The Odd Whimsy

After a much needed week off I am finally heading home!! I was supposed to go home Sunday, but got stuck in Missouri due to all the snow and ice.  I didn't have a chance to do any paper crafting because I didn't have any supplie with me. So I had to stick to knitting.  Anyway this is a card I made prior to leaving for a friend of mine. I used the latest Graphic 45 collection, Couture.  Thanks for stopping by!-AR

So did everyone survive Thanksgiving and Black Friday? I know I did, but just barely.  I'm enjoying a very relaxing few days off in the wonderful state of Missouri.  Hope everyone has a great week!-AR

Happy Thanksgiving!! I'm posting a day early since I will be working all weekend. Hope everyone has safe travels, enjoy your family time, and PLEASE be respectful and nice to those working the Black Friday madness. We are people too, and don't deserve to be treated like dirt beneath your feet when we can't do what you want, or are sold out of items. So please be courteous! Have a happy Holiday everyone! -AR

So just a quick post for today.  I made this tag as a Thank You gift for a friend.        I made this using Graphic 45's Typography, Kraft Collection (the playing cards), and Steampunk Debutante (the butterflies). I also used another real book page from Splash of Color.  Enjoy!-AR

So the lovely ladies at Sketch-N-Scrap  revealed the second sketch for November at sketchnscrap.blogspot.com . This is Sketch #45.  I loved the simplicity of this sketch, and I knew exactly what photos I wanted to use.  I am still in the process of scrapping all of my NYC photos (I have two separate trips worth!!) and these were some I had taken on my phone and had instagramed. I got them printed at my local Walmart. I used Graphic 45's Le Cirque (if you haven't already noticed I have a bit of a G45 obsession!!!!) I thought this sketch would be great to do some stitching on, which I don't do very often. But I think it turned out great! I use the Sew Easy tool from We Are Memory Keepers. I like it for when I don't want to drag out my sewing machine. I embroider anyway, so I don't mind doing it by hand. I also used a real book page that I got from my local scrapbook store. It was an assortment of real book pages from Splash of Color. I added a f

So I haven't really had much time for anything crafty this week, but I thought I would share this tag I have been working on.  I used Tea Dye and Victorian Velvet for the base of the tag and then stamped over it with a large diamond stamp and some black ink. I then used an embossing folder and my cuttlebug to emboss the tag. I accidently embossed it the wrong way, so the indents were on the right side of the tag and the raised portion on the wrong side. I used this to my advantage and took a white jelly pen and filled in the indentions. -AR

So I started following this great sketch blog sketchnscrap.blogspot.com and I LOVE the sketches! This is the November Sketch: And this is my take on it: I used Graphic 45's The Magic of OZ paper. I love this paper and I have several pads! I chose to scrapbook some photos of my Aunt, my Mom, and my Grandmother outside the Gerswhin Theatre in New York City where we saw Wicked last October. I loved the show and we all had a great time! For this layout I fussy cut some poppies, compasses, and cards from the paper. I used glossy accents and some gears on the compasses, stickles on the center of the poppies, and Tim Holtz Distress paint in Rock Candy on the cards. Thanks for stopping by!-AR      

Ok so I have never been one for all the "throwback Thursday" stuff but I thought I would play along this once. This is a layout I did awhile back for Die Cuts With A View's monthly Stack-a-Holic challenge. I don't often scrap myself, but I thought I would for once.  I used DCWV's Timeless Type stack, which I love. I like anything old and grungy, and this paper really worked well for the pictures I was using.  My apologized for the slightly blurry photo, there is so much dimension on the page it's difficult to pull out of the album, so I left it in. Enjoy!-AR

Hello all!! It's starting to get a bit chilly in East Texas. Had to turn on the heater the other night.  I thought I would share the present I made for my best friend's birthday back at the end of October. I use Graphic 45's Typography and the large album tags to make a mini book! It turned out beautifully and she loved it. Sorry for the poor photos, I was in a rush to finish it so I could leave to go meet her in Arlington (about two and a half hours from where I currently live). We had a shopping day to celebrate her birthday. Enjoy!- AR

So I had this beautiful green colored wine bottle sitting around, and since I hate to throw anything out that I could possibly use I altered it using Graphic 45 French Country.  I wrapped the bottle in paper and glued it down with mod podge. I fussy cut out some sunflowers and also glued them down using mod podge. I used glossy accents on the sunflowers, and Tim Holtz Rock Candy Distress paint on the label which is popped up with dimensionals. I wrapped the upper half of the bottle and cork with TH Tissue Tape, inked it with antique linen to knock back the white, and then sealed it with more Mod Podge. Enjoy!-AR

Sorry it's been a bit since I posted. It's been a crazy last few months, and since things have finally started to wind down I hope to get posting again!!  My latest project is an altered canvas using Graphic 45's A Ladies Diary paper. I had a lot of fun with this one! Enjoy! -AR

I have been wanting to do an altered printers tray for quite some time now. Only thing is I have been a big chicken when it comes to actually doing it. All the ones I have ever seen are so detailed and beautiful. I'm still learning about altering items, but I finally forced my self to just do it after getting a couple of the trays at Hobby Lobby for half off. I used Graphic 45's Old Curiosity Shoppe and then used some odds and ends I already had on hand. I have to say I am very pleased with how it turned out and I can't wait to make another! -A.R.

My apologizes for going so long without a post. Summer is always a very busy time for me. Hopefully as things slow down a bit I will be able to post more. So lately I have been very into Steampunk. I have recently done some tags with this theme. I like making tags because I find them to be quick an easy, but still make me feel like I have gotten my creativity out. I plan on making more tags, and try altering items this summer. I got some AMAZING bottles and little knick-knacks to embellish with at this awesome little antique store in Bell Buckle TN when I was there visiting friends. Enjoy! -Altina R.

So I'm fairly new to the world of card making. And while I like cards, they tend to annoy me because I find them to be too small for a lot of artwork. I know this is not true in most cases because I have seen some truly wonderful cards, but I'm used to working on large surfaces. So while surfing youtube one day I found a tutorial from splitcoaststampers on the easel card. And I fell in love. I have previously posted a easel card I made for a coworker (who loved it), but I thought I would post my first two attempts at it. Please excuse the poor lighting as they were taken from my phone. That's one of my goals of late, to not use my phone so much for photos! I promise I will get better :) Both cards are made with Graphic 45 papers, Le Romance, and Magic of OZ.   Thanks for visiting!-Altina R.

Things have been so nuts that I haven't had much time for anything! We have been resetting the deptartment at work, and my dad is having health issues again. Anyway, I did crank out this present for one of my BFFs 21st birthday this weekend.  She loves peacocks, so I used the image from the Art Nouveau cricut cartridge. I cut it at 9.25 using my gypsy to line it all up on the mat. I previously prepared a 8x10 canvas I got at hobby lobby by painting it aqua blue and then laying an iridescent cellophane that have been scrunched up on top before the paint dried. I assembled the peacock and glued the shadow directly to the canvas and then pop dotted the peacock to the shadow. -Altina R.   

I made a quick Birthday card for the little girl in Indonesia that I sponsor through Compassion International. She will be nine in July.   I made the cuts using the Cricut Alphabet that came with my Expression 2. The paper is from DCWV Preppy Princess (the sentiment), Magnolia Way (the background), and Lace & Linen (the butterfly) stacks. Enjoy! -Altina R.

With Graduations coming up this month and next I thought I would post this Grad card I made last year for some of my guy friends who graduated. I have noticed that most grad cards are either feminine or gender neutral, so I tried to make something that would appeal to my friends. I made this A2 size card using my Cricut and my Cuttlebug. I used the Wrap it Up cartridge and my Expression to make the diploma and the sentiment. I took some silver cardstock from my DCWV Immortal Love cardstock stack and cut it just slightly smaller then the black cardstock base I made. I used the diamond cuttlebug folder on the silver cardstock because it reminded me of toolboxes that you see a lot in truck beds. I attached the black ribbon to the underside of the silver before adding it to the base, used Zig two way glue for the sentiment, and pop dots for the diploma. Thanks for visiting!- Altina R.

Ok so to be completely honest I forgot that today was National Scrapbook Day. I feel slightly bad about that considering how much I LOVE scrapbooking.   I spent part of my day at work, and then had a family emergency and wound up back at home babysitting my little brother. Probably could have gotten some stuff done then, but I chose to catch up on Dr. Who instead XD Shame on me right?   Anyway, sense I didn't actually do any projects today I thought I would share one of my more recent cards. I did this for the April Stack-A-Holic challenge on dcwvinc.blogspot.com. DCWV is one of my favorite paper brands. I think its tied with Graphic 45.     The card is made using the Kidlet stack which I absolutely adore. I love the bright and fun colors, and its a versatile stack that could be used for just about anything. I cut the sentiment from the stack as well. I cut the image out using my Cricut Imagine and the Better Together cartridge.   Have a great weekend!- Altin

Recently I had a good friend's daughter turn one. I'm one of those sentimental type peoples, and I wanted to make her something that she would have for years to come. Her mother is a very creative person and adores anything girly and vintage. So I chose to use Graphic 45's Once upon a Springtime stack. I adore this stack because its the vintage fairies. Like you would see in old story books. I started with just a plain wood box that I purchased at Michaels. I wanted something that wasn't going to be difficult to cover. I sanded the box and painted it with a gesso primer. After that had dried I sanded the box again and put two coats of a sage green paint on the inside and outside of the box, letting dry between each coat. After it had dried I selected my papers and cut the ones for the background down to size. I cut them so it would show the green paint on the edges. I then used Mod Podge to adhere the paper to the box. I even covered the bottom in the pink