The Latest (And Last) Twisted Sketch is up!

That's right.  The last Twisted Sketch for me is up and ready to go.  After being with the super creative team over there, I've decided that it's time to pass the torch and the spotlight to some fresh faces.  I can hardly believe that it's been a YEAR!  How time does fly when you're having fun!

And speaking of fun, that is the twist for this week's sketch.  You like that nice, smooth segue *wink*?!  I decided to take "fun" and turn it into "funny".  I have been holding onto this photo of my youngest daughter, Julia. 

I paired this classic photo with the fabulously fun "Daily Junque" line by Pink Paislee.  Now, I am one for quirks and going against the grain so I turned the tickets paper and, well, the whole darn sketch on its side!  I LOVE how it looks turned!  To keep the focus...oh...shiny......oh..huh?  Oh yeah, FOCUS on the photo, I used a bolder background paper and paired it up with a more subdued color and pattern. 

I made the accordion badge after about an hour of frustrating failure!  I tried making several different types of flowers, but my patience ran out.  So at this point, tissue flowers - 2 and Chrissy - 1.  Yeah.  I will have my revenge!  However, I did decided to stick to what I know.  Accordions!!  I glued the tissue paper from the "Soiree" line to some white cardstock and made my badge!  I "banner" cut a ticket from the "Daily Notes" pack of die cuts. 

To keep the fun look cohesive with the rest of the page, I stuck a Recollections flower as a center and layered the whole darn thing onto a metal frame from the "Sweetness" line.

I decided that the left side of the photo was looking a bit lonely.  I cut 2 more of the die cut tickets into banners, layered them, and shoved them under my photo.  Last touch was some fun and whimsical lettering by American Crafts...THICKERS!  Gotta love 'em!

Well, with that, I bid you all adieu.  I'm not gone for good though!  With one door closing, another opens and in this case, that door is the front door to Gauche Alchemy.  Keep on the look out in September for my Gauche Alchemy debut! 

Getting TWISTED! Sketch #111

Hey everyone!  It's been a while hasn't it??!!  It feels like it!  There will be several "new" posts coming from me over the next couple of days.  I want to tell you about CHA, give more deets on the new Gauche Alchemy gig and team, and share the latest Twisted Sketch...which is what I'm going to do now!

This week's twist was button--any how, any way.  I wanted to dig into some Sass stuff I'd been hoarding but at the same time, I wanted to play a bit more with some things I got from Gauche Alchemy (not DT related...personal order!).  The end result was a page that is simple and understated yet full of some "out of the ol' 12x12" box. 

Here are some close ups and some details about the products I used.  I decided to use the twist in two ways--the title and the little white bow button in the upper right corner.  I just couldn't decide which way I wanted to go!

This button was part of my white color kit from Gauche Alchemy!  Talk about darling and the perfect way to find embellies!  The twine is JilliBean Soup.  The border and papers are both Sassafras lass. 

Now this has got to be one of my favorite borders EVAR!  This was from my Acme kit, also from Gauche!  It's an old map from a textbook or something.  I cut a strip of it and cute-d it up with a doily border punch.

Remember Pogs from your childhood??!!  I received one in my red color kit!  And not to mention, I have a BUCKET full of them!  Trust me.  Those bad boys are definitely going to be reused somehow!  The lettering is also Sass and I used some elements from Sass's "Nerdy Bird" line.

Sportin' more of the Nerdy Bird with the textbook border!  I just love how this page came together! 

If you are curious about Gauche Alchemy, check out their blog and their store.  For this sketch, head on over to Twisted Sketches and give your creativity a twist!

ALCHEMISTS RULE!

That's right!  Alchemists.  As in GAUCHE ALCHEMY!  This chickee made the cut and now a designer for the awesomest, snarkiest (right up my alley), and most out of the box shoppe there is!  How fuh-lipping cool is that shiz??!!  I am so stoked to be part of this uber-talent loaded team!

I will be back Friday to give you more of the details about the rest of this amazing team!  I have to get up at the asscrack of dawn tomorrow and catch a plane to CHA! 

Fun and Funky Fresh Card and Tag!

Wow!  I'm on a roll and totally in my groove!  I made a fun little card that I plan on giving to my newborn niece.  I wanted to play with my alcohol inks, which I haven't done in FOR-EV-AAARRR!  So I busted out my felt pads, my Inkssentials high gloss paper, and of course, more Gauche Alchemy awesomeness and went to town...and tried not to get high from it!  The fumes...oh the fumes....

Totally fun, girly, funky, and very fresh and modern!  Who says baby cards have to be "pastel"??!!  Pffffft!  Take that!

And here's the funky and fresh tag I made using a really cool image transfer technique.  It's really easy to do! 

I just stamped my chandeliers onto regular white cardstock using archival ink.  StazOn works as well.  Put CLEAR packaging tape over the stamped image and rub firmly to make sure there's good contact.  Trim the excess paper around the tape then soak the WHOLE DARN THING in lukewarm water for about 5 minutes.  If you go over, not a big deal!

Next, use your thumbs and rub the wet paper off the back of the tape.  Make sure you get it nice and smooth.  There shouldn't be any little balls of paper or anything.  The tape will no longer be really clear.  There will be a paper residue, but your image should still be intact.  Make sure you trim around your image, kind of like fussy cutting, and that it fits onto your tag or card.

The next step is to use a soft gel medium that is glossy or not opaque.  You're going to brush it directly onto the surface you want your image on as well as the back of your tape image.  Firmly press the tape image onto your tag and make sure there aren't any bubbles or wrinkles.  I used my fingers for this step.  I also added a light layer on top of my image to make sure there was a good seal and that the edges were down.

Wait, wait, wait, until it's dry.  Make the funky card you see up there!  That's what I made while this tag was drying.  Trust me.  It'll take anywhere from an hour to possibly a day depending on how much gel you slathered on.  After it's dry, embellish your little heart out, link it to my comments, and let me come LOVE on it!

Here's a close-up of mine.  I used a course brush so you see the brush strokes as well as adding a bit of texture.

I'll be back in a bit with a tutorial on how to put the card together.  I was so into my rhythm, I FORGOT to take the step-by-step pictures!  I just love it....and hate it....when that happens!  *DOH!*

THE BIG TOP!

Good morning everyone!  Soooooo, how would you all like to see the final birdhouse in the set I've been making? 

This one is fun, colorful, and chaotic...kinda like a certain son of mine.  Which is perfect because this one was done for him.  I used Graphic 45's "Le Cirque" line and highlighted it with some black pom-pom trim by Simplicity and the funky silver trim from Webster's "Trendsetter" line.  Pure perfection!  As with the previous three houses, I painted the house to coordinate with the papers I chose.  What better way to accent the circus papers than with a birdhouse painted like a big top tent??!!

I'm sorry for the weird photo.  I REALLY need to make a more "professional" looking backdrop.  And now for the fun part:  DETAILS PICS!

This little doozy had a metric crap load of fussy cutting and honestly, this one didn't come together as easily as the other 3.  Once I got an idea of how I wanted it to look and I got into my rhythm and groove, it just flowed out.  Not to mention, a little Metallica, Rise Against, and Godsmack in the background works wonders for me. 

This is a close up of the front.  I really wanted this side to be the most fun and the busiest.  Of course, I just had to use the ringmaster and the high wire walker!  They are the "signature" figures in this line.  To add some dimension, because we all know how much I love me some dimension and texture, I pop-dotted them to the face of the birdhouse.  To continue with the fun circus theme, I punched the trim using Martha Stewart's "Lattice" punch and added the fussy cut clowns.

The sides of the house are done up to show some of the acts usually involved in circuses; performing animals, stunts, and acrobats.  I continued the clowns along the border for the front 3 sides.  I would've loved to to use them all the way around, but I didn't have enough!

The lion tamer side is one of my favorites.  I had two sheets of this paper so I cut the tamer out of one and pop-dotted him.  Then I cut the lion out of the second sheet (the two overlap each other so it was impossible to cut one out and not cut a chunk out of the other) and stuck his furry butt right to the birdhouse.  It gives the illusion of the lion coming toward the tamer.

For the other two sides that I didn't do "scenes" on, I decided to use them as posterboards.  I cut out two of the classic posters and stuck 'em to the sides.  The posters are so vivid, that they didn't need any other embellishment.


And now for the set all together, in one big mix-matched family.  Wow....sounds kind of familiar...

I TOTALLY loved doing these li'l baddies up.  And I'm not done!  I have gotten a couple requests for these from friends!  I love it!

Thank you all for following me along this not-so-big venture into altered art, Graphic 45, just plain ol' stinkin' creative fun!

"Magic of Oz" Birdhouse (#3 in the set)

So those of you who read my blog regularly know that I am in the midst of what I consider to be a serious undertaking.  I have been working on a set of Graphic45 birdhouses and today, I finished birdhouse number three, "Magic of Oz".

I really wanted this house to have a story-in-the-telling kind of feel to it.  To accomplish that, I made the sides of the house to look like little scenes from the story.  The first step was to paint the house to resemble the Emerald City.  I used Making Memories acrylic paint in "Pine" and went back over it with the "Seafoam" glitter glaze.

For the front of the house, I immediately thought of the poppy field they had to cross to get to the city.  I went ahead and did A LOT, and I mean a CRAP TON, of fussy cutting to make my borders all around the house.  The poppies are cut and layered, some with pop-dots, some not. 

The next thing was to figure out how to add the characters in without them looking forced.  I decided to make it look like they were crossing the field.  Each character is layered into the border some how to add depth and dimension, both of which were crucial to this particular house.  Glinda is actually pop-dotted onto the face of the birdhouse.

Aaaah that Wicked Witch of the West...always hovering somewhere near Dorothy and her friends...looking for any opportunity to deliver them a good dose of evil.  I tucked her in behind the lace a bit to give her a look of hovering and hiding.

Who can forget the charlatan "wizard"?  That's right!  He's skedaddlin' on outta here! He is also tucked into the poppy border and to keep the illusion of a lot of depth, I cut a little slit so that I can keep his bag from being stuck behind a flower.

 This is the back of the house.  The munchkins are hanging from a branch and I glued that directly to the house.  The ghost is tucked into the border and the little witch is pop-dotted onto the rear.

Here is a close-up of the steeple of the birdhouse.  I had to use the flying monkeys somehow and what a perfect perch for the little devils!  The copper oval is actually a piece from a pendant that broke and I kept.  As with the the other 2 houses, I had to use those wonderful Tim Holtz tassels to add some movement.  The "Journey" trinket is Tim Holtz and that is representative of Dorothy's journey to realization that those around her are priceless.

These Tim Holtz trinkets were absolute perfection for this line.  Each one represents each character; knowledge for scarecrow, courage for lion, and genuine for tinman (I used the "love" one on another project).

Some finer touches include using chalk pads to age and "dirty" up the lace a bit.  I didn't want it to look too prim and proper ;)  The clock face is another Tim Holtz gem and the gold rosette is by Prima.  The smaller paper rosettes around the house are by Recollections.

Thank you so much for reading about this birdhouse.  Stick around.  Birdhouse #4 will be up and coming soon!

Ever feel funky and quirky?

Hey everyone!  Do you ever get in one of those moods where you want your next project to really convey the funky, quirky mood you're in?  Well, I felt that way today.

While the rest of the papers for me to finish my birdhouses came today, I was feeling quirky and really wanted to do something DIFFERENT!  Different for me.  Different than my "normal" style.  I wanted to just break loose and bust out of the box I have been in.  While I love working within product lines, I also want to step out of the linear and into the zig-zag!

Last week, I had received the color kits and a major kit I had ordered from Gauche Alchemy.  Now, if you love random, quirky and atypical, then this is the kit club for you!  I had ordered 4 color kits in which the little goodies are all within a specific color family.  The kit I ordered was full of the fun and whimsy I have been wanting to play with!  Talk about amazing stuff. 

For my page today, I used bits and pieces from my orange and yellow kits as well as the big 'un.  I wanted to scrap a really funny and messy picture of my youngest, Julia.  She's gnawing on a teething cookie for the first time and just LOVED it!  And it shows!

I paired my fun embellishments with Sassafras Lass's "Ellie's Tale".  Yes!  That is a toy figurine there on the left and a cardboard VW Bus!  How freaking cool is that??!!  The swirls by the bus are cut from a playing card and the blue embossed piece is METAL!  Of course, I'm down for anything with punchinella!  I used Echo Park's Dots & Stripes line for the background and splattered some white Adirondack paint. 

I love the fun, messy, disorganized feel this page has and I can't wait to do another one!  If you are a lover of quirky, atypical, random and straight up out of the box shiz, then I implore you to check out Gauche Alchemy.  I definitely plan on being a regular over there for sure!

Springtime Birdhouse

Good afternoon!  So here's another accomplishment!  I have been taking FULL advantage of my Graphic45 and altered birdhouse mojo rush!  I finished birdhouse numero dos today! 

This birdhouse is different than the first one.  I used Graphic45's "Once Upon A Springtime" collection.  I loved the fairies and the Beatrix Potter inspired storybook style of it.  Not to mention, my youngest's favorite color is pink.  I thought this would be the perfect house for her.  Instead of going with creams and vanillas, I decided to go with white gesso, Tim Holtz crackle paint in "Picket Fence", and Adirondack paint dabber in "Lettuce Green".  In my opinion, the white ages it down considerably and in just the right way without it being overly babyish.  This birdhouse would also be a nice baby gift and would look great in a girl's nursery. 

This birdhouse has A LOT more cutwork involved than the "Steampunk'd" house.  It was nice to use a technique that I don't use all the time.  A really simple way to dress up the cut pieces is to use Stickles and highlight certain areas.  For me, I used them on the Momma Rabbit's apron and sleeves, the bunnies' capes, the flowers and on the fairy.  It's subtle detail and understated but boy does it catch the eye.

To keep the house from being too nursery-like, I used a Tim Holtz fancy key hole, a twisted petal rose from Recollections, and a Tim Holtz chain tassel.  These are some very versatile embellishments to have in your stash.  If you have seen my first birdhouse, they you have surely noticed that I used the with the steampunk style as well.  The metal filigree butterfly is by BoBunny and was part of their "Gabrielle" line.  The trinkets with that line go beautifully with this one, but I just didn't have "that perfect" place to put it without looking like an afterthought.

I really love subtle details and a great one to use is a border punch.  Instead of covering the house in paper, I decided to accent the trims.  I wanted it to have a picket fence inspired look so I used Martha Stewart's "Lattice" border punch along the bottom and her "Cherish" punch for the trim along the roof.  Since I am one for edges, I also chalked the edges of all of the trims.

Pop Dots are great way to add dimension and texture to any project.  I don't like the flat look.  So I regularly use them.  When you are putting a project together, compare the two looks, one with pop dots and one without.  The difference is dramatic! 

Like the Steampunk'd birdhouse, I did the backside as well.  Because you rarely see the back,  I always keep it simple.  When people pick up the houses to look at them, they always turn it around.  Why not take advantage of that space and their curiosity.  Once again, pop dots, more cutwork, and Stickles add the perfect touch to an otherwise hidden side.  Here, you can really see the punchwork I used for the trims as well as the chalking.

Once again, thanks for stopping by and taking a look.  I still have two more houses coming so stay tuned!

Awesome NEW Twisted Sketch!

I'm sorry this is soooooo late!  It's been a very busy couple of days and I FINALLY have a breather!  Whew!  I hope all of you are doing well, enjoying the summer and for us Americans, enjoying 4th of July LOOOONG WEEKEND!

Anyway, without further delay, here is the latest page for Twisted Sketches.  This week's twist is "water".  I decided to use some photos from our Utah vacation last summer and some of my BoBunny "Gabrielle" stash.

I kept the page pretty simple and just added a few extra touches.  Once again, this paper line is FANTASTIC for layering and a little goes a long way.

I hope you visit the Twisted Sketches site and check the rest of the pages done by the Twisted Sisters.  Be sure to link up your page to the site in the comments section if you decide to play along so that we can come by a leave a bit of love for you! 

Enjoy the long weekend, my fellow Americans, and to the rest of you out there, just enjoy the day!  Happy 4th of July!