Quilling = pasta machine

I’ve been looking for a used pasta machine for a long long time! Back in the day I had one when I played with Fimo but I got rid of it years ago. 😩 Who knew it also cut paper into perfect strips for quilling!?!  

Found this one at Goodwill for $10. It’s a little dirty and I had fix some bent hinges to get everything to fit together but it works really well. Now I have to dig out the quilling patterns and samples I saved! 

November HB Cards 2020

Sample the of the HB cards I’ve made for my November commission. I try to mix up the styles and keep some very simple for men. 

Splatter Cards 2020

I wanted to do some splatter on my base cards (thank you AmyR, the Queen of splatter) using my twinkling H2O watercolors. Since I had so much paint left on my acrylic blocks, I stamped the leftovers on to blank white paper. I should have used card stock but I wasn't really thinking I would end up using it. 

I wasn't sure what I was going to do with but it sat on my work table anyways and then the light bulbs went on. :)

When a friend destashed her craft room, I kept a few stamps (the rest went to Cottage Crafts to be sold in their ZZ booth - use art supply section) I liked these very old (2007) SU stamps. 

Because I didn't use card stock, it takes a long time to glue these suckers down and keep everything from wrinkling! These cards are going out to friends just because. 

Bunny HB card 2020

This is another stamp that came from a friend's craft room destashing. I thought it was too cute not to do something with it. Bunnies are just for Easter anymore!

 It's an old Inkadinkado stamp. I can't remember the last time I made a shaker card! I was going to add grass and have the bunny peeking out with a happy birthday sentiment stamp on it but at the last minute I decided to use a embossing folder. This is another card I will make for the standing order I have for birthday cards. 

First slimline card - Penny Black Cat 2020

I've be hired to make birthday cards for a person who owns several restaurants and she gives a handmade birthday card to each employee. I realized I don't make many birthday cards! So every night now I sit down and design something. I kit it and when I have a big block of time, I crank them out. 

This Penny Black stamp is from 1999 and I picked it up at a used stamp sale years ago. It doesn't stamp well on the block (reason it was probably in the sale) so I pulled it off the block and used my Tim Holtz stamping tool. At first I made it in a A2 size card and thought it was funny to have the balloons going sideways. 

Slimline cards are now all the rage in the card making world so this is my first card in that size. Only thing I don't like about slimline, is that it takes a whole sheet of paper to make one card. Still it's cute and I'll do a few more. 

Whipper Snapper stamp

I got this stamp a few years ago because I thought it was funny. Didn't really like the sentiment so I just masked off the tag image in the past. Now that I'm making more birthday cards, (will post about that later) I needed a tiny HB stamp for the tag and the only one I had was too long.  I did something that I've never done before  - I cut apart a stamp! Very scary to do that with a stamp so small but it fit inside the tag! I still have to mask off the inside of the tag but all over it made the stamp do what I wanted it to do. Now to make sure I don't lose the HB sentiment!

Gelli Press

So I decided to break down and get a gelli press and see what the fuss was all about. Since I already had all the parts it wasn't that big of an investment. I'm not into junk journals which seems to be what all the youtube artists do with the prints they make. It is a very fun and messy creative thing to do but if I didn't already have the brayers and paints, I don't think I would have gotten the gel mat. I wanted something I could use up my paints so this does fit the bill. 

Card Swap 2020

I joined the 2 peas refugees holiday card swap. I make 4 different designs so I don't get bored making 100 cards.

A friend was destashing her stamps and most of them went to Cottages Crafts ZZ booth, where you can resell your craft supplies. This one stamp, I decided to keep for my swap. Very simple but cute! Old stampin up stamp (2007), TH new ink Tumbled Glass and black embossing power.  

Tim Holtz has been doing a lot of YouTube videos showcasing his products, which I always find inspiring. He released a new  ink color "Crackling Campfire" which is so in my wheel house!

I made tons of backgrounds using his inks and then had to think of what to do with all of them. I pulled out a very old set of stamps from Memory Box and my FineTec metallic water colors. 

Once again the images sat on my desk because I couldn't think of what type of base card to use. After watching all the new leaf stamp sets being released this month, I went through my stash and found a big background stamp. Sorry there's no marking on the stamp to who made it but I'm sure I've had it for over 25+ years. Mailing these out to friends for a just becasue fall card. 

The Rabbit Hole Design - Squirrel with Donut 2020

I thought this stamp was too cute to pass up. I have a good friend who loves donuts so I made this card for her. I hope the beads I used for sprinkles make it through the mail!  

I haven't used my copic markers in a long long time!  I did try color pencils first but what I thought was dark brown was really purple. Oops! 

The squirrels sat on my desk for a weeks before I could figure out what to do with the base card. I think is makes a really nice  thinking of  you fall card. 

Loose water coloring 2020

I've been trying to learn how to be more loose in my water coloring painting. I mean how hard can it be to make a simple tree? When ever I try, my tree leans right even if I turn the page at an angle. I've watched dozen of videos on how to do it too.  Finally after many attempts I tried paint from the bottom up which I've never seen a YouTuber do. And it worked!  I have finally can get a straight tree. Now just have to keep working on being loose and not overwork it. 

Since I had so many test runs, I decided to turn them into Christmas cards for my upcoming card swaps. another great thing besides learning something new is I'm shopping from my stash for the swap. Didn't have to go out and buy anything. Now I just hope the USPS is still up and running at the end of the year. 

Tim Holtz inks - Water Color 2020

Tim Holtz was doing product videos every Saturday during the shut down. It was so inspiring and encouraging to use your art supplies and just play. I had this Penny Black stamp for years and finally broke it out. :) 

Working in the garden and playing in the dirt.

There's nothing better than harvesting things from your garden!  I planted lemon grass years ago and just now using it to make lemon grass mint tea. 

Today I planned to clean up and cut back my lavender plants now that the bees are done with them. I'm also making a new zen garden area so when I look out my kitchen window I see something peaceful. 

Water color brush holder - ash tray 2020

Not being a smoker or coming from a home where anyone smoked, I thought these glass dishes looked like a paint brush. Really I think it was suppose to look like smoke. :)  Anyways I'm using them to hold my brushes when I'm only using a few colors. I add water to the bowl part to use as a palette.  I don't paint a lot, so I also use these ashtrays to hold little bits of whatever I'm working on. I can't remember where I got them but if I had to guess I would say the thrift stores down in Carmel. 

Tim Holtz Stamp Set - 2020

I'ts been a struggle for me to be creative during the lock down and all the other things happening in states. People being just plain stupid about not wanting to wear a mask or treating people unkindly. 
Tim Holtz and Sandy Allnock (people I follow on Youtube) have always been encouraging to just have fun and play with your art supplies. What's the point of collecting them but never use them? My work table has been a little lonely and the cobwebs had started forming. 
I modified one of TH stamps to make the stem bend more and tried my hand at water coloring with distress ink, something I've never done before. This process took several weeks because I could only sit for a few minutes at a time. My creative mojo would just vanish. 

Estate Sale Find 2020 - Vintage 8 Foot Bench

I'm a picker from way back and one of the number one rules of the game is when you see it, buy it. I wasn't always a big fan of estate sales because it made me sad when you go into someone's house and get a small snapshot of their life. I guess when I first started out I went to smaller estate sales and it was just very sad. 
While in Carmel I went to some estate sales because I was bored and the vibe was very different. The homes where bright and sunny with a lot of character. The people had traveled and collected many different  things, a life well lived. 
A good friend recently had an estate sale at her parents home after her father passed away. They were very kind people and avid collectors. They liked to support local artists so collected many things.  My daughter had just moved to a new condo in S.F. the same week of the sale so I asked about the 8 foot long bench that was used at the kitchen table. Luck would have it that is was for sale and I got first dibs on it.  My daughter's condo has a very long and wide hallway and I thought it would not only look great but be functional. Being a very original piece of furniture, I knew I wasn't come across one again and not many homes have the space for it. The major issue was getting it up to S.F. I was lucky it fit into my car (by just an inch) if I rolled down the windows. So as you can see, it's getting used and I know J&J would be very pleased it went to a good home. 

Grandson Mees born June 30, 2020

My grandson Mees (pronounced Mace - it's Dutch) was born a little early on June 30, 2020. Took a week before I got to meet him in person. He's doing very well and his parents are working on his feeding and sleeping schedule. Many more sleepiness nights ahead! :) 

Handling Stress

A friend posted what you do doing stressful times. I had to really think about it for awhile. My work schedule is crazy, not because it's very physical (I am always moving when working) but dealing with all the new procedures because of the virus and how people are reacting to them. It's very draining mentally. :(
To me cooking is a creative outlet. Using what I already have in my kitchen and garden is what I enjoy and calms my brain. I sometimes follow a recipe but most of the time I just wing it. I made this stewish thing becasue I had a big can of tomato sauce. Not sure how I ended up with it since I don't eat things from a can. I didn't even own a can opener until recently.  Everything came from what I already had and it turned out great!

Tim Holtz Alcohol Inks 2020

If you're into crafting, you have to watch Tim Holtz's Facebook videos he has been doing every Saturday during the shut down. The videos are two hours long. Tim goes into details (reason the videos are so long) about the product, why it was developed (that's the part I like most) and what you can do with it. It's so inspiring to watch and encouraging to just be creative. I have it playing while I'm cleaning up my work table. Yes it takes hours for me to get things cleaned up. :) 
The crane is a die I borrowed from a friend so I don't know the company that makes it. The gold is wallpaper from FabMo, which is now open. You can find some really cool stuff in the wallpaper section.
 I do plan to add a sentiment to the card at some point but the inspiration just hasn't hit yet. Having too much fun making backgrounds. Thanks Tim!!!!

In the garden 2020

It's been a crazy month working 6 days a week while my office figures out all the new protocols we have to follow. We had hopes that the rest of the staff would return but with the virus spiking with places opening up, we're still working with a skeleton crew. 
Spending time in my garden is my escape from all the stress. Annie likes it too, more time to play fetch. 
My daughter likes spearmint tea so I started growing it in my garden making sure not to mix it up with my regular mint. I let my
cilantro (the white flowers) and regular mint flower for the bees. I really don't use cilantro but it's easy to grow, nothing likes to eat it and the bees love it. :) 

Get Well Card for Tui

One of Annie's doggie buddies was attacked by a coyote a few weeks ago. Tui was in her yard with her owner going into the house. It is strange for the coyote to get that close to a human let alon
e that close as they were going into the house! She has a case on her front leg but is doing well. 
Where I live every property owner has to clear their hillsides of all weeds so it's been non stop weed whackers and chain saws. People are also cutting down trees because of the wild fires CA has had. It's sad to see the trees go down but I'm sure the insurance companies are having a say in all that. With all that happening there are a lot of sticks on the ground, which is a favorite of Annie. She keeps bringing me them to me to throw. I saw on Pinterest someone had wrapped yarn around a tree branch so I decided to use a stash of "thrums" (end cuts from a loom) and give it a try. Then I thought it would make a cute card to send to Tui, Annie sending one of her favorite things all dressed up. 

Alter art house - 2020

I was inspired by all the big YT artists I follow on just making art for the fun of it and using what you have. 

For me, when I'm in a creative blah time, I just break out my twinkling H2O watercolors (I like the shimmer of the watercolors and I have a lot of them) and slap color down on paper. Never sure what I will do with the paper once I'm done with it but I know at some point in the future I will find a use for it. 

I saved a post from Pinterest about making these little houses from the paper used to protect your work surface when painting. I decided to give it a try. I realized that the artist who posted the original photo had to have made some of the elements (color of windows, doors etc...) to accent her houses because I doubt that those highlights would have been randomly found on her scrap paper but still a great idea!

My card design sat on my desk for a few days because I wanted to add a sentiment but could find the right one. I also don't have a printer at home or stamp letters small enough to write my own. During this down time of having to stay home I put all my wood mounted stamps that I store in my printer's cabinet back in order of theme. Over the years they have gotten put back in wrong drawers. Two hours later, everyone was in the correct place and I found the perfect stamp for my card. It is an old  wood mounted Amuse stamp from years ago. 

So today I'm going to try and finish off a dozen cards to send off to my friends. There are weeds outside that need my attention but with unlimited time at home now, one more day won't  make any difference. :) 

Creative Block Challenge

It’s been hard finding the creative energy to do anything being in lock down and dealing with all the red tape that comes with it. I decided to go with my method of getting out of a creative funk and just slap paint down. Was inspired by an alter art photo I saved on Pinterest a while back making little houses from the paper used to protect your work surfaces when you paint. Made several backgrounds while enjoying spending time outside. Also inspired by Sandy Allnock and Tim Holtz videos on trying something different

Water Color Pencils - Beach Backgrounds 2020

I've been practicing working with my watercolor pencils to make background. Being very heavy handed, it's hard of me to get that airy brush look. 
I've started turning them into cards. I couldn't find the sentiment I wanted (it's somewhere in my stash) so I used words from a Hero Arts set (think it's the Koi Fish set) which I think works out well. It is very hard to get it to line up and to stamp well on watercolor paper plus the ink isn't as dark as I would like. But I have to work with what I have. ;)
There is a great story about throwing a starfish back into the ocean. You may not be able to save all of them but you did save one. It's a good little story you should read. If I had a printer (it's on my list to buy when I go back to work and have a savings account again) I would include it in my cards. 
I like the look of the stillness with just the starfish but I also like the sentiment. They just don't work together, at least in my mind. ;) 

Staying Positive 2020

Beach 2020

It's hard to stay positive and creative during these very stressful times. It's like always waiting for the next pin to drop or that last straw that will break the camel's back. 
Card making for me is a hobby I enjoy and I do have enough supplies (other than tape) to last me forever. Having this much time at home I've realized that for me it's getting into the creative zone that I like. Making a card is just the result. 
For many years I made and sold cards but never sent any out. I decided that was so silly so I make the effort to mail them out now too. 
Depression doesn't help the creative process at all and I have to force myself to sit in front of work table and stare at my stuff. Surfing online for ideas is like going down the endless bunny hole and at the end of the day having done nothing. I'm trying really really hard to spend a few hours  a day internet free but boredom is a killer! Even my garden is on hold becasue the garden centers are closed and my landlord has decided to increase my rent by 20%-30% (he said it's an adjustment not an increase) so my water and electrical use has to be monitored more closely now.
When life overwhelms me, I escape to the beach when I can. The hour spent walking on the beach gives my mind a break from having to be an adult. Seeing Annie so happy and relaxed is an added bonus. Annie is getting older so marathon hikes or multiple walks a day are just too hard on her. Annie does enjoy a car ride so she's loaded up into the car every time I go out even if it's just to the post office. My car has to be driven everyday to keep the small starter battery charged, it's a hybrid. 

watercolor pencils 2020

With all the lock down free time, I've finally sat down and worked with my watercolor pencils. Many professional artists don't understand why someone would want to use watercolor pencils instead of regular watercolors in a pan. The pencils work great for card makers since we don't work on big canvas and most of the time just need a little bit of color. 
I'm very heavy handed with any type of color media but I like the wispyiness (sp?)  look of watercolor. So having the time to practice with my pencils and brushes, I finally found a way to  get that look. The fun part is every painting comes out different. I do have two sets of watercolor pencils and the cheaper brand worked out better, at least for me. That was a total surprise! So now I'm going to try and turn them into cards then try once again try to file for unemployment.
Stay safe everyone and see you at the other end. :)

Creative Cakes 2020

It’s been a really bad month and I ran away to my happy place - the beach house. I decided I didn’t want to be an adult for a few weeks and just spend time being creative. 
I know there are others being bored and stressed during this lock down. These cakes are from a very bored baker with a lot of talent. The TP cake made it to the beach house 😄
The creativeness of her work is impressive and tasty! 

Annie is very sad

It's been tough on Annie with all that is going on. Getting out to play and freely roam the property isn't something she can do anymore. With more people hike up our road all day, I can't take the chance Annie will go up and say hi and ask to play. I've fenced in part of the yard and that has made Annie very sad. No more chasing the bunnies or turkeys off the property, no more picking the best spot to do her busy. We still go for our walks but it's not the same. 
I made some ginger and mint tea since my mint plant is going crazy in my garden.  Very refreshing!

Brown Cow Towels

Before the shut down, I had special ordered these dish towels to be made for my daughter's baby shower. A brown cow was my mother's lucky charm, so the theme for the baby shower was going to be a brown cow. But now with all that is going on I don't think there will be a shower but still the towels turned out super cute! Fingers crossed that the baby's daddy will be able to be there when the baby arrives and my daughter stays healthy. 

Keeping Busy

It's nice to keep busy during this very stressful time. Someone on Nextdoor posted about nurses needing these straps to hold the their masks on without having to go around their ears, which are getting sore. Being a paper crafter for so many years, I have tons of buttons and fabric ribbon to make them, so volunteered to not only make them but put together kits for others to make. You can see from the picture I have plenty of supplies on hand. I also donated most of the thread to someone making masks when she ran out. Happy my stash is helping out even if just a little bit.
I'm getting pretty fast on sewing on buttons! :) 

Little Daisies 2020

The idea for this card has been floating around in my head for weeks. I made the little daises last year for another project. I liked the way they turned out so well that I made more just for fun. After cleaning up my work table they resurfaced again. Funny how things turn up when you clean up. :)
I'm a big fan of mini punches which turn up at all the used rubber stamp sales. Yes, it does take up a lot of space but I don't have to worry about losing those tiny dies on my work table! Making several cards to send out to friends. The flower pot die is from a Hero Arts monthly kit that had a bunny and garden theme. So far I haven't lost it. :) 

Paper crafter's nightmare

One of the biggest fears any paper crafter has is running out of a basic item. During the weeks before the city shut down, I was really good about making sure I had my kitchen well stocked. 
I know I have enough craft projects to keep me busy for years but adhesive is the one thing I knew I would run out of. Going to the craft store wasn't high on my list so I forgot to stock up. I'm totally out of my double side tape and down to a few drops of my liquid adhesive. I have never gotten this low in my whole crafting life. I'm now down to using up my glue sticks, which I got for a class I taught using paper napkins. Glue sticks are messy, messy, messy things. I know I could order more tape and glue online but during this time, I don't want to add to the delivery people's already full trucks. 
The plus side is I'll use these up before they dry. Still not a fan but happy I have them. 
Now if I can just think of a way for a cheesecake or gallon of ice cream to  just magically show up. :)

Just slap on the color! 2020

Years ago I got the Copic marker air compressor to do very simple air brushing. That was before Copic markers became the go to markers for paper crafters and the prices went way up! It just wasn't cost effective to use the markers that way anymore so my machine went into storage.  
There are many YT videos showing how to blow the alcohol inks around but I'm not a straw person and I didn't want to buy one of those hand pump bulb thingy. Then I saw Sandy Allnock's answer to the my problem. No more hyperventilating using a straw ! I had a tools that would do all the heavy breathing for me!
I'll be mailing out these cards to my friends this week, just a note to say hi!

Tim Holtz Inspired

Years ago I took a workshop with Tim Holtz at the Ten Second Studio in Texas. Tim was just starting to use power point to do his classes because of a recent trip to Africa. With 200 ladies attending he had to find a way to show all the steps without having the samples being passes around. 
Our workshop only had 25 but it still made a big difference!
He said for us not to over think the project, just grab a color and slap it down. It's the creative process that's important. I was at a table with two ladies who just couldn't slap color down. They had to think where the final project would go, what color the room was, was it going to be a gift, what colors did they like more etc....  They were without question several steps behind everyone else in the class. So here is where the power point came into play. Instead of having to go over what they had missed, Tim would just scroll back the photo of the step they were on. I don't think they finished the project but it didn't hold up the rest of the class. If you've ever been to a big class and someone can't work without the sample in front of them or the exact color on the sample, you know what I'm talking about. 
OK back the the card. Tim's live video today was about just being creative, play with what you have while we all have to stay at home. It's the process of having fun not the end result. I decided to do the smooching technique using my Twinkling H2O watercolors. The surprise was the grid lines on the acrylic block  I used transfered on to the paper, which added more texture! I then tried a tip Jennifer Mcguire showed awhile back on how to get your sentiments to line up straight. You save the cut out part of the die cut and use that as a guide on your card. It worked, not that I didn't believe JM. :) 
Oh, hello there is a Simon Says die.

Penny Black Stamp - clusters

Penny Black Stamp - Clusters

It's been very hard to stay focused and positive during this self quarantine time. It's a double edge sword for me. I live on a property with plenty of space for my dog Annie to run and be outside. A very large garden I can putter around in and no real neighbors. The downside that all comes with a cost. Not knowing how my office will be able the handle the shut down and with all my other sources of income tied to people still being able working, it's scary.  I've cleaned up my craft area and I know without question I have enough supplies (glue being the only thing I would run out of) to craft non stop for years. Living alone for so long, I have many hobbies to keep me busy. But I do like having a scheduled work routine too. 
Still happy I have my crafting space and when I do get a creative moment I can play.  

Things find when having to stay home.

While cleaning out my very small pantry during the shut down, I found a Christmas project I did when I first moved into my studio several years ago. I had access to a ton of lemons back then so dried them and made these shimmer pot bags. It's very much like the spices you use in mulled wine. Since I have to be home 24/7 I decide to boil up a batch. The lemons really don't have any smell anymore but it does make the house smell festive. 

Nice Surprise From a Neighbor

Every other Thursday night my neighbor up the hill from me gets a veggie delivery around 10:00 pm. The delivery guys can never find their house because being in the hills the GPS will show you where the house is but there are five driveways that look like roads that look like it may lead to the house. I've gotten use to seeing a noisy white van going up and down the main street pulling into different driveways/streets. When I'm out with Annie playing fetch before bed, I have a flashlight with me. I now flash the light at the van and show them the correct driveway to go up because seriously it looks like a dead end. The big UPS trucks bottom out so they leave Fred's packages in my driveway. 
Fred dropped off an extra box a veggies and fruit. Guess there was a mistake shipment to them. It was such a nice surprise to find the box on my doorstep after work. Because I now had extra produce, I clean out my refrigerator and made Japanese curry with the veggies I had been stretching out. I don't do much with sweet potatoes but it was in the box so I found a simple recipe and baked them. That was a nice treat while I waited for my curry to finish.