My Whimcees

My Whimcees

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Halloween House Continues on WOYW? Wednesday

Hello!

Today being "What's On Your Workdesk?" Wednesday - I have more photos of the progress on my Halloween House. I am using papers from a combination of Graphic 45 paper collections and will list them at the end of the project. I am still picking and choosing, so it changes every day. I have not done this before on any project - it has always been using papers from only one collection, But this project I started mixing the collections as I found I needed a little bit more of this and a little bit more of that as I went along.

Here the roof is covered with the base papers.



The house is covered with the base paper - and with the roof on is starting to look awesome!





Go to http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com/ to find out what WOYW? is all about!

Thank you for visiting my blog today! It is SO much colder here in this part of WI - frost in areas last night. It is definitely Fall weather! It is now only 45 degrees this morning at 9:00 am. Our high today is to be only be 61 degrees! I think the heat goes on soon! Wishing you a good one!

Hugs,

Barbara Diane

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Starting A New Halloween House for 2015


Hello! 

Time to start my 2014 Halloween House! I love making houses and any kind of altered art using a paper mache item as the base and covering it with Graphic 45 papers. It always includes a lot of planning, fussy cutting and gluing and I love the entire process;

The last Halloween house project I made was my Haunted House in 2013. You can see a photo of that house on my side bar and also at  http://www.whimcees.blogspot.com/2013_10_01_archive.html - my October 31, 2013 post, which includes photos of all 4 sides of the house. I have it on a turntable base for easy viewing.

I have been working on this year's Halloween House now for some time and it is coming together nicely. My buddy Jimbo fights for the table as he loves to sleep there while I am working, but he gives it up when I need to use the paper cutter or remove him to take a photo. :<) My son Jim painted the house for me using a black acrylic paint - it usually takes 2 coats to cover. I am never sure how much of the base paint will show in the finished project so I want to make sure it is a good base coat. It's at a weird angle in this photo as it looks like the house only has a standing front - if you didn't notice the inside matte color.


I made a pattern for each of the 4 walls and cut the paper I chose to use on the outside of the house. This is the backside of the paper as I didn't want any ink lines to show on my chosen paper side in case I mad an error when transferring the pattern.


The outside paper.


The lighting makes such a difference in the color, but the top photo is with a florescent light shinning on it - taken when I was working at night - and the bottom photo is the next morning.


I took a photo of the total lunar eclipse and although it is not very clear, it was really beautiful! It looked so small up in the sky over our apartment building!



Thank you for visiting my blog today! We had a heavy rain all night and this morning here in this part of WI - very loud rain! It is now sunny again and another beautiful Fall day. Wishing you happy day!

Hugs,

Barbara Diane

Monday, September 28, 2015

When You Can't Find The Words


Sometimes when one can't find the words to express what one wants to say, we send a card. Not because it's easier in the sense of being the fastest way to solve the dilemma, but because the beauty of a card and a simple saying can convey what we can't. When reaching out to a friend who has lost a loved one and wanting to bring comfort to the grieving, is one time when words can fail us. For those of us who make cards, we can express our feelings with the love in which we create the card.

In February of this year, a friend lost his daughter in a hiking accident. Although Jessica Lynn Acker was born and raised here in Wisconsin, she lived and worked in Sitka, Alaska. Jess was an avid hiker and outdoorswoman, loving the outdoors and the beauty she found all around her as she hiked the mountains of Alaska. She loved the state's wild places and in addition to her dedication to hiking, she loved berry-picking, fishing and viewing the wildlife. Jessica was so dedicated to living fully and passionately that she had the word "Live" tattooed across her back.On the day of her accident, Jessica was hiking alone and heavy wind and snow set in that day and the icy conditions contributed to her fall.

Jessica's dad posted this on the bulletin board where I live. These were words that Jess lived by.



At 33 years old, she was a beautiful, educated, well traveled and accomplished young woman.


I made this card for her dad.


I made this card for her mom.


Her dad recently share with me this photo that he received of the the marker that has been built in Jess's memory. He said that he had not found out yet who did this nice work on her memorial, but whoever was responsible for the lovely tribute, it was built with care and love.


Jessica Lynn Acker
"On to hike the Heavens"



Thank you for visiting my blog today! Wishing you all a happy one! Give a hug to those you love and if they are not near enough to physically hold, give them one by telling them how much you love them. Maybe in a card, if the words are hard to find. :<)

Hugs,

Barbara Diane

Friday, September 25, 2015

Blanche Fussy Cutting At Her Workdesk Poster

Hello!

Well, here she is - Blanche in all her glory - sitting at her workdesk busy and focused on her fussy cutting! I loved making this poster as I could fussy cut, glue and layer all day! Especially when all of the pieces are cut from different patterned papers!

Everything on the desk, including the desk, are all fussy cut from those many different patterned papers and in yesterday's post I listed Blanche's chair, her dress and shoes and the paper piece she is cutting with her scissors, including all of the tiny, bity scraps falling on her lap and on the floor beneath her chair, are fussy cut. Only her face, arms, legs, hair and the parrot are colored with markers.

Once I picked the patterned paper for the background 'wallpaper' I colored all the edges around the main cut out images with a yellow marker so that even though they were raised and layered, they would blend in  with the background. A little trick that works well with fussy cutting when you leave a thing border around the images.

Go to Mo Manning's site at http://www.mosdigitalpencil.com/ to order these wonderful images for your own and see so many more! What fun this project was! :<) Hope you enjoyed!





The beautiful Fall weather continues here in this part of WI - love these days of sunshine and cooler weather.The windows are wide open, Jimbo is sitting in one - both of us happy with the fresh air! Wishing you a happy weekend!

Hugs,

Barbara

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Creating A Large Blanche Poster

Hello!

I love Blanche! And after making the Blanche thank-you cards for my delightful Fiskars visitors (2 men and 1 woman) I just had to make one for myself, and I wanted this to not be just a card, but a poster size to hang on one of the bulletin boards in my studio area. Blanche, as I said, is a Mo Manning image - and she also has a desk image for Blanche. So wonderful - so of course I had to make my poster using both images. 

First, I printed the Blanche image twice on white card stock (one for the main image and the second one to cut out the outside arm and the parrot. Then I printed the image again on multiple printed papers to be used to cut out all the items of the two images that I was going to layer/glue to the main image. I have used markers to color Blanche's head, arms, head, legs, feet and hair - and also the shadow under her chair. Everything else was fussy cut from the printed papers and glued on to the main image.

In this first photo, there is a lot that has already been done. I have cut out the main image - leaving a tiny border all around the outside, which will be colored with a marker to match the main color of the background paper that I will use. I have colored Blanche's face, arms (including the second outside arm), legs and feet with markers. The dress and the chair have been cut out from two of the printed papers and glued onto the main image and I have cut out and glued her shoes and started to fussy cut more of the blue printed images to glue to the piece Blanche is fussy cutting and the scraps falling over her lap and onto the floor by her feet.


You can see in this photo the two tools that I use to do all of my fussy cutting - a small curved scissors, a craft knife that fits over your finger for better control (I also now have a swivel craft knife) and a small pad to use when cutting with the knife. I also use a black or brown marker to color the edges of all my cut out pieces. Don't want any white edges showing! :<) And of course, my white glue.


Here I have cut out the arm to be layered on the outside of the body and the parrot, who will also be layered. I have cut out all of the paper scraps from the blue printed paper and glued them onto the main image of Blanche and to the floor under the chair.


The outside arm is attached and layered using mounting tape. I like the results of using this instead of dimensionals as it gives a better layer and you can cut it into any shape that you need.


I decided to use markers to color the parrot so have them ready at the side. I had printed it on a multi patterned paper but when I cut it out I didn't like the results so switched to markers.


She is making a mess -

But she is so focused! :<)

Tomorrow I will post the finished poster of Blanche fussy cutting while sitting at her workdesk. There are so many items on the desk that it was great fun and quite a project to have each and every item fussy cut from a different printed paper! Wishing you a good day today!

Hugs,

Barbara Diane

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday!

Hello!

It's Wednesday and time again for What's On Your Workdesk? This is a card I made using the wonderful Mo Manning image of 'Blanche Fussy Cutting'. You all know that I lOVE fussy cutting and being a woman of advanced age and a bit 'fluffy' and in need of glasses to see anything - this image was irresistible to me! :<) I had to have it for my own!

Some very nice people from Fiskars came to visit me to observe my technique of fussy cutting and this is the card I made for the three of them as a thank you for their kindness. Blanche also has a 'Desk' image and I made a large poster of Blanche sitting at her desk and will post the photos of that process and the finished poster starting tomorrow.

Go to http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com/ and see what all is being created on the many workdesks listed and add your own link so they can visit you!





It's cloudy here today in this part of WI - Fall is certainly on it's way and many of the trees are starting to turn color. I can't wait to see them in all their glory of red, yellow and gold. Wishing you a happy day today!

Hugs,

Barbara Diane

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Wednesday - and time for WOYW?

Hello!

Every Wednesday it's time to share what you are creating - or not creating - on What's On Your Workdesk? over at Julia Dunnit's blog "Stamping Ground". It is great fun to check out all the different links listed to see what are the many creations being worked on all over the US and beyond! Go to http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com/ and leave your link so that you can be visited in return! You will be amazed at how many new friends you will make! :<)

I have just made another fun door poster for my apartment door. My camera was not working for some reason the day I took these photos and by the time I realized this, the door poster was already on my door. The image I used is one of Mo Manning's called "Clubhouse" and you can find it on her website at http://www.mosdigitalpencil.com/.


I used Stickles glitter on the paint can, brush and the clubhouse door she has just painted, as well as the brushes that her dog is holding and the ball at the top point in the clubhouse roof. (Click on image to see enlarged photo.)

 



Another beautiful day here in this part of WI! Wishing you a creative day!

Hugs,

Barbara

Sunday, September 13, 2015

Card Artisian Style

Hello!

Today's card is made using the beautiful "Artisian Style"  paper collection by Graphic 45. I love the beautiful images in this collection - they are so perfect for layering and fussy cutting, which you know I love! The colors are intense and wonderful.





The weather has changed drastically here in this part of WI - so cold compared to our past heat and humidity! This morning it was still only 53 degrees at 10:00 am and the high today is to be only 70 degrees! A sweatshirt when I go out to run errands today!.:<) Wishing you a good one!

Hugs,

Barbara Diane