Sister Love

Sister Love

Sister Love is powerful.

Sister Love is simple.

Sister Love is friendship.

Sister Love is understanding.

Sister Love is acceptance.

Sister Love is unbreakable. 
 

My sister, Sarah, is an amazing woman. She inspires me to be a stronger, more confident, and independent woman. Recently, I got see her again for the first time in a couple years. The hug we shared was one I never wanted to let go of, one I will never forget, one I will share with her again sooner rather than later.

The weather was beautiful as we walked to her neighborhood park with our babies, a Yorkie and a Mastiff. We talked about guys and work and family. We talked about our pasts, our presents, and our futures. Feeling calm, relaxed and completely content, we swung on a swingset and took pictures together and of each other and of our puppies.

 
The shot I selected for this layout is us together on the swingset, enjoying our time together finally. I went to town embellishing this layout; I wanted it to be as playful and happy as the fun we shared that day.

The colorful circle pattern behind us was created with baby wipes that I painted, cut in half diagonally to create triangles, and sewed together in a circle. I took several photos of the process, from laying them out how I wanted them to end up, sewing them together and to the final outcome:

I wasn't worried about the center matching perfectly at each tip; I knew my photo would cover it and being a little off-skelter allowed for larger and thinner angled sections. My quilting mother might have had a fit if she saw me do it "wrong" but that's what I was going for... perfectly imperfect. I put the grouping back into the sewing machine and added a few more random sewn lines to keep the focus toward the photo.

Placing my baby wipe creation in the bottom right corner where I adhered it with double-sided tape and trimmed the excess off the straight edges of my cardstock. The circular shape was just eye-balled and cut with scissors, but a large bowl upside down would be an easy template if you want to recreate a similar look.

 

 

The circle piece I layered next is a Technique Tuesday tile, painted with acrylic craft paints in blue and green. I stamped "Love You" and "Love This" randomly over the tile using Studio AE acrylic stamps for Technique Tuesday. These clear stamps are among the most versatile and fun products I love to use on all my projects. I added some black lines around the tile with a Glaze dimension pen to help it 'pop' more. The swirly lines above the tile are an adhesive felt, never used them before but I love how they mimic the swingset chains. You can see a little of my thought process above with the stamps I wanted to use waiting for me. I added the brads (and many more) to emphasize the amount of fun and completeness of the moment we shared together.

A closer look at the bottom left corner of my layout shows the detailed dimension added by brads and rhinestones. I stamped straight onto baby wipes and cut the images out, adhering them to scraps of old rubber stamp sets to lift them up. The stamps and clear word frame were all designed by my favorite scrapbooker, Ali Edwards, and I received a lot of the items used here at an event where I got to meet her 3 years ago. (Yes, I'm lucky and grateful for that opportunity!)

Water color crayons filled in the stamped word "Memory" as well as the lines I added around my background circle and the faded colors on the cardstock where I added my journaling, which reads: "It's been to long. Catching up on lost time. Talking. Enjoying. Just being. A beautiful day together. I want to remember... Walking our dogs... Swinging"

The S and C were pulled out of my stash from years ago and I added crystal glitter glue and rhinestones. The heart was cut from a scrap of baby wipe and jazzed up with more Studio AE stamps and water color crayons.

Sister Love is the best.
I love you, Sarah, always.

Celia

 
Supplies: Stickles by Ranger in Crystal; adhesives: Recollections red tape double sided adhesive, Zip Dry, Tombo permanent; pop-ups: old rubber stamp-set scraps; Felt Fusion by Queen and Company; black Glaze pen; black Zig marker, Technique Tuesday water color crayons in spring green, moss green, grass green, blue, metallic blue, turquoise blue, cobalt blue; brads by Recollections and Making Memories; Rhinestones by Recollections; anywhere hole punch paper piercer; Crop-a-Dile big bite; store-brand non-printed baby wipes; craft paint by Apple Barrell; Walmart brand green paperclip; printed words layover by Ali Edwards for Technique Tuesday (check out her similar stamp set "Life with You" 12/2010 Studio AE); blue, turquoise and black stamping ink by Technique Tuesday; Brilliant Blue stamping ink from Stamping Up; "s" and "c" acrylic letters from K+I Memories, Alphabet Soup in Cool Bean; Technique Tuesday circle tile; and the following Studio AE for Technique Tuesday stamp sets: "This one" 8/2011; "Love this Memory" 8/2012; "Family Is" 9/2011; "Adored" 1/2011, "Life Right Now" 6/2012.

Alabaster Style Canvas

Alabaster Style Canvas

In honor of my parents 37th wedding anniversary yesterday, I created this alabaster style canvas for them. Congratulations to my loving parents; I am forever grateful for your support, the passed down creativity, and the confidence to pursue my art to higher levels.

After not being able to see much of my parents in the last couple years,let alone make them gifts for things like Mothers and Fathers Day, I have been making up for lost time recently. They always loved the artwork I made them as a kid, they even have a water color painting I made when I was 7 in their safety deposit box. They are my biggest fans despite it all. So, for their 37th wedding anniversary, I wanted to make them something really special.

I googled the traditional/modern gift for the 37th anniversary and discovered a challenge when I learned the gift was alabaster (a type of marble-like stone used in carvings). I pondered what I could possible come up with, and decided to create a raised quote on a canvas in an alabaster color scheme.

I chose Audrey Hepburn's quote, "The best thing to hold onto in life is each other" because it seemed a fitting anniversary message and because my Mom loves Audrey Hepburn. Words chosen, I set out painting the canvas in white and cream with regular acrylic craft paints and added layers for texture with ripped cardstock and decoupage.

Chipboard letters were painted and decorated with various items for added texture and dimension: plastic canvas, lace, tulle, fabric scraps, a brown coffee filter and even a dried bleach wipe (the kind with the cool hexagonal pattern). Each letter "h" was stamped and then embossed in white, and kept the same to honor our family name.

I proudly hid an (upside down) 37 by exchanging and "e" and "l" for numbers. The stencil letter "T" to start the quote was specifically for my Dad, as it was a metal letter piece which I dipped into the craft paint because my Daddy works with metal. The fabric and lace were scraps gifted to me from my Mom, and as she quilts it was important to include those elements. Doubling the "o" with two letters is in representation of wedding rings. Overall, I'm loving the way it turned out, aesthetically and symbolically.

Thank you Mom and Dad for being my biggest fans. Congratulations on your 37th year together. Happiest anniversary wishes. Thank you for believing in me always.

Love,
Celia

Supplies: Apple Barrel acrylic craft paint, decoupage, Zip Dry adhesive, brads, scraps of cardstock and lace, various chip board letters & numbers, "h" stamp is from Technique Tuesday "Providence" font set (large and small)

Used Dryer Sheet Ghost

Used Dryer Sheet Ghost Card

With Halloween fast approaching, I couldn't help creating a card... This ghost card is easy and inexpensive to make. Doing my laundry recently, I decided not to throw away the used dryer sheets, everything can be re-purposed.... 
Here are the simple steps to re-create this ghost.

Fold a used dryer sheet in a non-even half like this:

Then gather and pinch the left and right sides, forming a head and ghostly "body" in a shape that makes you happy:

Stitch the gathered area with white thread, hiding your stitches and knots in the reverse side. A tip for threading a needle so it won't wind up on you is to be sure and thread the needle from the end of the thread you don't cut off the spool (because of the way the thread is wound on the spool during manufacturing) as shown here:

After stitching the "neck" of my ghost, I gently ripped the edges of the dryer sheet to fray it for a spooky look. I added eye brads from Eyelet Outlet, but glueing on googly eyes would be cute too.

I adhered the ghost and scrap ribbon to cardstock using Zip Dry and Zots adhesive. The stamps I used are designed by my favorite scrapbooker, Ali Edwards for Technique Tuesday. 

Happy Halloween,

Celia

Supplies used: Cardstock by Bazzill Basics in Clover Leaf; small eye brads by Eyelet Outlet; Adhesive by Zots dots and Zip Dry; Ink in Black by Technique Tuesday and Only Orange by Stampin' Up; Stamps by Studio AE for Technique Tuesday, Give Thanks Oct 2011.

 

Lately, I'm feeling lucky.

Lately, I'm feeling lucky.

Lately, I'm reconnecting. I'm seeing, emailing and calling my semi-lost family and friends I had been isolated from and manipulated against. I'm apologizing for not being the friend, sister, daughter that I wanted to be. I'm thanking my loved ones for still being there and loving me.

Lately, I'm making up for lost time. All the things I wanted to do, but couldn't, I can now. I'm making up for a lot of loss. I'm making a list of what I'll do next.

Lately, I'm rebuilding. I'm putting my life back together and focusing on my goals and dreams in safety and peace.

Lately, I'm letting go. I'm manoeuvring past the twists he put in my mind, discovering normal, releasing stress and tension. Forgetting the negativity and lies he fed and the apologies he never meant.

Lately, I'm feeling happy.

Lately, I'm feeling grateful. Grateful for strength. Grateful I got out. Grateful for family. Grateful for friends. Grateful for life.

Lately, I'm creating. I have blown the dust off my inner artist. I am healing my heart through my art. I am going to continue.

Lately, I'm free. Free from torment. Free from abuse and fear. Free from rules.

Lately, I'm alive. I survived a nightmare I couldn't wake from.

Lately, I'm feeling lucky.


Celia

LOVE YOU Coffee Filter Flower Card

LOVE YOU Coffee Filter Flower Card

This card features stamps from "Love this Memory," designed by Ali Edwards for Technique Tuesday's Studio AE exclusive acrylic stamps. I stamped the images in blue then added the pop of yellow with one of my all-time favorite art products for versatility and overall creative expansion - water color crayons - a must have for any paper crafter. (These crayons are also available through Technique Tuesday.)

I created the dimensional flower by spraying acrylic paints (slightly watered down) onto a coffee filter using a dollar store spray bottle. I sprayed the reverse side of the coffee filter in green, the front in blue, and added Tim Holtz Distressing Powder in Weathered Sky for more texture. I hand trimmed the edges rather than using decorative scissors, but those would work too. 

Here is a closer look at the dimension of the coffee filter flower:

The cardstock is among my favorites to play with, it's from Core'dinations.  I distressed it with a sanding tool for an aged look and adhered the flower and a scrap of twine to create this card for my best friend, Kim.

Inside I wrote: 

Kim, 

You were the one and only person I could not be isolated from over the last few years. Control Freak knew he could not come close to my love for you. I'm making up to those close and around me these days for all the lost time. I want to thank you first - for staying by my side. There is nothing I wouldn't do for you. I will, and have, love you always. I might not get to talk to you everyday as life gets in the way, but I think of you everyday and love you dearly.

Creating is healing my heart as I regain myself and rebuild my life. I hope this blog helps anyone who has struggled or been a victim of domestic violence. I dedicate this first post to my dearest and truest friend in the world, Kim.

With Love,

Celia

Supplies used: "Love this Memory," by Studio AE for Technique Tuesday, We are Memory Makers distressing tool, coffee filter, acrylic craft paints by Apple Barrel, Tim Holtz Distressing Powder in Weathered Sky, Core'dinations cardstock in brown on blue, scrap of twine, water color crayon in golden yellow by Technique Tuesday, Zots adhesive dots, Stampin' Up ink in Bordering Blue.