CAS-ual Fridays Stamps New Release-Just Breathe!

It's Day 6 of the CAS-ual Fridays New Release Inspiration!  Today we're showing off the new Just Breathe Fri-Dies.  You can get all of the new products in the shop now!  Here's how I was inspired:

You don't know how excited I got when I saw this die set!  A couple years ago I chose Breathe as my word and I searched high and low for a die... I found some stamp sets and I even bought a couple... but I really wanted a die... and when I saw this one, it was perfect!

I decided I needed to do something special with this one... something for me that I could hang in my room and just stop and remind myself every once in a while.  So I pulled out a mini canvas and pulled out some paints and gold texture paste and went to work!

I started by painting my canvas with some metallic acrylic paint in a deep but bright blue.  While it was still wet, I swiped in a little bit of Heidi Swapp Gold Color Shine... I was splattering it on something else and rather than just letting the extra run down the sink, I decided to use it here.

While it was drying, I cut the Just Breath from some brushed gold foil cardstock and then 3 times from some turquoise cardstock to stack them.  I wanted them to be really durable and like chipboard.

Once the painted base was dry, I pulled out the new Starlequin Stencil and used it to apply some gold texture past to my canvas in both corners.  While that was drying I pulled out some goodies... a nylon flower that I received in a package of goodies from Yvonne Yam some time ago... that wonderful old key that I received in a package of goodies from the oh so talented Mitralee... 

A flower I crocheted from some gold yarn with a button I picked up at a second hand store.. some paper flowers, gold bling gems, a whole bunch of my favorite things..I attached them all with some liquid glass.  And then my favorite goodie of all... as good as these Just Breathe dies...

Another treasure from my box of goodies from Mitra...this dangly jewel... I used the tails from the crocheted flower to tie it on and I left the tails on purpose because I like them!

I'm going to enjoy seeing this in my room... now to decide where to hang it....

I'm playing along at Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday Challenge which is Anything Goes this week!  I'm also playing along with the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge which is Play With Paint!  I'm also playing along at the Outlawz Twisted Thursday with Favorite Product or Technique.  I have so many favorites on here, but one of my very favorite products is a great Word Die.. and my favorite technique with them is to cut multiples and stack them for a 3D look.  And even better when I can attach them so they are suspended, like on this little canvas!

Thank you for stopping today and I hop you enjoyed it!  Be sure to hop on over to the CAS-ual Fridays Blog and see what everyone has created for you and find out how you could win some of the new products!  Should you decide to shop, I have this for you:

We've got one more day of inspiration for you tomorrow!  Come back!

Dreamcatcher Ornament

 

This is something I've been thinking about for a long time.  I love dreamcatchers.  I have a board on Pinterest dedicated to them because there are so many beautiful variations.  All different shapes and materials and colors.  For my center I used a doily made by a friend of a friend who was nice enough to share with me.  The flower on top by the bow is a combo of one I crocheted (behind) and another one made by the other, much more talented crocheter...lol.  Mine is behind because... well.. it's not nearly as pretty.. lol...but it had some gold thread in it and I wanted to include one of mine in this as it is a gift.

 

I started with another frame ornament from Hobby Lobby.  It was not my intention when I took the frame apart to paint it with some gesso to give it a base.  I planned on making another shaker ornament.  And as I looked at it hanging there drying with the frame all by itself it struck me that I could make a dreamcatcher with it... and then I thought of the doilies and as luck would have it there was just one in there the perfect size and shape.  So... I knew I wanted to use gold and since the doily was cream that was my color scheme.  I used some gold embossing paste and a lace stencil and added the lacey texture to the frame.  When that dried, I added a couple layers of gold metallic acrylic paint.  Then I took the doily and some gold double layered metallic thread I had and attached it to the frame also weaving some of the gold thread through the doily along the way.  I glued the crocheted and paper flowers, gems and feathers on.

 

For the hanging parts, I cut some feathers from the Cricut cartridges Artiste and Southwest out of white glitter paper and glossy gold paper.  I chose some lacey ribbons in white shades and tied them all on.  Then I thought the rusty bells from Paper Sweeties would be a nice addition.

 

 

My final addition was the little cherub piece that I found in a box of old jewelry parts that I had taken apart and kept for just such occasions instead of selling them in a garage sale for a quarter or taking them to Goodwill.  I thought they would make meaningful additions to something else I'd make.  This one was on an earring that a friend of mine gave me when we were teenagers... she picked it out because I loved Van Halen and it resembled one of their album covers.  I think it's perfect for this ornament.

 

This one will be hard to let go of, but I did make it as a gift so it will be off in the mail this week (hopefully... ).  But not to fear, I will make another for myself eventually.

 

Thanks for stopping and don't forget to come back tomorrow for Atlantic Hearts!

Mini Me?

Let me apologize up front for all of the words.....

 

 

I'm linking this up to a challenge at LESSology.  The challenge is to make something altered with a Dress Form.  This may be a stretch, but I did dress up Emma :) so I figured why not give it a go?  I'll definitely be checking back with this challenge blog because I think it will push me to do more of this type of project which I LOVE to do, but I get so overwhelmed getting started and also along the way.  But I keep remembering that whatever you do, if you don't like it... change it!  And have fun!  You should give it a try.  This challenge runs through the end of the month.

 

I got a birthday gift at work in August from a very sweet friend and co-worker.  And part of it was this tin that had a couple notepads in it.  Honestly I think I was more excited about the tin than the notepads...lol!  It had a window in it and immediately I said, I'm gonna make something with this!  So when I was trying to decide how I was going to present the coming story I knew how I wanted to dress Emma, but not what kind of project I would make... maybe a card?  And then I remembered the tin.  I should have taken pics along the way, but I have no patience for that... once I got going that was it.  The tin was silver and I had Pat spray paint it white for me.  I was going to do it myself, but I don't think he trusted me and from the mess he made I'm kinda glad I let him do it...lol!  I had gotten some tips and a beautiful tin from a new blog friend, Mitra so I decided to try some of them out.  (See her post here.)  I started by using a Tim Holtz stencil to add some texture paste in a lace pattern to the front and back... hmmm... I should have photographed the back... but it's like the front without a window... so I think you can imagine that.  When that was dry, I added some gold Perfect Pearls over the texture.

 

 

Then on the inside more texture past in a grid pattern and when that dried, I painted over it with some pearl paint mixed with Lagoon re-inker.  First I brushed it on and then I kind of dabbed at it to make it a little more textural in the flat areas.  While that was drying, I used Paper Sweeties Pretty Posies Sweet Cuts, stamped them with the coordinating stamp set with Versamark and then embossed them in gold.  Pulled out the old watercolors and added some additional color to the already pretty papers leftover from one of last year's special paper packs.  Of course I crinkled them, uncrinkled them and sprayed them with gold color shine.  After everything was dry, I proceeded to use liquid glass and popup tape to add all of the flowers plus some leftovers I had stamped for the Mason Jar wedding card (stamped from Party Time).  Probably the trickiest part was strategically letting only certain things show through the window.  I also added a few crocheted flowers (my very favorite embellishments).  These were not made by me or mom, but instead a friend of a very sweet friend, Tracey.   You can see her beautiful projects here.   I've been kind of hoarding them and will only use them for special projects... and this is a special project (and hopefully soon I'll have another one coming).  I cut the leaves from some gold linen paper I found at Hobby Lobby.  I added lots of Paper Sweeties gold sequins, creamsicle ribbon, and the sentiment and some gold bling gems from CTMH, as well as the wooden bird and I cut the acetate and gold heart from the new PML overlays.

 

This altered tin has been a labour of love this weekend.  So... what you've all been waiting for... some of you have probably been wondering what it is with me and Emma.  I couldn't put my finger on it and then one day I was looking at some old pics:

 

 

IDK... do you see what I see?  Maybe not... maybe I'm crazy... but....

Don't forget to stop back tomorrow for the Three Amigos Blog Hop!

Holly Jolly Christmas!

 

Hope you're not tired of these PML card cards yet!  How could you be since they are all different?! 

 

I used Memento ink to stamp the deer from Holly Jolly Christmas and then watercolored and cut him out.  The blue background is also watercolor and then I used a small and large PML card behind.  This is one of my favorites... I just love that reindeer!!

 

I added some ribbon from Michael's, of course Paper Sweeties sequins and a little gold bell (although I wish last weekend while I was doing all of these I had my rusty bells from Paper Sweeties (you'll see), some gold jewels from CTMH and of course my fave Art Philosophy flowers.

 

Stop back later and don't forget the Atlantic Hearts Sketch tomorrow!

Christmas Card Workshop Cards 9 & 10

 

These are the last two cards we'll make and after we're done you'll have plenty of PML cards and ideas to continue on with your cardmaking!  See the next post for the details on the workshop.

Leftovers?

 

Two more with leftover cards from the workshop .... I added some complements to the owl card and I used Paper Sweeties sweet cuts to cut out the Joy on the bear/fox card.

 

You will have all of these additional PML cards to take home and use for more Christmas cards.  I did use some additional items to make them, but you can purchase extras or you can use what you already have at home to make more cards. 

 

I know, I know.... details for the workshop coming later today!