Here's an Easter card I want to share with you.  Let me know what you think:



I really wanted to push my own creative envelope, and with the help of some awesome images I purchased from http://www.passionfruitsimages.com/   I was really able to do that with these cards.  The website features vintage images you can purchase and print out to use in your scrap-tastic artistic ways-they have one of a kind images you certainly don't find at Michaels, or even Archivers for that matter.  This card features a lovely lady from the "Vintage Women of the Burlesque" package.   I printed mine out in black and white-basically because I don't have a color printer, and hand colored the images using Gamsol and colored pencils and a little glitter glue for some oomph!   I'll be putting up some more of my bunnies later this week.  Leave me a comment and let me know what you think.  Also, check out this website!  Scrappers will love it!!

Ok it's easter card time.  You may have noticed by now that my holiday cards are traditional, not religous in any way.  A wise man once told me never to discuss politics or religion in the company of friends, and not to display either in card making also ;)   That's not to say if you want a religous card I will be happy to make you one, it's just that I'm not a religous person.  So to get to the point, I decided this year to actually make Easter cards.  I have never done Easter cards before so I never realized how horrible tacky the holiday's colors actually are!     I dunno....pink bunnies, yellow chicks and purple dyed eggs are pretty, but on the face of the same card they are likely to burn your retinas out.  So I wanna share with you a secret to break up the tackyness of easter cards or any cards in which you may run into this problem.   I have two words for you:  tone on tone. Yeah that's three words.  Bite me. I make cards.  Yes that's right, it's not only the answer to many interior decorating problems it carries over into any realm you wish to color. You see, wether it's couches, shoes or paper, color really is the universal language.  Whatever your application the same rules apply.  To break up tacky use tone on tone.  Here is a picture of an Easter card in process:

   My traditionall brain says use all the tacky easter colors at the same time.  In response, my retinas said "holy crap that's bright!"

But, by taking out the darkest of the colors and replacing it with a darker pink version of the actual card, the yellow now pops agains a frontal lobe pleasing color transition:

  Now I can add all the glitter bunnies I want and not worry about them going blind :)

ok people, as if adding jewelry to cards wasn't enough.....this weekend I am starting some new techniques with some new homemade do-das and some awesome new images......not gonna say much tho because I believe we all need  a little anticipaion every now and then.  In the meantime, have a look over my blog, tell your friends, and leave a comment or two on it.  If you don't see anything you like yet, you will soon.  Trust me ;)~

Here is a St. Patrick's day card to keep ya busy. The shamrock in the middle is paper I made look like metal.  Wanna know how I did it???

Ok, before we continue the tour of the studio, I want to show you all what I did on a three day trip I had to visit my folks.  Something about feeling like a little girl again really clears the brain.  I'm in the process of expanding my card making horizons, taking the vintage look and pushing it a little further.  So this time, I'm going to show what I came up with and if you wanna know how I did what I did, leave me a comment :)

ok, the studio is done,  huzzah!!!  (yeah, I said huzzah)    Lets begin the tour with the heart of the scrappers' world:  the paper!!  

the fun thing about old bungalows are the wonky nooks and cranies you get in the attic spaces.  This was a closet.  I took the door off.  I had one of those plastic rolling carts.  Took the rollers off and filled the drawers with all my paper pads, papers and scraps.  I also labeled the drawers.  On top of the rolling cart are my good ol', and i do mean old, expandable folders.  One keeps my plain colored scraps in it and the other organizes my plain colored 12x12 and 8 1/2x11.  You notice hanging above it are envelopes.  These are the 12x12 clear plastic envelopes Michael's sells in the scrapbook storage isle.  They are hanging from clear pant/skirt hangers. I have a hanger for each color of the rainbow, the vellum, handmade papers and really special papers.  (It's taken a few extra weeks for me to finish this closet as Meijers doesn't stock many of the hangers at a time, amd Michael;s runs out pretty fast of the folders....needless to say I have been buying every one I can find and depleating the stores' stash lol.  Tucked in against the wall is my color wheel and color chart.  had this since junior highart class but it still works.  Decorating the space above the door are  rolls of vintage crepe paper and the wonderful sign my nieces gave me.  Here's some more photos for a better look:

 

 

 

 

 

 



Studio update.....

ok, back in business.....gave the studio a trial run tonight after stenciling the floors.....made 10 envelopes in 20 minutes-the studio gets an A for efficiency.  Speaking of stenciling the floors....ever wonder how you can use your cricut for home decorating?  Stay tuned for tomorrow night's entry ;)