Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Creative Pictures



This is a card, or a picture, made with several layers of special textured papers. The pictures come from So Shabby Pink Papers. Instead of glitter, I used something called mica, which is also called snow.  It looks like crushed cellophane.


Using old bits and pieces that match, this card was created.  Try clicking it on for a closer look. The hearts are foam, pre-glittered.  The picture is outlined with a special tube of glitter glue that is made for paper decorating. The little aqua "love" piece, came from a wedding favor. These kinds of scraps do not take up much room and can be stored in a small envelope. On a rainy day,  children delight in going through the treasures and making something to give away.





Other people using glitter and sparkly stones are Susan Rios who has created a picture of a dress, using fine glitter and a crystal on the painting; and there is a template and instructions for a glittered buckle, here.  There's a nostalgic description of home made Valentines with glitter, here.

In a little while, I hope to post a pattern here on this same post with instructions for one you can easily make with materials that are not hard to find.

There are a number of newsletters you can get in your email that are a real bright spot, for they never bring any bad news: Victorian Papers Newsletter , Tea Time Newsletter, Victoria Magazine Newsletter and Sweet Necessiteas newsletter.  They have an online Victorian magazine called Victorian Etc. which features todays events and activities  in Victorian style   (try http://www.victorianetc.com/Layout_1_cover.html )

Not everything in all these email magazines will appeal to everyone, but the brightness they deliver in your email is like getting a shiny card in the mail on a foggy day.

These are the kinds of things needed in our lives  today: goodness, loveliness, brightness and creativeness.

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lovely cards! Thanks for sharing them with us. I also appreciate the links to sites you recommend.

Victoria said...

Lady Lydia, Thanks so much for finding our new online magazine. People can also sign up for our "free" newsletter on the home page.
Blessings,
Victoria

Anonymous said...

Thank you for reminding us to focus on the good, the beautifuly, and the lovely. We need it!

Anonymous said...

I am eagerly awaiting your comments to Thinking Housewife post "Jobs for Men". Amen!!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the inspiration and encouragement! I always remember your advice to try to be creative in some way to ward off discouragement. Even if just some small thing, like rearranging a shelf. That advice has brightened many of my days, which may have otherwise been very dark. Thanks again!

Anonymous said...

The cards are *lovely*! Thank you for the inspiration to create in such a simple but beautiful way. (o:

Anonymous said...

lovely to remember to think on lovely things that are still in our world...

Anonymous said...

We had a few excellent comments about the subject of jobs for men. I just do not think that people see the irony in what they are doing when the husband says "I can not find a job," or "I don't make enough money," as a reason to send his wife to work. If a man cannot find a job, why is it that a woman can? And, if the family needs more money, let the husband do something in the free market arena to make extra money on the side. Or, let him get the job he sent his wife out to get. If a woman's house is not in good order and she has struggles in taking care of the home, she needs to ask, "How will I get my housework done if I go to work?" Men need something that sets them apart from women and something that will make them hold their head up in society. In the 18th and 19th century and before, men could be anything: taylors, bank clerks, secretaries (note Charles Dickens character John Roaksmith, who was hired as a personal secretary to Mr. Boffin). Men were salesmen, shop owners who could cut fabric and measure out flour and tea and coffee to sell to a customer. Men could do anything. Now, you'd be hard pressed to find a man in town. Look at the banks, all "manned" by women. That doesnt seem too "safe", to me. And look at all your downtown stores --all women. These jobs that were once run by men, are now considered women's work. If women really believe in equality, these jobs should be divided equally among men. You can go to a paint store or a hardware store and see only women, sometimes. The mail service, and the post office is usually employed by women, and few men. During an ice storm, the postal workers, all women, were outside chopping the ice around the pathway to the post office. I notice that the economy is a great big concern to everyone. People will do just about anything in the name of the economy. They will not, however, give the jobs to men.

Anonymous said...

This comment was for the previous article, but I commented too late.

I am familiar with the Red Hat Society because of some non-christian women I know in it. It is actually vulgar, and though I was glad to see the LAF article about it, I actually thought it was "too easy" on this society. My heart sank when I heard that it is being adopted by churches as a way to involve older ladies.

The red hats are not an attempt at returning graciousness to women. They are actually an attempt to be garrishly flambouyant and let the world know they don't care what anybody's opinion of them is anymore. If you read the founding poem, "Warning", by Jenny Joseph, you will see that this attitude does not just involve hats.

Their "statement of purpose" is based upon words such as "silliness" and "frivolity".
2 Tim. 3:6-7 will tell you what God thinks of "silly" women. Ouch!

It is common to have a "croning ceremony" (wiccan right of passage) to initiate women into their 50th birthday. They are encouraged to finally become "the Queen of themselves".

The woman I know in it told me she got "chills" when she heard a "Chicken Soup for the Soul" story related at her RHS meeting. The lesson of the story was that the greatest tragedy a woman could experience in life was to be on her deathbed, with a symbolic "red dress" hanging in her closet that she had meant to wear her entire life, but was so busy doing for others that she died never having worn that red dress. This woman, and her friends made a decision to dedicate the rest of their lives to making sure their proverbial "red dresses" got plenty of wear before their life was over.

As a Christian, I got chills when she told me that story, but of a very cold kind, as you can imagine. This lady was a perfect pagan, and had never heard of the beautiful white, spotless garment that a christian woman looks forward to receiving from Christ upon her death - to be worn for eternity - the very beautiful bright righteousness of Christ himself! All this woman has been told to live for is to get whatever pleasure out of life she can while it is left.

Red Hat is the absolute opposite of Biblical teaching, and reaps an empty, bitter harvest for those unassuming ladies who get involved with it

Lydia said...

My observation of RED Hat society was that it was good for some women who needed a better social life, and at first, they enjoyed it. Later, I heard friends who had joined it, say they were not happy with speech of these groups, sometimes filled with horrible talk that would ruin appetites at tea parties, which were supposed to be refined events.

Anonymous said...

I use the little cards that are in all the magazines for crafts. The ones they stuff in them with the information to subscribe to the magazine. They all seem to have a boarder. I cut this boarder out and insert a piece of white paper or cardboard and use it for postcards or put it by my phone and list phone numbers in it and have also used it for matting for around pictures. Ot to make cards. You see so many of them that you can get several the same to make a longer mat.These cards also show pretty roses and such at times I have used on other things.

Anonymous said...

"Goodness, loveliness, brightness and creativity"! These things are surely what we need day to day. Thank you Lydia for the newsletter tips. I shall look into them.

God bless,

Sonya

Anonymous said...

Hello Ladies and Gents,

The Jo-Ann's Fabric and Craft Stores in most locations in Michigan (not sure about National) are having Butterick patterns for $1.99 and the Vogue Patterns for $3.99 limit ten of each company sale going on Feb 4-6. This is a great time to stock up on dress paterns, retro/vintage remake patterns, and costume patterns to make for the future. This is a great time to learn how to apply Lady Lydia's gracious advice on dressing like a modest lady!

Anonymous said...

Hi again, Ladies and Gents,

First off, Thank you to Lady Lydia for sharing her ideas with all of us. I love to make cards but found myself often spending way too much money at the craft and scrap-booking stores. We all know about buying on sale and from the clearance bins, as well as the yard-sales, thrift stores, and the dollar stores for cheaper craft items. Yet, how often do we remember all the bits of beautiful papers already to be had from old scraps of wrapping paper and wallpaper, catalogs, and greeting cards sent to us? I'm ashamed to say I often forget those sources and when I am gently reminded by blogs such as this one I am thankful. Not just because it saves my household money, or even because it helps save the environment, but there is a level of pride that can only be had by doing something yourself for your household or for those you love.

Lydia said...

Yes, there are some nice materials to be had from the little subscription inserts in magazines, particularly the decorating magazines. You can cut out t little photograph, mount it on another scrap of contrasting or cooridinating color, and add it to the card collage. I also have found regular grocery items have pictures you can use. I buy mostly things that are in bulk, and put them in my own containers, but there are some smaller items that have pictures on the box or bag that can be used: a deer, a rose, a fruit, etc. Commerical mail has a lot of colored pictures for scrap that can be used. Old greeting cards are great, and you can also get a box of cards at the dollar store and alter them with colored glitter glue and scrap art. I will be elaborating more on this later.

Anonymous said...

It's me again-this post and some of the comments have struck a real chord with me. I'm from Michigan-which now has closer to a 16% percent unemployment rate, I'm 34 years old, and am in charge of two homesteads, I take care of my two year old little boy and watch over my 92 year old grandmother in law, next door. We live in a log cabin that does not have an extra bedroom for our son, only heated by a propane based heater. My husband is a vetran 13 years my senior and the only reason he isn't in the service anymore is because he was seriously injured saving the life of a crab-fisherman out by Cape Disappointment in WA state. He broke his back, most of his ribs, and they still haven't operated on his neck yet almost ten years later because they fear paralyzing him. He has been laid-off almost every single year since leaving the service and he still works outside of the home and I still am the homemaker. Yes, he has a pension but his first wife left him during that time in WA and half his pension goes to her. He also had to pay child support for 18 years for a child he has never meet because he had a one night stand during his early service years and wasn't getting along with his wife. The first year and a half of our marriage he only worked 32 hours on a very small wage, half his pension going to the first wife, and basically the other half going to child support-plus being in constant pain from his injuries. We still managed for me to be at home-and I hear things all the time about how can we afford it-well the hard cold truth is my not working out of the home is our saving grace just in taxes alone-not including the cost of child care and elder care, or gas, uniforms/workclothes, wear and tear on our other vehicle, extra Dr. appts for the entire family from being out in public places during cold/flu season, convience foods and take-out. I would have to work two full-time jobs and a part-time job at ten dollars an hour just to make a measely profit and ten dollar an hour full-time jobs in my state are rare. I tell people that get rude with me or tell me i'm wasting my education (I have 3 degrees and 2 certifications and lots of experience and in truth the work-world treats that like it's worth nothing anyways-so why not be at home where I am appreciated and do the most good) that we are getting by just fine and i don't want to take the jobs away from the men with families to support or the single parents who have no choice, or the unfortunate near retirees who have lost there retirement and pensions and only have a few years left that they can put away for their elder years.

Anonymous said...

the point of this long post is this observation -i read blogs because i can't afford magazines and i have noticed a trend in my favorite blogs-the trend to think like pioneers or people did during the Great Depression years or the War years (World Wars 1 and 2)-some are Christian, or just spiritual, some are more about just saving money or being a homemaker, and some are all about saving our world's environment and caring about people that are less fortunate in resources than we are. We all need to make-do, do-with-out, use it up, get creative-and not just because of the economy, or even because it's the right thing to do, but because we are loosing our souls and our character. Our economy and our politicians seem to not be listening to us, or to common sense, or to God. We can't vote or buy our way out of this. We can only enlarge our souls and our characters by our actions and attitudes. I am so grateful to Lady Lydia, and to blogs like the Thrifty Chicks, and to my Great -Grandma -in-law who grew up during the Great Depression and was a farmer's wife with two babies on her hip during World War 2. Yes, I know a lot-but i don't know it all-and i'm always learning. As for paper-crafts-I really appreciate all the templates and ideas-plus I'm finding old teacher suppliments for the classroom from the twenties to the 70's for 25 to fifty cents at the goodwill and such. a lot of the ideas are more practical and easier to adapt then the books and magazines of today on card-making. Bring back rainy day papercrafts with your children-mothers and grandmothers, sisters, and aunts, cousins, and baby-sitters because our world is crying for it.

Anonymous said...

Sorry this is out of context but I wanted to remind everyone that the Hallmark movie The Magic of Ordinary Days is being rebroadcast Saturday. It will be on CBS so watch for the time. This is a movie you have recommended before so I wanted the ladies to have a chance to see it if they can. I hope some see this here.

Lydia said...

This movie is appropriate for adults only, in my opinion. Great lesson on contentment in marriage and the home.

Lydia said...

These passages also represent a picture of men and women in the church, both young and old, interacting together in harmony, with a real meaning.

Lydia said...

To clarify: this passages shows men and women in the church with a common goal of teaching the younger people to be successful in their marriages, their child raising, and their respective responsibilities. And, they all have a common goal of bringing the church in line with the will of God, and letting no outsider find a reason to be critical. Those who are critical will, by seeing the good example, be ashamed of themselves for saying anything to the contrary.