Kat Ancheta at Close To My Heart

Ok, so something really cool happened!  I met Kat Ancheta through/on one of the lists I belong to.  She asked me to participate in a Design Team activity for her new business at Close To My Heart (visit Kat at katancheta.ctmh.com to check out all the really neat products she has available!).  Two weeks later I received a randomly picked design team package with nautical themed paper and some great stamps. 

Now, you may have seen from previous posts on my blog that I 1) do not design things men would normally admire or want and 2) I tend to design vintage type things SO... what did this mean for Kat's challenge?  I really had to sit down and let the paper draw me in and tell me what it wanted to be! So here comes the cool part... I started out and made a card (a challenge for me since I struggle with cards for some bizarre reason).  Then, feeling that I did not do Kat's Close To My Heart package justice it was back to the drawing board.  Second project, a simple, neat little spiral bound note book that my husband could easily fit in his pocket.  At that point I was still dissatisfied with my work product - the items were nice but I felt I owed Kat MORE. 

Finally, this last week inspiration hit me on the back of the head like a well aimed smack!  From scratch, referencing no tutorials, I made the COOLEST 3-D sailboat that includes all things great - colorful paper, raised stamped images, pinwheels, streamers, crepe paper, and of course GLITTER. :)  So please stick with me through the photos that follow. I really want to share my sailboat with everyone but not before I show you photos of my DT package and the shutter-fold card as well as the note pad.  I hope you will be able to see the progression!

   

 This paper pack from Kat's Close To My Heart store is called "Tommy" and includes an assortment of color-coordinated paper.

These great stamps came in with my DT package from Kat as well and are titled PinWheel.  May I just add that these really are very nice clear acrylic stamps - I had no problem getting clean, crisp images with them for which I am terribly grateful as I am not a gifted stamper!

 So I definitely watched a YouTube tutorial on how to make a shutter fold card. Surprisingly, it was not as difficult as it might look!  The wonderful thing was that all of the card stock from Kat's design team package coordinated beautifully and all I added was some Glossy Accents!

Throughout the little note pad that follows I have included random decorative accents from Kat at Close To My Heart. Also, to let my husband know that I am thinking of him when he is out moving cattle or checking horses I have written short little messages like, "I am thinking about you!" randomly throughout the pages (photos of messages not included! lol).

 You see the yellow flap sticking up here?  This is the closure on this little notebook.  I used small magnetic discs from Basic Grey to ensure that this would hold itself closed when not in use.

Now, for my piece de resistance!!  :::: drum roll ::::  Hoist the anchors, untie the ropes, and drop the sails...

 So the neat thing about this boat is that it is actually a gift box. :)  You simply lift up the top part (seen below) and you can insert candies or a small gift in the little box on the bottom.  There is also room to actually put candy (or teeny tiny passengers) in the boat!

 Once I figured out what I wanted to make, the construction of this boat was great fun!  Both sides could be displayed as the back is directed exactly the same as the front - the only difference being that my "masts" (inked popsicle sticks) show more on the back side. 

I painted the outside of the box with some Liberty Blue Accent brand paint I just happened to have on hand and lined the inside of the box with craft colored card stock as well as some of the patterned paper from my DT kit.  The banner on the outside is actually a piece of yellow organza type ribbon that I inked red and the printed border that was on the top of one of the 12 x 12 designer papers.

If you've hung in there this long I truly appreciate it. Kat has a lot of great products available on her website at katancheta.ctmh.com - please take a minute to check it out!

Best,

MistiRose

Got Cake?

Good Morning!

I had a very productive weekend and wanted to share my newest project with everyone.  My new Sizzix Bigz and XL dies arrived on Friday so I just had to put them to use.  Mind you, I've had my Big Shot Pro for awhile but continued to use dies that would run through my Vagabond machine.

If you are hesitant about spending the money to purchase a Big Shot Pro, I can assure you it is well worth it!  While heavy, the machine is easy to use and you do not have to hold it in place with one hand while cutting your dies.  Not to mention the fact that you can make LARGE die cuts. Be prepared to set it up in a permanent location, however, as it is heavy and large.  This is not a piece of equipment you would want to have to drag in and out of the closet or on and off a lower shelf.

The two dies that I used for this project are the Cupcake Stand and the Cake Box.  Photos follow! :)

Marie and her cakes stand 14" tall and approximately 4" wide.

The top cake does not open; however, the bottom one does!

German glitter? Yes! Flower bases made out of the bottom of water bottles? Yes!

No worthy queen is complete without her jewels.

Thank you for stopping by to take a look.  Perhaps Wednesday or Thursday I can put up photos of the Easter 3D Teacups I made!

Best wishes,
Misti

Laura at Artfully Musing

Good day, all!

I have posted information about Laura's blog at Artfully Musing before (she makes amazing altered bottles!).  With her permission, I wanted to post a photo of some of Laura's fabulous bottles and direct you to her tutorial.

The direct link to Laura's bottle tutorial is: Artfully Musing Bottle Tutorial.  As if that weren't enough, Laura has created a tutorial on the most fabulous chests made out of matchboxes.  Oh to be so creative!  I have not asked Laura if I could post a photo of her Marie Antoinette Chest (I'll do that today!); however, I am sure she would not mind if I share the link with you:  Artfully Musing Matchbox Chest Tutorial.  While you are visiting Laura's blog, be sure to take a look at all of the unique tutorials she offers.

Disclaimer:  I am in no way affiliated with Laura at Artfully Musing but I find her work inspiring and simply want to share her genius with everyone!

Have a great day!
Misti

Swaps :)

I have not been working on that Graphic 45 album without taking breaks to create for swaps in some of the great groups I belong to!  Since the photos have been taken and the exposure has been adjusted, I thought I would include a couple of pictures of some other things I've been working on.

First, a magazine collage that I did for a trading partner in Australia (how cool is that?) over at Paper Traders:

I have also made a couple of little art dolls for the wonderful Ms. Shelly that makes the wheel go round over at the Yahoo Altered Books' group site:

This was my first doll that I made; then realized I was supposed to make a ribbon doll! So, effort #2 follows...

By far my favorite!  This little doll started out as tan card stock and one of my Art Doll stamps. :)

I've also swapped bookmarks on a Yahoo group I recently joined called Art for the Creative Mind. Sadly, I did not take photos of those but they are winging their way to my partner as we speak.

I challenge you to try something "outside the box" this week. 

Best,
Misti

Graphic 45 Album & Other Happenings

Ok so, I think I put this post off for two weeks because of the photographs that needed to be taken.  I've been working on a Graphic 45 Olde Curiosity Shoppe gate fold album that is 99% finished.  Because my eyes are always larger than my stomach, I put way TOO MANY pages in this album and it is taking FOR-EVAH to finish.  However, since there are so many photos I thought I had probably better post at least the first 11 pages. lol

So... here ya go!

The cover is started but definitely NOT finished. I'm all about junking it up!

This page has photo mats as well as a mini-journal included.

I need to do something else with this page - it just hasn't hit me in the back of the head yet.

Envelope pocket mounted on a chip board covered page.

Last photo for now... more to follow!

I hope this finds you all creating amazing things!
Best wishes,
Misti

Random Act of Kindness

As promised, I am posting more!  Have you noticed that the world seems to lack a little gentility these days? In our rush to get through our lists, care for the important others in our life, etc., it seems as though we have very little time to do a random act of kindness for strangers.  Stepping outside our established relationships and helping others becomes something of a miracle due to the many constraints placed on our time. This week, I was on the receiving end of one such miracle!  I wanted to share with you the lovely mail art envelope that I received from Susan at Paper Art Team. Not only did she take the time to decorate the envelope but she also .... (insert drum roll here) filled it with envelopes!! 

I have been watching tutorials on envelope pockets, envelope mini-albums, altered envelopes ... You get the idea!  Unfortunately, I did not have any envelopes and have spent a fortune on craft and art supplies lately so it was a purchase I just continued to put off.  Susan was the cure to my desperate need of a solution.  I have already started using these envelopes to help build the pages for the Graphic 45 Olde Curiosity Shoppe gate-fold album I am using.

So first, I would like to send Susan a giant heartfelt THANK YOU!  Second, I would like to encourage you to visit her blog.  Last, but certainly not least, I would like to share my treasure with you. Remember, art is in your heART. :)

Mistakes are Proof That You're Trying ... isn't that the truth?!

WANTED: A few good blogs

I am currently working on a gate-fold album using Graphic 45's Olde Curiosity Shoppe paper.  The album is well under way but i am afraid I made too many pages and am struggling to find unique ways to format each page  Since I am constantly looking for good ways to improve the organization of all my supplies, I thought I would share a photo of my desk in the throes of creativity.

I'd like to say it's not always this bad... but that would just be dishonest!

Are you the owner of a blog with amazing tutorials?  Do you have creativity bursting out of your seams?  If so, let me know! I am always looking for new techniques and have, for some reason, a difficult time locating great blogs!  I am going to start a list to share with everyone who may be blog hopping across the universe. (If you host weekly or monthly challenges I would love to hear from you as well! ) Please leave a comment with a link to your blog.

And so, without any further ado:
FAB-YOU-LOUS BLOGS:
Please visit Susan Mc at AuntieSisters. (Note: Susan, I would love to see some tutorials on how you alter all that fabulous furniture!

TUTORIALS:
Laura has the neatest tutorials on her sit for altered bottles. See her genius at: Artfully Musing
Andrea Walford does a very nice art journaling tutorial here: Art Journaling Video Tutorial
Roni hosts Ink Stains with Roni. Take a look at her site for genius tutorials using what else - ink!

CHALLENGES:
Visit Lee Anne for monthly challenges using free images on her blog at:

Fripperies and Butterflies