OSA Card Exchange

Hello everyone!

After a crazy road trip with my mom visiting family in Southern Ontario and Quebec, we are back home.  I can safely say my wandering foot (that I inherited from my dad) has been satisfied... for now :)  Maybe next month I can convince my hubby to drive me somewhere else! Hee Hee!!

I have a lot of catching up to do though. Here and on my swaps...
To start with is an easier one. 
I am part of a monthly exchange that requires the use of oriental themed stamps and a colour restriction.  LOVE these!  the month of August was Black, White and Yellow. Decided to add some stitching to the card too.

Started by stamping the Lotus Blossoms (unknown) on thin white cardboard to be able to withstand the stitching.  I coloured the flowers with SU! ink colours: Yo Yo Yellow, Summer Sun and Summer Starfruit.  I used a poking instrument to make the holes and stitched the centre of the flowers with white, yellow and black thread.  I then cut out the flowers individually.

I embossed some yellow cardstock with a new embossing folder by Darice called Lotus Blossom.

I used the Spellbinders Labels 2 set to cut out a focus piece out of scrap white and black packaging then stamped the Kanji (Digital Princess Designs).  Then it was just a matter of assembling the card!

Hugs!
More later this week!

Draw Results and a Canada Wreath!

Hello!

Well I had quite a few visitors and comments left!  Thank you VERY much! AS far as I know those links for the 2016 Where Bloggers Create will be active for quite a while, so do go back and visit them!  SO much eye candy!  Thanks again to Karen Valentine for hostessing this event! 

Speaking of candy, I promised to draw a name for the Elizabeth Craft Dies and so I have.  I used a random generator to enter all the names of those who commented and it drew...

Team Clark!
Drop me an email with an address and I'll send off this goodie in the post.  Hugs!

Now, for the creative part of this post... I finished this wreath before I got sick and did not get a chance to post it... I am a very proud Canadian and feel there are not as many creative ideas out there like our neighbours the Americans when it comes to holidays.  So as our national holiday Canada Day (July 1) falls just before the Fourth of July, I borrowed one of the lovely ideas and adapted it for us!  I tied 1/2" x 4" torn strips of white and red on a 12" metal wreath, mimicking the Canadian flag then used a dollar store wooden Canada cut out and hung it along with the wreath.  I think it turned out lovely!  Took me all of 2 hours to rip and tie fabric.

Where Blogger Create 2016

Hello, Hello!!!
Thanks for visiting my space today!
Especially since today is Where Bloggers Create 2016! 
Thanks to Karen for hosting this and providing a jump off space for people to go exploring.
The tab on the right side bar will bring you to her site where you can see other great bloggers' spaces. Or you can click HERE.
This is a longer post than usual, so grab a favourite cup of tea and enjoy!

As already mentioned, my husband and I recently moved cross country to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario from Edmonton, Alberta.  We downsized while we were at it, but Jim made sure to have an area that I could craft in, as I do need my crafting to help keep me sane.  We needed to renovate the area, but he did not hesitate to do so and now I have this wonderful, bright, colourful space!!!
HERE is the first of the renovation posts and HERE is the second.
Welcome!

Like I said, bright and colourful!

As you come in, look to the left and you will see my sewing area.

The cupboard was going to be painted white, but after I finished with all the shelves, I was DONE with painting large scale items... It will be covered with fabric matching the teal of this room at a future date...  But it is a perfect place to store all the fabric I have collected for various projects.  The carpet I have been loving FOREVER, so I ordered it along with some cabinets we needed for the kitchen, to put in this place.  My sewing machine will go on the narrower table once it is covered like the others. I did paint my green and brown filing cabinets white to go in this room too. My goal is that mostly all of the furniture is white or light to let the walls and art pop!  I took the idea from Pinterest to use the top of one of the cabinets to store my fat quarters and smaller amounts of fabric over file folders.  The bottom drawer has the books and patterns I kept after purging.

The tables we had in Edmonton were great, the right height and so I just covered them with an old white sheet that had seen better days, then a piece of glass.  Jim had already cut one for his 30x72" table in Edmonton, so I had another cut for my 30x60" table here to match.  One will be mainly for sewing and the other is set up for my crafting.  Now if friends come to visit, the sewing table becomes a spacious place for them to play!!!  Oh!  The unfinished puzzle at the top will be assembled once all the pieces I gave to friends come back to me.  It will be a wonderful colourful reminder of my friends far away from me..

This is the view from my work station.  Printer and office supplies are on the shelves on my right and the computer monitor can be used for TV input too!  I frequently watch/listen to cartoons while creating :)  That little room off the left is our storage room.  We have my deep freezer, overstock pantry and extra kitchen things not as frequently used in there.

OK!  Here are the shelves I showed you yesterday, more filled up!  Along the window wall is stamps, dies and all the tools I would need to create in journals and cards... markers, paints, punches, powders, ephemera, you get the idea...  On the other wall is paper. Well, paper and ephemera of all kinds sorted by colour and theme.  Each in its own labeled box.  I learned a while ago that open storage for me is not good.  A strong possibility of tipping over or something falling into it to wreck it was enough to make me invest in closed containers.  The only open containers are along the top and contain items to be donated, put away or currently working on.  The magazines and books are all stored in those wooden Ikea magazine holders.

And to the left of my work station is this little wall I have stored my ink pads (all labelled now!).  The shelved are Ikea bathroom cabinets without the doors.  I have all my reinkers and pads from SU!, StazOn, Distress Inks, Versafine and Brilliance.  My lateral filing cabinet holds solid coloured paper in 12x12 on the top and 8.5x11 on the bottom.  The white storage cubes are from Michaels.  They have some pads of paper from Heartfelt Creations and others, my envelopes of all sizes, card fronts, postage supplies and cutters.  The little room to the right is a utility room, now nicely closed off. 

AS I mentioned yesterday, this is the base of the room.  I had every intention of decorating and finishing the unpacking before now, but got hit with something 3 weeks ago and still leaves me with little energy.  I'll be sure to show you the different decorating projects as I get time to do them...

Oh yes.... Blog candy....

Please leave a message for me on this blog entry and I will draw a name from the list next Friday to get this die set and some other goodies I can stuff in an envelope. No restrictions on where you live:)  Not much, but my thanks for visiting. If you so feel inclined, also enter your email at the right to receive an email each time I post a blog entry.  I do not post more than once or twice a week.  That way you wont miss one!  Hugs!

Tomorrow's the day!!!

Hi!

I'm preparing for tomorrow's Where Women Create entry...

So excited about my new play area!  It's the first time I've been able to design it!  Since just building the walls, doors and electrical were enough, I was on a budget for the rest of the room, so I tried to re-use what I could from the previous house.  After painting the room one of my favourite hues, (thanks again mom and Jim!)  I set to work preparing the shelves. The paint colour is the darkest here called Nautical by Valspar.  I was aiming to match the tone of the Ikea rolling carts that so many people have bought and I splurged on when we decided to move Sault Ste. Marie. (NO IKEA!!!!)

The shelves are from Ikea and I strongly recommend them for holding those 12x12 storage cases Michaels sells!  You can assemble the shelves so that there is just the right space for them!  Any way, here I have Jim cutting  down the posts from approximately 68" to 55".  Due to the ledge all around the room, I decided to try and keep everything storage below that line and keep the above for decorating.  I then stained them white to brighten them up.  Boy I was NOT prepared for the amount of time it took to do that job!!!  SO many shelves!  But the final result is pretty , so it was worth it.  Then assembly.  Jim was shocked at how fast I assembled them...  I HAD had 2 months of planning of measuring, so I was gung ho to get them up!

Then I started to unpack and make sure all important pieces would fit...  I originally had plans for a cozy corner where I could crochet or digital scrapbook in, but my chair proved to be too poufy for this space.  So adjustments were made...  The floors are a light gray laminate from Lowes that matches the tone of the carpets in the rest of the basement.  Gotta think future resale, right?

Come by tomorrow for the reveal of my new space.  Gotta warn you though, just the bones are done.  I've been sick for the past few weeks so not much finishing has been done.  I have time to do that part later this year! 
Oh!  Yes!  Tomorrow's visitors will also be entered to win a set of paper cutting dies if they leave a comment on this blog... details tomorrow!  Hugs!

Mojo Monday 455

Hi!

Thought I'd show you my first attempt of this challenge anyway...

Used the Travel background from PSX K-3219 stamped onto some paper from Elizabeth Craft Design's Through the Lens papers.  This one is from the Stone collection.  The ribbon I found at a re-use centre years ago and hesitated using... Gotta use up all these bits and bobs!  The photo negative along the bottom is something I picked up from a photographer artist during the yearly art fest.  Again, years ago.  And the circle of paper is some brown velvet from my stash.  MIGHT be K & Co.
All on a kraft card base.

Hugs!
Cindy :)

Card Making!

Hello!

Decided to play in my cooler basement today as it has been HOT outside here in Sault Ste. Marie! 

On a cooler walk a couple weeks ago I picked up some grasses and wild flowers with the idea of pressing them and making them into a card.  This is the result.  Not overly flashy but local :)  The tags are by K & Co.  They are sticky backed and yellowed a bit with age, but I still like the effect.  The background is the packaging and the Thank You slider is from Pebbles Ink - I Kandee.  Trying to use up my supplies... 

The second card is actually the second attempt at this week's Mojo Monday sketch.  I picked up a fat quarter which had these ladies printed on them and thought they'd be perfect for cards!  Other papers and the thank you stamp from Digital Princess Designs made a quick and simple card.

Hugs!
Cindy :)

A Thank You Card

Hello all!

I've got a thank you card to share this time.
Every couple years I get courageous to arrange a Different Point of View swap on OSA (a yahoo group called Oriental Stamp Artists).  To encourage participation I select a stamp from one of the vendors that are part of the group and try to make it an image that could be used in different ways. This is a two fold swap.  First they do get a card for sending in a card.  Second, I ask them to send me a second card for submission to a magazine.  I have had two of these swaps published in the past and love to see the result!
I just completed this year's attempt with an image from Art Neko/ About Art Accents called 'Koi with Stylized Wave'

I am horrible at sending thank you cards when well deserved, and I make cards!!!  I decided to try and change this bad habit and created one for the owner of the company.  She allowed me (as most stamp companies do) to use her image in a publishing attempt, but also gave me permission to send stamped images to those who may wish to play along, but do not have the funds to purchase the stamp. Most companies do not allow that. 
Since I have sent the cards off to possibly be published I cannot share those, but I can share the thank you card I created today.

I used two kinds of oriental washi paper in the background, some shimmer cardstock from DCWV and some handmade marbled paper I had in my stash to stamp and cut out the flowers.  I cannot remember where the cherry blossom stamps came from, but I love the versatility.  I also used the largest of the Labels 4 from Spellbinders for the opening and the Spellbinders Layered flowers in the bottom left cluster.

Hugs to all!
Cindy