A Joyful Snowman

Dec 3, 2014

A Joyful Snowman

This is one of my very favorite ornaments I’ve ever created. It was originally posted on December 4, 2009 but I love it so much that I thought I would repost the tutorial again today. All the different textures and the color scheme make me super happy. Sup­plies Used: Paper Mache Rec­tan­gu­lar Orna­ment (Hobby Lobby), Cream Felt, Crys­tal Coarse Glit­ter, Vin­tage Sheet Music, 2.5″ Sisal Brush Tree (Christ­mas Sec­tion of most large Craft Stores), Maya Road Mini Snowflakes, Maya Road Mini Noah Chip­board Let­ters, Fab­ric Rem­nant, Red, Cream and Black Embroi­dery Floss, Rhine­stone, Gold Self Adhe­sive Gems, Gold Ger­man Glass Glit­ter, White Seam Bind­ing, Gold Jin­gle Bell, 3 — Vin­tage But­tons, 24 Guage Wire, Fabri-Tac, Col­lage Pauge Instant Decoupage — Glossy, Sizzix Snow­man Die, Adiron­dack Metallics Acrylic Paint Dab­ber — Gold, Mak­ing Mem­o­ries Acrylic Paint...

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Needle Felted Santa Ornament

Oct 2, 2014

Needle Felted Santa Ornament

Yesterday, I thought I would try and needle felt a Santa ornament. Today, I’m going to try to make him a pair of glasses. I love trying and discovering new art forms. One never knows if they can until they try. I will always try. I hope I inspire you to do the...

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Needle Felted Oak Leaf

Sep 26, 2014

Needle Felted Oak Leaf

I always love a creative challenge so when a customer asked if I could create a pendant from one of my dried acorns I of course said sure. As I thought more about the necklace I felt (no pun intended) having a needle felted oak leaf would look adorable along side the acorn. The challenge came when I realized I had never needle felted an oak leaf. Amy picked the color of the felt for her leaf and away I went. I think this is the cutest pendant and I already have another customer requesting a similar necklace, this time with a teal leaf. Amy’s oak leaf is made using the #3 felt color and Diana’s will be created using #9. If you would like a necklace created with a dried acorn pendant and needle felted...

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Needle Felted Acorn Necklace

Sep 24, 2014

Needle Felted Acorn Necklace

Here are a few items I created yesterday using some of the acorn caps from all those dried acorns I’ve been showing you. I love needle felting in the fall so I decided to needle felt some acorns. Once I had the acorn felted I decided to accent each acorn cap with a slight amount of metallic gold paint. It’s just enough to give the cap a slight shimmer. To make the hanger so it can hang from a necklace I first drilled a small hole in the top of the dried acorn cap, then wire wrapped a hanger and attached the cap to the needle felted acorn. The acorn pendant hangs from a 24″ silver ball chain and looks adorable.  I had so much fun making the first felted acorn I decided to make 9 more in different colors....

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Altered Art Journal Page 1

Aug 22, 2014

Altered Art Journal Page 1

Well I finally did it, I started an art journal. But let me tell ya it was not an easy start. I started out with one page, really didn’t like the bold colors because let’s face it, I’m not a bold color kinda gal, so I then thought I would tone it down a bit, then I really didn’t like it and had to step away from the table because I could feel some major frustration coming on. This is when I decided I would try to make some DIY lip gloss, so I did. It was super fast, easy and I really like it. DIY Lip Gloss Recipe All you need is 1 tablespoon of coconut oil, 1/4 teaspoon of Vaseline and 5 drops of Peppermint essential oil or the essential oil of your choice....

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Handmade Art Journal

Aug 21, 2014

Handmade Art Journal

I really love seeing all the amazing art journaling that lots of my friends do but I have issues, like serious issues when it comes to the journals. I love dimensional collage which means, I like to stick LOTS of bulky things in my art. Well, this does not work well with a lot of art journals due to the type of binding most have so the problem was solved this week by creating my own art journal. Now I can add all the bulky items I want and the art journal will still close. The thicker my art journal gets is no biggie because all I need to do is use larger binder rings. Even though I’ve used vintage items that you might not have on had to create my art journal my ideas...

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Road Trip with Madelyn Day 1

Jul 1, 2014

Road Trip with Madelyn Day 1

Last week, my niece Madelyn was visiting. Tuesday, started our insanely fun road trip. We left Frisco bright and early (7AM) to head to San Antonio. On our way we saw billboards for the Inner Space Cavern and decided that once we got to Georgetown we would stop and tour this cavern. We loved the tour and highly recommend it. It does get a bit humid and warm inside but we all felt it was worth the sweat. If you decide to take a tour make sure you are wearing running shoes. Flip flops would be a real challenge when walking into the cavern. You are walking at a slant for quite a bit, it is wet and in some areas a bit slippery. We were all glad we were wearing running shoes. Having some cold water bottles waiting for...

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Observations from an Alcoholic’s Sister ~ Emotions

Apr 16, 2014

Observations from an Alcoholic’s Sister ~ Emotions

There are so many different emotions family members of alcoholics feel. One emotion I definitely felt was anger. I was angry because of what I saw Richard’s alcoholism doing to him and to our family, especially mom. I felt as though Richard was being selfish and unappreciative of all that mom and dad were doing in hopes of him getting sober and it made me furious. I understand alcoholism is a brain disease but like any disease most do what they can to control or get rid of their disease, most don’t let the disease control them or end their life without some sort of fight. Alcoholism is a beast to control and I saw firsthand how strong the cravings were but I still felt Richard could have tried a little harder to gain...

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10 Years

Mar 28, 2014

10 Years

Today marks the 10 year anniversary of my brother’s death. Ten years is a long time yet it still feels like yesterday, I was enjoying a fabulous morning sunrise training my golden retriever, Sonny in the field. I went to my car to get us some water and noticed I had a bazillion missed calls on my phone. I called home asking what was up and I will never forget Alan’s words,” Its Richard.” He didn’t have to say another word, I knew he was gone. I could hear it in his voice and I felt it deep in my soul, my little brother was gone. At that moment, my life and the lives of my family changed forever. Mom and Dad lost a son, my sister and I lost a brother, my daughter’s,...

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Felted Heart

Feb 7, 2014

Felted Heart

Incorporating an assortment of textiles not only adds visual interest to your projects but it can also add unique textures too. The background of this canvas is layered with several different types of textiles and each layer adds beauty and texture. When I started this canvas I knew I wanted to create a somewhat monochromatic background as I wanted the felted heart embellishment to be the main feature. I decided on creating a soft cream background but knew I could not just go with one piece of fabric. I love to add texture and dimension to all my projects so I needed at least three textile layers. Once I had my game plan mostly figured out, using fabric adhesive I attached a piece of cream colored wool felt to the canvas. After the felt was...

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Cupid’s Feathered Friend

Jan 21, 2014

Cupid’s Feathered Friend

Place a few drops of pink dye or Mist into a small cup of water, (the more dye the darker the color, less dye the lighter the color), mix together. Using a paint brush, apply dyed water onto white bird and let dry. You can speed up the drying process using a hair dryer set on the cool setting. Cover the body of the bird with a thin layer of instant decoupage, then apply Light Pink Glitter, tap off excess glitter and let dry. Cover the wings of the bird with instant decoupage and apply a thin layer of Iridescent Glitter and let dry. Apply instant decoupage to the beak of the bird then apply Fine Silver Glass Glitter, let dry. As you can see there is a lot of drying time but it should not take long...

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Delight In The Seasons ~ Autumn & Winter

Oct 25, 2013

Delight In The Seasons ~ Autumn & Winter

These are just a sampling of the projects you will find inside “Delight In The Seasons” Autumn and Winter chapters. In these chapters you will learn fun techniques to create 3-D Embellishments, Tissue Paper Trims, Interactive Layers, a Paint & Ink Patina, Altered Bottle Brush Trees, Creating Pearlescent Watercolors, Paper and Felt Bows, Fabric Cuffs and more. This book is filled with loads of inspiration and right now when you order an autographed copy the shipping is FREE! This is an awesome deal. So if you are looking for a beautiful idea book that is not only pretty to look at but also filled with easy to follow step by step techniques for you or your crafting friends, I hope you consider purchasing this...

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Pre~Order ~ Delight In The Art of Collage ~ Book 3

May 23, 2013

Pre~Order ~ Delight In The Art of Collage ~ Book 3

I really have no words to describe the excitement I feel over knowing “Delight In The Art of Collage” is available for PRE-ORDER on Amazon. This book pushed me creatively in ways I would have never imagined. But in order to grow as an artist you must push past your comfort zone. There were days I thought I would never ever have another creative idea come to mind but they did and here I sit with book 3. This creative journey, as well as the other two I’ve been on was filled with days of self doubt, elation, frustration, happy dances, I’m never ever writing another book again, this would be a great idea for book 4, calling my super awesome editor Kristy Conlin in pure panic mode and so on. But in the end...

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Thrift Store Finds

May 8, 2013

Thrift Store Finds

It’s time again to share this weeks wonderful thrift store finds. I spotted this beautiful doll from across the store and seriously could not get to her fast enough. As soon as I saw her I had instant tunnel vision and was ready to start hurdling furniture if I felt it was warranted. I’m simply giddy, I love her so much. Her rust colored satin dress is a little worn in areas and her pantaloons have darkened with age but all I see is pure beauty. I’ve named her Laura and you will see her lots in blog posts. I also scored a great vintage piano book filled with beautifully aged music sheets. I cannot pass up vintage music sheets. They are one of my favorite items to use in collages. The five cute 4.5″ leaf...

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Up The Mountain

Apr 29, 2013

Up The Mountain

Colorado ~ another amazing place to add to my “Traveling Apron” sampler. Thursday, afternoon Ronda drove me to Estes Park so I could teach a few classes at Rocky Mountain Memories. Cheryl suggested that as Ronda brought me to the store she take the scenic route through the mountains and goodness am I ever so grateful for the suggestion. The views were simply amazing. I could easily trade living in the suburbs and live in the Rocky Mountains. I’ve never felt so at home in all my life. This is just one of the stops along the way to Cheryl’s store in Estes Park. The scenery was simply stunning. Every turn was truly a picture postcard view. I loved hearing all the birds singing and chirping as well as the water running down the...

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Mother’s Day Projects

Apr 25, 2013

Mother’s Day Projects

With Mother’s Day just around the corner I thought I would share a few project ideas from my book “Delight In The Seasons” that would make wonderful gifts for any mom on Mother’s Day. You can create a beautiful mini album just for mom sharing stories and photos from special times and moments spent together. This project is featured in the Spring Chapter on pages 46 – 49. I show you how to create the beautiful flower accenting the front cover of this album. If you prefer to create projects, this piece can be found in the Spring Chapter on pages 50 – 54. I show you how to create this beautiful felt message banner.  You can hand stitch any special sentiment you wish for your mom. My mom has this project sitting in her...

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Book of The Week

Jan 23, 2013

Book of The Week

So happy to share that my book “Delight In The Seasons” is the “Book of the Week” over at Cut Out + Keep. If you’re not familiar with this site you really need to check it out. It’s FILLED with all kinds of awesome crafting tutorials. Cat is even giving away a signed copy of “Delight In The Seasons” so don’t miss out, you can enter HERE. She also has four sample project/techniques from “Delight In The Seasons” for you to create. The Altered Bottle Brush Tree, a Felt Message Banner, Embellished Clear Buttons and the Chipboard Cameo. As you scroll further down the page you will find a “Meet the Author” section that tells a little bit about me, my book, where I find my inspiration, etc. So go check it out. Cut Out +...

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EnviroTex Resin Key Chain

Jan 2, 2013

EnviroTex Resin Key Chain

I created this key chain for my sister, Belinda. It was created in memory of my brother, Richard who passed away from alcoholism, March 28, 2004. He loved the water and worked on a boat off the Gulf of Mexico. I found this image of the anchor by doing a google search and the quote from Quote Garden. I had Alan resize the image for me to fit inside the bezel then printed it out on my laser printer. Next, I applied Nunn Design Glue on the bezel and placed the image on top, pressing the bubbles out from underneath the image as best I could using my finger and paint brush for the corners. Once I felt I got all the bubbles out, using a paint brush I applied a layer of Nunn...

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Kitting and a Contract

Aug 8, 2012

Kitting and a Contract

I’m so happy to show you this photo… the official contract for book 3 arrived. I’m so super excited about the concept for this book I can hardly stand it. I’m also very fortunate to get to continue working with such loyal sponsors. I have a few new sponsors that I’m really happy to have that will be added to this LIST soon! Thank you all so much for your support and ongoing sponsorship. I really appreciate both tremendously. This week it’s been all about getting kits ready and shipped to Lake Como, Italy for “A Kiss On The Chic’s Creative Retreat in Italy” Laura’s put together a fabulous event and Sept. 15th cannot get here soon enough. I’ve never in my life wished I had a Sizzix Vagabond Machine so badly as I...

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Felting Bunnies

Mar 1, 2012

Felting Bunnies

Lately, I have really been interested in the art of felting. So the other night while I was sitting with Alan watching American Idol a few nights ago I  tried making a bunny. I cannot just sit and do nothing when watching TV, it makes me a nervous wreck, so felting is something that works perfectly for me.  THIS picture TUTORIAL is what I used to make the bunny shown above. I thought instead of using yarn to make the head and body and felt to create the ears I could make them using wool roving. This is an easy way to learn how to make adorable little bunnies. Mine stands a little less than 3″ tall.   Last night, while watching American Idol once again, I started another bunny, but this time I’m going to...

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So many doors..

Feb 20, 2012

So many doors..

You never know when opportunity will come knocking on your door. And I’m happy to say it came knocking on mine while I was attending CHA. This opportunity came completely out of the blue and was totally unexpected and certainly not planned. For the past 10 days (reason for my lack of blog posts) I have created into the wee hours of the morning, slept 4 or 5 hours, created all day, took a 2 hour nap, created into the wee hours of the morning and started the process all over again. In the end I created 64 items and all but 13 were chosen. Chosen for what, you might ask… well I’m now a signature designer for Blossom Bucket and I’m thrilled beyond belief.  This is a new area for me since my items...

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