ATC Vintage Photography Representing Rochester NY and George Eastman's Kodak

Thank you for stopping by!

I decided to participate in an ATC swap with an assigned group from Scrapdaworld with T'mika for the month of August ( Happy Birthday Tmika!!). This is my first time participating in this group, and I dove right in to make the ATC's with the theme: Represent Your State.
I decided to go with a Vintage theme, and Retro Cameras as Upstate NY is best known for Rochester N.Y. being the Imaging Capital of the World. My take on this, is the invention of Film Photography by George Eastman and Kodak.
The first thing I did was set my eyes on a vintage camera as a focal point, and I then came across the perfect image to use!! A young lady taking a selfie with a vintage camera, in front of a full-length mirror. This is a stunning photograph, and it shows her in full vintage glam, wearing a feather headdress, and a gorgeous beaded gown. Needless to say, I LOVE VINTAGE PHOTOS!!

I used my Cricut's Print & Cut feature to get this lovely lady onto some heavyweight cardstock, backed with sturdy chipboard, and also embellished her dress with glass microbeads. Her beautiful headdress also got a little glitter on it to stand out. (Tutorial video above) 

I then also used my Cricut to make a plume from heavy white cardstock, that I embellished with Glossy Accents, Superfine Glitter, Cream Enamel,and Silver Vinyl. The result was a super shiny and glimmered feather, reminiscent of the 20's headpiece. To tie it all together, I also added two embellishments in black and white embossed in silver glimmer and white tinsel glitter. That was the perfect place to add the Vintage Camera photo that I also embellished in order to give it an enameled look. I LOVED the results!!

All of the pieces got a trim in gold paint, and then I embellished the bags with matching toppers. The toppers were made with dies from my stash, and the word Smile, cut with a Little Yellow Bicycle die, out of black cardstock topped with Gold Washi Tape. The top layer is backed with Vellum that is sprinkled in glitter, and a white card base. 

I also added name tags made from Chipboard that I painted, stamped, embossed, and added their names in calligraphy with gold and black inks.

All of these little pretty packages have a little gift of words in Gold and Silver vinyl that they may use as they like, and are rimmed in gold Washi tape to give it a finished look. 

Thank you for reading my blog, I hope that you have enjoyed my little project!

Here is my assembly tutorial video:

Be inspired, Be Blessed- Raquel

Memorydex Cards with Tim Holtz Stamping platform, Gorguss Girls and Cricut Explore Air 2!!

This is a loaded post!
I have recently received the Tim Holtz Stamping platform from Tonic Studios and I am sooo happy that I invested in this tool!! Following is a project share using this awesome platform, as well as my favorite collection of Stamps: Santoro London Gorguss Girls, and another favorite: Cricut Explore Air 2.
First, I must say that I am a latecomer to the Memorydex swaps, but having participated in ATC swaps, I knew I would enjoy this, and decided to join a group swap for fun! I am so glad that I did!!
All of the memorydex cards were made with Cricut, followinf Lorrie Nunemaker's free file. This made the project super easy to make! THANK YOU Lorrie!!

This one was my FAVORITE!! Can you tell??

I used Mermaid Lagoon and Cracked Pistachio Distress inks on the mermaid's hair, followed by different colors of Prismacolor pencils to give it dimension. For shine, I added Sakura Clear Star pen, and Glossy Accents.

To make the Coral, I layered two pieces of cardstock. I used Spiced Marmalade Distress ink, and Ranger Embossing powders to make it look like real coral with shine!

I also added sequins to the Sand dollar. All of the dies here were cut with my Cricut Explore Air 2. The Stamps were distressed with the Cricut Distress tool for a weathered look.

 
For this teatime card, I used Cottage Cutz Cup of Love dies, as well as several other dies from my stash.

To make this flower cluster complete, I added a hear I made with plaster, painted in gold and pink, as well as tulle, and rolled flowers that I made from different pink papers. The centers each have a different type of pearl. The coffee "Foam" was embossed with Ranger Embossing powder.

For this card, I used Coffee dies from Spellbinders, and combined a banner stamp with coffee bean stamps. It was SUPER EASY with the TH platform!! Other dies and punches were from my stash also. The sentiment on the cups was made with Washi Tape :).

I colored the banner stamping with Ranger Distress and Oxide inks for a soft brown and pink look. 

To watch the process of the stamping and mermaid card, watch my video!

Gorguss Girl Card Sweet Tea

Thank you for joining me!

Some images you never tire of, and for me, this is one of them. I recently made a mini album using this Gorguss stamp, titled Sweet Tea. This time, I am using this beautiful image to send a card that will go along with my previous post, which includes a devotional.

To make this card, I used watercolors and Prismacolor pencils, as well as paper-piecing techniques. This allowed all of my colors to remain vibrant and coordinate perfectly with the papers I selected.

Recipe:

Martha Stewart Royal Butterfly

Anna Griffin Border punch

Unbranded dies: Doily border, scalloped circle border, small doily, small banner

Border die for inside of card

Creative Memories punch (tiny butterfly)

Recollections Sequins

Stamps:

Santoro London Gorguss Sweet Tea

Little Yellow Bicycle Css-108

Heidi Swapp planner stamp

Enjoy the video, and please leave a thumbs up!!

Be inspired, Be blessed- Raquel

Multimedia Teacup Piece with Devotional

Thank you for joining me,

Today my post is dedicated to a journal entry and mixed-media piece I made using watercolor, pencils,and ink. It is based on Psalm 34:8. 

For me, to paint is to worship, so I aim to listen, not for perfection.

Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

Psalm 34:8

You prayed long and hard to be in the relationship you thought you always wanted. “God, please allow me to be with the man you want me to be with, the one of your choosing. Not my will, but yours, be done…”

Sounds like a great prayer. After all, you believe that God’s intentions for you are better than your own. It’s also possible that you had previously chosen a partner without God’s blessing, and you learned the hard way how that turns out.

You are excited about your life with this modern-day Boaz, and yet, something seems amiss. You are confused by brokenness you are now witnessing. Is it possible God made a mistake? What now? Why isn’t his armor all shiny and strong? Wait a minute…do I see cardboard??

It may very well be that you were “shopping for a teacup.” (Humor me on this) You know, we women do this all the time. You stop into your favorite little shop. The one that sells the pretty little things you hope to find under a Christmas tree and the trinkets you dream to have in your Pinterest inspired home. (someday)

You select the teacup that you like, you admire its golden rim, and the way it sits on your thumb just right, or maybe even turn it over, look at the designer name on the bottom, and picture how great it would look when you’re drinking your favorite oolong, chamomile, or chai, with your pinky finger pointed away- and perfect Audrey Hepburn bangs.

It’s no surprise you are dumbfounded when God hands you the blessed vessel he has set aside for you. You open the box, and you see a chipped mug. You notice old coffee stains and maybe even fingerprints, and ask: “Are you sure God? How can this be what you have for me? After all, if you love me, won’t you give me the desires of my heart?”

To this he responds: “You are looking for the golden rim, and the designer label, but you are not paying attention to what I am pouring into him. You are crying over your mismatched set, and wonder why the porcelain wasn’t reserved for you, but what you don’t understand is that the contents that I fill this cup with, is what will truly quench you.”

You may have lived your life seeking to be filled so quickly, that once you receive this cup, you are even likely to want to guzzle up what’s inside. Only to then complain that now your lips are burning! Your heavenly father reminds you, that you are to be a lady, and sip slowly.

 Sister, to really enjoy this cup, you must take your time, handle it with care. After all, you have no idea what God has been doing to mold, shape, and sometimes piece together your Boaz. This vessel is meant to sustain you, to bring you warmth and keep you company as you seek God, but it is not up to you to determine what material it will be made of. God is taking care of that. He is the potter. Not us. So when you see him, be reminded that the chipped handle can be fixed, but prayer and a gentle spirit is what will lead him to want to always be in your hands. That, and a good biscuit*.

Be inspired,  Be blessed- Raquel SK

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, A Camping we will go!!

Thank you for stopping by!
Today I am showing you a step-by-step tutorial on how to assemble the amazing trifold Camping Trip Card from Crazy Cute Cards in Cricut Design Space. I cut all pieces with my Cricut Explore Air 2, and there are many!

Be sure to adjust your settings for the type of paper used, and if you like, add critters to the scenes for more interest! I kept mine very simple, but I'm sure it will be very well received!

Follow the video for steps to assemble this wonderful interactive card!

Recipe:

Core'Dinations cardstock in Green (12"*12" for base of card)

Momenta Cardstock in Brown (8.5"*11")

Recollections Cardstock in Olive Green (12"*12" for envelope topper, sleeping bag, and tent door)

Several Scraps in shades of green, gray, white, and enough white paper for the envelope (8.5"*11")

Ranger Oxide Ink in Vintage Photo for distressing

Liquid adhesive from Scotch

Double Sided adhesive from Ali Express

Be inspired, Be Blessed! 

-Raquel

Christmas in July Poinsettia Card Christmas Cheer

Thank you for stopping by!
I have gathered some supplies and begin my Christmas cards! This one is a simple card with a bit of golden shine getting you ready for Christmas Cheer!

I used my Cricut Explore Air 2, and Design Space3 to come up with this pretty card.

Playing with this combination of colors and the oxide inks is TONS of fun! Each background is unique, as the alcohol in the Color Shine reacts with the pigments in the Oxide inks. It's a must have!

 The background was made with Ranger Oxide Inks and Heidi Swapp Color Shine. 

The sentiment was stamped using a Stamping Up sentiment from the Sweet Essentials collection.

On the green tag, I used a Hero Arts stamp with American Crafts gold pigment ink for a subtle effect.

The label is an unbranded stitched label die that adds just the perfect amount of texture. 

The poinsettia is the eye-catcher of this simple card, and I finished it off with a splash of Gold Color Shine, as well as golden seed beads that will stay put with Glossy Accents.

To finish the card, I did manage to find more pieces of sequins in red, gold, and green.

I scattered these among the card topper, finishing the festive look perfectly!

For the video tutorial, follow along...

I hope this inspires you to get started with your Christmas projects!!

Be inspired, Be Blessed!-

Raquel 

Love your selfie Multimedia shaker card

Thank you for stopping by!
I hope you have had a wonderful weekend full of celebration! In this tutorial, I decided to use an image from my collection of watercolors, as well as items from my stash, and of course, my trusted Cricut Explore Air 2. The result was a playful card encouraging you to Love your Selfie!

I used my Spellbinders die to make a small Polaroid shaker, sealed with washi tape, and then finished it with small sequins. I also added a tag finished with a Heidi Swapp stamp and glitter. The watercolor image is also enhanced with glossy accents for her lips and accessories.

These are some of the supplies that I used. I also made the card base and envelope with my Cricut Explore Air 2, and the Striped Card from Spring Fling. These images are free with your access subscription.

I hope that you have enjoyed this tutorial.

Be inspired, Be blessed- Raquel