Create something new...

 

 

I was so busy being all "hearts" and "Valentine-y" last week, that I forgot to post my "ONE little WORD" for 2014.  As you might have guessed from the titles of my last two posts, my word is "CREATE".  I pondered many words and at first I thought I wanted something very powerful and full of strength (because Lord knows I need some power and strength lately), but I liked the versatility of "create" and what it means for myself, my feelings, and my art.

 

One of my first new adventures in 2014, is to join a Facebook group started by Kelly Hoernig, called "art aMUSEment".  It is a 52 week challenge to create a card (I'm using old math flashcards) following the prompt that we are given each week. I can't wait til Mondays to find out what each week's "word" is.  This last week, it was "artist", and I chose to imitate Georgia O'Keefe's art with a large flower and a quote from her.  The flower stamp is from Unity and I love it's simplicity and elegance.

 

 

 

 

The first week, our word prompt was "box".  I found this kind of tough, because I just kept thinking of box in the literal sense of the word.  I couldn't think "outside the box"! HA!  HA! HA!  I ended up playing with my new favorite DCWV stack--Burlap Stack.  It's a 6x6 pad of paper-backed burlap and I think it is AWESOME!  So, I decided to stick with my literal translation of "box" and had a party in a box.  Pretty simple for the first week, but hey--I was easing into this weekly challenge.

 

 

The second week word prompt was "STAMP".  I stamped a stamp and used a Fiskars postage stamp  to cut and pop it up after I heat embossed with some sparkly black embossing powder.  This would be a perfect start to a Valentine, but I'm keeping all of these art aMUSEment cards together and want to make a mini-book or slide them all onto a large ring.

 

 

Stay tuned...more cards will be coming up...at least one each week.  Unless I get behind and have to start lumping them together.  But, it's early in 2014 and I am thinking positive that I will be able to maintain a timely schedule. 

 

Have you started something new in 2014?  Do you have a "one little word" to motivate and inspire you?  Please share!

 

~Kelly

 

Be open...

I've been trying to "be" a lot of different things this year on my blog.  And one thing that I wanted when I started this blog was for it to push me, expand me, "open" me.  To new ideas, new people, new techniques, and new projects.  It has done that and I want it to continue.  So, I am expanding into some mixed media projects.  I have decided to try and keep up with this home decor project for each month that I started last month (see July project here). 

 

Chevron background stamp=CTMH Who's Your Valentine

Bicycle, Sentiment, and Clock=CTMH Enjoy Life

Paper=For Always and Surfs Up

Canvas Flower=Linnie Blooms (http://lindabarutha.com/shop/)

 

 

Lori Brown, a Close to My Heart consultant, sent the Chicagoland Scrapbooker Design Team some papers to play with, and "oh my flowers" did I play! For this project I used papers from "For Always", "Buzz and Bumble", and "Surf''s Up".

 

 

Flowers=CTMH Just for You stamped on pages from an old book

August background=CTMH Cherish the Day stamp

Paper=For Always

Canvas Butterfly= Linnie Blooms (www.lindabarutha.com/shop)

 

 

 

 

 

You might have noticed those cute canvas shapes (flower and butterflies) that I used too. More focus on those coming soon, but you can check out those and more shapes at Linnie Blooms.

 

Hexagons=CTMH Honeycomb Flair, then cut with Fiskars Hexagon large squeeze punch

Paper=Buzz and Bumble

 

 

All this week, you can also see what the other Chicagoland Scrapbooker Design Team members did with all of the CTMH papers.  Check it out at the Chicagoland Scrapbooker blog (there is a CONTEST too).

And, a BIG "thank you" to Lori Brown for letting us play with these beautiful papers. Don't forget to visit her site too, right here.



By the way, just because I am posting an "August" project does not mean I am ready for August.  I'm going to hold onto July real tight for as long as I can.

~Kelly

Be clever...

 One image stamp (with a sentiment, both from Unity).

One background stamp (from Stampin' Up).

One design (from me).

Four different cards.

Sometimes, having limited time to create

means that you have to be clever. 

Efficient.   Creative.  Versatile. 

This Unity Stamp set is clever.  And perfect for quickly creating some masculine cards quickly (did I mention I needed some cards quickly?).  By changing the direction of the sentiment, the layering of the image and the photo corners, and "popping up" different 

elements, I took one simple design and created 4 different looks. 

Clever.  Efficient.

  Creative.  Versatile.

Desperate.

Go take a peak at Unity's Friends with Flair Friday--- there are lots of clever creations to be inspired by.

~Kelly

 

Be open to new friendships...

When you were a kid, didn't it seem easy to make a new friend?  You started talking to the kid behind you as you waited in line to go down the slide at the park and the next thing you know, you had a new friend.  That doesn't seem to happen so easily anymore.  At least not for me.  But, I've talked before how the Fiskateers site really was my gateway to exposing me to the world of paper arts that lives online. 

A lot has changed in the 3+ years since I became a Fiskateer.  In November of 2011, I got to meet some of these new "virtual" friends, and suddenly, they weren't just virtual anymore.  I still participate online at Fiskateers.  I've come and gone through other sites, but I've remained true to this site. 

This layout is another from the Liftateers.  It was time to dig out that Ultra-Shape Express to cut out this tree---representing some of my friends in my Fiskateer Family Tree.  One of my favorite things about this layout, is the background that I stamped with just this one small lined stamp that I turned back and forth 90 degrees, re-inking every 3-4 stamps.  It  happened spontaneously--an after thought after looking at my layout and thinking that it still needed a little "something".

Before Fiskateers, I didn't know what a message board was. I had never posted my work in a gallery. I didn't know what it meant to have a blog or follow other blogs.  I must of had a lot of free time before I found Fiskateers!  I've learned to be open to new friendships and new possibilities--and often I need a reminder.

~Kelly

Be a stamper...

Sometimes, I get so caught up in the pretty paper, hordes of stickers, embellishments, and assortment of punches and dies that I forget to stamp on my scrapbook pages.  I've just always found it easier to use my stamps on cards than on pages.  I think I get distracted and overwhelmed easily.  I think it comes with being left-handed.

For the page above (which was a Liftateer project over at Fiskateers), this fabulous patterned stamp (from Stampin' Up) makes a vivid background anchor for the photo and glitter star/flowers.  I went back and forth for a long time trying to decide if this page needed "something else", but I couldn't decide what,  so I left it simple.  I like that too.

I used that same background stamp for this companion page, but stamped off some of the ink first to give a lighter impression.  This page, is for inspiration for the 1-2-3 Recipe Challenge going on at Scrap It Girl this month.  Use 1 stamped image, 2 punches, and 3 patterned papers to creat your project and then link it on the Scrap It Girl site for a chance to win a prize (see it here).  For these pages, I think simple is better so as to not compete with the bright, colorful photos from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

So what are you waiting for?  Go!  Go!  Go!

~Kelly

Whatever changes...

The leaves have changed from green into their vibrant autumn colors...and now they are dropping...quickly. 

So, I thought I better quick make some cards to celebrate and capture this ever-changing season.  Used my new Tim Holtz "blueprint" stamp of an oak leaf for the background and then added several colors and some clear embossing powder to highlight and pop the one on the corner. A few punches of my "Oakey Dokey" Fiskars squeeze punch and bonus points for digging out the sewing machine too!  Thanks to Fiskateer Heather for inspiring me and the "Card-Lifters" this week.  This was how I celebrated "World Card-Making Day" on Saturday. How did you participate?

Hope you get some time this week to "sit and watch the leaves turn".  This season will be over before you know it.

~Kelly

Whatever is lifted...part 1

 

lift

    ·raise something; to move something from one position to

another, higher position

· take something from place; to grasp something and

move it somewhere else

· cheer somebody; to make somebody happier or more

cheerful

 

In scrapbooking, lifting means being inspired by someone else's design.  In fact, being inspired so much, that you take bits and pieces (maybe color scheme, or the photo placement, or the embellishments, or the title, etc.) and infuse them into your own creation.

 

Fiskateers have their own group, called the Liftateers, that are avid "lifters".  Each week, we honor someone's page layout by putting our own spin on their design.  Liftateers are celebrating another year of lifting, by having a "Lift Off" this weekend over on the Fiskateer site.

 

 

 

I am hosting the "Lift MORE Love" challenge.  I lifted this layout design from Carol's page (seen here ). As you can see, I kept the stamping that Carol had behind her picture (I love this lined polka dot pattern from Hero Arts), but changed the color scheme (hers was a monochromatic white on white) and the flower embellishments to snowflakes.

I used a Sizzix die-cut with felt to create the mittens and added some twine to connect them. It's a Sizzix texture plate that gives the silver paper its dotted embossed pattern.

 

 

From the definitions at the top of the page, you can see that "lift" also means to cheer somebody.  I don't know about you, but I would certainly feel lifted if someone was inspired by my creation! 
Part of the "cheer" comes from making sure that you go back and tell the person you lifted how much you appreciate their work, that's called "leaving love", and telling everyone where you got your inspiration from (it also prevents "lifting" from being called "swiping").  I left a bunch of love for Carol--thanks again Carol!

~Kelly