Saturday, December 26, 2015

Surviving Christmas

Santa and I have a quirky sense of humor.

I paired the free colored Dearie Dolls digital image with Becca's sentiment (STAMPlorations) for a quick card.



If you celebrated Christmas, I hope you are relaxing today with a good cup of coffee!

Entering

STAMPlorations December Challenge:  Stamps and a Holiday

Friday, December 25, 2015

Books for the Creative Soul

For the first time, I "get" Google Connect. 

I was looking to respond to a person who left a comment on my blog, got "connected" to a few of her G+ comments, and ended up with a list of books to inspire our creative soul HERE. (FYI the list is a year old) The snippet quotes under each title were enough today to inspire me.

I think I'll get a couple of these books. 

Which one would you read first?

Another make from the archives:



Thursday, December 24, 2015

Merry Christmas

It's a family tradition (on my mother's side) to make pierogi for Christmas Eve.



How cute is this apron?  My oldest daughter gave it to me for Christmas a couple of years ago. You can find it on Etsy.

My grandparents immigrated from Poland near the Russian border.  That said, I've never had a pierogi filled with mashed potatoes.


Here is a pic of me with my babcia, and of course, my siblings.  This is how I remember her.

The two fillings my babcia made were:
1) ground beef with onion and hard boiled egg
2) farmer's cheese with onion and raw egg

We've adapted the recipe over the years, including following the ravioli dough recipe in the Fanny Farmer cookbook, using ground chuck and ricotti cheese.

This afternoon I managed to get 3 dozen made (3 batches of dough, 1 lb chuck and 1 container cheese; dough rolled, filled, boiled) in two hours.

Then comes the delish part, frying them in butter (Kerry Gold, of course) and dollaping with sour cream.

I like to serve them with spinach salad and cranberry sauce.

I'd like to serve pickled beets, but I'd be the only one eating them.  However, my nephew has a great recipe that doctors them up with balsamic vinegar, feta cheese and pecans.  I think I just talked myself into that for next year!

Whatever your holiday traditions, I hope they are memorable!

And just to throw in some papercrafting.... this is a Gecko Galz design team make from last year.



Sunday, December 20, 2015

Blog Hop Winners

Definitely hop hang-over!  But so much fun!  And I can't wait for the next Coffee Loving Papercrafters Blog Hop.

Winners of my 2 Holiday blog hop candy prizes:

$10 Starbucks gift card:  Sue Reynolds

Hot Chocolate packet (Snowman Soup Mix):  Chark

Please email me your snail mail addies!  I plan to mail these out on Tuesday, December 22.  If I don't hear from either winner by December 29, I will re-draw for that particular prize.


Friday, December 18, 2015

Holiday To Go Cup

Yikes!  I skipped yesterday!  Here's my sixth make for the Coffee Lovers Holiday Blog Hop.

It's been busy.  A trip out of town today included a stop at Starbucks to get the ugly sweater cozy.  I had my cup filled with Chestnut Praline.  It was delishl!



I used the template we worked with at my last craft club meeting.  I used an actual cardboard cozy to wrap around the middle.

The papers are Little Yellow Bicycle Christmas Magic from my stash.

Here is the sample from club and what I had started there.  I always take pictures so I can remember what it's supposed to look  like when I finish the project at home.



I changed it up a little as I put white on the backside as well and also wrapped the cozy all the way around.  I added a Starbucks gift card.  This one goes to my brother-in-law.



Here's the completed insert.  I used a sentiment from that awesome freebie digi set given to us by Verve Stamps for this hop.  


I  HAVE BLOG CANDY FOR THIS HOP.  JUST LEAVE A COMMENT HERE.  NO NEED TO  "FOLLOW" ME UNLESS YOU REALLY WANT TO. LIMITED TO COMMENTS FROM THOSE LIVING IN THE U.S.A. ONLY.  (I will try to do something digital for international visitors in the next hop.)  One winner will receive a Starbucks gift card. One winner will receive a hot chocolate packet. Picture on this post.  When you leave a comment on Day One HERE, please let me know if you'd like to be included in the blog candy drawing.   I will draw names Saturday evening, December 19.

Of course, I'd love a comment here, too, telling me how you like this gift card holder! Thanks so much for visiting!

Entering this card here:

Coffee Lovers Holiday Blog Hop.  I'm entry #630


Verve December Inspiration Challenge due January 5  I'm entry #47

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Teabag Gift Card Holder

Today is International Tea Day!


I love the free Dearie Dolls Digi Stamps.

My four-year-old granddaughter and I enjoy coloring them together.  It is a special time we share since we both love to craft.

And I use the pre-colored versions on cards.

I would like to share with you a Dearie Dolls link.  I hope you find it as delightful as I did.
The Snowman Song

Here is the latest card I made using a Dearie Dolls Digi. It's actually called Little Hot Chocolate Snowman.  I placed it on a teabag gift card holder. 



Why is it a teabag?  Because of the valley/mountain fold in the middle which can then hold a gift card or cash.  





Additional materials used:
Martha Stewart Snowflake Punch
DCWV glitter card stock
Tombow Fasterner Tabs (velcro tab to hold it shut)
Misc. scrap of 2 sided card stock
Really Reasonable Ribbon - silver


This is my 5th entry for the Holiday Coffee Lovers Blog Hop. This one is #443.



There is a special post on that site for International Tea Day.  You can see it HERE. There still is time to enter the blog hop.  Flash prizes are being awarded today.

I  HAVE BLOG CANDY FOR THIS HOP.  JUST LEAVE A COMMENT HERE.  NO NEED TO  "FOLLOW" ME UNLESS YOU REALLY WANT TO. LIMITED TO COMMENTS FROM THOSE LIVING IN THE U.S.A. ONLY.  (I will try to do something digital for international visitors in the next hop.)  One winner will receive a Starbucks gift card. One winner will receive a hot chocolate packet. Picture on this post.  When you leave a comment on Day One HERE, please let me know if you'd like to be included in the blog candy drawing.  

Of course, I'd love a comment here, too, telling me how you like this gift card holder! Thanks so much for visiting!

ALSO ENTERING THESE CHALLENGES:

Tuesday Throwdown:  #274 Anything Goes I'm #13 until January 4, 2016 x

Crafty Hazelnut's December Patterned Paper Challenge  I'm #253 x

Cupcake Inspirations Challenge #340  I'm #15 til Jan 1, 2016?? x

Monday, December 14, 2015

Mug Shots

Continuing with the coffee themes:

I was looking through my digital files when I came across the sentiment "mug shots" in the Crafty Secrets kitchen collection.

The idea immediately came to mind to show a film strip of mugs.  I found a film strip in my Pixel Scrappers digi collection, made by Janet Scott.  Using my Photoshop software, I filled the strip with cups from the Cup Collection found at Vera Lane Studio etsy shop.  The photographer and bow also are from Vera Lane Studio 

This time I wanted to create a mixed media tag for my coffee themed album.  I started with Stampin' Up very vanilla card stock and printed out all the digis.  Then I used another piece for the background.  




I made a Gelli Plate print using Lumiere Crimson paint, Deco Art Primitive chalky paint, and dry wall tape.
Once my print was dry, I placed on top of it the STAMPlorations ARTplorations Holly Background stencil and used a sponger dabber with Ranger Pine Needles Distress Ink.  I tried a red Sharpie on the berries.  

Fussy cut images and tag edges are edged with a black sharpie.  I used Stampin' Up dimensionals with the photographer and word strips.  The ricrac is The Paper Studio trim.

Entering this card here:

Time Out Challenges  #46 Christmas photo inspiration


Stamplorations ARTplorations Mixed Media December challenge--must use a stencil and can't be a card


Holiday Coffee Lovers Blog Hop.  This is my 4th entry.  This one is #383


I  HAVE BLOG CANDY FOR THIS HOP.  JUST LEAVE A COMMENT HERE.  NO NEED TO  "FOLLOW" ME UNLESS YOU REALLY WANT TO. LIMITED TO COMMENTS FROM THOSE LIVING IN THE U.S.A. ONLY.  (I will try to do something digital for international visitors in the next hop.)  One winner will receive a Starbucks gift card. One winner will receive a hot chocolate packet.  When you leave a comment on Day One HERE, please let me know if you'd like to be included in the blog candy drawing.  

Of course, I'd love a comment here, too, telling me how you like this mixed media card! Thanks so much for visiting!

Sunday, December 13, 2015

Hot Chocolate!

Today is National Cocoa Day!

You know I have to make at least one totally digital card for each Coffee Lovers hop. So here is a 5x4 inch digital composition that will be printed and placed on a white 6x5 card.




Digital Files
DeeDee's Digis sentiment from Cup of Christmas
Winnie and Walter digital image peppermint border from the Daily Grind
Pixel Scrapper snow day mug with marshmallows made by Brook Gazarek
Pixel Scrapper Christmas in July candy cane by Sheila Reid
Pixel Scrapper red bow by Merisa Lerin


Entering this digital make here:

Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge: #259 Anything Goes (one of this week's sponsors is DeeDee's Digis) x

The Holiday Coffee Lovers Blog Hop 2015  This is my third entry and this one is #310.


There is a special post on that site for National Cocoa Day.  You can see it HERE. There still is time to enter the blog hop.  Flash prizes are being awarded today.

I  HAVE BLOG CANDY FOR THIS HOP.  JUST LEAVE A COMMENT HERE.  NO NEED TO  "FOLLOW" ME UNLESS YOU REALLY WANT TO. LIMITED TO COMMENTS FROM THOSE LIVING IN THE U.S.A. ONLY.  (I will try to do something digital for international visitors in the next hop.)  One winner will receive a Starbucks gift card. One winner will receive a hot chocolate packet. Picture on this post.  When you leave a comment on Day One HERE, please let me know if you'd like to be included in the blog candy drawing.  

Of course, I'd love a comment here, too, telling me how you like this clean and simple card! Thanks so much for visiting!

Owl Coffee Card

This is my Day 2 (aka 2nd entry) for the Holiday Coffee Lovers Blog Hop.  This one is entry #229.

I used the freebie given to us by one of the hop's super sponsors, JessicaLynnOriginal.  If you haven't checked out the hop, there are tons of sponsors with prizes to be awarded.  In addition, several have freebie digital images on their sites just for this occasion.  Jessica offered us Barista Brentwood Owl.



Isn't that coffee cup cute?  I picked it up at the local dollar store and plan to give it as a gift.

I used Copic markers and a double sided patterned paper from Webster's Pages Waiting for Santa collection.  This paper has been in my stash for quite some time so I was happy to finally cut it up.

Here's another view of the card.  I tried to add the look of texture by layering several Copic colors.



As promised in my previous post, here is a picture of my blog candy that I'm offering to folks who live in the USA.  Next hop I'll get something that can go digitally internationally.   Please leave a comment on Day One HERE that you are interested in the blog candy, if you haven't already done so.



One winner will get that cute Starbucks gift card.  A second winner will get the snowman hot chocolate mix and the card I make to go with it.

It's not too late to join in the hop!  December 13th is National Cocoa Day and there are flash prizes! Just go HERE to link up your creation!


Friday, December 11, 2015

World's Best Cup of Coffee

I was watching the movie Elf when I got inspired to make this card.



Materials:
Vera Lane Studio digital stamps
combination of Copic markers and digital coloring.  Added words to coffee cup
A Cut Above Coffee die by Verve stamps
Graphic 45 Christmas Emporium patterned papers
Bazzill Basics card stock
bell, baker's twine and red dots from stash

Entering this card here:

Winter/Holiday Coffee Lovers Blog Hop Day #1 I'm #161

I WILL HAVE BLOG CANDY FOR THIS HOP.  JUST LEAVE A COMMENT HERE.  NO NEED TO  "FOLLOW" ME UNLESS YOU REALLY WANT TO. LIMITED TO COMMENT FROM THOSE LIVING IN THE U.S.A. ONLY.  One winner will receive a Starbucks gift card.  One winner will receive a hot chocolate packet.  Pictures on tomorrow's post.  When you leave a comment, please let me know if you'd like to be included in the blog candy drawing.  Thanks so much for visiting!


Thursday, December 3, 2015

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

For my December Unruly PaperArts blogozine creative contribution, I made some simple cards/gift tags using free Santa clip art from Vintage Holiday Crafts website.

I started by printing the images, folding them on the left side, and cutting them out.  This gave me small shaped cards which I then layered onto white paper embossed with my various seasonal embossing folders, then layered onto colored card stock.

More details and photos can be found at the Unruly PaperArts blogozine here.



It's hard to believe this is my last article at UPA and that this also is the final UPA issue.

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Santa Claus is Visiting Unruly PaperArts This Month

The December issue of Unruly PaperArts blogozine is up. Our theme this month is Santa Claus

Unfortunately, this is our last issue. You can read about that here.  UPA evolved from Gingersnap Creations.  I made the transition from one group to the other so I'm sad to see it come to a end. 

My article will be posted on December 3. Here's a sneak peek.



I would like to enter this here:

Craft-Dee BowZ December Monthly Challenge CDB32: Anything Goes with a handmade bow
I used my Craft-Dee BowZ tool to make the bow, following the easy directions that came with it. This is the first time I actually used the bow maker which I had won in a contest.

Curtain Call Dear Santa due December 10
The Santa graphic is from Vintage Holiday Graphics.


I also posted this in Tag Tuesday where I play when I have time.  Our theme is bows.

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Read a Recipe

This is my creative contribution for the November Reader Art Quest (RAQ) at Unruly PaperArts. This month's theme is The Written Word.  You have until the end of the month to enter HERE.

For National Young Readers' Day, I started my mixed media cookbook with this page.




I love that the instructions say "Read labels...".

Materials
DCWV Summer Dreams salmon pink background paper
Let's Cook dinner recipe page and wood cow are from Red Lead Paperworks kit
washi tape from stash
mini wood cookbook--Darice Timeless Minis from Alpha Stamps.






Thursday, November 5, 2015

Thanksgiving Thank You Card

I made this card for a very special person who has done so much in the past few months.  It's a digital hybrid card.   After layering the Crafty Secrets items, I printed it out onto cardstock and added the stamping and die cut word.



Materials:

PSE software for layering, sizing, and shading

digitals  from Crafty Secrets:  monthly freebies--wheat paper, red plaid paper, Autumn Blessings graphic;   bird/fruit circle in  purchased Vintage Kitchen collection

I am so thankful for you stamps from STAMPlorations Blossom Overture clear stamp set

Memento Tuxedo Black ink

Red Lead Paperworks double sided  paper adhesive

Thanks die cut from Impression Obession

beige card stock


Entering these Challenges:

STAMPlorations Anything Goes

Lunagirl Moonbeams November Thanksgiving Harvest/Gratitude  x

Digitally Sweet Challenge #144 All About the Title featured entry

Crafty Secrets November Linky Party x

Curtain Call Challenge Plaid and Plush x

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

2016 Altered Calendar Book

Our theme this month at Unruly PaperArts blogozine is Noteworthy.  My creative contributor article features my altered calendar book.



If you've been with me for awhile, you'll recognize my "calling card", a digital banner I created when I was on the Gecko Galz design team.  The digital tickets are from Ginas Designs.

My bow was made using the Craft-Dee BowZ maker which I won during their December 2014 Blog Hop. The black tea towel stripe ribbon was a win from The Ribbon Girl.

I love the digital labels from Wings of Whimsy.  I took her idea of folding the labels in half and using them for page tabs.  I was able to type the months directly onto the labels before printing.

You will recognize the picture wheel and pen nib as Tim Holtz products and the red netting from Stampin' Up.

My color palette is kraft and black with a pop of red.  Hence the red flower on the cover.  Here is how I incorporated the colors inside the back cover of my calendar book.  I hate to say this, but all the bits and pieces used in this project didn't even make a dent in my stash.



For additional photos of my altered book, please see my UPA article HERE.

Entering my altered book here:

Rhedd's Creative Spirit November Challenge x



Sunday, November 1, 2015

November at Unruly Paper Arts

The table of contents listing a month's worth of Noteworthy articles is posted at Unruly PaperArts blogozine HERE.

For my creative contribution, I chose to alter a calendar book.  My article will be posted on November 3.

Here is a sneak peak--waiting for January 2016 to start--at which time I'll be participating in Wanderlust, a year-long on-line mixed media art journey.



This month's UPA Reader Art Quest is all about the written word.  You have the entire month to create anything that fits the theme and enter it HERE.  Be inspired by books or by the flourescent colors in this photo.




I made this digital scrappy page which fits International Communications Week.  Don't you just love the expression on her face?  Talk about communicating with a look!



The background paper including the hen and chick is from Crafty Secrets.
The picture frame is from Websters Pages.
Sentiment is from Marisa Lerin at Pixel Scrapper.

Entering this scrappy page here:

Digitally Sweet Challenges: #144  November It's All About the Title x
Alphabet Challenge Blog:  S is for Sweet Treats due Nov. 12 and I'm #12 x
Crafty Secrets November Linky Challenge:  Visions of Sugar Plums x

Friday, October 30, 2015

Spooky Halloween!

We're having a full moon for Halloween trick or treating!

Here's a digital hybrid tag.  After layering and shadowing, I printed out the basic tag and then added ribbon and the witches graphic (after I distressed with scissors and inked up the edges.



Materials
Gecko Galz digital Freak Show Papers and Jeepers Creepers digital collage sheet (girl)
I flipped the paper so that the lighter areas looked like they were being illuminated by the moon.  I added a shadow to the girl for the same moonglow effect.
Luna Girl:   You can find the witches in the Witch Photos digital collage sheet
the Graphics Fairy: moon with witch and bat
computer generated text

Going to post this at Tag Tuesday where this week's theme is Spooky.  I haven't had a chance to play there in awhile.

Entering these challenges:

LunaGirl Moonbeams:  Gothic  x

Crafts for Eternity Challenge R250 Black, Orange and Purple--sadly this is the last challenge for this site. winner announced Nov 6   I made the Top 3


Pile It On:  #92 Cute and/or Spooky I'm #116  x

Gecko Galz FaceBook Papercrafting Group:  Moonlight Serenade--something featuring Gecko Galz products and the moon  x

Fripperies and Butterflies Monthly Challenge: October Color Challenge  due November 14
must use at least 2 colors from mood board
must post entry on FaceBook site: https://www.facebook.com/fripperiesandbutterflies?ref=hl

Monday, October 19, 2015

Party On

In the midnight hour----my quick and cathartic coloring.  I discovered the Vera Lane Studio party last week but first I had to finish a design team project, which was squeezed in between an out-of-town wedding and spending the day with the grandkids. But I never pass up a chance to party....so here is my post card celebrating Vera Lane Studio.  I think I understand why coloring books for adults are so popular.  After a full day, it was great to get lost in this coloring project.



I'm sharing this on here on my blog, my closed Facebook group, and on Pinterest.  As well as on the Vera Lane Studio Facebook Page.

Here is something I made last year with Janet's images.




Thursday, October 15, 2015

In the Spotlight

While away at a most fabulous wedding, I was featured in an article at Unruly PaperArts blogozine.  Here is the link to the article:  http://www.unrulypaperarts.com/2015/10/creative-contributor-spotlight-helene.html

The article includes a bio (oops--I thought I updated those design teams), pics of some of my fave works, and an on-line question and answer segment.

Please do pop by....

I haven't had much time to craft and need to devote the next few days to some Unruly design team projects.

So not much autumn art going on, even though I love to craft Halloween.  I even have bottle labels printed out, ready to glue on.  Hopefully I can get to it before the weekend.  In the meantime, here's a blast from the past:


Saturday, October 3, 2015

UPA Column Babcia's House

This month at Unruly PaperArts blogozine, the creative contributors were given free reign with an Anything Goes theme.  My article was posted on October 3, 2015 HERE

For my anything goes project, I chose to alter a Prima shadow box house into my grandmother's house.  She was Polish so we called her by the Polish diminuative for babunia which is Babcia. What you will see in this house is a representation in miniature of the many items that were part of life inside her Milwaukee home.  Many of these items currently have found a loving place in my home. This article contains my musings of an era gone by.

Here is the article, along with photos of the actual items represented in miniature in the shadow box.

Let's start with the Prima house itself.  I wanted the alteration to reflect a turn-of-the-century home. The "wallpaper" is from the Authentique Classique:Beauty collection.   I chose it because of it's gold and black patterns, common in early 1900's decor. (These items were purchased at my lls, the Paper Boutique.)  I purchased many Prima resin furnishings for it as they reflected the furniture I remembered seeing in Babcia's front room.    Does anyone else remember furniture covered with heavy see-through plastic? Some of the miniatures to fill the rooms were acquired from Alpha Stamps, an on-line store.  The chipboards are Kaiser Craft.


After having gone through the Great Depression and World War II rationing, some items may have been purchased during the boom after the war.  However, with the time frame now being mid-century, it still makes them antiques.  That part of history has been lost.  But I can tell you what I do know.

At the turn of the century my grandfather and his father came to America and worked in a (pressed) glass factory in Tarentum, Pennsylvania.  I have a carafe made in that factory which I was able to find in miniature. Pictured next to the carafe are two glasses handpainted by my babcia.






With a wife and 3 children, my grandfather moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1909 where they remained. After a work related injury in the steel mill put my grandfather on the sidelines, my grandmother found a job as a seamtress.  

The sewing related miniatures are a reminder of her amazing talent. My mother said she and her sisters could ask her to duplicate any dress they found in a window display. (Pictured are my mother and Babcia --a scrappy page I made in 2010.)






She made my sister and me wool robes and pleated skirts. Here's an old photo of us wearing those skirts!




Babcia and her four daughters also were excellent in the art of crocheting. I have many of those doilies, tablecloths, and bedspreads. I put a couple of snippets of the crocheting on the shelves.

My aunt Phyllis, as an adult, continued to live with my Babcia.  As a young child, I was struck by her grace and poise and what she found important to "a working girl".  I remember her collection of perfume bottles, the telephone table, and (most vividly) the attic full of racks of clothing with matching hats and shoes.  The little magnifying glass in the attic is actually hers.





















Somehow I ended up with one of her vintage style umbrellas.  I also am the depository for Babcia's fine china, represented by the coffee cup.

I wanted to include a telephone because both my mother and my aunt worked for the phone company. Here is another old scrappy page.



Babcia had a water pitcher and bowl.  My aunt loved pink and filled it with her style of flowers which remain in the pitcher to this day.

























Babcia was a typical European cook who didn't measure anything.  No one could duplicate her delicious babka (Polish Easter cake).  However, the Boston Cooking School Cook Book aka the Fanny Farmer Cookbook somehow turned up as the "go to" family cookbook.  Pictured is my mother's well-worn edition.  I also got a copy when I married in 1970-- it is getting close to being an antique as well.  Everyone had a wood rolling pin.  I still can picture Babcia making us perogi in her kitchen--just a quick lunchtime meal.  It takes me two days to make a batch!



Finally, I wanted to include books for these avid readers and a newspaper since my uncle-in-law, who lived in the flat above, was a newspaper publisher and cartoonist. The photo in the frame is of Uncle Joe.  The bit of doily is one actually crocheted by the family.



Here is a picture of me (and my siblings) in front of Babcia's house.  Thanks for stopping by and reliving with me my memories of Babcia's house.



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