My second color roll is developed!

Since I've been in the process of moving my craft space from one home to another, I haven't been crafting much the last few weeks. Instead, I've been focusing my creative energies on photography. Here are the results of my second color roll:



I have two black-and-white rolls that are being developed at another lab, so I won't see the results for another couple of weeks. Coming from over a decade of digital experience, where I'm used to instant results, I'm learning that film photography is a test of patience.

I made myself a camera!

I recently got a new camera: The Lomography Konstruktor. It is a build-it-yourself 35mm film camera that took me a couple hours to build. It came to me looking like this:



And I transformed it into this:




Within two days, I blew through three 36-exposure rolls of film. Unfortunately, my local Costco isn't able to develop the two special black-and-white rolls I used, so I'll have to look elsewhere to get those developed. In the mean time, I do have some colored photos to share:





From the colored roll, only about 8 photos came out usable, and these three are the only ones decent enough to share. Considering I have very limited experience in film photography, and I built this camera on my own, I'm pleased with the results. I need to practice more and more, and with luck, I'll have better results next time.

Floral Condolences Card

It's not often that I have to make a condolences card. But, such an occasion has risen, so I made this card to comfort a friend of mine.

Supplies

Paper: Recollections (both card base and patterned paper)
Stamps: Hero Arts ("Everyday Sayings"), Hero Arts/Basic Gray ("Indie Bloom"), Inkadinkado ("Vintage Flora Cling")
Ink: Memento ("Rich Cocoa")
Markers: Distress Markers ("barn door," "vintage photo")
Twine

Thank You kids' cards

My birthday was the other day, and I spent the day visiting family in Fresno. My eight- and three-year-old cousins made me cards, and they really made me feel special that day. So, in return, I made them both "thank you" cards. They both are relatively small -- at 3.75" by 3.75" --



This was a simple card. I played off the colors in the background when cutting up thin strips of solid paper from my scraps. I then stamped a pink owl and fussy-cut it out, attaching it with foam squares for a bit of dimension. I wrote "thank you!" in black pen, added dashed lines in white pen, and finished of the card with a few gems.

Supplies

Paper: paper strips from my scrap pile
Stamps: owl from studio g
Ink: Versafine ("Onyx Black"), Colorbox ("Orchid")
Gems: Recollections
Pens: black Copic Multiliner, white Uniball Signo



I colored this card directly using Distress Markers, except the rabbit. I don't yet have any gray markers, so I dabbed a little of the "black soot" marker onto an acrylic block, diluted it with a lot of water, and lightly brushed that onto the rabbit to create a light gray. I let it dry and gradually layered it a bit for the shading. I used foam adhesive to attach the banner, bird, and bunny. Again, I used gems to finish off the card.

Supplies

Paper: Recollections
Stamps: vine from studio g, everything else from Lawn Fawn (banner and sentiment from "Home Sweet Home," bunny and flowers from "," tree and kookaburra from "Critters Down Under")
Ink: Versafine ("Onyx Black"), studio g (lime green)
Markers: Distress Markers (black soot, spun sugar, worn lipstick, barn door, mustard seed, peeled paint, broken china, antique linen)
Gems: Recollections

Challenges

Father's Day Card

My card today is more clean-and-simple than my usual fare of cards. I think it's because the style lends itself well to masculine cards, and this approach suits my dad. I took some origami paper from my stash, cut 2.5"x2.5" squares out of them, and turned each one into an origami tie. I used a sentiment from Lawn Fawn and foam squares to attach the ties. My mom particularly likes this card because she could see my dad wearing ties with each of those colors and patterns; they're perfect for my parents' sense of style.

Happy Father's Day!

Supplies

origami paper
Stamps: Lawn Fawn ("Happy Everything")
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Challenges

Get *Well* and Welcome Home cards

My mom gave me the idea for this card, but I didn't have any stamps to convey it, so I hand-drew everything (except the clouds) to make it. I am, by no means, a skilled artist. This is my first attempt at drawing and coloring a structure of any kind.

I began by sketching out the well, overhang, and pail separately on a piece of paper, using photos online for reference. I used Copic Multiliners to trace over select lines, and when the ink dried, I erased the pencil lines underneath. I used Distress Markers and American Crafts Stamp Markers to color everything, trying my best to establish lighting and depth.

I cut out each element and tied some white embroidery thread (taken from my mom's sewing supplies) around the pole and through a hole I poked through the pail. I then put foam squares on the overhang to attach it to the well, and both the overhang and well were glued down to the card. The pail is left open to hang. I stamped the two clouds, drew a horizon/grass line, and used a waterbrush to lightly add color to the background. I finished it off with the words "get" and "soon" to complete this punny sentiment.

Supplies

Cardstock: Recollections
Stamps: Lawn Fawn (clouds from "Sunny Skies")
Pens: black Copic Multiliners
Markers: Distress Markers (broken china, tumbled glass, bundled sage, peeled paint, barn door, antique linen); American Crafts Stamp Markers (Powder, Brown Sugar)
White embroidery thread




My second card was made for my sister, who recently returned home from yet another semester abroad in med school. I hadn't seen her since January, so I knew I had to make her a card to celebrate her safe return (and her passing her classes).

I simply stamped all the elements in black ink, colored them using Distress Markers and American Crafts Stamp Markers, and fussy-cut them all out. For the background, I dragged a rectangular panel through a diluted mix of "broken china" and "tumbled glass" Distress Markers (I scribbled both onto a craft sheet and sprayed it heavily with water).

I glued down the sun, clouds, and homes, and I used foam squares to attach the birds and banner. The word "home" is stamped, while the word "welcome" is handwritten using a Copic Multiliner pen. I used the same pens to add dotted lines to the panel, and I rounded the corners of the white panel before attaching it to my card base.

Supplies

Cardstock: Recollections
Stamps: Lawn Fawn ("Sunny Skies," "Blue Skies," and "Home Sweet Home")
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black
Markers: Distress Markers (mustard seed, wild honey, spun sugar, tumbled glass, barn door), American Crafts Stamp Markers (Key Lime, Powder, Lavender)
Pens: black Copic Multiliners

"Loving, Kind, and Fearless" Mom Card

Mother's Day is coming up, and I made a card to celebrate my mom. I recently came upon "the sweetest thing" collection by My Mind's Eye, and its colors and flowers reminded me of my mom, so I had to use it for this project. She loves flowers, and bright colors like mustard yellow and coral red are right up her alley.



From the patterned paper pad, I found the "loving, kind, & fearless" sentiment, which perfectly describe my mom. I used that panel as a jumping off point, drawing inspiration from it for the rest of my card.



I used a coordinating flower stamp from the same collection to stamp the flowers repeatedly on watercolor paper, making a background of sorts. I then colored those flowers using Distress Ink and Stamp Markers and a waterbrush, achieving a watercolored look. I stamped two more flowers on a separate piece of paper, colored them in, fussy-cut them, and popped them up on the watercolored panel to add some dimension.



From there, I added the sentiment panel, along with two brads and two yellow enamel dots (all from the same collection, of course) to finish it off. I then attached some patterned paper to an envelope for a special touch, and I couldn't resist putting a fake flower inside the envelope for an added surprise.

Supplies

Paper: Recollections (card base), Strathmore (watercolor paper)
Patterned paper: My Mind's Eye ("the sweetest thing" collection)
Stamp: My Mind' Eye ("the sweetest thing" collection)
Ink: Ranger Archival Black Ink, Distress Ink (mustard seed, spun sugar, spiced marmalade)
Markers: American Crafts Stamp Markers (aqua, key lime)
Brads and enamel dots: My Mind's Eye ("the sweetest thing" collection)
Flower: Recollections

Challenges

The Wonder of Watercolor Challenge in the Moxie Fab World