New Year...

New mojo!!

HELLO and Happy New Year's Eve!!

After taking a much-needed hiatus I am back and rarin' to go.  OK, just one more day (tomorrow) and THEN I'm back, and I'll be kicking off the New Year with a super fun project that I made for my dear friend Heather Hudson who I met in Blogland about a year ago.  I don't remember how, but I came across one of her exquisite vintage creations one day and tracked it back to her blog My Artistic Adventures and was instantly smitten with her delightful projects and humor.  Her blog inspires so many "sigh" moments and it ALWAYS inspires me to get busy and create more vintage things than I usually do (and vintage is my favorite decorating theme!).  And she's a computer whiz with all sorts of valuable tips on making your blog better and more functional.  Her blog is a wealth of all sorts of information, even recipes and YouTube tutorials!

Heather also has an Etsy shop where she sells her darling vintage collage sheets.  I have a growing collection myself and my goal for 2014 is to use them very regularly because vintage cards and paper crafts are what I'm happiest making.

Heather is a member of many design teams (the woman has unflagging energy) and she has decided to open up her own challenge blog using her designs on the 2nd and 16th of every month.  The challenge blog will be called, My Artistic Adventure Challenges and I am excited that she asked me to be a guest designer for the very first challenge.

 
You will want to check out the RULES page here.

She is also offering a 15% off  $5.00 or more sale....coupon code: MYARTISTICADVENTURES  good till the 16th of Jan.

Please check back on on the 2nd to see what I created for this very first challenge, and don't forget to pop in to see her Etsy shop.  You'll be very glad you did!  And, if you like, you may post her challenge blog button to your blog too.  Even THAT'S gorgeous!

 

Happy crafting, and Happy New Year!

BRRR!!

Hello!

Today's post is a few days late because a large ice storm smacked North Texas last Friday and knocked out my internet for nearly a week.  The streets were slick, many trees lost branches, and sadly there were several traffic fatalities as this area doesn't really receive that much snow and ice throughout any given winter and so we're not really prepared for it.  Having lived in Colorado some years ago I'm quite careful when driving on snow, but ice is a whole different ballgame.  I had to get out on it twice for very short trips, and it was very slow going the whole way.

I also had the pleasure of dealing with a sinus and ear infection last week, so needless to say, I'm a little behind on all of my holiday preparations.  My husband's birthday is this Saturday, my mother's coming for Christmas shortly thereafter, and my stepson is coming for New Year's.  I'd better get in gear, right?  So my craft room is, for the time being, taking a short winter's nap, but to keep in the spirit of things, I thought I'd share some pictures of the lovely scenery after all the ice rained down on us.

This is not snow.  It is all ice.

It was beautiful, and there's nothing like the hush of the air when the landscape is blanketed with, in this case, ice.

The oak tree is late losing her leaves this year.

The White Fringe Tree in the backyard. Her autumn leaves are my favorite.

What in the world is THIS?

This is Sweetie's first experience with snow and ice.  She weighs over 50 lbs. but still wasn't heavy enough to break through the sheet of ice covering my backyard.  Yes, that's a piece of a gutter pipe in the foreground. Three guesses as to how it found its way to the ground.

 

 

 

This is my vitex, a lovely shrub that blooms in June.  Normally it's upright.  Not anymore.  It's also one of her favorite shrubs to gnaw on, and now it's down on her level.  She's quite happy about that.

My heart breaks for this tree.  There was damage like this everywhere.

We were incredibly fortunate in that none of our trees lost any limbs.  The damage up and down the neighborhood was devastating, but my little corner of the world was spared.

My lovely golden creeping juniper.  Hopefully the damage will be minimal.

Our roses bloom well into December and sometimes into January.  I think not this year.

And one last photo...

"Well, the birds aren't using it."

Hugs!

It's a start...

Hello!!

Thanksgiving has come and gone, I took a couple of days to recover, and now I've decided I have to face the craft room once again and get back in the saddle.  So I've started things off by opening my art journal and trying my hand at it.  Goodness, it's been weeks and weeks since my last entry and I confess that it felt like I had to start all over again.  I'd forgotten everything!  In fact, it almost feels like I've forgotten how to work with paper at all.

I'm still keeping with my theme of change and starting over, hence the sun (new day), butterflies (evolution) and the sentiment. The background is various shades of liquid acrylic paints brushed hither and yon, then various stamps in dark turquoise and black archival inks.  The sun was made with just two colors of paste acrylics, a bright yellow and a bright red.  Look at what those two do to each other!  I used the edge of a flat brush to put the movement inside and also for the rays, set off with a bit of charcoal pencil shading.

The butterflies were stenciled with a couple of shades of Neocolors then stenciled on top with a dark blue shimmer paint.  The bodies were finished with a dark grey Copic marker.

My mother gave me the idea to use a sewing pattern for the paper underneath the "Change" sentiment.  You seamstresses out there will recognize the diamond symbol as a construction symbol.  This type of paper is wonderful as it practically disappears into the background when applied with a gel medium, leaving only the printing and the stamp.  I will be using much more of it.  As an aside, the pattern itself was from that for baby overalls that I made for my son back when he was 3 years old.  (He's now 29.)  Awww...

The sentiment was printed on the computer, fixed with a spray fixative, then applied with gel medium and brushed with yellow shimmer paint, outlined in red Neocolor blended with a wet brush, then edged again with a black charcoal pencil and smudged.  I love a new day dawning, don't you?

Thank you so much for joining me, and please forgive the absence.  These things happen, and I look forward to sharing fun projects with you more and more in the coming days.

Hugs to you all.  And as always...

Happy crafting!!

Change

Hello!

To answer any questions anyone might possibly have as to why I've not updated my blog in well over a week, it's because...

I was all out of crafting mojo.  I was frustrated.  I was, for lack of a better word, TIRED.  I know, I know, I should have put something up to keep the blog fresh, even if it was only pictures of my darling Boxer puppy, but I didn't even want to look at my blog.  Pitiful, right?  But that's all behind me now, and...

IS

My favorite pink socks.

That's right, change is afoot.  And that's a good thing.  I felt I was in a rut.  I had no fresh ideas.  I had focused too much on others' needs and not enough on my own, and my crafting had suffered greatly.  I didn't even want to be in my sanctuary otherwise known as my craft room or look at any of my supplies.  And that was truly upsetting.

So change is afoot, and after taking several days' break I've decided to forge new paths and revisit some old ones.  I picked up my knitting that I'd neglected for the past two years since making my first card and made a luscious wool/angora neck warmer (gaiter) for this suddenly chilly season.  I'm pulling out the paints and crayons that have been languishing for months.  I've opened up my art journal and am trying my hand at new techniques.  And I'm putting the paper/card projects aside for the time being because there is more to my crafting than cards alone.

Yes, change is afoot.  And I hope you'll continue to keep me company as I forge new paths and get comfortable with some old ones.

As always, happy crafting.

Hugs.

Happy Birthday, Joanna!

Hello!

Today is Joanna Munster's birthday!  She is the genius behind the Inspired By Stamping site which includes her store, blog, newsletter and more.  The Design Team thought we'd wish her a big ol' happy birthday by having a blog hop showcasing some of her stamps, papers, and whatnot.

Today I chose to use one of my favorite razzle dazzle techniques of glittering through lace.

It's simply a matter of placing a piece of lace on sticky paper, coating it with one color (in this case a gorgeous purple), removing the lace and coating with a second color (teal).  Talk about SPARKLY!  I wish the photos could capture the glitter and glimmer and shimmer and shine but you'll have to try it for yourself to see what I mean.  You need to use a very fine glitter, and Art Glitter makes the best glitter in the world, in my opinion.

The flower is an acetate one I made a while back which needed a home, and I centered it with a small pearl.  The sentiment is from the IBS Vintage Sayings set and has been embossed with gold metallic powder.

The inside has been finished with a sentiment from the Happy Sentiment set.

Thanks for joining me and please drop by the other designers' blogs, then pop on over and wish Joanna a big happy birthday!






Leah 
Rebecca 
Rose
Colleen 
Vicki 

Calypso
Grace
Tina


Happy crafting!

It's All About the Glitter with StampNation

Hello!

Just a quick note to share one of my favorite techniques with you that I'm teaching at "Shea's Lounge" over at StampNation.  I call it "Glittering Through Lace," and it's a lovely technique for making the most sparkly one-layer cards that ship in a regular envelope without the need for added postage, plus the cards are super festive and perfect for this holiday season.

Go check it out and while you're there, check out the rest of the fabulous forum as well!

Happy crafting!

Vintage Christmas

Hello!!

Today's card is made for the challenge over at Sugar Creek Hollow with the theme being "Anything Vintage Goes."  It has to be shabby or vintage, which is my favorite kind of card to make.

I used some wonderful textured paper which almost feels like fabric and distressed it around the edges.  The stamps are from Inspired By Stamping and include Vintage Postcards Add On I, Holiday Sentiments and Beautiful Ovals. 

I love those darling little postcard add ons, they so often add a sweet little touch to paper projects, and these were heat embossed with gold metallic embossing powder.

To add some texture I used Scallop Border Crochet Trim and Poinsettias, also from the IBS store.

A little stitching and some gold dew drops finish the front of the card.

I used another sentiment from the Holiday Sentiments set on the inside as well as one of the tiny stamps from the Holiday Tags set.  I got a little carried away, but who doesn't like candy canes anyway?  Even the words "candy cane" are sweet and happy.

Thank you so much for joining me and I wish you a lovely day full of crafting goodness.  And candy canes.  (It's never too early.)

Happy crafting!

Challenges entered:

Sugar Creek Hollow #73 - Anything Vintage Goes
613 Ave. Create - Anything Goes
Pile It On #45 - Show Us Your Tools (Big Shot, embossing tool)

Inspired By Stamping November Catalog

This is today's second post.  To see the Inspired By Stamping November Release, please go here.  (Or scroll down.)

Hello!!

Today we're showing the November edition of the FREE Online Catalog filled with the new Inspired By Stamping stamp sets! Each page provides details of each stamp set plus inspiration from the designers! This new catalog was designed to give you even more inspiration and interaction than ever before with Inspired by Stamping products.

Cool Features:

- Browse the catalog with ease on your tablet or computer.
- Get the entire release in one spot! Plus, zoom in on your favorite products, projects and cards.
- Watch video tutorials from our YouTube channel right inside the catalog!
- SHOP ONLINE! Order products by clicking on the stamp set which takes you directly to our online store.

Here is a peek at what is inside:

We hope you like it!

BTW, the next Color Challenge resumes on November 11, and the next blog hop will begin on November 20 with the theme being featured on the 12th.  Check Joanna's blog for details!

Happy crafting!

Inspired By Stamping November Release

Hello!

It's time to finally reveal the wonderful new stamp sets and digital paper that the Design Team has been showcasing over the past few days!

Vintage Pieces

Vintage Thread

Vintage Dress Form

Garden Seed Packets

Just Because Sentiments

Vintage Digital Paper

Vintage Digital Printables

A few useful bits of information:

• All sets will be available for purchase on November 10th, 7 p.m. Brisbane time (5 a.m. Eastern Standard Time) in the IBS store. 
• For our Australian customers, Free Shipping for orders over $25. All International Customers, Free Shipping over $50. No code needed. Sale will be for 48 hours ONLY and will end Tuesday, November 12th, 11:59PM AEST (Brisbane Time) No exceptions.
• All NEW stamp sets will be offered at a 10% discount until Dec. 1
• 1 winner each day will receive that day's stamp sets (and papers if applicable)!  Just leave a comment at owner Joanna Munster's blog each day for your chance to win. Each winner will be randomly selected and announced on the Winner's Page on the following day.  (Only one comment per person, please)
• Color Challenge will resume on the November 11.  Check Joanna's blog for details!

Happy crafting!

IBS New Release - Garden Seeds

Hello!

Today is the final day of showcasing the new stamp sets and digital papers for Inspired By Stamping as tomorrow they all become available for sale!

The set we are featuring today is Garden Seeds, a darling set comprised of a seed packet and various images and sentiments to place on, in or near it.

My project includes both a card and a sweet little tote bag container that could actually hold a few packets of seeds  Once again I've used IBS Vintage Digital Papers.  These papers have proven useful over and over again during this month's release and are perfectly suited for any and all vintage and/or shabby chic projects.

I've colored the little crocus with Copics markers and colored both the background and outer edge of the packet with chalks applied with a cotton swab.

The flower is an IBS Carnation adhered to a lace rosette using the WHW tutorial here.  A stamped expression on a banner, both from the featured stamp set, graces the seed packet as well.

These pretty little tickets come from the new Vintage Digital Printables also being released on the 10th.  There are so many wonderful shapes and elements in this set...

...such as this pretty piece...

...and this pretty tag on the back of the tote which I've left blank for the time being.

Thank you for joining me and I do hope you visit the other designers to see how they've interpreted this new stamp set!

Joanna
Irit
Leah
Colleen
Grace
Rebecca
Vicki
Tina
Rose
Calypso

A few useful bits of information:

• All sets will be available for purchase on November 10th, 7 p.m. Brisbane time (5 a.m. Eastern Standard Time) in the IBS store. 
• For our Australian customers, Free Shipping for orders over $25. All International Customers, Free Shipping over $50. No code needed. Sale will be for 48 hours ONLY and will end Tuesday, November 12th, 11:59PM AEST (Brisbane Time) No exceptions.
• All NEW stamp sets will be offered at a 10% discount until Dec. 1
• 1 winner each day will receive that day's stamp sets (and papers if applicable)!  Just leave a comment at owner Joanna Munster's blog each day for your chance to win. Each winner will be randomly selected and announced on the Winner's Page on the following day.  (Only one comment per person, please)

Happy crafting!

IBS New Release - Vintage Dress Form

Hello!

Today's Inspired By Stamping showcase features the lovely set Vintage Dress Form.

This card startled me with the quickness and ease with which it went together.  It helps to use beautiful papers when making a simple note card, and Joanna's new Vintage Digital Paper is top notch.  Honestly, this gorgeous paper did almost all the work.

All I did was stamp the beautifully shaped dress form, embossed the necklace (one of several accessories) in metallic gold, add the sentiment with a couple of flourishes and voila, a simple, charming and elegant note card worthy of any of a number of occasions.  A little stitching and distressing of the edges adds just the right shabby touch.

I honestly kept trying to embellish this card with pearls, lace, ribbons, etc., but it kept telling me NO.  So I left it alone, and I'm glad I did.  This might be the first card I've ever made that will fit into an envelope with no special treatment.  I think I need to make more of them.

The inside was decorated with a stamped-off dress form and the main component of the soon-to-be-released Just Because stamp set.

Thank you for joining me, and don't forget to visit the rest of the IBS Design Team to see their fabulous creations.

Joanna

Irit

Leah

Colleen

Rebecca

Calypso

Tina

Rose

Vicki

A few useful bits of information:

• All sets will be available for purchase on November 10th, 7 p.m. Brisbane time (5 a.m. Eastern Standard Time) in the IBS store. 
• For our Australian customers, Free Shipping for orders over $25. All International Customers, Free Shipping over $50. No code needed. Sale will be for 48 hours ONLY and will end Tuesday, November 12th, 11:59PM AEST (Brisbane Time) No exceptions.
• All NEW stamp sets will be offered at a 10% discount until Dec. 1
• 1 winner each day will receive that day's stamp sets (and papers if applicable)!  Just leave a comment at owner Joanna Munster's blog each day for your chance to win. Each winner will be randomly selected and announced on the Winner's Page on the following day.  (Only one comment per person, please)

Happy crafting!

IBS New Release - Vintage Pieces

Hello!

Today we're showcasing projects made with the new Inspired By Stamping Vintage Pieces stamp set (available November 10).  This is such a lovely set full of the charming icons of days gone by and is sure to add a sweet and elegant touch to all of your vintage cards and projects.

This is a super simple note card using more of the wonderfully soft and sweet soon-to-be-released Vintage Digital Papers (music notes and vintage label papers).

 I stamped the sentiment then fussy cut by hand all around it, but Joanna offers FREE cut files for this and most of her other stamp sets, so fussy cutting is not required!  I adhered it to some blue seam binding and attached a matching bow with a vintage button.  The hand is stamped directly onto the digi paper.

On the inside I used a couple more of the stamps from the set and the sentiment is one from the Just Because set which we showcased yesterday.

My second project will look a little familiar to those of you who viewed my Spooky Banner a few days ago.  I liked it so much (and it disappeared to my daughter's apartment so quickly) that I decided to make another one that would serve year round.

So far this has managed to remain in my office.  I used more of Joanna's new Vintage Digital Papers (you'll recognize the rose print from yesterday's card) and cut the letters on my Silhouette Cameo then glittered them up with green glitter.  I placed the print digi paper onto alternating blue and pink pennants (also cut on the Silhouette) to create this QUEEN banner and placed some of the Vintage Pieces stamps, heat embossed onto vellum, between each letter on top of small ribbon knots.  The ends are finished with two bows made from IBS white Seam Binding.

Here's the little pointing hand again.

And a clock.

A little bird.

A tiny boot.


Thank you for joining me today and do hop on over to see what the other designers have created!

Joanna

Leah

Irit

Colleen

Vicki

Rebecca

Tina

Rose

Grace

A few useful bits of information:

• All sets will be available for purchase on November 10th, 7 p.m. Brisbane time (5 a.m. Eastern Standard Time) in the IBS store. 
• For our Australian customers, Free Shipping for orders over $25. All International Customers, Free Shipping over $50. No code needed. Sale will be for 48 hours ONLY and will end Tuesday, November 12th, 11:59PM AEST (Brisbane Time) No exceptions.
• All NEW stamp sets will be offered at a 10% discount until Dec. 1
• 1 winner each day will receive that day's stamp sets (and papers if applicable)!  Just leave a comment at owner Joanna Munster's blog each day for your chance to win. Each winner will be randomly selected and announced on the Winner's Page on the following day.  (Only one comment per person, please)

Happy crafting!