the spirit of xmas past...

...is inspiring us at ♥JINGLE BELLES♥ this fortnight; we're making new holiday cards with vintage --or vintage inspiried-- ingredients! won't you join us? here's what i made this week:

real vintage: sheet music, lace, pretty blue flowered paper that was the lining of an old envelope found inside a book i got at a booksale (woohoo!); faux vintage: super cool postcard by glitz design; other stuffs: floral and leaves: prima; white glitter paper: american crafts; blue cardstock: sei; snowflake and border punches: recollections; adhesives: elmers brand gluetape, 3m foam tape, gluedots, sewing machine

ok, so everyone including stevie wonder knows by now that i adore and collect vintagey bits; especially (but not limited to) vintage paper. in fact i have so much of that luscious sort of thing that a few years ago i started my etsy shop, just enough stuff, to share some of my "extra" goodies. so i'm pretty excited to be sponsoring our ♥JINGLE BELLES♥ fun this time... there just might be a little prize on tap for a lucky random cardmaker who links up with us this fortnight. why not hop over and check out the full details!

another great place to visit is sketch saturday, whose latest layout (#402) i have nabbed for my card:

a few (colorful!) things that didn't fit into any other post...

there's nothing especially interesting out in our garden yet, but i'm longing for spring. so i drew some colorful flowers with markers one night, just so i could feel like it was on the way: 

plenty of my sketchbook pages don't get completed in a night. this one evolved over a few weeks. it's mostly composed of layers that were made when i was "testing" ideas or colors or stencils to use in other pages; or finishing up bits of paint or modelling paste or washi tape leftover from other projects. often this sort of page doesn't ever amount to anything, and i'm fine with that, but sometimes they start to look sort of interesting and i'll put in a little time to "finish" them, as i did here:

this little guy i drew and watercolored with distress stains on the last day of kathy racoosin's most recent 30-day coloring challenge. i didn't get to participate every day, and i didn't do much proper "practice" but i love seeing what everyone makes on instagram and kathy herself is incredibly lovely:

for that matter, i'd also love to say ♥THANK YOU♥ to everyone who visits my blog, or hangs out at SOS, or has found me through eyelet outlet, or plays along over at jingle belles. the blogiverse is such a rich and amazing place, i realize i don't spend enough time saying so, but i appreciate and am continually inspired by, my fellow crafty bloggers!!! ♥♥♥

in a galaxy far, far away...

ok, no, for once i'm not talking about where my brain is when i'm supposed to be doing important grown up things like taxes, this time i'm telling you about the new challenge at shopping our stash which is to create a card or project that features UFO's, aliens, space, planets, star wars or... well, you get the idea, right? here's what i made:

artists' rendering of the surface of neptune from an old, falling-apart time life book; patterned paper: prima, creative imaginations, basic grey, pink paislee; ink: colorbox; googly eye: michaels; adhesives: elmers brand gluetape, 3m foam tape, mini gluedots

the late, great david bowie once asked the musical question, "is there life on mars?" but i think a much more crucial concern to modern astrophysicists is the query, "will there be cupcakes??!" because let's face it, it's just too long a journey* to make without a pretty fair degree of certainty regarding dessert.

in the spirit of full disclosure, i feel i should post this second photo, which reveals that i've actually made a tall card, which irl looks very cool but between the weird proportions and the shiny vintage book page background was diabolical to photograph, and you couldn't see the sentiment at all:

meanwhile, my super-stellar, intergalactic design team sisters have astonishing projects from all corners of the universe, which are conveniently posted on the SOS blog for your viewing pleasure. (you're welcome!) ♥ as it happens, three of those lovely ladies are also dt members at the sisterhood of snarky stampers, where the current challenge ("g is for gears") has a funky/steampunky vibe which miss donna was kind enough to point out made my cosmic cupcake eligible, so i'm linking up over there. won't you join me?

*based on photographs and data from the mars rover, indications are that YES, there will be cupcakes... but the frosting is the horrible supermarket variety which comes in plastic tubs and taste like it's been made from a similar substance. (in fairness, the super-heated, low-oxygenation of mars' atmosphere makes it difficult to sustain the butter or cream cheese needed to make truly delicious icing.)  :/

a collagification situation

several, in fact. mostly made for our sisters with heart in art instagram challenge.  the first is for our current prompt, "LAYERS" and you can see that i've taken that idea VERY seriously. there are a lot (A LOT!) of layers here: layers of paper, layers of modelling paste, layers of drywall tape and lace... a little bit of everything* really!!!
 

of course anyone is welcome to work on any prompt, whenever they're inspired; there is no need to catch up, or make a commitment, or work in order, or even follow the theme very literally.

but if you have a little time, take one of the prompts that appeals to you, and follow it wherever it goes. then post to instagram with the hashtag #sisterswithheartinart so we can come marvel at your creations! (a complete list of the themes we've done so far is posted here)

last week's prompt was, "PLANTS" and it occurred to me that i hadn't made a stapled collage in far too long, so that's what i did! :)

the week before that we had, "QUOTE" for which i combined a few different stencils (including my own handcut buddha) some fun/funky brush lettering, and a magazine picture of ripply water that i added in by cutting a heart shape behind the buddha and backing the page with the magazine paper. kind of a backward way to do collage, but i really like how it looks so i predict you'll be seeing it again, lol!

wishing you a ♥HAPPY MONDAY♥ if that's not a contradiction in terms; but if it is, i'll wish you a creative and art-filled monday evening, instead! ♥♥♥

*the kitchen sink is not included, but only b/c i've not yet found an adhesive strong enough. it's just a matter of time tho. :)

the new class schedule...

...has been posted on the paper anthology* website, so i can show ya the pics for the two that i'll be teaching in march and april. full details on the PA website; if you're in or around central new jersey, i'd looooooooooove to see you there! plus there are lots of other fab projects and teachers you can check out, and be sure to say hi to elisabeth!

class one: boho bouquet

these fun paper flowers are made using ordinary dies (so noooooooooo handcutting) and ONE SHEET of double sided patterned paper... the more colorful, the better! everyone will stack and combine their blooms a little differently, so there are infinite possibilities!

class two: collage for cardmakers

we'll combine vintage paper and images to create three fun, easy cards for a variety of occasions. students will get to choose their own images from a large selection i'll bring along, so every card can be uniquely ♥YOURS♥!  

all materials are provided, so students need only bring a basic tool kit. there are three dates for each class; full info at paper anthology, or feel free to email me (link in profile)! 

♥♥♥

*paper anthology is located on route 46 in kenvil, nj; just over the line into the southwestern edge of morris county, easily accessible from routes 10, 80 and 206. (mapquest and full directions here)

layers are kinda my thang, baby!

i've never been accused of minimalism when it comes to cardmaking (or dessert portions, lol!) so the current brief at ♥JINGLE BELLES♥ in which we're making holiday cards with at least three layers is right up my creative street! :)

vintage image from an old ideals xmas magazine, framed in a creative imaginations sticker sentiment circle; patterned paper: k and co, making memories, my mind's eye, recollections; fancy schmancy glitter poinsettia: prima (that is REAL glass glitter on there, and it DOES tend to shed, so those of you with tiny kids or inquisitive pets might like to beware!); adhesives: elmers brand gluetape, 3m foam tape, gluedots, sewing machine

i had framed and cut out this sweet vintage image some time ago, i suppose for another challenge last year? not sure why i didn't wind up using it then, but i'm really glad it was in my "leftover bits" baggie because i recently got a pack of these gorgeous prima poinsettias at paper anthology and as soon as i saw the image again i knew they'd be perfect together.

i used this week's sketch saturday layout, which is absolutely ALWAYS an awesome idea, don't you think??

meanwhile stephanie has made another fabulous card and the reader's gallery is pretty fab as well, why not jump on over to ♥JINGLE BELLES♥ and check it out?! (you can thank me later, darlings!) ♥

it's MARCH!

which hopefully means that ♥SPRING♥ is just around the corner, woohoo!* let's jump right into the new month with a new challenge from shopping our stash. this one's called "white out" by which we mean you cannot use ANY plain white paper in your project. here's what i made:

patterned paper: maggie holmes/crate, basic grey, k and co, doodlebug + vintage book paper for the letters; journal card of mysterious origins (sorry, it was out of the packet, i have no idea whence it came!); banner and "birthday" stickers: suuuuuper duuuuuper old october afternoon; 8mm pink pearl brads: eyelet outlet; ink: colorbox; adhesives: elmers brand gluetape, 3m foam tape

ok, so this card is pretty much a reminder that just because there's no white PAPER, doesn't mean there shouldn't be any white space!**  by which i mean, i really really wish that my card base was solid pink or yellow or... well... any solid color rather than the chain link gold patterned paper. but by the time i realized that, i'd already affixed the pennant with all the goodies on, and as newton's third law of adhesives states, "there shall be nothing on this earth stuck together so well as two layers of paper you've decided you hate" so, i'm livin' with it. and i do like all the other fun stuff, which are mostly raided from my "leftover bits" baggie. before you ask, no, the letters are NOT made with an awesome set of oversized alphabet dies, more's the pity. they are actually an ANCIENT set of basic grey's mini monogram chipboard letters that some how i seem to have designated as templates rather than actual ingredients, i guess because they are such an awesome size and font. i traced them on scraps of text paper and hand cut them.

head on over to SOS to see many other fabulous ideas, darlings, my lovely dt sisters await you there! ♥

*i apologize if this rash statement triggers a late blizzard of epic proportions. unless you're secretly hoping for a late blizzard of epic proportions, in which case... A) you're crazy and B) you're welcome! :)

**white space, in artistic terms, is the area in a piece that isn't filled with pattern or text; sometimes it's called negative space or breathing space. it can be any color, though, it needn't literally be white.