Hump Day September 17th

Are you getting back into the swing of things???  Starting your holiday crafting yet??  I am thinking about it but not quite ready yet...
Happy hump day everyone!!  Michele here sharing with you what I created with the background pieces that were made during Basic Training.  I made a set of three thank you cards.  I can ALWAYS use thank you cards!!

Perfect with just a bit of coordinating color.

Don't you just love how the color looks on those perfect little squares!

Moving that color around is so fun!!

The thank you sentiment is a VLVS! stamp inked up with archival ink and fit perfectly on these cards.

Thanks for stopping by and if you are so inspired make sure to link up to our drills this month.
See you Saturday for drill #40.

Hump Day September 3rd

Now that everyone is back to school does your life calm down or get busier???

Michele here, from Stuff By Belle, today with some hump day inspiration to give you a kick start to get your mojo revved up!!

I have been playing around with watercolor pencils and crayons a bunch lately and learned some new techniques that I used on this card.

Fun right??!  Studio Calico and Fancy Pants papers for the card base and a Heidi Swapp sentiment sticker.

Have you tried using watercolor on you projects???  If you do let us see!!

Don't forget to come back Saturday for our August winner announcement and to see our first September drill!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Hump Day August 27th

Hump Day, OH YEAH!!!

Michele here today for a super quick share...
Since summer is almost over I thought I'd share this summer topiary I created using a AWESOME vintage spool I found at a local antique shop and some lovely May Arts ribbons.

For details and to see which ribbons I used visit my blog...I used floral pins to attach the flowers to a Styrofoam ball.  A wood dowel covered in ribbon attaches the ball to the spool.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope that you have a few spare minutes to join us in our current drills!  We have a great prize up for grabs...a gift certificate to Retro Cafe Arts!!

Looking forward to seeing what you create!!

Hump Day August 20th

Michele here...Saturday I shared a background technique using a gelli plate (click here to see it).  Today I want to share the finished layout created with that piece of paper.

The paper is Authentique Classique: Pretty Neat and Cursive.  I got this collection in my kit for Scrappy Chic, I just love Authentique!!  I also used an Um Wow Studio mask (circle confetti) with mist for another layer then paint splatters and some modeling paste in the butterfly swarm mask. There is a bit of the damaged punchinella chip (also UWS), some of the new banner ribbon from May Arts, a Kaisercraft flower, Heidi Swapp 'smile' embellishment and a couple of Viva Las Vega Stamps (butterfly specimen and waybill/invoice background).

Here is a close up of the layers of the background.

I had so much fun creating this background!!  I can't wait to try it again.
Thanks so much for stopping by to see my finished layout and make sure to stop back Saturday for our next drill!!

Hump Day August 13th

Guess what day it is??!!!  Yep, that's right...it's HUMP day!
Today we have design team member Venetia...


Hi all- happy Wednesday! To help with your midweek slump, I decided to twist up the current SWAT challenge.
I am currently loving "All About That Bass" by Meghan Trainor, and decided to take my favorite line from the song and create a canvas. Keep your perfect eyes on the prize-- it's downhill to the weekend!

We hope you were inspired to join us for drill 37, musical inspiration!!  We can't wait to see what you create!!

Hump Day August 6th

It's HUMP DAY!!  Whoop, whoop!!!  Michele here with a little mid week inspiration to share.

I was in my craft room this weekend working on various projects and started one just for me, you know a little experiment with modeling paste and vellum as a background.

I was excited with how it turned out...

For more details pop over to my blog.

Thanks so much for sharing part of your day with us and make sure you visit Saturday for our next drill.

Happy creating!!

Hump Day July 16th

Yep!  It's hump day!!  Hope you have a happy one!!  

Michele here today to share what I made with the flower embellishments I posted for Basic Training Saturday (click here for details).

I used them for the centers of paper flowers that are attached to cute burlap gift bags.

I used Distress paint and a piece of punchinella as a stencil to add a bit of color to the bags.  The flowers are cut with the Tattered Flowers die from Tim Holtz.

Thanks for joining us here at SWAT on this fine Wednesday!!  I hope we have inspired you to create and of course make sure to check out the 2 drills we have going on this month; Christmas in July and a new Drill on July 19th.  The link ups are open until the end of the month.

Hump Day: Created for you by Michele

Happy HUMP Day!!!
 
Michele with stuff by belle here today...have you been is a scrappy slump lately??  Well I have and no matter how many time I went down to my 'lair', as my friend Amber would say, I wasn't inspired...and then SUDDENLY it hit me!  I just picked up a new Quickutz die and had an idea!
I made these 2 cards lickety split all with scraps of paper from my scrap bin.

MME, Authentique and Bazzill Basics paper scraps, Viva Las Vegastamps! sentiment stamps, bits of UmWow Studio chipboard confetti, May Arts burlap twine and Tattered Angels glimmer list.

Clean and simple, quick and easy and I love how they turned out.  Feather are fun!

If you are like me and have been in a slump or even if you're not, I hope you are inspired to crafty today!!  Thanks for stopping by and we will see you soon for our next drill!

Hump Day!!

Michele, with Stuff By Belle here today to share some hump day inspiration.
 
Usually between Valentine's Day and Easter I work on building up my birthday card stash.  Today I would like to share a card and a tag for just such an occasion.

This card was made with a kraft card base and some scraps of paper from my stash.  I stamped the Tim Holtz blueprints stamp with archival in on Ranger watercolor paper.  I used a water brush and my Distress markers to watercolor the image.

 This tag is made with  G45 tag base.  I added some seed beads to the cupcake for 'sprinkles'.

 

Well I better get back to work, I have a 10 card goal to meet...thanks for spending part of your day with us today and make sure you check back Saturday for our next drill!!

Hump Day Beauty!

HAPPY HUMP DAY! Michele here on this fine Wednesday... This week I would like to share with you a project that was featured over at 3 Girl Jam Saturday!!   Make sure you check out all the pretty ribbons over at their store!!

I created this mixed canvas using 2 ribbons from the 3 Girl Jam store, pink crinkle ribbon and jute ribbon.

Gesso and gold crackle modeling paste are smeared over an UmWow Studio chipboard piece, hexagon background.  My cicada, also from UmWow, is painted with distress paint, gesso and crackle modeling paste and then pinned to the canvas.  I used some Studio Calico wood alphas and a banner which is also pinned to the canvas.

Thanks for stopping by today

and I hope you are inspired to CREATE!!

Michele from stuffbybelle.blogspot.com

Happy Hump Day!!!

Guess what day it is ....

That's right 

** HUMP DAY **

and here at SWAT, we like to showcase a project in the middle of the week to get you over the hump and crafting like crazy until the next project/challenge is posted.

Isn't this too cute???  I just love my boy's very tired looking face!  One of these years the kids will be up later than we will - but until then - we'll wake them up for some Midnight Fun!

Have a great crafty day!

Happy Hump Day -You Are My Sunshine!

Hi Everyone! Venetia Here, Since we are in a new year of mid-weeks to get through, I thought I'd share a little sunshine with you. For those of you in those horrible temperatures I hope this warms you up just a little.

 I made this art journal page for my oldest, because this was my song for her. Even today, she is my little sunshine, which is so grand to have in the grey Pacific Northwest. She still remembers this song, and when she saw the page, she immediately exclaimed, "You made this for me!" True, but I want to share her sunshine with all of you. Happy 2014, and share your happy thought with us at SWAT by commenting below.

~Venetia

Hump day!

Venetia's Year End Top 5 List!

Hi everyone, Venetia here. I love lists. I am such a sucker for lists of anything, and this time of year is a goldmine for year-in-review lists. To help you through your week, I am going to share a list of my favorite projects from this year. Hopefully, you will feel inspired, and I hope you share your top five project of the year in the comments below! Celebrate your creative successes with SWAT by choosing your top five projects of 2013.  

#5 Fall Pomander

 

#4 I am not amused layout

 

 

 

#3 ATCs

 

 

 
 

#2 Return with Honor Canvas 

 

#1 Wind Chime

 

 

Thanks so much for stopping by today!!!

 

See you Saturday!!

 

Venetia

Hump Day! Recipe Holder

Happy Hump Day! Yikes, with Christmas so close I'm not sure if I'm excited that the week is halfway over or if I'm freaking out because there is so much to do and time is slipping by way too fast. Today I'm going to share a super easy Christmas gift that I made for a sweet friend.What I love about this gift is that it's perfect for Christmas, but it is also usable all throughout the year. Check it out... a cute little recipe holder for the kitchen.

I picked up a wooden block and tin set from a Pick Your Plum deal way back in the spring intending to find some way to use them for Mother's Day. That time obviously came and went and when I found the box of goodies on the back of my craft shelf I decided they would make perfect recipe holders. They are just the right size to sit on the counter and if you are like me, you find yourself looking for your recipe the whole time you are cooking because you are constantly moving it out of the way as you make a mess in the kitchen. Anyone or is that just me?! Well, problem solved. With the recipe clipped on this baby, my sweet friend will never lose a recipe again.

Totally thought this little bird was so adorable. This is an older Christmas line from Imaginisce that I had in my scrappy stash. So cute. After painting the wooden block I glued some scrap paper and  added the Love sign and the bird to give the block a cuter look.

At this point you may be wondering how this cute little holder fits in the kitchen the whole year round. Let me show you!

Here's a look at the back side. Just flip it around and you have a cute little holder for the rest of the year, yummy little cupcake and all. Again I dug into my stash and brought out another very old line. This time it's Bo Bunny. Can you tell that I'm a paper hoarder? I have had this paper for so long and have been waiting for the perfect food page, it just never came until now. See, there is good that comes from hoarding! (Try convincing my sweet hubby of that.)

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Thanks for sticking with me today. I would love for you to visit my blog and let me know what you think. Have a super scrappy day!

Thanks for stopping by today!

~Lisa~

Giving Thanks!!

Here in the US tomorrow is Thanksgiving, a day where we celebrate all that we are thankful for.
Michele here today and I have A LOT of things to be thankful for!!!  My family, hugs from my nieces, friends, my job...all the usual stuff,  but I always find that no matter how much I appreciate all of these things I never find the time to put into words exactly what some special people mean to me.  This year, like I have for the last couple of years, I made some cards so I could hand write notes to them. 

Today I am going to share a couple of these cards I made.

These pumpkins are cut with Tim Holtz Movers and Shapers, covered in a thick layer of gesso and then painted with glaze.  I sprinkled some clear glitter for a little texture.  I embellished with twine, wire and UmWow Studio leaf confetti.

These acorns are also cut with the TH dies, covered in gesso and painted.  The gold is crackle paint and adds some amazing texture.  I also added some of the UWS leaf confetti and May Arts burlap twine.

On this card I used the UWS layered pumpkin chip.  These are painted with Distress paint and sprinkled with clear glitter.

All of these cards are kraft card bases with Heidi Swap paper.  The 'i am thankful' stamp is from Unity.

Thanks for stopping by today!  

I am thankful for your support and comments!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!