Saturday, January 29, 2011

A BEAUTIFUL RAK I RECEIVED

I have mentioned my participation in OSA, a yahoo group devoted to stamp art of an Oriental nature.  I have been blessed to be sent many gorgeous RAKs from members of this group but I want to share a very special one all the way from Australia.  It is from Adrienne, and  I just love it and unfortunately, it was lost for a while (before I got to acknowledge it on OSA) so I wanted to share it on my blog also.  Isn't it beautiful?

Friday, January 28, 2011

Gingersnap Creations and Bella Creations Challenges

I made a card that fit two challenges.  For Gingersnap Creations, I used a coffee filter (the cone type) for the flower on the card and those sweet tickets on the front are from the "Voila Ink!" group on Bella Creations.  I used a CB embossing folder and made the bow with my Bow Easy.  When I look at the photo of my card, it looks like there are way too many different shades of purple on it, but IRL it looks beautiful!!  Here it is:

Monday, January 24, 2011

Try That Technique

Here is my foray into Cling Pearls a Technique Junkies technique from way back (Oct.2007?).  It is this week's challenge.  I love my frog.  He's from I Brake for Stamps and my background grasses stamp is from Stampin Up.  It is hard to see the shimmer in the frog but he is really a beauty IRL.  I used green, yellow, and shimmering copper Pearl-Ex and just love how he turned out.  I kept the card really simple so he would stand out!!! Thanks for looking...

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Compendium of Curiosities # 28

Here is my take on this week's challenge from Studio L3.  I am so glad I love wild plum alcohol ink because I now have it all over my hands and my kitchen floor... I can't decide whether to go ahead and clean up the floor or simply spill the rest of it to color my floor in wild plum!!!  LOL... here are my entries.  The first sample is a 2x2 memory glass pendant for my friend Carole who gave me the stamp that I used for it... those colors are so beautiful together...  The second sample is a collection pendant I call "uptown soul" the papers used are from Tim's Lost and Found paper pack and the butterfly is one of his stamps done with a resist technique.  Thanks for looking...

Not This Time

Thanks to Beth Shelly, and Nancy for their words of support!!  I really appreciate it but I didn't make the team this time. It was fun to try though and I look forward to the "Hambo Hoedown" challenge site kickoff and congratulating those that did make the design team!!! Now I am off to send the bunnies card to Junior who loves getting cards from me and maybe, like Nancy, work on a Gingersnap Creations challenge.  Thanks again for your support and happy crafting!!!!

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Well I Got Brave...

I decided to apply to be on Hambo Stamps design team.  I have no idea if I made the team, but I sure had fun playing with the digital images they sent for me to use, and they are generous enough to say I could post them.  So, here they are.  Far and away my fav is the first one, "Hoppy Spring".  Those bunny cuties inspired me to make the sliding pop-up card that was this past week's SCS inkling.  I LOVE how it turned out.  I used watercolor paints and had a great time!!!


Isn't that image the cutest???

For the second image, I was very close to my deadline for applying, so the result is a bit more conventional.  The little guy is wee Henry and he is just so cute.  This card looks much better IRL ...

Whether I make the team or not, I feel pretty good for having given it a try!!!  Have an awesome weekend everyone and stay warm!!!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

A Sweet Tutorial from Sunflowers and Dragonflies

If you haven't visited Beth Norman's site, you really ought to.  She is definitely the Tutorial Queen and when I visited last night, I found the Faux Porcelain technique and here it is:  Thanks Beth!  The stamp is from Club Scrap and the embossing folder was a gift from my BFF.  It is a beauty...  You know I love your comments...

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

I am a Ginger Gem Again!!!

I am so thrilled to have once again been named a Ginger Gem for the Gingersnap Creations Polar Animals challenge.  It is especially sweet, as I had the image of what I wanted to do in my head and almost missed the challenge (I thought it was over).  When I realized I had less than 24 hours to enter my vision, I got to work (it just happened to be about 11:00 p.m.) and I created almost exactly what my mind's eye saw.  Thanks for the honor Gingersnaps!!!  You can see my entry in an earlier post!!!

Sunday, January 16, 2011

OSA Challenge #105

Here is today's new OSA weekly layout challenge.  It is the year of the rabbit so I decided to honor that.  The floral papers are washi paper, as is the purple, larger squares.  I also used one of the Oriental embossing folders.  Thanks for looking...

Junior's School Photo

Here's my cutie!!!  Junior (Lance Eric) is my youngest grandchild and I just adore him.  Here is his first real school photo.  I had found the paper and didn't realize initially that it was high school album paper, I was just thrilled to find "Junior" paper... LOL... it turned out to be perfect for a little frame (Sizzix die) for his photo... Thanks for looking:


I am hoping to flatten out those small wrinkles by putting the whole thing under a heavy book... Isn't he adorable!!!!

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Gingersnap Challenge - Polar Animals

I barely made it in time for this challenge.  I knew I wanted to do it because I love this penguin stamp...  it is from I Brake For Stamps and I love the detail of it.  The background one from Gina K. called baby wipe background.  I made the sentiment on my computer... enjoy....

A "Lovely" Card

I am on a roll here with this design style.  Here are two more, the first one with pink and chocolate (hard to tell, I know) and one with pink and black:                  


OK, break time and on to other styles!~  Thanks for looking...

Another OWH "Scraps" Card

This morning I watched Dawn Griffiith's video and was inspired to make a similar card using my scraps of course.  I really am looking for something simple enough that I can make tons of them but alas, I am one who can make any seemingly easy project difficult!!!  LOL... well here is my take on her adorable card!!  I love it's simplicity in that you use essentially one piece of cardstock.  I will keep working on this card because I just love the idea of it.  In my card, the patterned paper (smaller circles) is some of the oldest I own.  Seriously, it is from my very first days of cardmaking/rubber stamping... talk about hoarding!!!  Ok, here it is:

What I love about this card is that though it is only one piece of cardstock, it can still stand up.  I just like that it is a little bit different than a standard card.  I am off now to try to simplify my process, to make it, as Dawn would say, easy-peasy!!!  While you are at her studio, check out some of her other videos.  She has some great tutorials and she has a great laugh!!!

Friday, January 14, 2011

Operation Write Home Challenge

Hi Everyone, Hope you new year is a going just as you planned!!!

Operation Write Home challenged us to use only our scraps to make cards.  I thought that was a great idea and I had the perfect stamp to do that with...it's a Gina K. stamp perfect for paper piecing.  This is what it looks like stamped...

Then I set about choosing just the right scrap colors to create a pleasing composition... so far, so good.  Next I started cutting each section.  Unfortunately, I used the stamp itself as the guide for the pieces (as I think about it, how the heck did I even do that????) Anyway, I cut all 10 pieces before I realized that the shaped pieces were all backwards!!  Are we having fun yet???  Not only did the cutting take hours, but then, I had to start all over using the stamped image as the guide.  LOL... gee, I don't think this is what OWH had in mind for making multiple cards...  I do like my finished project, which looks better IRL, cuz, every little imperfection shows up on the scan and not so much on the actual card... anyway, I am glad I completed it and even though afterward I wondered why I didn't just cut squares and rectangles and overlap them, I am also happy that I chose to do it just the way I did.  I might try this card again because I love the idea of it, even if mine is less than perfect.   Here it is:

Have a wonderful crafty day everyone!!!

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Happy New Year!!!

I hope everyone's holiday season was/is as special as you had hoped it would be!!!  I know for me, anytime at least some of our family is together it is very special!!!  My big wish is that we all can be together for one big holiday!!

So, once again I have been a bit MIA, but here is my first card of 2011... it is for my daughter-in-law's mom.  The sketch is from OSA, an oriental stamping art yahoo group I belong to and the sketch was done by Lindsay Weirich , who has an awesome blog and great digital images and templates.  I used washi papers for the floral paper and the pale violet background paper.  I used a Spellbinders label, turned at an angle, for the sentiment, which is a Club Scrap stamp.  I like how it turned out and I hope you do too...

OOPS, I forgot to add that even though on the scan the ribbon looks black, it is actually a very dark purple.  OK, I'm done.  Enjoy the day...