Tag Archives: Amy Tangerine

Nov 26

Us 3.

I had a dream, the other night, after looking at Studio Calico‘s newest kit…The vision of Ormolu‘s number tags was in my head, and in my dreams, I saw a vision of the number 2 tag with spray mist in white on it. The minute I woke up, I tore into my Ormolu drawer, and found the tags I had…which did not have the number two. I think I used it. But, I found the number 3, and while the dream was still fresh in my mind (am I that crazy?), I got out my Mr. Huey’s white mist, and went to work.

2" circle punched from scrap kraft paper

I wanted to use the open ’3′ on the tag as a template, so I punched a piece of scrap kraft paper to a similar size, which is 2″.

Putting them together,

I would normally have used repositionable tape to hole the pieces together while I sprayed.  I didn’t, but I would highly recommend it.

I like the look of the spray with the spottiness, but if you don’t , I would paint the tags with an acrylic paint and brush for a different, less mottled look. This is okay for me.

I then gave myself a personal challenge: find 3 unused papers, and 3 embellishments to match, and make a layout with these products. I wanted to use some of Amy Tangerine‘s papers, and more Ormolu embellishments in similar colors. Uncanny, how they matched so well.

This is what I came up with, with the idea of 3 in my mind.

Thanks go to Ormolu and Amy Tangerine for the inspiration! See you soon with the December Daily posts!

I am so very thankful.

 

 

Oct 11

Sewin’ love.

I’ve always loved sewing on my scrapbook layouts using my sewing machine, but lately, I’ve gone crazy for hand-stitching on my pages as well. I’d seen the trend on various blogs and magazines, but when I started noticing the creative things Amy Tangerine does on both fabric and paper, I really took notice. I’m currently taking her class The Good Life at Big Picture Classes and I’ve learned how to do some of the fabulous things she does. Now, I want to sew on everything!

For a recent mini album I made, I cut a piece of a map showing where I vacationed a week and a half ago, and stitched around the exact area we visited. I got this idea from Pinterest a while back:

This, I could not wait to do. Talk about easy and gratifying. I also wanted to use a large photo of our trip for a layout I attach to our wall calendar in the kitchen area, but I wasn’t sure how to embellish and add to it. I really wanted to keep it simple and let the photo shine, so I stitched a simple design on that, too.

I just wanted it clean and simple, yet it feels ‘decorated’ and complete without too much fussiness. I still find it easier to sew on paper than fabric, especially stretchy fabric, but I want to get better at reverse applique. I picked up some t-shirts at Michael’s recently (2 for $10!), got more colors of cross-stitch floss, and had my mom help me pick out some cute quilt quarters in a rainbow of colors so I can make more cute tee’s like I learned in class:

If you haven’t tried anything like this, don’t be intimidated. It’s really quite easy. I have discovered that when I’m sitting with my husband in the evening, it’s a great way to relax, too. I’ll be back with more on the t-shirts I make. Until then, happy sewing!

Oct 8

The Good Life, Amy Tangerine-style.

I love every class I take at Big Pictures. I can never get enough of what they have to teach, me, it seems. I mentioned before about Amy Tangerine’s ‘vision boards’, and though I did not create one at that time (hey, I was getting ready for a get-away with my man at the coast!), I have been thinking more about it, and today was the day that it all came together.

I didn’t use any magazines because I didn’t have anything on hand when the moment struck. That’s the thing (lesson #11) strike while the iron’s hot!  When you feel something, and something speaks to you and that creative drive is on high gear, go with it!! Do not worry about having the right materials; do not worry about having photos; go with your gut. I didn’t have the right words, and still don’t, to express what this collage is all about (God forbid I should be at a lectern in an art museum……yeah, right!). It is what it is. My mom would understand (Bless her soul).

Go out there and create!! It’s a good life, after all!

Sep 30

Family makes our house a home.

Amen to that! I am thoroughly enjoying The Good Life with Amy Tan at Big Picture Classes. This week, we are stitching on our layouts, and collecting magazine images to collage and create a “vision board”:

According to Christine Kane, “A vision board (also called a Treasure Map or a Visual Explorer or

Creativity Collage) is typically a poster board on which you paste or collage images that you’ve torn

out from various magazines. It’s simple. The idea behind this is that when you surround yourself with

images of who you want to become, what you want to have, where you want to live, or where you want

to vacation, your life changes to match those images and those desires.”

I have not done this yet, but I do something similar when I cut things out of magazines and newspapers that are significant to me and paste them into my Smash book. Amy is encouraging us to do this on a clipboard, so we can see it more easily, and actually, she has made a pretty collage on a manila envelope:

I will do one of these probably later in the week, and in the mean time, I will clip out things I like and put them on my clipboard. This should be fun!

For stitching on paper, Amy gave us a template to use (a house, which I love) that we cut out, and use to trace around on our layout background.

Once I traced the house onto my paper, I put the paper onto an old mouse pad, and punched small holes every half inch on the lines. I didn’t have the right color of cross-stitch floss to use, so I ended up using some baker’s twine which fit the bill nicely. When I saw this template in the classroom, I knew how I wanted to use it right away, so I grabbed my camera and took some impromptu shots of my husband and daughter, which was easier than I thought (they can sometimes be rather camera shy)! So today I got going on my layout, and after I was finished, dear Hubby informed me that Amy’s layout was gorgeous, and I should have done one like hers! At least he’s honest. ;-)

Stitching on paper is easy, and even if you don’t know how to sew or cross-stitch, you will not find this difficult. I enjoy it, and I will probably end up wanting to stitch on everything now!

There is one other thing I would like to share. Ali Edwards’ blog today is about a “photo walkabout” with Liz Ness of Great Photos Plus. She has video posted there which was really great. Four talented women got together at Canon Beach in Oregon for a photography adventure of sorts. They randomly drew an idea from a box, and following that direction, explored the area in search of images to photograph which would fit the requirement (in this case it was looking for shadows….on a rainy day, no less.). At the end of the day, I’m sure they had some fantastic images. Ali suggested to her followers that we so some exploring and see what we can come up with for our ‘weekend lens’. I just happen to be going to the coast for the weekend with my husband for our 6th wedding anniversary, and we will be taking our cameras along. I am über excited, and cannot wait to see what we can come up with. Of course, I’m not following any piece of paper, I’m going to shoot everything!! See you next week!

Sep 23

The Good Life, and me, by the numbers.

The Mother LOAD class is almost finished, and I have started a new one by Amy Tangerine, The Good Life (both at Big Picture Classes). But first, days 22 and 23 of the LOAD.

Day 22′s prompt is about endings. Everything has a beginning and an end, and I could choose any kind of ending I like. I happen to have a sad one I wanted to document, as a matter of fact, so this layout is an appropriate one for me. The local scrapbook store (the only one in town) recently went out of business and closed for good. The owners are two dear women whom I had grown quite fond of; many a time I learned new techniques, acquired inspiration, and felt nurtured there. Megan and Janice are such wonderful people, and I was able to stop by just before they closed to take some photos and say goodbye.

Day 23′s prompt is to capture our lives with numbers. I decided to document a little of me by the numbers.

Yesterday was the start of week one of The Good Life, and we learned how to do a reverse applique on a t-shirt. I have seen this type of decorative sewing, but didn’t know what to call it, and never had a clue how to do it….until yesterday. Amy provided a PDF with instructions as well as a really informative video. Amy makes it look so easy, but for someone like me, it certainly wasn’t! I’ll just have to practice more to get better. Here is my first attempt.

I like cameras.

Just three more days of LOAD, and I can congratulate myself with a nicely filled scrapbook album! See you tomorrow!

 

 

Sep 19

Days 18 and 19: Using a color palette, and old photos.

Welcome back; I finished my layout too late yesterday to post it (I had to catch the latest episode of Inspector Lewis on PBS!), so I have two days to post today.

Day 18: Woodlands Wedding Shower. The prompt for this day was to use a color palette of gray, brown and yellow. Very autumnish, and also the right colors for my friend’s wedding! Her theme is a natural, woodsy one with tree stumps, twigs, burlap, etc. and the colors are very much what we used for a party we put together for her at work recently. Naturally, I forgot my camera, so I used my cell phone to capture some pics.

I was too busy eating and talking to take photos during the festivities!

Day 19: Mom. Today’s prompt is to use an old photo (or any photo that you wouldn’t use if you scrap on a timeline). I absolutely love the photos I’ve acquired from my mother; these are true treasures, and I really enjoy any opportunity I get to use them in a project.

Most of the materials used here are from Crate Paper, the Emma’s Shoppe line. I have always loved sewing on my layouts, but recently I’ve been wanting to do some hand-stitching as well. I’m interested in learning how to do more of that, so I’m going to see if Amy Tangerine can teach me a thing or two; later this week I’ll be starting her new 4-week class at Big Picture Classes, The Good Life. Should be a fun class to learn all sorts of ways to make everyday life more beautiful.

I’ll catch you tomorrow; I’m off now to start my Ali Edwards Halloween mini album (I’ll show you the finished project when I’m done!). Have a great day!

Aug 16

Share.

I have signed up for Big Picture Classes‘ ‘The Big Idea Festival’. It’s a 12-day extravaganza featuring many different well-known scrapbookers like Amy Tangerine, May Flaum and more. We will create a mini-album filled with words to live by, and yesterday (the first day) the word was share. I made a 6×6 page (the size of the mini-album) and here it is:

Today’s word. Come back later for tomorrow’s word: wonder. Until next time!

Mar 21

Finding a new home for old photos…

Going through my supplies in the studio, I recently found some older photos thrown into an envelope. Oh, shame on me, I thought to myself! Every once in a while I will have an extra photo that just didn’t make it into a layout, but I can’t bear to toss them. Some, I have to admit are old originals that have been scanned into my computer, and I didn’t have a good place to keep them. I gathered some up, and decided that today is the day to do something with them. They need a home, and I just happened to have a Cindy Ruijgrok scrapbook kit purchased on Etsy a while back. Now, I have a cute new mini album, with fewer disorganized photos, and my library tray is a little fuller, as well.

I Want To Remember book

I  have only just begun to start filling the tray, but I know right now that it is going to be very enjoyable. Anything goes, and everything will! The index cards have patterned papers covering both sides with the tabs left alone; I will be adding more embellies to these, and to the many photos that will be going inside. I will show more photos as this progresses.

Also: I received an email from Big Picture Classes about a new self-paced class by a new instructor named Amy Tangerine. I haven’t heard of her before, but I quickly signed up for the class since it is discounted for a short period of time, since the synopsis sounded so good. I’ll be making more mini scrap journals; I watched some videos provided in the class and Amy has lots of tips and tricks for making them truly unique. It should be exciting! Here is the link: http://www.bigpictureclasses.com/creativejuice.php Check it out!  Happy crafting!