LoveLee Notes

Wish We Were There

2016-06-29T06:55:00.001-04:00

Not your average postcard(s)! Week 4 of the Summer of Creative Chemistry was my inspiration for these next postcards - and yes, I'm on a Postcard kick, but these could very easily be cards, or added to journals or scrapbook pages, cut into tags, and more. It really is a great substrate to work with for a one-layer card - and postage is so much less to send out. AND as a bonus, you just might inspire a postal worker with your creativity.

If you don't want to buy the watercolor postcards I mentioned in an earlier post, you can make your own, as I did with these cards, with heavy cardstock (or in my case, glossy cardstock). You can draw lines on the back with a ruler for the address and simply add a postcard stamp to mail. There are also a variety of stamp sets available for purchase to create postcards as well. You can simply go onto Amazon and type in the search engine "Postcard Stamp" in Arts & Crafts and several come up for purchase.

I used Tim Holtz' Alcohol Ink Agate technique for these postcards. We have friends that live in Australia and we've been very blessed to be able to visit - so of course, I'll have to send this card to them. For the Sydney Australia skyline I used TH Cityscape stamp set. I used Meadow, Lettuce, Pesto, Stream, Cloudy Blue, Snow Cap, & Silver alcohol inks, and hand wrote the message with a sharpie. Looks like I picked up bits of pink ink as well from my craft sheet when I created the other postcard.

I stamped a second generation stamping upside down below the skyline, and smudged it a bit for effect. However that ended up smudging the Sydney Harbour Bridge before it was dry. But I still liked the effect, and I don't like to waste anything - so I'm okay with the imperfections. And I do know the skyline doesn't match up, but I still think it's cool.

For my last postcard I used Shell Pink, Butterscotch, and Wild Plum alcohol inks, as well as the following Tim Holtz stamp sets: Birds and Baubles, Crazy Talk, and Shabby French (one of my most favorite stamp sets!). In hindsight, I wish I would've stamped the smaller chandelier from the Shabby French stamp set and offset it a bit to the left - but I'm okay with it. Oh - almost forgot, I used a second generation stamping to get the script background to be lighter. And I used the script stamp from the Tim Holtz "Letter to Santa" stamp set. I love that stamp with the delicate script.

Well, that's all for today. You might want to consider making your own postcard and mailing it to someone special - you will really make their day!

Perfectly Fun

2016-06-21T07:36:00.003-04:00

Week 3 into the Summer of Creative Chemistry and I'm working with one of my most favorite products ever -- Perfect Pearls! I used the Perfect Distress Mist technique and then the Perfect Splatter Distress technique with my "leftovers". I normally don't worry about mixing colors where they will look like mud - I just try what I like and have fun playing. I usually try to work with whatever comes out. To learn more about these techniques, check out Online Card Classes with Tim Holtz. He's going through his Creative Chemistry classes 101, 102, and soon to start is 103 in August. You can sign up and join in the fun anytime with lifetime accessible content, PDFs with step by steps, and more!

The stamp set I used for the Perfect Distress Mist technique is one of Wendy Vecchi's, "Tools for Art".

And the stamp sets I used for the Perfect Splatter Distress technique are Tim Holtz' "Words for Thought", "Sketch", "Bird Crazy", and "Crazy Things".

I used the Watercolor Postcards again for these techniques - and I'm looking forward to sending these out at the end of the Summer. How fun is that?!

Today is a good day to have some fun!

Bon Voyage Postcard

2016-06-12T22:33:00.000-04:00

It's so nice to be back to playing in my craft room. Today I created another postcard for Summer of Creative Chemistry Week 2.

I created a random background all with Distress Stains using: Peeled Paint, Weathered Wood, Broken China, and Wild Honey (and Picket Fence). I guess I liked the look of the Wild Honey stain as a sort of sunset, because I pulled out my Tim Holtz Artful Voyage stamp set and went to town using the Stamping with Stains technique.

I ghosted the ship before stamping with Archival Jet Black and followed up with Distress Black Soot ink so I could smudge with with the Picket Fence; I love the end result of the mottled ship. I used Pumice Stone ink to smudge the edges and set it aside to dry before I over-did it.

I'm loving the watercolor postcards - so easy to use and less stress to work on because it's a one layer card, essentially. I'm using the Fabriano Watercolor Postcards today. Since there's a bit more texture, any stamping will look a bit more sketchy, which I liked for this card. I think these will be so fun to mail out later.

Thanks for dropping by -- Craft on!

Riding Out the Storm

2016-06-04T21:20:00.001-04:00

It's hard sometimes to let go of the busyness of our daily lives. Whether stress from work, major events, or just daily living in moments, we are all trying to make things work so we can, at some point, relax! I I love this quote on this postcard because in all the chaos around us, God has a plan to take care of us!

I've been trying to get back to my love of creating, and just got the next kickstart I needed through Tim Holtz Summer of Creative Chemistry over at Online Card Classes . I created this Technique Postcard for the weekly challenge and I'm excited to be creating again.

The Distress Ink colors I used for the background are Broken China, Mermaid Lagoon, Stormy Sky, Iced Spruce. I edged it with Hickory Smoke and used Tim Holtz Birds, and Hot Air Balloon stamps in Hickory Smoke & Peeled Paint Distress Ink. Finally, the sentiment was stamped in Archival black ink (sentiment stamp by Our Daily Bread "Anchor" stamp set).

Class is in session - check it out!

Thanks for stopping by!

Lisa

Time to Create...Again

2015-11-19T07:22:00.003-05:00

It's hard to imagine 2 years has gone by since I've written on my blog -- and yet I've been busier than ever. I've been through Graduations, College visits, Weddings, Retirements, moving, job searches, 1st home buying, 1st baby granddaughter, and much much more.

Now that I'm finally settling in I'm hoping to get back to blogging and creating again. I had a great kick-start recently in Columbus, Ohio with this year's Create Event 2015, from Simon Says Stamp. It was full of inspiration and amazing designers, and making new artsy friends was a true bonus!

New Friends: Karen, Debee, and Colleen

Lawn Fawn's Kelly Alvarez - Just as sweet in real life

Beautiful Fall Venue

Which door to enter? This is when I met Karen!

Fantastic Designers, Great Techniques, Loads of Fun

Working on my "to buy" list

Laura Bassen & Kristina Werner - great demos & lessons

My friend, Karen - Yep, she won an amazing prize
from Altnew & Simon Says Stamp! and yep, we were jealous. :)

A bit star struck of Jennifer McGuire - but she is
so down-to-earth, and yep - Amazing!

Shari Carroll - holding my recently inked butterfly.
Refreshing & Fun personality!

Me & Shari, with my Shari inspired art!

Me & Jennifer - great to finally meet her in person!

You can enjoy visiting the Designer's Blogs by clicking on their names below:

Jennifer McGuire
Shari Carroll
Kelly Alvarez - Lawn Fawn Blog
Kristina Werner
Laura Bassen

And now, it's time to get back to creating again. In the meantime, keep a watch out for new projects I've been working on...as well as a look into the some of the events I worked on in the past two years.

Until then - Happy Journeys! Lisa

AJ PanPastels Wise Men

2013-11-25T21:10:00.000-05:00

I am posting a page I completed in my Art Journal (AJ) using a variety of Christmas stamps by Tim Holtz, and a Stampendous Santa stamp. I once said I had no current plans to get into the PanPastels and now I teach how to use them. Yep, I got hooked and now I am constantly devising new ways to use them. I love this art medium for mixed media!

If you haven't used PanPastels before, they are simplest to explain as a type of chalk called pastel. They are a soft refined pastel pigment powder that is compressed into a jar that seems almost creamy. However, the binding agent used in these pastels is unique in that the dust content from usage is extremely low, while the pigment is a higher artist quality. The price point is initially higher, but their longevity helps even the score. You can use these with a variety of tools & products, but the Sofft Tools are my favorites...besides using my fingers. They apply like a paint, but don't need any water. Oooo, and did I mention clean up is a breeeeeze. Keep an eye out on my blog, as I'll be sharing more about these little beauties, including tutorials & videos -- hopefully in the new year.

Regarding today's mixed media page: believe it or not, this page layout is super simple to complete -- you're basically just working in layers.
1. The complete background is a light dry wash of PanPastel.
2. Randomly stamped with several TH stamps using VersaMark. I lightly went over the stamped images with a slightly darker pastel shade. (TH stamp sets: Shabby French, Reindeer Flight, Letter to Santa)
3. Sprayed Krylon's Workable Fixatif over the pages and let sit a few minutes until dry.
4. Stamped the Angel & Joyful Christmas (TH Joyful Song) again with VersaMark, and heat embossed using Ranger's Chinese Red Antiquities, and Stampendous Aged Silver (I love the tarnished silver look for this page).
5. Using black Archival ink I stamped the Wise Men. I didn't apply too much pressure to the stamp so that the image would be somewhat mottled.

6. For the Santa image (by Stampendous), I stamped the Santa image with black Archival ink onto copy paper before crumpling it up. Then opened it up and created a dry wash of pastel. I love how the paper's creases picked up an extra "shadow" of color. I used the pointed Sofft Knife with various colors of the PanPastels to "paint" the Santa. Finally, I ripped the edges, sprayed it with the Fixatif, and adhered it to the page with Scotch Quick Dry adhesive once dry.

That's it. Most projects & page layouts can look overwhelming to re-create when you first see them. But if you break it down by layer, it really makes them very do-able.

Thanks for stopping by today. Hope your day is beautiful! Lisa

My Craft Closet

2013-08-27T16:28:00.000-04:00

It has been a looong time since I've blogged, and I'm sad to say it might be a couple more months until I can get back into the groove. As you know, we've had some major life changes this year...starting with our youngest son's high school graduation and move to college, our eldest son's wedding, my husband's military retirement, and finally ending the year with a temporary move while we look for jobs & and a new home. I will get to blogging some of the things I've worked on for these events...eventually. In the meantime, thanks for hanging in there!

For today, I'm posing a video of my craft closet -- sort of a teaser before seeing my actual craft room video in an upcoming post. I've had several requests to see my crafting spaces, and with our move being so close now I asked a friend come help with the video taping.

My craft closet is just that...a walk-in closet of sorts. The space is more long than wide, but I'll show you how I have it set up. Keep in mind that we are moving and it's not as tidy as I'd normally like it. But hopefully you'll get the idea. =)

I also showcase towards the end of the video how I've been doing my stamp storage/organization. If you've read my stamp organization post, you'll notice I am no longer using the clear DVD cases for my stamps -- I have more space utilization with the pockets than the DVD cases. I've actually decided to use the cases for something else...but I'll save that for a later post.

If you're reading this post in an email subscription, please click HERE to view the video & comment on the post. Comments are once again enabled for everyone (love getting your comments) -- I had to close comments for awhile because of a hefty amount of spamming.

Below are a couple links to some of the stamp pockets I showcased in the Craft Closet video.

TH Stamp Storage Pockets (7" x 8 1/2") - As long as the TH stamp pockets are being produced, I will continue to use those -- my absolute favorite for the size of stamps that will fit in them.

Office Depot brand Pockets (5" x 8") - For the stamps that are sized the same as the Lawn Fawn stamps or smaller, I am seriously thinking about using the Office Depot clear pockets. I love their durability. I have found better prices online than in the stores...as of the writing of this post.

Avery Clear Pockets (5 1/2" x 8 1/2") - The clear page protectors are still a good solution for those that are looking for a more economical solution. However, I would recommend adding 5" x 8" cardstock inside the pockets to make them sturdier.

(If you had trouble seeing the video in this post, please click HERE to view in YouTube)

In my upcoming craft room video I also show how I store my TH stamp sets AND a great (and inexpensive) way to take the stamps sets with you to a crop, etc.

I know it's been a while, but I appreciate you taking the time to stop by! Lisa

Graduation, Wedding, and Retirement -- Oh My!

2013-03-28T16:47:00.000-04:00

Printibles by Wedding Chicks, Cricut Die Cut Birdcages (French Manor cart)

First of all...thank you for sticking with me, even though I haven't posted in quite a while. I thought last year was busy, but this year takes the cake! January & February I was working virtually full-time, during which we lost our beloved dog, Hercules, of old age (15 years), and a dear uncle on my husband's side unexpectedly. Then already in March we've made a college visit with Cody, our youngest son (almost 18) who is graduating in May, plus two separate poetry reading venues (by Cody); and my husband had foot surgery...of which he is now recovering.

Our year had already included Cody's high school graduation and his subsequent move to college in the summer. But then we added my DH Chris' retirement from the military towards the end of this year, which also includes a permanent move back home -- to Ohio. We haven't lived there since 1999, so it will be strange moving back...but also good to be back around family after so long. Of course with a move comes job hunting, and house buying. A crazy year to be sure.

But let's just throw something else into the mix...shall we?! Our oldest son Nathan (nearly 24), proposed to his girlfriend, Hannah, the beginning of March and the wedding has been set -- ** wait for iiiiiit** -- this year too. In fact, he will be getting married just two days before Cody goes to college -- and all that happens just one month before Chris's retirement ceremony (which will be a month before we move)! I'll barely have time to think about the whole "empty nest" syndrome. Yup...this is a CraZy year for SURE.

Which brings me to a glimpse of what I've been up to this month ... working on Wedding Samples! I had my year pretty well planned out until Nathan came to visit with his "finance". Surprise!! During their short visit they decided on a somewhat vintage "Birdcage" theme for the wedding with colors dark purple & blush pink. Nathan talked up the announcements I had made for his Graduation, so they asked me to put together some samples for wedding invites -- on a budget.

I started about by doing a lot of research for Birdcage themed weddings, and weddings with their color palette ideas. To keep track of some of my research, I created a board on Pinterest called, Birdcage & More Wedding Ideas -- which you can see HERE. I also found this fantastic website for printing invites, RSVP cards, table numbers, and much more. You can check out Wedding Chicks website HERE (you're gonna LOVE it!).

The following invites are all created from the Wedding Chick's free printables to which I added some stamping using Stampendous "Tweet Cages" set. The ribbon is white seam binding ribbon (Hug Snug) that I crinkled & colored using Spun Sugar distress stain & Antique Linen ink (which tones down the bright pink). For the more vintage ribbon look I added light touches of Walnut Stain ink. Since the color hues haven't been determined "exactly" there are a variety of shades used in the samples at this juncture.

Flat Bow (postage friendly)
stamped birdcages on chain
Pumice Stone ink, 2nd generation stamping

birdcage masked using Antique Linen ink
and ink blending tool
stamped birds

Bo Bunny brad holds cage in place
crinkled ribbon around cage only
This invite may cost more in postage with
the added depth of brad & bow

die cut birdcage from French Manor cart
smaller brad & dangly ribbon could help postage costs

showing cage moved aside
edges inked with Antique Linen

RSVP card printables w/envelopes
attached to back of invite w/photo corners
(they're on straight, just angle of camera is funny - lol)

Table Number printables from website
and die cut ideas using cage (French Manor cart)
and numbers from Heritage cartridge

with pink backing

with purple backing

Place Cards die cut from Thanksgiving cart
the two smaller ones show as individual name cards
The larger one is more budget friendly: one per table
and would include family names for that particular table

die cut with Fiskars Fuse: letter press plates for tags
these could be used for place cards, wrapped around the napkins,
or for a variety of other uses/ideas

battery operated tealight under dome

One of the PINS I added on Pinterest, was of over-turned decorated wine glasses (click HERE to see inspiration photo) using the base for a candle. I loved the idea, thinking I could use the dome of the glass to add the birdhouse theme. Generally you can find water globlets/cheap wine glasses at a dollar store or thrift store -- so being budget conscience (and since using birdcages to decorate every table would be pricey), I created this version using my Cricut (Sophie cartridge, & Gypsy to weld extra bird). There are several cartidges that have birdcages on them, so it would be interesting to make several variations of these for the table decs.

I also cut birdcages & lovebirds from random cartridges at 1 1/2" each for confetti -- any smaller and the birdcage bars are too thin to hold up. Other cartridges used were: Straight from the Nest (confetti), and Elegant Edges (for the candle mat)

I forgot to photograph the washi tape flags (Recollections birdcages) I made for cupcakes, and the cupcake wrapper of the lovebirds from the Cupcake Wrapper Lite cartridge...but they turned out cute too ... IMHO. =)

And that's about it for today. With all that's going on this year you'd think my blog would be severely neglected. But I've been so busy with all sorts of projects that I'm hoping to blog more often. The most time-consuming part of blogging is writing out all the technical jargon. So if at some point I don't give enough information, please leave me a comment with your questions and I'll be sure to get back to you.

Hope the birds are singing for you today -- and thanks for stopping by! Lisa

The Jesus Gift - Our Christmas Tradition

2012-12-24T18:27:00.003-05:00

I'd like to share a story about our Christmas tradition of the "Jesus Gift"; which first graced it's presence under our tree in 1992.

It was getting close to Christmas and I was feeling extremely depressed the closer it came. I had recently become a single Mom, and was having a hard time with the holiday festivities. The church we were attending was having a sit-down dinner and I had decided not to go, as my heart was just not in it. However, my mother kept encouraging me to go -- and finally I gave in.

I can still remember how lovely the table looked. As I sat down I noticed a simple package had been set at each place setting. The packages were wrapped in white tissue paper & tied with green ribbon -- the tag attached contained the following poem:

This is a very special gift,

You can never see.
The reason it’s so special,
Is it’s just for you, from me.

Whenever you are lonely

Or even feeling blue,
You only have to hold this gift
And know I think of you.

You never can unwrap it,
Please leave the ribbon tied;
Just hold this box
Close to your heart,
It’s filled with love inside.

- anon

The thought of that little package, at such a difficult time in my life, was a blessing to my soul -- and just what I needed. I brought it home and placed it under our Christmas tree, as the first gift of Christmas. And that was when I came up with the idea of the "Jesus Gift" -- Jesus gift of love to us being himself...the reason we celebrate Christmas.

And so our tradition began -- Each year the first gift under the tree is the "Jesus Gift". And it's also the first present taken out from under the tree Christmas morning. One of our family will read the poem attached, then we'll each take turns holding the "gift" and say what our birthday gift will be to Jesus for the following year. Instead of New Year's resolutions, we offer a gift to Jesus. It might be the gift of volunteering more, or reading the bible in a year, or maybe even something more specific.

This year I had to re-package ours as it was quite yellow with age, so I used one sheet of 12x12 white cardstock to wrap a small box. With the leftover card I stamped an image on the front of the manger scene "O Holy Night", by Northwoods, and printed the poem for the inside. The simple green ribbon is seam binding.

Every year I try to make a few of these gifts to share with others. I like to share the story of the tradition of the "Jesus Gift" -- but how they choose to use this gift of love is up to them.

I hope this story of our Christmas tradition will warm your heart, and give you a chance to invite Jesus into your Christmas celebration too.

Warmest wishes for a very Merry Christmas!
God Bless -- Lisa

Wintertime Paris Tag

2012-12-01T00:52:00.000-05:00

Just sneaking in under the wire for Tim Holtz' 12 Tags of 2012, for November. I bet you didn't think I could do it. lol. I've been remembering back to the time we went with some of our Aussie friends to Paris for New Year's 2003. We ended up at Versailles while it was snowing and had such fun building a snowman! I've got a picture around here somewhere...I'll have to dig it up sometime and add it to this post. It was very surreal...building a snowman at Versailles -- such wonderful memories.

Anyway...on to my tag! I used a variety of TH stamps from Shabby French, Winter Sketchbook, & Sketch stamp sets, then hand-wrote the sentiment, "Dreamin' of Wintertime in Paris." I used some mini Christmas tree pearls to tie onto the tag, and added extra clear embossing on the edges & on the snowflakes, and some dusting of stickles as well. The chandelier lights are tiny swarovski crystals. My colors of choice were Broken China & Peeled Paint Distress Stains, and Chipped Sapphire distress ink.

By the way...I didn't have a craft iron like Tim had in his post, so I turned my tag upside down on a piece of newsprint paper and used my heat gun to heat up the embossing powder while I used a brayer to flatten the tag onto the newprint. It took a bit more time than ironing would've done, but it still worked! Check out his post for all the details!

Finished it off with a gorgeous facet gem...and now...I think I'll call it a night. =)

Keep Dreamin'! Lisa

Catching Up After Thanksgiving

2012-11-24T16:03:00.000-05:00

The Thanksgiving sign can be "plucked" out of the wings
to find a message written on the back.

Hello friends -- Happy "belated" Thanksgiving! You don't have to celebrate the American Thanksgiving holiday to be thankful for family & friends all year round. And I'm definitely thankful to my friendly readers; I love to read your comments & emails -- thank you for stopping by. I sent out my Thanksgiving cards on time this year, most of them being fairly simple cards. But I found this fun paper by Echo Park called Fall Fever Owl, and somehow ended up sketching this fun card.

I started with pearlized tan cardstock & adhered the Fall Fever Owl CS to the front (the opposite side of the CS is the woodgrain print shown in the sign on the front of the card). I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it at first, but I was thinking I'd like to have owl eyes peering over the top -- and it just sort of evolved from there.

The eyes were cut out of black, white, & blue CS in 1 1/4", 1 1/2", & 1 3/4" respectively. I set brown cardstock between the card layer and lightly sketched a head with ears & an egg-shaped body (initially thinking it wouldn't be seen except over the top of the card). Then I cut wonky brown hearts out of scrap CS for the feathers, and sketched wings, feet, & a beak. I used a distressing tool to scrape up the edges to give them some fluff, and an blending tool with walnut stain distress ink to ink the individual pieces. These are all basic shapes, so I didn't overstress it.

I adhered the owl to the inside of the card with a banner strip of four owls to represent the four of us in our family. I needed a speech bubble with four points so I drew it onto ivory CS, cut it out and inked the edges. The sentiment, Elegant Beginnings by Stampin' Up, was heat embossed with Charcoal embossing powder.

QUICK & EASY TIP: The feet sticking out of the bottom made the card difficult to stand. So I used my Tim Holtz small easel Sizzix die to cut the easel for the back of the card from heavy cardstock. I LOVE this die for projects like this that need a helping hand to stand up, but also need to be mailed, because the easel lies flat for going into an envelope! Awesome! This die also cuts chipboard for a thicker stand, if needed.

NOTE: In hindsight, I wish I had made the easel from black cardstock instead of white for a more finished look, but I did use a black sharpie for the part that was showing through the feet (which is probably why you can't see the easel from the front).

Isn't it so cute peeking out of the envelope?!

Next on the list? Christmas Cards...mostly done, thankfully. But wish me luck getting them posted. Blogger is not cooperating at all.

If you're out shopping for Christmas, be careful...it's a jungle out there. =)
Lisa

Btw - I have disengaged the comment verification again, Thankfully, it seemed to help alleviate the spam comments...at least for now.

The Countdown Begins

2012-11-01T00:10:00.000-04:00

I don't think there's an "official" day to begin the Countdown to Christmas, but I figured today was as good a day as any. The little trick or treaters have gone to bed, and tomorrow will be here before ya know it. But as for the moment I'm writing this post -- October 31st, 2012 -- the calendar stands at 54 days before Christmas...which will be 53 days in just a couple hours. Time just seems to move fast that way. =)

The tag I created is for Tim Holtz' 12 Tags of 2012. Love the tutorial he has on his blog for this tag for blending the paint onto the collaged tag. It looks like I have a lot going on, but this tag was relatively simple to put together (check out Tim's website HERE for step by step instructions). I started with a manila #8 tag, which you can also cut using TH Tag & Bookplate die. I glued on the Melange Tissue Wrap collage paper -- LOVE this paper...and used Red Pepper & Pool paint dabbers as shown in Tim's tutorial, and edged the tag with the Pebble paint dabber for a slight shadowing effect. I used a blending tool to add a bit more color using Peacock Feathers & Festive Berries distress ink, before spraying Sunflower Sparkle perfect pearls mist over the tag.

The pre-cut grungeboard was painted with Snow Cap paint dabber before adding my custom colored glitter. The glitter recipe I used was: 1 Tbsp. Distress Rock Candy dry glitter, 5 drops Butterscotch, 2 drops Caramel, and 1 drop Latte alcohol inks. I wanted close to a golden "cheer" effect -- and I like the way it seems to brighten up the tag. I used the Snow Cap paint dabber to add bits of white "snow" color to the glittered pieces, and added a piece of snowflake tissue tape from the top of the tag...adding a bit more Snow Cap paint before stamping "countdown" in black archival ink. I used an old Dymo tape gun to print "Christmas 2012" on some blue stared plastic tape I found at a thrift store a while back.

For the ticket, I used a favorite technique of mine...Watercolor Embossed Stamping. First I inked the ticket stamp, from TH Odds & Ends stamp set, with Peacock Feathers and stamped it off onto scrap paper, then with the remaining ink left on the stamp I spritzed it well with water & stamped it again onto white, lightweight cardstock -- holding it in place for about 20 seconds so the water seeps into the fibers of the paper. It gives it an undefined watercolor look, and as it dries the water raises the areas the watercolor has touched giving it a faux embossed feel to the cardstock. After the cardstock was dry I overstamped with black archival ink, sprayed it with Sunflower Sparkle, cut it out, and distressed the edges. A piece of cobweb tissue tape was added to the corner, the date was circled in red ink, and the ticket was attached it to the tag with tiny attacher staples. Finally, the tag was finished with white seam binding ribbon & TH Tinsel Twine.

Now I guess I better get this posted before my countdown tag changes numbers...again (yep, I initially had the wrong number of days glued down -- but realized it before it could do any damage). Ha!

Thanks for stopping by. Lisa

Well Worn, Well Loved

2012-10-01T00:56:00.000-04:00

Just under the wire...again, for Tim Holtz' 12 Tags of 2012...for September! It's been so busy this month, that I've not had time to blog, or even visit my favorite blogs. October should be better, and a trip to Disney should help clear the "cobwebs" -- and since we're SO close to October, I thought this would be a good way to usher in October, and complete the month of September.

If you haven't been playing along with Tim's tag challenge each month because you don't have a particular product, don't let the lack of supplies stop you. Hopefully this tag will encourage you to use what you have, and just spend some time creating. I didn't have the sticky back foil or the alcohol inks Tim used in his tutorial, so I used a few different items instead...

Not only are they yummy with tea,

but the empty bag came in handy too!

I used a piece of the bag for the foiled insides, and embossed it with the Haunted Halloween embossing folder. I didn't have black alcohol ink so I used pitch black & sunshine yellow paint dabbers...mostly using the wipe on/wipe off technique. The Ideaology heart adornment was inked with Wild Plum alcohol ink and strung on ball chain and attached with TH tiny attacher. I just LOVE that pop of color from the alcohol ink.

You really can't tell too much now, but the top and bottom of the tag was covered in Brushed Pewter distress stain before lightly going over it with the black paint. Some cobweb tissue tape was added randomly and I used and old Dymo tape gun to add the phrase, "Well Worn, Well Loved".

Because not everything old has to be scary...=)

By the way, Did you know I was picked as a random winner on Tim Holtz' blog for my July Tag? How cool is that?! I won a set of the seasonal Spring Distress inks, & some wood game pieces. Mario was SO quick to get them sent to me too. Pretty awesome -- Thanks guys!

Guess I better sign off so I can get this posted in time. Thanks for stopping by! Lisa

You Make Me Smile

2012-08-28T19:42:00.006-04:00

I can't believe the summer has moved into the school year...already. And I just don't feel ready. My youngest son is now a senior and before I know it, he will be moved out and into college dorms. Where have the past 17 years gone?

Today I'm sharing the tag I made for Tim Holtz' 12 Tags of 2012 -- for August (what's left of it). I just used similar type products that I happened to have on hand. And you can too...he shares his ideas for putting together a variety of techniques, and it's all in how you're inspired to create. My creation is a reminder of our past visit to The Louvre, in Paris, France -- while we were stationed in England. The actual Mona Lisa by daVinci is really much smaller than I had envisioned (30" x 21"), and is encased by photo resistant glass -- yet still quite amazing to see in person...if you're actually able to get close enough to gaze at it. =)

My tag recipe includes: TH Sketch stamps (frame), SU Classic Captions stamps (Mona Lisa & sentiment), TH Damask embossing folder, Clare Ultimo poetry dog tags (inked w/caramel alcohol ink & black paint dabber), TH Ribbon Roses (colored w/weathered wood, vintage photo & fired brick (distress stains) DS), Pool paint dabber, Zing black EP, black Archival ink, white seam binding colored with Broken China DS, and Distress Inks: antique linen, tea dye, & vintage photo. And finally...misted with Sunflower Sparkle perfect pearl mist (my favorite)!

Not a great photo, but you can see the reflection of the people waiting in line to see that famous smile. The picture is encased in a much larger glass -- which is what you are looking through. This was back in 2000, but shortly after that photo was taken they declared no more photography. You can find quick facts on the Mona Lisa painting on Wikipedia.

Thanks for stopping by...
Don't forget to smile today! Lisa

Paradise Found

2012-07-29T17:32:00.000-04:00

On a hot July summer day...such as today...I can just imagine the mist coming off of the waves, while relaxing in a hammock at the beach, and sipping on a tall refreshing lemonade! It's been incredibly hot this summer with little to no rain to speak of (at least in my neck of the woods), so I was inspired to create this tag (and card) for Tim Holtz' 12 Tags of 2012 -- for July.

This month's challenge was all about using alcohol inks in a unique way -- check out Tim's amazing tag for July and his step-by-step instructions HERE.

A variety of alcohol inks were used. For the sand: caramel & latte; for the grassy bits: lettuce; for the sun & sunspots: butterscotch, & gold mixative (on the tag); for the waves: cloudy blue, & stream (on the card). The pants/sandals were colored with cranberry, using an Adirondack fillable pen.

The white seam binding ribbon for the tag was colored with vintage photo & broken china Distress Stains. The colors initially go on quite intense but as they blend with water, and dry, the colors lighten up quite a bit.

The stamp set is Paradise (of course), by CTMH. And I think this just might be the first time I've used it. But I love it!

You can see another tag I made using this same technique ---> HERE. It's one of my popular posts found on my sidebar...and is themed more towards winter.

Here's a TIP for cleaning up when using alcohol inks. First of all, use a craft sheet to protect your work surface. Nothing sticks to it, and it cleans up beautifully with....Hand Sanitizer! The hand sanitizer not only helps clean your hands, but add a little squirt to a wet wipe or towel and simply wipe off your craft mat! Love this stuff!!

And that's not all -- do you have one of those table that are made out of that hard durable plastic? If you do, and you like to use dye inks, sprays, and watercolors, you just might find that your table is holding on to some of that color. Simply add several squirts of hand sanitizer directly to the table and use a damp rag, or wet wipe to move it around and wipe up the mess. My table still looks like new! I use this method when I'm teaching classes as well -- a quick & easy way to clean up a lot of mess.

Well, that's it for today! Thanks for taking the time to stop by.
Stay Cool! Lisa

Time to Stretch My Stamps

2012-07-22T18:50:00.001-04:00

The past two weeks I've been taking an online class, "Stretch Your Stamps". I love waking up every morning to new class content with includes PDFs & videos...and lots of inspiration. This class is just finishing up, so the interactive portion of the class won't be available much longer -- but you can join in on the class anytime as an independent student and watch the videos, download the PDFs, read the forums, and look through the gallery whenever you choose to take the class. Find out more about it HERE. I took another of these classes, Creative Chemistry 101, earlier this year, and I think the classes are top notch!

The cards I was inspired to make for this class are shown below. The stamps used for the cards are listed directly below the cards.

Using Background Stamps ...

Tim Holtz Wallpaper Stamp, Fiskars Fuse die cut,
and Anna Griffin/All Night Media sentiment stamp

Using Collage Stamps ...

Correspondence Collage by Hampton Art Stamps
Festive Alphabet by CTMH

Using Alphabet Stamps (notecards 2 ways, masked/unmasked) ...

Precious Alphabet by CTMH
Flower stamps by Melissa Frances

Using Sentiment Stamps ...

Life in Pictures by Ali Edwards (Technique Tuesday)
Poetry Nostalgiques by EK Success, The Attic Collection (Rebecca Sower designs

The greeting is on back of the "Happy Anniversary" frame,
which clips to the front of the card.

Using Floral Stamps ...

Calla Lily, PSX 2001
Greetings Script by CTMH

Using Label Stamps ...

Annotations by CTMH
Doodle Alphabet by CTMH

Using Outline Stamps ...

Doodles & Nature, by Claudine Hellmuth
(can you see the clear embossed raindrops & Perfect Pearls sun?)

Using Border Stamps ...

Stitched Ribbon, & Double Scalloped Ribbon by Hero Arts

Quote - anon.

Using Reverse Stamps ...

Tree I, II, III, & IV by Hero Arts
Inside sentiment: To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose
under heaven. Ecclesiates 3:1

The only cards I didn't get a chance to make were using graphic stamps & stamps w/coordinating dies. I enjoyed this class immensely, and can't wait to take another one. I always learn something new, and the creative inspiration of the instructors & guests....not to mention the huge galleries, are amazing. A huge thank you goes out to Jennifer McGuire & Kristina Werner, and all the guest designers, for this wonderful class (click on their names to visit their awesome blogs)!

Have a Lovely Day! Lisa

Art Journaling From Partial Pages

2012-07-10T15:16:00.002-04:00

I thought I'd share some Art Journal (AJ) pages I've been working on, showing them from the partial page to the completed page. When I teach AJ classes I often use my own books as a "stomping" ground to show how a particular color looks, show a technique, or do a quick play-by-play. What this means is that I come home with several pages of miscellaneous chaos. However, I make sure my students see what I'm leaving with, and when I bring it back to the next month's class...it's transformed in some way for the start of another AJ page, or even ... dare I say, completed!

I think it's a rather good way of showing that you can still make something out of, what seems to be, imperfections. One of the things I love about teaching is that I can show an entire class the same technique, using the same stamps, etc., and not one of the Art Journals will look the same, yet they all have their own style of creative loveliness -- how much fun is that?!!

Here are a few of my page progressions...completed pages (at least for now), directly beneath the partials I began with.

Partial - showing Dylusion sprays on a dry page (color intensity/saturation)

Painted hearts w/black marker, white Signo pen, & Archival black inked stamps
Background resembles the look of tie-dye

I really liked the look of the tie-dye background, and could've gone in many directions...but I like the simplicity of the page layout, at this stage.

Playing with stencils, sprays, & ink (positive/negative imaging)
You can see the "tie-dye" page coming through on the right side.

A little Tim Holtz tissue collage, magazine cut-out, & black marker.

The stencils recede into the background with the boldness of the journaling and outline of the collage.

Partial - working with color: sprays, inks, & gesso

Background & Corner stamps, and black marker

Adding a gesso layout between the two pages helped bring the two colors together, as a temporary fix. Adding the stamps & journaling makes it into a simple readable page layout.

Partial - stencils, stamps, inks, gesso...randomness

Paint, gesso, Archival ink, distress ink, marker, stencils & stamps
Reverse imaging using the Claudine Hellmuth Nature bird stamp.

Many times I'll grab a random stamp for a technique -- the challenge later is finding a way to make it work into an AJ page. If nothing else comes to mind, gesso covers a multitude of mishaps...but what fun is that?!

Think about all the possibilities for your other projects, scrapbook layouts, & cards -- you might even surprise yourself, what you can come up with.

Have an Artful day! Lisa

'Never say, "oops". Always say, "Ah, interesting"!' ~ anon.

June Tag Challenge Photo Tinting

2012-06-29T08:13:00.000-04:00

Well, it's the end of the month and I'm back again with my June Tag for Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2012 (click the link for Tim's step-by-step instructions). It would seem that I do better waiting until the last minute...and so it goes. This month he has a video showcasing a technique for photo tinting. Did you know that Distress Inks were formulated for use in tinting photos?? I didn't...and so I gave it a try, and I'm sold! The photo of the girl & teddy bear is a free download on Tim's post -- and normally I like to venture off the path a bit, but I really liked the image and the design elements he used for his example, so I went with it.

LoveLee Details: I {slightly} matted my photo with a piece of brown paper gift bag with the phrasing, "Way Down East" showing slightly below. The marbled background is white picket fence & peeled paint distress stain, with a variety of stamps from TH lost & found, mixed media, & curiosities sets stamped in black archival ink. The photo tinting was achieved with victorian velvet (for the dress & bow), & gathered twigs (for the bear), finishing with antique linen & vintage photo. I didn't have the nibs mentioned in the video, so I used Fantastixs by Tsukineko instead...they worked great. To finish the photo, I over-stamped with a tiny journey word stamp with black soot distress ink.

The ribbon was colored with peeled paint & weathered wood distress stains, and the rose trimmings with fired brick. There's just a snippet of "script" tissue tape under the roses, and the film strip ribbon was stapled to the tag with my tiny attacher. Finally, I adhered the word band "Capture Life's Moments" (painted with Making Memories "celery") to the tag with the ribbon.

What a fun technique...if you haven't tried it before you might want to give it a try. I think it would make for some fun framed photos.

TFSB, and have a lovely day! Lisa

Organizing Clear & Cling Foam Stamps

2012-06-28T10:15:00.000-04:00

UPDATE 8-27-13: Check out My Craft Closet for a video of my stamp storage updates.

I'm popping in today to share how I store my clear & cling stamps. If you hadn't yet guessed, I love organization products...love, love, love them! Recently, I was a winner (out of 1119 commenters) of blog candy from Becca's blog: Amazing Paper Grace (APG). Oooo, if you haven't visited her blog before, you will just love her style of elegant cards & projects.

The blog candy she offered was provided by TapeOnline.com -- I received 20 clear "dvd type" cases and 20 magnetic sheets, for organizing Spellbinder dies & cling stamps. The cases are crystal clear, the price point is fantastic, and their customer service & shipping is simply amazing -- I received them within a couple days of winning! I know I was a winner, but check out the TapeOnline product links below to see what I'm talking about; and while you're there you can see what the reviews are saying as well.

Clear Stamp Cases
Magnetic Sheets

I don't have a lot of Spellbinder dies (the ones I do have were bought after seeing some lovely projects created by Becca on APG), but for the few I have I added the magnet sheets to the cases to store those dies. I wrote the die information on the case spine with my white Sakura Souffle pen, and taped the packing/"sandwich" info to the back of the case. For my dies, I like having the package information handy as it helps to see what the die should look like when cut. If you haven't yet seen an earlier post for organizing my other diecut packaging, you can view the "Packaged Die Organizer" HERE.

I do have loads of stamps -- especially the little clear stamps that get easily lost or misplaced once they leave their little protective sheet. So I used the clear cases for quite a few of my clear stamps -- obviously I'll have to buy more (you haven't seen my collection of Christmas stamps yet -- lol). I love how clearly the stamps show through. The clear stamps adhere to the plastic case quite well, and on many of the stamps I left top plastic overlay so I could determine what the stamped image actually was; in the case of no visible image for the clear stamps I intend to stamp the image on a piece of clear transparency to include in the case. And instead of keeping the paper packaging for the stamps (with the stamp company name/image names), I just wrote with a large sharpie on the spine of the cases. Some of the stamps packaging fit perfectly into the cases, so I included them with the stamps.

Originally this bin held my CTMH stamps, but I've since moved them --
so I guesss I need to re-label this bin. =)

I store my cling foam stamps in bins (they were part of rolling bin set but the frame & rollers broke) that I keep on an old bookshelf. The cling foam stamps are a bit thicker, & the packaging larger, so I store those in pocket envelopes. The refill pockets were originally made for Tim Holtz' Stamp Binder, but since I have so many of the cling mount stamps I find it easier to have the pockets in this bin as well, so I can leaf through them at a glance.

Since space is always at a premium, as often as we move, I have un-mounted some of my wood block stamps and put them on EZFoam to create a cling mounted rubber stamp. However, I do still have some wooden stamps that I keep in a labeled drawers that I don't intend on un-mounting...yet.

There's a lot you can do with these clear cases besides thin metal dies & stamps. Check out another cool organization idea that Becca used them for: Inky Nib organizer

Now I wonder...what would you use them for? TFSB! Lisa

Many, many thanks go out to Becca of Amazing Paper Grace, and Emily at TapeOnline.com -- I love my new organization goodies. You guys are absolutely lovely!

Apples for Everyone

2012-06-11T14:07:00.000-04:00

What do you see?

I thought I'd show an Art Journal page I created, step-by-step for the background, using The Crafter's Workshop (TCW) Wood Grain stencil. You might remember I like to look at things a bit differently...or upside down as in my Masks of the Manor post a couple years ago when I turned my cricut books upside down to find more interesting ideas. Anyway...When I was thinking about buying the large wood grain stencil I saw what looked like several faces in the design, which gave me lots of ideas ... and then just had to have it. =) I'm showing one of the ideas I had for this stencil in my art journal. Everytime I look at the stencil I see it a bit differently, so I'll revisit this again later down the road.

To begin...these pages started out as a place to wipe off my paint brush from another project.

Didn't have a towel handy so I wiped off my brush of purple paint onto these pages.

Adirondack pebble colored paint dabber to paint over TCW wood grain stencil.

Added a paint wash of Manila colored paint.

Thought it needed a second coat of Manila paint wash.

Added vintage photo distress ink over the pages, direct to paper.

With a blending tool, I randomly added walnut stain distress ink over the stencil,
keeping it slightly askew, to give it a bit more definition.

And now...the finished pages. I drew in where I imagined the face in the tree to be and stamped apples & leaves on the adjoining page. I created a notice on the tree using a watercolor black paint wash, distressed the edges, used the Tim Holtz distress hammer to indent the brads and wrote with permanent marker & Signo white gel pen the "Notice" sign. The apple w/leaves stamp is from Stampin' Up (Sun-Ripened II stamp set), and I used barn door & peeled paint Distress Markers for the coloring.

I just realized the green ink blot at the bottom...a carry over from another page of playing. I think I'll add another green leaf to that area to tie it into the page, but otherwise it really doesn't bother me. Just the perks of finding more ways to integrate "messes" into the "art" of the moment.

NOTICE: The Wicked Witch is dead ... Apples For Everyone!

Try looking at something a bit different and see where it creatively takes you...you just might be surprised! Lisa

Just a Note for the Graduate

2012-06-01T12:55:00.000-04:00

ConGraDulations!

I'm back today with some Graduation cards I've been working on. I used my Cricut Expression2 Anniversary edition (CE2) for these cards...which is important to note...since the cartridge for this particular type card is preloaded on the machine, and called "Just A Note". I also used the Wrap it Up cart.

The concept is fairly simple...which is basically cardstock folded into thirds...with the left side foldover cut off 1/3 way down, and the right side foldover cut off 2/3 way down for a tiered tri-fold card. However, using the CE2 to cut out the words and images did make it a lot easier -- except when you're making four of them in the various school colors. LOL. I'd have to say that took a bit more time, but I really like the way they turned out.

I actually made three, then had another grad announcement from a friend for her Bachelor's degree...so I made a fourth. The last one I made I used a German foil for the banners, celebrate, & tassel. It was a bit more delicate to cut, so I used a medium paper setting and cut it out at a slower speed. Speaking of the German foil, if you missed the post using it for faux Dresden, you can check it out HERE..

All the banner cards were cut at 5 1/2" including the layered features (card & card layers). When cutting the banners for the inside feature I used the flip feature to mirror the image. The Graduate w/Hat phrase was cut from the Wrap it Up cartridge at 2 1/2", but for the tassel I used the layer feature and cut it at 2".

I added a colored mat backing to give the cards a bit more depth & color (they just seemed a bit plain). I inked the banners on three of the grad cards according to their school colors -- that way I could use white deco paper for all the banner cuts, yet have them match the cards individually. I also added a quote, and used stickles to "bling" up the cards just a bit. To finish these cards up, I rolled up a check ($$) and tied it with hemp cord 4-5x then adhered it to the card (diploma style) by using 1/4" score tape on the back layer of hemp cording. I ran distress markers over the bows for additional color. The diploma (check) can easily be removed by pulling it out of the cording.

For the foiled card -- the foil was a bit delicate to cut for the wording and had to be pieced in some areas, but on the whole it turned out great. Because it's quite a thin foil I didn't even have to pull out my Cuttlebug to emboss the banner pieces. I just set them inside the Spots & Dots embossing folder and pressed with my fingers -- can't get easier than that. =) I added a sticker diploma that had red in the ribbon, so I used a Sakura Glaze pen in blue to change out the color. I left a slight shadow of the red on the edges for the look of dimension. Finally, I used photo corners to hold in a gift card...adding a quote just behind it to show once it is removed.

Congratulations to all the graduates this year...You Did It!! Lisa

Tissue Paper & Faux UTEE

2012-05-31T21:28:00.000-04:00

My finished Art Journal pages

You can still see the bursts of colorspray
I was covering up, in this photo,
but they're not so prominent in the
finished pages.

I'm just in under the wire to participate in Tim Holtz' 12 Tags of 2012 for May, with a completed a page in my Art Journal for this challenge...slightly bigger than a tag. =) Thankfully, the challenge doesn't have to be a tag, but to help inspire something creative in us...and that it did!

For my journal pages, I repurposed tissue paper from a store that had used it to wrap something breakable in. It already had a printed motif on it, but I cut the design pieces out and randomly adhered them to my already painted & stencil pages (up to this point, I had slightly covered up some random color sprays with gesso and Archival ink...and added a Dylusion stencil for the border). I added distress ink with a foam applicator over the tissue paper, then partially colored some of the images with distress markers. For added dimension & effect I also colored with Souffle & Glaze pens.

I didn't have UTEE (ultra thick embossing powder) readily available, so I added extra Glossy Accents to the flower embellishments, in its place, to create the faux UTEE effect. I finished off the pages with some stamped sentiments (CTMH) & a stamped compass embellishment using the same faux UTEE effect...which took an extra coating, and lots of drying time (one of the down sides of not having the UTEE available). I had made extra of the compass embellishments from a Tag Swap for ATT a while back, and it came in handy for this page.

Glossy Accents helped give these flowers the look of UTEE

So far I haven't missed one of the 12 Tags of 2012, but I sure came close this time. And with that, I'll say good-night to May, 2012.

Pleasant dreams! Lisa

Washi Paper Art Journal Page

2012-05-25T09:24:00.000-04:00

Thanks Mhel!

I was having tea with a friend the other day, on her birthday, and guess what she brought Me? Washi Paper! She bought when her family was stationed in Japan awhile ago, but since she hadn't used it she thought I might be able to use it my crafts. Wasn't that so sweet?! Since I've been working in my art journal I thought what's a better place to incorporate an artistic styled memory. I love having an art journal where I can incorporate things like that.

So this is my collage page of washi paper, combined with mini Sakura Glaze hearts, & a large glittered heart covered with Glossy Accents. I used a bit of antique linen distress ink to steer it away from a stark white page, but I left just bits of the white showing through for added variance. The collaged effect is great when you're trying to break up a busy design.

Hope you can enjoy today with friend too. Lisa

Gift Boxes Simply Repurposed

2012-05-12T22:53:00.002-04:00

I know I've been scarce the past two weeks, but I'm popping in today for a great repurposing project & quick gift idea. The other day I was drinking some tea my MIL sent me when I got to looking at the box, thinking it would make great packaging for the Dark Chocolate Edamame (from Trader Joes) I wanted to add to my Mother's Day gifts.

Now I should mention that I do have a Cricut that can cut quite a few boxes, but I really like doing things from near scratch as well...and repurposing/recycling projects are my favorite (if you hadn't guessed). So, instead of throwing away the tea box, I carefully opened it up at the seam where it was glued together and made a template by drawing around the box onto 12"x12" white cardstock, and cut it out.

Christmas Tea Box -- ribbon has been removed (and repurposed on another card)

12" x 12" white cardstock -- dotted lines are for score lines

Then using the original box as a guide, I used my ruler to make light pencil lines where the score lines should go and added darker dotted lines (over the lighter pencil lines) to show where to score. I used my score board to score the template and made sure it would form the packaging correctly (without adding any adhesive). This is now the template I'll be keeping for future boxes.

NOTE: I could have used the original box as a template, but I find the original packaging can be distracting when trying to follow score lines and cut lines. Also, I had already cut the panel off one side of the box -- I like keeping tea fresh in canisters, etc., and I include a snippet of the tea info with it.

Template cut out and ready to be scored

Template scored & folded - left tabs will hold the adhesive

Using the template, I drew around the deco cardstock (CS) I chose for the boxes and cut them out. Instead of drawing on the score lines, I laid the template over top of the deco CS and scored them both together. If you choose, you can draw light pencil lines on your deco CS and score them individually.
SCORING TIP: Because of the odd shape of the CS once cut, it makes it difficult to line up on your score board. I found an easier way to do this by laying down your ruler at the bottom of your CS, and lining up where you'll begin scoring with a particular number on the score board (ie. 4"), with where the score line should end on your CS set to the same measurement on your ruler (ie. 4"). I like to use Tim Holtz Ideaology Ruler because it is exact, without any lead-space on the front end of the ruler. I also use the Martha Stewart Score Board because I like the 1/8" spacing and the right side of the board being open.
(If this score tip doesn't make sense, I'll try to update this posting with a YouTube video this week.)

Note the 4" score line matches both top & bottom measurements

**If you look at the image above, the 4" score line at the top of the score board lines up with the 4" line on the ruler at the bottom. To make sure your ruler will give you straight lines and match up with the score board lines, hold the ruler flush against the top & left side of the score board -- your measurements should match up. This will help give you accuracy when scoring mis-shaped objects.**

For the boxes I made, I only glued the side seam together, and folded the bottom of the box without adding adhesive. That way, if they want to reuse the box later (more repurposing) for another's gift, they can open up the bottom, fold the box flat and store it for use another time. I forgot to take a picture of the contents, but I used cello bags for my Chocolate Edamame and added a tag.

The finished gift boxes

Other ideas you could fit in these boxes are mini purse notebooks, deco tissue packs, bath beads, soaps, jewelry, gift cards, etc. (if you use heavier items, I'd recommend adding adhesive to the bottom of the box). My Grandmother is diabetic but loves chocolate, so I found some yummy sugar-free chocolates to add to hers. =) Wouldn't these be great gifts to make just to cheer someone's day? I just think they are a "sweet" addition to any gift basket.

I hope all you Mothers out there have a LOVELY Mother's Day!! Lisa

Creative Passage Into Art Journaling

2012-04-24T06:30:00.000-04:00

"Go where your journal takes you creatively, taking your journal wherever you go --
and you'll find you're taking a creative journey, others will soon want to follow."
~ Lisa Sackett

I thought I'd share something a bit new today...something that I've been working on for a while, behind the scenes -- my Art Journal. If you're not familiar with Art Journaling, it's basically combining art & words into a personal journal (or just words, or just art...) -- it's a creative outlet of your own artistic impression. In other words, there are no rules -- you create the kind of art that you enjoy, and write what you like.

One of the best things I've discovered about keeping an Art Journal (or several) is that it truly helps the break-down of inspiration overload. You know what I mean? When you are overstimulated by SO many ideas going through your head and don't know where to begin -- I find that taking just ten to fifteen minutes to add some color to a page, adding collage elements, drawing, writing, etc...just helps to get that creative energy moving in a specific direction. And it works exactly the same way when I can't think of a thing to do. And once you get started, you'll be able to go back into your journals for some of your own inspiration! You'll also find it quite addicting...and dare I say...FUN!

Creative Passage Into Art Journaling

. . . the class!

Many of you already know I'm an instructor at our LSS. Well, I was thinking that an Art Journaling class would be a great opportunity to bring together students, who are both beginner & advanced artists, for the express purpose of having fun being creative without any rules. And if you don't think you're artistically inclined, not to worry -- I'll help you find your creative style.

Starting in May at our LSS (15 minutes from the St. Louis Arch), I'll begin teaching Art Journaling 101 -- you'll get your initial supplies, including a journal, and we'll jump right in. Then each month I'll be teaching new techniques you can try out on your own pages, or you can do your own thing. There will be a variety of supplies & tools to use while in class, & each month you'll acquire some new supplies too! Art Journaling is meant to be a fun, stress-free, relaxing way to get creative. Some pages you'll love, others you'll learn from. But most of all ... we'll just have fun!

To sign up for classes you can contact The Scrapbook Factory at 618-628-8877. Several opportunities for class dates in May: Sunday, May 20th 2-4pm; Tuesday, May 22nd 5:30-7:30pm; Saturday, May 26th 10am-12pm. Classes fill up quickly as there are only 12 spaces open for each class. If you have a group of five or more we'll create a class for your group...just let me know. Also, each month will include an Art Journaling 101 class for those that are just starting up.

Still unsure about this Art Journaling "thing"? Check out this link for some great inspiration --> HERE, featuring Dyan Reavely. We'll be using her Dylusions sprays & stencils in some of the classes. But that's only a sampling, there's so much more...

On my blog -- I'll be posting my journal pages from time to time, including tidbits here and there, as well -- so that if you're not able to join us in classes, you'll still be able to catch a bit of that inspiration.

So that's just a little something new I've got going on...and I thought I'd put you in the know. And now you know. =)

Have a cozy day! Lisa