FortyOne-A Variation on a Theme

Forty-You Belong Among the Wildflowers

Seriously I swear I own a ruler! I will make use of it before these hundred days are over.

ThirtyNine-My First Assignment (Part Two)

ThirtyEight-My First Assignment (Part One)

My mom asked me to make her a thank you card to give to a friend of hers and she wanted a turtle and butterflies on it. Stay tuned to part two to see the butterflies. Finding a turtle stamp was much more challenging than I thought it would be, two craft stores and (way) too much money later, this one was the vest I could find. Anyway, in an effort to feel a sense of accomplishment I am saving the envelope for part two and another day down...

ThirtySeven-Imitation is the Sincerest Form

Last night I decided to roam around the interweb to see if I could find some stuff that other people were making and see if I, too, could make the same or similar thing. Luckily in the rubber stamping world, I am finding out, vendor websites are chock full of ideas, videos, and step by step guides. I found one that looked simple enough and attempted to recreate a version of it. Here is the original from a local Connecticut vendor's website. And here is my, less than flattering, recreation:

I do own a ruler, I'm just not sure why I'm so averse to using it.

ThirtySix-Robot Love

 

Inspired by Marcus Speh's "Robot Love" and New York state's wonderful bit of legislative news. The red door on the chapel is a tribute to my mom's Episcopal church of which is one of the major religions that (mostly) supports same sex marriage.  The shrinkable plastic part was inspired by the binary gravestone in the lower left of the drawing as Kendra Bartell's last piece from 100 Days 2010. Thank the universe for the interweb and binary to text and vice versa translators! It means, of course, robot love. I didn't intend to use shrinkable plastic, my intention was to stamp it but it was too long to fit how I wanted it to look so the plastic served a practical as well as artistic purpose.

ThirtyFive-Lost

 

Currently feeling as muddy, blah, and lost as this image. That is all.

ThirtyFour-Fourth Generation

If you think this one is bad, you should have seen the first version-yikes! This was very loosely inspired by an event I attended hosted by new employers which celebrated the completion of a major phase of development by the third generation that would set the stage for the fourth generation. Four generations ago my family came off a boat from the old world into the new. As per usual another project with potential to be better next time. Solvent ink and pigment ink markers on shrinkable plastic.

ThirtyThree-And Then There Was You

Random smudges do not show up on the actual card. Apparently my scanner picks up items from other dimensions. Maybe from this "multiverse" Sue talks about sometimes.

This card goes out to a very special couple who probably think I forgot about them because I have given up Facebook almost cold turkey in the past week or so. They are a beautiful couple who had a beautiful wedding one year ago this June. I miss you guys and I hope this year has been everything you hoped for and more. (Also, I'm coming for your dog!)

ThirtyTwo-Science Fiction, Double Feature

 

More playing around for the sake of playing around without a particular person or purpose in mind. These are some of the most fun stamps I got at the stamp extravaganza. I could probably make cool kids birthday cards/invitations or something with these. Well, probably not the ray gun...

ThirtyOne-Success(ish) The Sequel

Like John Malkovich near the end of Dangerous Liaisons I am ready to collect my prize of one night only with Glenn Close. Okay, not quite but I am definitely getting closer to getting this technique down. I couldn't get this one to photograph as well but here it is on me. Actually, this was a throw away piece of plastic (I messed up the actual stamping so it was basically unusable) but it just happened to be the right length to make a ring for me so I decided to try it and sure enough after rounding the corners, measuring almost everything small and rounded in my kitchen and heating, shaping, then reheating and shaping about six times, I got this into a wearable ring shape. If I had a grand 17th century French estate I would be running around it shouting "Success! Suuucccccesss!"

Thirty-Success!(ish)

This project causes me such neuroses that I actually spend part of my therapy checking in with my therapist about it. She actually follows along with the project to see how I'm doing. Today she suggested (since I was feeling stuck and uninspired) that I go back and retry some of the things I've mentioned that I had some success at to see if I just concentrate on improving one thing how it will go. So I decided to try again to make a ring for my niece and it actually (except for the ends which I didn't put a photo of) came out okay, pretty rounded and even considering I only measured the total length and didn't straighten out the sides except by eye. Two things that I have learned to bring into my next attempt are: The edges need to be rounded off, which I think the project I saw online suggested but I forgot until just now and it is very important to have the correct size object to form the ring around.

TwentyNine-The Girl Who Tried To Run Between the Raindrops

What is there to say? I need a break from card-making and plastic-shrinking.

TwentyEight-Trying and Failing (But It's Okay)

With my brave and trusty assistant by my side Friday night I attempted the infamous shrinkable plastic ring project. It didn't quite work out, but then again I wasn't really expecting it to. I did get some good practice in so when I steel my nerves to try it again I will be better prepared. Here are two attempts plus a random piece that was intended for a card embellishment but didn't quite work out either. The clear ring was stamped and colored by my fearless assistant, the pinkish purplish one was stamped and colored by me.

TwentySeven-Bloomsday

 

Yes, I know "Bloomsday" has nothing to do with flowers whether they are in bloom or not but I am running out of clever titles and this just felt right. I think if I had spent a little more time on this it could have been really something. Honestly, I am doing this to have fun but I do want to try to keep up and not do almost 40 pieces in one Diet Pepsi, Vicodin, and Parliament 100's filled weekend like last year. I am trying to find the balance between enjoyment and discipline and like I alluded to in my previous piece, I will keep going until it is "just right."

TwentySix-Wait, Wasn't I Supposed to Be Making Cards?

 

Oh boy, so I actually made a different pair at first but I bought the wrong size jump rings and then when I bought what I thought were the right size jump rings, I lost one. So then I made these and it turns out these are still the wrong size jump rings, the first ones were too small and these ones are too big. Even if they were the right size, I don't know how to make them sit straight when you put them on, so still some experimenting to be done here. A jewelry designer I am not. But I think this will be a fun project to do with my five year old niece when we have sleepovers. I bought some inexpensive leather cording and I figure we could make some of these and maybe even link them together somehow to make a chain. About the materials: solvent based ink and watercolor pencil on shrinkable plastic with sterling silver French wires and large silver-plated jump rings.

P.S. I'm trying to work up the courage to attempt a cool shrinkable plastic project I saw online when searching for advice on what materials to use on the plastic: shrinkable plastic rings!!!!!

TwentyFive-Linear

What more can I say that I didn't say yesterday? I've been missing my friend since the beginning of the new year and I'll be missing her more without her poetry. And to think a year ago she was just the micro poet who seemed to travel to cool places a lot. This "little" project has meant so much more to me than just a creative outlet. And also to think, twenty five days in and I haven't even been to the loony bin yet! Okay, well hopefully haven't even been" not "yet". :)This isn't "unsound mind and body" for nothing. About the card: watercolor pencil and glaze pen on vellum, on paper, on card stock with paper, marker, and glitter glue accents. Also, the title is kind of a joke that I wonder if anyone will get... The gauntlet is thrown! (I'll give you a hint, it might not be pronounced how you think it is.)

TwentyFour-Part Deux, Torch

Torch

Connecticut connections cut off

alone in the Lone Star state

But the miles melt in milliseconds

when your words

fly through wires

TwentyFour-Paris, Je T'Aime

 

I am an unabashed Francophile, no Freedom Fries for me please. After spending so much time looking at all the amazing work of the capital A Artists participating this year I really wanted to do something a little more artsy and a little less crafty. So here is my tribute to Paris collage that I could totally use to make a card with either as a background paper or the card it's self. It's on 6x12 paper so folding it in half would make the perfect note card and the other side, which would be the inside is blank, so there you go. 

TwentyThree-Now That's a Card

 

Well, I may actually be somewhat happy with one of these. I spent probably the most time on this one and it's so darn cute that there is really only one recipient in the world worthy of it: Babcie. (That would be my grandmother.) I wonder if all that shrinkable plastic will require extra postage?

TwentyTwo-A Little Literal or Pop Up Tape Covers a Multitude of Sins

 

Ugh, off white paper washes everything out on my scanner but my brand new camera isn't working so here is today's (yesterday's) submission. Per usual, this was much cuter in my head but one of these days the expectation and the result will align a little more closely. The pop up piece in the top left is covering up two different areas of misalignment with the border punch but actually it's kind of a happy accident as the top definitely needed a little more blue and green to balance it out.

TwentyOne-(100) Days of Summer

For some reason this $1.00 find rubber stamp reminds me of the hilariously cheesy card Joseph Gordon-Levitt comes up with for his friend in (500) Days of Summer: "Every day I'm proud of you, but today you get a card." Or something like that. Anyway, I really wanted to do a vase with flowers in shrinkable plastic but, big surprise, it didn't quite come out how I was hoping it would so I kind of slapped it together with this stamp and here it is. I am definitely going to try it again as I get better though because I think there is real potential in making it look really good.

Twenty-Elaine

 

So this one would be really great except it is a prime example of my inability to know when to say when. This card was cool in black and white until I went and slopped on the glue and glitter. My intentions were good but I didn't realize how thick and matte the glue was and how super fine and delicate the glitter was- a very bad combination. On a side note, when I asked Elaine what her favorite colors were so I could incorporate them into her card she, having a black sense of humor, said "black." So here it is, a black and white birthday card. I may have to experiment with this a little more. It could probably be pretty sophisticated if I tried.

Nineteen-Julie

 

Birthday card two of three for my new co-workers. Cool green pearlescent paper that I also picked up at the extravaganza with a simple yet cute cupcake design. Also notice the large cupcake versa marked on the envelope was the same one I did in shrinkable plastic on the previous card. Yet another goodie from last weekend.

Eighteen-Beth

 

Necessity is not only the mother of invention, it is the drill sergeant of productivity. Just as my will/inspiration was flagging, three people at work had birthdays within six days of each other, one yesterday, one tomorrow, and one a couple of days ago. So every one's card will be belated but they won't be from Hallmark. One brief note about technique: I love the designs on the envelope, it's from a product called Versa Mark which is a watermarking pad. It hasn't been working on any of the card stock I bought, I think because of the coating  but it works great on these recycled brown paper grocery bag envelopes I picked up at the stamp extravaganza last week.

Seventeen-Blanched Harlequino

Inspiration Pieces and Original Size Interpretation

Photographed Interpretation

Shrunken Interpretation with Inspiration Pieces

Scanned Interpretation

Here we have me attempting to mix a couple of pieces and add my own spin. I took Fred Chuang's Harlequino, traced the outlines, filled it in with muted, washed out colors (ink and watercolor pencil), and layered Neha Bawa's Blanched on top. In effect, I was trying to take Fred's "rainbow" and "blanch" it to emphasize Neha's "world of black and white". Oh, and I did it on shrinkable plastic because 1. It's fun and 2. To pay homage to Neha's micro poetry. So I used a cheap version of the shrinkable plastic which resulted in the warping and distortion of the rectangle but overall I now know this could definitely be a cool technique to use in the future. I hope Fred and Neha don't mind! :)

Sixteen-Sweet

Shrinkable plastic, watercolor pencils, embossing markers, border punching, and bears, oh my! OK, maybe not that last one. I am like a thirsty man at a bottled water taste test with all my new ideas and products. I want all of them at once and as much as I can get my hands on! Hopefully as I continue to play around I will figure out how to take one element and make it really good and highlight that element. For now, I still have a lot of testing to do! Also, this card was not made for anyone, just made because it was getting late and I knew I had to stop playing and complete a card to put up. I may be able to make some more with some of the other things I've been working on today-lots of shrunken plastic including one completely original abstract drawing done with watercolor pencils.

Fifteen-Shrinkydinks-No, Really

So I have a lot I need to say about today and the stamp convention, festival, whatever it was that I went to today but it will have to wait for another post because it is almost one in the morning and I am exhausted. Here is the first thing I saw when I walked in the door being demonstrated and I ABSOLUTELY had to get the stuff to do it. I should have paid a little more attention to the demo because I think I forgot a few important parts to make it look better but anyway for better or for worse here is the first new thing I am playing with that I got today. Remember shrinkydinks? That is basically what this is. The first picture is the shrinkable plastic that I stamped on and colored in with marker and it measured about two inches by four inches. Three minutes later out of the toaster oven it is shrunk down to about one inch by two inches and the colors are intensified. It is hardened and can be made into jewelry and other adornments.

Fourteen-Markers vs. Inkpads-The Battle Begins

Why didn't I think of this sooner? Bookmarks are so much smaller than cards! Just kidding, once again I didn't want to waste a perfectly good piece of card stock and I thought, wow, this is just about the perfect size to be a bookmark. But of course simply making a bookmark would be a little too easy so I decided to start the first round of coloring on the stamps with markers versus pressing them into the ink pad. I like different things about both. the crispness of the images done with the ink pads is amazing but I honestly, I wish I could get a job that involved coloring on stamps with markers all day because there is no topping the fun of that.PS the formatting of this post is making me crazy so please pardon the appearance. My computer has become a confuser!

Markers

Ink pad

Who is the winner? You decide! Vote in the comments please! Any and all feedback is VERY MUCH APPRECIATED!

Thirteen-Hip to Be Square

Scanned

Photographed

 

 

Yikes! Somebody put one of those electronic ankle bracelets on me and monitor my craft store visits! I "stopped in" under the guise of getting an orange stamp marker because I don't have one. Do you see any orange in this card? No, you don't, or if you do, seek medical attention immediately. I did buy an orange marker however I also bought some watercolor markers, new stamps, and a bunch of other stuff not seen in this picture. I am medium happy with how this turned out. I actually planned out and measured where I wanted everything to go so it would be lined up nicely and that didn't quite happen but I like the colors and layout overall. Also, I think I spelled Jeannie's name right so yay for that!

Twelve-No Flower Left Uncolored

I didn't exactly make a card today because I wanted to get some new stamps to get some inspiration because I was feeling stuck. Instead of being inspired to make a card I was inspired to play with my inspiration. I had a good time playing with different stamping and coloring techniques. Now I have some choices/ideas for future projects.

Eleven-Paisley Power

 

FYI, I have no clue what that weird smudge-like thing is in the bottom right hand corner, there is nothing on the card itself and nothing on my scanner so just pretend it's not there, okay? :) So, I actually kind of like the idea of this except for the obvious alignment issues. I will definitely try something similar to this when I have more of a mind to concentrate and really make it nice. This card does not have a specific recipient in mind, well, not true, it does but I am too scared to give it to the person I had in mind when I made it so we will see where it ends up, if anywhere.