Saturday, November 26, 2016

Christmas Cards and More 2016

Hello!  How are you?  I have been MIA from the blog.  Due to life running at a fast pace and technical difficulties with Blogger on my mobile devices I have not posted in a while.  Thankfully I am still able to post from my Mac.  Just not quite as convenient as blogging while lounging on the couch, ha, ha, ha.

Fall projects are put away for the year and I have started on Christmas/Winter projects.

I warmed up with a set of Christmas cards for my MIL.  Using a variety of older Christmas paper lines I made cards without a lot of dimension so that they can easily be mailed.  These come together quickly as I keep them simple by layering with the designer paper, using sentiments from the paper with a few added stamped sentiments and some embellishments.  Love the traditional red and greens.









My current work in progress is another two sets of the wood block home decor that I created for Fall/Halloween.  One set is a gift (shhhh, don't tell) and the other is a Winter/Christmas set.  These are made in a similar manner with a good coat of black gesso to start and then some Ranger Ink transparent texture paste through stencils.  Here is what I have so far.



Next step is several coats of Distress paint applied and blended with a baby wipe.




I will post when these are complete with more details on supplies and materials.

Hope your December is magical and you spend time with those you love.

Happy Creating!  Hugs, Sharon




Saturday, September 17, 2016

Wood Block Halloween/Fall Home Decor

Hello!

Hope you are having an enjoyable day. With the first day of Fall in less than a week I wanted to share a home decor project that will take you through fall, Halloween , and into Thanksgiving. Love a home decor piece that is versatile, don't you?

This piece, really pieces, was left over from another project. Some 2 x 4 pieces already cut into 4, 5, and 6 inch high pieces. No stepped out photos on this one but I will walk you through the steps and list all the materials at the bottom of this post. 

As is my usual method I didn't have a specific end result in my mind but knew I wanted a Halloween decor piece.   Out came the Halloween colors, stamps and dies.  I ended up with this group of Halloween blocks. 


Fun, right?  I started by painting the blocks all over with black gesso. 


Once dry I applied some Ranger Texture Paste Transparent Matte through a spider web stencil.  I let the paste air dry and then pulled out some Tim Holtz Distress paints in oranges. I dabbed on and blended with a baby wipe. This was repeated until I was happy with the color. I applied this color to all sides except the bottom. A happy surprise is how the matte paste makes the wood look like it carved!  Next I die cut a variety of Halloween images and words. Some shading was added with Distress inks.  The die cuts were glued down with Ranger Matte Medium. Some were given extra texture with some crackle paint.  The final touch was some stamping of spiders and script on the sides and back.  To protect the blocks I added a layer of matte medium over the whole surfaces. 








It was at this point that I realized that I could add more die cuts on the back side!  Thus the Fall side of my blocks were born. I started the process again with some Fall themed dies, stamps, and inks. Side two turned out like this. 


I did not include the "wood carving" on this side but instead used the same script stamp as used on the sides for the background.  I followed the same process to color and glue on the Fall leaves and foliage die cuts.   Again, the final layer was matte medium to seal everything up to protect and provide long wear. 




I will display these blocks on a shelf in my great room on the Fall side. Some time in October I will flip them to the Halloween side. After October 31st I will flip them back to the Fall side and display through Thanksgiving. Three little blocks will cover the months of the Fall and Autumn holiday season. 

Hmmmm, now I'm thinking it would be fun to have a set of blocks for each season!  Winter/Christmas, Spring/Easter, and Summer/4th of July.   I've got the pastes, paints, inks and die cuts so now all I need is hubby to help me cut up some 2 x 4s!  

Hope this inspires you to look at scrap wood in a whole new way!

Supplies used:

Surface:  Scrap wood 2 x 4

Wet:  Distress paints, and inks in oranges, reds, yellows and browns;  archival ink, black gesso, Ranger Matte Medium, Ranger texture Paste Transparent Matte

Dies:  Tim Holtz Sizzix Tattered Leaves, Layered Leaf, Jack O Lanterns, Halloween thinlit word, Branch Tree, Mini Owl & Crescent Moon Mini Movers and Shapers, Autumn Gathering Sizzlet; and an original Sizzix die Pumpkin (38-0254)

Stencil:  Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous Shatter

Stamps:  Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous Ledger Script and MiniHalloween 4

Thank You for stopping by!  Happy Creating!

Hugs, Sharon
















Saturday, August 20, 2016

Mixed Media Cards

Happy Saturday!

Hope all is well with you as summer winds down.  Is anyone else looking forward to Fall as much as I am?  Love these times of transition. It almost feels like an opportunity to reset and move on. 

I have been enjoying creating and teaching some mixed media classes. Last weekend was a mixed media card class.  If you are following on FB at SY's Studio you have already seen some peeks. 

Here are the finished class samples. 


At the students request I incorporated the favorite techniques from the Mixed Mediums 101 and 102 classes. 

Kits ready for class. 


Trays all set with mediums, inks, and supplies for each card. 





Some close up details of all the mixed media goodness!





I get such a kick out of watching the students learn and have a fun time. So much so that I always forget to take pics during class. Ugh. No matter how much I tell myself I'm going to take pictures of the class and the students work I always forget. Hahahahaha. I just get lost in the moment and enjoy myself as much as they do. Ah well that's the way it goes. 

Really, truly I get as much out of teaching as the students do learning. It feeds my soul and allows me to just be. 

I'm starting some fall themed projects and will share some peeks later. 

Thanks so much for stopping by. Hope the mixed media cards inspire you to create some of your own. 

Happy Creating!

Hugs, Sharon











Monday, July 11, 2016

Village Dwellings, Sneak Peaks, and Halloween

Happy Monday!

hope you are doing well and enjoying your summer.  I'm excited about the latest releases from Tim Holtz.  How about you?

Today's Tim Holtz Sizzix holiday release sneak peek really brought me back a few years!  Be sure to check out the Halloween Sizzix Release and the Christmas Sizzix Release and see all the fun new dies and embossing folders.  There is sure to be something for everyone.  The Village Dwelling series has been creating quite the buzz and Tim does not disappoint with the latest dwellings to add to our village.  The Halloween Manor just makes me smile.



So many of Tim's dies and stamps have such a nostalgic feel to them.  I am always drawn to the Halloween images and products.  It brings back the wonderful memories from childhood. My Mom was so great at making every holiday festive and full of happy memories.

Tim's release, including the Manor, doesn't only take me back to childhood but just about 6 years ago when I re-ignited my passion for crafting.  When I saw that Manor this afternoon I instantly went back to 2010 when I created my own Halloween manor.  Hope you enjoy this little trip down memory lane.  I know traditionally its throw back Thursday but I'm just a little early this week.  Hehehehe.

I was using my Cricut more those days and can still remember the excitement when I found the Happy Hauntings cartridge.  It included a haunted mansion to put together.  What started out as simply putting together the haunted house became a multi day construction project of not only the house but a whole scene.

It looked good,  It was a challenge to put together but I was loving how it turned out.  It needs some some shingles my husband said.   Hmmmmmm, I can do that.



Yes, it does look much better with shingles.


 I glued each one of these on by hand, carefully making sure to stagger the rows.


It needs more my husband said.  Ok, what else can I add?  How about rocks on the chimney, and a yard with spooky trees and a grave yard, and a fence.  


Perhaps as a sign of mixed media things to come I got some texture paste and created the "yard" on a canvas and painted it all spooky with black and gray.


So today Tim Holtz has brought back some happy memories and struck a cord with his latest dwelling the spooky manor.  I love how crafting can become so personal and take us to another place and time.  

I am looking forward to creating the next version of my haunted house.  Wonder what construction tips my husband will come up with this time?




Thanks so much for stopping by today.  Hope you find joy in your crafting!

Happy Creating!

Hugs, Sharon




Thursday, June 23, 2016

Don't Forget to Fly-Winged Things

Hello!

The fabulous ladies over at the Creative Carte Blanche blog are having another art adventure. This month the theme is Winged Things. You can visit them here http://www.creativecarteblanche.com/2016/06/winged-things.html

So happy that I played along!   This dragonfly is ready to spread its wings and fly. 




The wings were created with a recycled computer keyboard mother board.  Such a cool mechanical touch to my winged thing!


This will make a fun addition to my craft room and a great reminder to spread my creative wings. 

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you get some creative time in this weekend. Join the hostesses at Creative Carte Blanche and play along. 

Happy Creating. 

Hugs, Sharon


Saturday, June 4, 2016

Use What You Have Cards

Hello!  Happy Saturday!

Hope your weekend is going well and you are getting in some crafty time.  

My Mother In Law and Sister In Law asked me to make them some cards for any occasion that could be mailed.  I jumped at the chance to just create.

Since I was going to be making 30 cards I decided to keep things simple.  I started by pulling out my 12 x 12 patterned paper stash. I quickly selected those that caught my eye along with some matching cardstock. I cut them to size to fit the pre-made cards I had in my stash. These are the packs with coordinating envelopes that you can find at the big box craft stores.  Then I just started playing. A few of my favorite Tim Holtz sentiment stamps, the new stitched dies by Sixxiz and Tim Holtz, punches and some ink and the cards came together fairly quickly.  I let the images and patterns in the paper guide me. Pure fun. Pure joy.  Creative play. 

Grab a cuppa and check out the use what you have cards. 












My MIL was very appreciative and told me that she has already used two of the cards to write long over due notes.  So grateful that she is enjoying the cards as much as I did making them. 

These cards were a great creative jump start for me. I learned some things along the way:

Using up your stash can bring joy to many. Seriously, it's just sitting in your room taking up space if you aren't using it. Go.  Pull it out.  Make some cards. Give them away for someone else to enjoy. It will make you feel good. And them. And the person who receives the card. Spread the joy!

I am in love with the nested stitched dies by Tim Holtz and Sizzix. In love. Really. I have never had a set of nested dies before. Yes I know I'm late to that party but hey I'm here now. Such a simple way to add a little extra touch to a card, layout, or album. So many possibilities. More please Tim!

I really like the Handwritten sentiment stamps by Stampers Anonymous and Tim Holtz. Makes it look like I hand lettered my cards. Shhhhhh, it's our secret. Hehehehe.  Seriously Tim, please make more of the handwritten sentiment and word stamps.  Pretty please!!!!!  

It doesn't have to be about big, fancy mind blowing techniques or complicated cards. A simple card made with pretty paper, joy, and a few extra touches makes a big impact. 

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I appreciate you. 

Now, go pull what you have and make some cards!  Happy Creating!

Hugs, Sharon