The Altered Sleeve

Many posts ago I shared the altered sleeves I created for a swap.
I have received a sweet coffee and tea book in return and am so thrilled to share it with you.
This swap was great fun and it was wonderful to receive this great treasure in the mail.

Book cover

I prefer tea!

Add cream please!

Mornings are always good with a hot cup of Coffee!

Percolator Beauty!

Not only can you alter sleeves for a keepsake book,  it might be fun to create a digital collage for a special event or party that you are hosting and make a printable for the hot cider or chocolate that you might be serving. Click here for a sample template. Why stop there...get out some glitter and ribbons and have fun! Host a fairy party and make some bracelets with cut outs,glitter and ribbon... it would be so much fun!

I hope this project inspires you to get creative and have fun! 

Thank you for coming to visit and have a wonderful and creative day!

My Stuff Your Stuff

It was a blast to get creative with the loot that was sent to me from the for the "My Stuff, Your Stuff" swap.
I recently sent out the two cards that were made. I have completed one more card and have selected pieces to make another card.
Card one is an Asian theme. Four different elements were used on this card. The text and the Chinese man were from the Heaven Money. A Chinese coin would have worked as well, however this gold flower was found amongst the goodies and it fit well!

Fortune

If you look closely at the picture a few posts back in October you will spy the materials that were used for these two cards.  This second card was made from an old invitation you can see it in the picture on the top in the center of the stash. There was also an old map and the silver heart embellishment that I was able to use. The card shouts Love! The greens look lime in this picture, when actually they are more pastel. A little glitter was added to give the card a little shimmer.

Love

If you are asked to participate in a swap like this, do sign yourself up. You will have fun and you will get some great art in return!
The swaps I received will be in a future post, they are gorgeous!

Altered Boxes

This week was an exciting week with altered art. As you see, I was given a stack of dinnerware boxes-as I am know to be an altering creative person. After some reflection I thought they would make perfect "Prop Boxes" for my girl scout troop's current journey. This week we began altering. As you see from the picture quite a lot of pink was used as the girls really love that color.

Quite awhile ago I purchased a bag of several cabinet door pulls similar to the one below at the Goodwill for about $1.50, saving them for just such an occasion. They worked great as the handles for the boxes. They were hot glued and secured with the screws after the top was decorated.

Later in the week I was invited to a very special birthday party celebration. And thought I would make card to give with the gift. However, when the creative process began things changed up, as they so very often do. The box below (the same box used as photographed above) is the finished project and while I was photographing the box before the event, I though that I must make a tag to hang from the handle which would say "Happy Birthday!", and so I did,  however there was no time to photograph it as I was off to the event!

This is a very happy Pink Saturday! Please visit Beverly at How Sweet the Sound  for more seasonal celebrations, she has posted a wonderful Pecan Pie recipe and is featuring sweater pumpkins!
As always, be happy and celebrate this beautiful day!

A Beaded Chain

There is an event every Friday Night in downtown Mesa. 

Every 2nd Friday features local artists.

These artist bring their creations and set up booths that line both sides of the main street. 

The shops along the street stay open and often have special promotions during the event.

I happened to go to a wonderful art gallery opening a few weeks ago during this event.

There was a wonderful artist there who loved to bead.

Her designs were captivating.

This necklace was one of my favorites from her collection so elegant. Composed of small gold seed beads which are strung on thread.
Simple, yet beautiful.

Art Can Change Your Life

I love to create and share art. It's fun to look at paper and images and cut them out and glue them together adding a touch of glitter or other small dazzling embellishment and completing an ATC to share or trade.

This is the latest Marie Card created for Pink Saturday!

Pretty Pink Marie

I look forward  to the ATC swap once a month to meet up with friends to see the creative outcome of the current month's theme. I really enjoy getting to know the friends in the artistic community.

It's a wonderful world wide community as well. 

Recently I joined a swap to create 2 ATC's for a partner. The theme is "My stuff, Your stuff...." Participants gathered stash to send to their selected partner and create two ATC's from the exchanged stash.

Wow did I get stuff... I spread some of it out so you can have a peek, well what do you think?

I am really looking forward to displaying the little works of art that will be created from this stash!

"My Stuff...Your Stuff"

 

I have begun the creative process by putting some of the papers and images in little groups.  It will be fun to share the ATC's that will be made from this package of goodies. I can hardly wait to hear what you think!
Such a great Pink Saturday! Please visit Beverly for more inspiring Pinkness!
Thank you for your visit!

The Journey

We're all on a journey. 

Some are fortunate to have a destination others move in one direction after another.

The journey for Moo Mania began with a blank substrate 

to which a shimmering green paper was applied.

Black diamonds added with a map of Paris in the center. 

Add a woman with soulful eyes and finish with the title.

 Another journey taken was a 4 x 4 swap.
This fashionable vintage lady is awaiting her train which will take her on an unlimited adventure.
She has everything she needs with her - watch, map, ticket and her desire to explore places of which are unknown to her.

Thank you for taking a journey to visit today and share my paper journey.
It would be wonderful of you to leave a comment and share a wonderful journey of yours.

Come to Tea!

Life is delicious, especially if you can step into a Tea Party all in Pink! 

What a wonderful way to celebrate the season!

Thank you, Alice, for the invitation. 

The Earl Grey tea with sweetened vanilla is so very yummy,

the strawberry biscuits are delectable 

and this cake to pretty to cut!

Happy Pink Saturday!

For more wonderful pink visit Beverly at How Sweet The Sound!

Let's Get Crafty

I am thrilled to participate in another Creations by AR Customer Blog Hop.  This blog hop's theme is: "Let's Get Crafty"as you may have noticed if you have just arrived from Carmen's blog. The blog hop will run from September 19 and comments will be accepted until midnight Eastern time on Sat., Sept. 21.
There will be one blog hop prize (winner's choice of template). The winner will be randomly chosen from the comments on that blog), so please leave a comments on each blog. Please visit (and Like!) the CbyAR Facebook page and leave a comment there too!

With the cooler weather coming many of us are gearing up for the craft season to begin.
This year my goal is to get a little more organized. So for this hop I have created the Folder Organizer to arrange some sewing supplies in, such as fabric remnants, beads, ribbons and buttons as well as pins and needles. This organizer is quick and easy to make and keeps things so much more organized.

It's available on the Creations by AR site and is fun to make. I have made it from the Graphics 45 Gentleman paper line to match the guest room, which is also the sewing room when visitor's are not using the room.  The template is easy to download.
To begin grab 3 sheets of brown paper(the color that I used) and 3 sheets of coordinating  12 x 12. Follow the directions that come with the template cutting guides. With a bit of folding with a bone folder and some glue you will be organized in moments!

The organizer base

The directions for this wonderful organizer are easy to read and construction is quick, before long, you can be whipping up several of these for all different purposes. As I was putting it to together I thought this would even make a nice holder for a crafty friend to hold ribbons,dies or even handmade cards for different occasions.

Thank you for visiting and please leave a comment, as they are so nice to read.
Please visit Mary's blog next to see what craftiness is going on there.
And for more inspiration from the participants of this wonderful blog hop please visit:

Lisa Eisner - http://craftingwithprincesslisa.blogspot.com/

Diana Auberle - http://kreativfenster.blogspot.de/

Raissa Spatola - http://www.raissastamps.com/

Carmen Mitchell - http://carmenscreationss.blogspot.ca/

Gigi Lorenc - http://sunshinelollipopsandbutterflies.blogspot.com/

Mary Roberson - http://handmadeheartfelt.wordpress.com/

A Bit of Altering.....

The first moment I laid eyes on coffee cup sleeves, I thought..."what a fun substrate to do a bit of altering on".
Well, I finally took the opportunity and joined a swap with paper traders, I had made the commitment....

Altered Coffee Cup Sleeves

Pictured here are some of the sleeves that were created for the trade.

The first sleeve was inspired by this cameo as well as the vintage papers which were at hand. The combination of black with pink is so pretty. Using the soft brown paper printed with vintage ads as well as a piece of cotton  lace as  contrasting elements.

Cameo Side

Ad Side

 This next is a sleeve inspired by the bathing beauties of a wonderful Graphics 45 paper collection.  It was fun selecting the papers to use for this beach themed sleeve, as the colors are rich and images are perfectly sized for this project.

Side 1

Side 2

Another sleeve was inspired by the elegant color combination of the primary collage paper selected as the main element. Aqua and sand with a few jewel tones for contrast. The flowers look so pretty on top of the neutral colors of the backgrounds which are dictionary text and sheet music.

Side 1

Side 2

Graphics 45 have several fun collections, I could seethe dancers printed in this one dancing across the coffee cup sleeves looking wonderful against the gold that this sleeve was painted. It almost makes you feel like dancing!

Flapper Step

Quick Step

There are so many ways to alter a coffee cup sleeve. This is just a start.  One of the most fun things about this project is that the coffee cup sleeve can be bound together in a little book. This is a great tutorial on a coffee themed album which is you may find fun and inspiring or if you like something a little more elegant this may be your latte.  I hope you have a try, because if you do you may not be able to stop at just one!

Paper Flowers

Beautiful flowers bring tremendous joy to our lives as they adorn our world with color and as they perfume the air around us with scent.  Picking out flowers for a hostess gift or for the home to decorate for a special occasion can be the highlight of an event.

Heirloom Pinks

A wedding is truly one of the most joyous events and picking out flowers for it a most special occasion itself.

Contemporary Pinks

As I love to create paper flowers I stumbled on these glorious bouquets for a bride made out of....paper!
So gorgeous in their arrangements I had to share these with you!

Poppy Love

If you have never tried making paper flowers, give it a try. It's fun and can give a room so much beautiful color. Who knows, you may even find yourself making wrist-lets and corsages for your next special event!

Please visit Beverly for more fabulous Pinks....And have a Happy Saturday!
(Photos from Paper Wedding Flowers)

Debonair

The latest challenge on Moo Mania ....Beards... 

A little altering of some men who needed some beards...

For more challenge 42 moo's click over to Moo Mania where many bearded fellows are featured.

Here Comes the Sun

I've been Mooing again...The challenge ?

 Sun!!!!

So much radiance at Moo Mania, please go  for a visit.

The sun never looked brighter.

Princess Pages

Hello Friends...
It seems that the summer just began...how can the fall semester of school be starting already?
Alas, as the last moment of summer break will be behind us, the beauty and creativity in our lives can continue and we can celebrate these every day!
Celebrating every day is important and when we radiate happiness we bring more happiness in our lives.
If sadness overtakes you draw a picture of something you love in your favorite color.
Post it some where you can see it ...it should make you smile. Afterward, take a walk in a place where you will be among a crowd of people. Smile at them, they will smile back at you.
After a short time you may find that your sadness has left and a feeling of joy has taken its place.
The power of attraction!

My little group of wonderful art friends had our monthly swap.
We changed up again and altered 4x4 cards. The theme was Princesses with the criteria to use the Princess storybooks available at Target.

 I was having trouble finding them, but I managed to pick one up at the last minute. I also found a box of small coloring pages that are packaged with tiny markers.
I colored a few to put on the  little collages it was such fun! I love the Disney princesses. Take a look.....

3 Dimensional!

Who ate my slipper?

Shall we dance?

Out from the stain glass window.

Off to the castle.

Celebrate Pink Saturday with Beverly and her guests at How Sweet The Sound. There is so much Pink Saturday fun!!
Thanks for your visit....
Have a Wonderful Day!

By The Sea

A little Moo art to share today. Graphics 45 makes it so easy to do a collage. They create the prettiest paper packs. The challenge for this fortnight is: By the Sea......

Please join the challenge by creating a a piece of moo art and linking it up at Moo-Mania. For this challenge one of the friends posted a great video to create a moo card on an ATC. It's a fabulous look at creating two pieces of art that go together and coloring with copic markers. Please post a comment to let me know if you were able to view it and what you thought.
Thanks for visiting today!

Pretty In Pink

It's an Art Swap Saturday!!
Such a great time to visit with like minded souls who love to create and swap Art.
This week there was a bit of a change up. Instead of doing an ATC, it was decided that we would alter a mouse or a rat trap. Oh how fun this was.... I set out to do a black and pink pirate collage, and low and behold it turned out to be a sweet silhouette.

 

Swapping Out

Swapping In      

What a happy Pink Saturday!! Please visit Beverly at "How Sweet the Sound" for more wonderful Pink Saturday Posts!

Hometown Landscape

After a trip home to see the family, my nieces brought me tiny chocolate bars with colorful photographs on the wrappers, perfect for tiny works of art.

 

 Perfect for this weeks Moo Mania challenge. "Landscape" I love taking a drive up Lake Shore Drive. It's a beautiful drive in every season. This little collage captures downtown on a beautiful, sunny, summer day.

Creative Inspiration

Do you have a list of creative projects that's about a mile long?
Ever need a jump to get those creative powers working?
Well the heat here in the valley is trying to get me into siesta mode, but I am fighting back! 
I took a quick trip to Scrapbooks-etc.  to get into the creative gear and move forward to complete some projects. It's a bright friendly atmosphere and it's air conditioned! This is one of the most wonderful shops for creativity, so grateful that it is a local shop.
Here are some photo's of the trip that I took yesterday.
In addition to the merchandise and supplies for both fabric and paper arts and crafts, they have many projects and samples on display as well as large classrooms and die cut areas to create in. They even have coupons and specials frequently all that's needed is to be in the system!

A selection of the class projects on display

They have Flowers from fabric........

Shabby Fabric Flower

 Flowers from paper.......

Scrap Paper Flowers

 Quilted flowers.......

Shabby Rose Quilt

All created in this fabulous bright classroom.....

Large classroom

Live too far away or can't make it in.....,go here for a great tutorial It's a tutorial that was featured on a Tuesday Tutorial to make a cotton T-shirt! Have fun, I have so many containers of scrap fabric this might be fun to give a try, so.... if you give it a try please post a comment!

Hope you enjoyed this creative trip.....
Have a wonderfully creative day!

Fashion Slave

Fashion or Mode, what ever it may be, it's what we wear. 

We can celebrate it and enjoy the beauty, the charm and glamor it can bring,

We can also be addicted to it and we can scorn it. 

Or we can create it........

Create Fashion and link up to Moo Mania and make a real fashion statement!