The Story of our Journey Together

Really enjoyed our trip to New York City last week. I am always energized and inspired by that location. I do miss it sometimes. Now  when I arrive back here, it is beginning to feel like home....but it is such a departure from this little house in lowcountry with acres of open land, palm trees and water. LOL. Speaking of New York, this week at Simon Says Stamp and Show the challenge is "Show us your pick... London, Paris or New York."

Today's card is a book template I created that has a removable book mark in the middle. Its a gift within a card. For the book, there are two types of  blue patterned paper as the background. I layered the tan paper with a stamped tiny map of the world. The route of our journey was added wit a heart at New York. Where I met my husband! A little biplane and clipper ship were stamped and fussy cut out too. A title on the spine..."Our journey" was stamped and layered. Some perfect pearls in copper, red Stickles, little red glitter hearts and a stamped border were added too. The book mark has "Togetherness" stamped, glittered and layered with a tiny stamped passport tied to the end.

Hope you will have a wonderful journey this week, no matter how close or far.
take care, gerri

"Our journey together from New York"

"Card with bookmark"

A Trip By The Sea

For today's post Ive created a little book cause you know how much I love to read. Right now, I'm into  book 2 "Clash of the Kings" that follows the Game of Thrones that was on HBO this summer. I love getting lost in fantasy worlds and if its a series of books, I'm even more overjoyed.

This book mark today is made up of all kinds of layers, much like the chapters in a book. You have go thru them all to get the complete story or picture. There's the background of patterned paper that looks like water. Stamped on top of that is a border of little sea shells. The next chapter(layer) consists of shell images and a vintage bather. A transparency of script comes next with the sentiment of a trip by the sea. The final layer is a border of Stickles for some glittery shine. The ombre  ribbon has some pearls from the sea so I can find it in my fantasy world!.

Hope you will be able to take a trip with a favorite book this week.
yours truly, gerri

"A Trip by the Sea"

"Layered details"

A Corner of Heaven in the Library

This month at Gingersnap Creations is about "Friendship". This week the challenge # is GC120 and it's a color challenge of Aqua, Purple and Blue. The month is also being sponsored by Viva La Vegas Stamps. The image I used on my bookmark is from  their plate 876. Come play with us and see what the Design Team has created for you!

 I do so love to read and consider the characters in the books my friends. When I was young my grandmother would say"Gerri, stop reading and go outside." and like a good child, I listened and went outside. The only thing is that I sat under a tree and read some more. LOL.

To make this book mark I stamped, fussy cut and watercolored the young girl reading. I used some library book labels and cut them so they would appear to be a tall book case. Then painted them aqua, purple and blue. Some pen highlights came next. A fancy ribbon to tie and off with the sentiment "A Corner of Heaven" and it was complete.

Hope you'll find a friend where ever you go this week.
artfully yours, gerri

A weekend in Paris

Bet your thinking ahh,  gerri's off to Paris this weekend. Sorry to say, that's only in my silly little imagination. My husband and I did go when we were first married and I can still remember minute of it. With this location on my mind, I created  these book marks for the Gingersnap Creations yahoo group where the theme was "Geographical Location". Also submitting to  a couple of new sites for me, The Rubber Cafe TRCC #18 Vintage,  Polkadoodle wk20 Anything but a card and Paper Romance #51 Anything but a card. (Here's a shout out to Trisha too, thanks for showing them to me.)

I happened to have some white diecut bookmarks that I used for my base. I inked them up and edged them in gold. Started layering transparencies of Lady Actresses from Graphics Fairy with colored pictures of Paris. There is handstamping of  Paris images from Cavallini also. Some real French postage stamps from one of my wonderful fleamarket finds added some detail and color. A touch of gold german scrap, a knotted strand  of lovely gold ribbon and c'est fini.

Hope you'll take a weekend trip with your  imagination this week.
yours truly, gerri

"Paris book marks - front"

"Paris bookmarks - back"

Majestic Spirit

I love to read and did you know that May is National Book Month?  Right now,  I am reading  a historical fiction by Phillippa Gregory titled the "Red Queen". It's a novel of conspiracy, passion and cold hearted ambition set in England during the 1450's. (so says the the book jacket). This was the inspiration of my Bookmarks fit for a Queen. I made them rose pink, so I will show them at Pink Saturday at How Sweet The Sound. You will  see all things "Pink" there.

Well, I started with  chipboard Fleur de Lis and sprayed them with pink Glimmer Mist and rubbed a brown ink on one and  gold ink  on the other across them to bring out the embossed details. On white satin ribbon I sewed the sides  for detail and angled the ends. I was a big sewer, back in the day, making many of my clothes and even my mint green Prom gown. (Only sew pillows, curtains and  paper now.) On the white satin, I placed a mask from Tattered Angels and sprayed with pink or brown Glimmer mist. I put the ribbon in between the two chipboard pieces and used hot glue to keep them together. Punched a hole and finally added the tassel with a little chipboard  Fleur de Lis that said "Majestic Spirit and the other said "Exquisite". I included two pics because the Queen couldn't decide.
Hope your day is fit for a Queen.(or King)
Artfully yours, gerri

"Exquiste Majestic Spirit"

That magic hour, bounded by love

Continuing the "World of Work" theme at  Gingersnap Creations, this week's challenge is to use  an office supply. I choose colored paperclips and turned them into darling book marks. The colors of the paperclips were the inspirational spark for the project. After stamping each image twice on patterned paper adding shiny German scrap, rhinestones and word snippets, I sandwiched the clips between the paper. I added some sparkley thread and tiny charms to complete the bookmarks. There is a closeup of the Paris clip, so you can get a better look. Now who doesn't have some paperclips in their junk drawer, so go ahead and use them up.

Till next time, artfully yours Gerri



"Paris ,thrill me. .......Oh, if I a birdie I might be......That magic hour, bounded by love."



"Paris close-up."

Mixed Bag of Nuts

Joined a new internet art group called Bella Creations and  I am having  a wonderful time submitting artwork to their numerous February challenges. They have many cool groups like one for tags and book marks , one for swaps , one for cards....you get the idea.  My creations for these challenges are a mixed bag of nuts with different themes, colors combinations and objects. Thought I'd share them with you.

The first is a called "February Bella Muse" where we were supplied with a vintage image of a sweet young girl. The image called out for sugar and spice and everything nice with sweet pink and  an eyelet edge. Tried something new by lacing poka dot ribbon through the paper eyelet. I do like the effect.

The second is "February Tres Chic"  where we had to use the colors creme, pink, and turquoise and add flowers of some kind, ribbon or lace, and a pearl here and there. This is one of my favorite color combination which  I used  for my last "BIG" birthday. I also tried a new glue stamp pad and sprinkled it with turquoise glitter. It worked like a dream.

The last was to create a bookmark for the Bella Creation "Oh La La Group" using this rabbit image with a themes around Valentines Day or the Chinese New Year's colors of red and yellow. I put all these things together and added the love of books. Made two different bookmarks and I've shown you both sides. After I made these noticed that Gingersnaps creation had a Charm challenge running  (GS#90) and now I can use these charmed bookmarks for that too. Well that's my progress this week. Artfully yours....




"Dreams Come True."



"All I want is you."

"Read, Now and Forever"

 





"Love Books"







"I'm in love with books"



 

"Passion for Books"