Coffee and Cross Stitch

COFFEE. COFFEE. COFFEE.

It's no secret I have a love affair with coffee.  I used to drink so many lattes, I named my blog after that obsession.

Over the last year or so, I've gotten back into stamping since I've been making my Christmas cards and keeping project life album.  Stamps are a quick way to add a little bit extra on a filler card, but not so much that it becomes overwhelming.

I'm also a huge fan of Tim Holtz's work - he does some really incredible things with ink and paper, and his mixed media creations are absolutely out of this world.  When you get the chance, check out the stuff he makes. Seriously.  It's incredible.

Tim has a line of stamps with Stampers Anonymous (and also designs and teaches for Ranger Ink), and my favorites of all of them are the holiday themed ones (the stamp I used on my Christmas cards this year was from one of his sets).  

Until this year, when a set from the blueprint line came out dedicated to coffee.

Yes.  You heard me correctly.  

Coffee.

Naturally, I needed to get my hands on a set.  I mean, hello.  Coffee stamps.  It's an obvious need.

I had a gift card that I somehow never used and found when I was unpacking, which clearly was destiny.  This gift card was meant to be used for these stamps I so desperately needed.  And yesterday, they came in the mail.

I ripped open the package, and ran to my craft table to try them out.  I grabbed PL cards that were relatively plain and could use a little somethin' somethin' and went to work.

You better believe I'm going to be using these stamps on EVERYTHING. 

Photobooth!!! | Scrapbooking

First, let me apologize - Typepad was down for most of the past week, and it's only now that I'm able to do this post.  Thanks for bearing with me and hopefully there won't be any issues anymore!!!

Last night I (finally) felt like I needed to bond with my craft room and do some scrapping.

I've had these photobooth strips chillin since Ang & Joe's wedding...back in October.

Yeah.  I know.  A solid 8 months ago.

Procrastination is what I do best.  

I decided for this layout (which is a bare-bones take on a Studio Calico sketch) that I'd let the photos tell the story.  

The back is black heavy cardstock, splashed with Heidi Swapp Color Shine in Bronzer.  I used a Studio Calico gold camera, Teresa Collins "smile" chipboard element, Prima flowers, and heat embossed a Tim Holtz stamp on the journal card.

My friend, Erin, is the creeper from Blair Witch in that bottom photo.  You may remember her photobomb from my sister's wedding.  She's a bit ridiculous, and I love her.

Erin also convinced the guy at our table with the gigantic handlebar moustache to go into the photobooth with us.  It.was.awesome.  

Apparently the more I drink, the more I want to wear fedoras.

I kinda love fedoras.  I wish I could pull that look off on a normal day, not just in the photobooth with Wyatt Earp.

Congrats, again, to Angela & Joe - your wedding was beautiful & we all had a blasty blast at your reception.

Some really cool photos, and a little distress paint | Mixed Media

Hello all my  lovely friends :-)

It's been too, too long since I sat here at my computer and shared some creative vibes with you all.

If you've kept up with me on Instagram, you've seen a few WIPs, some stitching related, others, not so much.

Because I don't have enough projects going on at once, and I need another obsession like a friggin hole in the head, I decided to try my hand at mixed media.

Yep.  Mixed media.  Paint + pictures + stamps + glitter + ribbons + Mod Podge + whateverelseyouwant = your very own unique piece of art.

My uncle's birthday was last week, and where I usually get him something from the St. Joe's bookstore, this year I decided to do something a little different.  My cousin, who is an astounding musician, has been touring with his band, The Heavy Pets, and whenever he's in town, we all head to the venue to see him play.  It's a TON of fun, and I've been able to get a few really cool pics of him playing on stage.

So, I thought it would be cool to take a few of these, plus some that I snagged from online, and make something out of them to give my uncle for his birthday.

Now, I've never done mixed media.  Ever.  So to take these pics and just wing it was a little daunting....but I knew I could make something pretty cool.

I took a blank 10x10 canvas, Tim Holtz distress paints, and went to work.

I just painted random sections all over the canvas and let it dry. Then, I took a background stamp, some arrows, and the sentiment, and stamped them onto the paint.  Since the canvas gave with the weight of me pressing onto it, it kinda created this distressed look, which was totally cool.  The OCD in me was freaking out for almost all the time I did this, since it wasn't perfect, but then I reminded myself that that's the whole idea behind mixed media.  Then I relaxed.

I swear.

Once the stamp ink dried, which wasn't that long, I started figuring out the layout of the pictures.  Then, out came the Mod Podge, and I modged them on there good and tight.  (PS - you heard it here first - I created a verb for Mod Podge. boom.)

Ta da!  That's my amazingly talented cousin playing his bass at various shows over the past year :-)  

If you have ever thought of trying something like this, you should TOTALLY do it!!!!  It's A LOT easier than you think!! The part that takes the longest is waiting for the paint to dry, which I let dry overnight before I attempted to do any of the stamping, etc.

So there you have it!  If you've thought of doing something like this before, DO IT DO IT DO IT!! It's fun, you get to be messy with paint, and the best part of all - you have a cool piece of mixed media art that YOU MADE.  

Happy Monday, everyone!! Now, go forth and be creative!!!!

Much love ~~~

 

A Few Notes | Cardmaking

I was talking to my good friend Sue R. not long ago about scrapbooking, and how that 12x12 page can be totally overwhelming.  Like, totally overwhelming.  It doesn't seem like a lot of space, but sometimes it's WAYYY too much.  This is one of the many reasons I love cardmaking - the size is less daunting, and it's easier to put a few embellies and your sentiment and be done!  

The main reason I love making cards is because it's a) something people don't really receive anymore - cards, with actual handwritten notes on the inside, and b) totally personal, coming from your heart to the person/people receiving your specially made card.

I've said in the past that all my Christmas cards that I make each year are totally unique.  Well, it's not just my Christmas cards that are unique - my thank you notes are the same way.  

With the exception of last year, when I made these --

- I always try to make each card different.

Since Christmas just passed (ok...not just...it was 2 weeks ago....), I decided it was high time I started making my thank you notes to send out.

I won't give them all away - I haven't mailed any of them out yet - but here are  a couple of my favorites so far - 

Lovvveee that ampersand :-)

I'm not normally a fan of really bright colors, but I loved this paper & embellishment pack from Amy Tangerine's Sketchbook line.   The stamp I used on the "guest check" is from a Kelly Purkey set that I just love.  She has some of the greatest stamp designs out there.

Ohhhh I love those little flags!!!  They, along with the butterfly, are from Basic Grey's Fact & Fiction line.  The stamp sentiment is from Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous.

And lastly, on the back, this pretty little stamp from Kelly Purkey tells the recipient I handmade it just for them :-)

That wraps it up!  These smaller surface areas are much easier for this ca-ray-zy girl to handle and not be overwhelmed ("I know you can be overwhelmed....and you can be underwhelmed....but can you ever just be...whelmed??" love that movie!) by all that empty space in a 12x12 layout.  4x6 cards are much more manageable :-)

Until next time, my friends....go forth and be crafty :-)

Just when you thought the wedding was over...

...there's more fun things to do!

I've FINALLY seen some pics from my sister's wedding.  Like, finally.  No one was posting anything to facebook, etc., and I took a whopping total of 3 pics the entire day, so I've been DYING to see how things looked!!!!  One of the other bridesmaids burned the pics she took to a DVD for me, so I now have a bunch I ordered from Snapfish and can start making wedding scrapbooks for all the girls.  I want them all to have pics of the shower, bachelorette, and the wedding day in their own little books, and I have sooooo many ideas flip flopping all over in my brain as to how to do it for them all, so keep an eye on this site for the final products!!  ;-)  

Now, I know you all thought my crafting for my sister's wedding was done since the shower was in April.  Au contraire, my good friends.  Remember how I made a shadowbox for Danielle?  Well, I can't make one for my work sister and not make one for my actual sister.  That's just bad form.

Since I now have some actual photos to work around, I went and got some yellow & grey paper (because, believe it or not, with the chaos in my craft room, there is nothing in those colors. i know, right. crazy.) 

I started off with a piece of yellow textured core'dinations (is that apostrophe in the right place? oh well.) by Ranger/Tim Holtz.  I layered two pieces of 6x6 My Mind's Eye patterned paper (Lost & Found Sunshine) on top, and got this --

Next, I took some gems I had laying around (I think from a Martha Stewart set), and glued them to the little paper in the little box under "Lovely" --

Then, I took another of those keys I used in my shadowbox, and also one of the chipboard elements I used for that same shadowbox, along with the invitation.....

...and then I found some yellow flowers I had laying about...

...and now that I have a cute pic to put in where that placeholder is, it's all done!!!  

Yay!!!!!!!

I love the pic for this -- Hayley took all our shoes, bouquets & purses when we were in the limo going from the ceremony to get our pictures taken, lined them up on the seat, & this is what she got!  LOVE.

It's so much fun to create a memory box/shadowbox with the invitations from weddings; they cost so much money to make or to buy, and they're gone in an instant.  Plus, you never send one to yourself, so the likelihood of remembering to save one isn't that great.  All the more reason why I should create this keepsake as often as I can :-)

That's all on wedding stuffs for now, kids!  I have more coming, since I'm still working on my sister's actual wedding gift (this is just an appetizer wedding gift, if you will), and I'll be making those scrapbooks soon, so keep an eye out -- some good things are coming!

Much love ~~~~

J :-)