Wednesday, July 30, 2014

WOYWW? July 30-One Woman's Trash...


Stellar couple of days at the Thrift Shop!
Vintage Glue Dots
GlueDots checked the archives and they are from 2001- over 10 years old!
When I opened the package, the charms fell out!

Three rolls of washi tape -50¢ (all prices US)
Sweet pin cushion with the pins-25¢
Look closely to see the mini- stork scissor pin!

Nice Rolodex holder with lots of cards and tabs-50¢
(need one? I'm starting to get a collection)

A tea pot bird house - 25¢-here.

Also on the desk are my fav new Quietfire Design Digital files- scroll around to read more about them.

Many many thanks for all your prayers and good wishes.
DD is texting that all is well in the land of War and Milk and Honey.
I'm taking this opportunity to practice keeping my mouth shut and praying she will do the same!
I'm open to any distracting activities from now till the evening of August 8th!

Off to desk around, dear friends!

Comment and Questions welcomed!

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

15 Minute Wonders- Heart You - Hello

Suzanne of Quietfire Design, never ceases to amaze me.
Where does she get these ideas?
The elegant lettering and classic design sets my creativity into high gear!
When I chose this paper, I wasn't thinking(enough) about directional patterning and folding.
Hey, my DD is in Israel, so this card can read right to left!
All prayers for Peace, Middle East and mine, are welcomed.

The white area is your paper, and on it is the file as it comes from the Silhouette Store.
I make lots of copies of the elements before and after I ungroup for safe keeping.
(more on that here)
Pick your paper, cut, fold and paste it all up!
I added Glitter Ritz, as I had 3 minutes left!


Again, original file on the work area, duplicates ungouped all about!
The original plan was for the Hello to be the patterned paper and I didn't like how it looked, so with 5 minutes left I cut 2 more Hellos out of Desert Sand Neenah Classic Crest 80 lb and colored it with Distress weathered wood and tea dye inks.

All of the elements of the files can be used for all kinds of projects.
Please show me what you create by posting on the Quietfire Design FB page, or leave me a link to your blog.
If you art journal, share a page on 
and leave a comment to win a Quietfire Rubber Stamp.

Comments and Questions always welcomed.

Honey, I shrunk the Rainbow!

M current favorite Quietfire Design Digital File
ATC Style!


Here is the file as it come from the Store- 99¢!!!!!!
I am still using V2, so if you have upgraded things may have changed.
First  make an ATC sized box to help resize the pieces.
Then shrink your file down some before you ungroup to keep all the individual elements in scale to each other.
Ungroup and fill in with color using the color fill tool.
The line colors were set also.
Arrange all the pieces inside the box and set all the lines to no cut in the cut style window.
Turn on the registration marks and send the file to the printer.
Below is the file ready to print.
***HINT***
Make lots of copies of everything BEFORE you mess with them, so you can just delete big mess ups and start over. 
This is faster and easier sometimes than using the undo function.
Sometimes lots of messing about corrupts files, and if you delete and start with the original file all shall be well!

Below is the printed page ready for cutting.
Turn the outside box lines on to cut in the cut style window.

Cut!

This file is so versatile !
This card uses all the elements as cuts.

All you scrapers out there, please show us what you can create with this fun file!
I need a lot of rainbows in my life!

Comments and Questions always welcomed!


Monday, July 28, 2014

One wild and precious life



Sharon Nolfi is a digital friend from Val's Artist's, a FB page for those who have taken, or want to take classes from Val Webb, creative nurturer extraordinaire!
In addition to her artwork/play, Sharon is a freelance writer with articles and literary essays published worldwide.
Sharon doesn't have a blog, so I am posting here so this fab page can be shared over at
 Poetry Journal Monthly.

You can find out more about  Val's classes on her FB page.

Do join us in sharing our art, color and our love for poetry.

Poetry except from, The Summer Day by Mary Oliver.

Tea 4... the birds!

I had  a stellar day at the thrift store Saturday and couldn't resist this tea pot bird house!
25¢ US!
Short shrift today, so please come back tomorrow for more details!

Comments and Questions always welcomed!

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

WOYWW July 23-Mail-This and That- A Prayer Request-Breaking! Rainbows!!!!!

Lots of this and that going on..
Painting postcards for therapy.
A step card going to DF in Portugal.
A RAK envie(i'm copying the lettering and illustration).
Lovely photo card from my Spiritual Friend.
Random ATC.

******Breaking*****
Suzanne sent this Over the Rainbow file as I was writing this post!
Stil messing about. You'll see a lot more of this!
You can print or cut or both!!
.99cents US people!


How fun is this?
A cut file that folds into a washi tape organizer  and  craft room labels for everything!!!!!
The white labels are Print and Cut, and the mats are simple cut files.
Come on, you can do it. I'll help!
If you are machineless or digital cutting impaired, you can print out these files with your printer and cut with scissors or dies.

Write or read me a poem.
Journal it.
Post it on my blog
Poetry Journal Monthly
Leave a comment, win a prize
(chances of winning are good!)

Prayer Request
Sunday I will be taking my daughter to the airport for the first leg of a 10 day trip to Israel.
I know God(fess) will keep her safe, so pray for me to keep knowing that.
It's probably just as dangerous to go to Atlanta!

Thanks for visiting, and welcoming me to your place.
I try to visit from both ends of Mr. Linky and names that are new to me.
I try to visit anyone who visits me, if you leave a number or link to you blog.
If you ask a question be sure to leave some contact info, or check back for an on blog reply.

Comments and Questions welcomed!


Monday, July 21, 2014

T 4 Tuesday- Meet Julia Child!

Meet Julia Child.
She's being a bit shy on this cloudy day, so you'll have to be content with her 4 buds.
The blooms are butter yellow, and scented of anise.

I'm continuing with the lemon balm tea, here sitting in the stevia plant pot hoping for a bit of sun to seep it.

While you're here enjoying your beverage of choice, do scroll down to see what else I have been up to, while I pop 'round your place to do the same!

Comments and questions welcomed!

Photo Bomb- Don't Explain It To Me!


This new cut  file in Suzanne's Silhouette Store had me baffled at first.
Then I thought, just have fun!
 I looked at what I had laying around and came up with this ATC.
There are giggles to be had moving the eyes about!
The tail of the 'b' carries over to the back, adding interest!

The file straight from the store is on the top.
I scaled it down just a tad to fit on the ATC; that's the lettering on the bottom.
If you look carefully at the grid you can see the slight difference in size.
Suzanne's delicate lettering cuts beautifully with Neenah Classic Cress 80 lb, and pretty well with the Michaels Recollections.
Slow the speed down to 2 , use a low tack mat with the paper stuck down very well, and use the smallest cutting depth you can to get a clean cut.
Test cut is your best friend!

What would you do with this file?

Leave me a comment with a link  and/or post on the Quiefire Design FB page!

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Print and Cut , Hugs and Wells!

I've not been a patterned paper kinda gal.
I almost always start with white or ecru, and make my own patterns.
The print and cut function of the Silhouette has been calling to me, and this Get Well digital cut file by Suzanne Cannon of Quietfire, and a new ink cartridge for my printer led me down the print and cut path.

Here is the file as it comes from the Silhouette Store
After ungrouping, I decided the well needed to be bricked, so I went to the Fill Pattern window and selected brick variety. This pattern comes with the machine and you can add your own, any JPG to your hearts content!
The pattern was teeny, so I enlarged it to 280%(advanced options).
To print and cut you turn on registration marks and make sure your objects are within the hatch marks.
***NOTE***
I am still using V2 software. This might be different in V3.

Then send the file to your printer.
This is the printed page, with registration marks and the bricked well on the cutting mat.
Put the mat into the Cameo, it reads the registration marks and cuts out your pieces perfectly!
You can use the negative as a stencil!
I find the process goes faster for me if I cut all the pieces of one paper and color at a time, rather than trying to get as many pieces as I can on the mat at once.
Here are all the pieces of the file
I had a lot of fun with the roof.
Using a Fiscars embossing plate, I got the texture, and then cut the piece with the Cameo.
The upper right corner of the card needed a little something so I added the flower.

Hugs are the best medicine!
I was planning a 15 minute wonder, and got carried away with this Hug file.
From the store, with a box around it, I added, so I could center the sketch on  my card on the mat.
I'm trying to use up these crummy watercolor postcards, so I decided to start with just sketching the file.
Sketching is the same as cutting, using a drawing implement instead of a blade.
This was sketched with a pink glitter pen.
I forgot to take a photo before I started coloring!

The 15 minute timer went off about now.

Next I decided to cut the file and do something simple, just paste it onto a card, and ended up with this!
I couldn't leave the remains behind!
A close up, glossy accents and tropical tangerine stickles

There is one more file in this weeks release, Photo Bomb.
What will you do with it ?

Comments and Questions welcomed!

WOYWW July 16- Inspiration Strikes!

Summer doldrums!
I've had them, and when Suzanne sent me these latest digital files I was cutting, printing, pasting, inking till all hours.
Note new stencil/tool -
Picasso Stencil. I won it by leaving a comment on a Dreamweaver blog post.
Who new?
To find out what becomes of this happy mess, come back tomorrow.

For more on the Picasso tool, scroll backwards.
And to make me a happy woman, please visit 
join the community and inspire me to keep this up!
**there are prizes involved***
Off to desk around!
Comments and questions welcomed!

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Get off my desk!!!!

 If you make a lot of stuff, and have a desk, even if you tidy every evening, there is a pile   are piles of paper and stamps and things that just seem to defy stowing away.

My latest practice to take these piles and make at least one ATC at the end of each day.

This little journal-about 5"x6" has a cover from a note card sent to me by my wonderful and talented SIL Diana.
It now lives again with inside pages of watercolor paper and end covers of doss paper.
 I am going to give this away to the best excuse for why you have not yet posted an entry on my new blog community
Poetry Journal Monthly.
Hop over and visit, leave a comment to be entered in the prize drawing, leave me a comment here, and if you win, you must fill it with a poetry journal page and post it!
Scouts Honor!



Onward....
ATC's all with stuff found on my desk!

 All stamps by Quietfire Design, soon to be filed away in my new stamp file system.

The backs.
I wish this John Wesley quote was lettered by Quietfire!

I got this Distress embossing powder for an online class I haven't finished, and used it here for the first time.
Interesting.

I have no idea where these watercolor postcards came from. They are marked for "Kids Series" which seems to be an excuse to use poor quality materials.
Kids and all beginners should have the best you can by.
We old hands can make do with whatever.
I was temped to toss them into the blender and use them as a base for paper making, and ended up using them to experiment.
Lower right hand corner another up cycled card from Diana.
(Blog Diana, Blog)
All stamps by Quietfire Design. I love this Sit by Me sentiment- just the fight amount of fluffy and snide.
That one might have to stay on the desk!

Comments and Questions welcomed.

Monday, July 14, 2014

T is for Tuesday-Picasso, Perrier and Pottery

Happy 1st Anniversary. B and B invited us to bring back a fav post, and I've only been joining you for a few weeks, so I am sharing my favorite post of today!
I left a comment on the Dreamweaver Stencil FB page, and won a free stencil! I didn't even know I had entered a contest!
I had been wanting the Picasso stencil, that is more of a tool- as Dreamweaver put it in their lovely note to me( the REJOICE card) It's the tool you won't know how you lived without it!-so here I am on the porch, messing about with the tool and sending thanks.

The lovely mug is another made by my DD, and the Perrier
(which brings us to T is for Tuesday- do go check it out!)
is by Andy Warhol! ????
I hung out with that Factory crowd many moons ago.
Did Andy design labels for Perrier?
No other fizzy water quite does it for me on these long summer afternoons!

Thanks for dropping by and please leave your questions and comments!
If you are new to my blog, please check out my newest community
Give Mr. Linky some love, and leave a comment to enter a prize drawing.

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

WOYWW? July 9-Returning to my roots!

I love making and trading ATC's and I'm proud of it!
These are more from my "off my desk" series.
At the end of the day I take what is on the desk and make an ATC out of it.
More on the card in the background here.
It's worth taking a look at , if I do say so myself.
Make yourselves at home- wonder around.
Leave a comment or questions.
And have pity on a new blog and visit
Poetry Journal Monthly
and give Mr. Linky something to do.
{there be prizes!}

Off to desk around!

Monday, July 7, 2014

Find yourself a cup....T for Tuesday.

This is one of my favorite Quietfire Design Stamps.
The background is a stamp I carved.
The inside of the card is a digital file from Extreme Cards, that I tweaked just a bit.
How fun is that???
She says you can cut it by hand.
I say, YOU can cut it by hand. I love my Cameo!
My drink of choice all summer long is watermelon juice.
Just cut it up and whir it in the blender.
For the 4th I made cocktails ,
The Montreat Peacemaker
Add to a quart blender jar
-cut up watermelon
-dash of hot sauce
-handful of ice
-a few mint leaves
Blend well.
Pour into 4-6 chilled glasses
Add one shot of  rum or vodka in each glass.
Garnish with a flag stuck in a piece of watermelon and a spring of mint!
After one of two of these you are feeling very peaceful!!

Comments and questions welcomed!