a fun little evening that inspires....

so, tonight i spent some time with some of my girlfriends, scrapping and chatting, chatting and scrapping... well, one of us was scrapping. one was working on a card swap. one was making her own rubber stamps. and me? well, i was making ATCs! :)

i don't have my camera handy, so you'll have to trust me on this when i say that they're LOVELY! :) the first one, which i'm hoping will turn out in the end, was based on the theme "ghost" from the challenge blog Inspire Me Thursday. the other one was much more romantic, featuring a vintage couple. it was inspired by the Stripes challenge on, um.... another challenge blog (can't remember which one off the top of my head!)

the ghost card was done with versamark ink on glossy cardstock. over that, i sponged fuschia ink, which then smeared over the versamark image, leaving a ghostly image. i mounted it diagonally on grey cardstock, with the word "believe" stamped with black stayz on in the corner. once all that was done, i covered the image and word with a crackle medium... i'm waiting for it to dry, and then i'll post (if it isn't damaged, that is).

the second card was pretty basic. some paper (BG eva), and cardstock, mounted off-center of each other, with a pink frame stamped behind the couple. a metal "love" charm attached, and voila! ATC number 2! :)

like i said, when i have my camera, i'll post some pics. until then, you'll just have to trust me on this. they're lovely! :)

k, off to play euchre for a bit! ttyl!

Blockage!!!! Ugh!!!!!

ok, so, an hour ago, i was feeling so creative, and sat down to work on one of my newest projects. and, i might add, one of my favourite projects. an altered journal. LOVE IT!!!!! well, i did at the time...

and now...

it is my NEMESIS!!!!!!!!

that's right, folks, i'm blocked. i got nothing. i put one of my most anticipated elements on: black eyelets with black wire wrapped around the edge of the cover. LOVE IT!!! but now what?

i'm sitting here staring at it, going, "it looks cool so far, but it needs more. but what?!" and i don't know. i mean literally, i have no ideas here.

i'll admit, i briefly toyed with the idea of prima flowers, a pretty contrast to the harsh/industrial feel of the metal accents. but it just wasn't working for me. i have a stamp that would look absolutely stunning, but where to put it? i have bling of various descriptions, but that's not right for this piece. fibers? they're lovely, but i don't think they're right, either.

my one thought was to do the whole edge with eyelets and wire. that might look cool. and hey... now that i'm thinking about it... it WOULD look really cool... and i could do something funky with the stamp, and then use some wire and maybe a transparency to anchor it... and then a word or quotation at the bottom or something...

oh, the ideas are flowing now!!!!! yay!!!! thanks for your help!!! ;)


UPDATE: GAH!!! doing the whole edge with eyelets and wire... yeah, can't work. the measurements are wrong, and it will leave either too much space at the bottom, or too little. which sucks, because that would have been freaking cool! :(

how did i forget this?!

mom and i were going through some beads the other week, and we came across this pendant... that boat at the top of the skinny. well, she had never had any idea what to do with it (she beads). i saw it, and immediately knew it was going to go on a skinny with that boy!!!!! so, i got out all my stuff, and got to work. here's the result.

i used: SU cardstock and stamps, BG patterned paper (ambrosia, i do believe), some brads, some fibres, and a vintage boy. so simple. and i dig it.

btw, it was for a challenge. the theme was "red." but i don't remember what challenge blog it was for. once i remember, i'll update.

oh, these are stunning!!!! especially the celtic one... and the third one... and, for that matter, the first one is pretty cool, too

http://bigartadventure.blogspot.com/2008/10/tin-can-alley.html

i'm really digging #3 in the category of "i think i could do this, if i had to." the celtic one? definitely "i wish!!!!" as for the first one? well, that would be "i like it, but i don't think i would do it, because it's not my style."

but still... check them out!

anyone else wanna give this a whirl?

so, i was checking out challenge blogs tonight (surprise, surprise), and i found this on Inspire Me Thursday. the link is on the right sidebar, if you're interested. i wanna try this out, but i don't think i want to do it tonight (although i happen to have a cereal box in my possession right now). so, anyone else wanna try this? i included the instructions on the left sidebar, so check that out. then let me know. maybe we could get together and all do one? i don't know. anyway, let me know. it makes a cute sketchbook, journal or notebook, and it's uniquely yours. or give it away as a gift.

anyway, yeah, i'm going to try it out. not tonight, but likely this week sometime. i'll post when i do it. i can't wait! :)

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! THIS IS GORGEOUS!!!

seriously, check it out and drool. the layout's not bad, but the "chunky ATC" is fabulous!!!

http://craftawayasunday.wordpress.com/2008/10/05/challenge-5-swirls-and-flourishes/

Arty Girlz - Red!

the theme this week on Arty Girlz is Red. it's been a while since i've played there (or have i before? i don't remember. after a while some of these challenges blend together, to be honest... especially if you're not a regular. but they're fun and i like them, so...). i wondered what to do for this one, since i don't often use red in my work (other than the tag i did on the weekend; that was also an exception), so this challenge was just that... a challenge!

i was playing beads with my mom earlier this evening, making myself a necklace to go with a sweater i just bought. my mom showed me a gold chain that i could use for a different necklace, and she said, "you can just get rid of that pendant." i sat speechless (imagine that!), gazing at the pendant in my hand, and i was immediately inspired. i knew the papers, i knew the theme, and i started searching for the perfect little boy. and there he was! thank-you, gail, at PaperWhimsy! he's delightful!

the only real challenge on this piece was attaching this most beauteous pendant. it took me a couple minutes to figure out, i'll admit. in fact, i deliberately left it till last, and i pondered this dilemma whilst working on the rest. i finally went with glue dots, some scrunched up into "boogers." then i punched a hole in the paper behind the loop at the top, and threaded outrageous red and oranges fibres through.

so, here's the run-down of what i used: BG ambrosia (love it!!!!), SU! Flexible Expressive Phrases (or something like that... if you know the name of the stamp set, let me know. i forget and i can't find my old catties). other than that, it's miscellaneous brads and fibres and ink. there you have it. my little travelling boy. i dig him. :)

and i forgot to mention that this is a skinny (3x5). i think this is my favourite size. although ATCs are fun, too. and 4x4. and tags. oh, bother, i love them all! :)

Joe. gimme.

the challenge this week on Think Monday - Think ATC is coffee. almost too easy.

i say almost because, as some of you may know, i have an awesome coffee stamp (i used it on a 4x4 a while back, and i love it!). now, if you recall my post from the other day, my scrappin space is, well, messy. i can see desk, and the highest pile consists of a pen, some cards, a package of eyelets and a basket (listed from bottom to top). anyway, i searched high and low for that coffee stamp, but alas, it is nowhere to be found. and i just saw it the other day! arg!

so, if you noted my FB status tonight, it said "heather is going to make an atc tonight." then it changed to "heather is going to read tonight." then it changed back to "heather made an ATC after all tonight." and here it is!

not the stamp, mind you. no, that's gone. i'll find it... eventually. but while i was flipping around between blogs and listening to music, i was inspired to do the ATC anyway, and completely differently than i had originally intended. here's the final product. i like it. a lot.

the TMTA theme this week is coffee. and i was inspired. so here is my creation.

and while you're looking, please don't notice the fact that the mug is, in fact, paper-pieced. i stand by my post from the other night. i almost lost the handle at one point. and inking the edges is ridiculous. yes, i stand by my "i don't do paper-piecing" rant. but at least i've given it a whirl. i like the whimsy the mug lends to this ATC, but still, this will be the last paper piecing you see from this girl for a long time... like, forever.

but you noticed that the mug is BG infuse, didn't you? i know you did. i'll get you all hooked on BG, just gimme time (if you're not already addicted, that is, because really, how could you not be?). ;)

Tag You're It!

so, the challenge this week on Tag You're It is a sketch challenge, and as one who loves sketches, i am very pleased by this challenge.

so, for this challenge, i used my BG Romani paper, which i lllllllllooooooooovvvvvveeeeee! also, that metal circle thing is Basic Grey. oh, the fun i'm having with BG lately (i'm trying to make up for dissing them in my last post). and of course, Prima flowers. yup, i used some of my stash (which, apparently, is abundant).

ok, so staci thinks that she should be the subject of this post. i'll grant her that. she provided the location and wine and "chips ahoy for fat chicks" that i enjoyed while working on this project. so thank-you, staci, for the good times, and thank-you, deb, for reminding me why i don't do paper piecing. (i'll post about that later.)

anyhoo, here's my tag. hope you like it. :)

tag challenge - dream

the challenge this week on Tag You're It! is "Dream." i created this little lovely (ok, not so little... she's approx 6.5x3.5) tonight, having been inspired to paint.

for the painted background... i mixed together eggplant and silver and swept it upwards on the tag. then i combined black and silver and dry-brushed the bottom left corner and up and around the top. the metal words along the right side are: bon voyage, create, cry, play, dance, dream.

this will likely be a gift for someone who is helping me immensely along my journey right now, and her favourite colour seems to be purple (i can't remember the last time i didn't see her wearing purple).

anyway, there you have it. my first challenge in quite some time, but i think i like it. :) but, it's getting late now, so i have to go link to the challenge site, and then go to bed. nighty-night! :)

ah, sweet Euphoria...

i was feeling euphoric tonight... as in, i couldn't leave my BG Euphoria paper alone! this lovely little skinny is (loosely) based on the Treat of the Week sketch challenge from Cut N Paste. i finished just in time to qualify. here's the challenge:

i went out to play this evening with some friends for a modified midnight crop (we were done at 10pm). i'm also working on some note cards to sell, but they need a bit more work before i unveil them. but when they're ready, i'll post them. anyway, there you have it. this and the previous post (theme thursday's challenge) were both done tonight at the crop. thanks for all the inspiration, ladies! it was fun - can't wait till next time! :)

Theme Thursday challenge

the theme this week on Theme Thursday (link is on the sidebar) was "people with wings." here's my little love fairy. cardstock is stampin up and something else (don't remember what), and the paper is BG Euphoria. and some acrylic stamps, but i don't know who makes them.

online croppin' last night

... and i made a skinny. i probably could have gotten more done... in theory, anyway. it's just that it takes me so long to do a project, and challenges are posted every hour... how am i supposed to get anything done that fast?! are you kidding me? lol

anyway, here's my little fairy. if you'll notice, i used glitter. pink glitter! sooo not my usual thing, but i did it, and i like it. i also used basic grey Euphoria paper, and MM doodle rub-ons (just the swirly-curly stuff on the left - the rest i did myself).

We Dare You! - challenge 7 - gifts

these are 3 skinnies that i made for the paediatric cardiology team in london. liz is awesome, so i made her the rusty girly card. the other ones are for the cardiologists, who are leaving at the end of the month. those two men have saved asher's life countless times in the last year and a half, and we will miss them terribly. they have been more than doctors: they have been friends, comforters, teachers, providers of coffee (thanks, dr B), and so much more. they have cared not only for asher, but for me, as well. i love these men, truly, and they will be missed. :( farewell, old friends.

more challenges done

i've been doing some challenges this week, and i'm enjoying the creativity and productivity. very therapeutic. very fun. and i'm using up a lot in my stash, and playing with some newer purchases. how pleasing.

anyway, the theme this week on 4x4 Friday is "My Favourite Colour." now, i know what you're thinking, and yes, orange was, until recently, my favourite colour. but lately, in the last month or so, i have discovered the serenity inherent in those cooler hues, and have made a dramatic shift in my tastes. my favourite colours now are green and purple, with blue thrown in as a close runner-up. so, having been inspired not only by the theme itself, but also by my new 4x4 album (so cute!), i have decided to work a lot in that format for the time being. (ok, also skinnies and ATCs and gothic arches. i really just want to become more prolific in my papercrafting. anyhoo...) so, i did a little number in basic grey Two Scoops with some Heidi Swapp bling thrown in for fun. oh, and the Stampin' Up! stamps. i've been using them so much more lately, now that i'm working in mini. delightful!

now, on to project #2: the theme last week on Gothic Arches was "flourishes." i was inspired by the sample, so simple, yet so beautiful. so, here's my gothic arch o' the week (and yes, it was done in time to qualify, although i'm posting it too late). i'm really quite fond of it. again, lots of basic grey: two scoops paper, lotsa rub-ons (i finished off my favourite pack). also a Making Memories rub-on, and i don't remember who makes the blingy butterfly brad. i'll check and update later, but i know i picked them up at CNP.

well, there you have it. my challenges for the last week. i love midnight crops. must have more (hint, hint, pam! lol). anyway, thanks for looking. have a great day! :)

We Dare You! - "Moments"

the challenge this week over on We Dare You! is Moments. i'll admit, at first, i had no clue what to do with this one. then i found my coffee stamp, and you know, i like how it all turned out. it's a fun little 4x4 (fatbook page). i've decided to do more of these little guys. i just bought an adorable album over at CNP, and i'm delighting in the simple, small format. oversized images on small pages - too much fun! anyway, here's my 4x4. hope you like it! :)

i'm trying something new... Zentangle! :)

... so please don't judge me too harshly.

ok, so a couple months ago, a challenge blog (was it TMTA?) presented a challenge that i was reluctant to try at the time, but i have been sort of obsessing over it, wanting to try it, but afraid. that's right, folks, i was afraid to try something. anyway... the challenge was something called "Zentangle" - basically, funky doodling. not the pretty, swirly, girly, free kind of doodling. that, i cannot do. but this, i can do. have been doing for years, in fact, in corners of pages in my notebooks. i think i've even done it on the inside cover of one of my Bibles.

anyway, i decided, in a (somewhat successful) attempt to distract myself from all my anxiety, to listen to cheesy mid-90s christian rock (echelon, anyone? if you weren't there, you won't laugh, but i was quite enjoying the trip down memory lane) and try my hand at something new. and here's the result.

i don't think i like the theme with the Zentangle, but i learned from this, and i will try it again. much fun to be had with this Zentangle stuff. and so i challenge you, gentle paper-crafty reader/friend, try it! and please share with us all: include a link to your blog in the comments section here. i'd love to see what you come up with. and i'll be playing more with this stuff in the days to come, and hopefully i'll get better! :) have fun! :)

UPDATE (5/26/08): ok, the more i look at this, the more i don't like the result. but the technique is fun, so i might give it another whirl this week. i need a distraction from the current crap in my life, and i think this just might do the trick. i'll post the result. meanwhile, please don't look at this ATC. it's crap. thank-you. h

midnight croppin' last night

last night i went a-croppin' with some friends at CNP. we had a wonderful time. very therapeutic; i know a couple of us left in much better spirits than we arrived in. so thank-you, pam, for hosting yet another delightful, escapeful, scraptacular evening.

anyway... i seem to have put scrapbooking itself on "pause" lately, and am instead focussing on smaller projects. i like the artistry involved in paper crafting, not necessarily the whole "chronicling my family" thing. so, i'm really enjoying tags, ATCs and skinnies. these are my favourites (although i really enjoyed the gothic arch i did a while back. it's nice working with a more unconventional format like that).

above are the 2 projects i got done last night. that's right, in 4.5 hours, i only completed 2 small projects. that's ok, though. i take my time, and i don't mind. the whole process is enjoyable for me, and i'm a little over-zealous, perhaps, when it comes to design and detail. anyway, i hope you like them, because i sure do.

i'm going to see if the tag fulfills a challenge from another blog, and the skinny was inspired by pam's "Treat of the Week" sketch, so i got a lovely silver gel pen. i really enjoy her TOTW sketches/challenges. if you're in the St Thomas area, you should check it out. so much fun, and a wee prize to boot! :)

the poem on the boy skinny says:

Nobody knows what a boy is worth,

And the world must wait and see;

For every man in honoured place,

Is a boy that used to be.

- Phillips Brooks

We Dare You! - week 4 - Patchwork challenge

this week on "We Dare You!" the challenge is to be inspired by my purse. it's a snazzy little number i picked up in toronto while i was there (there's a Roots store in SickKids). anyway, i did a little ATC for the challenge - here it is!

i don't really do patchwork or sewing on paper, so i was a bit limited. but, i copied the colours and doodled around the inside of the paper squares. i thought the girl was too cute for words, so i added her. as for the fiber, well, i was inspired by a purse, so naturally, i had to add a handle! :)

anyway, there's my ATC. i kinda like how it turned out. maybe i'll do another project tonight. i need the therapy.

i'm on a roll!

i must be feeling better now. this is 2 projects in the last 2 days! this one is a tag (don't know the dimensions, but it's a triangle squared off at the top), and i quite like it. i started it last weekend when i wasn't feeling so great, and i decided to pull it out of the box this afternoon and see what happened.

it was originally for a tag challenge, which was "no stamping allowed", but that was last week, and they've moved on. so i stamped. i like it. not a perfectly stamped-out image, but i think it works well with the paper and the cheesecloth.

anyway, there you have it. another project complete. maybe i'll get something quick, simple and easy done tonight. i'll post it if i do.

well, gotta go get coffee and take it to hub at work. :)