Tattered Cuff Bracelet

It is that time of year that I am working on stuff but I can't show it because my projects are going to be Christmas gifts. So this is a sneak peek and some of what I have been making. This one went to the beautiful Lynn of Trash to Treasures for her Birthday. It is made of vintage fabric's, trims and buttons. I did use a few new beads and a new clasp but I don't think it took away from that vintage feel.

 

She has been through so much the past few weeks that I was just going to stop by for a minute and drop it off however she was up and around enough to answer the door and invited me in. Her hubby (bless him) made me the most wonderful mocha latte and I was lucky enough to be able to sit on her lovely patio with her and visit for a little. If everyone can send there prayers... or if you don't believe your positive energy her way as I know no one more deserving. We are just all so fortunate to have her still with us :)

Halloween Jester.... eeeeeek!

Here is my Jester for the current Gothic Arches challenge.

I used one of the jester puppets that I offer at my little etsy store. The back has the cover from "Witches Dance" and a bit of torn sheet music.

Don't miss my last post for Blog Candy too! I am offering a memento's ink pad and a surprise package!

Blog Candy .... Spooky Treats!

Update: Won by Jan Hennings over at Papercraft Pleasures


It is getting a bit spooky around the Heaton household!

and I would like to show you the wreath I made .... Would you like to make one? or maybe just the blow pop party favors I used on it? If so, your gonna like this sweet treat! 

 Jacque over at Scroll Works Rubber Stamps is now carrying Memento inks! and to celebrate she has given me a black ink pad to give away and I am adding a surprise package too!... so all you have to do to get in the drawing is visit her website and leave a post here to enter..... that is the blog candy part but you can get two free single collage sheets from my little etsy store too!

  

How you say? Just order anything over at Scroll Works Rubber Stamps and then email me! and let me know the two sheets you would like from my little etsy store. within 24 hours they will be in your email box :)) ... I used my two sheet blow pop set for the wreath above... so that would count as two sheets

Whaaaahhahahahahahahahhahhaaaaaaaa

The drawing for the ink and a little suprize package from me will be Wednesday next week!
Collage Sheet offer good until Wednesday also!

Dark .... 4 Blissful ATC 's

With the theme this month being "Dark" over at the Blissful ATC Swap. I went tip-toeing through the murkiest part of the dark woods.... and what did I find there! All things creepy, crawly and scary! There were spiders and bats and things that go bump in the night! I was afraid so I put what I found on these little ATC's and sent them off to my partner DeeDee so she could get the shivers too! I could not decide which one to send so I just had to send them both. I just did not think they should be separated! At least this way they could comfort each other when the lights went out at DeeDee's house :)) Do visit my partner DeeDee's blog because I think she took better pictures than I did ....lol
 

Now for a peek at the darkest thing I can think of .... The picture is scary enough so I hope I don't really see this guy !!! ..............besides my soul is already taken 0;-)

The layers are amazing! The bloody frame really seems to drip! and I love how she used torn cardboard for the background. Where the paper is missing gives so much depth and texture too! I just love this spooky treasure! He will be joining the Halloween section of my little ATC binder.... but wait.... that was not all! I also got the most stunning card! If you could only see it in real life! There is an amazing tea bag fold on the front of it and I could not capture the texture it has in the photo! Thank you so much DeeDee! I feel so honored to have met you and will look forward to the next time our names meet on the swapin list.

Quinton is 3!

 

And I think he liked his cake!

Twinkle Twinkle :::Day & Night::: Thoughtful Pierrot Gothic Arches

Gothic Arches has gone to a two week challenge... I don't know how I missed the last one, I guess I just got distracted by life but I am trying to get back on track :)) So here is my entry for the Day and Night challenge.
It may be daytime but I think they are thinking about the night :)) I printed the thoughtful pierrots and layered them on some textured and hand made papers. Then I stamped the little "Sunny" stamp from Scroll Works on acetate and embossed it with midnight embossing glitter. The little stars are embossed with silver embossing glitter and it is also from Scroll Works. Then I made the "Twinkle Twinkle" heart with the word program on my computer.

 

Halloween Treats for everyone! Vintage Sucker Cards

I had several ask about the background I used on my gothic arch a few weeks ago and I told them I would post my little collection as a free download for a limited time. They have timed out but are still available at my little etsy store!
 

 

 

A Gentleman In Every Way ... MMM Buttons

This week over at Mixed Media Monday the theme is buttons. I know it is suppose to be Mixed Media Monday but I can never seem to get things done by Monday so I am always late. I just don't work that fast. By time the theme is announced it takes me a few days to get my artwork done.... but here are my buttons!This is truly a noble effort ... another piece for my bathroom. I started with a smashed leather toiletry case.

The poem in the mirror reads

A gentleman in every way,
His sparkling eyes do smile.
His cloths are always sure to be
In just the latest style

 

The watch case features fabric with news and map print that has been dirtied up with a little rust, a brass leaf branch, a top hat from a monopoly set, a brass harmonica charm, a rusty spring topped with a brass treble cliff and the typewritter of "H" for Heaton.

Yep ... that is my hubby in the rusted picture frame... a much younger version I must admit. He is much older and rustier himself now :))

I have been wanting to .... Post about Time Traveler

Remember this post Steampunk Ladies Free Printable ?... and that little teaser picture of the project I made with it? I have so been wanting to post about my project but I had submitted it to a magazine. So I had to wait until I found out if it would be published. Well the preview of Haute Handbags for Autumn has been posted and my little clutch is in the preview! .... I am published!!!

I thought it was perfect timing that this weeks theme at Mixed Media Monday is "I have been wanting to..."
 

The Artistic Souls of Eagle Idaho submitted several little bags that we altered... I called my little Steampunk bag "Time Traveler" My hubby and I glued old gears and bent wire to a matt board then I used my friends spellbinder to emboss the metal. Then I attached it to the little wooden purse and antiqued it.

 

 

I printed the fabric for the lining and added the little photo of the Steampunk ladies.

 

 

 

The hinge was hand made using links from an antique necklace.

Where have all the daisies gone ...Free printable too

Well I will tell ya ... they are all over at Gothic Arches because the challenge right now is Daisies. The little daisy fairy in my entry is happy now as all the daisies in her garden are blooming but summer is over and soon the cold weather will arrive...then my little fairy will be shivering again until spring arrives once more.

Here is the graphic I used.. 

Feel free to pin the thumb below but please do not pin the actual download. I would like everyone to stop by here to download it so they don't miss all my other fun free downloads

 

 

Steampunk Heaven

Yes ... I have died and gone to Steampunk Heaven! This is the first two ATC's I have made with my new stamps from Scroll Works When my daughter in law called me and told me that her new plate of steam punk stamps came in, I jumped in the car and headed right over. I think I am the first to get to stamp with them too! I had specially requested the new gear stamps and the men. I am so excited that she chose Jules Verne because he is one of my favorite authors! Of course my favorite ATC of the two features him. I call it... can you guess... "Collaborators"...lol. I made it so that it opens too and one of the little gears works as a latch to hold it closed. Below is both opened. Do click on it so you can also get a larger view of the stamps I used on the inside!

Detail Note:
I also wanted to point out the difference you can get with different papers. The ATC on the left is stamped on card stock so I got a really crisp image where as the one on the right is stamped on a page from a very old book. Same ink but it bled into the paper and created a more photographic look.

Saving Grace .... from a garden chill maybe

Sorry I am so late this week, my mom fell again and it kinda distracted me : / anyway... the theme this week at Mixed Media Monday is "Cool it down" . I am not much on blue so this teal is about as cool blue as I get... I do think this is really kewl though :)) and in real life the teal looks much lighter.

I am also entering this int Alter It Monthly for the September "Rust" theme.

I thought that I could use in in my bathroom. I have an old smashed shaving case that I am working on for in there too. The chain on the purse hangs from the back side of the purse so I intend to hang it on the wall open. Then I can use it to hold things I use everyday like my brush, comb and hair clips.

I rusted the frame and chain then used an image from my new "nicely nudes" collage sheet and printed it on fabric. She is nude in a garden so she must be cool :)) I covered it with cracked mica and used an old belt buckle for the frame. Then some antique lace and vintage brass and rusted metal findings finished it off.

Photo Update 9-25:
I have said this before... I just kept looking at it and feeling it was not quite done. I am honorable at taking things apart and redoing them.

Eye Candies from the Artistic Souls

I have lots to share today! Once again we had our monthly meeting of the Artistic Souls of Eagle Idaho :) What a treat it was to visit with such special friends! Barb made the most wonderful lunch and then we snacked on goodies as we created the eye candies that I am sharing today!

I will start with my challenge this month, now I brought these with me to the meeting.... I was to make ATC's from a Magenta's Charming Little Girls stamp. The looked like little windows so of course I had to give them a house. I covered the chipboard houses with real antique papers that I took from an antique ledger paper available at my little etsy store. Then I used wavy copper tape for the roof and a copper metal file tag for the window. Of course I have to age everything...lol so I used some aging solution to darken the copper. The rest of the stamps... florals and wording are from Scroll Works. Oh and that reminds me ... you really should visit there. She has a new steampunk sheet of rubber stamps due in any day... but she has them on her website. I had to order every one... lol.

Then we all brought a shoe box with a project... so the cards to follow I made but they were projects brought by members of the Artistic Souls.
 

My shoe box project was this cute little ATC ... It was done by coating real score sheets from Word Yahtzee with watered down paint then stamping and adding the letters from a travel scrabble game. The crown is from my hats sheet at my etsy store

This is the shoe box project brought by Judy Johnson ... Don't you just love that! She had just taken a Tim Holts class and shared the distress ink technique. That is how the background was done. The stamps I used are script and outlined leaf are from Hero Arts The oak and maple leaf are from Rubber Stampede
 

This one is the shoe box project brought by Barb Crowell... our fearless leader :)) Her card came out much better than mine. However I don't have a picture of her beautiful card so you will have to settle for my crooked version. We stamped velum with the fern leaf from Stampin up then it was sliced and woven ... mine was straight then I messed with it and got it all crooked : / anyway ... then we stamped the crane from Judikins cut it out and applied it to the front. I just love the serene feeling of this card!
Carolyn Summers brought this fun little daisy punch card. The stamp in the center is from Scroll Works.

Then this is the project Merine Heberger brought. The stamp is poppies from Hero Arts We stamps red on red cardstock and then brown on a cream card stock to create this beauty!

Seeing Red...Not :))

I am seeing red as is everyone this week over at Mixed Media Monday. I can't wait to go blog hoping and see the red everyone else has been seeing too. I hated missing the challenge last week but I had company and just could not get to it :(

My entry is a little book box covered in handmade red paper with an attached bookmark magnet. I sandwiched a piece of roofing tin between the cover paper and the matte board on the lid so the bookmark would cling to the box yet be removable too. The stamps used are from Scroll Works
and if you would like to make one of these little book boxes or maybe a whole library of them, the pattern is available in my etsy store :)

 

I love the way the curve on the faux pages curves to make it look like a real little book!

Spooky Mail Day .....

I have had a house full of company this week and I am afraid I missed the challenge over at Mixed Media Monday :( I started my project but was unable to get it finished before our company arrived.... I will post it when I finish anyway. I am crossing my fingers in anticipation of this next weeks theme, hopefully it will fit with it too :))

However I did receive some spooky fun ATC's from Wendy over at Blissangles I thought it was a one for one swap but to my surprise there was three :/ Thank you Wendy! They are fabulous and will make such a special addition to my collection!

This is the one I sent... It is a little Kissing Booth. I used my "Spooky" theater collage sheet and an image from my "Trick or Treater's" sheet and both are available at my little etsy store I will get a couple more made and sent too :)

Blisful ATC's Orange

Recently I joined the "Blissful ATC Swap" ... there link is now on my left hand sidebar... anyway my first swap there so I hope that it is ok to post these. The theme was "Orange" and below is the ATC I sent to my partner Laura It is done on crinkled tinfoil with Dresden foil trim. The dance hall girl is layered on an orange feather and her dance costume was glittered. I finished it off with some leaves stamped with "Dance" and a little metal corner scroll. It was really hard to get a good picture because the reflection off the glitter and the foil but then I always think they look better in real hands

Sent

This is the one that Laura sent. I have seen several felted ATC's online but this is the first time I have seen one in real life...what a treat as you can see! It too was hard to photograph and this picture really doesn't do it justice at all. It also had a really cute little backside but my camera ran out of battery by time I got a good one of the front. I do love it and will treasure having it in my little ATC collection

Received

Playing With ATC's

Doesn't this little guy look like an undertaker! ... I thought he would be perfect for a little Halloween ATC ...or I guess it could just be a spooky steampunk ATC... either way at the heart of this little undertaker is the cross :)) He is on my new "Graveyard Party" collage sheet available in my little etsy store
 

 I don't usually do religious art but I must have been in a "high spirited" mood today :)) This is for a door swap I am in and it just went in the mail so I hope the recipient isn't lookin :D

 

I just loved the little image I used 

Queen of Diamonds... Gothic Arches Crown

I know this is a lousy picture! I know it is summer but here in Idaho it is raining! ... I know .... raining!

So the lighting is not good and when I tried to use a flash the "diamonds" reflected it too much... it had to have natural lighting. That meant outside : / so I put the umbrella up on my patio table and this is as good as I could get. I actually made this for a friend. I tease her all the time calling her "The Queen Of Diamonds". The bottom piece is actually a huge pin I want to give her. I punched holes for the pin to go through to the back side but it is removable.

Gothic Arches .... Crown challenge

Remembering The Butterflies

 

When I was a child there were no video games. We had to actually do things to keep ourselves entertained ... lol. I grew up in Cambria California... we lived in the woods in a log cabin but we were also just a mile from the beach so there really was a lot to do. When we were not at the beach we were running through the walking paths in the woods. One of my most favorite memories is when the butterfly's would migrate and the woods would be filled with them. It is one of my most precious memories that I will always treasure!

Mixed Media Monday....memories

The Witching Hour Comes

The week the theme over at Gothic Arches is Owls. I am not too much on owls but I have been playing around with Halloween stuff lately.

I used a trick or treat sucker card for my background and then my witching hour owl clock. I put real watch hands that had been salvaged off an old watch that I had taken apart for the gears. The little witch is from a new sheet of dark fairies that I have in my little etsy store.

Past Loves for Mixed Media Monday

I missed last week at Mixed Media Monday but I am trying to get back on track

My past love is Asian Art... I find it so elegant and peaceful. When I need to recharge I always turn to it. This is a tiny canvas.... just 2 x 2 I added texture using spackle mixed with latex paint.

Gothic Arches Marie Antoinette

I was happy to see that Gothic Arches was posting challenges again! This week it is Marie Antoinette .. one of my favorite subjects!
 

Yes ladies... Pears Soap will keep your skin supple and as beautiful as the finest ivory! You will look just like the queen of luxuries herself... Marie Antoinette! :))

Counting My Blessings

Today was our local meeting of the Artistic Souls and I feel so truly blessed to be a part of this wonderful group. It was such a lovely relaxed day of visiting with good friends. We had the most delicious lunch in the beautiful garden of our lovely hostess this month. That was followed by several hours of creative fun. If you have read any of my previous posts then you know we have an ongoing challenge. We all bring a stamp, each taking a turn with each others stamp until each person has had a chance to create swap cards with each stamp. Recently we decided to do ATC's instead of cards and I am just thrilled with this change as I have a chance to grow my little ATC collection.

It was my turn with Carolyn's purse stamp from PSX. I decided to make it look like a Victorian mail order sample card. I used graphic's from the old Strawbridge department store. I printed the background then stamped the little purse on it. Then I added a little swatch of tapestry. I felt it needed a little envelope so I continued the theme using more Strawbridge graphics and adding a little more stamping. The remaining stamps are from Scroll Works

Play Things ...

  

This week at Mixed Media Monday the theme is Play Things. Having grown up on the central coast of California, I spent hours and hours on the beach playing with sea shells and beautifully polished stones. In fact the first craft I remember doing was making pebble people for every visitor that came. Our family was large and living in a resort area they took turns visiting often. Needless to say I made lots of pebble people. Our house was always full of people, laughter and love. All the stamps are from Scroll Works ... my favorite company :))

Wedded Bliss for Something Blue

This is the last week of the wedding theme sayings over at Mixed Media Monday and since I have done nothing with a wedding theme I did this little wedding card. I also did this one because I wanted to share a technique I have been playing with. Crackle paint can be so expensive but this is a Fun inexpensive alternative to crackle paint and glaze.

This easy technique is done with cheap Elmer's school glue ...really any cheap white glue works, I even tried the stuff from the dollar store. I discovered glue crackle on the internet but found the explanations very limited. I not only wanted to crackle paint for backgrounds but I also wanted to crackle clear glaze to use on my images. As hard as I searched I found nothing on crackling clear glaze.... sooo I did a lot of experimenting with different glues and glazes and found that the cheep white school glue works best for this technique. There is no difference if you use the clear or white. Most any water based glue will work however Mod Podge doesn’t work at all

To crackle paint:
Step1.
Using acrylic paint, choose the color you would like your cracks to be and paint the surface of your project. Let it dry completely. This works on wood metal paper and even cloth. If your doing this on paper you can just use unpainted card stock in the color of choice so just skip this first step.

Step 2.
Cover the painted surface with glue. The thickness of the glue will determine the size of your cracks. A thin glue layer will result in a fine crack, the thicker the glue the larger and wider the crack. For a very fine crack it is best to thin the glue a bit. I found using my hands worked better than a brush for spreading on the glue. You have to work fast... I got a more even coverage and I was able to control the thickness of the glue much easier. It also eliminated brush marks.

Step 3.
Do not let the glue dry completely. It must still be tacky if you want it to crack. For thin glue let it dry about 3 minutes and for the thicker glue about 5 to 8 minutes. Once tacky cover the surface with Acrylic paint. Again I found using my hands worked best. The cracking starts pretty quickly and it is really fun to watch.

For a clear crackle over an image
Step1.
It is done much the same, cover the printed surface with glue. I used a lazer print. I think the ink would run with an ink jet image. Again, the thickness of the glue will determine the size of your cracks. A thin glue layer will result in a fine crack, the thicker the glue the larger and wider the crack.

Step 2
Once the glue is tacky, paint on a clear water base varnish. I used the Delta Ceramcoat satin interior varnish. I also tried several others and they all worked well.

I enhanced the cracks for my example because they did not show up great in a photo. However on a small image with a face your cracks may not look so great enhanced. I had to do the image above several times before I had an image where the bride did not look like she was crying ...lol. In real life the cracks are really visible without any enhancement.

Something Borrowed

The theme this week over at Mixed Media Monday is something borrowed so I am posting a borrowed piece of Art. This little doll is called "Here's my heart" and it was created by one of my students. She has it listed in her Etsy shop. Since she has so many grandchildren she worried that they might damage her so she asked if she could leave it in my studio until it sells... As much as I hope she sells to encourage my student and friend..I have to say I will be sick when she does as I have come to love her so much... I just might buy her myself if she doesn't sell soon :)

 

Here is my heart

Mixed Media Monday New Old Bottle Labels Perfume & Pharmacy

I know these look old but they really are some new labels I made. I did use the information from an actual French pharmacy label to create the pharmacy label and wording from a vintage French perfume label for the perfume label. I added some soldered elements to the perfume bottle but if you don't solder try tying some ribbon or vintage lace on your bottle. I thought it would be a fun project for Mixed Media Monday this week.

The bottle labels are available at my little etsy store!