Graphic 45's August Challenge

I participated in this months G45 sketch challenge.  I wanted to use the Nutcracker Sweet line since I have yet to do so.  I love how it came, the depth of the different fussy cuts came neat.  Some Lindy's starburst spray for glitz and voila.

Here's the sketch -

Here's my interpretation -

That's Santino and Sophia decorating the tree.  I love this pic!

Here are some other angles -

Hope you like :)  Have a great Labor Day weekend!

Mixed Media, Lindy's Stamp Gang Challenge

HI everyone!  Back again to share my latest project and entry for Lindy's Stamp Gang's color challenge for August.  I went with a mixed media piece since I want to spread my crafting wings a bit and get into that medium a bit.  It's fun and liberating because you just kinda throw whatever you have onto your canvas or plaque or whatever backing you use.  The only thing you really need to make sure of is the "flow" of the piece, to make sure the vibe is right when you look at it.

Here's the color prompt -

Love the colors here!  Our sky has looked like this a couple of times this summer.  We always say "it's gonna be a hot one tomorrow" when the sky looks like this.

Here is the first pic of how the piece started, you'll see it didn't end up that way since I moved it around so much :)

So, as you can see, this is how I had it to start with. The word be was from glitter letters I have and it just didn't work.  So I played and moved, moved and played till this -

Sorry about the ghostly glow in the first two pics bottom left.  The glare from the window peeked out from under my background.  I like how this finished up after playing musical pieces with it.  Here are the colors I used -

Alpine Ice Rose
Mad Hatter Mint
Primrose Gold, which there's no link for yet

Pretty much everything came from my stash.  I'm a frugal little crafter, making my own  chipboard accents when my cricut will allow it, and digging into my stash trying to just use what I own.  The great thing about this medium is the re-purposing aspect.  A plaque that I was no longer using, and there are two more which I'll probably do something for Halloween with!  Taking your pile of paper scraps and just placing them all around.

You can also watch my video -



So I'm having fun with this, not quite there yet, but with each project growth will come :) Hope you liked it and thanks for stopping by!

Once Upon A Sketch

I did a layout for Once Upon A Sketch's August challenge.  The theme was "I'll never forget." and Lord knows I will never forget the day my father died.  Filled with so much sorrow, yet we were all surrounded by people who loved my father and us so very much.  It's hard to believe 4 years has gone by already. I'll touch on the story more after the pics.  Check out OUAS their challenges are really great with a journaling prompt that makes you think. You see, you HAVE to include jouranling somewhere on your layout :)  Just click on either of the titles to go to the blog.

When I enter these, I never look at the other entries, or the dt members pieces.  I want my design to come from my head so I wait till after I post to see what others have done.  I know we are all influenced by other artists, but I try to come up,with my own thing.  Hubby always says "don't you know the last original idea came out of a cave!" Lol.

This was the first time I ever sewed on a layout, and I use the term sew very loosely!  I cut the heart in half and then punched small holes into it and threaded in an X pattern to put it together. My journaling is hidden behind the pic on the banners I made.  It says -

I'll never forget the day my dad died. What a sad sad day filled with so much sorrow.  My pal, my shopping buddy, my daddy.  We were all around his bed listening to his best friend tell us all the bad things my dad did when they were kids.  Not a day goes by dad that you aren't in my thoughts.  I'll love you forever.

I love butterflies and use them in almost all my work.  In this piece they represent life going on.  I chose this handsome pic of my dad while he was in the Navy.  I cut the window, vine, branches, heart, and title from chipboard on my cricut.  Lots of Lindy's starburst spray, a doily, and paper tearing and distressing.  I tore old book pages and added them.  I love how it looks.  The paper is Cappella from Basic Grey and the small strips are Prima's Nature Garden.

That whole trip was surreal, from the nightmare call from my sis in law telling me my dad coded, to me calling my brother right after we made the flight arrangements and telling him to tell dad I'm coming, he can't go anywhere till I get there.  I was in such a state.  It was the trip from hell, a five hour flight from here to N.Y. wound up taking ALL night because of plane problems.  Yet amongst all that sadness, my brothers would say silly things to lighten it up.  My brother Matt with his goomada Christmas. Goomada being the mistress in Italian.  "Don't you all know December 23rd is Goomada Christmas?"  He was teasing Mom.  Then my brother Thomas took off his baseball hat in the waiting room and said "Holy crap where did my hair go?!"  We were laughing so hard.  My husband, my rock, my comfort.  It was as hard on him, he loved my dad like his own, yet he stayed strong for me.  I'm the only daughter and my mom and brothers would say to him, "thats uh my dawda"  while nodding in my direction and he'd grin like the Cheshire cat.  When he and mom would come to visit, he was my traveling partner.  Bringing the kids to school, picking them up, going to the grocery store, Target, the post office, he was with me.  Such a wonderful man who loved us all so very much, so many came to pay their respects, a testament to how loved he was, and what a good decent man.

Finished Wedding Mini

I finished up the mini this morning and I am very happy with it!  I can't wait to see her face when we give it to them :)  I made a pretty charm dangley to hang on the rings along with some ribbon.  The cover came so pretty.  Here are the pics -

The roman numeral clock I picked up from Zibbet shop Sa Crafters.  She has some great chipboard pieces at very reasonable prices.  The lace trim on the bottom of the book was from her as well. Click on her title if you want to check her out. Sometimes there are things I can't cut with the cricut and this was one of em.  Believe me I tried to get a nice cut on my chipboard with it but it would tear or be too jagged.  Smaller chipboard pieces with lots of detail like the tiny numerals need those laser cut pieces. Trust me, I'm a stubborn gal and would rather make it myself if I can!

I love this quote - When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.
 

I love the pennant page!  I used a template for pic placement and didn't glue it all the way down so the pic slips right in.  The same for the last bling page.  There's the plastic pkg that the florish came on tucked under so the pic will slip in and then the bling can be pressed onto it.  I'll tell her if she'd like I'll add pics for her that she chooses. These I pulled from her fb page.  There's room for 15 more pics I believe.

Hope you like the finished product!  I had fun making it and can't wait to give it :)

Wedding, Altered Cigar Box

My daughter Desirae's brother in law and his wife had a house warming party.  She had admired the album I had made for Des' wedding so I made one for them.  It's not quite finished but I wanted to put some pics of what I had so far.  I'm happy with it.  Lots of textures, not just with paper layering but with paste as well.  I went Lindy Stamp Gang mist crazy with it too :)

Painted black, then misted with Lindy's frolic in the forest black.  The paper is Prima Lyric collection. Flowers and leaves from my stash, butterflies cut with cricut. Graphic 45 metal embellie along with flat back pearls and pearl florish embellie.  The lace is from my stash and the rosette ribbon is from Tim Holtz.  I stamed the two little tags and misted them with cosmopolitan pink and fuzzy navel peach.  I don't know if you can pick up the green sparkle that is from the starburst spray on the box, love it!

Just two of the pages that I did, I blurred the brides face, don't know if she'd like being shared.  I used texture past and starburst sprays on it along with handmade roses and a butterfly.  I used the tattered floral big shot die for this.  The next I cut 3 fans from the cricut with Ashlyn's alpha cart then made the stick pin with my beads.  Pretty blingy beads, yay!  A bow and bitty rose.  Working on the cover now and then I'll bind it.  When I'm done I'll take pics of it all together.

Well, summer vaca has ended for the Calvanico kids.  I have to say, they did not fight at all this whole summer!  I didn't want it to end.  They were happy to go back to school and I was like the kid whining to stay home!  We had a full house of boys and girls laughing and having fun, at some points we had 4 girls sleeping here at one time.  My air mattress got used quite a bit these past months :)

Being silly at Santa Monica pier after a day of beach fun

Cherry picking fun at the beginning of the summer -

My oh my, these babies were so darn good!!  I made two luscious pies with em and still had plenty for eating.

Well thanks for stopping by, hope you liked my creations and family pics :)