Creative Withdrawal Pains

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In the past two weeks since my parent's birthday celebration and all the work that went into planning the event (click here to read about it), I had hoped to catch my breath and slow down for a bit. Not a chance. I spent the time catching up on things I had to set aside in advance of the celebration. So busy have I been that I haven't had any time to sit down and craft just for the pure enjoyment of it. I don't do very well when I can't create something. I become irritable and easily annoyed, much like a smoker in need of a cigarette. Tonight I finally decided to put everything aside and make a card.

My layout is rather simple and yet while I was making the card I felt like a neophyte, trying to figure out what to do. It seemed to take me forever to complete. One reason is because I chose to hand color the flower with colored pencils, something I haven't done in quite a while and had been missing. I suppose another reason is because I'm out of practice. Now that the card is complete I can go to sleep and rest.

Verse and floral image stamps are from Stampin' Up's Asian Artistry stamp set. Background washi paper from Hanko Designs. Stardream Gold accent paper. Black satin ribbon layered onto sheer gold ribbon for embellishment.

I'm off to bed. Zzzzzzz.

Ballo ergo sum

- Gitana, the Creative Diva

OSA Layout Challenge Cards

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 In spite of the grueling schedule I have had to keep at work this past week, I managed to eke out  time to craft some cards for the weekly Oriental Stamp Arts challenges. I consider it art therapy to battle work-related stress.

For the card on the left, OSA Challenge #173, our challenge was to create a window card according to the layout provided.  This is a card with an aperture cut out to reveal part of the inner card design. For my card I chose fans and gingko leaves. They are a natural pair inasmuch as they have the same general shape. I stenciled the gingko leaves on the outer card layer using a 6" x 6" template from The Crafter's Workshop. The fans stamped on the inside of the card were colored with Prismacolor art pencils and highlighted with glittery gel pens. The fans were then masked and sponged with ink to create the soft green shading all around them.

For OSA Challenge #174, we were asked to make a card using a printed napkin as part of the decorative elements of the card. I decided to give myself a double challenge by also creating a card in a out-of-the-ordinary format. Because I enjoyed creating the twisted easel card for my daughter's graduation so much, I decided to use that format again. I am very happy with the way this card turned out and apparently the moderator for the OSA weekly challenges liked it enough to make the twisted easel format the subject of OSA Challenge #175.

I chose a circular rice paper napkin with a beautiful blue floral border for my card, spray glued it to a piece of white card stock, cut it into quarters and trimmed close to the edge of the image. A piece of gold-dotted handmade paper was layered onto the top of the card and a quarter of the napkin glued on top of it, trimming it as necessary to create the look as seen in the photo to the left. My biggest challenge was trying to get the flowers on the inside of the card to form a continuous semicircular image. I ended up cutting out and individually placing flowers for optimal results. I managed to use to rosebuds from the image as the stops for the upper 'easel' panel by placing foam squares behind them. The kanji symbol for summer on the upper panel is echoed by its English translation on the lower panel. Strategically placed gold Asian motif stickers, as well as some tiny golden dragonflies, coordinate well with the gold dotted background.

The beautiful butterfly is cut with coordinating Memory Box dies, one for the upper veins and another for the lower body. The body was cut from blue card stock and colored with pigment inks and gel pens. When I first got these dies, I loved them so much I cut and colored a bunch of butterflies just for the love of it so all I had to do was reach into my RTU (ready to use) stash and pick one out for this card.

Ballo ergo sum
- Gitana, the Creative Diva

So Much to Tell...

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Where do I start? There is so much to say.

First let me say that I completed the six large paper flower arrangements for my daughter's high school graduation and they looked magnificent. Here's a picture of how they looked across the front of the auditorium stage. They are approximately three feet from top to bottom and two and a half feet across.

While I was in the midst of paper flower frenzy, I received a call to create another project of a totally different sort, one that requires my skills as a seamstress. I'll be recreating a monitoring vest used in the medical field for an Alzheimer's research project. I haven't even begun that project yet and I'm being contracted by yet another client who needs invitations designed for her annual client appreciation event. I had hoped to dedicate my summer to doing business research and creating a business plan but it appears I'll be too busy being in business to do any research about being in business. Not a bad problem to have.

In addition, I have been asked to become a design team member for About Art Accents, the rubber stamp company that sponsors Oriental Stamp Art, the Yahoo group I belong to. I accepted and have received my first set of rubber stamps with which to create cards and other works of art.

As if all this isn't enough, there is more. I have just received notification from my favorite crafts supply store, A. C. Moore, that I have won their sweepstakes for a trip for two to the biggest crafts show in the country, the Craft and Hobby Association Supershow in Rosemont, Illinois taking place during the last weekend in July. I am waiting to hear from a sweepstakes official so I can satisfy myself that this is not a hoax. Then I'm going to start packing my bags.

In the middle of all of this activity on my part, I've had to deal with:
- my youngest daughter's graduation and all the attendant social engagements that go along with it,
- hosting my oldest daughter and family who came up from North Carolina for the graduation
- Father's Day
- my husband's birthday
- doctor and dentist appointments
- preparing my new graduate to move to North Carolina with her sister to attend college.

Brother, I think I need a rest.


Ballo ergo sum,
- Gitana, the Creative Diva

Paper Flowers for a Green School Graduation

This June marks a couple of milestones. First, my youngest daughter is graduating from high school and going off to college. Second, she is a member of the very first graduating class for The Green School, An Academy for Environmental Careers, a new high school here in Brooklyn that first opened its doors to students in September 2007. As its name implies, The Green School's focus is environmental responsibility and sustainability so, of course, its graduation exercises has to promote that mission. Also of concern is the budget so the event must be organized on a shoestring. To that end, I volunteered to create large floral arrangements with which to decorate the auditorium during the ceremony. The paper for these flowers was salvaged surplus that was previously printed with school notices, flyers, etc. and was designated for the recycling bin. Never mind that I have no floral experience and have never done anything like this before. I just jumped in, learned what I could as I went long and whatever I didn't learn, I made up on the fly.

The photos here were taken at the school one day when one of the art teachers volunteered all his art classes one day solely for the purpose of helping me cut the massive amounts of paper petals and leaves required for this project. In addition, the students also pre-assembled many of the flowers and the paper bows. Here is also a photo of three completed arrangements. All told, there will be a total of six arrangements that will be placed side by side across the front of the auditorium stage. I have already completed four of them. Two more and I am done. Phew! I had no idea how large a project this would be but I'm so glad I took the chance and did it. It has been a great learning experience and has yielded a very satisfying result.

Next time perhaps I'll actually get some floral training so I'll know what I'm doing.


Ballo ergo sum
- Gitana, the Creative Diva