Hand Made Card and Gift

Hello Bloggers!!! today I have an awesome project I know you're gonna love as much as I do.  As you can see from the picture above, I spent some time with Tim Holtz on Sunday at the Carson Rubber Stamp Convention.  He is such a joy to watch and interact with.  I also got to meet Mario, I KNOW!!! both in one day!!! I can't believe I actually spent time with them and hung out with them.  Mario even gave me a few tips on my die cutting tray. 
 
I was so inspired looking at all the dies that I decided to make this adorable greeting card.  The flowers are inserted in a pocket and have a pin on the back so that the person you give it to can use it on her hair, how cute is that! Its a card and a gift!!!

Here's what you'll need:
various pieces of fabric, organza, felt, a rubber stamp with a nice sentiment and ink pad.  I'm using Ranger's Distress Ink in brushed curduroy.

You will also need some jewelry findings and hair pins:

 

I used Tim Holtz Tattered Florals die.  You can find it here: Simon Says Stamp

Run your fabric over the die through a die cutting machine like the Big Shot found here.
Here are the completed flowers after layering the pieces with hot glue and attaching a jewelry finding to each one:

Add a hair pin like the one shown to the back of each flower with hot glue:

 Make a pocket using a piece of cardstock using a small staple gun. The size of my pocket is: 6" X 1 3/4" The size of my card is 6 1/4" X 4 1/2"

 Lastly, stamp your sentiment and hot glue a charm. I used Distress Ink by Ranger, brushed curduroy, to coordinate with my paper. 

and here's the finished card:

Thanks for stopping by, hope you have a beautiful day!

To see more Tattered Florals projects, visit Tim's site:
http://timholtz.com/tattered-floral-challenge/

Firmoo Glasses for Your Crafty Needs

Hello fellow crafters, home decorators, poets, writers and all creative people who happen to come by my blog today.  Today was a great day here in Los Angeles with temperatures in the mid 70's.  I don't have a craft tutorial or a poem or a story to tell you, I have something that I think you'll really like....a FREE pair of glasses from Firmoo.com!!!  YES, FREE!!! prescription or non prescription, your choice. 

First, I'll give you a quick review of Firmoo.com, the Online Optical Store and then you'll find a link toward the end of my post that will take you directly to their site where you can choose your free pair.

Firmoo was kind to send me these awesome, sporty glasses that I'm wearing while working in my craft room.  I normally wear contacts and haven't worn glasses in a few years but today I wore these glasses all day and was surprised to see how comfortable they felt.  They are very light, so light in fact that I completely forgot I had them on!  I was also very happy with their quick service and the ease of selecting the right pair for me.  They have a very creative way to show you what each style will look like on the type of face you have, round, oval, heart shaped, etc... that you can see on a model before you select your glasses.   With this feature, I was able see how they fit on the face of a model with a round face like mine before I ordered my pair.  This made it easier for me to decide on the style of frame I wanted for me.   

I'm also very impressed with their quick delivery.   I received my glasses in less than a week.  I think it took longer for me to decide on a pair than it took for them to send them to me because they have so many cute, trendy glasses online. 

Glasses are increasingly becoming a fad and must-have accessories for  celebs and people in the fashion world.  Glasses have become such a hot accessory that even non prescption wearers are showing up all over trendy areas.   They instantly upgrade your look of modern,sexy, vintage or geek by wearing different styles of frames.

Any hot glasses/sunglasses /goggles frames you want can be found on Firmoo, and all are available for both prescription lenses and non-prescription lenses. Are you ready  to have a new look? here's your chance.  Firmoo has launched a First Pair Free Program to people  worldwide. You will absolutely fall in love with the excellent quality, affordable prices, fashionable designs, fast delivery and the good service after trying them with paying shipping only! You even can get a refund/exchange if you are not satisfied with them. It's totally Risk free, so why not have a try?

Click here (http://www.firmoo.com/free-glasses.html) to get your free glasses now!

Go see for yourself all the stylish glasses they carry.  The pair I got from Firmoo is right here (link) I love how they look on me.....all serious and mature.....not the usual silly me.   



FULL DISCLOSURE: The glasses I'm sporting were provided by Firmoo to me for free.  I, in turn, agreed to publish this post as a review of their product and service.  However, everything in my review is entirely my opinion, independent of, and not influenced by, the free pair of glasses I received from Firmoo.  

UTEE Embelishment For Artist Trading Card

Hello World!!!
I am honored to see that I have visitors from all over the world....YAY!  It's A Small World After All........ WELCOME!! VIEN BENIDOS!! BIENVENUE!! BEMVINDOS!! BENVENUTO!!
 

Today I'm sharing my tutorial for working with a product called Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel (UTEE).  It is This product melts easily and allows you to apply it in a multitude of techniques.  The technique I'm showing today is called UTEE Stamping and I will use it to embellish an Artist Trading Card.  Artist Trading Cards (ATC) are 2 1/2inch by 3 1/2 inch cards that you create art in mainly to trade with other artists. 

Since the technique is a little on the difficult side, I'll share a YouTube tutorial towards the bottom that is very easy to follow.

Here's my finished Artist Trading Card :

  
Here's what you'll need: Versa Mark ink pad, rubber stamp with deep etching, acrylic pain, pigment powder (I used Pearl Ex you can find it here) I found the stamp on ebay but not sure if when you read this, it will still be available and the website that sells it is no longer online.  Anyway, here's the ebay link: Walter Knabe Stamp

A craft heat tool (a hair blow dryer will not work) you can find it online or craft store, UTEE find it here

the last thing you'll need is a Tim Holtz die, but you'll need a die cutting machine too.  Don't worry, if you don't have either, you can always cut your cardbard using any template online.  I found this one for you LINK just print it out smaller so it will fit on an ATC card.

Next, use the Versa Mark ink pad to saturate your cardboard:

next pour the UTEE on top:

heat it with a craft heat tool and while it's still warm, press the rubber stamp on top and press down

 

using your finger, apply acrylic paint gently over the UTEE

next, apply the pigment powder with your finger

add it to your ATC with some small embellishments, and wah-lah!

 

Hope you liked my tutorial!!! even though I don't see you, I enjoyed having you stop by.  Leave a message below and I'll come visit your blog.  Also, a BIG thank you to all who have been sending me emails.  I always enjoy reading them and I try to reply back to you as soon as I can when you send me questions, I hope I'm doing a good job with that. 

Before I forget, I was contacted by an eye glass company about doing a review for them.  In return, they will provide FREE prescription glasses to my readers!!! how cool is that? I'll publish a post with all the information you need for your FREE pair over the weekend. 

Here's the YouTube link as promised.  This is by Cynthia, she is *amazing* with UTEE.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=928nC83gdiE&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Thank you all for stopping by and for your awesome comments that keep this blog alive!!!

Castles in the Sky

CASTLES IN THE SKY
She writes her story in the wind
Carried up to the sky in swirls 

Every moment recorded 

Triumphs and sorrows without prejudice 

Swirling in the wind up to the sky 

Filled with innocence

 Wrapped in faith hope and love 

 Evil eyes can not see 

Castles in the sky keep her secret thoughts, her story 

Where time is her only witness

Hello my bloggy friends.  I've missed you all.  I've been out of the loop for so long that I don't know where to start.....so I'll start with a short poem I recently wrote.  I hope you like it.  

Witch's Hat Hand Made

I've been in hiatus for a while but I'm back just in time for the Holiday season.  I've been working hard in my craftroom to bring you fresh ideas for this holiday season and I will be making a visit to the Los Angeles County Fair soon, so stay tuned for some great ideas.  I will also be posting some Disney themed projects, oh yeah!

Today's Witch's hat is an idea created by Richard Garay of Fun Stampers Journey.  I was lucky to have attended his Monster Mash event today and I cannot wait to tell you all about this cute little Witch's hat we made.  If you ever have the opportunity to attend a craft event in your area, make an effort to go.  It will inspire you with new ideas and give you the motivation to create and let your imagination thrive.  This was my first time attending an event like this and I'm hoping to book more in the future.  I got to spend the day with great friends and I got to meet some awesome crafters and I also got to shop for some cool rubber stamps in Fun Stampers Journey Collection.  Just take a look at this set, just so you get an idea of what I'm talking about:

Now on to this cute little project.  Here's the Witch's hat all finished:

You will need a paper mache cone, black *awesome* glitter, Elmer's glue, purple trimming and embellishments. 

First, spread the Elmer's glue on the cone with a foam brush.  Add the glitter generously pouring it on with a spoon all over the cone.  Let dry, add the trimming and embelishments and you're done! display it proudly on your mantel or table as decoration for Halloween.  Fun Stampers Journey carries all the supplies you need for this project and the cones come in Small and large.  Check out their website to see their fun rubber stamps.

Thanks for coming by

Snow White Inspired Decorative Jar

Hello Bloggers! July sure is flying by at the speed of light.  It's been a great month but I want to end it with a bang just the way it started.  My neighbors all got together and held a block party for fourth of July.  There must have been at least a hundred people dancing on the street with fireworks all around.  My next door neighbor is a professional D.J and the neighbor across the street is an amazing chef.  Another neighbor is a butcher who owns a butcher shop.....and...... I'm a whiz with my ovens and I make killer brownies, cookies and cupcakes, so the party was happening.  You can catch a picture at the bottom of my post.  I'm not quite sure how I'll end the month but it sure will be worth remembering and talking about for years to come.   Have you ever had that feeling, after a month has come and gone, that you didn't really do anything worth writing about or even remembering? there's no do-overs, once the month has ended, it will not come back.  Don't be afraid to try something new, something exciting, something that tickles your interests.....and then go for it!!! do it and don't look back.    


Today I have a quick, easy AND inexpensive decorative glass jar that is perfect for a gift or to make for yourself.  I loved making this jar because it was inspired by one of my favorite childhood tales, Snow White. 

Here's all you need:
a glass jar, Mod Podge, Sizzix die cut Decorative Flourishes set.. you can find it here. 

Cut the die cuts with black construction paper on a die cutting machine.  Use a small brush to brush the Mod Podge on the die cuts.  Apply die cuts on your jar and coat the top of the die cuts once again with the Mod Podge using your brush.  Find an apple picture on the internet and cut it out.  Apply the apple with the Mod Podge, don't forget to coat the top as well to seal it.  Here's the finished jar: I forgot where I found this jar, but it must have been at Michael's arts and craft store for possibly two dollars.

I'm using this jar to store my apple and cinnamon infused Brandy.

To make the Apple Cinnamon infused Brandy:
On low heat, caramelize a sliced apple with two tablespoons of sugar and two tablespoon of water over low heat until sugar melts.  Add the sliced apples with a cinnamon stick and pour brandy in a four cup jar with a lid.  Put the jar away so that you forget about it for a month or two.  I like this recipe because it's simple but there are quite a few on the internet.   

And there you have it, a perfect gift for someone who likes Brandy.  Happy July 2012 everyone, don't let it pass you by without creating an everlasting memory. 

You might also want to check out my other "Princess" tutorials:
Cinderella Slipper Link Here

Beauty and the Beast Inspired, Link Here

Los Angeles Street Art

Hello Bloggers! what a perfect time to have a three day weekend, isn't it? it's great weather here in Los Angeles and the City is waiting for you. 

I have some street art that I want to share with you today, maybe it will inspire you to create something with a twist.
here's some local artists hard at work

 here's one that reminds me of TRON

 

 

 

 

 

This next one was a part of a group that was displayed near the Gold Line Train but later were moved to different parts of the City.

 

 

 

 

 

 hope you enjoyed the artwork, have a magical three day weekend!