World Card-Making Day with MFT: Die Cuts Only

Wow!  This challenge was tricky.  No stamps allowed; die cuts only.  I whipped out the MFT birthday blueprint dies again to make this card.  I'm going to have a nice stash of birthday cards.  :)

Thanks for stopping by!

World Card-Making Day with MFT: ROYGBIV

I'm a day late, but still wanted to participate in MFT's WCM Day challenges.  Get ready for a barrage of posts from me!  :)

Here's a card for the rainbow challenge:

I used one of MFT's blueprint die sets for this.

VLVS Sept Challenge: Cleaning up the Gene Pool

Ha ha!  When I first saw this sentiment stamp I knew I *had* to have it - it just makes me laugh.  For the VLVS September challenge I latched onto the stripes and antlers from the inspiration board to create this ATC.

As instructed, I used fall colors like greens, browns and blues.  I thought this antler dude was a great fit, too.

To create the stripes I masked off sections and used Distress inks.  If you look closely at the background you'll also see where I heat embossed a swirl stamp to mimic...chlorine fumes.  LOL.  (I swam on a swim team throughout my childhood and the smell of chlorine still brings a smile to my face.)

Below is the inspiration pic that started it all.

I hope this ATC makes you chuckle, or at least smirk.  To join the VLVS challenge check out the details HERE.

Have a great day and thanks for popping by.  :)

ITAC '17: Europe

When I thought of old Europe the first thing that came to mind was the explorers of the 17th and 18th centuries.  Some of the prompts for this theme were old papers, textures, blue and vintage.  I decided to create an ATC for my project.

I layered torn strips of a book page on the base and then gesso'ed randomly over the top of that.  Next came Distress inks in a couple of shades of blue.

I colored the compass with watercolor pencils and alcohol markers and then applied a crackle glaze to make it feel old and vintagey.

'Explore' was created with black embossing paste through a stencil.  I also added a torn bit of an old nautical chart.

I wish I'd had more time to participate in more of the ITAC challenges, but September is a busy time of year.  Check out what the guest artists created for this challenge HERE.

Thanks for stopping by!

Art = Happiness ATC

The Rubber Dance color challenge for the beginning of September pulls colors from a beautiful image of autumn leaves.  My base actually started as something for a completely different project, but it morphed into this ATC.

My base started as Bristol paper covered with Distress ink.

To get the cream color for the challenge, I swiped on some white gesso (the gesso absorbed some of the brown underneath).  After that I scribbled into it while still wet with the pointy end of a paintbrush.  

The flowers (by Rubber Dance) were also colored with Distress inks and white gel pen.  The little grid in the upper right corner is a die cut that I covered with Distress Paint (brass and gold).  Last addition was a bit of green thread and sticker quote.

Thanks for swinging by today.  Check out the Rubber Dance monthly challenge HERE.

ITAC 17: Oceania: The River That Was Made of Tears

I stumbled upon ITAC '17 and was intrigued by the challenges there.  The part of the world we're visiting this week is Oceania.  The challenge is to be inspired by stories, symbology, nature and art of the region.

Years ago I went on a field trip with my son's class to Seattle Art Museum.  There was an amazing exhibit of Australian aboriginal art that we explored.  I was especially intrigued by the art of Gloria Petyarre and when I started this project I was planning on channeling her.  The Muse had other ideas though and I went a very different direction incorporating lots of circles, symbols and a dreamtime story I found which resonated with me.  Following is my art journal page sharing the story of how the Giddy River was formed.

At first I wasn't planning on writing out the dreamtime story on my page, but as I finished up, I liked the idea of having it on there.

I have a small art journal made from gelli-printed paper that I put together a while ago.  One of these pages started as the base of my project.

The symbols on the brogla's neck are 'man', 'boomerang' (my thought for the hunter), 'water' and 'star'.

The blue circles were made with the ends of various paintbrushes.

There are some amazing projects uploaded by the guest artists/judges.  To check the out, and to find out more info about ITAC '17, click HERE.

Have a great day!

Magical Paradise Cards

I'm all ready to send out a couple of ATCs for a swap and decided they needed to be sent snuggled into a card.  I whipped up these using simple Distress ink blending techniques and some of my fave Stampotique stamps.

These make me feel so calm and serene; I think it's the lovely, cool greens.  Must be time to go on an adventure deep in the woods...

Have a wonderful day and thanks for stopping by!