Happy, Little, Time Waster

 

Christmas Watercolour Baubles: How To Make Your Own Cards

Happy, Little, Time Waster

 

DIY Cute Cat Bookmark

Monet

Looking over my shoulder, Monet and me are admiring the haul of Halloween cards received. This cutie card and fun hand-lettering from my friend, Nan.

Nan used the reflective sun stamp. Can you see the spooky face?

Phillip from Envelope 100 handmade this spectacular envelope from a glossy magazine page (I'm guessing). It took me awhile to figure out how to open the envelope without destroying it completely. Phillip also included the beautiful dragon notecard stating the dragons are appropriate for any season or holiday. I agree.

Phillip used the reflective Halloween stamps. The overhead light changed the purple background of the stamp to a brilliant sunset.

The back of the envelope, 13 stories of Haunted Columbus (Ohio) Homes, reminds me of the fun Hulu series Only Murders in the Building. 

This spooky, Blacklettered card from the one and only Dave, The Mailman, a fellow member of Masscribes.

Dave chose a stamp from the Dungeons and Dragons stamp series

The beautifully lettered gravestone-shaped card

Hist!

and

Hark!

Draw

close

and tremble.

Tis

this

night

that

ghosts assemble

Inside a fun Halloween pop-up

Thank you, Nan, Phillip, and Dave. You brightened my mailbox and made my day.

Happy, Little, Time Wasters

 Get comfy with your favorite beverage for this tutorial.

DIY Pockets for Junk Journals

Vintage Page Designs

Happy, Little, Time Waster

 

Curve-creased origami artists Erik & Martin Demaine (father-son team)

Happy, Little, Time Waster

 

Stolen from Jean at Pushing the Envelope

Envelope with a Twist

Monet and Me

are procraftinating. That's doing some sort of a craft instead of what you should be doing like cleaning the studio.

We decided to try to make the little birds from Saturday's happy, little, time waster. The project called for using paper that is decorated on both sides. I had some cardstock, but it was a little too difficult to work with.

I decided to use  some colorful, glossy pages from a garden catalog which would otherwise be relegated to the recycle bin. I trimmed the image so there was no white border and then cute it into strips. 1 inch, 1/2 inch. The length of the strip was about 5 or 6 inches. I didn't measure things. 

 I did try a shorter strip but it wasn't long enough for me to tie into a knot. The magazine paper was fragile so I had to be careful about pulling the knot taut. I got a little ham-fisted and tore the paper.

The birds turned out cute. On some I cut swallowtails and on a couple I just cute the tail into a fringe. I didn't think the Sharpie marker eye showed up well enough. I had some googly eyes, gems, and other embellishments that I thought would work for the eyes.

I have a friend who retired and moved into a new home in Arizona to be closer to her daughter. I thought I would use the birds to make a card for a new home.

Happy, Little, Time Waster

 

How To Make An Adorable Paper Bird

Monet and Me

got a rush job of lettering in two baby books for a baby shower yesterday. Actually, I did the lettering while Monet supervised.

The books were presents from a great-grandpa. Initially, he wanted me to write in the books. To Baby Name and From Great-Grandpa.

I have written in books before, but it's quite scary as there's no room for error. When the books were delivered, I told Great-Grandpa, I wouldn't be able to write in the books as the pages were printed on glossy paper. My ink wasn't going to adhere.

What to do? We brain-stormed a few ideas, and he liked the suggestion of a bookplate. I cut a scrap of Arches 90 lb. watercolor paper to the size of a business card (3.5" x 2 ") (It was a relief to know I had more paper to use when the pen caught in the paper and dragged a fugly, thick line of ink instead of the graceful ending to the letter "e".)

The area on the front piece (verso or left page) wasn't large enough to fit the two lines of writing.  He decided the bookplate  could be glued onto the title page

and that's what I did

Finding a spot for the book plate on the second book wasn't easy. There wasn't a front piece or a title page. There were felt flaps, but again, not large enough.

On the last page there was a felt cloud which when pulled down revealed a mirror. Since the left page had a square cutout so part of that blue felt could be seen, the bookplate had to go on the inside of the cloud. Problem solved.

Job dusted and done.

T Stands for 2OLOTR: Authentic Women Circle and International Women's Day

The real reason Teague and took a trip to Ogunquit, Maine was to attend the Authentic Women Circle. Teague has belonged to this group for many years. I wasn't a member but have participated in a couple of the events. I taught a Japanese stab binding album for the group many years ago and also participated in the Circle when the group moved to Ogunquit 15 years ago and this weekend was the anniversary. The meeting also fell on International Women's Day so that was celebrated also. The leader asked Teague if I would like to tag along. 

I loved the blue, wooden, fish sculpture that was in our suite. I was tempted to put him in a Fish Relocation Program and bring him home with me.

Saturday morning, March 8 was still cold, but not as windy.

The function room set up for the Circle. There were 12 women in attendance. I was the only new person in this group though I knew the leader as she and Teague are good friends. We have also visited her at her home when we have traveled to Ogunquit. Her daughters also attended the group, I had heard about them when they were little.

The Circle opened with music performed by Teague and her guitar. The format of the group is that each person gets a chance to talk. So I introduced myself as Teague's imaginary friend as so many people said to me "Oh, so you're CJ!"

We had been asked to bring photos of women who had inspired us. We did a show and tell about our women and what they meant to us.

At the other end of the function room, tables were set for luncheon

We had a wonderful view of the ocean

and a delicious, buffet lunch. Pictured are Avocado Caprese Sandwiches which I did not take as I do not like cheese. I was fascinated by the apple swan. There was also a lovely squash and apple soup, salad with chicken, green beans Almondine, and cranberry upside down cake. Water, coffee, and tea were available during the entire Circle.

In the afternoon, we had a half hour craft session where we chose a name from a pot. We could make a card or write a note to the person.

I received this lovely card

filled with wonderful affirmations: You are so loved. You are enough. You are such a gift. You are special.

The afternoon continued with learning some of the history of International Women's Day. 

Gorgeous orchid

Then we were asked to comment on something that was a highlight of the day. I think it was at this point or it might have been earlier, that a woman who had been sitting across from me said she had been in the Japanese Stab Bound Album class and still had her album!

The Circle ended with another song from Teague and the group joined in the chorus.

A shadow box table filled with gifts from the sea

An amazing day ended with  a beautiful 

sunset.

Drop by hosts, Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog to find out what the rest of the T Stands For gang is up to. If you want to play, include in your Tuesday post a beverage or container for a beverage. Don't forget to link your blog to Bleubeard and Elizabeth's page.

Notecard

 

One of my colleagues at the museum is moving on to other adventures. I wasn't able to attend her Farewell Tea so I made a notecard for her.

Monet and Me

 

inspired by Happy Mail (you'll see it on Wednesday), decided to make some cards. We found some great ideas at 14 DIY Valentine’s Day Cards for your Love It was a fun way to use up scrap paper.

Happy, Little, Time Waster

 

Making Flat Paper Tassels

Second on the Second - Groundhog Day Craft

 From: Thursday, February 2, 2023

Join me and the millions of preschoolers around the country that celebrate a rodent predicting  666 days left of Winter.

For this craft you will need: scissors, white glue like Elmer's, 5 or 6 cotton balls, an X-acto knife, craft stick, paper to draw a groundhog, pencil, and a 3 oz. (bathroom) paper cup

If you don't want to draw your own groundhog, head over to Clipart Library where you can find a selection of copyright free images to download. You may need to resize the image to 2 in. wide by 3 in. tall. My finished image measured 2 in. by 2.5 in.

I used mixed media paper, watercolor pencils, and a Pigma pen. Cardstock would also be a good paper to either print or draw on.

With your X-acto knife, carefully cut a slit in the bottom of the cup. The cup I used was plastic so I had to cut a notch so the craft stick would slide up straight from the bottom of the cup.

Fluff out the cotton balls and glue them around the top edge (drinking edge) of your cup. The is the snow that surrounds your groundhog's burrow. Set aside to dry.

Draw, color, and cut out or print a clipart groundhog, color, and cut out. I had some googly eyes which I used on my groundhog. 

Glue your groundhog to your craft stick. The ground hog's bottom should be about 1.5 in. from the top of the stick

Insert the craft stick into the top of the cup. Pull the stick through the slot until you can only see the top of your groundhog's head.

Push the stick up and your groundhog is ready to predict whether Winter ends, and there's an early Spring, or if there are still 666 days to the longest month of the year (February). Hint: there are still 666 days left.

I made a little sign for my ground hog to express my feelings about Winter,

I have friends who delight in Winter and snow, and they love to tease me because I do not share the same joy. They gleefully send me memes  such as the one in the image above.

I made another sign for the groundhog and my friends who revel in Winter. Happy Groundhog Day

It's your turn to play. From Elizabeth: Now it's time to share your Second on the 2nd.  The rules are quite simple and everyone is welcome to join the fun look back.  All you have to do is bring back a post that you are especially proud of, or perhaps one you shared before anyone knew your blog existed.  Any post, any genre, any artistic endeavor is acceptable.  Join hosts Bleubeard and Elizabeth to see what else is being served up the Second Time Around.

Round Toit

One of my friends retired recently.

So, I made her a card. Sort of. The "envelope" is a coffee filter that was painted with watercolors.

The card is an ATC. Instead of being rectangular, it's round with a 2 1/2 inch diameter, and it's called an Artist Trading Coin. This one is called a Round Toit.  Now that she's retired she'll have all the time she needs to get all those things she put off doing until she got around to it. Well, now she has one. She's fond of her dogs so I included a paw sticker and charm

The back of the ATC painted with watercolors using the plastic wrap technique

What would you do if you ever got a Round Toit?

Another Card

 

for a colleague who just got a promotion. It's not quite finished, but this one made me laugh. Can you find the mistake?

Retirement Card

 

I made a card for a friend that will be semi-retired. I followed an exercise from Lindsay Ostrom's Creative Hand Lettering Book. The exercise called Writer's Block, required dividing your paper into blocks and using different hand lettering. You wrote a word or made a doodle and then rotated your paper a quarter turn. That way some of your writing would be upside-down, side-ways, or the right way up.

I wrote things one could do in one's "free time". Like going to lunch sleeping late, watching the clouds. Just a fun way to acknowledge the next phase of her life.

Gingerbread House Gift Bag

 

An idea to save for next year if you need a gift bag. I used a brown lunch bag to make a holder for a gift card. I cut about 3 inches off the top of the lunch bag. Folded the corners to the middle to make the roof. Doodled designs with Gelly pens. Punched a couple of holes and used some baker's twine to make a bow. Ta-da!

You could use a white lunch bag for other holidays/occasions.

Happy, Little, Time Waster

 

Unique DIY Custom Stationery

To Himself

I saw this meme and thought it would make a fun anniversary card.