My Santos doll – completed!

I finished her!!! My first Santos doll! A few months ago I signed up for Jennifer Rizzo’s class to learn to make Santos Dolls. 

Prior to this I hadn’t heard much about Santos Dolls, but I had seen a few here and there in antique shops and around the web. I am intrigued by them. When I saw the class advertised, I couldn’t wait to sign up and learn how to make them myself.

It took me a little bit to gather the supplies… the craft stores that I go to (Michaels and Craft Warehouse) did not have the three main ingredients… paper mache eggs, paper mache mannequin, or paperclay. It took some searching online to find the eggs and the right size mannequins. I was really surprised at that. Creative Paperclay was readily available online. When I finally found them,  I accidently ordered 24 eggs, heeheehee!


Jennifer did a really good job of walking us through sculpting the face. She went step-by-step and broke down each part of the face into it’s very simplest form. Even though my face is a ‘bit’ off, I felt successful because it is actually a face and not some weirdly deformed mass of clay.

Through this class I also found the courage to experiment with mixing my acrylic paints to create the exact color I wanted for skin tones and the dress. Speaking of the dress, the first layer is book pages and the second layer is 7 Gypsies tissue paper. They I made a glaze of the dress color to go over it. I’ll be trying the cage design next.

The necklace features a piece from my molton lava stash. More about that here. I felt the little cross was perfect in size and concept given the religious connotation of the doll. 

Now that she is finished, I’ve brought her out of my studio. She looks lovely in my living room. I am excited to start the next doll. Perhaps I’ll create a series – designed around the major holidays or seasons.

Thanks for stopping by to take a peek!

Have a great day!
Desiree

Taking a birthday spin!

Just like every other craft hoarder out there, I have tons of stuff that I’ve never used… like these stamps, and ribbon, and spinner. There’s a lot of craft stuff stored here and there that I haven’t used. And I always feel so good when I break something out of it’s package for the first time and do something with it!

The stamp set that I used is called Take a Spin from Stampin’ Up! I pulled out my markers and colored each of the sections a different color (Blushing Bride, Soft Suede, Pear Pizzazz, Pool Party) to coordinate with the cardstock. Most everything I used is a Stampin’ Up! product unless specified.



I used a set of Spellbinders for the stamped piece and the Pool Party cardstock underneath it. I ran a piece of Blushing Bride cardstock through a Swiss dot embossing folder and swiped it with white pigment ink. The crocheted pink ribbon is from the stash of goodies I received from Melissa Frances last April.



I used some softly colored paper scraps and the Mini Royal Rose die from My Favorite Things for the roses. They looks so sweet on this card and make a great accent. The leaves were made using the Little Leaves Sizzlit.



This is the inside of the card… and this is exactly how it looked when I gave it to her. Yeah, because I FORGOT to write something inside and sign it. And since I put it in the cool little clear box and enclosed it with a fab little belly wrap, I couldn’t just rip it open and write something at the last minute. Luckily she knows just how wonderful I think she is!



Little Charlotte is working on developing her artistic talents too. We stationed her at the picnic table with some acrylic paint and a canvas. She was very focused and had the best time creating her masterpiece. Oh, and she did get a smidge on the canvas too, heeheehee!

Summer’s ended and the rains have begun. It went by too fast!!!

Are you looking forward to fall or lamenting summer’s end? Or maybe both?

Thanks for visiting,
Desiree

12 Tags of 2013–June (a little late)

Early in June I created two tags… then I never got around to posting them…

Truly, I was really busy. My daughter, Em, decided to have a BBQ at our house for Charlotte’s second birthday. No problem, except that our backyard was not worthy of guests. Since we live in a rental house (in a super crappy neighborhood) I never feel like spending any money making improvements. Em and I are always talking about moving and one day, when I have some extra cash, we ARE going to move! 

Ok, back to the party… we did so much yard work. I bought a ton of flowers and planters and soil and trellises. So many trips to the store. Not only that but we bought a picnic table that we put together and Em stained. Em bought a cute playhouse for Charlotte that we put together. And we bought some patio furniture. I haven’t had a decent backyard in quite a long time. The party was a success except for the cupcakes. Never, ever, try to make buttercream frosting in 95 degree weather. No fluff, just melty gooeyness. yeah.

Now we can talk about the tag. Take a look at Tim Holtz’s blog for June to see the techniques. He used Distress Markers to create a watercolor effect. It’s really easy to blend the Distress Markers on watercolor paper with a pain brush or aqua brush. I really need to get more of those markers because I only have five (Peeled Paint, Barn Door, Tumbled Glass, Frayed Burlap, and Picket Fence). The Picket Fence marker is great for highlighting. I used the key from the Industrial Blueprint stamp set and stamped it with Black Archival ink on watercolor paper.

For the background I used the Vintage Photo Distress Ink pad, Peeled Paint Distress Stain, and Wild Honey Distress Paint. The stamp is from the Way With Words stamp set. The tag is one that I found on a piece of clothing. I flipped it over and used some words from the Tim’s Chit Chat book. The ribbon is black grosgrain.


Here is the second tag that I made… I used the On the Grow stamp set from Stampin’ Up! I really enjoyed coloring the flowers. So pretty!

I swiped the tag through Tumbled Glass stain, Spun Sugar paint, and  Frayed Burlap ink.

I wanted a lot of texture on this background so I lightly stamped on a piece of tissue paper, crumpled it up and glued it to the tag. Then I went over it with a very light application of ink.

I added Glossy Accents on the bottle to make it shiny. Ribbons are from Stampin’ Up! and the pearls are from my stash.



There are so many great markers out there. What markers do you normally use?

Have fun crafting!
Desiree

12 Tags of 2013–July

I decided to get on the tag-making gig early this month so I don’t miss the deadline, like last month…

Moving on… Tim Holtz’s July techniques this time revolved around Rock Candy Crackle Paint and using a brayer to create the background.

As usual I used watercolor paper for my tag. I really like the texture and how well it works with the distress products. I used Squeezed Lemonade and Frayed Burlap Distress Stains and a  brayer for the background. Then I stamped over it using black Archival Ink and the Attic Treasures stamp set. To keep the images light I stamped off on scrap paper before I stamped on the tag. The edges are distressed with Walnut Stain Distress Ink pad and applicator and roughed up with a distressing tool. A couple of pieces of tissue tape add to the sewing theme.



I dyed two Stampin’ Up! ribbons using Distress Stains and then I stamped on the yellow ribbon. Now it looks like a measuring tape!

The little tag was made using the Tiny Tags stamp set and punch from Stampin’ Up! I pinned it on with a mini safety pin.

I stamped and cut out the flag and embellished it with a button brad and two more small buttons. I also used a little distress ink on it. “be” are rub-on letters that I’ve had forever – Making Memories.



The main focus of the tag is the dress form from Maya Road. First I swiped it with a Tattered Rose Distress Ink pad. After it dried I put on a pretty thick layer of Rock Candy Crackle Paint. That took a while to fully dry and crack up. Then I blobbed some Broken China and Walnut Stain Distress Stains on it here and there letting it soak in really good into the cracks. The stand and knob on the top is where I used Tarnished Brass. You can barely tell that I dyed the checkered ribbon with Broken China. It’s more apparent in real life. I used a piece of scrap fabric for the skirt.



The spool is a Maya Road chipboard product as well. I wiped it with my Frayed Burlap Distress Ink pad before adding the Rock Candy Crackle Paint. I used Picket Fence over the crackle. It gave it a cool milky finish. I wrapped it with the same ribbon as the dress form and added a pretty little pin.

So that’s it for me. I love checking out everyone’s tags!

Have a great day!
Desiree

Melissa Frances was MY assistant!!!

In April, I went to Terri Brush’s Art Camp. LOVED IT!!!



Super long post…. limited photos because my camera is broken so I didn’t get a chance to photo-record this fantabulous adventure. I’ve included  photos of the jewelry and mini album that I made at camp. One of my new-found friends, Kathy, did a great job of photographing the experience, check out it out here.

Where do I start describing it? The first evening was a time to gather and meet each other. Lots of laughter, some wine, and hors d’oeurves. Campers came from all over! Georgia, Kentucky, Ohio, Minnesota, California, and Canada… and lots of locals from Washington and Oregon. A fabulous blend of women.



I met several really great friends that I hope to keep in touch with. They are wonderful, wonderful women.

Experience levels ranged from none, to beginner, intermediate, to advanced and professional. We learned new techniques from each other and as the creativity flowed we bounced ideas back and forth. It was really cool to see all the different creations. These women are amazing!!!



Terri brought a group of five women (love you!), one of whom has been featured in Where Women Cook magazine, to cook and care for us. The meals were full of great comfort food with lots of salads, bowls of fruit, and cheeses on the side. The chicken salad was my absolute FAVORITE!!!!

On Friday and Saturday we had jewelry classes. Terri taught Molten Lava (same class that I took with her mid-March) and Amy Hanna taught us beading and wire wrapping. It was so cool to see everyone start with the same basic kits and come up with such different pieces. Many campers worked into the night making additional pieces or experimenting. Most people brought a collection of beads, vintage jewelry, findings, and such to create with. I didn’t, but I will next time!!!



Terri Brush and Amy Hanna are very genuine and down-to-earth women. Super creative and very open to sharing their gifts and knowledge. It was a pleasure learning from them.



Jenny Doh, Crescendoh, was our speaker. For me, the message was that our lives are beautiful even with (or maybe because of) the imperfections. At first I though Jenny was aloof, but later when I had a chance to converse with her in a small group I realized that she is very well spoken, intense, has a great laugh, is very focused, and strong, inside and out. I hope that our paths cross again.



On Sunday, Carolyn Peeler taught a mini album class. Carolyn is the Senior Creative Director for Melissa Frances. Again, we started with the same kit but each book was so different. Each cover was a masterpiece! I made my book for Charlotte.



Carolyn is a great teacher and will be teaching the same class, among others, in Italy and other parts near and far. Lucky girl! She is really a lovely person. Her work is gorgeous and filled with vintage and vintage-inspired lusciousness. Delightful!!!



So after the class on Sunday, I was sitting around and Melissa Frances came to sit at my table. It was pretty cleared up and the table she had been at was cluttered. She was working on making some samples for an upcoming episode of MyCraftChannel. Well, since I had nothing left to work on, I offered to help. Melissa was under the gun to get samples done and was having a super busy week ahead with not a lot of studio time built in and still need to pack for a 3 a.m. departure. At this point it was about 8:30 p.m. Her creativity mojo was not working in her favor so she said she was happy to do the grunt work, pasting and cutting, while I and another camper did the creating. What a blast that was!!! To work with she gave us a heaping pile of ribbon and embellishments, and paper from her new product line, soon to be released!

Watch the episode here: www.mycraftchannel.com/Shows/Melissa-Frances/Melissa-Frances-A-Treat-for-You/



That was a fabulous end to an amazing weekend. The next morning I was off. I drove up the coast from Lincoln City to Canon Beach.

Thank you for letting me share this fantastic experience with you! I’d love to hear about art retreats or workshops that you’ve been to, please share!

Desiree

May 2013 Tag–take two!

This is the second tag I made for Tim Holtz’s 12 Tags of 2013 - May. Check out the other tag here.

I tried the technique with 7 Gypsies rubbings. While they had some white area around them, it wasn’t as dramatic as the Tim Holtz Remnant Rubs. You can see it a bit in the close up image below around the word “remember” and the doodle  just visible below the ribbon.

This photo shows the little rosettes that I made with My Favorite Things Dienamics. The paper that I used is a calendar photo from a Gustav Klimt calendar. I love the soft colors and little bits of glitter.

The stamp set that I selected is Elements of Style from Stampin’ Up!



The Distress Stains that I used on the tag and crinkle ribbon are Seedless Grape, Broken China, Peeled Paint, Barn Door, and Squeezed Lemonade. The black ink is Archival Ink.

So what do you think? Is it pretty?

Have a fabulous crafty day!
Desiree

12 Tags of 2013 - May

This tag came together really well. I love the Tim Holtz rub-ons. I received two sets (plus a stamp set) when I was picked as a winner for my April tag.

As usual I used watercolor paper for my tag. The Distress Stains that I used are Peeled Paint, Barn Door, Frayed Burlap, Broken China, Seedless Grape, and Bronze.



The rub-ons are called Remnant Rubs – Elements. It’s cool how they have this great white space around and within them. The resist effect really comes through. The images are fun and quirky and very detailed. There is a lot of variety too.

The light bulb is the main embellishment. Isn’t it fabulous? It is a Junkyard Findings from Prima. I added a bit of film strip – finally bought some of that! I attached a knowledge Muse Token with a small brad.

I used two stamp sets, both are Tim Holtz by Stampers Anonymous. The gears are from the Industrial Blueprints set and the text is from the Way With Words set. The ink is black Archival Ink.

You can’t tell from these photos, but the bronze distress paint leaves a faint bronze shimmer.




I used the same distress stains as listed above on white crinkle ribbon. I didn’t realize that I had a package of that stashed away too. Happy discovery!!! (I think I have too much craft crap.)

I made a second tag that you can see here. Check out Tim’s technique post for a how-to.

On a side note, I had no idea how freakin’ hilarious Arrested Development is. I have been laughing so hard I can barely breathe!

What is your favorite sitcom, past or present?

Hope you are having a great day!
Desiree

12 Tags of 2013–April

This was a fun tag to make. Tim Holtz’s techniques were all about creating a patina look using Distress Paints.
I don’t have all of the supplies that he used so I did have to make some substitutions.

I’ve run out of the manila tags so I just cut a piece of watercolor paper. It generally works well for the techniques.

The Distress Paints that I used were: Broken China, Salty Ocean, and Wild Honey. To add a little metallic to it I had to substitute Bronze Distress Stain and for the green I used Peeled Paint Distress Stain.

I do really like the creamy texture of the Distress Paints. Soon I plan on getting the metallics. The colors blend really nicely.

The stamp is from the Tim Holtz Sewing Blueprint by Stampers Anonymous.



The clear surface that Tim stamped on is called Clearly for Art, but I didn’t have that (hadn’t even heard of it) so I grabbed a piece of transparency. Clearly for Art can be heated and shaped. I’m gonna get me some! Don’t try heating a transparency… because it curls up and gets brittle. Yep, tried it…



So after stamping on the transparency, I cut it out and kind of folded it in half to give it a little dimension. Then I used Glossy Accents to glue it in place.



I patina’d some letters and metal embellishments using the same paints and stains. The triangular piece is something I made in the Molten Lava class I took recently.


The ribbon was colored by swiping  Broken China paint and Bronze stain on it.

So this is my tag. Did you make  a tag for April?

Busy time ahead… I won a spot in Jeanne Oliver’s The Journey of Letting Go mixed media class that started today (yay!) and she extended a second spot to each winner to give to a friend. So I picked my daughter, Lilly, who is getting back into sketching and painting. I can’t wait to share art with her! So thankful to Jeanne for her generosity.

Second, I’ll be at Terri Brush’s Spring Art Camp at Lincoln City. So fun. It starts on Thursday evening and runs through Monday morning. My very first art retreat! WooHoo!!!

What are your weekend plans?

Thanks for visiting!
Desiree

Edited to add: This tag was a winner!!! So excited!!! Thank you all for the well wishes.

My Life List

Do you have a life list? Or a bucket list?



At work, we have this huge white board and from time to time someone posts a question. It’s entertaining to read it as I walk by and see new comments or answers. I try to guess which of my clever coworkers have responded.

A recent question was “what is on your bucket list?” and some of the answers were things like…

• I need to buy a bucket first
• Climb the ancient ruins
• Australia
• Save Lindsay Lohan

In my bloghopping I’ve noticed quite a few people posting about their life lists.

Karen Walrond  posted on her blog, Chookooloonks, about creating a life list. Thoughts on how to go about putting a list of 100 +/- things that you want to do in your lifetime. Maybe they are simple things, maybe they are crazy, out-of-this-world things. Maybe you’ll cross some things off your list tomorrow, maybe some will never be crossed off.



What about stuff that you’ve already done that should have been on your life list but you hadn’t created your life list yet, can you put it on and immediately check it off? Or maybe that could be the “I did it” list, a prequel to the life list?



I don’t think I can create my life list in an afternoon. Of course, I would add to my list as I discover new things to do over time. But what I mean is that I think it will take me days and days to think about all the possibilities and dreams and desires that I would want on my list.



My life list needed a place, so I created these pages in My Living Canvas book. First, I sprayed the canvas pages with different shades of blue. I ModPodged on scraps of paper next. I used stencils and paint to add a little texture. Stamped the title, then started adding my life list. I also have an area for stuff I’ve achieved so far.



If you’ve made a list and posted it, I would love it if you would include a link. I think it would be fun and a great way to get even more ideas about the possibilities out there.

Lots to ponder….
Desiree

A rock candy heart

Sweet hearts…



Forever ago I signed up for the “She had three hearts” workshop taught by Christy Tomlinson. Every once in a while I create a page for that art journal. I am WAY behind on doing the actual journaling, some day I’ll catch up. HA!



First, I glued a piece of text paper to the top of the watercolor paper. I went over it with sprays and stains.



The focal point is a patterned paper torn in the shape of a heart. I used an image transfer technique to add it to the page. Then I used punchinella and white or red paint to dab dots randomly over the page.



I used a stencil that I cut out of an manila file folder for the hearts. I used the hole part with red paints and stains. The heart shape I used to dab white paint around then I outlined the heart with a white poster paint pen.



I used Rock Candy Crackle Paint over the large heart. I love that stuff! After it dried thoroughly, I dripped Barn Door distress ink and wiped off the access. I think the overlapping hearts look cool. To frame the page I swiped the edge of the paper with distress stain.

It feels good to make at least a little progress in my classes!

Have a great week!
Desiree