Saturday Play and other things...

Impression Obsession designers are previewing some of the beautiful new stamps this week, just released in preparation for CHA. This is Day Six of the reveal, the last day of the blog hop and the first day of CHA! For your chance to win some IO stampin' dollars for those new releases, visit here to read about it.

For this card, I've used a new cover-a-card stamp, thermal embossed with Top Boss Silver EP, paired with a new sentiment. You can see all the newly released stamps right here.

The theme over at One Powerful Hour is "sweet sweet love." The Charisma challenge is all about love and Valentines this week too. The Wednesday Stamper challenge this week is "inky backgrounds; mine is stamped. The gals at the Sisterhood and at the One Stop Craft Challenge are hosting a free theme. The theme over at Kraftin' Kimmie's is reduce reuse recycle. I needed a snippet of red ribbon for my card, but didn't have any. So I cut the tail of a bow from a card I received at Christmas...et voila! This card uses one of the new sentiments called "Feel the sun," and the new Cover-a-card stamp hearts and swirls. I use Aleene’s® Crystal Clear Tacky Spray™ (iLoveToCreate™) to affix all the layers to my cards. Also, I used Tulip ® Fashion Glitter Bond (iLoveToCreate™) to paint over the petals, then I sprinkled Tulip ® Fashion Glitter (gold) over adhesive.

I really enjoy monochromatic colour schemes. This card uses one of the newly released Dreamweaver embossing stencils with white glossy embossing paste, and the new IO sentiment stamp "You are in my thoughts." I love the huge variety of new sentiment stamps with this release! I used Tulip® Glam it Up™ Iron On Crystals™ on the sentiment stamped panel, glued on with Aleene's® Paper Glaze™, both by iLovetoCreate.™

I'm posting some cards I created for the display board at CHA too. These were created specifically to highlight the new sentiment stamps, with Flower Soft, hand stitching and beading, and a couple of die cut images done with my Silhouette. I glue all flat layers on my cards with Aleene’s® Crystal Clear Tacky Spray™ (iLoveToCreate™), and use dimensional foam strips and squares if I want to layer them with some dimension. To adhere Flower Soft, I use Aleene’s® Original Tacky Glue (iLoveToCreate™) from a small plastic squeeze bottle with a #9 Squeeze Bottle Tip...great for fine applications of glue. This card uses the new "Feel Better Soon" sentiment stamp.

This card uses the new "Greetings" stamp.

This card uses the new Emerson stamp "To find the beautiful..."

This card uses the new sentiment stamp "With Deepest Sympathy".

This card uses the IO "Follow your dreams" stamp.

This card uses the new "Greatest gift of the garden" sentiment stamp.

This card uses the IO "Follow your dreams" stamp.

I hope you'll have time to see the beautiful paper crafts posted by other IO designers today, as part of the CHA release week. Please check here for the list of IO blogs to visit.

WHEW!! LONG post today! Now here's one more little thing. I just visited Neil's blog, and found another "Pay it Forward" activity. I'd participated in one last year, and really enjoyed it.

It's called Pay it Forward and it's really simple. I promise to send something handmade to the first five people who comment on THIS part of my post specifically. If you enter you must post this on YOUR blog too, and offer something handmade to another five people that comment on your blog.

The rules are that it must be something handmade or homemade by YOU and it must be sent to five other people any time this year...plenty of time to play. If you'd like to join in the fun, then be in the first five to post a comment related to this part of my post today.

Once you have left your comment and posted YOUR pay it forward on your blog, then email me with your blog link, and your name and snail mail address details and something created by me will come to you sometime this year. (Actually, it'll come within the next month or so...just so I don't forget!) Lets spread the blessing of our artsy endeavors! My email address can be found on the right side of my blog.

Thank you SO much for taking the time to come by today.

Another PURPLE day!

I am SO attracted to damask these days! Lynell over at Dreamweaver has two new damask stencils, and I'm really enjoying playing with them. She's actually sponsoring a sketch over at Cardabilities this week...three gift certificates on offer for lucky winners. This card also meets the current Dream Team challenge for tomorrow, which is to use the colours turquoise, dark brown, kraft brown, and neutral.

This is the sketch:


For this card, I used the damask stencil for the background. I cut the cardstock, then lightly sprayed the back with isopropyl alcohol, then ran it through my Cuttlebug. The heart stencil is another new release, gorgeous 'eh? I used white matte embossing paste with it, then cut closely around the design. I love these little pearl pins Lynell has is her site too. I added a couple of Swarovski turquoise crystals and a multi-stone thingie at the bottom as well. I added a Making Memories "Love" charm in the centre of the embossed heart.

These are the stencils I used:

...for this card:

I hope you can take the time to stop at Cardabilities to play in their challenge...and don't forget to see the interpretations of this sketch from the Dreamweaver Dream Team too...their blog links are on the right hand sidebar.

Impression Obsession designers are previewing some of the beautiful new stamps this week, just released in preparation for CHA. This is Day Four of the reveal. For your chance to win some IO stampin' dollars, visit here to read all about it.

For these three cards, I've used new cover-a-card stamps, paired with new sentiments. You can see all the newly released stamps right here. The fact that all my cards have purple was not by design...just luck! ;)

The Wednesday Stamper challenge this week is "inky backgrounds..." here are three of mine. The gals at the Sisterhood are hosting a free theme. This card uses the new Daffodil cover-a-card background stamp along with this new sentiment. I used Tulip Glam it Up Iron On Crystals on the sentiment stamped panel, glued on with Aleene's Paper Glaze, both by iLovetoCreate.

The theme over at One Powerful Hour is "sweet sweet love." When my children were little...and even now...I give them little gifts with tags and cards that say "Just because...I love you." So I have a special place for this card to go! The Charisma challenge is all about love this week too. I hope you can see the clear embossed background on this card. If you click on it, you can see it more clearly. ;) It's another new background stamp from Impression Obsession, called Ornate Flower, paired with this sentiment stamp. I used Tulip iridescent crystals on the sentiment, and I glue the layers on my cards with Aleene’s® Crystal Clear Tacky Spray™ (iLoveToCreate™).

This damask background cover-a-card stamp is one of my absolute favourites of the new releases! There are TWO different versions available, and I know they'll each see LOTS of inky play in my happy room! Isn't this just gorgeous!?

In times of difficulty in my life, this sentiment stamp has become a mantra of sorts...remember what matters. Whatever strife and trouble I experience, I DO try to remember what matters...family and friends I love...family and friends who love me too...and the faith that "this too shall pass..." Not, this particular stamp actually comes as a full set, with many other sentiments...check it!

I LOVE this stamp, and I was just so pleased to see all the wonderful new sentiment stamps available with the new IO line!

I hope you'll have time to see the beautiful paper crafts posted by other IO designers today, as part of the CHA release week. Please check here for the list of IO blogs to visit.

Thank you SO much for taking the time to come by today.

Snowy Tuesday

Aaaahhh, one of the joys of living in Nova Scotia is SNOW in winter! It gives me the perfect guilt-free excuse for indoor paper play!

Impression Obsession designers are previewing some of the beautiful new release stamps this week. For your chance to win some IO stampin' dollars, visit here to read all about it.

My very favourite new stamps are the cover-a-card damask and reverse damask (both of which I've used today) ...love love LOVE these stamps! At 5.75 inches square, the cover-a-card stamps are whoppers, so versatile, and so easy to use with IO's Mega Mount...just rock the image gently on your cardstock...perfect image every time.

I paired the background stamp with some of the new sentiments due to be released at CHA this month. I was tickled pink to see the large quantity of sentiment stamps in this release. You can see ALL the new releases right here.

For this card, I stamped the cover-a-card damask with black Versafine Ink, and thermal embossed with clear embossing powder. I used one of the new sentiments, paired with an older IO image (this is "Lucille..." doesn't she have the prettiest eyes?) Lucille meets the current Alphabet Challenge ("L" is for ladies), and the Wee Memories challenge (free theme). I glue the layers on my cards with Aleene’s® Crystal Clear Tacky Spray™, and I use Tulip® Glam it Up™ Iron On Crystals™ on most of my cards...just for that wee bit of bling... glued on with Aleene's® Paper Glaze™ (iLovetoCreate™).

I used the same techniques on this card, which I paired with one of the new sentiment stamps. I used Card Patterns Sketch # 99 for this one.

I'm really enjoying all the new sentiment and image stamps related to books and reading over at IO! I meet regularly with card making friends for paper play, and we each created bookmarks this session...again, using this fabulous new stamp!

I hope you'll have time to stop by the Impression Obsession blog for details of how to win some of the new IO stamps, and to see the beautiful things created by the other designers today.

Finally, I created this last card to meet the Created by Hand (anniversary and/or paper piecing) and Secret Crafters (it's a couple thing) challenges. I used another new cover-a-card stamp from Impression Obsession, paired with an older snow people image and one of my very favourite stamps from Quietfire Design.

Thanks so much for visiting today. I'll stop by your place too, if I have a link. I wish you a delightful day!

It's a purple day!

The current Dreamweaver challenge is to use Dreamweaver stencils however we want to! I combined a thank you stencil and black matte embossing paste with a hand beaded pattern on a thank you card to be sent to a musician friend. I hope you can take some time to visit the blogs of the other Dreamweaver designers too (you'll find direct links on the right). Some of these card makers use the most beautiful, advanced techniques with these stencils...you're sure to learn SO MUCH from them about the most wonderful ways to use your stencils!

The One Powerful Hour challenge is retro! Here's my retro juke box!

Today's Impression Obsession challenge is to create cards using the colour purple. Here are a couple of mine. I carried on the beading theme for the second card. Each card uses brand new stamps soon to be released at CHA! Don't forget, YOU can play along with the Impression Obsession challenge too! Just check out the details on Ms Shirley's blog right here. Be sure to look at the other designer's sneak peeks of the new stamps too; direct links to their blogs are also on the right.

The Cute Card Thursday challenge this week is a 1-2-3 recipe, so I used one Nestie die, two pearls, and three layers for my stamped image. The Theme Thursday challenge is love. This card represents my own love of gardening! The Papertake Weekly challenge is to use ribbons and/or pearls. The Simon Says challenge is really neat this week...it's a bingo challenge with a twist...check it! I used a flower, a gem, and a die cut on this card.

The Case Study challenge uses a circle in the middle of a card too! The Crazy Amigo challenge is good intentions. This card will be in the post to a friend tomorrow, along with a little gift, to cheer her up after a nasty fall.

Thanks so much for visiting today. I'll visit you too, if I have a link to your blog. I wish you a day of happiness and pleasure, doing whatever you love!

Paper play...two days in a row!

I LOVE "snow days..." guilt free paper play time in my happy room!

This card will be in today's post to an old friend who's recovering from surgery and coping with a catastrophic illness. It meets the following challenges:

City Crafter (handmade flowers...I hand beaded mine)

Crazy Amigo (good intentions)

Papertake Weekly (ribbons and/or pearls)

Spoonful of Sugar (blue and green...my seed beads)

I used Tulip® Glam it Up™ Iron On Crystals™ on these cards too, glued on with Aleene's® Paper Glaze™, both by iLovetoCreate™.

This next card is for these challenges:

Created by Hand (use a stencil)

Crafty Creations (new beginnings)

Start Here (use a stencil)

Crafty Pad (something new)

...and I used matching colours for the current Moxie Fab World challenge; this was the Tuesday Trigger (I'm so pretty)

I used this Quietfire Design rubber stamp with this Spellbinders Nestability stencil (lacy squares) and a Cuttlebug embossing folder.

Thanks so much for visiting my blog today. I'll stop by your place too, if I have a link. I wish you a creative and happy day!

Paper play...

It's a cold, snowy, bright day in Nova Scotia...perfect or playing in my Happy Room, enjoying the brightness outside, but staying warm!

I scanned all the challenges I enjoy doing, and created this card for Wednesday Stamper (music) and Sisterhood (birthday). I used a Hero Arts silhouette stamp, paired with this Art Journey silhouette floral stamp (Nature 3), and a Happy Birthday stamp from Quietfire Design. I used part of this Dreamweaver music stencil (LJ 853 All That Jazz), paste embossed with Dreamweaver black matte embossing paste.

I used the same Art Journey silhouette floral stamp for this birthday card, created for the Wee Memories challenge (use ribbon), the Three Muses challenge (nature's creatures) and challenge # 147 over at Cute Card Thursday (monochrome). I used this pretty May Arts ribbon, a birthday stamp from this Impression Obsession clear set, and the butterfly is from Hero Arts.

Thanks for stopping by! I'll stop by your space too if I have a link. Wishing you a creative day!

Dreamin...'

Oh-oh-oh! I'm late posting today! Had a fun sleep-over out of town with some great friends last night, didn't get home till late this afternoon. Retirement is GREAT!! (lol)

Today's Dream Team challenge is to use this sketch:

I created this card with this pretty Dreamweaver stencil (LL399), called an "antler snowflake." I paste embossed it on white cardstock with glossy white embossing paste, let it dry, then repositioned the stencil, used the Palette Glue Pad to pounce adhesive over the paste, then sprinkled Navajo Sky Metallic FX over the paste embossed image. I used the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder for the top of the card, and an Amuse rubber stamp. I use Tulip® Glam it Up™ Iron On Crystals™ , glued on with Aleene's® Paper Glaze™, both by iLovetoCreate™.

I hope you'll have time to see the other wonderful creations on the Dream Team's blogs. The talent on this design team is truly AMAZING, and I learn so MUCH from them! Check out the links on my right hand sidebar.

On to something else...I was excited today to see one of my cards published in the newest issue of Scrap and Stamp. It's this one, once again with Art Journey stamps, paired with a computer generated sentiment.

Isn't this just a FABULOUS stamp!?

Now, on my last post, I asked readers to guess which design team I've been invited to join, and almost everybody guessed correctly (lol). It's ART JOURNEY, and I am just tickled pink. THANK YOU Louise! I'm in the company of some of the most incredibly talented stamp artists, using stamps which (until recently) have been way outside my own design box. But I've been enjoying them SO MUCH, and they force me to think about creating cards very differently from my usual style. Sooo...I did the random.org thing, but I can't remember how to copy/save/post the picture of the generated number. The number that came up is 23. That's "Kristin," who said:

Kristin said...

Hmmmm I am guessing Art Journey:)

From a blog lurker who loves your style and your cards

January 12, 2011 3:16 PM

Thanks Kristin! I have no link to you, so I hope you contact me within the next 48 hours to claim your grab bag. I I don't hear from Kristin, I'll random.org draw another name.

Thanks everyone, for visiting I'll come by your place too, as long as I have a link. ;) Wishing you a day of happiness, doing what you love best!

Challenges...and some exciting news...

The current "Art Cards" challenge is wrinkles; the "Secret Crafters" challenge # 116 is to use tons of texture; the "Our Creative Corner" challenge is a photo depicting birds, berries, etc. For this card, I crumpled up a sheet from a catalogue, straightened it out, glued it onto cardstock, then painted it with white Gesso and Sparkle Mod Podge. I stamped the Art Journey images onto acetate with Staz On Black Ink, and layered that over the wrinkled sheet. Then I put rub-on branches and berries onto three areas of the acetate. Then I pop-dotted two coloured and glittered Hero Arts butterflies as shown. To glitter the butterflies, I used Tulip ® Fashion Glitter Bond (iLoveToCreate™) to paint some of the design on the wings, then sprinkled Tulip ® Fashion Glitters over the adhesive. Overspray with Krylon Matte Finish Spray.

The challenge for Inkurable Stampers is birthday with some gold." The Etsy Inspired challenge is to check out this Etsy Shop, called "La Pomme," for inspiration. What a deLIGHTful shop! I used this photo from La Pomme for inspiration. I used an Art Journey sentiment stamp, stamped with Ancient Page grey ink, and an Art Journey dancer stamp, stamped with Versafine Coal Black ink, layered over gold mirri cardstock. The white embossed lace doily stamp is from Hero Arts. I used Tulip® Glam it Up™ Iron On Crystals™ on the following cards, glued on with Aleene's® Paper Glaze™, both by iLovetoCreate™.

The current "Alphabet Challenge" is journey; the current "Postcard Art" challenge is to depict hobbies or past-times. My guys' past-time is walking...long, luxurious, chatty walks with good friends. How often do we take the time to do that!? Both the image and the sentiment stamps are from Art Journey. I glue the layers on my cards with Aleene’s® Crystal Clear Tacky Spray™ (iLoveToCreate™).

My last card for today is for Card Patterns Sketch # 97. I used a Cuttlebug embossing folder for the black background, and this beautiful rose stamp from Art Journey, paired with a white embossed Hero Arts sentiment stamp. I chalked the rose in a colour to match the May Arts hearts ribbon. To adhere the heart ribbon, I use Aleene’s® Original Tacky Glue (iLoveToCreate™) from a small plastic squeeze bottle with a #9 Squeeze Bottle Tip, which is just great for fine applications of glue.

So, you've seen all the cards for the challenges today...now on to my happy news! All these cards have one element in common. Can you guess what it is? It's so EASY! (lol)

My happy HAPPY news is to announce that I've been invited to be part of a particular design team, and I'm just SOOOO excited!! I have a full-to-bursting envelope of card creating supplies on offer or someone who identifies the design team. (Hint: the manufacturer...and the design team...are both outside of North America, and fi you scroll through my blog, you'll see several fairly recent posts using their product.) I'll choose a winner through random.org. Ummm...not open to members of this particular design team, of course...

Thanks so much (again) for stopping by my blog. I'll visit you too, if I have a link! I wish you a delightful week, doing whatever you enjoy the most.

Love, love, love...and other things...

“Love is all you need...” the older I get, the more these words ring true. Then again, I suppose a little CASH is a great accompaniment to living well. ;) I’m about to embark on a major change in my life, and working on these cards has reminded me of how fortunate I am to have such a supportive, loving family, and friends who enrich my life, in so many ways. Life is GOOD.

I created this first card for free themes over at Dream it Up, Fab and Funky and Papertake Weekly. I paste embossed the “Love” from the Dreamweaver “Love, Honor, Cherish” stencil with Dreamweaver black matte embossing paste, and layered that with four assorted Nesties. The embossed border is from Ms Martha, and the butterfly stamp is from Hero Arts. I used Tulip® Glam it Up™ Iron On Crystals™ on the border, glued on with Aleene's® Paper Glaze™, both by iLovetoCreate™. I glue the layers on my cards with Aleene’s® Crystal Clear Tacky Spray.™

The very first Impression Obsession Challenge for 2011 is “All you need is love!” The design team is having fun showing off some of the new images that will soon be released by Impression Obsession during Winter CHA later this month. You can read all about our challenge right here. Remember, there's a $25 gift certificate to the IO Store for some lucky stamper.

I decided to focus on some of the wonderful new IO sentiment stamps. Although these aren’t available at your local stamp shop yet, they soon will be. I’m always looking for sentiments to fit different occasions, and I’m just tickled pink with all the new IO beauties!

For this card, I stamped the sentiment on a background done with Ecoline watercolour inks mixed with a little water and Winsor & Newton Iridescent Medium for shine, sprayed from a Ranger Mini Mister over a flourish mask on Arches watercolour paper. I cut it with Spellbinders Labels 8, then added Spellbinders Shapeabilities Fleur de Lis and Tulip crystals as embellishments. The Creative Card Crew challenge is “new beginnings;” this card will be going in the post to a dear friend who’s recovering from a catastrophic illness.

What a wonderful sentiment:

"When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive-to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love."

The Wednesday Stamper challenge is "Dream Big." This sentiment helps me do just that!

This next card also uses one of the new IO sentiments, along with an old favourite IO flourish stamp, thermal embossed with Top Boss Gold embossing powder. I combined Spellbinders Nesties with a couple of Martha Stewart punches and added a few Kaisercraft flat back pearls.

All the IO designers have participated in this challenge...you can link to their eye candy on the right sidebar...you'll be happy you did!

The Cute Card Thursday challenge is "Out with the old." This is a card I did to match a stamped candle, posted here on my blog on Dec. 23rd. I used this Quietfire Design rubber stamp, paired with a Norman Rockwell image.

This card is done for Art Journey's challenge # 5...embossing. I used this lovely Art Journey floral stamp from this "Nature 3" stamp sheet, and this sentiment from the "Roses" stamp sheet. I really LIKE the crisp, graphic feel of this card!

These cards actually aren't for any challenges, but they use Art Journey stamps too, and were published in the current issue of "Just Cards," so I decided to post them to show you a little more of the Art Journey beauties. The shop is in the Netherlands, and the stamps are a great value...sold in unmounted sheets...stop by to see their wonderful designs!

So that's all for today. Thank you so much for taking the time to visit. I wish you the pleasure of time spent doing what you love!