Flower Soft to the test

I have been playing with a new-to-me product called Flower Soft® (along with my new camera and scanner, I might add!)  It’s a fascinating jar of fluff that, when paired with super tacky glue, can turn a paper surface into a 3-D wonder of texture and color. A little like flocking, but coarser in appearance. I chose the Poppy Red because I adore its tomato-y goodness — a little like my mother’s lipstick that I used to wear on Halloween as a kid (but that’s another blog).

I bought the 30 ml jar, which I think will last me into my eighties. A little of this goes a long way. Opening the jar is a bit like opening a canned snake (remember those?), because the product compression is surprising. I should note, too, that once the fluff expands, it’s hard to get back into the jar (word to the wise, plan to put leftovers in another container). That said, it’s a heckuva lot of fun to work with … glue and sprinkle, glue and sprinkle. A bit like glitter, but I didn’t find it all over my face afterwards!

Here’s the product (and I should mention, this is not a paid endorsement … just me trying out new stuff):

30 ml container will last seemingly forever!

Here are two variations of designs incorporating the Flower Soft:

Bonjour! Stamps by See-D's (grunge boutique), Stampabilities (bonjour), All Night Media (bee)

It's always good to DREAM!

Companion piece

I’m following my muse. Here’s the companion piece to “Do you love me?”

Variation on a theme. More shiny stuff. Love it!

Catching the light on an angle.

The background paper is from the new Coredinations Whitewash Collection, which I found at my local Joann’s — they just started carrying it here in their open stock papers. Yay! This is the coolest paper — you can sand it, tear it, basically abuse the heck out of it, and the result is still beautiful, as the core of the paper shows through whatever damage you’ve done to it. The paper has a lovely woven texture to it that adds even more depth. Too fun!

Stamp credits: Frame (Roben-Marie Smith/Paper Bag Studios); Couple (The Stamping Ground); Sentiment (Catslife Press); background image in celery (Stampa Rosa).

Idle hands

A work project has stalled — the client doesn’t have all the materials together — so I found myself with a day on my hands. A rare treat! I was itching to use some new stamps I acquired recently and work up some pieces for an upcoming publication challenge. Here’s the first piece:

Browns, blacks and dusty pinks give this an old world feel. I was trying for a tintype look -- I think the Kraft paper with pearl white Lumiere paint worked!

My camera — or camera skill — is lacking. Or maybe it was that fact that fat-cat Max and I were fighting for the same patch of afternoon sunlight in which to snap this shot. The next picture shows more of the iridescence in the piece: Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist (Tattered Rose) on the tag; the fine glitter on the green/brown brad; the pearlescent white Lumiere paint in the background of the main image. It’s definitely a card that changes colors/sheens when held at different angles.

On a tilt the card catches the light. Love that!

Stamp credits: Frame (Roben-Marie Smith/Paper Bag Studios); Couple (The Stamping Ground); Sentiment (Catslife Press); background images in pink (A Stamp in The Hand, Judi-Kins, Club Scrap).

Here’s Max wondering why I stole his sun …

Oh, the indignity of living with humans!

My pieces in “The Stampers’ Sampler”

I was recently honored and excited to find out that three of my creations were published in the June/July 2009 issue of  The Stampers’ Sampler, an awesome, artful bi-monthly magazine from Stampington & Company out of Laguna Hills, CA. The pieces appeared on p. 48 in the “Different Point of View” section. Talk about inspiration to continue this pursuit!!!!

And here they are (ah, the beauty of kraft paper!):

This piece uses an assortment of ribbons, along with stamps from Stampin' Up!, Hero Arts & Printworks.

This piece incorporates rub-ons, rhinestones and stamps from Stampin' Up!, Penny Black & Paper Inspirations.

An inspiration from my trip to Vietnam, the Buddha rules! (Stamp from Stamp Francisco.) Other stamps include Stampin' Up!, Hero Arts & All Night Media.

Overcoming my fear of flocking

When I was four, my family moved into the house I would grow up in. Of the many changes my parents made to the decor, none was more immediate than taking down the wallpaper in the dining room — shiny silver paper flocked with pink and orange flamingos. It left a lasting dislike for flocking in my impressionable little mind. One that until recently I thought would never change. But I’ve gained a new appreciation for the fuzzy stuff — not on my walls, mind you. On my art. There are lots of gorgeous papers on the market sporting the stuff, just begging to be touched, and added to a paper creation. But I recently found a nifty package of rub-ons from We R Memory Keepers that allows you to add flocking to paper just where you want it.

So working with a palette inspired by a recent visit from goldfinches, I went to work, well, play …

The palette inspired by the goldfinches in my purple salvia garden.

The “Foil Glitter Flock” pack:

Swirls galore! Rub the glue image onto your paper, rub the flock over it and voila!

I couldn’t resist the YELLOW flock  … as bright as the goldfinches:

LOOK at that yellow!!! Too cool.

The created pieces:

Can you see the yellow flocking? Smashing. And check out those flighty little cherubs wrapping themselves around the "JOY" (stamp by Stampfrancisco).

Very pleased with the flocking here and another Ebay find - the perspective stamp by Stamp Out Cute.

The bird and egg stamps in these two pieces are by Michelle Ward – awesome, awesome artist. Her blog is in my list of faves, or if you like the images as much as I do, you can visit her store directly: greenpepperpress.com.

Yes, I am an Ebay addict

It started with one stamp. 314 seller’s reviews later (100%, I might add), I can officially say, “I’m an Ebay addict.” I suppose there’s a 12-step program for this somewhere, but I’m not going. Why? Because of the very COOL stuff you can find there. And I’m just talking about the stamps, paper and ephemera that I use in my creations. I have friends who have found cars, clothing, shoes … you name it. My husband finds WWII and flying ace memorabilia there all the time (his collecting passion … and he is, by the way, the one who showed me the Ebay ropes, so, in essence, he’s my “enabler” (lol)). Did I mention that I found amazing vintage Paris postcards on Ebay? I’ll save that for another post.

So, here’s what came today:

Doesn't look like much ...

OK, here’s what was in the box:

The COOLEST stamps ever!

Ahhhhh. 74 wonderments in wood and rubber. Complete JOY!

Mundane elevated to marvelous

First, I’d like to thank all the History Geek followers who stopped by for my first post and left thoughtful comments. OK, OK! That crafty minx, Holly, has done it: I’ve joined the Twit-ophiles and have added a link to this blog. Can’t say how much I’ll be Tweeting (and I have to say that I can’t ponder Twitter without being reminded of Stephen Colbert’s recent giggle-producing twaddle), but for all the folks who said “join Twitter already,” it’s done.

Now on to the tape creation. This is a CD Packet inspired by THE tape and this video by Angi’s Scraps. It’s main components? Paper bags. My supermarket wraps wine bottles in these bags, so I have a lot of these on hand. Any-hoo, add some ephemera, rub-ons and a slew of rubber stamp images (there are 35+ individual images in this piece) et voila. It’s recycled and it’s Kraft paper (my favorite medium). It’s French-themed (mais bien sur!) and the CD’s are gypsy jazz standards by Django Reinhardt (click here to listen to his Sweet Georgia Brown, while viewing the pix). Finished size is 6″ x 5.75″

CD packet - Front, left (with THE tape!) ... back of the packet, right.

First thing you see when you open the packet.

These are the 4 interior sections, with flaps to note the CD titles. You can see one of the CD's peeking out of its pocket.

This shows you 2 of the 4 pockets. Of course, you could put anything in here ... photos, cards, other flat memorabilia.