Monday Monday.... what a lovely day of the week...

Today is Monday...  and it is a busy busy day around here... even though it is raining, I am canning up some beans... and threw some blueberries into the freezer...  and made a card... yes ONE card for THREE challenges... usually it is the other way around... but this week is really hectic and I wanted to do something for all three of these challenges... 

Simon Says... I have to say again... THANK YOU all for the lovely honor of  Designer Spotlight...  it is truly a huge honor... and also the Winnings of a $50.00 shopping spree...  WOW... what fun is that...  so Please check out this FUN challenge... and ENTER today...    This week it is Mid Summer Challenge...  with sort of an anything goes type of theme...  for this theme I choose to do summer flowers... one of my favorites...  tiny blue bells... please check out this site and join in on the fun... 

The other challenge is Craft Hoarders Anonymous challenge and they ask that we use up STUFF we have... and get the old things and USE them...  I had to join... I keep on thinking that something miraculous will happen and my studio will become clean...!!!  LOL...  Anyway the theme this week is to EMBOSS...  dry or with a heat gun...  so I did a little of both... I embossed dry... with a tim holtz embossing folder and then I used many different colors of embossing powders all over the paper.. I love the way it turned out...   hope you can see enough of it... I also used little fancy spellbinder pieces on the corners and embossed them too...  so I do have some embossing going on here... I just did the first challenge here yesterday... and everyone seems so very welcoming and happy... I love that...  so here I am again with another piece... as I promised... 

Third.. but not least is the Shabby Tea Room challenge... which I have not done in over two years... I use to have dial up and it was so very difficult to get onto a site... let alone post, and do all that one has to do... so I gave up doing it... and this spring when we finally were able to get high speed... I got on line and started to PLAY... and here I am again...  Hi Debbie...  Okay... the challenge here is to do flowers... and also lace... I have the blue.. but not the pink... hope that the colors are okay... if not, I had fun adding my lace... and will watch to see if the colors have to be the same too... 


Okay... now some of the other things that I have added...  my background paper and the envelope of course I made also... I took Distress inks and put them onto a worksheet and spritz and created the papers... then I took a die cut and made a stencil with the butterfly die cut of tim's... and that is how I got the butterflies...  also used a small group of flowers on the card background... just because I love flowers... 

The center of the oval frame... (which is crackled) I took a piece of one of the green tall plants from the butterfly garden we have on the farm... and brought it home and sprayed it with some Dylusional ink...  I love the results... 

I made all the flowers... and used stamen that I did buy...  in the centers of each flower...  the ribbon is of course seam binding dyed... 

So... that is my card... now I guess you would like to see it...

 

Midnight Bloom 

 

Embossed paper in background and spellbinder fancy corner also embossed 

 

I adore butterflies... and this one I made using Tim Holtz's die cut... cut 100's of them... and painted the all different colors to use... if you want to talk about OCD Karen... we can now talk!!!  LOL..

anyway.. .I generally make the butterflies double... to show them flying FREE... and the underneath one is generally always different...  just the way it is... 

 

Here you can see the difference of the other butterfly...  also the spraying of the tall grasses...  I used sunshine yellow (?) and also a brown... love the effects I got. 

 

Some of the bluebells... 

With a large card like this, I generally try and make a matching envelope... which I did...  paper matches sort of... not the stamping on the butterflies... but colors and butterflies are a match...  

 

 

 

This is what the paper looks like close up... 

 

So that is it... hope you enjoyed this... and thanks for stopping in to see me...  I really love your visits and also love your sweet comments... thanks so very much for both... 

 

Hope you have a wonderful day creating and enjoying... 

Love, Light and Peace...Bonnie 

WATER. WATER and more water... not enough water...

I never would have thought that I could combine these two challenges... they are totally opposite... BUT... low and behold... today I am doing just that... 

On Mondays I do my Zentangle Challenge... with, I am the DIVA and the challenge this week is to create something with B.Y.O.B.  (bring your own Beverage)   and so that is pretty easy for me... WATER...  WATER and More WATER... 

and also SIMON MONDAY CHALLENGE... All about a FACE...

Okay... they really didn't click with me either... but I wanted to make a special card for my Son and DIL... and so I created this picture... I started it on Sunday night... way prior to the challenges being announced...  So after looking on Monday to the challenges... I was surprised to see that this would really fit into both of these challenges... so I finished the picture off with tangling and then colored it my INKTENSE colored pencils... and then scanned it, printed and made this card... 

Okay... I am trying to work thru which part to show you first... so I guess I will show you the front of the card first...  such decisions to make!!!! 

 

This is the front of the card... do you see the face peeking out at you????? it is there...  you will see it better in a minute. 

I made the paper with distress inks and my worksheet.... and then stamped and die cut all the other pieces... coloring them with distress pens and inks.   

 

when you open the card... this is on the top part of the card... the large seahorse and the turtle are stamps and die cuts and they were colored and then glued onto the paper, that again I made from white cardstock, distress inks and stamps... 

 

Here is the SPECIAL INSIDE of the card..  my Zen tangle also for the week...  water, water and more water...  a mermaid with her new little one...  with all the sea critters with her loving the new little baby... 

 

The border is a Martha Stewart sea punch set... and the background paper again, white cardstock, distress inks and stamps... love making special papers that way... so much fun and they really make the card look GREAT.. 

 

The back side of the card... another piece of Bonnie paper... 

 

Here is a close-up of the TIA for the week... 

in all her glory... 

 

I tried to keep with the theme of ocean dwelling 'tangles' like purk, mooka, and all the other ones...  click on any of the pictures to see them larger... 

They just had a baby boy on July 3rd... and I wanted to make a send them a special card...

 

My favorite drink is WATER...  cant' get enough of it... we all need to drink nice CLEAN water...  no fluoride, no chemicals... just nice CLEAN WATER... my drink of all times... 

 

Our son loves Mermaids... so I had to do this mermaid for him... as this is his mermaid and their little one...  Love it..

 

Hope that both groups of people from the two different challenges enjoy this piece... I know that it is entirely different than you are use to... 

 

I had to do it... and I hope you like it...

 

Have a super wonderful day...  create with all your heart... and enjoy it... and thanks again for stopping by for a visit...

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 

White on White with the MOTHER

Who is the MOTHER??  Well Mother Earth of course... 

This week on Simon Monday challenge blog the challenge is to use WHITE...  You can use it in any way the you choose... but I love white on white... some of my favorite cards are white on white...  love the confectionery type of card...  with lots of laces and multi layers of it all... and then all of a sudden on the last section of the card... colored FLOWERS... love it... 

Anyway... if you are interested there should be a few on my blog someplace... as I sure sell a lot of the kits to make these... 

But back to this piece that I just finished... I wanted Mother Earth's spirit to be as real as possible... so I gathered up all kinds of things and played... now mind you... I only have a few hours... as our green beans are popping... and 30 quarts are waiting to be canned  NOW...  we do love them in the winter... so it is a pleasure to do them in the summer months...  they are so very delicious too... 

Okay.. I know you want to see the picture... enough already with all the words...

 

Embrace the MOTHER

is in chit chat at the bottom of the frame... all the details as we go along here...  but that is the official name of this piece... 

 

I took many pictures of the face and draping... different ways so you could see as much as possible... 

 

 

 

She really is smiling, and has a very sweet face... just as the Mother does...  a very serene one...  but you will see many views and they all sort of look different... 

 

I started off with a face that I had made at least 5 years ago... using air drying clay and a mold I made at least 10 of them... I found them the other day when sorting thru stuff...  and thought I should use one of these...???  so I did...

 

I glued it down onto a piece of card stock and started to drape tissue paper around the face... this is what happened... of course I had a jar of Gesso handy.. and that is how it all got to be so wonderful around the face... I love it...  and I know I will use this technique again and again... (hey I have at least 9 more faces...  )  When I pulled them out of the mold each one was really different too... so I picked out the one I loved the best... 

 

 

 

a little bit more black in the picture... just to show you the depth of her face and drapping... 

 

she really is smiling at you... saying how much she LOVES YOU... 

 

 

A lot darker, but you can again see the depth and also all the imperfections...  but I still love her... and she almost looks like she has painted eyes... which she doesn't... she is ALL WHITE... 

 

You know these kinds of frames... from the $1.00 stores... well this one I think I again have about 3 of them...  ????  for what... ART and playing with... love them... so I gesso it a long time ago too... and never used it... but today.. .I put some of TIM's Tissue on it... OM Goodness... I love it...  really fun too..  I don't want to hide it though... 

 

Well she just fits in there so perfectly... and I added some of these fun little flowers that I made... you know the kind... the ones that you use to buy in the dime store in the late 40's...  oh my... that long ago???  anyway... I made a few hundred of them the other day... and some were white... with white stamen...  You can see a cute story about these on the post I did on the  29th of June...  I love these little flowers as much as I do all the big ones I make... 

 

Here is a side view... well sort of ... and the flowers look like a lace blouse...  I love her...  she is really so pretty... 

 

 

 

Just another view... 

 

have you ever crackled a glass bottle... well I did... the directions are in the Compendium of Curiosities book three by Tim Holtz... I love this...  and I gathered up some Fairy dust and put it into the bottle...  it is all white...  with the exception of the cork top...  didn't want to color that...

 

Again ... so you can see the completed picture... 

 

I used my Tim Holtz butterfly die and cute three butterflies from clearly art plastic sheets by Wendy Vecchi , and covered it with Tim's frosted film... and then used some white alcohol ink to add some 'color' to it... there are three butterflies, one on top of the other to show flight and freedom... 

 

Using the best flower die on the market... Tim's Tattered Floral die, I cut some Muslin and also some tissue flowers... and added some stamen to the tissue ones... the muslin flower and leaves are really fun to play with... will get more into these for a quilt square really soon...  I have to get my quilt done this year... it is to cover up my French doors in my studio... and the squares are 22 inches square and each one is painted and created differently with all kinds of color themes...  love it... totally FREE in all ways...  nothing set in stone... 

 

I added this really pretty white glass disc... it looks like a large marble has been flattened... ??? dont' know what it is... or where it came from... but a dragonfly has decided to rest on it now...  along with a few of these flowers in a Antique Linen...  they are all around the place...  look.. you might see them... 

 

 

 

Since I had fairy dust... I needed to have a fairy... so I cut the flower fairy out that is called white clover... this series of fairies is one of my very favorites.. LOVE THEM ALL... 

 

 

 

 

 

Mother Earth Energy... 

You can see the flowers a little bit easier here... each one has two flowers and a stamen... simple and cute... do you remember them... they came in a little bunch and each flower was a different color.. .I loved them... 

Embrace the Mother...

Be kind...

love her in all ways... 

 

Hope you have enjoyed this and thanks so very much for stopping by for a visit...  Please don't forget to go to the Simon Monday blog and check out all the other work there... there are some really magnificent pieces there...  really dynamic... 

 

Thanks again... have a great evening and day...

Love, Light and Peace...Bonnie 

so here she is in all her glory... 

Challenge: I ought to use this more... YIKES...

Today is Tuesday... I had a few classes and then I took a break and had to play with some new toys... so I HAD to have a reason... so I thought I would like to start to do Simon Says challenge again... So HI to all the new DT members... and Hi again to all the others... I now have high speed connections... and that is really wonderful.. .that dial up was enough to drive me over the edge... okay... calm down... I am not that over the edge...  LOL...

Okay... over at Simon Says... Monday challenge... the challenge is I ought to use this more...  ahem... that does not include me...  does it???  oh well.. I do have a FEW things that I don't use too often... and really should box them up and sell them...  way too much stuff...  anyway...  I decided to use a few of them... 

 

Down by the SEA is the name of this tag... 

First off... I made the color on the tag with Tim Holtz's way of putting ink onto a tag... love that technique...  and then used some Inka Gold... not that old... but getting there... on the edges...  then I started to play... 

 

I grabbed a piece of corrugated box... ??? who knows how long that has been in the pile??? Your guess is as good as mine... I use it when I need too...  tore it up and edged the torn sides with distress inks...  then here comes the OLD STUFF... MICA...

 

There are two large pieces of mica that my husband found one day and asked it I would like it... it is about 1/2 inch think... and I have used a few pieces... but it has been over..... AHEM... 8 years now since I have used any... does that qualify??? 

 

I also added the green mica chips that I bought over 10 years ago...   I  Guess that qualifies me... huh??? 

 

 

 

It looks a lot prettier in real life... has a lot of depth and some areas where these is almost a rainbow effect...  I did use some Distress glitters on the leaves, starfish and the turquoise bubbles... 

 

I just received the mini series of these stamps today... love them... but I think I am going to have to buy the large ones too... love these sea stamps... 

 

 

 

Added a few pieces of sea glass... they have to be over 6 years old... maybe more... but at this rate who is counting... 

 

I had fun making this tag... and thanks for letting me into the challenge... LOL.. I love to create and need a good reason at times... thanks for giving me that... 

 

Hope you have a wonderful evening, day, or afternoon...  Thanks for stopping by and also thanks ahead for leaving a comment...  I do appreciate them all.. 

 

Love, Light and Peace...Bonnie