string blocks...

so about that swap i was mentioning in the previous post.  here are the blocks i made.  i haven't gotten the knack of measuring properly yet, so i had to get more material. ended up with three different blocks.  gotta admit, i love them all!

oh no...a new hobby...

so i've taken up a new hobby.  and it's terrible.  not terrible in the sense that it's an awful hobby. terrible in the sense that a-i don't need another hobby, b-i don't need another EXPENSIVE hobby, and even worse c-another hobby that takes up a lot of space!  but seeing as how i can't ever really just ease in to things, i've jumped in full speed ahead!

it's quilting.  and i have my two friends, nancy and traci to thank.  or blame.  see, nancy was wanting to host a quilt block swap.  and traci was going to join.  and they both pretty much talked me into doing it, too.  now mind you, i have never quilted a thing in my life!!  i have sewn a few things here and there, but a quilt?  get out! but they both assured me it would be simple and that if i could sew a moderately straight line, i could do it.

i gave in and joined the swap.  and then i went to the fabric store to get fabric for my blocks. and it was pretty much history from there.  i knew i was in deep trouble.  the swap was a string block swap, and in theory you use your fabric scraps to make the block. since i didn't really have fabric scraps to use, i had to buy some.  and once i realized all the amazingly cute fabric that is out there, i was hooked!  i picked some fabric and went home.  then decided that maybe i should make some more.  so i went back to the fabric store.  then ventured to one (or several) of the grundle of stores located near me.  now i have a nice little stash of fabric!

so now here it is, probably 6 weeks later and i'm on my third quilt.  haven't finished any of them yet, but my mind is wild with ideas!  so my stamping/crafting blog may now have a little quilting mixed in!  and don't worry...i'm NOT giving up card making or mixed media.  i love them too much!  just adding another addiction to the mix!!!

here's the first quilt block i made.  it's terrible and uneven but i love it because it's what got me hooked.  and of course it involves cute birds!!!

happy...

i hate being stumped by a swap.  i love atcs.  they are small 3 1/2" by 2 1/2" size little creative works.  suzi is hosting a few swaps and this set is for the one with a polka dot theme.  and this one stumped me. big time.  i could not figure out what to do.  so over the course of a few days, this is what came out.  i  am happy with the final result. especially the buttons.  love buttons!! i'm a little bit of a button hoarder.  but don't judge!!  i'm also loving the new in colors from stampin up.  at first i was like "blah" but now i like them.

and it's friday, so i'll play along with friends with flair and the unity peeps again.  who doesn't want the shot at some free unity goodies???  go play along.

happy.
stamps:  unity
cardstock: strawberry slush, pistachio pudding, white
ink: strawberry slush, pistachio pudding, crisp cantelope
embellishments:  buttons

flutter...

hello, bloggerland.  it's been a while.  had knee surgery last week and trying to recoup from that.  but even though i haven't been able to craft yet, i realized i have projects i need to blog about!  so here is a set of atcs for a mixed media swap.   i used some awesome tissue paper that came in an order from the brave girls club.  that melody ross is amazing!!  now more than ever i need to remember to be a brave girl!

the process for the atcs was this:  first i gessoed the background; then mod podged the tissue paper; third added some layers of stamps (it's no secret for my love of unity stamps); then i sealed the deal with mod podge acrylic sealer--my new fave!  thanks for taking a peek!!

live, love
stamps:  unity
cardstock: kraft
ink: ripe persimmon, shabby shutters, seedless preserves, tumbled glass
other:  tissue paper, acrylic paint, mod podge

live, love...

friday, friday, friday. oh happy day. this weekend is supposed to be the hottest days of the year so far. all triple digit days expected. let's hope the old ac keeps up!! here's a set of atcs i wanted to share for friends with flair. check out the other lovelies over on the unity blog.  i got a new heidi swapp stencil i was dying to try. i used it on the background. simply inked it with some distress ink. love the effect.

live, love
stamps:  unity
cardstock: soft sky, crumb cake
ink: peacock feathers, riper persimmon, black soot
tools:  stencil

idea...

been in the atc making mode lately.  i love these little canvases.  makes you think big, but small!  i saw this quote on pinterest and loved it.  this is a mixed media swap so  i used all sorts of things...acrylic paint, gesso, stencils, washi tape, label maker.

idea
embelishments:  washi tape, label maker
other:  acrylic paint,  gesso, decopage, stencil
font:  fzm old typewriter

face the sunshine...

do you ever work on a project and you have something in your mind as to how it will turn out, but then it turns out a bit different? that is how this set of atcs worked out for me. it's the first time (i think) that i haven't made every one exactly the same. i got some cute 6x6 paper in an order from unity (love the freebies!) and i love the paper. so i used it on some of these. i gotta say, i may mix it up a little more often. i think they turned out pretty cute!
.

face the sunshine
stamps:  phyllis harris, susan weckesser, unity
cardstock: white, echo park pp, authentique pp
ink: onyx black, daffodil delight

she is unique...

know what time it is??  swap time.  christie is hosting a painted canvas swap.  size had to be atc size which is 3 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches.   pretty little when you are used to bigger canvases or art journals.  but if you are used to atcs, not such a big deal.  here is how mine turned out.

she is unique
stamps: unity
ink: onyx black, walnut stain
other:  acrylic paint, gesso, distress markers, crackle paint, decopauge

mmm coaster swap...

what?  never heard of mmm??  it's mixed media mondays with tracy weinzapfel.  a weekly gathering to get a little crafty.  and we had a swap of altered/painted coasters.  turns out the peeps i spend every monday night with are a crafty group of ladies!  you can see all the coasters in this post on tracy's blog.  here are the two sets i made.

 

coasters
stamps: tim holtz/stamper's anonymous
ink: faded jeans, cherry cobbler, daffodil delight, jet black, crumb cake, pink pirouette
other: acrylic paint, gesso, bubble wrap, canvas, coasters

filled with love...

and we'll just stick with a somewhat valentine's theme for today! i made these atcs for a pink and purple swap. i wanted to color in the jars, but didn't know what ink to use. so i used white paint. i love how it gives them a sorta chalkboardy look.

also it's friends with flair day, which i haven't played along with in a while.  so visit the new unity blog and see what the other unity peeps have created.  and while your at it, take advantage of the HUGE sale unity is having.  all weekend long!!

filled with love
stamps:  unity
cardstock: echo park, concord crush
ink: elegant eggplant craft, dusty concord, primrose petals
embellishments:  clear embossing powder, acrylic paint

hi there...

the title of this reminds me of the song "big time" by peter gabriel.  if you are under 30 you may not know it, so here's a refresher!  for those of us older, totally reminds me of high school!!  anyway, here's a set of atcs i made for a swap. theme was anything using unity stamps.  i think i have a few of those!

hi there
stamps:  unity
cardstock: white, bermuda bay
ink: bermuda bay, onyx black
embellishments:  washi tape
other: prismacolor markers

august...

i know, i know...it's not august, it's november!  but i'm sharing a calendar of august with you.  each year for the past probaby five years maybe?  i've hosted a swap with 11 other peeps  and we create a coaster calendar.  i'm addicted to them.  they are so cute!  i have august in this year's swap.  i struggled trying to think of something "augusty."  i came up with a sort of back to school/varsity type theme.

august
stamps: jilibean soup
cardstock: white, pebble, becky higgins pp
ink: raspberry ripple, pacific point, dafodill delight, lulu lavendar
embellishments:  wood veneer stars & arrows
font:  king cool kc
other: acrylic paint, gesso

and i of course used lots of unity stamps on it, so it fits right in with friends with flair.  after you check out the awesome projects, visit the unity site for an awesome sale!!

finally, remember you have another day to enter my random acts of kindness contest for a grab bag of unity goodies.  check it out here.

snowman in a blizzard...

what do you see when a snowman is in a blizzard??  not much!!  that's the theme of the atcs i made for a snowman atc swap. isn't it hilarious? (sometimes i amuse myself a little too much!)  i was cutting out some cardstock while trying to think of what to do for the snowman swap i'm in.  i picked up a piece of paper and a scrap of orange fell on the white cardstock. that's when it hit me.  snowman in a blizzard!!

snowman in a blizzard
stamps:  ippity
cardstock: white, echo park pp, fancy pants pp
ink: soft sky

and it's october, my blog is going pink in honor of breast cancer awareness month!

journey like no other...

some days do you ever feel like this? that you are on a journey like no other? good, bad, or indifferent, i guess every day is a journey like no other...

this is a set of atcs i made for a swap where we had to use an acrylic block for the background.  i have to say i like the effect!

thanks so much
stamps: unity
cardstock: white, soft sky, basic grey pp
ink: old paper, broken china, spun sugar
tools:  corner chomper

be bold...

well, it's another friday.  i've been dreading this friday, however, because i have to work tonight.  you can do anything for 12 hours.  right?   friday also brings friends with flair from the peeps at unity.  so that is a good thing!  check out the unity blog and visit the other fwf chickies.

this set of atcs was made for a swap i hosted.  we had to use book text to make flowers.  i am loving that lately.  and i'm also loving this set of donna downey stamps.  makes my heart happy.  and it happens to be on sale for the huge sale this weekend. some unity kits are on sale, and all {ippity} is 31%  off.   

be bold
stamps:  unity
cardstock: white, pool party, dictionary page
ink: bubble gum, shabby shutters
embellishments:  buttons
other:  acrylic paint, gelatos, silhouette

so after you are done checking out the fwf goodies, go shopping for some {ippity} goodies! pick me as your chick and shop away!!

just be.

i haven't made a lot of atcs in the past few months, but i do have a few swaps coming up.  so it's been nice working with the small little creations again!  i made this set of atcs that had to use distress inks.  i used watercolor paper and then embossed the images.  i colored the whole thing with the new distress markers from tim holtz.  then i spritzed them with water.  love that effect.

one thing about these markers.  i wasn't that impressed the first few times i used them.  maybe it was because i really didn't know how to use them or what, but the more i've played with them, the more i like them.  it's fun to color stamps with them and get a multicolored stamped image.  and making the background of these atcs was a breeze!!  i also love this saying.  makes me happy.

just be.

stamps: ippity, unity
cardstock: watercolor paper
ink: versamark, spun sugar, mustard seed, spiced marmalade, tumbled glass, milled lavender, worn lipstick
embellishments:  distress markers, clear embossing powder

new set...

i made this atc for a friend who had a new grandson earlier this year.  she's collecting the atcs and making a baby book.  what a cute idea!!  did a little paper piecing and added some bling. what babe doesn't like bling??

new set
stamps:  unity
cardstock: cherry cobbler, bo bunny pp, unknown pp
ink: onyx black
embellishments:  rhinestones

meow

here's the second animal atc swap i joined. kitties. now, i wouldn't consider myself a cat lover. i like kitties, but not like i love puppies. so isn't it funny that while i only had two dog stamps, i have like a dozen cats?? 

meow

stamps:  unity
cardstock: amuse pp, white, dusty durango
ink: crumb cake, wild hony distress, rusty hinge distress
tools:  prismacolor markers

wouldn't you know it, unity just happens to be having another sale!!  click on the sale image below to see the fab sets  you can get.  plus, pick me as your {ippity} chick even if you are only getting unity.  but i don't know why you wouldn't pick up some {ippity} goodness as well!!

bone appetit!

i have joined a couple of animal themed atc swaps that my friend, chris, is hosting.  i was totally surprised to find that i only have 2 dog stamps.  one i have used for almost every dog swap i've been in and the other is brand new and too big.  so i was looking around and fell in love with this little guy from hambo stamps. and i forgot how i love paper piecing with digi stamps.  it's so fun!

bone appetit

 digi stamps:  hambo
stamps:  unity
cardstock:  fancy pants pp, pool party, white, daffodil delight
ink: pool party
tools:  prismacolor markers

birds on a wire...

i love cutie looking birds.  no big surprise.  and the {ippity} set quotes a'la happy is one of my favorite sets. so i can't believe i'm going to say the following, but it's true:  i have never inked up this bird stamp.  huh??  in know...crazy.  so when i signed up for a bird atc swap, i knew i had to use it!  i also used some new adhesive that i have come to love.  it's 450 quick dry adhesive from helmar.  i know, i know...who needs another type of glue?  i did, apparently.  this stuff is awesome.  it's a liquid glue, but dries super fast.  so it's perfect for the tiny little gluing of things like the twine on this atc. 

birds on a wire

stamps: ippity

cardstock: white, island indigo, amuse pp

ink:  pink pirouette, daffodil delight, early espresso, tumbled glass distress

embellishments: prismacolor markers, twine
tools:  cloud die