About Me

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Okanagan, BC, Canada
Welcome to my crafting blog. After retirement, my husband and I moved to a beautiful location in the Okanagan area of British Columbia. I love all paper crafts including mixed media, journaling and cards. I also dabble in papermaking, photography, fibre art, and altered books. I am an active member of several card and mixed media groups and on the design team of several challenge blog. I love the world of blogging, it has opened many doors for me. My favourite quote is by Maya Angelou. “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” I hope you join me in my search for my creative side. Thanks for stopping by!

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Thursday, April 30, 2015

Upcycled Funky Table

I am back this week with my project for Altered Eclectics challenge for May. I decided to upcycle an old side table I was given.  It was one of those tables that you hide under a tablecloth  that usually matched your bedspread.  I think they were popular in the 70's. 

This is what I started with.

My new funky outdoor table 

Top


I used a stencil for the center of the table with sharpies, ink and paint.I then masked the outside edge with round labels and  page re-enforcements and painted it with Acrylic paint. 

 

I painted, stenciled and free hand drew a different pattern on each side of each leg of the table. 

It's New Home 





Hope you will join us this week at Altered Eclectics. show us your altered art, mix media, recycling or upcycling projects and enter them here.  

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Master Boards

The Crack'd Mirror Challenge Blog has an interesting challenge this month. The challenge is to create a master board and use it to create your project. A masterboard is a large background piece designed to be cut up and used in smaller projects, such as journals, postcards, cards, ATC's etc. It can be created with any combination of collage, paint, inks, sprays, rubber stamps, stencils.

Until I read the blog I did not know what a Master board was although I have been making them for several years.  I usually once a month of more make myself some background papers with paint, stencils, bubble wrap, inks, modelling paint and stamps. Lately I have also been using a Gelli Plate to get some interesting results.

Here are some example of one of my master boards. 


This is a card I made for the master board. 




This is a tag I used part of the same master board to make the background. 



I never through out my scraps of my master board.  There is usually some interesting patterns on they and they make interesting flowers and butterflies. 

Thank you for stopping by and have a creative day. 

I am entering this card in the following Challenges:

Crack'd Mirror - Master Board
Party Time Tuesdays - Anything Goes
Sweet Stamps Anything But a Card
Through The Craft Room Door - Always Anything Goes
Crafting from the Heart - Always Anything Goes
Love to Scrap - Anything Goes
Not Just Cards - Always Anything Goes

Monday, April 27, 2015

Gold and White for Christmas


The digital image is from Sticky Bear Digital Stamps one of the sponsors at this week's Holly Jolly Christmas Challenges.  The theme of the challenge is to create a card using only the colours of white and a colour of your choice. The name of the image that I used for the card is Christmas Sled. 

I used Spellbinders Nestabilities Label 8 to cut out my layers of while and gold.  I also used a snowflake embossing fold by Darcie on one of my white layers. I cut the Christmas sentiment out of gold and white cards stock and then layered the tow sentiments together.  The sled was coloured with Copic colours Y21, Y23, Y26, and Y28.  A gold and white bow was added to complete the card. 

I hope you'll join us for this fun challenge. Pop over to the Holly Jolly blog to see the beautiful Christmas card creations of the rest of the Design Team.   Thank you for stopping by and have a creative day. 


Sunday, April 26, 2015

Mad Court Jester



Don't you just love this Mad Court Jester image from SLS Lines, one of the sponsors this week at Not Just Cards. I thought he was just adorable.  It was lots of fun to colour him with my Copics. I love to use bright colours.

Once I had printed my image on to my paper I created a mask to protect the image and layered acrylic paint using my Gelli plate and a couple of different stencils. It was lots of fun to colour the jester with my Copics. I love to use bright colours.  To make my image stand out from my colourful background I used a charcoal pencil to outline the image.  

To complete my journal page I used distressed ink around the edges of the page and layered it on red cardstock. 

I decided later to add my page to my journal book and edged the page with a similar design. I added a sentiment and the with Stazon Ink added the word Joker.  This is what my finished page looked like.




Thank you for stopping by and join us this week at Not Just Cards.  

I am entering this journal page in the following challenges:

Altered Eclectics  - Anything Goes (Altered Art/Mix Media only)

2 Creative Chicks - Anything Goes (no cards)
SLS Lines Challenge - Anything Goes
Art-Journal-Journey - Favorite Poems and Quotes (Altered Art/Mix Media only)
Scribble and Scrap -  #43 Always:  Anything Goes
Rhedd's Creative Spirit - Anything Goes (Mixed Media Altered Art / Mixed Media ONLY)

Mushrooms and Butterflies




I made this little mushroom gift box for this weeks Not Just Cards challenge this week.  I wrapped a box from my recycle bin with the images from one of our sponsors, Angies Digis.  The digital image is called Butterfly on a Toadstool




I coloured my image with my Copics, glitter and PanPastels.  I sprayed the box with Goosebumps, and added glitter tape. For the top of the box I made a knob out of a large wooden bead and a button from my stash.

Thank you for stopping by and have a creative day.    

Let The Good Times Roll - Mardi Gra


This is one of my projects this week for Not Just Cards. I used this Mardi Gra mask from Faery Ink for my journal page. I think this image is beautiful and just right for a journal page. 

I printed my image and then masked it to protect it from my background technique.  I used a brayer and rolled several thin coats of different colours of chalk paint on my background then stamped my music stamp with Stazon Ink.

I coloured my mask with coordination colours of Copics and used a gold gelli pen for the beads.   I added die cut feathers and a sentiment.  To complete the page I inked the feathers and page with Lilac Distress Ink.   Thank you for stopping by and have a creative day. 

I am entering this project in the following challenges:

Altered Eclectics  - Anything Goes (Altered Art/Mix Media only)
2 Creative Chicks - Anything Goes (no cards)
SLS Lines Challenge - Anything Goes
Art-Journal-Journey - Favorite Poems and Quotes (Altered Art/Mix Media only)
Scribble and Scrap -  #43 Always:  Anything Goes
Rhedd's Creative Spirit - Anything Goes (Mixed Media Altered Art / Mixed Media ONLY)

Mad Court Jester



Don't you just love this Mad Court Jester image from SLS Lines, one of the sponsors this week at Not Just Cards. I thought he was just adorable.  It was lots of fun to colour him with my Copics. I love to use bright colours.

Once I had printed my image on to my paper I created a mask to protect the image and layered acrylic paint using my Gelli plate and a couple of different stencils. It was lots of fun to colour the jester with my Copics. I love to use bright colours.  To make my image stand out from my colourful background I used a charcoal pencil to outline the image.  

To complete my journal page I used distressed ink around the edges of the page and layered it on red cardstock. 

I decided later to add my page to my journal book and edged the page with a similar design. I added a sentiment and the with Stazon Ink added the word Joker.  This is what my finished page looked like.




Thank you for stopping by and join us this week at Not Just Cards.  

I am entering this journal page in the following challenges:

Altered Eclectics  - Anything Goes (Altered Art/Mix Media only)

2 Creative Chicks - Anything Goes (no cards)
SLS Lines Challenge - Anything Goes
Art-Journal-Journey - Favorite Poems and Quotes (Altered Art/Mix Media only)
Scribble and Scrap -  #43 Always:  Anything Goes
Rhedd's Creative Spirit - Anything Goes (Mixed Media Altered Art / Mixed Media ONLY)

Saturday, April 25, 2015

Spring is in the Air



I made this spring card for a challenge at Come and Get It this week.  Bugaboo is one of the sponsors and I used their image called Scene It, Ladybug. I love Bugaboo's cute images.  The sentiment is a unmounted rubber stamp from my stash that the company's name escapes me. 

I coloured the image with Copic Markers and added a sentiment by Katie and Co.  I love the bright colours of the card.  Hope you will join in our challenge this week. Just create your card and enter it here.   Thank you for stopping by. Have a creative day. 

I am entering this card in the following challenges:
Card Mania - Flowers
    My Craft Creations - Anything Goes
    The Sisters of Craft- Anything Goes
      My Time to Craft - spring flowers 



      Saturday, April 18, 2015

      Use things that start with B



      Come and Get It Challenges  theme this week is ``Use things that start with B`` for your project.  I chose to use a cute digital called Bluebell Sprite 2 by Aurora Wings , one of this weeks sponsors.   For my B`s - I used a bluebell image, blue bell flowers and blue card stock. 
      This was a fun card to make . I just coloured the image and started layering my papers  and ribbons.  Thank you for stopping to take a look and I hope you have a very creative day.  
      I am entering this card in the following challenges:
      A Gem of a Challenge - spring is in the air 
      Crafts 4 Eternity Recipe Challenge Spring
      Fussy and Fancy - Springtime Flowers
      Graph'It Colour Challenge Flower Power
      QKR Stampede – Spring Flowers
      Wags 'n Whiskers - Flowers
      Inspiration Destination - Always Anything Goes

      Monday, April 13, 2015

      Christmas Tree Challenge


      Hi!  I am back at Holly Jolly Christmas Challenges after a winter break and we have a Christmas tree challenge for you this week.  

      My card is made using an image from Bugaboo, one of our sponsors this week called called Stella - Santa Died.   The stamp set comes with a cute sentiment but this card I decided not to use the sentiment and only use the image of Stella.  I love the look of Stella and the flopping Christmas tree. 

      I coloured my image with Copics, Diamond Glaze, and glitter.  I added a die sentiment and layers of card stock.  To complete the card I added some glittered star. Thank you for stopping by.  I hope that you will join us this week at Holly Jolly, just create your card with a tree theme and enter it here

      Sunday, April 12, 2015

      Cleopatra Collage

      I have been busy with my projects for Just Not Cards this week.  I used one of our sponsors, Nikki Burnette's image to create this Egyptian collage for my Art Journal.  The image is called Cleopatra


       I cut up pages of a national geographic Magazine to make the collage background then coloured the image with my Copic Markers, Gold Leaf pen and a gold Gel pen. 

      This was a fun project.  I hope you will join us this week at Not Just Cards, pop over to the challenge blog to see the designs of the rest of the design team.  Thank you for stopping by. 

      I am entering this project in the following challenges:

      Anything But A Card - no cards -Fool's Gold
      A Creative Need - Collage It
      Sister Act Card Challenge - Anything Goes
      Stempelsonnen Challenge - stamp as main focus - Anything Goes
      DL.ART Thankful Thursday Challenge - Monthly Challenge Anything Goes 


      Rain or Shine



      Rain or Shine you're a friend of mine, I love the cute sentiment and digital image from Deedees' Digis, called Rain or Shine that I used for the current Not Just Cards challenge.  

      I coloured this cute little bear with my Copics and added Diamond Glaze to represent the water, I like the wet affect it gives the tag.   To complete the card I added some red faux stitching, buttons and a brad. Thank you for stopping by and have a creative day.  

      I am entering this tag in the following challenges:
      613 Avenue Create A True Anything Goes/Optional Twist-Create Your Own Challenge
      Come and Get It - Unlimited - Make a Card For a Child
      Scribble and Scrap - Always:  Anything Goes  
      Addicted to CAS - must be CAS (W1) showers 
      Sweet Stampin - Stamp children's card 


      Owlways Love One Another



      I made this little shopping bag for the challenge this week at Not Just Cards.  I love the cute owl I used for this bag from Kitty Bee one of our sponsors this week.

      I coloured the owl with my Copic Markers , cut it out and added it to the background I made from some recycle paper that had once wrapped stain glass that my girlfriend had given  me.   I painted the papers with some acrylic paint I had sitting on my work desk.   The bag also was recycled from a gift received awhile ago.

      To complete my project I added some buttons and a sentiment.  Thank you for stopping by and have a creative day.  

      I am entering this bag in the following challenges:

      Lil Patch of Crafty Friends -Anything Goes
      Scribble and Scrap - Anything Goes
      The Mixed Media World Challenge -Must be mixed media Use Bright Colors
      Catch The Bug - recycle 
      Crafty Calendar - Add a sentiment 
      Open-Minded Challenges recycle something
      Crafts 4 Eternity Recipe Challenge  - Texture

      Saturday, April 11, 2015

      Make a Card for a Child


      Come and Get It Challenges this week has a Make a Card for a child challenge.  I used a digi from one of our sponsors of this challenge, All Dressed Up.  The image is called I love my teddy.   I think it is a real cute image for a baby card.

      I decided to make a dresser card for this challenge,  I found the directions for the card at Addicted to Stamping.   Once I had my card cut out I added some doodling, brads and some die cuts.

      Thank you for stopping by and have a creative day. 

      Friday, April 10, 2015

      It's Your Day



      I made this card for an upcoming birthday of a friend.  I sometimes have a hard time coming up with an idea for a masculine card. 

      Background is paper from  my stash that I used a set of numbers stamped on it along with a stamp stitch around the edge.  I also used dies for the tag, sentiment and gears and clogs.   To make my gears and clogs I cut them out of some packaging. All the edges were distressed and then inked with Distress Ink .  The sentiment is an die cut from a old Sizzix die. To complete my card I added some metal studs, washi tape and a cord ribbon.   

      Hope you have a very creative day.  Thanks for stopping by. 

      I am entering this card in the following challenges:

      Stamplorations - Numbers and stamps
      Brown Sugar – Distress
      Crafty Catz - 2 or more patterned papers
      Creative Knockouts - Birthday Wishes
      Inspiration Destination - Always Anything Goes
      Paper Shelter Challenge - Birthday with Sentiment


      Thursday, April 9, 2015

      60's Splash

       I made this project using a tea box I had been saving in the stash and I thought it would make a good box for my findings. I used many of CS Designs images for the project. I started with the beautiful 60's Splash Art digital image from Chris' Arty Montage Digital Stamps. You can find the image here

      This is what I started with to make my project. 


      The image reminded me of 60's Art and music so I printed the image on a  music sheet and then added a circle design to the box to mimic the circles in the design that reminded me of old records. I coloured the image with my Copic Markers and Ink Intense pencils.



      For the inside lid of the box I layered many of the wonderful sentiments of CS Design. These sentiments can be found at http://cs-designs.blogspot.ca/…/cs-designs-artistic-sentime…

      Thank you for stopping by and have a creative day.  

      I am entering this project in the following challenges:

      Altered Eclectics - Anything Goes
      Creative Moments - Anything Goes/Anything But A Card 
      Inspiration Destination - Always Anything Goes
      Penny's Paper-Crafty - Anything Goes

      Through The Craft Room Door - Always Anything Goes
      Rhedd's Creative Spirit - Anything Goes

      Tuesday, April 7, 2015

      Card for a Friend


      I was looking through my stash of old unmounted stamps and found this iris stamp from years ago and decided to create a card using it. I coloured the stamp with my Copic Markers and then used a gold leaf pen to frame around the different layers that I used to make the card. I cut all of my layers with a set of card creator dies by Spellbinder. 

      The background of the card was part of a Gelli plate print from my stash and the horizontal piece was made with a acrylic paint and plastic wrap technique. To complete the card I added a sentiment, ribbon and some beads that are part of an old necklace that I have recycled.  

      Closer look at the techniques.


      Thank you for stopping by and have a creative day.  I am off to stamp some more. 

      I am entering this card in the following challenges:

      Pile It On Diecuts and/or Punches
      Di's Digis Designs -Spring is here 
      Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
      Not Just Cards - Anything Goes
      Sister Act Card Challenge - Anything Goes
      Creatalicious Challenges - Anything Goes

      Sunday, April 5, 2015

      Mixed Media Card with Flowers


      I made this card for a friend's birthday that is coming up soon.  The flowers I used for my card came from my stash and I believe they are from Bo Bunny.  The background and leaves are cut from a Gelli Print paper I had made using bubble wrap, acrylic paint and inks.  I used a Sizzix die for the leaves called "leaves". 

       I used Distress Ink on my doilies, fence and background for my stamped sentiment.  The butterfly is a digital image from Fitztown that I printed on Gelli Print paper. 


      Hope you enjoy the card.  Thank you for stopping by and have a creative day.  

      I am entering this card in the following challenges:

      Mixed Media Card Challenge - Flowers 
      Pile It On Diecuts and/or Punches
      The Paper Players Use any die cut
      Di's Digis Designs -Spring is here 
      Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
      Not Just Cards - Anything Goes
      Sister Act Card Challenge - Anything Goes
      Creatalicious Challenges - Anything Goes
      Fitztown Challenge - Use Green (butterfly)

      Saturday, April 4, 2015

      And Baby Makes 3


      Come and Get It Challenges theme for this week is "And Baby Makes 3".  A Day for Daisies is one of the sponsors of this challenge and I used Due in the Spring  for my card.   

      I coloured the image with Copic Markers and distress ink.  I added a sentiment, layered them on coordinating papers and die cuts.  To complete the card I added a flower.  

      Thank you for stopping by and I hope you have a creative day.  Pop over to the Come and Get It Challenge blog to see the beautiful cards the design team has created to inspire you and the wonderful prizes from all of our great sponsors. 

      I am entering this card in the following challenges:

      Crafty Catz - Anything Goes
      Simply Create Too - Anything Goes
      *NEW* Simply Papercraft -  Anything Goes
      Sister Act Card Challenge - Anything Goes