Inspiration at CHA

Good day to you all!

As some of you may know The Craft and Hobby Association had their annual Mega Show this past weekend in Anaheim, CA. Hopefully, you saw Gia Lau's post about it yesterday as she had such great information to share. I was also able to attend and in my post today I am going to share with you an important lesson that I learned while there. 

First though, I will tell you that I could not have had more fun at CHA. There was inspiration everywhere; from the artists, designers and instructors that I met, the artwork displayed and all of the new products showcased. I was fortunate to meet so many great folks. I, along with Head Honcho of Altered Pages Jean Moore, made exciting new connections for Altered Pages as well. Make sure to check with Altered Pages here for some of the new products for 2014, that will be arriving soon. I was also very happy to FINALLY get to meet my fellow design team member, the amazing Gia Lau. Such great memories were made!

So, about that lesson learned. I attended a seminar by Joanne Sharpe titled, Art Where You Are: Journaling your Life. I learned that I literally could “make art” wherever I am, yes, WHEREVER I am. All I need are a few small and easy to transport supplies. Joanne called this having a Mary Poppins bag. I just loved that. I hope you give this a try. What you will need is a small journal, a water proof black pen such as Micron, a watercolor palette and a few water brushes (just make sure to fill your brushes as soon as you get them so they will be ready wherever & whenever art happens.) You can find all of these supplies and more at Altered Pages. Please see list below.   

Below is a journal page that I created using supplies from my craft stash as a still life. I started with what was initially a very, VERY quick sketch of my “tools” and then went back over it adding a bit of definition and framed it out. I then added the color using my traveling water colors! This literally took less than 5 minutes to sketch and a few minutes more to colorize. I loved the freedom this gave me. It allowed me to not be perfect - Hooray! 

I often recognize art in my daily life. Now, all I need is 5 minutes to soak that up, 

sketch it out and I add the color and journaling whenever I want. How fun is that? 

Thank you so much to Joanne Sharpe for the enlightening class. 

I thoroughly enjoyed myself. 

Thank you also to Altered Pages for carrying all of the supplies I need.  

 I am happy to say I am now carrying my own Mary Poppins. 

In the immortal words of Ferris Bueller, I highly recommend picking one up! 

Recommended supply list - 

Dylusions small journal 

Micron pen

Niji pearlescent watercolors

Waterbrushes

Free as a Bird

Welcome to the Hop everyone! 

I hope you are enjoying the offerings today by the fabulous Altered Pages Design Team. 

My piece is showcasing products and supplies from Altered Pages and stamps from Pink Persimmon Stamps.

I was given the task of created something using the Parcel Post vintage stamp set. I instantly felt like maybe I could send myself somewhere using this parcel post...okay...I will, mentally anyway. It was funny really, about five minutes after deciding on a travel theme I came across an old broken pair of aviator sunglasses of mine. "Have shades will travel" was my motto now. The theme kept building and building in the back of my mind and I felt that I could be as free as a bird today. Ahhhhhhhhhhh...now I have my title. All this accomplished and I have yet to put pen  paper to paper and ribbon to paper and ink to paper, well you get the idea. So, here I have for you Free as a Bird. I hope you enjoy it. Make sure to continue on the hop and check out all the other great works by my fellow design team members. 

This was mounted on an approximate 6 x 7 chunky piece of scrap wood. I love using what I have lying around and repurposing as most of us do. I adhered and layered papers from Altered Pages in the 8 x 8 Glitz Uncharted Waters collection as well as the 6 x 6 Happy Travels collection on to the scrap wood. I just the little vintage airplanes in the Happy Travels collection. 

You can see her the Pink Persimmon Parcel Post stamp where I am sending myself From: Here To: Anywhere I want to go. I mustn't forget to bring my shades. 

My little birdie images from Altered Pages collage sheets are perfectly perched above offering words of encouragement.  I attached the Welcome to Today phrase to a little scrap of canvas that I had. I first inked the canvas a bit with a coordinating turquoise ink and finished it off with fabric flowers and a bit 'o bling. Bling almost always adds that perfect finishing touch. Again, thank you for taking the time to check out our hop. 

~Steph

Hello, Stephanie here hoping you had a fabulous holiday! 

I know the fun part of the holiday season is over and now it is back to reality. 

Reality can still be exciting, though. 

Like, the great feeling you get when you stick with the 

resolution you have set for yourself. 

Mine is getting healthy and staying that way, as is the case with 

many resolutions made every year. 

The difference for me this time is I am excited to stick to it. 

I hope you feel the same about yours. 

My project for the blog ties into my resolution and how I plan to succeed. 

I know I will not be perfect, so I will not force myself to be. 

However, there are little hidden victories everywhere.  

I will just keep my eyes and probably more importantly my mind open to them. 

My piece is called Hidden Victories. 

All supplies for this project can be found right here at Altered Pages.

I hope you enjoy it. 

I started with my brand new Dylusions Large Journal. 

I have to thank my husband as this was top on my Santa wish list.  

This was the first page in a new art journal. 

Wait, FIRST PAGE! No pressure......yeeaaaah right!!! 

I knew this had to be good and not just good in a "wow, that's really pretty" 

kind of good, but I wanted it to mean something, to me anyway. 

So, that is where the resolution idea first popped into my mind.  

I started the page by distressing it a bit with my  Tiara Gold Paris Trunk ink pad

I then tore and layered antique text and patterned papers from the 

Bazzill 6x6 mini patterned paper prints. 

I adhered the torn paper and then used gesso over the entire page. 

I did this to tone done the print and to make sure no corners would be popping up over time. 

I was going for a background with a hint of pattern and torn texture.  

You can see in this picture below the torn bits all over the page. 

They are much lighter here than first out of the package due to the gesso. 

I started sketching out my veggies, some garlic here, carrots there

and a, as Bob Ross would say, a happy little artichoke there. 

I then went in with my Dylusions inks using them in my 

paint palette just like watercolor. 

I then added a bit more text pages to cover the artichoke just a bit. 

He represents the hidden gems for me to keep a look out for.

I loved the idea of adding the word "Resolution." 

But, wait a minute...right now I am just starting out as

most of us are with our resolutions. So, why complete the word. 

Those of us that made resolutions are just at the beginning. 

We are still working on completing that goal. 

So, here Resolution is open ended and ongoing. 

To finish it off I added a bit of fun to my veggies and lettering with my white chalk pen. 

So, I leave you on this Friday wishing you health, happiness and fun in 2014. 

May you have many little victories along the way. 

~Stephanie

Joyeux Noel

Happy Friday everyone and thank you for stopping by the blog today!  

Steph here with a cute little Christmas frame project for you.

The focal point of my frame is the cutest little Christmas gnome. 

Poor guy has slipped on the ice and is sliding across the snow on his little bum. 

I love the contrast of the "Joyeux Noel" and the look on his face 

indicating he is not so joyous at the moment. 

Please take a minute and scroll through the pictures and be sure to check out the 

supply list at the bottom of the post. 

I hope this little guy puts you in a Joyeux mood! 

Lately, I have been mentioning what great gifts some of our projects will make. 

Well, I actually have the person who is going to receive this all picked out already.

I am so excited to surprise her with this on Christmas. 

She will be able to add a photo of her little gnomes and change the focal point of the frame. 

All supplies for this project were obtained from Altered Pages. 

The frame comes as a blank wooden "canvas" ready for your imagination and creativity to bring it to life. 

The papers are from the "Joyeux Noel" set from Glitz.

The collage image is one of many great images from Altered Pages as well. 

I used a couple different versions of fibers as well as paper flowers and glass glintz...

all from Altered Pages. 

Thanks for stopping by.

I hope you have a fun, joyous holiday season.

Be careful on that ice & snow!!! 

Altered Pages web site

Wooden picture frame

Glitz papers

Christmas and winter collage images

Star Light, Star Bright

Happy Friday Everyone (oooh Friday the 13th)! 

We are getting ever closer to the big day so I thought I would share with you a very homemade, yet quick craft that makes a heartfelt ornament for hanging on a tree or beautiful adornment for special gift wrapping...a paper star.  

There are many, MANY versions of the paper star, from the German 5 point paper star to endless styles of Origami stars. I will skip the star tutorial (you're welcome) and let you pick the style and design you would like to use. 

I will; however, provide you with inspiration in the way of pictures and my FAVORITE source for all of your crafting supply needs, AlteredPages.com of course. 

I do have to admit falling right in love with these little beauties. They remind me of paper stars on my Grandmothers tree when I was just a little girl. I even made a little lovely out of paper scraps...I'm a big believer is using up every little scrap I can. 

All supplies are listed at the end of this post. Be sure to check out  Altered Pages  for all your supply needs. 

Above a star is done in pink chevron paper from Glitz with rose sticker accents. 

For the center I attached vintage red mini garland and a silvertone filigree charm. 

The garland and charm were attached using Crystal Lacquer. 

The hanger for this star was made with simple black ribbon. 

 

My next star was done using the double sided Joyeux Noel papers from Glitz. 

This literally is the same piece of paper...just front and back. My center design here is a button with a little amber gem in the middle.  

 

Here is the back side of the same star with the center of this being a paper flower

with the same style amber gem in the center. 

A strand of mini pearls was used as the hanger for this star. 

  

This star I left as a single star, meaning this one is flat on the back. 

I thought this would make a beautiful addition to a pretty package. 

A special gift deserves special packaging, right? Right! 

This was done using the "Uncharted Waters" 8 x 8 Glitz paper pack.

I just love how versatile these papers are. 

I used a grey ribbon bow and silver snowflake rhinestone for the finishing touch. 

Here is my sweet little scrap ornament. It just might be my Favorite. 

I took a long paper scrap about an inch wide and I accordion folded it. 

I then pulled the accordion together at the ends to create a circle. 

I glued the edges and attached a coordinating paper circle to the back to keep it secure

as well as to hide the mechanics. 

I then attached a Glitz giant gem from the Cashmere Dame collection. 

I added vintage mini garland around the outer edge

and continued that at the top to create a loop to hang it by.  

I added another Giant Gem from glitz to the back and finished it off with clear glitter. 

I hope you enjoy the pictures. And, I really hope you give this a try. 

This project was very similar to potato chips. Whaaaaat?! Yes, chips...once you start, it's hard to stop! 

Be sure to check out the supply list below. All links provided to save you time. 

Have fun crafting! 

Glitz paper packs

Glitz giant gems in Cashmere Dame 

Crystal Lacquer

Metal charm embellishments

Elf on the brain...

Welcome to today's post.

I know it's a bit early, but..........

I have elves on my brain. So, I thought why not spread some elfish cheer around. 

I have for you today an upcycled bottle project. 

I just love altering bottles. I think the possibilities are endless, 

not to mention they're just plain FUN. 

First, I chose a bottle that I thought was a bit different. 

It is the prettiest blue hue, not your typical green or clear.

It was originally a bottle of German white wine. 

I can't remember the name, but I do remember that it was yummy. 

You can see above that I added layer upon layer to my bottle.

I started with Christmas tissue from my supplies and kept adding from there

using my Hello December 6x6 paper pack from Glitz 

and collage images from Altered Pages.  

I found the cute little elf cheering with a bottle collage from Altered Pages. 

I thought how perfect is he? He is obviously enjoying his beverage and

his little pants are just the right color blue to match the bottle. 

I then added some blingy trim from my stash to the upper rim of the bottle 

along with pretty vintage garland bursting out of the cork. 

If you are going to be so kind as to give your upcycled project as a gift, 

be sure to take the time and make a cute little coordinating card.

You have all of your supplies out now anyway, you may as well. :-)   

Happy Creating! 

Stephanie 

Evil Libations

Hello again ghouls and boys...

Today's 31 Days of Halloween Hop offering is a chilly bottle of evil libations to wet your whistle. 

 I started my project with a wine bottle that I just really loved the shape of. 

It is a very thick, sturdy glass and I felt that it will stand the test of 

time being brought out year after year for Halloween. 

Of course, I found amazing collage images at Altered Pages. 

I also used some eerily fun images from Smeared and Smudged. 

Such a great selection at both .coms. You really need to check them out!

You can see in the picture below that I started with text pages, graphic 45 papers and collage images. 

I built them up laying here and there. You can find a sampling of amazing collage images here. 

After decoupaging all papers I added the cork back to the bottle. 

I then wired up some fun little resin skulls and poked them right into the cork. 

After allowing ample dry time and all layers were complete I finished off 

my dastardly concoction with colorful fibers tied around the neck of the bottle. 

I then embellished with gears, crystals and a key. 

You know to lock up the liquor cabinet when we are all done partaking. 

Happy Halloween!!!

Stephanie S.

Buckaroo Sally

Ms. Buckaroo Skully

Featuring products from AlteredPages.com and BombshellStamps.com 

Here is how Ms. Buckaroo Skully came to life.

Starting with a 5x7 canvas art board I created the background by stamping a checkerboard pattern using my Maya Road Earth Brown Chalk Ink. While still wet I blended the ink from the center out in all directions. Using my Big Brush PITT Pen in black I outlined the entire panel...for a little pop ya know?

I painted out my BombshellStamps.com image and the Alteredpages.com cowgirl image using my Neutral Color Pack of Gelatos & gave it all a bit of detail & color. 

I then fussy cut all of my images, attached them together using my UHU glue stick where needed and set them aside.  I was lucky to find some scrap book paper from my, well, scraps, and it worked perfectly.  This is the bucking bronco image you see behind Ms. Skully. I added some color here as well, using my trusty Gelatos.  

To finish off the canvas panel.  I added a band at the top and bottom with Newspaper Journal Washi Tape and jute. I attached the jute with Crystal Lacquer. I added some cute Brown Resin Blossoms...a couple here...a few there. She is a cowGIRL after all.

I then adhered my collage and digital images adding Ms. Skully  last. I gave her a lasso made of twine. She never knows when she might need to hogtie something.  

For the finishing touch I added burlap to the back of the panel allowing a 1 inch border all around. And, this is Ms. Buckaroo Skully.

Start at

Bombshell Stamps Blog

and then hop onto our Design Teams Blogs

Kelli Green

Leslie Rahye

Katie Shanahan-Jones

Trisha Too

Alison Heikkila

Roni Johnson

Jodi Elam

Lyneen Jesse

Alaine Medio

Daniella Hayes

Kim Gaughan

Becky Voth

Sharon Rogers

Tristan Robin Blakeman

Jenn Cochran

Danie May

Marnie Bushmole

Stephanie Siatta

Kathi Rerek

Gia Lau

and finish back here at

Altered Pages Blog


THANKS for JOINING US!

Fa Boo lous!

Hi there Hoppers, Stephanie Siatta here with a fun little journal page for you. 

This simple yet fun page was done with 

Dylusions inks and stamps as well as other great gothic stamps 

from AlteredPages.com. 

You can find them by clicking  here. Dylusions  

I inked the background with the super versatile 

blue and green Dylusions inks and added black gothic stars 

in black right over the Dylusions. 

I then stamped multiple images from the Dependable Dotty

stamp collection cutting here and arranging there. 

I then gave them vibrant color with more inks as well as Gelatos.

I added a collage from AlteredPages.com of a simple little witches hat. 

To the witches hat I added a hint of sparkle 

with my Wink of Stella pen in purple. 

I hope you enjoy! 

Hi there everybody, it's Steph here today and what a very special day it is. It is my amazing Mom's birthday!!  Jean Moore is 39 years young today (I'm allowed to say that right?).  I just don't know how she does it considering I am 42.  Today is her day to go strut her stuff and hopefully the Miss Sassy Britches that I have made will help inspire her to do just that.    

This was done using watercolor paper, cardstock, a combination of stamps and Dylusions inks.  You can find all of them here at AlteredPages.com.  Starting out the background was done using 

Dylusions Spray Inks in Cut Grass.  I used a combination of the Dylusions Dependable Dotty and Time Marches On stamps for her body.  I grabbed the arms from a magazine ad where the arms just happened to be in the perfect pose for strutting.  Don't you love when things just work out like that?  I thought the flat pearl brad was so sweet for her necklace and a black shiny German Scrap cut could not have been more perfect for her bouffant hairdo.  I then printed the text on good old cardstock and boxed it in with my black Micron pen. 

Mom, you are always making others smile with your love, generosity and caring.  I hope Miss Sassy Britches makes you smile today.  Happy Birthday! I love you with all my heart!  Now get away from that computer and go have some fun!!!