End of another Year

Well, it's the end of another year and I thought I'd share with all of you what I've been doing over the past month.  Yes I know I should share as I'm creating, but sometimes I just can't stop to post a note here.  At any rate here are the items I've worked on.  Be advised....this post is heavy with photos!!!

A bag and tag shared with members of my local crop group.  The bag was a 6 for 6 swap.  I used a file from Penny Duncan for the topper and just made a very simple applique type bag.  The charm is made from repurposed clam shell packaging, alcohol inks and a few beads.

Honey's birthday was in the middle of December and he requested NO GIFTS!!!!!  Since I couldn't let his big 60 pass without something, I used another Penny Duncan file (modified for my needs) to make him an exploding box birthday card.

Also on tap was a special gift for the mother of a friend who had a special angel looking over her recently.

For Christmas Hunny always likes hats (he's taken to wearing fedoras of late), so rather than buying him one (kind of like buying a handbag for a woman) I made him a Fedora card with a gift certificate enclosed.  I had some fun with this using flocking, velvet ribbon, feathers and best of all Make the Cut for the file.  If you'd like the file, leave me a comment with a way to contact you and I'll be happy to send it on to you.

Whew.  If you've stuck with me this far, thanks so much.  I've done a few other items, but I think those might have to wait for another post.
Hope each of you has had a Merry Christmas and that the New Year brings Happy Crafting to all.
I don't have a New Year's resolution (can't manage to keep the darned things) but I have decided to keep an accomplishment journal.  I want to try to log at least one accomplishment each day.  My hope is to be able to look back at them and review all that I've accomplished rather than on a list of things I set out to do and didn't complete.  Here's hoping you too will have a year filled with accomplishments.

Consistency

Well if nothing else, I am consistently behind in posting to my blog.  And to top it all off, I'm posting my Halloween items.  Oh, well, I will keep trying and one of these days I'll be ahead of the holiday.
The items I'm showing were all made from pieces of paper from my stash, so I have no idea where they actually originated.
The cards were designed and created in Make the Cut.  I just looked for a coloring book page for candy corn and went from there.
The Halloween book is from Design Studio and uses George and Basic Shapes (the basic pages), Paper Doll Dress Up (the spider) and October 31st (all other shapes).
Once again, thanks for letting me share my creations with you.

                                        Card Fronts


The Halloween book shows photos from our fun at a local Halloween event.

                                          Front

Page one

Page two

Page three - the glitter on the roof is covered with Glossy Accents, to keep the glitter from being everywhere.

Back Cover

I hope you've enjoyed my Halloween review.  Thanks for looking and for your comments.
Dawn

Late again!!!

It's a little later than I planned for an update, but here is my version of an altered cigar box.  Since it was an early attempt, I didn't keep the names of everything I used.  The hinges  and oval on the front are grunge board,  The stamps are from a set I purchased many years ago and stamped with tumbled glass and spiced marmalade distress inks.  The orange stickle is distress stickles in spiced marmalade.  The ribbon was in my stash.
It's funny how a project takes on a life of it's own.  This started out as a bits and pieces of paper storage box and has ended up on top of my jewelry armoire as a place to put my daily wear jewelry.
As I worked on this piece it was hard not to go over board.  I wanted it to have an Asian/feminine feel, but I still wanted it to be a bit grungy.  Not sure if I succeeded, but here it is.

                                                              Top

                                                     Left side and front

I hope you enjoyed this project.

Uh Oh

It seems I have been neglecting my blog once again.  I was not sure how often I would post or if I could even keep up when I started, but I have been trying.
I haven't been sitting around doing nothing, so I thought I'd share some of my recent works with all of you.
First, I have my attempt at altering a former CD holder.  I needed (wanted) something different to use as a mail sorter in my office, so....I found this and here's what I did:  I used ivory tinted Gesso as a primer, then added distress inks in Spiced Marmalade and Dried Marigold.  The labels are from my stash, and the pictures are from the pages of garage sale children's books.  I used Tim's flourish stamp and Tea Dye ink for the swirls.  The entire box was sprayed with a bit of water (it gives it a bit more of a weathered look) and a matte sealant when done.  The flowers are making memories, with clear rhinestones colored to match the rest of the colors.  The dragonfly is also from my stash, so I can't tell you where he flew in from.
Let me know what you think.  I'll be back tomorrow with my version of an altered cigar box.

                                                              Front

                                                      Top and Back

                                                      Left side

                                                        Right Side
Thanks for looking!!!

Woo Hoo

I am so excited!!!
I just discovered I am one of the lucky winners of a cutting file from KAndrew Designs.  I can hardly wait to put it to use (might have to find a special picture or two).  If you have never been to her blog before check it out.  Kristal is an amazing designer and her videos take some of the mysteries out of those "touchy" techniques http://kandrewdesigns.blogspot.com/
Thanks again Kristal

Still trying.......

to keep up with blogging. I've worked on a few things today, but nothing to share as of yet. I did have fun working with the kits I picked up at my local Tuesday Morning store. I hope to share them with you tomorrow.
I'm off to try to complete a bit more of my current project and will talk again later.
For tonight I'll share a necklace I finished for the wife of a colleague.

Shame on me!!!

I have neglected my blog for far too long. It's not been from lack of ideas or projects, but instead from being too caught up in creating.
I recently attended a crop event and decided to challenge myself by taking a few classes. One of the classes used punched sheet metal and was then altered using scrapbook paper, glue and imagination.
Since I'm still learning please be patient as I try to attach a photo here.
I have a few more things to share, but I think I will share those throughout the rest of the week.

End of the Weekend

I always hate to see the weekend end, but even more so this weekend. I have been working on a few items to share and learning so much about this world of blogging. I will try to share my creations tomorrow and I so want to do more with my altered book, but....not enough hours. Ah, well, there's always tomorrow to alter a bit more.
Enjoy your week to come.

What will today bring?

I finally decided on the book I will use as part of my altered book project for a yahoo group to which I belong. I found an old copy of "The Red Badge of Courage" at a local used book store. Since the book has no value (according to the collector at the store), I'll begin altering it later this evening. There is just something about tearing pages out of a book which bothers me, but....I will persevere and join the journey to create an altered book. I'll share pictures as I go along (if I can figure out how to upload). If you're really interested in this type of altered art check out the following site http://thealteredbookjourney.blogspot.com/. It's a site started by one of our guides in this journey.
I'm also working on a couple of swaps for this same group and will also share those as they are completed.
Enjoy your weekend and remember to take time for you each day.

My foray into the world of Blogging

I have watched and admired many of my online friends as they began their blogs and then turned them into a habit for the rest of us. So, this evening, I decided to try my luck at entering the world of blogging. I don't have a theme for my blog as yet, but that will come in time. At this point, I think I will just share random thoughts and discoveries. What type of discoveries, you ask, I'm not sure. Some may be of great blog sites, some of crafting blogs, and some of just my own ruminations.
I don't promise to post daily or even weekly, but I will post, so keep checking. You never know when I might actually discover something wonderful.