PAYING IT FORWARD WITH ORIGINAL ART

So some of you may not know it but in addition to doing paper crafting I also do illustration work. I have been an artist for over 25 years and love all things artistic. 
Also in April last year I started working at the YMCA in Katy Texas and over the past year I have discovered how much good this institution does for the community. All the workers donate a percentage of their pay check to the YMCA's annual campaign and we do it gladly. Working in Membership Services I see where this money goes...to the families who are struck by hard times, those who cannot afford to send their children to camp or need after school care for their children while they work. Or provide a safe place for older adults to find new friends. All the funds they raise through their annual campaign is through donations from workers, members, and people like you. So I want to do something to help their fund raising efforts so I have decided to raffle off one of my original art pieces. The piece below will be raffled off and 100% of the funds donated will go to the Katy Family YMCA Annual Campaigne. So from today February 6th until March 15th I will be asking anyone and everyone to make a donation to the fund and for every dollar donated you get an entry for a chance to win the piece below (It is worth $1500)....not to mention you are doing alot of good for families that come to the YMCA for help. 

If you have people who like art or would like to support a good cause they can donate by going to

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=UGT5KXDU5YZN4

Thank you for your help and happy crafting everyone!

Leanne Seed

STEAMPUNK CIRCUS.........Come one come all!

So this month Gecko Galz asked all of us design team members to come up with fun little projects using their amazing "Industrial" digi stamp set and I have to admit I was very inspired to take it to the big top with this design. Gecko Galz and this amazing stamp set is being featured this month in QUICK CARDS MADE EASY magazine and we wanted to celebrate by creating our own designs. 
I am not sure if it was the amazing images that inspired me to create this wacky circus themed card or if it was watching the end of American Horror Story Freak Show that did it (that clown in the stamp is really kind of creepy like the one in the show) but in any case here it is a Steampunk Circus!

For this card I used

Gecko Galz Industrial Stamps

Gecko Galz Life is a Circus Paper

Celebrate stamp by Canvas Corp

Glimmer Mist in Bronze by Tattered Angels

Vintage Photo Distress ink

Yellow stripe paper by Paper Studio

Black and cream Harlequin paper by Canvas Corp

black seam binding

metal cogs and watch hands

I started by covering my cream card base in the yellow stripe paper. then layered on a 4x4 square of the Harlequin paper. In photo shop (or you can use gimp) I layered the circus paper over the clown stamp. Next lightly ink the clown image with the vintage photo ink and layer it onto the card.

Next I cut out the unicycle lady and inked her with the brown ink as well as the banner stamp and then stamped "Celebrate" on the banner. Using pop dots I layer on both of the images. Next I  spray the card front with my glimmer mist, this creates a worn look to it. I take a piece of cling wrap and spray a bit of the glimmer mist on it then drag my black seam binding through it to give a distressed look.

Once it is dry tie around the scored edged and tie in a bow. add your cogs to add a metal element.

And now it is ready to give.

Be sure and check out the magazine for more amazing ideas!

Happy Crafting

Leanne

JANUARY CHALLENGE WINNER AND WHATS UP FOR FEBRUARY

So I want to start by thanking everyone who took part in the first challenge of 2015 your projects were breath taking and you all made it so hard for my guest judge to pick a winner. But I have a winner of the "Joy" challenge, congrats to Carol Salisbury for her beautiful card seen below!

Carol has won my prize pack for January which includes 5 digital stamps from the POPPYSEED GRAPHICS Etsy shop (just pick them out and email me your choice. Plus a gift pack from BY DIGITAL PAPER which I will be sending out today! I hope you have fun with all the products!

Now for the February challenge 

just use the image below from BY DIGITAL PAPERS in your

 design the

 theme is up to you, the design is up to you. Once you are done

 hop over to the Fripperies and Butterflies facebook page 

and post your picture there, then on March 1st we will

 announce a winner there and here. And what will you win? A 

gift pack from COUNTRY BY HEART and 

a $15 shopping spree from GECKO GALZ

Good Luck everyone and have fun!

Leanne

LIVE LAUGH LOVE.............CANVAS CORP MINI CANVAS

As most of you know by now I am on the Canvas Corp design team and as our first challenge we were asked to take a mini canvas from Canvas Corp and alter it to show our style....this was a bit more difficult than it sounds because I have always fancied myself a bit eclectic when it comes to my style. So I was forced to sit down and really take stock in my style and this is what I came up with I am Vintage Shabby Chic and this is the canvas I came up with.

So to create this canvas and to show my style I started by spraying the canvas and my tiny newsprint flowers with Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist in bronze. Next I took a 4" Letter "L" and covered it with 7 gypsies paper and inked the edges with my Vintage Photo Ink by Ranger. Next I took a fun rustic star wire piece (I got this in the Christmas area of Hobby Lobby) and wrapped it around the L. I cut a burlap doilie using my cuddle bug (or you can purchase them at Hobby Lobby) and cut it in half and adhered to canvas top. Next I layerd on my L using pop dots. On a journal card from a Seven gypsy kit I wrote "ive", "ove", "augh" letting the 3-d L be the L to the words clipped on a gold mini clothes pin by Canvas Corp and pop doted it all onto the canvas beside the L. I finished it off by layering on the mini newsprint flowers by Paper Studio.

These make great little ornaments, or mini works of art to place on an eisle.

To see all the amazing products from CANVAS CORP go to their online store or your local Scrapbook shop!

Happy Crafting

Leanne

HAVE A FAIRY MERRY DAY......Card Class for Gecko Galz Retreat

So this year I am teaching again at the Gecko Galz Retreat and this year the theme was Fairies so I could not help myself in doing  a card class inspired by the magical little folk. I wanted to do cards that show alternative ways to dye fabric and had a blast coming up with them and wanted to share them with everyone. If you have never been to a scrapbook retreat I highly advise you go to one some day they are a blast! Gecko Galz retreat is an event and combines amazing classes (Heather Hudson is teaching this year as well) crafting, games, and lots and lots of goodies they give away!
Just check out all the information regarding their retreat at their blog site 
http://geckogalzscrapbooking.blogspot.com/2014/10/come-join-us-at-our-annual-scrapbook.html

Hope you enjoy the cards

LETS HEAR IT FOR CHA!!!

This weekend is CHA and I am very proud to be on the design team for Canvas Corp (one of the companies at the show), and if you don't think you are familiar with their products I bet you kinda are. Canvas Corp sells amazing canvas and paper products through such retailers as Hobby Lobby and Texas Art Supply not to mention have a wonderful online shop....but wait did you know that under their umbrella they also sell Tattered Angels products, yes the Glimmer Mist we all love so well as well as one of my favorite paper companies 7  Gypsies.
So recently I was asked to create some vintage inspired cards using the Canvas Corp French inspired papers. So to me when I think vintage french two ideas come to mind...rustic country chic and then french frills from the 1920's so I took these ideas as my inspirations and these are the cards I came up with.

MERCI CARD

So for this card I was inspired by the rustic country look and I started with Canvas Corp craft card base and then took a piece of white muslin fabric a and tore all 4 sides and frayed the edges. Next using shell pink and ginger alchol inks along with the blender I dyed my fabric. After the fabric is dry I adhered to card base using fabric tackand in the center of the fabric placed a piece of Canvas Corp French toile paper. Next I ran a piece of silk bias cut ribbon down the center and on each end added two amazing burlap flowers by Paper Studio. From another piece of the French paper I cut the "Merci" piece and inked using spun sugar and vintage photo Distress Inks then adhered it to the center of the card and went around it with my cream Viva Pearl Pen.

READY TO FLY CARD

For this card I fell in love with this bird center piece that I found in the Jewelry section at my local Hobby Lobby shop, but really anything can be used as your center piece and it reminded my of the French flea market so I went that route with this card. I started with a cream card base and layered on the black and kraft Paris paper then took a strip of the Paris script paper and tore the edges then sprayed with gold Glimmer Mist by Tattered Angels. Adhere the strip to the center of the card once it is dry. Using my black soot Distress Ink I stamped the sentiment " Ready to Fly" one of the clear stamps by Canvas Corp and using a pop dot adhered it to the bottom of my card. Next I added a gold foil doilie by Paper Studio then my bird piece to finish it off!

ENJOY LITTLE THINGS CARD

This card was inspired by the amazing pink toile paper by Canvas Corp and the frilly girly feel I wanted to capture also there was a technique I wanted to try. So when I made the fabric piece for my first card I took it while it was still wet and laid it across a blank white card base creating an amazing marble effect for the base of my card. Next I layered on a piece of cream and black stripe paper by Canvas Corp as well as the pink toile strip. Then I ran a piece of black vintage lace and a piece of hand dyed silk ribbon from my stash. then using two stamps from Canvas Corp I stamped the scallop frame then the banner onto a piece of Canvas from Canvas Corp and cut it out following the frames shape. I layered on the black flower by Paper studio and then the sentiment and finished off using my Viva pearl pen around the outside of the toile strip!

These are fun little cards and I am sure you would have a great time creating your own vintage parisian cards with 

CANVAS CORP products.

Happy Crafting

Leanne

WITH LOVE.....VALENTINE CARDS

This year for Valentines I decided to do something a wee bit different and go with colors you might not imagine for Valentines cards. Most of us are used to the typical red, pink, white Valentines colors but I was inspired by Sommerset Studios Stampers Samplers Magazines challenge Hearts of a different color call and this is what I came up with.

RODEO SWEETHEART CARD

So for this card I was inspired by Gecko Galz Retro Love Story collage set and went with a western theme so the colors had to match it. I used a kraft color card base, Tim Holtz paper by Coordinations, Gecko Galz Wild Wild West stamps, silver pearl pen by viva, silver beads, twine by May Arts and brown & blue ink by Ranger.

For the paper piece I mounted the image on I flipped over a piece of the coordinations paperand tore all the edges to make it look more western.

TRUE LOVES MEANING CARD

For this fun little card I adored the little Pierrots from Gecko Galz Valentine Pierrots collage sheet and took the one hotling the ring and using photo shop dropped in a stamp from Gecko Galz Heart and Soul Stamp set (you can use GIMP as well for this). I also used a left over piece of the Tim Holtz paper from the above card and a sheet of striped paper by Paper Studios. I again used the silver Viva pearl pen to add texture around the edge and a paper doilie by Wilton then from my stash added a piece of vintage black lace and pearl buttons. For amazing vintage lace and trims check out Ebay or garage sales....I love to find things and work them into designs.

Now fro a wee gift for all of you I have some fun little valentines so you can try your hand at creating your own cards of a different color....or you can head over to GECKO GALZ and see all thier new products for this month that will inspire you to do all kinds of cards, tags and altered art projects!

Happy Crafting

Leanne