Split Negative Technique

This card was inspired by a StampTV tutorial posted a few months ago.  I wanted to take it a step further by splitting the background and was pleased with the effect. To take a closer look just click on the image.

Scrapbook In A Box

I'm posting this on a day we're expecting 85 mph winds here at the coast and a little over two years since we experienced the worst storm in almost 50 years.  The "Once Upon A Time" scrapbook in a box shown below was created during that last big storm while we were out of power for four days.  The winds howled with gusts up to 130 mph and the noise was so terrible I blocked it out by setting up three battery powered booklights on stands and getting to work.  I like to think the energy of the storm fueled my creativity during those four days!

Once Upon A Time

Lid View

Without ribbon.

A scrapbook in a box is basically about 10 - 12 layers which fold together in order to create a box.  Each layer is constructed to allow mounting of photographs or journaling.

This particular project was a commissioned piece and the individual it was created for loved frogs.  So the "surprise" in the middle is a plastic frog detailed in Art Institute Glitter.

Flap detail.

More detail.

Detail, detail, detail.

Inside of the lid with signature.  With these pictures, I'll never forget the date.  So, as the winds pick up and while we still have power, I'm headed to my workroom!

Cheers!

Chatter: The Astor Hotel; It Was Fantasy In Pink

My first memory of this amazing place is situated in the late 1950's, probably around 1958 to be exact.  In "those days" the hotel was painted a rather vivid shade of pink and to a child's eye, this was a very appropriate and exciting color!  So view the picture above and imagine PINK! The John Jacob Astor Hotel, locally known just as "The Astor", was then and is now, some fifty years later, the tallest building in Astoria.

I'm not going to go into all of the historical details of this building, those facts and figures are available on numerous other sites I'm sure.  What I want to tell you about is the coffee shop on the bottom floor that my dad would take me to on an occasional Saturday afternoon. And high up on the walls in colors of sea blue and green, magical and mythical creatures of the sea would swim non-stop.  Amazing!

There is another memory I associate with the Astor Hotel, this one is related to a friend of my mother.  This woman was larger than life to me, similar to a Lucille Ball image without the Lucille Ball persona.  She was tall and statuesque with flaming red hair, long red nails and wore "Hollywood" clothes.  She had a rather "scarlet" reputation in our small, 1950's town and I thought she was marvelous.  In between husbands or boyfriends (is it really important?) this friend of my mother actually lived in the hotel.  This seemed very glamorous to me, living high up in this highest building in our very small town.

The other thing that always fascinated me about this woman (I'm being discrete here about names because even though it's been over fifty years, this is, and I'll say it once again, a very small town) was always tan!  At least that's my child's memory.  This may not strike many of you as so unusual what with the abundance of tanning salons, but "in those days" unless you lived somewhere where the sun was a common factor in your life, sun tans were pretty exotic. And here on the north coast of Oregon? Forget about it. 

I ramble, sorry.  The connection here between my mother, her friend and the then pink, Astor Hotel is this.

Do you see the balconies located in the middle of every floor?  The ones on the south side of the building got most of the sun and my mother's friend would often tan herself on the balcony at the end of the hall.  I remember walking down the street with my mother one particularly warm afternoon and looking up at this exact side of the hotel (remember, think PINK) and there, barely in view, was someone sun bathing!  My mother would call up to her, she wasn't on one of the highest floors, and her friend would poke her head to the railing, wave hello, they would exchange a few words, and off we'd go down the street.

So now, all of these years and so much living later, when I pass by this wonderful building on my way to this or that, I flash back and think pink.  I also think glamour and spirit and spunk.  But then, that's another story.

Poppy Boxed Set

Did I mention before I've become hooked on making these boxed sets? Well that hasn't changed!  I completed another last week and here it is.  Hope you're not tired of looking at these because I'm sure there will be a few more.  Here goes!

Outside of box with lid on. 

Sorry, I have a huge need to state the obvious.

I'm working on it though.

I'll bet you can't guess what this is. Yep, you got it.

Inside of box with lid off.

I said I was working on it.

A couple of things seriously. . . The set of six cards in the rear section of the box are the largest (I thought that was fitting) and are standard A2.

The mid-size cards at front left measure 3 1/4" x 3 3/4" and the little cards at the right front are business size note cards.

The transparent pocket on the front flap contains envelope seals on sticker paper so they're self adhesive and match the set.  These are an optional use item as all three envelopes are self-adhesive.

Here are detail pictures of each:

The A2 card has a top fold and the envelope is purchased then lined to match the set.

A little closer view.

Mid-sized card with hand-made envelope.

The little, business sized card with hand-made envelope.

There are some things to note.  The business size note card was embellished with heavy weight patterned paper using a Martha Steward border punch.  While I love Martha's punches they are not up to the task on heavy papers and card stock on the highly detailed punches.  In this case since I used paper with a white back and core, I was left with very "furry" openings which required sanding with very little tools and my craft knife to take out boulder (just kidding) sized pieces.  I quickly grew tired of this process and became less picky. Click on the image and you can really see, yuk!  This is not, I repeat not, a combination I would use again.

Also, since I used darker cardstock with the exception of the A2 card, I've lined all three sizes of cards with a nice watermark bond typing paper with a nice finish.

So, there you have it.  Any questions?  Don't hesitate to drop me an email and I'll get back to you promptly.

With A Little Help. . .

Got my question answered and fixed the tabs on the left!  (I'm waving my arms in the air!)

Comment To: Copy and Paste craneislandcomforts@msn.com

New Look

02.26.2010

At last!  A new look for my blog but I'm still working on getting rid of a few things.  Like what's with the "undefined" stuff hanging out on the left hand side of the page?  I'm a newbie with some of this stuff so hang in there while I get all of the kinks out. . . please?

I'm also working at being somewhat (that word gives some wiggle room) more regular with posts and expanding into other areas of interest.

Photography for one.

While the rain is coming down here and no, it doesn't always rain in Oregon, here's hoping you're not one of those people stuck in the snow and cold temps that have been relentless in so many areas of the country. 

Comment to: copy and paste craneislandcomforts@msn.com 

The Reveal

Currently I'm obsessed with making card sets, a total of three sizes in a set, all enclosed in a box to match.  I'm having tons of fun with these, afterall, isn't that the point?  A favored few got them for Christmas presents and I'm still not tired of making them!  So here's a few, enjoy!

The largest cards have envelopes which are lined with the black on white design paper.

And Another!

Just a note:  The area in the front middle of the front flap is a transparency pocket with punches mounted on sticker paper to be used as decorative closures on the back of envelopes.

And the last design!