Easter Sunrise

Easter Sunrise
Originally uploaded by HikerCynthia

Finally! Enough sun to take a decent picture!! Hooray!!

This is the first in a line of Easter cards I will be making. I got this idea from...as usual lately...the Less is More blog site. I borrowed the idea from crafters such as KatheD, ShirelyAnne, Ikki, and especially Viv, among many who participated in the latest challenge. (Thanks, ladies!!)

I kind of like it. It reminds me of a display at a Pier One store. A shot of color behind some funky dried branches. =D

The only thing I DON'T like about the card is the size of the sentiment. That's the only Easter word stamp I had up until yesterday, so I won't be yelling my greetings in future cards. Yay!

Super simple to make. I pressed a clear square stamp block on a rainbow-type ink pad to get the blend of colors and stamped it directly on the cardblank. Then I stamped the branches and added the Easter sentiment, both in black ink.


Supplies:
Paper: Recollections (white cardblank)
Stamps: Inkadinkado (Delicate Branches); Hampton Arts (Easter)
Ink: Big and Juicy (Vibrant Primary); Memento (Tuxedo Black)
ETC: Clear stamp block


Looks like another dreary, rainy day here. Can't complain because we do need the rain, but I'll have to avoid taking pictures! I hope you have a great, *creative*, weekend!!! =D


~Cynthia

Welcome to my junky Junque Journal!

Welcome to my junky Junque Journal!
Originally uploaded by HikerCynthia

So...I was surfing around one day and found this thing called a Junque Journal. Basically, you take all your junk mail and crafting scraps and stick it all together to make this beautifully junky journal.

Well, I'm not too sure about the beautiful part, but this is what happened when I spent WAY too much time on LA Dispatch's site, Remains of the Day.

As I was going through Sunday's paper after church, I found a paper bag from Office Max. You know, the kind where you stuff everything you can fit in the bag and you get 20% off.

Whatev. It looked like a journal-in-waiting to me.

So I cut it up, sewed junk...I mean repurposed scraps and envelopes and maps onto the paperbag pages and VOILA! A super-cool, funky, junky, Junque Journal was born!!!

I had no troubles with my sewing machine either. It zipped like buttah through those paper pages! I also found a bookbinding site and used a tutorial to hand sew/bind the pages together. (I think it was called a Coptic stitch binding thing-a-ma-jig. Ahem. Shows ya how much I paid attention!)

Anyway, the journal has lots of places for journaling and hiding stuff and posting stuff and adhering stuff. I liked the experience because it was rather freeing, artistically. No rules, just stick stuff where you want it. No color combos needed. I didn't have to go by anything (or go BUY anything either!) I just raided my stash for scraps I would probably not use on any other project.

In other words...FUN.


~Cynthia ;-)

Shamrock card

Shamrock card
Originally uploaded by HikerCynthia

Here's another St. Patrick's Day card.

First I punched out 3 hearts and cut a thin stem. I used two different ink pads and pounced the color on, which made a cool textural effect.

I die cut the oval and stamped the sentiment, then inked the edges. (I know I looks like an ivory oval on a white background, but in real life they are both ivory. Weird.)

I adhered the stem first and the shamrock leaves over the stem.

It's a little plain, I think, but it works! ;-)


Supplies:
Paper: Springhill (Vellum Bristol ivory); Recollections (ivory cardblank)
Stamp: Hampton Arts/Studio G
Inks: VersaColor (Green Tea); Studio G (green ink #VP006)
ETC: Spellbinders Nestabilities (Petite Ovals Large); Glue Glider Pro; Zig Two-Way Glue Pen


And that's it from here. The sun is shining and I think I'll go for a hike later this afternoon! Have a great day!!!

~Cynthia

St. Patricks's Day

St. Patricks's Day
Originally uploaded by HikerCynthia

I made three of these cute St. Pat's Day cards because they were so easy to mass produce.

First I die cut the Lacey Circles, then the Standard Circles. I stamped the tattoo-like Irish stamp in the middle before layering it all on a white cardblank.

Inside I stamped the sentiment 'Happy St. Patrick's Day' in the same green ink as on the front.

Easy peasy! ;-)


Supplies:
Paper: Bazzill (green cardstock); Recollections (white cardstock)
Stamps: Hampton Art/Studio G (AKA Michael's Dollar Bin)
Ink: VersaColor (Green Tea)
ETC: Spellbinders Nestabilities (Lacey Circles, Standard Circles Large); Glue Glider Pro


I can't believe how busy this week has been! And when I don't have time to create in the craft room, I feel like my day has been wasted. HA HA! How goofy is THAT?? I managed to carve out some time today to finish up these cards and work on Easter cards too. Finally. A productive day!!! =D

~Cynthia

Year in the Life

Year in the Life
Originally uploaded by HikerCynthia

I am seriously hesitating about posting this. It's the month of February in the Year in the Life scrapbook/journal/thingy I've got going. This is my first year and so far it's been a lot of fun to horde stuff to put in the scrapbook. (Fairly evident that I prefer to horde the ephemera rather than document through pictures, right?)

The reason I hesitate is...well...my life is kind of boring....as you can probably see here. I mean, trips to Subway and McDonald's dominate the page, as well as a newspaper article on the Great Backyard Bird Count.

Um.

Booooring. ;-)

I will admit that it's better than January's page: It snowed. I was sick. The end. Heh.

Anyway, this is what I've been up to. I've also been working on a junque journal and a 7 Gypsies/Graphic 45 journal. March starts a workshop/class over on the Strathmore website on art journaling. I'm pretty excited about that. Maybe March's Year in the Life won't be quite so boring! =D

Thanks for stopping by today!

~Cynthia

Easter Rejoice

Easter Rejoice
Originally uploaded by HikerCynthia

This is gonna be a quick post. The Internet has been in and out all morning. Boo!! ;-)

Here's my first Easter card! Cuttlebug embossing folder for the background, Nestabilities oval, Peeled Paint Distress Ink, Inkadinkado stamps (Delicate Branches and Rejoice), Fiskars border punch and Bazzill paper all on a sesame seed bun...I mean a Recollections white cardblank.

I'm crossing my fingers this goes through!


Have a great day!!!

~Cynthia

Simple Birthday

Simple Birthday
Originally uploaded by HikerCynthia

I can't wait until the summer sun shines again. This winter sun is too dark for pictures of my cards!! ;-)

This card is for my nephew, who is turning 13 next month. Dang...where did the years go?? He's a huge University of South Carolina Gamecock fan and I found a great Gamecock stamp the other day. (That would be that reddish blob on the left side of the card.)

I scored two lines across the card bottom, then beneath that I stamped a simple Happy Birthday.


Supplies:
Paper: The Paper Studio (kraft cardblank)
Stamps: Artful Legacy (Gamecock); Hero Arts (Classic Messages)
Inks: Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Fired Brick); Memento (Tuxedo Black)
ETC: ScorBuddy


Sidenote: One of my biggest problems with 2010's December Daily project was not starting soon enough. I took care of that this week. Joann Fabric and Craft is having a scrapbook supplies sale. Many items are 40% off. So I totally loaded up on some albums. One of them is from SEI's Preservation Series. It looks like a composition notebook, but it holds 8x8 topload scrapbook pages and more can be added. And it's under TWO DOLLARS. Too funny!! This will help me immensely in reducing the size (width) of the album from what I ended up with this past year. My plan is to have a Christmas in July marathon and get the pages done then. Riiiiiiiiight! ;-)

Thanks for stopping by today!

~Cynthia