Birthday book

Inside

Made this book for my niece's 21st birthday.  I had this Victorian fairy tale paper and tags and envelope for her birthday gift. I sewed the little insert in it with waxed thread, and strung some beads.  Scrabble tile E for her name, Erin. 

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Brown paper packages tied up with string...

While driving in my car this morning I was thinking about mailing a package.  As my mind wandered during this relaxing drive on a cool Autumn morning I recalled sitting at the dining room table when I was six or seven watching my father meticulously wrap a package for mailing.  We lived in Bermuda and there were always little knickknacks and memorabilia to send back to Grandma and others.  I watched as he wrapped the ugly re-used cardboard boxes with plain brown paper.  He added the appropriate labels and stickers with the red, white and blue striped borders for airmail.  Then he took a ball of white string and wrapped up the box this way and that, tying the knots real tight – I provided the finger to hold the string in place.  Sometimes he did more than two crisscrosses of string.  Sometimes there were two or three rows each way in a precise grid pattern.  Always, the strings were knotted really really tight and clipped off real close to the knots, creating little tufts of cotton at each intersection.  Well, this was the way we did it in the early sixties.  I guess we didn’t have packing tape then.  I’m not sure why the string was used but it certainly was useful in carrying the package and if you planned it out you could end up with a very workable handle in the center, which of course you could reinforce with two or three thicknesses of string.  So, instead of rushing that re-used, taped up, marked-over nasty little box to the post office tomorrow I’m going to wrap it nicely, with perfect corner folds at the ends, tie it up with string and use a pretty label.

Pretty bird

Took this pic at the K.C. Zoo parrot cage.  Its not the best picture but does show the variety of colors in the feathers since he is fluffing them out.

Focus on Clear Embossing

Here's a technique that I really like.  Take a piece of scrapbook paper and coordinate a card front.  Select a 5" x 7" section for your background.  Then stamp and emboss a reverse image stamp on a  quieter part of the paper.  A reverse image is one where you stamp the background and the images remain un-stamped.  The technique is to use clear ink to stamp with and clear detail embossing powder on that.  The purpose of the clear medium is to see through the background to the design of the paper.  Then, taking water-based markers such as Marvy, color the designs.  Use a baby wipe frequently to wipe off excess marker ink from the clear embossing.  A totally coordinated design to layer on top of your background piece.  Use coordinating colors to mat the layers.

Zentangles

Here is my entry into a recent Zentangle card contest.  Because I had been doodling faces in my sketchbook in a zentangly way, I thought I would add faces to a background of traditional zentangles.  No, I didn't win the contest but I had so much competition it put my shaky hand to shame!

Little Tramp

This ATC was made from Tim Holtz's ATC-sized embossing folder.  The man with umbrella is also available as a rubber stamp and a die for cutting that shape.  I stamped reverse text onto the inside of the embossing folder, inserted paper and ran it through the cuttlebug.  I also sponged some tea dye ink over the raised image.  Since this image reminds me of Charlie Chaplin in the movies I added a piece of tiny film strip and called him the Little Tramp.

I kissed my stamp

Love this technique.  There are two stamps involved.  The main stamp, the dress form is inked up.  Then take the second stamp which is reverse text and press it to the other stamp (kissing).  Pull them apart and stamp the dress form with a new design.  Try checks, swirls, dots.  Lots of new looks for one stamp.

October sky

I am a fan of Silk Baron's dupioni silks.  The excellent array of colors are scrumptious and delectable.  This beauty is call October Sky.  Check them out at http://silkbaron.com/silk/index.html and don't forget to register for free fabric.

Garden Green

From my own tomato vine, some small tomatoes have ripened and we used them in a salad today.  My first of the season!  Of course I bought this pot last month when it had alot of tiny green babies and a bunch more flowers.  In a pot with a trellis.  How easy is that?  They were very yummy.  I don't care how red the store tomatoes are, they still don't taste the way a home grown one does!