This card was bad from the very beginning.  I started with Fabriano Hot Press 140 lb watercolor paper cut to 4 x 5 1/4″ and used Distress Inks, Worn Lipstick, Shaded Lilac and Squeezed Lemonade brayered onto the paper.  I couldn’t get enough ink on it to make me happy to added more with water and a make up sponge and hated it, so I took out my Koi watercolors and used a purple and brushed it over the whole image to get a color I liked.  Then I took four different circle shapes with Hero Hues Unicorn White pigment ink and made a bunch of circles on the background, some overlapping the others.  I used a pencil eraser, a foam marshmallow
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Foam-Marshmallow-Shapes-15mm-x-18mm/35647136?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&adid=22222222227024003107&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=40947123272&wl4=pla-78888855872&wl5=9006368&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=35647136&wl13=&veh=sem

a homemade foam stamp (video on how to make them is attached at the end) and a sponge dauber
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Tsukineko-STDAB003-Sponge-Daubers-3-Pkg/24939534?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=1453&adid=22222222227017645375&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=52567859415&wl4=pla-79640924055&wl5=9006368&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=112550049&wl11=online&wl12=24939534&wl13=&veh=sem

to make my circles.  I heat set the ink and thought it was dry.I liked the way they looked but thought they would look better if I put some mica powder over my images, so used pink and purple LA Shadows eye shadow to make my background glittery.  I needed to wipe the excess off, and accidentally smeared everything by using a damp cloth.  (Apparently the ink wasn’t dry.)  So now I really wanted to throw in the towel, but decided to give it one last try, so used Distress Oxides in Worn Lipstick and Wilted Violet and used my homemade stamp and added bokeh circles again.  I also used the little foam dauber with the Unicorn white ink as well.  I die cut the word happy three times from the Hero Arts set Happy and the words Mothers Day I stamped on the card with Unicorn White ink and then used Ranger white embossing powder to heat set it.  I layered the happy’s together with Stampin’ Up’s glue pen (retired.)  I used a brush with the Wilted Violet Distress Oxide ink and let it dry.  I thought it would be nice to add the pink mica to the word happy.
I rounded my corners with a We R Memory Keepers 1 2 3 board, but you could probably use any corner rounder if you are stronger than I am.  I cleaned my corners with a nail file you can buy in any nail polish department.  I added foam tape under the bokeh page and then adhered it to a 4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″ purple base.
To make my happy glittery, I added the pink eye shadow and some Wink of Stella type marker from Spectrum Noir.
I used Martha Stewart’s white glue on the back of the word happy to attach it to my card front.   I liked the look of the Spectrum Noir marker, so added it to some of my other circles to make them more glittery.  I got some of the pink on my marker, so used it on the back of the envelope and then added the pink eye shadow as well for more color.  I stamped the back of my card with Made for you by Sandy Parker stamp.
This card was such a trial.  I made so many mistakes and should have thrown it away so many times.  In the end, I was happy with my card.

It’s a miracle!  I finished the card (excuse my language) from hell.  I think this is the best example of a card that should have gone into the trash on at least three occasions and yet, rose from the ashes to become a card worth putting on video.  I know you think I’m exaggerating, but wait until you see the video.  You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, but you definitely won’t beg for more.  This card was such a trial and yet I lived to tell the tale.  Rich has it and will edit it tonight and hopefully, I’ll have a video live tomorrow AM.  I’m so sorry that it’s been so long since I’ve put up videos, this darn ankle/foot thing is working against me.

I decided while I was on a roll, that I should finish another card that I had in process.  This is a really nice card and yes, I used the Vagabond on BOTH cards, so you’ll know that I’m not trying it once and throwing it to the curb.  I even layered some of my die cuts.  I’m a regular die cutting fool now.  Or maybe just a fool, it’s kind of hard to tell.

Today’s card is really a sweet card that I spent almost as much time coloring the envelope, as I did on the card.  I’ll have Rich fast forward through the envelope coloring as it wasn’t very nice.  Paper makes a big difference when you use alcohol markers and for some reason, I completely forgot that I couldn’t blend on an envelope.  For those of you who don’t play with alcohol markers, the paper is everything when it comes to blending.  For those of you who do play with alcohol markers,  I’m not telling you anything that’s new.

Something that is new though, is that I got an email from the makers of Spectrum Noir markers.  I had sent them three emails about the dryness of my markers and never heard from the first two.  When I sent the third, they said that they hadn’t received the first two (I’m not sure why since I used their customer service contact system.)  Apparently, they are having issues with lost communication since they have moved operations to England.  Anyway, they assured me that they will replace all of my dry markers, which I was really impressed by.  The did tell me that the caps on my markers are not the current caps being used and haven’t been used for eighteen months.  I explained that the markers I showed them had been purchased from Joanns in the last three months.  In addition, I have Spectrum Noir markers that I bought at A C Moore and they have the same caps.  I’m wondering if all of the big box stores that sell Spectrum Noirs are trying to get rid of their old inventory for them and that’s why the markers are dry.  I was disappointed to learn that we are buying old inventory, but how would any of us know, since the markers we see in these stores are all the same?  It seems like there should be a manufactured date on them, but then again, maybe it’s on the packaging and I just never looked for it.

I’m just happy that they are standing behind their products, as I have a lot of their markers and so many of them are drying out.  In case any of you have the same issue, the company said that they warranty their markers for 18 months from purchase.  Although I’m not sure how they can determine when you purchased markers unless you keep your receipts, and I don’t know many people who would do that.  I don’t want to know how much money I spend on crafty things, that’s for sure.

 

Today was definitely going to be the day that I got back in the craft room and made some projects.  If you ever watch Lindsay talk about the “bad pancake,” being the first one you make and it’s a garbage experience, that pretty much summed up the day.  I thought I’d make the bokeh technique, it’s easy and what could go wrong?  Ok, so I used regular Distress inks on watercolor paper with a brayer to make a pattern.  I used yellow, pink and light purples.  Looked terrible.  So I added more ink, it looked worse.  So I thought, hey why not watercolor over it, so I took purple watercolor and  colored over everything and it looked a lot better.  So then I added the white bokeh dots all over.  They looked weird, so I heat set them and thought hey, why not add mica powder to the dots for a little color and glimmer.  The mica stuck to everything and looked terrible, so I used a cloth to wipe it off.  The cloth was damp so it smeared everything all over and I mean everything.  So now we’re back to a purple glittery smeared background with nothing on it.  I should throw it out, but I’m NO QUITTER!  I took the Distress Oxides in pink and purple and tried to do the bokeh technique again.  Didn’t totally love it, so added some white bokeh circles as well.  I’m letting it dry overnight, but if this makes it to an actual card it may be a miracle.  I can’t believe I’m still working on it.  I should just throw it out and start with something new.  This is one bad pancake.

Normally, today being a Friday, I’d be going to some garage sales with my girlfriend.  Unfortunately, the weather is really drizzly, and not really conducive for hanging outside.  I think after our rummage sale excursion yesterday, she didn’t really want to risk having me push myself too much.  She was really surprised that I went out yesterday, so probably didn’t want to push our luck

I don’t really mind though, because even though I didn’t walk very much yesterday, my ankle has been hurting a lot more since then.  I would like to get back in the craft room as I’ve been thinking about a bokeh technique that I’d like to try that looks fairly simple, but has a nice wow effect.  I need to get some videos in the bag as I think the only complete video is one that I tailored after a Jennifer McGuire technique of double stamping.  I’ve been waiting for Carol Held to do the same technique for a collaboration.  I mentioned this at least a month ago.  Carol is going to do her card with sign language and I’m doing what I always do, and that is write the entire technique below the video in the “more info” section.  Carol has made one set of cards and hated them.  I’m not saying that mine is very nice either, but it’s an easy technique and one that Carol can easily sign.  I’m not sure how many attempts Carol will make before she gives up on this project, but I’m really hoping she makes a card (well really two cards), that she likes, and then we can get this show on the road.   This is the first time that I’ve been completely out of videos for Rich to upload and I feel really nervous about it.  I need to get some in the bag.  I wondered about the origin of “in the bag” so I looked it up for myself.  Here’s the origin and meaning from “The Phrase Finder” .

My girlfriend convinced me that today was a great day to try to go outside and attend a church rummage sale that we’ve always liked going to.  It’s a church that’s primarily older people, and they always have a really great bake sale, so you know where I spent my time.  My girlfriend buys clothes for all of her grandkids, so she spent her time looking at clothes.  My ankle was starting to swell from standing on concrete, so I put my time into baked goods, where I would get the most bang for my buck (so to speak.)  Rich always loves it when I come home with a bunch of sweets, and this was no exception.

There were stacks of stamping magazines from 1998-2004, and if I had felt better, I might have spent some time looking at them to see if there were any techniques that would be fun to resurrect.  Sadly though, the baked goods won this battle.  My girlfriend shopped and I sat with my foot propped up eating cookies.  It sounds ugly, and it probably was, but I was bored and cookies always make me happy.

When I got home, I decided to learn about mixing watercolors.  I have a set of 24 Koi watercolors, but I think any would do.  I wanted to know if I mix two colors, what will I get.  I know certain colors give me mud, but I thought it would be fun to see what other mixes will make.  So I made a grid and started swatching.  I’m only about half way through the project, and got tired of doing it and was trying to do it with my foot propped, so it was a slow and tedious project.  I think tomorrow will be the perfect day to finish it.

I found a watercolor picture in a consignment store and would like to try the technique, but in a much smaller version.  It was a bird, but the bird is only a pen outline, then inside, the artist watercolored small flowers, leaves, berries, to fill in the bird.  It was really lovely and even if I can’t watercolor it, I should be able to use my peg stamps for the same technique.  The only really difficult part will be drawing the outline of the bird.  I’m not sure if I can make it small enough to turn it into a card, but it would be nifty if I could.  I have stamp set called “A Little Birdie Told Me” that has some cute bird sentiments and they would work perfectly with the drawing.  Let’s hope I can make it.

Cross your fingers, we could be in for a bumpy ride.

I finally started to walk again today.  It’s been a long few days because I couldn’t put any weight on my foot, so no walking.  Rich thinks a wheelchair is something that Evil Knievil used for death defying feats.  He’s a little bit aggressive with it and I’m always glad to get out of it and move around on my own.  I fell last Friday and am only just now seeing the bruises and they are in really odd places.  I have a bruise between two toes as well as one of the bottom of my foot.  My knee has a huge bump and it’s bruised (I expected that), plus the side of my leg is bruised.  I guess my expectation was one on my knee and one on my ankle, but I guess you don’t really know where they will end up when you fall, because you never really know exactly what hit as it happens so fast.  You think you know, but you really have no idea until the bruises start.

I still can’t put my foot on the floor for very long as it starts to swell, so no craft room visits yet.  I feel bad that I haven’t been keeping up with the blog, but what can I say everyday?  I sat around and watched a bunch of videos and looked at a bunch of crafty websites thinking about things to buy that I really don’t need.  I don’t normally watch much television, but have been doing that as well.  I love watching movies that make me feel good, like Two Weeks Notice and Runaway Bride.  So I’ve been finding movies to watch and that catches you up on Life with Sandy.  I’m hoping I’ll be more active in the next few days.

 

I thought it would be fun to watercolor with Ken Oliver’s Liquid Metal.  Used W Plus 9 stamp set called Kind Soul and stamped in with Versafine Onyx Black ink and then used clear embossing powder by Ranger to heat set the image.  I used 4 3/4″ x 6 3/4″ Fabriano hot press watercolor paper for the watercoloring that I bought at A C Moore as well.
I really like how glittery the Ken Oliver Liquid Metals are and wanted to use them for the entire image, so I combined some of the inks to create other colors.  I used the Amethyst,  Verde Gris, Mandarin and Yellow Gold.  I used Royal and Langnickel brushes (that I bought at A C Moore) #1,4 and 5 and a plastic mixing palette that I bought at the Dollar Tree for mixing the inks.  I mixed the mandarin in with the amethyst and got a really interesting color for the insides of my flowers. Then mixed the gold and mandarin for another shade for the centers of my flowers.  After coloring the green leaves, I put a line of the gold through the center of the leaves to change the tone.
After coloring the image, I used the gold to color my background then used a toothbrush and flicked all of the remaining inks in my palette onto the background.  I added water to the inks to make them more flickable (is that a word?) and to lighten them so they weren’t so vibrant.  After everything was dry, I used my envelope punch board from We R Memory Keepers (mine is called a 1 2 3 board) and rounded the corners with it.  I also rounded the corners of my card base that is 10″ across by 7″ tall and scored on the 10″ side at 5″ to create a 5 x 7″ card.  I used the Amethyst Ken Oliver Liquid Metal to color the edges of my card base so once the floral layer is laid with foam tape under it, the edges of the front of the card match the flowers.  I did get some of the purple ink on the back of the card, so I cut a 65 lb piece of white cardstock to 5 x 7″ and rounded the corners then used a tape runner to put tape on the back of the card then lined up the new paper to the back and adhered it.  I used one of my stamps on the back of the card that said “Made by Sandy Parker.”
Inside the card, I found floral cloth tape that I colored with the yellow gold Ken Oliver ink diluted with some water, then heat set it and put a row of it near the bottom of the inside of the card.  I did the same to the back flap of the envelope.
I used Nuvo drops on the centers of my flowers to add some dimension and did this as one of my last steps so I didn’t get my hand in it.
I talked about the stamp show that I was going to go to in Akron, Ohio, but unfortunately, tripped and sprained my ankle so could not attend.
I think this is a very versatile card and I’m going to add a sympathy sentiment in the inside, but could be used for a thinking of you card or simply hello.

I thought Rich would have my latest video uploaded today, but we had a bad thunderstorm, and he lost everything he uploaded, so he promises that tomorrow the new video will be live.

I’m starting to get a little bit stir crazy from inactivity, so gave myself a project today.  I took the journal I made for my new Touch 5 markers and put them in color order and then swatched each color in the journal.  I think it will help me to know what colors to pull when I decide I want to do a certain color scheme.  It’s definitely a lot easier than trying to determine what’s what when looking at the caps of the pens.  Whoever came up with that plan didn’t have the eyes of an older lady, that’s for sure.  (Older lady, ha, only physically…mentally I’m about twelve!)

The swatching took hours and I discovered I had two duplicate colors, so my 168 markers are really only 166, but still a good price for that many markers.

I really want to get out of this chair and start walking, but my ankle won’t hold my body weight, and I’m not sure how long it will take until it does.  Tomorrow, I think I’ll have Rich roll the wheelchair into the craft room and see if it’s possible to play there.  If it’s not, at least I’ll have given it a try and won’t feel like I do right now…like a total slug.  I guess I could read, but I’m not really in the mood to do that either.  Maybe I should try to move some of my partially completed projects into the room I’m currently occupying, and see if I can finish things that are in mid-production.  Oh who am I kidding, if I can’t get the wheelchair to my desk, I’m not doing anything crafty…so let’s all cross our fingers that I can fit the chair through the doorway and past my hoarded mess to get to my desk.

You’d think that by now I would be great at just sitting around and doing almost nothing.  Not the case.  I’m bored and frustrated and it’s only been three days.  I can’t wait to get back on my feet again and get into the craft room and make some cards or play with the oxide inks.  I am going to master them, it’s just a matter of time.

I was going to read all day yesterday, but then got hooked on looking at aliexpress.com and all of the different things they sell there.  It’s unbelievable how inexpensively they sell dies.  I realize that there is a long wait period for the things I buy from them, but it will be like a little surprise when I finally start getting things.  I just have to make sure I don’t buy the same things twice (which I have a tendency to do.)

Rich has another video that he’s going to edit today and will go live tomorrow.  I almost forgot that I made the card (even though I made it on Thursday)–that’s how my memory works.  He mentioned the video he was going to edit and I didn’t even remember making that card.  How crazy am I?

The dogs have really been enjoying holding me captive in one spot.  They know exactly where to find me and lay on the floor or on the loveseat (beside me) that I cover with a blanket so their hair isn’t everywhere.  Honey believes she is the queen of the house and that she’s allowed on all furniture, even though she has to get down when she chooses unwisely.

The weather has been rainy since my fall, so I haven’t really been tempted to go outside.  I do wish I could find more things to keep me entertained.  It could be so much worse, and I think I was really fortunate that my ankles’ only sprained and the knot on my knee has gone down.  Life is good, just a little bit boring.

It wasn’t a very good night last night, as I couldn’t put any weight on my foot, so this morning, we decided I better have things X-rayed.  The doctor said that my ankle was sprained and my knee had a bad bruise, but I would live to fight another day.  Of course he didn’t say that, but don’t you wish they would?

They put a gel brace on my ankle and an ace bandage on my knee and sent me on my way.  They also threw in that I shouldn’t put any weight on it until at least Tuesday.  Now for other people it’s not as big of a deal as it is for me, because I can’t use crutches.  So I have to use a wheelchair and some weird space age crutches that have handles on them that look like they can be used with a rocket pack on my back.  Now that would be a much better system..a rocket pack instead of trying to hold onto a handle that Velcro’s to my forearms.  These crutches aren’t exactly safe, but then again, they were made for me in 1987, so they weren’t really made with safety in mind.

I try not to use the crutches if I can avoid them, so the next few days I’ll be hanging around, reading, watching videos and uploading ones that have already been finished.  Luckily I have a couple of videos ready to upload, so there shouldn’t be a big gap between them.

I looked at my ankle today and although I don’t have any bruises on it, I do have a big bruise between two toes.  Isn’t is weird when you have absolutely no idea where a bruise might have originated from…I’m finding it odd that the ankle is the only thing that really hurts, but the bruise is nowhere near it.  The best thing is I now have my own private nurse.  Honey thinks she should lick my foot every time she walks by.  She doesn’t normally lick my foot, but then again, I don’t normally have an ice pack on it.  I think she’s taking stock of the situation and deciding what needs done.  The one thing that I will really benefit from, is if she decides to stop trying to lay on my bad ankle when I’m laying in bed.  She’s a real character.