Asteios Art

Giveaway!

valonda1@juno.com (Valonda L.) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 00:18:00 +0000

Hi there everyone!

Did you start to wonder if I have fallen off the face of the planet? I had really good intentions, but I just hit one of those phases where every time I would log on to post on the blog I would sit and stare at the screen with absolutely zero inspiration. Nothing seemed important enough that anyone would care to hear it, and I just didn't have it in me to try to come up with something.
The funny thing is, it's not that I don't have wonderful, exciting things going on in my life, I just couldn't drum up any enthusiasm to write about them.

Sorry to say, this still hasn't changed much, although I have made some really fun projects lately that I'd love to share with you, I just need to take the time to photograph, edit, etc. and get them ready to share with you. Don't worry, I haven't completely abandoned the blog, just needed a break I guess.

Ok, the reasons for this break in silence...1) the guilt has been building as I know many of you have been checking in regularly only to find nothing has changed...sorry...2) I wanted to update you on my niece who we raised money to help with her therapy...3) I have an awesome giveaway to tell you about.

First, let me tell you about my niece Dominic. My mom just returned from a month long trip to visit my sister, and she was very encouraged by Dominic's progress. My sister had been getting discouraged (and the birth of her third child was getting closer and closer) and so she stopped keeping such close track of what Dominic was eating. Sometimes when you are so close to the situation it is hard to see the progress, but my mom was very impressed with the amount of food that Dominic was able to eat. She still receives food through her g-tube, but is continuing to progress in the amount of food she is able to take in orally...the journey continues.

Now for item #3: A Giveaway (not a giveaway from me...a link to a giveaway...keep reading)

Check out this fabulous item!
What is it you ask? A letterpress!!! Isn't that cool! An affordable, fabulous letterpress! Let me just tell you, as soon as I saw this my head was swimming with ideas...still is...will be until I have one in my hot little hands...oh, who am I kidding it still will be even after I get one.

Anyway, I just saw that Lifestyle Crafts (the maker of this little wonderful tool) is giving a whole set of this stuff away. You have to check it out! Seriously!

I have nothing more to say...what are you waiting for??? Go check it out...

Just a teaser

valonda1@juno.com (Valonda L.) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 20:38:00 +0000

Alright everyone. Huge thanks to those of you who signed up for this class sight unseen. The sample is now complete and will be in the store later today.

This Ten Seconds Studios Framed Mirror Class is based on a class created by Linda Brown for Craft Stamper Magazine. It's going to be a fun one! If you are signing up for this one be prepared for the class to go longer than the usual 2 hours.

better late than never

valonda1@juno.com (Valonda L.) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 21:18:00 +0000

Here is a fun picture from when my sister and her family were here with us. Four kids painting very intently...so cute. They were so very serious about their art.

Now here's a fun before/after comparison. This first one is a picture I took of Hannah at mom's wedding. Now...
here's one I took a couple of days ago. Notice anything different???

Catching you up

valonda1@juno.com (Valonda L.) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:12:00 +0000

It's official...my mom is now Mrs. Westover. That will take a little getting used to. The wedding was a beautiful celebration. Look at the happiness on their faces...it's a beautiful thing.

And here is a picture with all of us together...a new family.

The back row is: Crystal (my sister who just moved here from Mexico), Bob, David (my new brother), Mervin (my little brother).

The front row is: Brenda and Carol (my new sisters), Mom, Birdie (my sister from Mexico City), and me

The wedding came right on the heels of our week at Drift Creek Camp. My sister Birdie and her family, my kids and I, and my friend Courtney went out to Drift Creek Camp to provide art projects for the Middle School Camp. We had an awesome time. And of course I used some of my free time to create some fun sample cards using some of the products that we took out for the kids to use.

This card features a fun background made by embossing with white embossing powder, then adding Alcohol Ink. I loved how it turned out.

The background of this one was made with Color Wash sprays, then stamped in sort of a collage style.

Last, but not least, this simple little card has a cuttlebug embossed background, and the focal point is a piece of paper that I stamped with a script background then with an image from an awesome stamp set by Amy Butler for K&Company called Lotus Floral.

And all of that is why I have not been posting much lately. Well, ok, lets face it, life is just full of better things to do than sit in front of my computer all day, and that's not likely to change anytime soon. Meanwhile, I'll share with you as often as is realistically possible.

Stamp outside the...paper

valonda1@juno.com (Valonda L.) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:46:00 +0000

This was an experiment for sure, but I can't wait to get back to our local store, All Fired Up, and practice some more. All Fired Up is a place where you go to paint your own ceramic pieces. They provide all of the paint, brushes, clean-up, and then fire the piece for you. When the piece had been fired I brought it home and added some soft felt "feet", and I now have a great coaster to set my drinks on.

Now the great thing is, this is another fun way to make use of my stamps. I used one of my favorite images from the Kamon clear stamp set by Kodomo Inc. It was actually pretty easy once I got the hang of it. I started by painting 3 coats of a very light yellow base, then chose a dark grey to do my stamping with. To stamp, I simply poured some of the dark grey paint into a piece of Ranger Inkssentials Cut-n-Dry Foam. The key, I discovered, is not to have to much paint in the foam, if it is too wet it won't work very well. To finish it up, I simply painted a border around the tile. The shop did the rest, and in a few days I got to go pick it up. Fun huh!

It's Officially Summer Vacation!

valonda1@juno.com (Valonda L.) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:54:00 +0000

In celebration of Matt (my husband) and Hannah (my daughter) finishing their last days of school, here is a refreshing, summery card for you.

This card was created by stamping all the oranges, masking them, then stamping the background. I love this background stamp by Kodomo Inc. The stamp is only 1 5/8" square, but it is so well designed that it is easy to line up the edges and create a seamless background.

Supplies used:
Kodomo Inc. - Oranges (Suiboku: Sumie-E 002),
Backgrounds (Asian Background I and Asian Background II)
Impression Obsession - Relax and Enjoy stamp
Tsukineko - Tuxedo Black Momento Ink
Judikins - Eclipse Masking Tape
Kraft Card (4 1/4" x 5 1/2")
Pink Cardstock
Button Brads (unknown)

New at Kodomo Inc.

valonda1@juno.com (Valonda L.) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 16:16:00 +0000

Kodomo Inc. has posted a couple of new project ideas designed by yours truly. Head over to Kodomo's website to check it out.

Night Pier Card

valonda1@juno.com (Valonda L.) — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 15:01:00 +0000

I received this beautiful stamp from Impression Obsession at a class I took in San Francisco. I finally made some time to play with it.

If you have any interest in learning how this card was made, continue reading this paragraph...if not, just skip down to the next one. I stamped the image 4 different times, once each on regular matte cardstock, acetate, brown cardstock, and glossy white cardstock. The sky and sand were colored using Distress Ink and the Blending Tool. The shiny water was cut out of the acetate, and was colored using Aqua and Pearl Mixative Alcohol Inks. The pearlized quality didn't really show much in the photo, but is really neat in real life. The pier itself was embossed with Distress Embossing Powder before being cut out and layered over the other pieces. Lastly, the moon and the shell were painted using various new Light and Bright colors of Ranger Alcohol Ink. I used Matte Accents over the outside of the shell to make it more like a real shell...just the "inside" remains shiny.

We have been enjoying life around here lately. Up until a couple days ago, weather was sunny and beautiful. We were getting some important jobs done around here, like replanting our lawn. Now the storms and rain we are getting are giving the new grass some important time to establish itself, and it's starting to actually look like a lawn again. As I sit here, the birds are greeting each other very noisily as they feast on worms.

School is winding down, end of the year parties and field trips are in full swing, and Hannah is loving all of the extra excitement. We'll see how she handles summer at home this year. I have a feeling she'll be good and ready when school starts again in the fall.

Noah...well he is spending all of his time and energy growing. Seriously, like a weed! One day none of his pants fit (luckily he had some shorts, and it was warm weather), then shortly after that most of his shoes didn't fit anymore. When I went to measure his feet, he had skipped a size and I had to buy him size 10's. Hannah had times where she suddenly grew too, but not the extreme growth spurts that Noah has. A couple days ago I went and bought him size 4 jeans, and when he wore them yesterday, they really didn't look big on him at all. How can watching your kids grow up make you so proud and so sad at the same time?

Chatterbox and more

valonda1@juno.com (Valonda L.) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 17:06:00 +0000

Hi everyone!
I'm back from a fantastic trip to San Francisco. I was privileged to travel with Stampin' Cat Studios fabulous owner, Lisa, to a trade show.

We had a great time attending classes by some of my favorite companies, getting familiar with some products that were either new, or new to me, and spending lots of money (mostly Stampin' Cat Studio's money...gotta' love helping someone else spend big).

My highlights of the trip: finally learning to work with Ten Seconds Studios products (LOVED it, by the way, yes, it will be showing up in class very soon), finally getting my hands on a new Alcohol Ink Fillable Pen, playing with the Copic Airbrush system, and playing around with some fabulous new product by Chatterbox.

We didn't know going into this class that the project was going to be a couple of scrapbook layouts. Now neither Lisa or I are scrapbookers, and we weren't really interested in making layouts. The teacher was so gracious to let us use the fabulous product from their new...well...Fabulous Collection to do our own thing.

Here are a couple of cards that I made during that class time. Let me just say, they named this collection appropriately for sure. I absolutely love it! It even has it's own stamp set! As well as an amazing set of die cuts...seriously, the picture on the link doesn't begin to do it justice. They are beautiful, and the cork die cuts...I don't even know what to say, they are so fun.

I had a blast playing with the products, and I hardly made a dent in it. I have so much left to play with, so be prepared to see some more of it in the coming months.

Everything on those two cards except for the twine, and the jump rings...oh, and the ink I stamped with, is from the Fabulous Collection by Chatterbox.Last but not least, check this out. Matt came home the other day and said, "get the camera, you have to see this rainbow." It must have just been perfect conditions, because I have lived in Oregon all my life, and have seen some beautiful rainbows, but this one was above and beyond. It was the most vibrant rainbow I have ever seen. Matt took the camera out and started snapping away. He got some really nice pictures. I just couldn't help thinking about how amazingly creative our God is. I'm glad God loves beautiful things too, I must take after Him.

Catching Up

valonda1@juno.com (Valonda L.) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 17:47:00 +0000

Well hi again everyone! This is going to be a random post, catching you up on what's been going on in my life recently. I realize spring break has been over for awhile now, but I'm just now getting to sharing with you what we did with our vacation.

We have some wonderful friends in California that welcomed us to their house for a whole week. We had a fabulous time with them, enjoying the wonderful sunshine, beaches, good food and bonus...visiting Disneyland and California Adventure. I thought I'd just include the above picture since this was the whole reason that our son was so excited to go on vacation! Lightning McQueen! Getting his picture taken with him, seeing him in the Pixar Play Parade, and getting a new Lightning McQueen toy made Noah's day...scratch that...the whole trip. He wasn't even smiling in the picture because he was just so in awe.

Next event: Noah started getting sick toward the end of our trip, and by the time we stopped at Matt's parents' house on our way home, Noah REALLY wasn't feeling well. He snuggled in with Daddy, and was content to just sit there and pet Poppa and Mommas new little kittens. This kitten in particular settled right in and seemed to enjoy just cuddling up.

Of course, Noah's sickness was followed by Hannah's sickness, which is followed by me currently loading up on Airborne in an attempt to avoid some not so pleasant symptoms on Easter.

I am supposed to be singing in 4 church services on Easter, and have all kinds of rehearsals coming up in the next couple of days, so I REALLY don't want to be sick. So far the Airborne seems to be helping. Or maybe it's the prayer...either way, I'll keep doing both.

In other exciting news: My sister Birdie just recently announced to the world that she is pregnant with her 3rd child!!! AND while we were on spring break my mom got ENGAGED! So it looks like this summer we will be having a wedding! It's so crazy to watch my mom enjoying new love, I hear myself telling her some of the same things she told me as I was dating and preparing to get married. So funny.

Ok, finally, I have gotten back into my craft room and created something. This was a bit of an experiment, and it was finished up last night when I was tired. I'm just saying... The experimental part was that I used a Copic Colorless Blender Pen and dipped it in my new light and bright colors of Ranger Alcohol Ink and used that to color in the image. My inexperience definitely shows, but I'll keep practicing.

The Tulip Girl stamp and the background stamp are both by Cornish Heritage Farms. The background is the new Distressed Circles Scrapblock. I LOVE it! I definitely see it becoming another "go-to" stamp in my collection.

Oh, just in case you want to know. The Tulip Girl was stamped with Tuxedo Black Momento Ink before being colored in. And the background was stamped on vellum and embossed with Tattered Rose Distress Embossing Powder...LOVE the great texture that the Distress Embossing Powders provide.

Oh, and the Trinkets Pin from the Ideaology line by Tim Holtz says "thoughts" on it. I liked how that went with the "Wishes" sentiment from the Expressions set by Hot Off The Press.

My goal at the beginning of the year was to post at least once a week, so sorry about the long wait for this post. But I'm sure you understand that family and home life have to be my first priority.

Blessings to you!

More Woodgrain

valonda1@juno.com (Valonda L.) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 21:37:00 +0000

I have been crazy busy this week, as shown by the fact that I haven't posted anything in over a week. This is one of 5 projects featured in my upcoming Wonderful Woodgrain class. The woodgrain elements lend themselves well to simple designs with clean lines and a modern, earthy feel.

The stamped images in this class are primarily by Hero Arts. They have some really great new stamp sets. I already bought several of their sets, but my wish list from their catalog is long.

valonda1@juno.com (Valonda L.) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 16:06:00 +0000

Good Morning everyone,

This morning I would like to draw your attention to a website that I visit almost daily...Craft Critique. If you are a crafter, product information is so helpful. Sometimes we really aren't sure which products are as good as they say they are, exactly what they are good for, etc. This site offers reviews of all sorts of craft products, by crafters just like you and I. I have found these to be very beneficial. In fact, I'll just tell you a little story.

I've been teaching a technique class in which I use the Palette Stamp n' Stick Gluepad. That was the only gluepad I had tried. I was satisfied with the results I was getting, so I stuck with that one. Well, back in October I read this review on The Essential Gluepad by Tsukineko. Based on that review I decided to give The Essential Gluepad a try. I love it. Both inkpads still have their place and I use them for different applications. The Cuttlebug Embossing Techniques Class that I teach now incorporates both of those gluepads and teaches students the very best applications for each inkpad.

I have had a link to the Craft Critique website on my blog ever since I discovered it (shortly after starting my own blog). But I know that with all the lists on the side, things can tend to get overlooked. I hope you will check it out, there is a lot of great information available that could save you money by helping you to make an informed decision when buying your crafting products, as well as helping you gain a better understanding of products you may already own.

Hero Arts Woodgrain Stamp

valonda1@juno.com (Valonda L.) — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 23:09:00 +0000

I've been playing with the new Woodgrain Pattern stamp by Hero Arts...SO FUN! Here I used Distress Inks to create this great "wood panel". I was very impressed with how realistic this looked.

The additional elements were both die cut out of Core'dinations Cardstock with Spellbinders dies.

This post is going to be short and sweet (as most of mine are) because I have a ton of things to do today, but I just wanted to share this with you.

Wonderful Woodgrain

valonda1@juno.com (Valonda L.) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 18:00:00 +0000

Lately I've been finding myself drawn to simplicity. Maybe it's the fact that my house has been feeling overwhelmingly cluttered lately, I don't know. But when I decided to teach a class incorporating the new woodgrain products that have been flooding the papercrafting market recently, simlicity seemed like the perfect fit for these intricate woodgrain patterns. The card you see here incorporates woodgrain patterned paper by Hambly Screenprints.

I'm glad I can easily simplify creatively, but I think I need professional help decluttering my house. Anyone want to volunteer???

Snow and Daffodils

valonda1@juno.com (Valonda L.) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 16:45:00 +0000

No I don't have any pictures of it, but yes, it is indeed snowing on the daffodils here in McMinnville. I am sure I've said it before (lol), but I love snow. It is just so magical how it covers up all the leafless trees and bare dirt, and turns them into something spectacularly beautiful. I realize this snow isn't going to be sticking around long, but I'm sure going to enjoy it while it lasts.

Meanwhile, I do have a picture to share with you.This is another of the quick and easy cards we will be creating in the Scripture Blessings class.
I love the beautiful fonts they used in this stamp set by Cornish Heritage Farms.

I hope you all have a wonderful day today!

Nestabilities Jewelry

valonda1@juno.com (Valonda L.) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 16:09:00 +0000

I've been loving making jewelry lately. This is one of several items that I made for a class coming up soon at Stampin' Cat in Salem. This bracelet is made with Shrink Plastic. I used the Nestabilities dies by Spellbinders to create the ovals. I love it as a bracelet, but have already decided that I am going to make a necklace that is just the same.

On a more personal note, illness has his our household again. It is really crazy. We are generally a pretty healthy family, so this winter has been really unusual for us. It seems like someone has been sick almost constantly. And I have definately had more than my fair share. It is making me really ready for some sunshine...I would LOVE to lay in the sun and soak up some rays.

Scripture Blessings Class

valonda1@juno.com (Valonda L.) — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 16:27:00 +0000

So, I am still going on this wonderful Scripture Essentials 1 set by Cornish Heritage Farms. I really do love this set, and am so thrilled that I get to teach a class using this set. March 7th at 1:00pm at Stampin' Cat Studio, will be the debute of this class. We will make 6 cards is 2 hours...or so...it might go a little over that. But unlike usual, I've actually kept the cards in this class fairly simple, so we could make more of them. The cards you see above are some of the cards we will be making in that class. I really am excited about this class, and I hope that you will join me if you live in the area.

Matthew 11:28

valonda1@juno.com (Valonda L.) — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 19:01:00 +0000

I love this verse, what a great word of encouragement. The design of todays card was formed by the words of the verse itself. When I think of calming, relaxing, and restful colors and designs, for me the delicate simplicity of Asian design is what comes to mind. So I chose a muted blue for the cardstock color, embossed the one end with a simple twig design, then stamped the Asian floral image with VersaMark ink before adding the verse.

Supplies:
Stamps - Scripture Essentials 1 set (Cornish Heritage Farms) , Kamon clear stamp set (Kodomo Inc.)
Ink - VersaMark
Cardstock - Black Linen, Gulf (Bazzill)
Other - Forest Branches Cuttlebug Embossing Folder (ProvoCraft), Black Distress Embossing Powder (Ranger Industries), Black Ribbon, Black Brad

Framed

valonda1@juno.com (Valonda L.) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 16:51:00 +0000

Can you find the verse on this card? Still going with the Scripture Essentials 1 set by Cornish Heritage Farms. I stamped the verse on the little bird, then stamped it again on the inside. You might have to click on the image in order to see the it very clearly. Unfortunately there was no sun in Oregon today which made photographing this card a bit challenging. I forgot to take a picture of the inside, it says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight. -Proverbs 3:5-6

The self-adhesive white paper lace is by Creative Imaginations. I love that stuff, it is great for inking up to match whatever your doing as well as leaving as is. I just wish they sold packs that were all white. The pack I have is some white, some black. It's great, but as much as I love to alter things, I would LOVE a pack that was all white, ready to be altered.

Oh, and the background image is the Climbing Leaves Backgrounder also by Cornish Heritage Farms. I stamped it with VersaMark ink and embossed with white embossing powder.

It took me forever to figure out what I needed for a finishing touch on this card. After sorting through all of my embellishments, I finally ended up with a Metal Art Frame by K&Co.

I hope you guys don't get sick of this scripture set, because I've only used 3 of the verses so far, and I have 5 more to go.

More Scripture Essentials

valonda1@juno.com (Valonda L.) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 23:56:00 +0000

I have several friends and family members who are anticipating big changes in their lives right now or very soon, so I am not sure which friend this first notebook is going to. I'll just have to make some more. Besides I want one for myself.

The notebook is 5" square, and is filled with plain white paper. The design and sentiment were embossed with Black Soot Distress Embossing Powder. I stamped with VersaMark Ink rather than the Distress Embossing Ink because I didn't want to be able to rub off any of the release crystals, I just wanted the rough texture that this embossing powder provides.

When I finished making this I was trying to decide whether it needed anything else or not, and I decided, no, I like the simplicity. It allows the simple truth of the verse to be the focus. Thank God for that truth!

Supplies:
Paper Products: Heavy Black Chipboard, Gulf Cardstock (Bazzill), and White text weight paper
Stamps: Scripture Essentials 1 (Cornish Heritage Farms) , Botanicals (Hot Off the Press)
Ink: VersaMark (Tsukineko)
Tools: Bind-It-All Machine (Zutter)
Other: Distress Embossing Powder (Ranger), Labels Two Nestabilities Dies (Spellbinders), Black 3/4" Binding Wire (Zutter)

Scripture Essentials

valonda1@juno.com (Valonda L.) — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 20:42:00 +0000

I finally have in my hand the new stamp set that I have been most anticipating, the Scripture Essentials 1 set by Cornish Heritage Farms.

And guess what, notice the "1" at the end of that title. I'm assuming that means there will be more scripture sets coming, yeah!

Anyway, the yellow paper was created by stamping the Canvas Backgrounder (CHF) with Lemonade Pigment Ink (Ranger), then adding Scattered Straw Distress Ink (Ranger). I finished it off by spraying it with a mixture of Perfect Gold Perfect Pearls and water, although shimmer doesn't really show in the picture.

Supplies:
Cardstock: MatteKote (Judikins) and Black
Ink: Jet Black Archival, Lemonade Pigment Ink, and Scattered Straw Distress Ink (Ranger)
Stamps: Scripture Essentials 1, Silhouette Blooms 1, and Canvas Backgrounder (Cornish Heritage Farms)
Dies: Curved Rectangles Mega Nestabilities (Spellbinders)
Other: White Opal Liquid Pearls (Ranger), White Tulle, Self-Adhesive Pearl (K&Co.), Perfect Gold Perfect Pearls (Ranger)

Igloo Boy

valonda1@juno.com (Valonda L.) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 23:15:00 +0000

I haven't done a scrapbook page in a really long time, but this picture was to cute not to do something special with. Noah had been out in the snow helping Daddy and the neighbors build this igloo for quite awhile so when it was finally finished he just took a rest inside and looked out at me so sweetly. Seriously, who could resist that smile.

Vintage Collage Card

valonda1@juno.com (Valonda L.) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 21:17:00 +0000

It's so interesting how the mind works. For example, the creative process of this card. Can you guess where this card started?

Believe it or not, it all started with the striped piece of cardstock that I had die cut a month ago to use on a project and then didn't end up using. I have a drawer that I put things in that have been stamped, die cut, inked, etc. then not used, or projects that I just couldn't finish to my satisfaction, so they got put away for a later time. Anyway, this was in my drawer, and I love it, so I decided I'd better put it to use. This paper is "Sisters" Stripe Paper (Wild Asparagus) from My Mind's Eye. I absolutely LOVE their Wild Asparagus papers...love, love, love. Anyway...

My next step was to choose color that went with it, then go through all of my embellishments, stamps, and other items to find things that fit the mood I was going for with this card. I just pull a bunch of stuff out, then as the idea starts to form, things that don't fit get put back away and pared down until I like what I've got left.

This card, however, didn't really start to come together until I started looking through my collage images. The flower image on the side is what made it all start to turn into something in my mind. The collage images are from the Vintage School Days Collage Pack by Tweety Jill. This was my first time using them, and they are great. Really nice, useable images.

For those who are interested, here is the complete list of
Supplies:
Labels One (Nestabilities Dies) Spellbinders
Vintage School Days Collage Pack (Tweety Jill)
"Sisters" Stripe Paper (Wild Asparagus) My Mind's Eye
Cardstock: Gulf (Bazzill), Textured Cayenne (Paper Accents), Cocoa
Ink: Walnut Stain Distress Ink (Ranger), VersaMark (Tsukineko)
Stamps: Foliate Quad Cube (Stampendous),
Flourishes set and Card Sentiments set (Crafty Secrets)
Dark Brown Marvy Memories Marker
Self-Adhesive Paper Lace (Narratives by Karen Russell) Creative Imaginations
Antique Silver Paper Fastener (7 Gypsies)
Claudine Hellmuth Sticky-Back Canvas (Ranger)
Velvet Flower (Maya Road)
Antique Silver Brad

Butterfly Card

valonda1@juno.com (Valonda L.) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 16:56:00 +0000

I recently came across this wonderful stuff, copper fabric. The coolest stuff ever. I had just purchased the Nesting Butterflies Die set by Spellbinders, and it looked like a match made in heaven. So I cut the copper fabric using the medium sized Nested butterfly, and then used the Floral Screen Cuttlebug Embossing Folder to add some texture to it. I love the airy, sort of ethereal, look it has. I used some thin copper wire to attach it to a piece of copper sheeting and turn it into a bookmark.

Some extra copper sheeting was used to create the “Flights of Fancy” embellishment using the top part of the Curved Rectangle die by Spellbinders. The wording is stamped with a saying from the Vintage Butterflies set by Cornish Heritage Farms, and is embossed with copper embossing powder.

I used the same "Flights of Fancy" sentiment as well as another stamp from the same set, "Effortless Beauty", to create the embossed background.

I cut out two Curved Rectangles and tore the top off of one of them to create a pocket for the bookmark to rest in...a card and a little gift all at the same time.

Supplies:
Spellbinders Dies: Curved Rectangles (Mega Nestabilities)
Nested Butterflies (Shapeabilities)
Cardstock: Textured Cayenne (Paper Accents)
Destination London (Bazzill)
white (unknown)
Copper Mesh Fabric - Amaco
copper wire
copper sheet metal
Antique Glass Beads - Mill Hill
Cuttlebug Folders - Floral Screen, Swiss Dots
Red Lace (Rusty Pickle)
Decorative Brad (JoAnns)
Stamps: Vintage Butterflies set (The Saturday Evening Post) - Cornish Heritage Farms
VersaMark Ink (Tsukineko)
Copper Detail Embossing Powder
Crop-a-Dile

Butterfly Mobile

valonda1@juno.com (Valonda L.) — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 18:11:00 +0000

As soon as I bought the Spellbinders Nested Butterfly die set, I knew that one of the first things I wanted to do was make a mobile for my daughter Hannah’s room. She is the ultimate girly girl, so I made her mobile very delicate, feminine and full of bling. The Spellbinders Scalloped Circles are cut out of transparency sheets, and the designs are stamped with The Essential Glue Pad and glittered with fine Vintage Glass Glitter. As they float around the sparkle coming off of them is just mesmerizing. It was hard to really capture the beauty in a picture though.
The main elements of the mobile are 16 acetate scalloped circles, 10 die cut butterflies, and a FUNdamental Swanky Frame by Technique Tuesday. I wrapped the Swanky Frame with tulle to soften the look, and added some butterflies and flowers.

The butterflies were made of a fine Thai Kozo paper, and sprayed with a mixture of Rangers' Adirondack Color Wash, Perfect Pearls, and water, before being stamped with VersaMark Ink to add a subtle design. I also sprayed sheer white ribbon to match the butterflies, and used it to tie the butterflies onto the mobile.I just love their little antennae...fishing line tipped with Glossy Accents and dipped in the Vintage Glass Glitter for just a bit of sparkle.

Hannah was so excited to hang it up in her room! “Mommy, it’s beautiful!” makes it so worth going over the top with all the sparkle and bling. Now the question is, will it help her sleep in on Saturday morning?