I went to a fabulous scrapbook garage sale last weekend & picked up a fun clear acrylic stamp set from Autumn Leaves. Basically looks like an artful flower garden doodled by a 3 year old. I stamped a few flowers onto neutral cardstock & colored with Twinkling H20s to make this set of square gift cards. Click on image for a larger picture.
2 comments November 26th, 2006
Couldn’t make up my mind & ended up making multiples of a couple more xmas card designs last night. Guess that means everyone will get something different this year. The top card is made from the same Lasting Impressions holly template I used in my previous post. I embossed the leaves, sanded them, cut them out, highlighted with gold ink, then added lil’ red rhinestones for berries. The sentiment stamp is from a clear Wordsworth set.
The second card is a Stampabilities poinsettia painted with twinkling H20s. The sentiment is from Hero Arts & the square border is a Lasting Impressions brass template. Hope you like ‘em!
Add comment November 26th, 2006
Am trying to come up with some ideas for quick Christmas cards this year. I don’t know if you have the same issue, but I always find it difficult to come up with a design that is fun to give but is also easy to replicate about 35 times! I don’t have all my supplies with me during this holiday weekend, so am trying to improvise. Here are a few options I was playing around with tonight. 
Option 1: Some trees stamped on top of patterned paper with button embellishments. Trees are Hero Arts. I think the sentiment is by Penny Black.
Option 2: Dry-embossed holly that is inked with distress inks… Needs something though to give it some pizzazz - some layered embossing & glitter on the holly perhaps. Brass stencil is by Lasting Impressions.
Options 3 & 4: Super quick stamped cards with different color combos. Easiest to do quickly so they may win out. I’ve always loved the word “joy” for some reason. So it seems appropriate to put on my cards. Got the sentiment stamp for a $1 at the craft store. Round stamps are Hero Arts.
And the last option is similar to a window reindeer card I did last year. Mistletoe & greeting are both Hero Arts stamps - colored with Twinkling H20s.
Add comment November 24th, 2006
I picked up some neat notecards at the dollar spot at Target a while back. They come in variety packs of four & make great thank you cards. You can customize by adding some stamping & a few embellishments. Here are a couple of examples that I am sending off to friends & family tomorrow. All stamps are Hero Arts.
Also made a thank you card using some fun Basic Grey paper that my sister-in-law sent for my bday. Love this stuff! She sent some fun & funky brads too. Used one in the center of the layered flowers here. The silk flowers came from a small bush in the floral section of my local craft store that was on sale for 50 cents. Ends up being much cheaper than buying flowers marketed to scrapbookers/papercrafters. 
2 comments November 15th, 2006
At the end of Day 2 of Christi’s workshop - we had the opportunity to learn how to make some fabulous lion focal beads. Guess which one is mine? Hmmmm… not too hard. Yup, I made the little cowardly dude on the right. The fierce blue king is Christi’s. Had to buy him & take him home with me so I could know what a real lion looks like! *LOL* I’ll have to try more of these soon. The whiskers are made of beadalon wire…clever idea, Christi!
Add comment November 13th, 2006
On the second day of Christi’s workshop we sculpted a tropical vessel. We first covered glass vases with a base layer of draped polymer clay. Then we began adding clay to armature wire which transformed into tree branches. It became all about embellishment.
The thing about sculpting is that you can just keep messing around with one piece for hours & hours adding lil’ details. Added some flowers to my tree & embedded a few beads into the trunk & roots. Guess it doesn’t actually look too jungly. 
Added some jungle leaves to the other sides of the vase but it still needs some work .
Here are a few pictures…you can click on them to enlarge.
1 comment November 13th, 2006
So how lucky were the Texas gals this weekend. We had the one… the only Christi Friesen in town to teach a two day polymer clay workshop. What fun! The first day of the workshop was dedicated to ocean themes. We each covered a mirror with ocean waves, a beach, a turtle, & starfish. Love the way Christi uses natural stones & pearls in her work. I added a bit of malachite & glass to my turtle’s back & the starfish and sprinkled a few pearls into the ocean waves.
We ended the day making seahorse focal beads. I beaded my guy that night, but haven’t given him a name yet. See next post for Day 2!
Add comment November 13th, 2006
Between preparing for my first art show & having my home internet down for the last week, I haven’t had much chance to blog. Sorry for the lag!
My boyfriend was ever so thoughtful and gave me an 8-week silversmithing class for my birthday last week (among other things). Thanks, Mike! This was the project I made in the first session. I’ve been wanting to try hollow beads for a while. I free-handed the design so it isn’t exactly symmetrical…but you get the basic idea. Mike says if you turn it sideways it looks just like the X-men symbol.
Quick Instructions:
Use a divider to scribe two circles in 22 gauge sterling silver. Saw both out with a jeweler’s saw (blade 4/0). Lightly scribe geometric design into one of the circles. Dome both discs. Drill holes into scribed circle & saw out design. File as needed. Sand edges of each dome so they will fit together snugly. Solder together using torch & easy silver solder. File notches on either side of bead & drill hole for cord to pass through. File any excess solder off of bead, sand, & buff to a high shine.
For some gorgeous samples of this type of bead, check out ‘Making Beautiful Beads‘ (which I highly recommend for the polymer clay projects as well).
Add comment November 13th, 2006
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