Mixed Media Fun

I signed up for another Big Picture Class - Scrapbooking Your Faith. We're in week 2, and part of this week's assignment was to create a mixed media piece using a verse or phrase that speaks to you/inspires you. I chose "my hands are holding you" from the lyrics to 10th Avenue North's Song "By Your Side." It's a song that God is constantly using to remind me that he is always with me no matter what. Amazing how often I forget that fact. Maybe seeing this wall art every day will help me remember! Here's a few making of photos -

Started with a blank canvas, tissue tape and color card stock, then painted the whole thing purple.

Used some crumpled cardstock and a scrapbooking flower to make some color flecks.

 Painted my hands, then pressed each on the canvas. Went back over the edges/gave it more definition.

Then I added more tissue tape/cardstock. I cut out a butterfly and my letters out of chipboard using my Cricut. Painted the letters/butterfly and glued to the canvas.

The finished piece:

OLW - Go - February Edition

 Finally got around to doing the February for my One Little Word class. The prompt was to take photos (or find pictures online) of things that represent what your word means to you. My smaller photos are fairly self explanatory: direction, travel, adventure, go. Most of the photos I found on Pinterist but I did take a few of them. 

For my bigger photo:

One of the things I am inviting into my life using my word 'Go' is trust in Christ - which reminded me of the song "Let It Go" by Tenth Avenue North. I often hold on so tight to what I think I want instead of letting go and trusting that Christ will be there to catch me and give me something better in His eyes. I overlaid the lyrics to the song using Photoshop.

One Little Word

I started participating in this thing last year called One Little Word. Basically, you pick a word at the beginning of the year and then carry that word with you, invite it into your life, etc. for that year. This year my word is "GO." I'm hoping it will motivate me to make some big changes in my life (which will require me to be my word from last year - courageous). I'm also excited because I signed up for an online scrapbooking class at Big Picture Classes specifically for OLW. There is prompt every month to do with your word, as well as a gallery and forums where you can share your journey with your word with everyone else in the class. I've already been pleasantly surprised at the positive comments I've received on my images so far. Can't wait to see what the rest of the class and the rest of the year holds! Here's some of my progress so far:

My necklace charm. Not a requirement for the class, but I made one last year and it's a good reminder of my word on a daily basis.

This is my title page. I hand-drew the background in Painter, added Ali's border/title in Photoshop, then stuck the foam stickers on for my word.

One of the first prompts was to take a self portrait photo.

This is my page for January. The prompts were all about defining/introducing your word.

So, what's your One Little Word?

Catching Up

Well, it's safe to say I've been slacking on the blog updating. Not that I haven't been creating stuff, just too busy to remember to post! I'll spare you the details of my crazy life, but here's a bunch of images of what I've been up to in the past few months:

Mom & I redid my room & put new flooring down (it use to be purple).

Inspired by something my pastor's wife does, I created my own 'Blessing Ring' - a place to keep cards and notes of encouragement.

Helped with my church's Trunk or Treat. My trunk was "The Book of Kells." And yes, I free-handed those posters you see (I'll try and post detail shots later.)

Made a bead-weaved amulet pouch to hold my candle (battery powered) for Emmaus candlelight services - so my hands are free to hug and do sign language.

Had fun capturing the local squirrels feasting on the pumpkins we left on our steps.

Made a Santa basket in basket-making class.

Lots of time playing with our new Havanese puppy, Ginny. She likes to walk on my back if I'm laying on the floor.

Caroling Cows! Made for a Facebook group I joined called 'Doodle United.' The theme was Christmas.

This is (part of) my title page for my new scrapbook project for the year, One Little Word. My word, by the way, is "go." More on that later.

Happy Birthday Grams

No challenge cards lately - I've been busy working on another project: a present for my grandmother's 80th birthday. I've been looking at the printer's trays from 7 Gypsies for a while now and have been wanting to make one. To the left is what the blank tray looks like. With a little help from my Aunt Susan and my dad, I gathered pictures old and recent of family members (including pets), some vintage looking papers, and other embellishments. It took a lot of planning, but the end result was worth it. I can't wait to see her reaction when I give it to her tomorrow when my mom and I are take her out to dinner. 

Here's the finished tray:

Happy Birthday Grams!

CAS #15

This week's CAS-ual Friday challenge uses a sketch from the Clean and Simple Stamping blog.

Here's my card:

Not sure how I feel a about this one. The sketch felt really crowded on my card, probably because the stamp I used was so large. Anyway, I really struggled to pull this one together - this was my 2nd attempt and I still don't know that I'm completely happy with it. 

Well, phooey.

Apparently I wasn't paying any attention to the date when I sat down to create my challenge cards this week. I finished both my Mojo Monday and Play Date Cafe cards in plenty of time, but forgot to post and link them before the deadlines! Ugh. Oh well; I can still post them here.

Here's the Mojo Monday #203 sketch:

And here's my card:

The Play Date Cafe #94 colors this week were Fudge, Goldenrod, and Teal:

Here's my card. Trying to make some more masculine agape cards, since the men's Emmaus walk is coming up in September. 

Simply LOVING my new Verve stamps I just purchased recently! 

Play Date Cafe #93

Super excited about this week's Play Date Cafe colors! Watermelon, Sorbet, and Lime. Great for the summer, and let's face it - anytime you involve any type of pink and lime green together I'm gonna be excited!

Mom asked me to make a birthday card for our friend Diane, whose birthday is Monday. I thought these colors would work well for her card - she's fun and spunky like they are. : ) So glad I still had some this polka dot ribbon in my drawer -

Happy Birthday Diane!

CAS #14

This week's CAS-ual Fridays challenge was to use some glitter and some glue dots on a clean & simple card. I had never used glue dots before. They're pretty cool - other than the dilemma of how to get them off the roll without distorting them (I found pressing the dots to the paper without trying to peel them off the roll worked the best). Needless to say, a bit of a learning experience. And I don't usually mess with glitter since it makes such a mess, but the glue dots hold it pretty well, so I may have to start putting some glitter on some of my other projects. Anyway, enough chit-chat, here's my card:

Mojo Monday #202

Mojo Monday again! Here's the sketch:

And here's what I came up with:

I saw the technique for making the flower in the latest Paper Crafts magazine and decided to give it try. I raided my sewing boxes for the rick rack - it came out pretty cool! 

Here's a close up:

The Play Date Cafe PDCC92

The Play Date Cafe is all about color. It's also cool because you're not limited to cards or scrapbooking (which means I will be doing some jewelry for this one at some point!) Anyway, this weeks colors are Coral, Petal Pink, and Antique Gold. I confess, I have never used coral for anything! It's an interesting color. I ended up making 2 different cards as I was playing around with my papers.

CAS-ual Fridays CDC13

Challenge blog find #2! CAS-ual Fridays is all about keeping your designs Clean And Simple. This week's challenge was to make a 4 x 9 card.

I took an idea from another card I had done and simplified it down to a single flower.

I may have to try this size card again, it presents some interesting design challenges/possibilities. 

Mojo Monday #201

I don't remember how I found them, but I have stumbled onto several new (what I call) challenge blogs - and I'm hooked! The first one I tried is called Mojo Monday. Each week they post a sketch, and then you create something and post a link back on their site. Here's this week's sketch: 

I was a little intimidated by how many different things there are on the sketch - I don't usually do ribbons, bows or tags, and I've never made a circle or square card either. I happened to find this great combination of papers while going through some of my scraps, and the matching buttons, and the rest seemed to fall into place. I am VERY happy with how it came out! 

Christmas in July

Yesterday was a card-making day (lots of posts to come), and I finally got to try an idea I found a while back on a blog called Stamping with Roxie. It's a snow globe with actual water in it! In the card! It took me a couple of tries to find the right glitter (it has to be very, very fine - the first kind I used floated and then got all stuck together - ugh). But I finally got it to work - and it's pretty darn cool. Anyhow, here's the finished card!

Te he! A totoro!

Homage to my favorite childhood movie, My Neighbor Totoro. I used my versa mark pen to draw and emboss the totoro, then colored the whole card front with my new chalks. The acorns inside the sweet treat cup are made out of sculpy clay.