Basic Inking Technique

Hello my fellow crafters! In recent months I have been extremely busy especially being the hands-on grandma but now with school starting I can relax with that part of my life. My second time consumer is attending craft shows that are not so local. The driving and the overnights have really been hectic but they too are coming to a close. The shows all end in October, but I think it will end in September for me.  Thirdly and not at all the least time consuming is my new online store where friends that don't craft and a few that are crafters can order or make personalize request. Did I mention that I am also a DT member for 3 different companies.  I am not sure at what point I thought I was superwoman and could handle all of this....I've truly learned my lesson.

Now for a change of pace I thought I would visit some challenges and then create something so that I could play along.  This is so much more relaxing and less time consuming, however this doesn't generate any revenue unless fun becomes a monetary item :)

Well here is the card I'd like to share.

As you can see this is a simple card (almost a CAS).  Returning to a inking technique I learned years ago pulled this scene together rather quickly.  Using distress inks, an acrylic block and a water spritzer I was able to create the background for this card.  After allowing the ink to dry I stamped my images using archival ink. 

Once everything was dry I cut my image and adhered it to a blue mat before adding it to my card base.  I like the way it turned out and it took just a little over an hour to complete.  Perfect to send to someone you haven't seen in a while or you just want to surprise someone with a simple hello.

I'd like to enter the following challenges:

House that Stamps Built - #A2819 Anything Goes (9/3)
Crafty Creations - #397 Anything Goes (9/8)
Crafting By Design - August Challenge
Addicted to Stamps - #356 Anything Goes (9/1)
Simon Says Wednesday - Anything Goes (9/3)

Another simple inking basic card I'd like to share is one to get the holiday season started.

To create this card I used the ink resist technique. This is where you first heat emboss what you want to pop after you add the ink. Once I heat embossed my image with white embossing powder I started to add distress ink all over the card. The embossed portions resisted the ink and after wiping the card with a paper towel the white really popped. Creating these types of cards are fun and real quick and easy to make. I used vellum to heat emboss the greeting and adhere to the base to complete the card.

I'd like to enter the following challenges:

Cute and Crafty Christmas - #17 Anything Christmas/Winter (9/17)
Crafty Gals Corner - #198 Emboss It (9/8)
Sweet Stampin Christmas - August Challenge

So this is all for tonight and I do thank you for stopping by and showing me love. I appreciate all of you so very much.  As always remember to:

Stay Safe, Be Healthy and Craft Happy!

Sending Hugs From Texas

~Lesia~

Craft Fair Adventure

Hello Everyone! Hope you all celebrated Independence Day with a big bang and had fun with it.  Whew, where have I been, well let me think for a minute.  First of all I did a 19 hour road trip with my son and his family that included 3 of my grand babies under the age of 10 (yep I was brave) and discovered that Alleve and Tyenol were my best friend.  It was fun and we faced this adventure because another grandson needed our expertise setting up his dorm room at the University of California Riverside where he will be attending on a full scholarship.  Yeah Q (short for Quinton)!

After only two days we started the 19 hour return.  I was extremely tired at the end of the day but had a craft fair scheduled so no time to take a break. In the last three months I have attended 6 craft shows and they all required driving at least 2.5 hours to reach the site, and then setup, sell and tear down. I repeated this so many times that I finally took a 4th of July break and had time to play in my craft-room.

Before I share my creation I want to announce just in case you aren't aware I recently opened an online store so drop in for a visit.  It isn't fully stocked but there is enough inventory to get me started on my journey.  Here is the URL http://www.memascrafts.com or just click the tab at the top of this page.

Now on to my creations.  I've been doing well at the craft shows and still discovering what people are looking for and one thing is boxed card sets. With this in mind I began my creations.

My first boxed set consist of 6 cards with three different greetings and various colors. The cards are slightly larger than the standard A2 size card so I had to make my own chipboard box which isn't shown here.

My next set will be the most popular "Thank You" card, and then perhaps something for baby.  Once I get it all figured out and snatch another week away from craft shows I will share with everyone.

Thanks for stopping by.

Sending hugs from Texas

Lesia

Be Safe, Stay Healthy and Create Stuff 

News To Share

Hello everyone. I realize I haven't been around posting for a bit but it is because I have been working on trying to start an online store.  A place where I can sale the things that I create.  I am hoping that there are people that don't craft that will enjoy having these unique treasures in their homes.

I will be selling my handcrafted cards, custom designed T-shirts, designer coasters (all handmade), my decorative message socks and coffee mugs that can be personalized just for you.

Anyway to celebrate my grand opening (not sure when) I will be giving away a box of my goodies along with a couple of gift cards just to celebrate this new adventure I am about to take.  It may only last a week or two weeks and that is sad to think about but I guess I will be okay with it.  I hope you guys will stop by when it does open.

I will continue to participate in challenges and I will always end my days with creating something to share.  Another reason/excuse for not blogging is I have been preparing for an upcoming craft show/farmers market and haven't had time to do much else.

Well that is finally over and here a couple of photos from the event.  The weather wasn't very conducive to an outside show...it drizzled and rained most of the time and the wind made it impossible to keep things properly displayed. But being the soldier that I am I stayed until enough was enough.  Perhaps the weather will be friendly for the next show (I sure hope so).

Just to say how strong the wind was, my blue tablecloth would cover the entire front of my table and actually touch the ground, but on these photos the tablecloths appear to be wrapped around the table and they were by the wind.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see you again soon.

Sending Hugs from Texas

~Lesia

Be Safe, Stay Healthy and Craft Happy

Pretty in Pink

Spring is such a beautiful time of year, especially when it is right after the cold, dreary winter storms and such. April brings forth all the soft wonderful colors Mother Nature has to offer just in time for Easter and Mother's Day. When I think of Easter or Mother's Day, I imagine the soft pastel colors such as pinks, blues, greens and yellow. Today I'd like to share a card that represents these colors for Mother's Day.

To create the card and box I used paper from Prima's Rose Quartz collection and flowers from both Wild Orchid and Recollections. I created the focal point by adding patterned paper adhered to a white matte that I embossed using a Dove Craft folder, and then cut a central piece with a Spellbinders die. I used words generated from my computer as the greeting and lots of pop dots to add a bit of depth. The final card size is 5x7.

On the inside I followed the theme of the front of the card and left the oval blank for a personal message.  The hardest part of this card was trying to figure out how to arrange the flowers without interfering with the greeting or the intricate details of the die.

I find with flowers it is much easier to use a box especially for mailing to ensure everything remains in tact. The box is decorated using the remaining paper and a bit of lace and stickers.

That's all I have for you today. I hope this has inspired you to get started on your Mother's Day cards so when it arrives you can sit back and relax.

As always thanks for stopping by.

Sending hugs from Texas

~Lesia

Be Safe, Stay Healthy, Create Happy!

I'd like to enter the following challenges:

The Paper Players - PP:435 Tic Tac Toe (4/5)
Crafty Friends Challenge - #106 Use Spring Colors (4/3)
A Gem of A Challenge - Anything Goes
Polkadoodles Crafting - Anything Goes

Early Start On Mother's Day

I prefer getting a head start on my orders and projects so I often create deadlines, just so I not have to work under pressure anymore. I spent most of last year doing just that, working under pressure. I seem to produce more when there is some stress. Perhaps its because when you're under pressure you tend to stay more focused at the task at hand.  This year I've decided to work smarter and keep stress at an all time low. This is the plan but of course some of your "best laid plans" can fall short.

For Mother's Day this year, I am officially giving myself a head start with my greeting cards. I haven't made a card for a couple of months, because I was busy learning new things and moving in a total different direction. Just hoping my mojo and creativity will kick in and make this effort worthwhile.

Because it's for Mother's Day, I can add all the frills and flowers that will fit...so some of what I share may be a bit over the top for me. 

So here is the first of many that I would like to share.

The card is 5x7 and uses Graphic45 Time to Flourish collection. I used a Spellbinders die to create my focal point adding a few Recollections flowers and pearls.

The box was altered to match the card using the same paper collection. I added a space for the recipients name and adorned it with green pearls.

That's all I have for this post and now its back to the work table to complete a few more cards one at a time.

Entering this card in the following challenges:

If You Give A Crafter A Cookie - #113 Cookie Challenge (04/04)
Cute Card Thursday - #575 Feminine (04/04)
Daring Cardmakers - A Special Lady (04/05)
Cut It Up - #170 Flowers (04/03)

Thanks for stopping by.

Sending Hugs from Texas

~Lesia~

Be safe, Stay Healthy and Craft Happy

In With The Old

Well I have finally found my way back to my blog with something to share. Sometimes I lose my mojo because my thoughts get focused on my medical problems and its hard to be creative when you can barely breathe or you tire so quickly all you want to do is sleep. My saving grace is knowing that this too will pass if I just keep fighting and believing.  Lately though I've been trying my hand at anything related to crafting to include sewing. Anyway I am rambling so moving on with the purpose of this post.

During a purge in my garage while looking for a pot I knew I had, I found this photo frame along with a few others and I decided that I would keep at least two or three because they were in pretty good shape and had a bit of character.  So today I spent time in my craft room dusting off these frames, adding glaze, and even a bit of painting. I managed to finish one of them and decided to share with you.

And I decided that there would be no photo in this frame...nope...this frame would hold a message. I used my Cricut Maker to cut out the words in vinyl and then add them to a backdrop to fit the frame.

I added a bouquet of flowers in the corner to represent the blooming of new life that comes in the Spring. The hearts while symbolizing the words also came in handy to cover a few spots that I couldn't get rid of :). I love how this one turned out and am excited to start on the other two.

I know this post was rather short (bet you're glad) but I hope I have inspired you or made you smile.  Leave a comment and let me know what you think.

As always thanks for stopping by.

Sending hugs from Texas

~Lesia~

Be safe, stay healthy and craft happy!