More distressing, yes...but not distressing at all!!! I enjoyed playing with the distress inks so much last weekend that I continued with them this week but spiced things up a bit and used the Distress Stains and the new Distress Markers by Ranger and Tim Holtz! Certainly wasn't rocket science but it was like an "aha" moment when I realized...they would do the same thing as the ink pads! Duh!!!! Sometimes I wonder what I miss throughout the days, weeks, months and years! That said...we played with the ink pads and stains in our cardmaking technique class this week at Grove's! Embossed first using the new Hero Arts stamps and Ranger clear embossing powder. We added color using the ink mixed with some watered down Perfect Pearls medium. Gave a nice little "glow" to the ink and made it just right for fingerpainting! Just like in elementary school we blended colors and watched the embossed designs pop from the paper! We used the stains for the message portion of the card fronts. That's when I had the "aha" moment...Distress stains with the dabber tops...oh and the markers...should work wonderfully! Of course they did!!! Color was a little richer/darker in areas so I continued to play! I sprayed the watered down Perfect Pearls right on the colored, embossed images and then blended by finger painting! It was great fun and I love the finished "out of the box" product! I'll be using these in future projects for sure!
Happy Monday, Happy President's Day, happy vacation day and HAPPY MONDAY MADNESS!!! Yep, I'm yelling it at the top of my lungs! Just a little tired from a great weekend full of lots of creativity, great fellowship, new friends, old friends and some Distress!!!
The weekend was spent here.... Greene Hills church camp, just "over the river and through the woods" a bit from home. A place I haven't visited since my childhood with my great (who was great...I just didn't know back then) Aunt Myrtie who drove us over hill and dale in her yellow cadillac(the old 1956 model with the torpedo style headlights on each side-I'll have to dig up a photo!) introducing us to neighbors, places, people, yummy foods and things that at the time were of no importance to me. Oh how things have changed! Now...they are very fond memories. Coming back to this place was wonderful. Lots of history in this land, a building filled with memories and the people working there...friends of my family who knew Aunt Myrtie. Great to be there with them. Greene Hills is definitely one of those "if these walls could talk" places! Oh the stories they could tell.
This weekend, Greene Hills was home to an amazing group of woman gathered to create, craft, scrapbook and share fellowship. They asked me to represent Grove's and be the "official" store for the event. It was great to be there with these wonderful woman and the caretakers of Greene Hills. I will share more pictures of them on another post.
During the course of the weekend, I was fortunate to be able to get some playtime to myself. The creativity of these ladies motivated me to pull out the supplies I had with me and put some pages together. This is when the weekend turned into a distress-FULL weekend!!! I didn't have my usual stash with me so I needed to improvise to blend colors and make things flow. Somehow that stark white (although I do use it alot too) just wasn't cutting it with the papers and pictures I had chosen. Then that old light bulb came on.... which brings me to Monday Madness -DISTRESS INKS!!! I always have my inks with me! And I do have a few... stored in a handy dandy make up bag.... very nicely, although when the inks are being used the case doesn't look so nice! At any rate, I LOVE these inks (and the matching markers, stains, paints etc.) and find myself using them on almost everything. I love the aged and slight bit of color they add to the pieces I use in crafting. Today I used the Faded Jeans with some Van Dyke Brown to age and add color to the letter tiles for my page layout title. I was pleased with the results and decided to do the same to the journal tag which was a bright white originally. At first I did the edges by running them right against the pad and then I smoothed them out with the blending tool. Love the result. I should have done a "before pic" to show the big difference in the coloring of the letters. I'll remember to do that next time! I am very pleased with the finished layout and end result. It was an "antique-y" kind of page showing flea market shopping so the DISTRESS look and feel is perfect. Even though I would have used them even if the pictures weren't "antique-y"! LOL! Hope you have a great day that is FULL of Distress...INKS that is! Get them out, add some color and age to your pieces!!!
The simplest things are making me so happy lately! Just like this simple ruler embossed cardstock from Jenni Bowlin and Core'dinations. It's great stuff...plain and simple. Who knew that it would be even greater with a little Lemon Drops added to it! And some scallops (Bazzill cardstock that is!)! Step 1: Brush Lemon drops Ink over cardstock lightly. Allow to dry. Feel free to blend colors too!
Step 2: Cut ruler paper into strips along the ruler lines.
Step 3: Stitch or Glue (with HELMAR 450 or tape runner, of course!) scallops(the paper kind) here and there on the edges of the cut ruler strips. Ribbon, rick rack and any other shape trims work well too!
Step 4: Adhere the strips in a haphazard way over the center of a piece of cardstock. I trimmed mine a bit so they don't go edge to edge. I also inked the edges with my trusty Van Dyke brown ink just to age it a bit. I also ran the brown over the rulers (on top of the Lemon Drops) to "help" them pop!
Step 5: Choose pictures, embellishments, journaling and title (if you want, make it your own!), arrange, glue (with Helmar, again!) and VOILA....a finished page layout!
I chose a school theme to go with the ruler theme but...that is NOT necessary! Make it your own!
Enjoy and if you feel the need to have some scallops and lemon drops while you create! Go for it!
Thanks to Jenni and Jared of Jenni Bowlin Studio's for their awesome goodies and great tutorials!
I've loved playing with puzzles since I was little. Remember those wooden puzzles in elementary school? Or the cartoon chipboard puzzles from McCrory's or Murphy's 5 and Dime? Don't forget about those colorful Ravensburger puzzles too! As a family, we enjoy a good puzzle now and then. We always stop at the puzzle tables at Bedford Springs when visiting there. A stop on the way in....to get a feel for the puzzle, (don't laugh...this is serious puzzling{the art of putting 1000+puzzle together} business!) the theme, colors and pieces, (It takes skill and concentration to conquer these!) and a stop on the way out, to hopefully get at least ONE section (usually 2 pieces) together! That, if accomplished, is mentally draining and exhausting-but great family fun! Most often it requires a replenishing and nourishing meal in the tavern before heading back home! If we can't get our own 2 piece section together first, we try to add a piece or 2 to what has already been started! We have been known to hover over these tables, focused on matching pieces for 20 minutes or more, or until someone yells "I got one"! Nothing wrong with a little friendly, family, puzzle competition once in a while! Not just any puzzle creates such a stir. It has to be a Wentworth, real wood puzzle, with the most awesome shapes, coloring and 1000+ pieces to spark our interest! Just look at that turkey!!! And the fox at the top left too...Seeing these got me thinking! Dangerous, I know! I have had Chipboard puzzle pieces at my disposal for a few years. We sell them at Grove's (in store only) and they are used primarily by teachers for preschool and elementary projects, I knew, sooner or later, that I NEEDED to use them creatively! I was puzzled though, as the pieces are all the same shape, no smooth border for them to "lock into a snug fitting" shape like all the other puzzles I've put together. Silly me....why did I think they needed a smooth border! Why do they have to fit together! Who knew it would take a turkey, a fox and some other Wentworth shapes to give me a wakeup call! Soooo, for sketch class this weekend..we played with a 12 x 12 puzzle piece (among other things)!!! I think everyone was as relieved as I that it could be used alone...no border! This is what I came up with....not very puzzling at all...very simple actually and
it was a perfect fit for one of the sketches we used....and I used my stash to complete it!!!! I have lots of ideas now! I can't wait to play with the 2 smaller sizes and I just might have a few of those large alphabet floor puzzles around that would be great to repurpose! Why didn't I do this earlier! No more thinking inside the "smooth border" for me...back to thinking out of the box!
NOTE: Don't be puzzled by those puzzle pieces...instead create a puzzling piece of art!!!! (insert chuckle here!) That's all for now! Happy Monday Madness on Tuesday!
It's been a few weeks and things are starting to slowly get back to "normal?" That's not completely correct, but I think you get the idea. Still lots of emotion around here and THEEEEE flag IS (and WILL CONTINUE to fly) to fill the void, show pride and honor PSU and Joe and family. We still and will always have PSU in our hearts! We wear it on our cars....
See it in the Scrapbooking and Papercrafting Aisle at Grove's.... in our jewelry.... and it's on our candy wrappers, paper plates and yes, sometimes we eat blue and white pasta!!!!! Obsessed? Nah, proud, appreciative, thankful, devoted and very glad to have experienced this during the time Joe was here! We attended the processional for Joe in our best blue and white out of respect for him, his family, our family and because it was the right thing to do. We received word that the service was over and cars were beginning to move. As we looked in that direction to confirm, Jeff noticed this very faint, but very awesome rainbow. It is faint, just above and to the right of the trees, but it IS there and we, already emotional, shed a few more tears! A sign for sure that Heaven was Happy...Joe smiling down on us! (Insert tears here!) Then we saw the cars, those awesome blue buses carrying family members with Sue in the seat that Joe rode in for the last 60 years and Jay and family waving to us as they passed. We have NEVER experienced such quiet in this place. The hum of the media helicopters, noise from flashing vehicle lights and the snaps of cameras were all that could be heard. Such respect for a man and his family who have done so much. Listen for yourself.
The day after this processional was a public memorial service at Bryce Jordan Center next to the stadium. We did not attend but did watch it live on our local station. It was amazing. Such a tribute from sooooo many lives Joe had touched. This video of Nike CEO, Phil Knight, who also spoke at the service, said what we all have been feeling. We visited Joe's Statue... so quiet and yes, I cried...Jeff told me to "Buck UP"...that didnt' work at all! We had our Peach Paterno ice cream....delicious, delicious, delicious...made at the Campus Creamery! We paid our respects and left messages at the Sports Museum & just one more photo!
Yep! We're Penn State, Nittany Lion, Joe Paterno, Paterno Family fans! I will close with that and say that there will be more pictures from this day and days to come but...we'll be sharing some creativity too. Monday Madness will be here this week too...just a little late!
This is CHANGE....I am working to EMBRACE it! I may have to borrow some "FOCUS" to continue to move ahead!
Thanks for allowing me to share! Have an impact in all you do!
