Perfectly Loved

Hey there bloggers!

I have been working on a little art lately!

(Inspired by Christy Tomlinson!)

Personally I don't know know why we are so hard on ourselves.

You know I re-did this girl three times before I was OK with the way she looked?

It's still not perfect but I needed to stop being so hard on myself and let it go.

The fact that I am even sharing this on my blog

is definitely a step in the right direction RIGHT?

Hmm...I guess the saying is perfect for this piece isn't it?

It says

"She knew she didn't have to be perfect, 

because she knew she was perfectly loved."

 (Holly Gerth)

I did a lot of coloring and shading with my Gelatos

and some texture paste. I tore pattern papers and used stencils

as well. Her dress, chipboard stickers &

the background strips of paper are

pattern papers from Pink Paislee.

For the word "Love" I used Clearly Expressions Word Titles from Clear Scraps.

I added color with alcohol inks and a very fine glitter.
I outlined the edges with a permanent marker.

The scripture on the bottom right hand corner is
"Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."
1 John 4:8

I also made this little charm...

Don't forget to check out the Clear Scraps blog and the Pink Paislee blog

for details to win this giveaway!

Supplies:

From Clear Scraps Expressions Clear Word Titles 

From Pink Paislee

Pattern Papers from the She Art Collection 

Chipboard Stickers & stickers from the Prairie Hill Collection

Others:

From Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft Gelatos, PITT Artist Pens

From The Rubber Cafe Oh So Fine Glitter & Scrap Happy Glue

Prima flowers & bird stencil,

Crafters Workshop tree stencil

Texture Paste, Gel Medium, Ranger Alcohol Inks

the charm - Love My Tapes lace ribbon

& She Art Collection from Pink Paislee,

Inkssentials Memory Glass & Frames

I hope you try your hand at some art and if you do, don't be afraid to share it!

Manic Monday Operation Clean Up 4

 Making progress...

 Alright now we are getting somewhere!
As you know I have been doing operation Clean Up -
trying to get my scrapbook room in order!
(If you are new to my blog see posts :
http://letsembellish.blogspot.com/2012/03/manic-mondays-operation-clean-up.html

http://letsembellish.blogspot.com/2012/03/manic-mondays-operation-clean-up-part-2.html

http://letsembellish.blogspot.com/2012/03/manic-mondays-operation-clean-up-part-3.html)
I have to say we have made huge progress -
most things have become quite functional in my space

which has made it especially nice for creating!

However I have run into some glitches - for example storing acrylic stamps, I have yet to find a system that really works for me. Also I have WAY more ribbon than I thought but I can't seem to give it away. They are all different and you never know when you will need a particular color...I'm just saying... Also I realize I need it to look functional & neat but I still need to see everything so I can be able to use it -out of sight out of mind...yep, that's me.

Anywho - as I ran into these glitches I got stuck and decided to allowed  myself to go in a different direction and be creative instead. Hence the three different cabinets. The one on the left is the original color that for some reason I didn't like once I got it on the wall. So I tried doing an antique glaze (right) but I don't like that either. This room has no natural lighting so I need to keep it bright in here. Which could very well be my problem - I like deep, rich and vibrant colors, the pastel is annoying to me... Notice my favorite layouts on the bottom have mostly oranges and browns? So the last one I did a white wash, which is OK but not loving it either but I really did not want to spend all this time on this project, I am irritated that it has taken this long already but  I have to look at it everyday so I need it to be right. I also don't want to have to paint or replace every container and drawer that I got to match this color scheme!

So I decided to go with the white wash - I had to go
back and repaint the antiqued door and did a little sketching.

By the way - I used my chalk pencils from Faber-Castell and that

was a fabulous idea - I could smudge or even erase the lines if I didn't like it.

 Here is the white wash - I know it looks a little odd but it's just a background.

I cut out vinyl letters with my Cricut - back in the day before we had these electronic cutters
I would have done those letters by hand!!! Thank God for inventions!

I do love the saying and the way the letters turned out.

If you can't read it - it says,

"when love and skill work together expect a masterpiece"

a quote by John Ruskin. I thought it would inspire me.

 I had this quote on my scrapbook room in CO and loved it...

(More pics here http://letsembellish.blogspot.com/2009/03/my-happy-place.html )

I really miss the orange, but I think it would be too dark for a room with no windows,

and please do not suggest peach - I HATE peach! LOL!

Then I went over the lines with the original color- which I should not have because I got annoyed all over again! (You must think I am nuts!)  But it is a work in progress! You will have to come back next

week to see how it all works out. Do you ever wonder what were you thinking?

On  a different topic I hope you enjoyed the blog hop this weekend and I need to give away two prizes! Please email your addy ASAP! I will give you three days- it seems crazy to me to win something and not claim it but that has happened to me before and I would like to make only one trip to the post office this week!

Winners are...

Glory Girl and

Becky Dunham!

If you didn't win here don't forget to check the Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft blog

and My Stamp Box blog to see if you won there! If you still didn't win keep checking back I do giveaways often and I am part of another giveaway this Friday!

Blog Hop today!

Hey bloggers! Today I am participating in this blog hop!

If you just found our event, please begin your journey on the Faber-Castell blog (http://designmemorycraft.typepad.com/design-memory-craft/).

Many of our wonderful designers are joining us today to show off some inspirational creativity.

See how well Faber-Castell and myStamp BOX products work together!

We are giving away some amazing product from both participating companies.
All you have to do is COMMENT on all designers blogs along your journey to WIN.
Our three blog hop winners will be drawn from all participants,
so be sure to leave comments by Sunday March 25th at 6pm EST.
We will announce the winners on the
my Stamp BOX blog and Faber-Castell blog on Monday, March 26^th.
Good Luck!

Here is what I made using products from Faber-Castell and myStamp BOX:

I made a travel mini album.
I used Gelatos to colors all of my images and the stamps I used are called Road Trip.
Repetition is a good way to make a project cohesive, especially when you have fun stamps!
I stamped, colored, cut and attatched the images to my project.  

Gelatos are the way to go for quick and easy backgrounds.

Gelatos are like very soft crayons, but better - they are water soluable!
Color your surface with Gelatos in complementary colors,

add water (spray or use a paint brush- however you are comfortable) and blend!

I am also going to add to the excitement-

I will pick my own winner from the comments on the post (you must be a follower)

and announce on Monday the 16th here on my blog.
What will you win?
How about this?

I will give away two sets!

Now it’s time to HOP along and find out what the next talented designer has created.

Your next designer is the fabulous
Jennifer Mattot http://arttalk-sigmagirl.blogspot.com/ 

 Don’t forget to leave a comment below for a chance to
WIN one of our THREE product giveaways!

supplies used: Clear Scraps travel album, Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft Gelatos, My Stamp Box Road Trip acrylic stamps, water color paper, Pink Paislee pattern paper & small chipboard circle, Graphic 45(small image) pattern paper, Love My Tapes lace ribbon, Creative Imaginations acetate, jute, chain (my stash) Making Memory brads, Scrap Happy Glue, Heavy Gel Medium

Acrylic ideas...Dragonflies

Hey there bloggers! Like I promised, Here are some fun ideas
you can do with acrylic! These darling little dragnoflies
are a Clear Scraps mini album but the shape really made me
want to be creative! So today I will give you several ideas to use on your acrylic!

On this dragonfly I used Faber -Castell Gelatos to color Tim Holtz tissue.
I attached the paper with a little glue- I found that Scrap Happy glue works
great for adhering paper to acrylic without leaving a lot of marks; you just
have to let it dry first! Once the glue is clear it’s dry and remains very tacky to
the touch. Place the paper on top of the glue and flip it over.
I stamped directly onto the dragonfly acrylic with Staz On Ink,
 I used the stamp Fleuradidy 1 and colored the edges with a permanent
marker. I added gems with the same glue.

On this one I embossed the dragonfly with an embossing/die
cut machine.  I used three colors of Alcohol Inks then went
over the raised areas with Staz On Ink. On the back I added
black into the grooves with a PITT artist pen.
Simple but gorgeous – I love color!

Sometimes you get an idea and it works, sometimes you mess up and
have to try something else! That was the case here. I started off trying
to make glitter stick to it, it did but I didn’t love it. So I added
stamped images with Staz On, it was alright but predictable. So I flipped
it over and added UTEE embossing powder melted it with a
heat gun. (Yes it will bend a bit.) That’s how I got all that texture
with glitter peeking through.

This one is the flip side if the first one. Starting with the tissue paper, add
vibrant colors with Gelatos. I went back with my PITT Artist pen in black.

And there you have it! Hope you try some of these ideas!

check this out...dragonfly

I love this stamp. It's called Fleuradidy.

 I am finding that I love using it on everything- today on this acrylic dragonfly.

I used tissue paper colored with Gelatos. Adhered the tissue paper

to the acrylic with Scrap Happy Glue. I used Glossy Accents
on top and stamped the image with Staz On Ink. 

It's one of those images that goes great with everything!

Tommorow I will show you sevaral techniques to use on acrylic!!!

Manic Mondays, Operation Clean up! Part 3

Hey there bloggers! Well I would love to tell you that I got

SO MUCH DONE

during spring break...but that's not gonna happen.

Because that would make me a liar.

:(

Operation Clean Up got put on hold with

the kids home from school.

We also had some guests from CO,

we were totally blessed to have them here. (I miss those girls!)

HoWeVeR

I do have some projects to share with you,

three of them for part 3!

First starting with this cute little table!

But pink is not my color so I had to change it.

 One coat of gesso, air dry then a coat of paint.

 Here is a  trunk I have had for quite a while,

and I love the size  and the pattern but the color
was not quite right so I had to do a little transformation!

Here it is, still wet but definitely better!

Project 3! I already had this frame painted

a little blue but I didn't love it so I decided to try

a little glaze and black paint. To glaze add 50% glaze + 50% paint.

 It's best to only do a small section at a time, paint the section

don't let it dry...

Wipe off the mixture with dry clean cloth.

Then  repeat until you have finished to whole frame.

You can still see the color showing through! I love this look!

As far as Operation Clean Up goes, I have not given up!

Tomorrow is a new day and I plan on getting right back to it!

I am super excited to hear some of you are doing your own

Operation Clean Up! I would love to see the pictures!!!

Leave me a link! Happy Monday y'all!

Thank YOU!

Hey bloggers!
I have had guests this week and the kids are out for spring break,
So I have been super busy! Thank YOU for all the encouragement on Operation Cleanup!
I promise I will get to all your blogs and leave you some love!

Today I have a little thank you card for you!

I used this beautiful flower tape from Love My Tapes
called "wild flowers Sophie"
It happened to go perfectly with Pink Paislees Christy Tomlinson line!

This would perfect for your spring lines!

What have you been creating lately?

You know you can never have to many thank you cards!

Sing your song... ATC

ATC's are so fun- little, enough to get your crafty mojo
going! On this one I used alot of collage techniques.
Remember how we used to do that in elemtary school?
The only difference is that now we have so many cool
images from great manufatures that come up with this fun stuff!

All of my images here are from Prima, even the alphas.
My acrylic ATC is from Clear Scraps.
***

I even used my Gelatos mixed with water on the back of the

acrylic ATC. To adhere the paper to the acrylic I used
Scrap Happy Glue (letting it dry first then attatching it). That
seems to be my glue of choice these days as it has no odor and
is working on everything!

***

I did use glossy accents on some of the letters to make them
pop a little. The mini clock I found at an eclectic local art store -

all I have to say about thta is its a good thing I don't live close
or I woud be broke!

***

I think I have gone from one extreme to another - I love

my 12X12's but  these tiny peices 2 1/2  x 3 1/2 are super fun!
Have you tried any ATC's? If so I would love to see them! Leave me a link!

ATC CHECK this

Hey there blogggers today I am sharing this fun ATC I made!

Did you know that Clear Scraps made ATC cards?

Well they do and I am loving this small size!

For this project I used this beautiful fairy
she is called sitting fairy from the rubber cafe!

Details:

First stamp on the acrylic peice with Staz On Ink.

Use Alcohol Inks on the back in blue and green.

Stamp an extra pair of wings and trim you paper down to size.

 I used Scrap Happy Glue, put it on the edges and allowed
it to dry completly. When it is dry it is clear and very tacky.

Also add glue to the extra set of wings. When the wings are dry add
You're so fine gitter, rub it into the dry glue.

Place the wings where they should go and add more glue on the back.

Add your fitted paper and decorate!

Tommorow I have another ATC to share!

Manic Mondays - Operation Clean up! 2

WHAT HAVE I DONE????

Well this is week 2 of Operation Clean Up!

My scrapbook room was a total disaster -
part one can be found here that explains all that.
Thank you for your words of encouragement on that post!

This week was HARD! The more I got into things the more
I seriously just wanted to give up!

 I was thinking I must have been crazy to put ts project on my blog!
I will never finish!!!
What will I say next Monday!!???

In trying to find a place for everything things
that were previously clean became a mess!

I filled about four of these large trash bags!
(Note to self, next time professional movers come...

Don't let them pack your scrap room!!! There were
so many things destroyed because they obviously had
no idea what the things were and just lumped things
together in the same box!! But I digress...) I also filled
4 large boxes of product to donate so I feel good about that.

 On the left you can see a new shelf unit thats better
than what I had there last week - hubby salvaged it
from the trash! He is always finding me cool stuff
that I can redo. It's a little beat up but once I clean
it down and paint it I am sure it will look great!
Alot of the furniture in my room right now looks
EcleCtIc now but as long as it is functional I know it
eventually I will get to paint and decorate and no body
will ever know...except you of course! LOL!
Besides it's free! You can't beat that!

 That black cabinet was another peice hubby found behind a store

that was remodeling last year- free is good!
You have to keep an open mind when you get free or next to nothing pieces

 and be willing to clean and paint!

I love this large frame - I got it for $6. on clearance at

Hobby Lobby becasue the glass was broken, I love it -
I think I am going to put chicken wire on the back becasue
as you can see I am hanging pics on it and journaling
that goes with it for future layouts.

I tend to be creative in two modes -

I do better with both if I do them seperately so I do all

journaling and save it for certain photos and when I am ready to
be artistically creative I don't have to think about the journaling I can just create.

That's what will go in this frame.

Looking at this I will move the E cutter - I don't like it there.  

I may have to move my flatbed scanner and put it with my Cricut.

I don't use them that often but they do come in handy.

On the floor I have two very COOL wine boxes that hubby found for me -

Umm before you get ideas, they are empty (I don't drink) -

the store was throwing them out.
I dont know what I will do with them but they have really pretty engraving
on them so he thought I could use them, I love that man!

 I thinking I am over the hump

 (the "what have I done?" stage) it is looking good now (short video below),
although I still have a lot of sorting to do. I managed to get all like
things together where I want them but in that I still need to organize
it so it works for me. I also am on the lookout for some cool labels.
After I do that I can get to the best part! PAINTING!!!
(And thanks Dara Lynn, for the idea!
I am going to try some antique glazing, on a small piece first!)

Thanks for all your encouragement!
And thanks J. for the pep talk call!!!

Next Monday... Part Three!!!