Yep…still here. Barely.

Well, tonight, out of necessity, I made the time to make some cards!!  One is a belated birthday card for my father, and the other is for my godson/nephew.  I also made one for my MIL, but on the chance she checks out this blog, I won’t post it until AFTER her birthday. 🙂

I’m busier than I’ve ever been before in my life.  I wish that was an overstatement. I miss my crafting friends and my crafting time, but at least I am happy professionally (something new).

I’ll be here when I can!

This card (for my dad) reuses some “junk” mail.  I say this as I don’t mean ANY disrespect to the organization that keeps sending me these paper Tibetan prayer flags.  I just don’t have use for a lot of them, so I’ve decided to incorporate them into some craft projects.  Here I’ve used two “flags” against BasicGrey Marrakech line paper with a letterpress tag from Paper Source.  I also inked/distressed the edges of one of the flags with “Dark Moss” Chalk Ink (ColorBox).

This card uses double sided cardstock (#NT104-Far Out) from The Paper Loft, a letterpress tag (Paper Source), Hero Arts “Printers Type Alphabet” lettering stamps,  “Penguin with Presents” stamp from Savvy Stamps and I embossed with “Rainbow Sparkle Lite” ep and Color box brown pigment ink.

Project: Altered Book

I’ve taken on another job (unofficially) for the fall, so with teaching at three separate institutions, I’m allowing myself some real time this summer to explore my creative side. I’ve wanted to do an altered book for awhile now, but have been daunted by a number of different things.  First, I’m a bibliophile, and the idea of “altering” a book, kinda weirds me out, to be honest.  But, I picked up this 1953 historical romance Seed of Mischief (now THERE’s a title) in a box marked “FREE” on the street, so it isn’t as though I’m playing around with a first edition of War and Peace.  This was going to be an inspiration journal a la Donna Downey, but it has since morphed into something else.

Frontispiece

What you see here is a combo of paper piecing and cutting (see detail shot below), and the flower was punched into the paper, I put paper on the back, and then put a distressed double layer flower on top with an indian bead center. “R” is my first initial (for those of you who thought my name is really Lyra). I backed the paper cutting and did the piecing with scraps.

detail of monogram

I think I’ve decided that I’m going to work with the book itself–the narrative and, in these preliminary pages, the biographical material of the writer (that’s her on the left: Willa Gibbs). The book came with the original jacket, complete with the art that screams “1950s historical romance” so I’ve incorporated it here on page (ii). That, my friends, is “Jeanne of France, ”  the “lovely, tragic heroine.”  The slipcover talked a little bit about our author’s process, so I included that here as well.

Papers are all Marrakech (BasicGrey) scraps, and the brown ribbon is from Paper Source.

Coasters!

Ok, so here’s my latest project.  I should have enough done to make coordinated sets for everyone by the time next Christmas rolls around!  A couple of things I’m trying to figure out, however:

• A way to make them less tacky when faced with a hot beverage container
• avoiding “coaster stick” from condensation from a cold beverage.

There’s a Christmas themed one in this batch, as you can probably tell.  The basics are can lids, patterned paper, and fifty billion layers of Mod Podge.  All the paper you see here is from Paper Source.  The smaller coasters are perfect for wine glasses and the larger ones can be used for tumblers and other kinds of glasses.

Christmas Crafting

Now that the gifts have been given, I can show you what I created in the two-day frenzy otherwise known as “Christmas preparation.”  Once grading was finished, I had two days before leaving for home to make, wrap, and send. I will NOT do that again. At any rate.

For my sister:

For my dad, the wine lover/cook, I made a trivet.  I knew he’d scan the corks to see which wineries he recognized:

And for the grandparents, a wreath (picture isn’t great, sorry):

Maybe I’ll start now for next Christmas, LOL.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Sunday Scrappin’ #44: A FOP and two cards

Sunday Scrappin’ is a weekly paper-crafters’ meme where we list our TO-DOs, TA-DAs and participate in optional weekly challenges. Won’t you join us?

Well, this week was a tad more productive than prior weeks–pretty odd since I started teaching again. I’ve given up trying to decide my crafting cycles.

TA-DAs:

• I did manage to do this past week’s challenge: use unopened embellishments from your stash. I spruced up the old stationery box and filled it with scrap paper and stationery for my teenage sister who lives far away (and who is just getting into scrapbooking). On the top of the box, I used three “icicles” from k-i memories, that I picked up at Target awhile back

Scrapbox, top view with icicles

Scrapbox, side view detail

MATERIALS: Paper (Target scraps package); Maya Road Tranquility Sunflower Slide; Dashes, Dots, & Checks Ribbon; Letters are from Anna Griffin Friends Rub on Kit; Ice Candy “Poolside” icicles (ki memories).

I sent it with this card:

MATERIALS: copper-colored glossy cardstock; “Heart of Love” stamp (Hero Arts); Tag (Target Scrapbooking); sentiment is from Anna Griffin Friends Rub-On kit; “Floral Accents” embellishments (Marcella by K); lavender pigment ink (ColorBox) and Old Rose Sparkle EP (JudiKins).

• I also made a birthday card for a dear friend. It is a short fold, so the sheer ribbon on the bottom is actually on the inside of the card.

MATERIALS: “Noah” rub on letters (Maya Road); sheer “swirls” ribbon (Maya Rd); large letters are Anna Griffin “Friends” rub on kit; paper is from a faux vintage set–the flag bunting is cut out of one of the patterns; Swirls rub ons (Maya Road)

TO-DOs:

• meet next week’s Sunday Scrappin’ challenge: use something from the kitchen. It could be tin foil as an embellishment… a food label to decorate a page… Kool Aid to make a scratch and sniff card… use your imagination!
• one layout for wedding album

Thanks for reading! Hopefully neither the recipient of the box or the card read this blog this week!!

Eco-Crafting

I am by no means an eco-crafter, but I am trying to get there.  One of the best ways to do it is by doing FOPs (Found Object Projects)–especially if your project turns out to be useful.  I don’t sew, but if I did, I think I’d find this pincushion ring (made with a plastic ring tab from a carton) pretty darn useful (except that I’m such a clutz I’d risk missing the cushion and sticking my hand.

For those of you into jewelry-making, here’s an idea for old used up Starbucks coffee cards.  And since not everyone can come into a supply of those, you might go for a funkier look with old cut up credit cards?  I’m thinking you’d have to be highly selective in the pieces you chose, and not use pieces from the same card in one piece of jewelry. You know, security reasons and all.

Finally, I found a good blog with an eco-crafting focus.  Crafting a Green World has numerous craft ideas and good resources for finding eco-friendly (or near eco-friendly) papers and fabrics.  I like the fact that some of the posts acknowledge that it is difficult to be totally green (recycled felt (great!) out of plastic bottles (not great!) but that some options are better than others and that is really what it is about.

Progress Report: FOP: Brie Box

One of the interests I have in crafting is using found objects*. My first attempt at baked brie (it is harder than it looks!) left me with a rather large brie box with a charming picture. I decided to paint the picture with craft acrylics (Deltaceramcoat and DecoArt) and then surround it with my choice of paper (in this case, “Olana” from 7Gypsies, purchased at Paper Source).

I’m not sure I’m done with it. I’m thinking about lining the inner circle with some dark colored ribbon to pick up one of the colors in the paint.

Oh, and for what do you use a brie box (other than a very small, very flat, hat?). To hold miscellaneous rolls of tape, of course. That was my husband’s suggestion. And that’s exactly how it is being used at the moment.

* FOP= Found Object Project