Friendship or Chocolate? Yes please.....

"There is nothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate."

-Charles Dickens

Well, today I have recycled/upcycled project to share that sports a quote from Charles Dickens. I rather like the prior that mentions chocolate, but unfortunately the chocolate didn't make it long enough to be photographed. So, here is what I have to share today for a few mixed media challenges.

Found this at a thrift store for a couple pennies and wondered if it wouldn't make a cute water pitcher. I actually wondered that months ago as it collected dust in a cabinet.  As fate would have it, an April rolled around and a flourish of perfect challenges presented themselves and I thought this little 'oil' dispenser could use a new life.

Gathering the traditional mixed media products I began disguising and reinventing...

Wait! What's that? 

Well, it's an experiment. You be the judge if you like my watering pitcher actually pouring water (of sorts) along with its flora.

Above you can see the finalized stream of 'water' and later you see that the water has produced the foundation for these handmade flowers.

Another mixed media technique is stenciling and also a requirement for several challenges, so this Gothic stencil with modeling paste was applied to the front of the pitcher.

Another criteria for one of the challenges was to only use (1) stencil, (1) stamp, and (1) color...I chose to do an ombre of pinks. 

I used a stamp from Stampin' Up that has this Charles Dickens quote.

And here is is again showing that the liquid (hot glue) stream can be removed if desired.

Thank you so much for your visit and I hope you found some inspiration in this project.

Hugs and happy creating, 

Lisa x

I'm off to go rummage up some more chocolate!

Challenges I would love to enter:

Mixed Media Mojo - Recycle/Upcycle: Twist: Flowers

Mixed Media Place - The Power of One (stencil, stamp and color)

The Artistic Stamper - Flora and Fauna

Stamps and Stencils - Anything Goes

A Pink Paradise of Flowery Love Sketch....

Oh my goodness, that's a title and a half, but it sums up my day making this card to meet 5 challenges.  I hope you like it.  It's sort of different for me...

                                                                                                                         

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge is all about A Piece of Paradise and creating a project that depicts where you find your bliss.  *WARNING - I'm gonna get sappy* My bliss is when I get to cuddle with my husband.  I think it stems from the fact that after years of him being deployed for long periods of time in the military, I finally get to keep him home and hold him and that makes me very happy!  So, for fun, I decided to do a play on their challenge title and make the base into puzzle pieces.

   

Creating the mixed media substrate with Distress Ink Paints, marker, texture paste and stencils, all mostly in pink because another challenge happening over at Mixed Media Monthly is all about Thinking Pink!  Each layer from the bottom to the top contains some specific elements of pink so that the theme resonates throughout.  

The next layer needed to be flowers. Not just any flowers, but handmade flowers.  This wonderful challenge is for Frilly and Funkie Challenge Blog where the theme is Winter Blooms.

Below you can see how I store my handmade flowers for such an occasion.  

Since the flowers were already waiting for me to use, I thought I'd pair them up with some fun little handmade leaves made from Washi tapes and later painted with Distress Paint.

 

Now, I really needed to pull the Piece of Paradise challenge from Simon Says together with another challenge at Mixed Media Card Challenge where the theme is Love.  So here's a fabulous mushy sentiment and a big red heart.  

 

                                                             Another close-up of the flower that has been coated in crackle glaze and the Washi taped leaves.   The placement of these items also met the criteria of another challenge at Cardabilities where they are showcasing this fabulous 117th sketch! 

And here is the final outcome....

My sappy little Pink Paradise of Flowery Love Sketched card to my hubby that says,

'You Complete Me'

Hugs and Happy Crafting to ya'll and thank you so much for your visit.

Lisa x

I May Have a Little Problem....

According to Webster's Dictionary a hobby implies "an activity done regularly in one's leisure time for pleasure."  Similarly, an addiction is referred to as "the condition of being habitual, dedicated, or devoted to a substance, thing, or activity"....

Are you seeing where I'm going with this???

It was like the time we got our dehydrator and I couldn't stop extracting the moisture from food.   Apples, bananas, grapes, pineapple, deer meat, green beans, mango, turkey, mushrooms.  Well, you get the idea.  It was so insane, the family staged an intervention and turned me on to rotisserating instead.  OMG...love that machine too!

   I really thought I had myself under control. 

 I wasn't going to fall victim again. No more weaknesses.

I'm strong, dangit.  I'm strong!!

And then there was Regina....  

She came out with these new cut files that sent my salivary glands into overload and as soon as I downloaded the files, I was a flower making fool for DAYS!!

I actually went to bed one night at 9:30 and was up at midnight because I couldn't stop thinking about the endless possibilities.  Stayed up the whole night and all the next day, cutting, crimping, distressing, folding, gluing and having a blast!

Layered Flowers and Paper Flower Set

I'm proud to say that I was able to reign in my obsessive compulsive behavior and call it quits (for now anyway) at 22 sheets of flowers.

Oh but where to keep some of these cuties??

YEAH...it's recycling and repurpose time!!

 Mod Podge did the task of disguising this Dell box with vintage sheet music and a die cut flourish I cut on the Silhouette cutter that aided in showing off this groovy glass knob I received from a blog buddy Mitra.

Next a painting of Gesso applied and then some groovy leaves from the cutting machine and a few swipes of Washi tape for decor.

I added some of the gorgeous flowers from my latest and greatest addiction, The Cutting Cafe, and then a fabulous clock piece from another very sweet blog buddy. :)

Here's a view of the backside where I cut out hinges on the Silhouette machine and then added pearls.  The original box lid covered the entire base box, but by cutting the back section off and making a few adjustments, I now have a box that opens on hinges.

Flowers up close....

                 



                    And more flowers up close!

And a side view too.

Here it is again closed and then...

Viola...jam packed with the most fun flower sets I've ever used!!!

Layered Flowers and Paper Flower Set

Okay, so maybe I have a little problem...

but I'm totally okay with it!!

Hugs to you and thank you SO SO SO much for your visit!!!

I very much enjoyed my time with you.

Happy Crafting...

Lisa xxx

  

The Cutting Cafe

Care For a Tall One??

Nope, sorry...I don't mean the frothy kind, but these absolutely adorable TALL cards that come from The Cutting Cafe!  Regina has blown my mind again with her creativity and I hope the cards speak for themselves when I say, these were a blast to make!!

The whole gang all together...

Each card comes with accessories and sentiments and even envelopes to accommodate  

The papers are from Stampin' Up! the Kewpie Dolls are from a stamp set I've had for years and the flowers were all handmade with a little baker's twine and White Opal Liquid Pearls to embellish. These sentiments are stamps from Verve Stamps.

And here are the tall envelopes I told you about...

I know you're already thinking of ways to decorate your own, so swing on by The Cutting Cafe and take a look at all the other inspiration from my teammates and here are the direct links to the cards you've seen here.

Tall Ice Cream Shaped Card - Cutting File

Tall Flowers Shaped Card Set - Templates & Cutting Files

Tall Cake Shaped Card Template - Cutting File

Tall Present Shaped Card Template - Cutting File

String & Button Envelope Template

Thank you very much for your visit and
Happy Easter!

Hugs n' Happy Cutting,

Lisa x

Friday Friendship Freebies

Happy happy Joy joy...it's FRIDAY!!!

Well, I hope you are ready for a relaxing and wonderful weekend and if you have some time in your craft room, here's a little tutorial for making some flowers using punches!

My wonderful husband just returned home from overseas last week and yesterday when I got home, there was a gorgeous bouquet of flowers on the table for me!!!  WOO HOO!!! 

Well, there's a catch..under the gorgeous flowers was a piece of paper detailing the purchase of his new car!! Bwhahahahahaha.... 

Anyway, I love the flowers and was sitting there admiring them while visiting blogs and I saw my dear blogger friend, Lisa S posted this and I was so inspired to make my own.  Since I didn't have the die cut to make those particular flowers, I decided to use what I do have and challenged myself to just use punches. So, here they are...

The first thing I decided to do was select images of flowers I really liked and tried to duplicate them.  The top picture is my inspiration photo and below that shows you the punch and cuts and final product.

Flower 1

Using Stampin' Up! Bird Builder Punch

Flower 2

Using Stampin' Up! Modern Label Punch

 Flower 3

Using Stampin' Up! Owl Builder Punch

 Flower 4

Using Stampin' Up! Heart Punch

Flower 5

I was inspired by Linda's use of TH Tattered Pinecone for making roses, so I tried that too.  Also added a few hot glue droplets for dew.

 Homemade Baby's Breath

I'm sure a lot of you probably already use your punches to make flowers so if you have some neat ideas using other punches, please leave me a comment as I'd love to learn new ideas too!

Have a great weekend everyone and happy crafting!!

Lisa xx