Valentine Day Cards Day #1

Hello friends.  I have several post coming with inspirational Valentine cards over the next couple of weeks.  Love this set, 

"Simple Hearts" by Tami Mayberry for Gina K. Designs.  Using it makes it easy to create some clean & simple Valentine Cards.

The first card above is a mini easel card I created using Spellbinders "Classic Heart" and "Classic Scalloped Hearts" dies.  I also used "Cupid" 2 x 2" die by Lifestyle Crafts.  Apparently Lifestyle Crafts was purchased by We R Memory Keepers back in 2013 and they did not continue to carry this little guy : ( .  But it looks like you can still get this one on Amazon HERE  and Ebay HERE and Creative Cutters Corner HERE  and Shopping.com HERE.  

The other 3 are 3" x 3" mini cards.

TOOLS :

stamps : "Simple Hearts" Gina K. Designs

embossing folders : "Swiss Dots" and "Hugs and Kisses" Provo Craft Cuttlebug

dies : Spellbinders "Classic Heart", "Classic Scalloped Hearts", 

and "Classic Scalloped Circles"

border punch : "Dotted Scallop Edger Punch" EK Success

punch's : "Heart" Martha Stewart, 1/2" & 1", 1 1/4", 1 1/2" circle punches

Thanks for stopping by!

Melisa

You can check out all my Valentine projects HERE.

MIXED MEDIA TUTORIAL - Mini Art Journal #3

Hello friends and Happy New Year!  It's been a year since I have posted.  I plan to get back to blogging this year and will be posting Mixed Media projects, Cards, and Scrapbook Layouts.  Hopefully I will have time to throw a few Altered Arts projects in there as well.  

So I thought I would kick off the year with a layout from my Mini Art Journal.  The pages in this little book measure 3 1/4" x 5 1/4".  I created the book years back in a book binding class.  The pages were thin so I glued some of them together to create a thicker pages /  sturdier surface to work on and then covered all the pages with gesso. 

I also like the size because they are perfect for some of my stamp images.

I like to "build" my backgrounds.  Often I don't know what the end result will be.  I just keep layering until I get a look I like.  And if you do something you don't like, just cover with gesso and start all over.  I started this back ground by stamping a music note background in brown ink, adhering book paper, and then creating that "dreamy" look by dabbing on gesso. 

With this particular background I ended almost completely covering the first couple of layers as I continued to add more layers.  But sometimes that is what gives it great depth.

Next I applies some blue spray ink with a brush and stamp polka dots (Rollograph Wheel with Simple Dots pattern) with green ink.  Anytime I use a product I think might smear with the next layer I either spray with Workable Fixative or add a coat of Mod Podge.

I added more book paper because you could not really see the original paper I added.

I sponged on some gesso to blend and soften the layers then dripped on green spray ink.

More gesso.

I stamped the left page with grid background stamp (Off the Grid - Stampin Up) and the tape measure image.  To get a random look with a background image I either apply all over and the blot some off with paper towel or randomly apply the ink heavily and then stamp it off on waste paper first and then on my project.

I stamped the right page with a bird collage image by Hero Arts ( Timely Bird ).  But I didn't like how faded the bird turned out ... so I stamped the image again on paper and colored just the bird and clocks and cut them out.

I used Lyra Water Color Crayons to color flower, leaves, and branch directly on the page.  Then adhered the trimmed bird and clocks.

Hero Arts Timely Bird (I think I got this one at Michaels)

Thanks for stopping by!

Melisa

You can check out more Mini Art Journal Projects HERE.

You can check out Mixed Media Background Tutorials HERE.

Pink Persimmon's NEW RELEASE "Bluebird Buttons" !!!

!

Hello friends.  I'm back again today with another project using one of Pink Persimmon's new release stamp sets.  Let me start out by thanking Darcy and Judy at Pink Persimmon for the opportunity to design with their wonderful vintage images!

Today's project features "Bluebird Buttons".  You may be thinking why buttons in the title.  That's because Pink Persimmon has a fun line of Artist Trading Card sized (2.5" x 3.5") images that were created to look like vintage pearl button cards!  I do not sew, well except on paper, teehee.  So I don't know a lot about vintage sewing images and had no idea that there were these fabulous artistic button cards in the past, so I decided to do a little research.  I found out that the the pearl buttons were actually made from clam shells collected by clammers.  Just in case your interested HERE is a link that explains the history a little better.  

You can check out all Pink Persimmons button card images, Baby Pearls, Mermaid Pearls, Men's Buttons, and Happy Girl HERE.

Back to today's project .... as soon as I seen this image I thought how much fun it would be to create a little window / shadow box with it, where you would normally put the buttons.  You can see the pearl hanger at the top, so I can hang it on the wall.  At first I was going to make a little paper box to adhere to the back of the image.  But then as I was walking through a local craft store I realized I could glue the lid of one of those mini paper mache boxes on the back would be a lot faster!    I stamped the image on water color paper and used water color 

I'm hoping you can see the depth of the window in this close-up.  I found this bird nest chipboard embellishment by K&Company and Michaels.  It fit in there perfectly.  Then I added a little raffia and some roses.  That's lace in the background.  Then I dug REALLY deep from my stash.  I totally forgot I had these old metal words by Making Memories.  I covered the metal in gesso and then brown paint.  

Other supplies : the embossing template is by Cuttlebug and it's from the Anna Griffin line -  Joann's, music paper is from Hobby Lobby (8 1/2 x 11 section), metal decorative corners (I rubbed cream paint over the top of them) - Michaels.  

and my FAVORITE pair of decorative scissors are at Joann's now!!!  I have looked for them locally for so long.  The local craft stores carried lots of the Fiskars decorative scissors, but never the deckled.  A sweet friend of mine gave me hers last spring because I had used mine so much they were broken (thank you Melayne!).  So when I seen them at Joann's last month I was really happy and picked up 2 pair!!  Sometimes it's the little things that bring us happiness, teehee.

What do you think?  I have to say ... I'm not always crazy about all my projects ... but I really love how this one turned out!

Thank you sooooo much for stopping by!!

hugs, Melisa

Pink Persimmons NEW RELEASE stamp set - "Classic Pattern" tag

I'm lovin' these stamp sets!!!  How about you??  This tag showcases "Classic Pattern" a little better than the layout did yesterday.  I combined it with this little spool die from the Tim Holtz / Sizzix "Sewing Room" die set.  I am excited to be the new owner of not only the "Sewing Room" set, but the "Sewing Machine and Bobbins" set as well (thank you Joann's for having 40% off coupons)!!!  SQUEALLLL!!!  

Check out the this little pair of scissors.  Did some fussy cuttin' on that image!  Couldn't help it, they were just screamin' to be hung from somewhere.

I just loved the titles "Handmade" combined with the "for you"!  Perfect for a tag.

and check out the little "Scalloped Tag"  ... it's a punch by Martha Stewart.

Check out ALL 3 of the new sets "Sewing Notions", "Classic Pattern", and "Bluebird Buttons" stamps over at the Pink Persimmon Store HERE.

Hope you enjoyed today's project.  Stop back by tomorrow for another project featuring Pink Persimmons's New Release!

hugs,

Melisa

Pink Persimmon NEW RELEASE - Sewing Notions & Classic Patterns

Hello friends.  Today I'm sharing a scrapbook layout with photo's of me at 12 years of age.  My mom used to sew a lot of my clothes and the dress in the photo's was for my 6th grade graduation. The photo's are really old polaroids and I had to figure out how to hide the white strips along the bottom of the photo's.   I used 2 new stamp sets by Pink Persimmon on this layout, "Classic Patterns" and "Sewing Notions".  You can check them out over at the Pink Persimmon store HERE.  

I was shopping at my local scrapbook store recently and found the Bo-Bunny "Pincushion" line (chipboard and paper embellishments).  I knew it would be perfect to pair up with these images!!   I used Pink Persimmon's "Sweetheart Silk" as well.  I think it looks cute with the lace wrapped around it.  My "Nautical Wheeler" doily die (Cheery Lynn Designs) was a perfect fit for this layout as well.  I purchased the really wide lace at Joann's.

I tucked a tag behind the photo for my journaling.  You can see the top of the tag with the little flower embellishment in this photo.   I adhered a piece of polka dot vellum over the top of a piece of cardstock and really like how it softened the color.  

Make sure you check out the Pink Persimmon blog this week for more inspiration HERE.

See you tomorrow with another new release project!

hugs, Melisa