Poinsettias of PEACE

Well FINALLY I got some time to PLAY...  it has been rather hectic around here for the past couple of months... but I think we are starting to get back to normal little by little... 

 

LOL...

 

(can anyone really tell me what

NORMAL is in all reality??? )

 

Okay... so I played and

the INSPIRATION

was Hels Sheridan's

Sunday Stamper... 
and also
Simon Monday Challenge 

 

I wanted to do a little Christmas thingy... 

and so I did... 

 

It has a very earthy theme to it though... 

 

The White stands for the angelic forces

around us at all times in our daily lives... 

 

The Green is for the love and energy that we live from....

the plants give us the oxygen we need to

breathe and live,

and also the good veggies

that we ingest...   The living earth mother ...

 

The Brown background is

multi colored browns and

also GOLD

for the richness of our soils

that give us the life we are living... 

 

The BLUE is the Sky connection... 

The heaven above us... 

 

PEACE is alive with the glitter to bring 

attention to the fact we are all one, 

and we need to start to live as one... 

loving each other in all ways.... 

 

A little intense???

Life is so beautiful in all ways,

and we need to give thanks all the time,

every day to the GLORY of it... 

So I wanted to share with you this feeling... 

 

I hope you are having a wonderful day

and that each day gets to be a little bit better... 

THINK LOVE. 

 

So here is my tag...

 

 

I am not sure that you can actually see the background...

but I did have fun making it...

and Hels, I was INKY plus...

finally I took some really wet gold

and splattered it all over the background... 

What fun it was...

Clean up was not fun...

but a necessary chore after having FUN...   

 

The centers of the poinsettias

I used Pink Blush liquid pearls,

and then poured some Glossy accents into the center,

after they dried... and then put some rock candy glitter...

Love the effect of it... 

 

 

 

I think I will put this onto a white bag for a gift bag...

I need to use some of my white bags up...

I bought way to many a few years ago... LOL..

if that a form of hoarding????  

Oh well... 

So be it... 

 

I hope you have a wonderful day....

create to your hearts content,

and even enjoy the clean up... 

Thanks so very much for stopping by for a visit.

Love, Light and Peace...Bonnie   

 

 

 

  

The FLOURISH and the ROSE GIFT BOOK

I know you probably are so tired of hearing me say this...

 

BUT...

 

 

I HAD SO VERY MUCH FUN.... making this book... 

 

I think I am a frustrated little kid that loves to cut paper

Glue it...

Paint paper,

Cut it up...

Glue it...

and cut pictures and clip art up...

and GLUE IT...

Make pretty ribbons,

and tie them into bows... 

but I LOVE IT ALL... 

 

Do YOU???? 

 

See...  there are some out there that are holding their hands up screaming...

I DO.... I DO... 

 

I knew it.... well I had fun doing this...

 

This week-end I had my basket classes for the Kudzu basket making... what fun we all had... baskets were made by all and some were very unique while others were out of sight with different colors, of light and darker vines... some with bark, others stripped off...  so very pretty... all were outstanding... I love teaching and being part of this type of thing... it was glorious... 

 

So today I had the opportunity to create this little book in the peace and quiet of my studio... 

it was very rewarding and I had lots of fun...

 

So here it is...

 

 

 

This is the finished book... 

I will show you each section and also all the details etc... 

I love the colors... and the designs of each section... 

Don't forget this is a GIFT BOOK.... 

 

 

To start off with, my sweet husband had received a couple of books in the mail... this is the piece of corrugated that came in the books!!! 

Waste not, want not...  a good thing to practice...

I peeled off  the outside paper... to show all the beauty...

and then folded it... unevenly, so that the front was shorter than the back... 

 

I made this piece of paper this morning...

It is sort of a new technique... spun off of Pamellia Johnsons tehcnique... 

 

I will tell you a combo of what the two are...

Pamellia took the textured paste and put it onto paper,

used embossing powder and a heat gun to finish it ....

 

I did the same with black paper, textured paste, and purple embossing powder..

 

BUT then... 

I took my Versa Mark pad and ran it lightly over the textured paste that had been embossed with the purple... and added some Steam....  

 

then I did it again... 

this time adding Lettuce...  

 

then I did it again...

adding milled lavender... 

 

WOW... what fun... what colors... 

 

 

it got a little thick.. what an exciting feature...  the colors slipped into the area that had no texture paste... it just turned into a wonderful piece of paper... I really didn't want to cut it up... but hey... new rule... 

 

USE IT...

or you might not find it again.. .
LOL... 

TRUTH... sorry to say..  

With all this stenciling... I am also putting this into the
Simon Says Monday Challenge
which is all about stenciling... 
 

 

  

 

Hels Sheridan's challenge today...

Sunday Stamper... is to use a ROSE... 

so here are two...

 

 

And I snuck in a few little ones too...  can you see the little purple one... 

I used ribbon to cut the flower out... and then some stamen in the center...  love it... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I used Tim's Tattered floral strip and used the leaves here...

I used a sort of new method on these... 

I colored them with ink on the work sheet, but then I rolled them up until they dried...  then I sort of unrolled them... leaving a lot of the paper curly, etc.. 

 

Can you see the embossing... love it.. 

 

 

 

 

finished cover.... 

 

Below are a few more closeups...  just love this cover... couldn't stop taking shots at different angles...  LOL... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Okay... now this is a GIFT BOOK... so what is the gift...

Well at Crafting with Dragonflies, the challenge is to make a gift card...  oh... not me...  I dont' give gift cards...  a gift check... yes...

so that is why I created this .... 

 

 

 

 

 

It is a Sizzix Die...  oh so very elegant... all by it's self...

Lovely and ELEGANT.. needs nothing else.. but I did put a little bow around its neck... it wanted to be dressed for the occasion...

 

I also made it into a pocket... by putting double sided tape down the two sides and across the bottom... thus a nice envelope... 

 

 

 

Then I made this to slip inside... and there is a arrow at the top... it is a little hard to see... up by my name...

it is purple... 

it says PULL UP...

 

A little tangling... too...

When you pull it out.. a folded check is there as the gift...

YES... GREAT GIFT... 

 

 

You know that I don't stop with one thing in a book.... don't you???

 

So onward...

 

I made a piece of paper... 8.5 x 11... using tim's method of coloring paper... ink onto my worksheet and then dragging the paper thru it...  oh what fun.. .then I add some other color if I desire it... this time I cut the paper in half... 

 

and made two envelope... no flaps... they just fit into the booklet cover... perfectly... wow... I am getting good with this measuring thingy... 

 

I use to draw a lot of digital images and sell them.. this is the wreath...  I printed it, colored it, cut it out and glued it onto the pocket... a pretty K and Co butterfly... 

 

 

 

And on the other pocket front, I put a die cut/embossed paper by Cuttlebug and then put this cute little bird on there... it was stamped...

 but when???

by WHO???? 

BUT I did watercolor it... 

and then cut it out... 

 

When you look at the edges of the book... this is what you see...  so now I will show you all the goodies... 

 

 

The inside flap... 

A little doily and inside the doily... which is used at a pocket here... 

 

Is another little fold up paper... I have the sizzix die for that too... but it has no name on it...  ????  but it is a square and has rounded half circles on the four edges... love it... 

 

 

I put a flower on one of the half circles... 

 

This is it all open... and as you can see I have foil butterfly stickers all over it... 

 

This is how it looks when it is all folded up...  I am going to use my stickers up too... I have tons of them... and I really love some of them... like these...

 

Also this little folder is only about 2x2 inches... and it can also hold a bill... or a check also...  but I have a little butterfly inside for right now... 

 

 

 

In between the two pockets is this little paper, with the bird in it... just a little pretty... nothing more or less... just because...

 

The next pocket is this...

that I showed up above... 

 

 

Inside each pocket, I have a tag... of course... 

Each tag was also a lot of fun... naturally it was... 

 

this one I put a doily on the top and then some Pickled Raspberry inked paper... with a little bit of purples...  but love the PR...

 

A Swirl, and Textured paste queen Anne's lace flower... and some Chit chat... 

 

The SWIRL...  over at

A VINTAGE  JOURNEY

the challenge is a SWIRL... 

Tim style swirl... 

 

 

 

That is the first tag... 

 

Then the second tag... 

 

Okay...  this one is a little bit different... 

 

The same textured paste with the same stencil... a little bit different color background...  but then a Just rite stamp... and the word LOVE stamped and under it ... YOURSELF...

 

You can't love, truly love someone else, with out loving and knowing your self FIRST...

 

Love yourself...

Love others will full intent... 

How very BEAUTIFUL... 

 

 

 

 

 

FINISHED

 

 

Now all I have to do, is to find a box to mail it in... LOL.. that will be the hardest part of the whole project...

 

But then again... the Post office has these great free boxes... that this will most likely fit into with extra space...  LOVE IT... 

 

Okay...

 

So first project of the week... 

three Challenges... 

A Vintage Journey

Sunday Stampers...

Crafting with Dragonflies... 

Simon Says Monday challenge 

 

Have a great week.. .and please check back here tomorrow for more challenges...

and Please dont' forget...

 

On THURSDAY...

I will be the GUEST DESIGNER over at

FRILLY AND FUNKIE...

hope you will take a look at what I have created for this one...

 

WOW is all I am going to say... 

 

thanks for stopping by today for a look see and a visit...

Love, Light and Peace...Bonnie 

 

A little FALL book

This is a long posting... but it is for a lot of  different  Challenges...  I don't really have all the time I normally have during a weeks time... so I have to combine...  I have a huge basket class coming up on Saturday...  and need to pay attention to that...  gather up supplies, etc...  so please forgive the length of this... but each challenge is very important to me.. 

Fall is here and I love the fall season... it is so beautiful and the changing of the leaves and all the wonderful smells... the first wood burning fire is so divine and then someone is burning leaves... (really not allowed, ) but it smells so good too... and then the music... the music in the air... the fall music that plays only in the fall months...  so delightful...  light and airy... and swirling and colorful... can you hear it... maybe you will by the end of this blog...  I certainly hope you will be able to...  it is do GREAT...   

Here is the book I created that is all about the music and smells and sights of FALL....   (and I will tell you all about the challenges as we go along...) 

Card and Envelope from Wall paper 

 

I had a lot of fun making this little booklet… it just kept on adding and adding pages… one after the other… not really sure how this happened.. but it did..  Anyway… this is how it all happened… sort of anyway… 

 

The front cover and back is one piece of paper that I created using the distress ink on the worksheet and then spritzing with water… love that technique…  my favorite past time of all.. LOL… I can make so many pretty pieces of paper in an hour that my studio runs out of room to dry them… truth.. 

 

Anyway… I made this piece of paper and then used a stamp I created from the butterfly die cut of Tim’s little butterflies..  How to do this… simple… die cut a piece of foam…(the shape you want to make the stamp from)  and then glue it onto a piece of scrap plastic…  voila… a new stamp…  so very much fun…  anyway I used archival black ink to make these butterflies…  I had this paper in my FALL TO USE pile of papers… and took it out to make something for this particular challenge… and all of a sudden this little booklet starts to build and build..

 

 

 

So the first challenge that I addressed with this, was Frilly and Funkie… and the theme is“It’s all about HEARTS”  so I cut  a heart out on the front… knowing that I would make something appear in the center of the heart… 

 

The second challenge was Hels Sheridan’s Sunday Stamper… and her theme this week is Music… music, music…  so I took some tissue wrap and cut one inch strips and glued it around the heart edge…  making a ruffle for the heart… oh it went way beyond the edge of the card.. oh well…  I don’t’ mind… I have a nice big envelope for this one… 

 

 

I put a butterfly on the ruffle and then added a piece of raffia and a button… thinking that this week was the Kraft theme of buttons and bows… oooops… not a big deal… I love it anyway… 

 

 

 

Tucked a kraft glassine oak leaf under the bow… and thought wow.. I love that… 

 

The last of the butterflies.. a fall butterfly is on the music... singing it's heart out...  "see you next spring... I love you" 

 

Can you hear it??? 

wow...

I love butterflies.. they are so very special to humans also.. 

 

Well now did you think a crow was going to appear there??? 

If you know the mood I am in... YES...  it had to be a crow... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sugar Creek Hollowhas a theme this week of putting a sentiment on your project… (#95 Word Play… )  so I kept that in the back of my mind… and also a few others… like Compendium of curiosities volume 3 challenge #11… has effect powders as the theme… so I was also going to add some effective powders to my project too…  maybe… maybe not… all depends…  well… I kept on playing… and before you know it…  I have a whole little book… 

 

on the inside cover… I found this really neat crow stamp… what a surprise…  lots of crows… and a moon…  oh I have to use that… and then a single pumpkin and a little crow… have to use that… 

 

I won a $15 gift certificate over at Kraft Journal… and picked out some really nice things…  not really sure if I would really use them or not…  oh dear me… more stuff… and Craft Hoarders Anonymous really had me doing so well… oh dear me… but when I got my package… I was totally excited… and started to use all the things as soon as I could.. 

 

 

 

The first thing I used was this little Kraft Brown envelope… how cute is that…  and check out this great washi tape… black with white dots… love it… going to have to get a couple of them… love it a lot…  anyway…  added a page with this fun crow… so that it would look thru the heart… but then I added this little envelope… can you feel the pages starting to collect in this simple little card??? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

some close ups...  Love these little kraft brown envelopes... wow. .and I only got 10... need to use a few more... then re-order... 

 

 

How can you put an envelope into a book and not put a tag in it… ( which happens to be the challenge this week at KRAFT JOURNAL Challenge...  )  TAG You are IT... 

So in went the tag… and an extra leaf…  love it… had to stamp on the envelope and decorate that too… couldn’t’ leave it empty… a little double butterfly never hurt anything … 

 

Also... this week for Shabby Tea Room Challenge there is a picture of a pile of pumpkins... white, orange, white, orange... so I created this orange and white border... using a spellbinder border... I popped the pumpkins out... colored them ... and then popped them back into the border... they are raised though...  okay... the picture also had some Bittersweet around the pumpkins... so I didn't have a stamp small enough... so I thought I would make some small leaf stamps... and also draw some bittersweet... 

 

This week at Simon Monday... it is to ROCK THE TECHNIQUES.... so here is my technique... 

 

 

How to make your own simple stamps... I love leaves... and forever need MORE and MORE...

 

So I grabbed a piece of foam...  color and thickness do not matter..

Cut the simple shape out... as you can see above...

 

 

 

Using an old credit card, or a piece of repurposed plastic from shipping products... glue the foam onto the plastic... 

 

 

Treat this as you would any other stamp...  use ink and stamp away... I did it twice here... 

 

 

Then drew the lines for the bittersweet and added some berries... 

 

 

 

 

Another technique that I use when needed is to cut the paper to allow something special to happen... like this crow holding the leaf...  You might never notice on line.. .but in real life you need to make it seem as real as possible... I love this...  I use an exacto knife and carefully cut on the top and bottom and slip the leaf into position... 



On the back of the tag... 

 

The Mighty Oak trees FLOWER

THE ACORN

 

This week at the PAPER GIRLS... they are showing a technique style they call Watercoloring...  it is fun and easy... I used it like this...

 

 

 

The acorn was then cut out and put onto the back of the crow tag... I just love the crow tag... it has so much going on... and yet was so very easy to create... love it...  it is only 2.25 inches by 3 inches tall.. a small little thing to have so much on it... 

 

 

 

 

 

The back of my little kraft brown envelope is covered in a pumpkin print...  and of course a double butterfly... 

 

Finally the CROW page...  with some pumpkins... I used the Challenge for Compendium of Curosities challenge #11 for this one...  it is really wonderful in real life.... if interested in knowing more... please check this site out... other than learning... and meeting all kinds of wonderful people there... it is FUN... love it..

 

 

 

The back of a page is just as important as the front in a book... you look at both...  and so this came out of the pile... TO USE LATER..  a leaf that I made on white paper, using my Textured paste...  used a whole jar the first day I got this stuff... now I have been using all the things I created...  LOL.. am I silly or what... just like a kid having fun in the candy store... 

 

I also zentangled a heart... again for the Frilly and Funkie challenge...  I told you that I was going to cover a lot of challenges... didn't I??? 

 

This is another one of those leaves... but I turned this one into an envelope... Love these envelopes... you can put so very much into them...  like an ATC...  and if you look close enough ... a chicken feather... Our feathers are black and white... perfect colors for this little FALL book... 

 

There is that eye looking at YOU... 

A stamp from the past... at least 10 years old... 

and tim's eye stamp... love that too... 

 

The FALL letters are from tim's line of ideology...  great to use in a flash... 

 

 

 

Turning the ATC envelope.. this is on the back... and low and behold... another envelope!!! in black and white stripe...

 

I think I told you that this little book just started to happen... and it all because of this great black and white dot washi tape I got from The Kraft Journal Store... check it out... anyway... all the book is held together with it.. 

 

On the back of the envelope.. 

 

I had to tangle some more..  CELEBRATE THE COLOR

And of course a pumpkin...  you see these things just sort of happen when they are suppose to happen... 

 

Actually I stamped a lot of things about a month ago... trying to get into the fall mood... but the mojo wouldn't allow it to happen earlier than it was suppose to... 

 

So I just had to pick and choose what I wanted to use...  this pumpkin was embossed with orange and then highlighted with yellow... and the leaves were embossed with GREEN... 

 

 

 

I didn't tell you about the challenge over at Craft Hoarders Anonymous... 

 

Well they have really helped me get my studio in order... and also gotten me into trouble... and others I might add...  but hey.. it is all in fun... 

Since I joined there, I have cleaned my studio of all the junk that I wasn't using... have given it to others that NEEDED it... and also didn't have much... I also have stream lined things... so that I really know where 99% of my STUFF is...  and can find it pretty quick.. that is a miracle in it's self...

 

BUT I have a huge stash of flowers now... never have enough of them... and now the fall stuff is getting out of hand... so I need to work on those areas... 

 

so I had to use some things here ... for no other reason

than just to USE THEM... 

Craft Hoarders Anonymous this week, is asking to use office supplies... 

I use them all the time... but I did use some staples, and also a few paper clips...  so I hope you have seen them...  I also used some tape on the back of the leaf that the crow is holding... LOL..

gotta think of everything these days... 

 

 

 

 

This black and white striped envelope was holding a tag... 

This fall... I have fallen in LOVE with using

Pickled Raspberries...
(what a name... but I love it... )

using this color with the other fall colors is just perfect to me... I love it...  

 

The pumpkin is again done with Effect Powders for CCC3  challenge #11...  and the Sentiment for Sugar Creek Hollow... 

 

I made the paper using my favorite method stated above... I actually have about 5 sheets left over from making this book.. but you know they are going into the USE LATER PILE...

I hardly ever throw paper out... it has to be really messed up... but then again.. I use that too.. so ????  throw paper away... not at all.. 

 

 

 

This broom wanted to hang out... so I let it...

STAPLED onto the back of the tag... and hanging out.. .LOL. 

 

WOW coming around to the end of my FALL BOOK... 

Flipping over the black and white envelope you see the final look...  a huge maple leaf... using the method that The Paper Girl challenge is showing how to create.. .and then the last page...  a sentiment

which I love...  and a leaf and a smiling pumpkin... 

 

May the bounty

of the SEASON

fill your

Heart and HOME... 

 

I wish that for each and every one of you... with all my heart... 

 

Not forgotten, but in all the excitement of today I had a wonderful honoring surprise of winning yet another challenge from Frilly and Funkie... I am so very thankful and love it... 

 

here is what I created for the challenge of

 

A SUMMER GARDEN

 

 

The inside of the tri folded card

The front of the card 

white on white...  

 When you open this card... you see this and much more...

Check out the entry for August 27th... 

 

Thank You Frilly and Funkie... I love you all and thank you all very much for your vote of confidence and love. 

 

Hope you have enjoyed this long winded blog...

and have a happy Fall season.. enjoying it all.. 

 

Thanks for stopping by for a visit...

Love, Light and Peace...Bonnie