March is here!

I am so excited that March is upon us and the weather here is showing signs of warmer weather. Could it be spring is here? I look forward to the flowers and all that embodies spring time. Soon we can throw open the doors and windows and soak up the sun!

Here is a class card showcasing how to utilize the glitter glues available to us now along with alcohol inks. It is easier to use the new products (Stickles and others) so clean up is nicer! The alcohol inks bring a nice touch to the projects as well - adding a nice glow to the image, don't you think? Just remember to not use the alcohol inks on an unembossed surface. I used the back side of the transparent sheet to apply the inks. The Stickles went on the paper which was stamped and embossed.

 Thanks Mary Jo for another wonderful class! I will definitely be tryng this technique again soon!

Frog prince

Another valentine's card - I made this for my son. I used three stamps, red translucent beads from Pennywise on the black layer, diamond glaze on the hearts and watercolor pencils on the frog. It didn't take me 10 minutes to do this card and it was fun. Happy February!

Homage to the Valentine

I made Valentine's this month and it is fitting for me to end the month with some of them. I love this stamp - the kiss - there is another silhouette stamp of the couple too but the kiss is timeless. Enjoy!

Asian ATC

I woke up to snow today and it is still coming down. It is so pretty! We haven't had much of a winter here. I can imagine what Whistler and Vancouver are like! As the day progresses it will probably turn to rain.

Here is an ATC I created with an Asian theme - this design did not make the cut for the monthly swap since I was running out of mitzuhiki cord. My japanese lady turned out well and at first I was concerned about the colors. I used some art markers and the colors weren't as vibrant as I would have liked yet I did like the overall design Red translucent microbeads from PWA are placed along the side and behind the cord to add dimension. Enjoy!

Journey in Mica Inks

Creating backgrounds is part of my journey into mixed media. Below are some examples of using Mica Inks on coated papers and stamping over them. Classes at SAS allow me to experiment with different mediums. Mary Jo is always good at mixed media and I love to attend her classes. The top one I stamped into another sheet that I had too much ink on and used as an ink pad creating the lattice effect.  You can tell I like the swirly scrolly stamp.


The bottom one shows the smooshing technique that I learned from Judi from Judikins last fall at the store's fall art show. Mica inks give a different effect each time with the use of different colors and stamps as well as the amount of ink used. The smooshing technique is in the background - not too pronounced - look for the round shapes with petals - as I pressed the stamp into the inks and sort of smooshed or twisted the stamp and then lifted off the page. This made the single lines turn into the petals.

Smile!

Here is an old class card that is still inspiring me - whimsical and fun, simple. I am working on a card to send to my sister who is recovering from surgery. She loves her cat who is missing her dearly.

This card was part of a class in San Diego that I attended back in 2004. I like the use of "white space". Clear microbeads on the flower on the cat. The cat is popped up with foam tape. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday, Jeremiah!

Happy Birthday, Jeremiah!

This is my favorite found photo this year of you and your dad as he shows you the world. No wonder you are so adventurous! I am so proud of you and wish you the best birthday ever! You bring such joy to our lives!

February Firsts

I was inspired to create my own blog by the Queen herself - that is Queen Pennywise.  Glass beads are great to work with and I enjoy sharing so many wonderful ideas with everyone. Stamping allows you to make an impression and so here I go - I had fun making this ATC as part of the 1-4-1 ATC swap on the Pennywise Yahoo group swap.

Red translucent microbeads embellish just like ribbon. I call this lovely lady Goldie and she is ready to pucker up. The hearts are highlighted with Diamond glaze and Goldie is embossed with Kaliedascope embossing powder.