Wine Cork Key Chain

Do you lose your keys?

Everyone in my household loses theirs--just about every day!

My husband's head is always on his next orchestra piece, big band chart, theme song...
My son's head is always in his next optical laser computer something-or-other and 

how to solve injustice in this world...

And my head, well... between art projects and work, is on the typical things we women have to be concerned with, like cooking and shopping and laundry and dust and Weight Watchers and vitamins and exercise--you know the sort of stuff...

So "somewhy," -- the term my son coined at 3-yrs-old--

we ALWAYS lose our keys!!!!

So one day this week, I just got sick and tired of it, and decided at least I would know where MY keys were if I made a really big key chain.  Here's what I came up with:

The pieces of this key chain actually have a lot of meaning to me
(besides, the cork feels great in my hand).

I had saved the cork from a special bottle of French wine
that was brought over recently by a famous person in Hollywood with whom my
husband was working--a very nice guy and a very good bottle of French wine--a heck of
a lot better than the "Two-buck Chuck" we drink from Trader Joe's.  :-)

The top button is a vintage one from my mother's collection that I played with as a little girl. 

The bottom button that attaches the charm is bone that I got on a trip to
Indiana with my friend, Jean and my cousin, Cathy.

The French glass charm was from an outing at the Topanga 

Vintage market-- a nice Sunday out with my husband.

And the metal tag that says "Inspire" 

just reminds me that I do and need to continue to inspire

 those around me to tap into and explore their own creativity. 

I am loving this new creation, and plan to make quite a few more. 

And now at last, I can find my keys!

Have a great day!


I'm linking up with
Creative Home Acre Blog Hop
Blissful and Domestic
Amaze Me Monday
Make It Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House
Metamorphosis Monday
Tweak it Tuesdays at Cozy Little House
Knick of Time Tuesday
You're Gonna Love It
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Show Me What You Got Tuesdays
Primp Your Stuff Wednesday
Wow Us Wednesdays
Share Your Cup Thursdays
Feathered Nest Fridays
Grace at Home
Show and Tell Friday
Sweet Simple Fridays
Open House Party

                                                                                                                                         Laura

Exciting News

I've now posted the art from this issue. Click here.

Oh happy day!  I've actually been waiting a year for this:

If you create, you know that sometimes you make something that is beyond yourself. 

You get lost in the creative process, and what results comes mostly from somewhere other 

than your rational brain. It's a magical experience, and the art just feels so right.

 And when you're finished, you stand back as an onlooker and just feel like "yeah!"  

Hard to express in words...

I make many things that I feel are mediocre, and I'm always intimidated by other artists, but
I always sense when I've made something that is good--the form, color, detail just click.
 It's a wonderful knowingness that is a special privilege to experience. That's what
was happening with this series. I started with a color scheme, and
 a style, and the ideas kept coming. 

So I was very puzzled that it took a year for this to get published. 

But TODAY in my mailbox!!!!!!!!!
I have a three-page article with the nicest editorial comments.

Here's a hint of what's to come:

"...a circus themed collection that is awe-inspiring..."

I so wish I could post it right now, I'm sooooooo excited, but when the 

magazine hits the news stands on April 1, you can bet I'll be posting!

So thanks for sharing my excitement.  

Please come back to help me celebrate!  :-)

                                                                                                                                     Laura

Here's to Oxford Impressions "With Love!"

When I think about how I would answer the question "How do you get your ideas 

for  projects," I think I would say that it usually begins with a color scheme.  

The design then begins to evolve as I work with the colors. 

About 50% of my work is graphic design of educational materials, 

so I like to stay up with current color trends.  I was really happy to see that

 the Pantone color of 2013 is emerald.  I can't wait to see all the shades from 

emerald to aqua in all the clothes and products this year!

(On the way to work this morning I noticed brand new aqua dumpsters 

at a construction site--coincidence?)

In keeping with my process, I decided to use a light pink with 

aqua for my first design team project of the new year for 

Oxford Impressions' With Love collection

 

 I embossed an aqua paper with a wood-grain embossing folder and then rubbed it with gold ink.  I stamped an ivory scrap with various stamps in various colors, and chalked the aqua tint.  I finished with a spritz of walnut ink to give it some age and added a peek of vintage lace.

 

For the card above, I used the With Love collection and the bird and cage
from The Bird's Nest collection.  I stamped a pink polka dotted paper with
a blue cabochon and a brown trefoil in the center.  I added glitter highlights to
the trefoil with stickles.  I stamped the bird cage, bird, and sentiment and then cut them out.
I finished with a piece of embossed paper, light blue seam binding,
and a lovely piece of vintage lace.

This is a versatile new stamp collection with nice images and sentiments for all occasions.

For more ideas, see the five-minute vintage cards I made using these stamps.

I'm linking up with Savvy Southern Style's Wow Us Wednesdays
Whatever You Want Wednesday
Faith, Grace, and Crafts Pearls and Lace Thursday
Just Something I Whipped Up
Share Your Cup Thursday
Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home
Sweet and Simple Fridays
Fabulously Creative Friday 

                                                                                                                              Laura

Five-Minute Vintage Cards

The trouble with vintage style is that it requires a lot of detail. 

Creating detailed cards can be a tedious and long process and result in a

treasure that you really don't want to give away if you think there's even 

a slim chance that the receiver might toss it one day...

Do you ever have those thoughts?  

So my personal challenge for the past few weeks was to use the new 

Oxford Impressions With Love collection to create quick, vintage-style cards.

I began by hitting the fifty-cent bins at Michael's, and oh what a sale it was:

Can you believe each item was just fifty cents???????

I picked out 7 card to work with:

I gave the floral ones a quick go over with a sanding block to dull the shiny surface and 

give them the worn look of an old book cover.  I punched a few borders, made a few die cuts,

prepared a few stamps, and in no time, the cards were transformed:

All stamps are from the With Love collection from Oxford Impressions. 

(See this post of mine to learn how to mount them) Now for some 

closeups. The card below on the left uses one stamp.  The card on the right uses two:

 a bee and a sentiment, both of which are embossed in brown. (Love the one on the right!)

 

The card below is probably my favorite--reminds me of a grandma's dress. I cut the

card edge with a die, added a punched border, an oval die cut, a punched tag, and two stamps.

 

The card below on the left is fun and young and kinda trendy. I added the heart and sentiment. 
The card on the right probably took longer than five minutes, but it was worth it.  I stamped five images from the  With Love collection, cut them out, and adhered them to the card along
 with a scrap of ribbon.

 

A quick, basic birthday card below. I punched an ivory scrap, 

stamped it, and then added two score lines to finish.

And the next card makes a great "Congratulations" card (flying to the top of the hill).  

I added the sentiment and the Paris postal mark in red.

All-in-all, I'm very happy with the results.  It was a fun challenge, stimulated my creativity and produced some quick, pretty cards. I would give these to anyone and feel they would like them.  

(Now I just have to figure out what to do with the rest of my Michael's haul!)

I'm linking up with
 Sunny Simple Life Sundays
Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home
Share Your Cup Thursday
French Country Cottage Six Days of Spring
Metamorphosis Mondays
Making the World Cuter Mondays
Tweak it Tuesdays
Make it Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House
Thrifty Things Friday 
                                                            Laura

Needlepoint and Vintage Market Haul

On this Vintage View Sunday, I'm sharing my collection of antique needlepoint purses and accessories--one purse and one frame that I found today at the Topanga Vintage Market, along with a game, beautiful old clothespins to use as lace or ribbon holders, and two heavy brass furniture embellishments, called "ormolu"-- that I just couldn't pass up.  So $35.00 later (what a deal), I came home with this:

  Made in Austria, the purse is in perfect condition, and I think would date around 1920 or 30. 

I was happy to find it at a price I could afford, since I had to pass them up in when 

I visited there due to the very high cost. The black needlepoint in the round frame is Victorian. 

I arranged some of my new finds along with my other needlepoint on a marble-topped table in my entry:

 The largest purse is probably from the 50s and has a medium size needlepoint.  

The next two purses snuggled up to it are Victorian, and are stitched with 

very fine petit point.  The opened case in the front has even smaller stitches. 

 I was told that it was "meta point."  I have never again seen 

needlepoint so small.  It looks like dots with the tip of a fine pen.

 Below you can compare the stitch size:

 

 

The meta point case actual size:

One interesting little piece is this match box with a bit of 

petit point in the center. I believe it is Victorian.

All-in-all, a very nice day, although cold and windy. 

 Now I just need to get back to cleaning, cooking, and crafting!

 

I'm linking up with The Tablescaper Seasonal Sundays
A Return to Loveliness at A Delightsome Life
Tuesday Cuppa Tea at Antiques and Teacups
Knick of Time Tuesday
Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays at Coastal Charm
You're Gonna Love It Tuesdays at Kathe with an E
Our Delightful Home Show Me What You Got
Sweet Simple Fridays at Rooted in Time

Hot Knife Tutorial for Mounting Unmounted Stamps

I promised Debra at Common Ground that I would put together a tutorial on how to mount unmounted stamps. When I found the "With Love" stamp sheet in my mailbox this afternoon--my first design project of the year from Oxford Impressions--I decided that now was the time!  This stamp collection really rocks!  The script looks like it was written with a nibbed pen in Jane Austen style.  There's a sentiment for all the occasions you need.  And the large images mean you can make a quick stamped card at the last minute.  The small images are so versatile for envelopes, charms, collaging, ATCs--the ideas are endless.  Okay, ad is over... I'm just sooooo excited about this collection... :-)  On to the tutorial!

Oxford Impressions stamps come on as 8.5" x 11" sheet of thick red rubber.  You get LOADS of images, which gives you so much to work with at a fraction of the cost of already mounted stamps.

"With Love" Stamp Collection

Red rubber sheet of uncut stamps

To use them, you need to cut them out individually and mount on cling foam, which has a sticky side where you put the stamp, and a cling side for attaching and removing from acrylic blocks.  I mount my stamps a bit differently from the videos I've seen on YouTube. I learned the technique from a master stamper at a show.

 

Tools required:

• Scissors that cut rubber (I use Tim Holtz Tonic scissors that I got at Michael's with a coupon.)
• Cling Foam (EZ Mount is the best)
• Soldering iron with hot knife tip
• Wet sponge
• Glass cutting board or thick piece of heat resistant glass

  

  Knife tip on soldering iron and Tim Holtz scissors

  

  EZ Mount Cling Foam

  
  

Step 1: Cut the rubber. 

I like to cut my stamps very close to the image to avoid ink lines that are not part of the stamp getting on my stamped piece.  I've ruined too many cards!  It's a little scary to make your first cut--you might be afraid you are going to cut the image--but it gets more comfortable as you go. For difficult to reach areas, I cut in one direction, turn the stamp and cut in the other. It's easier to cut straight lines. You will soon figure out what works best for you.  

Trimming around a stamp

Trimming closely with straight cuts.

Step 2: Let the hot knife tool heat up while you continue to cut out all the rubber.

Step 3: Place your cut stamps on the sticky side of a cling foam sheet. I try to arrange them very tightly to economize on my use of the cling foam. 

Step 4: Adhere the cling side to your glass cutting board.  (I have put mine away and coudn't find it, so I am using a small piece of thin glass--I don't advise that!)

Foam on glass, cling side down.

Making the first cut. Keeping fingers out of the way.  The knife tip is very hot.

Step 5: To trim the foam, you might want to go into a well-ventilated area. When the knife tool is properly heated, the foam will cut like butter. Be careful not to touch the tip. Wipe any goo that forms on the knife tip on the wet sponge to prevent smoking and minimize the fumes. It is possible to cut without having the foam melt on the tip--just cut more quickly and don't linger in the same area too long.  You will get the hang of it.

Step 6: Once the stamps are all trimmed, mount on a cling-mount storage board.

Oxford Impressions Bon Bon Collection

Step 7:  When the stamps are all cut, you're ready to ink them up and start creating!  I love Stampin' Up's clear acrylic blocks--the very best out there, and I've tried most of what's available. (If you want to order them, drop me a comment and I'll get back with you.)

Complete set of Stampin' Up Blocks

Cling side on block (view from behind)

stamp on block (rubber side)



Inking the stamp

I usually tap the pad onto the stamp, but couldn't manage this for the camera.

I

A stamped image.  So worth the work!

Leave me a comment if you have any questions, and I'll be happy to answer.  :-)

Vintage View Sunday - Antique Sampler

Hi friends, I feel so bad that I haven't posted and even missed my own blog party last week!  

Sometimes life just gets too busy with work and friends and family 

and students and crafting and migraines!

But I hope you will enjoy today's post, my first Vintage View Sunday blog post!

Party-goer, Jann Olsen, from "A Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson" will be the featured blog.  

Her post is super sweet and features her absolutely adorable little granddaughter, Saydee,

"working" with vintage household toys, which got me thinking about how hard children 

had to work long ago.  Whether they worked on farms gathering eggs, planting crops, 

helping with the baking, watching siblings, or in factories during the industrial 

revolution, they were integral in the work that was necessary to survival.  

Life was serious business, without much time for the kinds of activities today's children enjoy.  

And death was an all-too present specter, which made their thoughts of sin and heaven

ever present, as illustrated by my oldest antique, the sampler below, 

stitched in 1792 by Mary Smith, "aged 11 years."

This must have been the epitome of young Mary's skill as the variety of stitches and colors attest.

The seriousness of life is captured in her verse (notice

 the letter S looks like an uncrossed letter f, common in the 1700s).

"Lord thou hast searched and seen me through,

"Thine eye commands with piercing view,

"My rising and my resting hours,

"My heart and flesh with all their powers.

"O may these thoughts possess my breast,

Where'er I rove, where'er I rest,

Nor let my weaker passions dare,

"Consent to sin for God is there."

Her name and date appear at the bottom in light blue, pretty difficult to read:

While we shouldn't forget our nature to sin, and we should keep our eyes on heaven, 

I'm so glad that life today isn't as difficult for any of us as it was then--something 

I try not to take for granted and try to be thankful for every day, 

even when I am overwhelmed with housework after a long day at the office, 

or the water heater floods the garage, or the car begins to leak oil--you know the kind of things. 

Our work still is so much easier and can actually be delightful, as little Saydee shows us with her household chores on her Grandma's blog, A Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson:

Using a variety of vintage toys, Saydee shows us how serious her household "work" can be:

Hop on over to Jann's blog and read this sweet post full of vintage toys and 

the cleverest writing.  You will smile with delight, I promise!

Please join the next Vintage View Sunday Party! 
 I'd love to see your vintage treasures!