Down on the Farm

Have you seen the awesome new brads in the Eyelet Outlet Fall Release? There are some really great ones this time, and I confess that the series of farm animals are some of my favorites. There are Roosters, Cow and Goat Brads, and Pig and Sheep Brads. There's even a cool Truck Brad that coordinates pretty well and of course we already had Ducks and Chickens (and Eggs!) and a bunch of other Animal Brads so the possibilities are pretty endless. I stuck with just the farm animals this time, though, and made a set of Artist Trading Cards.

I love the smaller size of ATC's. They are typically 2.5x3.5" ...the size of standard playing cards. In fact I've used some old playing cards as the base on which to build these.

I also like that ATC's are often created as a series of related cards, because you can choose one set of supplies, but make a bunch of different ideas.

For each of the cards in the farm series I've featured one of the new Farm Animals inside a vintage slide mount, then added them to a playing card covered in torn bits of ledger and map paper, as well as bits of dictionary pages with animal definitions on them.

I've added strips of Red Dot Washi and Skinny Gold Pattern Tape as accents.

Finally I used my old school Dymo Labeler to create an appropriate farm animal pun for each card: "Legendairy" for the Cow Brad, "Fowl Play" for the Rooster and Chicken, "No Kidding" for the Goat, "Sheep Thrills" for the Sheep and "Hogs and Kisses" for the cute Pigs.

I hope you'll be inspired to try out a smaller format like ATC's; and be sure to remember that Eyelet Outlet Brads are the perfect accents for this size!

(a pair of) SHOES!!!

ok, technically, although this post does contain two shoes, they are not actually a pair, since i have paper-pieced and embellished them quite differently. but they do both qualify for (and were inspired by) this week's challenge at shopping our stash, that is called "if the shoe fits" and for which we'd like to see cards and projects that... (do i even need to finish this sentence?) ...have shoes on them.

patterned paper: julie nutting/photoplay, dcwv, crate paper, michaels, the paper co, recollections, best creation; glossy black cardstock: the paper cut; seambinding: paper anthology; gingham ribbon: making memories; jewel strip, heart bling and paper flower: eyelet outlet; ink: prima and ranger; corner rounder: we are memory keepers; adhesives: elmers brand gluetape, 3m foam tape, sewing machine

for once i found i owned several different and cool pre-made products which would've worked really well. including eyelet outlet shoe and purse brads-- which i used to make these cards in june. and yes, i designed that texty patterned paper which says, "if the shoe fits... BUY IT!" and it's available for you to download on the "freebies" page at the eyelet outlet blog. but i haven't paper-pieced anything in a bit and i was just in that sort of mood. i grabbed a copyright-free clipart image off t'internet, printed off a couple of copies, and used it to cut out the shoe parts. i often staple a few layers together and cut multiples, to give myself choices on the finished image. in this case i wound up with two versions i really liked, and rather than choose, i just made both of them.

the first one incorporates some ancient glossy (pink!) leopard print paper, which i've given a woodgrain heel and some cursive text as the inside lining of the shoe. i've stitched all the way around in a coordinating thread, using my sewing machine's highest stitches-per-inch setting to fit the scale. the background of this 6x5" card is a tone-on-tone damask print, which is actually the reverse of the cursive text and the only paper involved in either card that wasn't an ancient scrap, lol. i've added a seambinding bow for extra interest... and to fill in the blank spot at the upper right hand area of the card. (yes, i know, a lot of people would've put a sentiment there...)

the second version is an all-black shoe, but i've incorporated some interesting specialty papers to add texture: a faux croc embossed glossy paper for the shoe, a glitter black scrap for the heel, and a charcoal grey damask lining. i've trimmed it out with an elegant eyelet outlet clear jewel strip and added a small paper flower with bumpy heart bling as an accent.

be sure to hop over to SOS and check out the amazing work of my uber-talented design team sisters! ♥

oh what a tangled (♥PINK!♥) web we weave...

it's time for one of my very favorite challenges of the entire cardmaking year: ♥PINK HALLOWEEN♥ at the sisterhood of snarky stampers! here's my card:

background painted in peony colorburst on strathmore watercolor paper; zendoodles done with faber-castell's pitt artist pens in sizes XS, S and 1.5; alphabet stamps: echo park (brush lettering) and studio g (typeface); spider brads: eyelet outlet; glitter paper mats: american crafts POW papers; ink: ranger archival; adhesives: elmers brand gluetape, sewing machine 

i've done zen-doodle spider webs* before, but they're always a lot of fun, so i see no reason to stop now, lol. especially when i can watercolor the exact perfect background shade of pink (thank you, peony colorburst) and i'm kind of a bit besotted with my eyelet outlet spider brads, who look very handsome in their custom-made habitat, don't you think?

i'm linking up (again!) with the simon says stamp monday challenge blog's "walk on the dark side" as well as the craftaholics-r-us #39 halloween themed challenge.

*my apologies to the arachnophobes out there; tomorrow's post will be completely and entirely spider-free, i promise! 

prussian blue and copper...

...are my new favorite xmas colors. i mention this because i've built this week's ♥JINGLE BELLES♥ grungy, sparkly embossed snowflake card around them. (we're still celebrating all the different kinds of embossing, though you only need one to play along!) weirdly enough, i've used the same embossing folder as last week, but the results couldn't be more different, lol.

snowflake embossing folder and dies: tim holtz/sizzix; colorburst pigment powders: ken oliver crafts; pitt artist pens: faber castell; snowflake dimensional sticker: american crafts/dear lizzy; watercolor paper: strathmore; pale blue glitter paper: core'dinations; embossed faux croc glossy paper: the paper co; adhesives: elmers brand glue tape, 3m foam tape, sewing machine 

i started off the same way as last week, too: i embossed the snowflakes on plain white watercolor paper, then added color to the design. but whereas last week i added a little bit of gelato crayon, blended it softly, and called it quits; this time i went crazy with prussian blue, cerulean and even a little bit of turquoise colorburst.

when it was completely dry, i outlined the flakes with pitt artist pens to make them stand out even more-- and even messier, lol. then i added a big stack of snowflake diecuts, including some cut from sparkly copper glitter paper, on top. definitely not a mainstream card, but it was loads of fun to make and i have exactly the right person to send it to!

stephanie has once again gone above and beyond in the call of embossing duty, why not head on over to ♥JINGLE BELLES♥ and see what she's made this week?

The Cutest Trick-or-Treaters on the Block!

Here's a shocking true confession: Until recently, I have not always made Halloween cards every year. I think it was just because I didn't ever seem to have the right ingredients; by which I mean a selection of Eyelet Outlet Halloween Brads. Because now that I do, I ♥LOVE♥ making Halloween cards, and this one might be my favorite so far: 

When I was lucky enough to win my choice of Pretty Pink Posh stamp sets (via the Summer Blog Hop at Coffee Loving Cardmakers) I chose Holiday Pals because I knew they'd look adorable dressed up for Christmas with Eyelet Outlet Antler Brads and Elf Hats. But when I was looking through my Halloween stash, I realized they'd be equally adorable dressed up to Trick-or-Treat! From left to right I've given them: Witch Hats, Small Eyes, Mustache Brads, Witch Legs, Men's Hats and Eye Glass Brads. 

My top tip for adding brads to small fussy-cut creatures is to add the brads BEFORE you cut the critters out; that way you can use the hidden bits of cardstock as extra support! For example, I cut around these guys' HATS, rather than just their heads. I also suggest turning the brads a bit, if necessary, to hide them better behind the critters. However, if necessary, you can trim the brad legs with sturdy craft scissors. If bits of the brads can be seen through-- as in the case of the Eye Glass Brad on the Bulldog and the Mustache Brad on the Bunny-- use a pen that coordinates with your background to color the part that can be seen, so that you do not have to trim INSIDE the image to make it fit! In the case of the awesome Witch Leg Brads, they were just slightly too long for Miss Kitty, so I trimmed them with my sturdy craft scissors, and attached them to the front of the cat with gluedots.

All that was left to do is build a scene for the sweet Trick-or-Treaters to inhabit. I used patterned paper for the sky and the moon, Wide Brick Washi for the wall, Glitter Black Tape for the pavement, then filled in with Pumpkins, Kittens and Bat Brads to add a little more seasonal color!

I'm joining in the Halloween theme of "A Walk On the Darkside" on the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog. (Admittedly my cuuuuute critters' darkside is not allllll that dark, lol!) And I was inspired by Sketch #281 from Sketch Saturday which I've rotated ninety degrees counterclockwise; this having been a month with a fifth Saturday, we could choose any layout from their amazing archive. By the way, I thank them for the shoutout on my Embossed Christmas card from last week!

Need more spooktacular inspiration? Check the Eyelet Outlet blog each day to see what the Designers are up to, or click the Halloween tag to see all of the seasonal designs so far!

unbe-LEAF-able!

this week's challenge at shopping our stash is called "give thanks" and you can choose to make a thank you card OR any project with a thanksgiving theme.

vintage paper painted with many autumnal shades of colorburst pigment powders, then diecut with timholtz/sizzix tattered foliage dies as well as some ancient provocraft/cuttlebug leaf dies; edges inked with prima's dark bark chalk ink and a small amount of various neutral shades of distress stickles were randomly applied with a small paintbrush; patterned paper: gold matte metallic cardstock from paper anthology, american crafts POW gold glitter cardstock, cosmo cricket lined paper, paper source birch bark textured giftwrap; adhesives: elmers brand gluetape, 3m foam tape, gluedots, sewing machine 

this is much, MUCH more stash-centric than it looks, because all of those gorgeous diecut colorburst leaves were leftover from an autumnal make-and-take i devised for last november's anniversary party at paper anthology* and i just stumbled upon them while cleaning out for this year's garage sale. and sort of re-fell in love with them. because the combination of saturated color, vintage paper, and a tiny bit of sparkly just *always* looks good to me. the rest of the card is pretty simple, so the leaves can really be the star of the show. i've attached them quite loosely, to make it look like they just sort of drifted in, on the wind. a look i find much more appealing on a card than all over my yard, but you cannot argue with mother nature, lol.

since this week's theme on the simon says stamp wednesday challenge blog is "ANYTHING GOES" i am linking up with those fine folks! 

for more amazing and inspiring ideas the SOS gang is always a great go-to; why not hop over just now? 

*this year's paper anthology anniversary party (#6 if you're counting!) will be in november, and if you're in or around central new jersey you won't want to miss it! sign up for the newsletter today so that you'll be the first to hear about cool events! ♥

sketchbook collage roundup

it's a bit of a catch-up roundup, as well, so there are loads of pics to scroll through. please accept my heartfelt, "sorry" ...or... "your welcome"...whichever seems appropriate. for some reason i decided to name these, as well. probably a one-off, but maybe snappy collage titles are my new thing? we shall see.

narwhals, narwhals

not to be conceited, but this is one of my favorite collages i've ever made, EVER, in my whole entire life. the paper source narwhal stamp that stephanie gave me is obviously the star of show, but i think a big part of what i love about this is that for some reason i almost randomly chose COBALT ink instead of black or dark brown to add the stamped bits and it changes everything.

india during the raj

i wish i had placed the cigarette card and it's attendant cluster of elements a couple of inches further to the left, so that more of the map showed. other than that, i'm pretty happy with this one.

buddha in the trees

more or less a clean up collage, using a bunch of scraps that were on my worktable, plus the buddha which i cut from a cool screen print on ledger paper. the photo --an alley of birch trees i took at grounds for sculpture a couple of years ago-- i must've printed out on inkjet transparency at some point and then not used. i do love using photo transparencies in collage. i kind of feel like printing out a bunch of random ones so they're available when i'm collaging. 

pink mandala

it's not exactly a collage, since it's only two itemas; just a mandala i drew on glossy pink magazine paper, then cut out and attached to the index from an atlas.

citrus swimmer

i'm pretty sure the orange child's flashcard was one that kirsty vittetoe found and shared with me when we went thrifting together in las vegas, years and years ago. how it came to have a vintage swimming lady on top and get mixed with bits from architecture and crafting magazines is more of a mystery...

paradise collage

i'm always surprised how often my original collage idea morphs into something completely different because i got inspired or distracted by the colors involved. this is another of my collage + stamping series, i am really loving the combination. this one has some old distressed rub-on transfers, as well. 

next stop eiffel tower

one of the artists i follow on instagram, @yenchin has been making really amazing collages that combine washi tape, journaling and an almost random selection of rubber stamped images. you can probably tell that i've been seriously impressed and inspired by them. since i don't really journal, i add text in the form of vintage book pages. and sometimes giant flowers and cars cut from magazines also make an unexpected appearance... 

(this is why i never worry about "copying" someone else's style; i never have the same ingredients and i always wind up adding some kind of laureny curve ball, lol!)

♥♥♥♥♥

happy, happy sunday!

happy first day of october!

do something really *FUN* before today is over!

♥