A FEW GIFTS I MADE..

Hello my Lovelies, thanks so much for leaving some love, it truly helps, you Ladies are THE BEST...

They let Deb go home for Christmas day to spend it with her children, Tonniece, Shelia and I spent Christmas day together, tons of laughs and great food, it was a great day.

Now on to my gifts,I made old brooches into steam punk ones..

 Tonniece had given me a brooch, I used this for my base, the tiny man was a pair of earrings she also gave me...

                                                           This is from the back...

I knew Tonniece probably wouldn't ware it so I made a holder for her to put it in her craft room..

                                               This is what I gathered for Sues brooch.

I love my third hand to it really helps to hold things.. E600 is what you heed to make these it will hold anything and I used it a lot on this brooch..

The back...

I made a special tag for my lovely friend \sheila. The base is from the back of a picture frame, my DS Sandy sent me a few alcohol inks so I used them on some glossy paper, she also sent me the snowflake behind, After I inked it then stamped it with Sheila's favorite stamp.

I inked up a piece of water color paper with Tim's red inks then stamped one of my favorite quotes.

I added 2 buttons with red thread and inked up some seam binding to match... 

Thanks for visiting my nest, I'm sorry I haven't been around, I will visit as soon as I can, I hope you all have a Happy New year, lots of love and (((( BIG HUGS ))))
                                             
                                                              NAMASTE !!!!

Cards

Hello my Lovelies sorry I have been missing again, my DS Debbie is back in the hospital her cancer is back, They are doubling up her chemo, just dropped for a bit to share a few gorgeous cards I received from my wonderful friends 

and to wish you all a wonderful holiday season and thank you all for always encouraging me in my art journey. inspiring me so much, I could not create what I do with out you all,so a HUGE THANK YOU my Friends,,,,

The first card is from Miss Darnell http://www.djkardkreations.com/

 she is the sweetest Lady and the funniest, she always give me my daily laugh for the day, she has also invented her own langues, they even started a challenge for her with NBUS stamps, she sent me a lovely stamp I now own a NBUS to use inn the new year

This is from the lovely Miss Bibiana  http://stampingwithbibiana.blogspot.ca/.
she is one of the most fabulous card designer, she has a blogs in 3 languages and designs for a lot of companies, she is an amazing designer..

my last card is from Miss Sue http://suelelli.blogspot.ca/ she too is so sweet, she makes cards for everyone, I believe she makes over 100 cards every Christmas, she is a published card maker, they even had a write up in her towns paper for all the generous work she does with her cards..

Thanks so much Ladies I love my cards, they are my Christmas decorations this year :O)..
Not sure when I'll be back so I wish every one a GRRRRREAT Holiday season and will see you when I can,  (((((((((( HUGE HUGS ))))))))

                                                                         NAMASTE !!!!!

I WAS LOST BUT NOW I'M FOUND........

Hello my Lovelies,, I've got a wee story to tell about my absence, if you just want to see some photo art, scroll down for them..

 I've been lost in Laptop land, where the mode of communication is by an impossible touch pad, my claws and IT didn't get along at all, I'm much to heavy handed on it.

 It all started on Nov, the 21 st.  when we had a huge storm with winds up to 100 mph. my power went out for 10 mins and it crashed my computer, luckily my dear Bro had given me his new Toshiba laptop, which he had for 3 years, but never used it, I had gone up that summer and set it up for him with Rogers. My internet provider had been bought out by Rogers, they are a huge company in Canada. So I thought this would be easy peasy. NO it was a nightmare,.

I could get on line. but couldn't sign in anywhere, face book, blog land,. It took me forever to get my brother off the laptop and get signed in under my name, my DS Sandy even got on my machine took it over and chatted on lined with a Roger tech person for 45 min, they said I wasn't registered with them with my account no. which I gave them from my bill in front of me. Facebook wouldn't recognize me. I always used my outlook for my mail, since it is safer then the web mail. Google wouldn't let me sign in, rogers mail wouldn't either. My claws and the touch pad were having fits, yikes finally got a wireless mouse and my world was was on the track home.

When I finally talked to a Rogers tech person, I signed into Rogers yahoo, (  

that is where it's web mail is affiliated with ) and my old email address which I had my group with came up, since I already had an email account with them I had to use it/ I had to go to all the blogs I follow and change my address, got a chance to do a bit of visiting, 2 days later I got on to facebook, and was able to comment there too. Still couldn't get into my blog until yesterday when I download my photo's to Picasa, then downloaded them to the picasa web album it asked me to sign in and it all connected together and I got everything back on line together. aaahhhh, I was back in the real world again how wonderful. my new email address is diannemarcoux @yahoo.com..

  When I wasn't having confrontations with the laptop, I was at my desk working on my Christmas cards, I made all the Ladies at swimming theirs, we had our Christmas party on Dec. 4th, everyone brought the food, I made a bread pudding with Panettone, best bread pudding recipe ever :O)..  

 I was also working on my gifts, a bracelet, a couple of  steampunk brooches, Jan's picture

I've posted a few peeks at my cards, I posted all the cards going out of the country, and will post the Ontario ones on Wed. 

These are some of the tags  and old book pages I put on the cards

These are the cards in their envelopes ready for the post, the cards will probably be late, but they are on there way. I will do a separate post on how I made them later when most are received...

 This is a special bracelet I made for my friend Lillian I had the box, and added the crocheted flower then the leather  poinsettia .

 In 2007 I was in a swap with my yahoo artisit group, 12 of us traded charms, they were all so uniquely beautiful and different. I had a bunch of bracelets I bought years ago, so I attached them on one of them. My dear friend Lillian always wears the most unique things, I knew she would love this one of a kind bracelet. I really loved them all but they were just sitting in a bag, now they will be see when ever she wears it, they were made to be seen.
I posted a few close ups, I'm sure you can guess which one I made. their is nothing more special then collaborating with other artist creating art, it was truly my favorite thing running the group..

Well my Lovelies it's wonderful to be able to post again, I will be flying around blog land the next few days to visit everyone, I have missed you all greatly, you know you have been in my thoughts and heart. I will be back with another post in a couple of days sharing more, wishing you all in a wonderful week, ((( BIG HUGS )))..

                                                           NAMASTE!!!!

DREAMING IN DOUBLE...

Hello my Lovelies, I'm getting this in with only hours to go, again.

I went to my favorite Challenge to see how many days I had to posts,  squawk, only 7 hours, so I quickly went to my desk to finish my two tags. When Miss Julie Ann posted her tag, which is amazing, as she does, she made it for a Christmas gift,  I thought grrrreat idea.. I was making it for a special Christmas tag and would  have it done. BUT I really wanted one for my wardrobe too.

Which is why I made two of them. 

I search on line for 2 quotes, keeping in mind the letter was U and a quote, I looked up creative quotes and came up with these ones..

This will be a long post, photo heavy and lots of explaining, you had better get a cuppa, or just take a look at the photos and enjoy..

You will have to look at them on the large setting to see what I'm nattering on about. :O).

 I started with a master board for both tags and challenged myself to make them totally different.
The paper was from a 12x12 pad, it was a shiny green with an white embossed diamonds with 4 little tear drops in the corners.
I gave it a few layers of watered gesso, covering all the green and hoping the embossing would still show through, and it did, so happy about that.
I painted it with some beach hut fresco, white watercolor paint and water, I gave it 3 layer of this.
I stamped a fall tree in white paint to make it wintery, that's not a real word, but you get what I mean..
I had a kids stencil with what I thought looked like a snowflake, closest think I have to a snowflake, keeping with the wintery theme. Lightly stamped some lovely script from Paperartys .
I embossed a swirly flower in silver embossing powder, I have 3 tiny jars of it, which I use sparingly and have had for over 12 years..
 

                                       
                                               A close up...

                       
                      This is the two of them done, front and back...

                 
                    This is my keeper, a quote I believe to be SO true...
                     I used some peeled corrugated cardboard to frame it..

       The backing is the back of a card stock pad :)..

             

 I got my friend Sheila to print the quotes out on some watercolor paper I gave her, I cut out the words, edged them with broken china.
The U is a foam letter with lots of thick gesso and rock candy distress glitter. I added thick gesso to the frame.

 I stamped the word and meaning, create, on a  chip board  sweet bird, edged him black soot ink, used a blue flat back jewel for  his eye..

For the topping I used 2 silky ribbons, I do make mine different, so they are able to be hung.

     This is my Christmas tag,  a gift for a special someone...

The large U is a chip board letter I just got from my Friend Pat, she and I went to a craft day at her church, making snowmen, I'll have to post the pics of them soon. Anywho, the letter was perfect for this tag.
I stamped the  lovely square with the word You, and stamped the word sparkle inside..

 This quote is perfect for the receiver, I tore out the words, then edged them in broken china, love them torn out, the edges are lovely. I added some snow on top of the letter and words with glue and fine white glitter..

 I fooled you in the first photo, I had completely forgotten all about this tiny tag, with the word Believe and snowy corners, it is the same on the both sides, when I down loaded the photos, I finally remembered the tiny tag, went back to my desk, added it to the tag and took more photos..

                            For the topping I used 2 fancy  ribbons...

I'm entering these two  here with the Dragons, its always a pleasure and lots of fun to dream along with the wonderfully creative design

team, thanks for always inspiring me to dream...

Oh boy only 3 hours left, I'll be flying around to visit blog land. 

Wishing you all a wonderful creative week, ((( BIG HUGS ))).

                                          NAMASTE!!! 

WHEN A MAGPIE DREAMS WITH THE DRAGONS...

 Hello my Lovelies, time to reveal my magical wardrobe, when a Magpie gets to dream with some wonderfully creative Dragons.

I am blessed, I have been honored to be a Dragons Dreamboat 5 times and also asked to be a guest designer.  Thanks from the bottom of my heart for inspiring and encourage me to dream along.

I had to create a special Nest (wardrobe) to store my tags in.

So come along, grab a cuppa, and enjoy the tour of my magical cupboard, full of my dreams....

There a lots of photos and I will be nattering on, as I do, :O)..

 I took the lid of the box sliced it in half with my trusty box cutter.
   I taped all the edges with masking tape making them steadier Gessoed them a couple of times, I was waiting for the fabulous stencil my DS Sandy sent me, they are Roman letters, they remind me of the gorgeous doors on the La Sagrada Familia,  here
 in Barcelona, I believe its the most beautiful church in the world,  they started construction in 1828, they are still working on it, I fell in love with Barcelona and Senor Gaudi who is my favorite artist, architect , his buildings blew me away and that curved bench made out of mosaic tiles, in his park** THE BOMB **. Sorry back on track,  I was very excited with my stencil.
 I painted it with my Fresco paints..

 Ooww aren't those letter lovely, I laid them down on all 4 corners..

 I stamped the word creative on gessoed book page with some Inca gold dots, edged it in fire brick red, the definition is stamped on plain gessoed book paper

 The gold piece in the middle is, well I used a copper colored braclet, cover it with toilet paper, using a stipple brush and water, to catch all the design, I put a layer of mod poge on top, then let it dry.
The next day I carefully peeled it from the bracelet, it had rusted a bit, loved that :), I put it in a book with weights on top to flattened it. I used my gold gelato over it then rubbed it in with my fingers. I thought it looked like a piece of wood molding,  you see on old wardrobes. The handles are 2 pieces from a bracelet, I painted them with Inca gold.
I stamped the words Magpie and Dragons, well the wardrobe is who it was created by,  dreaming with them has been such a joy.

I covered the doors with some same wall paper as the inside.
I took 2 paper sticky back frames, first I gessoed them then painted them with Inca gold, I used some shiny foil paper to make a mirror.
The feather is one of the ones Tonniece has given me, I just had to add a feather, these being special to me, as you know...

 Welcome :), all but 3 of them are in there, the other 3 are too big, I have them hanging around it...

Trying to attach the doors was a huge challenge, since the lid to the boot box is larger so it can slide on top, I didn't realize it until I tried to put the doors and side together. I don't have any hinges, so I had to improvise. I put 2 layers of tape, a mesh layer, and a thick plastic tape with mesh inside the tape. Then I made some washi tape, with white medical tape, painted it with fresco's paint and stamped the alphabet, rubbed some Inca gold over it. I used Alinen's glue in between the layers so it would hold when the doors open, I laided weights on each side letting them dry for a day, so it took a couple of days... The sides and lid meet, so they sit out from the box and give it some room for my large tags, I use all sorts of things to make my tags, never a plain tag, I don't even own one, improvising again, I like that it challenges me..

Eeekkksss, when I got up that morning and went over to take the weights off (pieces of slate), flipped it over, I was devastated to see the letters were upside down, what was I to do, well I could paint over it stamp it again, nope, it's kinda me, and it is just for me, so I'm embracing my mistake.......
I used a long stem of a bull rush, instead of a dowel, they are quite strong, to hold the tags, then used 2 wooden tube beads on the ends, The End....

Thanks so much for visiting and staying till the end, bless you :O)..
I'm off to make dinner and will try to fly around and visit as many as you Lovely Ladies as I can. I haven't had any time to start this fortnight challenge, I must do that, then get to my Christmas things. It's going to be crazy around this nest till the new year, so I will try to live in the moment and it will be all GOOD. Hope you all have a wonderful week, ((( BIG HUGS )))..

                                        NAMASTE!!!

REMEMBERING.....

Hello my Lovelies, I made a few poppies for a some of the Ladies at swimming. A lot of the ladies husbands  are Veterans, they were saying how the poppies always fell off their coats, the small pin ends up falling out. So I thought I would make some that stayed on.

I punched out circles from cheap red velvet ribbon, then I folded them in quarters, trimmed the sides. I used some old button, sewed them with shiny red thread, I didn't sew them on the poppy because it was to hard to put my thick needle through the ribbon, the back is a plastic. I just sewed up the holes, then glued them on the center with hot glue.. I ran out of ribbon after I made 9 of them...

                                                   
 I cut out an oval piece of felt, glued it all around the edge with hot glue, this left the middle empty, so the pin could slide in, I used a straight pin and a earring back to hold it on your coat.

I loved the old buttons my DS Sue gave me, I used my copics to give the poppies some shading...

I made 2 with 2 layer, and some stickle on the inside, one is mine and the other is for my special friend Miss Lilian, she gave me my gorgeous steam punk broach. I'm going to tell the Ladies when they sell the poppies next year, the can wear these ones, then they can just give the money to the vets..

I finally finished my tag cupboard, but I'll give you a peek and save the rest for tomorrow.

Today is all about remembering all the Great men and women who dedicate their lives to bring Peace to us all, thanks so much for visiting my nest, wishing you all PEACE.....  ((( BIG HUGS )))

                                           NAMASTE !!!!

DREAMING WITH THE DRAGONS IN RED....

Hello my Lovelies, well it's very late in the evening and I finally finished my tag. The Sweet Miss May asked us to make a tag with red and D, the Dragon team here, made some gorgeous tags, they always inspire me to dream along..

. If you know me, I loooooove little dresses, it's one of my favorite things to create so of course I picked D for Dress.

Yesterday I started out with a sheet of paper I had in my stash which already had red and white circles on it from another project. I used all the red inks I had to color over the white then added circles with white paint and persimmon stamping up ink, I also made splotches with the white paint and persimmon ink. I cut out an old brown school picture frame for the backing, edging it in black soot.
Today I made a stamp, it is a dress, in case you thinks it's a cat :O).
Added some script in persimmon ink for the background..

Miss Julie Ann had sent me a dress form and I have been saving it for something special. I had 2 baby wipes from all the red I used yesterday, so I thought I would use this to make a dress. It has 2 layers a flowing top over the under dress, I like an angle on clothes, no straight lines for me...

 I added 4 thin ribbons for the topping , 2 are cloth and the other 2 are the plastic curly ones...

 I added stickles to trim the top part and on the belt, which you can see is still wet and  punched a circle out of some extra paper I had sitting around from all the red I was using and stamped my D, edged it with a black copic..

                         A close up of the angles on the dress...

I must be tired I have made so many spelling mistakes, it's like I'm typing an unknown language, so I'm off to bed and will post this in the morning, before I head out...
Thanks so much for stopping by my nest, it's always a pleasure to have you here. Wishing you all a wonderful creative week, ((( BIG HUGS )))

                                               Namaste!!!!