Between the Pages

Before I post about the projects that I have in the June 2009 issue of Crafts ‘n Things, there are three things in this issue that I want to point out. First, check out the cover. Is this not the coolest!

Earlier this year, I noticed college students wearing galoshes. I soon realized that it had nothing to do with the weather. Rather, it was a fashion statement. I’ve never paid much attention to trends, but the boots on the cover definitely grabbed my attention. Lime and hot pink have always been a favorite spring color combination for me. The added orange makes this a real color WOW. Who knows, the instructions make it look so easy. I might even give this a try and make a fashion splash. I’d have the correct footwear!
The next thing that caught my eye was a picture in the contents area. The stamps looked familiar. (After reading the article, I realized that I own but have never used the set. Anyone else do that?) I was intrigued because I couldn’t figure out what products were used. I was pleased to discover the jewelry was created by Margot Potter, The Impatient Crafter™. (Even if you’re not into jewelry or crafting, you’re bound to get a laugh out of Margot’s videos.)
Margot used techniques in the article similar to those you will find on her blog in a recycled jewelry project. Of course, I’m really partial to her “faux enameled jewelry” in Crafts ‘n Things. Stamped projects are always among my favorites. I might even pull out that unused stamp set.
After checking out the contents pages, I began my quick flip through the magazine. I like to “see” every page before I start back at the beginning to savor every word. I stopped at page 100, a pair of cards titled “Angels among Us.” My thought was, “I’ve got to tell . . . Wait a minute. I don’t need to point out these cards to Jen. Jen made them.”
I met Jen Lowe several years ago at Ranger University. Even then, her style was quite distinctive. If you ever need inspiration, check out her blog. Jen is a prolific blogger and fills each day with creativity.
I’ve mentioned my discoveries. I look forward to posting about my projects for this issue next.

Fanciful Flight Birdhouse with Card Gift Set

I was excited when I discussed this project for the April 2009 issue of Crafts ‘n Things with Dawn Gehring, managing editor. With birdhouse in hand, I envisioned stamped panels in the window openings that would match a stamped card set. When Dawn asked if the cards would fit inside the birdhouse, I remembered there had been larger houses on the top shelf at my local Hobby Lobby. With a trip back to the store, the project took on a new dimension. After removing the rope from inside the birdhouse and gluing the roof pieces together, I found that the birdhouse was a perfect repository for a 4 1/4” x 5 1/2” card set.
Now the real fun began. The patterned paper that I used, Twelfth Night from the Poetry Range by Scrapperdashery, is by my friend Judi Hodgkin. I’ve enjoyed using her papers since we met at Ranger several years ago. The stamp set, the Bird’s Nest from Oxford Impressions, is by fellow Tennessee stamper, Suzanne Melvin. Suzanne continues to amaze and inspire me with the variety of her collections and the quality of her stamps.

Here’s a “bird’s eye view” of the birdhouse:



Now, for the cards that were featured:


The birdhouse was painted with Adirondack® Acrylic Paint Dabbers. Images were stamped with Coffee Archival™ Ink and colored with Adirondack® Dye Ink Pads. For details, see pages 56 – 57 of the April 2009 issue of Crafts ‘n Things. For eight additional cards using the same supplies, see the previous post.

More from the Fanciful Flight Collection

I guess I might as well admit it. I got carried away and couldn’t stop. When I began to create cards for the “Fanciful Flight Birdhouse” feature for the April 2009 issue of Crafts ‘n Things, I kept thinking of additional ways to use the Bird’s Nest set (Oxford Impressions) on the Scrapperdashery Twelfth Night patterned paper.
Below, you’ll find the eight cards that were not published. After creating twelve different cards, I told myself that enough is enough – even though I still had more ideas. (As with the four cards and the envelops that were published, the images were stamped with Coffee Archival™ Ink and colored with Adirondack® Dye Ink Pads.) The Bird’s Nest is definitely a versatile set. I think that my next post will prove that.