Happy New Year!

Knowing I am well into middle age, I want to enjoy the moments I have. Today, as 2012 comes to a close, I enjoyed the winter wonderland around us with one of my sisters. As I thought about moments, and the blessings they are, I decided to look up some inspirational quotes on moments. Here they are, enjoy!

“What day is it?" It's today," squeaked Piglet. My favorite day," said Pooh.” ― A.A. Milne

“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Be present in all things and thankful for all things.” ― Maya Angelou

“Happiness, not in another place but this place...not for another hour, but this hour.” ― Walt Whitman

“Life is a preparation for the future; and the best preparation for the future is to live as if there were none.” ― Albert Einstein

“We spend precious hours fearing the inevitable. It would be wise to use that time adoring our families, cherishing our friends and living our lives.” ― Maya Angelou

“Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that's the stuff life is made of.” ― Benjamin Franklin

“Do not look back and grieve over the past, for it is gone; and do not be troubled about the future, for it has yet to come. Live in the present, and make it so beautiful that it will be worth remembering” ― Ida Scott Taylor

The value of moments, when cast up, is immense, if well employed; if thrown away, their loss is irrevocable.  - Lord Chesterfield

"The important thing is not how many years in your life but how much life in your years." - Edward J. Stieglitz

Minutes are worth more than money.  Spend them wisely.  - Thomas P. Murphy

Life is a flash of lightning in the dark of night. It is a brief time of tremendous potential. - B. Alan Wallace

Use your health, even to the point of wearing it out.  That is what it is for.  Spend all you have before you die; do not outlive yourself.  - George Bernard Shaw

I don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I lived just the length of it.  I want to have lived the width of it as well.  - Diane Ackerman

May you live all the days of your life.  - Jonathan Swift

Every second is of infinite value.  - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Every day you are alive is a special occasion.  Every minute, every breath, is a gift from God.  - Mary Manin Morrissey

"V" technique ATC

We are up to the letter "V" in our ABCs of Techniques ATC Swap.

For the background I used the Variegated Verdant backgrounds I made. Then I layered on the VersaMark Resist piece I did. Finished it with Ventilation Tape Embellishments. These were made by applying Ventilation tape over thin cardboard and cutting out the shapes with a die cut, and the circles were cut with a hole punch. (The ventilation tape embellishments can be colored with alcohol inks, but I liked the shiny silver look with the dark green background).

V is for VersaMark Resist

This is an old technique, but I love how it looks. Stamp a bold image with VersaMark ink on glossy or coated card stock. Let dry or set with a heat tool.

 Cover with dye ink using a sponge, brayer or direct-to-paper.

 Set with a heat tool.

 Wipe off excess ink with a baby wipe.

 Nice resist look.

 If desired stamp over with a darker ink. I used a dark ink to color the edges and to stamp a word in the center.

V is for Variegated Verdant Background

I wanted to try a Vaseline Resist technique , but it needed fluid watercolors, which I don't have. I tried it with acrylic paint and it didn't work with the more detailed stamp I wanted to use. But I decided to use a variety of different green mediums over it for a "Variegated Verdant" background.

Adhered dictionary pages over card stock and tore the edges. Stamped an image with vaseline then painted over with green acrylic paint and rubbed the acrylic paint off the vaseline (it just looks a bit streaky). Covered with peeled paint Distress Stain and let dry.

 Splattered over the surface with Wheat Grass Memory Mist (a pigment ink) and let dry.

 Used my finger to daub on some peeled paint Distress Stickles and let dry.

 I like how this looks!

Tortoiseshell ATC

Used a tortoiseshell background made earlier. Added a vintage image that I colored the moon with a distress ink marker and covered with Rock Candy Distress Stickles. Also added a moth image and 3 small "pearls" that I covered with Rock Candy Distress Stickles.

Textured Glue Resist ATC

Used a textured glue resist background made earlier. Not sure why I listed it as a "G" technique, it's going in my notebook as a "T"  technique ;)
Added a vintage image, some decorative tape, colored the edges with red ink marker and wrote on words with red and black markers.

Compendium of Curiosities Challenge 34 - Glazed Mosaics

I'm participating in the 34th Challenge from Tim Holtz's book "Compendium of Curiosities 2"  on Linda's blog. This week the technique is  Glazed Mosaics  on pg. 60  of Tim's book. Following the instructions I made these two glazed mosaics, that I edged with a silver metallic leafing pen:

 I used an ATC that had a perfect pearls wash done over stamped images. Used the same colors of alcohol inks that were used in the glazed mosaics to color the edges of the ATC. Attached the glazed mosaics to a blue silk ribbon and attached to the ATC with silver brads.

time to play

I've been away the past three weeks on a family emergency. Hoping to get into the crafting space to play and get messy today......

Merry Christmas!

Rust ATC

The theme for the 9ATC group this month is "Rust", I started by making a wrinkle free distress background on glossy card stock. Distress inks fade into glossy card stock, so I made the colors much more intense than I wanted them to end up.

 Cut the paper into ATC sized cards and stamped an image with black India Ink.

 To make a rusty looking lock, Used a die cut to cut a lock shape out of a piece of faux rusty metal made earlier, then ran it through an embossing folder in a Cuttlebug. Colored the edges and the raised areas with sepia Archival Ink.

 Roughly inked the edges of the card with rusty hinges Distress Ink and covered with Antiquities Rust embossing powder and heat set.

 Colored one window edge and one building with a yellow ink pen. Placed a women's face image behind the cut out portion of the lock.

Birthday Pages for a Swap

I had three Birthdays on Kindred Souls Art Group to make 4"x4" pages. I used the  Masking Over Acrylic Painted Backgrounds I made earlier as the base. 

On this page I used some torn printed tissue paper for the edge of the page and as the body o the butterfly. Added two different types of letter stickers for the words. Created a border with Gelly Roll pens. Added some red "pearls".

On the back, added some paper butterflies and white "pearls", used a white Gelly Roll pen to outline the stamped quote.

 For the second page, outlined the butterfly with a gold metallic Gelly Roll pen and also wrote some words. Used this pen to add some gold highlighting to the paper decorative flowers, also added some orange "pearls".

 On the back, added some paper butterflies and more orange "pearls".

 On the third page, stamped a background stamp with white ink. Rubbed some pink acrylic paint over the left edge. Added some torn music sheet. Added paper butterflies and flowers. Colored some round chipboard with black ink, the wrote letters with a silver metallic Gelly Roll pen. Also added some small black "pearls".

Created a border on the back with white Gelly Roll pen. Also added a butterfly,  that was stamped and embossed with black embossing powder over black card stock. Colored with Perfect Pearls. Used a metallic Gelly Roll pen to color the center and the outline.

ATC based on Tm's December 2012 Tag #2

Tim Holtz posted the last two tags of 2012 yesterday. Check out his blog for fab step by step instructions.

I made an ATC using several of the techniques he showed on the second tag of December 2012.

Start by pressing some red Distress Stain on a craft sheet along with some tarnished brass Distress Stain. 

 Drag a manilla card down into the Distress Stains and twist around pick up the stains. Dry with a heat tool, pick up more stain, spray with water to blend the colors and heat set again.

Adhered Melange Tissue Wrap over grunge paper, cut out with the Tattered Poinsettia Die and colored with Distress Inks. I cut the largest of the poinsettia into individual leaves, so it will fit on the ATC.

 Applied some rock candy Distress Stickles over the pieces and let dry.

 Cut a flourish out of grunge paper and color with tarnished brass Distress Stain and let dry.

 Colored over the dried Distress Stickles with brushed corduroy Distress Ink. Used the ink to also color the edges of all the grunge paper pieces.

 Used tarnished brass Distress Stain on a large flourish stamp and stamped onto the background.

 Curled down the edges of the poinsettia petals and adhered with hot glue gun.

 Added a "Be Merry" piece of paper after coloring the edges with brushed corduroy Distress Ink. Added a decorative brad to the center of the  poinsettia.

ATC based on Tim's December Tag of 2012 #1

Tim Holtz posted the last two tags of 2012 today. Check out his blog for fab step by step instructions.

I made an ATC using several of the techniques he showed on the first tag of December 2012.

Start by pressing some blue Distress Stain on a craft sheet along with some brushed pewter Distress Stain. 

 Drag a manilla card down into the Distress Stains and twist around pick up the stains. Dry with a heat tool, pick up more stain, spray with water to blend the colors and heat set again.

 Stamped a collage type of snowflake stamp with black Archival Ink and heat set. Added a piece of tissue tape across the top. Used the brushed pewter Distress Stain to color the edges. Placed Foil flashing tape over a piece of grunge paper and cut out letters with the Once Upon a Time die. Used a snowflake "jewel" to dot the "j".

 Stamped some snowflakes with black Archival Ink on watercolor paper. Colored outer edges with blue Distress pen and blended with a water brush. Added some highlights with rock candy Distress Stickles and let dry.

Added larger snowflake with a piece of dimensional foam tape. Added other snowflakes with double sided tape.

 The finished ATC:

Compendium of Curiosities 2 Challenge #31 Ink Palette Distress

I'm participating in the 31st Challenge from Tim Holtz's book "Compendium of Curiosities 2"  on Linda's blog. This week the technique is  Ink Palette - Distress  on pg. 51  of Tim's book. Following the instructions I made this background:

I like how it's possible to get a variety of shades with each of the colors of Distress Ink re-inkers with this technique, so much variety!!!
To finish the atc, I added a game piece arrow and attached with a fancy brad. Added a ribbon to the bottom.

Compendium of Curiosities 2 - Challenge #29 Texture Fades Techniques

I'm participating in the 29th Challenge from Tim Holtz's book "Compendium of Curiosities 2"  on Linda's blog. This week the technique is Texture Fades Techniques on pg. 64  of Tim's book. I did the first of the two techniques in the book. This is the background I created with one of Tim's Texture Fades (a type of embossing folders). It's hard to tell in this photo, but the dark brown is the recessed area and the honey yellow is the raised area.

 Added rock candy Distress Stickles to the raised areas and let it dry.

 Added a word and part of a score from a music sheet. Added an image of a cemetery angel. Glued some lightly colored tissue paper behind a butterfly charm and attached it to the atc.