Hope your 40th Birthday is a SCREAM!!! Unscripted Sketches #259

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Good Morning! Welcome to Sketch-It Saturday with Unscripted Sketches and new a brand new sketch #259. Today is my sister's birthday so this card is especially for her... and it's a screamer because she joins me in the BIG 4 - 0 club. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

This card is created from patterned paper and cardstock scraps. The photo and sentiment are actually Hallmark Stickeroni stickers layered on 4 mattes stacked. A strip of patterened paper layered with a stripe of yellow washi tape and blue satin ribbon and this card is complete! Some pearlized traditional photo corners finish it off with a little bling. It doesn't take much to make a personalized card and I think this is much better than a Hallmark.

What is Sketch it Saturdays at Unscripted Sketches? Every Saturday morning a new sketch is posted for the week. Flip the sketch, rotate it… create a card, a scrapbook page, a wall hanging, digital, paper, fabric, paint, anything your imagination comes up with! There is no right or wrong way, as long as you are using the Unscripted sketch as the inspiration for your creation! And everyone is invited to join in the fun... and post your creation on their page via inlinkz for all the world to see!
 

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Thanks for dropping by today. Hope you have a wonderful weekend! Sb :)

#Cre8time Magical Fairy Garden Accents...

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Hello Everyone! I hope you enjoyed a wonderful Memorial Day Holiday. I wanted to share a project that was featured yesterday for Mold Rubber Monday on the Amazing Crafting Products Blog. I'm totally addicted to using Amazing Mold Rubber and it's ability to capture wonderful detail – especially in items from nature. 

I have an assortment of acorns and caps in varying sizes that I've cast into a silicone mold using Amazing Mold Rubber to create a little home that is a bit whimsical and magical – and perfect to adorn my fairy garden.

Please CLICK HERE to jump over

and view the How-TO.

Hope you have a magical Tuesday! :) Sb

The GRINCH is IN for Unscripted Sketches #258

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Good Morning! Welcome to Sketch-It Saturday with Unscripted Sketches and new a brand new sketch #258. When I saw this sketch I new it was time to bring back my old friend... Mr. GRINCH! So I'm starting on Christmas really early.

This card is paper piecing at it's finest... comprised of paper scraps leftover from my previous cards made in my Grinch paper crafting kit; layered with one of the diecut pieces. Fun and colorful - ready for a handwritten note on the inside.

What is Sketch it Saturdays at Unscripted Sketches? Every Saturday morning a new sketch is posted for the week. Flip the sketch, rotate it… create a card, a scrapbook page, a wall hanging, digital, paper, fabric, paint, anything your imagination comes up with! There is no right or wrong way, as long as you are using the Unscripted sketch as the inspiration for your creation! And everyone is invited to join in the fun... and post your creation on their page via inlinkz for all the world to see!
 

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Thanks for dropping by today. Don't forget to check out the Annual Operation Write Home Memorial Day Bloghop... the event of the year! Hope you have a fantastic weekend! Sb :)

Appreciating our Heros for the 5th Annual Operation Write Home Memorial Day Bloghop

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It's that time of year again for the Annual Operation Write Home Memorial Day Bloghop! I am proud to be participating again in support of all our men and women serving our great nation... including my little sister and brother in law. I have made this Any Hero Card featuring Uncle Sam declaring "I Appreciate You!". 

Please CLICK HERE to get back to the Main Bloghop Page.

A few quick details for my Any Hero Card. I used OWH sketch #26 turned vertical. I created a quick embossed background by applying Ranger Picket Fence, Faded Jeans, Broken China and Fired Brick Distress Stains to my Quickutz Star Embossing Folder and ran through my Cuttlebug with a sheet of natural colored cardstock. I painted another sheet of natural cardstock with the Picket Fence Distress Stain and heat set. Then I stamped my images on this whitewashed paper and heatset. I dropped my stamp after stamping Uncle Sam to give me a lovely smudging detail. I completed the sketch with a stripe of vellum and a double matte; all mounted on a navy blue card base. The Uncle Sam image is from Viva Las VegaStamps! and the sentiment and border are The Stamps of Life by Stephanie Barnard.

As I said before - our family is especially proud as my youngest sister has now completed her 6 years of duty and is currently in school to complete her masters degree - and then she will continue on to medical school {HER DREAM}! She currently lives in Seattle with her husband. This photo was taken of Andrea last August right before she completed her service assignment.

This photo is of my Brother in Law, Charles {Andrea's Husband} on his last deployment at FOB Torkham in Afghanistan back in 2012. The gentleman he is with, Jeff Shipley, is a retired Texas police officer who was working as a civilian contractor through MPRI.

Thanks so much for visiting and for your support of Operation Write Home and our Men and Women in service. Have a Happy and Safe Memorial Day Weekend! :) Sb

When Sci-Fi FANDOM meets #Cre8time... Doctor WHO Envelope Mini Book

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Happy Wednesday everyone! Today my latest installment of "Thoughtful Abstractions" column drops today at Unruly PaperArts. This month's theme is FABRIC FRENZY... and this is exactly how my project for this column was born – creating a fandom frenzy.

Anything can be inspiring for creativity! In this particular case - my nerdy sci-fi guilty pleasure... which sent me into a frenzy over a package of Junkitz fabric!!! The planets have aligned - I knew instantly this would become a WHOvian themed project... and already had all the crafty goodness I needed.

I don't know if you are like me, you've got loads of crafty supplies, papers and embellies that sit for ages and you're not even sure what you've got – then one day you unearth something at the perfect moment in time – and the planets align and you are inspired to use it immediately. Right then and there!

I've created this "out-of-the-box" project entirely with items already in my crafty stash to make a mini album to commemorate my WHOvian adventures to the first Annual Time Lord Fest in Tampa, FL last November. This project is a personal labor of love that will take some time to fill completely. I have loads of ideas, photos, tchotchkes and stamps to fill it - and - there's pockets, too!

I spent about an hour and two rolls of 2" photo paper to print out all of my photos and WHOvian inspiration on my Zink Happy printer. This is the first real project that I can use loads of pint-sized images printed directly from my iPhone. I love that it's quick and easy printing straight from the photo album {though there is an app to do all kinds of stuff also} direct to sticky back photo paper... LOVE IT!!!

Please CLICK HERE to jump over to my "Thoughtful Abstractions" column at Unruly PaperArts to see how I created this mini book.

Drop back by a little bit later today
for a few of the details of the interior...

yes... "it's BIGGER on the INSIDE!"

  

I have a couple illustrations immortalized in rubber at Viva Las VegaStamps! One being the Blue Police Box #19054. This was so popular, it was re-issued on a total WHOvian plate {#925} with more stamps in this genre. I have utilizing these {and more} to embellish the insides of my mini book. Would you love to win this Police Box stamp... how about the entire plate!!? Please see the Rafflecopter below to enter to win.

Please follow the Rafflecopter Giveaway instructions below to earn one or multiple entries enter to win one (1) unmounted WHOvian Plate #925 stamps courtesy of Viva Las VegaStamps! This giveaway will remain open until 11:59pm EST on May 31, 2014 and winner will be announced here in my post for next month's Unruly Paper Arts Reader's Art Quest debut on June 1st. ALLONS-Y! :) Sb

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Unruly PaperArts is a collaborative blogozine featuring a panel of regular and guest columnists as well as reader-submitted articles where creativity is Boundless and the world of papercrafting and mixed media is deliciously messy and rule-free! Unruly PaperArts is here to help you to discover the Magnificent and Messy in Your Art. We hope you will join us and come back often as we feature articles on stamping, mixed media, collage, altered art, and scrapbooking. www.UnrulyPaperArts.com

Save the Date... #Cre8time for the Operation Write Home Memorial Day Bloghop

It's that time of year again... this Saturday is the 5th Annual Operation Write Home Memorial Day Bloghop! I am proud to be participating again in support of all our men and women serving our great nation... including my little sister and brother in law.

This is the largest bloghop event of the year full and the place to be! Artists share their wonderful card creations, stories and tributes; and there will also be how-tos, challenges... and prizes throughout the hop. I hope to see you Saturday! :) Sb

Happy Happy #Cre8time Washi Tape Party with Unscripted Sketches #257

 

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Good Morning! Today is Sketch-It Saturday with Unscripted Sketches #257. After getting my washi stash organized I was excited to create this fun birthday card by incorporating stamping with and ON the washi tape. The "happy happy happy birthday" background is DIY washi using white paper bandage tape I found at my favorite place to find crafty goodness... the Dollar Tree.

I layered three strips together and spritzed with yellow and lime green mists, then stamped repeatedly to make the background. This was quick and easy to put together, too - the hardest part was fussy cutting the stamped party streamer and confetti bits. All the stamps are Viva Las VegaStamps! and I used Royal Purple StazOn ink to stamp onto the washi tapes. This is so fun and I just I love how the striped washi tape contrasts with the Doodlebug "Fancy Frills" scalloped border.

What is Sketch it Saturdays at Unscripted Sketches? Every Saturday morning a new sketch is posted for the week. Flip the sketch, rotate it… create a card, a scrapbook page, a wall hanging, digital, paper, fabric, paint, anything your imagination comes up with! There is no right or wrong way, as long as you are using the Unscripted sketch as the inspiration for your creation! And everyone is invited to join in the fun... and post your creation on their page via inlinkz for all the world to see!
 

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Thanks for dropping by today. Hope you have a fantastic weekend! Sb :)

I'm Cuckoo for WASHI Tape!!!

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Hello friends! I'm dropping in today to share a little "EYE CANDY" with you. In an effort to steal a smidge of Cre8time each day - I have reached a point that I need to also purge and organize my crafty stash. I have completed finding a proper home for my Gelatos {which I've already shared here} and now I've moved onto my stash o'washi tapes!!! 

Though I did purchase new containers for the Gelatos {this was a treat for the purging and organizing to come} - I won't be doing this with any of my other supplies. I will find and repurpose a container that is already in my craft cave. Originally I had planned to steal and recycle the box that the freezer paper comes in - complete with a tear strip. Unfortunately after gathering all the rolls in one place... this would only house about half of them. So yesterday I repurposed a flip-top corrugated box that delivered a beautiful pair of Fiskars scissors enscribed with my Fiskateers number - a perfect fit for what I thought was ALL the rolls of washi in my stash... until I found five more rolls this  morning.

I needed a bigger home, and my muse would not be satisfied until this task is resolved. After a few minutes poking around my bins and boxes of supplies... I happened upon this nice tin containing a kit of angelina fibers from US Artquest {ordered from HSN a while back}. It has a clear windowed lid, too! So I can see all my little spools of goodness.

I ran to the pantry to grab the box of snack size ziplocks and gently transferred each skein of angelina fibers to it's own baggie and all of these now live in the Fiskars box... totally TRADING SPACES! The last thing I need to do over the weekend is attach a recycled metal tear strip from the box of aluminum foil {this might require some power tools}.

Here's my new shiny home
for ALL of my washi tape! 

Now I can move on to my next creative adventure. Have a Happy Thursday!!! :) Sb

A Singing Bird Will Come with Greetings for Unscripted Sketches #256

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Good Morning! Today is Sketch-It Saturday with Unscripted Sketches #256. I'm on my way out of town for the weekend and I could not leave without squeezing in a card for this week's sketch. A monochromatic stamped collage creation using Oxford Impressions stamps and some of my fave go-to images from Viva Las VegaStamps! – this is a perfect anytime card and will be going out in the mail straightaway. I invite you to come and join the weekly challenge.

What is Sketch it Saturdays at Unscripted Sketches? Every Saturday morning a new sketch is posted for the week. Flip the sketch, rotate it… create a card, a scrapbook page, a wall hanging, digital, paper, fabric, paint, anything your imagination comes up with! There is no right or wrong way, as long as you are using the Unscripted sketch as the inspiration for your creation! And everyone is invited to join in the fun... and post your creation on their page via inlinkz for all the world to see!
 

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Thanks for dropping by today... Have a fantastic weekend! Sb :)

Springtime is #Cre8time at HOME with Unruly Paper Arts May Reader's Art Quest

Hello Everyone... welcome to May! It's a new month and I'm happy to share a brand new upcycled mixed media project for the new Reader's Art Quest at Unruly Paper Arts. This month's challenge theme is "HOME" and you know how I love a good challenge!

I really enjoyed created something new - and at the same time giving a proper home for bits of this and that on my craft room table. It's springtime and I've been doing some much needed sorting and purging of my studio - along with finishing countless UFOs {unfinished objects} which are cluttering my desk... and MIND!

Following the Unruly Paper Arts Reader's Art Quest "Home" Inspiration photo and color palette, I set out to collect some items for creating. I have a few Amazing Casting Resin house pieces created from an embroidery kit frame molded using Amazing Mold Putty. I had one of these in a baggy with some scraps of Bo-Bunny papers, embellishments and ribbon - such a good starting point. This month's issue is "Fabric Frenzy" so I also added some muslin to the mix.

 

Then my "ONE TOUCH RULE" started taking effect. In gathering other supplies - I happened upon this mini kraft tote that had the label removed. Hmmm! Perhaps this will make a lovely base for a mixed media piece.

I selected this section of muslin fabric monoprinted using my Amazing No-Gelatin Rubber Plate {my DIY version of a gellie plate}. When I'm playing and monoprinting I use extra papers, fabric swatches and other items to pick-up second/third print pulls. For this pattern, I had been impressing large bubble wrap into the paint to make texture and it will make a nice sky background for my "home" scene.

My selection of vintage lace, ribbon and knotted twine in the color palette. I might cut up this large loopy lace for clouds... we'll see how things progress.

I set off to work preparing my kraft tote to be a base for hanging art. I cut off the paper handles {which will be reused in another crafty project} and glued the sides and flap and a piece of cardstock inside to make a sturdy flat piece.

I try to be conscious in the beginning of how I'm going to display/house a creation. One thing I love using for upcycled projects is soda can pulls! With a decorative brad - they make a quick and easy hanger.

The whole is poked through the base bag and buried into the glued layers of my finished project. This is ready to hang!

View from the back with tab/hanger bent slightly for easy hanging on a pushpin.

I built up the layers on the front with a couple layered pieces of white cardstock with torn edges - slightly larger than my base bag.

Using a pale yellow acrylic paint I brushed some color around the border. I trimmed the monoprinted muslin to size and frayed the edges. I adhered another piece of white cardstock to the back of the fabric using a Miracle Sheet {sheets of double sided adhesive that can be cut to size} for stability and added strength. Before adhering - I added a little painterly details...

Faber-Castell Gelatos are my new obsession that are now a staple in my daily travel tote! I've found storage boxes that are the perfect size and I have two bins so far. I've even added color names to each of them with my P-Touch labeler {yes I have a little creative OCD}!

Using my new Nathalie Kalbach Stampendous stamps, and a variety of Faber Castell Gelatos - I applied color directly to the faux burlap stamp to simulate grass and pops of pink for flowers.

I spritzed the Gelatos with water and then pressed onto the fabric. I didn't use an acrylic block to ensure I pressed into the texture and cracks of the painted fabric. I let this dry completely and then peel the backing off the Miracle Sheet and adhere to my prepared base.

I stamped across the bottom edge of the fabric and I filled in the remaining 1/2" at the bottom using a water brush picking up color from the green gelatos used. I love the subtle watercolor effect and it complements the monoprinted bubble wrap background. I have a dark green pom-pom trim that I will add for additional dimension and as a horizon line for my scene. This will be layered upon a lace ribbon colored with green Gelatos blended with water to match my stamped garden. I placed my assembled house complete with resin domino door and mini bicycle onto the scene and filled in a faux fence with the knotted twine and cut apart section of May Arts wooded trim. I painted vertical stripes in with waterbrush and chocolate gelato to finish the fence... creating a nice contrast of dimension and color.

The base Bo-Bunny Paper that I trimmed to fit behind my Amazing Casting Resin house was a bit bright and blue. So I gently applied a gesso wash over it to mute the colors down, then applied a mix of pinks and yellow gelatos to marry this to the Unruly Paper Arts May Reader's Art Quest "Home" color palette challenge.

I also smudged some yellow and pink gelatos to the doily I was placing behind this house. I had already adhered these together, so mini Post-Its make masking quick and easy. I placed the Bo-Bunny flower as a "sun". As I started assembling the pieces to the fabric background, I decided to remove the flower. I wanted to give the scene balance and place the sun in front of some sparkly rays.

Using Post-its - I quickly masked around my white paper border to prepare for some misting. Then using T!m Holtz "RAYS" Stampers Anonymous layering stencil and Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist, I created some shimmering yellow rays for my floral sun.

This did the trick and gives balance to the house on the opposite side of my piece to complete the sky scene. Now it's time for those little finishing touches... a bronze colored dragonfly covers the gluedot residue I couldn't remove from the doily; and some Sakura of America Gelly Stardust Holgram hand-drawn details.

With addition of some adhesive gems for window on an Amazing Casting Resin domino door; and flower shapes and round gems to fill in this blossoming garden... this scene is complete! This scene just makes me smile.

I hope you enjoyed my project and that you are inspired to join us in this month's Reader's Art Quest. My "thoughtful abstractions" column for the May "Fabric Frenzy" issue of Unruly Paper Arts will be coming up on the 21st... you certainly want to SAVE the DATE. I would love to see what you create. Please leave me a comment with your link.

Happy Creating! :) Sb