Banners Two Ways

Banners Two Ways, a photo by HikerCynthia on Flickr.

Do ya ever watch those TV cooking competition shows liked "Chopped" where they have to use a food item to make a dish...and then attempt to describe it in glowing terms? Like, "Today I have for you Liver Mush with Canned Dirt and Old Socks Two Ways."

OK, maybe not.

Maybe I just watch way too many cooking competition shows.

But today I have for you Banners Two Ways.

*snicker*

The bottom photo is a regular shot I took on my cell phone through the car's sunroof of banners in a grocery store parking lot.

(Whoa! No dangling participles there, boy!!)

The top shot I ran through an Instagram filter. It makes the photo square--giving all the pictures a Polaroid look. The filter I used made the edges darker and the colors more intense.

I love Instagram filters almost as much as I love cooking competition shows.

;-)

Anyway, I'm pretty sure I borrowed this layout from something Shimelle did. I used a bunch of paper layers, some washi tape and some embellishments from various sources.

That button thingy in the middle is one I just made up. I didn't have anything big enough nor the right shape for that area...so I just made one from a chipboard piece and some glossy paper. I dropped alcohol ink on the paper and shot it with some canned air. Then I punched a circle and adhered it to the chipboard piece.

It's kinda weird, but it's totally growing on me. :-)


Alright, crafters, that's all I got for ya today. Happy Monday wherever you are. Oh, and Shimelle has hinted that there might be some fun stuff on her blog this weekend for National Scrapbook Day. Oooo, stay tuned, eh??


~Cynthia

All Locked Up

All Locked Up, a photo by HikerCynthia on Flickr.

I actually took this photo several years ago, and I also scrapped all the photos I took on that trip. But my Mom sent me a link about making your photos look old. As in distressing the actual photo, not altering how you *take* the photo. So I reprinted this picture and distressed it.

I folded it, sanded it, inked it, poked holes in it.

It was kind of cathartic actually, in an odd way.

But it didn't look like the pictures on the blog.

Now it just looks like I dragged it along an asphalt highway for a few miles.

*sigh*

So I just scrapped it.

=)

I used up some new stuff and some old stuff and had a bit of fun with Distress Inks. Most of the papers are American Crafts. The embellishments are from several sources including Teresa Collins.

And there you have it. ;-)


Have a wonderful Monday!!


~Cynthia

With the Boats

With the Boats, a photo by HikerCynthia on Flickr.

By far, this is one of the simplest pages I've ever made.

By far, this is one of the most graphically awesome pages I've ever made.

The background paper is by Authentique. It's part of a gorgeous denim blue-and-white collection that I love. For this page, I wanted a bit more color though--to make that 7 in the boat house photo pop. But no matter what I tried, it either interfered with the page design or didn't match that mustard yellow 7.

Enter the chalks.

Yes, I simply took some Blending Chalk and dusted that big flower. In real life, it more closely matches that mustard 7. :-)

To get a triangle of mustard yellow goodness, I grabbed a wood veneer butterfly and dusted it with the same yellow chalks.

I adhered the photo, used more Authentique letters for a small title, and stamped the date on the very bottom.

Done and done.

Yay!!



Supplies:
Paper: Authentique ("Genuine")
Ink: Tim Holtz (Black Soot for date)
ETC: Inkadinkado (Blending Chalks); Authentique (sticker letters) Prima (wood veneer butterfly)



Is it Friday already?? Where has this week gone??? ;-) I hope you all have a wonderfully crafty weekend!


~Cynthia

Lawson's Fork

Lawson's Fork, a photo by HikerCynthia on Flickr.

I've been on a scrapbook roll! :-)

Most of these photos have been hanging around my desk for several...ahem...years. *gasp* And I'm just now getting around to scrapping them and placing them in an album.

This one was taken at a river near my house--actually it's called a creek. For most of its journey to the ocean it really is small enough to qualify as a creek, but at this point it falls over a man-made dam which provided hydro-electric power for a textile mill years ago. And it's river sized here.

The bridge is old and falling apart, but very very cool. I caught this photo on a sunny day when the creek wasn't flowing quickly--and I was able to get a great reflection of the trees.

I used up a lot of bits and pieces of various papers on this one too! =D



Thanks for dropping by!


~Cynthia

I Made This!!

I Made This!!, a photo by HikerCynthia on Flickr.

OK, here's the other side of my two-page spread on the wooden box I made to hold ink pens.

In the bottom photo you can see that I made the box to hold two of those gridded pen holders. I made the depth of the box slightly shorter than the pens so the holders would stick out and not slide back into the box, while also allowing the pens to rest against the back of the box.

And then I scrapped the process to death! Heh heh!! =D

The background paper is from the same collection as the left side page is--My Mind's Eye. All the rest of the stuff is from Simple Stories.

Lovin' that ruler washi tape too! So perfect!! ;-)


Happy Monday!


~Cynthia

Pen Box

Pen Box, a photo by HikerCynthia on Flickr.

Cry along with me as I tell you my sad story....

Well, it's only partially sad.

My not-so-local yet staunchly independent scrapbook store is closing.

Today actually.

I got some cool stuff from them this past week, including those nifty plastic grid pen holders. You know, the kind you use to store Copic pens.

But the large plastic containers the pen holders sit in are just too expensive, so I decided to make my own.

Out of wood.

Using heavy machinery.

Without loss of life or limb.

And I did.

So I had to scrap book it! =D

I took many pictures along the way. I printed them in a small size so I could get them all on one page. The facing page, which I'll post on Monday, shows the finished product.

This page is all about the cutting, gluing, sanding, staining, and drying parts.

For all the massive amounts of stuff on this page, I rather like it. It's kind of busy, but I got to use new washi tape and that always makes me happy! ;-)

The paper is an old (horded) piece of My Mind's Eye. Precious (horded) Authentique stickers and some new (to me) Simple Stories embellishments are scattered about.


I hope you're having a wonderful weekend!! I'm off to my final, absolute last, visit to my beloved not-so-local scrap store.

*sigh*


Shop local, my friends!


~Cynthia

Two Inches!

Two Inches!, a photo by HikerCynthia on Flickr.

I took a BUNCH of pictures back in February when we had our "Big" snow fall. We got over two inches, which, for around here, is a Great Big Deal. ;-)

The snow flakes were huge, gigantic! The top photo is looking straight up at the sky. All those dark spots are snowflakes!

The second shot is of a fish figurine thing sitting on a rock. All covered in snow.

I'm pretty sure I got the layout from Shimelle...although it's been a while and I can't remember which one I have blatantly copied.

Heh. Heh.



Anyway. Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you find the time to get crafty!!


~Cynthia

Westside Story

Westside Story, a photo by HikerCynthia on Flickr.

Technically I was on the west side of town when I took this photo, hence the title! ;-)

This is another in a series of black and white Instagram photos I took back in March.

I pulled out the wildest colors, full of swirls, to contrast with the straight lines and harsh angles in the photo.

A little bit of washi tape, a little bit of floral happiness, a few letter stickers, and I called it DONE. =D



Thanks for the visit!

~Cynthia

Happy Bithday!

Happy Bithday!, a photo by HikerCynthia on Flickr.

I'm back to cards today! Since the birthday girl received it already, it's safe to post it now! =D

I used my brand new candle border punch. This one is so much fun! I punched enough to go across the "cake" I made from pinstripe paper.

Doesn't that paper look like a layer cake??

Maybe? A little bit??

Then I cut a banner from the same paper I used for the candles and stamped the sentiment--which in real life is much more visible.

Then I distressed all the edges just a tad to make it look all shabby chic. ;-)

For the candles, I dusted each flame with a bit of sparkly gel pen.


Supplies:
Paper: Sassafras (Polka Polka); American Crafts (The Classics: Huckleberry Finn)
Stamp: Stampabilities (birthday)
Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Brushed Corduroy, Picked Raspberry)
ETC: EK Success (candle border punch); Marvy 1-inch square punch (to make banner tail); Sakura (sparkle gel pen)



And that's it for me today! Have a wonderful crafty day!!


~Cynthia

Bluebird Attitude

Bluebird Attitude, a photo by HikerCynthia on Flickr.

Here's another scrap page based on a sketch from over at Shimelle's blog. I'm pretty sure it was this one....but...um...I really can't remember now. Oops.

ANYWAY.

;-)

The photos and journaling are about these two sweet Bluebirds that moved in and then proceeded to frighten everything else away. The male Bluebird likes to chase squirrels up trees.

I kid you not.

He's the self-appointed Security Officer of the backyard! =D



Have a great week! Thanks for the visit!!


~Cynthia

Happy Easter

Happy Easter, a photo by HikerCynthia on Flickr.

Yes, totally late on this one. I'm still trying to catch up here! ;-)

I saw the idea...somewhere...and thought it was just so beautiful. I'm pretty sure it was on Less is More.....

Ooooo! Found it! It was this gorgeous card (third one down) by the LIM Queen herself, Chrissie!!!

Since I've got a full To Do List today, I'm just going to drop this off with no supply list.

Yes, I'm totally going with that excuse. ;-)



Thanks for visiting!

~Cynthia

Wren's Nest

Wren's Nest, a photo by HikerCynthia on Flickr.

Whoah! I am so far behind in the bloggin' thing! It's not that I haven't been creating--it's just that I never find the time to post! Doncha hate bloggers like that??!! ;-)

Anywho...this page is based on a guest (Wendy Sue Anderson) post on Shimelle's blog. The challenge was to make a double washi tape frame.

May I say...this was fun??!!

I so love washi tape!

The photos (if you can't see them clearly--they ARE kinda tiny!) are of a Carolina Wren making a nest in the little koozie thing that keeps the faucet outside from freezing. These crazy birds do this every year, and every year we have to move them. It's so hard to turn on the water when you've got angry birds attacking you!!! LOL!!

I also die cut some pinked circles then added a metal flower--which ended up looking like a funky, stylized bird nest. Yes? Maybe? Squint??


I'm not sure if this is what Wendy Sue had in mind...but I rather like the funky outcome!! =D



Thanks so much for dropping by! I love your visits and appreciate your comments!!


~Cynthia

Tim's Tag for April

Tim's Tag for April, a photo by HikerCynthia on Flickr.

It's April first and you know what that means!! Tim's Tag Time!!!!!

How does The Man come up with all these awesome ideas???!!!

So...of course...I had pretty much none of Tim's supplies. I have a few Distress Paints but not the colors he used.

So I had to go all MacGyver again this month.

And you know I love to go all MacGyver on stuff!!!!!!! =D

I used Distress Stains to make a kinda/sorta patina-ish background for my tag. Then I stamped the image, adhered some washi/tissue tapes. I also stamped the image again on some plastic packaging and adhered that over the stamped image on the tag.

I added one of those cool metal tags I've been hording and some of Tim's cool plastic sticky letters.

I distressed the heck out of that crinkle ribbon and some metal trinkets...as Tim calls them. ;-)

In the end, I just really want to run over to the nearest scrapbook store and buy more Distress Paints....but I think the Distress Stain look is pretty darn cool! =D

And I had a blast making it!



Thanks so much for dropping by!! Come join the fun over on Tim's blog!!


~Cynthia