Blog Candy June 23rd

Wow, here a chance to win some awesome blog candy....and lots of time to enter too.

Enter at this site: http://stamping-fantasies.blogspot.com/2011/05/june-candy.html

Robins getting ready to fly

This morning I woke up and found all three little babies sitting on the edge of the nest. Guess it won't be long now. Momma and Pappa are still feeding them, and will continue to even after they've flewn away. We have a bunch of trees just across the driveway for them where they usually end up landing....or shall we say "falling with style". Last year one little guy didn't make it, and landed on the ground below. My son and I went out to help him get into the tree. I should have taken a camera because the outcome was priceless. Despite seeing us everyday on the balcony, the little guy still won't allow us to catch him. We could get close, but not close enough. My son took off his fadora hat and held it out to him. Sure enough he hopped right over, jumped up on the rim of the hat (it looks like a nest to him I guess ) and stayed there until we lifted it up to the nearest tree branch!! So it was a happy ending...for two reasons...the bird was safe from that black and white cat AND the bird didn't poop in the hat!! :)

Altered Journal

I picked up this journal for dirt cheap and thought I'd give it some umph. It came with a window, but I didn't like the photo in the center so I ripped out the page and stamped my own image on the next page. The bird image inked with two colors of Tim Holtz distress inks. Decorative papers replaced the covers orginal design. Then of course, I got out my cuttlebug, my cricut, my ATG gun and went crazy. There were just too many pages inside to add to all of them, so I just added a pocket and a tag in the first two or so, and more on the back cover. The silk ribbons photographed somewhat darker than they really are, but they do match the original cover of the journal - which you can still see as there's  no way to really get your decorative paper between all the wire hoops. So I also kept the top edge of the front cover showing so as to not make the binded edge look out of place.

Compass card

Which way to go??? Stamped and embossed -You are here, directional arrows and a compass in the center window also embossed with gold powder and lightly inked with antique linen.

Doily card

Paper flowers....colored with T.H. Lipstick inks, perfect pearls misted and some added bling. Martha Steward punch for the leaves and inked with T.H. peeled paint.

Window cards - Hug

Simply Hug.....embossed with black powder with a little T.H. antique linen distress inks around the window.

Window cards - You Rock

You Rock stamp was embossed with the red dragon powder. The same stamp was also used but with some gold perfect pearls. The guitarwas inked with T.H. red brick and vintage photo distress inks, with a hint of gold perfect pearls here and there as well.

Window cards - gear

A friend introduced me to these window cards, and I must say had a lot of fun using them. So Jan, thanks for that. xx

The paper was traced from the card itself and cut out to size, then I used my ATG gun to glue it on. The stiff cardboard backing of a pad of paper came in handy when my new Tim Holtz Big Sizzix Die Gaget Gears arrived. It punched thru it like butter. Love it. So I colored the window gear with gold paint, added a spotted stamp with T.H. vintage photo distress inks, and when it was all dry I covered it with Glossy Accents to give it a botton type feel to it.  The larger gear is just painted with an enamel gold with the same spotted stamp/color added. Dad is embossed with gold, and a gold ribbon down one side.

Entered for the Tim Holtz Simon Says challenge:

http://simonsaysstampschallenge.blogspot.com/

 

Digi Stamps

Digi stamps colored with Prisma pencils. Cricut cut frames with some added Wild Honey distress inks and some added bling.

Sunflower

Okay not exactly a sunflower....but it will do don't yea think! Done with a cricut cut for the yellow sun with some added Wild Honey distress ink around the edges, and stamp for the flower and a martha stewart punch for the bottom border. A stamped greeting and some sparkle glitter all round the card....and inside the flower.

Painted Stuff

Painted bookmarks, painted recycled bottles (and round wooden table) and painted wooden boxes.

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King card

Lots of different distress inks here, over the crown mask. Then stamped with Tim Holtz Regal rubber stamp and added the gold perfect pearls while it was still wet.
Also entered in the Simon Says Stamp challenge:

http://simonsaysstampschallenge.blogspot.com/2011/06/simon-says-fathers-day-for-male.html

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Roman Bust

What a difference color can make. Two versions of the same Roman bust svg- both raised and edged with distress inks. And I added some embossed gold leaf wreaths.

Robins and her babies

For 4 years in a row now, Robins have been coming to my 4th floor balcony. There I have a wall mounted vase filled with silk flowers. Don't know why they like it so much, but it's been great fun having them year after year. I don't even know if it's the same couple, or their offspring, or a whole new crew every time. This year a couple of Doves swooped in before the Robins returned from the winter away. They just used the nest left by the Robins the year before. Usually I take it out but the Doves beat me to it. Apparently they are not good nest builders and so just used what was available. I call them my squatters birds. They raised 2 babies. This photo shows the baby being feed milk from the mothers mouth. Once they grew up and flew off, the Robins were back the next day and rebuilt, or rather added to the same nest and laid 4 eggs. Last year was ridiculous.....the Robins laid 3 different batches of eggs in one season. 2, 3 and then 4. They were busy parents!! One year one of the babies fell out....feathered but too young to leave the nest.  I sat down on the floor of my balcony with a brown (Martha Stewart) tea towel over my hands. Cupping them together to look a bit like a nest. Stretched out my arms and called to her. With my whistle I had whistled every time I went out to my balcony. And wouldn't you know it, after 10 or 15 minutes, she hopped right over to me....a good 5 feet away, and hopped right into my hands. I stood on a chair and placed her back into the nest with the others. It was so cool. One of those moments I will never ever  forget.  Momma and Pappa Robin continued to feed her for the rest of her stay. I have other stories too but this post has been long enough. ;)

Birthday on a Doily

I recently bought some Glossy accents to try out for glueing onto glass, and for the dimensional effect. But while waiting for that to arrive I tried the same technique using just the simple glitter glue. And to my surprise it worked. I just did my yellow flower right onto my teflon mat, let it dry overnight, and that's it. It dried out fairly flat, but it still held together and so I used it on this card.

Painted Journals

Promarker blog candy

Well, I trying to stay away from my favourite snack in the whole wide world....chocolate covered almonds, so that's probably why I'm tuning into B log Candy.  LOL So here's what I found today.

http://going-buggy.blogspot.com/

Kerri's blog candy

Check out Kerri's blog to enter for this great package....

http://cardsbykerri.blogspot.com/2011/04/blog-candy.html

Mother's Day

I love my Cuttlebug, but I wish every folder was bigger than the A2 size. So for this card,a 5X7 I just ran the whole card thru it. Twice to cover the entire card. So the back and the insides are all embossed. You can't really write a sentiment inside so I printed something on the computer and pasted that into it.

Tags and bookmark

The good thing about tags is that they are not cards. At least if I don't like how they turned out, I don't feel bad about tossing out a tag.  Anyways, I have on my wishlist Tim Holtz Gear die, but for now I play with what I have. A gear Cuttlebug emossing folder. Used two ways....to emboss a pop can and then cut around a few gears, or just embossing the whole tag. Another way I got some gears were from an svg file. Can't wait until I get the TH die so I can cut some thicker materials.

Wedding Easel Card

 Wedding Bells are ringing again. And an Easel card just adds that little extra something to the card.  Mostly made of Brazil paper...it's got a shinny silvery glow to it. There's some cuttlebug embossing in there too. Happily Ever After is from the Storybook Cricut cart. My favourite hand made roses with some glitter mist added to them, ribbons and pearl hearts and Martha Stewart punches for the leaves and the doily (partial)  trim. Oh, and the pewter Swan charm. The color scheme is that of the Bride and Groom themselves.