Aug ARC book club

This month I read Skein of the Crime by Maggie Sefton. Its the 8th book in the series Kelly Flynn Knitting mysteries.

Kelly is a CPA who in the 1st book moves to Fort Conner,Colorado after her aunt passes away. She meets some people at the local yarn shop that is near Kelly. She becomes friends with them, and learns how to knit.

In Skein of the Crime Holly, a collage student is found dead near a river trail that's not to far from Kelly. Holly in the last book was found in Kelly's backyard high on drugs. Holly got cleaned, and was taking knitting classes at Lambspun. She also been seeing her High school sweetheart, Tommy who is away at collage. His mother wasn't please that they've been dating, because Holly calls him.

The B story line is Megan, Kelly's friend just got engaged, and Kelly (and the other friends) was helping her to look for a wedding dress. and Kelly being the CPA tells her to set a budget for the wedding. Along with Megan getting frustrated with everything getting booked to have it next year.

It also goes with how the housing market is at the time(book came out at 2010. though it holds true today). One friend Jennifer is a relater and Kelly's boyfriend Steve, is an architect. Steve has to take 2nd job in Denver to try to make ends meet for him.

I had a hard time reading the book. Even though it was an easy read, as all cozy's are. When I stared this book I think I was all read out as I read 9 books the whole month of July when I was away to dog sit for my aunt. What would take me maybe 2 or 3 days to read a book like this it took me almost the whole month. I was getting tired of Kelly butting in with money management advise to her friends. and I felt some of the things the characters said sounded kinda hokey. :P I did think the killer was one person, but was wrong. :P I will be reading the other in the series.

my journal page is kinda a hot mess. I took a page that the background was pretty much done. I went online and googled knitting. i printed 3 pictures I found. One was some squares that I did a transfer with. The yarn and the knitting desserts I cut and glued on the page. I doodles on the yarn.

Anything but a card challenge 26 Fairy tales or Fairles

The new challenge over at anything but a card is Fairy tales or fairies. I chose fairy tales.

I made 2 postcards and an ATC. This project is based off the book Kaleidoscope by  Suzanne Simanaitis. I first learned about the technique and the book back in February when Paula did it on her Ustream. I had to rewatch her stream on it as I lost my notes...yeah I know I have the book so why do I need to rewatch it to take notes again. lol  I think it was easier to understand watching it at least to me than reading the steps in the book.

I like doing this technique because there is no thinking required. you just do it. You are to time yourself in each of the steps, but I didn't do it this time(I did this back in Feb. after Paula did it). And I only did one of the panels of the box.

I started out with a cereal box cut apart. I did 2 coats of gesso on all 4 parts(I did front, back and sides of the box. I then took 2 distress ink pads and stamped it like you would with a rubber stamp. Then I took a crayon and wrote "some day my prince will come" "hi ho hi ho its of to work I go" and I named all 7 dwarfs. Next I took 2 colors of craft paint and put some on the cardboard and with an old gift card scraped it on the cardboard. next I took some scrapbook paper tore 5 pieces of it and glued it down. I used Glue and seal( it was what was in front of me). You can use a glue stick too, especially if your doing it timed. Then I took a color pencil and scribbled on the chipboard. Make sure everything is dried. Then I took 2 magazine pages and glued them on the chipboard. You can see the nails from the Sally Hanson ad. Then I took 2 more colors of paint and painted hose colors on the page. After that dried I stamped. I took 2 stamps from Viva Las VegaStamps! The coffee ring stamp and the recycle heart stamp with black memento ink pad.  Then I made some texture by using a butterfly bathmat thing and using it as a stamp with craft paint. finally i took some sprays and an alpha stencil and punchenllia and used it on there. Then after everything was dried with heat gun. making sure i got some drips. I cut the chipboard into 2 postcard and an atc. I should of gotten 2 atc's but I cut wrong. I edged everything with black craft paint.

I have an old children's book of disney stories from little golden books. It was falling apart so I decided to cut it apart. I used a picture of snow white.

I glued the image with the glue and seal. The quote is from the movie said by Grumpy. I typed it up on notepad using a Dean Martin font. Glue the words with glossy accents. 

Glued the image with the glue and seal. The sentiment I found online. I wanted something from the movie that had to do with the glass slippers. I didn't see any I liked. I say this sentiment so I typed it on notepad using the same font as the postcard before. 

This is from the 3 little pigs. I used 2 different pictures from the story so I could fit all of them on the atc. the "who's afraid of the big bad wolf was from the book. Glued everything with glue and seal.

Hope you like my project and play along in the challenge over at anything but a card blog!

Make a wish

Viva Las VegaStamps! brought back their monthly challenge on the blog this month. Its simple challenge. make something that inspired you from the inspiration picture using one or more Viva Las VegaStamps! images.

I made a birthday card. I took the color light pink (shocking I know!) and stitching that was in the picture as my inspiration.

I chose a white card base. The paper is from My Minds Eye lost and found Madison Avenue. Used Miracle tape to attach the paper to the card base.With a white Uniball Signo pen I made stitching lines around both papers. I know its kinda hard to see on the bottom designer paper, but its there. I stamped the Cake with candle on white cardstock with black menento ink pad. I used Artist Loft pearlesent water colors to color the cake and candle. I stamped the "Make A Wish" on a scrap of the white card from when I cut the cake image out. I used miracle tape to attach the cake and the sentiment to the card. 

Simple card I know. :)

ABAC Challenge 25 Summer Fun

Well its dog days of summer and over at Anything but a card the challenge is Summer fun! All things summer and bright colors. and I'm all about the bright colors! LOL

I did another age in the 4 1/2 by 6 journal for this challenge. 

I sprayed S.E.I. Tumble dye sprays in Hot pink(DUH! you know I had use some pink! LOL), sky blue and Neon Green. I also used Inkadinkado Yellow spray ink. After it dried I tool the cloud stencil from Crafters Workshop and some molding paste from Blick's and added clouds. Then I added some mudd puddles in Key Largo. Let it sit overnight to dry. The next day I stamped the woman on the beach  and the Whimsal house from Viva Las VegaStamps! I colore the woman with color pencils. The house I embossed with the Ultra fine clear embossing powder from VLVS! and then colored it with Smoosh. I used the Craft and Hobby PVA glue from Helamr for the house and the feet of the woman. I used foam tape for the rest of her. I then stamped the sentiment from VLVS! and glued that to the page using the PVS glue.

So have some fun this summer and play in the new challenge! 

July ARC read

The book I read this month is "The Case of the Ill-Gotten Goat" By Claudia Bishop. It is the 3rd in the series of the casebook of  Dr. McKenzie.

Dr McKenzie is a Veterinarian of farm animals like horses, goats, etc. He is also a private detective.
The story is this book that the milk inspector was found dead in a 400 gallon milk vat at a family run goat farm. Austin McKenzie and his wife Madeline take the case and learn all they can abut the goat dairy farm business, local politics, and how to get through the owner of the dairy, an elderly temperamental woman, Doucetta. There were plenty of suspects in the book. I was kinda not shocked on who did it, but was surprise who else was behind it.

I picked this book up at I think at library book sale. I have not read the first two of the series. It was a very quick read, with only 14 chapters to it, and the prologue which could be a chapter in itself. lol. I thought it was cool that in the beginning of the book that there was a list of the characters in the book and what they did and who they were related or the relation to in the book.it was a good story, but I don't think I'll get the first two book in the series

The journal page I did was playing with my Dylusions sprays that I had just gotten in June. This page I was playing with a transfer technique with craft paint(nothing to do with the book lol). It was somewhat of a fail. then I had some left over green paint from another project. The colors sprays I used were Lemon Zest and Cut Grass. I also used the white linen. Also used Radiant Rain  shimmering mist in lime juice with some punchenilla. Did some drips with water down white craft paint. I had some stickers in my stash of milk bottles and what I'm calling goats. lol (Think they are lambs, but to me they are goats. :P) Also some grass. The last thing I did was spell out the title with the same type of letters I used for last month.(I have a TON of these letters. need to use them!)

The book I'm going to read next month is Skein og the Crime by Maggie Sefton.

ABAC challenge 24-Christmas in July!

The new challenge over at Anything but a card is Christmas in July. Yes I know its too early to think about that. but its never too early to start on gifts for Christmas or Hanukkah. Though I didn't  make a gift for my project for the challenge.

I did an ATC. My brain wasn't thinking gifts yet. LOL

Paper I used is from Sandy Lion. I glued it to a atc that is already cut to size. I took  plastic canvas circle and sprayed Sugar Cookie Glimmer Mist. I stamped the window with the Menorah on white cardstock. colored it with Prisma color pencils. Glued it to the atc base. with the Helmar craft and hobby PVA glue. I edged the atc with picket fence distress crackel paint. Did it very lightly. Then I stamped the girl onto the window. The window and girl are from Effie Glitzfinger. I had some trim from a RAK that I thought looked like snow so Glued that on top of the window with glossy accents. I then stamped the sentiment from Viva Las VegaStamps! edged it with tumble glass distress ink pad. Glued it with glossy accents.

Hope you play in ABAC challenge!

ABAC challenge 23 Steampunk

The New Challenge over at Anything but a card is Steampunk. OY! I do not do steampunk! This had me stumped for a while. But I think I manged it.

 This little journal was one of the gifties from the Austin retreat in April. Its a nice size. 4 1/2 by 6. The papers are from DCWV Tatter Times matte stack.  After I glued the paper down I added the rulers so it hide the seams of the papers I used. Next I took a couple of masks from Hampton  Art Graphic 45 sprayed it the Lindy's stamp gang Phathom Fushia Moon shadow Mist. I added some drips. I stamped a couple images of the Brian Kesinger that Viva Las VegaStamps! has of his art. Colored with prisma color pencils.  I then stamped a couple sentiments from VLVS!

It may not be too stempunkish, but its my version. lol If you like steampunk, and I know a lot of you guys do, come play in the challenge!