A Little Art Impressions Girlfriend Fun!

Hey, all! I know I haven't posted in awhile. Other commitments have really gotten in the way of card making lately, but I received a wonderful invitation from Kate at Art Impressions and I just couldn't refuse :) 

It's Stamptember at Simon Says Stamp so that means there's LOTS of celebrating going on all month long! Art Impressions is releasing a Simon Says Stamp exclusive Girlfriends set and it's a doozy! These quirky gals are kicking up there heels in this festive set and I can't help but want to join them. The set is called Dance it Out and you can find HERE in the Simon Says Stamp store. The Girlfriends line always makes me happy and I think I've mentioned on other occasions that they remind of my own crazy group of gal pals. Be sure to visit the Simon Says Stamp Blog to see a link to all the WONDERFUL cards created using this set and don't forget to check them out all month long for more Stamptember inspiration!

Visit the Simon Says Stamp to pick up your own set of these high stepping ladies and be sure to visit the Art Impressions shop for lots of other cool stuff. 

I hope to start making cards on a more regular basis soon, so don't give up on me just yet :) Thanks for stopping by! Stay crafty!

SCACD Eclectic Sea Rubber Stamp Release!!!

Hey all! Surprise! It's been awhile, but I'm excited to be joining Susana's Custom Art and Card Designs today to introduce some fabulous new images! SCACD celebrates today a newly released exclusive rubber stamp set Eclectic Sea (9 rubber stamps all together). The Eclectic Sea is a twist of sorts in how something land bound might be seen in the ocean; for example a Sunflower that is now a Coral Sea Flower and vice a versa. So check out the collection as these are really unique and elegant. SCACD Artist Carmen Medlin and Susana collaborated on the images and we are so happy to be showcasing them to you now :D

Now available for purchase in the USA HERE for the Eclectic Seas collection.

Our International Friends if interested can email Susana.

For my card, I used Sea Chrysalis. So pretty! The design is reminiscent of a mermaids tail and features lots of wonderful ocean details. This new release is spectacular and you can find the whole collection HERE. To peruse the other gorgeous collections available at SCACD click HERE.  

                                  

You should be going next to Delphine's awesome blog where you'll be greeted with fabulous eye candy! If you are lost then head back to the SCACD Store Blog HERE for the hop list.

Thanks for stopping by today and enjoy the rest of the hop! :)

Vintage Babes at Art Impressions!

Hey, all! Remember me? Let me just knock the cobwebs off my blog...brush away the dust...scrape away the rust...there, that's a bit better. Bet you thought I had forgotten. Not quite, however, life has kept me busy, so I don't get to break out the stamps and ink all that frequently anymore. Makes me a little sad, but luckily in December, I was invited to create some cards for Art Impressions to take to CHA. Well, color me delighted, of course I said yes. Plus I got to play with these beautiful brand new vintage images and now I get to share the cards with you. And that makes me happy, very happy :)

Visit the Art Impressions blog and you'll find my cards featured today, plus take a look around, because the DT is crazy talented and they post daily so there is always LOTS of eye candy and inspiration to be found. You can find ALL of these lovely images in the Art Impressions Online Shop HERE.

I cannot stress to you how much fun these were to color. They pair so well with Copics and are particularly perfect for featuring sepia coloring techniques. The first 3 struck me as whimsical retro images, so I tried to pick color palettes that made me think of the moms from all of my favorite family sitcoms I used to watch in the mornings as kid, before heading out the door to school. Leave it to Beaver, Hazel, I Love Lucy...they may have been filmed in black and white, but I imagine if I could have lived inside those reruns, there would have been cotton candy hues of pink, aqua, yellow, and blue bouncing off of every surface in every room.

To me, the last 3 are more on the vintage spectrum. The 4th one, I decided to just go with some of my favorite colors, but for the bottom 2,  I played with sepia tones. I made these cards a while back and forgot to jot down my exact colors, but I will try to add them to the photos over the next couple of days, so if you're interested in the Copic colors I used,  please check back.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Pop back in next week and I'll have something new to share with you :)

Celebration Hop for Susana's Custom Art and Card Design (SCACD)!

Copic Colors used: skin- E00, E000, R20, E11 hair- C7, C5, C3, C1 blue green accents- BG09, BG05, BG01 red accents- R39, R29, R22 black accents- C7, C5, C3, C1 tennis shoes- C5, C3, C00, 0 ground- C7, C5, C3, C1, C00 background- R22, R20, R11, R000

Copic Colors used: yellow accents- YR27, YR23, Y13 black accents- C7, C5, C3 blue green accents- BG09, BG05, BG01, BG11, BG0000 copper accents- E18, E19, E13, E11

Hey all! I've been AWOL from card making for a bit, but I'm happy to have been invited to participate in this fabulous release celebration hop for SCACD! I got to dust off my Copics and play with some awesome new rubber!  

Today, SCACD celebrates 2 recently released NEW exclusive rubber stamp sets. They are the Brave Hearts (a group of 4 empowered gals) as well as Eclectic Collection 2 (a combo of 6 steampunk and ethereal stamps). With the Eclectic 2 collection, if you buy the entire set you get 4 FREE date stamp words. SCACD Artist Carmen Medlin and Susana collaborated on the images and we are so happy to be showcasing them to you now :D

Now available for purchase in the USA HERE for the Brave Hearts and Eclectic 2 sets. 

Our International Friends can purchase SCACD rubber stamps at Quixotic Paperie HERE

SCACD Digital images for USA and International can always be found HERE.

I had the honor of playing with not just one, but 2 of the new images! How lucky am I! The first is from the Brave Hearts Collection and she is called Be Fearless. Find her in the SCACD shop HERE. BUT if I were you, I would opt to pick up the entire Brave Hearts Set HERE. 

The other stamp I got to play with is Bee Ware from the Eclectic Collection #2. The cool thing about Bee Ware is that it not only comes in rubber, but it's also available as a digi. How cool is that! This sounds strange, but my recommendation is get them both. Yep, you heard me right. I'm very tactile, so I LOVE the feel of the high quality, deep etched rubber that Susana offers, but I also LOVE the versatility of a digi, too. Make it bigger, make it smaller, it's awesome! Find Bee Ware in rubber HERE and as a digi HERE. Looking for the whole Eclectic Collection #2 set? Find it HERE. 

                                  

You should have dropped in from Alaine's glorious blog at MissAlaineous' Mosaics. Your next stop is Pat's gorgeous blog at Rubber Stamping is My Game where she has some fabulous eye candy waiting to inspire you. If you get lost along the way, head back to the SCACD Store Blog HERE for the entire hop list. 

Thanks so much for popping in today! Hope to see you soon!

Guest Designing at Simon Says Stamp!

Hey, friends!  How have the holidays been treating you?  I must admit I LOVE Christmas, but I am just as happy to see it go as I am to see it arrive.  The New Year is just around the corner and holds promises of new beginnings and fresh starts.  I don't get into the whole resolution thing, but the idea of a fresh start sounds mighty good right about now, that being said through a mouthful of sugar cookies and an eggnog chaser.  ***burp***

I don't know what 2015 holds for me, but I do know that I would like to make more time for card making.  I have more or less been on hiatus for the past few months and although that was a lovely break, I miss playing in my studio.  Time to get inky again!  

I recently dusted off some of my supplies and created a card for the Simon Says Stamp Blog.  I'm guest designing for them today and they asked me for a card featuring one of my favorite word stamps.  I immediately grabbed an Art Impressions set (Under My Umbrella) and went to work.  Here's what I wrote for the Simon Says Stamp Blog...

Sometimes the sentiment makes the card and that’s why I love that Art Impressions adds 2-3 really great word stamps to each of their sets.  This particular sentiment is one of my absolute favorites and can almost stand alone.  I started to do that here, however, I couldn’t resist those sweet Girlfriends and ended up adding the image, as well.   I did hold back a bit on the coloring and left a lot of the image white in order to make the sentiment the star of the card.  I added just enough color to give the card a finished appearance.  

Pretty much everything that Art Impressions offers is fabulous including their sentiments, however, the Girfriends stamps have a special place in my heart.  They remind me so much of my wonderfully wacky group of gal pals. Each set includes just the right words, from silly to serious, to convey exactly what I want to say and you just can’t beat that.

Materials:

Art Impressions Under My Umbrella Set

Spellbinders Dies

My Minds Eye Patterned Paper 6x6 collection “Remarkable”

Memento Tuxedo Black Ink

Distress Ink Pad Pumice Stone

Distress Ink Pad Tumbled Glass

Stickles Diamond

Black and White Baker’s Twine

3M Foam Tape

Scor Tape 1/4”

Black Buttons

Clear Gems

Copic Colors Used:

Skin- R20, E00, E000

Hair- E37, E35, E31 (brown), E18, E09, E07, E02 (red)

Umbrella- Y17, Y13, Y11

Clothing- C3, 0 (coats), BG02, BG01, B0000 (accessories), C5, C3 (belt, shoes)

    

Thanks for stopping by today!  See you in 2015!  Happy New Year!

A new release at Art Impressions!

Incredibowl Set (Sku #4530)

Birthday Love Set (Sku#4529

Don't Sweat It Set (Sku#4528)

Sports Fan Shaker (Sku#4527)

Hey, all!  Last week I was lucky enough to be given an opportunity to play with some brand spankin' new images, so today I'm sharing 4 cards I made for the new Art Impressions Ai People Release. 

These characters make me roll!  I don't know why I identify with them so much...actually, it's pretty obvious, LOL ;)  You can find these new gems in the Ai Shop along with all of the other fabulous Ai designs.

While you're out and about checking things out (ooohhhhh, a rhyme!) stop by the Ai Blog.  The designers post daily so you can be sure to find something new and inspiring there all the time.  

Catch ya later!  Until next time, stay crafty!

Art Impressions at Simon Says Stamp!

Hey all!  Back today sharing a card and I am so honored to be featured on the Simon Says Stamp blog!  For this card I used a fabulous set by Art Impressions called Cake Popper.  Simon Says Stamp carries a large assortment of Art Impressions images along with an ocean of paper crafting supplies.  If you visit their site, prepare to leave a few shekels behind :)

Here's a little write up I shared with them regarding my card...

Every time I need a special card, I check my stash of stamps and Art Impressions always stands out with the perfect image and sentiment.  I particularly love their Ai Girlfriend and Ai People lines and find that I know the folks featured in their designs!  AND sometimes that someone is me ;)  Though I don’t have blond hair, I feel like I could easily be the over zealous gal on my card.  I love to celebrate and that love is only surpassed by my love of cake…LOL!  Ai images can’t help but make people smile, so I have a tendency to use fun, bright colors when using them :)  Their bold size takes up most of the landscape on a standard A2 card (4 14” x 5 1/2”), but that’s ok because they’re so quirky and perfectly detailed that they don’t need too much else to finish them off. 

Copic colors used:

skin- E00, E000, R20, E11

hair- E13, Y21, Y00

leopard print top- E31, E50

hat- RV29, RV23, RV21, BG09, BG05, BG02

earrings- Y26, Y21, Y00

cake- RV23, RV21, RV10

ribbon- BG09, BG05, BG02

roses on cake- RV29, RV23, RV21(flower) YG17, YG13 (leaves)

balloons- RV29, RV23, RV21 (left)  BG09, BG05, BG02 (right)

floor- C7, C5, C3, C1, C00

background- BV02, BV01, BV00, BV0000

Supplies used:

Cake Popper Cling Set by Art Impressions

Memento Ink (Tuxedo Black)

Neenah Classic Crest Coverstock (Solar White)

Distress Ink (Pumice Stone and Gathered Twigs)

Stickles Glitter Glue (Diamond)

May Arts Natural Twine String (Burlap)

ScorTape (1/4”)

3M Scotch Double-sided Foam Tape

Assorted Bling

Black Button (from stash)

It's Digi Day at SCACD!

Hey, all!  It's been a while!  I'm just popping in to share a card I created for Susana's Custom Art and Card Design.

Today the Sweet Friends of SCACD group and the SCACD DT are showcasing Fall images...some with a twist.

Head to the SCACD Store Blog for all the details if you want to see all the peeps presenting their inspiring creations today,  plus you'll have a shot at winning some yummy blog candy, and Susana is offering a sweet FREE digi image from 10-5!  So much fun stuff going on!  You won't want to miss a thing!

I've used Gothie Feline and you can find her here in the SCACD Store.  So much fun to color and just in time for Dia de los Muertos!  I used a mash up of Halloween and Day of the Dead themes on this card.  I so love this time of year!

You'll be seeing me around a bit more, so please start checking back on a regular basis to see what I'm up to.  

See you soon!  Stay crafty!

A Different Kind Of Blog Hop

Hey all!  I'm back today with a not so quick post.  I was tagged by a friend to participate in a Progressive Blog Hop.  I know, it was new to me, too.  I had never heard of a hop like this one, but the more I read about it, the more I liked it.  In a nutshell, it helps celebrate creativity and encourages folks to visit blogs that might be new to them.

I was honored to be tagged in this hop by Alaine Medio of MissAlaineous' Mosiacs on her lovely blog last Monday.  Alaine is a top notch cardmaker and artist.  She possesses mad coloring skills and knows her way around the Copic color chart.  I met Alaine when I joined the Bombshell Stamps design team and fell in love with her work there.  As of late,  I've been admiring her fantastic steampunk projects.  You really must check out her blog, I insist.

First, I'm supposed to answer a few questions:

1.  What am I working on?

Over the years, I have been blessed with the opportunity to work with some of the finest design teams in the stamping world.  Recently I stepped down from all of my teams and now I'm able to work on projects without boundaries and without a specified timeline.  I'm also able to play when I'm invited to participate in special hops or releases.  My other passion is cooking and now I can spend more time blogging on my husband's food blog.  You can visit me at AlbuKirky BBQ and Other Stuff when you don't find me here.

Here's a couple of my last design team cards that I haven't shared on my blog until now...

2.  How does my work differ from others in its genre?

I'm not sure how different it is, but I do love color, lots and lots of vibrant color.  I am drawn to intense color palettes and want my colors to almost glow.

3.  Why do I create what I do?

16 or so years ago, I discovered card making.  I've never been artistic, but card making made me feel like I was. I fell in love with the process.

4.  How does my creative process work?

My creative process is all over the place.  It might start with a Copic color combo I want to work with, a new patterned paper, or a stamp image that strikes my fancy.  I do have a tendency to color my image first and then find paper to match afterwards, which occasionally bites me in the butt, but I keep lots of black and white patterned paper on hand, which tends to go with just about everything.  I also have a layering cheat I follow...I only layer with black and/or kraft solids.  No need to get matchy matchy and they instantly give my projects a slightly vintage feel.      

Okay, enough about me...part of what keeps this hop moving forward is tagging new folks each week and the 2 ladies I tagged are near and dear to me.  First of all, they both immediately agreed to do this  hop on a moments notice and I greatly appreciate that.

Jenny Peterson of My Little Stamping Spot - What can I say about Jenny other than she is the absolute bomb!  She's funny and talented.  Her sense of humor keeps me in stitches and her coloring and card making abilities are off the charts. AND she has the most beautiful family!  She's ridiculously awesome, and I insist that you do yourself a favor and visit her blog.

Sharon Caudle of Gramma's House of Cards - Sharon is one of the sweetest folks you will ever encounter in blogland.  She's an absolute doll!  When perusing Sharon's beautiful projects, you immediately notice the vibrant coloring and lush layers, but you pick up on Sharon's sense of humor with her clever and quirky use of sentiments.  Plus, check out Sharon's perfect bows!  They make me green with envy!

Thanks so much for stopping by today and be sure to stop by Jenny's and Sharon's blogs next Monday to keep this hop going.  I'll close with a few of my favorite past projects.

      

    

SCACD This and That Rubber Stamp Blog Hop!!!

Welcome to another fun showcase of newly released rubber stamps and yes a few new digis from Susana's Custom Art and Card Design (SCACD) and guess who gets to play along?  This girl!!!  

You should have come from Roni's wonderful blog and if you get lost during the Hop you can always find your way at the Store Blog HERE.

SCACD is releasing 9 rubber stamps which are collectively called the “This and That Collection.” They each can be purchased now HERE. They were inspired by things going on in Susana's life as well as imagery she loves. SCACD Artist Carmen Medlin and Susana collaborated on the images and Carmen did an amazing job bringing these to life!!! We are featuring 4 Zen Beauties as well as 5 eclectic fun stamps today.  On a happy note if you buy the complete set of 4 Zen Beauties at one time you will get an accompanying accessory maple seed stamp as a bonus stamp.

SCACD also decided to offer only 3 of these not only in rubber but in digi as well for her SCACD Digital fans. So you can see the 3 newest versions at the top of the Digi area HERE.
  

For our International Friends you can find the new SCACD Stamps HERE at Quixotic Paperie.

Today I have the pleasure of working with Mrs. Bones and Mr. Bones.  These are beautiful Day of the Dead themed images, perfect for every celebration!  Mrs. Bones is available as a digi or a rubber stamp.  Mr. Bones is available in rubber only.  You'll also receive a "You're Invited" sentiment when you purchase the duo as a set.  That's a pretty sweet deal!

Thanks for stopping by and you should now be headed off to Elaine's amazing blog post for more inspiration :D