Star Light, Star Bright...

Happy Friday!  Tomorrow is the first day of summer!!  The weather around here has certainly heated up in preparation!

This week I truly enjoyed coloring this project.
There is a re-release today of some beautiful art and poems that coordinate with them.

I have used "Under the Stars":

The images were printed on Bristol paper and colored with Copic markers.

Here is a view a bit closer :

My fellow design team members have created some beautiful creations:

Arielle Broni Danielle Juliana Mila

~

Have you checked out the ADFD Club???  Your wallet will be happy you did! ;)

There is still time to join in Challenge #98 -- In Stitches!  I hope you can us!
Thank you so much for stopping by my blog today!


Project Details:
Image: "Under the Stars" a digi from A Day for Daisies;
Coloring Medium: Copic markers;
Papers: Bristol smooth art paper; light blue cardstock;
Other materials: 8"x10" frame; foam mounting tape

HIS Banner Over Noah is Love!

Almost four weeks ago, a dear friend of the family had a baby with a heart defect.  Thankfully (and I choose to call this miracle #2—#1 is his life) they found the heart problem prior to birth, so his mom could give birth at a children’s hospital with specialized physicians, nurses, and equipment.

He has left the NICU this week and I thought that was cause for a paper-crafting celebration!

In between the pennants with his name are some quotes that I thought would be appropriate hanging near him.

The hearts are from a Verve Stamps set: Wild Thing.  The quote “the joy of the Lord is my strength” is from the Verve set: Serenity.  The Philippians and Psalms verses are Plane Janes, also from Verve.  Finally, the “I believe in Miracles” and Hebrews 11:1 are from Rubbernecker.

The ribbons are from May Arts Ribbon.

Shape dies are from Spellbinders and the alphabet is from Sizzix.

The patterned paper is from “Me and My Big Ideas”

I hope Noah’s family and caregivers find this to be an encouragement!

~Juliana

Fresh Eggs!

Well, not really…

Below is a gift set for my husbands secretary.  She raises chickens so I thought she would appreciate a set of cards using my “Kittie Kit-Cause a Scene-Chicken Coop” set.

Materials:

• Kittie Kit-Cause a Scene-Chicken Coop stamp set from Rubbernecker.com;
• StazOn Jet Black for outlines and Tim Holtz Distress Ink-refills to watercolor
• Watercolor paper; Cosmo Cricket DP; Not quite navy SU! cardstock; Pre-folded cards from Michaels;
• Foam tape and Martha Stewart border punch; Spellbinders dies; May Arts Ribbon;

If you haven’t tried a Kittie Kit—I highly suggest trying one (the Outdoor Master is a good place to start).  They are fun and easy to use.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Juliana

Fun with a Friend!

I had a family reunion on the other side of the state which happened to be mere minutes from my good friend, Shelly. (EXCELLENT planning, Mom!)

So Shelly whisked me away for shopping and a YUMMY lunch!   We also exchanged goodies!  This is what I had for her:

On the left  is a package of M & M Premiums (Mocha flavor) and on the right is a box in a bag (tutorial here).  I used my new 29th Street Market Paper -the *Spirit* line (MME) on this--Yummo stuff!!

And this is what she had for me:

Anyone who knows me at all, knows I am a bit disorganized,  and so I tend to lose stuff.  Before I moved in June, I had been missing my bone folder (for about 2 years).  In packing up the house, I found it in the front hall coat closet--I don't even WANT to know how it got there.  Well, last week, it went missing again.  So Shelly created the UN-LOSABLE bone folder.  Isn't it cool!?!?  She used alcohol inks to make it look REALLY cool!  Her dh drilled the hole.  Thanks Shelly!!

Well, it being a family reunion, mom and her sister wanted pictures taken.  Shelly graciously agreed to help with the photo taking so everyone could be in the picture!  What a good friend--to take pictures of my insane family!!  MANY PICTURES!!  Here she is in action:

and here we both are:

Friends are GOOD!!

Hostess Gifts

This has got to be a record for me--three posts in one day!!

I went to Akron with hostess gifts for my two great roomies: Sherry and Shelly.  They were awesome to room with.  Not only are they fun to hang with--but they have GREAT taste in beverages!!! (both cold and hot)

Here is what I brought with me for Shelly (who also drove me over half the way):

 

It is a remote control holder from Hobby Lobby that I altered.  BIG fun!!

And for Sherry:

Perhaps Sherry doesn't have any personality without caffeine--seems really unlikely--but we will NEVER know!! (hee hee)

Thanks again, for stopping by!

 

More is MORE!!!

Well, I did it again! I uploaded a card that *I thought* was finished--but it wasn't. I do that too much--I guess I am in too big of a hurry to get to my housework. (yeah right) Whatever the reason, I did it today.

In our church, there is a little girl turning one, and the entire church is in love with this child. She is a dear girl with eyes as big as saucers and her mom has a HUGE heart. So needless to say, I wanted to do something SPECIAL for them. (you know the card and gift for a one year old is mainly for the parent) So I came up with this:


It was inspired by the Sketch for today at Splitcoast and the *Rob & Bob* paper from Provo Craft. The stamps are a couple of Studio G sets, and the ribbon is from the $ spot at Target. AND of course I used my new Nestabilities dies!! (yeah, like I can do a card without them any more!!)

Don't forget a *touch* of Diamond Stickles and Pearl Paint!!! Gotta have diamonds and pearls!!

But, it just wasn't enough!!



So then came this card:

MORE ribbon (from Hobby Lobby)
MORE bling (a jewel from the $ bin at Mikes AND Pearl Ex spritzed on the letters)
MORE words (Go Slim font by Ellison)
MORE flowers (punches from SU! and Target $ spot)

I decided I LIKE more!!!!

Thanks for looking!!

Happy 2008!

I am finally home and ready to post again.

Sadly I am without a camera--and I didn't get most of my Christmas projects photographed. I did, however, get them done on time.

Here is the cover of a starbook that I made for my mom:


It is made with Brenda Walton paper from K & Co. The paper was the inspiration for the style of the book. It was great fun to make. I usually make a calendar for her--But the joy has gone out of making those (stamping all of the #'s drives me a little batty) so I decided to try something new.



The stamps on the cover are Classic Alpha and Collage #'s from Stampin' Up! (retired) and the frame is a Brenda Walton stamp.



The star book features pics of my "3 Little Kittens". I am thrilled with how it turned out--I wish I could show you the inside.



Here is another Starving Artistamps card I have done:

The main image is stamped on watercolor paper. The horse's body is watercolored with dye re-inkers. The sky and mane are colored using watercolor crayons. I really like the effect I get in the sky with the crayon on watercolor paper. I also prefer to use crayons color with black--I have not found a black ink that I can also watercolor with. The faux leather accent also has watercolor crayons on it-it was a surprise to me how nicely they show up on colored paper and I LOVE the look!


Just a hint: If you are coloring a realistic image--sometimes it helps to look at pictures of the real thing to help plan highlights, shadows, and pick colors. Since I do not have horses in my backyard (though many of my local friends, do) I used Google's Image Search to look at pictures to get some ideas.


Thanks for looking. I hope to get my camera back soon so I can show you some NEW products!!

More Simple Cards

My family does not share my love for elaborate cards. So in making gifts for them--I have to keep that in mind. Simple and "sendable" cards. For my Sister in Law, I am making a collection of cards and here is a sampling.

As you can see there is not much variation in the layout and that the embellishments are kept to a minimum. I think they will be something that she can use.

Also, here is a little Christmas card for you. The card is Real Red--I do not photograph this color well. sorry.

Simply Sendable III

Okay, one last light house and then I will move on!




This one is fairly mono chromatic but there is a touch of butter yellow as light coming from the lighthouse. This card also uses a bit of the spotlighting technique. If I were truly using it it would be completely colored in the white oval.

I chose the word "hope" because I see lighthouses as symbols of hope--they light the passage to safe harbors, warn of dangers, and a reminder that we are not alone.

Thank you for you patience with this series.
Materials Used:

• Stamps: Lighthouse (Inkadinkadoo); Everyday Flexible Phrases (SU!);
• Paper: Basic and Going Grey, Whisper White, and Basic Black (SU!);
• Ink: StazOn Jet Black
• Accessories: Distressing tool, Word Window Punch, brad, Stampin' Dimensionals (SU!); Coluzzle templates, Deckle edge scissors (Provo Craft);

Simply Sendable II

Here is another flattish card--It does have ribbon and dimensionals, but is fairly easy to put in an envelope and hopefully will not require extra postage. (note-The card and the stamping are straight--it is my photography that is askew)



I used a wet watercolor technique on this. Using a watercolor brush and water I went over many of the areas of the stamped image (stamped in Bravo Burgundy)---blurring and coloring as I went. I also watercolored a bit with some Regal Rose ink. Normally when I watercolor I like to use SU!'s Ivory or White naturals, or watercolor paper. But the detail on this stamp was so fine that it just looked smeary on the rougher paper.



The sentiment at the bottom was stamped with Bravo Burgundy Craft ink, embossed, then I applied Pearl Ex, and then re-heated it (the technique is called *heated pearls*). The *faith* is much shinier and much more readable in real life.



Materials Used--

• Stamps-Lighthouse (Inkadinkadoo); Swirls (Autumn Leaves); Graceful Words (SU!-retired);


• Paper-Very Vanilla, Bravo Burgundy, Regal Rose (SU!);


• Ink-Bravo Burgundy Classic/dye and Craft/pigment and Regal Rose Classic;


• Accessories-Coluzzle templates, sponge, distressing tool, Stickles, dimensionals, ribbon

There will be a couple more in this series--stay tuned.

Simply Sendable

It is that time of year. The time when my *studio* (really a wide hallway--but it makes me feel good to call it a studio) turns into Santa's workshop.



The first project is my dear sweet mother-in-law (NOT tongue in cheek--she really is sweet). She and my father-in-law really enjoy lighthouses. So I picked up this lighthouse stamp by Inkadinkadoo at Hobby Lobby (with a coupon-of course) in the interests of making items for my MIL.

Here is my first card--it is flat--very flat---
Can you believe it?? No Hardware! No Ribbon! No Flowers! No Dimensionals! Not even a Jewel!!

I used Prismacolor pencils to color the image and then stamped Linen Background over top of it. There is a touch of Stickles on the lighthouse's light.

Materials Used:

• Stamps: Lighthouse (Inkadinkadoo), Linen and Warmest Regards (SU!)
• Paper: White CS (Georgia Pacific), Basic Black, Not quite Navy, and Garden Green (SU!)
• Ink: StazOn Jet Black, Going Grey (SU!)
• Accessories: Prismacolor Pencils, LOMS (Low-Odor Mineral Spirits), Stickles

Stay tuned for more Lighthouse cards!!

Wedding Gift

I am going to a wedding today. Unfortunately, I only know the mother of the groom. And since the couple is not registered anywhere, I had to guess a bit on their tastes. Hopefully, it is classic enough to fit in their new home, somewhere.

The zipper pulls say *heart* and *home*. The "Heather & Tony" was computer generated.

Materials (all SU! except where noted):

• Stamps: Headline Alpha, Double line Doodle, Garden Silhouettes, Polka Dot and Paisley, Lovely as a Tree, Swirls (Autumn Leaves)
• Paper: Basic Black, Very Vanilla, Light and dark grey--source unknown
• Ink: StazOn Jet Black, Going Grey
• Accessories: Black Brads, Sticky Strip, Stampin' Dimensionals, Black Organdy ribbon (retired), Ticket Corner Punch, black ribbon (WalMart)bookplate die (Ellison), Haringtion Font., zipper pulls (All My Memories).

Thanks for stopping by!

I must now go and make the card!!

Congratulations Stephen and Betsy!!

My brother and his girlfriend are getting married. YEAH!!!

As a happily married girl, I want the whole world to have someone to walk through life with, for everything is better when you share it with someone.

Here is the card for them: (click on image to enlarge)

I made my own spectrum pad using a baby wipe and re inkers. I stamped the Queen Anne's Lace stamp with versamark onto the glossy white, then brayered the colors over top. The result is a ghost. Very pretty. Then I stamped the goldenrod over the top with the black. I think it is a very dramatic result. I stamped many different images playing with these colors (while I had this temporary spectrum pad made) HERE is another card that I did, though I do like this one better.

I used Cool Caribbean, which is retired, but I believe Soft Sky would look lovely as well.
Materials (all Stampin' Up!)

• Stamp Sets: Garden Silhouettes, Everyday Flexible Phrases, Circle of Friendship
• Paper: Really Rust, More Mustard, Basic Black, Cool Caribbean, Glossy White
• Ink: StazOn Jet Black, Really Rust, Re-Inkers: Taken With Teal, Cool Caribbean, Creamy Caramel, More Mustard, Really Rust
• Accessories: Ribbon, Circle Punches (1", 1-1/4", 1-3/8"), sponges, brayer, baby wipe
  

Thanks for looking!!

Pages TWO

I got the page two of the layout of my dd, Joy, and ds, Will, for MIL completed. Unfortunately, I for got to photograph them til I was at her house. They are quick snapshots (didn't want to make a big deal out of it). So you may just assume they are better IRL (LOL!!). Neither page has any stamping on it....so very sad.

The only additional information for Joy's layout is the chipboard letters. They are SU!'s On Board Simon Lower. Very fun to use!!





On Will's layout, I brayered Sahara Sand ink on the copy paper that the *survey* was on. I like how it cam out a bit un even (one of those accidentally/on purpose kind of things-lol).


All in all MIL seemed pleased. I am sure she would have been more pleased if they were ALL done. But, then again, FIL & MIL's Golden Anniversary isn't until August 10th. So that is the goal I am shooting for. ;)

Once, again, thanks for stopping by.

Scrapping Will

This is pg 1 of my ds's layout.

Materials:(all SU! unless otherwise noted)

• Stamps: Well Worn Alpha and #'s (I love this for scrapbooking boy stuff!!), date stamp (Office Max)
• Paper: Kraft Cardstock, Basic Grey *Mortifica* dp
• Ink: StazOn Jet black, Basic black, Sahara Sand, and Going Grey for dtp
• Accessories: On Board Chipboard Accents, Photo Corners (Canson), Hodgepodge Hardware

The next page will have a bit of journaling by him. and a few more pics.

Thanks for stopping by!

YIKES---SCRAPBOOKING!!

Okay, it has been a while. MIL requested a 2pg layout for each of my children (and one for dh and I). She requested that they be 12 x 12. Even when I scrapbooked I RARELY scrapped in 12 x12. Can we just say I am WAY out of my element!?!!!!

I think this layout took me about 6-8 hours to complete. Mostly because it needs a coordinating second page and I don't have much 12 x 12 stuff for 2 pages!

*sigh*

Sadly there are not many SU! products used in this layout (For the fact I just don't have much scrapbook stuff anymore.)

Below is an enlargement of the impossible to photograph title. (Which is why the above pic is at such an odd angle (no I have NOT been drinking....yet). It is stamped with Regal Rose Craft Ink, Embossed with a glitter embossing powder, and then I wiped "Micro Pearl" Pearl Ex over it and reheated it. Very BLINGY!! The flowers (from Shelly---THANK YOU TO THE QUEEN!) are died with the craft re-inker in water, and also Pearl Ex'd.

I have not counted the plastic jewels on this. It is very *Joy* (the name of my little dd). Joy loves it.

Now on to page 2.....

Anniversary Card

Our family has been invited to a 50th Anniversary party for a couple from our church. They are a sweet couple and (like many folks) have asked for no gifts. But no gifts does not mean I cannot make a card!!

I decided to use Mixed Bouquet one more time before it retires. I stamped the roses with VersaMark on Glossy White Cardstock and embossed them in gold. I used sponge daubers to color the roses. I started in the center with Rose Red, then Regal Rose, and Pretty in Pink on the edges.



Materials (all supplies Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):

• Stamps: Mixed Bouquet, Happy Anniversary by My Sentiments Exactly
• Paper: Patterned Paper (Kangaroo & Joey, Me & My Big Ideas), Whisper White, Glossy White, Cool Caribbean
• Ink: VersaMark, Rose Red, Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink
• Accessories: Gold Glory Embossing Powder, 3-D glue dots, sponge daubers, Stickles, Ribbon (Walmart), Quilt Binding (Offray)
  

Inside:



Thank you for stopping by my blog!

Happy Birthday Mom!

One of the hardest cards for me to do in a year is my mom's birthday. Don't ask me why....I can't give you a clear answer...but it is. And because it seems so difficult, I put it off, and therefore, year after year it is late.

Sorry Mom!

This year the Sketch Challenge #123 came to the rescue! I started to make a card just for the challenge using a retiring set (Pretty Princess) and by the time I was half way through, it was my mom's card. The plaid designer paper sealed the deal (my mom loves plaid--I mean LOVES it).

Card Info: (all Supplies are from Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Pretty Princess, I'm Here
Inks: StazOn Jet Black, various for water coloring
Papers: Watercolor paper, Pixie Pink, Certainly Celery, Lavender Lace, plaid paper from KI Memories
Accessories: 1/4" square punch, ribbon &square adhesive jewels (Wal-mart), liquid glue and glitter

Thanks for looking!!