Sunflowers during my morning walk.

Check out the photos i took the other day on my morning walk on day in late August.  Watching the sunflowers grow taller and taller throughout the summer is one of my favorite things.

Mini Art Collage

 If you have been crafting for as long as me, you will have accumulated a lot of little pieces of art that were never used.  I gathered up a bunch and made this mini art collage piece.  I just love it.  Sorry for the yellow lighting.

Art Journaling Again

Last month I took another art journaling class from Regina at the Hen House.  I really love learning all her techniques for backgrounds, collage, and paper piecing

She loves using things that others would throw away.  Can you tell what the 12 circle frame used to be?

More Inktense!

Here are some cards I  made with my Inktense pencils.  Super easy and fun!

Inka Gold is my new favorite!!

If you were at the Hen House today, you got to make this FREE make-n-take that I designed.  It highlights Viva Inka Gold metallic rubs and Ferro Paste.  Super rich and fun to use.

Supplies:

• ·       Craft cardstock (5 ½ x 8 ½ )
• ·       Authentique Strong “Clever” paper (2 x 5 ¼ )
• ·       Cardboard box piece (4 x 4)
• ·       Scrap piece of cardstock (4 x 4 )
• ·       Lifestyle Crafts Nesting Scallop Squares
• ·       Memory Box/Poppy Stamps die “Gentle Leaf”
• ·       Viva Inka Gold Metallic Rub (lava red and copper)
• ·       Viva Ferro Special Effect Paste (Graphite)
• ·       Crop-a-dile
• ·       Big Shot
• ·       10 inch piece of black wired twine
• ·       Penny Black “2912D Happy Birthday” stamp
• ·       Distress Ink Pad (black soot and dried marigold)
• ·       Versafine Ink Pad (onyx black)

1.     Using the 3 ½” scallop square metal die, cut the cardboard box piece.  Peel away some of the cardboard to reveal the texture below.

2.     Using your fingers or sponge, rub the copper Inka Gold all over the cardboard piece. 

3.     Rub the lava red Inka gold over the revealed textured pieces of the cardboard die cut. 

4.     Sponge the edges of the cardboard with the black soot ink. 

5.     Buff the Inka goldwith a paper towel to get a shine.

6.     Using the crop-a-dile punch a hole in the top and bottom left hand corners.

7.     Die cut the leaf from the 4 x 4 scrap of cardstock.  This becomes your template.  Lay the 4x4 piece with the leaf cut out on top of the cardboard piece.  Use a plastic knife to place a nickel size dollop of the Ferro Past on top of the leaf image.  Use a palette knife or scraper to rub the paste into the leaf image.  Be sure to keep your template in place. When you have the leaf image filled with ferro paste, carefully lift your template. Set aside to dry.

8.     Sponge the edges of the Authentique paper piece with black soot ink.  Sponge some dried marigold ink in the middle of the same piece.  Adhere to the left side of the card front.

9.     With the black Versafine ink, stamp “happy birthday” on the bottom right side of the card. 

10. When your ferro paste is dry, run the black twine through the holes you punch in the decorated cardboard box piece and tie a bow.  Glue the completed piece to the front of the card.

For Christmas, Sandy gave me a set of Inktense Pencils.  They are amazingly intense. Sandy recently taught a class at the Hen House on how to use these pencils.  Below are the two cards that we made.  Look how bright thee pencils are on craft paper!

And of course they look amazing on white paper too!

Check out the amazing cards I made in Cheryl Valadez's class.  She is so talented and daring with paper layering and embellishments.  I am going to put these two in a shadow box for my mom.  I think it will be great for her sewing room!