Crazy Bird Valentine

Valentine's Day is closing in and I've got a few takes on the Crazy Bird gang.....



This is a shadow box card, very easy to make from two pieces of cardstock - 5.5"x8" scored at 4.25" and a 5.5"x8.5"scored at .5", 4.25" and 4.75". These two pieces tuck together to form the "box" that  pops into place when the card is opened but folds flat and fits into an A2 envelope.



My photos don't do these guys justice - maybe it's a good thing I'm taking a class on how to take better photos at CHA - but they are adorable. Especially using the Crazy Things accessories set. Bet you won't be able to make up just one.....

Of course there has to be some watercolor images, these from Art Impressions and the Windows on the World series.

Here's  another variation on the dog in the park image.....in this card I added a vellum  heart window on the front of the card to let that cute doggie peek through and lining up the outer hear with the one in the dog's mouth.

And now I'm off to the Craft and Hobby Association trade show in Anaheim, California where it's raining buckets....!!! With all the rain we've had in the Pacific Northwest lately I was looking forward to some warm sunny weather.....lol. Guess that's not going to happen on this trip.

Heading to CHA/2016

Yep, December blew right past me in the rush of prepping for classes, creating Christmas cards, bingeing on mason jar toppers and becoming addicted to Crazy Birds.....and I've got the pictures to prove it. Let's start with the classes....

I posted several Christmas designs in my Sept 17 blog, but here are the class cards that were made at both Rubber Stamp O Rama in Philomath and Runaway Arts in Salem during November and December.



....and in my studio I had fun creating cards using the new easel dies from Art Impressions.






.....by mid-December I was on a roll that included inspired pieces from Papertrey Ink's petite places and their Market Maker Kits.....mason jar toppers became my obsession:


aided and abetted by my fellow crafters

We definitely had fun that day but it only wetted my appetite for continuing the evolution of the Papertrey Ink samples into using whatever miniatures  I had in my stash that could be contained under that simple plastic dome.....

.....I ended up making over twenty of these toppers in all sorts of variations that proved to be very popular gifts this holiday season. 

And one more venture into a three dimensional project using a wooden door purchased a year ago that never got put together until this year.

This is a mix of Tim Holtz hardware, Michaels wood products, wreath makings from a Papertrey Ink stash from last year's Christmas kit and various bits and pieces from my miniature's storage container.  Love that deer head.

I'll show you the Crazy Birds Valentine cards in another post.....

Happy New Year  to all!

Watercolor gems in under ten minutes

Yes, that's right. Ten minutes. You can create these little gems for Christmas cards, Thanksgiving notes, table place cards, thank you sets.....the list is endless. Come join me this Friday, 10am, Nov 6 at Runaway Art & Craft in Salem, Oregon for a class that will inspire you to create more of these little masterpieces. Warning: once you create one you won't be able to stop!

Hope to see you on Friday.....thanks for stopping by.

Holiday Cards

You know it's autumn not just by the change in leaf color  but the overwhelming amount of Halloween decor available in every store in town! I do think it's overtaken Christmas, which still remains my favorite holiday of the year.

My schedule also changes with the addition of classes in fall card making, Halloween themed cards, and several Christmas techniques. Everyone seems to have a fun evening of it.....

whether the card is one of the new Try Fold releases from Art Impressions featuring the cutest haunted house surrounded by ghosts and strange looking birds, to the new flashy poinsettia stamp set from Stampendous.....

Three classes completed and five more to go before Christmas.....if you're in the area stop by either of these independently owned stamp and craft stores to sign up for any of my classes or other classes offered by some mighty talented teachers: Rubber Stamp O Rama in Philomath, Oregon or Runaway Art & Craft in Salem, Oregon.

Here's a few more pics of the latest class at Runaway Art....we were working on the new Stampendous poinsettia stamp and die set....using Intense pencils and #4 watercolor brush.

I'll do another posting about using watercolor images in the new easel cards by Art Impressions. In under ten minutes you can have a spectacular watercolor image framed and done.....honest. It's that easy. See how in my next posting.

Thanks for stopping by....

'Tis the Season

Can you believe summer is gone, gone, gone and I'm already heavy into making Christmas card samples for classes at my local craft stores - Rubber Stamp O Rama in Philomath, Oregon and Runaway Art in Salem, Oregon.

The national craft trade show, CHA, meets in January annually but this year added a regional meeting in July. Smaller than the mega show it gave me an opportunity to talk to manufacturers at length and pick up some great card making tips from Art Impressions of Keizer, Oregon, just up the road from me. They always have new designs, new techniques, new dies.....and to die for watercolor stamps. I've been cranking these puppies out ever since. Here's a peak at what I've been up to in my studio.

This is a beauty. Watercolor and Art Impressions new Christmas doorway stamp.....plus the new sentiment dies from Elizabeth Craft Designs which are absolute show stoppers!

....another AI watercolor image new for this holiday season, very quick and easy to make if you want a stack of handmade images for the holidays as greeting cards or thank you notes or even gift cards.

.... did I mention I'm head over heels for watercolor this season and once again AI images plus dies provide a customizable mail box image that you can add greenery, background (snow covered pines) and red cluster flowers around, pop a Memory Box die birdie on top and call it done!

Not to be outdone by Art Impressions is Stampendous with the most luscious poinsettia rendition ever. Check these out.....same stamp done three different ways. Cool, huh.

The fabulous die cut sentiments are the new signature sets from Elizabeth Craft Designs.....get your hands on these, they lift any card to a whole new level of design.

Thanks for stopping by!

Easter

I've been die cutting tons and tons of Easter eggs for cards sent to family and friends as well as getting ready for my April card class at Rubber Stamp O Rama. Here's a few samples. What a fun thing to do in my studio, plus I've used up a bunch of Gelli plate prints as backgrounds for "eggs" using a new die set from do crafts

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Easter.

More Valentine Cards

This is such a great card to make for almost any occasion but super fast to whip up a bunch of Valentine cards either clean and simple or embellished to the hilt with Karen Burniston's new dies for Elizabeth Crafts.

The die set comes with several heart shapes making details a breeze to create.

Another great die is the accordion panel. Cutting more than one creates a book like form that has infinite card and album making possibilities. In the example below I created a multi frame Get Well card for a dear friend going through a second round of chemo.