the artsy cottage

fun with sizzix & alcohol inks

2009-11-01T18:35:00.001-08:00

every once in awhile i'll start scrapping and get sidetracked making an embellishment. like today when i was using the big kick to emboss and die cut shapes for an upcoming project. i had a stack of acrylic packaging that i have saved, and decided to use that to make "ghost" shapes. except i wanted to make them show up a little bit. in the past i have painted the edges, but the paint was across the room. (lazy scrapper alert!)

however, the alcohol inks and staz-on ink were within reach. i did figure out that if you want to use both staz-on and alcohol inks on the same piece it helps to use one ink per side.

here are my favorites:

why does my scanner cut things off? i had it right in the middle. arg. all four edges of the frame are wavy.

have you made your own embellishments lately? i'd love to see!

the great purge continues...

2009-10-30T21:26:00.001-07:00

so the great purge of 09 continues, and i have taken at least a car load of stuff out of my house just in the last week. i started the purge in the spring and figured i'd be done by now. however, i underestimated how much ~~junk~~ stuff i have to go through. most everything has been given away or taken to the goodwill, except for that one truck load that went to the landfill. i think when the dresser falls apart as you are carrying it up the basement stairs, you just have to trash it. not that i had that experience or anything.

i was thinking i should have kept track of how much stuff i bagged and boxed up, but then realized that would be pretty embarrassing. what is really cool is the way my shelves and hanging clothes are not crammed together. i can actually see what is there without having to get my upper body workout.

of course when i take a break, i sit and scrap for a little bit. here are some recent cards.

it's hard to see from the scan, but this one says "have courage"

so now it's back to the great purge. if anyone has any great purging/cleaning out stories please share! it will keep me motivated so i can get this done before january. or this will have to become the great purge of 09-10. and that just doesn't have the same ring to it.

thanks for stopping by!

i ::was:: inspired @

2009-10-27T11:07:00.001-07:00

the get inspired expo 2009. this was my third year and it was great, as usual. Brandy and Becky and i scrapped the day away, although we missed Tonya, Jennifer, and Jen. Minna does such a great job making it easy for everyone to scrap. the food was delish, the prizes awesome, and the venue spacious.

even if the rookie scrapper out-scrapped us. ahem.

i love the Graphic 45 paper, and threw in the light green so it wouldn't look so much like Christmas colors. do you think it worked?

i played with embossing folders, glimmer mist, and inks on this one. i think i even kept the mess to myself. :) not the best photo of a layout, but you get the idea!

ive gone to several crops, and i always have trouble packing. i take too much stuff. it would be great to make up kits for my projects and i think i may try that for the next one. at least for a couple of projects. if you have a great strategy for going to crops that doesn't involve the kitchen sink, let me know!

thanks for visiting!

accordion mini album

2009-10-20T13:20:00.001-07:00

here's one of my latest projects:

i cut a pictionary game board into thirds and used it for the base. then i distressed and inked.

big surprise, right? ha.

if you look closely, you'll also find embossing, glimmer misting, and stickling. (is that even a word?)

this is one of those projects where i made a huge mess all over every surface, including the floor.

totally fun.

until the clean up part.

lots of butterflies

2009-08-07T20:33:00.001-07:00

when i first heard about the butterfly project , i thought it was cool, something that enough other people would probably contribute to. but i couldn't stop thinking about it. so i decided to make something to send to add to the exhibit. really no big deal, right? just me, sending a scrapbook-y butterfly.

then i mentioned it to my friends in the tea club ( our art journal group) and they wanted to make butterflies too, so i brought some stamps and a couple of die cuts. we meet at the church, and that evening we were sharing the downstairs with a potluck supper. the meal was mainly for the work campers who were staying at the church while they helped rebuild from the flood. so a bunch of them wanted to make butterflies too. now it's a lot of butterflies from a lot of people. pretty cool.

here's the poem that sparked the idea for the butterflies:

The Butterfly

The last, the very last,
So richly, brightly, dazzlingly yellow.
Perhaps if the sun’s tears would sing
against a white stone....

Such, such a yellow
Is carried lightly ’way up high.
It went away I’m sure
because it wished
to kiss the world good-bye.
For seven weeks I’ve lived in here,
Penned up inside this ghetto.
But I have found what I love here.
The dandelions call to me
And the white chestnut branches in the court.
Only I never saw another butterfly.

That butterfly was the last one.
Butterflies don’t live in here, in the ghetto.

Pavel Friedman, June 4, 1942

Born in Prague on January 7, 1921.
Deported to the Terezin Concentration Camp on April 26, 1942.
Died in Aushchwitz on September 29, 1944.

here's mine:

check out the link if you want to send one - the exhibit is planned for 2010.

Thanks Scrap Scene!!

2009-07-14T07:20:00.000-07:00

woohoo! my wild flower canvas is featured on Scrap Scene today! how cool is that - i am so excited!!

check it out here

thanks, Angie:)

one of my favorite blogs

2009-07-08T14:11:00.001-07:00

this blog is one of my very favorites. it has wonderful photography, adorable subjects, and is witty to boot. right now they are raising money for the humane shelter in Tacoma, WA. go take a peek, i bet you can't look without smiling! here's a little hint:

exactly like that only different

2009-07-05T09:51:00.001-07:00

going to five softball games in four days is pretty awesome. i love watching my girl and her team play. finding spots to take photos without looking through the fence makes me happy too. the downside to all this fun is that my house looks like a tornado went through. not kidding.

so with a three-day weekend i'd have plenty of time to get it totally clean, right? um, no. i did get the wash hung out, but other than that, i just did whatever i felt like. and it totally rocked!

i finished reading The Glass Castle. it was amazing, and it's a memoir, which i like.
i went for a run with Lexi - so glad the weather was cool.
i re-organized my alphas and chipboard so i can see them easily.
i played with inks and embossing - total thumbs up!

i have been following along with Jennifer McGuire's Thinking Inking series and was inspired to try some of the techniques. i loved just playing around! i definitely recommend having a heat tool if you are impatient. ahem.

here are the cards i made:

they really are prettier IRL, but you get the idea! i used the same general design for each one but i love how they are all different. just like my little girl used to say, "i have one exactly like that only different" !

wildflower canvas with fused plastic bags

2009-06-23T20:06:00.001-07:00

there are lots of recycled projects on creative blogs all over the web, and i was inspired to create a project using items that would usually go in the recycle bin. this very cool tutorial for fusing plastic bags was posted on EtsyLabs a while ago, and i was really glad to see the tutorial link on a friend's blog. (thanks, Kirsten!)

it looked fun and easy, so i decided to give it a go. one really cool aspect was that the look of the final piece could be changed depending on what bags you use. after fusing the bags, i die cut some flowers and sprayed them with glimmer mist. i used my heat tool to dry the glimmer mist, and it had the added benefit of curling the edges of the flowers, making them really dimensional.

the light and dark blue flowers are cut out from the lids of mixed nut cans, and the silver ones are cut from the liners to the cans. the blue flowers are stamped with gold ink, and the liners are colored with alcohol inks. the stems and grass are the fused bags with some glimmer mist.

it was fun to play with such different materials and just see what evolved. have you done any recycled projects? link me up, i want to see!

rainy saturday

2009-06-13T14:10:00.001-07:00

the second half of the softball tournament was supposed to be today, but it rained non-stop last night and most of the morning, so it has been canceled. which means i have a whole day to play! kind of like a snow day in february, it feels like a gift. i started a new project last night after reading the latest sew somerset and being completely inspired. no peeks yet!

last month Lin, Becky, and i went to Scrapaganza for their friday night crop. the rest of the tea club couldn't make it, but hopefully they will be able to go on the next field trip! they had not been to a crop before, so it was fun to show them the ropes. we even got some scrapping done. Becky brought some leftover window screen, and she was the hit of the crop! here's a page i made using it:

the flower is made with an accordion of screen with a brad in the middle. just twist until it looks good!

i was reading someone's blog and she was talking about how she didn't worry about matching the colors in her pictures any more, and that it was very freeing. so i gave it a whirl:

starting with a background that didn't match, i added some bits that do match, using different blues and reds. no worries about if they were the same shade or not. it was fun! so i did another one:

at first i looked for a blue card stock to match her shirt, but then decided to use one of my favorite blues, even though it's a different blue. the orange looked great with the blue even though there isn't any orange in the photo. there may be something to this idea!

are you a matchy scrapper? let me know, and thanks for stopping by!

a quick post

2009-06-09T21:47:00.001-07:00

spring finally came, and it came with a busy schedule!

prom sure is different now:

than it was then:

and that's your laugh for today!!

new friends and 12 x 12 pages

2009-04-30T09:14:00.001-07:00

a few weeks ago at church i was introduced to Lin, who is an incredibly creative artist. she works with fabric, paper, and i'm sure lots of other media i don't know about just yet! we immediately decided we should start a faith-based creative group and, rushing in where angels fear to tread, we started it the next wednesday. it is amazing how quickly we came together - 5 of us so far. i'm really enjoying my new friends and am looking forward to see what we become.

since it seems like maybe spring is really here, and it's light outside for more than two hours a day, i got some natural light photos of some of my 12 x 12 pages. on this one i decided flowers and bling could go on a guy page. i am still loving aqua. and distressing. and sewing.

this one ended up looking too busy, and i overwhelmed the photo. i'll probably scrap the photo again, maybe make it a 5 x 7. the tab that says 'exclusive' is a clothing tag. can you find the easter bunny?

this one came together in about 15 minutes, and i really like how it looks. the butterflies are free clip art from the vintage moth.

thanks for stopping by!

easter 09

2009-04-21T17:47:00.001-07:00

i am liking using the 8.5 x 11 format. i'm worried that it won't be enough room since i like to pile on the "stuff".

maybe i'll scrap simpler, who knows? here's a simple page:

{the yellow mesh is from a bag of potatoes!}

mints, the gym, and a new size

2009-04-19T17:42:00.001-07:00

yesterday morning i got to go on my first artist date with my niece, and we had a great time treasure hunting! she is now the proud owner of a cool blue electric typewriter - and i just know one of these days i'll get a typed note in the mail.

i got to spend time with my daughter at the gym, although i didn't work out very hard. just a little swimming and of course the spa.

last evening i went and helped make mints for Ben & Nikki's wedding. i don't think i've ever made mints before. and if you'll be at the wedding, the green leaves are mint flavor, the white swirls and hearts are vanilla, and the red roses are almond. we all did a bit of quality control while we were hard at work, just to make sure that they were good enough for company!

so i've mainly been scrapping 12 x 12 when i make layouts. now that i share my pages online, that means that i have to take pictures of my pages since i don't have a large-format scanner. which limits me because i have to wait until there is good light and i have the time to set up the shots. i really do like the 12 x 12 format but i've been thinking about scrapping 8.5 x 11. i could scan my pages and upload them whether there was good light or not. so i'm gonna try the new size for awhile and see how i like it. it will be no problem to put them in my albums since i mainly use the 3-ring American Crafts albums.

here's a page i made showing some lovely bokeh with a sure sign of spring:

what size do you scrap?

some of my recent pages

2009-04-14T17:56:00.001-07:00

yep. i've been quiet. but i've still been creating. here are some recent pages:

thanks for stopping by!

cozy sunday

2009-03-08T19:23:00.001-07:00

this morning i woke up to pouring rain and a dark sky. i could hear the rain on the tin roof of my front porch, a sound i love! so i lit a few candles, put on some Norah Jones, and sat down to scrap. it was just wonderful.

i have been thinking about doing some hybrid scrapping, just to dip my toe in it a little. i love all the mess and textures of traditional scrapping way too much to consider only digi scrapping, so hybrid seems like the way to go. it also doesn't seem like it will have as big of a learning curve, but we'll see! maybe playing around with photoshop elements has given me a little confidence? i'll be sure to share. :)

one of the projects i did today is to finally make bridge tallies for my mom. she has played bridge with the same group of ladies for years. it seems like bridge tallies are getting harder to find, so i told her (a long time ago-eek!) that i would make her some. i used the k & company berry sweet collection because she likes bright colors. here's a little peek:

how was your sunday?

new YMCA song moves?

2009-02-21T08:03:00.001-08:00

last weekend was the family 4H skating party, and i was looking forward to it so that i could improve upon last year. which wasn't a huge goal if you consider that it involved staying upright. yes, i resolved not to fall down this year; last year i fell so hard my glasses went flying. not a pretty sight...

it turns out that the rec center has been almost completely redone. they have a new maple floor instead of cement, new glow-up-in-the-dark carpet with the special lights, a new sound system, and new skates! new skates that are all cushy inside are almost as wonderful on my feet as new socks.

anyway, the YMCA song came on, so i thought, hey, i know how to do this. um...no i don't. apparently between the time the song first came out (yes, i was around for that) and now,

the arm movements have changed!

imagine my surprise!

and the embarrassment of my teenage daughter!

turns out the new movements are all done over your head, which is great for staying off the floor, as shown in this photo of a skater much better than me:

my question for you is, "did everyone know about the new YMCA song moves but me?" or is this only a roller skating version?

**edited to add: i have searched you tube and apparently i am the only one who was doing the arms wrong all these years...so turn up your speakers so i can't hear you laughing at me!!

inspired by The Nester

2009-02-15T06:56:00.001-08:00

i have been on the lookout for some kitchen curtains for a few months, with no luck. i have looked in stores and online. so i went to one of my favorite design blogs, the Nesting Place. i love her philosophy, especially "it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful". amen sister! seeing what she has done made me realize i should probably just make the dang curtains.

anyone who knows me knows that i am not a seamstress. in fact, i use my sewing machine mainly for scrapbooking and card making. i have had multiple opportunities for learning from expert seamstresses, such as my mom and grammas. i just avoid it for the most part. maybe i never needed to learn because i had such wonderful ladies to sew for me.

if i need to, i can master the basics, which i did yesterday! what i really wanted was a turquoise and cinnamon toile...which was a no go unless i wanted to spend $$$$ a yard. i did find some material i liked that has the blues and the ivory tones of my kitchen trim. (remembering it doesn't have to be perfect...)

and here's what i came up with:

check out the matching pattern all the way across! and a ruffle on top! just to show that i picked up a few tips, i pre-washed and ironed the fabric AND measured and used pins (a little!). they certainly won't pass an up-close inspection, but i am really happy with how they turned out!

"there is a crack in everything..."

2009-02-14T07:36:00.001-08:00

i saw this quote recently, and it really captured my imagination. i have a soft spot for well-used, repaired, and worn things, and this is what came to mind when i read Leonard Cohen's quote. in its entirety: "There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in." isn't that a cool way to look at life? it inspired my Project Fifty-Two for this week.

here is a close up with the acrylic bluebird:

i stamped the back of it with staz-on and then glimmer misted and glittered the front. i was inspired by Shelley and how she rocks the acrylic!

i'd love to hear your favorite quote - what inspires you?

horses, a goat and creek stomping

2009-02-10T11:43:00.001-08:00

now that i have your attention, here are some recent pages!

this is Slim and Pete in the spring, with their winter coats still on. i pop-dotted some of the tree, but it doesn't show up much in the photo.

this is Billy Valentine at one day old. we fed him with an eye dropper for the first few days. i played with dimensional paint on this, and it definitely takes a steady hand, which i don't have mastered yet!

this page is about where we went creek stomping at girl scout camp. the photo shows the old mill, it was all weathered and worn, very cool. the girls had a blast playing in the waterfall!

thanks for stopping by!

scrapping with Miss M

2009-02-09T19:02:00.001-08:00

i got to scrap with my niece on sunday! we had a good time, and she made an album out of old book covers. she has a nice eye for color and design and she got her album put together within a couple of hours. we bound it with rings so she can add pages anytime she wants. i didn't get any photos of her cool new album, but i did get a pic of our hands. it seems that we are both messy scrappers:)

Chris' Crop @ Scrappin for Keeps

2009-02-04T16:36:00.001-08:00

so Chris won a free crop and she scheduled it for last saturday in eldridge. i had a little trouble finding the store, but once i got there it was awesome! the first thing i did was wander around - i haven't been in a lss since Reminisce closed, and i missed it. just to see the rainbow of bazzill made me happy.

there were ten of us, and the crop area was nice and open. it was fun to catch up with everybody. the gals who work there seem almost like old friends, it's like we speak the same language. they had lots of snacks and drinks for us and really made us feel at home - thanks ladies! in between eating, browsing, and chatting, i did actually get some pages done!

i was glad to find Graphic 45 papers, since i have used all of mine. i even found two pieces of Cosmo Cricket wanted collection, which has to be my most favorite papers ever!!!

here's most of the pages (sorry about the flash):

this paper from WE-R did most of the layout for me:)

this one says "watch out!"

and this is sweet Maeve

scrapbooking rocks!

staying warm in my scrap space

2009-01-30T18:48:00.001-08:00

it has been so crazy cold around here! although we did have a couple of days where it warmed up - one day it was -25 degrees, and the next day it was 25 degrees. it warmed up 50 degrees! but it's mostly been really really cold. it's been toasty in the house though, so i made some pages.

i thought this would be a fun pic - she's got her boots on with her fancy dress!

i did this page for the "embrace" prompt at OLW, but didn't get it uploaded in time. the funniest thing is that i left the "b" out of embrace!

this is a pic Kathleen took at Linda Kay's. i just love the sun peeking through the trees.

and last, but definitely not least, here is baby lena. her little collar just hangs from her neck - she was so teeny:)

so that's how i've been keeping warm, what about you?

Sweet Tooth Scrapbooking Rocks!

2009-01-28T07:23:00.000-08:00

if you haven't checked out this site yet, you're missing out!http://www.sweettoothscrapbooking.com/ . Shelly and Cindy came up with a great idea - they design and create scrapbook layouts and cards, and package it all together with all the measuring and cutting done for you! how clever is that? when you find some time to create, you can get right to the fun part - putting everything together!

Shelly likes to find special pieces for her cards on etsy, and i am so flattered that they chose some lil owls i stamped for one of their cards. they use the latest and greatest products with their original and unique designs. you really should check them out - you'll be glad you did!

project fifty-two and 52Q

2009-01-14T18:54:00.001-08:00

it seems like everyone is talking about documenting 2009 in creative ways. there are numerous versions of "365" projects and challenges, which call for making something or taking a photo every day. some people make daily artist trading cards, which are also cool. but i'm pretty sure i wouldn't keep up with anything every day.

i could come up with my own idea, but why re-invent the wheel when there are already so many cool ideas out there? there are options that are less frequent, but will still give a glimpse of 2009 at the end of the year. the first one i chose is project fifty-two. it's on a weekly basis, and is open to all kinds of projects with any medium you like, such as quilting or painting, not just scrapbooking. here's my first project fifty-two:

52Q is also on a weekly basis; Emily asks a question and you provide your answer in whatever format you like. she is doing her questions and answers on tags, and since i have a ton of shipping tags, i'm using tags too. here's the cover and inside cover for 52Q:

each of these projects seem flexible and fun, so i'm in!

what projects are you doing this year?