Getting ready to play

It's time to play again!  I've got stacks of Heidi Swapp paper....and I see that everything is going glitter these days, so I decided to bling up what I have.  The paper by itself is gorgeous....but is it ever enough?

Things to do to alter it:
Hand cut fancy edges (above)
Add stickles dots.....

glitter up the butterflies (the paper comes with the butterflies pre-cut to pop up

outline the veins of the butterflies with glitter:

why is it that cameras just don't photo bling???

Just so pretty!

Loads of glitter on this page.....and what will it become?  I haven't the foggiest!  But this is how "my" creative process works...

I go through my paper and pull out what I think looks good together.  Then I decide if I'm going to ink it, bling it, cut it, paint it....

and if I'm going to make a card, a journal, a scrapbook page.....

I've decided this is going to be a journal.....with loads of tags.....probably shabby chic. I love mint and pink together...

and because today was our first day of snow I decided to "think spring".....I just don't like snow much any more.  But in the summer, when it's boiling hot, that's when I like to "think snow"!

So the next step is to decide if I want to ink the pages...and I think I might like just a faint dusting of ink around the edges.  But do I ink in pink and green....or in white for a shabby look?  or in tea stained browns to give it a vintage look?  Hmmmm.....I think I'll have to sleep on that one!

I'm also planning to do a lot of pockets in this journal.  There's an old post that I wrote (eons ago) that has some hand sketched envelope and pocket templates.  It has been looked at more than any other blog I've written.  So I'm in the process of drawing the templates in a much better format so we could actually print, cut and use them!

If (and that's a huge "if") this turns out like I visualize it in my head, I should be able to make 20 kits and put them in my etsy store for sale.  But I thought it might be fun to blog the creative process of how I put something together.  And yes, I promise to write about the mistakes as well!!!  Trust me....there are always plenty of mistakes!

Cutie Patooties!!!

These 2 little cutie patooties came to my house to play this week! And oh! Did we have fun!!! Notice their pins they are pointing to:


We used Creative Impressions blossoms and built lots and lots of flowers and then I forgot to photo most of them, but here are a few that they made:


And they made slider cards:

OK, take a second look...it's not the same - just a little different!

My gosh!  Did we have fun playing with those blossoms!!!  Here's one of the cards slid open:

So then we had to make a garden card:

And their mom played along - not bad for her very first slider card.  She claimed she's NOT a card maker - I just had to laugh because we all know I'm not a "card maker" either!!!

Here's the inside of her card:

And here's the card I made.  Can you tell we decided to "monkey around" all day long?  LOL!!!

And in case you don't "get it" - I'll be using all my Heidi Swapp leftover paper until it's gone - the scraps from decorating my studio!  So expect to see lots of turquoise projects!!

Such cutie patooties!  They can come back anytime they want to play with me!!!

One single piece of paper

Well....I should say...it's one single design...I've used about 100 pieces of the same design and I am finally done with my studio. For now. LOLOL!!!!

Yesterday, I showed my wall of art, most of the designs done with Heidi Swapp paper. All of this wall was made with leftover bits and pieces from lining my storage bins.  I decided to move my tables around to open up my work area and give me access to the french doors to the back deck.


On the other wall....my "wall of heidi swapp"!  How fun to line the bins with paper...make them all match, label them.....and KNOW what's inside each drawer.  I think I am finally organized.  Well, at least for this week.  You know how that goes!!!

And don't forget the rounders on my desk!

Here are links to closeups of the other projects in my studio using Heidi Swapp paper:

starting with the bins

desktop rounders

26 letters

Ooh La La!

the baskets

altered frames

Believe

Letter "A"

Letter "R"

Letter "T"

My first Bible

Marker box and house frame

Wall of Art

The library bookcase

The bottom slice of brown lined the drawers under the wall of art

And finally, I used scraps inside this curio cabinet....and created photo collages for the front of it.  

There are still a couple more things I want to do....but for now....I'm all done!!! If you look at this and think I spent too much time....no...it's been nothing short of fun. If you think I should spend my time creating art - well, I happen to think this IS art! And if you think I need to design things like scrapbook pages....well, since I have around 145 pieces that have been published to date, I think I can afford to play my way for a few days!!! My hat is off to Heidi Swapp for designing such an amazing piece of paper. I doubt she knows the possibilities!!! And thanks to all of you for your positive comments as I've blogged this journey to decorate my studio. It's really been fun!!!

Stamping library

Several years ago, dad bought 5 of these libraries. He said there was one for each of his children. I have treasured mine and it has probably been used in every room in the house. So now, it's in my studio and I'm storing all my unmounted rubber stamps in it - yep, about 2500 of them.




I decided to use scrap pieces of leftover paper and do a patchwork "quilt" inside the glass on each shelf. Then I'm going to be adding photos....or rather photo collages to the "frames" that were made by the paper. I've got a couple of them started. This one is 2 photos, one of mom, the other of dad, that I have always loved. I scanned them in, merged them, then changed them to black and white. I just love it!  

On the lower left, I covered a little mini book with leather and stamped the letters "BIBLE on the front, then inked up the leather.  Inside are lots of verses from scripture.  On the lower right, I tore up a card that mom had painted on and made a tiny little collage of flowers, broken bits of jewelry and velvet leaves.  

They taught me how to study so many things.  Religion, art, life.  They taught me 2 Tim 2:15  "you-be-diligent yourself to-stand-along-side approved to-the God, (a) workman unashamed, cutting-straight the word of-the truth." (A Consistent New Testament - Mount Publications where hyphenated words are read as one word)... in the KJV:  Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

I looked around the room...

and saw yet another box that I wanted to "alter" to match! LOL! Will this EVER end????? But I think you will agree....this is just perfect. I keep my Ranger pens, printer ink and cables and other such items in these little drawers. I think I paid $7.00 for this at a garage sale and I have used it for about 4 years now. Just love it!!!



Still loving all the different cuts you can make with this paper. Because my box is about 16" long, I added the border to each end of the paper.



I do love drawers. I love having things at my fingertips, right where I can find them!



I lined the inside bottoms of the drawers with scraps of leftover paper.



Now, I've been hanging things on the wall as I finish them and was almost ready to take photos.....but there was still something missing! And then it hit me...it was Kerry! He has given me so much and allowed me the freedom to play....I needed something for him.  So I found a cute kids frame at Hobby Lobby - it was pink and orange....but the shape was perfect!  I framed the anniversary card I made for him and put our photo in the corner.

So....I think the wall is done.  Just gotta clean up my workstation and then I can take photos!

OK....who am I kidding? It will take me a month to clean up my table! LOLOL!!!!!

My first Bible

Isn't it amazing the things we keep? Now why on earth did I keep this? Given to me at school in 1961....but it's just one of those things I cannot throw away. Why? Well, I remember the excitement and anticipation of waiting for this Bible. It was like you were getting "promoted".....the adults trusted you with a Bible....it was your very own....you had to take care of it....it was a passing of age. And I remember waiting anxiously for that day to arrive....when they handed out our Bibles in school.



So rather than keep it tucked away in a box, I decided I wanted to add it to my wall of art. Is this wall ever going to be done? LOL! Well, all I can say is that I am having a great time pulling out things that have special meaning....that I think will inspire me to create even better art....and that will be a joy for others who come to visit.


I took apart a clear acrylic frame, made a new back using chipboard.  The little angel is a Lenox ornament and she fit just inside the Gideon Seal - so the gold sort of looks like a halo. 

And then I made a little sign with the inscription that I had written on the front page  inside the Bible.  It must have been important because I even put down the date that I got this Bible!


It is old, worn, and falling apart.  So I must have read it a lot.  I remember taking it to school with me every day for the rest of that year.  How fun to take something so precious from my past and add it to a wall that I will look at every day.  My wall of ART - you're going to want to make one for yourself!!!

Trust in Him

The final letter is "T", so of course, I have been working on the word "ART" for my wall of art. And I picked the word "trust" for this letter.



Trust unto Jehovah with all thy heart, And unto thine own understanding lean not. In all thy ways know thou Him, And He doth make straight thy paths.

You know, it's been the times that I failed to acknowledge Him that my path went a bit haywire!

And in the center of the T, I used the flourishes to make a Shin (well, sort of!)...remember that?


I love what you can do by adding brown and blue ink....along with the white pen.  The options are just endless!

So here you have it - my 3 letters for my wall of art are ART.  

And with great personal meaning.  Adonia, Rejoice, Trust.  Rejoice daily in what He has given me.  Trust in him every second of the way.  

With these 3 letters, I have created ART.

Rejoice in something every single day!

I picked the word "rejoice" for my letter "R". The word appears 192 times in 183 verses in the King James Version of the Bible. Most of the verses are action verbs - as in a "commandment" to us to rejoice.



I liked Psalms 90:14 because It reads, "O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days." In Young's concordance, it is translated: Satisfy us at morn [with] Thy kindness, And we sing and rejoice all our days.

I really do try to find something that makes me happy every single day, something that I can rejoice in. I believe with all my heart that a positive outlook on life will keep us healthy. That humor heals all. And I also believe that laughter is infectious!



How often do you wake up grumpy and start complaining and then turn everyone around you into a total frump? I know I can do it when I want - trust me....it really works. On the other hand, there are days when it is a huge effort to turn myself into a happy person and try to infect those around me. Now that I'm retired....I'm doing a much better job! LOL!



For this letter, I used some wood flourishes and on half of them, I added Art Glitter over paint and on the other half I just put glossy accents over paint. I like the difference. It's a most simplistic letter......but it can be the simplest things in life that bring us the most to rejoice about!

What's your name?

I was born Jennifer. But have used the nicknames Jenny, Jen and JLo. But that's really the only names I answer to. OK, when I was a kid, my classmates also took my last name "Moore" and would call me "Lawnmoore" or "Moorehead" - oh! weren't we just horrible kids??? LOL!!! I know that in Spanish, my name is Juanita. But if someone yelled out "Hi Juanita!" - I'd ignore them as I don't "hear" that as my name.

I'm sure you are the same! If you are Susan, you would answer to Sue, Susie, Suzanne.....but would you answer to Sally? or Sherry? Or Cindy? Probably not.

One of my earliest childhood questions was, "How did Jesus get his name?" I think at a very young age, I knew that English was a different language from what the Bible was originally written in. I remember being told that the New Testament was written in Greek and that Christ came from Christos which was the Greek translation of His name. But no one ever said what His name was in the original text.

Which leads me back to my first paragraph. If I don't recognize my own name in a foreign language.....why would we expect Him to recognize His name in English??? When I pray....am I calling upon the "wrong" name?

And here's another thought. If Budda is Budda in Hindu, English, Spanish....why did His name change when language changed?

Muhammed's name in Arabic, English, and every other language remains Muhammed. In fact, every single "god", "Prophet" or "holy man" from every religion retains their name in every language EXCEPT for the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Is it because someone is attmpting to hide his name? Acts 2:21 "whoever calls on the name of Adonai will be saved."




Yes, Adonai is the name of Yeshua.....the "real" name for the son of God. Why did these names get changed with the Greek and then the English translations?



Jesus is supposedly the English translation of the Greek word Ieosus which is a translation of the Hebrew Yeshua. Iesous is pronounced "E-A-Zoos". Hmmm....isn't that a little too close to the term "Zeus"? Would this have been a means of keeping the Greeks from coming to know the true Messiah?



And if you google language, you will see that the letter "J" was not even introduced into the English language until the 1400s. OK, I think this is all the proof that I need that many translators are actually working to take those who read the Bible away from the truth....not closer to it!



I pray to Yeshua. But I write the letters God and Jesus.....because that's what we have come to recognize traditionally as the names applying to Jehovah and the Messiah. Just give it some thought....if you call me Juanita....I won't answer. If you call Him Jesus...will He answer?

I love these 12" letters - perfect for ART on the wall!!!