I'm a bad girl...

Hi Everyone,
I'm up on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts blog today.

Well, I didn't plan to do two reading themed items this month for them, but it happened.  I'm a huge reader.  It's not often that I am not in the middle of a book.  Any reader will tell you that they always need bookmarks.  Yes, I've used napkins, receipts, post it notes, and other random bits of paper to mark my pages.  I wanted to make a little something nice to actually mark my page.

I covered one of the Extra Large Chipboard Tags using vintage card catalog cards.  The edges were embossed using Emerald Creek's Salted Raven just to add a little bit extra. 

I painted my Medium Circle Border using Distress Paints in Picked Raspberry, Fossilized Amber, Wild Honey, Black Soot, and Spiced Marmalade and glued it on my tag.  

I added the vintage image and verbiage using foam tape.  Since the circles make the background uneven I used different layers of tape to make the image flush.  

Easy and now I can mark my book nicely! 

Jess

Fun with Distress Crayons

Have you jumped on the Distress Crayon bandwagon?  If you haven't you should.  It's a very fun wagon.
I got my crayons a couple weeks ago and I have been playing with them here and there.  I have tried using different background surfaces for blending.  I have tried using different mediums to add texture as well.  Here are a three of my favorite projects so far.

On this one I colored directly onto my stencil and then sprayed it with water.  I flipped the stencil onto my tag and rubbed it with my finger.  I was able to pull subtle color from the crayons into the exposed areas of the stencil, but leave the color saturation on the tag.   I stamped and added some white and black highlights using my fude ball pen.

This is done on an old card catalog card.  Her hat is made with tissue wrap that I used as my brayer cleaner when I was gelli printing. I made tiny tattered florals out of the tissue that I glued onto cheap white card stock.  Once the flowers were done I ran my black crayon around the edge and wet it. I smudged it out with my finger and then dripped white paint on them for extra dimension.  The leaves are just scraps of white card stock that I scribbled on with my green distress crayons.  

With this one I randomly scribbled the colors and then blended them with my finger.  I added a layer of texture paste and once that was dry I went back in with the same colors.  I love how rich and bold they look.  The bits of the crayon get stuck in the crevices and just add so much yumminess.  The little girl is colored with crayons too.  I put some on the craft sheet and added it to her using my water brush.  The highlights of yellow on the umbrella were just added directly from the crayon to the paper.  

Have you been playing with the Distress Crayons? I would love to see what you've come up with!

Jess

I am entering these into a few challenges: The Frilly and Funkie Let's Make it a Trio challenge.  

Anything but Cute Crazy for Color Challenge. 

Our Creative Corner Return of the Challenge! I chose the April 2015 April Showers bring May flowers as my inspiration- I've got bright spring colors, tons of flowers, and even a grumpy girl under an umbrella!

Try it on Tuesdays- Nature Theme Challenge

Emerald Creek Dares Ring in Spring

I don't color inside the lines

Yes, it's true, sometimes I don't color inside the lines.  Art is supposed to be freeing.  When I saw this quote I knew I had to create something using it.  Stop by the Robin's Nest to see the wood panel I made.

Take Note

I don't typically craft using bold and bright colors, so when I saw this was my inspiration photo I had to think long and hard about what to create.

Stop by Unruly PaperArts to see what finally inspired me. 

What have you been crafting?

Jess

A bibliophile's cabinet

I know I have said it before, but I love to read.  I love books and everything about them.  When I first got this china cabinet from Gina's Designs I was thinking I would make it a place to store my Frozen Charlotte collection, but it morphed into something else when I started picking out my papers.
Once again my book and writing papers took over.  I ended up making a little library vignette.

Little readers sit on top digging into giant reads.

Tiny books flank either end of the cabinet.

The top shelf has a little doll.  She reminded me of what people think of when they hear the word "librarian."  There are some reproduction flashcards and children's book illustrations on here too.  distressed the edges and wrinkled them a bit so they would look like they have been used.  

The bottom shelf has an awesome Nathaniel Hawthorne fact card someone sent me.  There's also one of my prized card catalog cards.  

Here's another angle so you can see the whole shelf.  

The drawers got some little knobs made out of buttons wooden buttons and then I added the October Afternoon pins on there.  

I hope you like my cabinet as much as I do.  

What have you been reading?

Jess

I am entering this into the 

Simon Says Stamp Due Date Challenge

Rhedd's Creative Spirit April

Bibliophile take 2

Ok confession time.  I had this blog post ready to go for a long time.  I worked on this project forever and just had it stashed in my file for a far off future date.  Guess what? That date came and I totally forgot to move it forward so it posted.  Boo.  So now I am reposting it and entering it into the  CC#3 challenge 23.  I was so bummed it posted before this challenge came around.  I knew it would be since it is in the book.  If you don't have a copy of Tim Holtz's Compendium of Curiosities you need to order it ASAP.  And if you haven't been participating in Linda's challenge you need to jump on the bandwagon now.  It is so much fun.  There are fabulous prizes to be won from Tim and from The Inspiration Emporium.Without further ado here is my take on the folio.


I am a huge reader.  I have worked in a bookstore for almost 15 years.  When I bought this Tim Holtz folio I knew I had to make it all about books and reading.  This was a huge project.  It took me way longer than I thought it would.  I wanted to be sure each page was just right. 
Here come the photos!

This is the front cover.  A while back I bought a card catalog.  It is chock full of cards and I knew I had to use some on here.  

This is what happens when you remove the elastic band.  Books!

Pardon my hand.  I couldn't get the tab to stay open without it.  

That glasses sticker kills me! I would wear those glasses if I could find a pair.  

Tiny handmade books.

This image is from Graphic 45.  I painted it using watercolors. 

Another catalog card.  

The library card is a German flashcard.  

Here are some close ups of the flaps.  Both of the small top and bottom flaps have a card catalog paper as the background and a bookshelf as the foreground.  I cut out a few extra books and popped them up to add dimension.  

The back cover. 

I love how this tuned out.  

Bibliophile Folio

I am a huge reader.  I have worked in a bookstore for almost 15 years.  When I bought this Tim Holtz folio I knew I had to make it all about books and reading.  This was a huge project.  It took me way longer than I thought it would.  I wanted to be sure each page was just right.
Here come the photos!

This is the front cover.  A while back I bought a card catalog.  It is chock full of cards and I knew I had to use some on here.  

This is what happens when you remove the elastic band.  Books!

Pardon my hand.  I couldn't get the tab to stay open without it.  

That glasses sticker kills me! I would wear those glasses if I could find a pair.  

Tiny handmade books.

This image is from Graphic 45.  I painted it using watercolors. 

Another catalog card.  

The library card is a German flashcard.  

Here are some close ups of the flaps.  Both of the small top and bottom flaps have a card catalog paper as the background and a bookshelf as the foreground.  I cut out a few extra books and popped them up to add dimension.  

The back cover. 

I love how this tuned out.  

Unruly Paper Arts Inspire your Heart with Art

What have you been crafting?

Jess