Inktober - Noisy

This is my take on "noisy" for the Inktober challenge. Around my studio, in the big redwood trees, a flock of crows hang out. They can get very noisy when they start chatting. Made this card with a stamp I've never used before  so that's a plus too!

Scrap wallpaper from FabMo

Marvin Inks (old brand)

Inkadinkado Stamp

Amuse Stamp  (old)

Masking

Day 5 Lisa's Mish Mash of Happiness - Beaded Bee Card

Part of my beaded card series - the beaded bee. I took a pony bead pattern and used size 11 seed beads. I changed the wings to clear beads and twisted the antennas. On those days when you can't think of anything creative to do, I pull out my beads and make some critters. It may take years before they make it on to a card. What I like about doing the beading, is that it doesn't take a lot of supplies to make or cost $$$. 

Size 11 seed beads
28 gauge wire - gold
Amuse Stamp (old)

InkTober - Day One - Fast

Fast Card

I decided to play along with Inktober even through it's meant for ink artists. I think rubber stamping ink is close enough. ;) 
This card is super fast to make. Takes more time to find the stamp and makers! To give it a watercolor look, the stamp is misted with water before stamping.
Direct to rubber
Distress Markers  - Spun Sugar, Peeled Paint
Penny Black  - Sunshine 3122K
Amuse - Thanks script
Spray Bottle 

Day 4 - Lisa's Mish Mash of Happiness - Turkey Card

When you teach card making classes, you end up with lots of extra parts which turn into cards becasue I hate to throw everything usable away. I have hundreds if not thousands of cards. Last year I decided it was silly not to mail these cards out to friends "just becasue".  So I have a little red book with a list of card worthy friends I regularly mail out to. I also donate a box full to charities around the country. 
This funny turkey was picked up at a local rubber stamp flea market at Cranberry Hill. If you haven't ever been to a rubber stamp flea market, you have to add it to your crafting bucket list!
I also have a ton of ribbon I have to use up so it makes each card a little different. 
Whipper Snapper  Tim Turkey MY827
Copic Markers
Stickles
Amuse Happy Thanksgiving (super old)

Day 3 Lisa" Mish Mash of Happiness - comfort food - fried rice

I know every one has a comfort food (probably several) and mine is fried rice. My mom was a super cook but there were rarely leftovers since I came from such a large family and my dad didn't like leftovers. She didn't make fried rice very often since you have to use left over rice. She would have had to plan it ahead of time to feed 8 people and that's a lot of rice!
I just found out there is a reason the rice has to be at least a day old, it doesn't cook up the same way if fresh. Can't remember the chemical reason but it's not an urban legend. 
Day old white rice
Bacon
Mushrooms
Onions
Crushed Ginger
Black Pepper
Crushed Garlic
Sriracha Sauce

Day 2 - Lisa's Mish Mash Challenge - Macaroon

Cocola Macaroon

I do have a sweet tooth but I also have a gluten issue so my dessert choices are sometimes limited. Macaroons are one of few fun desserts I can enjoy. I picked these up (you should never shop when your hungry) on a whim. I did force myself to at least eat my lunch first before diving into these babies!
They are on the  super sweet side, which I love. Seriously people who complain about a dessert being too sweet should rethink about what their eating. :) This definitely was a win!

365 day challenge - Day 1 Lisa'a Mish Mash of Happiness - Candy Corn Beaded Card

I've been wanting to do a 365 day challenge but I can't decided what I would want to do everyday for a year. I have a wide variety of hobbies and interests. I love the fashion blogs that show the before and after but I don't sew well enough to get anything to fit me. I'm a full figure gal so turning a t-shirt into a tube dress, isn't going to happen!
 All the big time crafting bloggers have said "do what you love". How do you show the creative process? I decided I would post everyday either something I've created, cooked, baked, sewn, got inspired by, hiked to etc.... It will be a mish mash of things that make me happy. 
Maybe 10+ years ago after seeing some cards with beaded images on them, I decided to give it a try. This week I taught a class on how to make them and it was fun to see the young ones (30 year olds) get excited about learning something new. It was fun to brain storm who they were going to incorporate beading into their artwork. The candy corn is the best one to start with if your just learning.

 A2 Candy Corn Beaded Card

#11 seed beads
28g wire
Glue Dots
Stamp & ink pad
White card stock
Corner Rounder

Paris - Mariage Freres & LeChamp

Going to Paris wasn't high on my bucket list but there were a few things I wanted to do while there. I'm a big fan of Mariage Freres teas, with Marco Polo being a favorite. Being able to have afternoon tea at the original tea shop was a treat. The tea selection reads like a novel, pretty amazing!
The second place was to visit the main LeChamp store. I'm not a big into shopping retail, but I do like this brand of bag. Picked up a few things for family members who wanted some things we can't get in the states. 

Favorite photo from my Europe Trip 2016

Out of the thousands of photos taken, this one is my favorite. The back story to all that had happened up to this point is what makes the trip memorable. 
1) The doll is a figure of Patty's boss Linda. She would pop in random photos.
2)We went rouge after we found out the tour group we signed up for wasn't what we expected. We set off doing our own thing everyday.
3) We squeezed into a bike rickshaw and drove through parts of Paris we would not have seen otherwise, because our driver didn't always stay on the streets. Had to close my eyes a few times.
4) On one wild rickshaw ride, we passed a store that made Janet scream. How she remember where it was after hours of shopping in another area, I will never know. We ended up in this boutique eyeglasses shop of a designer Janet loves. She picked up two pairs. I have a really hard time finding glasses that fit and amazingly there was a neon blue pair that fit from the designer Theo. Even Patty picked up a purple pair. 

What I love about this photo is that is shows 3 smiling and very independent women running around Paris discovering new things and pretty much ignoring all the tourist traps. I never knew where I was in the city and barely understood how to use the metro system. An adventure indeed!

Sights around London 2016

Of course we also did a little sight seeing around London, hitting all the major tourists areas. We also had a tour of the palace while the Queen was on vacation. 

We ended up eating at the same Italian restaurant for several meals since it was right down the street from our hotel. Can't say the food was any good but the waiters were a crack up!

Sights around London 2016

Of course we also did a little sight seeing around London, hitting all the major tourists areas. We also had a tour of the palace while the Queen was on vacation. 

We ended up eating at the same Italian restaurant for several meals since it was right down the street from our hotel. Can't say the food was any good but the waiters were a crack up!

London 2016

Getting around London was very easy since there wasn't any language issues. We used the tube, taxis and Uber. I did manage to buy some interesting things and had to ship two big boxes home before we headed off to Paris. I was also surprised by all the great graffiti along some alleys, pretty amazing artwork!