In Everything Give Thanks

This is one of those

quick, hurry up posts that I need to get done NOW because the challenge is closing... yikes!...

Word Art Wednesday's "Give Thanks" challenge.

This paper is from the

Prima Fairy Belle collection and is called En Pointe. It's teamed with white and Chocolate Mocha cardstock from Core'dinations. I used Walnut Stain Distress Ink on the edges.

The flowers and leaves

are I Am Roses and the feathers came from Hobby Lobby.

The blue organza ribbon

is by Darice. The metal butterfly is from Lindy's Stamp Gang.

Sorry to have to run.

I just might get this in on time.

I'm linking my card to:
Crafting For All Seasons - Thank You Cards
Papercraft Star - A Thank You
Sentimental Sundays - Thanks/Thanksgiving
Tuesday Throwdown - Thankful For You
Word Art Wednesday - Give Thanks

Thanks for stopping by!

Hugs!

Linda 

Thanksgiving Napkin Recycling

Having found two napkins

left over from last years Thanksgiving dinner (unused, of course), I stashed them away to use in my journal. Today I pulled one out and made this...

The napkin alone was

colorful with a beautiful design of fall decorations, and if I hadn't added anything else to the page I would have been happy. Instead, I created a background with acrylic paint. Starting with Red Ochre and Yellow Ochre, I painted and blended... then brushed on streaks of Gathered Twigs Distress Ink. I applied a coat of gel medium, laid down my napkin, and put another coat on top and dried it with my heat tool.

Now I started stamping...

leaves from TPC Studio's Autumn Harvest with Coffee Archival... swirls and crackle from Stampers Anonymous, bird and cage from 7 Gypsies all with Jet Black Archival.

For the detailing and

shadowing on all the leaves, fruits, cage and across the bottom of the napkin, I used black soft charcoal.   I rubbed my Vintage Photo DI pad across the edges of the page to complete this project.

I'm linking up to:

Balzer Designs - Art Journal Every Day

Thanks for your visit... I appreciate it so much!

Hugs!

Linda

The Christmas Tag Season Has Begun

At my house, that is!

I imagine most of you are well along in making yours, but I had to purchase a few things before I could get with it. Since the Penmaker was going to a pen show in Columbus, I asked if he would swing by Easton Town Center to Archivers. This store is so much larger than the one we shop at in Fairlawn. I was able to get more of the My Mind's Eye All Is Bright collection and the new Graphic 45 8x8 Place In Time pad.

This is a stunning new

calendar based collection that was specially designed for personalized projects, layouts, cards, what have you.  The December sheet  will be perfect for making some of my tags...

Speaking of which, this is the one I made today...

The tag is one

of Ranger's #8 manila. I sponged on several Distress Inks... Weathered Wood, Iced Spruce, Evergreen Bough and Tumbled Glass. I splashed on some water and heat set.

I used Snow Flurries

Alterations Texture Fade. Then started a hunt for the right piece of vintage lace, but ended up grabbing a spool of American Crafts crocheted which had the look I wanted. Glued this to the bottom edge.

The beautiful image

is from The Graphics Fairy, that I edged with Vintage Photo DI and wrinkled before gluing to my tag. The flowers are I Am Roses that were misted with Marshmallow Glimmer Mist, the holly leaves were cut from a scrap of a tealish piece of glittered cardstock with Alterations Mini Holly die, the twig is Kraft cardstock cut with Alterations Mini Branch.

The bow is wrinkled

seam binding topped with an I Am Roses blossom and tied with twine. The tag is stamped with a sentiment from the Artistic Outpost Midwinter set and Coffee Archivers ink. The mini paper clip and star charm are from Idea-ology.

I'm linking up with:

Fab 'n' Funky Challenges - Bingo

Thank you for stopping by today!

Hugs!

Linda

She Sings Because She Has A Song

A dear old friend

of mine lost her dad this week, so I made this card to send to her. I can remember years ago, how it seemed that my in-laws were always going to funerals. Well, now that I've grown older, I understand. I suppose when we're young, we don't fully comprehend the brevity of life. It truly is a vapor.

This is the card I created for her...

The papers are from

 Kaisercraft Timeless in the Vintage collection.

I used several dies...

Spellbinder's Foliage, Floral Doily Motifs, Large Deckled Rectangles and Sizzix Basic Grey Bird #5.

The flower is from Prima as is the chipboard Printery piece under it. The Heartfelt Sympathy sentiment is from the Kaisercraft Sympathy mini clear stamp set, 

and the bird sentiment is from the Artistic Outpost Serenity set. I sponged Black Soot Distress Ink on all the edges.

I'm link my card at:

Anything Goes Challenge Blog - Anything Goes

Sugar Creek Hollow - Cream Plus Two

I'm so glad for our visit.

I truly appreciate you taking time to stop and see my work!

Hugs!

Linda

Give Thanks

This is one of those

projects that just made me feel good to create. You know... where everything you've used came really cheap or free, and half of it was already put together when you started.

Let me explain...

1. The journal was purchased at Hobby Lobby at 40% off.

2. The leaves, tag and burlap string were given to me free along with a purchase made on Etsy.

3. The alphas came in a kit purchased at a discount. 

4. All the inks and paints used were bought on sale.

5. The white rings were made with a toilet tissue cardboard roll... have to recycle, ladies!

6. Most of the background was already down as I always use all my inks and paints from previous projects... like you see on that opposite page! Waste not, want not... an art journalists creed.

This all adds up to a "happy crafter"!

As, like I said, a lot

of the background was already on the page, I just sponged on some Vintage Photo and Gathered Twigs Distress Ink. I laid down the Crafters Workshop Chevron Arrows stencil and spritzed with plain water, let it sit a minute, then dabbed with a paper towel and dried with my heat tool.

Added Vintage Photo

Distress Stain to the center of the white circles, then Ripe Persimmon went on using a CW Mini Chicken Wire stencil. I stamped on a verse from the TPC Studio Autumn Harvest clear stamp set (bought at 40% off last year) with Coffee Archival Ink.

I inked the edges of

the alphas and glued them down, highlighting them with Yellow Ochre acrylic paint. Applied the Alterations mini leaves and the tag/string that I stamped with Nov 22, 2012, our Thanksgiving Day in the US.

I real bargain, if I must say!

I'm linking my page to:
Balzer Designs - Art Journal Every Day

Crafting For All Seasons - Falling Leaves

Sentimental Sundays - Dimensions

Shopping Our Stash - Best Deal Ever or I Had To Buy It, It Was On Sale

Stamping Sisters In Christ - Colossians 1:3-5 Thankfulness or Prayer

The Play Date Cafe - #156 Cinnamon, Squash, Vanilla & Sage
Word Art Wednesday - Give Thanks

Thanks for the visit!

Hugs!

Linda

Rejoice... And A Pen

Do you ever struggle

while making a card? Sometimes I just can't seem to come up with the right combination of patterns or images/stamps. As was the case of this one. The Penmaker was working on one of his masterpieces to give to a friend, and he had asked me to make a Christmas card to go along with it. Naturally, I wanted it to be special... but had a total brain freeze. It took me two days of hard labor on this...LOL! Seriously... I did struggle, but I'm pleased with the results. I hope our friend will be also!

 I started with these 

patterns from the collection of Christmas papers from My Mind's Eye called All Is Bright.

The base is Kraft by 

Recollections and matted with a dark red from Core'dinations.

The cardinal is from

my new Artistic Outpost set called MidWinter.

I stamped it onto a

scrap of white cardstock and colored it using a Ranger Craft Nib and Festive Berries, Evergreen Bough, Iced Spruce and Vintage Photo Distress Inks plus Ink It Up's Cranberry. I fussy cut it, inked the edges with Vintage Photo and brushed on a coat of Distress Crackle Paint in Clear Rock Candy. When it was dry, I adhered it to two layers cut with My Favorite Things Die-namics Layered Labels die set that I stamped with Rejoice (from an old Sweet 'n Sassy set).

Here is the point that

everything went awry... but I digress.

The Alterations Distressed

Doily, Pine Tree and Mini Pine Tree were all cut out of paper from the Core'dinations Kraft-Core Nostalgic Collection pad, and the trees were embossed with Cuttlebug's Swiss Dots. I wrapped the tree trunks with May Arts brown burlap string.

There's a bit of cheesecloth

tucked under the tree here to give a snowy effect. A ChitChat sticker was put into the Label Pull... both are from Idea-ology.

I added bronze metal

corners from Momenta... popped up the trees with 3-D foam adhesive... and my two day card was complete.

Oops... I forgot to do the inside!

I already had the papers

in for the message, but I thought a verse should go inside as well. So out came the Layered Labels again, and I stamped them with Luke 2:11... For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

Here is our completed set.

The pen is Black Ash,

and the clip has a Swarovski crystal in the tip.

I'm linking my card up with:

Anything Goes Challenge Blog - Anything Goes

Fab 'n' Funky Challenges - Die Cuts/ Punches

Make It Monday - #114

The Crafty Pad - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by!

Hugs!

Linda

Prima Pixie

This verse from Psalm 94

is a new favorite of mine, so it just had to go in my art journal.

This page began with 

a piece of Prima's Nature Garden "Pixie" paper that I adhered with gel medium. Along the top and left edges, I rubbed on Forest Moss and Peeled Paint Distress Ink using the Dylusions Chequered Dots stencil. Then came Vintage Photo DI using the Crafters' Workshop Mini Punchinella stencil. With Jet Black Archival ink, I stamped the borders top and bottom with one of the stamps from Christy Thomlinson's She Art Doodles stamp set, then filled in down the left side using a black Faber-Castell Pitt pen. Grabbing another of Christy's stamps, I filled in some white space at the bottom with more Archival. Next I applied molding paste using CW Mini Tile Texture stencil.

Now for some coloring.

With Distress Inks, I shaded and colored in the flowers, stems and buds on the paper, just making them more to my liking. I applied Wild Honey, Spiced Marmalade, Mustard Seed and Forest Moss with Ranger's Craft Nibs. 

The verse was stamped

on using an alpha set I bought at Michaels and Coffee Archival ink. I went over the letters with a black soft charcoal pencil, then smudged with my finger for a shadowing effect.

I finished up by sponging

Vintage Photo DI around the page edges.

I'm linking my page at:

Balzer Designs - Art Journal Every Day

Word Art Wednesday - Anything Goes

Thanks for visiting!

Hugs!

Linda