JADS Challenge - Soothing Rain

Hey Y'all! I have been holding this post for JUST the right time and I'm ready to put it out there!!! I found something similar to this somewhere while blurfing my way around when I like to zone out. I looked up a tutorial and voila. I WANTED ONE!
For the past few weeks here in NE it's been rainy...which is my favorite weather. It's not that I don't like being outside, but I like to have an EXCUSE to remain cozy and snuggled inside. When I was a child we were all kicked outside the second the weather turned nice! Heck...even in the winter we were kicked outside!! So it's ingrained within me that when it's nice you belong outside!Anyway - I took FULL advantage of my snuggly rainy days and I created this Literary Wreath. Now...I know what you're all thinking...I ripped up a book. Yes...I did. But honestly...it was a snore (I promise, I tried to read it)...and I feel good that at least it's not like it got chucked into the trash or recycling bin. I'm actually REALLY re-using this!

I started by grabbing my Tim Holtz distressing ink pad and smothered the edges (this would look wicked if the edges were deckled!!) with the ink. I let it dry and then started methodically tearing out pages one by one to create uniformity.

I was supposed to use a foam wreath but I didn't have one so I fashioned a "wreath form" out of an empty wrapping paper tube. I fed one end of the cardboard tube into the other and stapled them together. Then armed with lots of hot glue, a couple of great kids movies (The Princess and The Frog and Curious George 2) my children were VERY curious as to what I was up to so they hovered close while creating their own things, all of us on the living room floor, lots of patience, and creative ways for folding paper, I was ready to go.
After I finished I sat back astonished. And I really don't mean to toot my own horn but...I'm in total love with this piece. It has a very prominent place on my kitchen wall exactly where you come in from the door. I have a variety of tissue paper flowers that I have made that I can slide into the center for a pop of color and whimsy as shown here or take out for a more crisp, clean look.I created this over a couple of rainy days and ended up with a piece that makes me smile and think about my favorite weather every time I come into my home.

I hope you enjoy!!

I'm a JADS Girl!!!

Happy Sunday Everyone!! I've been bursting to tell you all this news and have just been waiting for THE right time!! A few weeks ago the fabulous Heather contacted me from Jean's Art Dolls asking if I'd like to join the team!! I immediately said YES!!!

It's different than any other company or group that I work for and/or participate in. JADS is a self-motivated, self-challenging, forum style group that brings together eclectic, sassy, and FAB.U.LOUS artists to share ideas, projects, tips, tricks, tutorials, etc!! I was over the moon that both Jean and Heather considered me to be close to some of these things enough to extend me an invitation to join!! I was SO excited!! YAY!!

At JADS we set our own monthly challenges. This particular challenge that I set was a color challenge. I set it for Turquoise, Poppy and Champagne colors with a mix of any other browns within the creation.

And because I was creating for JADS...I just let totally loose on this piece. It's completely Mixed Media using stamps, rub-ons, ink, staples, markers, labels from clothing that I had in my stash, notebook paper trimmings, and much more!!!

Here is my very first creation for JADS!! I hope you enjoy!!

The base for this creation was purchased at ACM (A.C. Moore). It's an oversized wooden tag that was on the clearance rack from Valentine's Day. I started with my base. I used my kissy lips stamp from The Paper Source to create my background paper. I used both my Champagne and White Brilliance Pearlescent craft ink pads to stamp and then clear embossing powder to heat set the lips for the background. The paper is SU! River Rock textured cardstock. I did the entire sheet of 12x12 cardstock and trimmed it out to fit my tag background. I adhered it to my tag, popping out the holes for my ribbon and brads to be added later.
I then went through my stamps and decided that I wanted to use this "Cheshire-esque" looking cat stamp that I have. (Alice is super hot right now - what with the new movie and all) So I sat back and thought...what else can I add...hmmm...based on the size of the tag, the cat stamp was too small to be the main focal point of the piece.

Then I remembered the photos I had downloaded, of Michelle Pfeiffer as Cat Woman from the second 'original' Batman series (from the 80's and 90's) for something entirely different. I printed one of my favorite photos of her out and decided that THAT would be my focal point.

I went through my stash of DP and pulled out this wild Basic Grey paper. I trimmed out the photo, and just before I attached it to the background I grabbed a slice of my Hambly Acrylic paper with birdcages (those of you who have seen this movie will understand the reference;), and I laid it over the photo. I then attached the 2 pieces to the BG paper which I had edge distressed, and matted on SU! Tempting Turquoise and PTI's Pure Poppy cardstock.

I then added this panel to my main background on the tag. I then looked around my desk and grabbed a piece of notebook fringe edge that I'd used for another project and tucked that right above the main panel. I also added a strip of rhinestones along the bottom.

I used my Love, Elsie rub-ons that I've had for eons for the heart, dots, X's and stars. I then stamped my Cheshire-esque kitty to the mix after stamping, heat setting, coloring and trimming him out. He's mounted atop a scrap of the PTI PP cardstock adorned with colored staples. I added a safety pin and Phillips head screw brads for some added grunge elements.I had a tag from something I'd purchased at my local boutique that I knew I'd use at some point. I trimmed it out, distressed it and backed it with a scrap of the SU! TT cardstock. It's M is emblazoned with gold and then flocked all around. The rivet behind it is also from the tag. I trimmed it out and distressed it as well.
I used my QKD stamp from the March Alice release as my sentiment "All Ways Here Are MY Ways". Love that saying!! Stamped on a piece of the same Basic Grey DP that my main panel is matted with.

I then added my hand-stamped and sewn (by me) ribbon for the tag which I'd used in another project. As a very last touch I added the tiny ballerina girl to the bottom right of the tag. Everything else about the piece is so....opposite of the ballerina girl that I couldn't help but add her to display the obvious juxtaposition of the two! I am honored to be a JADS girl and I hope you have enjoyed my altered art for today!!!