WOYWW #99 April 27, 2011

What a week this past week has been! I have been busy both with life and with my crafting and now when life comes knocking my first inclination is to head to the studio and lock the darn door!! It hasn't been the happiest of times and I am sure that it could be worse but right now I am in a poor frame of mind to judge...

On to what is on my work desk this week. I have been busy making cards for a swap and as soon as I can find them I will put them in a post for you to see. Some how in cleaning up my desk to move on to the next project I sat them down 'some where safe' and can't remember where I put them!! This is what my desk looks like today. I am working on ATC's for a swap at OutlawWomenScrapbookEmporium. This is an eclectic group of women who do all sorts of paper crafts and altered art...like this group...on Yahoo! Once you belong you can buy products from the Emporium at a reduced price. Check it out.

The ATC's were suppose to be related to spring so I stamped the flowering tree from the Stampin'Up! set Easter Blessings in VersaMark then embossed it with clear embossing powder on Crumb Cake card stock. After the embossing cooled I used painted bleach on the flowers to bleach the color out. Oh yeah! I used the Tim Holtz ATC die to cut the cards out. Nice huh.





The butterflies are cut from Graphic 45 Once Upon a Springtime paper using a Creative Memories mini butterfly punch! Oval and sentiment from Stampin'Up!













Here is the finished ATC...now don't make fun of me this is only the second one I have ever made and I think I am getting the hang of it but...sometimes small isn't my forte! I like the bleach resist and found that a lot of the card stocks don't necessarily just fade out but take on a different color when bleached so take care if you try it.








Now I bet I have you wondering what I am going on about with the WOYWW stuff. Head over to Julia's place The Stamping Ground and check out all the awesome sites we hop around (as in blog land hop)to each week and snoop into whats on their work desk this week. I am off to check it out. Have a great week!

New Mothers day layout

I am really getting into the Tim Holtz style grunge tags and altered items but I still have a love of bright colors and cutesy things and I have been trying to do a little of each style each month. This month I combined that love for the bright colors with vintage floral prints and flowers cut with dies to create a sentimental Mother's Day layout for my April layout of the month. I think for someone who doesn't scrapbook I have been good keeping up with my New Years resolution to make at least one 2 page layout a month. Now all I have to do is start putting the pictures with them!!








When I saw this designer print paper by Crate Paper from Emma's Shop Collection called Fabric I thought to myself that it looked like the fabric that my Mom or Grandma would have used to make a shirtdress out of. The mat on the left page is meant to hold a 5"x7" photograph of Mom!


















The three mats on the right page are cut to hold 4"x6" photographs.
I love the multiple hues of pink on the cream background and just new that I had to make something out of it. I think that this has enough nostalgia it is perfect for a Mother's day layout.










I really thought making the flowers would be a lot more work then what these turned out to be. I almost didn't try and just opted for the precut/packaged flowers. Don't think I will do that again. I think that with a little more practice I will be able to make them even better then what these turned out!


Materials:
Stampin Up! card stock, whisper white
Bazzil card stock, dark green, pink, hot pink
Designer paper by Crate Paper
Stampin Up! Bigz dies: Flower Daisy's #2, flowers(retired)
Stampin Up! scallop trim border punch
Martha Stewart Butterfly punch
Tim Holtz dies: tattered leaves, elegant flourishes
Stampin Up! stamp Messages for MOM
Stampin UP! Ink pads
Stickles
Brad and Dew Drops

Here Comes the Sun

Last year I took a class at WLS that was new mini edgy album with a clear acrylic cover. I didn't get the book finished until just last month so thought I would share it with you today. I really think the book is so retro and really cool and far out. The book is decorated with BoBunny’s Flower Child paper collection.



I used Glossy Accents to adhere the flower to the front of the clear cover and on the bling to make sure they were well protected. I have been making a lot of the mini books and giving them away but I just might have to keep this one for myself! I bought several extra sheets of this paper so I could make something else with it! Isn't it cute? Thanks for looking!

WOYWW #98

It has been a very busy and chaotic week around here this week. I am actually looking forward to Wednesday now cause WOYWW is my anchor to what day it is....not to mention how much fun it is to snoop around everyone desks! Stamping Ground is J. Dunnits blog and where you need to go to check it out!

My work desk is a disaster this week. I have all sorts of stuff left out that I have been using this week and haven't got it all put back where it belongs! I don't think anyone else here does that...or do they? I wouldn't tell...as you can see I staged this and cropped that part out of the picture!!

I wanted to share some things I received this week. I won some blog candy this past week from Charlene! It was some fun ribbon, two stamp sets, some brads, and other stuff. As I was putting the ribbons away in my ribbon bag I thought that I would show off the bag I bought to hold the bits and pieces. It has holes all around the clear walls and you just punch it through and viola! I don't know how they don't get tangled but they don't!

Secondly, I was talking with my daughter about wanting to do a art journal she gave me a big pot of Gesso, a Strathmore Sketch book, and some itty bitty watercolor canvases! Yay! I am off and running now!

I have been fairly productive this week, made 10 cards for a friend to use at church. Made several tags one of which is my first steampunk tag(maybe to cute for a real SP tag), made another tag for the Grungy Monday challenge, another tag for a friend that passed and I put a tribute on my blog, and did some more organizing of stash in my craft room. Still have a lot of organizing I need to today. I sounded like a sailor that had been at sea a year when I opened a cabinet and everything jumped out at me.

On non-paper craft stuff I did a little work out in the yard. I planted the planter around the patio with petunias, sage, begonias, and other stuff. I also planted some tomatoes, peppers, and onions in the garden. Tomorrow I am going to plant some peas, beans, and maybe some corn. I will wait a couple more weeks to plant the okra cause it doesn't like too cold of feet and the 100+degree weather is what it likes best! Payday I will buy more flowers to go in the flower pots and maybe get the swimming pool open so I can get so less stressful water exercise in.

Okay thats it for me I am going to start my tour around the blogs. Take care and have a good week.

Vickie

A tag and a story!

UPDATE: Freddie Haddad passed from this world April 17, 2011 at 10:40pm.

I met Leslie and Fred about 3 years ago when Leslie opened up her scrapbook store Whole Lotta Scrap on Main Street in Norman, Oklahoma. They are a really awesome couple and you can tell that they genuinely love and care about one another. We have spent birthdays, holidays, and other events with them and they have become part of our family. Leslie has taken to calling me Momma and she is my other daughter by another mother! The beginning of March Fred went to the doctor thinking he had some kind of stomach problems and was given some bad news. Fred had Stage 4 Liver Cancer that had spread throughout his body. It was so sudden it was a shock since Fred hadn't been ill and there hadn't been any other warning signs that it was growing.

Fred is in the hospital tonight and the doctors have told Leslie and the family that Fred most likely won't make it another 48 hours. I went to the hospital to visit with them for a while tonight and say my goodbyes. Fred was asleep...and chances are he won't wake from this sleep tonight. My heart breaks for Leslie. Fred will be missed by many!

I made this tag today thinking I would give it to Leslie and Fred when I went to the hospital today. I think I left it on a table...I can't remember now.



I think the closeup picture of this tag says it all about how Fred enjoyed life to the fullest! He loved and cherished his family and was loyal to his friends. Professionally he was respected by all his colleagues and known to deliver what he promised and took pride in his work.
Fred loved to go to sports events and NHRA races in Ft. Worth. Fred actually took a couple pictures of my husband Chuck at a race in TX before they even met each other last year. He loved going to his land with Leslie's Dad, Claude, and four wheeling and cooking out. Fred loved a good gossip and would come to the store when we had crops and would sit and joke and kid around with the women there about this and that and he got so comfortable just hanging with us we dubbed him and honorary scrapbooker! He liked nothing better then play pranks on some of the women and would enlist Leslie's aide to help him pull it off. Fred would come in and cook hot dogs and hamburgers for us when we had the OU/OSU football bedlam each year, one year smoking out the store. Everyone that knew Fred knew what a hard worker and how sincere a person he was. If you had a problem he had a solution! Freddie was always willing to help carry stuff and would make multiple trips to the cars packing out the too much stuff we packed in and when the women told him they needed lockers to store their stuff in he built them! He was priceless!

Yep, I think Fred Enjoyed the Journey...we enjoyed Fred!

Grungy Monday #3.2 color washes

After I posted the steampunk tag I went back and read the whole post over at StudioL3 and was going to look at some of the other tags. What I read disqualified the other tag because this is a product specific contest and you had to use the color wash put out by Ranger/Tim Holtz. Lucky for me that after I started making that tag I received a bottle of the Meadow Color wash from GloMom at ATT so now here is the tag I made for this challenge.


I think it turned out pretty cute. Steampunk to cute! I like them both!

Materials used:
Tim Holtz - Cling Mounted Rubber Stamp Sets - Good Thoughts - Reflections
Ink:
Tim Holtz® Distress Stains™ Broken China
Tim Holtz® Adirondack® Color Wash Meadow
Tim Holtz® Distress Ink Pads vintage photo, walnut stain
Tissue Tape—Sketchbook
Hole reinforcers
Martha Stewart Butterfly Punch
Leaf punch
Stampin Up Card stock and embossing powder
Mulberry Paper Flowers(?Prima)
Ribbons

Grungy Monday #3 using colorwashes

This is an interesting challenge for me in that I didn't have any color washes because no place in town sells much in the way of TH products. My local scrapbook store has started carrying stuff because I have asked for it but she hasn't gotten any of the color washes and only 5 colors of the stains in so far. I 'made' a color wash using a faded denim ink and decided to also add Perfect Pearls to it to give it a "little shine." Well maybe a lot as is evidenced by all the sparkle and shine on the tag!! I also decided to pull out the Graphic 45 SteamPunk papers and try a little steampunk style on this project. What do you think? I think it has all the elements of steampunk and it really isn't as bright and sparkly in person. I think I like it.

It is a lot different then anything I have done before but then when I first started grunge I wasn't so for sure I was going to like it. love, Love, LOVE it now!




The girl and round tag is cut from the Steampunk pad and then I glued them onto a square fragment and a round fragment tag with the Glossy Accents.





The cogs are made with the Tim Holtz Movers and Shapers die mini gears using grunge paper and chipboard. I sprayed the gears with the home made color wash. The roses are by Prima and the leaves are a Martha Stewart Punch. The ribbon and fibers are from my stash.

I wasn't from sure I was going to like this but I think it turned out nice!

WOYWW #97

I have been very busy this week doing various and sundry things but when I went in to take a picture of my desk it looked sadly lacking in someway. I truly have been busy crafting and you will have to scroll back through the posts to see what I have been up to!

This is my desk this morning. Not much to see all things told as I am in the beginnings of a new project for the Grungy Monday Challenge over at StudioL3 where everyone gets together and submits a Grungy project using the challenge bit which this week is color washes. As you can see from the tag on my mat what I was attempting to do may not be working out but I am not giving up on it yet. I took a mini-mister and added the faded denim to it and then added some Perfect Pearls but it looks a little strange to me...
I am attempting my first 'steampunk' style tag and I am not exactly sure what I am doing so keep tuned to see how it turns out.

I bought a notebook to start an art journal in and have been watching posts on you-tube in hopes I can learn what to do. It looks like it could be a lot of fun to make one so I am going to give it a go. Looking at the paper mat on my desk I might keep it to put in my journal! It has lots of possibilities.

If you stumbled on to my site and wonder what I am blabbering on about it is Wednesday and every Wednesday we get together and take a peak at other peoples desks around the world...literally. Anyway if you would like to join in or just get more information go to Stamping Ground where the Queen of this kingdom Julia Dunnit has set up the system. Thanks for stopping by! I am off to take a peek at the other peoples desks.

Week #2 Grungy Monday

Wow! Week 2 of the Tim Holtz style tags is almost over and and Linda over at StudioL3 will be announcing the next weeks tag soon. I had a lot of fun making this tag this week and I am looking forward to doing another one this week. Woo Hoo where can you have a lot of fun and learn a lot at the same time? Check it out!

In this challenge we were asked to make a stamp using one of the dies then to stamp on the tag using a matte medium. I made my stamp out of the elegant flourishes. Stamped the image multiple times let it dry then distressed over it and stamped over it with the pattern pieces stamp. I think it turned out rather well.

Materials:

Tim Holtz'dies: Sewing room, Tag and book plates, Elegant Flourishes
Ink: Old Paper, Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain
TH Hanger clips
Grunge Paper

Stampin' Up!
Very Vanilla Cardstock
Stamp: Pattern Pieces

Ribbon and buttons from craft stash

April TH style Tag Class

Went to WLS tonight for another Tim Holtz style tag class with my peeps! Love to play with those girls they are all such awesome crafters. Everyone might remember this tag from the Week #1 Grungy Monday entry on Monday of last week. I decided to use it in the class so everyone would learn a couple of different techniques from each tag. I love the recycling bit of this tag where I used the packaging from the bird and cage die to make the clear overlay on the tag. The overlay was then embossed with an old Cuddlebug or Sizzix embossing folder. This tag was made using the wrinkle free technique and then embossed.
The second tag is made using Distress Crackle paint in Antique Linen and the cage and bird were cut out of grungeboard. All the flowers are colored with distress inks. Fun and simple! Doesn't the addage tag say it all?

The last tag was a learning experience for all of us. I don't remember how many distress inks I used to build up the background on this tag but it was a bunch then the butterflies were stamped with in Broken China and the rabbit was stamped in the Black Soot and embossed with clear embossing powder. Tried something different with the flower and after inking it with the Dusty Concord I rinsed the flowers in clear water and used a heat tool to dry them quickly. I wanted a worn look not the bright purple color. The Memo pin holds an image cut out of the Seasonal paper stack Easter papers. Cute!


Materials:
Tim Holtz dies: Tag & Bookplates
Caged Bird
SPRING SPRUNG Easter
Tim Holtz Crackle Paint, antique linen
Distress ink pads:
Barn Door
Chipped Sapphire
Rusty Hinge
Wild Honey
Faded Jeans
Dusty Concord
Spiced Marmalade
Broken China
Frayed Burlap
Scattered Straw
Antique Linen
Tea Dye
Vintage Photo
Black Soot
Mustard Seed
Fired Brick
Walnut Stain
Seasonal Paper Stack
Memo Pin
Muse Token
Addage Tickets
Bazzil Brad
Flower Soft
SU clear embossing powder
Various ribbons and laces
dew drops

Once Upon a Springtime card

I have had a lot of questions about this Graphics 45 Once Upon a Springtime card so thought I would post it and enter it in the A La Card Monkey challenge this week so people could see it upclose and personal.

Materials:
Graphic 45 Once Upon a Springtime paper
Graphic 45 Stamps, Once upon a Springtime
Stampin Up Old Olive, Always Artichoke, Whisper White cardstock
Chocolate chip ink
Stamp and Write Markers
Mulberry paper roses

A La Card Monkey giveaway

Check it out!!! There is a big, Big, BIG give away going on over at A La Card Monkey site. click on the link to the left to get there. Here is a sneak peak!!



There's more but you have to go there to see it all.

WOYWW #96

It has been an interesting and busy week this week! I thought that I would have all the time in the world since I was home alone all week as Chuck traveled to Germany on business, Michael went to Czech Rep. on business, and Heather was orienting a new job out of town. Heather and Michael don't live with us but I am usually hanging out at their house or they are at ours. I love having my daughter so close to be able to do crafts and run around with. Norman, OK, USA has a new JoAnn's coming to town and Heather is going to be one of the team supervisors/management types so she has been traveling around learning her job. Unfortunately time flew by and I have very little show for it.

I have finished all my doctors appointments till next month and still have no idea what the hell is going on with me besides fibromyalgia, CFS/ME, and some type of autoimmune disorder. I went to see the disability doctor and he tells me that he thinks I am early onset Parkinson's disease which I hope he doesn't know what he is talking about!!! I am concerned though because my father died from Parkinson's in 1989 and it is a genetic disease. Unfortunately all my symptoms match up with all the disorders so I will just have to wait and see until something shows up proof positive for what ails me!

Anyway enough moaning and groaning. Moving onward to the task at hand.... WOYWW...whats that you say? It is What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday where a bunch of artists/crafters fly around the world from the comfort of their computer desk. If you want more information click the link on the left or click here to go to Stamping Ground where Julia Dunnit has organized the hop from blog to blog snooping out all the fun things on peoples desks!
You can see I gave in and bought one of those big pink tape/glue gun things. Michaels had them half price on Sunday and I couldn't resist the temptation any longer. I think I will use it for my desk glue gun and continue using the Stampin Up! snail when I am out and about! I also bought a new MS punch (in the background) that was 40% off. I love bargains! I have laid out some Tim Holtz stamps to work on my Grungy Monday #2 tag as soon as I figure out how to put the tape in that gun handle. Challenges!

I took a class today with Gus (Augusta) Frank at Whole Lotta Scrap. We are making a set of canvas tiles using the Graphic 45 Springtime papers and we are taking the faeries and making transparencies out of them to use on the tiles. Here is a picture of the first one I have almost completed. I still need to put the glossy effects on the flowers and butterflies and then it will be done.
The second one isn't as far along as the canvases were back ordered and we will get them in next week. I like both of the pictures and like Gus said I can see a set of 4 or 6 in this set! I think I will use them in the bathroom where I already have faerie Wallies in place.



Okay a quick share before I quit my ramblings here...While I am trying to type this up both of my cats kept coming up to me to see what I was doing so with the awesome abilities of my iPhone 4 I took pictures of them investigating what was going on. This first picture is of Skiddy, who I would like to say is a very skiddish cat and that is how she got her name but the truth of it is she has a black "skid mark" on her private bits and my husband thought the name SKIDMARK would be appropriate! No way I say and it is shortened to Skiddy!

This second picture is of Stormy! She was given her name also by my husband because of her stormy disposition. I have never had a cat that is so vocal and constantly griping and complaining!


Okay that's it for today. I am going to go surf around the web and see what all the other peeps have lurking on their desks. Hope I haven't bored you with the gabby post. Hope you have a great week!

All Occasion Cards

I had a friend ask me to make some cards using the Webster Page paper called Hollywood! Not a really friendly paper to use to make cards if you ask me but I gave it a good old college try and here is what I came up with! I am actually proud of the way the four of them turned out. There were two different sheets of designer paper used and card blanks from a packet....






Materials:

card blanks and envelope
Webster Pages designer paper
Taffeta ribbon
Stickles
Perfect Pearls
Bazzill Basic Rub-ons
Stampin' Up! oval and scalloped oval punches
Stampin' Up! Basic Black ink
Distress Ink Black soot and Broken Glass

Week 1 Grungy Monday

This is the first week of the new Tim Holtz tag challenge called Grungy Monday being hosted by Studio L3. If you are a Tim Holtz tag fan check it out and come play with us.

This is my submission to the challenge. I really have fun making my tags! Tim Holtz is an awesome artist and makes all his techniques so doable! This weeks challenge had to do with 12 Tags of Christmas, 2008, Tag 10! We were to look for inspiration and take the process and make it our own. This tag has masking and other fun stuff to do! I think my masking was not well done so after the third try making the tag I took it and dry embossed with a folder over the masking part and distressed it. I like the look but I will try again later and post it but I was running against the clock being the procrastinator I am.


Hope you like it. I am looking forward to hearing what this weeks challenge is.

UPDATE!!! Found out what I need to do to keep the masked part very clear and visual. I will try again and post it under the update!

March Swap at Outlaw Women's Scrapbook Emporium

I love doing swaps! I made card candy for years then branched into cards and 3-d stuff. My latest love is tags and ATC's. Here is an ATC's I did for the OWSE March swap. The only rules were that you use the colors of purple and green and it be the regulation 2.5x3.5 ATC size. Easy peasy and lots of fun!

...and this is on the flip side! Always take credit and give credit where it is due is my motto! I CASE, Create And Share Everything, so that motto is a must!

March Swap-Purple and Green

Stampin’ Up! (SU!) Cardstock
Rich Razzleberry and Crumb Cake
Tim Holtz (TH) Seasonal Paper Stack
Distress Ink: Chipped Sapphire
Walnut Stain
SU! Embossing folders: polka dot
Wallpaper
Stamps: TH Shabby French
TH dies: ATC and Elegant Flourishes
Ten Second Studios Metals:
Plum and Appletini
SU! Glitter brads
Mini library Clips

Vickie Doswell aka okienurse
okienurse@gmail.com
http://okienurse.blogspot.com

Wondering what OWSE is? It is a group of people meeting in a Yahoo! group having loads of fun. Want to find out more about it just click the link to go to Outlaw Women's Scrapbook Emporium