Flowers and Stamping!

I went to Michael's today and got some really cute things all for $3 and under! I love shopping the sale bins there for little supplies and today I got a really nice stamping kit with little Christmas stamps from Recollections for just $2.99! A real bargain. I also got some paper flower packets for $1 each and a couple of ink pads. Check them out:

Holiday Stamp set from Recollections;
includes 16 stamps, 2 ink pads in red &
green and 2 small glitter pens in same colors.

...

Paper flowers in orange, red, purple and sky blue
from Studio G. 

...

2 lovely sets of note cards (8 in each packet)
and 2 ink pads in brick red and olive green.

On a side note... I doodled a little on some scrap pieces of paper I had lying around. I haven't decided how to use them yet but I shall soon. Here's a small preview:

Flowers, butterflies and glass beads and baubles...

Enjoy!

Monday Musings: First Freebie EVER!!!

OK, so leading up to and even right after Christmas I'd been re-organizing all my paper crafting goods and realized that I have a lack of scrap-booking/card making papers in Spanish. In fact, I have none. Everything I have bought and seen is always in English and then it occurred to me that I can make my own. This is a first try, mind you, and not at ALL professional but if you are wanting some word embellishments to print out and use I am more than happy to share my little creation. It is a friendship sheet of words, meant to be printed out as an 8 x 8 (could be as small as 4 x 4 but I think the bigger size is better). So, without further ado, here it is:

If you want to print the page, just right click the image and print or save it to your
computer for later use. Enjoy and please remember to link back to this blog if you
decide to share this on your blog. It is FREE for PERSONAL USE ONLY.
Please respect my copyright and do not sell my work. Thanks and ENJOY! 

I hope you enjoy this little tid-bit! If you can't download the original size then click here. I hope that if you do use this you will post a link in the comments so we can all go and see what you've done with it! 

Cheers!

What I'd like for Christmas...

1. Bone folder from Paper Source, 2. Awl from Paper Source, 3. Christmas Tape
from Paper Source, 4. Envelope Templates from Paper Source, 5. Paper Flowers
from Michaels, 6. Martha Stewart Butterfly Paper Punch from Michaels, and
7. Pia Jane Bijkerk's My Heart Wanders. 

What would you like for Christmas? Sending you warm and fond Christmas greetings from me to you!

Cheers!

Little details...

Just wanted to share with you the finishing touches on my paper clip package for my pen pal. Details really do mean something when creating a gift and the presentation of these clips was something I mulled over until finally coming up with the following:

What do you all think? I hope she will like it! I can't wait to keep making more lovely little things for friends and family!

Happy Tuesday!

Monday Musings: It's been too long...

My computer died on me about a week ago and I have yet to figure out what is wrong with it. In the meantime, my wonderful parents have been so kind as to let me use their computer to check e-mail and the like. I've had a few little side-projects going on. Besides working in retail at present and learning Russian I have been trying to find ways to get creative with my gift-giving. As many of you know, I am involved in pen palling, and always look for creative little gifts to give my pals (you can check my blog about pen palling out as well if you like by clicking here).

Anyhow, back to my topic, I have a wonderful pen pal here in the US who is really into all things paper (as am I) and I'm compiling a few little trinkets for her and decided to include some paper clips for keeping little papers or scraps together. This is what I came up with:

Aren't they fantastic? I have beyond way too many paper clips which I rarely use and the gems were part of a belt I'd saved to use in some crafty idea some day so...what a better way to add bling to your paper accessories than with some flashy paper clips? I've seen them made with buttons which I also love but I thought it appropriate for this friend to fashion them with pretty girly-colored gems. Here is one more shot of them before I go!

Pretty, right? I thought so!


Cheers!

For the Do It Yourself Crowd (I'm part of you too!)...

I am in love with doing things myself. It's why I love Pinterest, why I love blogs, why I love in short looking at an object that someone else deems as trash and knowing that I can do something with it. It's what has helped me turn formula cans and vegetable cans into beautiful pen/pencil holders, what has inspired me to make bookmarks out of discarded card stock, and many other crafts. Anything do it yourself is always fine by me.

So when I discovered Mollie Makes magazine which is full of great crafts, diy's, and more I was hooked! Plus, each issue comes with a little craft kit for your enjoyment. I've only been able to get issues 1 and 5 here in the States (the magazine is from the UK) but am trying to track down 2-4 and then hoping that next week issue 6 will be in the stand at Barnes and Noble which is where I have gotten the other two issues. I am so super eager for issue 6 to be here in the US (it has already come out in the UK).

My two kits I've acquire and have yet to put together and of course, Issue 5.

I happened upon Mollie Makes on Facebook while browsing other pages. Somehow I ended up there and fell in love and while on a trip to Barnes and Noble looking for crafting magazines there it was! The first issue and I was hooked! I love it and want more of it! I think what I liked most about it is that it resembled greatly my other favorite crafting magazine Adorn (of which I was only ever able to purchase one copy) which had tons and I mean TONS of great do-it-yourself projects and showcased some awesome crafting books. Mollie Makes does all this and so much more!

Issue #1 of Mollie Makes and Adorn Magazine Issue Spring 2007.

 I miss Adorn but know that there are some copies still available online, hopefully soon I can get a few to make a complete collection. Someday...anyway I just wanted to share Mollie Makes with you all because I love it so much! Any other crafty mags you all read? I'd love to know if you can recommend any!


Cheers!

Weekend Special: Dreaming...

Sometimes I peruse Etsy and other sites and find stuff I REALLY would like to have. So, here is a picture list of things I'd love to have...

New York City Urban Pillow Style no 3 Pillow by NestaHome

...

I am obsessed with all things vintage and this awesome 1970's brown rotary
phone from calloohcallay is no exception! I love it! 

...

Vintage Camera Argus C3 with Flash Case by calloohcallay... as if I would
pass over this!

...

I adore these vintage Pyrex bowls!

...

I've always loved the little blue Corning Wear flowers... I want this pie plate.

...

I've been toying with the idea  of collecting vintage books for my kids to read ,
that is for when I have children. 

...

These would be good to have too!

...

I kind of want this one for myself...I love Thackeray!

Can you tell I love vintage? Here come the crafting goodies!!! 

I just adore lace...

...

Vintage Burgundy Red Braid Trim, 3 Plus Yards...to die for!

...

Vintage Wide Red and Blue Embroidered Woven Trim...I love vintage trim!

...

Unbelievably gorgeous Golden Flower Vintage Button Bracelet (I would
remove the buttons to use in other crafts---they're awesome!)....

I am in love with each of these items! Let's see how long they last in Etsy to see if I can get any! Have a fantastic start to your week everyone! 

Cheers!

Monday Musings: Ephemera Your Heart Out!

I have been enjoying immensely the time I spend working on my art journal. Some days I am more inspired than others but all in all, it is nice to be able to work on something that brings a smile to one's face at the end of the day. Since I've been working on this journal I've tried to incorporate different types of ephemera into it including by making my own out of paper scraps. Thus came into being the following "paisley-esque" forms I made for using in my journal:

These are the paislies I worked on....

Also, just writing out words for use in scrap-booking or journaling can be helpful. You can write them however you choose, on any paper you want, etc. Here are some of my scraps of white paper and what I did with them:

More paisley and some words to live by...

There are a million possibilities but those are just a few of the things you can do to create ephemera. I collect everything that seems to be re-usable and give it new life! Here is how I used these different forms of ephemera I created.

I used the words in this art journal entry...

and this....

In this case I drew some hearts on remaining white paper bits
also a flower and a couple of words...

and lastly...

Too much fun really!

All it takes is a little time and creativity! I can't wait to create some more!

Cheers!

Monday Musings: Working on....

I've been pretty incognito lately, I know! I've been busy as a bee with my 365 Day Project of photos and art journaling and have neglected to post anything here or at any of my other blogs lately. So, I wanted to just share a little of what I've been doing so that you all could enjoy it as well!

My 365 challenge is photographic and is pretty much about my 30th year of life (that is the theme, I started it on my 30th birthday---August 12th for those who did not know). So far it seems my 30th year is all about art! I need to get out more!

My art journaling is really what I am enjoying most these days and my entry yesterday is by far one of my favorites:

I continue to learn daily through reading other blogs and am inspired by my friends constantly. My surroundings are an inspiration sometimes although I really wish I lived somewhere more interesting. Hopefully soon I will be able to share a little more interesting stuff with you all now that September is come and autumn festivities seem to always breed more fun!

Hope you're having a wonderful Labor Day (those of you in the States, that is--everyone else I still wish you an excellent day)! 

Cheers!

Card-making...

For me it is therapeutic to make cards. I just love gathering all the pieces and materials for making them. Beautiful and intricate, or elegant and simple; making cards is a form of expression so personal and endearing to the recipient that the maker derives a gratifying satisfaction from the knowledge the his/her creation will be loved and well received. Here is my very own latest creation:

The design is simple and easy enough and I used some paper scraps I had on hand to come up with the concept. The first thing I did was raid my little box of keepsakes from pen pals to find the flower I was going to make.

Box where I keep little trinkets sent to me by my wonderful pen pals...

Once I'd found it I traced it onto an index card to make a template and not ruin my little bit of paper joy...

Original and template from index card...

I used the template to make my large orange flower and also to trace flower "silhouettes" onto my linen card for added effect. The silver "ribbon" is a paper band that came from some stationery I'd exhausted; just measured it, cut it to length and pasted it right onto the card. The center of the flower was made from some scraps of scrap-booking paper I had and I just dotted it with various colors to give it that effect.

Template and scraps of paper used...

Pens, markers and some creativity aided in the end result...

Ready to be sent out...

I wrote the message by hand and drew the smaller flowers by making series of dots...

The little details make all the difference...

Isn't it darling? I need to make some more fun ones! Enjoy!

Focus is on the flower...

♦Fantastic Fridays: Painting...♦

Oh the joys of creating something yourself. Earlier this week I painted a small 6"x 6" canvas and found it to be therapeutic.

My little painting, acrylic on canvas, first I've ever done...

Yesterday I got a pack of 25 different brushes at Big Lots for four dollars and today I bought some sponges, painters tape and clothes pins for various art projects I want to do. They are not "professional" supplies but I have found that there are many things that one can use to create beautiful works of art. Tomorrow I will work on another painting I want to do using shapes and textures. It should be interesting. 

I am by no means a professional and am just experimenting with art. I've decided to start and art journal on my 30th birthday which I am really excited about as I think it will really help my creativity. I've been gathering my supplies and even think I am going to actually make the journal I want to use myself. So, I'll be posting more about that soon!

I checked out a few sites for inspiration and found the following:

daisy yellow, a great source for learning about art journaling

journal girl, a fantastic blog of inspiration

Hanna Andersson, her blog is full of beautiful art

Enjoy!
   

POST #105: Another little project...

Making cards from my own photos...

I cannot believe that this is my 105th post to date! I know that I've been a little sporadic lately but I am hoping to get up to my old speed again. I've been learning a lot more about blogging and will be slowly incorporating all the things I learn in here. My photos are looking crisper and better and the style is becoming my own. I am happy to share with you all what I am doing and I promise that soon there will be a proper tutorial in the works. 

I've been working on some projects using my photography, sparked in part by the fact that I would like to know what I can make at home with my photos (I have so many gorgeous shots that I want to share with the world) and in part by the fact that I have been pen-palling a lot lately. So, doing a little research here and using the programs I already have on my computer + my excellent ingenuity skills I have created some cards using my photos and printing them right at home on card stock. The ones in the photos are my prototypes but aren't they lovely?

I have finally also found a use for my binder clips...

The cards in the picture show two distinct shots I took in 2009 and 2010. The one on the right is an autumnal shot called "Autumnal Reverie" which I have on display in a few websites and shot in Princeton, NJ in Fall of 2009. The one on the left is a row of townhouses on Bank St. in the West Village in Manhattan which I shot in January 2010 on a weekend visit. They are both two of my favorite places and I hope to print more cards out soon! 

I love to work with the things I have on hand...

Today I printed out a few more cards from a small shoot I did in Princeton that same previously mentioned autumn. I have enough shots of the university and the surrounding area to have an entire collection of prints on cards. I'll be bringing you more photos soon of some more of this wonderful creations of mine. Hope you've enjoyed them! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Monday Musings: Floridian nights...

As I sit here listening to some old school pop music from when I was fresh out of high school and well into the end of my first year of university I wonder why at night my mind tends to wander through the events of the day, the news I've heard or read and my own thoughts of what we are currently living globally.

I don't think we all realize how interdependent on each other we are nowadays. I think that the gravity of these hard economic times we are facing, the mounting global pressures we face are very greatly misrepresented in the media and while everyone wonders about what Bernanke said or what Obama didn't say or do, no one bothers to ask the populace what they think of what is going on, how they've had to change the way they live, what new hardships they're facing---in short, we are all in kind of a daze and that is worrisome.

Sometimes I find myself wishing I were back in the mid 1990s when I was in high school and life wasn't so hard. I wonder if the choices I made would have been different if I had set my aims toward something different, instead of desperately wanting to become an actress I had desired to go into law or medicine...I'm sure that even then the outcome would have been the same.

Now more than ever we all need to pull together in solidarity with our fellow man and help each other as best we can.

Until tomorrow...

Hand-cut gift tags...

Yet another work in progress of mine of late has been to make hand-cut gift tags from scraps of scrapbook paper big enough for the small gift-tag template I have (which, consequently, is a reused garment tag which came with something I bought a while back--can't recall what exactly it was but it served a great purpose to me).

I have an enormous amount of beautiful papers to use and thought, why not make gift tags? They're elegant and very romantic in their aspect and quite a crafty endeavor so, here they are:

My first hand-cut tags...

I have since hand-cut a few more tags and am now in the process of seeking out a smaller hand held hole-punch than the one I currently have in my possession to cut the small holes atop and add the thread I want to use for each tag to complete each set.

Hand-cut tags kept in a little pink and brown "carry-out" box which originally
had some delightful caramels in it...another reuse project, if you will.

I just love being able to use every bit of left over paper I possibly can....

Nestled away in their little box, upright and beautiful...a touch of girly pleasure...

Spectacular, aren't they?

Lovingly chosen and hand-cut...

I hope you've enjoyed reading this post as much as I have enjoyed writing it....until next time!

Cheers!

Bookmark Adventure and stationery pleasures...

There is a beautiful blue sky which I've been able to see from my bedroom window every day this week, consequently I've not been able to enjoy that same blue sky outdoors much because the heat is just completely unbearable. Being that I've stayed in doors a great deal then I've taken to crafting to pass the time rather than sulking at the fact that I might wilt should I attempt to be outdoors more than a few minutes (my poor herb plants were suffering that very same fate today and they are now in the coolness of my room by my window enjoying the sun but safe from the heat).

Inspired in part by reading Jane Eyre and by watching through Emma, Sense and Sensibility and tonight's Mansfield Park with my parents my crafts have been focused on representing that era somewhat. A couple of weekends ago I saw some really nifty mixed media collaged bookmarks and had the idea that I might make my own bookmarks as well so I did! Here is my first one:

My prototype which I am keeping for myself...
I cannot part with it...sigh!

Also, inspired by all the penpalling I've been doing lately I have printed my own postcards and stationery and there really is nothing more satisfying. Almost two years ago when the BBC broadcast their 2009 version of Emma I played around with some screenshots from the movie and edited them with photoshop. Yesterday I added one of those images and a couple of other stock images to some stationery *for personal use only* and love the way they came out. I think I may buy less stationery and make more of my own...

Jane Austen stationery and Oriental Lily postcards printed by me with my Epson.
the photo on the postcards is my very own from a trip to Venezuela last year.

And lastly, here are the next two bookmarks I have been working on today:

Mixed-media bookmarks in their first stage...
my previous bookmark was covered in scrapbooking paper.

To see more pictures of the progress of my original bookmark you can go to the blog's facebook page and click on the album titled Bookmark Adventure. I can't wait to share some more of the progress with you all! 

Cheers!

Back in the game!

Hello again friends! It's been a long while! I've been working on many projects lately and having moved about a month ago I now finally have a chance to begin sharing more with you. Let me tell you a little bit about what I've been up to lately. I've re-vamped one of my other blogs and refocused it specifically to topics on photography (LatiNadia), I've started two food blogs--one is a recipe blog in Spanish (El Recetario de Nadia), the other is a food diary (Food: A passionate journey), I've been penpalling like crazy and am loving it, and other than that I've been organizing and decorating my room here in Florida (yes, I am back in Florida--go figure!), doing some food-tography, cooking and expanding my creative juices. Here is a photo of what is currently on my desk:

1. Letters I received a couple of days ago to which I need to respond, 2. Home Spa book I bought recently at Tuesday morning, 3. Vintage Art Postcards I acquired some years ago from my Grandfather's collection, 4. Current project: Re-writing recipes on index cards to place in my Mom's box.

Hopefully in these next few days I can bring you a little more on crafting and green living. Have you all checked out My 365 Magazine yet? Please do! Issue number 2 will be out in July! Stay tuned for more updates.
Cheers!

Just a quick post...

Just wanted to let everyone know that My 365 Magazine is now live! Check it out, join the Coffee House club and let us know what you think!

Settling into life back in FL so I will post again soon!

Cheers,

Nadia

Monday Musings: BIG NEWS-- New Magazine, check it out!

Friends have I got news for you! I've mentioned my friend Kiki many times on here before, well she and another friend and I have embarked on the project of a lifetime! We are launching a new magazine called My 365 Magazine. The premier issue will come out in May but we still need contributors and advertisers. Please check out the webpage and also our facebook page.

Please take a look at the information below and check out the mock up of what the magazine will look like on the webpage:

I cannot wait to see how many of you want to contribute and advertise! We really need more advertisers, I cannot emphasize this enough! Thanks for all of your support and look forward to hearing from everyone! 

Cheers,

Nadia Marie

My 365 Magazine

Media Mogul

http://www.my365mag.com