Homegrown Hospitality

Repurposed

For the past two years I have been making cards in my 52 Card Pick Up and 52 Card Pick-Me-up Workshops and not only do I love to teach these cards, I love to make them and look at them.  

As I have been editing, decompressing, unzipping, linking and getting ready to launch my newest online workshop THIS MONDAY, I have had a lot of time waiting in-between uploading and downloading so while laundry has been washing and drying and in-between folding, I have been re-purposing my big ol ring of cards, adding a little more color and a little "Small Talk" and now I love these cards even more then I did before.

Ya know what I always say, use whatcha got and make something from it. Do good work and share it with people.

Happy Friday!

Maybe I am

Forever I have said that I suck as a "stamper." 

I can carve one, I can design one and I can stamp one onto a paper but that is where it stops...

until yesterday.

I realized that the reason I have always told myself (and others) that I suck as a stamper is because I was comparing my stamper skills to others.

whoops.

You know what happens when you compare yourself to anyone or anything and the worst part is that I am the one who always reminds you NOT to compare.

ugh.

Throwing myself under the 6am bus.

I had not realized that I was in fact comparing myself and because I felt like my stamping skills were not up to the stampers of the worlds standards, then heck, I suck at it.

dang it,

But guess what?

It turns out I don't.  I just told myself  I did so many times that consequently I believed myself.

NOTE TO SELF: Don't believe everything you think.

#DUH

So you want to see what changed my mind? (and please do not think that I am bragging.)  I am just excited to share and please note that I am using PINK AND PURPLE. ( I am not sure how to address that situation yet)

I stamped some of my new Unity stamps onto Ranger's Distress Watercolor Papers

I using Black Archival Ink, a water brush and Distress Markers.  

Did you know that you can use Distress Markers as watercolors???

Me, neither!

Important note: IF you are using these markers, you probably should not use anything but watercolor paper but don't mark my words.  I also watercolor in my bible and my Documented Life Journal but use dry watercolor pots (like the kid sets)

Anyways, all I did was color in a little area of my shape and then with my water brush, gently painted the color around. boom.

done.

So I finished that piece, posted to IG & FB and gave it away.  Then I moved onto another image that I had stamped, fell in love with the outcome and realized that I am not a sucky stamper. I only told myself that I was when really,maybe I am not.

The moral of this story isn't so much about stamping, but more about what we tell ourselves over and over and over.  Don't believe everything you think.  More than likely, you are wrong about you.

 

Monday Morning Color Play

Today is not just about color but more about creating art from art.  I have been creating papers like crazy with the Gelli Plate (more on this soon) and decided to mix it up a little using one of my new Unity stamps. Using several printed papers, I simply stamped the image all over each paper using Black Archival Ink.  No right or wrong way, just stamp, stamp , stamp (this is my kind of stamping!) From those papers, I hand cut letters to spell out the word believe.  Don't fret if you dont like to hand cut.  Use your dies to cut your letters.I adhered the letters down to another printed paper using Glue N Seal and when it was dry used the Tim Holtz Broken China Distress Marker around the letters to add a little depth. I looked at this for awhile like I always do and then decided to cut more letters and started adhereding them to my blank Project Life cards :I adhered them down the same way and when those dried, added a little doodle: Who knows what today will lead to but I do have these canvas' that I adhered all of the scraps to...
Who knows.  What I do know is I feel a whole new class coming on!

Happy Monday!

Fah Lah Lah Lah Lah.

I have been MIA because out of nowhere...BOOM...sick.

Right smack dab in the middle of my summer.  Down for the count and I know when I am sick because I don't care if the floor is dirty, I don't have that "hurry up and start doing something" feeling..I pretty much just coughed and slept and coughed and slept...and now today, although the cough is lingering, I am up and moving.

whew.

YOU have been on my mind because I have had something lil things to share, like my CHA projects for Tim.  He knows how I am about Christmas, how I love all things red and kraft so when I got a box full of fah lah lah a month or two ago, I went to town.   As always, with 99.9% (minus the butterflies, sorry Tim)  I am able to create non-stop with the things I get my hands on, and this release was no different. 

This project is one using the new little burlap canvas panels.

Thing is, I tore off the burlap, flipped the panel over to expose the wooden frame, girl MacGuyver'd the burlap a little and then nestled a little wreath and a bow on the inside.  The wooden frame was the perfect place to add one of the new metal plaques, this one reading, authentic. Then I had to figure out how to hang it.  Not a problem. I used the tiny little hook and eyes, screwed them to the outside of the wooden frame and added some trim.

I KNOW!!! it is all rustic & ragged and right up my Christmas alley.

See the trim?  I KNOW!  one of the many new ones and here is a lttle peek at the sampler I made using lots of the trim..
I know!

Fah Lah Lah Lah Lah!

Hello July

Today's Monday morning color play is all about the ol' red, white & blue...

First, I love a good stick.  I seem to see the potential in a good stick, therefore I have a little jar on the table by our front door to hold them. Fast forward to yesterday as I was minding my own creative business working on some canvas backgrounds. I was playing around with tags, Picket Fence Distress Paint, Distress Stains and a brayer. 

First I made a couple of red tags and liked them.
Then, I made a blue one, stamped the closest thing I had to a star with more Distress paint..
dried it and then re-inked the tag with another coat of blue...
and laid them out to dry..on a 12 x 12 canvas that I had just layered with dictionary paper, book paper and Tim Holtz Tissue paper.  I adhered the tags to my canvas using Glue-N-Seal (best stuff EVER!) and then added some Black Soot Distress Pen ink around the edges of the tags to give it age and depth.
Personally, I LOVED the way it looked, but it needed something, something special...and the sticks came to mind.
I had seen something similar on Pinterest a while back about making star ornaments out of sticks and jute so I thought, why not make a big one, duh.

You will need 5 sticks about the same size, some jute, twine or some type of string to tie the sticks together.  Start by first laying the sticks out to form the shape of a star:

then, tie one end to another.  I am sure there is some Daniel Boone way to tie these, but I was a Brownie and a Girl Scout a long time ago and I do not remember knots, so just tie it so it stays.
Just keep tying one end to the other until you have your star When I placed my star on the canvas, I think I gasp and said aloud "Hello Flag"


If you make one, share a photo..I want to see what you do! P.S. here is another lil project from last year..http://homegrownhospitality.typepad.com/homegrown_hospitality/2012/05/thank-you-part-two.html

Happy July

Mixed Media Truth

I have not shared anything but doodles for the past few months but I promise, I still make things from paper, ink, paint,etc. and in fact, my hands are inky and messy as I type because I am working of CHRISTMAS projects for CHA Summer. 

FAH...LAH..LAH..LAH..LAH!

Truth: I think of you everyday and wish I could show you what I am working on because it is right up my creative alley, but I can't.  Not yet..BUT, I did get a thumbs up to show you this, which is not much, but you will get the picture:

CHA is around the ol' corner and I will be packing up the car, hitting the road and heading to Vegas for a few days, teaching at Selah, hanging out with my pal, Lain, meeting up with Jill and then walking floor of CHA.

If you are interested in taking the class at Selah, as of today, there are 2 spots still open.  Just click here.

Oh, P.S I just finished my 2013 Ornament, similar to last years, but different and I LOVE it.  As soon as I can show you, I will..and will post dates of classes for it!

Happy Friday!

CHA Season

For my crafty friends, it it "CHA" season so my head and neck have been facing down for the past two weeks and my fingers have been sticky, tacky, inky and stained...but the work is done.

Every CHA season I work on a project or 10, I feel like I have created my most favorite project ever, and then each CHA comes and goes, and it happens again.  Alot of it has to do with a awesome products I am working with but most of it comes from God.

Truly, it is my hands doing the work, Tim's products embellishing the process but the inspiration that NEVER SEEMS TO STOP..comes from God...that is again, why I call much of my work HEart.

HE is the source...ART is what my hands create.

Now, I am not sure when I can give you a little peek, but I am going to sneak you a look, and then if I busted, I will take it down... More peeks soon...as well as a new class announcement...eek, it is a a good one...on-line and in-store...

oh, okay, a little peek at that too..
okay, gotta go or I am going to bust myself!

Repurposed

When unpacking the Christmas decoration boxes a few weeks ago, I came across last years Daily December tags: This morning as I was tinkering around with a little plain ol' tree in my entry way, I got an idea.

I took the tag off of the ring and inked the edges, added a little "chit chat" sticker that reads "memories" and placed it underneath the word "holiday" and replaced the tag string with a longer piece of twine...Then I took the red ball jar that I spray painted a few years ago.. and tied the "re-purposed" tag on the mouth of the jar, stuffed my tree into the jar and placed it on the kitchen counter
Fah Lah Lah...

Cross One Off Your List

Was it not was just about 6 months ago when I started reminding you (and myself) of the upcoming holidays...

and dang it..

here we are.

Sunday morning was rainy and the perfect time to create a quick and easy way to make "Gift Card" giving a little more fun than just "here is the card"

I started with a large 4" x 9" manila tag from one of my most favorite places and folded it up a few inches Then I stamped the large Blueprint Tree by Tim Holtz onto the tag using Black Archival Ink. I used the heat dryer on it for few a seconds to make sure the ink was dry...Then I grabbed a few fah lah lah lah lah colors of Distress Ink Pens to color in my tree. 
Start with a light color, like Peeled Paint.  Scribble a little color out onto a craft mat and using  a water brush, color in your tree and dry it Then using the brush tip of the same Peeled Paint & a darker color, like Forest Moss, add in a little more color onto your tree Highlight the right edges of the tree, ornaments and star using Pumice Stone.
Next, add a little color to the star and ornaments
Add some aging to the edges of the tag by using "Walnut Stain" ink and a blender
Next, using a small hole punch and a few brads, punch a hole on each edge of the top of the flap and attach a brad to each side to create a pocket
and okay, so I am not a glittery type of girl, but adding just a little stickles to the ornaments and the star adds just the right amount of Fah Lah Lah Next, just add a peace of twine to the top, insert a gift card into the pocket and hang from the tree and cross one of your list!
Merry Christmas...

Tim Holtz/SA Christmas Blueprint	Idea-ology Paper Strings	Tim Holtz Idea-ology Mini Fasteners	Ranger Non-Stick Kraft Sheet	Ranger Heat It Craft Tool
Jet Black Archival Ink	Tim Holtz Distress Markers	Distress Ink - Walnut Stain

InLinkz.com

Black Hawk Down

I win the bad blogger award because I was black hawk down with no camera.

gulp.

My camera died in Pennsylvania and like a good & patient girl, I waited until the black Friday sales to see what I could find.  PEOPLE...that was ALOT of days with no camera...but I am back in business.  The slight problem is I find myself very hesitant to pick it up with my inky, painty, glue-n-sealy fingers so the cross I just re-purposed...did not get alot of step by step photos.Here is all I got for ya:

1. I took the hardware off by simply placing a screwdriver under it and gently popped it off...super easy!  I left the little pookies there so that I could pop it back on when I was done. 2. I used Picket Fence Crackle Paint by Tim Holtz/Ranger and brushed it lightly over the entire cross and base to add a crackle (duh!) but to also add that wood-grainish texture to it.  (NOTE: the entire process was very similar to the Faux Woodgrain Finish I did on the frame HERE)
3.  I dried the Crackle and then added Pewter Distress Stain over the surface which gave it a slight pink tinge & I did not like where it was going so I wiped it off with a baby wipe and added another layer of white..JUST HERE & THERE to add to the texture. Then using brown acrylic paint on a DRY paper towel, I simply swiped the paint over the surface applying different amounts of pressure.  This made it so some spots were darker than others. I repeated this until I achieved the look I wanted. It really was that easy.  I did however have a baby wipe on standby to wipe off any spots that were to heavy.

To change the metal embellishment from purple and orange :all I did was dry brush over the purple paint with red acrylic paint, and gold paint over the orange.  Then using the White Picket Fence Crackle, I LIGHTLY brushed over the leaves and petals, dried it and popped it back on. I am pretty sure I hear angels sing when I look at it. and if you are wondering...I did call the other Aaron Brothers in our area to find more crosses and there are none.

boo.