New Toys for Pam

 It doesn't take much to amuse me.  Cool file folders.  Funky colored paper clips.  Glitter, pens, a really fantastic piece of handmade wrapping paper.

What do you think of this little beauty?  Pretty, right?  It's one of the new dies that I got from Cheery Lynn Designs.  I've heard mixed things about their products, but I decided to try a couple and see what they were like. Now I can't stop making butterflies!

Doilies are all the rage in the papercrafting world right now.  You can buy them already made, but that's not nearly as fun as making them yourself.  This one is traditional white, but I plan to make many in different colors.  Maybe I'll even go wild and try patterned paper!  See what I mean about "easily amused"?

Here's a look at the whole doily die.  It's several sizes in one set so you can layer them or make frames.


This ought to keep me busy for awhile, anyway!

(til the next cool thing catches my eye)

Ink Spots

Finally made it to the art store to buy some watercolor paper.  Since I don't paint, this isn't one of my normal supplies.  But, I have long wanted to try my Distress Inks with watercolor paper.

Distress Inks are reactive with water, so you can create many wonderful techniques with them.  They come in pads, stains, bottles and markers.

In this case I used the stains, and pads.  To create a background color, I rubbed an ink pad on my no-stick craft sheet and very lightly misted it with water.  Then I just laid the watercolor paper on the craft sheet and pressed down with my palms.  I did not move the paper at all.

Next step was to wipe the craft sheet clean and swirl some stain on it so that it beaded up in good sized beads.

Lastly, I laid the paper on the craft sheet face down.  I did not press it down, just let the ink touch it.  When I turned the paper over, the ink was beaded on the surface.  I took a narrow plastic straw and blew the ink around on the paper.  I swirled the straw in circular motions to create the spidery looking splatters.  Then I let the sheets air dry.  I didn't use the heat tool because I didn't want to move the ink around any more.


Now I just have to decide whether I want to cut these up and make cards, or just enjoy them as they are!

Thanks for stopping by, have a great weekend!

Gift for Mom

Now that Christmas is past, I can share something I made and gave to my mom.  This started out as a plain tan-colored paper mache' box.

Getting it to its finished state required a lot of patience on my part.  Not usually my strong point.  But there are several layers that each required full drying before the next step could happen.

Some of the ingredients that went into the box were:

• Pretty paper napkins
• white gesso
• rubber stamping with solvent inks
• Vintage black velvet ribbon
• Vintage jewelry pieces
• Antique lamp crystal (colored with solvent ink)
• glitter glue

I have to say it was really satisfying to watch this project progress through each step and then wind up with this result.  It is exactly how I imagined it.

And hopefully my mom liked it as much as she let on :)

I'll be back with another post about my mother-in-law's gift.

Stay tuned...

Why I Love SCRAP

If you don't know, SCRAP is this totally cool little place that people donate all kinds of weird stuff.  And artists, crafters, quilters, and tinkerers of all types can find surprising supplies there.  For next to nothing.  The cool part is that the inventory changes all the time, so you can always find something different.

I stopped by today and here's what I came home with...

• 1/2" stack of bright red tag board
• 8 sheets of alphabet stickers in various colors
• Several yards of embroidered ribbon
• Vintage doilies
• Button blanks for my iTop tool
• Fine purple glitter
• Red frog fasteners
• Round ceramic tiles
• Two pairs of shoe laces
• Paper Crafts magazine
• A gorgeous red and white upholstery fabric sample

And I paid a grand total of $6.80!


This is such an amazing community place.  They have a little gallery of art projects that people have made with things from the store.  If you have kids, this is a great place to go stock up on art supplies and not spend a fortune.  Dylan loves taking a couple of his allowance dollars and seeing what he can buy for his craft stash.

It's like a little treasure hunt and you don't have to feel the least bit guilty about buying art supplies!

A Touch of Spring

If April showers bring May flowers, then there better be some truly spectacular blooms next month.  Normally I kind of like the rain.  But lately even I am getting sick of this drippy nonsense going on in Portland.  The ground is perpetually squishy, the gutters are a slimy mess, and my poor car is getting a little green scum in the nooks and crannies where the carwash can't reach. Ugh!

So, here's my temporary antidote - some lovely blooms.

These bright lilies remind me what will be showing up in my yard when the sun finally gets warm enough.  Something to look forward to.

Dylan and I are going to start planting our little garden in a week or two - strawberries and pumpkins, and some zinnias for color.

I love walking in the woods in the springtime and stumbling upon the pretty little irises hiding among the ferns.  They always look like fairy flowers to me.  Ever since I watched the first Tinkerbell movie, I can't help but imagine little sprites painting all the flowers when nobody is looking.

Hope you find a little magic in your day.  Thanks for stopping by.

Wheels

There are days when I am happy to just sit and sift through all of the cool little doodads that I've accumulated.  It fills my head with daydreams and memories.  It makes me crave period films and Louisa May Alcott books.

Inevitably, art ideas emerge and I have to stop dreaming and start designing. 

Who else out there stuck playing cards in the spokes of their bike wheels?  Yes, I'm old, but some things really were better way back when.  We used to raid our mom's wooden clothes pins and beg the jokers from the card pack.  And you had to get the alignment just right to get the perfect clickety clack sound.

I found some great metal buttons in a grab bag at our local antique store and decided to use them on a nice old fashioned guy card.  This one reminds me of leather furniture and silk ties.  Shiny black wing tips and pipe smoke.  I've always kind of liked the smell of pipe smoke. 

Speaking of tobacco...my mom and I had a chuckle on Sunday of "card weekend" because my fingers were so stained with brown dye that I looked like I'd been rolling my own smokes!

Well, that's it for today.  Hope all is well in your world.  I'll be back later with a touch of spring...

Le Cirque

Finally finished getting all of my card pictures taken and onto my computer.  So without further delay, a peek at some of the results of "card weekend".

I thought I'd start with two of my favorites.  Graphics 45 has this great paper pad that is all vintage circus images. 

Making these made me want some warm peanuts and popcorn.  Maybe some cotton candy too!

I'm not sure if I could stand watching captive animals perform for people any more, but I do remember how awed I was by the circus when I was a kid.

As an adult, Cirque du Soliel has become an annual tradition.  We're going to take Dylan next year and I can't wait to see the look on his face!


That's it for today.  I'll be back with more....stay tuned...

First Art Show of the Year for Dylanbug!

Save the date!  Come on out and have some fun, say hello, and enjoy the local artists.  It's a great neighborhood with lots to do.

See you there!
Pam

Steampunk?!

So, I'm pretty behind the times on certain terms used in the artsy/craftsy world.  "Steampunk" is everywhere and has been for awhile.  I know it when I see it, but couldn't really describe it.  I know I love it.

So, I looked it up on Wikipedia (of course) and there are some great descriptions and references including:  "Works of steampunk often feature anachronistic technology or futuristic innovations as Victorians may have envisioned them; in other words, based on a Victorian perspective on fashion, culture, architectural style, art, etc"

So, when Graphics 45 came out with a paper line called Steampunk Debutante, I knew I had to check it out.  I can't get enough of it!

There are so many possibilities with the vintage, metal, grungy elements.  My imagination just won't stop.  I've picked up a lot of weird little scraps of metal, chain, tarnished jewelry and buttons.  I can use them all at once!

I love the colors on these images.  Reminds me of bronze and copper with that green patina of age. 

I'm especially attached to the circular design, but I put her in the store anyway.  I know she'll go to a good home and whoever receives her will be thrilled.

Take care of yourselves, and don't forget to daydream a little today.

Funny Faces

Happy New Year!  Well, after a loooonnnggg hiatus, I'm back.  The real job has been hopping and holiday festivities have kept us all busy around here.  No time for art or blogging.

We had a lovely little winter vacation in Vancouver and Whistler, BC.  We got to see some of the Olympic sport centers  and even skied on the biathalon course!  How cool is that?

Christmas was the usual lovely old-fashioned cozy time at my parents.  They go to such lengths to make things wonderful for Dylan.  Of course he just ate it all up.

I even had a little time to play with new art supplies and make a few things.  How about these little guys?

I found these images on dafont.com.  They have the most fun Dingbat fonts!  I just enlarged a couple and printed them on kraft paper.  Every time I look at them they make me smile.

They will be available in the store page shortly.  If you want them, you'll have to hurry.  I might steal the birthday one for a friend soon (wink).

I'll have more new treats in the store over the next few days, so keep your eyes peeled!

Here's hoping your new year starts off with a bang and just gets better.

Cupcake Inspiration Challenge #70

Hey everyone!  It's another Sunday, and another Cupcake Inspiration Challenge.  Perfect timing too.

Tinkerbell cuppies!  And...a birthday for our neighbors' daughter who is turning 8 on Friday.

So, since Kate loves all things girlie - including fairies, mermaids and butterflies, this was serendipitous.

I decorated this cute little wooden gift "bag" with sprites on all sides.  And made a card to match.  Kate's pretty sophisticated for her age, so I didn't want to do the whole Disney thing for her. 

Besides, I like to believe that there are little sprites and magical creatures in the plants and trees.  Lord knows none of mine are staying alive due to my ministrations.  The nature fairy images appealed to me and just seemed to work so well.

I'll let you know how these go over with the birthday girl.

Thanks for visiting!

Celebrations

Summer time around our house is generally chaotic.  Full of trips, family get-togethers, and social outings.  There are so many family and friend birthdays that I can barely keep up with the card-making!

Making cards and gifts for the people I care about is one of my very favorite things.  Because I know them, and can challenge myself to craft something that will make them smile. 

When I'm making things to sell, I have to balance my imagination with whether or not the ingredients and labor will be regained in the price.   But, when I'm creating for family and friends, none of that matters.  I can indulge and break out all of my fun supplies.

The mad dash to finish things is slowing down, but I still have a couple of projects to show you over the next few days. 

Thanks for stopping by, now go out and enjoy the sun!

Hip Happening, August 7th!

Dylanbug will have some awesome new treats, come check them out!

Baby Shower

Wedding

Birthday

Friendship

Just Because

Gifts, Gifts, Gifts!

Flights of Fancy

Have I said before how difficult I find it to make things for guys?  We'll I decided to make a true effort.  I picked up some papers with compass designs ages ago, and just hadn't found the right elements to really grab me.

Then I found some hot air balloon images, and it all clicked.  What really did it was finding canvas that you can print on with an inkjet printer.  Office Depot, who knew?  Although it says to print on the bright white side, I opted to ignore that and try printing on the more natural uncoated side.  Guess what?  It worked just great and had more of the vintagy look that I was hoping for.

I'm really proud of how these came together.  Gives me a little more confidence in approaching the less frilly side of what I do :)

Thanks for stopping by.  I'll try not to be so far between posts in the coming days.

Cupcake Inspiration Challenge #69

Hello after a month.  A MONTH!  How time flies when I'm madly making inventory for craft shows, gifts, etc.

I skated in by the skin of my teeth for this week's Cupcake Inspiration Challenge.

This was so simple and perfect that I really didn't deviate from the cake at all.  Just put some of my favorite materials to good use.

Don't you just love the flower?  I am having a great time with the new Tim Holtz Tattered Florals dies, and with grunge board.  The board is soft enough to emboss, but sturdy enough to take paint without wrinkling.

The Tim Holtz Shabby Vintage paper stack is also so cool that you don't need to do anything to it.  I just stamped the stem and sentiment from my The Simple Things set and I was done.

Hope you're loving the sunshine as much as I am.  Enjoy!

Lullaby and Goodnight

Lately it seems like I'm seeing brand new bundles of joy everywhere.  Maybe it's just that my son had his first "big boy" haircut this week.  It was his own decision to get a buzz cut - a definite style choice for him.  It made me realize that the days of cuddling are slipping away.  Yes, they'll be replaced by new and fascinating reasons to be proud and love that boy even more.  But, as a mom, that dependence on me is  hard to let go.

On the other hand, there are new babies in our family, and friends who will have new additions later this year.  Which means I can cuddle and coddle without losing sleep, changing diapers, and worrying about every new irregularity in their lives.

If you have growing ones of your own, enjoy them to the fullest.  If you don't, borrow one!  Let a baby fall asleep on your lap and all the stress of the world just melts away.  It's better than Valium, I tell you!

Have a wonderful weekend.  Thanks for stopping by.

She Sells Sea Shells...

What do you think of when you think of the beach?  Sunshine?  Sandcastles?  Sunscreen?  Laughter, long walks, sand between your toes?

I'm not much of a sunbathing person, so I love the beach here in the Pacific Northwest.  It's wild and windy, and rugged.  I even love it when it rains - you get wide stretches without other people.  Free to roam and let your thoughts stretch where they will. 

It's the kind of landscape that means many things to many people...

Most of all, it's a place for us to be free, and close to Mother Nature in one of her most powerful forms.  Ah, nothing says "summer" quite like sand and surf.

Wherever you wander, be safe and be happy.  Thanks for stopping by.

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod

Wynken, Blynken and Nod one night sailed off in a wooden shoe. 
Sailed on a river of misty light into a sea of dew.
"Where are you going and what do you wish?"
the old moon asked the three.
We have come to fish for the herring fish
that live in this beautiful sea.
Nets of silver and gold have we
Said Wynken, Blynken and Nod.

Here's to daydreams, flights of fancy, and sweet imaginings of every kind...

Growing Things

I have a wonderful friend with a passion for growing things.  Her yard is a bounty of edible beauty.  Every time I see it, I'm envious of the space and the sunshine.  Something in short supply at my house!  Big trees in old neighborhoods come at a cost. 

My friend has been having some sad times the last week or so, and I wanted to make something special for her.

I hope that when my friend looks at this, she will always know that I'm thinking of her.

Enjoy the sunshine when it stops by, and remember the rain makes things grow!

Inspiration Avenue Challenge

Each week, Inspiration Avenue challenges artists of all flavors to create something around a particular theme.  This week's challenge was "wish".  I finally had a chance to play along.

What came to my mind was something from my childhood - the Disney family special that aired every Sunday evening at 7pm.  That lovely little song about wishing on a star.

Go out tonight and look at the sky,

and wish for what your heart desires,

You never know, it might come true.