Bling'd Out Composition Book

I love it when the kids go back to school. It gives me the chance to create awesome notebooks, binder covers and composition books, like this one featuring a Squigglefly new September release! The digital image, called Dragon Tamer, is by artist Niina Niskanen. Here is a close-up of my Copic-colored image.

After covering a 50 cent composition notebook (don't you just love back to school sales?) with DCWV Once Upon a Time patterned paper, I used Frog Tape, which is like blue painters' tape, but green (duh).

I covered the bound edge with flowers, added a Smash Book element (clasp & lock) after coloring it black with a sharpie, and adhered the sentiment and pearls.

Since Squigglefly offers a new challenge this week, Add Some Bling, I Stickled my dragon tamer's wings as well as parts of the dragon and the sun-sparkled roofs of my renaissance town's buildings. Here's the back of the notebook.

How will you add some bling to your challenge for Squigglefly this week? Don't forget to use a Squigglefly image to play for free digis!! 

Whatever you do, have fun!!

Get Well Cards Make Everyone Feel Better

When I am sick or in hospital, it always makes me feel better to receive a card from a friend. I have two friends in need of some cheering up. Both of them are volunteers who teach religion at the church where I work. One had a bad fall, and is on the road to recovery (and rehab). The other is a dear friend who suffered a heart attack. Luckily, he knew the signs and symptoms and called 911 immediately, and did not go into cardiac arrest, but he has a lot of recovering to do.

I made this card for my friend who is still in hospital. I love the image and sentiment, but I pulled them from my excess images folder and there was no ID on them, so if anyone can tell me the company who designed this image, I would love to give credit where credit is due.
I decided to make a card with color blocking, adding a few small solid colored circles to the mix. I kept

my embellishments simple, as I will be mailing this card.  A few small adhesive-backed pearls and it's complete. It is a large card, with white cardstock lining the inside of it for greetings and signatures of volunteers who teach with him in our RE program. Our first meeting is tonight, and they'll all get to sign the card and wish him well.
The second card uses a Squigglefly September release called "Hurt Bunny Sling" by artist Fawn Palmer. I took the card front from the original A2-sized card I made in order to create a large enough card for all the people who will be signing it and wishing him well. The sentiment comes with the Squigglefly image.
Inside both cards is the sentiment, "Feel Better!"
And that's what I wish both of my friends--feel better quickly, we miss you, Gregg and Mickey!

Seeing Stripes at Squigglefly Challenge Blog

Another week, another challenge at Squigglefly Challenge Blog. This week, crafters are asked to show off their STRIPES!  I used this winsome digital image from artist James Horvath. It's called "Tongue-Tied" and is just released this month!
My stripes are featured on my patterned paper as well as the staples I used to "adhere" my image and sentiment to my card. I used word stickers and a foil star from a leftover who table decoration from Independence Day.
Don't you just love this image? James Horvath has some awesomely funny images from which to choose besides "Tongue-Tied." Snag yours at the store so you can play for free digis in this new challenge!!

Don't Just Survive the Day, Triumph Over It

I decided to step up my sketching. In my art journal, I printed out and pasted some sketching tutorials (eyes, mouths, hands, etc.). The opposite pages I left blank so that I could try my hand at them.
So this page started out as an exercise in eyes, but I decided to flip through the tutorials to finish a full face. Daughter says it looks vaguely like the character from the TV show Medium. Hubby says it looks somewhat like Suzanne Sommers. I didn't try to make it look like anyone, just placing some lines on a page with watercolor pencils and adding a wet brush to it all.
Either way, it was my first drawing with the pencils, and except for a few issues with proportions, I say it looks good. LOL

Port Washington in Water Colors

I found myself with a block of time to craft and decided to create a water color from another photo in my library. This one is from a girls' weekend away with my mom and sisters to Port Washington, Wisconsin. It is a quaint, historic harbor town about 20 minutes north of Milwaukee, and one of our favorite getaways.
If we're lucky, we book rooms with a lake view (Lake Michigan). There's a "wall" of rocks to break the waves surrounding the harbor. Many adventurous souls walk this "path" to get to the historic lighthouse. It can be seen from the hotel room window, but this particular view is directly from the path leading to the lighthouse.
The rocky path was very difficult to give definition to, but I think I managed it. I could use some more work on water and its movement, so I'll scope out some YouTube videos to guide me. I'm still thinking of taking a basic class at the community college to learn all the tips and techniques that everyone but I seem to know.
There were more boats in my photo, but I kept only two on my canvas. And of course I had to add a lonely water bird circling overhead, shopping for his dinner.
If I had the time off of work, I think I'd spend a month painting from my photos. I haven't even looked at my Hawaii album, and I'd love to do a couple sunsets over the water.
Have you ever taken a photo and created a piece of art from it? While I do like this realistic portrayal of my photo memory, I think I prefer the randomness of my other water colors where the wet paper takes hold of my paint and has her way with it, leaving me to find form where she has left lovely chaos! What's your preference?
Well, whatever it is, have fun doing it!!  Happy crafting, peeps!

Love Me Some Shimmer

There are two things I love above all else when it comes to crafting--getting the best deals and putting some shimmer on my projects. The card above satisfies my craving for both!
I made the background paper with homemade red and gold shimmer misting sprays (commercially known as glimmer mists if you buy Tattered Angels). I had made several different colors of my own sprays by draining "dried out" markers in alcohol and adding Pearl-X when I had the shade I wanted. I LOVE that I now own so many sprays in so many different colors. More are on their way--I just need to snag some more spray bottles from the Dollar Store (working at a school during the summer helped with the markers inventory).
After cutting and adhering the shimmery paper onto my card front, I colored a paper doily with my red shimmer misting spray to frame my Copic-colored Squigglefly digi image. It's called Cheerleader from artist James Horvath. As if there wasn't enough shine to my card, I added the strip of black jewels wrapping behind my sentiment (SU) and my card, my shimmery, shiny card, is complete.
I am in a back-to-school mood, and what is best about the first couple weeks of school is a holiday right off the bat - Labor Day!! Can I get three cheers for a sleep-in, time-to-craft, BBQ kind of holiday?!
Challenges entered with my card:
Outlawz Monday Greetings Card challenge - Labor Day theme

Determined to Lead You All Down the Path of Positivity

There's a new challenge at the Path of Positivity Challenge blog this month - Determination. I absolutely love this image from the guest sponsor, Pickled Potpourri. It's called "Make Things Beautiful."
I used to be a Girl Scout, and later became a Girl Scout (as well as Cub Scout Den) Leader. As scouts, we are taught to leave things in better shape than when we arrived. I grew up determined to make the world a better place, and since I'm a crafty type of person, to me that means making beautiful things, even if nobody cares.
So this Pickled Potpourri digi image with its awesome sentiment fit perfectly with, well, anything I could create.
So I altered a bedside tray. I snagged the tray at the thrift store for a buck and painted the top with acrylic paints. I scanned a water color painting I did last month before I printed the image onto it. After that, I Mod-Podged it onto my tray. Then the fun began!
I added flowers and sequins, a cool border on each side and some Washi tape across the bottom. I left the rest of the tray as is, which was gently distressed.
So here's my project, an altered tray, and I had a blast making it with acrylics, water colors, Mod Podge, flowers, sequins, and Washi tape. Here's the watermarked image from Pickled Potpourri:

Do you like to make beautiful things? Make something, photograph something, write something, with a theme of determination, and link it to the Path of Positivity Challenge blog for your chance for some awesome prizes from our guest sponsor, Pickled Potpourri, as well as monthly sponsors Ike's Art, Creative Bug Designs and Decosse's Dynamite Doodles.
The sponsors and prizes for this challenge are:

• A prize package of a $7 gift certificate to the Pickled Potpourri Designs store (good for any digital product), from our guest sponsors this month, for the post or project that the DT deems most inspiring of the bunch.
• Three digital images from Ike's Art for a person chosen in a random draw based on all entrants.
• One digital image from Creative Bug Digital Stamps for each person chosen as a DT Delight.

There will also  be:

• One digital designer paper (made to order in a few different ways) from Décosse's Dynamite Doodles for one lucky voter who leaves a comment.
• One digital sentiment for every single person who enters the challenge. 

Now that's a LOT of prizes you could win, so craft, paint, photograph or write about your take on the theme of DETERMINATION and LINK UP for your chance to win!!