Friday, May 31, 2013

Flowers and Stamps and Birds, Oh My!

Hi everyone! Yes, I know, I've been absent again...I'm also still waiting for the power to come back on from Wednesday. We had some massive thunderstorms up here in Upstate NY, complete with a few tornadoes! Oh yeah, fun fun...thankfully no one was hurt and everyone's possessions are safe and sound. It certainly makes you stop and appreciate life for a bit though, doesn't it? It also makes you hook up the coffee pot to the generator for your morning dose of caffeine! LOL

Despite all the excitement, I did manage to finish up a gorgeous wedding invitation order and I got my latest Unity Stamp of the Week in the mail. Now, I love stamps. I love getting new stamps to play with. However, I think this is the very first time I opened the envelope, saw the stamp, and RAN upstairs to immediately make something with it! The heck with no power, I had plenty of sunshine and ink pads don't need electricity. So what's the stamp that made me run upstairs? This little beauty:

I might have yelled 'squee'. Can't prove it though, the boys weren't home and the cats aren't telling. O.M.G. You have to understand, my family has gone up to the coast of Maine since my baby sister was 5. We always go and feed our leftover french fries to the seagulls at the beach and watch the little sparrows hop through the outdoor patios looking for leftovers. So this little stamp and saying made me think of all those fun times again. So instead of starting with a card, I decided to make a little canvas piece for myself.
Eek, mind the camera phone picture...
I used my Distress Stains in Tumbled Glass, Bundled Sage, Evergreen Bough and a bit of Frayed Burlap to color in my little canvas after stamping the bird with the Distress Paint in Picket Fence. This is a fun technique; stamp in acrylic paint onto canvas first, then let it dry. You can speed up the process with a heat gun, but only if you have power...which I didn't...so I attempted to be patient and let it dry. The paint resists color so you can then go color-crazy over the top of it! I just kept layering colors until it had the beachy feel I was looking for. Once everything was dry, I simply stamped the sentiment onto the canvas using my Memento ink.

Did I mention the canvas has a cute little easel? I scooped a whole bunch of these up at Joann's on Black Friday. They were so cheap, I couldn't not buy them!

Yeah, I love it. I'm keeping it. Look at that, I made something for myself for a change! LOL

I mentioned flowers, didn't I? Well, the baby poppy plants I added to my garden last year are starting to bloom. Yowza! Aren't they beautiful?


I'm linking up to the Unity Stamp Friends With Flair and Simon Says Stamp Anything Goes Challenge.

Happy Crafting!

12 comments:

  1. I love your canvas, and LOVE that you made it for yourself! Why don't we do that more often? But somehow it's always to give away to someone else. And that poppy? Well, THAT you can give to me! BEAUTIFUL!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautiful canvas! Something to always remember the fun family times on the coast of Maine! Beautiful poppy too! TFS

    ReplyDelete
  3. Your canvas piece is lovely, Jen! Sometimes, it feels so good making something for just yourself. Glad you did it! Your poppy is so pretty, love the colours - so bright and cheerful. Have a lovely weekend!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Love how the stamp jogged your memories! We were without power for 6 days in April after an ice storm...feeling your pain...& need or coffee via a generator!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Jen, that's SO exciting that the SOTW was made *just for you*!!! How fun to make projects that bring back fun memories of a treasured place. I hope your power comes back on soon!

    ReplyDelete
  6. You made a pretty canvas with this cute little bird set. The sentiment is cheerful too. Nice garden flower!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Jennifer we have resorted to coffee on the barbeque after a cyclone here. Not fun but you are so right - life in perspective instantly!
    Cute memory jogger for you and I am envious of your poppies!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wonderful card! Great technique! Thanks for joining us for the Smon Says Stamp Challenge!

    ReplyDelete
  9. The canvas is fantastic! It's great that you made it for yourself!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. What a cute little canvas! Pretty with the birdie :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Beautiful piece of art there! Hope thing settle down after the storm for you and the power came back on sooner than later! :)

    ReplyDelete

Thanks a latte for taking the time to leave me a little note! I love hearing what people think of my creations.