Not your Granny's Valentine

All the Valentines for family and friends were dropped in the mail box this morning on my way to work. The picture is of my Grandmother Mabel when she was about 4 years old, the paper is Basic Gray and what doesn't show up very well is all the sparkley glitter which is Stickles.

Happy Valentines Day

Patty

Up Helly Aa

I made this memory page for our friends George and Linda Anderson.

While the Anderson's were visiting in the fall of 2005, their very talented son Lewis, made me a drawing of the costume he was making and would be wearing , as a member of the Junior Jarls Squad, on the last Tuesday in January, for Up Helly Aa . Linda sent me the Up Helly Aa first day stamp cancellation commemorative envelope. And George took the picture of this "hearty Viking", and sent it to me in an e-mail.

I had the drawing reduced in size, added the great photo and commemorative envelope, along with Basic Gray paper and, some distressing ink, along with a few other bits and pieces. The best part about the whole project...I was able to present the memory page to George and Linda on our trip to visit them this past summer.

Some people come into our lives and quietly go, others stay for a while and leave footprints on our hearts and we are never the same. The Anderson Family have left footprints on our hearts. So Happy Up Helly Aa on Tuesday, to George, Linda, Scott, Vicky and Lewis.

Go to http://www.visitshetland.com/, and scroll to events, to find out why the town of Lerwick "goes a little mad for 24 hours" on the last Tuesday in January.

Patty

It Takes a Family

I know how much you love beads Cynthia. This is a photo of a necklace made for my mom. Her nephew gave her the opal pendant. He hangs out with the Australian opal dealers at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show. The Labradorite beads were bought there too. My niece Maggie and My sister Mary, worked together to string and weave, and add bits of blue and crystal. To create this fantastic design. Mom staged the necklace, and I took the photo. It took a family!

Patty

Lighthouse Christmas

I had a request before Christmas from my buddy Bill. He asked if I would make a lighthouse themed card for a friend of his that collects lighthouses. It was a challenge. I went through my "idea" folder, checked out the Internet, and looked in back issues of Scrapbook magazines. I could not come up with a workable idea. Finally, in the middle of the night (isn't that the time most designers get their ideas?) a plan started to form. Dave and I had gone to St. Augustine a few years back, and had visited the famous lighthouse. I went through the pictures of the trip, and found a good one of the lighthouse. In Photo shop, I changed the color photo to black and white. and printed it out on transparency paper. Bill likes red and green for the holidays. so I used traditional color patterned paper and card stock, but toned them down. The lighthouse transparency was attached with brads, and I added a pine garland rubber stamp border on the top and bottom of the card to give it more of a Christmas look. Bill was pleased with the card, and so was the recipient

Patty

More Snow Photos

I did go outside to take these pictures while we were in Flagstaff. The snow falling in my mother's garden was just too beautiful to pass up. It did give me a chance to play with the "snow" feature on my camera. A setting I don't get to use much living in a desert.

Patty

Snow Angels

This Blog has gotten off to a very slow start!

We finally got it up and semi-running in the fall. About the time work got hectic at our respective flower shops. Cynthia, I know you were very busy with your "fall" weddings. And I ended up changing shops in October. All of a sudden it is Christmas and it all gets a little nuts.

In the middle of the craziness, Dave and I made a quick trip up to Flagstaff with the grand kids. They had a wonderful time playing in the snow, The first thing they wanted to do was make Snow Angels. I took a lot of pictures. Most of them through the window or at the door. It was way to cold for Granny to go outside!

A note to Santa:

Cynthia would like a new camera in her stocking this Christmas.

Merry Christmas To All

Patty

Post Worthy

I wasn't sure this layout was "Post Worthy". I had figured out how to stitch the two scanned parts of this layout. Then call my nephew Scott (the computer genius!) to talk me through how to re-size to the Basic Gray specifications. I had second thoughts about submitting it. Cynthia, your advice was to post. And so I finally I did...

Basic Gray's opinion was, NOT POST WORTHY! I tried twice, just to make sure. Nope they didn't want it. I guess that's the good thing about having a blog...it's all post worthy!

The photograph is of my Grandmother, Mabel Tait. The text reads: Mabel was a warm, loving and accepting person. She loved children, nieces and nephews, people, camping, picnics, animals and family. She seemed to be able to cope with whatever sorrows, agonies and aggravation life threw at her. And let her children know that all's right with the world. She reminded herself, in a hundred years what difference would it make?

Patty

Bracelets, Layouts, Emails, and Other Fancy Stuff

Your bracelets are wonderful Cynthia. The photography looks like it came out of a Coldwater Creek catalog. I received an email from my sister Holly. She read our blog, and loves your bead tatting. She asked about the publications you used in your designs. Her daughter-in-law is in to beading, and Holly would like to get her one for Christmas. Or better yet, what if you made up some kits of your fabulous bracelets !

This scrapbook layout was my first ever "post" to Basic Gray. You know how wild I am about the BG line of patterned paper. Well this one is 100 percent Basic Gray "Obscure". The photo is of my Granddaughter McKinlee.

Hope you had a great Birthday!

Patty

Happy Birthday Cynthia

Thank you Patty for another beautiful hand made card. We don't really want to talk about which birthday this is. Let's just say it's the speed limit and you can guess whether that's a surface street or highway, better yet, a school zone! - Cynthia

Bracelets

Patty, you already know that I am obsessed with bracelets. Here are four I have made. The first is a pattern I found in Bead and Button magazine. I love the magnetic clasp. Its so easy to lock in place. The stitch is a variation on a daisy chain. The next is also a pattern from Bead and Button. The buttons are vintage Czech glass buttons I found at A Beaucoup Conge in Tucson combined with hemitite squares and some vintage black bicones plus other beads. Photographed nicely, don't you think? Neither pattern is difficult.

The black bracelet with the red drop beads is da da da dahhh! Beaded Needle Tatting. My sister Kathleen taught me how to do this pattern. It is a little trickier. Actually takes me longer to layout the pattern of beads and thread them on the cord than the actual tatting. I used a button closure.

Don't you love the colors in the last bracelet - periwinkle, lavender and blue with a mother of pearl button closure? The leaf fringe pattern is a bit tedious (another one I lifted off the pages of Bead and Button) but the effort is worth it to create the feathering effect. If you're thinking I take all my patterns from Bead and Button you are only partially right, since all of my best ideas are borrowed. I also refer to Bead Style and Bead Works among others- Cynthia

Oh By the Way

Creating cards began as an "Oh by the way" moment. Oh by the way, as long as I have all these scraps of paper left over after Scrapbooking, I might as well use them to make cards. Of course the designs have evolved over time, as all art should. My Ah! moment came when I layered cardstock and pattern paper, with vintage black and white photos. A bit of ephemera here, and a ribbon there, and I have..."Handcrafted cards made with bits and pieces, suitable for all occasions". Patty

Dios de Muertos

will soon be here. I made these for a Day of the Dead Swap sponsored by Linda in the Art Unraveled yahoo group. The basic technique for the bone finish polymer clay skulls is one I learned from Barbara McGuire in her class at Art Unraveled 07. Mix equal parts ecru and white clay. Shape the skulls. Use a burnisher to create eyes and nose. Outline the teeth with an awl then press where the lips would be and the teeth will seem to pop to the surface in a skeletan grin. Create a bead hole with the awl. Bake. Cool. Dry brush with burnt umber acrylic paint. The wet sand with a #400. Add beads on an eye pin and form a loop at the top to attach a chain with a bead marigold. The southwest celebration coincides with All Saints Day and honors the memories of dead loved ones with dances, altars, and favorite foods of the departed loved ones. - Cynthia

Dishing Up Fresh Tarts

The two tarts will be serving soon. Delectable and sweet paper arts including scrumptious scrapbook layouts, generous helpings of original greeting cards and appetizing samples of altered arts are on the menu. You might enjoy beaded needle tatting, altered jewelry, multi-media charms, needle arts and floral design by the tarts. The two have been designing together for several years and are finally coming out from behind the design bench to display their efforts. Long time coming, please make welcome the artistes of crafting and the crafters of art.