Harvest Glow

It is another rainy Monday, but the leaves are starting to change, and I have a bushel of honeycrisp apples and a gallon of apple cider.  Things to be thankful for.  I think I'll go heat a cup of that cider while I tell you about this pretty thing. 

It's hard to see in the cloudy gray light, but the card base is a deep plum.  The rest paper is from the Harvest Glow collection by Reminisce.  I love Reminisce because #1 they are from Iowa, like me, and are therefore super cool, and #2 Reminisce is eclectic.  They have more than one style in their bag of tricks so you never, ever say Oh, yep, that again.  #3 and final is that they made Harvest Glow.  People just about fall over when they see this one in person at Backroads Plum Crazy. It is so beautiful!!! Now there's pretty paper and beautiful paper, this is the latter.  It glows (hence it's name) and is just lovely, classic, and warm like apple pie.  Ach, just impossible to describe so you better just go look here at Reminisce's site. Or better yet, go buy some.  Because it's better in real life, believe me. 

The stamp is of course, my favorite Door County Stamp.  I used Memento Cocoa Brown to stamp her so the lines wouldn't be so prominent after I colored her in with copics.  I think if I make more of them for card club, I'll try it in Potters Clay so she just looks painted.

To make the frame cut and emboss Spellbinders Classic Frame, but leave it in the die.  Stencil Aged Mahogany distress ink through the openings in the die, then pop it out and go over the whole frame with Vintage Photo.  Looks like the Classic Frame must be discontinued since I don't find it on the Spellbinder site.  Pity, it's very useful.  Hope you have one already :-)

Supplies used:
Memento Cocoa Brown Ink
Copic Markers
Kaisercraft mint flowers
Door County Stamp- Blowin' in the wind
Spellbinder Classic Frame Die S5 012
Glitz Teeny Letters
Reminsice Harvest: Harvest Plaid (just one sheet front and back)


Mmm, warm spiced cider and crunchy maple leaves.  Hello fall!

Hot Stuff

It was a rainy day and I couldn't bring myself to venture out to the shop to finish my crafty project for today.  So instead I slept in incredibly indulgently wonderfully late.  And then I baked. 

You really must try these.  So Yum.  Every one of them.  

Double Chocolate Peppermint Crunch Cookies

at Epicurious

Rustic Raspberry Peach Pie

at King Arthur Flour

Rosemary Shortbread

at Epicurious

I also highly recommend you have one of each with a cup of Berried Treasure tea from the Tea Source.  Mmmm.  I love trying out new recipes for the bed and breakfast.

Burlap is the New Black

I ordered in these awesome stretched burlap canvases from Canvas Corp for the shop.  Having made this project, I'm beginning to wonder if I'm going to be able share the boxful.  They are awesome.

 I had fun in the cornfield taking pictures of my little project.  So handy.  Hope the renter doesn't mind if I bent a few of his ears are artistically arranged.



 Supplies Used:

• Canvas Corp 12x12 Burlap Canvas
• Prima Alder Regent Flowers
• Prima Pearls and Roses Swirl
• Tea Dye Distress Embossing Powder
  
• Graphic 45 Magic of Oz Paper-  Scatterbrained Scarecrow, The Magic of Oz, There's No Place like Home
  
• Alphabet Stencil & Black Paint
• Vintage Photo & Black Soot Distress Ink
• Foam Dots
• Dried Wheat

 Directions:

1. Fussy cut out  Scatterbrained Scarecrow paper.  Stencil the burlap canvas with black paint.

2. Add a little distress embossing powder in a pleasing manner.

3. Add some pearly swirls

4. Give the Dorothy quarter of There's No Place Like Home Paper a little rough love.

5. Then a little rub with distress ink to make it all better.

6. Fussy cut out Dorothy and the Scarecrow.  While your are at it cut out the Magic of Oz banner from The Magic of Oz paper.

10. Glue the red No Place Like Home square you just distressed to the Magic of Oz banner.

11. Tuck a little wheat behind.

12. Add the straw colored flowers and a little more wheat.

And there you have your very own!  Have fun :-)

Magic of Oz

I grew up in Kansas.  It wasn't black and white.  Sometimes it felt pretty sepia toned, especially when I was in high school.  I have to say I'm glad to be living in full technicolor now.  I think that Iowa (where I live now) might still be stuck in an episode of Green Acres. That isn't all bad, what with quirky characters and the occasional adorable pig.  But sometimes, just sometimes, it's time to run away to Oz.

Handily, I ust got the new Graphic 45 Magic of Oz paper.  Sometimes you need one of everything.  Especially Graphic 45 anything.  In which case you might need two of everything :-)

I made me some home decor.  I think Dorothy is your happy medium of happiness and good wholesome Midwesterness.  And then like little good and bad angels on each shoulder, you've got your witches.

Glinda makes my teeth hurt. But you have to give her points for character.  Not just everyone can carry off a crown that big.  Takes serious Personality (with a capital P)

The Wicked Witch rocks.  Everybody loves a bad ass :-) and the flying monkeys.  That's just genius.

And of course you must have fabulous shoes.  Must.

Supplies Used:

Graphic 45 Magic of Oz Collection-

• Parcel Post
• Goblin Gazette
• The Magic of Oz

Door County Rubber Stamps-

• Trick or Treat Witch
• Trick or Treat Fairy

Misc.-

• 8x10 Oval Mat
• Tim Holtz Rosette Die
• Ruby Stickles
• Vintage Photo Distress Ink 

I don't have a Work Desk this Wednesday

Last night I got the Spring Cleaning bug.  I think they look a lot like ladybugs, but they bite.  You know the cleaning urge that hits about the same time as the sun comes out and temperatures reach the 50 degree mark.  So I don't have a work desk today.  Today it is buried beneath things that used to be on the store displays.  Lots and lots of things.   It should be put back together soon, freshly scrubbed, vacuumed, and rearranged in a more Feng Shui manner.

In the meantime I'll share my work desk from this weekend at Vintaj:

Alcohol (ink) was involved.

Polymer Clay Bezels and Faux Enamel & Patina

My inky pieces.  Two of these are polymer clay we modeled from the metal.  So cool.

Shortly after this I got so involved I forgot my camera, so, you'll just have to be patient while I assemble al the pieces into finished works and post them :-)

You can see more class pics on the Vintaj blog HERE.  I'm the one with the crazy buns and the green shirt.  Or to see some arte metal hammering mayhem (about 20 people hammering at once) check this video out.

A great experience.  If you ever get a chance to take one of their workshops, jump at it.   It was about a semesters worth of art jewelry technique in one day.

Bonus!  Finished Project from last Wednesday:

I'll be teaching this May 8th at Backroads Plum Crazy.  If you're in the area, stop by!  If you are not in the area, I know a great bed and breakfast, haha (I live and cook there, if you are new to the blog ;-)

To see more fun work desks, go to the Stamping Ground and join in!

On my work desk; a Summer Fantasy

Has it been a week already?  Craziness.  I've been a busy bee this week, making banners of various forms out the whazoo.  I did manage to back off from having taken over 4 tables and a counter at the shop and am back down to my usual two.  Definitely an improvement. Gold star for me :-) !

The banner on the table is the last one to be finished of a seasonal series I'm going to be teaching at Backroads Plum Crazy.  This one is Summer.

Antique Linen Crackle Paint makes pretty good sand!

The Old Lace Glimmermist on the canvas word doesn't show up too well in person or in the photo.  I may paint over it, or maybe leave it as is, with the barest hint of glitter.  More is less and all.

A few pretty beachy flowers. Positively minimalist compared to the other seasons, but it helps keep the airy feel.  None of this is glued down yet as I ran out of hot glue and wasn't brave enough to ransack the office in search of a fresh stick.  I get the urge to organize whenever I go in there.  And by "organize" I mean take everything out of the lawn like a TLC show and put a great big "Free to a Good Home" sign on it. I'll try and sweet talk Michelle to get me one out later today.

In other news, this weekend I'm going to Galena.  What is in Galena you ask?  Nothing less than Vintaj, darling!  Oh, and a lot of other cool historic things, but mostly (for me) Vintaj.   I'm going to take their Art Metal Workshop.

And maybe a dash over to a stamp store ;-) I'm so, so, so, excited.Plus I'm staying a the Irish Cottage Boutique Hotel (ooh lala) which has a fairy ring and Woodchuck Cider on draft.  Perfect for just before St. Patty's day.

Lil' Sprout

Here's the baby cards for card club, made just in the nick of time.  I was drying the stickles with a embossing gun just as the first car rolled in, lol.

The stamps are from Rubbernecker, a great little stamp company.  I especially like their Goddess stamps.  They remind me of Alphonse Mucha paintings.  Lovely and unusual.  Now that I think about it, I bet they'd look great with Graphic 45's Steampunk Debutante collection.  Anyway, train of thought back on the rails, you can check out everbody else's cards here.