Stories are gifts....

with thanks to my Starbucks sleeve, I couldn't resist using it as the focal for my card today.  Thank you, graphic designer!  I've had this idea percolating in my brain since DH treated me to a gingerbread latte last Sunday.  And it all came together nicely for the 365 Card Blog Day 275 A Novel Idea, SplitcoastStampers CC 299, and Card Patterns Sketch 92.



 The Day 275 Challenge was a picture of the novel, The Secret Garden with the girl dressed in red  stopped to pass a note through the garden wall.  Perhaps a story about her life. 


 The Color Challenge on SCS this week was Real Red, Old Olive and River Rock.

  Neutral of your choice and for the Dessert Option, Christmas theme.






                                                                                    And  last, but certainly not least as this is the foundation of my card,
the Sketch from Card Patterns 92.  I did reverse the layout to make it work for my graphic paper and the cup sleeve.  I used the back side for the vertical panels...corrugated cardboard.






Being a homeschooling family, we read all the classics, including The Secret Garden.  And our rule is no movie version if the book hasn't been read.  I can remember taking my oldest son to see The Indian in the Cupboard when he was 5.  During the show, he kept saying. "Mom, they are leaving this or that out...it's not as good as the book!"  And even today, with them up and grown...we still read the book before the movie...


Thanks so much for stopping over to visit today, I'd love it if you would leave the gift of a story before you go.


Be blessed

Paris...meet me

tonight at the Opera house...

I am just getting to the 365 Card Day 272 Card Recipe challenge.  After a week of luscious vintage goodness, it's time to combine all the elements for one I'll have the  'works' creation.  With the blog visits and reading each DT members blog through the week, I gathered a list of elements that would need to be part of my design.  10 things...

Pam:       Piercing
Amy:      Stitching real or faux
Sophia:   Favorite vintage thing to use.  For me, vintage buttons or snippets of vintage trim
Tesa:      Die Cuts
Rose:      5x5 size
Gloria:    Stickpin
Audrey:  What type of stamp tickles your fancy?   For me elegant women
Kim:       Distressing
Hannah:  Dimensional Sticker
Heidi:     Lace

My stamp of choice had to be this fantastic B Line Designs 'Dressing Table'.  I stamped it with VersaColor Black and embossed with Super Fine Detail.  I did the embossing for make it a bit sturdier for cutting (using it also for Tesa's die cut element).  For the drawer pulls, I used tiny black gemstones.  You can see in much better detail if you click on the photo.   The beauty's dress is paper pieced with a bit of Basic Grey aqua paper.  I beaded the shoes with Martha's Feldspar color microbeads.   Around her shoulders is a real vintage lace 'shawl' (did I mention I like to use SNIPPETS of trim????).  The stickpin has tiny pearl vintage buttons from my Grandmothers' button box, along with a bit of hand dyed silk trim. And I suppose I could use the memo note as a die cut also.  I stamped the message with Making Memories Magnetic Alphabet letters in VersaFine Olympic Green.  The dimensional sticker is the U~nique wall art.  I put the word embrace along side. I distressed the edges of the lovely Basic Grey Curio damask 'wall'paper.   And last but certainly not least is the REAL stitchin' per Amy in black along two sides of my 5x5 card.

I have not made a vintage card in quite a long time, I'd love to know how you think I did using the Day272 recipe! Thanks to all the gals on the 365 Card Blog for your inspiration and creativity this week. Thank you so much for stopping over...

Be blessed in all that comes your way today,


I am editing to add, I read Pams' challenge wrong and thought it was paper piecing...so I am posting a closeup pic of my card after paper PIERCING!  There is the Stampin Up piercer template as evidence!

falalala Latte...

Eggnog lattes, peppermint mochas, gingerbread lattes, just take your pick!  I'll get the milk steaming.

My card today celebrates the best of the wintery season.  And the town where I learned to be a coffee snob. Over on The City Crafter Challenge Blog  this week is the city SEATTLE.  When we moved to Seattle in the early 1990's, Starbucks was just getting started and in their store you could go to 'Coffee College', a 3 night long get together where you learned the history of coffee, how it is grown, aged, produced, what is the best way to get a perfect 'shot' of espresso, the types of machines, well you get my drift, right???  After learning the ends and outs, I was on my way to being a coffee affectionné .


The very hip mug of holiday cheer is a stamp from I Brake for Stamps.  I used Liquid Applique for the foam on the top.  The sentiment  was masked and inked so I could place it along the bottom to fit the Sketch Challenge on SCS today. 

Thanks for the great city challenge, City Crafter.  I have just discovered your blog through my new, livin' in my city (actually less than 3 miles from my house) blogging friend, Jan, your guest designer this week!  It's my first time entering the challenge, but it most definitely won't be the last...I love traveling to new places or revisiting old favorites!

I hope everyone is mightily this Thanksgiving, reuniting with family and friends.  Stay warm.


Card Recipe:  Stamp: I Brake for Stamps
                             Paper:  Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses, Wassail, Figgy Pudding, Brazzill Brown Linen cs
                             Trim:    Vintage seam binding 
                             Misc:    Liquid Applique, Cuttlebug and Snowflake Embossing Folder, Spellbinders small rectangle
                                           UTEE and Tim Holtz Super Fine Embossing Powder

Chasing Fashion

Okay, I'll admit it, I lived through Saturday Night Fever and Flashdance! But I never had the BIG hair, thank goodness! I was a slave to fashion. I'll blame my Mother and Grandmother at whose knees, I learned my lessons well. Everything had to match, from my patent leather shoes to pocketbook to gloves and bonus points if my sis, who was 7 years younger than me, and I got matching dresses for Christmas and Easter.

After graduating from University and obtaining my first well paying job, I chased hard. I found designers that I loved, would go to trunk shows at local department stores, meeting them and of course, purchasing the latest must have. I was a bit late for hats, but with a revival in the '80's, acquired quite a collection of beautiful fashion forward hats. The Tuesday Trigger over at Moxie Fab World reminded me of a beautiful black polished one I still have! The model's clothes certainly take me back to my threads of the '80's.

So my card for the challenge is just a bit tongue in cheek...to pay homage to all the fashion memories I have, most good, but some DREADFUL! My fashion diva does have the big hair in praise of that lovely hat. The leg warmers, so '80's stand in for the runched felted jacket. My gal has the pink belt...though it's slipped down to her hips. But even more important is that fabulous quote from the elegant Sophia Loren: Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you had a chuckle and thought of a fashion story you can relate. I'd love to hear what came to mind!

Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving. A time to count your blessings and draw loved ones close. The Tuesday Trigger over on Moxie Fab World this week had the most wonderful inspiration photo

from Martha (who else???). It reminded me of a Norman Rockwell painting if he had done still life. The glow from the light in window, those amazing flowers, and the pumpkins. I can almost smell the turkey that must be cooking in the oven. And that got me to thinking about homecomings and family walking in the back door right into the kitchen.

So I made the door the focal of my design. It is from B Line Designs stamped onto PTI vintage cream cs. I stamped it again on acetate to minic glass panels. I wanted to use Martha's glass beads for the pumpkins for texture. The pumpkins are from Impression Obsession inked with Tim Holtz DI Walnut Stain. Painstakingly, I cut terrifically tacky tape to fill the pumpkins, leaving some gaps for depth. Those gaps were colored with Copics. The sentiment is Rubber Soul, again inked with the Walnut Stain, embossed with TH distress embossing powder. The wonderful leaves in the upper left corner and the stripes in the door panels are the last of a sheet of Memory Paper...I don't know the group. sorry.

Thanks very kindly for stopping by and having a look. I'd love to hear about some of your family food traditions at Thanksgiving. In our family we have mumble pie (so good all you can do is mumble)! It is a scrumptious recipe of apples, cranberries, walnuts, brown sugar, oats, butter...Yum!

a damask, zippered corset...

I am still digging the damask from the recent Moxie Fab World challenge. The latest call, All Zipped Up was issued to use zippers in your paper crafting. Did you know that the hookless fastener was patented in 1913, to a Swede named Gideon Sundback? Aren't you glad he did? I went scrounging for a recycled zipper in a pair of jeans my son had outgrown. Just a reminder to click on the picture to see the details.

It's been a long time since I have created a corset. Sara Sandberg has a fabulous template available here. I decided that I would 'modernize' this one and insert a zipper instead of eyelets. I used some fabulous felted damask paper that was a gift. And the other side is the purple paper from Basic Grey's Kioshi group. I stamped CHF's netting over the top. PASSION was stamped on the top right and a snippet of vintage lace dyed on the purple hues. The flowers on the lower bottom are from the CHF lace backgrounder. The brass heart and silk ribbons are attached to the zipper pull. The lovely Victorian lady is a tag that slides in and out. I stamped Emerson's quote at the top which says, "Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not". The Rouge bottle cap celebrates the Moxie in all of us.

This also qualifies for Gingersnap Creations GC78 Spicy Supply Challenge to use sewing notions on your work.

Thanks for stopping by.

Blessings,

Susan

Ornaments of home

Happy Day all, we are slipping into the weekend and that certainly is a good thing. I can't believe how fast this week has gone! Tomorrow is a whole family yard work day, so I thought I better get my card posted for PaperCraft Star's Challenge #21 before I am off to work. This is a newer blog that does things just a bit differently. The readers determine the winner of the challenges with each one getting two votes. This will be my first time playing in the challenge, which speaking of 'good things' was a Martha Stewart photo inspiration. Some of my readers know I just love to recreate rooms on cards. And so it goes with this one!

I love the ethereal colors used in the retreat room. I can almost smell the ocean air and feel the sand around my feet. The colors are just what one would expect to see while you were strolling down the beach. I used Stamp Francisco's table image, stamping it onto a putty colored linen textured paper and embossing with SeaFoam White ep. It was cut and popped on dimensionals. My floorboards were created with the Tim Holtz ledger folder that I embossed in both directions to get the squares of the original. For the amazing day bed, I punched a strip from the Fiskars Eyelet lace punch and then used a Martha tag punch to make the pillows (paper is Mistletoe and Pear paper group Basic Grey snowflake pattern)...in creating those pillows with the tag, I just punched the rounded bit, not the whole tag...if that makes sense. The very cool cabinets under the bookshelves are small rectangles from Spellbinders that I dry embossed to look like raised panels. I cut 4 'door's. I used two vintage buttons for the door pulls. The 'walls' are papers from Memory Box 'Dewdrop' collection. The right side is tiny snowflakes and the left, a sponged pattern. I added the 'window' to minic the light you can see in the original. In place of the shelves which has those wonderful shells, I chose to use a Rubber Soul quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson "The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it." And those ornaments in the bowl on the table are cut from the overview sheet of the Basic Grey Mistletoe and Pear cover (never know when something might be useful!). I cased the 'shelves' in with white cs, used the Cuttlebug Textile embossing folder under the quote and a tiny bit of white lace at the top of my card.

I would love to hear what you think about "MY" room. And have a marvelous Autumn weekend.

Blessings,

Susan

Peace and Love

I love non traditional 'stuff', can you tell? These colors just sang out to me last night as I was working on the Sketch Challenge over on SCS. I sponged the angels with Tim's DI inks and used Spica glitter pen in gold for the wings. The papers are from Memory Box and Basic Grey. And the felt snowflakes are just the coolest with sticky on the back for ease of application. This card also qualifies for the 365 Card Blog Day 254 Challenge Wishes. Love the font on Rubber Soul's sentiment...Wishing You.

Well gurls, it's Wednesday, for those of us still out working too, it's one day closer to the weekend! Thanks for stopping by.

Wishing you...

Love. It's Tuesday, yeah! I don't often get to be creative on Tuesdays. However, this Tuesday the muse was 'clicking on all cylinders' to create a card that meets the requirements for 4 challenges! The Color Challenge on SCS was turquoise, red, and white. Over on the Gingersnap Creations Blog the call was for Haute Couture. The 365 Card Blog issue was a challenge about wishing. And finally at Flourishes Timeless Tuesday, Barbara called for glitter.

My mind is mostly one track, so to combine all this fabUlous challenges was definitely exercise for the grey matter.

I absolutely adore this lovely woman (Stamp Francisco) getting ready for an evening out, a play perhaps. I stamped her directly to paper with VersaColor Black ink and embossed with clear. She is colored with Copics and I used Martha's Turquoise Glitter for the hat. The wishing you is an image from Impress and the Love is part of a Technique Tuesday stamp that I masked the part I wanted to use...inking with Adirondack Red Pepper. I finished it off with a bit of tulle...seemed the perfect accent.

In retrospect, I should have created the lady in red. Have a listen, your ears will thank you!!! Hope you have a bit time in your day to let your muse play. I would love to know what inspired you!

Journeying

through damask as challenged by the Moxie Fab World "Diggin' on Damask". Did you know that damask has been around since the early middle ages. It is typically composed of only two colors and can be used on the reverse side. There are so many beautiful patterns, large and small.

I chose a large pattern (My Mind's Eye Lost & Found) to stamp the Stampotique background stamp, Spiritual Journey. The lovely small, red damask is from the Basic Grey Michael's only 'Mistletoe and Pear' 2008 (see, I confessed last post that I hoard paper!!!). I used it in half the paper doll (Limited Edition) also. The other half is the sky paper from Basic Grey's 'Mellow'.

The paper doll was put together with eyelets. I've found using them allows for lots of movement of the arms and legs. The "LOVE" necklace was constructed from a K & Co. Cut N Paste Bauble which I put on top of a Tim Holtz fragment. The chain was recycled from something my boy gave me to put in my stash bin. It came in handy today.

A bit more about the sentiment, it captured my imagination the moment I read the words.

We are not human beings on a spiritual journey. We are spiritual beings on a human journey.

Life here is limited, we are finite creatures and yet, I know in my heart, I was created to be so much more. My whole being yearns for the quest. Several of the design elements speak to my questions. I distressed the edges of the sentiment as a reminder of how journeying can wear on one's good nature. The half of the doll that is damask, meshes into the background damask, like how sometimes I feel just a part of a greater whole. That translucent golden ribbon reminding me of the need to be transparent, to relate to those people who come into my life. And perhaps most importantly, the half of the doll that is the cloud/sky paper. That I am a spiritual being trying to live 'fitted' into this world. With love, I can continue on my way.

If you've read all my musings today, I thank you. I would welcome your thoughts on the theme.

Blessings,

Susan

I hoard paper...

I confess. I just like to look at it, especially handmade paper. I've had this lovely Asian paper with gold highlights for at least 2 years. It caught my eye one day when I was perusing my local art supply store. I even shared half of it with my neighbor who loves Asian art...but until today, it's just been close by in my studio where I could take it out every now and then just to hold it in my hands and gaze upon it. I could not cut into it...

But I couldn't resist creating a card with it when I saw the 365 Card Blog Super Sketch Sunday challenge today. And the paper is truly the focal of my card...if you can resist the amazing face in this stamp from Lynn Perrella called Fuji Goddess. She is stamped on PTI vintage cream with Memento Tuxedo Black. I colored the blossoms in her hair with a couple of Copics and inked her face with VersaChalk cream. A shiny wrinkled bit of ribbon compliments the bits of gold threads woven into the paper.

I would love it if you tell me your hoarding stories! And thanks for stopping by.

under the golden gate...

I have found a new challenge that takes me back to my beginnings of paper crafting, thanks to Jean, who's blog is BlueBird Paperie It's called Tag Tuesday's Challenge sponsored by Kard Krazy (Louise) blog. My very first work was with tags and I thought I would never get the hang of creating cards!

The Inspiration Challenge today on SplitCoast was an amazing artist who uses a sewing machine as her tool. Myuki Sakai inspired me to dust off the Golden Gate image from Inkadinkadoo for my tag. I've long wanted to create something that I could use this photo of my DH, old long board surfer dude. I took the original into PhotoShop, resized the image, enhanced the 'oldish' picture and printed it for my tag. The wavy paper (October Afternoon) as the photo scene paper of hills and sky (WUBE) on the front and the vintage postcard on the back add to the '60's vibe, don't you think? Rubber Souls' hippy bus was a no brainer! I craved the windows out to take advantage of that gorgeous view over the 'gate.

I had a great time working out this creative challenge...I'll be looking for them on Tuesday's.

Beauty is...

This card was selected as a Trigger Target winner for 'A Study in Blue' on Moxie Fab World
Blue is a difficult color for me. But lately, I've found myself drawn to it in the clothes I wear. So when this weeks' Tuesday Trigger' over on Moxie Fab World was a Study in Blue color challenge, I just had to experiment with hues of blues. As most of the accessories were fashion, I thought this amazing 'Fountains of Women' image from B Line Designs would be perfect.

The image was stamped directly to the Brazzil linen paper with Memento Tuxedo Black. I colored the women with Copics. The boardwalk from Art Impressions, was inked with Tim Holtz DI Pumice Stone ink masking the women before I applied the image. I went back with several black pens of different widths to color the boards. Perhaps you can notice the top of the blue dress has a damask texture applied to it. (Basic Grey Vagabond papers). Her pumps are beaded with Martha's Lapis Lazuli glass beads. I cut and popped the dress to add dimension.

The undergarments were stamped on blue velum. And the nude's tattoo is part of the Beauty is soul deep sentiment from B Lines Design. I inked the tattoo with TH DI Pumice Stone and for the BEAUTY, I used Nick Bantock's Prussian Blue, embossing it with UTEE several times to give it some stability. I finished my card with a vintage garter that has hand dyed silk trim in the trigger colors.

This challenge took me way back to my paperdoll days as I loved playing with the ones you could find in the magazines. The Christmas I was 8, Santa brought me the Betsy McCall Fashion Designer. It had a light box that allowed you to trace patterns with colored pencils. A few years ago, I found one in the original box on the 'bay and asked if my husband would give that to me as a gift. It was pure joy when the box arrived and for the tiniest bit of time, I was right back there, Christmas 1961!!! And hopefully one day, I'll have granddaughters to share my love of paper dolls. I get the Fashion Designer out and maybe we'll do BLUE. How about you, did you like playing dress-up as a girl or have a favorite doll. I'd love to hear your stories.

typing, not texting...

Hey all you with it, hip(py) gurls. Remember when communicating meant hours on the phone...not cordless either! I decided to go old-school with a card for my tenderhearted son.

I did NOT learn to type on one of these beauties...we had electric Coronas. I must admit I love my cord free Mac keyboard and how it clicks every so daintly.

When I got up this morning, there was a hand written note on the counter right by my espresso machine...where I was sure to notice. words like 'stole' my heart, and looking forward to seeing you tonight, Mom (Thursdays are usually the night we catch up) and I love you, Mom. Now standing over the machine steaming milk, I realized it have been quite awhile since I had made him a special card. And just like that the muse came out to play!

I can't wait to catch up IRL.

Details for the elements can be found here in my gallery on Splitcoast Stampers.

...a second spring

I am not gonna let go of this glorious Autumn weather...nope, not gonna! Everywhere I walk and on my drive to work, the trees are dressed in magnificent color, an explosion really. Wednesday's over on Splitcoast Stampers is the Sketch Challenge. Today, I turned to Basic

Grey's Indian Summer paper group. There are 6 color variations of the same photograph of leaves and I managed to use each one.

The Albert Camus quote, Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a Flower, is an Impression Obsession image. The tiny leaves, a PSX long retired stamp. I used a Cuttlebug

Embossing Folder, Shells to give the pink leave panel some dimension. And the pretty card base is PTI Scarlet Jewel.

Our weather in the PNW is due to change soon and those glorious leaves will come down with the rain, but for now...for today, I am delighting in natures' show. Thanks so much for stopping by...