbinders Label four die. I then sponged Vintage Photo Distress ink and dusted with bronze Perfect Pearls. The photo of my quilt is printed on watercolour paper and the edges are distressed with a Making Memories distressing tool and layered over a heavier cardstock distressed with the Distrez-it-all tool and both have Memento Rich Cocoa rubbed on the edges. This is layered on a green embossed cardstock then a dark brown and a cream card base. The words inside are "I hope your memories will soon comfort you like a warm blanket of love."

May 22 Greeting Card

May 22 Greeting Card
Originally uploaded by okanagan_spirit

This is the card project for Sat. May 22 at Cherish The Thought. The rubber stamped and embossed image on this card is coloured with Tombow markers, then the image is attached to black card with Sookwang tape. The red card front panel is embossed with the Tim Holtz Bingo embossing folder and attached to a black card base. The flower and a blue rhinestone adds a bit of bling. A bit of a challenge for me doing this card as I haven't done much with any markers before.

Blue Egg Blues

Blue Egg Blues
Originally uploaded by okanagan_spirit

Some blue ATCs for a swap. A photo of a bird egg, some cut with a Nestabilities die, rubber stamp word and some embossed with a Tim Holtz Sissex embossing folder.

Satuday Product Launch Projects

Jessie from Cherish The Thought had lots of new products arrive last week so she had a launch party on Sat. and that meant we were in the classroom for Neat Nique and made not one project, but 4. We got to try out Tsukineko Shimmer Spritz, Tsukineko Walnut Inks, Staz-On Metallic Ink with Refills and used these with Tim Holtz Embossing Folders and Tim Holtz BigZ dies including the borders.
It was a very fun day and of course I got in some retail therapy afterwords. Now I need to collect up my ATC binder and geat ready for an afternoon of swapping with ATC Vancouver at The Grind.

Dream

Dream
Originally uploaded by okanagan_spirit

Well I did it, I made my scrapbook layout from the Cherish The Thought project into a wall hanging. I painted a 12x12 inch canvas with sepia decoupage finish place a piece of scrapbook paper near the bottom right corner then mounted the page close to the top left corner,using brads to hold it in place. The word DREAM is wood letters painted with the same sepia decoupage finish.

May 8 Greeting Card

May 8 Greeting Card
Originally uploaded by okanagan_spirit

This is the Sat, May 8 project from Cherish The Thought. We had a choice of 4 different designs and I chose this one. The bird is a die cut with double sided tape on it cut to the various shapes for the different colours of glitter. A section of tape is removed and the colour of glitter added, then the next piece is removed and another colour of glitter is added until all of the bird is done. Next the blue background is embossed with a Tim Holtz embossing folder. The branch is cut with a Sizzex die. The tape on the card base is removed and I added black glitter to make the border. All this is added to the blue background which is then added to the base card.

Creative Escape Journal

Well here it is, the 5.5 X 8.5 journal I mentioned I had all ready to distress. I have done the distressing with the Distrezz-it-All tool on both the page edges and the chipboard covers. I used a chipboard tag with brads to form part of the title and the word journal is rubber stamped on watercolour paper, cut with a Nestabilities label and embossed with clear embossing powder. The piece is coloured with Fired Brick Distress Ink. I used Memento Rich Cocoa ink to rubber stamp Hampton Art Passport/Woman Collage near the binding edge. The piece of branch from my yard is stitched on with jute cord. I glued a silk flower in the lower right corner and included one of my faux postage stamps. The binding edge is punched with the Zutter Bind-it-All and tied with torn fabric, lace and ribbons. The top fabric is dyed with beat water and the bottom one with coffee. The back cover has a chipboard Sizzix die cut flower covered withvarious papers. "This belongs to" is from Cornish Heritage Farms Ledger Me rubber stamp set and ny name is the signature line from "Follow your dreams" quote stamp from Quietfire Design. I love this journal even better than "Cherish Every Moment". I guess that will last until the next journal. For now it's time to start filling some of these pages.

Some Pages From Creative Escape Journal

These are a few of the pages in the journal. The pink pages are watercolour paper coloured with beat cooking water and the brown coloured are tinted with coffee. Other pages are some of my photos printed on watercolour paper. I've added silk flowers to a few pages and the rest are awaiting journaling. Most of the pages are Kraft cardstock.

Scrapbook Layout

Scrapbook Layout
Originally uploaded by okanagan_spirit

Well I've added some photos and rubber stamped on the scrapbook page I made at Cherish The Thought last Sat. The egg photo is one I took and the robin is from Images By Kim and can be obtained by joining the PDA group at that link.

The Folow your dreams quote is a rubber stamp from Quietfire Design and the words on the top right of the page is computer generated text.

I'm still not sure if I'll do a journal tip in or mount on canvas and hang, but I am leaning to the canvas idea.

Distressed Journal

I am so excited about my new toy, umm art tool. Just about a week ago I saw the Zutter Distrezz- it All and thought it would be a great tool for me. I just got it yesterday from Cherish The Thought and I have a nice 5.5in X 8.5in journal all ready to work on, but figured I better try the tool out before using it on that journal. I cut Kraft cardstock into 4.25X5.5 in pages and took 5 pieces to try distressing by running the cardstock in the direction of the cutting wheel. I then tried 5 more pages going in the reverse direction of the wheel, this gives a bit more distressing. Last I took 5 pages and went back and forth to get another look. Now after doing all these pages I figured I better do something with them, so this little journal was born. I used the cardboard from the back of a watercolour pad for covers and distressed them. Next I made dividers for the three different styles of distressing. I punched all this with the Zutter Bind-it-All and used black wires. Now I have this very nice shabby chic but naked journal. Well I need to do something about that, so I rubber stamped a border just in front of the wires, found some silk flowers I could use. They needed a little bit more so I cut some cardstock with a Sizzex die and rubber stamped and curved the petals and edged them with sage green pigment ink. The final touch is the corrugated tag with a vintage image and Cherish rubber stamped on a scrap of cardstock. Every Moment is computer generated text on a piece of the same cardstock I used for the die cut flowers. I love the journal and will enjoy working in it. I love the Distezz-it-All too, it's a great tool and the first time I've gotten one so new on the market.
Note the link to Cherish The Thought is now directed to their new website.

Scrapbook Page

Scrapbook Page
Originally uploaded by okanagan_spirit

Yesterday's project at Cherish The Thought was an 8.5X8.5 scrapbook layout. This is a first for me and once photos are added I'm still deciding if I'll use it as a tip in for a journal or mount it on a canvas to hang.

ATC Swap At The Grind

ATC Swap At The Grind
Originally uploaded by okanagan_spirit

One of the themes for the May swap at the Grind is noodle so I started with a bowl and chopsticks I bought at Chinatown and took photos of rice noodles on various lace centrepieces I made. The photos are cut a little smaller that ATC size and mounted on black cardstock. The words and image are from Inkadinkadoo Asian Life clear stamp set and attached with foam mounting tape.

Recycled Tag

Recycled Tag
Originally uploaded by okanagan_spirit

I used a piece of corrugated pizza box cut with the Sizzex die for the base of this tag and peeled the printed layer off the top. The image is printed on watercolour paper and the word "April" is from a Recollections Flourish Months stamp set. The eyelet boarder is a Fiskars punch rubbed with Vintage Photo Distress ink. The stitching border is a Cuttlebug Embossing folder.The ribbon comes from a grab bag of notions.

ATCs For A Special Swap

Some ATCs I've been working on for a special swap. The first one is on painted watercolour paper and the next 2 are on recycled corrugated pizza box. I peeled the printed paper off the surface, added a burgundy cardstock embossed with Cuttlebug folders. I hit the high points of the embossing with white pigment ink and the image of children the embossing was highlighted with Fired Brick Distress Ink. Both have buttons and bits of lace from my trims grab bag.

Bad Bird Day

Last Thur. April 22 was a bad day in the bird world around here, when I went out to take the garbage and green carts out for collection I saw what looked like someone had dropped an Easter egg candy on the driveway. When I reached to pick it up this is what I found, and it split apart. Most of the contents had drained out a hole in the bottom. How sad for the birds, I've been watching chickadees, stellar jays and robins building nests for awhile now, but I guess this one didn't make it. I don't know if it was victim to wind, another prey or some other disaster, but the results are a sad conclusion.
A little later in the day was much nicer although noisy, see the lilac photos I took.

Lovely Lilacs

Well the lilacs sure bloomed early this year, the trouble is the weather isn't the best for sitting out by the tree to enjoy the flowers and scent. On Thur April 22 when I took the photos it was a lovely day, but not pleasant for sitting with the neighbours having a tree service working, between the chainsaws and chipper machine it was very noisy. I am glad I got the photos that day though. On Friday it was cloudy, but nice enough to sit, unfortunately by the time I did some errands, refreshed a bit and was ready to sit outside it was raining again. So here are some of the photos for you to enjoy with me. The last photo is a bit of digital editing I worked on to make an art image and to use as a journal page background.

April 15 and 16 Little Book

Well I don't have a book to post for yesterday, this one I started yesterday and it took me until today to finish it. I am pleased with this one, it is based on instructions from Teesha Moore. Mine is 4X5 in. I made 3 signatures of 3 papers made of 140 lb. watercolour paper. I covered the bookboard with a computer printout of a music paper collage and the spine is cotton fabric and I glued black ribbon along the edges. I did a stitched layered paper and fabric embellishment and added a piece of hand knit lace. The flower on the top left corner is from a hair elastic.

Little Book For April 14

Yesterdays little book is made with 3.125X5.5 in. brown envelopes, the sealed end trimmed and folded in half. The enveloped are alternated and the flaps glued together. The covers are cardboard covered with paper napkins and the spine is 2 fabric pieces joined with fusible web. Ribbons are added to tie the book shut and a Quietfire Design stamp is stamped on translucent paper and cut with Nestabilities Label Four. The envelopes can hold ATCs.

April 13 Little Book

For yesterdays book I used name badge holders and binder rings. The covers are painted watercolour paper layered over cardstock and the corners were rounded. I added some ribbon on the rings and inserted a few ATCs. Since it was our anniversary I needed a quick book and this one was quick, but I like it anyways.

April 12 Little Book

For April 12 I decided to do an accordion fold book for holding ATCs. I started with black cardstock and rubber stamped with bleach. I used stamp pad ink to colour in the bleached areas the rubber stamped with one side of the Stampendious Marble Texture Cube and embossed with Pirates Gold embossing powder. The twill tape tie is rubber stamped with an alphabet and numbers stamp.