Participating in the STENCILED class...

Hi there everybody,
I have been so blessed the last few days by participating in the online class: STENCILED. It is so good. Great teachers and such fun new ways to use stencils. I love stencils...but I have not used them nearly as much as I want to.

I tend to start my projects with a beautiful paper and I just didn't know how to incorporate stencils into my design. I see the addition of stencils on designer paper on other blogs that I read, but I was very unsure how to do it. Also, I would love to make some paper backgrounds, just to have some variety in my work.
I also had bought some Dreamweaver's stencil paste a couple of years ago and really wanted to start using it.

Well, this was the right class for me. Every project was done beautifully and opened up my mind to all kinds of possibilities. I AM SO EXCITED!!!! There are times in our journey when it's good to take a class just to get fresh ideas and wipe the dust off our thinking. I have a wall hanging that I made a while ago and it says:
                              ART wipes the dust
                               off everyday life

And I believe that wholeheartedly!!! We all need places in our journey where we
feel the glow of creativity that God has gifted us with. Our God is a creator and we are made in His image...we all need to create...in our own way, using our very own gifts.

So, here's a few of my creations that I am sharing in the class. This heart card has a stenciled heart behind the cut out hearts:

These next images are some of the tags I have been working on for my  Bible Study Group. I am very pleased with how they are turning out and I am finally using some of my Dreamweaver's paste on some of them.

First try ever for this technique!!! ...I used pearl paste on the stencil. Let it dry and then colored over with alcohol markers. Turned out very pearl shimmery. I love it! (This one is on my blog already)

I really like this one too!!! This is a stencil I bought years ago...and NEVER USED IT!!! and now I love it so much!!! Anyway, I colored in the stencil with my alcohol markers and then applied Glossy Accents over the top. What a great look...

I have much more work to do...I want to be sure to try out every one of their lessons to get the full impact of every technique. Stencils...YES I LOVE THEM!!!

Thanks for coming by,
Hugs,
Elena

My 2014 focus for my life: the Bible Love Chapter

Hello everyone out there in crafty land.

I am still up to my ears in bookmarks/tags and loving every moment. I'll bet by the time I'm done though, I'll be making anything BUT tags.
Right now though, it's really fun and I'm enjoying the different techniques and ideas that are rolling around in my head. There's still quite a few ideas that I want to do...so let's keep on going!!!

I like this particular bookmark because it turned out to be sort of vintage looking. The little light taupe rose and the bling flourish came from Prima and I found it in a scrapbook store. It was the only flourish with a flower, so I grabbed it as soon as I saw it. Hope I can find some more of these. They look so special with that little flower on them.

Most of the backgrounds for these bookmarks are cut from 8" designer paper packs. I love these packs. They seem to have better designs for cards, tags or small albums. I am one of those paper freaks that just can't walk away from a store without buying some paper.  Beautiful paper just gets my artsy juices flowing and wanting to go home and DO something!!!!!

So here's my tag...hope you like it as well as I do. It just makes me think of setting this bookmark in-between pages of a wonderful book being read to enjoy a quiet time and a beautiful story. Actually, mine would sit in a Beth Moore Bible Study book and I would be loving every moment I spent being with and talking to Jesus! What a great thought!!!

This tag background is Authentique paper pack.
The birdcage is stamped with VersaMark and embossed in gold.
The little bird is a punch from Stampin' Up that I bought ages ago and wouldn't      give it up for anything. I use it often. I understand they still sell it.
The little light taupe flower, crochet leaves and bling is from Prima and a new purchase.
The back of the tag is a printable from Pintarest and it is a copy of the 2Corinthians love chapter.

I am entering this into the http://flourishes.org/category/timeless-tuesday/Challenge. They want a celebration of something new: The love chapter is my focus for 2014.
It also fits into the http://divasbydesignchallenge.blogspot.ca/...which is anything goes. This is my first time in this challenge. I just found it. Glad I did!
Another challenge: http://greatimpressionsstamps.blogspot.com/search/label/Challenge
Something new here also...the Prima flower flourish is new.
http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com/ Is my last challenge. They are always "Anything goes"...as long as it is uplifting.

Thank you so much for stopping by.
Hope you leave me a comment, I would love to hear from you.

Blessings to you and all those you love,

Elena

Lavender and Lace

Hello...
Hope you had a great week and are headed for even a better weekend.
I LOVE weekends. There's a lot to do, I know, but it feels like the choice of what you want to do is up to you, and I am always looking for some craft time. I have three day weekends and that is awesome...but it never feels like enough!!! There is so much I want to, I couldn't fit it all in no matter how much time I had. I'm sure most of you think that too.

Well anyway, I am still working on my 15 bookmarks. And still having fun. I'm the kind of a crafter that cannot make anything the same twice. Even though the backs have the same Bible passage, the fronts are all different. This time I used a flower stencil that I bought years ago and had never used, even though I really liked it. So, I traced it onto the front of my tag and colored it in with my Prismacolor alcohol ink markers. Then I covered it with Glossy Accents. That made the image just beautiful. Glossy, deep and rich in color. I loved it!!

The background was a paper with some pink, white and gray on it. It was a download, a long time ago, from Heidi Swapp. I added a pretty lavender color to the edges, lavender lace on the bottom and very light lavender gems to the flower.

I am pleased with the outcome. Hope all the gems stay in place if the bookmark is used a lot.

I am entering this tag into the
http://dreamweaverstencils.blogspot.com/ Lose the weight (CAS style)
http://www.greatimpressionsstamps.blogspot.com/ a new package of lace & matching bling
http://shellysimagesblog.blogspot.ca/ Out with the old, In with the new. The lace & matching bling is brand new.

That will do it for me.
Lots of  love and hugs...

Elena

It's 2014...

Hello everyone!!!

I am so glad to be back here on my blog, sharing a bookmark I made for my Bible Study Group for the new year. I am in the middle of creating a different bookmark for everyone. And the best part is, that it's a gift FOR ME!!! I get to try every kind of technique I have seen and never got around to do before. What fun!!! It's been just a wonderful way to get back in the groove. I am really enjoying doing tags because it's so much easier to try different techniques. I don't have to build a card around it. One image...one technique...and it's done. The back is the same for everyone. It's the love chapter in 2nd Corinthians.

WOW!!! I can't believe it has been 6 months since my last post. At first I couldn't write because we had a family emergency and all my extra time and energy went into helping my daughter and her family. They lost their home and moved in with us for a while and, on the one side, it was a LOT of FUN enjoying the grandkids...but on the other hand, there was a lot of emotional stuff going on with working out their situation. So it was a time I had to step back and put all my energy into every day "stuff".

Dealing with all that seemed to set me back and I took a lot of time to get back to crafting and enjoying my art. I am now in full swing and have been working like crazy all December and now, making cards and tags for all the people I had ignored for the past 6 months.

This bookmark I'm showing you today is my first try for this technique and so far, it is one of my favorites. I used a DDREAMWEAVER stencil http://www.dreamweaverstencils.blogspot.com/ that I have had for a long time and used before. It makes a beautiful image...even though I used only half of it because of the width of the tag.

I cut my bookmark (tag) from a tan and gold paper I had. I use a regular manila tag as my template for the size. The gold in the paper really sets off the flower design.

I used the Dreamweaver White Pearl Paste to apply the design to my tag. Dreamweaver has directions on how to paste your stencil design on to your paper and the design always comes out perfect.

After the paste was dry I "painted" on top of it with my Prismacolor alcohol markers. It turned out just beautiful. So shimmery because of the pearl paste. I had never used this technique before and am so pleased with it.

What a great way to give a different, pearly, shimmery look to your images.

So I am definitely entering this bookmark in the Dreamweaver challenge:
http://www.dreamweaverstencils.blogspot.com/ (my first time ever!)
Also to the Flourishes challenge http://flourishes.org/category/timeless-tuesday/
I LOVE their stamps. (first time ever for this challenge also!)
Also to the Word Art Wednesday because they are a Christian site and so very friendly. http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com/
http://greatimpressionsstamps.blogspot.com/search/label/Challenge asks for something you had not used yet from your stash. I have had the pearl paste for a long time and had never used it before.
Another one: http://digitallysweetchallenges.blogspot.com/ anything goes
Last but not least: http://digisketchchallenge.blogspot.ca/2014/01/say-it-with-flowers.html say it with flowers

So this is enough for today. Back to making more bookmarks (I need 15 in two weeks...I can do it, I can do it, I can do it....)

Warm hugs
elena