Clean and Simple, Assemblage and Assembly Lines!

This time of year, we do a lot of homemade gift-giving. A lot of us make our own cards to send to friends and family. Here is a video showing how to do a claen and simple handmade card and how to do a more involved assemblage card. The Toy Soldier assembly card is designed by Tammy Tutterow and you can see her original card here: www.tammytutterow.com 

Here are the measurements for my  Clean and Simple Retro Santa Card.

 Clean and Simple Retro Santa Card.

Card Base 5 x 7 prefolded card or 10 x 7 inch cardstock folded in the center.

Red Cardstock    6 3/4 x 4 3/4 inches

White Cardstock   6 3/8 x 4 1/4 inches.

Jenny Bowlin Cough Syrup Ink

Archival Black Ink

Tim Holtz Christmas Time CMS141 Stamp Set


Tammy's Toy Soldier Card

Kraft Cardstock

Dark Green Kraft Core Cardstock

Music Style Embossing Folder

Sizzix Toy Soldier Die

Sizzix Tattered Banners Die

Walnut Stain Distress Ink

Distress Stains Fired Brick, Picket Fence, Tea Dye, Black Soot, Metallic Stain Antique Bronze.

Studio Multi Medium Matte

Crackled Accents

Stampabilities Vintage Type Lowercase Stamps Set

Some Christmas ideas and Tim HoltzWreath Die

Poinsettias and Star Brights

Today, I'm sharing three more new Tim Holtz dies with you and the different ways you can use them!

Here are two photos of the poinsettia I made in the video. I decided to emboss the outer ends of the leaves with Ranger's sticky Embossing Powder and pour Ranger Clear Rock Candy Dry Glitter over them...now it looks ice encrusted! Too cool!

Toy Soldiers and Snowflake Rosettes!

I hope you enjoy this video!

In the Bag Die Tutorial

Some treat bag fun!

Here are some photos of my finished bags!

 The Bats and Silhouettes are on dimensional foam popups!

Color Reference Tags

You know, you don't always need the pressure of accomplishing an objective, to be creative. Sometimes it's fun to focus on learning more about technique or about the properties of your tools, or about color. This week, I'm focusing on learning more about using color! I'm using inks but you can use paint or color pencils to make your set of reference tags!

After I stopped the video, I realized that I had switched the covers on Stormy Sky and Peacock Feathers. So the tag in the video is Stormy Sky and Salty Ocean! So I did a tag the right way with Peacock Feathers and Salty Ocean and put the two side by side here in the photo below so you can see the way it is supposed to look compared to the one I did in the video. There is a big difference!

Here is a photo of the card I showed you also!

The Base and the skull are on pop dots and the clear dome is slid under the top edge of the base and glued only on the edge not showing. This is my version of a card that I beleive was made by Shelly Hickox.

Funky and Carefree Souls!

Have Fun!

Face Painting at the Orchard!

Happy Monday to you! This past weekend I spent the entire time painting kids and adults at a local orchard's fall festival. My partner Donna Harcourt and I started at 9am and finally cut off the line at 5:30pm each day. During that time we painted kids and adults faces and a few arms non-stop! And I do mean non-stop...no meals, no potty breaks, no sitting down even once! Our line is always a 30 minute wait...but they wait and they always go away smiling! It's a wonderful thing for a child to sit in your chair, a little shy and a little antsy and when we finish, their smile lights up the whole place!

Our wqorking table with paint, wipes, and water basins full of brushes!

I am painting a scorpion design on this boys hand...he said it was "Awesome" when I finished!

This is Donna Harcourt with a young customer

This young man works for the Orchard and he wanted me to paint eyes on his eyelids! He got lots of looks and double takes!

Altered Ornaments

I had fun with these! Try it!

Here is a photo of all of them!

Autumn Trifold Card

A really nice card with several fun techniques and colorwork!

Halloween Tags with Sticky Embossing Powder and Metallic Distress Stains!

I hope you will make some art and share it with me!

Happy Labor Day

Happy Labor Day

No videos this week, I've been out of town and so I'm sharing some paintings and projects I have done this summer. I hope you enjoy them and get some inspiration! Everything was painted or done by me with appropriate credit given to the designers.

Three views of a Mixed Media wooden placemat, my design

My design Mixed Media with Tissue paper, spray inks, die cuts, etc

A Watercolor Batik journal designed and taught by Donna Harcourt at Tennesee PWFW Retreat

Tissue covered bottles

Fabric painting design by Janice Miller taught by Donna Harcourt

Pebeo glass jeweled frame taught by Mary Jo Klier at Tennesee PWFW Retreat

Spiderweb watercolor background technique taught by Donna Harcourt in Tennesee.

Image Transfer Coaster

Graphic 45 covered canvas

Prima Make it Take it from CHA

A Joan Johnson rose design taught by Phyllis Gibbs

Palette Painting in acrylic taught by Dianne Hart at Tennesee PWFW Retreat

My own Mixed Media design

Painting of a retro toaster from a photo, soon to be released as an online class