Memory Box part two

Greetings!  I'm back with another quick post.  Last year I showed a memory box for my friend Mary Ann's retirement party.  This spring I was asked to make another set.  The box and pattern were different but the meaning was the same...to help make a memorable keepsake for a coworker who will be missed.  This set was made for my friend (Hi Stacey) to give to her friend.  I love decoupage with napkins.  It's very relaxing and I love watching the pattern emerge!  These beautiful pink napkins were purchased at Party City.

This box started out dark brown with words all over it.

 

Washi Tape covers the rough napkin edges.

Inside the lid and the back of the mini cover were lined with pink card stock to cover the rough edges.

Hole cut in the top so people can drop in their cards.

A mini cover can be attached with foam tape to create a solid lid after the party.

Several different designs of butterflies were stamped on blank cards.

Sign to encourage everyone to offer their own thoughts and congratulations.

Full set with coordinating greeting card.

Retirement greeting card

Make my day and drop me a note! Until next time...HAPPY CRAFTING!

Christmas greetings!  I can't believe how long it has been since my last blog post.  Between dealing with some health issues and working long hours the days have just flown by.  I've done a little bit of crafting since then so I've got a few projects to share.  The first one is a postcard swap hosted by Art Papers Online.  I'll have another ready to share in a couple of days.

There are 60 crafters and artists in this swap and we all started with a packet of 10 handmade Thai postcards.  Each of us will send 9 cards off into the world this month to welcome in the new year with pretty mail.  The first card I made was the stamped American Eagle design.  I like the picture I came up with but I wanted something "different" for them so I switched over to napkin collage.  I used US Art Quest's Perfect Paper Adhesive (PPA) matte finish on all of them.  Some of the cards have fairy dust glitter on them but for some reason it doesn't show on the scans.

Since I only need 9 of the 10 for the swap one of these will be left out.  I haven't decided yet which one that will be.  So without further adieu, here are my cards for the swap!

I know which one is my favorite and I'd like to know which one is yours!  Drop me a line and let me know if you like them...and if you do, which one you like best. And you can check out everyone else's postcards on this Pinterest board:  http://www.pinterest.com/artpapersonline/art-postcard-swap/

Until next time...Happy Stamping!

Stop and smell the roses

The roses in this case are napkins and they help bring my Garden of Dreams layout to life.

This double page features a lot of greens and browns.  I made this background knowing that one of the techniques that Terri Sproul highlighted in this lesson was using napkins to enhance the page.  But when I was done with the painted background I thought it was going to be too dark and too busy.  In the past, I would have scrapped the idea and made another but I really wanted to see where this would take me.  Before the paint could dry I added a sprinkling of gold Mica D'Lights so the page would have a very light sparkle.

I started my napkin collage with a tan and cream floral napkin to try and soften up some of the dark swirls.  Some of the pieces of this pattern and one of the large flowers were stamped with a handwriting image and allowed to dry before being decoupaged onto the page.  These were the napkins I chose.

After the tan floral, I added two of the large lilies and two roses.  A marble pattern was stamped in gold to add a little depth to the background.  I wanted more of a garden feel to the page and because of the dark background the napkins weren't as prominent as I'd hoped.  No problem!  I grabbed a stencil and some of my USArt Quest 101 Light and added some vines.  While the paste was still wet I sprinkled Mica Delights in ruby and green.

A green Bic Mark-It was used to highlight the vine and a red one was used to highlight the circles to match the mica used on each.  After that, I stamped bees in cream colored acrylic paint and dragonflies using a brown Faber-Castell Gelato.

Terri's original theme was "Dream Big" but it just didn't seem to fit my page so I changed the title to "Garden of Dreams".  I chose a font from my computer and printed it out to use as a guide for how to draw each letter.  The same Bic Mark-It that was used on the vine was used for the letters.  And voila!

Thanks for joining me once again!  Please drop me a line or use one of the links to follow my blog journey or add me to your Google circle!  Have a wonderful day!

Retirement Party Memory Box

A friend and co-worker is retiring next week.  She is over-the-moon excited to start the next leg of her journey as she joins her husband, who is already enjoying his own retirement.  A few of the girls wanted to do something special for her party.  We've all seen this idea all over Pinterest, but here is my offering for a memory box.

A sturdy cardboard box and napkin collage supplies

I chose a box with a flap so I collaged the entire thing even though it will be tucked inside.

I cut a hole large enough to easily insert 4x6 cards at the start of the project, then added my collage pieces.

Card choices are: Bon Voyage, Memories, & Best Wishes.  I just need to decide if I'm going to decorate them with more stamps.  I got out a dragonfly stamp, but I haven't decided yet.

I made a little panel to cover the hole.  It is embellished with a chipboard dragonfly and Dew Drops.

New piece added 2/24 - sign made to encourage party-goers to drop a note in the box.

One last piece to pull everything together.  A card to complete the set.

So there it is.  I hope she enjoys reading all of the notes her friends & co-workers leave at her party.  Drop me a line and let me know what you think or just say hello! There is a link at the bottom of the page if you'd like to follow my blog.  Until next time...Happy Stamping!

Growing, trying new things

I have to laugh at myself.  I tell you all that I'm a rubber stamper and then post my new projects ... which don't include stamping.  I really am a stamper at heart.  Honest!  But I've been trying to broaden my horizons.  I have been attending online demos every week by Terri Sproul, who teaches mixed media techniques.  I've been attending the Saturday Crafts Fair and I've made lots of new friends on Facebook.  I've discovered craft companies I had never heard of.  It's been fun and it's been rejuvenating!

I've always liked learning new things and Facebook can be awesome for that if you let it.  I'm hoping that you will all enjoy my journey with me and like seeing the artwork I hope to create along the way.

You may have noticed that my new favorite project involves napkin collage.  Joe Rotella has an awesome YouTube demo and I just had to give it a try.  Today's projects are all gifts.  I completed one frame and the other two projects I had intended to do today are almost done.

I still need to work on adding finishing touches to my collages.  So far, it's been just adding a dusting of fine glitter.  I'll get there.  Like everything else, I'm going to have to hold my breath and dive right in.

Maybe tomorrow.

 

Wooden frames & birdhouse with a coat of acrylic paint.  All ready to go!

For Linda

UPDATE: The Day After

Here are the other projects I worked on yesterday.  A couple of them were unfinished and a couple were still drying last night when I made my post.

These are all gifts.

And look - I took the plunge and added embellishments!!

Robin's Birdhouse - the original

For Donna

Making art to share with friends and family.  What a wonderful way to spend a Saturday!

Practice Random Acts of Kindness and Senseless Acts of Beauty