Papers N Pixels Club

October is my turn to decorate our Club's window in the Pioneer Center (our big recreation center here in  Sun City).  Here's what I did!   I love it!

"front" from the hallway

"Front" f rom the Craft room side.

Poinsettia Sprite_Aurora Wings

The adorable Poinsettia Sprite is the centerpiece of this top fold card.  She is colored in Prismacolor Pencils, and finished with  Wink of Stella and some gold and bright blue stickles and Nuvo clear drops  The Sentiment is from Just  Rite Stamps collection Elegant Christmas Swirls (AG02052)   The idea is "partial die cut" for the top of the card, but it is hand cut-not die cut  only because I had not positioned the image correctly when I printed it (so the image didn't end up stamped on the top fold of the card to be cut away.  Papers are SU real red and whisper white.

Post It projects

This is "round one" of several projects I will be making for sale at the Sun  City Craft Fair in November. These are created with Hero Arts Layering Owl Die, with Botanical Blooms (SU) Cotage  Cutz Owls on a Branch. and others.  The little pens are Bazic Keychain ballpoint pens.  Tip.  Get Post its at Costco.  The ones from Amazon are nice, but half as thick, so they need to be doubled up for this particular project. (All are genuine Post Its)  There is a friendship saying stamped on the first sheet of each project.  "Friendship is not a big thing, it's a million little things"  Some have embossed fronts, and silhouettes (the elephant) as the artpiece topper and some have holographic ek success owl stickers.  

Happy Halloween

Tim Holtz amazing Witchcraft (and cat) die (662386)are the focus of this Hallowee'n card.  The mat is created by brushing distress ink on the deep embossing of the   Sizzix Textured Impressions Prism  Geometrics 3D Embossing Folder (661951)  Paper colors are SU Cajun Craze and black.  Little Ghost stickers are from Pop-ups-etc (starform stiickers) and the Happy Halloween sentiment is from Teeny  Tiny Wishes by SU.  There's a tiny bit of black Wink of Stella on the hat and broom.

Using Shimmery Goodness and Su Stencils for the bricks and clouds. Little bat is a sticker from PopUps Etc.

Warm Winter Wishes

I created this card for our dear friends who are moving to Pennsylvania soon.  We will miss our wonderful weekly lunches, and the wonderful times, and the sad ones too,  we've shared.  Friendship isn't a big thing--it's a Million Little Things--part of the inside sentiment for the card with a Miran's drawing of Warm Winter Wishes.  She is done in Prismacolor pencils and finished with a snowflake border brushed with Nuvo Glimmer paste.  Wink of Stella, snow glitter, 3d Crystal glaze, and other accents are on the card.  She is mounted on SU gray and soft green paper.

Good Luck and Love, 

Donny and Sylvia!

The Cardinal Sprite by Aurora Wings

This little Cardinal Sprite is trudging through the snow with a precious stick he found for his lady. He is created for the Challenge #57 where we were to Crop a graphic.  I Cropped (well, I hid) one of his feet behind a snowbank, but cropped away his sprig of Holly, and used part of the cropped holly for the corner embellishment.  The rest of the holly sprig is on the inside of the card with the greeting. The sentiment will either say Merry Everything, or Home for Christmas, (or something else! on acetate on the bottom edge).  The sweet little Cardinal Sprite is colored in Prismacolor Pencils and accented with 3d Crystal Glaze on his beak.  Eyes are enamel dots.  The background is a soft winter scene created in Photoshop, over soft gray card base, and the snowdrifts are from the "Jingle all the Way" stamp and die set by SU The snow drifts are textured with  glitter snow that I have mixed a little very light grey reinker into, and then handpainted the texture onto the snowdrifts. 

Do you know the legends and meaning and symbolism of a cardinal?  The notions that cardinals are messengers of Spirit exists across many cultures.  The word is derived from Latin cardo (hinge or axis) Like a hinge on the door a cardinal is the hinge on the doorway between the Earthly world and the Spirit world, carrying messages back and forth.  The cardinal is associated with myths and traditions that surround renewal, good health, happy relationships, monogamy and protection.  Looking at the life of a cardinal, it's easy to see why good associations are connected to it.  Cardinals mate for life, they are non-migratory birds, so they stay in their same area all of their lives, protecting their turf.  After their eggs hatch both parents work together to assure the good health, welfare and security of their little family.  
Things with wings get our attention and some think things with wings (butterflies, owls, birds, dragonflies, storks, albatross, etc)  are messengers from Heaven.  So maybe seeing a cardinal means that your loved ones are around and that you are being heard and guidance you seek is forthcoming.  Fun history and meaning of the little Sprite Mitzi sighted and shared for us.!

Blankets for the Grandest

I knit blankets this year for both the Grandchildren in College. Ryan is a Junior at So Vermont College in Bennington VT, and Georgia is a Freshman at UCSB in Santa Barbara, CA.  Ryans is a forest green and Georgia's is fisherman.  

Georgia's card

The blankets were the same pattern, but different colors

Ryan's Card

Lady Butterfly---Mitzi Sato Wiuff

Aurora Wings has come up with two new PHENOMENAL graphics to color--Lady Butterflies.  This is Lady Butterfly 2, and she's done for the  Aurora Wings Challenge #57.  The challenge is to crop a graphic and create with the cropped image.
 I wish there was some way to catch the glimmer in this beautiful beautiful card.  The Butterfly is colored with prismacolor pencils then some iridescent glitter is very very finely attached to parts of her wings.   The flowers and gossimer leaves are touched with glitter pen and with glaze pens.  The Stitched  Rectangle Mats, have a very light line of glitter shaken (and glued) onto the stitching created with the Memory Box Wrapped Stitch Rectangles. Tiny butterflies are dipped in holographic EP and are from punches and from embosslits.  Paper mats are SU Wisteria Wonder and Mint Macaron, both very soft soft pastels.  LOVE THIS CARD!  No sentiment chosen yet for it!

Detail

Autumn Sprite Thinking of You

This is a bubble Shaker Card with punched maple leaves and sequins in the shaker.  I cannot remember where I got the oval window plastic bubble front card but I have had it for several years, and just put it to work with the Autumn Sprite.  The Sprite by Aurora  Wings (Mitzi Sato-Wiuff) is colored in prismacolor pencils, and touched with clear  Wink of Stella.  The leaf is from Gina  K Designs Autumn Leaves Mini Stamp TV kit and the sticker is from Popups Etc.  

Gina K Stitched Leaves Welcomes Autumn

This card is based on dies and stamps that are found in the Gina K Stitched Leaves Mini Kit that she demonstrated on Stamp TV recently.  An Emagination punched oak leaf and a tiny maple leaf punch by Studio G provide the other leaves that are colored with distress oxides, gold Wink of Stella, 3D Crystal glaze, and brown glitter pens.  Gold leafing is adhered with Tim Holtz Multi Media adhesive and the background is Weathered by Taylored Expressions.  Inks are distress oxide, distress ink, Autumn Leaves and Desert Heat Kaleidacolors, Memento Tuxedo black and Versamark. Paper is SU Crushed Curry and white.

Autumnal Equinoz  Friday September September 22 at 1:02 Pacific Time

This one was a BLAST to do.  It is an acrylic front, easel card with Gina K. stitched leaves, Spellbinders Leaves dieset, the bigz autumn leaves dies, and a couple of punches.  I've used metallic washi embossed, distress oxide and distress ink, Rich Kaleidacolor in Autumn Leaves and Summer heat, a beautiful embossing folder by Darice filled with autumn leaves and swirls.    Hello is cut from Little Hello Halo  in natural, and the Autumn tag welcoming autumn and F INALLY cooler weather after the hottest summer ever. That's a script called "Hello"
 I have creased the acrylic so that the floating hello medallion is multi positionable with at least three stops.  The main paper color is SU cajun craze.  Wink of Stella and a couple of rhinestones finish the easel card.

Happy Thirtieth Birthday Ross!

Our oldest grandson turns thirty today.   That is almost beyond comprehension for both me and Patsy--(his mother!)--And we are overjoyed that in his 30th year, he will marry his sweetheart, Briana Cox.   

                                                                        

 Where have the years gone?  

Anyway---Grandpa and I wish you the BEST and MOST fantastic birthday ever as you enter this wonderful decade of your life, Ross.  A year of change, and excitement and a world of dreams coming true await you!  

The easel card has a little calendar on it, and a gift card tucked inside the envelope that is inside the card.  Spellbinders "leaves" dies,  Bark paper designed by Karen Schulz in her kit "Apple of my Eye"  The branch is part of the tree from Hero Arts "Thorntree" dieset,  Birthday sentiment is from Just Rite "Fancy Sentiments" and the laser cut wooden owl is by Recollections.  Tiny leaves are handcut. The artpiece background is Distress Oxide spritzed with Shimmer Mist and water on natural cardstock (SU).

Pumpkin Sprite

The little pumpkin sprite with her trick or treat bag ready, was created in prismacolor pencils, and placed behind a stitched oval acrylic window over distress ink sponged neutral paper.  The card top is the letterpress technique using distress inks on the Darice Autumn swirls EF.  The tiny maple and ash leaves are the negative cuts from Memory Box Leaf collage distress inked and veined with a chocolate glimmer pen.  She is created for the Aurora Wings Challenge #56  Anything  goes.  

Lavinia Snowflake Ornament

This card is just gorgeous ---and does not photograph well at all!  The picture catches NONE of the sparkle that richly finishes this card.
I used the Memory Box Lavinia Snowflake Ornament die as an embosser, where I had heatset sparkling clear embossing powder into the LINES of the embossing.  The ornament itself is worked with Metallic Colorburst (turquoise) over texture created by very carefully monitoring where some sparkle EP got heatset.  The embossed snowflakes are worked with Wink of Stella, 3d crystal Glaze, white Posco Pen, Glitter Gel pens and rhinestones. Peace is from the  Spellbinders dieset and is cut with glitter washi paper. Splatter is with the metallic turquoise, and accented with white gel pen, Nuvo dots, and tiny rhinestones (silver and Turquoise.)  The basic embossing a die technique was taught by Jennifer McGuirk in her video "Embossed Impressions."  Next time I try this technique it will be with gold EP as she demonstrated the sparkle clear EP does not provide enough line definition.  Ribbon is 1/8 inch Tempo silver and white ribbon.

Acorn Sprite---announcing

The little Acorn Sprite by Mitzi Sato Wiuff, joins digital scrapbooking artwork by Snickerdoodle Designs by Karen (autum harvest border, to announce the fall "kick-off" Hoot for my Sun City  Sunbreros Red Hatters.
The little Acorn Sprite has on a red hat and purple bloomers.   She is colored in Prismacolor pencils, scanned and printed.

She's part of the "Anything Goes" Challenge #55 at Aurora Wings as we welcome back our "snowbird" red hatters in the Sun City Sunbreros Red Hat Chapter.

Gina Kay---Wise Owls

WHOOOO?  Me?  have an owl or two.  These were created with the adorable Gina K Wise Owls stampset, with papers from "Apple of my Eye"  (modified) created by Snickerdoodle Designs by Karen.   They were colored with copics and accented with rhinestones and colored glitter pens. Just as cute as can be.  See the techniques video HERE on Gina K's  Stamp TV for the release of these stamps.

Happy Birthday, Donny

Wishing our dear friend, Don K, a wonderful year ahead!  So many changes, so much to look forward to and so many treasured memories.  

I love how this card turned out. (one of my alltime favorites)  I did a shadow box onto the black mat with one of the maple leaves, and used background paper designed by Snickerdoodle designs by Karen.  Leaves are diecut from the Spellbinders Leaves S2-199 and burnished with both distress oxide and distress inks, and some are spritzed with clear Shimmer.   Rhinestones and the Birthday Sentiment cut with Avery Elle "sentimental" die.  Leaf Stickers are Jolees. Punched oak leaves are Emagination punch.

Calleen's Cupcake

I made this little cupcake out of  a cup and styrofoam 1/2 ball, mica flakes, designer paper, and ribbon roses for my friend.  It turned out very cute, but not as much fun to make as the cupcake treat boxes.  I was "out of time!!!!"

Celebrate!

This birthday card uses part of the WPlus9 "Kind Soul Stamp". This large stamp was used in my recent class to demonstrate watercolor resist techniques.  The OTHER part of the large stamp can be seen on this card  I used the techniques and ideas (and measurements) shared by Sandi MacIver in her tutorial today on where she used the new SU stampset  "Count my Blessings" to show embossed watercolor resist techniques.  
I heat embossed the Kind Soul stamp with black EP, and then used drops of reinker to color the flowers and leaves for the fussy cut artpiece.  Today I created a watercolor paper mat with drops of SU Really Rust and Crushed Curry reinkers..  I heat-set each color before adding the second (or more colors).  The mat is adhered to black cardstock and that to SU Cajun Craze card base. The diecut "Celebrate" is from Avery Elle "Sentimental" Dieset.  Final accents are transparent sequins, glitter stippling and 3d crystal glaze.  

Peaceful Dove

Wrong order----well---just means another order.  This is the peaceful dove by Memory box, but it is the Collage die, not the one that just says craft die. So I'm not the happiest crafter in the west today. Especially because I even had to wait for "out of stock" for this one.  It is my least favorite new die, but I think when the outline comes in this will make the most stunning card there could be.  
While I wait for the one that will INSET into this "frame" that the collage makes, the one called craft die!----Here's first card.  This uses Spellbinders Peace die from the     S2-120 Holiday set.  

This cutout is mounted on washi glitter paper.  The artpiece is brushed with three colors of distress ink, on smoky slate paper, spritzed with water, then respritzed with shimmer mist finally finished with gelly roll clear star pen accents, and silver wink of stella over the Peace cutout which was cut from shiny photo paper.   Learned a couple of things for next time.  Use Nuvo Glimmer paste on the background paper, not washi glitter paper (too coarse) Heat Emboss Peace with silver EP, don't cut out of gloissy photopaper which would separate if heated. lightly texture artpiece before cutting then rerun the texture through to flatten --LIKE Hero Arts Dots# 5 (658285) or Texture Fades 661008 by Tim Holtz.  But if you don't try things (and record what was unsatisfactory about the project--you don't "live and learn." 

And now the peaceful dove outline is here and the ollage cna be built up a little differently. This  card has the Hero Arts Dots#5 Embossing Folder touched on top with heat-set snow marker by Uchida. This is worked on basic gray and a slate gray paper on a white card base.  Peace and the bird are cut from shimmer white paper.

 This is Aleene's Glitter Snow carefully spread with a light touch palette knife over Tim Holtz Texture Fades 66108 EF after it was embossed. IT is very glimmery..  The holly leaves are a tiny corner punch very subtly here and here are touches of glitter gel pen.

  This one is the Hero Arts Dots folder all raised areas are glitter pen touched, a few silver and gold and white glitter paper stars, and the dove mounted on gold varigated foil paper

Fall Fluries

Here are the start of some Autumn Cards.  Graphics are by Valentina on the painted ones, and by Sassy  Studios on the Little Autumn prismacolor pencilled graphic.  Happy Thanksgiving in copper embossed on vellum and is from SU Teeny Tiny wishes.

Detail with Ranger Enamel Dots, gelly roll pen, and Posca White.

The autumn leaves diecut in the card below is "Autumn Moments" by Amy Design (amazon).  It is cut from gold washi paper (and it was REALLY awful to get the release backing off it...will NOT cut with the  Washi metallics anything so detailed again).  The die cuts beautifully on standard carsdstock. The background is distress oxide spritzed and shimmered, and the oval dies are stitched borders by Spellbinders

The background in this one below is "smoosh" technique on watercolor paper using distress inks in autumn colors  Again a Valentina artpiece, and stitched oval  mounted on SU Chocoloate chip

SU Chocolate chip cardstock and copper lines and copper accented silver turkey  (from Pop-Ups-Etc), 

These two cards uses a Darice "Fall Leaves Swirl"  Embossing folder and distress oxide inks to create the backgrounds. The top one also has wink of stella (clear )in all of the de bossed areas. Artpiece is mounted on crushed curry and saffron paper. The Hello is Little Halo Hello by Memory box, and the U is from a dieset by SU called "Label Card"

Below the debossed area is the inked area again with oxide inks, a metallic oval cut from stitched ovals and finished with mulberry paper leaves inked and colored with nuevo glitter paste. Rhinestone and ribbon finish that artpiece layered onto gold foil paper and mounted on white cardstock