Tears

As I sit here this morning trying to push on with the day my heart is so heavy the tears just will not stop flowing. Please Goddess I need my girls to find the way home. They are so lost in the world of drugs I can't make this better no matter how hard I try. Then there are the Grandchildren. I feel so terrible. I didn't think I could take on the task of raising them so my oldest daughter and her husband have stepped up. Now I feel I've failed her as well ; because I couldn't and she did. What kind of Mother does that make me? I feel like I failed them all. I think this may just be the worst day of my life. I begged my daughter to please go to the Salvation Army. They have a program I hope will help. We don't have the funds for fancy Betty Ford rehab type centers so this is our last chance.I don't know how to get on with life until this resolves itself. I need to figure out how to step up for the Grandchildren. I need...... I just don't know what I need now. My heart aches. :-(

Upcycle memories

When my Mom passed away one of the things I kept was an old watch that had stopped working. I didn't want to get rid of it because it was one that she wore a lot and loved because my Dad had given it to her. After much thought I decided to upcycle it into something I would love to wear.........Here is the final result. I think my Mom would approve.

All I did was remove the band, take out all the guts, and added a ring to the back so I could attach it to a chain. The little owl I added inside behind the glass was made with Polymer clay and mica powder. (I make a mold from poly clay when I get a charm I like so I can use it in other projects) I must have 100 by now. lol I think the contrast between the metal and clay add interest to the piece. Now I have a way to keep an updated version of my Mom to wear and enjoy. I hope this inspires you to look around at memories and find new ways to enjoy them. Peace, Love, and Light to all. Bright Creative Blessings my friends. 'The Hipster' ;-)

The sands of time.

A while back my husband and I went on a cruse to the Caribbean. While we were on the island of Barbados I decided to snatch a bit of sand to use later in a scrapbook or collage. My friend Maria Nerius posted a project she had finished from one of her scuba diving excursions. She also kept some sand. (Honestly crafting is a bit like hoarding only on a much more creative level);-) After seeing her project and the thread that followed on Facebook we came to the conclusion that sand would be an awesome thing to save. Some from here, some from there. You get the idea. So I decided I wanted to send Maria some of that soft white sand I had. This piece has the sand in the small bottle inside the small shadow box that turns out to be the perfect size for an artist trading card. It started out as an empty cardboard jewelry gift box. I used fabric, and 3 dimensional stickers as well as the small bottle I purchased at the craft store. On the back I added my artist info, and used clear acetate I kept from packaging of some sort to make the front. I think it's pretty cool, and I decided Maria will be getting it sometime next week. Hope this inspires you to use up some of those 'saved treasures' and share. Bright Blessings till next time. May you see a 3-fold return on all that you do.

Today I decided to just post a few pictures of some of the projects I've completed. I know I've been bad about keeping up with these rants but it has been a tough year. Things are starting to go my way again so I'll have more time to post regularly. I sure hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I enjoyed making them. Bright Blessings!

Cute Christmas ATC

It's a bit hard to tell, but this one is made to have the window in the center be just that. A window with dimension. It has tiny marbles and a few square sequins that shake around giving the illusion of snow. I started with 2 cards. After adding the paper to the fronts of both, and the back side of the card that would be the bottom, I cut out the center of one of the cards making it squiggly not straight. I put the cut card over the uncut card to make the placement of the snowy house with the snowman sticker easier. After that I cut a square of clear acetate and added it to the back of the cut card to form the window. I cut strips of double sided sticky foam mounting tape and added them around the edge of the uncut card that has the house sticker. I added the marbles and sequins at this point being careful not to tip the card. I then added the window card front. It now has it's dimension. Last I added the stickers on the front, and used copper foil tape around the edge.
I had fun with this one. I really like the moving parts for added interest. Next I think I'll do one with a Halloween theme.

Creative mistakes

Today I thought I would share with you a creative mistake I gambled would happen with the old polymer clay I had stored. As your clay sits it tends to get dry and crumbly. The canes I used here were almost unusable. They took me some time to make so I really didn't want to just throw them out. I thought what the heck, I'll see if I can make them work one way or another on an ATC.
First I rolled out my base with newer clay so my pieces would adhere. I sliced my rainbow cane into thin strips and outlined the piece. I added a few cut shapes from another left over piece of cane. Then I thought I would run it through the pasta roller knowing it would probably not make it. Of course it cracked in spots, and became a bit misshapen after the roll through. It still looked to cool to just give up so I poked a hole on each side of the splits, and added some mica powders and then baked. After baking I threaded some wire through the holes by the split parts and twisted so it looks repaired. The last thing I did was add the create stamp with solvent ink in the center. I named this piece... 'Broken Art' It may have been a mistake to many but to me it was an opportunity to stretch boundaries and break from the norm. It was worth the effort, and I enjoyed the journey to it's broken end. Peace!

OCD

Todays blog post is being brought to you by my OCD. (obsessive crafting disorder) It never fails me. I start out with one project (flower themed ATC for trade) and I end up with 8 unique cards and some new uses for old crap. I call that ROC (reusing old crap). lol I love to ROC all my projects in one way or another. The card I decided to share today, from this wacky group of 7, is one I'm going to call 'Short Story' The thing that makes this one a bit different from other ATC's is that it's in the form of a book. The recycled part of this card is the card itself. I always start with playing cards from garage sales or the thrift store. To make this card you will need 2 playing cards, decorative or recycled paper, rubber stamps, solvent based ink pad, a few stickers or cutouts, and the usual scissors, emery board to rough up the card surface,a sharpie, and your favorite adhesive. Mine is Aleenes tack it over. Oh and a piece of duct tape to bind the two cards together. First get all your supplies ready.Then use the emery board to rough up both sides of both cards so your adhesive has something to hold on to. Next lay the two card side by side with about a half a toothpick space between the two. Take a piece of duct tape long enough to go from top to bottom of cards and run the tape down the center of the two cards you have spaced in front of you. Rub the tape well to insure good stick. Then trim the edges of the tape so none hangs over edge of cards. Now fold the two together and it should now look like a book without pages. The next step is to cover the cards with your background paper. I cover the cards with 4 separate pieces of the paper. I find it closes and opens better then with just two. Trim all the edges so they meet the card edge. Now take your stamps, and stickers and create the cover. Open it up and decide what quote you want to use and either, write it or print it to be glued in, on the left side. Then design the right side page to go with your quote. Last and most important is the back cover. This is where you add your information so the artist you trade with knows who it's from and can add you in their contact list. Like I said you can make this to fit your style or subject matter very easily. Just go wild and ROC it if you can. Peace!