Even Cowgirls Get the Blues

This week at Gingersnap Creations the theme is "DENIM, RUST & DUST", so for my creation I dug into my treasures from a favorite junk store in my area. Got this old whiskey bottle for $1.00 and gave it a good wash with Ginger alcohol ink. Then stamped my image (from Oxford Impressions, Cowgirl Blues collection) onto tissue paper and adhered it to my burlap with Modge Podge. The tag is made from wood and inked up with Denim and Vintage Photo DI's then stamped with "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" (from same stamp collection as image). Added some beads and crinkled seam binding and then topped it off with a bottle topper that can be purchase at Studio Garage Band Etsy Shop. For that added denim piece, cut off a pocket from a pair of old jeans.
It has been so much fun being a visiting artist over at Gingersnap Creations this month. There are so many talented artists that participate in this blog challenge. I would encourage everyone to drop by this blog for wonderful challenges every week. They provide amazing tutorials and they encourage you to use different supplies that you might not normally use as well as suggest techniques to try out. Thank you Gingers for your hospitality.

MOMENTS

I am so thankful for my ART, because it can lift my spirits in a moments notice. This morning was kind of dreary and didn't really have that pep in my step so thought I would check out the theme over at Studio L3 with lovely Linda for Grungy Monday. Tim's techniques can always get me out of that funk. A really quick project but his watercolor technique washed that gloominess away. We all get really busy and overwhelmed, but sometimes all we need is that "Moment" for ourselves. Now I gotta go, cause my bubble bath is waiting for me. Hey it's ok to have more than 1 moment in a day...xoxo Toni

Spirit in the Sky

As a visiting artist this month at Gingersnap Creations this is my contribution for inspiration for this weeks technique theme "Scene Stamping". This was a challenge for me as I am really not a "stamper", have never mastered the whole pressure and rocking and all that is involved in a nice crisp image, but hopefully you get the idea from my piece. My stamps were from Beeswax Stamps. The background was made using glassine paper and rubbing Walnut DI on the top lightly to give it that faux suede look. My image was stamped and then I used an assortment of Lindys Stamp Gang stains to color my picture. Added some fibers for texture in the sky; hence the title "Spirit in the Sky" and brushed a nice coat of beeswax over the top for a warm and aged effect.

On my right side bar I have most of the challenges I do participate in. I would encourage you to check some of these out. The talent of artist involved and the inspiration of themes suggested will open up a whole new world of art and creativity for you. Honestly don't think I would have ever tried the stamp scene technique, but really glad I did. Hope you enjoyed and thnx for stopping by. xoxo Toni

Hitching Post

Howdy Y'all.. it's Wednesday and you know what that means... new challenge over at Gingersnap Creations. As part of being one of the visiting artists this month, here is my contribution for the theme "TWINE"....This little filly isn't picky. Whether it's a young whippersnapper, a city-slicker or an ol' coot, she's gonna wrangle herself up a man. The image was from Oxford Impressions as well as the sentiment, stamped and distressed on sticky back canvas. Sign was made from old pieces of wood and broken stir sticks. The ring was a dollar store purchase and rusted up a bit. Thanks for dropping by and sitting a spell. xoxo Toni

Our Vintage Affair May Card Challenge

Hi everyone... happy May and it's that time of month for our new challenge at Our Vintage Affair. It's our card challenge, and believe me, this was a bit of a challenge for me as I'm really not much of a card maker, but right on time for Mother's Day. Part of the card challenge is to make a "napkin fold" card, in which you can view this wonderful tutorial @ StampARTic. And this months's sponsor for us is A UK based company and some of the products they sell are Ranger, Tim Holtz, Martha Stewart, Viva Decor, Copic Pens, Crafty Individuals and the list goes on and on. They will be offering you prize money to spend at their store. YIPEE . I really did have lots of fun making this card and here are a few extra shots of it: The card closure was made using flowers from "I Am Roses" and background is stamped and embossed with Lindy's Stamp Gang Mica Magicals. The card then pops open to display your message inside. Here is the card opened completely and I had a collage of myself, brother and baby sister copied and placed inside for my Mom. Drop by Our Vintage Affair to see what the other DT ladies created... Such wonderful inspiration, and give this card a try. xoxo toni

Love.... A Universal Language

This must be the week for "hands" because three of my favorite challenge blogs have that very theme. Theme Thursday, Wednesday Stamper, and Simon Says Stamp. So this is what I came up with. I've had this wonderful old ephemera with sign language that I am so sorry but can't remember where I copied this from. It seemed fitting to dedicate this piece to the "Freedom Riders" 50th Anniversary. A brave group of Americans that help pave the the smoother road that we walk in today. Even though hatred and prejudice are still alive, they helped us to come a long way. I thank you and applaud you.

The paper I used was from my new stash of Tim Holtz Kraft Resist paper. I then used several different mixed media products:

The heart was made with Molding Paste

The frame was bright orange originally which I painted with black Gesso and then used Rub and Buff in Patina and Gold

The crackes of the corrugated cardboard were filled with Golden Glass Bead Gel in which I colored it with Alcohol Inks in Stream and Cinnamon

Then several of Lindys Stamp Gang products were used to give it that old vintage patina'd look.

Voodoo Violet Purple Starburst Spray

Magical Micas in Dark Chocolate Truflle, and Opal Sea Oats

MoonShadow Spray Treasure Island Aqua

Micas in Atomic Green Gold and Starlight Salmon

Thank you for stopping by....Wishing all the mommies in the World Much Love ,,,xoxo Toni

The Wild West at Gingersnap Creations

I have the honor and privilege of being chosen as one of the "Visting Artist" for the month of May at Gingersnap Creations. A blog challenge that I frequent so often for art inspiration and tutorials.... there are some wonderfully creative people at GC.
So let's start the Hoedown Y'all... This month we're headed west ...... The Wild West. Yep that's our theme, and this week the technique we'd like you to do is "masking."My image was a stamp from Oxford Impressions from the "Cowgirl Blues". I used Tim Holtz "Weathered Clock" Alteration diecut and cut out my own mask using Ideaology Mask Sheets. Reckoned I needed to distress things up abit so I used Faded Jeans and Vintage Photo for the base colors and the images were stamped using Brown Timber Stazon. Whoa Nellie !!!! what's that I found but a bunch of old pieces of copper, so I did a bit of sanding on them and stapled some on the tag. And the clock hands were embossed with copper UTEE and then chipped off. Take time to mosey on over to Gingersnap for all the deets on this months challenges. for some unbelievable talent and exciting inspiration. xoxo Toni

Angels....help our garden grow

Happy May Day to all and hope everyone is getting some sunshine in their little section of the world. Over at Our Vintage Affair it is time for the May layout challenge, and the following sketch is provided for inspiration to your layout and only one requirement this month and that is to use 3 different laces. This challenge is open till May 20th in which one lucky scrapper will win ........ Whoo Hoo !!!! Aren't you just loving those pretty flowers!!! My layout featured my two furry four legged children Bubba & Noelle out at our garden. It's our very first and we're so excited !!!! So far I've harvested some lettuce, strawberries, and a couple tomatoes (yummmmm). So much fun to be able to go outside and pick your veggies... In my journaling I listed everything that we planted and hopefully are going to enjoy!!! Take a hop over at Our Vintage Affair to see inspiration from all the other wonderful girls on the Design Team. I am also entering this into My Time To Craft Challenge, which happens to have a them "Perfect Pets" and well, mine are perfect . Lots and lots of entries for this theme so be sure to drop over there for more wonderful creative inspiration.

Thanks for stopping by, get outside and soak up some Vitamin D... Happy Creating!

ARTFUL BAG ATC SWAP

This month at Artful Bag Challenge, it was ATC swapping time, and I was soooooo excited to get to trade with Julie Forest (from Juls Art Niche)... I am such an admirer of her work !!! The ATC, of course, had to feature a bag, purse, clutch, satchel, whatever you may call it. Julie's Atc was "Bold" and beautiful. (I can totally see me rockin a purse just like this...hahaha), and then Julie being so clever, added a special little treat. When opened, the purse exclaims "Walk on the Wild Side"... love it Julie... thank you! The colors are vibrant, and just pop!!!! My Atc I sent Julie had to do with Mary Poppins... I have ALWAYS loved her big carpet bag, and so I tried to copy that by making a purse using G45 Fashionista and paper transferred it to sticky back canvas. Spray painted a little umbrella and "SPIT SPOT SPIC AND SPAN, Practically Perfect" (well not sure about that) but Julie did say she enjoyed the ATC... very fun challenge. Great time meeting new friends from across the globe. Pop over to Julies blog for some awesome inspiration.

BLISSFUL ATC SWAP "Steampunk"

(FROM EASTCOAST TO WESTCOAST) The theme for the month of April at Blissful ATC Swap was "Steampunk" and I had the pleasure of swapping with my crafty buddy from NY, Tina. She so creatively put together this wonderful steampunk ATC and sent in on it's way to me here in California. New to the whole world of Steampunk was Tina, and I think she captured the essence perfectly. Thank you for all the special little details you included. She even chose a favorite color palette of mine Red & Black, and if that wasn't enough she sent me a package of special goodies, which included a boxful of handmade flowers... yipee !!!!!

(FROM WESTCOAST TO EASTCOAST) Then off in the mail my atc went to Tina... a bit late due to a minor back injury and laid up for awhile.

Mine is titled "Wishing you many good hair days". I so enjoy meeting new friends that share the same passion for art as I do. What a blessing to be able to ispire and encourage each other on our artful journey. Thank you once again Tina for the special delivery!!! xoxo Toni

Our Vintage Affair "Pearl Layout"

Hi bloggers and happy April 20th. It's time for April Layout @ Our Vintage Affair and the theme this month is "Pearls". The base paper for my layout was from our wonderful sponsor this month and the winner of this challenge will win their gorgeous collection of papers

The top layer of paper is a Prima Paintable in which I painted the roses and leaves dipping my brushes into Tattered Angels Glimmermists. The pearls were from my old stash of goodies and adhered to the layout. The flowers were also Prima "Craftables" and painted with the following colors: Coral Reef, Tiger Lily, Key Lime Pie, Olive Vine, Crushed Shells & Old Lace

Congrats to our Designer of the Month Jolanda... one very talented and creative lady. Take a jaunt over to her blog for some wonderful inspiration. And don't forget all the other challenges that are still open for participation this month: April Tag Challenge "Easter", April Altered Object "Easter Decoration" and also our 9 Candies that we are giving out to some lucky blog followers . So much crafting to do, so little time, so what are you waiting for go get messy ....xoxo Toni

Blog Candy over at Our Vintage Affair

Everyone I know loves candy, but this is some special candy.... sugarfree, fat free, carb free & money free. Each designer at Our Vintage Affair as well as OVA put together a lovely bag of candy for 9 lucky winners... that's right "sweets for our sweet followers". How exciting... Here's some of the candy that is awaiting to be mailed off to some lucky followers:

To participate in this yummy giveaway jump over to Our Vintage Affair blog for the requirements and also to get our Blog Candy Badge to place on your blog. This is open til May 31st, and winners will be announced on June 5th. Happy Blogging !!!! xoxo Toni

Have a Hippity Hoppy Easter

It's that beautiful time of year, when everything is coming into bloom and we have the gorgeous sunshine. It's time for our April Tag Challenge over at Our Vintage Affair and the theme is.... yep you guessed it "Easter".

Only a couple rules, must be a tag and must include the following image. Our sponsor this month is and the winner of this challenge wins their newest collection of paper goodies On my tag, I ran my bunnies through my Xyron machine and then Diamond Dust was applied for an old vintage crystal effect. Flower Soft was used on the fence for the grass and I Am Roses flowers were sprayed with Tattered Angels Glimmermist "Watermelon".

There is still time to participate in the following challenges we have open which are:

March Altered Item "Kitchen" (open til April 20th)

April Altered Challenge "Easter Decoration" (open til May 1st).

Take a moment and hippity hop over to Our Vintage Affair to view all the other DT creations for inspiration and enjoy making your Easter tag. xoxo Toni

Your That Missing Piece of Puzzle

Tanya Tucker sings this song called "Your That Missing Piece of Puzzle" and it fits how I feel about my daughter. I really don't think my life would be complete without her and everyday I thank God for his gift to me. Theme Thursday challenge this week is "game puzzle piece" so I thought I would just make my entire project a puzzle. Took a photo of my daughter and myself and applied it to a lightweight piece of chipboard. Sprayed photo with Lindy's Stamp Gang Moonshadow Spray in Treasure Island Aqua. Used a puzzle template I found on Google and traced it on my photo then cut out the puzzle pieces. Attached the pieces to black card stock with Goldens Matt Medium and coated the top with beeswax. The edging of the black card stock was embossed with Lindy's Stamp Gang 2 Tone Embossing Powder in "Fiddlehead Fern Green Blue". Thank you for dropping by... smiles and hugs Toni

Altered Easter Decorations

Happy April everyone, and it's time for our Altered Project over at Our Vintage Affair. This month our sponsor is and the prize for the winner this month is this beautiful collection of paper and embellishments The theme is "Easter Decoration" and I got a bit carried away. Had so much fun I made three.

I purchased this little tin bird house at Michaels Craft Store for $ 1 and aged it using Tim Holtz's "chipped enamel" technique then rubbed Gold Metallic Alcohol Ink wherever I chipped the paint off. Added vintage tinsel for the nest. Added flowers from "I Am Roses", ribbon from my stash and this wonderful aged magnetic bird. Next, I purchased a package of paper mache eggs from Michaels Crafts I believe they were $3 for 6 eggs. The technique I used here is the "glue crackle" technique. Added ribbon, some little dry flowers (not sure where I got them), vintage stamens, and flowers from "I Am Roses". Last but not least is my my other egg that I blinged up with several different colors of German Glass Glitter. I think this will look real pretty once it starts to tarnish. I hope you enjoyed and wishing everyone a Blessed Easter. xoxo Toni

Help Hudson !

Happy Wednesday everyone ! Well it's premier week for Grungy Monday challenge over at lovely Linda's blog. For all you T!m Holtz lovers this week the technique is "12 Tags of Christmas 2008, Tag 10". Jump over to see the deets on the technique and give it a try. In my opinion (and a million others) Tim's techniques are priceless and opened up a whole new world for me in mixed media. If you are one that is a bit hesitant on getting your fingers dirty but for some reason are really drawn to it, Tim is your man. He not only gives you permission to get messy, he pushes you right in the puddle of paint. Give it a try !This tag I created is also going out for 3 Muses which never disappoints on their themes. This week it is "Steampunkerie". Yes, these gents do seem to be having a bit of attitude amongst the mayhem.Some of the products I used on this was Perfect Pearls Blue Patina, Oxford Impression stamp collection "Steampunk Elements" and some embellishments from the Tim's Ideology collection. Now what are you waiting for, go get creative and have fun . xoxo Toni