PLAYING CATCH UP

     Where, oh where, has September gone?  I can't believe I haven't posted or created anything during September until today, which is the beginning of AUTUMN.  We started off the month by driving to Backbone State Park (near Strawberry Point, IA) on Labor Day (Sept. 2) for the Mock Cousin's Reunion.  We arrived at the park nice and early, but by the time we found the Beach Shelter, we were about an hour past lunch time.  We didn't know about a third park entrance and found out that almost everyone else had a problem finding the Beach Shelter.  It turned out OK, but was rather frustrating!  There were 6 cousins there along with spouses.  It was a beautiful day after having a heat wave!
     Irv attended his retiree's luncheon on Wed., Sept.4, and REC Day on the 5th.  We drove to Story City, IA on the 6th, where we stayed at the Comfort Inn overnight.  We went out to dinner that night with 3 other couples, Irv's sisters and brother and their spouses.  The next day, we helped Irv's brother Bill celebrate his 80th birthday, along with about 50 of Bill and Zola's family members.  It was quite a group, and we all enjoyed a very nice luncheon followed by a picture-taking session and then birthday cake. 
     We haven't done very much of note the rest of the month, but it has just flown by anyway.  We did see a couple of good movies, "Blue Jasmine" and "Breakfast at Tiffany's", an oldie but a goodie, that neither of us had seen before.
     We are having some rather cool but beautiful weather, so will have to get out and about this week and enjoy it.  I need to get my creative juices flowing again, so maybe I need to go pumpkin hunting?  The picture of the two little scarecrows was taken in LeClaire, IA a couple of years ago, so maybe I need to see what they have decorating their main street this year.
                          

DREAMING OF PARIS

     "My Steamer Trunk", the current Frilly and Funkie Challenge  opens up many paths and I decided to focus on a dream trip to Paris for my card.  The elegant Victorian woman on my card has her steamer trunk packed and is ready to embark on her great adventure. 
     I decided to basically go with a monochromatic color theme and used two stamps from the Tim Holtz "Paris to London" set to add images to a piece of French Industrial Paper for the card background which I mounted on a piece of black cardstock.  Next, I added a vintage looking postcard image which I distressed.  A die cut black flourish was added along with a beautiful purchased silk flower embellished with a stick pin.  Finally, I "popped" the elegant Victorian woman, which I tinted with Zig Brushables and fussy cut.  I am entering my card in the Frilly and Funkie Challenge at
http://frillyandfunkie.blogspot.com/2013/08/my-steamer-trunk.html                                      

     Once again, thank you for stopping by and I hope everyone enjoys their visit.  Comments are also greatly appreciated. 
        

CARNIVAL OR CIRCUS?  BOTH ARE FUN!

     Labor Day will soon be here and once again the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will be appearing in our area over the long Labor Day weekend.  The best part is that we are going!  The theme this year is "Dragons", so there should be some wonderful costumes as well as performances.  When I saw that the theme for the Simon Says Monday Challenge was "Carnival" I decided to do a "Circus" tag, as I think they both have a lot in common and I remembered that I had a beautiful piece of 9" x 9" circus paper by Tim Holtz from 2005 in my stash. 
     I selected a #10 kraft tag for my base and decided to stencil the background with a Wendy Vecchi diamond shape stencil using black Memento Ink.  Next, I cut apart the circus paper, selecting different images to tape to my tag.  Finally, I used the Tim Holtz/Sizzix die to cut a rosette from black Kraft-Core paper.  After assembling the rosette, I attached it to the tag for a nice finishing touch!  This was a really fast and fun tag to make. 
     I am entering this tag in the "Carnival" Challenge and I hope you enjoy it.  Thanks for stopping by and leaving your comments.
     http://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/mondaychallenge/

"BY THE SEASIDE"

     Finally, I'm back to playing with some of my favorite things and have created an entry for the current Frilly and Funkie Challenge, "By the Seaside".  While I don't live by the sea, I do live just a couple of miles from the mighty Mississippi River and in fact, was out on the river last week for a ride on the Channel Cat Water Taxi, with my husband and a few other people who decided to enjoy the beautiful summer day by cruising the river.  The ride touches the shores of both Iowa and Illinois and provides great views as well as the opportunity to board and depart at four different places.  Now, on to my project!
     To begin with, I cut a piece of watercolor paper approx. 5" x 7" and colored it with Tim Holtz Distress Inks using pieces of artist sponge.  The sky is colored with Stormy Sky, Weathered Wood, and Milled Lavender; the sea is Bundled Sage and Stormy Sky; the cliff is Pumice Stone and Black Soot; the sand is Frayed Burlap which I then covered with Embossing ink and embossed using a mixture of Vintage Photo and Old Paper Distress Embossing Powder to give it the look and feel of actual sand.  I used two of my new Tim Holtz stencils, Burlap and Splatter to give some texture to the sea and the cliff.
     I fussy cut the image of the boy from a copy of a vintage post card I found at the Graphics Fairy and "popped" him with one foot behind an added layer of sand to give the appearance of dimension.  Lastly, I added an assortment of small seashells and a one inch bottle with a message in it.
      I have entered this project in the  Frilly and Funky Challenge.
          http://frillyandfunkie.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/by-seaside.html

Thanks for stopping by -- your comments are always appreciated.

                                                                                                

CREATIVITY ON HIATUS . . .

     I think my creativity went out the door along with my 35 yr. old harvest gold refrigerator and range, as I haven't created anything since then.  The refrigerator died July 27 (something we didn't realize until the next morning) and since it had lived for double it's normal life expectancy, it was time to replace it.  Since the range was just as old and the microwave part hadn't worked for years, I decided we should replace it too.  Well, as I already knew, they don't make them like they used to and since we needed next day delivery, I made some fast decisions.  I went "modern" with a glass top range and we now have a much bigger refrigerator with a "bottom" freezer which doesn't hold as much as our older top freezer.  And they are now "white".  After reading all of the instructions for using the glass top range, I found that some of my favorite pans (glass) were not to be used.  Now I also have beautiful new Circulon pans, including a new roasting pan!  I guess we're never too old to start over!  
     There are a couple of Challenges I want to enter and I have some new Tim Holtz stencils I can't wait to use, so I guess I'd better pack up my old pots and pans and get them to the Salvation Army.  Maybe then my creativity will return!   
                                                                                      

"RUSTY GEARS"

     It's a beautiful, unusual Sunday here in our little corner of Iowa -- it's sunny and only 70 degrees, which is pretty cool for a high temperature in July.  We've had two mornings in a row with temps only in the 50's and I'm not complaining!  It's much better than heat and humidity.  Now on to my latest project which I'm entering into two different challenges, one with a "rust" theme and the other has "captured moments" as a theme, hence the photograph. 
     I started with a #10 tag which I sponged with Antique Linen Distress Ink, stenciled with Rusty Hinge Distress Ink, and antiqued around the edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.  I stamped the three gents (a Tim Holtz stamp) with black Memento Ink.  The photograph is of my handsome great-grandfather who is sporting a moustache.  I edged the photo and bottom of the tag with Tim Holtz tissue tape as an accent. To carry out the "rust" theme, I cut gears with Tim Holtz dies, and embossed them with Stoney Red and Ultra Thick Copper Embossing Powders (brand unknown).  The moustache was also a die cut and embossed with Black Soot Embossing Powder a Tim Holtz product.  I really had fun creating this card, which probably took me more out of more comfort zone than anything I've done before.  I'm trying to "loosen up" and get more funky and frilly!
     This tag is entered in challenges at the following websites:
           sandee-and-amelie.blogspot.co.uk/
           ourcreativecorner6.blogspot.co.at/

                   

     Thanks for stopping by.  Comments are always appreciated!










      

"CAPTURED MEMORIES" 

     When I discovered the challenge with the theme "Captured Memories" requiring the use of a photograph, at Our Creative Corner, I knew exactly what photograph I wanted to use.  I absolutely love the photograph of my grandmother, Agnes, and her sister, Clara, which was taken by a professional photographer in the late 1800's.  The quality of the photo amazes me and I think their dresses and hats are so elegant.  My grandmother married a farmer, so she seldom dressed like that after she was married, although I do have later pictures of her wearing "jaunty" hats when she was dressed in her "Sunday best".
     I wanted to achieve an elegant look, so I choose to cut a gold cardstock frame for the photograph, using the Sizzix Ornate Oval Frame die.  I mounted the framed photo on a piece of watercolor paper I had sponged with Antique Linen Distress Ink and stenciled with a leaf border using Crushed Olive Distress Ink.  This was then double matted with Crushed Olive and Seedless Preserves cardstock.  The flowers I used for embellishment came from my "stash, as I thought they were the perfect color.
     I really enjoyed this project and plan on displaying it on my dining room hutch.  I hope you enjoy it too and thanks for stopping by.  
      I am entering the Captured Memories Challenge at:  ourcreativecorner6.blogspot.com.at