Birthday Blues...and a few Greens...

Birthday Blues...and a few Greens..., a photo by HikerCynthia on Flickr.

Well...

I'm not sure I like this card. The more I stare at it, the less I like it.

I CASE'd it from a card I had saved on Splitcoast Stampers some time ago. I changed everything, except the layout.

I like hers better.

(You can check out all her wonderful cards on Splitcoast Stampers under LynniePoo or on her blog, My Stamping Addiction, here on Blogspot.)

So, after pondering this card for a bit, I made another one. I'll post that tomorrow.


Supplies:
Paper: The Paper Studio (kraft cardblank for card and smallest square); Fancy Pants (Like Father Like Son collection--Little Tyke, both sides)
Stamp: Inkdadinkado (Wheat stamp #97205); Stampendous (Everything Happy set)
Inks: Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Weathered Wood, Stormy Sky)
ETC: Wavy acrylic block, Glue Glider Pro



Thanks for stopping by today! For those in the Southeast...stay cool!! ;-)


~Cynthia

Ooo! Cool shadows!

Ooo! Cool shadows!, a photo by HikerCynthia on Flickr.

OK, this is has never happened before. I guess you could call it a happy accident!!

When I took my art journal outside to get a picture of the page, I had the idea of placing the journal near the fish pond. It has a net over it to keep the hawks and owls and herons from eating the koi fish. When I laid the journal down, this amazing shadow from the net went across the page. So cool!!

Originally, I was playing along with Carolyn on A Colorful Journey. She challenged us to use up some paper we didn't like by layering paints and gesso and what-have-you to create a fabulous background.

I layered gesso and watercolors in reds and oranges, with drips of black paint. It looked angry with tear-induced mascara streaks.

So I calmed everything down with more paper and more gesso. I wiped some of the paint off to expose sections of the paper.

Now I have to head back into the studio to paint the shadow!

Hmmmmm....

Paint The Shadow.

Sounds like a great name for a blog.

Or a band.... ;-)


~Cynthia

Dec Daily: Mostly Done

Dec Daily: Mostly Done, a photo by HikerCynthia on Flickr.

OK, maybe because this past year's December Daily album was my very first and as such I had no idea what I was doing...but....I really, really like this year's album.

It's so dang coordinated I could possibly cry.

I used a kit from My Mind's Eye called the Merry Days of Christmas. Lots of cranberries, winter sky pale blues and lots of sage greens! There was a page of punch outs and I bought a separate page from MME that I used as well--same color scheme.

I cut all the pages to 8x8 and added one or two embellishments, leaving plenty of room for photos or receipts or notes or journaling.

I also used lots of Pretty Little Studio's embellishments for the date on each page. You can see the 27 up there--that's from Pretty Little Studio. I merely backed it with punched out paper from MME.

Along the bottom of each MME paper there was a tiny tag with the name of the kit. I cut them all off and adhered them to each page. (That's the brown rectangle on the bottom left of the top page.) I think it adds a touch of professionalism to the pages. It pulls it all together, kind of like I bought the album this way. Pre-made looking.

I have all the days done. Now I'm using the scraps to add a few 4x6 page inserts to hold more stuff. In 2010's album, I loved the idea of envelopes to hold things I collected. I'll use the 4x6 inserts instead of envelopes.

This is such a cool album. Not very sparkly, just colorful and peaceful.


Thanks for stopping by!

~Cynthia

Pssst! It's JULY!

Pssst! It's JULY!, a photo by HikerCynthia on Flickr.

Can you believe it?? It's JULY already! And you know what that means, right???

Time to get going on the album for December Daily!

Of the many lessons I learned putting together my first Dec Daily album in 2010, the most important was.....

START WORKING ON THE ALBUM SOONER.

So I promised...nay, vowed...nay, DEMANDED of myself that myself needed to get this done in July so that come November 27 (the first Sunday in Advent) I would be READY TO GO.

Therefore....this is the current mess on my craft table.

Bits and pieces.

Santas, snowflakes, and sleighs.

Reds, greens, silvers.

Coordinating papers. (Another lesson from this past year.)

Oddly (sadly?? Dunno.) I feel like those design team members who say, "I'm working on something, but I can't show you yet!" Because you won't see the finished product until November.

Maybe by then you will have forgotten the mess on my desk.

Heh.



Happy Christmas in July!!

~Cynthia

Little Birdy

Little Birdy, a photo by HikerCynthia on Flickr.

And I'm back to cards today!

I totally CASE'd this from the Splitcoast Stampers Gallery, posted by cardmaker createdbykay.

As is always the case, I didn't have most of what Kay used, so I improvised. I *did* have the Cuttlebug embossing folder. YAY! I love that one. :-) I also used the Stampin Up bird punch and a bit of my neglected seam binding for the blue ribbon. (It looks a bit wonky in the picture, but really it's only crinkled.)

I die cut the scalloped oval and stamped the sentiment in Chipped Sapphire, which matches the ribbon...in real life. ;-) Because of the crinkly-ness of the ribbon, I popped the oval up and over the ribbon.

I made this for my parents' wedding anniversary, which is later this week. Do you know I do NOT have an anniversary stamp????? How have I lived this long without one??? =D


Supplies:
Paper: Bazzill (green cardstock); Little Yellow Bicycle (Fresh Print Clothesline: Cornflowers); Recollections (ivory cardblank)
Stamps: Hero Arts (Classic Messages)
Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Chipped Sapphire)
ETC: Stampin Up (bird punch); The Sewing Place (seam binding); Cuttlebug (Leafy Branches embossing folder); EK Success (3D Pop Dots); Spellbinders Nestabilities (Petite Scalloped Ovals Small)


And that's it for me today! I send out my wishes for a safe and happy Fourth of July!

~Cynthia

Mysterious Man

Mysterious Man, a photo by HikerCynthia on Flickr.

Oh, how I love my Mysterious Man!!

I saw this idea over at A Colorful Journey (dot com), where Carolyn had used a stencil from Spray Paint Stencils (dot com) of this seriously cool looking man.

I used some pages from an old English textbook I bought from the Friends of (my local) Library. Ripped them, then I randomly painted green watercolor all over the bits.

For the stencil....I just printed The Man out and then carefully, with super sharp scissors, cut the inside out, leaving a man-shaped stencil.

All of Spray Paint Stencil's stencils are free. (AND THEY HAVE LOTS.) Just download, print, and you're good to go. They even have instructions on how to make an actual stencil, versus cutting up a stiff sheet of paper like I did. :-)

I might not be done with this page, but for the moment I'm moving on. =D



A very very safe and Happy Fourth of July to all my American friends!! Let freedom ring!!!!

~Cynthia

Triangles are the new circles. Really.

Triangles are the new circles. Really., a photo by HikerCynthia on Flickr.

As I was making this page in my Canson Mix Media journal, I decided the lowly triangle doesn't get a whole lot of respect in your average, every day art journal.

You know. Most artists prefer swirls and circles.

I rarely see triangles. And why *is* that, I ask. Respect the triangle!! ;-)

So this page is for you, triangle!

I used a base of yellow acrylic paint, followed by the dots and dashes in red. I made my own funky stencil using a piece of stiff paper and a hole punch/comb binder machine. Then I added a layer of old gold acrylic paint, with another layer of terra cotta. For the triangles I used watercolor crayons and a waterbrush.

It's just...you know...kinda funky. In a triangular sort of way. ;-)



Have a triangle day!

~Cynthia