Journal Cover with Note Cards

I made this journal and stationary keeper for a beautiful friend of mine that loves journals and card making. I was inspired by the journal cover I found in my 100 Pretty Little Projects book. The size that was in the book was entirely to small for what I was thinking so I ended up drafting my own pattern.

The fabric is a deep red linen and a quilters cotton from Joann Fabrics. I used the fancy elastic that is used for making baby head bands for the closure and the pen holder. And the fun rose is a button I also found at Joanns.

I made it large enough to hold twelve 4.25"x5.5" cards with envelopes and a standard size composition book. Knowing my friend I'm sure that notebook will be transformed into something amazing.

I decided that she is so special that I would make handmade cards. I let my Cricut do most the work and cut the monogram from the Fontopia cartridge and keep the rest simple by just mounting it to a double matte. I used my new favorite cardstock, the Neenah 140lb white cardstock and the Neenah creative collection which has the perfect colors in 12"x12".

I really enjoyed making this gift. It gave me the opportunity to do the two things I love best. And there is nothing better than knowing it will make a dear friend happy.

Thanks for stopping by the nest!
Darla

I have no paid sponsorships so all the products I use and opinions I express are completely my own.

Mary Journal

This beautiful journal was created by a friend of mine. Her first crafting love is anything paper but really wants to get into mix media, which pretty much means everything; anything goes. I can see things going that direction for me too. This was a project she donated to a silent auction. It was truly a labor of love. She put so much work into every detail of this journal. She thought of everything. 

The Mary image on the front cover is a silver embossed Our Lady of Guadalupe she did using a recollections stamp she found at Michaels.

Prayer hands and rosary stamp are from Catholic Rubber Stamps. This little stamp company is a small Mom and Pop business located in Wisconsin. They have enormous selection of Catholic Christian stamps. If you can think of it they probably have it. When my friend stumbled upon them it was like she struck Gold. 

It's hard to see but this little stamp say's "Hands to Work Hearts to God". It's also from Catholic Rubber Stamp.

The list of Mary's names and Hail Mary Stamps are also from Catholic Rubber Stamp. 

Amen.

Thanks for stopping by the nest!

Darla

Pink Daisy Card

Like I mentioned in my last post I have been doing a lot more paper crafting and experimenting with new (to me) techniques. Few months ago my friend got me very interested in trying watercolor. So we tried out the on-line class Watercolor for Cardmakers. Watercolor, actually painting in general, has always seem very daunting. I have to say after taking this class I really think it is doable. I still have a lot to learn and I'm looking forward to stretching my skills by trying more intermediate techniques.

The technique used for this card is not from the card making class. I found this one on Pinterest here.  I had a little trouble with getting the heat embossing right. I tried this with 4 different embossing folders and this one turned out the best. 

Because of taking the on-line class I have tried a handful of different types of watercolor paint. The one I have found I like the best isn't even watercolor paint, its Distress Ink by Ranger. Since it is a water based ink it is slow drying and can be manipulated by introducing more water. I simply press the stamp pad lightly to a slick surface (I use the silicone mat by Ranger but you could use a sandwich bag) and pick up the ink with a wet paint brush and paint.

For this card I added a little sparkle to the darker center flower with the Zig Wink of Stella brush pen. LOVE this stuff. I can see now why it is so popular. I have a friend that hates glitter being brought into her house but I would have no problem giving her a card with this stuff on it. It does not shed what-so-ever.

Supplies used:

Strathmore watercolor paper

Darcie embossing folder

Speedball brayer

Versamark Ink

WOW Fine Clear embossing powder

Picked Raspberry Distress Ink

Mustard Seed Distress Ink

Spiced Marmalade Distress Ink

Sakura Koi Waterbrush, small

Zig Wink of Stella brush- glitter clear

Echo Park Simple Life clear stamp set

Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink pad

Scotch Foam Mounting Tape

Core'dinations cardstock

If you have always wanted to try watercolor you should do it. It's so much fun and really not that costly. 

Is there a craft you have ever wanted to try but never had the courage? Leave me a comment, I'd love to hear about it!

Thanks for stopping by the nest!
Darla

I have no paid sponsorships so all the products I use and opinions I express are completely my own.

Crafting Crazy - Homemade Foam Stamps

Hi! I'm back! How has everyone's summer been going? Got to be honest, ours has gotten off to a rough start. Mama doesn't do good with routine change but I think we are getting there. Since my last post I have been crafting up a storm. I've had several baby showers so I've had some sewing to do but I really have been working with more paper lately and having a ton of fun learning and experimenting with different techniques. I can't wait to share them all with you.

It all started about 6 months ago, I needed a serious break from the structure of sewing. Sewing will always be my first love but sometimes you just want to throw paint around and get messy. So I pulled out all of my random craft stuff that I've collected over the decades (yes folks I said decades) and my kids craft stuff and went to town. Most of what I produced is not worthy of sharing but this turned out to have some potential.

I adhered craft foam shapes from the kids stash to pieces of cardboard. Then I applied acrylic paint with a brayer to a 12x12 sheet of white cardstock. Then applied a different color acrylic paint to my stamp creation again with the brayer and stamped away.

It's nothing spectacular but I rather like it for a background on scrapbook page for my daughter.

 The patterned paper is scraps I had left from Nana's Nursery by DCWV. The embellishments are odds and ends that I have collected over the years. 

The last time I scrapbooked anything was when I was pregnant with Noah 2 to 3 years ago. I am so ridiculously behind.  Oh well, one down a few hundred to go. At least they are fun to do!

Thanks for stopping by the nest!
Darla