bingo {collaged}

a little art therapy in the form of a vintage bingo card and some paint covered fingers.

doesn't it feel good to cut paper?.....jagged cut, sure. sharp cornered edge, maybe. flat side, probably. 

imperfect circle happiness.

and then, sewn. 

sewing. (aaaaah. again...happiness)

with pink thread.

except......look closely.....at the book paper and the words. 

omg.....really?! that was what i seriously cut out? AND glued down?

dang it.

happy monday to you.

xo. kristin

overview {grad card video}

making cards for the graduating kiddos now- this one is for a girl.

stitched up, painted on, and doodled.

happy wednesday.

xo. kristin

stencil love {postcards}

last week i participated in a postcard swap. the focus was on stencils and all work needed to be done using stencils......

so i layered up lots of stencil love to make each of these postcards.

i also decided that these postcards needed some gold ink and a little stitching....so hard to always stick to the exact instructions sometimes.....

soft fabric ornaments- great gifts

i have been sewing up a storm getting ready for the holiday season so you can give a special handmade gift to some special person (or maybe a "santa" gift for you....). these ornaments are available in my etsy store.

each one is unique and is stitched up with love using dyed cotton that has been hand stamped with a homemade stamp i made in various shapes- like the star, tree and a heart.

then, i layered up some fabric to make the ornaments soft and touchable. most also include a vintage measuring tape hanger. the ornaments measure about 3.5" x 5.5".

happy thursday!

round 2 for recipe card

i made another recipe card- this one is actually more of a recipe holder with a pocket on the back to hold the recipe written out on small sheets of paper.

i cut down a file folder to make this recipe card because it is a bit sturdier than paper and not overly thick like cardboard. i like the tab i left and it was perfect for adding the words i had found, "licking his lips."

when i cut down the file folder- i made the card 4" x 6". i used acrylic paint and a stencil for the larger circles, and spray ink and another stencil for the smaller circles. i applied the green with the edge of a gift card.

i added the little swatch of fabric for a soft touch and stitched around the very edge of the back paper to make my pocket for the pages.

SHE tags

i had been thinking about SHE and what i could make for a local women's day/ conference. the day is set aside for women to get their mammos and then come and shop and get other information about women's health. and to remind us- to embrace the SHE.

i came up with these tags and left the back open so that if you have a date or a special woman who survived breast cancer or maybe needs to be remembered- i would be happy to individualize your tag with the information.

i posted them in my usual spots to share, and decided to put them into my etsy store so anyone could have one.

one little word {lost}

i have been working recently on my used and saved papertowels and decided to stay with this theme for my one little word project as well.

there was already a base of color on it and i easily added more color, some stitching, a little stamping, and my word. when it comes to color, to me, it is easy to get lost....this was a perfect fit.

i love the drip and dribbles that sprinkled across the towel. i also used some washi tape that you can see in the top pink circles.

i used a homemade stencil that i had made when working in Traci Bautista's new book- PrintMakingUnleashed for the turquoise blue towards the bottom.

really like the blending and transition of the color....easy to become lost. if you are going to stitch onto papetowels, you need to provide some paper support underneath for your stitching- you can see a peek of paper across the top edge. if you do not provide that support- your papertowel will stretch and pull and will not lay flat. 

happy friday! hope you are able to get lost.

mixed media flower with a map and papertowel

found a little play time in the studio this weekend in between a volleyball tournament and family time. i had been saving a used paper towel for something good and the something turned out to be the background for a mixed media flower.

i had been using an old map to roll off and clean my brayer when using my gelli plate and found a section that i loved; so i cut it out. then, i spied my used paper towel and knew what to do.... make this flower.

i had a few small scraps of fabric that i used for the flower stem and leave; using black thread to stitch it all together. i did use my new Dina Wakley paint for the blue (sky is the actual color) flower petals. here is a bird's eye view of the whole piece. i also used Tim Holtz's alphabet stencil to spray on my letters with Dylusions spray ink.

happy monday....

a handful of ATCs

i was recently in an ATC swap. our goal was to create 12 inspirational cards to trade. i should know myself better by now....so i started out painting and and working really hard on my cards and by the time i had gotten to my last few cards i was finding that less was more and really liked my last few.

here are some of my ATCs.....i stitched on all of my cards and added snips of fabric or lace to the last couple of cards. those last 2 were the end cards and probably my favorite. i like the worn look and the actual card face showing through.

tag.....you are it!

i managed to sneak in some much needed studio time yesterday before the prom activities started. i had signed up to participate in a tag swap and needed to get my tags done.

i love saving the tags from clothing to use for this type of project. the kids clothes usually have the best tags, but, i have gotten some good ones from mine as well. i have a little stash of clothing tags that i dug through to find some base tags to use yesterday.

i loved the shape of this one with the cut corners.

this long skinny tag was perfect for my next tag....i used my gelli plate to produce the black and white back ground. i used washi tape and stamped tissue paper to create the background for this tag and then, used a scrap piece of paper with the hot pink flash as my pop of color that this black and white tag needed. and, finished it off with the perfect book words- "a new kind of tag."

i have to say though....this last tag i have been saving for some special inspiration because of the words on the back of this tag. i selectively painted out a few of the words to leave the sentiment that i was looking for: "translation: special techniques to apply inks, dyes, and details that means differences. it's all intentional, make everything original.

i made the background and then, added the heart. i stitched up the edges and added a little dash of black fabric. just a note because this was regular book paper i added another scrap of paper to the back where the fabric was to add support for the stitching- otherwise, with the repeated stitching it would have easily ripped through leaving my fabric unattached to my paper.

the moments {a series} no 22: another file folder card- trust

i made an extra file folder card on sunday. i had a very kind friend who shared some words of wisdom with me when i needed them.....this is for her. thank you- it was just what i needed to hear.

weekend collage fun

this weekend i got some much needed studio time....and i felt like i was kinda on a roll....

 loved my bird collage....i had gotten new papers (the gold polka dot) and a new roll of washi tape (the pink...), some stitching, acrylic paint, and of course my new stamps from Paperbag Studios- the mixed media essentials (these are available starting may 1). i was so lucky to be asked to be a part of the design team- check this out....

 for this one below i used yupo paper....it is a plastic type paper and does not behave like anything else...the background piece and the heart are yupo. i also used inks, acrylic paint, stitching and stamping....

 one of my goals this year was to re-open my etsy shop...so, this weekend i decided to give etsy one more whirl and posting some of my new pieces there.

sad that the weekend is over.....

thank you cards

hand made thank yous for my great friends who helped with graduation. this is the front.

this is the back....loving my glimmer mist and diamond stencil.

have to have a matching envelope! with a little stitching....

here is my second one....with some stamping and a little more india ink and some fabric scraps....

and the back....

birthday card

i made a birthday card for our oldest son yesterday who finally turned 18! he is one of the youngest in his graduating class.

i used many "scraps" i had found around the house....edge of paper sack, used paper towel (loved the purple!!), masking tape, top edge of cat food bag- yes i did! also used india ink and stitching. good day!

school projects

our senior needed a map for his research paper....mom to the rescue! i had a vintage book that i ripped a page out of and roughly sketched south dakota on to. (thought i should tell you which state i sketched...)

the date on the page was oct 4, 1904. on the scoring for his project, the teacher wrote, "very cool- i love the old paper!" good thing his mom is an artist with a passion for vintage items!

this was the wedding invite that i made to go along with this project....simple.

this is the quote book that i helped our daughter make....i cannot wait for school project to be done! thank goodness this is the last week....i used ripped out book pages to bind the quotes for certain topics and stitched them together.

my quote...totally true! thank goodness i am an artist and relatively crafty! our kids have been very thankful for their mom this past week.