Artful Avocations

Something Exciting is Coming!

Make sure to check by on August 1 to see how you can get your own kit to make this adorable SPOOKY frame for Halloween FREE!  Yes, FREE!

This cute frame was presented by Shannon West from Stampin' Up! at the annual Convention last week.

Don't you love it?

 

 

Elizabeth MDS Page

Here's another page made with MDS!  I made this page for my dear friend, Sue.  This cute little redhead is her granddaughter.  So much fun to play with MDS!!!

Remember you can created your own fun with MDS, available 24/7 in my online store!

Hope your day is happy!

Bunny and Tulip Baskets

 

Can you believe it's already Palm Sunday?!  Since Easter is almost here, I thought I would remind everyone that I have a few templates for sale that are perfect for Easter and spring.  It includes an adorable BUNNY basket, tulip baskets in three sizes, and a heart basket.  Please have a look!  Here are the items pictured without embellishment and one of the bunny with embellishment.  By clicking on the link on the sidebar, you can see some more embellished samples.  These templates are printed directly onto you card stock, so no tracing is necessary!  Just print, cut, and stamp/embellish, and assemble.  Click HERE or on the link at the left to purchase and I will e-mail you your template asap, usually right away to within a few hours, but please allow me up to 24 hours just in case I'm not around my computer.  These are high quality, professional templates.  The illustration lines print in a light gray and are folded to the inside (or cut off) so as not to detract from the finished project.  The length of the Bunny is about 5-1/4" from nose to tail, and 3-5/8" from the basket bottom to the top of the ear.  The inside basket area is about 2-3/4" wide, by 1-3/4" deep, by 1-3/4" tall.  You can see it's big enough to hold a good handful of Easter jelly beans or other goodies.  Take a peak!  Thanks for visiting and have a wonderful day.

 

 

Christmas Boutique Items

I was able to make a little time this morning to crop some of my "group shot" photos of the things I made for my school's annual Christmas Boutique.  Rather than watermark each one (which I think is a pain), I decided to use MDS and create a page to showcase them and having to only watermark once (!).  As you might not be able to tell from the photo, many of the items were also made using MDS.  I will explain following the picture.  Don't forget you can click on the picture to enlarge it for a better view!

Starting in the upper left corner is Peppermint Bark packaged with an MDS bag topper - YES, as 3-D as it looks, the whole topper is MDS.  Moving to the upper right corner are my Gingerbread Houses with Gingerbread Men cookies inside.  I drew the house and the white "icing" architectural features using my SCAL software and cut out {many} of them with my Cricut using all Stampin' Up! card stock (because it's the BEST!!).  Center left, are some Candy Cane Reindeer I made, again drawing the reindeer head using my SCAL software and cutting them out with my Cricut using (retired) Close to Cocoa card stock.  (Yes, I hated using some of my retired card stock for that, but I am trying very hard not to hoard!! :-))  In the lower left corner are my Hot Cocoa packs.  I used MDS to make the "Hot Cocoa" labels and punched them out with the Decorative Label punch.  I also used the Snowflake punch and Fancy Flower punch (gingerbread man) on these.  In the lower right corner I used up lots of retired SU! card stock and stickers from some Simply Scrappin' sets, Big Shot die cuts, and other things in my stash, to make these adorable K-cup gift sets.  I cut out the K-cup holders on my Cricut using a pattern I purchased from Lauren Meader.

I hope you enjoy these projects.

Thank you for visiting my blog this past year!  I really and truly appreciate all of you who take the time to stop by, link to my projects, leave comments, and e-mail me. Best wishes for a wonderful 2011!!!

Ready for Some Halloween Projects?

I've been busy making lots of fun Halloween decorations to show off the amazing capabilities of My Digital Studio and also some of the fun things you can do with Decor Elements.  All of the vinyl Decor Elements used to decorate the pumpkins and the frames came from one set of Spooky Things available in the Holiday Mini.  I made the spooky labels for the beverages in MDS and printed them out on ivory colored sticker paper (non SU!).  Then cut out each label, leaving about an 1/8 inch border and sponged the edges to "age" them with Crumb Cake Classic Ink and a sponge dauber.  The beverages are small and large bottles of kid-friendly sparkling cider - a fun alternative to punch for a Halloween Party!  The one bottle on the left, Jack-o-Lantern Juice, is a bottle of Snapple Peach Tea.

I know it's hard to see all the detail in this picture, so how about some close-ups?

My inspiration for the pumpkins came from the Convention samples.  The MDS beverage labels are my own creations inspired from labels I've seen in magazines.

I hope you enjoy these projects and try some of them.  Remember, all the supplies you need for these projects are available from my online Stampin' Up! store anytime!

Thanks for visiting my blog!  I love reading your comments, so please leave me one. ;)  They really do help to inspire me to do more!

 

Class Schedule Added to Blog

I have added a new feature to my blog's sidebar, my Class Schedule!  Check out the left sidebar to read about the classes that are coming up for the holiday season.  Yes, the holiday season is just around the corner and so that it doesn't sneak up on you, get organized and prepared now.  My classes are designed to help you do just that, all while having loads of fun with fellow crafters.  Take a look and simply click on the cart buttons to register.  I will e-mail directions to the class locations and send you a reminder to bring your scissors with you when you register.  All classes are held in beautiful Whittier, California.  I'll be posting some sneak peaks of what we'll be making in each class during the next few weeks.  You won't be disappointed!  So stay tuned...

Thanks for checking in and have a great week!

Another Sneak Peek! Candy Wrapper BigzDie!

 

I've got another Halloween project for you today.  Using the NEW Candy Wrapper Bigz Die makes this such a quick and cute treat.  The Candy Wrapper Die is in the New Holiday Mini Catalog and will be available on September 1st in my online store.  I'm so glad they've made a die for this box, because I've made them before with a pattern and quite honestly, they're a lot of work!  Now, with the die, they're quick and so, so easy!

I die cut the Candy Wrapper from Concord Crush card stock.  I used a scrap of Spider Web embossed Crushed Curry card stock, left over from the test tube card, to create a belly band to wrap around the box.  It didn't quite reach all the way around, so I strategically placed it to start and end on the front of the box and then covered the box front with a piece of Pumpkin Pie card stock punched out with the Scallop Oval Punch.  I topped it off with two bats punched with the Bitty Bat Punch from Concord Crush and Basic Black card stock scraps.

Here's what I used:

8-1/2 x 5-1/2 piece Concord Crush card stock
Scrap of Spider Web embossed Crushed Curry card stock for belly band
Scraps of Basic Black, Concord Crush, and Pumpkin Pie card stock
Sticky Strip (to adhere box sides together)
Snail Adhesive (to adhere belly band, Scallop Oval, and Black Bitty Bat)
Dimensional (to adhere Concord Crush Bitty Bat)

Now how about those pumpkins??!!  Stampin' Up! had a bowl of these on display at Convention.  SOooo CUTE!!!  If you know me, you know I love pumpkins and anything fall, so when I saw these I HAD to make some.  They are really simple to make too.  Just punch out circles - any size, fold them in half, stack them on top of each other adhering to each other, then when you think you have enough (I used 10 for each pumpkin) adhere the first to the last to make your pumpkin.  For the stem, I punched a sliver from Old Olive card stock using the same circle punch I used for the pumpkins and just adhered it into the center of pumpkin.  Although it's hard to see the color variation in the photo, I used 5 Pumpkin Pie card stock circles and 5 Tangerine Tango card stock circles, alternating the colors when stacking, for each of the pumpkins shown.

If you like this leave me a comment!  Let me know if you want to see more of this kind of project.

Thanks for visiting and have a terrific weekend!

Halloween Greeting Card Kid

I fell in love with this set when I got the new IB&C and knew it was one I just had to have.  I designed this card for my downline group to make at our meeting last night.  Although Sam is not in my downline, she a great friend and brings a certain "life" to the party, so she's always welcome!  You can see her little witch card here.

I started with a Pumpkin Pie card stock base for the card and although Stampin' Up! now has an embossing folder with a spider web on it, I haven't ordered one yet so I had to use one I already had for the Crushed Curry layer.  I used the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder for the Tangerine Tango layer and the Scalloped Circle #2 Big Shot die for the Basic Black scalloped circle.  That cute little witch image was stamped in Black Stazon Ink on watercolor paper and watercolored using Stampin' Write markers and an Aqua Painter.  The silver ruffle is something I had on hand that is very similar (if not the same) to the SU! Waffle Paper.  I made a faux button with Pumpkin Pie card stock and Crystal Effects and tied it to a snip of Basic Black 1-1/4" Striped Grosgrain ribbon using Linen Thread.  The Concord Crush card stock "ribbon" element was punched with the new Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch.  And last, but not least, the sentiment is from the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set.

Let me know what you think.  I LOVE your comments!  They motivate me and keep me inspired to do more.  Thanks for visiting!

More MDS Punch Art - Cowboys & First Blog Challenge Game

I've got two MDS Punch Art projects for you today.  Both of them could be used as card fronts.  Read on, I am issuing my First Blog Challenges to you...there are two of them!  Have a little fun and play along!  {Thank You!}

First up is the cowboy I started before I went to Oregon.  I finished him last night.  All I can say is, "Whew!"  Why do I start these things?  It took forever to make this little picture.  It's all made using punches in My Digital Studio.  Lots of layering, shadowing, and tweaking the punches to get the desired (well, almost desired) outcome.  I must confess, I was thinking of making a cow or a horse, but it was easier to make a bull instead.

1st CHALLENGE:  Can you guess which Stampin' Up! punch I used for the bull's feet and horns?  Hint:  It was only one punch for both the feet and horns.  Leave me a comment by midnight on August 4, 2010, (Pacific Time) and include your answer.  I will randomly select a WINNER from the correct answers and then send you a set of cards I made using MDS punch art.  Make sure your e-mail is in the comment so I can contact you if you're the winner.  Thanks for playing along!

The second MDS Punch Art project is my Cowboy Kid.  I didn't get around to making a background for him.  When I first started working on him it 
was a little after 11:00 p.m. and after working for what I thought was about a half hour, I looked at the clock and it was after 1:30 a.m.!!  I decided it was time for bed.

2nd CHALLENGE:  Can you guess which Stampin' Up! punch I used to make the crown of my little cowboy's hat?  Hint:  I used the punch twice.  Again, leave me a comment with your answer before midnight on Wednesday, August 4, 2010, (Pacific Time) and I will randomly select a winner from the correct answers and then send you a set of cards I made using MDS punch art.  Make sure your e-mail is in the comment so I can contact you if you're the winner.

Thanks for playing along in my FIRST BLOG CHALLENGE Game.

Hoping you have a Great Day!

You can purchase My Digital Studio in my online store and have some fun creating your own "MDS Punch Art."

Hula Girl w/Build-a-Bear

I'm back from a week in beautiful, GREEN Oregon and have a post for you of my little Hawaiian girl using the Build-a-Bear die and the Ornament Punch from Stampin' Up! that I made before I left, but didn't have time to post.

Here are the punches/dies I used:

Body - Build-a-Bear
Head - Ornament Punch
Ear - 1/4" Circle Punch
Nose - 1/4" Circle Punch, cut in half
Hair - Retired Dog Tag Punch and Large Oval Punch (snips cut with scissors for bangs)
Flowers - Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack

Dress, Leaves and Flip-Flops are cut free hand.

Use a Basic Black Stampin' Write marker to draw her eyes, eyebrows, and mouth.

Use a Sponge Dauber with Classic Pretty In Pink Ink to sponge on her cheeks.

Use a Signo White Gel Pen to add centers to the flowers and highlights to her eyes and cheeks.

Tip:  To cut dress, flip body over on top of your Island Oasis DSP.  Trace around shoulders and body to create a basic dress outline.  Remove body, then finished outlining the dress shape and cut out.  To create the shadows in the folds of the dress, use a little Classic Ink on a sponge dauber.  Here I used Tempting Turquoise to create the shadows and to darken the edges of the dress.   For flip-flops, fold a small piece of card stock in half and cut both flip-flops at once, cutting ends a little wider than you need.  Glue to feet and trim off excess.

Hope you like it!  Thanks for stopping by.