Art From The Heart

10-10-10 Card Class Tomorrow

Oops.  Almost forgot to post the supplies you'll need for the 10-10-10 card class tomorrow.

Reminder: you will complete 10 card fronts - not full cards.  So if you would like to stay and finish your Christmas cards or make more cards, that's perfectly OK - until 4:30 pm.  Just make sure you either BYO cardstock to finish your cards or purchase @ For Keeps Sake.

Here's what you'll need to bring to class:

• Basic Supplies + a wet glue that dries clear
• Heat gun
• Stickles: gold, silver, red, green and a shimmery see-through for a snowflake (rock candy or similar)
• pop-ups
• Copic Markers (I used red and green and orange and yellow and flesh tones for Santa's face)
• Ranger Archival Sepia and Coffee
• Distress Inks:  Any brown tones
• Versamark or Distress Embossing Ink

See you tomorrow (reservations required) at 12:30 pm.  Class will last until 2:30 pm at which time you may stay and play with my supplies and finish up any additional cards you would like to make.

Reminder:  I'll have my holiday greeting stamps in class.  If you'd like to stamp greetings inside your cards, please BYO fave ink colors to do so and stamp cleaner.  Thank you!

Let's *get 'er dun* and have some fun!

Haven't signed up yet?  It's not too late!

Call For Keeps Sake (314) 487-8131

and get your name on the list!

Sue's Class

Sue Kelemen is a friend and an extremely talented instructor at For Keeps Sake.  Took one of her classes this week - Holiday Banner - using Graphic 45, Tim & Wendy stamps and kul yule embellishments.

Here's what we ended up with (I know you'll love all the detail in these):

 

 

 

We did receive beautiful ribbon to string these together

and I was going to do that

until

Ann Werner

said she was using her's strung together on her staircase with the garland.

And then someone else suggested using them by themselves

instead of stringing them together.

 

hmmmm.

Think I'll do that.

Tie each one separately to the staircase garland.

 

Thanks for the ideas girls.

And thanks Sue, for designing such a fab project!

Bling It On DT Challenge

This week's DT Challenge on Frosted Designs: BLING.  And really, isn't the bling season just beginning?

So, sent a couple of things that you can see on their website: one with a little bling; one with lots of bling.  Here's my blingy-est.

and some details:

Graphic 45 paper

with

leaves colored in using Tim Holtz Distress Stickles.

Added a gold bee charm

and

broken glass ornaments on the edges.

Distress Stickles on the wings

with

teeny micro-beads on the flower.

Petals are filled in with Distress Rock Candy Stickles.

Hope you like it.

 

I purchase all my supplies

@

For Keeps Sake Scrapbook.

Charm Swap!

The CYI (Create Your Imagination) meet-up group at For Keeps Sake just enjoyed a Christmas charm swap.  Here's a few of the charms I was lucky enough to receive. 

Cute Alert!

Sonja, Stacey and I were on another shopping adventure . . . this time in the Lou.  And what, you ask, is my new FAVE store?

The White Rabbit

Holy schmoly! This store is fabulous - and - I might add - independently owned.  I like that.  Keep those store owners in business and help the local economy . . . as I said . . . one shopping trip at a time.

Anyway, back to the White Rabbit.  A-DOR-A-BLE in every way. 

Here's a link to their store:

http://thewhiterabbitstl.com

IF you like vintage, bling, homekeeping, decorating, wildly wonderful Christmas decorations, have a new baby, need to purchase for a new baby (their baby *department* is to die for), love one-of-a-kind can't find it anywhere else stuff, antique pieces to decorate your home . . .

then ya gotta shop here.

Here's your step-by-step shopping itinerary (from the event planner):

1. Drive to 9030 Manchester Road - 63144 (The White Rabbit's address)
2. The White Rabbit is located directly across the street from Carl's (the famous hamburger joint) and just two doors down from Hargrove's Fly-Fishing Shop).
3. Park in front of the store or behind the store.
4. IF your husband drives you to The White Rabbit and is a fly-fisherman (like mine), then he can shop while you're shopping and you won't hear one sigh from him or get a *how much longer are you gonna be in here* look.  Otherwise, buy him lunch across the street and you go shop while he's enjoying his burger at the bar.
5. Walk into The White Rabbit and be prepared to be amazed.

Here's a few of the things I walked away with:

How cute is he!

I practically had to wrestle an old lady for this guy.

It was worth the match - and I had about a hundred pounds on her.

See, sometimes it's good to be overweight.

Look at the star he's holding

and his tiny silver bell buttons.

 

 

Then saw this nesting crown.

Once Thanksgiving is over,

I'll put this under my pedestal domed cake platter

(where a sparkly pumpkin now rests)

and fill it with something . . . definitely a bird

but need some ideas for the filler.

hmmmm . . . I see another shopping trip in my future!

 

Mini clip-on nest, all blinged up and ready for a bird.

 

maybe this one:

loved his silver beak, teeny crown

and his tail!

Also found an antique piece

that will sit on top of my library drawers

as soon as Bill is finished with them.

I can't wait to show them to you.

Stay tuned!

Ridiculous . . . in a good way!

Since it's Veteran's Day, thought I'd show you my red, white & blue circle journal - finished.

These circle journals started in May of 2008 and just ended in October 2009 - so almost 1.5 years in the making!  Anyway who knows my work at For Keeps Sake knows I love chunky books.  The fatter the better.  But this one beat all . . . ridiculous . . . in a good way . . . all 5.5 inches thick of it.  I'm not kidding!

The instructions for my circle journal were to scrap a current event in the month you had possession of my journal i.e. History In The Making.  This turned out so fascinating. 

During that 1.5 years:

• Obama ran for Presidency as did Sarah Palin and Hillary Rodham Clinton
• Anheuser-Busch, an uber-mega  US beer manufacturer for generations and a HUGE influence on jobs in St. Louis was sold to a Belgium brewer.
• the economy went downhill - fast.
• Obama became President of the United States
• Walter Cronkite & Michael Jackson died

When I received all the pages back from the gals in the swap, I was almost in tears.  What a piece of history.  I can imagine generations to come looking at this the same way I look at my Grandmother's writings.  Thank you to each person who contributed to my circle journal.  You guys rocked this book!

So, in keeping with the history, here's what I ended up doing with my cover:

 Why not create your own piece of history.

January 2010 is just around the corner!

Thank You

to all who have served and continue to protect us in our

Armed Services. 

This day belongs to you.

Passing this along because this flag is A-MAZING!

http://kcwillis.blogspot.com/2009/11/wait-until-you-see-what-i-am-giving.html

as well as a

Happy Belated (by one day) Birthday

to the

USMC.

234 years strong!

Once a Marine . . .

and to share two of my favorite Marine quotes:

The Marines I have seen around the world have the cleanest bodies, the filthiest minds, the highest morale, and the lowest morals of any group of animals I have ever seen. Thank God for the United States Marine Corps!
Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady of the United States, 1945

 

Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem.
Ronald Reagan, President of the United States; 1985

 

God bless you all.

 

Now, get out there and do something good for your country:

shop the Veteran's Day sales!

Just enjoyed our last CYI of the year.

We skip December for our meet-up because it's usually such a crazy month for everyone.  So with that said, it was good to see everyone before we all get busy with turkeys.

Tonight, we had an opportunity to peruse everyone's circle journal, trade ATC's, get our charms from last month's trade and . . .

received my final three pieces of the puzzle trade.  I chose *PARIS* as my puzzle theme and boy did these gals deliver Paris.  I have traveled through parts of France - once - and totally fell in love with everything about that beautiful country.  My dream is to go back as a tourist, take paper arts classes, perhaps a couple of cooking classes and wile away the hours at the famous flea market.

Here are the three puzzle pieces I received today to complete my set:

from Diane C:

from Judith H:

from Linda B:

So in the meantime, I dream of Paris and traveling throughout France. 

Sing along with me . . .

brown paper packages wrapped up with bling

'Tis the season to add bling - have ya noticed - how blingy everything is this year?  Timi, Nancy and I were in Hobby Lobby yesterday and we couldn't grab enough blingy things to decorate our homes.

Got me thinking about starting some blingy samples for the store (For Keeps Sake) so here's the recipe I grabbed this morning:

• 3 parts grungeboard (think this can't be blingy?  think again!  I used the deer in 2 different sizes and a large ornament)
• one and a half parts paper (MME)
• 3 parts Ranger's alcohol ink (Mushroom + Meadow with a teeny bit of Denim thrown in)
• 3 parts Distress Ink  (Antique Linen + Denim + Brushed Corduroy)
• 1 part Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint
• 1 part Brushed Pewter Distress Crackle Paint
• 1 part Idea-ology Ornate Plate
• large die-cut chipboard snowflake
• 1 teeny bell

• miscellaneous bling

Here's the sample:

This is going to be a weird holiday season.  This year we lost two parents:  Bill's Mom and my Dad.  But we have a lot to be thankful for.  This is Beau's first Christmas as a civilian.  The past four years have been spent in the Marines so happy to have him home and safe.  (Still praying lots for those serving, especially Debbie Schuh's and Sue Kelemen's sons.)

Anyway, my point here is that no matter what, we have a lot to be thankful for.  And today, I'm thankful for bling.  I know it probably sounds stupid to you, but bling just perks everything up.  You could be in the foulest mood possible - and you see bling - and *poof* ya gotta smile!

Here's my bling contribution and a mini-tutorial on how it was done:

1. Ink edges of small brown paper bag with Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink followed by a tad of Denim Distress Ink.
2. Cut MME paper to fit the front panel and ink white cut edges with Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink.
3. Adhered MME paper to the front panel.
4. Ink large grungeboard deer (all over) with Antique Linen Distress Ink.
5. Ink edges of deer with Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink.
6. Brush entire deer with Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint.  While paint is still wet, sprinkle gently & lightly with miscellaneous bling.  Let dry.
7. Paint large grungeboard ornament with Brushed Pewter Distress Crackle Paint.  Let dry.
8. With a Tim Holtz alcohol ink applicator, apply Meadow Alcohol Ink on top of dry crackled ornament.  Add Mushroom Alcohol Ink around the edges to create some depth to the ornament.  Let dry (although it only takes a tiny bit of a minute to dry).
9. Adhere ornament to front of bag.
10. Adhere deer to front of bag.
11. Add a teeny flower or bell to the deer's neck
12. Add a bow to the top of the ornament.

DONE!  Now onto the card.

1.  Cut the 2 MME's papers (used in the bag project above) to fit the front of your card.  Ink cut edges with Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink.
2. Ink & prepare small grungeboard deer exactly as explained above for the deer on the bag.  Set aside to dry.  By using the Antique Linen and Brushed Corduroy Distress Inks under the bling, it makes the bling look as if it's been sitting around for decades.  Instant antique!
3. Ink snowflake with Denim Distress Ink.  Paint snowflake with Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint.  While paint is still wet, sprinkle with bling.  Set aside and let dry.
4. Add ornate plate with your own personal greeting inside the "frame".

DONE!

It is amazing to me (and almost magic) how the bling picks up the colors of the Distress Inks underneath.  So you can use the same bling on anything and get a totally different effect from the color applied.  Love it!

Take a few minutes and go do some.  They are so fun and totally stress free!

 

 

Another doorknob thingy

That's going to be my new name for these - *THINGIES* - unless someone can come up with another name - hopefully one that's clever - because I may have to use the word *thingy* again for something else.  One never knows when the mind will go blank.

Can't stop working on these.  Love this size.  Bigger than an ATC.  Smaller than a 6x6 mini-page.

"No Place Like Home"