Be hopeful...

 

 

Unfortunately I have had to send 2 sympathy cards in the last few weeks.  I have always loved this sentiment...

 

 "Perhaps they are not stars, but rather openings in heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy." 

 

It is a message of hope when it doesn't seem like there is a lot of hope around.

 

 

 

This week, over at the Linnie Blooms Blog, we are challenging everyone to use Distress Inks.  The Design Team is continuing to show the endless versatility of the Linnie Bloom canvas shapes. 

 

I applied Distress Stains (faded jeans, weathered wood, and tumbled glass colors) directly to the canvas overlapping the shades a bit.  I spritzed with a little water to facilitate them to bleed together and then spritzed with some Close to My Heart Pearl Paint (that I mixed with water and put in a spritz bottle).   

 

When it dried, I cut stars into the square using my Sizzix paddle punches (remember those?)  I like the way it caused the stars to fray (and I pulled a few more string to get them to look even more distressed).  I placed some silver glitter paper behind the canvas to make it look like the love in the stars was really shining. 

 

I loved the way this card turned out.  But I am hoping that I won't have to make anymore sympathy cards for awhile.

 

Hopeful.

 

~Kelly

Don't forget to show us how you use your Distress Inks over at the Linnie Blooms Blog.  The challenge ends August 31st.

 

Be a singer...

I am not a good singer (so my children often remind me).  You will not find me up on stage--EVER.  I do sing in church, in the car, and in the shower.  That is about the extent of my venues.  My sister in law has a lovely voice and so does her new husband.  Their wedding was filled with beautiful songs.  So, when it was time to make them a wedding card, I looked to the list of songs from the ceremony and used one of them as a sentiment on the card.  I do that often.  When I can't find the words inside of me, I look to music.  So many more musically inclined people than me have already found the words that I couldn't.  Makes creating a card (or a title for a scrapbook page) MUCH easier.

~Kelly

Be different...

Being different means being willing to show what you are inside even when it might be difficult or scary.  I tell my kids all the time, "wouldn't the world be boring if everyone was the same; looked the same, like the same things."

So, who says that these Linnie Blooms shapes have to be flowers or leaves? They are so versatile that they can have a 2nd identity as footballs, shoes, and monster bodies! The ideas are only limited by your imagination! I like the way the texture of the shapes is brought out when color is added, like I did here with oil pastels. Get a bag of Linnie Blooms shapes and show us what secret identity you found your shapes waiting to reveal. You can shop HERE

 

Don't forget to participate in the "I SPY" game over at

Linnie Blooms Facebook Page. 

Tell us how many different Linnie Blooms Shapes

you see in my cards.

 

And, show your differences today~it's ok.

 

~Kelly

Be meditative...

 

Often, I find it very difficult to clear my head.  I claim that my daughter is a "worry wart", but I think she gets it from me. 

 

I am not one to do yoga, but I do find a long walk can be helpful.  But, losing my head in a good project is the best way to distract me.  It is my meditation. 

 

Last week, Unity had a Facebook contest.  We were given this image to color any way we wanted.  For some reason, I was drawn to Zentangle it.  There were some AMAZING entries.  Mine didn't make it to the finals, but it did help to clear my head.

~Kelly

Don't forget to head over to the LinnieBlooms Facebook page and keep playing "I Spy" all month long!  There is a fabulous prize package for the winner!

Be a memory keeper...

I am the memory keeper of the Starsky family.  It's the reason I am not in very many photos.  It's the reason my children roll their eyes everytime I say, "wait, let me get my camera".   It's the reason I have a page of quotes from our family on my ipod.  It's the reason I scrap. 

 

 

The challenge this month at Scrap It Girl is MINI-BOOKS.  It was the kick I needed to make this family dictionary that has been an idea in my head for a VERY long time.

 

 

 

I used this fabulous paper from My Mind's Eye for the front and back covers.  I covered these wood rounded rectangles from my stash with the paper-- making sure I spread the glue thinly all over, right up to the edges (I used Tacky Glue).

 

I sanded the edges to make sure the paper and the wood were like one.

 

 

Then, I inked the edges.

Then, the fun part.  I cut lots of papers into 4x6 cards and typed the definitions of all of our family sayings.  It's all of our "secret codes" and all of the phrases, sayings, and names we have for things that are unique to our family.  We had kept a list on the fridge for about a week and just kept adding to it when we remembered one.  I used paper colors that coordinated with my front and back cover (turquoise, aqua, olive, lime, kraft brown, etc.)

I used my sticker stash for the word/phrase at the top of each page.  What a great way to use up my stash of alpha stickers (however, my stash doesn't appear to look any smaller--hmmm).

 

On some of the pages I added washi tape or a piece of ribbon or paper trim. 

 

On the top or side of each page I added a shape, tag, tape, or border and then glued two cards together (so the tags and shapes stick out between the two cards).

 

After decorating the front cover with some Sizzix alphabet letters, I punched holes in all the cards, drilled a hole in the covers with my Fiskars Hand Drill , slid in a ring, and tied a few ribbon scraps on the ring.

So, now it is your turn.  Make a mini!  Take the Scrap It Girl August Challenge--there is a great prize pack too!

~Kelly

 

 

Be on time...

 

It's August 1st.  How many blogs will start today with, "where has the summer gone"?  I'm going to relish the fact that there is still a whole month (almost a whole month) before it's back to work and school.  Done talking about that non-sense. 

 

So, I showed you this project last week highlighting the Close to My Heart papers and stamps.  It's time for a second look, but this time we are focusing on something else!

 

It's time to focus on these FUN shapes!  I'm very excited to be part of the Linnie Blooms Design Team.  This is my first "official" project, and I used the sun/sunflower, leaves, and butterfly shapes as part of my August shadowbox.   (You can also see the project I posted yesterday that was from the class I took at the  Linnie Blooms store last week).

 

I used Distress Stains to color the butterfly, flower, and leaves; making a puddle of stain on my craft mat, spritzing the puddle with water, and then dipping, folding, and squishing the shapes in the puddle. 

 

I then outlined the shapes with Copic markers.  I love how the Linnie Bloom shapes don't absorb the color uniformly when you use this dip-dye method.  They are naturally inconsistent---just like from nature.

Now, Linnie Blooms has an August "I Spy" game going on.  Keep track of the number of shapes that I used (here is a hint--some of them are double layered--look closely).  And, keep track of the number of shapes you see on each of the Design Team projects at the Linnie Blooms Facebook page all month and you can win a wonderful Linnie Blooms prize package (more info here). 

And, here is me...designer of the week!

Can't wait to see if you win?  Want to get your own Linnie Blooms shapes right now?  SHOP HERE.

~Kelly