Spell Book

At my son's request, i made a spell book for his birthday this year (back in February). He loves to pretend he's a medieval sorcerer. i struggled over ideas for months, but then a few weeks before his birthday it all came together. He was very happy with it, even said it was the best gift he'd ever received (that was a serious heart-warmer!).

The above photo shows the book with 2 little boxes filled with dried leaves, 2 potion bottles filled with colored water (a name on one bottle comes from the video game "Oblivion") and a handmade pouch containing stones and "crystals". i also added a decorative pen, not shown.


i aged all the pages to give a very weathered and time-worn feel. Thank goodness for Ranger Distress Ink!




You can't tell from the photos, but every page had some kind of embossing or dimensional adhesive for texture.

i managed to make up one pretend spell!


i used clear envelopes to hold these pressed flowers and leaves.



In the pocket is a piece of aged paper for him to write/draw on.

As you can imagine, i used a ton of different supplies putting this together, so i'm going to opt out of listing them all here. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

And even though i haven't been on here much for months, i still make some kind of art almost daily...almost. i've been working quite a bit in my art journal, so maybe next post will reflect that.

Hope everyone is well! And have a fantastic day!

Quick update...

Hi, everyone! i know it's been awhile, but i'm still here. We've had a lot going on, really since the beginning of this year. Too much to tell for now, but we've moved into a new home and P.'s working on opening a new shop. Amid all the chaos i've still been making art (only way to stay sane) and will have some new stuff to show soon.

i see i have a few new subscribers! Welcome! And thanks for signing up.
i hope everyone is doing well, and i look forward to catching up on everyone's blogs soon!

Happy day!

Rainy Friday...

Happy Friday everyone! i plan to spend tonight in my craft room; my son is going to Grandma's house for an overnight visit. This will give me a chance to work on my art journal in solitude.

So today i have one card to show. This card came together quickly (a rarity for me) and i was very pleased with the outcome.

Above is a close-up where you can see the shiny cardstock i used. i don't know what company makes this - my DC (darling companion) brought a loose stack of this home to me from work. i just love it!

Ingredients: CS - stash, Bazzill; PP - ?; stamps - Inkadinkado Gem Stone Birds, Hero Arts Friendship Messages; ink - Pallette Hybrid; felt flower - American Crafts; ribbon - Michael's; brads - MM; Prismacolor pencils and OMS; Stickles; button - stash; pop-dots.

Have a great day everyone! And enjoy your weekend!

If it isn't going to snow...

...i'd rather it be Spring. So far this year we've had only a couple dustings and some flurries. Bah, i say! i know some of you reading have been bombarded by snow, but here we're really lacking.

The crummy weather hasn't hindered my creative spirit, though - i've been playing in my craft room a lot recently, not only making cards, but also working in my art journal. i hope to show some snippets from that soon, but for now it's mostly a work in progress. So more cards...

Trying out different color combos here. This card is much cutesier than what i normally do, but it was fun. And i love images of trees. i got this stamp set at Michael's for $6! Can't beat that!

Ingredients: CS - Colorbok, stash; PP - K & Company; stamps - Colorbok Friendly Forest, Studio G (letters); ink - Colorbox Chalk, Versamagic; ribbon - Offray, A.C. Moore; buttons - stash; brads - MM; pop-dots.


i love bird images, too...could you tell? And these colors are my comfort zone. i always wish people a double "Happy Birthday".

Ingredients: CS - stash, Bazzill; PP - We R Memory Keepers; stamps - Inkadinkado Gem Stone Birds, Studio G (border), PTI Paper Tray; ink - Versamark, Colorbox Chalk, Pallette Hybrid; ribbon - Bobbin Ribbon; chalk; white gel pen; pop-dots.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you have a happy day!

CPS 103

i decided to do a challenge - it's been awhile! This is CPS (Card Positioning Systems) #103.

Ingredients: CS - Kraft, Colorbok, stash; PP - K & Company; stamps - Martha Stewart Clear Pattern Stamps, Inkadinkado Maison Frames, Fancy Pants Simply Stated; ink - Versamagic, Colorbox Chalk; felt flower - American Crafts; button - stash; ribbon - Offray; brads - MM; pop-dots.

Thanks for looking!

Valentine's day...again...

i know, i know. But i promise this will probably be my last V. Day post. Two more:

Ingredients: CS - stash, PTI; PP - Best Occasions; stamps - Studio G, Autumn Leaves Freestyle Alphabet, PTI Paper Tray,Inkadinkado Sketchy Flourishes, Heidi Grace Dreamer; ink - Versafine, Pallette Hybrid, Ranger Nick Bantock Collection, Versamagic; Prismacolor pencils/OMS; brads - MM; ribbon - Offray; embossing powder - Stamependous.

And i'm sorry, but i love this card. And yes, i usually apologize before complimenting myself. Maybe i should stop doing that. In fact, i think we should make it a point to recognize our personal talents and take pride in those things we do well.

Ingredients: CS - stash; PP - MM, Karen Foster Design; stamps - Studio G, Martha Stweart Clear Pattern Stamps; ink - Versafine, Versamagic, Pallette Hybrid; ribbon - Offray; dimensional glaze.

So today i urge you to take pride in yourself and your skills, and to allow compliments from others, and yourself, to sink in. i challenge you to find 5 ways to compliment yourself today. i'll start!

1. i'm a really good cook.
2. i'm a thoughful person.
3. i can make beautiful art.
4. i'm a loyal friend.
5. i'm a good writer.

Now let's hear yours!

Valentine's Day, part 2

Valentine's Day is not super-important to me or my family. Honestly, i think it's a little silly - i mean, i love P. everyday of the year and strive to remind him of that on a regular basis. i even told him not to get me anything as i feel it's a waste of money. i mean, we just had Christmas! He did, however, say he was going to take me out for Thai food - my favorite! - as soon as we can get out together (he works so much lately...). The two holidays on which i do appreciate some recognition are Mother's Day and my birthday, but Valenine's Day is not a biggie.
Having said that, i found myself making a bunch of V. Day cards this year. i had a lot of fun with them, and i think because it was a bit out of my comfort zone, it lended a little challenge. You can expect to see a couple more of these in future posts!

This one's pretty basic. i like the folky, clean feel. And i just love kraft cardstock, i swear. i should buy it buy the hundreds.

Ingredients: CS- stash, Colorbok; PP - Karen Foster; stamps - Inkadinkado Sketchy Flourishes, Studio G; ink - Versafine, Colorbox, Ranger Nick Bantock Collection; button - stash; pop-dots.


Traditional colors on this one. IRL the heart stands out more; i need to work on my lighting! i make at least two of every card (mostly so i can keep a running stash of my work), and my son chose one of these to take to his "crush" at school. He actually took two different cards, because apparently he has a crush on a girl in his class as well as a girl in 5th grade - he's in 3rd grade. When he was 6, a friend asked him if he had a girlfriend, and without missing a beat, he said, "i have 6 girlfriends." One for each year of his life, i guess! The teenage years ought to be a hoot...ahem.

Ingredients: CS - stash; PP - Best Occasions, MM; stamps - Studio G, Image Tree, Autumn Leaves Swirls V:1; ink - Versafine, Pallette Hybrid, Versamagic; felt flower - American Crafts; brad - MM; pop-dots.

With envelope.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you all have a wonderful day!