A Leave of Absence

I find that I need to take a break from my blog for a while so don't expect any postings for a while.  I have a lot of extra stuff going on in the summer and more time away from my computer so regular posting isn't so easy.  I thought it better to stop for a while rather than post irregularly.

Thanks for visiting.

One Sheet Wonder No 8

This is one of my favorites from the collection.  I used two patterned pieces plus a narrow strip of the dark blue dotted paper. I added a flower and punched stars for a focal point and two small punched stars added balance.

And that's the One Sheet Wonder Cards I've completed to date.  There are still paper pieces left so there's even more possibilities but I'll wait and see where my muse takes me.

One Sheet Wonder No 7

If you missed my explanation of "One Sheet Wonder" cards, refer to the June 15 posting.

This card made use of two patterned paper rectangles.  I added the white triangle and embellished with a flower with a star center.

One Sheet Wonder No. 6

This card made use of many pieces of the cut papers and one strip of white cardstock.  I punched stars in three sizes and popped them up with foam tape.

One Sheet Wonder No. 5

This card used two squares of the patterned paper and a section of the white emobssed cardstock.  I added a strip of red in the center and a strip of blue at the bottom of the embossed section.  A flower with a button center completed the design.

One Sheet Wonder No. 4

I failed to mention in my June 15 post that I also had some die cut doilies in the paper supplies I took with me when traveling.  I used a white one on this card and added a circle of dark blue behind a portion of it.  I used a narrow strip of white embossed cardstock and a plain strip of red.  Embellishments were the flower with a star center.

One Sheet Wonder No. 3

The front of this card was cut at a diagonal just beyond the points of the big star.  The solid red corner was adhered to the card inside.  I simply embellished with a narrow strip of dark blue cardstock and punched stars.  After we were back home, I added the rhinestone center to the main star.

One Sheet Wonder No. 2

See yesterday's post for an explantion of  "One Sheet Wonder" cards.

This card has the front cut where the white meets the dark blue stripe.  The red corner piece and the blue stripe were adhered to the inside of the card.

I added a strip cut with decorative scissors (borrowed from my granddaughter's art supplies) and added the flower with a punched star center.

One Sheet Wonder No. 1

We traveled recently and were away from home for a couple of weeks.  I knew there would be some time where I could be creative so I took the minimal equipment in a traveling stamp kit that I always have on hand (scissors, glue, tape, etc - things I use all the time at home).

Remember the "One Sheet Wonder" cards we did a few years back?  That's where one 8.5 x 11" sheet of paper is cut into various sizes of shapes and then used in card designs.  I cut the same shapes from a polka dot dark blue paper and a red patterned paper with stars.  I cut and folded cards in dark blue, red and white (since that's what coordinated with my cut pieces) and I also took a sheet of each of the same colored cardstock.  I grabbed some white embossed pieces of cardstock, too.  For embellishment I  took some star punches and a package of flowers I got in a dollar bin.

I was able to complete the front of eight cards while we were away and will be showing them in the coming days.  It was a good reminder to me that a lot can be done with the simplest materials. 

Digital Trading Card

This is one of the artist trading cards that I created for the 100 Theme Art Challenge.  The layers were accomplished in Photoshop Elements.  The photos are stock photos and not my own.

Pink Panels

This card started with the embossing.  The text is from Stampin Up and I highlighted a few words using a pen with sparkle ink.  I punched flowers in two shades of pink and black and added a punched border.

Stripes

Tis the season for masculine cards.  I choose masculine colors and images and see what I can put together.  This one features two patterned papers matted on two shades of green.  The dragonfly is gold embossed and I added the little tag of text.

More Oregon Flowers

I believe this is an azalea.  The plants are loaded with beautiful blossoms, a lovely result of the ongoing rain in the area.

More Watercolor

I white embossed this Hero Arts image on old text but trimmed it with some of the old paper showing.  Color was added with watercolor.  The card front was embossed and black brads were added.  Quick and easy.

Mama and Baby

There's a small pond we sometimes pass when we take a walk.  On this particular day we saw a mama duck with one baby duck happily swimming about.  Pretty cute, huh?!

Watercolor Quartet

This Hero Arts image was black embossed on the page of an old book and colored with watercolors.  It was matted on dark gold then with an embossed green mat.  A thin satin ribbon completed the design.

Woodsy Retreat

There's a small wooden area in the neighborhood with short trails running through.  We hadn't ventured into the area before but had a sunny day last week and decided to go for it.  It was green and lush and quiet and had this little stream running through.  There were even a couple of benches where one could sit and relax and enjoy the serenity. What a little haven in the midst of an urban area.  It's nice that these areas are preserved.

Raindrops

I don't know what kind of leaves these are but I thought the color was unique and all the the rain we've experienced added texture.  But yesterday we had a full day of sunshine which was very nice.

Square Frame

I guess the white background could be called a doily.  I punched it using Martha Stewart corner and edge punches.  It's a little different because I also used the corner punch inside the frame.  The flower is a Hero Arts image and I added part of a die cut tag, a button and a string of beads.

Rose Festival City Fair

On Memorial Day we spent the afternoon at the City Fair in downtown Portland OR.  The kids had a great time on the rides available and it was perfect weather.  We even had dinner on the patio after we were home.  Great day!

Flowers In Bloom

There is always  something in bloom in Oregon and right now it's quite colorful.  The rodies are especially pretty in lots of different colors.  Now if we could just get more sunshine to smile upon them . . .

Three Panels and A Flower

Three panels were put together, one of which had added edges cut with scalloped scissors.  The flower was punched and then embossed.  I also added a scalloped edge to the curve.

Broken

This is another artist trading card that I did for the 100 art themes challenge.  It shows what's left of an old wagon in our neighborhood.  I added a "poster edge" filter and adjusted the lighting.