Encouragement

After a month away visiting family in Ottawa, I'm settling in at home again. The sun is shining, the weather is warming up, and life is GOOD!

Today the Impression Obsession designers are creating encouragement cards. I used one of the newly released clear sets (CL302 Listen), stamped simply with Versafine Black...LOVE this set! I paired it with an old favourite go-to background stamp designed by Leigh Hannan (F2051 Swirl), stamped and embossed with Top Boss Gold Embossing Powder. I added the little pearl dots with a Viva Pearl Pen.

Please take some time to see the beautiful things created by the other designers! Their links are on my sidebar. We'd love to have you join us...and you have a chance to win twenty five stamping dollars to spend at the Impression Obsession shop! Check right here for details.

The Wee Memories challenge this week is about colour...black with gold is one of my favourite combinations. Over at One Stop Crafts, the challenge is to use spots or dots. This is the bag I used as inspiration from the increasingly popular Etsy Inspired Challenge. The bag is from the XS Baggage shop...FABULOUS girlie things...go see! The Just for Fun challenge is circles...hmmm...wonder if my wee dots qualify. Over at Three Muses, they're looking for Victorian elegance. The Creative Cottage gals want to see some blank space. This is their very last challenge! SOB! City Crafter's theme this week is Cheer Up!

Thanks so much for stopping by today.

Empty Questions and "the blues..."

Suzanne, the owner and creative calligrapher at Quietfire Design, sent me this wooden "Q" recently. Hmmm, what to do, what to do.

I KNOW!!

"Empty Questions..." existential meanderings...

I chuckled when I created the title for this post. In times of change and challenge in my life, my muse becomes reflective (lol).

This week, over at Dreamweaver, and Papertake Weekly, everyone's playing with a "free theme..." my favourite! Here's a plain wooden box I painted, stamped and embossed (instructions below photos). Please play along with us right here! Dust off your stencils and have some fun! This week we have a designer's choice theme, so you can create with no limits.

Instructions:

Paint a plain wooden box, inside and outside, with Golden White Gesso. Let dry. Paint inside with two coats of Metallic Gold Lumiere. Let dry. Paint outside with two coats of Metallic Copper Lumiere. Let dry. Stamp Quietfire Flourishes on top and bottom of box lid with Versafine Black Pigment and thermal emboss with Tsukineko Gold Embossing Powder. Using Dreamweaver Heart with Ribbon stencil, paste emboss design on all four sides of bottom of box with Dreamweaver Gold Embossing Paste which has been mixed with some clear ultrafine glitter. Let dry. Paint wooden "Q" with white gesso. Let dry. Overcoat with Design a Metal Leaf Adhesive. Let dry till tacky. Apply Variegated Red Leaf, press into adhesive, let sit for a few minutes, then brush excess off with a stiff bristled stencil brush. Overspray with Krylon Matte Finish Spray as sealant. Glue "Q" to top of box for use as a handle with PVA Glue. While "Q" is drying onto lid, turn lid upside down and place several weights inside (I used books) to ensure a good bond.

I really like how the flourishes of the Dreamweaver stencil match so well with the flourishes of the Quietfire Design stamp.

This week's Theme Thursday challenge is "flourish!

Please take a few minutes to look at the other beautiful things created by the Dreamweaver designers. Direct links to their blogs are on my sidebar.

Over at Impression Obsession, the designers are playing with a "blue"theme. I used one of my favourite older IO stamps, a design by Leigh Hannan called "Flower Background," and paired that with this new release sentiment."


To create this, I used a resist technique with clear embossing powder on white cardstock, then sprayed several colours of Ecoline Watercolour Inks over the embossed design. I used the challenge over at a new challenge blog I found, called Less is More, which is to use a minimalist design incorporating three squares. Designing simply is a huge challenge for me, so I think I'll play over there more often. Over at Fab and Funky, the challenge is "spring into action;"hope my flowers background works for that!

Don't forget! If you'd like a chance to win $25.00 in free Impression Obsession stamps, send off your "Blue"creation by 9 p.m., EST, Friday night. The instructions are on the Impression Obsession blog. Don't forget to browse through the delightful creations by other Impression Obsession designers too...their links are on my sidebar.

Thank you for visiting. I wish you a creative day, doing whatever fills your artsy heart!

Texture and "You used WHAT!?"

The theme for the current Created by Hand challenge is to use texture.

These blog challenges are all about flowers:

Simply Create

Stamp Something

One Stop Crafts

Crazy Amigo has a spring challenge

The Paper Play challenge is to add a quote.

I am SO looking forward to this snow melting, and getting out in my gardens again!

For these cards, I crumpled up paper napkins, painted my cardstock with a thin coating of PVA glue, patted the napkins down, and coated them again with the glue. Stamps are from Quietfire Design.

I'm sending these cards in for Operation Write Home, which is Wee Memories Challenge # 46 this week.

Now Jo set a wonderful theme for the new Art Journey challenge this month..."You used what!?"
It was FUN trying to come up with something different. For this card, I used the underdside of bark sliced from a birch tree in my back yard, with this beautiful recently released stamp.

The alphabet challenge this week is "Q for quotes and sayings."

The Etsy inspired challenge is to use something from a delightful shop called the Hidden Alphabet. I used this photograph.

Hope you can take the time to stop by the other designers' blogs for some artsy inspiration (links are on the right sidebar). If you'd like to play in the challenge too, one participant will be randomly selected for a 10 euro’s gift certificate to shop at Art Journey! To win this gift certificate you are required to use primarily Art Journey stamps. Post your new creation on your blog or Flickr (with a link to the challenge post on this blog) and leave a direct link right here.

Thanks for taking the time to visit today.

I wish you a creative week, doing whatever feeds your artsy heart!

Loving a friend...

A dear friend of mine is experiencing some of life's painful challenges these days, and is facing some complicated decisions.

I used several challenges to create this card for her:

Dream Team: sketch challenge (thanks Terrece!)

3 Muses: time

Tuesday Trigger at Moxie Fab World: I used some colours from the trigger

Gingersnap Creations: jewel tones and gold

Crazy Amigo: high tea

Delicious Doodles: glitz and glam

Simply Create: bright

Stamping Vacation: no flowers

Paper Play: let's get sentimental

I hope you can take a few minutes to stop by the blogs of the tremendously talented Dream Team members. You can find direct links over to the right.

I used the double glitter technique with this Dreamweaver stencil, and paired that with this beautiful new stamp from Quietfire Design. My friend is a committed tea drinker, so this card will be accompanied by a selection of teas for her.

I wish you a happy, creative day; take the time to hug someone you love.

Ch-ch-ch-challenges!

Dreamweaver's "Dream Team" are hosting a free theme challenge today. Here's my card:

I used my light box and this beautiful Celtic stencil on gold coloured foil, along with the Thinking of You stencil (done with Dreamweaver's gold embossing paste ).

I'm always SO amazed by the diversity of creativity by the members of the Dreamweaver team! I hope you can take the time to visit their blogs...see my sidebar for direct links.

"Simon Says" challenge is to make your own embellishment...I did the foiled stencil.

The Etsy Inspired challenge profiles a delightful shop this week....the "Glow Girl." I used this coupon organizer for inspiration.

Our Creative Corner challenges us to "cut it out," so after I embossed the Celtic stencil, I cut closely along the design lines and mounted it on my card with dimensional foam.

The Impression Obsession challenge for this week is "It's a cupcake kind of day." If you'd like to participate for the opportunity to win twenty-five stampin' dollars for the IO store, you have till 9 pm Friday night...check here for details. Take some time to stop by to see the delightful creations there, and see what the design team has done too. Their blogs are listed on the right hand sidebar.

The Wee Memories challenge this week is paper piecing, which I used on my cupcake. After stamping the cupcake base, I Cuttlebug-dry-embossed it, and paper-pieced it as shown, popping up the cupcake top with dimensional foam dots.

Here's my card for the challenge.

Stamps: All Impression Obsession: sentiment from the Cupcakes clear set; Cover-A-Card Flourishes and Screen with IO Mega Mount

Inks: Top Boss Tinted Embossing Pad, Top Boss Gold Embossing Powder, Ancient Page Chocolate Brown Ink.

THANK YOU for taking the time to stop by today. I wish you a delightful day, doing whatever brings you pleasure.

Aaaahhhh love!

I've done these cards for all the delightful challenges I've found this week:

Art Journey (heart shaped cards)
One Powerful Hour (true love)
Pile it On (punch it!)
Prairie Fairy Friday (for a sweetheart)
Sisterhood (Anything goes)
Stamping Vacation (Valentine)
One Crazy Stamper (Love)
Stampin' for the Weekend (Valentine's Day)
Pile it On (use punches)
Charisma Cards (any theme, no embellishments)
My Time to Craft (embossing)

These cards all use Art Journey stamps, from the Netherlands.

Check out Art Journey's challenge! You've got 4 weeks to get in the mood and show us what your idea with this theme is. The deadline is on the 26th of February. Then one participant will be randomly selected for a 10 euro’s gift certificate to shop at Art Journey! To win this gift certificate you are required to use MAINLY ART JOURNEY STAMPS. Put your new creation on your blog or Flickr (with a link to the challenge post on the Art Journey blog) and leave a direct link to your blogpost in the 'Add your Link' section."

I wanted to share this one too. Although it's not particularly a valentine card, it uses the same Art Journey stamp as the previous card (it's one of my favourites!) and was just published in the current issue of Crafts and Things.

Thanks SO much for stopping by today! I wish you a weekend full of creative play, and whatever else fills your heart!

Warm thoughts on a COLD Nova Scotia day!

This week's Dream Team challenge is a free theme, as is the Sisterhood challenge. I created this card with the Lace Border stencil (LG 727), stencilled on black cardstock with translucent embossing paste. I cut closely around the border, and popped it up with dimensional foam strips. The stamp is one of a Hero Arts set.

Other challenges for this card are:

Our Creative Corner (3-d with a Valentine's theme)

Three Muses (black and white)

One Powerful Hour (true love)

The current Impression Obsession challenge is spring and flowers. Given our current HUGE snowstorm in Nova Scotia, it was fun working on something other than WHITE! (lol) I've used this stamp from Gary Robertson, coloured with distress inks, paired with this thinking of you sentiment stamp. I used FlowerSoft in the window box as well.

Hope you can take some time to visit the designers' blogs for Dreamweaver and Impression Obsession! You'll see all the links in the right sidebar.

Thanks so much for visiting today! Wishing you a creative one!