Christmas Gothic Arch

Cynthia of Rainbow Lady's Challenge Blog has the theme of Gothic arch Christmas.  My arch is a piece of cardstock I was playing around with last night. I mixed up some chipped up blue watercolor pencil and melted it in a dab of water. I added some bright gold Pearl Ex and a drop or two of gum arabic.* Then with a brush I covered the piece of cardstock with the mixture. It has a beautiful sheen. I stamped the holly , the ornament, and the Merry Christmas on glossy cardstock. The holly was colored with Le Plume pens.

*This technique is one I read on Split Coast Stampers.

Three Muses - Victorian

Here is my digital Victorian piece for the Three Muses Challenge. All lovely images are thanks to Dover Publications.

Tag Tuesday - Calendar

Tag Tuesday's theme is calendars. I have taken a piece of misted and sprayed cardstock and stamped it with 3 different leaf stamps in red, purple, yellow and brown inks. I did a collage with the calendar, girl from a magazine and homemade leaf. The daisy is one of K&Company's.

This morning the Fed Ex man left a package for me. It was my wonderful new giant tape dispenser and tapes from Framing Supplies. It really got here fast! Like one day. I'm loving it already. An extra special plus is that the 3M Company donates $1.20 to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure for the purchase of this product during 2010-2011..

KIS, Gothic Arches, MMM

Today I am entering 3 challenges with these two pieces. The gold, black, and white on the left is for Keep it Simple. I used a handmade foam stamp, clear ink pad and fine gold embossing powder.

The Gothic Arch on the right is for GA and for Mixed Media Monday. The theme for GA is day and night. The theme for MMM is Art. Again I used a handmade foam stamp to represent the sun rising. The colorful background was made using natural inks I made from veggies and fruits. I thought it looked a bit like abstract art (art for MMM). The colors are actually brighter but I had to lightened the whole thing to make the text show up.

The foam I carve is about 3/8" thick. It is not the kind that our craft stores sell. I buy the door hangers and cut them into stamp shapes. The text was written with an erasable pen and embossed with gold e.p.

What adhesive do you use?

Someone recently told about a BIG roller adhesive that she used for adhering paper to paper. She said it worked better than the small ones, lasted longer, and was refillable. She got it at Michael's for 50% off. 

I thought it was a no-brainer to get the same tape. No, our Michaels doesn't carry anything that resembles what I read about. Would you please tell me if you know what this tape roller is called and who makes it? Thanks, everybody.


Thanks to my blogging friends (see comments below) I know what I am looking for and how to order it. In fact, I have already placed an order. I appreciate your helping me out.

So Artful - The Art of Travel

So Artful's challenge is a travel theme. Here is what I have done with the given image. I couldn't help but be struck by the difference in travel in the past compared to now. Look at all the luggage. Look at the very dressy outfit.

Art Cards - Paper Piecing

Art Cards' theme this week is paper piecing. I have never done this before and it took forever to do. I stamped the bear stamp onto the green paper. I also stamped the same image onto a hand-dyed paper and onto a bought decorative paper.  The copper borders are from K&Company.

Through the Window -Tag it On

Frankie of the Dragon Lady's Tag it On has as her challenge this week: through the window. The only windows I have around seem to be leaded stained glass. I have used this image of the little girl from Retro Cafe Art. The stamp is Elizabeth by Stampin' Up. The window comes from Dover Publications.

Tick Tock - Rainbow Lady

Cynthia has as her Rainbow Lady's Challenge this week: tick tock. I used some of my new handmade paper I got from the Dollar Tree for the background. The pocket watch paper is by Creative Imaginations. The stamp is Elizabeth by Stampin' Up.

Lavender and another color

Dezinaworld's Challenge this week is Lavender and any other color. I am using the new sheet (Personality Girls) that I won in the spot prize last week. The child is a freebie from Belinda. The background is Dezinaworld (I changed the color). The frame is from Dover Publications.

Theme Thursday - Two Things

Two Things. That's the theme for Theme Thursday. My background is a combination of beautiful MoonShadow sprays. My large numeral 2 is hand drawn and cut out. I then painted it with Stampin' Up dark purple reinker and some of the leftover MoonShadow spray that was on my craft sheet. The 2 was then put through 3 layers of UTEE. It looks a bit ragged in the scan, but it looks pretty good close up. I also have a couple of bees from K&Company and a couple of flower punch wastes.

the Three Muses - Envelope Art

Envelope art is a new thing for me. Marie and Bev have really made some gorgeous mail art. Here is my entry for the Three Muses challenge this week.

Banner Tag in Play Date Colors

This tag is for two challenges: Tag Tuesday (make a tag with a banner) and Play Date Cafe Challenge (red, green, turquoise, black and white).

TMTA - Autumn

Think Monday Think ATCs has the timely theme of "autumn". My ATC started out as a golden yellow cardstock that I embossed with  the Cuttlebug folder. Next I added some extra color by using Moonglow orange and brown. I found a Christmas card that happened to have autumn colors so I stamped and cut out leaves from that. The gold along the sides also came from the old Christmas card.

So my ATC is mostly stamping, cutting, and pasting, but I do love the colors.

Keep it Simple - bling

Using bling is the theme for Keep it Simple. My butterfly was stamped on black cardstock and embossed with Pearl Blue ep. The body was also coated with Crystal Effects (Stampin' Up) and sprinkled with Crystalescent glitter. The background is something I have on my computer. The original picture was from Dover Publications. I digitally altered it and printed it out.

So Artful - Paris

So Arful's theme this week is I Love Paris. I thought of the book/movie: Mrs. 'arris goes to Paris. I have used Nicecrane's digital Photoplay shots for the woman's face, the given Eiffel Tower for the background, and several Graphics Fairy odds and ends for this digital piece.

Speaking of places far away, I just received some mail art from Marie. This can be seen on my Wordpress Blog.

Artekarten

Art Cards has for its theme this week using a new collage technique.

I used a metallic blue, a light blue and an orchid color acrylic paints, pages from an old book, a picture from a magazine, gesso, black and blue India inks, china blue distress ink. After the pages, paint, and gesso I ran the paper through Cuttlebug. This is detailed on Kamino's blog, which is in German. I hope I translated it well enough to follow the instructions ok.

My entry isn't anywhere near as beautiful as Kamino's example. Be sure to visit Artekarten to see all the entries.

Another card I made using this technique is here.

P.S. I gave June permission to borrow the background to use in some of her work. Take a peek at Junibear's Jottings.

Stained Glass

My stained glass consists of sun-catchers for my windows. Here are a couple that I have used for my art entry to Dezinaworld's new challenge. The challenge is to use stained glass in some shape or form, or even just the colors of stained glass.

My apologies to Mr. Tiffany for abasing his gorgeous stained glass art with my own suncatchers and a framework of a stained glass window from Dover Publications.

Three Feathers

Theme Thursday has a theme of Three Things this week.  Rainbow Lady has a theme of Feathers. So I got out my Rubber Stampede feather stamp and my clear Inkadinkadoo stamps of birds and feathers and made this card.

A note about the bird. I'm not sure whether it is right side up or not. For you who got to see my upside down hot air balloons before I turned the tag around, you know that sometimes I miss. The bird was on the clear plastic sheet 180° from this view. If anyone knows for sure, please leave a comment. I can turn this one 180° very easily. That would make the embossed birdies upside down but they don't really mind.

Polka Dot Beaded Tag

This tag is made from double sided lavender/blue card stock. The small polka dots were made using a piece of sequin waste. The large dots were made with a foam roller that has raised dots on it. The hot air balloons is a stamp. The tag hanger is made from a copper wire with beads strung on it.

The two challenges I made this for are Wednesday Stamper and Tag it On.

The Printed Word - The Three Muses

The printed word is the theme for the Three Muses. My background is from Nicecrane (Children's Tales). The additions are from Dover Publications.

School Days - Tag tuesday

School Days is the theme for Tag Tuesday this week. The house is from Dover Publications and the school girl is ACF freebie.

TMTA - Bingo

Mrs. Smith came from a long line of Bingo players. Bingo is the theme for Think Monday Think ATCs.

Montana Molly longs for Haute Couture

When Moe brought his bride to the wild west, any chances of her ever seeing Paris disappeared. However, Molly could dream and dream she did. She could see herself decked out in the finest peach colored silk gown in the latest fashion, not the homespun muslin dress and apron of a rancher's wife.

This is my entry for One Stop Craft Challenge (fashion through the years) and for So Artful Challenges (the given image -Isn't she lovely?).

The background is one of my watercolor paintings. The trees are brushes by Annika von Holdt. This is a digital ATC.

Colour Create, Rainbow Lady, TIO, Play Date Cafe

This red, gold, and cream color piece was done for the Colour Create Challenge. The Japanese items were sent to me by Frankie.

The 3 tags are (left) Rainbow Lady's Challenge where the theme is black and white and silver; (center) Tag it On where the theme is Cuttlebug or other embossing machine; (right) Play Date Cafe where the theme is Color Splash - black and white with a touch of pink, copper, or gold..

The Three Muses - Numbers

The 3 Muses theme this week is numbers. This is pretty wide open to interpretation, I think. Anyway here is my digital art piece that I am entering. The background started as a small picture that I made into a custom brush.  I'm glad I saved it as a background since it has now disappeared from my custom brush palette.

The silhouetted birds are by Mamaw's Legacy and are used with her permission. She no longer has the store and I have no link. I have made them a bit see-through on purpose.

Wednesday Stamper - Shells

For the Thinking of You card, I mixed up some Pearl Ex with gum arabic and water and wiped it onto my stamps. I was amazed how they turned out. So I am entering this in the Wednesday Stamper challenge.

The By the Sea card is made from two different homemade background papers. One I used for the background here. The other one I stamped with the rubber stamp and cut out the images. I am entering it also in Wednesday Stamper challenge.

Thanks - Red and Green

Paper Minutes wants us to use red and green but not Christmasy. Here is my very simple version of the theme (very busy day ahead of me).

This also works for Created by Hand: thanks.

Hot Colors!

For Mixed Media Monday I have prepared this hot-colored ATC. The background was made by spraying my work surface with various mica mists and dropping in some bright inks. Then I laid my card stock onto the sheet, picking up these wonderful hot colors. Next I looked through my stuff and found I had this gorgeous lady from Dezinaworld on my computer. She looked like she was holding a love letter so I labeled this one SWAK (sealed with a kiss).

PDCC 45

Here is my entry for Play Date Cafe using the colors shown on the example and inspiration photo below.

I used alcohol inks and moonglow starburst stains on the background. The Japanese character and image were sent to me by Frankie, who loves anything Asian, for winning a drawing on her challenge blog. I jiggled the colors (Photoshop Elements) slightly after I scanned this card to my computer.

I think this is my first time to enter a PDCC.

OSCC and SoArtful

This is a digital combination entry for One Stop Craft Challenge and So Artful Challenges.

The clock face was given for the time theme in So Artful. The gorgeous Monarch butterflies and larva were given for One Stop.

I used the colorful zebra in Nicecrane's Colorful Jungle images for the background because I noticed that the zebra's stripes were similar to the caterpillar's.

For the framing I used the catterpillar, enlarged it to super size and made a square to go behind the main part of my "card".

Time marches on is appropriate for both challenges, I think.

Art Creation Friday

This is my entry for Art Creations Friday using the image given. I have used some Dezinaworld digital images and the frame from Dover.

Dreams - Rainbow Lady's Challenge

For the challenge that Cynthia of Rainbow Lady's Challenge Blog has put before us, I have made this digital piece. I was perplexed about what to do for the theme: Dreams or Dreaming. Until I sat down at the computer tonight and saw Gayle's gorgeous digital work, I had no idea where to go with the theme.

So I just pulled out some new Dover images, my dill digital brush, a Nicecrane arch, and a digital brush from Annika von Holdt. The digital brush from Annika has the word "dreams" in it. You may have to enlarge the picture to read it.

The brush says: "that marvellous landscape of my dreams which no eye know, nor ever will."

Theme Thursday - Square Art

All of the images used to make this square digital art were from Dezinaworld. Theme Thursday has as its theme this week: square art.

Tag it On - Two Colors Asian

Tag it On's theme this week is to do an Asian tag but use only two colors. My two colors are red and ecru. The butterfly stamp was from Frankie. I used the Cuttlebug folder on the background. The book page was sent to me by someone, maybe Rosie of Devon.  The character that I drew is for fire.

Back to Nature

Back to Nature is the theme for the Three Muses Challenge this week. I have used a Nicecrane background of a very unusual elephant along with the Dover elephant and flora.