Merry Christmas to all!

My best wishes to everyone for a peaceful holiday season.

Oh, Christmas Trees...

A little trio of tiny trees for a table top. Sometimes simplicity offers us a bit of serenity in a crazy season.
Wow.
There is so much alliteration in those two sentences, my old fifth grade teacher Mrs. Koniknik would be proud.
But seriously, my intention was to keep these simple to remind myself that although glitter and glitz is grand, (see what I did?) 'simple' reminds me to pause, slow down, take a breath.

As usual, most of my supplies come from the wonderful Alpha Stamps. I think this might be a fun project to with children...there's not a lot of cutting to do and the supplies are pretty simple. Paper, findings, wooden blocks, glue, glitter and some trees.

Supply list at the bottom of the page
BUT WAIT....THERE"S MORE!

It's a Santa Stack! And by gosh, by golly, the whole thing is made of blocks and looks kinda like a Christmas tree.

Yep, I've had blocks on my brain (no jokes about block heads, please) what with all the ornaments I make for the holidays. (see some of them HERE) and really, I like blocks. The shape is pleasing and you can do so much with them in any size you want.

This would be another fun project to do with kids. Once again, the same materials used...just a totally different look and configuration.
So if you've got any kidlets around, go play with some blocks with them. I bet they come up with some spectacular stuff!
Psst.....the Santa hat was made with some red paper cut in a Santa hat shape and some fluff pulled off a Q-tip. 

Supplies link for the Oh, Christmas Trees HERE
Supplies for the Santa Stack are HERE

Supplies:
Santa Stack Supplies:
Retro Bottle Brush Tree Set-Green
German Bouilon-Red
1 Inch Wide Wooden Finial
Medium Wooden Finial
Small Wooden Finial (turned upside down and use for the tree)
Bo Bunny Double Dot Vintage Wasabi Scrapbook paper
Double Dot Vintage Wildberry Scrapbook Paper
Twas The Night Before Christmas Scrapbook Paper (the flip side of the title paper..used for the background stripe behind the middle Santas)
Christmas Stocking Stripes Collage Sheet
Silly Santas Collage Sheet
Santa Toys Collage Sheet
Round Pendant Collage Sheet  (used for the top block)
Mother Goose Checkers Scrapbook Paper
2 Inch Wooden Cube Block
1-1/2 Inch Wooden Cube Block
Lime Green Stickles
Christmas Red Stickles
7mm Flower Washers



Oh Christmas Trees Supplies:
Retro Bottle Brush Tree Set- both Green and Dyeable
Wooden Blocks-
2 Inch, 1-1/2 Inch, 1 Inch, 7/8 Inch
White Pearl Mix Tin
4mm Fused Pearls-Gold (for the smallest tree)
Crystal Stickles (but could use Diamond)
Red Round Fire Polished Glass Beads (top of Trees)
Fancy Swirl Bead Cap (inside the crown)
Fancy Star Bead Cap 
Star Filigree
Mixed Gold Filigrees
7mm Flower Washers
Small Flat Dragonfly
Small Flying Bee Charms
Medium Bee Charms
Any color papers you choose for your blocks!

Cigar Box Beauties

I've got some pretty plaques inspired by a trio of vintage cigar box beauties! Alpha Stamps has an awesome kit with gorgeous papers this month all in the very rich, vintage theme of old cigar box art and design.

I started out with some scrap wood cut into ATC sized blocks. They're about 1/2 an inch thick, but you could also use a couple of the Chipboard ATC's glued together with the ribbon sandwiched between them. Or an ATB Wood Block and make them stand alone pieces.

All the papers I used are from the kit. I covered all the backs with the blue side of the Cigar Box Secrets Corona Scrapbook Paper, the sides with Cigar Box Secrets Robusto Scrapbook Paper. For the center block in the first image I used the back flip side of the Figurados Scrapbook Paper and for the two ladies on the ends Perfecto Scrapbook Paper was used.

I inked all the edges and then glued this beautiful Dresden trim down the center of the block....it reminds me of the fancy gold foil on cigar boxes and gives the image in front of it some visual grounding. The trim is from the Gold Ric Rac Dresden Border trim Set.
I used foam tape on the back of the beauties to make them stand out a bit, glued ribbon on the sides of my plaques and added some pretty paper roses to dress up the ends of the ribbon and add some extra ornament.

I sparkled them up a wee bit with some Diamond Stickles, glass micro beads and a few flat back crystals, but in the end I decided to keep the embellishments fairly simple. The images are strong, rich and speak for themselves and I thought just giving them a bit of a boost was all they needed.
And okay, I couldn't resist a crown and a couple of pretty  Antique Bronze Fan Charms to add a little extra something!

SUPPLY LIST:
Cigar Box Secrets Papers  (click left to view the complete collection individual sheets used are below)
Cigar Box Secrets Robusto Scrapbook Paper
Cigar Box Secrets Corona Scrapbook Paper
Cigar Box Secrets Figurados Scrapbook Paper
Cigar Box Secrets Perfecto Scrapbook Paper
Cigar Labels Banner Collage Sheet
1/2" Paper Roses
Antique Bronze Fan Charm
Diamond Stickles
Gold Ric Rac Dresden Border trim Set
Center Stitched Ribbons
Narrow Striped Ribbon

Small Cigar Labels And Bands Sheet
Glass Micro Beads
Swarovski Flat Back Crystals
Die-Cut Crown

Halloween Chunky House (plus three)

Just a few pics of some fun Halloween Chunky Houses......

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Christmas Tags and a Cute Crate!

Halloween has been (temporarily) booted to the curb whilst I show you this fun Christmas tags and cute crate project. Yep, that's what I'm calling it.
Just work with me on this one.
All of the fab supplies came from the wonderful Alpha Stamps.

For a complete list of supplies, click HERE.

All of the papers are from G45's Twas the Night Before Christmas 8x8 Paper Pad. The tags were cut from 12x12 Chipboard. I used Tim Holtz Tissue Tape Set- Merriment on the front of the cute Wooden Vintage Mini Crate-White.  The wee feet are actually four of the Medium Wooden Finials painted white with acrylic paint.

The numbers and cards I used to count the days down to Christmas are from Tim Holtz Countdown to Christmas Coins and these cute Alpha Cards.
I used lots of glittery Stickles-Christmas Red and sparkly Stickles-Lime Green to trim out details and make things pop.
Don't forget the Dresden Trim!  I used Baroque Dresden Borders - Gold and colored it with Copic Sketch Marker- Lipstick Red (one of my favs!!) or Copic Sketch Marker - Salad.

I made the wee envelopes with the awesome Pint Sized Envelopes Template. I LOVE this little thing and I use it a lot. It's quick, it's easy and it looks great. The space is super for tucking a chocolate coin into or maybe a little extra cash.
Very handy, having a space for extra cash. And chocolate.
Can't go wrong with cash and chocolate.
Just sayin'.
We will now resume our regularly scheduled Halloween program.....

Eeek! Goblins!

They're everywhere, those pesky goblins!
Don't chase them out of your house with a broom, they will only bring their friends!

I made this set of Goblin plaques with a lot of fun stuff from Alpha Stamps. I designed each piece with a little block glued on to the back of each one, painted the backs black so they would all look cohesive and sort of disappear.
The block is there for two reason...one is to be support for a flat piece, but the other is so that you can stack and change the pieces into lots of different configurations.

Like this.....

Or not stack at all.

I used a 12x12 piece of chipboard for the house shapes. (I drew templates on graph paper, then cut them out and traced around them on the chipboard)
And lots of Dresden trim. I love that stuff!

 I cut out the wee goblins from the Goblin Labels Collage Sheet colored them with Copic markers and used foam tape to adhere them. The foam tape also gave some dimension to the little buggers.

Stacking the house shapes gave the pieces a little excitement with the varied papers and trim.
Goblins do not like spiders.
Maybe we can make a deal......I'll get rid of the spiders and they can clean my kitchen for me.

SUPPLIES:
FOR A COMPLETE LIST CLICK Here
Goblin Labels Collage Sheet
12x12 Chipboard
Arsenic and Lace Collections Kit Papers
Black Zig Zag Dresden Border
Baroque Dresden Borders-Black
Garden Insects Cut-Outs
Creepy Chipboard Tree Cut-Out
1 Inch Wooden Block
1-1/2 Inch Wooden Block
Bat Cut-Outs
House Trinket Shrine Kit
Copics:
Amethyst V17
Pumpkin Yellow YR15
Salad YG05
Anise YG21
Slate BV29

Black acrylic paint

Christmas in September

I've been in heavy duty Halloween mode for a while now, but I took a break from witches and pumpkins and focused on Christmas ornaments.
My sister Susan over at Killam Creative and I are in a swap together on Craftster called Invite Your Partner. She mentioned she loved my Christmas ornaments made from 2x2 blocks of wood and wondered if I could make them smaller for a little tree.
Well, yes, indeedy!

I made her twelve 1x1 inch blocks, plus two 1/2 inch blocks, (because why not?) a cute Merry Christmas banner,

added in some tiny red seed pearl and gold ball garland and put it all in a salvaged old cigar box that I tarted up with Santas, sparkles and red and green paper.

I loved making this for my sister!

It's time for Edgar Allen Poe

It's all about Edgar Allen Poe at Alpha Stamps this September!
Here is a shrine dedicated to the dark writer, complete with a tiny little glittering
'Tell Tale Heart' and some bones that may have tumbled out from....somewhere.

The ravens stare with their single eyes. The black fringey bits are supposed to represent funereal plumes, but I realized after I took the pictures that they look like eyelashes I put in the wrong place. Oops.
Perhaps that last glass of wine was not a good idea.
The birds are new (Black Chipboard Raven) that I covered with BoBunny Double Dot Vintage Burnt Orange Scrapbook Paper, inked the edges and then used a black marker to create the chiaroscuro/dots to add some depth.

Hard to see, but there are little plumey things on the sides and top of the frame as well. I made these by clipping just a tiny bit off of some Black Sweeper Fringe.
The tombstone is a new shape that is part of the new More Gothic Tombstones ATC Bases*.
The awesome pumpkins are actually real seed pods called (very cleverly) Pumpkin Pods. I love these things!

I used the Edgar Allen Poe Collage Sheet for the image in the frame and Poe's Words Collage Sheet for the signature. I made the base by cutting three rounds from a 12 x 12 Chipboard sheet, glued them together, covered it with paper and trimmed it out with Black Zig Zag Dresden Border.
I used a Copic marker to stain the Wooden Candlestick Holder and then painted dot detail with a paint pen.
Those paint pens are so convenient!
I cut up a Plastic Skeleton, dabbed some white paint on him and nestled the parts (erk) in the pumpkin pods.
A filigree flower and a watch part are the base for the coldly glittering heart at the top of the tombstone.


For a complete list of supplies, go HERE!

WE HAVE A WINNER!! Southernbubbles, drop me an e-mail and I'll send you Little Red!

I made this fun, over sized ATB (artist trading block) with some great supplies from Alpha Stamps.

 
The block itself is a scrap piece of maple McGyver had kicking around his workshop. Overall, the piece is about 9" x 5.5" counting all the branchy bits sticking out. Most of the rest of the supplies used are from Alpha Stamps including the very cool Creepy Chipboard Tree Cut-Outs.

To achieve the texture on the tree, I first sealed it with some matte medium. After it dried, I inked the tree up using Vintage Photo Distress Ink and a 'leather' Copic marker from the Madonna of the Birds Set.
After those dried, I laid on a really thick coat of matte medium and then dabbed at it with a sponge brush to get the rough, bumpy texture. I worked both sides of the tree, but allowed lots of drying time before I flipped the tree over to work on the opposite side.
Pretty easy and straight forward, but the effect is neat.
I also used the same Copic marker to color/stain the Candlestick Holder (the base) and the 1 Inch Wide Wooden Finial (on the top).

The collage images I used were the Red Riding Hood #1 Collage Sheet and Red Riding Hood #3 Collage Sheet.
I also used the Copic Sketch Marker Lipstick Red to punch up the reds in both images. I love this red...it's so lush.

The rest of the supplies I used are listed below:
1/2" Red Paper Roses
Double Dot Vinatge Turquoise Scrapbook Paper (similar to Double Dot Vintage Ocean Scrapbook Paper)
Double Dot Vintage Chocolate Scrapbook Paper (similar to Double Dot Vintage Gingerbread Scrapbook Paper)
Black Zig Zag Dresden Border
Thin Fleur Dresden Borders Black
Brass flower (similar to 7mm Flower Washers)

Additional Supplies:
Golden Matte Medium
Brass filigree flowers
Block of wood approx. 4" x 5.5"

I'm giving this piece away!

 





























All you have to do is join this site or leave a comment. I'll be picking a winner out of the (metaphoric) hat on Saturday, August 9th.
 Note: I'll ship this for free, but only within the USA. International shipping costs will apply.

Thanks for stopping by!

It's the Circus!

It looks like the clowns are on strike.....

Except for this silly guy, who can't help himself.
And by the way, I'm not so sure I'd stand where that cat is standing......

This guy seems to think a nap on the back of an elephant is the height of comfort.

And we've got a clown that is into self-improvement, or maybe he's just reading the funnies....

SUPPLIES LIST HERE

A little silver spool

 



I made this little silver spool ornament for a Craftster buddy of mine (Knickertwist!)  I'm in a swap with.
For some reason, I lost a whole paragraph here...I said lots of nice things about Knickers...all true (funny lady, wicked good imagination, generous spirit and more) but I'll sum up and say I really wanted to do something special for her, mainly because she's an awesome human, but also because she participates in Art Abandonment, which is very special to me. If I'd been able to sneak up to her doorstep and leave the spool there, that would have been very apropos.
You can learn about Art Abandonment HERE

Knickertwist's website is called Pixie Hill and you can see her magical work there and on her blog Here.

Just FYI, this piece is made from PMC3 (precious metal clay) which is fine pure silver particles, binders and water. You can treat it like clay, roll it flat, stamp on it, make tiny things and attach them to other things... in a trazillion combinations.
It dries to leather hard and is then fired in a kiln at about 1200 degrees. The binders and water burn away and what you have left is the pure silver.
It's magic every time I open the kiln.
This was my first attempt at a hollow form bead. It was a lovely, enjoyable experiment and I want to make a lot more!

The Great Escape

Here's a little magic show I conjured up (look what I just did) for the Alpha Stamps awesome June Paper Theatres Kit.
I love the big fancy magic shows that used to be put on in those beautiful, opulent old theatres and used that for my inspiration. This very grand looking wizard has managed to make a few balloons appear out of thin air and  they've begun to escape the confines of the magic circle he has them trapped in and are now floating off into the theatre and the crowd.

This guy is either a genius or a really bad wizard......

 There's a link to supplies Here.

Thanks for stopping by!