Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Happy Thanksgiving

It's about to get pretty busy around here.  I'm wishing all my awesome blogging followers, quiet and boisterous alike, a very Happy Thanksgiving!

This is my Thanksgiving card I created and mailed off to family and friends.



Safe holiday everyone!
xxx
Annie

Thursday, November 19, 2015

Rediscovering Sealing Wax

I am rediscovering the the fun of sealing wax and wax stampers.  I used it when I was in my early teens and wrote letters quite often.  I thought it was a fun way to spruce up an envelope.  Boy, if I knew then what I know now about sprucing up an envelope, my life might have turned out to be a different story.  LoL


BUT!...I do remember it being a bit challenging.  This may have been because of my young inexperienced age, but I see it as just as challenging today.  So I instructed Amazon to send me some new wax and a stamper and set about to find an easier way to get better results than just "do I feel lucky today".  And here's my technique to get a wax seal that I like every single time.


The whole secret is to make them separately and glue them to my envelopes or projects.




Yeah, it's cheating, but I'm never disappointed sending off my mail.  The secret ingredient is parchment paper.  The wax does not stick to it.


I like the sticks that don't have a wick.  I light a tea light candle to melt the wax in a long handled tea spoon.  Then push it off the spoon onto the parchment paper, use the wax stick to spread the puddle to fit the stamper.  Let it settle for a few seconds, then push the stamper into the wax puddle.




I clean off my spoon with Flushable Wipes while the stamper and wax are doing their thing.  Then I life the stamper and the wax is still stuck to it.




But they separate so easily and perfectly.




The stringys just snap off or you can cut them off.  I love how imperfect my puddle sizes sometimes are.  I've been using these as a signature on the back of cards I've made, so in that case, I don't want globby edges.




Those globby edges trim off so nicely with scissors.




And the extra was will be kept to be remelted for another seal.  It's now ready to be glued to the back of my card.  Or glued as a faux seal on my envelope.  I'm loving this centruries old craft.




There aren't many colors available in the wick-free wax sticks.  So I experimented with a stick with a wick with the spoon melting technique.  (Normally you would light the wick like a candle then wait for enough wax to melt and drip into a puddle).  It works just as well.  I keep the wick trimmed down to the wax vbetween uses.  The wax takes a bit longer to melt enough for a puddle and is thinner and takes a tad bit longer to set.  But I'm glad to know I am not limited by wick or no wick.  And colors will only be limited by the companies making the wax sticks.




So many things from my youth are coming back into style again.  YIKES!


Having fun with the old being new again.
xxx
Annie

Friday, November 6, 2015

Take Flight Tags

There's a new challenge in town!  Hooray!...I say.  And it's the best one of all.  Why?  Because an artist does not need to use a specific brand or company's own products.  I can use MY collection of supplies... no matter who or where they came from.  There's more.  No specific type of item either.  I can make a tag, a postcard, a greeting card, a canvas, something sewn, something inked, stamped, quilted, painted, 3-D, ... gloriously, it can be whatever I want it to be!  AND, I have all month to play with the current idea/theme.  Here is the link and it's called A Monthly Challenge.

My tag challenge blog has quit.  But we were only half way through the challenge numbers.  So I'm using the new Monthly Challenge to complete a couple more of the numbers.  This month's theme at A Monthly Challenge is "Take Flight".  

I'm using my winged friends for tag #1 and tag #8.

  




If you love a challenge and one that is open to all medias with freedom and time to create, A Monthly Challenge is perfect.


                             Have a wonderful flight!
                                           xxx
                                         Annie

Just a little Annie rant here:  I think finding a new blogging host is in order.  Blogger is not pulling its weight nowadays.  There, now don't I feel better.

Monday, November 2, 2015

October Calendar Journal

Not a lot happened in October, but what did happen was fun.  And the boring days were made fun just deorating the day blocks.


October is such a fun month for lots of fun creepyness.  I hated turning the page.  But off to November I go...where being grateful is the season.  

One more creepy Halloween mail art because Ms. Skellie is such fun.


Welcome November
xxx
Annie