Happy Valentine's Day Everyone

I thought I needed something a little steamy for today, since today is THE day of romance.. So here's  another journal page for Art Journal Journey, hosted this month by Hazel. This month's theme is :if music is the food of love, them play on."

And no, my bottom row of  hearts do not drop off the page. Its just my photo.

So this page is made with lots of paint, some sketched hearts, a few die cut feathers and   also a few stamped and colored images.

The couple is a great old stamp made by Postmodern Design. I added a little sparkle to the lady's dress since it is Valentine's Day and I thought she would be all dressed up for her guy on this love inspired holiday. You can't tell here but the feathers are die cut from some thick acetate ( the covering on a package I recycled), then painted silver on one side. I drew in the feather details after attaching them.

I am also posting to Moo Mania whose theme is hearts and Try It On Tuesday whose theme is a fine romance.

So yesterday the hubby took me to Boston to the big boat show. 

It wasn't exactly for Valentine's Day but the convention center is so big I got a lot of walking in, and it was fun to see some of the big and luxurious boats, no, big and luxurious yachts, they had on display. I guess if you have an extra half a million dollars to play with you'd be all set. The one boat my husband did drool over was a 23 foot fishing boat, very nice but not exactly all decked out, and the price for that boat was a shocker too.

Grady White's are really nice boats but you'd have to do a whole lot of  fishing or have a BIG bankbook to pay for that.

We are actually looking new motor for our boat, which is a big enough purchase, but we decided our boat, 14 years old and that we bought used for WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY less money than that, still looks good and is just exactly all we really need.

Actually it was fun to have a day out with just the hubby. We went out to breakfast first, and also went out for a little lunch snack too. Plus going into the city for a little change of scenery isn't a bad thing either.  

Last night the polar vortex  moved south into our area and it became bitterly cold and windy.  When I wrote  this Saturday evening it was -9 degrees Fahrenheit,  which I think is like -22 degrees Celsius, with the wind howling too. So it felt much colder than that. 

Today I am not leaving the house, but luckily this cold is only suppose to last until this evening before it breaks.

That's all for me today. I hope you day is warm, not windy, and has a little love of some kind in it. It might be art love, or hubby/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend/ just friend love, puppy or kitty love, any kind of love I mean.

Thanks for visiting!

Getting Ready for Valentine's Day

Yesterday I had a great afternoon playing in my happy place. Love was in the air-as the old cliche goes.

Thought I'd show you a few of my favorite oldies love stamps. I've amassed quite a collection over the 15 years or so I've been an stamping addict.

I love this lusty couple. This oldie is from Stamp Francisco.

And here's a starry eyed couple from Acey Deucy.

And these 2 hearts faces from Stamp Francisco are always quite adorable.

You know, there are some fantastic new stamps, but there's something rather sweet and fun pulling out your oldies. I can remember some projects I used them for and it inspires me to play.

Is this just me or does that ever happen to you?

I had a bunch of already painted backgrounds. Some nights after work if I make it into the studio I just sit and paint backgrounds. Mushing (maybe not the write verb) paints around on some watercolor paper is relaxing. Plus I don't need to get my tired brain wrapped around some project idea. So then when I am ready to roll I can start right in on these backgrounds.

So on my watercolor background I embossed  some flowers (Christine Adolph/Stampington) and then added a bit of white highlights. The heart is a die cut on pinkish glitter paper. The flowers are die cuts painted with a wet brush and some Silks paint, and the love is a black painted die cut word. All die cuts here are from Sizzix.

So last night I went to a great hockey game! We beat our rival 4-0 in our rival's arena. A shutout against your rival team (its called the Border Wars here) is always so thrilling. The rival team has this tradition of throwing out a dead fish onto the ice when they first score, and since they didn't score, we could say "No Fish Tonight". Ha-ha. I'm still chanting that this morning.

Hope everyone else had a great Saturday and that you enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Thanks for visiting.

Yawn

Really disappointed how the game went last night; it was such a huge let down, but then you say to yourself, it is just a game. Someone has to lose, but it was just so painful to watch.

What a let down.

Am tired this morning, so today, just a few teaser photos of my Valentine's Projects. Be back tomorrow with more finished views.

Have a nice Monday!

Another Heart For You

Sharing a little more "love" to you on this day before Valentine's Day. This card was made to be distressed...I think my favorite style. I started with white American Crafts cardstock that I stamped with a CHF background stamp (Vintage Chintz I believe its called) in black and then added some red, pink and brown ink which mostly covered it over but gives more a textural feel which is what I wanted. Then I added a piece of texturized pink cardstock which I did with my Big Kick I got for Christmas...which I am really enjoying...and added some eyelets to the corners there. Then I added a bit of Martha Stewart paper tape and another pink texturized square, which you've seen earlier this week which I outlined in white and then used a little Martha Stewart stamp to add the inner message. Finally I stamped Tim Holtz's XO stamp several times in brown on white paper, colored the X and O and then cut them out seperately and added them all over the page. I must say this year I really was in a heart mood and made tons of cards for this usually go by with only a glance (in my house)  holiday.

So today I am going to do a bit of studio organizing-YAHOO-I can't stand it in there- I've NEVER in all my life had such a messy room...it won't finish the cleaning by a long shot but only want to push my back a tiny bit plus Dave got my shelves I picked up at IKEA assembled last evening- they're just a DVD stand so not exactly going to hold mega-supplies but should hold some things I want held. Also need to assembled my Valentine gifts and do some art...yesterday never made it at all in the studio since we went out car shopping for the hubby a bit (not rushing to buy on but his Passat is 10 years old with 275,000 miles on it) and hit the grocery store and needed to vac up the first floor...always so many chores, isn't there?

Anyhow, Happy Sunday. Enjoy your Day!

I'm back

Didn't know I was gone? My internet service provider was changing this week so I pre-blogged a bunch of posts and then scheduled them to arrive each day.  Now I'm up and on the new provider...but slower thant the old so lets see what happens over the next few days or so. I was annoyed with the new provider...we got the box and had 24 hours to switch over, and between my back laying me out on the couch after a day of work and then having open house at school Thursday night and not getting home until almost 9, I had to go without home service until I finally got around to it last night.

Happy to report the back is improving-not perfect but I'm more mobile now.

Since Monday is Valentine's Day, here's another "HEART" themed card I made. This one has the main focus a tag...I stamped some Hero Arts Be Mine words all over the back of the tag, outlined the edge, stamped a bottle by Paper Relics which comes with various words for the label- I added the Love Potion-of course- and then I added the keys and the little hearts which I beleive are also Hero Arts. So are the heart fumes, I believe at least. I actually made the tag a couple of years ago and just to show you have when you feel like making cards having some pre-done tags are handy and save on lots of card making time.

So on the pink cardstock I ripped up some Martha Stewart paper tape, then added the tag. I have some made up rosettes so I took this white one, attached it, added a small punched out heart and some pink Stickles to it. When I die cut the heart I also got the love word- its from a big seasonal set by Sizzix, which I outlined in black, attached and then added some glitter from one of those Sakura glitter pens I so love. And a few Prima heart gemstones...J'adore! Its beautiful, I think. I actually lvoe th bright HOT pink color. Makes it very fun and not so romantic-since I sent the card off to Miss Katie at school.

Anyhow, its Saturday and I have so many things I want to do...not sure how much my back will allow and what I should actually do...need to get some stuff together for my trip-we leave in 2 weeks! and should clean and want to play in the studio...oh my...wish a day would be twice as long...at least, I wish every Saturday was twice as long.

Have a good one!

Just loving these hearts!

Friday-Yeah!

Here's an easy Valentine's day card. I cut out the background paper (7Gypsies Lille line) and attached it. The Crazy Love words are already on the paper. How easy is that? I did outline the paper in a red marker, just to set it off a bit. Then I laid down the 7Gyspies red paper tape, added some die cut hearts, stamped the post mark which is an older Tin Can Mail stamp that I use a lot, and stamped the saying which is assorted words from the Keys to My Heart set by CHF. Oh yeah, and I added the cancellation marking to the Je t'aime postmark. How simple and fast. But its still a fun card I think.

More Valentine's Day cards

So its Thursday...have open house tonight at school so it shoud be a late one getting home. Always dread these nights but if we can get them over with...that is good news.

 Anyhow, want to continue showing you some Valentine cards I've recently made. This one is a bit on the Gothic side-just a bit.

First I die cut the fleur de lis on rose paper. Then I used the cut-out scrap to stencil some red fleur de lis on the white card. Then I attached the die-cut and on some white paper I stamped a frilly edged heart in red. I cut this out and attached it. Then I stamped the same frilly edged heart in black on some printed paper. This time when I cut it out I left off the frilly edges and just cut out the heart. I over colored the paper so it would be really red. Attach this inside the original frilly heart. I used a stamp I have that says love rocks in this great gothic print-I think its made by Rubber Soul. I cut out and slightly distressed that and then attached it in the center of the fleur de lis.

In the bottom right corner I stamped a B Line design Italian collage stamp in brown and then overstamped that with a plain heart in red, which I then double colored so it would be really red. Added the words- both the heart and the words are from a Martha Stewart set which I bought last year or so. Finally I put gold ring stickers in each corner and added a small dab or red Adirondack dimensional pearls.

More Valentine's

Today, a center folded card. I used that Hero Arts cut out flower cling stamp I am LOVING so much and stamped some flowers in white on the background. Added some Martha Stewart mini-heart paper tape. Then I embossed on pink paper the love box and the heart box. I also embossed the heart box on red paper too. The love box was easy...cut out around the box, then highlight the word and the embossed edge with black marker. I used a white en to polka dot the love word. The heart box was pretty easy too- I used black marker on the embossed edges-polka dotted the x's to make it blend with the love box. Then I cut out the inner heart from the red embossed heart box, glued it down and added red Stickles.

The love ticket is from Tim Holtz...stamped on the pink, cut out, outlined in red and then distressed with some brown ink. Finally, I added some eyelets and red string to tie the card closed and little dabs of red stickles on the rounded off corners.

Eh Voila!

We have a delay today...I like delays...day still counts...not having to rush out...short classes...will help my back not having to move all day...but its definately improving...just got to keep myself from doing too much...and that's the hard part.

Happy Day!

Sleepy Monday Morning

I'm actually writing this Sunday night while we watch the Superbowl...not at any parties...couldn't go if I wanted to since my back is still out of commission. Means today all the kids will be dragging though since lots of them stay up to watch the game last night and all the festivities that go along with that. Wondering if there will be any snow in our week...will catch the weather shortly to find out.

3 weeks until vacation and our trip...YEAH! Can't wait for a little snow-free time. HOPEFULLY that is!

And I week until Valentine's day and I have a bunch of cards to show you with a LOVE theme this week. Here's the first. Enjoy!

This was pretty simple...embossed a piece of paper to the same as the card which I then attached, added some Martha Stewart paper tape...stamped the saying on white- its from Studio 490 and I just love that line from the Beatles...most probably most absolute favorite...then I layered 2 white Prima fowers with a punched pink center and a candy heart brad. I zipped up the flowers with red dots and a bit of pink edging-love it.

*** edit at 1:30 p.m.

So I ended up staying home to rest the still sore back...having another day of hanging out in my pjs...definately feel a bit more on the mend...but still can't bend...man...I hope I never have any back issues ever again.

Exciting News

GUESS WHAT?

Just found out I was the winner of the Artistic Outpost January Referral Program!! Its very exciting news for such a snowy day!!! Check out their website to see all their cool stamps, I want all of the new ones...not sure which I'll use my winning gift certificate on.

http://www.artisticoutpost.com/index.html

*****

So here's a recently made Valentine's card...I layered 7Gypsies paper on a white cardstock card and outlined the 7Gypsies paper with a Copic marker. Then I cut out a large heart from some printed paper and attached it to the card. I then outlined that heart with the same Copic marker. The woman's head is a B-Line Design stamp, cut out and colored with more Copics. I attached her. Then I stamped the 2 sentiments using Autumn Leave's Love sentiments set. I added a partial postmark stamp (Tin Can Mail)  in the upper left corner. I attached the felt flower from Making Memories, (which I decorated  with a polka dot paper flower and a Making Memories  brad in the center). Then I had some left over scraps from some hearts I die cut, and I trimmed the edges to get these heart outlines, which I colored with the same colored Copic I used on the big heart edging. Finally, I put a few Hero Arts black "dots" on 3 of the corners, and VOILA, my completed card.

Anyhow...suppose to be sunny today...but there's another 12+ inches of snow on the ground...I had a good snow day though...texturized a bunch of sheets of paper, made a few cards, made some cookies, took a 2 hour nap (and didn't get up until after 9)-talk about relaxing...and if I didn't have to shovel a coupe of times, it would have been perfect.

Hope you all stay warm and sunny!

More snow is coming...

Or so the weathermen say. Today and a BIG storm tomorrow.

Will it ever end?

Today, 3-6 inches-bad afternoon drive from the sounds of it. oh YUK! Lets see how long it takes me to get home today.

Tomorrow think we'll be home- could get 20 or more inches-but a foot will be the low end...don't think we'll have school tomorrow.

I should hope not at least.

And it's now February...could this possibly be IT for bad weather?

(no way, too early in the winter!)

Get my arms ready for some shoveling I guess.

In a more upbeat moment-

Here's another of my fleur de lis cards for Valentine's Day. This time a very simple die cut shape, some 7Gypsies tape, a punched circle, a die cut Cupid and some Prima gemstone hearts. Finished off with the word Love by Stampington.

I LOVE that it is Friday

So to celebrate another work week winding down, I have a LOVE card for you. This card is a little busier than I usually make, but I've been experimenting and playing, and I'm not unhappy with this card.

This close up shows the details a bit, and this is what I did to make this overflow of love. First I stamped the Hero Arts flower background a couple of times and colored some of the blooms with various Copics. Then I used the "left over" paper from a cupid I cut on the Big Kick to as a stencil to put a few cupids at the top. Then I added the 7Gypsies tape. I took the "left over" paper from a fleur de lis that I die cut. I trimmed around the cut out part to leave just a thin border. That's the dark rosey pink design. It does have some Tim Holtz words stamped on as I stamped the paper and then die cut. I die cut a hear on the same pink paper as the backrgound, outlined it with a black Sharpie and stamped it with the word from an Autumn Leaves love set I have. Attach. Put a heart gemstone on each side and then attach the Prima gemstone swirls.

***

So today we got sun pretty early-snowing when I got up and sun by 10. Had to work after a delay, but it did warm up into the 30's today and it felt so warm...you can tell its been VERY cold lately. Also, you can tell the days are getting LONGER as it is actually so much brighter at 4:15 now than it was a month ago. All this is teasing me for spring...getting me ready for our trip to the desert which is now less than 1 month...can't wait! Came home and worked on my travel journal...nothing to show yet but I painted my cover and did some stenciling and started papering my pages...I've tried different ways to color my pages and some work better than others...depends if you want to write on the page...this time I'm trying paper layering...its fun since I don't usually do a lot of paper layering...I've yet to make a travel journal that 100% wows me...still working on finding what I like...but I still like my journals because 1)they are journals and don't have to be perfect and 2)they are great to have when I get home from the trrip...but practice makes perfect and one day I shall discover what I really like.

Anyhow, it is Friday...teacher work day, our semester ended yesterday...new classes on Monday...second half of the year...wow...and Tuesday next week we move into February...

Happy Day!!!!



Sunny and COLD today

Today is bright and blue skied but like 10 degrees right now.  The house is cozy with the woodstove going. Tonight we have a hockey game and its going to be COLD walking to and from the car. BRRR.

So yesterday was a great day off...sun out by 2 p.m., wind kicked up, shovelled so got some fresh air. Made a bunch of cards...read a lot of my book...watched a bunch of Rick Steves travel videos from a set I purchased 2-3 years ago (I surprisingly watch those a lot...it was worth the $40 I spent on them), made a bunch of cards...and

The owl was back...pretty early in the day too...GORGEOUS!

Its SOOOOO cool how they can turn their heads.

So yesterday's card had a Valentine's theme. I was using my Big Kick...making Fleur de Lis, heart and Cupid punches. I also was using the empty cutout paper as stenciles and trimming them down and using them as "ring" images. Very cool what you can do. Here's a couple of snaps for one of the cards I made that kind of demonstrates what I was just saying.

So I used the left-over paper from punching out a Quick-Cutz cupid to stencil the Cupid in black on the white background. Then I glued on the fleur de lis and after that decided I wanted to stamp on it.  It was have been easy if I hadn't glued it down, but what I did was like the left over edging from this die-cut and put it down as a mask, then stamped it several times with the Tim Holtz love definition. Then I added the trim (an old piece from EK Success). The heart was made by taking the edge of a die cut scrap and cutting around it to make a think rim. Had I had a wider heart heart I could have used that too...but I don't, so I just trimmed this down  and then glued the rim down on some 7Gypsies Lille paper (which I bought very recently at my favorite craft store). I glued the whole thing down, glued the gold leaf, glued the Prima felt flower and added the word kisses which is a single little word stamp. Not sure who made it...it was in my BOX of assorted clear stamps I got from the Frantic Stamper in their box sale back in November. Its a great stamp for Valentine's Day...got a  BUNCH of love type of stamps in that box.

Here's a bit more of a close up. 

Enjoy your day!



A Little Romance

This card is my romantic version of a Valentine's card...I've shown you some that are whimsical and fun in the past week or so but lets face it...Valentine's Day is a great time to make something classically romantic. So here's what you get...this card on American Crafts red cardstock, with some light blue cardstock texturized. There's Tim Holtz tissue tape and a Tim Holtz rosette made out of thin white paper...decorated with some Hero Arts blue pearls and a Prima gemstone. There's a Tim Holtz love ticket and a great classically romantic angel by Stamp Francisco. I love this card...love that its so usual but with the baby blue color thrown in...just a bit unique.

And here is my next read since I finish Julia Child's and Avis Desoto's letters last night -(a very good book by the way-Julia Child had the most fantastic life). I wanted to read more Rick Steves ever since I finished the Politics of Travel. Me-the travel bug girl. I'd love to be going to Europe in February...I love going to Europe...not that I'm complaining because I am going away in just a bit over a month-and I'm excited to go to Death Valley because its a place I've wanted to go see. Oh, if I just had money to travel more than once or twice a year and to buy all the art supplies that tickled my fancy. I know, STOP sounding like I'm whining.-not trying to sound that way. I AM very lucky and blessed so I really shouldn't even say those things...but if I could...if I had lots of extra cash...just a little dream of mine. Wouldn't it be fun? Of course if I could buy all the art supplies I wanted I'd need a HUGE studio...and if I could travel all I wanted I'd...well...I don't know what the problem would be with that. It just sounds plain old fantastic to me-girl with travel addiction.

So what would you do if you had enough cash you could just spent it and not have to control yourself?

Anyhow, today I am being BAD (SHHH...don't tell, its a secret) and am taking a little mental health day....it feels good though because this time of year and all this snow...just need to have a little scenery change every one and awhile...plus get t spend the day with my daughter before she leaves for school and I see less of her...gotten used to her being home for vacation and then she'll be gone...

I should say instead of sending or even getting Postcards from Europe in my life its getting Postcards from College.

Au revoir!

Love is in the Air

So last week was not a very productive week in the studio, since I'd come home after work and find my vacationing college daughter at home on the couch with the TV on. It was too easy to flop down and watch it too. Plus, as it was the first week back after a week off, I was doing what I needed to do but not exactly up and running 100% mentally, sthe tv sounded about my speed, and by 9 at night I was ready to sleep. That first week at work in january is always like that. But yesterday I did make a BIG dig into the cleaning/organization project going on up there...and this morning I'm heading up to finish up a bit more- the sun out today makes it a bit easier to feel productive. Right now they're saying a big snow storm Wednesday so we'll see...I might be home for a snow day....which is always a great studio working day. But its only Sunday and so the weather could change drastically between now and then.

Anyhow....these tags are made with the Technique Tuesday Vroom,Vroom set and the matching mini-phrase set. I bought them on their retirement clean-out sale when they were 40% off since they're  sets I'd always liked but never had a specific use for...but then when the sale came up...and I got an idea they make fun Valentine's for my hubby...this is where I went with them.

To make, punch off-white paper with a 3 inch circle punch and then punch colored paper for the back of the each tag. Stamp images on tags. I added the following, road tread and street lights from a Gel-a-tins set I have, and the hanging heart on the dump truck one is from Stampotique. I colored all images with Copic Markers and added the clouds on the plane tag and then filled them with Ranger's white demensional paint. The other hearts (not hanging one) are from the matching word set except for the ones I added to the dump truck which I hand drew in. I edge the circles with a red marker. The silver heart and key are punched from a Martha Stewart punch as are the bottom heart chains (actually a border punch I trimmed). Then I added all the Stickles just to give them some "lovely" zing. Once dry...I punched and put in the eyelets and then the red thread. Oh yea, one other thing, the In It for the Long Haul is a stamp from CHF not Technique Tuesday, but it fits so well here I think. I also think the hubby will get a kick out these...he's not really into cards and my whole hobby-supportive but doesn't quite get it. But he loved his Packard birthday card and I think he'll lvoe these too...they make you laugh a bit which is the best.

Have a happy Sunday...another low key day for me but am Looking Forward to it!

YES!!!! FRIDAY!!!!

Does that title tell you how I feel right now?

This is a fun Valentine's tag I made the other day. Background is CHF, word and flowers are Autumn Leaves, hearts are Postmodern Design and there's one of those rosettes that I made.

Happy Friday!