Out of Practice - makes me blue....

Yep, its really me.

FINALLY posting punch art after ?? years.....

I recently started scrapbooking a little bit which is LOADS of fun.  Toyed with the idea of trying to punch but eh... didn't excite me.  Then I got an email request and thought "oh, why not"

I am soooooooooooooooooooooo out of practice.  It makes me feel a bit blue.  Just like this requested smurf.

He looks a bit like a blue ELMO.  His eyes need to be narrower and his nose smaller but hey, I tried.  You can tweak him a bit - and give him some props to cover any bits you don't like. I'm happy I could figure out how to post this.  

Its been years since I've even looked at a Stampin' Up! catalog so I don't even know what punches are current - I suspect lots of these are retired but maybe you have them deep in your stash...

Here's the how to help:

• Hat - Full heart - trimmed by sticking in a circle punch
• Head - 1 1/4 inch circle - trimmed by stick back in the same circle and just taking off a tiny sliver
• Nose and ear (not shown) the wing from two step bird punch
• Body - owl - ears and feet trimmed off
• Pants - owl - feel off - trimmed by sticking in a circle punch
• Hands - modern label - trimmed with circle (or oval punch)
• Arms (and legs) - medium oval hole with two slivers punched beside it - toss the oval - keep the slivers
• NOT SHOWN - brim of hat - large oval around small oval hole - giving you an oval ring - trim a piece of that 
• NOT SHOWN - eyes - circles - don't do what I did - it looks like Elmo - trim some circles down
• mouth is drawn on

Edit:  Couldn't stand the Elmo Smurf - did a quick eye change shown on the right smurf below- better - I can live with you copying THIS one.....  (drew on eyebrows too - he needs them)

Tennis Power

Surprise!  Third post in a row...

I don't play tennis (I don't play sports - I think I'm "allergic" to exercise) but if I did, I would not want this character hitting a ball in my direction - this gal has some muscles!

Head - Owl punch (minus feet and ears)
Hair - NEW postage punch - as is, turned on the diagonal
Strip of something (I already forgot) for headband
Usual, usual usual  blah blah blah - legs are modern label with a line drawn to separate them. Lips are the tiny heart from the owl punch.

Never Give Up!

Never Give Up!

This post title could be talking about the Mavs - Thunder playoff game last night, where the Mavs were down 15 points with less than 5 minutes to play and came back to win by 7 points in overtime... but it's not.   (GO MAVS!)

Never Give Up, in this case, refers to talented crafter Barbara Diane, who also happens to be a faithful Blink Blog reader and commenter.  She has not given up asking me to punch Snow White since I did the 7 Dwarfs.  I kept putting her off.  I tried referring her to this beautiful Snow White but she wanted one in "my" style.

Famous characters are hard because they have to be "just right" since everyone knows what they are supposed to look like.  Famous PRETTY characters are even HARDER because those attractive faces aren't exactly your basic punch shapes.  But Barbara Diane, for YOU,  DEAR YOU, I have attempted Snow White.

I picked this pose because my vision of her is standing in the forest singing to all the woodland creatures with birds landing on her outstretched arms.  Too many years since I watched the movie, but that is what I remember.

Face  - 1 inch circle - trimmed in slightly on one side (for cheek bone)
Hair - 1.25 inch circle and 1/2 inch circle
Bangs - 1/2 inch circle cut in half - cut edges are hidden under the headband
Headband - 1 inch circle near same hole, top of small heart for bow (middle drawn with marker)
Face - drawn on (don't laugh at my attempt)
Neck - word window
Collar - 1 3/8 inch circle - trimmed
Chest - medium oval
Bodice - Owl punch (yes, you read that right) - insert head end into bottom of the ornament punch to get pointed part at the waist - repunch foot end with 1 inch circle to get curved neckline
Strip on bodice - word window at edge of paper (super thin) - didn't attempt to adhere to front - wrapped the strip around the bodice and attached in the back
Skirt - wide oval
Sleeves - large oval, both ends repunched with 3/4 inch circle, then throw away bits of the brand new Blossoms Bouquet Triple Layer Punch (in Summer Mini) in red
Arms - wide heart to heart next to same hole
Hands - small heart to heart trimmed down on the thumb side

Heard you were under the weather...

It is a Splish Splash Flash Back...

I don't do a lot of challenges.  This is primarily because I'm usually a week behind on my blog reading and the due dates are past. But I have turned over a new leaf and hope to do someones challenge each week. 

This week I bought into the Color Combos Galore Inspiration 187.  I've been following this site for YEARS with good intentions yet this is my first time to play.  They "requested" more cards so that is what I did.  A get well card - "Heard you were under the weather"  is the inside sentiment -  yep, it's my usual corny stuff!  And since they required WET - I glazed up the umbrella, drops, and puddles. 

Changed the duck a little from the Splish Splash version:
Same butterfly punch feet and bill
1.25 inch circle for the body
Owl punch with ears and feet cut off for the head
And since it was already laying there on my desk - I cut the owl breast in half for wings (weird end is behind his body)
Eyes are the circles from the owl punch in white and black

Umbrella is the 1.75 circle punched near a scallop oval hole - this is the way to get the "scallops" inverted on the umbrella.

Umbrella handle is the word window around the slot hole - trimmed.  Like this:

Simple Puppy

I was cleaning out a pile of OLD stamping/scrapbooking magazines I found on a shelf that I had forgotten about.  Out of sight, out of mind, ya know?

But I MUST thumb through them before they go to recycle and I spotted an add for a PUNCH - actually 2 punches - a puppy head and a puppy body.  Well.... you know what happened next...

Head - Owl punch with ears and feet cut off
Ears - Petal from Blossom Petal/Feather duster
All the circles for his eyes, nose, face ring - Owl Punch
Body - 1.75 inch circle, cut flat on bottom and right side, repunched in a bit at the bottom with circle from itty bitty punch pack, drew line for "front legs"

Drew on a few spots with black marker
Attached his head with a dimensional.

Simple Pose Change

Same girl as yesterday - but she put on a clean shirt, found her hands, and decided to water her garden.

All you have to do is shift your full heart, shorten the cuff and attach the shoe at a different angle.

Nose in a book...

I wish, I wish, I wish I could show you what I used as inspiration for today's punch art but alas, I only saved the tiny photo and I cannot read the watermark to tell you where I saw it.  Cutest stamp - a little girl sitting with her head on her arm looking at a flower.  She had tendrils of loose hair hanging down, a wreath of flowers in her hair and was barefoot - just darling.

It inspired me to punch this:

Not as feminine and lovely as the inspiration piece but way more likely to get used in my scrapbooks.

face - owl punch feet and ears cut off
nose - small circle from owl punch
hair - 1.75 circle punched near 1 inch circle hole (the 1 inch hole is the curved part near her face) then the rest of the "face edge" was trimmed by hand
bun - 1.25 inch circle
eye - drawn on - (2 curves then fill in the color part)
neck that you don't really see - word window
arms - wide heart to heart
sleeves - small oval cut in half to get 2
shirt - wide oval trimmed front, neck and bottom (so not really recognizable as an oval anymore)
underside of shirt - small oval
torso peeking out - small oval
jeans - full heart - draw lines on as shown in photo below (only I left the pocket off this time)
cuff of jeans - modern label shortened with same
belt - edge cut from 1.75 circle that had been run through square lattice embossing folder
belt loop - scrap
book - bits and pieces
shoe - medium oval on edge of paper

If you don't know how to make the "denim" paper - look HERE and scroll down a bit in the post.

Rosie

Some of you will remember the Jetsons from the 60s.  Some from when it was reprised in the 80s.  Some of you might not have a clue about this character. 

I am one of the original watchers and I loved Rosie the Robot Maid.  I loved the way the Jetsons loved her even though she was a little "out of date".

Since we are officially in SPRING now, I thought it might be nice to have Rosie come do some Spring Cleaning!

I'm happy to be back punchin'

And I actually put her on a decent background instead of scratch paper!

But I'm too lazy to type out the directions...

You can't have everything!

I will tell you that the owl punch is only used to get the tiny buttons on her outfit.

The new flower punch I call Feather Duster was used for the feather duster base and for Rosie's base

The hands started with a 3/4 circle for one and word window for the other but there is so much trimming - I don't know how to explain.

You'll have to figure out the rest.

Another Ground Hog?

Really, I don't have a "thing" for ground hogs.  And I don't need one.  And I'll probably never use him.  Just like I've never used the first one.

But he was so cute that I had to punch him when I saw him.

His face is from the Owl Punch - I bet you recognized that right away.

His teeth and eye are a little different so let me show you what I did.

Not too hard, huh?  just a few snip snip snips with your scissors!

And the tulips were the small heart snipped in half and layered - EASY!

Maybe he could go on a layout about shadows... your kid shadowing your every step, discovering their shadow...

OR

Maybe you can use him as a BEAVER if that is your team mascot. 
Just add a tail.
A tail and a river.

What am I going to do?

This is the cleaning "me" I was working on before it morphed into Angry Blog Reader.  I am still unfinished because the punched version of a feather duster that I use to clean my stove top didn't work out.  So I'm open to suggestions to how to finish "me" off.  Huh? Huh? Huh?  What shall I make myself hold/do/be?

This really is me - glasses - sticky out gray hair - jeans - crooked nose.  Except I don't wear red lipstick.  And my arms aren't that thin.

Pants are the small tag punch - snipped to crotch
Shirt - wide oval trimmed
Face - owl
Hair - scallop circle repunched
yadda yadda yadda - same old stuff

I will give you a couple of REAL cleaning tips -(besides using a feather duster on your stove when you never cook.)

Try those Mr. Clean Magic Erasers for your bathtub - LOVE THEM!  They really do work and are so easy!

AND get a swiffer duster - the ones that extend - oh my gosh - I can dust my ceiling fan and my baseboards with the same tool without bending over OR getting a step-stool.  FABULOUS TOOL. Now my ceiling fans and baseboards stay clean instead of the once (or twice) a year cleaning they used to get.  Oh, don't get so grossed out - the health department has NEVER had to come to my house.  Promise!

Angry Readers

Oh my gosh, you gals crack me up!

Here is a hilarious comment I got this morning from Melanie:
"OK do all of your cyber friends need to band together for a road trip and do an intervention? If you need motivation I have glue dots just waiting on you, they are dusty but waiting patiently. If you are spending this time cleaning I need you to come to me! Think Kentucky and bring hefty bags.
Need inspiration?? How about me having to clean as I have nothing to punch? RETURN OH PUNCH FAIRY"

I was actually in the process of making an old cleaning lady (ME) when I read this - the Inspiration Fairy must have flickered past because she quickly morphed into

Angry Blog Reader

Hands on her hips, toe tapping, waiting for me to get on the job and create some new punch art!

I don't promise daily posts but I'll try to work in a little more frequent desk time and maybe we can get that Fairy to do her thing so Melanie's glue dots will not petrify.

Owl face, 5 petal flower shoes, scallop trim border punch for glasses - the rest is the usual stuff.

Biker Santa

At our house we are NOT "bike" people -------BUT

I realize that many many MANY people get great joy from their bikes and for them I share today's BIKER SANTA

Greg M. - this one's for you!

Switch the color of the pants and the beard and you have any old big belly biker you'd like to make. (Yes, Greg - that would be for you too, hee hee hee)

Here is some how to for Biker Santa:

Head and bandanna - 1.25 circle

Bandanna tails - wing from two step bird near a circle hole

Eyes - standard hole punch white and black - adhered offset - add gel pen highlight

Nose - small circle trimmed on each side

Beard - scallop oval repunched with "end" of wide oval (could use a circle)

Mustache - small heart cut in half

Eyebrows - small circle near an oval hole

Belly - 2.5 circle - trimmed at back and bottom so you are using approx 3/4 of the punch - cut notch with scissors

Belt - strip from trimmer - (word window wasn't long enough)

Pants - large ovals - thin strip of grey from word window on edge of paper

Boots - full heart - trimmed at "base" of boot and "heel side" - rounded at leg opening

Gloves - modern label - repunched with 1/2 inch circle

Helmet  - 1 3/8 circle (use that again to make striped part)

Goggles - scrap into the small holes of the owl punch - toss the circle put the "hole" scrap into the word window (use the sticky of a post it note so you can hold on to it) - repunch again with word window to get the round ends - strap is just a strip

Buckles - tiny tiny scraps (good luck)

Gift Bearing Bear

with or without hat, he is still a gift bearing bear...

Inspired by wrapping paper

Head - owl with ears and feet cut off
Body - 1.75 inch circle
Arms - medium oval
Legs - small oval
Feet - medium oval flattened on bottom
You can figure out the rest cause I'm bored typing this

I don't know why...

This is another one of those punch art things where I don't really know why the Inspiration Fairy led me down this path.

Remember the polar bear idea I got from Mary's gift tag?  Well, she had another tag with a cute reindeer face and the antlers reminded me of hearts, so I had to copy that.  THEN "we" decided to add a body and I couldn't decide on the legs and before I knew it... I had a skating reindeer.

And if you should need something a little wilder you can rearrange the legs like this:

And this reminds me of a family story.

Oldest was 7.  Youngest was 2.  Youngest decided to do an "impression" of her sister skating.  Dead serious and with NO malice in her heart, she stood on one leg throwing her arms and legs in a crazy windmill fashion.  Honestly, it was a perfect imitation of her sister skating down our front sidewalk. 

Oldest didn't think this was funny (Hubby and I were rolling on the floor) so she decided to to an impression of her sister.  But what do 2 year-olds do that would embarrass them?  Well, lets just leave it with the info that youngest wasn't potty trained and we ALWAYS knew when she did number two.  And oldest did a perfect imitation of that.  (More rolling on the floor)

Children are entertaining.  I love them.

Head - owl punch with feet and ears cut off
Antlers - small heart put on post it and repunched with a smallish circle
Ears - small heart cut in half
Nose - 3/4 circle put on post it and repunched with same
Body - 1 3/8 inch circle
Legs - word window cut in half lengthwise
Tail - wide heart to heart cut in half
Skates - small heart to heart rounded on one hump with some small circle
Wheels - small circle from owl punch, tiny circle from owl punch for center
Scarf - circle near circle hole and long scraps

Elf

Something to entertain you while I'm gone...

Owl and Butterfly

I had a flashback and remembered a post from about this time last year when I gave y'all a lesson on eyes.  I remembered one of them screamed "owl eyes" so I wanted to test it to see if it would work on the owl from SU's owl punch.

It worked.

So I did another.

And one more just for fun.

I love the butterfly punch AND the owl punch so you know I love being able to use them together!

Owl Pizza

No - this is not some weird recipe page for pizza using owl meat.

Remember "Man of Mystery"?

When I made the little detective using nothing but the Owl Punch?

Oops, I did it again

(sing along with me and Britney now)

This time I did a little chef makin' his pizza pie.

This is the title element for a page on our favorite family pizza - (not Mom's fave but the one the family has eaten for a zillion years)
Seriously, the ONLY punch needed to make this chef is the Stampin' Up! Owl punch. 
 
You'll also need a black marker, a post it note and scissors to make a couple of snips. (And adhesive, of course)

Hat - breast turned upside down - drew on the scallops and colored above them with a black marker (no trimming required)  The little "v" notch will be covered by his "hair"

Hair - feet  - three of them - two are 'toes down' on each side - then the middle one is 'toes up' to hide the notch

Head - breast

Nose - small circle

Eyes - tiny circles

Moustache - large circle punched around small circle hole - cut in half to get both sides of his moustache

Coat/Shirt/whatever you call it - breast - draw line and buttons

Pants - breast upside down (you will need to trim a little at the fattest part or it will stick out past his coat

Shoes - heart  (1 for each shoe)

Arm - heart

Pizza - breast - put on sticky part of post it note and repunch with breast

Pepperoni - tiny circles

Here are the "in process" photos for you visual ladies:

Punch parts shown here

 Now assembly in process - when I outlined the nose I didn't go all the way around - I left the top flesh toned

 On the next photo you can see that I slimmed his waistline to fit under his coat and started the pizza - this is the owl breast on a post it note

 This shows the owl breast (on post it) reinserted in the punch to get the pizza

 Here he is again

******

Thank you for your kind thoughts and words about our health situation.  FIL is out of CCU and possibly going home today.  He has minimal damage to his heart and is in great shape for 89 years old.  Of course if he lived in a rural area and hadn't gotten such fast response from 911, the situation might have been very different.  Cities have their downside but they have their advantages too. 

Hubby is thinking our retirement home should be on some secluded golf course in the Texas Hill Country and I'm thinking it should be next door to a major hospital.  (I bet we could learn to sleep through ambulance sirens)

Old Days

Toga Man

Long Explanation Below

After several posts admitting how old and gray I am, I decided it is time to share a layout I did with photos from 25 years ago - pre gray days.

Let's do the math  (And even you gals that flunked algebra can follow this.....)

Ready?

Here is the equation:

Bad Photos + Good Memory = X

X = Scrapbook Layout

Therefore
Bad photos that bring back good memories should be used in your scrapbooks!!!

Here is my example

March 16 1985

We were newlyweds and renting a great house with horrid carpet

This gives us another good equation:  Large House + Bad Carpet = PARTY

March 16  fell on a weekend and was exactly half way between the Ides of March and St. Patrick's Day - What could we do except have an Irish-Toga Party? (this was the 80s ya know? - check out the leg warmers!)

Too busy partying to take many photos but someone got this shot of me in my "Irish" outfit and the really bad photo is a Polaroid of some of the guests raising their togas.  Other photos existed but I believe they were borrowed and destroyed by some of the attendees in the interest of career advancement.  It WAS a very fun night. 

Lessons:

The paper folded back is hiding a huge white blur on the polaroid photo - bringing your attention to those "sexy" legs (file that idea away if you have old photos - and be grateful that we have moved to the digital age where you don't have to mess with crummy photos like these)

Be careful cropping - I nearly cropped this photo closer to "me" but then I noticed that I am talking to a guy that is about 11 feet tall - I have no clue who he is but I decided I shouldn't crop him out - I might find out he is famous or infamous! (I told you it was a FUN party)

And the lesson you might really care about is How to Make Toga Man (just in case you decide to throw a toga party yourself)

Head – Owl – feet and ears cut off – (I guess the ears would be hidden by the hair)

Hair – Bat – upside down – head and feet snipped off with circle from itty bitty punch pack (or other small circle)

Eyes – small heart in white, tiny circle from owl in black

Nose – circle from itty bitty punch pack

Toga – wide oval – flat on bottom – shoulder snipped off with large circle (I think I grabbed the 1.75)

Chest – wide oval (just a piece)

Neck – word window

Arms and Legs – oval rings (large oval around small oval hole) snip off pieces you need

Hand – circle from itty bitty punch pack around tips of modern label

Feet – large circle from owl

Sandals – retired slot (can substitute thin strips from your trimmer)

I sponged some soft suede on his five o’clock shadow (no underage boys at this party)
Outlined pieces in black
Drew on mouth and a few lines on his toga to indicate folds in the “fabric”

This is certainly not one of my best scrapbook layouts, but I share it to show you that not everything has to be a masterpiece - you can make so-so layouts using bad photos and if it records a good memory you were a smart girl to record it. 

My girls got such a kick seeing this photo of me.  This layout has generated more joy than any of my "fancy" layouts that I'm so proud of.  Don't think every layout has to be "pretty".  

Singles Ad

Seeking Three French Hens who prefer bread and wine

NOT

'pina coladas and getting caught in the rain...'

I don't know why I punched what I punched- other than they amused me.

I hope they made you grin too.

Will they lead us to a weird version of the 12 days of Christmas? 

It isn't in the plan - but since I don't know from day to day what I'm going to punch or post...it could happen.

Body – owl - feet off-ears off – trimming in slightly from fattest part

Neck – modern label – trimming in from fattest part to middle bump at other end

Belly – small oval

Feet – narrow heart to heart – trimmed – draw on toes

Wings – scallop oval – cut in half to get 2 wings

Beak – word window shortened by re-punching, narrow heart to heart folded over

Eye white – small heart

Eye black – tiny owl or marker

Eyelids – circle itty bitty punch pack cut in ½

Beret – small oval – scrap “button thing”

Cigarette – retired slot (can use scrap) color tip red

Both Props – word window trimmed

First Tooth

While away on our scrapping weekend, Jenifer asked if any of us had brought baby stamps since she needed a card for an upcoming baby shower.  None of us had any but, of course, I volunteered to make some punch art for her.  And I'm so glad she needed this.

I have shown you several baby ideas before

New Years Baby
Crawling Baby
Special Delivery Baby

but One Tooth Baby is now my favorite...(of the baby characters)

I made the baby - Eileen (my sideline) made the card - and Jenifer kept on scrapping while we did all the work. Small price to pay for getting to go off to her friend's cabin for the weekend, don't you think?

Here's the important info:

Body – owl – feet off – trimmed from fattest part up to neck
Feet – small heart
Collar - small Heart to Heart (trimmed diagonally)
Neck – word window thinned lengthwise
Head – large oval
Eyes – small heart – black dots (marker or tiny circles from owl punch)
Nose – circle itty bitty punch pack
Ears – Small heart
Tooth – scrap
Mouth – marker
Arms - modern label on the edge of paper so you just get 1 bump
Hands – circle itty bitty punch pack around tips of modern label

The "fabric" of his pj's is from the Subtles Patterns Designer Series Paper Stack.  The letters are from the "rough type" alphabet.  And it has my FAVE embossing folder - square lattice.  You MUST get your hands on this embossing folder - I LOVE IT!!!!