We Rise by Lifting Others

My Dina Wakley MEdia Ledger Journal is getting pretty full, and I've enjoyed working in it so much that I'm considering doing something I never have before: buying a second copy of the same journal. In the meantime, I had a blast adding layer after layer to this page, including the large Stenciled Queenie (the only thing here that is, alas, out of print); which I covered in ancient, miscellaneous alphabet and numeral rub-ons (the only non-Dina products used); a Passport Photo Chipboard Shape adorned with a perfectly fitting face from the On Their Mind Rub-On Transfer Set; some butterflies from the Flutters set; a few scraps of Grunge Specimens Chroma Transparencies; and finally a few beautiful, colorful birds from the Fly High Stamp Set.

I hope your weekend will be filled with bright colors, beautiful weather, and a little free time to do something creative, just for yourself!

Circling Back

A lot of my collages are built around a particular color; but some are built around a shape... and as you can see, this is one of the latter. Dina Wakley has quite a few designs that feature circles, and the script transparencies from Pattern Play and some older Collage Paper icons that look a bit like extra large postmarks are two such, so I started with those; and then added circles of varying sizes cut from Typed Ledgers and dotty Chroma Transparencies from the Grunge Specimens pack. 

I don't always have a plan when I start a collage... (and I don't always follow the plan even when I have one, lol!) ...but in this case I had started out with the intention of combining the beautiful lady (from an older set of Transparencies that's, alas, out of print) and the multicolor butterflies from the Flutters Rub-On set, and that's exactly what I did.

I thought the collage was finished at that point, but when I came back to it later, the whole thing felt a bit "floaty" (super-precise collage term there) and so I anchored it with a few strips of Dina's Washi Tape (from an older pack; Set 2, probably) running vertically at the top of the page and horizontally at the bottom. Et Voila!  

SOS564: FREE is Good!

It's time for the last Shopping Our Stash challenge of 2025 and this time we'd like you to use something you got for free. Think: an RAK from a friend, a freebie included with an order, something you got as a door prize at a crafty event, something gifted to you because people think you can use just about anything on a card... you know: FREE!

I had to laugh when at the last sentence above, because I am SO lucky that my friends and family (and sometimes THEIR friends and family) are always showing up with a little bag or box or envelope of miscellaneous "stuff" they thought I might like... and a surprising amount of the time they are CORRECT! So I was able to make almost my whole card from such bounty, including: old sewing patterns and a phonebook from my mom; tiny sunflowers and buttons from my aunt; pieces of vintage road map from my friend Barb; part of an old, falling-apart Chinese dictionary from my friend Liz; and Hambly Transparencies and vintage Tall Corn Trading Stamps from my chosen sister, Stephanie! 

Be sure to check out the other Crew Members' cards at Shopping Our Stash. SOS564: FREE is Good! runs until the evening of Monday, January 12th.

Big (BIG!) Mandala Monday

After two months of Index Cards, working in an art journal feels big; and working in my (12x7"ish) Dina Wakley Ledger Journal (back in stock at Ranger!) feels realllllly big... in a good way!

The mandala center, scattered hearts and first two rounds of petals are cut from Dina's Collage Sparks compilations. The petals further out are painted with Gloss Spray, then adorned with a white Posca Pen, and outlined with Letter It Fineliners. I added some transparency ladies from Focals Set 1, which are out of print, but there are lots more cool Dina Transparencies from which to choose.

Wishing you a week with LOTS of creativity and productivity; but not too much humidity! ♥

Midnight Clear (Week 2)

It's the second week of making cards with transparent elements at Jingle Belles and this time I have a two-fer of shaker cards. See?

Technically these are ordinary cards with shaker tags on them, but you get the idea. I love Sunny Studio's Build a Tag #2 Die Set and that's what I used to make the tags and reinforcers. Then I punched square windows into each tag, backed them with scraps of clear acetate, and made a little winter scene with Eyelet Outlet Glitter Tree Tape, Sparkle White Glitter Tape hills and Snowflake Sequins. I finished off with Snowflake Brads and Penguins or Snowy Trees; then added tag-shaped mats and panels adorned with Glitter Tall Tree Tape, sticker sentiments and a few more sequins. 

Visit the reminder post at Jingle Belles to see Stephanie's second card; then scroll down to the original Midnight Clear post to link up your own CLEARLY awesome creation(s)!

Mandala Monday #50 of 2024

Getting straight to the POINT(settia) this Mandala Monday with a funky, splashy, zendoodle-y holiday bloom that I made into a 5.5" square card on a base of adoringly hoarded Hambly transparency from the Olden Days of papercrafting.

Watercolor effect with Tombow Dual Brush Pens; Outlined in Letter It Fineliners; gold details via ancient metallic paint pen. 

Journal Cover

I've been working off and on in my Dina Wakley 6x6 Kraft Journal from Ranger for several months, but I hadn't gotten around to decorating the cover... until NOW! 

Of course I raided all of my favorite Dina Wakley MEdia goodies: Fly High Stamps, Collage Sparks, Transparencies, Typed Ledgers and Collage Paper; not to mention a bit of Marine Gloss Spray mixed with White Gesso, which added color to the tissue and transparency pieces as well as adhering them to the journal cover.

And now it's even more inspiring to work INSIDE the journal, so I think I will!