"Sewing Mends the Soul"

Today was Basement Babes and our "mission" was to make Ancestor Trading Cards. I didn't get that far....I got sidetracked! Do you see the ATC? I turned it into a card and I "forgot" the ancestor! LOL!!!



BLine Designs stamps
Stampin' Up brads
Ranger Distress Ink

In my 30s, both my sons were quite ill. When I was upset with life, I would sew. It was my best therapy. Whoever made this sentiment must have had a similar experience and come to understand that it is true - sewing mends the soul!

Simple card - simple layers. Simply fun!

Playing at mom's retirement center

It's so nice here. They let her put her own "card making" table out in the center and she has boxes of stuff that just stays out there. It really feels like "home". And this is the card we're going to make this morning. I've used an old Stampin' Up set that you can probably find on ebay called "pattern of friendship". And the fabric tape measure is from Creative Impressions.



And then I thought we might do some monochromatic book tags. More sets from Stampin' UP:



Sentiments from a Stamp of Excellence:



and adding swirls can't hurt!



This is mom's neighbor at our card making party yesterday:



It's just good to laugh at any age!



We were making Blossoms here and you can tell from the mess on the table we had a great time!



But mom has my cleaning system down pat. We just pushed it all off into a bucket and had the table cleaned in less than a minute! My way to play!!!

Stamping on the Wall

Well, there's "scrapbooking on the walls", so I thought I'd do "stamping on the walls". Mom just moved into a retirement center and said she wanted a sign for her door that says, "NO CPR".

So I traced some 5 1/2" tall letters on green cardstock, then backed them with blue and then mounted them on black. It's really a 12x12 cardstock that I cut out the right side. So pretty huge letters. Do you think anyone will be able to say, "I didn't see that?" LOL!



And look what a few stamps, a white pen and a black marker will do! Just amazing! Now, I could do a whole lot more to this, but decided to keep it simple as again, I don't want someone to say they didn't see the words for all the other stuff. Personally, I think this will look great on her door!



So I guess this is "stampin on the door", not on the wall!!! Found the cutest little medical stamps while in San Diego. The flower is SU cut out of blue paper and popped up, and then an Album Leaves flourish.



Another new stamp I found on vacation. I added a bit to it.



The white pens work great in the Crafter's Workshop stencils. I love alternating black and white as you go from dark to light backgrounds. Looks cool!



The nurse is just about 1 1/2" tall. Just too cute.



And I love this border flower/flourish. Once again, I added a bit to it, but just so much fun!



I showed this to Kerry and he said it was rather "grim". Well, not sure how one can un-grim such a phrase....but I think people will notice it!

So mom, what do you think? Look ok? Shall I start over? Did you get the blue and green....to match your bruises? :o)

Now to finish the layout that will go right below this.

One of a Million Perfect Moments

Back to working on my calendar. I cannot believe it's March and I don't even have it done. Maybe I will just go ahead and make this for 2009. Yep, that's what I will do....make an art doll calendar for 2009.

This will be for another month. She is so adoreably funky! Stamped face, fiber hair and a watch part (ring) around her head. Her body is a stamp. Her legs are ribbons knotted at the kneew and ankles. Little beaded arms. So out of proportion...just like me!



I used Pine Needle distress ink on this...love the color. Little felt flowers with rhinestone centers. A watch for her heart.

And then when you open up her body...it's a journal!!! About 8 pages on this one.



Stamping Up swirls and the face is by Just 4 Fun. EK success stickers. Quick, easy, simple and so much fun!!!

For those of you who forgot like I did, tomorrow night is when we spring ahead with our clocks. Since I didn't get this calendar done for this year....I seem to be forgetting more and more. OK....I'm going to blame it on the lack of a calender. Has absolutlely nothing to do with my age!!!

Tutorial - Embossing part 2, Mirror embossing (Nestabilities)

This is a rarely used embossing technique, but works perfect, especially if you want the reverse image. You can use this technique with any Spellbinders style die. I've chosen the Paisley Nestabilities die as I'm working with some Stampin' UP paper that is just perfect!




In this next photo, I'm showing how I want to diecut 2 pieces from the sheet of paper, but they are facing opposite directions. The one on the left will be embossed, the one on the right would be debossed. I don't want that, I want the edges to be embossed the same way on both pieces.



I also wanted to show you that with the Nestabilities dies, you really get 6 separate dies. I think some of the packaging is just not clear on this. So you get 6 of the same die, in graduated sizes.



As you can see, each die has a tiny "cut" ridge that is just inside the piece.



When "nested" together, this is what they look like:



In order to get the shape you want cut, you need to come in from the back side of the paper. In order to line it up, I simply hold the paper between me and a light source. This could be a lamp, an overhead light, or a window. I can position the die around the image that I want to cut out.



Now, if I diecut and emboss this image, I'm going to get this....where it is debossed.



Perhaps this shows better....the piece that I cut that is the shape of the die is on the left and it is embossed around the edges. The piece that is the opposite shape of the die on the right is debossed and I really want it embossed.



In order to do that, I'm going to use the reverse (flat) side of the die



I'm going to center my diecut on top of the flat side of the die as such:



If you were looking at it from the bottom, you would see the die, cut side down, with the paper on top of it:



The sandwich for this is a bit different:

Cut mat, cut side up
Die, cut side down
paper, centered over the die
tan polymer pad
Embossing mat, emboss side down



If done correctly, both pieces, the right angle and the left angle, will both be embossed.



By doing this, you can turn each diecut into "two" diecuts by having both a right and left angle. It just multiplies the possibilities with your dies.



Now, I know I've done this with a simple nestability die. However, here's an example of it done with the seashell die. The shells mirror each other on the right and the left. Just one die...but I've used this mirror technique to give me twice the dies that I had.



Well, I'm all for getting as much out of a product as one possibly can, but this technique actually helps me have a die that is the exact angle (right or left) that I want for the project I'm working on!

How to emboss and chalk a Spellbinder's style die

This is the first tutorial on embossing a Spellbinder's style die. Yep, there's more than one way to emboss these dies! But first, you might want to review the tutorial on diecutting.

So, at this point, you have the die:



and the diecut:



and you want to build your sandwich. From the bottom to the top it will be:

White emboss mat
die with diecut inside it. Note, you place the side of the paper that you want to be embossed facing down. Here, you see the back, the side that will be de-bossed, not embossed.
Tan polymer pad
White cut mat, cut side down



Here's what it looks like after you run that through the Wizard. (Reference the cut tutorial for how to run the sandwich through the Wizard)



And a close-up of the embossed detail



But we think that's not good enough, so we came up with a product called Lucy McGoo Wonder Goo. You simply spritz your paper with this and it will break down the fibers in the paper, but not hurt them at all, and will enhance the embossing capabilities of anything!!!



We think you will be amazed at the difference in the depth you get!



So, before we move on in this process, I want to point out that these dies also have a 3rd function, they act as a brass stencil and you can use the die as such. I love to use non-smear pastel chalks by the Stencil Collection.



I have the set of 48 and just LOVE the colors. I've had this box for over 2 years, use them all the time...looks like I'll have them for about 5 of 6 years....so when you see the price, just know, they last forever!



They are non smear, so you simply take the stipple brush (included) and go from one color to the next. No changing little cotton balls, no worry about smearing colors...these are truly great!



And the stipple brush is great for getting color down into the open areas of a die. Just like you are using a brass stencil. Apply different colors to different sections or blend a color from one section to the next.

When done, take the diecut out of the die and see your gorgeous embellishment!



I take this a couple of steps farther out. First, I use my cut n' dry foam to apply Ranger's Vintage Photo distres ink to the edges.



And then I take Spiced Marmalade and rub it over the entire diecut. Now, this is if I'm wanting to tone down the colors and get a more distressed look. Works great!!!



Set it aside...it's just gorgeous!!!



Tomorrow, I hope to show you how to do reverse embossing!!! I'll be using the Paisley die. I posted the card made with this diecut a couple of days ago, feel free to take a look here!

And as just a note, I do not receive any compensation from these companies. I'm just sharing the products that I like because I like them! This doesn't mean that I like ALL the products that any of these companies produce either. Just wanted to make that little clarification! But I do have fun playing and hope you will, too!!!

ART IS LIKE DANCING....

Art is like dancing
there is a beat
there are steps and moves
and you create
a new form of music
for the world to hear.
It has the passion
of a great orchestra
and it has the quiet sound
of a single piano key
it takes you places
you never knew existedp
It can make you feel
right at home.

Well, when I have my moments, the poetry and writing just seems to flow from me.  I truly believe that my art is inspired a lot by my childhood memories of music.  We didn't have a whole lot.  But when I was 10, I received a clarinet for my Christmas present.  Mom & Dad were just so smart!   I could "buy" the clarinet by earning 50 cents for each half hour that I practiced.  Even in the early 60s, it took me hours and hours to "own" it!  But I did learn how to play it, so well, that I played First Chair for a few years in band.  There were also piano lessons and private voice lessons.  I even managed to take first place with a solo "Jesus Wept" at an all state contest held at Ball State University.  I still have the blue medal somewhere.

So, music was a huge part of my childhood.  The 4 Moore girls sang as a quartet at church probably from the time the youngest sister could stand up.  I have no idea how many songs are embedded in my brain and on some days, I just start to sing them for no reason at all.  Other than they make me happy.

This week, my hubby surprised me with the gift of a new digital (musical) keyboard.  So expect to hear more about that as I learn how to digitally make music.

I turned the poem above into a rubber stamp available thru After Midnight Stamps.

And today, I'm playing with Spellbinder's "flying Beauties" die and the Paisley Nestabilities die.



I'm working on a tutorial for this as well, but wanted to showcase these dies.  I used Stamping Up paper.  
I believe it's the "Outlaw" package.

I used the Stencil Collection's pastel chalks.  I happen to have the 48 set and use them all the time...wait til you see the tutorial!!!



And I'm using real Swarovski crystals to add some bling to the cards! They came from Scrapbook Your LIfe! in San Diego....one of my fav places to shop!

The swirly stamps are by Autumn Leaves.

And here's the paisley die....embossed with a Sizzix texture plate.  Nothing like mixing it up with competing companies!  LOL!  But what a gorgeous effect I get!



Music and art.  I am so blessed!  And when I allow.....they can take me places I never knew existed....they can make me feel right at home.