Recreating Christmas Past

                                                            

This past January when I took down the Christmas cards I had received, some were so lovely that I could not throw them out. I decided to save all the store bought cards I really liked to recycle them into new Christmas cards this year.  Not only is this a excellent idea, but a way of rechanneling your creativity.  I've only posted a few cards here, but I made several using the front of old Christmas cards.  I feel like I have saved in some way a bit of a beloved Christmas past.

The card above is one I made for my mother, as she loves birds.  I had a card with a cardinal on the front and felt it would be perfect for a brand new Christmas card.  I am pleased with how it came out and my mother loved it!

I was able to make two different cards from a rectangular Christmas winter scene...one I made square using the central image of the old card, and I had enough left over to make a smaller card, decorated with gold embossing on the side.  I think both cards look charming and each is different in spite of originally being from one image.
                                                            

Card #1

 

Card #2

It is true that one can practically make a card from any materials and you are only limited by your imagination.  For the past few years I have been saving dimensional holiday tags, as I felt they were just too lovely to throw out... This year with the aid of embossing folders and mirror foil cardstock, I was able to produce some elegant and somewhat ornate looking cards. Take a look and judge for yourself....
                                                     

 

I hope you like what I have created and I hope I have inspired you to save and recycle old Christmas cards... saving something from Christmas Past can make a beautiful Christmas Present!

Happy Christmas to all and I wish you all a creative new year!

Hooray for Halloween!

                                                          

Hello everyone, and Happy Halloween to one and all!  This year I made more Halloween cards than at any other time in the past....I sent them all out except for two that will be on next year's list.  I made a variety of different styles this year, just went with whatever mood I was in.

The card above is the first one I made, this one for my sister.  The witch is a design by Rick St Dennis, new for this year, and as soon as I saw her I knew she would be featured in a Halloween card. I used the new Odd Curiosities collection from Graphic 45.  I added the glasses as a final touch, and this is from a die set by Impression Obsession.  The card below is a variation, and this one I gave to my mother.
                                            

Mama Mumba Voodoo Woman is another Rick St Dennis design, and I used her in a fold out card made to look like a botanica, a type of herbal shop found in Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands. I look at Mama Mumba as a curandera, Spanish for healer.
                                       

 

 

The following cards were all made using the Steampunk Spells papers from Graphic 45.  This collection is a couple of years old, but still very popular for making Halloween cards.
                                         

 

 

 

For these two cards I used the Tim Holtz Halloween Shadows die showing several children in costumes.
                                                   

 

 

The last card is perhaps the most special and came about from an idea that had been in my mind for a long time... I am a big fan of Lavinia Stamps and love Tracey Dutton's silhouette stamp designs of all things faerie and magical.  For this one, I used mostly Lavinia stamps, although the witch is from  Cherry Pie Stamps.  The cat stencil is from Sweet Poppy, but designed by Tracey Dutton.  I wanted to show a cat on Halloween night calmly watching another cat on a broomstick, behind a witch.  I am delighted to say that Tracey liked this card very much and posted it on her Facebook  page.  I gave this to my sister, as the cat on the fence represents her cat Pascualina.
                                         

I wish everyone a Happy Halloween and beware of things that go bump n the night!
                                             

Stylish Stencils

                                                            

It's been some time since I last posted, and I so much wish I was more consistent, but I guess better late than never.... I recently posted on Facebook that I temporarily set aside my Copic coloring to explore other mediums of making cards.  I've had stencils for a while, but never really sat down and played around, but this time I got serious and discovered a while new creative outlet.  I was in Puerto Rico in May visiting my family, and since I had brought several stencils for my sister, this is when we really fiddled around and we came out with several interesting images. 

First of all, there are stencils made by several manufacturers, and just about every time I turn around, I discover more stencils and in such a variety. Like many of you, I was mostly familiar with Tim Holtz stencils, along with those by The Crafters Workshop (TCW).  However, I recently came across stencils by mixed media artist Andy Skinner, and these are fabulous.  Christy Tomlinson, Prima, and My Favorite Things are other brands, but I know there are many more out there, so if any of you know of other companies, please let me know, as I'm always looking for new designs.

I've literally been on a roll the last two weeks making cards using stencils and a little magic (what I like to call my personal touch LOL!). 

The stencil used for the card below is Wildflower by Tim Holtz, and it's such a versatile design, that I made two cards using two different color schemes.  Since I personally believe every living thing has a soul, I added the face stamp giving the image a look as if the flowers had come to life.  The cool colors on the first card gives the image a subdued look, while the warm colors give off happy positive vibes.
                                                                     

 

 

 

The stencil I used for the cards below is another Tim Holtz design, called Flourish, and I decided to go with a Fashionista look, adding vintage silhouette stamps of ladies from the 1920's and 1930's.
                                                    

                                      

The card shown at the top is special for me, as it evokes the 1960's Go-Go years of the Mod Era. I was 13 years old and I loved everything about this time, especially the fashions and the music.  I used Tim Holtz' Rays stencil, and the dancer is a stencil by Andy Skinner, oddly titled Hippy Chic.  The sentiment is from a stamp set by Hampton Art, and one of the best investments I have made, as they are so diverse and fit in with almost any card design. 
                                               

The Hippy Chic set comes with two stencils, and I used it for this second Mod Era card.  Actually, looking at it carefully, the model looks more from the 1980's because of her Jennifer Beals look from the movie Flashdance.  The background stencil is called Cubist, and is from TCW.
                                                     

For this card I used the same Hippy Chic stencil from the card at the top, but changed the background by using the Tim Holtz design called Stripes, and of course using different colors.  I love these stencils and they can be used in so many ways.
                                                         

Last but not least, I just had to try out this Palm Tree stencil from TCW.... the stencil also has a cutout of a sun, but I masked this as I did not want it to show.  This is a perfect "hello, wish you were here" card LOL!

I hope you have enjoyed looking at my cards, and I hope I have inspired some of you to try using stencils to make cards... all I can say is that this is the way to go is you don't have too much time, but still want a card with pizazz! 

Until next time.....

Delancy Street

                                                            

Hello everyone!
I have great news....my rendition of Delancy Street - a 2015 design by Rick St Dennis - was selected as Pick of the Week (POTW) for the week of May 3rd 2015!  I cannot express my surprise and delight, and more because Rick himself nominated me, so I am very touched, as you can imagine.

There are many fantastic artists out there, including Rick, but he is my favorite because of his diversity and originality.  He is also a very nice person and I hope one day we will meet.

Delancy Street was brought to life because my sister Anabel asked me for a "Rick lady".  Last year I made a birthday card for her using Adrianna, a fabulous design by Rick.  Adrianna was the very first RSD image I colored specifically for a card, so this holds a special place in Anabel's heart and also in mine.  In short, she had framed this card and wanted a companion piece.  I had already planned to color Delancy Street, so I used colors to complement Adrianna.  Below is how the image looked before incorporating it into the card you see above.       
                                        

 

I want to thank everyone who voted for Delancy Street as POTW... you made my week!

Tropical Enchantment

                                                             

A few days ago I colored a fabulous new design by Rick St Dennis, called Pearly Shells. This was an image I knew that was begging for a card, so following the coloring, I began designing with Pearly Shells as the focus. The design reminded me of a tropical south seas theme, and with this in mind I started with the background. The cardstock I used is from a DCWV paper pack called Endless Summer that I bought on clearance last year at Michael's. I decided to make this an easel card, with the intention of making this a display piece.
                                                   

In keeping with the tropical theme, I added embellishments, such as different size pearls and shells. To one side I added gold netting to add a touch of enchantment.  The last touch was the sentiment, and as many as I have acquired over the years, I felt "Embrace the Goddess Within" was perfect. I hope you feel the same.....
                                                          

 

                                                  Pearly Shells before she became a card!

Spellbinder Faeries

                                                        

Last year Spellbinders released several new dies, among them three beautiful faeries. I have noticed that Spellbinders dies have lately become more intricate, no doubt due to the influence of the popularity of European based dies. This is a good thing and I for one am happy to see this line of diversity.  I have always loved anything magical and enchanted, this my fascination with the world of Fey and its mystical inhabitants.
                                                

I wanted for a long time to use the Spellbinder faeries and I finally got my chance recently. For me, the cardstock and papers used are very important, as they create the foundation of the card. For these three cards I used papers from Prima Marketing.  The gold embossing was accented by Frantage vintage style loose glitter, which added to the theme of the card. Since I tend to focus on silhouettes, this is how I imagined the faeries. The final touch was a gold ribbon bow with a charm.
                                            

I hope I have succeeded in giving you a glimpse of what I imagine the faerie world to be like.

Hop into Easter!

                                                               

I was busy all this morning making a few more Easter cards.  I used the Sweet Sentiments collection from Graphic 45 for two of the cards, and was inspired by Polly's Paper Studio on the other two.  My personal preference would have been to add embellishments like flowers and bows to these cards, but since I'm mailing them in plain envelopes, I didn't see the practicality in it and was afraid the condition the cards would be in when received. I think I'm going to have to invest in some small boxes for future cards!     
                                                  

                                                  

                                                                

This card and the one below were made from Graphic 45 papers.  My personal touches are the gold sticker corners.                 

                                   

The tiny lace doilies are from a Cherry Designs die cut called French Pastry that is only 2" x 2". I just cut it in half and used one on top and the other on the bottom.

                                                 

I used a combination of Graphic 45 papers and a collage postcard designed by Sally's Studio. I stamped "time to celebrate" on the front of it. 

I wish everyone a very happy Easter!

Spring into Easter

                                                             

It seems that hats are on display during Easter more than any other time of the year, and with this in mind, I decided to use two of Rick St Dennis' hat model designs that I had colored some time ago.  For those that are into hats, I can't think of anyone better than Rick St Dennis, as he has a wide variety of digital stamps, available from his online Zibbet shop.

For the layout of the cards, I was inspired by Polly's Paper Studio, and went for a eclectic collage look that I think works very well no matter the theme.  I like keys, and have an assortment of flat-backed keys that are perfect for cards.  I also used bits of ephemera, flowers, buttons, and ribbons. 
                                             

It's a Girl Thing

                                                                 

Hello everyone and welcome to my new card collection "It's a Girl Thing".  Frankly, I decided on this name after discarding several others.  These are relatively simple cards that can be used for different things, but I think of them as more "just because" cards.  I used Tim Holtz' new stamp collection called "Runway", and then stamped sentiments on each one - most are from his collections, but I had some others that I wanted to use. The background papers are from the Timeless Memories collection by Prima Marketing.  In a sense, each of these cards tells a story. 

I love the above "Short Stroll" card and I think deep down we all have this fantasy of an ordinary day turning into an extraordinary day.
                                                            

A friend of mine was recently diagnosed with cancer, and this sentiment is not only about keeping the faith, but also rising above your fears no matter the obstacles in your path.

                                                     

I look at this one as making the best of a bad situation... kind of making lemonade when life gives you lemons.
                                                      

To me, this one is about being flexible and open to something other than what one may have planned. As we all know, not all plans come out the way we may want.
                                   

Here's another one that is also about flexibility and being open minded to new things. It also means redefining what perfection is to each one of us.
                                                  

Life is made up of many little moments that can total a full life... this sentiment says it all.
                                                

This sentiment reminds us to take chances in life and live for the moment.
                                                           

No explanation needed, as this says it all!
                                                    

I love this sentiment.... no matter how old we get, our inner self is always young.  I think this is why romance novels are read by so many women....they help remind us that we really are ageless.

To conclude.... I named these cards "It's a Girl Thing" because each of us has friends, and even sisters and mothers who make us feel better with homilies similar to these sentiments.  In fact, this was the purpose behind these cards, to send to those I think may need a lift and to let them know I am thinking of them.

Happy Heart Day!

                                                   

I didn't make many Valentine cards this year, but I thought you might like to see the ones I did make.  The one above - the round scallop - I made for my sister Anabel, and I was inspired by the work of Arlene Cuevas, as I fell in love with the one she made.  Mine is slightly different of course, as I always like to add my own personal touches to it.  Still, it came out quite nice, even if I say so myself.  I used papers from Graphic 45 and Spellbinder dies.
                                               

This second card I made for my mother, and again I was inspired by the Graphic 45 gallery of cards. 

                                                       

This third and last card is my own design.  I have always been fascinated with keys, so thought I would use one for the body of the butterfly, giving it a surreal look.  I always like thinking outside the box.....

I wish everyone a happy St Valentine's Day!

Cat's Meow

                                                              

I made this little album from a black interactive flip book by Teresa Collins, and decorated it with papers from the Raining Cats & Dogs collection by Graphic 45.  I happened to see the blank book at JoAnn's and the idea came to me that it would make a cute little photo album.  The book was already assembled, so all I had to do was populate it with the papers.  For this album, I only used the cat themed papers, thus the title "Cat's Meow" on the cover.  I added the final touches of rhinestones and a ribbon on the front. This book is for my sister so she can display photos of her two cats Berto and Pascualina.                                                         

Inside of the front cover and the first page

 

 

Following pages

 

 

Another view of the middle pages

 

 

Back cover