Mojo 226, the last of my ice photos and a FREE Vintage Image for YOU!

 

Here’s hoping you had a good weekend and your Monday zoomed by like mine did.  I managed to squeeze in this Mojo alongside my sister Nina this evening, it was my “treat” for the day – like the whip cream on the apple pie (salivating now)

 

Mojo Monday  226

And I chose square.  I know, rather dull of me.   In fact I kept it simple and let the paper do most of the work on this one.

Supplies:

Cardstock – base and piano, recollections. 

Gold Paper – handmade from India, purchased at Paper Nation.

I’m sorry I do not recall the tag designer paper name.

Gems – Forever in Time

Piano – cut from Silhouette SD store

I am in absolute awe how my Silhouette could cut the teensy tiny keys on the piano.  honestly it’s such a tiny fringe it’s like a feather part. 

Shhhhh this is going to be my anniversary card for my Mr as it’s sneaking up on us very fast.  (so when I disappear here you will know)  Valentines pales in comparison to our anniversary!  We have all sorts of wonderful hideaway plans!

I’m posting the last of my ice photos… that is unless we get another freeze which will compel me to go lay in the ice and snow again.   I hope you’ve been enjoying!

Into my heart’s treasury

I slipped a coin,

That time cannot rust,

Nor thief purloin;

Oh, better than the minting

Of a gold-crowned king

Is the safe-kept memory

Of a lovely thing.

- Sara Teasdale

Looks like a little ghost!

Looks like Bart Simpson’s sister Lisa’s eyes!

 

And I also have been “gathering images” – on a recent trip to an antiques shop I made a donation to the shop owner and took photos of … photos!  I’m going to share these with you for your own personal or commercial use projects (just don’t claim them as your own, please credit me!)  I will place a second copy under a new tab up top called Free Vintage Images.  I’d love to see how you use these!  Just click on the photo and right click and “save as”  These are in PNG format with a transparent background.

 

right click and “save as”

Blessings,

Barb

HAPPY BIRTHDAY VALINDA (pretty FREE .studio cut file in honour of) - Playing in Paradise Card 51 and more icy cool photos

 

Today’s a SPECIAL day – it’s my friend Valinda’s bithday.  Valinda and I have been friends for years now.  We met on the internet through our interest in digital scrapbooking but our friendship grew quickly and deeply.  We are always in touch and she’s a true treasure.  I hope you have the best birthday ever, dear friend!  I’ve created a giveaway file in honour of YOU today!  I made it fit with this card theme below too. 

Playing in Paradise Card 51

I am also especially proud to say my sister Nina is a Design Team Member for this challenge so I had to whip up something she’d not hide her head in shame at.  Here’s my take:

 

 

Supplies:

Cardstock: Recollection

Embellishment: Heart, Insert and Arrow by Barb Derksen (me)

Embossing folder: Cuttlebug

Embossing on Arrow: Ranger – Queen’s Gold

I cut the .studio files on my Silhouette SD and then assembled.  The white slotted heart nests behind the red bumpy heart shape.  I placed a thick foam tape behind the slotted white heart and then weaved the arrow behind it so that the white part actually “puffs out”  Its hard to appreciate the 3d look of this card. 

Here are the cutting files for you all to download:

download

I will also place a copy of this download in the PAGES section of my blog (look up at the TABS above this entry) so that you can download it any time in the future.

Some more exciting news – I will be guest designing for Word Art Wednesday for the entire month of February!  Look for “stuff” happening here, including a fun blog hop!

A few more ice photos:

Nature, as far as in her lies,

Imitates God and turns her face

To every land beneath the skies,

Counts nothing that she meets with base

But lives and loves in every place.

 

Alfred Lord Tennyson

 

A gathering of geese

Ice is nice – in miniature form this reminds me of broken windshield glass

A cool crystalline sculpture

Reeds frozen and encased for all of winter

This ice even curving along the length of a bent reed.

Friday Mashup #43–Try Something New

 

My sister Nina invited me to card with her this evening, it has been quite a while since we’ve had the chance together, life keeps getting in the way.

I had to do this Friday Mashup challenge twice because I tried a new technique, but it just did not work out.  I had to scrap my first attempt and go for a second.  I am happy with the results of the second one though. 

This weeks challenge:

 

1. Make a project using the "Sketch".
2. Or Make a project using "Something NEW in your stash". (Stamps, ribbon, pretty paper...anything!)
3. Or "Mash it Up" and create a project "using the Sketch & something NEW in your stash".

I chose to use something new – that being the paper I chose – I’ve been eyeing it up in my “special” stack.  You can’t really see it but the icing on the cupcake is all shimmery with glitter!

Supplies:

Designer Paper – Creative Imaginations by Barb Tourtiollote (cupcake paper) 

Designer Paper – Victoria Paper: Walker by 7gypsies

Designer Paper – Wassail spruce

Random ribbon from thrift store.

Adhesive Gem from Studio 112

I wrote the sentiment with a gellyroller

Isn’t it funny how sometimes simple and fast is best? 

Mojo 225 and… uh, MORE photos (the sun came out yesterday morning!)

 

Just a simple post today, my take on this week’s card challenge and more photos.  I’m so waayyyy behind in the challenges – hoping this weekend will afford me time to do most of them in one fell swoop.  Sounds like everyone is busy!

Mojo Monday 225

 

Forgive the quality of the following photo, my lighting setup was bad!

SUPPLIES:

cardstock – Recollections

designer paper – Creative Imaginations, Samantha Walker

cut – bib, Silhouette America Store

cut – duck, Silhouette America Store

 

This card was simple to assemble.  I’d been asked to create a few baby cards and so I made this one and another adorable card with a baby’s “onesie” with a teensy tiny pick up truck on it but the photo was AWFUL and I won’t post it. 

I’ll post a few photos here I took this week.  Things change with the conditions day to day – it never looks the same.  I am constantly surprised and amazed by this and it makes me think of the following scripture about how the Lord’s mercies are new each day for us too:

Lamentations 3:22-23

Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,
   for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
   great is your faithfulness.

 

I went for an EARLY morning walk with friends this past Monday morning and of course I don’t go anywhere without my camera… this is a light fixture and it’s reflection on the snow. 

Goose tracks looking like “stitches” joining the ice to the shore

This is the same spot where I took the crystal clear ice photos last week.

 

Ice encased reed

Another reed in ice

And another…

More in the coming days!

Stamping Sisters in Christ Challenge 123, a FREE cutting file and more ice photos!

 

I’ve taken part in the Stamping Sisters in Christ Challenge # 123 – Proverbs 3:3

I especially enjoy the thoughtfulness that goes into each challenge, if you have not had an opportunity yet – grab a coffee or tea and soak in the wise words of Kris this week!  She sure made me pause and think by what she shared. 

On to our card for this week:

"Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart."

Proverbs 3:3

challenge:

Make a {HEART} stand out in your card/project.

Here is my odd and fun take on things – inspired by my husband, he likes quirky.  I actually made two color versions of this card so I’ll post both. 

Supplies:

designer paper: Addison Swirl Collage by K and Co, Love Letters by Little Yellow Bicycle and some Recollections Cardstock

The glasses graphic and the frame around the wording I downloaded and altered from Graphics Fairy. 

The gems for the irises are dollar store.

The tags and hearts are my own design, cut on my Silhouette SD.

I’m leaving the tag cuts here for you and will also tuck a copy under the PAGES tab up top so you never have to fear if you lose or misplace your originals!

download

 

The time of frost is the time for me!

When the gay blood spins through the heart with glee

When the voice leaps out with chiming sound,

And the footstep rings on the musical ground;

When earth is white, and air is bright,

And every breath a new delight!

 

And morning! – each pane a garden of frost,

Of delicate flowering, as quickly lost;

For the stalks are fed by the moon’s cold beams,

And the leaves are woven like woof of dreams

By night’s keen breath, and a glance of the sun

Like dreams will scatter them every one.

 

~ William Allingham~

 

And if you’re not actually tired of my ice photos by now, here are the last six in this series:

Ice builds up at the base of each reed

So pretty when there is a whole forest of them

and the sun hits the crystal clear ice.

Like something you would expect to see under a microscope.

Almost a “paisley” shape

Pretty columns tangled into the tiny roots under the ice

A fuzzy caterpillar looking frost formation

Breathtaking!

I’m 100 Followers! So a pretty card, FREE elements and files and more intriguing ice photography

 

Thank you for helping me get to 100 followers, tis wonderful and exciting to me.  I had not planned to post again here so fast but I think it’s appropriate and timely. 

I will share a random card I made – I was grazing the internet and came across a very simple and attractive card by Therese Calvird over on the Lost in Paper site and I just had to cook up my own version on this.  Therese’s card used butterfly cut-outs and she attractively used both the positive and negative shapes.  you may want to stop by her site to see what I’m talking about.

At any rate, here is my version of this pattern:

Once again I tried two different color schemes.  I refrained from putting an actual Valentine’s sentiment on these because if they are not used specifically for Valentines day then I can use them for all other “love” occasions. 

supplies:  Various designer paper – I suspect most are Recollections, I was using up all those scraps I’ve accumulated.  Stamps – Kimberly Polson  Embossing Folder – CuttleBug

These whipped up very quickly!  I've put together the .studio cut files and also the PNG’s so you can make your own if you like.  This is a standard 4.25 x 5.5 inch card. I included the basic heart shape, the bumpy heart shape and then a hollow bumpy heart as well as the face with the three bumpy hearts cut for you. 

 

DOWNLOAD

And without further delay I’m going to post five more amazing ice pictures.

Like furry little ice feet polishing the surface!

Until next time!

My very first Silhouette Sketch Pen design (FREE for you!) and the pretty cards I made with it and more fantastical ice photos

 

We are expecting 10-20 more cm of snow today – woo ha!  This means I won’t feel even one bit guilty staying indoors and playing with my Silhouette Sketch Pens. 

I was browsing about in the Silhouette Plus forums the other day and saw a thread by Amy Chomas ( you will love her blog ) and Amy was experimenting with the adjustable holder that holds and sized gel pen, long or short to draw with that she and her husband design and market. 

Now I admit I bought a set of the Silhouette metallic pens loooooong ago and played with them when I first got my Silhouette SD but I found they seemed to skip and then you know, if its not instant gratification for this girl sometimes I just stash the goods until a rainy day when I’m so uninspired I’ll try ANYTHING… haha! 

Soooo, when I saw Amy was being the big brave artiste I decided I’d try my hand too.  I now own another set of pens – (virtually) tossed them in the cart when I placed an order over the holidays when the big fat sale was on at Sihouette. 

And, SQUEEEEE!!!  I created a very pretty and fun flower sketch file – a take off on Amy’s freehand one.  Here are some of the cards that I made using the file – I decided to do a “run” of them, 7 in all. 

It’s amazing how using different designer paper with slightly varied coloring on some of the illustrations can bring an entire new look to each card. 

This is a tiny hand-sewn element I experimented with on one card.

Now that I’ve had a success with the Silhouette Sketch Pens I’m very excited to try more, design more. 

A note on my method for the coloring etc.   I used plain old pencil crayons to color the flowers in.  I shaded using slightly darker colors. I used a Versamarker pen to apply embossing powder the the stems – clear.  I used Crackle Accents by Inkssentials on the blossoms.  I then added various gems – mostly dollar store Forever in Time ones as I saw fit. 

And because I am sooo happy about this, and because I’m soooo close to hitting 100 in my “followers” list for my blog and I KNOW I’ll forget and miss that celebration (and perhaps one of YOU who are reading might help me make that goal, hehe) I am giving this design for you! 

I have included this file in every which way you can possibly imagine, meaning this:

• flower trio as one single (so you can print like I did in one color)
• stems as single (so you can print the stems in green if you like)
• blossoms as single
• Single all together flower, blossom and stem
• whole flower outline – so you could actually ask your Silhouette SD to draw the blossom first and then you could apply the cut and cut it right out – then you could do two layered to stand out. 

I would LOVE your feedback on this file!  Feedback = more FREE files in the future. 

I will also place a copy of this FREE file in the Silhouette PAGES tab – top of the blog – you can access them anytime if you lose them.  Do NOT share my files out directly – have your friends come get them themselves to increase the traffic to my blog.  It’s the only payment I ask for!

 

click on graphic to download zipped file

And continuing on in my magical world of ice photography – captured this past Monday when the conditions were just perfect here in my little corner of the world:

Nor for one single day

Can I discern my way,

But this I surely know -

WHO gives the day

Will show the way,

So I securely go.

~ John Oxenham

An interesting composition of smoothness and shards

Fingers with furry boots!

Cold, Refreshing beauty

Each tiny reed encased

Like a luminous glowing heart of ice…

More to come in the following days!