Thank You Card

I have a friend that has been a GODSEND in my life and she is coming over this afternoon.  I wanted to make a "Happy" card and pulled out some snipits of supplies that I had laying around. A copic colored stamped butterfly, some ribbon, bottons and leftover paper.  This is what I came up with.  Hopefully this will bring a smile to her face-she certainly does mine!  Thanks Carol!  Elle

For a Firend

After the fiascal with my recipe cards this morning I stepped away and decided to come back later.  In the meantime I wanted a card for a friend that is going thru some difficult times.  I hadn't played with the cuttlebug for awhile so I embossed the flowers, added gems, and stamped one of my favorite sayings.  Isn't the paper beautiful?  What better way to express yourself artistically than to cheer up a friend!  Elle

Have you ever?

Just wondering.  Have you ever started a project and no matter what you add or subtract from it, it just is blah?  I'm working on a set of 6 x 6 recipe cards-apple in theme- that are BLAH!  I don't know if it is the colors, the paper, the embellishments, all of the above, or none of the above.  This happens from time to time.  I will be merrily going about doing my creative thing when BAM!  It hits!  What do you do when that happens?  I know, set it aside and come back to it later.  Wait a day a see it in a new light.  What if it is something that has to go out in the mail pronto and you don't have time to wait?  I, like you, try to send out my best work.  It may not be to everyone's liking but when it goes in the mail for a swap or submission I know in my heart that I have done my best work at the time.  We all are growing and changing, twisting and turning on this creative road named Art.  I tend to be a perfectionist in a non-perfect world.  Art isn't suppose to be perfect.  Art is suppose to flow from your mind.  Well, maybe not flow exactly but you get the picture.  See what I mean?  Unrealistic expectations abound.  I know what the problem is with this project!  What I once thought looked old fashioned and vintage in nature now just looks plain and bland....dull.  I think I will switch agears and do a quick happy upbeat colorful project and come bacfk to it.  Mailman be damned hehehe  Elle

One of my Menu Boards

A while back I found these clipboards at Archiever's and decided to turn them into Menu Boards.  This is the one I did for Thanksgiving last year.  (I had this phote saved on my computer so I thought I would use it in my post for today!) We had a house full of family and friends and I wanted to personalize the dining experience with something creative.  Of course, there are match name cards, napkin rings, centerpiece, etc. I just can't leave well enough alone! I plan on making more of them for different occasions.  They are nice to have when you are just having friends or family over for dinner.  They have come to expect something different at every get together.   Kiddies, I think I have lost my mind today.  It has been a day a breaksies.  My printer, my sewing machine, my telephone.  Dang, what a day!  I am going to spend some quiet time after dinner alone in my studio.  Art always does take me to my 'happy' place!  Tomarrow will be a better day.  I go back for my post-surgical checkup Tuesday and hopefully I will be able to start going to the gym and working out in the pool again.  Oh heavenly water!  Elle

Papertrey Inc BlogHop

My printer is being replaced and I am unable to scan my entry.  Sam-my 21yr.old borrowed my camera for vacation this week so I'm afraid I will have to miss out this time!  To think I just got up enough courage to join!  Oh well....there WILL be a next time.  Just to let you know, I'm actually pleased with the results.  Gotta Love Papertrey, Inc.! Elle

New Papertrey Ink Blog Hop

This is a great, wonderful Papertrey Ink June Blog Hop that I am going to participae in in nothing else fails with my computer.   The blog hop includes prizes from Papertrey Ink.  Check out their blog and read all about it!  First you choose your favorite color combination.  I love to use Pure Poppy, Spring Rain, and White as my color combination.   I will be back with my blog hop entry!  Elle

Needed a Get Well Card

I needed to put together a fast get well card for a friend that is in the hospital.  I wanted to practice with my Copic markers and just love the image of the little nurse hugging a teddy bear.  Just what the Doctor's ordered.  I tied some thread around grossgrain dotted ribbon to indicate stitches that she will have after her surgery.  She will be okay-nothing life-threatening but I thought a nice card to sheer her up was in order.  Elle

Birthday card

A while back I was involved in a Card Kit swap with Art for The Creative Mind - the Art Swap group I belong to- and we exchanged Card Kits that included plain card stock, printed card stock, a stamped image, ribbon or fiber of some sort and an embellishment.  This is what I came up with using one card kit when I needed a birthday card for my grandson who LOVES dinesours.  Isn't it cute?  Elle

Patriotic try

Here is a bit of a Patriotic try using one of the printouts.  Not my best but the beginnings of some wonderful Holiday crafting I wanted to make.  Elle/////scanned the photo and it won't allow me to place it here.  Time to switch gears beack to my recipie cards.......after all,  my favorite Nephwer is getting married in Septamber of this year and I need to gear towards their gifts.  Tomarrow will be another day and hopefully there will not be as many roadblocks.  Elle

I'm Frustrated~!

I'm totally frustrated!  My patriotic flowers are made, my muslin is attached to the cardstock, my sample piece went thru my printer just fine BUT the reds and greens are not showing up!.  Tried on plain cardstock-nope.  Calibrated the printer. Nope.  SO my project is on hold.  I just bought new ink and I think it is faulty.  Must take it back.  I hope it isn't just my printer.  So.............I am posting the vintage 4th of July prints that I had planned on using for my project to show you.  Dang, and I was excited about this one!  Oh well!  I will come up with something else in the next few days, I'm sure.  These prints were found searching the internet for vintage 4th of July clipart.  I have had them for awhile and don't recall which site they are from.   Elle

I need help

This is a call for help from anyone who is more familiar with setting up a blog than I am.  (which has to be most of the world lol).  When posting a comment I would like my readers to have the option to use their name as one of the choices on how to post.  Can anyone tell me how to do this?  Elle

After the Crepe Paper Flowers were made

After the crepe paper flowers were made (at least some of them) I started thinking of other things to use of similar constitution.  Regular paper is too stiff for my liking to use for these flowers but how about tissue papers?  Wouldn't some of the patterened tissue paper out there be gorgeous?  That will be my next step.  Some of the colors I love.  Others, not so much.  But I had a blast making all of them.  I am including pics of the different ones.  You already know a place I am headed to with the red, white, and blue flowers.  Wouldn't the orange and green be great for those Halloween projects?  The pink, of course, for feminine cards, the yellow makes me think of happy sunshine.  I will be spraying a pearl glimmer mist spray on some of them.  Looks beautiful in person!  All I have left to do is make some more white flowers to experiment with different colored glimmer mists.  There are other colors of crepe paper that I wouldn't mind using but that is for another time.  From time to time you will see pictures of things that I make using these embellishments.  I think I accomplished alot and can't wait to play with my new "toys".  Elle

What to do with Crepe Paper Rolls

Yesterday I layed in bed cutting strips of crepe paper rolls in various colors for my flower making project.  Here is a picture of about 1/3 of what I cut.  Today I am going back and forth from the bed to my studio making the flowers with my Cuttlebug.  Too cute!  I can't wait to put together my ideas for the red, white, and blue flowers!  Just waiting for more printer ink.  Think vintage, think muslin, think flowers, think printer........Elle

What to do when your laying low

Today I have to lay low.  My back is really hurting which tells me I have been doing too much and it isn't healing right.  (or should we say quick enough for my own liking?).  I think if they tell me more surgery is required on my back or neck I will run away as fast and as far as possible!  Okay, what to do when your laying low.  I like flower embellishments.  All kinds of flower embellishments.  Big, medium, small, fluffy, flat, frilly, simple.  I like them all.  But, who can afford to buy them all of the time when you can make your own?  So, what do I have to make them with in my 'stash'.  What do I have to use to create the right shapes?  What colors and kinds do I want to add.  I have done ribbon flowers....very pretty but I don't feel like digging that stuff out.  So......................how about getting into my party decorating supplies and pulling out rolls of crepe paper.  Albeit, they only make small flowers, but wouldn't they be perfect for cards?  Right now I don't have alot of Spellbinders Nestabilities for this purpose and punching shapes out of crepe paper is a pain at best.  Hum............let me try the Small Scalloped Octogons using the little one.  That would work!  No sitting at my desk today.  Posting this blog post is my limit.  Nobody said I couldn't cut lengths of crepe paper, did they?  I can practically do that laying down!  ALRIGHT!  I will spend some of my day cutting lengths of different colored crepe paper.  10 layers are cut at the same time, stacked together and ran thru my Cuttlebug.  A small brad in the center that has been punched with a 1/8" hole punch will hold them together.  Then all I have to do is start bunching and crunching the layers until I have the flower that I want!  I wonder what it would look like if I combined some of the colors with layers of white?  Or used Tim Holtz alcohol inks to mist some colors on the white flowers?  How about misting gold just on the edges for some elequence?  So many ideas, so little time.  After I make a bunch I will post a picture.  Now it is back to bed, Drs. orders!  Elle

Here a a couple of different versions using the same Apron stamp.  I forget where I got this stamp but it is one of my absolute favorites!  I made one card with more of a vintage feel to it using ecru trim and buttons.  The other card is brighter and I used my Nestabilities and a homemade ribbon flower for the embellishment.  Which one do you like best?  Elle

Deciding how to use my elements

Remember the pink carnival ticket with the adorable fairy on it that I posted a few days ago?  Well, I decided this morning that I would find a way to use it in a card.  Since I wanted to keep playing with the images from the Vintage Picnic stamp set (Papertrey, Inc.) I thought, what better way than to combine the two.  When is the last time you sat down and took pen to paper and wrote a 'real' letter to a friend or relative.  Now that is something else that qualifies as Vintage these days, too!  lol.  I have a friend on the east coast that I thought I would write a letter to and I needed a card to do it on.  No plain paper for me!  Here is the results.  Let me know what you think.  I used Copic markers RV21 and C1 as well as a button for added embellishmen.  Elle

Let's Do Lunch

I needed an invitation to send to a friend in order to set up a lunch date.  What better stamps to use than the Vintage Picnic series from Papertrey, Inc.!  I wanted something bright and happy so I chose to combine red, green, and yellow. I am trying to use more of my tools and embellishments, trying not to have my projects turn out so plain.  I matted the picnic basket using Nestabilities and my Cuttlebug, sewed the background paper unto my card base, used some of my favorite trim that I purchased at a store called For Keepsake in St. Louis, MO and then added some matching buttons to the four corners.  I'm getting there!  Here are the Copic Markers that I used to color my picnic basket and flowers:
Basket: Y35, Y38, R29
Leaves:  G21, G24, YG67
Flowers:  YR21, YR23, YR24
Shadowing:  C1

I hope you like my invitation!  If I had it my way I would own 20 different sets of dishes and entertain all of the time, setting the prettiest tablescapes.  Wouldn't you?  Elle

Tomarrow Morning

I just received a call from my old massage therapist who offered to come over in the morning and give me a free 1-1/2 massage!  Gosh, I love special suprises.  It's the unexpected kindess of people that keep my world on tract.  He gave me massages 2-3 times a week for about 6 months after my car accident last August.  A sweetie to be sure!  I have been thinking about what I want to be working on next.  I received the Vintage Picnic stamp set from Papertrey, Inc. the other day and I think that I will play with that to see what I can come up with.  My creativity is lagging and I want to keep working on things to prevent that dry spell most of us go thru from time to time.  Heck, just the other day I had so many ideas I didn't know what to do with them!  Being a perfectionist with skills that need loads of working on makes it hard at times to be pleased with the outcome of my work.  Do you ever have that problem?  I hope not!  I think of it as a disease that needs to be erraticated from our minds.  Elements aren't hard to work on for me.  It is the execution of the design with those elements that are my sticking point.  I think taking sewing machine to paper may be something that I play around with.  Buttons?  Bows and ribbons?  I'm just not sure how to put it all together.  It is time to practice, practice, practice.  I hope your elements are falling into place and that your creative endeavors are bringing you satisfaction and smiles!  Elle

The Father's Day card we made for our Dad

I don't know how the cards below became so off centered and cut off-it didn't look that way when I previewed the post.  I'll get this blogging down one way or another!  I wanted to share with you the card we made for our father.  He is an avid golfer so we thought this fit him to a "tee".  I love using eyelets, buttons, and trims in my cards.  This time I layered my image using two sizes of Nestabilities.  Notice the background behind it?  That is done with distress inks and the Sports Page of our local newspaper.  Loved playing with that technique!  Inside the card says "We Scored A Hole In One With Our Dad!".  A very special man indeed.  Elle

The creative journey begins!

These are some of the supplies I brought down to my sis's house so we could make Father's Day cards for our hubbies and our dad.  A hodge podge of goodies to choose from.  This is where my creative journey usually begins.  I never know what is going to come out of the supplies I have layed out.  Scroll down and see what we came up with!  Elle

The card I made for Charlie (DH)

I, too, used the cars and the same trim but assembled mine in a different shape and used more trim than my sister did.  Most of the supplies came from Checkered Cottage store.  Gosh, I love that shop!  Elle

My sister's card for her husband

Here is the card my sis made for her husband Tom.  I love how it turned out!  Sis used the cars because it is something he loves.  I think the trimming and the buttons added just the right touches!  Elle

Etsy Bitsy Tag

Here is a etsy bitsy tag I had fun creating using Mish Mash's (Michelle Wooderson) carnival tags and a mini Tilda from the Magnolia stamp collection.  Isn't she a beautiful little fairy.  I see her spreading her fairy dust over the flowers making them grow and prosper.  Or how about over a sleeping baby?  You never know what my elements will become.  I will show you at a later date how I use it.  I won't be working in the studio today because my glasses are out being fixed.  How about blind art?  You never know!  Plus, today is a bad day in my recovery from back surgery.  I need to take it easy but I couldn't resist sharing just a little something with you today.  I hope it brings a smile to your face!  Elle

Combining elements

I just took my copic coloring sample a little farther and combined it with the Beauty of Nature tags that I have been playing with.  I love the leave ribbon I found at a local shop here in St. Louis, Missouri called Checkered Cottage.  Isn't it divine? One of the other elements that I have been using in my projects are buttons.  I have jars and jars of buttons.  I use canning jars to store much of my supplies including buttons, ribbons and trims.  They are great because you can see what you have in them, they are stackable, and, well, I just LOVE them.  Whenever I open a canning jar I feel years and years of my ancestors doing the same thing whenever they were getting ready to can things grown from their gardens or make yummy jellies and jams.  A connection to our past.  Love them!  Elle

Coloring with Copic Markers-a Sample

I am self taught in most of my artistic endeavors.  After viewing beautiful works of art colored with Copic Markers I decided that I, too, wanted to learn to create art like that.  Color scares me.  Or I should say, adding color to my projects scares me.  But I buckled down and bought myself a few Copic Markers at a time until I had enough of them to 'play' with.  I researched the web, viewed countless tutorials using these markers and promptly fell in love with them.  I pictured myself placing them in my hand and beautiful music flowing out of them naturally. NOT!  I have perservered.  Here is a practice sample of my efforts.  I love this stamp.  It reminds me of nature and spring/summer, of happiness, of beauty.  Don't judge too harshly, I have hours upon hours of practice to do!  Oh, btw, my grandson grapped my markers before I could write down which ones that I used for this - a major pet peeve of mine is when someone doesn't list the colors that they used.  OOPS!  I won't let that happen again!  Sorry 'bout that.  Elle

Just A Thought

I was just thinking about how to format ideas for your projects.  Of course viewing other blogs, looking at magazines, visiting your favorite stores - all of these are great ideas.  But what about visiting your own 'stash'?  Pick a color scheme or a theme of some sort.  How about a holiday?  Gather together items that represent your choice.  Paper, buttons, ribbons and trims.  Embellishments.  Stamps.  Pictures.  Put them all together in a venue sort of way.  Step back and look at your collection.  Leave it alone and come back to it throughout the day.  Make notes.  Do some quick sketches if you can.  Go to bed.  The next day get to work.  Arrange your project in different ways.  Place different items together in different ways.  Take a chance.  Put something together that you normally wouldn't choose.  See what you can come up with.  You might be surprised!  Elle

Nature tag

I wanted to share with you a Nature Tag that I put together this afternoon.  After thinking about using some of my supplies up, I went on a hunt and gather mission!  A long time ago I had printed out some pictures of a Garden Vintage nature that I wanted to use.  I covered an old shipping tag with some scrap paper, adding the printed picture next.  I had been playing around with making my own crepe paper flowers using some Spellbinders Nestabilities---I used a small brad to attach 10 layers of crepe paper that I had cut out then started squishing and fluffing until I liked what I saw.  I had some Vintage lace/trim that I used at the bottom in my stash and some ecru colored fibers that I used for the top of the tag.  A while back I found some beautiful pewter flower charms on ebay and attached on with a small silver heart brad to a Carnival Ticket tag that I had purchased from Mish Wooderson's Etsy shop.  If you haven't been to her blog (MishMash), you don't know what you are missing!  I absolulely ADORE her style!  I have a few more tags to make that I will post later.  Who knows what I will come up with next!  Elle

Too many ideas!

Have you ever just had too many ideas of things you wanted to make/create that your brain just can't keep up with them?  That is exactly what is happening to me right now.  With recovery still in the beginning stages I can't just play in my studio to my hearts content.  Heck, I'm even planning what I want to make for everybody for Xmas presents!  How about homemade candles?  The kind that smell just yummy, not wimpy.  The kind that are a delight when you open your door.  Hum......how would I decorate them?  Package them?  No ordinary box will do.  It has to have a complete theme!  I'm in to recipe cards-6 x 6- right now.  How about collections of them?  I remember seeing somewhere a stand that displays them on rings in plastic page protectors.  I could use the same stand for photos?!  No, recipies it is.  I'm learning to cook FINALLY (much to my dh's delight) and thanks to William Sonoma for the free classes.  How about making up baskets?  Alright, no ordinary baskets.....they have to be decorated just right!  See what I mean? 
These thoughts transpire from cards to tags to knitting projects to questions like, what can I come up with that is completely unique....above and beyond.  Whew!  I need to go rest now lol.  I will be posting more project pictures soon.  Elle

Myother Domino Necklace

I thought that I would post the other Domino necklace I made at the time of the Domino Swap I did with Art For The Creative Mind.  I had so much fun making this one.  The decision was so hard as to which to send to my partner.......I made two of each!  Isn't the pumpkin happy??  It just makes me smile.  Elle

Wedding Card

We just got a call from my step-son, Todd.  I have been his 'other mother' for almost 18 years now and love him to pieces.  Do you know what he called to tell me?  He is getting married TOMARROW!!  YIPPIE SKIPPIE!  OhOh, I need a card FAST.  Drs. orders are to stay in bed or my back will never heal from the surgery.  Okay, I can do this.  I know I can.  But I want it to be super special.  Tall order!  Here is what I came up with.  I sure do home Todd and Amber like it!  Elle

A whole nother direction

I wanted to show you a whole nother direction in my art.  This time the assignment was to do a collage.  Now, mind you, this is something I had never done before and I wanted it to be old fashioned and reflect my life.  My anchestory.  I fretted and fushed over starting this project because I wanted it to turn out perfect.  I'm a bit of a perfectionist and this required me to simply "play" with my art.  What I came up with reflected the fact that my Great, Great, Great Grandfather Elijah Howe invented the sewing machine.  Here is my completed project.

Recipe card

Leave it to me to screw up the camera!  I took pictures of all of the elements to make 8 of these recipe cards, step by step photos, ann the finished projects.  Unfortunately all I could do was scan the finished card.  The recipe, Pork Medallions with Sage and Mustard Sauce is soooooooooooo yummy!  You must try it!  I was a terrible cook until I started free classes at William Sonoma stores at a nearby mall.  I just love free things to do, don't you?  Enjoy the recipe-it really is worth a try.  Off to rest-I really overdid it-don't tell my surgeon!  Elle

I was thinking.......

I was thinking this morning about what tools and/or nicknacks that I use the most.  If you are like me you are a supply junkie.  An addict.  The kind that will hide the bags in the truck until our DH's aren't around to see what else we just had to have.  Sound familiar?  I'm lucky though.  Charlie (dh) generally is very supportive of my 'artistic obsessions'.  I have enough supplies to enable a third world country to craft for a month.  But is it enough?  There is always something I HAVE to get.  I scrimp and save until I can get what I want.  There must be a 12 step group somewhere for people like me!?  But..........I use so much of what I have and it brings me great joy to share with others.  My favorite tools right now are my Cuttlebug, ScorPal, Fiskars paper trimmer, BOW EASY, Copic markers, RIBBONS and trims of all kinds, buttons galore....see what I mean? lol.  I was in a car accident last August 19th and my art time is very limited.  Had another back surgery the 19th of May and am recovering slowly so pictures and step by step projects will be coming to my blog soon but it may take some time.  Stick with me, it will be a blast once it all get rolling!  Elle

Domino Necklace using alcohol inks

I made this necklace for a swap in the group Art For the Creative Mind (best group on the web!).  Using a domino I played around with dapping alcohol inks ala Tim Holz until I got the backgroud that I liked.  Then I sketched my lady on with a Sharpie permanent marker.  I glued a bead using E6000 glue, ran some black cording thru and added some decorative beading making this into a necklace for my swap partner.  I sure hope she liked it because I had a blast learning how to make it.  The best thing about the group Art For the Creative Mind is that TG (our leader) pushes us to step our of our comfort zones and try new things.  Sign up for the swaps that scare you the most and you will learn more new things!  Elle

Valentine Love magnet

I wanted to show you something that I made that I absolutely adore! I took an acrylic block and, after running the image thru my Xyron machine, I attached the image to the back, attached a magnet cut from a full sheet of magnet material then glued a ribbon with a bow on top. Added a little addition here and there and voila'! This will remain on my fridge year round to remind me that, YES, love does make the world go round! I hope to make some more of these for next Christmas to add to the goodie bags I always put together for my children/friends. Give me time on this blog thing, I'm a struggling lol. Elle

ellescreativejourney

Oh my! My very first post! Let me start by introducing myself. I am a creative artist, or at least that is what I tell myself. I love the creative spirit within each of us and would like to share some of my art and my thoughts about our creative journey. My name is actually Michelle, Elle for short, Shelly to some. I prefer Elle-it's easier to type lol! I am married and have 6 children. All but one are boys. What I like working with most of all right now is paper. All kinds of paper. All kinds of projects made with paper. I make loads of recipe cards- 6 x 6. They are so much fun to do! My art is all over the place. Sometimes vintage altered, sometimes simply cute. I dabble in decorative painting-have taught classes in the past and am mostly self-taught. If you ever have a chance to dabble in paints please do! It has taken me on a journey that reaches into all aspects of my creative journey. I will soon begin posting cards that I have made. Things that I have painted, altered art projects that I have tried to accomplish. Give me a day or two to get this started then join me on a journey of a lifetime!