Rachael's Handmade Designs

Just before Christmas my Mom and I took a trip by train to Portland. We originally wanted to go for the Saturday market, but when I found out there was a handmade show going on (Crafty Wonderland) we decided to make that a priority. Turns out we had time for everything on the list! We hit the craft show, the Saturday market (which is also open on Sunday) and my favorite place in Portland, Collage art store in the Alberta Arts District. (Second favorite is Barista coffee just down the street, where you can also get a beer!) Anyways, I'd had my eye on a Gelli printing plate for a few weeks and since I had my Christmas shopping done I decided to treat myself. I've been playing ever since! Here's a picture of my first print that I liked. Anyways, the second print I created that I really like is below. I was able to create this piece with multiple layers of color and using three sets from Bombshell Stamps as stencils, Butterfly Queen , A Pirate's Life  and B

Welcome All and Happy Holidays. What makes you happy? Travel, art and handmade goods make me happy. {And shopping!} Last weekend my mother and I decided to take the train to Portland. We stayed downtown and we originally went to go to the Saturday Market (which is open on Sunday, too) but a few days before we left I hear about this handmade sale going on (crafty wonderland) at the convention center. So that became our focus of the trip. And an obligatory Powell's Books trip. Crafty Wonderland was really a fun time, with the exception of the crowds. It was nice because I still needed to finish my holiday shopping. Perfect timing, 'eh?! So we needed up getting breakfast and heading over to the convention center (we took the max). The crowds were unbelievable. I walked down the corridor once we got in line to see how many people were ahead of us - there was free goodie bags to the first 150 people in line. By the time we got in line there was probably easily 300 people, an

Hello! I've been taking a little break from my cards lately in favor of creating in my art journal, but I found a new technique to use with my spray inks, so I had a play and decided to use the result on a card. The new technique is a cling wrap technique! Spray your inks onto cling wrap making sure to have a bit of wrinkle in it, then flip it over onto paper, press and let dry 45 minutes. This technique will not work if you do not let it dry for the appropriate amount of time. Lift off, and voila! Doesn't have to be perfect, that's the fun. I grunged up the sides of my background, matted it in silver and added my new 'just because' sentiment, threw on some gold embossing powder and embossed with a heat gun. How pretty with the pink and blue/purple! I even got had the chance to use a cute little Some Odd Girl image Kite Flyin' Mae (which I've been hording forEVER and am delighted to use!!!) I just love

POW! Colour, in your face! I loved creating this card. If you read my blog on a regular basis then you probably know that I'm getting into mixed media art. (Layers, layers, layers!! Gimmie more layers!) I applied mixed media art techniques to this card and I just love how it turned out! I also got to play with and color my new Stamper's Anonymous/Tim Holtz funky hand rubber stamp, which I adore. Seriously fun to color with Copics! I also lined an envelope to match with this card. What do you think? Do you like bright and colorful or do you like a more subdued, clean cut look in a handmade card? Everybody is different and I do have to say that my style definitely fluctuates. What is your favorite style? Leave a comment and let me know!

Welcome! Today's card is straight from the city. I found a new Space Needle stamp by Impress Stamps, paired it with a rain background also from Impress and matched that with the Big City Stamp Set from Mark's Finest Papers. After popping the little heart off the page from the Space Needle stamp, adding a sentiment and matting the entire image in grey, here you have the finished card! Its listed in my shop and available for purchase. I hope you like it as much as I do! Leave me a comment if you like it! :) Cheers!

New in the shop this evening is a fun card I created that I call A Murder of Crows, which is also the name of a documentary I saw a few years ago about crow research. COOL! They're funny little creatures and are amazing. I love them. Below is a card I created for my mother, who also is quite fond of crows. I hope these cards give you some idea of what you can do - they can be given any time and saved for decor for the next year.  What fun! Cheers!

One of my favorite smells is Autumn in the Pacific Northwest. Its unlike any smell I've smelled before! Its by far my favorite time of year, and not just because of fall, but because I love Halloween and Day of the Dead. So, I created this cute Acorn and Pinecone fall card with lovely designer papers to commemorate the beautiful fall colours. I can see this card living on someone's mantel or table all season long, can't you? Its available now in the shop. I hope you like it as much as I do. Cheers!

Hello Again! My God, I seem to be on a roll today! :) This card was so cute, I just couldn't wait to post it. I love how it turned out! I created this fun Seattle-themed card using some great images I recently purchased from my favorite stamp store, and some images that I had purchased before I left for Canada. Fun and super cute! The rain is stamped in blue and the umbrella and galoshes are colored with copic markers. Its available in the store right now! What do you think? Leave a comment and let me know! Cheers!

Good Morning!  Its a bright, clear and crisp fall morning here in Seattle, so I thought it was rather appropriate to list this Autumn Greetings handmade card I stamped out the other night. I love this card because of the colours used. After all, that's one of the best things about fall, right? I stamped out the leaves in creamy red and orange and added some small brown leaves around a farm cart full of seasonal foods.  This card was a lot of fun to make and not my typical type of creation.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Hello and Welcome once again! Thanks for dropping by! Today's blog post is covering what's going on in the shop. I have expanded my artistic reach into the world of mixed media and have acquired some gesso and spray inks. I've had a rather good play and these two cards are what I came up with! I'm offering two cards for the price of one. They measure 4x6 and are each provided with a crisp white envelope. Like any little piece of art, they are not perfect, but that's what makes them wonderful! Its a little difficult to tell, but the above card is blue and purple mixed spray ink.  And this one is kind of a relief blue tinted gesso of the same stencil. These little cards are great in person and they were so much fun to have a good play with! I can't wait to create more! I hope you enjoyed them! Have you worked with spray inks and/or gesso before? If you have, leave me a comment and tell me all about it! Cheers!

Hello and Welcome! Thanks for stopping by my blog today. Freshly listed in the shop today is the Biker Babe greeting! Isn't she hot?! Love the mix of blue and zebra and polka dots on this card! Layering adds depth. Sparkle adds fun. :) Sexy Biker Babe Greeting Measures 4x6 and blank inside! Great for any occasion. Super fun and appropriate for a man or woman. Perfect for the non-prude. :) Cheers!

New handmade encouragement card freshly listed in the shop today. Words cannot describe how much I adore this card! Send your friend or loved one encouragement in STYLE! I created this handmade vintage-style encouragement card featuring Rosie because I adore her. Rosie the Riveter has been around since the 1940's and represents the tireless assembly line worker, who is doing her part to help the American war effort. It was the first time women really left the kitchen and home and went to work to support their families while their husbands, brothers and sons went to war. As such, Rosie represents female empowerment - when the men returned from war, women were expected to return to their housewife duties or to take a more traditionally female-oriented job. Rosie stood up and said "No!" That's why she was perfect for this encouragement card. Rosie does what she wants. Rosie dreams and Rosie achieves her goals (and *ahem* celebrates with a big glass of wine!) She c

Hello and Welcome!   Clean Bingo at The Free Flow Dance Center in Saskatoon was awesome! Thank you to all who could make it! Cory and I were lucky enough to even win some prizes!      I got to show right next to my buddy Deirdre, of Cupcakes by Deirdre, who makes AWESOME cupcakes!!     Here are some cute cards I made specially for the event. So much fun to create! Little Red Riding Hood by Sassy Studio Designs Feature Presentation by Mark's Finest Papers Rose's Portrait by Bombshell Stamps (featuring a brayer background technique) Bombshell Angel by Bombshell Stamps , paired with Tim Holtz Game of Life ATG stamp Butterfly Queen by Bombshell Stamps , paired with Tim Holtz Game of Life ATG stamp     Retro Cowgirls by Bombshell Stamps Thanks again to all who came out to play, see me and say goodbye, and especially to Deirdre and Jackie, who supported my being apart of such a fun event. I had so much fun! Cheers!

Hello and thanks for popping in again. I picked up my mother from the airport this evening. It was good to see her, I have not seen her in a very long time. She did not recognize me! I am happy to see her, but today has been a very hard day emotionally. I am no longer nannying, thank God, and so that stress has been taken off my shoulders at least. I have packed up most of my belongings, but I believe that we will be repacking the items as we are going to ship my clothes back in order to have less items in the car. I am not looking forward to leaving the city. I spoke with my mother about my frustration in finding legal work here. She understands and supports me, as any good mother would. I have a new plan to keep on keeping on - just because Saskatoon has not worked out, there may be more opportunity in another Canadian city like Calgary or Edmonton or Winnipeg. I made it very clear to her that Canada is where I want to be, for more than one reason. I will not give up, but at

Today's post is about life. I subscribe to a newsletter from a gal in Vancouver who runs Make It University, Jenna Herbut . She has recently shared some very personal things via newsletter and that inspired me to do the same. If you read my blog on a regular basis, you probably are aware that back in December I made the move to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada for work that I had lined up. I adore the city and I have made a lot of friends and met some wonderful people here. But the job did not pan out in June of this year and I have been looking for work in Saskatoon since. I have been nannying since then to make ends meet, going on endless interview after interview; rejection after rejection. (For someone who is used to being able to walk into an interview and be offered a job, this has been quite humbling!) Compounding this stress are several factors: 1) I am a qualified as a skilled worker, which is usually a good thing because my career requires experience or higher education. 

Hiya, If you missed my last post , I've been catching you up on some of the projects I've been creating lately. In the evenings I am a tea drinker. I saved the tin from a pack of tea I purchased from Starbucks, removed the label and added my own decor. This image is from  Rubber Stamp Plantation  straight from Hawaii.  Aloha! I'm happy with this because it's an attractive way to store all those little trinkets and crap that just end up on my desk, bedside table or lighters and such.   Simple project, quick and easy, and recycles and repurposes something that would otherwise go to waste. What do you think?  Cheers!

Hello! Well, what can I say? Its been a solid two months since I've updated my blog with anything. What a challenging two months it has been! I lost my job in June, so this and the major stress of finding another in a new country has meant that my crafting has taken a back seat to my needing to find full time eployment. This left me feeling stressed and not very creative, to say the least. However life has taught me, once again, that when faced with an obstacle, press on - don't give up! As a result, I'm happy to say that I have a solid job offer with the possibility of another late next week! So, I am happy to be back actively updating my blog and creating once again! Prior to accepting my job offer I have taken a Nannying position, which relieved some stress while I looked for a job.  So I have slowly been creating some other projects as time permits. Here is one such project. It features the Lavender Flower Fairy, Stamp #90021 by Stamps Happen, Inc. A fr

Hello and Welcome Back! Today's post is for Designed to Color with the theme "Summer". I created a new style of card (for me) and I'm happy with the results. This image was from Fresh Brewed Designs. I had a lot of fun creating this card. Its out of my comfort zone and something totally new for me! :) Medium: Copic Markers Skin: E000; E00; and E11 Hair: E37; E33; and E30 Clothing: Y06; Y02; and Y23 Other: Spellbinders Nestabilities Classic Ovals Image: Fresh Brewed Designs Paper: Copy paper; and discontinued printed paper. Elements: Just a Note to Say Hello stamp by American Crafts