Bonjour Mon Ami

A quick little post with a sweet little card for  Retro Cafe Art today. Just my way of saying hello to everyone out there! ....even if I don't get to visit you everyday, you are always in my heart.

To make this card, I started with the RCA Candy and Roses collage sheet and stenciled their Paris skyline landscape with pink paint. It was layered with cream tulle, tiny pink rick rack, ivory buttons and pink glitter hearts. On top of this is a darling ballerina  fussy cut from RCA Dancers by Debrina Pratt collage sheet. Layered on white and pink polka dots background paper that was  kissed  with pink ink are glitter flower borders, the center piece and the sentiment  "Bonjour Mon Ami."

Hope you will get to say hello to a friend this week.
take care, gerri

"Bonjour"

"Dancer details"

Fair as a star

Having fun in the sun this summer, but boy has it been a hot one! Saw this bathing beauty from Gecko Galz and knew I wanted to jump in the water to cool off with her. I'm entering  her in the Fab and Funky challenge  #131 no stamped images too.

To make this card I used blue cardboard as the base and layered red and blue papers too. A star stencil using white paint was also used. I accented it with some shiny blue rick rack as the sea, a star rhinestone, gold paint dots and some glitter beach balls. My bathing beauty is from the Gecko Galz Sea Side beauties collage sheet. The sentiment is from a Wordsworth poem and says " Fair as a star when only one is shining in the sky."

Hope you will be a star in your shining sky this week
take care, gerri



"Fair as a star"



"Starry details"

Nothing Worth Having is Easy to Get

Here's a cute little project today for Retro Cafe Art... a collage matchbook. It's a silly little piece only 1 1/2", but I can carry it around wherever I go. I particularly like the sentiment...."Nothing worth having is easy to get.", sometimes I have to remind myself of that.

I used a match book and painted it black and silver. To the front I added black German Dresden Scrap and a heart that I covered with patterned red glitter. Inside is a Retro Cafe Art image from the Screen Sirens collage sheet wearing a sweet little crown. The crown is painted silver and then silver Stickles were added. She has red Stickled  lips  and some glitter in her hair. Another piece of the German Dresden scrap  accents the bottom. The hand cut sentiment reads "Nothing worth having is easy to get."

Hope you get all you want and need this week.
artfully yours, gerri

Bloom on every Maidens cheekush

Today for Gecko Galz , we're going to the garden with this darling tag. I adore Leanne's images and this one from the July Mondays Child is so sweet. I do miss having a perennial English cottage type flower garden here in the south, but have begun to grow and start to  appreciate many exotic tropical plants here.

To make this, I printed, painted and sketched the flowers on the tag then edged it with a purple pen pattern. The flower child was from Gecko Galz Mondays Child July collage sheet and  was over painted then layered on purple paper with some antique lace. The hand cut water colored painted sentiment and lace tie came last. The sentiment reads " Innocence doth like a rose  bloom on every maiden's cheek" by the poet William Wordsworth.

How you will blush this week.
take care, gerri

"Bloom on every Maidens Cheek"

Stretch your wings

Well, I cant believe it's the last week of the summer of color. I have enjoyed tasting the yummy flavors and colors of Kristin's inspiration. This is week six and the challenge flavor is Watermelon ice, a watermelon colored sherbet with chocolate bits as seeds!

To make this banner I used papers and images from Artchix Studio. I cut the banners decorated each with brown buttons and gold Stickles and water color paints. The images and words came nest. Some brown lace and a feather are the added details. The sentiment reads: Pretty bird, stretch your wings.

Hope you will get a chance to stretch your wings this week.
take care, gerri

"Pretty bird, stretch your wings"

"Birdy details"





Child of the Sea

Been going to the beach with our daughter, who loves the ocean. ....and what did I spy? Why a mermaid of course! That's why I made this little tag today, also at Unruly Paper Arts this month its all about water, the sea and all sorts of splashy fun. There is a Reader Challenge on mermaids that you can enter. Catch the wave and join us.

"For our second Reader Art Quest in July, we want you to go mythical with your marine life and show us some marvelous mermaids! These fabled females will make a fabulous focal point for your art! Use  any type of papercraft or mixed media style for your project and then share it with the Unruly community!

We'll be accepting Reader Submissions starting July 1st until July 25th.  Voting for the top 5 projects will begin July 26 and run to July 31, 2012.  The 5 projects with the most votes will be featured in the August 2012 issue.

Please limit your entries to 3 per RAQ.  Entries may only be combined with up to 5 other challenges/dares. Entries that are part of blog hops or include direct selling will not be accepted. 

Please spread the word about UPA and our RAQs in your post by adding a link back to UPA.
For more information, visit our RAQ Frequently Asked Questions"

Hope you will have fun in the water this week, even if its in your tub!
take care, gerri



"Child of the Sea"



"Splashy details"

I wish I could be queen

Mary Lou is making an appearance for me with some Retro Cafe pins I created. Just a quick post today since we are going to the beach.

I really like versatility so, this pretty pink ribbon bow pin has interchangeable pieces. I used several RCA collage sheets added glitter details  and hand cut sweet sentiments then layered them under some resin. The pink bottle caps frame the images perfectly. The RCA collage sheets used were  crowns by Cassandra Van Curen, Roses- Victorian Florals by Debrina Pratt, Beautiful Marie . Each pink bottle cap can clip onto the ribbon depending on my mood.

So, I do hope your wishes are granted this week.
take care, gerri

"Interchangeable Pin"

Thoughts of you from a sandy beach

It looks like the Summer of Color Challenge is almost over! I have enjoyed sampling those fabulous flavors in my art. For week 5, it was a "wild  and reckless"  colored sherbert that we used as inspiration. It is described as A green apple, blue raspberry, and fruit punch flavored sherbet party. Fruit has never had so much fun." - Baskin Robbins. After a visit to Huntington Beach State Park in South Carolina, I decided to do a beach piece for this challenge. I've included some altered photos I took at the end of this post.

I decided to use the 100 Proof Press Victorian Woman in Beachwear as my subject. She is seated under a palm tree that I colored in front of a watercolored accented beach scene. There's some blue lace, a bingo card and a painted background. The sentiment reads "Thoughts of you from a sandy beach".

Thinking of you dear friends from our sandy beach,
take care, gerri

"Thoughts of you from a sandy beach"



"Sandy Details "

Huntington Beach, South Carolina

She sees the wonderland

Some times an art supply's packaging is as inspiring as what I can make with it. This was the case with this Retro Cafe ARt camera stamp set!  I do love these  little  1.5" stamps. Their lenses are used as the stamp handles and each camera is the shape of the stamp image too! One is called Poulain and the other Fotka.

Well, to make today's card, the background is a black and white graphic paper that is layered, painted with blue watercolor and attached with blue staples. The black die cut camera has a blue view finder and silver Stickles details and is layered next. The lady image in the camera is from the RCA Vintage Ladies Glass Negatives collage sheet and the sentiment is from their Cassandra Van Curen Words  collage sheet. The little cameras at the corners are from the cute stamps and are cut out then highlighted with blue water color paint.

So I hope you will create your own wonderland this week.
sincerely, gerri

"She sees the wonderland"

"Wonderful details"



"Little camera stamps"



On a Sea of Strawberry Lemonade

This week at the Summer of Color  the yummy flavor prompt is Strawberry Lemonade...so I imagined a pink and yellow sea world. I love using sea themes and just want to tell you that you'll be seeing a bunch in the upcoming weeks!

The darling vintage gal is from Gecko Galz Sea Side Beauties Collection collage sheet. I happened to have pink and yellow fish in my stash from an old greeting card! I made the background of this tag pink and yellow by splashing acrylic paint around then spraying it  with a Tattered Angel  spray. A sprinkle of silver glitter came next. You can never have too much glitter!On top of that I layered some die cut silhouettes of star fish that have also been sprayed too.Over at Simon Says Stamp and Show this weeks challenge is Spritz Spray or Stencil, so Ill enter it there. A die cut seahorse, real glittered star fish and some rhinestones came next. Some Stickles accents,a pink ribbon and a sentiment complete this tag. I am also entering this at a new site  Vintage Artisans Challenge blog UK where their first challenge #1 is "vintage shabby chic"!

Hope your heart is held by someone special.
artfully yours, gerri

Dream Secret Sister

Over at Gecko Galz yahoo group there was "Secret sister " swap where you were to create a sweet surprise for a fellow art "sister". The photos below are what I created for Heather. It was a  decorated tiny box and a butterfly collage pin inside. I loved making the pin personalized with an initial "H" for Heather. She told me a darling story of her young son "borrowing" the little box to show off this little treasures at camp.

From my secret sister swap partner..... Leanne, I received such amazing gifts including, a stunning tag book, a gorgeous card and a stamped domino pendant. The tulle bows just knocked me out! I was completely speechless on how beautiful it all was, so I just had to share it with you.  Also in the last Paris supplies swap I received a pretty "OH La La Can Can" of wonderful Paris themed supplies from Barbara. I love the play on words...supplies in a can and the Can Can dance! I couldn't believe how gorgeous everything was and oh how I will enjoy using the supplies she sent me. If you get a chance come stop by and visit us at Gecko Galz Yahoo group and join in the fun!

Hoping you will find your secret "sister" this week.
take care, gerri

"To my secret sister...a pretty pin"

"From my secret sister"

"From my Paris swap partner"

Will you go off with me?

To all my USA  friends " Happy 4th of July". Couldn't resist these images from  Gecko Galz including Vintage Vamps and the Yankee Doodle collection for this ATC. Hope you are having fun bbq-ing, visiting with friends and family and watching the fireworks! Here's some photos I took the other day, I love how fireworks look like big blooming colorful flowers!

Hope you will have a bang up week!
take care, gerri

"Will you go off with me?"

 

"EXPLOSIVE details"

"New Jersey Fireworks"



Dear friends now and forever

Its all about friends today for my Retro Cafe Art design piece. I was able to visit a dear friend this weekend so, this is for her. She adores vintage sparkly things so you could say she was my inspiration. 

To begin I stamped a manila tag with a textured stamp using muted colors, then drew lines as a frame around the edges. Some water colored layers and glitter accents highlight the corners of the tag too. The three vintage ladies came next from Retro Cafe Art Vintage Lady Glass Negatives collage sheet. Of course I added some painted and tiny Stickles details. The sentiment came from that same sheet too. The ombre blue ribbon flower was layered next. I did add some watercolor paint, glitter  accents and the swirly button on top of it. A little bit of robin's egg blue grosgrain  ribbon tied on the top  finished this vintage piece.

Hope you will get to spend time with your dear friends this week.

take care, gerri

"Dear friends"

"Friendly details"