Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Bokeh Technique

Have you tried anything new lately? 
I tried the Bokeh technique yesterday
 and was charmed with the result.
I decided to see what it means so, 
of course, I Googled the word:
  1. "In photography, bokeh (Originally /ˈboʊkɛ/, /ˈboʊkeɪ/ BOH-kay — also sometimes pronounced as /ˈboʊkə/ BOH-kə, Japanese: [boke]) is the aesthetic quality of the blur produced in the out-of-focus parts of an image produced by a lens. Bokeh has been defined as "the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light".
  2. I'm entering into the Colour Me...! challenge as well as the Can You Case It? challenge.
CYCI#58
  1. Love it when trying something new works out, don't you?  
  2. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Friday, February 20, 2015

Stamper's Club Notes and Box Pictorial

What's the weather like where you are?  Here, it's so
incredibly sunny out, the sky is a beautiful robin's egg blue. 
Hard to believe the temps were -9 on my drive in to work! 
 
When the weather is awful, it's the perfect time to gather together
with friends and create some fun stuff.  When we have Stamper's Club,
we giggle, sing silly songs together, laugh some more, and - well,
we have a blast!  I love getting together with my friends and
constructing projects.

One of our projects this last week was this St. Patrick's
 Day box (you can fit 10 - yes, I counted - Hershey's treasures inside). 
 And there's gold on top - love those foil sheets.
We also did several projects with masking techniques. 
Another project we did using a different
masking technique is right here.
For this card, everyone was able to choose the sentiment
that works for them
since the Petite Pairs stamp set has so many different choices. 
Everyone was in love with the Blackberry Bliss color on this card,
combined with the Smokey Slate.  Post-It Notes are our friends!
 
I promised the Club Members a Pictorial on the
measurements, etc. needed for the box.
So here you go, my friends ...
The Paper size is 8-1/2" x 11".  Cut the one sheet into a piece
that is 5" x 7-1/4" and the other piece is 5-1/8" x 7-5/8". 
 You will have a few extra pieces.
Then score the smaller piece (5" x 7-1/4") on all the sides 1/2".
This piece is the box bottom.
Score your box bottom on all sides again, this time at 1-1/8".
Score the top piece at 5/8", 3-1/2", 4-1/8" and 7".
Cut the corners off of your bottom piece as shown.
Then cut the corners of the bottom piece further, as shown. 
You want to remember the little triangular pie-shaped piece being
cut out because this will ensure a nice, tight fit of your box corners.
Apply sticky strip or whatever very strong adhesive you
like to use as shown.  Before adhereing, be sure to break down the
fibers of your box folds by burnishing them with a bone folder or
whatever folding tool you like to use.  Doing a "dry run" of putting your
box together before adhering is also a good idea because then you can
make adjustments before it's too late and everything is stuck together. 
 You will want to further burnish all the edges for a nice, tight fit. 
After you feel your box is ready for assembly, remove the stick strip adhesive
cover and put the box together.
Decorate the box in whatever fashion you choose. 
As you can see, we did the St. Paddy's theme since
it will be here before you know it!
Hope that helps you with creating your own boxes! 
I CASEd the box from the Stamping and Blogging website.
 Thanks so much for stopping by!
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Sunday, February 15, 2015

Orange You Glad - AAA Cards

When I read the theme for this AAA Card Challenge,
 I could hardly wait to begin my card making!  I'm so ready for 
fun and bright colors - enough of this winter stuff for me ...
The colors are so fun and bright!
What a wonderful relief ~ I've been seeing too much cold white stuff 
lately with all the snow we're having here.

I was teaching a stamping class on Friday; one of the students 
is just beginning her fun exploration of stamping and card making.  She 
wanted to know about all the supplies needed, and, you know, 
one-layer cards work just fine - especially to start.  This card is a 
perfect example of that one-layer style.
Stamping Tips -
  • Masking with giant Post-It notes using grid paper or a surface with "ruled" lines under your project makes it easy to be sure your lines are straight.  I used a sponge in a circular motion when sponging on the color and began with a yellow in the middle with tangerine on the outsides of the unmasked space being inked.
  • Stazon is the perfect ink when stamping on an embossed card stock.  That ink can truly be stamped on anything.  The Jet Black Stazon is great for a true black, too. 
So show us what you've got - I can't wait to see and
 comment on your fabulous creations!
Thanks for stopping by ~ take some time to get inky today!!

And on advice of my wonderful blogging friend and fellow 
creations here), I have decided to enter this fun card in the
 One-Layer Simplicity Challenge where the idea is to blend 
colors.  Thanks, Vicki, for the heads-up!  You're the creative best!!
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Saturday, February 14, 2015

Happy Valentine's Day

Hope you're having a wonderful Valentine's Day.
From Wikipedia, we learn...

"Valentine's Day, also known as Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine is a celebration observed on February 14 each year. It is celebrated in many countries around the world, although it is not a public holiday in most of them.
"St. Valentine's Day began as a liturgical celebration of one or more early Christian saints named Valentinus. A popular account of Saint Valentine of Rome states that he was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry and for ministering to Christians, who were persecuted under the Roman Empire.  According to legend, during his imprisonment, he healed the daughter of his jailer, Asterius. An embellishment to this story states that before his execution he wrote her a letter signed "Your Valentine" as a farewell. 
"The day was first associated with romantic love in the High Middle Ages when the tradition of courtly love flourished. In 18th-century England, it evolved into an occasion in which lovers expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering candies, and sending greeting cards (known as 'Valentines')."  
Many people like to give mass-produced Valentines - but for me, it's handmade all the way!!  That's - without a doubt - my favorite!  How about you?

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

My Birthday Trip to Hower House

I'm another year older - and hopefully wiser! 
My birthday was last Tuesday (can it almost be a week already?). 
I didn't want much from my guys, except to spend some time with them. 
 I asked them to all set aside time on Saturday to visit the Hower
House in Akron with me for a tour.
We were looking forward to seeing what this uniquely-styled 
home would look like inside.
There are three floors, plus a basement in this roughly 10,000 square foot home.
The windows at the front porch were about 10 feet in height.
 Unfortunately, they discovered some crumbling occurring 
in the basement as they were readying the house for a new year 
of events.  Turns out that it's nothing structural, but bad enough 
that they were not doing tours this past weekend - and in the 
rush and worry of fixing the place, neglecting to update their website.
My hubby  knocked on the gift shop door and asked what was 
going on when we discovered we couldn't get inside.  That's when we learned
 about the basement "issue".  We were kindly offered comp tickets
 for this upcoming weekend.  We all agreed that we would come 
back - so . . . lucky me.  More time to spend with my guys 
next weekend!
We got some great pictures out of it.  My husband insisted
 on taking lots of myself and the boys since I'm usually the picture
 taker and am in very few of ours.  Thanks, honey!

Hope you have a wonderful day - thanks so much for stopping by!

Thursday, February 5, 2015

Bravo!

Bravo!  Bravo!! 
This week marks an anniversary for a very dear friend. 
 I wanted to send her a special card to celebrate . . . 
I used a huge strip of Washi Sheet and grabbed bits and
 pieces on my desk from various card kits I've been using this week.
I'm also entering the card in the Retrosketches challenge this week.
Creative Tips -
Washi Sheets add a great punch of color - you can cut, punch, or use dies with them - very versatile.  They can be a challenge to adhere to your project when using a large piece.  I only peeled a bit away at a time, unpeeling the backing as I laid it on the project for a snooth look.
Congrats, Rhonda!  You're the best!!
Thanks for stopping by ~~

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Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Weekly Deals

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It's the fabulous weekly deals from Stampin' Up!  Some of them are just in time for Valentines Day, too!

If any of these things are on your wish list, now's the time to snatch them up.





Hope you have a fantastic day -  thanks for stopping by!

Happenings Simply Created

Ever in a hurry for a card?  I am - lots of the time.  You'd think 
I have lots all around the house to use when I'm in a rush since I 
create cards almost every day.  Nope.  That's one of the reasons 
I love Card Kits.  
Happenings Simply Created is a Card Kit that has everything
included - ribbon, card stock, accessories.  I simply add my ink,
 stamps of my choice, adhesive and scissors.
And the banners, shapes, glimmer paper - all those details are
 just items you punch out to use as you want on your project.
I put the cards together as suggested in the kit; of course, 
you can branch out and get your creative juices flowing any
 which way you want.
There are enough supplies in the kit for 15 cards - yay - card shortage averted!!
Did I mention that you get envelopes, too?
The kit makes a great present for birthdays or even Valentines!
Hope you have a fabulously inky day ~ thanks for stopping by ~~
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Sunday, February 1, 2015

Crazy About You - AAA Cards

I am so crazy about You - AAA Cards Challenge!  
And I'm so happy to be starting up a new and wonderful year with 
a Valentine Challenge that's wild and - oh so sweet!
I decided to go with the Crazy About You stamp set with 
and a die cut Hello You  thinlet die layered with Smoky Slate and Basic Gray.  
A perfect card for Valentines and also lots of other occasions.

We have a two-week challenge, so there's time to join in 
with more than one card if you want.
Stamping Tips -
The Washi Sheets are fantastic for punching, cutting into strips, and using with dies.  The versatility is amazing.  I used a sheet and cut a strip out of it, layering it on the card with the other banners - one with the sentiment on it.  You can see the other layers behind the Washi.  It adds so much depth!  I also used the Washi Sheets to punch hearts - one is with the Basic Gray "grid" pattern, the other is with a polka dot Calypso Coral pattern.  

I used a stencil (Heart Decorative Mask) for the hearts as a background on my art piece, being sure to keep the sentiment at the center stage.  A sponge let me use just the right amount of ink on the stencil.

So show us what you've got - I can't wait to see and
 comment on your fabulous creations!
Thanks for stopping by ~ take some time to get inky today!!
Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog