Getting Antsy

It has been a hard, long transition. The heat has been unbearable, so work on the new studio is progressing very slowly. I'm hoping to get my things out of storage after labor day, if I can get the last bits of the building done. We've been dealing with serious illnesses, too, but I think we're finding our feet again (all three of us).

So that's progress - all the insulation is now in, and yes, I'm putting in plenty of sweat equity! A friend of mine, Sherry, struck on a great idea. She's created a new blog (Stamping with the Oldies) where each weekday we post a project using *only* our old stuff - old stamps, old paper, old techniques. You should check it out! We hope to have occasional challenges with prizes, but we would love to see what you make!

This is one of my favorite older sets by Theresa Momber - By The Sea, made by Gina K Designs, and a newer set, American Made by Becky Oehlers, also through Gina K. I'm so thankful that Sherry asked me to work on her team because I needed a little push to get going again.

Summer is almost gone - I hope you had a great one, and are ready for fall. I sure am!

Hugs!
~ky

Fell off the earth...

Or so it seems. I selected a word in January, and that word was Distance. I thought I knew where this word would take me, or where I would see it in my life, but I had no idea this was coming. I am now single, again, and have moved home to help my Dad in Texas. That is quite a distance.

I don't have room yet to pull out my crafting supplies, nor the space to really work with all my usual tools. However, my Dad is graciously helping get a studio building put in his back yard so I can set everything up, and have a place for the critters to live. In the meantime, I challenged myself to make a card with the limited supplies of just 2 boxes from my packed studio.

I love this new set from Tami Mayberry - it's called Vintage Notes, and this month's Stamp TV Facebook challenge was to use things from your office supplies to make the project. I started with a small manila tag, and stamped the distressed lined note on it in Memento Rich Cocoa. Then I added "Take Note" and the numbers in Ranger Distress marker Rusty Hinge. I took apart a hinge clip, so it would lay flatter, and placed it over a stacked layer of paper to look like a miniature clip board.

The tag is tucked into a trimmed down Glassine envelope. When I worked in an office, I usually could count on a random button or two and a roll of dental floss, so I added those to the side. Cardstock is Gina K Designs pure luxury, and patterned paper is Authentic.

Thanks so much for dropping by today. I hope my posts will get back to a regular schedule soon, although my new studio is still several weeks away. Have a great weekend!

Ta!
~ky

Up to my elbows in Color!

Hey all - I'm in Milwaukee taking the amazing Copic Certification classes from the talented Debbie Olson! I am so thankful that I finally was able to take the classes. I hope to be teaching soon!

I made this cute bookmark for a friend who's kiddo loves to read. I mean, how cute is that! I am going to need to make another one for me! I used Tami Mayberry's Fairy Tales set, by Gina K Designs. I paper pieced the frog and crown, used punched hearts for little flowers, and layered punched branches over crocheted and velvet ribbons. The crown is covered in Sakura Star Dust pens for a gorgeous, camera-unfriendly sparkle. I used the Corner Bookmark tutorial from Splitcoast Stampers as the template.

I hope this project brings a little smile. I will have a twist on this theme in the near future, and I'm really excited about it. Now, go out and have a fantastic weekend!

Ta for now,
♥ ~ky

Days are getting longer!

I am so glad we have returned to 'normal' spring temperatures here in the Chicago area. I am not at all ready for the hot-box conditions that will come our way all too soon. Easter is upon us. As Holy-days go, this is probably my favorite. It remains true to the story, not an alteration to hybridize Christianity with paganism (my opinion, please respect that).

A friend of mine (and probably yours too) recently suffered 2 brain aneurysms, and 2 brain surgeries. I was so scared for her! Remarkably, she has popped right back up and is ready to get back to crafting! Stamp TV and all the great fans over there hosted a challenge to make a card for Karen. For added appreciation, we were asked to CASE some of her work. CASE is 'copy and share everything'.

Here is the card Karen made that I chose to CASE. Isn't it lovely? 

Here is mine - I changed a few things on it - I didn't have the same border punches, and I used a slightly different color palette. My ribbon is white, and the sentiment tag is from Tim Holtz's Sizzix die.

Here's another little card I put together. I used Versamark ink on the stamped image, and applied 4 colors of Perfect Pearls. Love this effect!

My Perfect Pearls have an interference quality to them. When you tilt the card to different angles, you see a subtle shift in the colors. Isn't that cool?

I also decorated the inside. I don't do that very often, so it was fun to play with the reverse embossing image on the inside of this one-layer card.

It's a bit hard to photograph and I didn't have much time to fool with it, but you get the idea. A tip for working with Perfect Pearls - the powder sticks well to the Versamark, but will still rub off if you touch the image. I set mine using a fixative spray. Actually, I use Aqua Net hairspray. I hold it out at arms length and spray across the card rather than close up and direct. If you spray too close to the card, it will give it a slightly yellow tint. Holding it out and spraying across it allows the hairspray to fall in a gentle mist that is virtually undetectable.

I hope you get a chance to enjoy beautiful spring weather where you are. If not, just think of days when the butterflies will hover over beautiful flowers. Thanks for stopping by!

Ta for now,
♥ ~ky