Best In Show

Sorry I haven’t been around much.  It’s been a rough few weeks, but I hope things start looking up soon.  Keeping my fingers crossed.

A few weeks ago, I shared the three potion bottles I did for an Alpha Stamps swap.  Well, one of them ended up in the running for Best in Show.

Guess what?  IT WON!

I am THRILLED!  It was voted on by the members of the Alpha Stamps Yahoo Group. 

So, yeah, I have had a little good news lately.

Until later…………………

Alpha Stamps Potion Bottle Swap

Just thought I’d drop in real quick to share pictures of the potion bottles I made for a recent Alpha Stamps swap.  I started with three plain chipboard bottles and let my imagination run wild.

Here they are:

 
My favorite of the three.  I do so LOVE froggies!
          
 
Hmmmmmmm, wonder what this one contains?

 
This one is currently in the running for Best in Show on the Alpha Stamps Yahoo Group!

Until later…………………….

Merry Christmas Memory Book

Can you believe it?  It's already the first week in December.  There are gifts to wrap, cookies and pies to bake, and trees to decorate.   In all the hubub going on, I was able to find some time to be creative, thanks to Basically Bare and Xyron.

As Christmas is the time you make the most memories, I wanted to have a way to save those most precious to me.  So, I reached for my Basically Bare Krafty Keepsakes Vintage Album and my Xyron Gluestick and Create-a-Sticker.

For the front, I adhered strips of lace to the top and bottom for a border and ran a piece of black and gold punchinella through the center.  I followed with up with a Santa picture (the edges inked in Walnut Stain Distress Ink) and the numbers 25.  The pinecone and flowers are actually a votive candle holder decoration that I got from the charity shop for a quarter!  For the inside, I used my Xyron Create-a-Sticker to adhere the Merry Christmas to my Basically Bare album.  It was really easy to run the letters through the machine, making it a breeze to firmly adhere them to the inside of the cover.  The holly are buttons with the shank removed.

 

 

 

To create the pages, I inked the edges of my Basically Bare album envelopes with Distress Inks then adhered all my background papers with the Xyon Glue Stick.  Next, I inked all the edges in Distress Ink to match the album pages.  I left the backs plain, just covered in the same background paper as the front and all the edges once again inked with matching Distress Ink.

 

The pages were embellished with a mixture of paper cutouts inked with Walnut Distress Ink, ribbons, metallic borders, snowflake buttons, and an ornament (the mitten).  I left plenty of room to go back and add pictures and journaling.  There are always a multitude of memories to be had at Christmas and I wanted to make sure I had the space needed to save them all.  Leaving the back of the pages blank also insured plenty of room for my memories and any journaling I might want to do.

 

For the inside of the back cover, I took a small Basically Bare Dress Form, removed the bottom, papered it, and added gold-trimmed lace at the waist and hem.  The top and bottom borders are Dresden trim.

 

The back of the album needed to lay as flat as possible, so I once again used my lace as a border, cut and adhered a piece of black and gold punchinella, fussy cut a Christmas picture, adhering it with the Xyron Glue Stick, and added a black Basically Bare Key with a coating of white mica to simulate snow.  

 

VOILA!  One completed Christmas Memory Album.

I hope you enjoyed this latest project.  Until later.........................

Fall Layout

Here’s something a little different from what you normally see me create.  I’m expanding my horizons (always a good thing to do) plus it’s my first project for Basically Bare!  I started with one of their cardboard album pages as my base, covering it with some Bella Blvd paper.

I did a little experimenting.  Since I wanted the chipboard house (BB Happy Houses) to have a brick look, I took a piece of acrylic and ran it through my Sizzix using the TH Checkerboard texture fade.  Next I used several layers of Cranberry alcohol ink to give it a brick color.  I cut it down to size and applied it with Glossy Accents.  It’s still slightly transparent and the Glossy Accents dries crystal clear.  I left the chipboard unpainted under the acrylic since it adds to the “brick effect” I was aiming for.

A Prima branch, some foam leaves from the Dollar Tree, acorns from my backyard, and a BB bird colored (how about SOAKED) with Dylusions and it’s done!

I hope you enjoyed!  Until later…………………

C is for Creepy / D is for Diner

Just a couple little ATCs I created for The Altered Paper’s Alphabet ATC Swap.  I have the “A” and “B” themes somewhere, just have to find the pictures (probably in my other camera).

I was in the Halloween mood for the “C” theme.

I had the Diner sticker in my stash and thought it would work great for the “D” theme.

Hmmmm, wonder what I will come up with for “E”?

Until later………………………………….

Basically Bare Design Team

I just wanted to take a moment to announce I am now a member of the Basically Bare Design Team!

In a moment of what I thought was sheer lunacy, I answered a Facebook call for design team applicants Basically Bare had put out in mid-October.  The next day, I heard from Angela, the owner, asking if I would like to try out for the team.  After picking my jaw up of the ground and tying a bandage around my head to keep it from repeatedly dropping, I emailed with a resounding YES, then promptly started panicking. 

A few days later, a box of wonderful goodies arrived for me to use and off I went.  I had been out of town to visit family, so gouged time out from my weekday evenings and most of one Saturday pouring my heart into the project (drying time about drove me nuts!).  Here’s is a sneak peek:

I tried some new techniques, used a few new products that were lying around my studio, and plundered some paper I’d been saving for a special project.  This definitely qualified as special as I wanted this to really reflect who I am and what I can do.

While still stunned from such being offered such an awesome opportunity to try out, I again heard from Angela, this time with an offer of a place on the team.   Oh yeah, I was doing the Snoopy Dance!

Yes, this was definitely a dream; one that came true!

Until later……………………………

Halloween a la 100 Proof Press Stamps

I recently got a chance to play with some stamps from 100 Proof Press.  Let me tell you, they have some AWESOME stamps!

Here is an Altered Tag and an ATC I came up with for Halloween using their stamps.

“Fancy” was was made using fabric and embellishments from Gauche Alchemy’s Limited Edition Halloween Mixed Media Color Kit, a plastic spider ring, fiber, Dylusions Mists, and Toasting Skeletons from 100 Proof Press Stamps. 

“EEK” was made using embellishments from Gauche’s Limited Edition Halloween Mixed Media Color Kit, confetti spiders and sticky-back gems, Dylusions Mists and Jumping Skeleton from 100 Proof Press Stamps.  I like the thought of a skeleton being afraid of spiders!

I had a blast with these stamps.  My goal was to come up with something funny to go with the skeletons instead of the normal Halloween creepy.  I think I succeeded.

Until later………….