The Card is a CIRCLE!!!

Shabby Tea Room challenge this week is to make a circle card..."Ring around the Rosie".    I have a hard time getting the look I love with just a circle.... so I incorporated it into a step card... how much fun did I have....  I can't begin to tell you how much fun I had...

I also am entering this into Simon Says Wednesday challenge... as the theme is Anything Goes for this challenge... 

I started with a piece of paper that I adore... and haven't used... didn't have anything that was really calling to me... but this did... so I started to cut apart this precious piece of paper...

Why did I choose it for this challenge... well this challenge also says that the colors should be pink and green... and also a flower and also some BLING... well this paper has all that built right into it... the bling is on the hydrangea and the pink and green... oh I love pink and green together ... one of my favorite combos...  so this was just the perfect piece of paper... 

After cutting it all apart, All I had to do was glue everything onto a step card... love it...  how much fun!!!!

 

Here is the finished card... 

A close up of the flower... I used a burlap flower, then layered some book page flowers and some muslin flowers and they were all cut with Tim Holtz's Tattered floral die cut... my most used die cut in the pile...

 

You can also see that I used a Martha Stewart corner and border punch for the back panel... and I used a Provo embossing folder for the insert on that panel... 

 

In this picture you can see the bling on the hydrangea  ....

Loving it... 

 

Each little flowers is cut out of the 12 x 12 paper and put aside... until ready for gluing... also the little birds...  which I had to tuck into little places...  I used everything on that 12 x 12 paper... EVERYTHING was cut out... 

 

The little butterflies I doubled up on, to give flight to them...  and little pink bows were also tucked around in different places.. 

Can you tell I had fun??? 

I did...  and I just love the way it came out too..

I have a dear friend that is having a shoulder transplant in the fall.. .and she loves frilly things like this ... so she is going to receive this card... this ROUND card... it is ROUND!!!

 

Here is the round cards... it lifts out of the step card.. and it is round... 

 

I had to have a few things flowing off the circle... just for balance... and if you notice, not everything is glued down flat...  I love things that move on a card...

 

 

 

Inside the card is a message...  Celebrate Each DAY!!

How true is that... we need to do that each and every day to be thankful for whom we are in all ways... 

 

Okay... so I got a little carried away... this is the back of the card... I made the pink paper with some distress inks by Tim Holtz and white cardstock... love making my own papers... so very much fun.. .but the bests reason being that I get to create what I want in papers for my projects... 

 

When the card is removed, I wanted the base unit to still be pretty.. .so I added some birds and flowers there too...

 

A close up will show you how pretty even that area is... I just had to put a little bow there too... 

 

 

Okay... so that is my ROUND card...  it is Round... and I love it... hope you have enjoyed it as much as I did making it...

 

Thank You so very much for stopping by today and I love all the comments that you leave... I appreciate each and every one of them... and read them all... and generally will answer you back... 

 

Thanks again... and see you soon...

Love, Light and Peace...Bonnie 

Winter Calls

Today being still SUNDAY here in the US... it is Sunday Stamper time... and I have been really busy all day with company, playing off and on... and also trying to get into the winter/ Christmas mood... so I finally got this tag made... and there is NO STAMPING on it... other than the words on the poinsettia pages of a book... I just couldn't bring myself to stamp on here... as I would have had to have dug out the old Christmas stamps... so sorry... I don't have any stamping on here...  I dint' think that sea horses would work with this theme.. .LOL.. 

Oh well... a little humor...

So here is my WINTER TAG...  with a poinsettia... 

 

My little girl is a clip art... not really sure where I found here... but I  do love it... a bell ringer... 

 

 

 

Love poinsettias... but hey...I love flowers... 

 

That is about as close to winter as I can get right now...  LOL.. it is 98 degrees here now... trying to have a severe rain storm... but the humidity is horrible and I could use a nice snow storm for a few hours...  but... my winter/Christmas stamps are still packed... and I just found my fall ones... so time will bring forth the others...

 

Have a fun day... thanks for stopping by for a visit... and have a super good week... I will be very busy with challenges and also doing all my canning this week... all fun stuff... so if you get a chance please stop back... 

 

Love, Light and Peace...Bonnie 

Cool Waters and Anything Goes...

Today I have two challenges to enter this tag into... 

I have to tell you a SHORT story... I made the tag the other day... as I knew that I wanted to enter another tag for the FUNKIE end of the challenge...  well I took some pictures of it... and didn't like it... so it went back to the work table and got some alterations...  I now like it... 

So here it is... 

 

Just Swimming BY

I started off my coloring my paper with distress inks... then added some Texture paste thru a stencil... 

Love playing with that ... of course it takes me a long time... as I have to do three or ten more... LOL... just the way it is with me... addicted to playing.... 

 

Then I started to add all the little critters... 

 

 

This Shell is from Tim's nautical stamp set... and I stamped this on glossy paper and then used alcohol inks to accent it...  and THEN.... used Distress Glitter to go along the edges...  I use to love to find a nice clean large shell that was all shiny from the ocean waters... so wonderfully fun. 

 

 

A close up of that shell.. 

In the back ground you will see some TAPE that I bought at Home Depot... it is used for putting sheet rock together or something like that... not really sure... but it is fun to play with... sort of looks like netting of some kind... I think I bought this roll of stuff about 8 years ago... maybe longer when I was really into doing altered books... this was a must back then...  we didn't have all the goodies that we have today... 

 

 

My Sea Horses...  okay... they just looked so very plain... but there are in the back ground... the shell is the focal point... 

But they just didn't look happy...  so I dressed the Mama up...  ready for a dance... 

 

 

There is a reason for the post card tape and the pen... 

 

 

 

When you go away on vacation... you go to get a break from everything... and then after a few days you are all nice and relaxed and you go shopping and buy some post cards and then feel the need to write to all your friends back home and tell them that you are having fun... until you decided to stress out to get all these silly cards sent out!!!  Why do we do this to ourselves.. anyway... brought back some 'memories' of when we use to go to the shore...  

 

So this message is JUST SWIMMIN BY TO SAY HI.... and not to write post cards... LOL... 

 

Hope you have enjoyed this tag... and I thank you for stopping by for a visit...  and again thanks for all the great comments and Hi's you leave for me... this is so much easier than writing out post cards... isn't it??? 

 

 

So this tag is for Frilly and Funkie Challenge....  which is Cool Waters this week... and it is the FUNKIE side of the challenge...  I love these challenges here... they are really fun and really get my mind going...  I would also like to AGAIN thank the DT for giving me this GREAT award of Guest Designer... I am having fun with that ....  hope you all join me back here next week...  it is going to be exciting for me... that is for sure... hope you like what I am creating...  wait until you see what it is... a SURPRISE for sure... 

The other Challenge I am doing this for is called Anything but a card...    this is the 3rd challenge that they have had and my first with this one... sounds pretty interesting... as I do a lot of off the wall things... LOL... as you all know ... 

Again.. thanks so very much and have a wonderfully happy and prosperous creative day...

A little saying that I saw this morning as I was reading my positive thoughts for the day.... 
ADD TO YOUR JOY....  Count your Blessings...  we all need to do this all the time... we forget sometimes and get caught up in the every day things that really don't matter...  so count your blessings...

Love, Light and Peace...Bonnie 

Make a TAG...

I think I am addicted to making paper things???  Do you think??? Nah.... just loving it all... and here is another challenge...  Called... are you ready for this....

CRAFT HOARDERS ANONYMOUS....  is that me or what...  anyway... I am really glad that I found this site... as I have a lot of things to use up...  so lets get started... 

This challenge closes tonight.. July20th... so I am just making it...  I did have a fun time making this... and did use some things... not many... but some that I have been hoarding... I love these Graphic 45 pads of paper... and this one I loved so much that I bought the 8x8 and also the 12 x 12 pad... LOL... I think I have to have them... and know that I will use them... SOMETIME...  so I pulled it out to use... 

Here is what I made...

 

The Blue Bird 

I love blue birds call.. I always know when it is going to rain.. as the blue bird yells... Thief... Thief...  and then soon the rain will start...  a little story my Great Grandmother use to tell me... 

Well... this is all about the blue bird...  I use the Graphic 45 pad called Botanical Tea... an all time favorite...  not that it is that old... just a favorite ... 

 

I seem to be really into the blues this month...so I used some white card stock and created my paper, using Tim Holtz method of putting ink onto the work sheet and then putting paper into the ink... love it... the randomness of the paper is just eloquent to me...  I did cover a piece of chip board to make this tag, as I am going to use it for the front of a book at some time...  so I wanted the sturdiness of this. 

 

I cut out the blue bird from a tag in the back of the  pad... and used a corner of that picture in the right hand side... I can't stand to throw good pieces of paper away... (Is that the sign of a Hoarder???)  anyway... I do use them quickly... like here on the tag... 

Little nest at the bottom also... LOL... Love it too.. 

 

 

 

Okay.. then I used two pieces of paper to create two pockets on the tag... and decorated the pocket front with some flowers that I again have a little story about... when I was a child... I use to love to go to the variety store called the 5 & dime... it was a little general store that carried everything from small tools for the men... toys for the kids and dishes and assorted things that the housewife needed... well these little flowers were 15 cents... and I only got a dime for my chores...  so I had to save up to buy this little bouquet of paper flowers... I use to buy them all the time... and make things for my dolls etc with them...  I wanted to make some... so I used a small punch and put a hole in the center of each flower and then inserted a stamen and glued it in... each "flower" is acutally 2 flowers... and they are cut out of paper that I colored with the same method for the background...  I love these flowers... and now I can have TONS of them... (REAL HOARDING.... but I do use them... ) 

 

The leaves are also punched out of paper I made... and the butterfly is a digital image that I cut out...  I love butterflies and dragonflies too...  Oh  there are way to many things I LOVE... I guess that is why I have too much stuff...   

 

 

The little bow and the top bow are made from seam binding that I have dyed... 

 

 I made two little tags... one with velum and a little dragonfly stenciled onto it... and the other just a piece of paper with a bird... and the polka dots for the background.. (I love polka dots too) 

 

The little eggs...  love them... just couldn't thrown that out... could you?????  So I used it... 

 

Well... thanks so much for allowing me to join in on this challenge... and thanks for all that leave a nice comment and stopped by for a visit... I thank you with much appreciation... 

 

Have a lovely CREATIVE day... and enjoy...

 

Love, Light and Peace...Bonnie 

Butterflies and Flowers...

Over the past couple of days, I have been doing a lot of soul searching and meditating... as well as playing with special things... one of them has been playing with modeling paste and Butterflies... and the other has been FLOWERS... what else is new with me??? 

LOL... I love both of these... so it was a very introspective time... very loving to self to take these times and enjoy something that you just haven't taken the time out to play with also.. .

Well I had these butterflies of Tim's, that I love... but wanted to change them a little bit... so I tried the modeling paste... and made about 25 of them... love each one...  tried all kinds of things, like water coloring them, zentangling them, and leaving them plain and using them as backgrounds... so very much fun... then I started to play with the border Butterflies... and had just as much fun with that... you will see...  I have examples of both... 

Well... after  a few days of this... I needed a challenge to enter... something that would allow me to use these in a way that was not my idea .... but something that I could do with these...  So I went looking... and found another CHALLENGE... 

It is called Frilly and Funkie...  wow... go take a look... all kinds of things... but both styles... FRILLY and FUNKIE... both of the things that are fond to my heart...  so... I had to do something for this ... but since I love both... which am I going to do...  ANYWAY.....the theme is to use bright summer colors and adorn with a FLOWER...  no problem... love this... what fun I am going to have... 

Well for those that know me... I am a little on the compulsive, obsessive side of life... and very prolific in creating all kinds of things...  sort of the have to do it type of thing... just love it all..  and what do you do with all this 'STUFF"..???  ENJOY each and every piece of it... that is what you do... 

Anyway... here is what I created... 

 

For my FRILLY...  Earth Laughs in Flowers... 

Love that saying by Emerson... and so I wanted this to be frilly, but not overly so...  wanted it to look a little fussy/frilly...  and so I used Tim's Die cut was cut on the fold... so that I had a much larger piece of Trellis to play with here...  and then I used a Spellbinder for the 'frame'... to create a garden like feeling... 

 

The top tag is also a Spellbinder and I stamped my little saying on it... along with .... drumroll.... a butterfly...  made with modeling paste.. and then colored in the Tim Holtz way... using my distress inks...   

 

A little closer view and you can see all the raised parts that are randomly done.. and the color the same... 

 

The background was created using my work sheet and then embossing with a Tim Alterations embossing folder... 

 

The FLOWER...  well I used... the TATTERED FLORAL die... is there any other one... love that die cut...  I do have other flower die cuts of tims... but do love this one the best... 

 

I used Dylusion inks... wow... if you ever need COLOR... it is there... one spritz and you are colored...  I used all the reds, pinks oranges and yellows... but I have to tell you that I really love to use the bubblegum pink and the yellow to create color on the paper...  I love the blending of those two... my fav... 

 

I also made a layer of the flower using pickled Raspberries... which goes right along... and then because I was over in the Distress ink area... I also used Ripe Persimmon... oh my... what a color display... it will never come out of my hands...LOL.. I love it all..  So that is my FRILLY one... 

 

 

 

I had to do a Funkie one too... 

 

I used a lot of stencils on this background prior to having fun on the front of this...  I tore up some papers... and book pages and stenciled them... and then also had fun with the border butterflies...  more on that in a while... 

 

 

 

I added a few words... CHERISH EACH DAY.... as each day is so very special and we need to really appreciate all that we had and that is around us in all ways... 

 

 

Okay... back to BUTTERFLIES

I used the border die cut... and cut it out of cardstock first... then a few book pages... then a few butterflies using the shakers and movers.... which are sort of the same size...

 

I added some of each to the original cardstock... and loved what I saw happening... layers upon layers...  I told you I have been playing with these... and had done a few of these... in all different colors...  this one fit the bill to use BRIGHT ... and a FLOWER...

 

I added some of everything to this border... and loved it..  

 

then I zentagnled a little butterfly for the others to follow out of the row... LOL... love to add a little imagination to my things...  

 

 

 

 

So there you have it... butterflies with a FLOWER... 

 

hope you enjoyed these... I sure had a blast making them... and I thank you for this challenge and allowing me to join in...  hope to see you this coming Wed... it is marked on my calendar...

 

Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit and hope you all have a wonderful day...

Love, Light and Peace...Bonnie 

Flowers and Ribbons on a basket

I use to have dial up connection to the internet... and now I have high speed... when on dial up, it was next to impossible to go to other sites and see things... and it became almost impossible to do challenges... very limiting and very, very frustrating... so with that in mind... I am seeing sites and meeting people that I love... love their energy, their work of art/ or play... and am just having a BLAST of a GREAT time... love it all.. 

So with that in mind when I tell you I visit all these favorite sites to see what all these new friends have done... and read every word...  I get so very excited that at times I can hardly wait to get off here and play...  Well that happened this morning... I was on Alison's site and was drooling over all her work/play...  it is all so wonderful... and all of a sudden I realized that I needed to go to this "NEW" site... called Our Creative Corner...  so guess what... I did... and I found more people to drool over... I know and drool over Astrid's lovelies all the time... and now I found Laura's wonderful Tussie Mussies... oh how pretty they are...  I was just blown away by everyones art here... so I had to get off the computer and gather up some things and CREATE.... 

YES... with handmade FLOWERS... and Dyed RIBBONS... oh what a challenge this is... LOL... my cup of tea 100% plus... loving all the time of collecting all my STUFF to create with...  wait until you see what I have gathered up... surprising!!!

BUT... when looking at the Simon Monday Challenge Blog... the challenge is to Start from Scratch...  well I did do that also... so this little project is also for this challenge as well..    

I have a class coming up in the fall, showing how to make KUDZU baskets... and I want to have a selection for the gals to pick from... so this was a perfect opportunity for me to decorate one of them... 

KUDZU... for those that don't live in the SOUTH eastern part of the USA...  Kudzu is a plant that was imported here from Asia and it is suppose to help with erosion... it does... but it has taken over areas that it is not desired in... it has gone wild... so it is known as the plant that has eaten DIXIE... (that is what the south is called...DIXIE)  It is not desired on peoples land... so it you want to, most people don't mind if you help yourself... I always ASK (to say the least) prior to just grabbing some of this undesired plant... but most of the time people will say... TAKE AS MUCH AS YOU DESIRE!!!  IN FACT TAKE IT ALL....   It has also become such a problem for some that they have put goats onto places where it has over the land... and they will eat it all up...  some people have even baled it and created homes from it like a straw bale house... so being creative with it is often seen... I know of one gal that makes BEAUTIFUL paper from it...  really wild looking and a very pretty shade of pale green. So when I teach this class it is for many reasons... and everyone walks away very happy... because they are helping a cause... to help control KUDZU... LOL.. not really... it doesn't take that much kudzu to make a basket...  but you know what I mean hopefully...   


ANYWAY... I can get carried away at times... but wanted to share that with you.. as these baskets are fun to make and I LOVE THEM... they are so pretty in the fall and of course the rest off the year too.. 

Here is what I created...  Hope you enjoy this.. 

 

This is my Flower and Ribbon Kudzu basket..  and I LOVE it...

I really have wanted to do this to one of the baskets for a long time... but just never took the time... so now it is done...

 

I will tell you know what I gathered up around my studio...

 

 

First off I grabbed a few baskets, as I wasn't really sure which size I wanted to use...  this is not the smallest one... or the largest... as the largest is huge... and not really a basket I would decorate with flowers... 

 

Secondly, I grabbed some BABY WIPES... and colored them with some Distress inks... !!!  Easy enough... right???  

 

Then a few yards of some white tulle and colored that with Alcohol inks...  three shades of green... even though it looks all one shade.. I did use three...  

 

Then I had to dye some ribbon.. I did have some pink... but wanted a multi toned pink... I used three colors... Worn lipstick, Victorian Velvet and Cotton candy ?  is that the name of the real pale one... drawing a blank...  anyway.. three pinks...  

 

Then I gathered up some of my little flowers that I love... if you want to read about my flower story... go back to around the 24th of June... I think it is around there... I loved these little flowers when I was a child... and now I can make them by the dozens... and I LOVE THEM... so very delicate and pretty...  

 

Okay... glue, scissors and ready to go...'

 

Oh one more thing... TATTERED FLORAL die cut...  and my leaf stamps that I made...  

 

now I am ready to begin...   

 

The flowers are made from Baby wipes that are used to clean up hands and my work sheets...  and I can't throw them away... so I use them to make flowers from... oh yes, I have a huge stack of them ready to go... 

 

 

I use three of the largest flower, two of the 'daisy' style flower, and four of the next size... and a few of the smallest... colors on these flowers flow... unless you want all one color... you take what come off the 'press' as it...  each time I get a flower made it is different and truly one of a kind...  not two are ever alike... UNLESS you dye the baby wipe... 

 

I added some bows, gathered some tulle and glued that onto the basket... and then added some of my little flowers...  white, pink and brown ones... and I think a few little yellow ones also got in there... 

 

 

This bow is on the inside handle... which you can see is braided Kudzu...  with a few little flowers next to it..  

 

I put the largest flower at the bottom, as I thought it would show up better there... and it doesn't... LOL... so you know what is going to happen... ??? I will have to do another whole basket... with the flower on the top... what a shame... I love it.... 

 

I really had fun with these 'challenges'... and am so very glad that I found Our Creative Corner and that I am back doing simon Monday Challenges.. ...  ...

 

Hope you all have a wonderful day... and thanks for stopping in for a visit... and see you all soon... 

 

Love, Light and Peace... Bonnie 

FRIENDS

Today is SUNDAY STAMPER day...  and Hels asked us to do something with FRIENDS as the theme... 


BUT..... it is also her BIRTHDAY....  so I did something in honor of both....  HAPPY BIRTHDAY HELS... with many more to follow and happier each and every year... 

 

Okay, I wanted to decorate a few envelopes that I made as samples for a class... SOOOOooooooo this is the first one... 

I used Tims template for the flowers...  Tattered Floral Garden... I think I bought this when it first came out... and haven't used it too many times... I really like the flowers and so I am using it more often... used it yesterday in my piece for the CC3 4th challenge... have you entered yet??? Please  join us all.. it is so wonderful...

 

anyway...  using this one more... love the way these flowers came out... 

 

The envelope is about 4 inches by 5 inches... not really big... but nice enough to put a small note or card into...  and I guess you can send this size... but I would have to put this into another envelope... lol... I do make things more complicated... don't I???  but I do have fun... and Hels I still have ink and gesso on my hands from cleaning up this morning... (from my play day yesterday!!!!  ) 

Happy Birthday HELS... 

 

Happy Birthday Hels...  

 

This is my FRIENDS one...

I had made a huge rubberstamp of a leaf... and so I made a piece of paper using it a long time ago... and so I finally used it... it was one of those pieces of paper that you love and don't want to use... so silly... my studio is filled with those kinds of piles... and I am trying to break that habit... and am winning sometimes... LOL.. not too often.. 

 

I also made a few Rosettes using another Tim Template...  and layered them... love that ... I also used another piece of paper... but this one was from making other things... and it was the 'throw away' paper... that I personally can't throw away... so I use it...  LOL... and it really made a nice rosette... 

 

Of course I also dyed some ribbon... I just got a few rolls of seam binding... and can now PLAY with gusto... had to be a little conservative there for a while... was down to the last few yards...  I love ribbons... so this was a problem... 

 

 

You can see how very pretty this rosette came out... I had pinks and gold metallic on the paper... and then edged it with Walnut stain...  lovely together... love that....

 

The pinks... are Red Mahogany, Victorian Velvet and Pickled Raspberries...  together they make a wonderful statement...  love it...   

 

Okay... then I had to get grounded a little bit... as I was flying around the studio...  and so I used a piece of my purple and blue paper... another one from a special stash...  and then added my favorite of all... a DRAGONFLY... there were about three on the back deck this morning sunning themselves... so very pretty... I colored this one with alcohol inks... and a blending pen...  love the effects and the colors... 

 

 

 

Oh... and green liquid pearls for the eyes... YES... can't forget the DRAGONFLIES eyes... 

 

Hope you have a fun day today...  and also enjoy creating something ... I certainly did... and Hels, I hope you have the best of all birthdays... sounds like you are surrounded by friends and having a blast... keep it going all week long.... 

 

Thank you for stopping by for a visit...

Love, Light and Peace...Bonnie