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!

" 'Twas the day after Christmas...

...and all through the place, "those cards" gave way gave way to ribbons and lace!"

I've always loved Christmas, but I'm happy to work on other occasion cards now.

This first one is a Happy New Year card for a dear friend of mine who's embarking on some life changing plans for 2011. I used this beautiful Art Journey Inchies stamp plate as the base, and added a couple inchies from Zorana's fabulous Etsy Shop (wings for FLYING!), and a couple of tiny scraps, one from wrapping paper and one from from my scrap box from a previous project. The sentiment stamp is also from the same Art Journey plate. This card was created to meet these challenges:

Art Journey challenge # 4: Christmas/New Year

Art Cards: Recycle your wrapping paper (top left punched circle)

Charizma Cards Challenge # 51: Pearls and Lace

Design Dollies: Layers and Layers

Alphabet Challenge: H is for Hats

I Did it Creations: Out with the old

This next card is for a friend who has a Christmas birthday. I used the Happy Birthday Dreamweaver stencil with glitter-covered Dreamweaver White Glossy Embossing Paste or the sentiment, and the card meets these challenges:

One Powerful Hour: Upcycle (I used this Nesties snowflake from a previous Christmas project)

Stampin' for the Weekend: Christmas card

Artistic Stamper: Christmas

Top Tip Challenge # 15: Get Embellishing

Think Ink Challenge # 34: Use punches and/or dies

Creative Card Crew: Christmas birthdays

Stampalicious: repurpose something

To adhere the Art Institute Glass Shards, I used Aleene’s® Original Tacky Glue (iLoveToCreate™) from a small plastic squeeze bottle with a #9 Squeeze Bottle Tip.

This card is for a friend's birthday too. This was fun to do, and such a different style for me. There's a coffee gift card in the inside pocket. I used four Impression Obsession stamps (the striped right design (cover-a-card stamp series, stamped vertically) both sentiments and the coffee cup) and a Hero Arts butterfly stamp. I created a mask with a piece 0f paper stamped with the butterfly stamp, then cut out, then I stamped the striped pattern over that. I used my stamp positioner, then stamped the front of the card with a half butterfly. Using Tulip ® Fashion Glitter Bond (iLoveToCreate™), I painted some of the butterly wings, then sprinkled Tulip ® Fashion Glitter (clear) over the adhesive.

This is for the Pile it On Challenge: It's all in the wrapping (gifts, gift cards, etc)

This final card is hand stitched and beaded, done to celebrate the early retirement of a friend, whose passion for the guitar will serve him well! I used three yellow Tulip® Glam it Up™ Iron On Crystals,™ glued on with Aleene's® Paper Glaze™, both by iLovetoCreate.™

Thanks SO MUCH for stopping by again! I sure appreciate it when you do.

Becoming a habit...

Thursdays seem to be my day to post lately! December is always so busy, so I tend to save up all my cards and challenges and post them all together.

Today's Dreamweaver challenge is a free theme...don't you LOVE those!? I used this Dreamweaver stencil with Dreamweaver white glossy embossing paste, along with a Flowersoft image and several colours of Flowersoft. On the inside of the card, I stamped "Bon Voyage," and the card will go to a dear friend of mine celebrating travelling abroad on a fabulous holiday. The current Flower Soft challenge (FSC 17) is "Happy Holidays;" although this card isn't Christmas, it IS a holiday! ;) Papertake Weekly also has a free theme this week. I hope you can take a few minutes to visit the blogs of the other Dreamweaver designers. Their links are on my right sidebar. They all create such FABULOUS paper crafts that you will NOT want to miss these beauties! To adhere Flower Soft, I use Aleene’s® Original Tacky Glue (iLoveToCreate™) from a small plastic squeeze bottle with a #9 Squeeze Bottle Tip, which I always use for fine applications of glue.

This next card was created for these challenges: Created by Hand (green and red), Crazy Amigo (Christmas), Wee Memories # 36 (seasonal colours), Moxie Fab World (glitter is glam).

I used this Quietfire Design stamp with an Outlines stamp over a Spellbinders Nestability Lacy Squares die. I used Tulip® Glam it Up™ Iron On Crystals™ just below the sentiment, glued on with Aleene's® Paper Glaze™, both by iLovetoCreate™.

The current Wednesday Stamper challenge is to combine stamping with candles, and the current Fab and Funky challenge is quick and easy...which these candles sure ARE! I used this beautiful Quietire Design stamp for my candle, and paired it with a Normal Rockwell image. I added a tiny pewter angel charm made right here in Nova Scotia.

Well, that's it for today. I have a more Christmas cards to post tomorrow, in various stages of completion. Thank you so much for visiting. I wish you a delightful day, doing whatever you love best! HAPPY HOLIDAYS to you and yours!

Tis the season!

Tis the season...to be busy...fa la la la la la la la la!!

Like so many folks at this time of year, the days are filled with hustle and bustle. I enjoy carving out some quiet "me-time" in my happy room, where the bustle just disappears for a few hours. Don't you LOVE these hobbies of ours!?

Over at Created by Hand, the challenge is to use the theme of meditation or the colour blue. The Moxie Fab World challenge is glitter with glam! The challenge at Creative Card Crew is an open theme. The Crazy Amigo challenge is winter. The Wednesday Stamper challenge is snowflakes. The Alphabet Challenge is G is for glitter. The SSD challenge is monochromatic. I matched stitching and stamping with an easel card ("these are a few of my favourite things, " lol) to create this card, using this beautiful Christmas stamp from Quietfire Design.

The Dream Scheme challenge over at the Dream it Up blog is to use blue and purple. The Lots to Do Challenge is glitz. Please drop by the blog and play in the challenge too! I used glossy blue embossing paste with this background stencil and this greeting and mauve cardstock. Please take a sec to click on the first image for a close-up. I did a little experiment: I mixed clear glitter in with some paste...and I just LOVE the effect! I've used glitter with paste before, but usually I paste first, let it dry, then reposition the stencil, glue, then glitter. This way, my three step process becomes a one step...happy day...will sure be doing THIS again!

I wanted you to see a close-up of this pretty little embellishment pin. I added a crystal and another pearl at the bottom, just to make it a little more festive for my card. I hope you take a few minutes to visit the other designers' blogs, I know you'll be tickled pink to see all their different ways of using Dreamweaver Stencils. You can get there from here...their blogs are all linked on my sidebar on the right.

Over at Impression Obsession, the challenge is "All that glistens is not gold," a challenge to use metallics. I painted this little wooden box with Lumiere metallic paint, then used this beautiful flourish stamp (H5575) with the Top Boss tinted embossing pad and Top Boss Copper Embossing powder. I just love this beautiful sentiment, and I was so pleased when Mitra over at Impression Obsession created a stamp with it. The mix of fonts... simply perfect. If you'd like to play in the Impression Obsession challenge for a chance to win a twenty-five dollar gift certificate in the IO shop, just check here, and be sure to take a little time with your morning cuppa to visit the other designers' blogs for some sumptious eye candy!

Now, have you played in the Etsy Inspired Challenge yet? If not, shuffle on over there! Challenge 118 brought us over to this fabulous Etsy shop, "Tzaddi," where there are the most WONDERFUL pieces of jewelry. Oh-my-oh-my-oh-my! You just HAVE to visit! I used a beautiful peacock pendant, for inspiration


paired with a sentiment stamp from Quietfire Design and a Hero Arts peacock stamp. I used sketch 94 from Card Patterns.

My last card is a recessed window card done for the Tuesday Taggers challenge: "stockings were hung." I used the Hero Arts handwritten Christmas stamp.

Well, that's my week in my happy room! Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by during YOUR very busy week! I wish you a delightful week, doing what you love best!

Challenges again...

I LOVE challenges!

The current challenge Dream Scheme challenge is open, as is the challenge over at Creative Card Crew...my favourite! I used this Thank You stencil with glossy blue embossing paste, along with some hand beading and stitching, matched with one of Dreamweaver's 3 inch beaded pins. I hope you'll have time to stop by the other Dreamweaver designers' blogs (see sidebar)...always such beautiful things!

The current Created by Hand challenge is to use white to recognize a national day of remembrance and action against violence to women. I used this Quietfire Design stamp, with this Wrought Iron Dreamweaver embossing stencil and Dreamweaver black matte embossing paste, over dry embossed cardstock with this Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, from the Heritage set. Hope you'll stop by the other Quietfire designers' blogs to see their interpretations of this challenging theme. The Cute Card Thursday challenge is to use flowers.

Over at the Papertake Weekly challenge, and also over at Simon Says, the theme is to do something Christmas-y with no red and green. Here's my entry, using a Madonna and Child image and a gold embossed stamp from Cornish Heritage Farms.

Thanks so much or taking the time to stop by today! I wish you a wonderful day, doing what you enjoy best!