The Roaring Twenties

It's time for a Tag Tuesday tag! This week we're celebrating the roaring twenties. It was a time to show off wealth and the fashion industry went all out! Flapper dresses were detailed with intricate lace and fringe, and there were hats for every occasion.

The label is from a set I bought from ETSY and the hat came from a sticker set. It was red, so I colored it magenta using a Copic marker. I added glitter around the edge of the label to give it some bling and found the vintage lace in my stash.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

Cissy

An Altered Paintbrush

I've been swapping all sorts of unique altered arts with An Altered Place for quite sometime now, but altering a paintbrush was a first! I went to Pinterest to get some ideas, but my motivation turned out to be some awesome multi-colored trim I found at Hancock Fabrics. Once I figured out where (and how) I wanted to use it for the brush, it was nothing but fun!

I painted the handle purple, then colored some small white ric-rac with Copic markers to match the trim and ran it across the sides of the brush (hard to see). I think my favorite part was coloring the bristles. Copics will color almost anything! I just separated the brush in sections and colored to match the trim. I cut "TEE" out using Schoolbook font with Make The Cut and my Cricut. I used Paper Glaze on the "charms" to give them better stability.

 I added circles to the top of each letter to form a charm, then ran the letters through very thin white ribbon. "Tee", you ask? Well, she was my swap partner and I really wanted to personalize it just for her! Liquid pearls gave a polka-dot effect to the handle and the butterfly and lavender roses added just the right touch of "girly" to my brush.

Supplies Used:

Wal-Mart: 3" brush with white bristles, white ribbon, white ric-rac, purple paint

Micheal's: Lavender roses, white cardstock, lavender glitter (on butterfly), Liquid Pearls, Paper Glaze

Hancock Fabrics: Multi-colored trim

Joy Crafts: Butterfly Die Cut

Copic Markers

Tee's festive brush is entered in the following challenges:

The Crazy Challenge: CCH#148 - Anything But a Card

 Southern Girls Challenge: "Give it an Upper Cut and Punch it out (butterfly die cut)

Everybody Art Challenge #242 - "Butterfly"

Heck of a Challenge: "Bingo" (Flowers, Die-Cut, Pearls)

Pause Dream Enjoy Challenge #13 - Anything Goes

Cupcake Inspirations Challenge #216 - Lavender, Turquoise, and Pink

Tag Tuesday: The Letter "Y"

"Y" is for yellow - warm and sunny! This week's tag makes me think of the warmth of the sun and beautiful flowers growing wild in a field.

I found the sun stencil on the web and the daisies are from an old card. I used Garton font for the "Y", cut in the same color yellow as the sun and the background of the tag. Adding a little yellow stickles really makes my sun sparkle. The ribbon has "sunshine" typed on it! Perfect!

I'm having so much fun making tags for Tag Tuesday! Next week it's "Z" and I already have so many ideas!

Shabby Chic Altered Soup Can

You know how I just love swaps and we recently swapped altered cans at An Altered Place. I made this one for my sweet friend, Angi who lives in Hawaii and loves all things shabby chic. This is the first can I've altered, but definitely will not be my last!

Supplies used:
 Cardstock and cut out flowers: K&Co. Specialty Paper - Susan Winget
 Roses: I Am Roses.com
 Stick Pins: handmade by me (most of the elements were purchased from Michael's)
 Michael's: burlap, twine, and raffia
 Round of inside jewels were from stash.
I covered the can in a matching green cardstock, then cut the outer piece and distressed the edges with Colorbox brown pigment ink. Next, I attached the cut out flowers and used Scor-Tape to adhere the burlap. I tied a raffia and twine bow around the can and used hot glue to attach the roses. The inside is lined with pink matching cardstock and the top is edged with wired pink glass rounds.

I'm entering this altered art in the following challenges:
Papercraft Star Challenge #150 (shabby chic pic)
Let's Craft and Create Challenge # 72 "Shape"
Paper Playtime Challenge #12 Anything Goes
One Stop Craft Challenge #231 "For A Friend"
The Shabby Tea Room Week #171 "Ruffles and Ribbons"
Divas by Design "Distressing"

Tag Tuesday: The Letter X

This is my first week at Tag Tuesday and I'm so excited! It took me a while to figure out that I was all set up to post, so I just posted my "X" tag. It was somewhat of a challenge to come up with something unique using the letter X, but I quickly searched the good ole' dictionary and found something most interesting.....XYLOGRAPHY.

Xylography is an ancient Chinese relief printing method. The image is carved into a block of wood and used repeatedly for printing. Did you know that Vincent Van Gogh used this art form? I'm thinking this is how rubber stamps came to be.
I used one of  Bird's Tag's and typed the word "xylography" to create the background. Momento Tuxedo Black stamp pad was used to edge the tag and I cut a shadow tag in white. The letter X is Parchment font, one of my favs.
Now that I know I'm good to go, I need to get started on next week's tag, the letter Y. Yippe! (I don't know that I will actually use that for my theme!).
Hope you are all having a wonderful Sunday!

The Mad Hatter hats

 What a fun swap this was! Although, I must say, all the swaps at An Altered Place are fun!
 We made hats in the shape of the Mad Hatter hat from Alice in Wonderland.
 Here's the link to the hat template. http://lifeartcollide.blogspot.com/

They turned out so well. It's almost addicting! Most of the card stock is from stash I had. The stick pins I made using floral pins from Michael's and adding beads with super glue. The pins are white pearl, but are easily colored with any alcohol markers. I used Copics.  I did give each of them a few coats of glossy sealer before decorating. It will help keep the bottom curve and give you a stronger hat.

Altered Spool Swap

We recently had an altered spool swap at An Altered Place. Here are the two spools I made for one of my swap buddies.

I found this sweet little bird at Michael's and just knew he would be perfect nesting on top of the spool.

I didn't paint it because I liked that the color of the wood matched the tan in the bird.

I painted the second spool with acrylic paint then added a lattice ribbon. Liquid pearls adds dimension and beauty to everything and really made the lattice pop. The top is covered with a round of small pink flowers and topped with a silver glittered crown. I made the two hat pins to just add a bit more to the spool. This was so much fun!

This month we have so many fun swaps going on! You absolutely must check out (and sign up for) altered mousetraps! This is such a great way to decorate mouse traps to use for refrigerator magnets. There's also an Alice in Wonderland Envelope swap. I found so many adorable things all about Alice to put in my envelope and can't wait to get my partner assignment!

Go to the link above to find the best swaps (and challenges!!!!) ever!

Happy Birthday Anne!

Anne, one of my sisters-in-law will be having a birthday very soon! She and one of my brothers live in Indiana and we will be meeting in Nashville to celebrate her birthday next week-end. I decided to make her a set of handmade soaps (should have taken a pic of them!) and a handmade card. She, like me, loves hats and all things vintage. And, of course, I HAD to make a matching box and bag!  I just might have to make some more of these. So gorgeous!

Easter's almost here!

I made this card for my MIL. She loves receiving cards and knows that all of the ones I send are handmade.
This one was so much fun. Trying to get the alignment right for both sides was quite an experience, but I did it!

Supplies used:
Michael's: ribbon, fuzzy chick stickers, green flowers, Liquid Pearls, card stock
Martha Stewart: green glitter
Frame: www.4shared.com
I printed the frame then cut the center out using MTC. Then, I had to make sure the "Happy Easter" would fit in the window and be in the right spot. It took a couple of times to get it perfect, but  my MIL is pretty special and well worth the time and effort.

Marie Antoinette Matchbox and ATC Swap

Recently I entered one of the best swaps I've ever done! Altered Paper Swaps keeps me really busy because I want to join in on all the fun swaps they have. You've got to check them out! Such talent and oodles of fun. The best part about this swap site is the group. They're the greatest bunch of ladies I know.
My swap partner for this swap was Angi. She's from Hawaii and is so creative!
Here's the matchbox and ATC I made for her.

If you enjoy swaps, you've got to check out this site!

I will be entering my matchbox in the following challenges:

OLLCB Challenge 124 - Sparkle and Shine

Lessology Challenge 22 - How Charming (recycled matchbox, charm on drawer and shoe)

Unique Crafters Challenge 12 Lace and Fabric

This month at Unique Crafters our challenge is to use fabric and lace. Since Valentine;s Day is right around the corner, this is the perfect occasion to bring out all the frill!

The winner will receive a prize package from Scrapbook Unique!
I chose this great new adhesive fabric cardstock by DCWV that I purchased from JoAnn's. The ribbon, lace and key came from Michael's and the rose from Wild Orchid. I used a scalloped heart punch from Fiskars and cut the pink background with Spellbinders Label 17. Liquid Pearls edged the heart and accented the background.
You have until the end of the month to submit up to 3 projects for our challenge. It can be a card, layout, altered art, anything that is uniquely you!

A Labor of Love

This is the first video I've ever done. I'm not very "tech savvy", but with the help of my awesome geeky brother, Rick, I did it! This is dedicated to all the abused, neglected, and forgotten animals that need us now. We need them, too. Please share, adopt, and donate to rescues so they can continue to help these precious animals that deserve a wonderful life, a warm home, and love. Help spread the word and let's educate everyone on the perils of puppy mills, backyard breeders, Breed Specific Legislation (BSL), and dog-fighting rings. Do it for them - it will make your life worthwhile.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6y5YqcaL7E

This is Timmy, who we adopted and named Buddy. He's not been given a second chance, but a first.

He's only a little more than a year old and spent his young life in a small crate 24/7. He was allowed out only to stud and be used as bait for dog-fighting. This was not the life he chose, but that of heartless, uncaring, uneducated individuals who used him and others for their monetary gain. Well, Buddy said, "Get a job, loser! I don't want to fight." If you turn your back on him, you're turning away an opportunity to better your life and his. Let's stop this now!

MTC Layering Tutorial

If you use a cutting system connected to your computer you know how much fun it is to cut any image you desire in any size you need. But, did you know that some programs will also print?
Several years ago I purchased and downloaded Make The Cut. I connected a USB cable from my Cricut Expression to my computer and I was cuttin'!
Little did I know that soon after that Provo Craft initiated a huge lawsuit against MTC, so now Cricut machines aren't compatible with the current version of MTC. There was an agreement made, however, to allow current subscribers to continue to use the program they purchased. YAY! The only catch, you cannot upgrade your MTC version OR Cricut version. Okay, I can live with that.
While playing around with all the awesome functions (shadow, boolean, weld, join, etc.) I noticed "File" in the upper left hand corner. When I clicked on it I found a whole new aspect of MTC. I can print? Oh yeah, baby!
Not only can you print a basic shape (and then cut the same shape if you desire), you can layer different colors. I love the ability to print white letters on a different color background. It's so much fun and so easy. Here we go!

Select what image you want to layer and print. I'm making a Valentine ATC .

I chose Poor Richard font for the L,V, and E, then grabbed a heart from Basic Shapes (MISC Section).

To make the heart hollow, click the shadow button (I used mitered option so the bottom of the heart wouldn't be rounded) and made it as close I could to be about the same width as the letters.

Next, click on the Boolean function and choose the 2nd option, B to A.

Place your heart and letters how ever you like. Then weld.

Okay, your "love" part is done, let's add a sentiment to go inside.

I changed the font to "Casua", but any are fine. Script fonts look really nice, too.

I used the "TT" function to type "All you" (enter), then "need", (enter), then "is" and enter. This way I can manipulate the words in a way to easily fit in the heart. Re-size pushing in the corner arrows until you get the perfect fit.

Next, highlight the sentiment and click the :new layer" button (R) hand corner. This will separate LOVE from the sentiment. Now, choose a color you would like for your sentiment. I choose dark yellow (actually looks like a dark celery).

Now we're ready for a background color. I could color the LOVE and leave the background white, but why not mix it up a bit? I went back to Basic Shapes and chose a rectangle from "polygons". I enlarged it to exactly 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" (ATC size). Now,  create a new layer for our rectangle.

Click on "LOVE" again, make a new layer (every time you change or add something, you need to re-make a new layer). So, even if you've think you've already made a "New Layer" for an image, it (the layer) will change when you add a new image to your mat.

Using the color palate, choose white, Your image will be outlined in red (won't print red) so you can see where it is.

Now, highlight LOVE and drag over your background. If you can't see it, just click "New Layer" again and it will show up over your background. ***You cannot weld because you have 2 different colors***

Next, hit New Layer again (yeah, you'll get used to doing this a lot!) and add your sentiment inside the heart. If it's too big, just click on it and push in the arrows to shrink it.

You're ready to print your 3 color image! Go to "File", click on the "Print Preview" (to make sure you're inside the margins), then PRINT!

Just get in there and start playing with different options. Trial and error have been my best teachers.

There are also forums and workshops for most of the cutting programs.

Good luck!

Here's my finished ATC

I added Liquid Pearls and punched some little hearts for embellishing.

I hope you've had as fun learning about new functions as I've had showing you! Have a fun crafty day!

Altered Paper Swaps

We have a new address at the Altered Paper Swaps . It's so easy to sign up for awesome swaps and view what we're doing. Here's a few pics of recent swaps.

Twas the Night Before Christmas ATC  for Donna

 January 2013 Tag a Month for Fran

 Tag for Tee (front)*

 Tag for Tee (back)

* because she is so special!

 December 2012 Tag a Month for Oliva

 November 2012 Tag a Month for Amy Jo

Father Christmas Tag for Valery Anne

This month we have several really fun swaps going on. A #8 "All You Need is Love" Valentine tag Swap, a Marie Antoinette ATC and matchbox swap, as well as the regular monthly tag and ATC swaps. We'll be doing an altered teacup swap and a button swap! If you're looking fun and would like to share your art,  stop by and check it out! You may wish to join in on the fun! We'd love to have you!