Friday, November 18, 2011

A Big thank You on a Mini Card

Short on time? Make a short card! I was recently part of a mini-card swap and it got me thinking (sometimes that can be dangerous). But, it was so rewarding to get so many cards done in a short amount of time. And, I had to be extra-clever to see how many embellishments I could fit on such a small canvas. I wasn't going to make any Thanksgiving cards, but this mini one came together so quick and easy, it will be perfect to pop onto a bottle of wine. It's hard to tell from this picture, but it is only 2 inches x 2 inches in size. I used a small cornucopia Sizzix die and cut it on the fold (I placed the fold within the boundaries of the die so the fold doesn't get cut, thus creating the card). A little bling on the fruit (also a Sizzix die) and I am "thankful". Thankful that sometimes I can be satifsyingly quick!

I am thankful for many things...and I count Scrapstreet followers as one of those things to be thankful for. Thank you for the time you devote to commenting, the submissions you send us, and motivating us with your ideas. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! ~Kelly





Wednesday, November 16, 2011

anything but GRAY


 Here in the mid-west we have entered the gray season.  Gray sky.  Gray trees.  Gray clothing.  Feeling gray.  To counter-act this mood, I am using ANYTHING but gray.  Bold colors all the way as I scrap these pictures of happier spring times. 

I love this graphic, bright paper that I used as a border.  It can be really hard to decide  how to use such a strong design without overwhelming the whole page and the pictures.  Adding texture to the solid colors pulled from the pattern give the page a balance.  I think these boys could have used some balance.  What I didn't catch, is a picture of them falling down as they lost theirs. 

Me?...it's only November and I'm longing for these brighter, bolder colored days already.  It's going to be a long winter.


Thursday, November 10, 2011

Wisconsin Fiskateers know how to PARTY!



Just a big "thank you" to everyone for a fun day!  We scrapped, tried new Fiskars goodies, traded "scrap", made cards, worked on projects, played "Crafty Minute to Win It" games, and ate yummy food!

I hope we can do it again! 

And, a super big "thank you" to
for letting us party at your place!

Thursday, November 3, 2011

TAG!...you're it!

I don't make tags very often.  In fact, I don't play tag very often either. But for this challenge...I got to "play" with tags. A tutorial over on the Fiskateer blog got me started punching, white-washing, layering, coloring, stringing, and adding ribbon, I just couldn't stop.


I started with a cereal box. 2 points for me for being "green"! I cut out 2 tag shapes and then glued on some punches (a Martha Stewart apple for one and a Fiskars "Oakey Dokey" leaf for the other). I glued these on and then started adding other items. I just started digging around through my stash of "scrap" and found all sorts of interesting things...felt circles, buttons, fringe, lace, twine. You know, all of those bits and pieces that are just too precious to throw away yet tend to sit in the bottom of your bin. Now is your chance to use that little 1 inch scrap of ribbon that you've been hoarding, I mean, saving. After I glued these items on, I added some water to some white acrylic paint and white-washed the whole tag. I wiped some off in some areas and left the white on in others. 


After the tags dried, I added some color with paints, inks, oil pastels, stickles, and then added a simple phrase to each tag. I covered them all with Mod Podge and let them dry. They took a
L O N G time to dry. I had to practice my patience! Finally, I punched holes in the top and added more ribbon scraps. Unfortunately (or fortunately), I could make 1000 tags and still not put much of a dent in my ribbon scraps. Well, maybe a 1000 would make a dent.

A big "thank you" to Lead Fiskateer Cheryl for getting me to "play tag". Let's see your tags. These would be great to add to a bottle of wine as a hostess gift, don't you think?





Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Show me your splatter!



Show me your splatter!
Show me your drips!
Show me your misty mess!
Impress me with your blobs!

Why?
I want to know how you can be inspired by art. Specifically, the work of abstract, expressionist, Jackson Pollock. He is famous for his techinque of pouring and dripping paint onto a canvas he had placed on the floor. Now, I'm not saying you need to put your card or layout on the floor (klutz that I am, I would have it all over the carpet), but let me see your take on this technique.

A quick internet search of Jackson Pollock will introduce you to his work and get you thinking. It worked for me...

Did you know that Distress Stains make great splats?


I splatted my cardstock with 3 different shades of Tim Holtz' Distress Stains, and then spritzed with water. I let it dry, and added these simple embellishments (a ribbon scrap, "celebrate", and a chipboard "u" that I "bling-ed" with gold glitter).



(inside: cuz baby you're a firework! Have a fabulous birthday!)

So, you've been inspired...what do you do now?

Submit your creation to Scrapstreet Magazine for my submission call. Graffiti, is a feature in each issue of Scrapstreet (actually, it will be a feature of Scrapstreet, this is my first request). I'll be highlighting a different artist or technique in each issue, and then asking you to show me how the artists can influence your scrappy creations. So, go! Now! I'm waiting....create, and then show me your splatter! Send it to submissions@scrapstreet.com. The deadline is midnight, October 30th. Please keep the image size around 600x600 pixels.

And, yes...your creation is good enough to be seen by others.


***On a side note, go visit www.tatertotsandjello.com, sign up to win a new Silhouette Cameo.  If you aren't supposed to run with scissors, can you still run with a cutting machine?  hmmm...pondering.

Monday, October 24, 2011

I tried to resist



I didn't want to start.
I held off as long as I could.
I tried to resist.
I REALLY tried to resist.

My self-control is poor.

Temptation won.
I'm talking about...
Copic markers.

I took a Copic card class a few weeks ago and it brought back some memories. It gave me that same feeling I got from coloring in my Strawberry Shortcake and Land of the Lost coloring books when I was little. At that time, there was nothing like the smell of a new box of pointy, shiny Crayolas. The big box of 64.  With the built-in crayon sharpener.  It was SO cool!  Now, it's Copic markers.

So far, I am exhibiting good self-control. I've only bought enough to get started. This week my practice was these cute little green friends from Studio g.

                                   




               BEST WITCHES!

Best Witches...for a Halloween that will make you scream!


Best witches...for a sparkly birthday!




 
Best witches for a scrappy week!



Supplies: Paper: assorted scraps, Stamp: Studio g, Markers: Copic , Ink: Tsukinenko/Memento, Glitter Glue: Ranger Industries/Stickles, Tools: Punches: Fiskars

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Pumpkinspiration




I'm a guest over at www.bugaboominimrme.blogspot.com today!  It is PUMPKINSPIRATION time!  There are paper crafts, home decor, Halloween and Fall decorations, and more, more, more.  She even lets you take a peak at her Pumpkin Pinterest board!  Here is a sneak peak at my creation...