Abstract Christmas Tree

Happy Holidays to Everyone!!!

Well now, my intentions have certainly been good, BUT, with my dominant shoulder still out of its rotator cuff, doing much with that arm has not really been an option I've had since early August!!  Unfortunately, surgery is not an option so until I can manipulate my right arm/shoulder back where it should be I've been making "life adjustments" to work around the issue :))

I don't like falling behind in my blog posting and I'm getting very close to doing just that, so I will do a bit of catching up today!!  This Christmas card is an 'additional' one that I had to make recently for someone I had overlooked on my list, so while I was deciding what I wanted to make I wandered back into my 'abstract' vector image collection and spent an afternoon putting images, grid border patterns, colors, etc., together and this is what happened when all was said and done.......

Abstract Christmas Tree

Considering this card is for a male friend, I felt the bulkiness of the tree and grid border were well suited, so I proceeded and I really like the way it turned out!!  

The tree design in my own creation, but the grid border is from Arie vd Linden and he has  several hundred grid border designs that he shares (for FREE) to anyone, around the world, who would like to have them!!  This particular border design is #26 on the link I've provided above.  Now, although I use a lot of his designs for my own creations (with his written permission) I have to alter them somewhat because his border designs are created for standard European greeting card sizes.  All of my cards are 5" X 7"....the standard size for American greeting cards.  **If you would like to learn how to resize his grid border designs to whatever size you prefer making your greeting cards, please click on the "Tutorials" tab at the top of this blog.**

Here's a little hint at what I hope to share with everyone sometime in January 2012!!!  I have been working on some things (some FREE...some not!!) to help those of you who would like to use my techniques, but don't have the photo editing programs they require!!  Sooooooo, stay tuned and after the holidays have come and gone....and I've had a wee bit of time to recoup.....we'll have a New Year to begin some "new things".  :))

Happy Parching,

 

Parchment Craft Magazine - August 2011

Thought I'd let everyone know that I have a greeting card design (for men) in the August 2011 issue of Parchment Craft Magazine!!!  

 

It's a very simple design.....it works up very quickly, for those last minute greeting cards (for the men in our lives!!)....and it's for all levels of achievement :)) For more information on the magazine click here.  They offer subscriptions....archived issues and the option of buying current issues individually without a subscription!!  You simply purchase only the current issues you want as they are published!!  Pretty nice options to choose from :))   So, hop on over to their site (link) and take a peek around cause that's where the pattern to my design is :))

Happy Parching,

                                                 

Perga-Zen© A Mans Mandala

Here is a bit of doodling on parchment and when all was said and done I thought it was the perfect wall decoration for the men in our lives that are always so very, very difficult to create things for, made from parchment paper!!!  It is a large 8" X 10" wall decoration and as you can see, very BOLD in black and white.  It looks easy but there's an awfully lot of embossing and cutting in this piece....along with a ton of coloring with a .05 Black Micron pen :))  Because of it's basic, bold simplicity though I really felt it would be a true "eye catcher" for the guys.......what do you think????

A Mans Mandala - Wall Decoration

Happy Parching,

Perga-Zen

I am calling this technique.....Perga-Zen©!!!!  This post will be quite brief because in the previous post I stated I was going to challenge myself to put "organized doodles" to parchment paper.....remember??  Well, I DID IT, and I quite like the results!!!

Task accomplished, however, this piece is only a sample.  I promised I would share the results, good/bad or indifferent, so here it is and now I'm asking for your feedback/opinions/honest thoughts....good/bad or indifferent :)) 

PERGA-ZEN©

This particular design can be very neutral in many ways and I think that is a very, very good thing!!!  It can be used on the base card stock in either a verticle OR horizontal manner.  And, because all four directions of the design are completely different, it can be used in four different ways, which I think is totally AWESOME!!!!  That's a good thing....right??  It is gender neutral as well.  It can be for a female, or for those difficult to make cards for, MEN.  That's a good thing too....right??  Also, it adheres to the pure, traditional methods of parchment craft yet has a very 'different' feel to it which comes from the Zen.

Here are the other three views of the same design!!

See how very different all four of them look??  You get four different ways to use one design.....pretty cool, huh!!!!

I'll leave you to ponder your thoughts and let me know if you feel "organized doodling" is worthy of entering the realm of our beloved art called parchment craft......

Happy Parching,

Some "MAN" cards!!

It won't be long now and we will be totally engrossed in what to make for Father's Day!!  Where does the time go.....winter is finally over and here we are talking about June already.  In this post I'm simply going to share, with you, some of the parchment "MAN" cards I have made....oh, and I might just issue another challenge too, so read on to see what "might" be in store!!  It's actually quite difficult to make anything for MEN in parchment....after all, the craft tends to be extremely feminine, delicate, lacy, etc....just exactly what we ladies love!!!   

Now, as you can see, we have to be very careful NOT to make parchment MAN cards frilly!!!!  The bottom left card looks like it might be close to "frilly", but the image used on this card offsets the dangerously close to "frilly" look of the grid border!!  On three of these cards I have made the same grid border.....and I must admit, this is the grid border I use on the majority of my MAN cards/projects.  On the other two cards, the image also offsets the grid border.  So you see, parchment craft can indeed produce wonderful cards for the gentlemen in our lives.....they key is to keep them simple and to the point.......no frills!!!

Well now, here is the challenge I present to you with this post.  There is still plenty of time to make your card for the holiday, so, using parchment paper and whatever parchment technique you choose, make a MAN card.  It does not have to be for Father's Day (but can be!!) and it does not have to be for anyone particularly special.....simply make a MAN card and keep it as masculine as possible :))  When it is complete, please send it on to me and I will be very happy to add it to the "Guest Gallery" right here on my blog.  Please don't think your work may not be 'good enough' to share with others right here........it most certainly IS, so put together this challenge.....send a photo/scan of your project and we will all enjoy and appreciate it together!!!!

Happy Parching,

A small milestone....some interesting info....some photos!!!

Hi everyone,

Well let's see.....first I have reached another small milestone here on my blog and I want to share it with all of you AND I thank each and every one for helping me achieve it!!  I am now over 20,000 blog hits BUT it's been difficult to gather them up recently because a rather unsavory web site has been helping themselves to content from right here on my blog and when they do that they are also stealing the counts for the visitors who come here.  I've filed all the appropriate legal copyright infringement documents and now it's a matter of hurry up and wait to see what will happen to the 'unsavory' site that steals the work of others.

A dear, fellow blogger is also going through the same unfortunate experience and recently posted an article, on her blog, titled "Copyright and Parching" which is  a very informative and an  excellent read, so please go on over and become informed on this very controversial issue.  

While doing a bit of computer 'housecleaning' today I got a bit carried away and felt it was time to change the background here on the blog too, so although the change isn't all that drastic, it is a bit different in that it reflects the season we are now coming into and the cold months ahead......in the part of the world I live in, that is!!!  

And finally, for this time, I'm sharing a variety of photos of some of my recent work and I hope you enjoy.  

 These two projects are actually bobbin lace patterns that I've converted to parchment craft.  It's quite fun to challenge yourself occasionally and see what other crafts will adapt to parchment craft/pergamano.  

If anyone would like to give this a try just do a search for 'bobbin lace' and you will find a lot of beautiful, and interesting, sites that will inspire you to the challenge!!  

Here I have made one of the kimonos in Kannikar Sukseree's newest pattern pack and I have mounted it in two completely different ways.  We often mount and frame our work in a way that 'we' like it to be in, however, if you play around with your work and lay it on backing papers and surround it with different frames you can see first hand how totally different the same piece of work will look in another environment!! 

Now, this kimono has the same foundation as the two above, however, this one is made using MY technique of printing on parchment!!  Converting a pure parchment project into one of my own techniques is always a challenge but when I see something that presents itself as the perfect environment for printing on parchment I just 'have' to give it a try....lol  BTW, my kimonos are a full sheet of parchment paper, in size.

It was time for me to add some new items to my stash of parchment for men and here are the two new cards I have added to that collection!!  You will notice the grid border on the majority of my "men" cards is the same.....it's very difficult to make parchment cards for men without them appearing to be a wee bit on the feminine side so my options for grid borders are most often extremely limited.  To date though, every parchment card I have made to fulfill a special commission has been appreciated very much by the male recipient :)) 

I would like to remind everyone that my book is currently at a 25%  discount and is the perfect Christmas gift for the parchers who already have everything else!!.....or, for the parchers who love the challenge of learning some new techniques.  Just click on the previous post and you'll be taken directly to the purchase page.....and thanks!

One more note.....Please come by my web site and take advantage of some very special discounts that will be in effect the whole month of November!!  The price changes have been made but will not appear until November 1st thru November 31, 2010 so come on by and make a list of what you might like to purchase when the holiday sale begins :))

Hugs to all,

Vickie

Papercrazy's Place

Papercrazy's Place:  I have updated and added new items to my web site!!  Please stop by and see what's new....

Hugs,
Vickie

A Cowboy's Day

Hi everyone,

While I was doing other projects today that truly taxed this old brain I squeaked out some time to get started on a series of cards especially for the MEN!!  It is always extremely difficult to find/make anything appropriate for the male gender so I set about going through my collection of parchment images last weekend and I came up with a few to get things going.

This 5" X 7" greeting card is perfect for any man....for any occasion!!  Also, after the reason for giving it to him has passed, why not offer to have it framed (as shown) and he'll have it forever as a one of a kind, very unique keepsake?

The image is printed direct to parchment paper after the "Etched Glass" technique is applied.  The grid work border is then applied......Arie #80....and the final process is the embossing on the back side of the image to further highlight certain areas and to give it the 'texture' traditional parchment craft techniques provide.

Over the next few weeks I will be adding more pieces just for men!

Today's Project

With Father's Day fast approaching, it's only fitting we get a head start on that special card for them!!  Here's a sample of my offering.

The image is from Fred, She Said and is for general paper crafting, however, it works up very nicely on parchment.

New Items For Men

I have recently added "MAN" items to the Etched Glass store and hope it helps fill that never ending issue of  'what can I give that special guy' to really make him feel how very special he is.  Here is a sample: