more about santa's hat...

greetings friends.  you have one more week to join the "who's wearing santa's hat" challenge at the cheerful stamp pad. the challenge sponsor is bugaboo stamps. 

this card features a bugaboo digi which i've colored with pencils.  i used designer paper, red card stock, a red sharpie (for outlining), a red flower and a little sparkly blue bead to finish this off.  i do not use digis very much so it has been interesting learning to use them.  once i thought of it as being like coloring in coloring books then i knew what to do!

hope you'll find time to join the challenge.
love to all.

ribbons and lace. in memory.

this fabulous stamp is called "the look" and it is from the stampsmith.  yep, a stamp not a photo.  if you are not familiar with the stampsmith products check it out.  it takes some doing to perfect the technique with these amazing stamps (and i have not gotten there yet) but it is worth the effort.  there is a challenge at the stampsmith blog.  hosted by the brilliant Lynne from adorn, the task is to use ribbons and lace.  i'm also linking this up to pearls and lace thursday.

i dedicate this piece to my grandmother who passed away this Thanksgiving weekend at age 91.  i've written about her before.  she was the light of my life from my earliest days.  her endless creativity as a seamstress, milliner, designer, baker and singer was the seed of so much of what i am.  i have many stories i could share but for now it was really important for me to finish this piece and post it in her honor.  i will miss her more than i can even express.  but she is singing and decorating with the angels now and that makes me happy. 

i have some other scheduled posts that will pop up this week but i'm headed to california soon.
love to all of you; cherish your dear ones.

pink saturday things

awhile back i stamped this wonderful queen nefertari stamp from the cs designs solitaire series and colored with pencils.  i was drawn to her deep pink lips and decided to dress the whole thing up in pink for pink saturday.  i framed her in pink and purple papers and placed it all on card stock i decorated with pink, purple and blue inks.

i was all prepared to link it up and then observed that starting this week pink saturday posts are meant to be holiday related!  oops.  well luckily i have a christmas card i made last year with a fossil stone technique from technique junkies and the background is a pretty deep pinkish red.  so i'll post this too; time to start getting in the mood anyway, right?

the image on the card is from twisted papers.    as it turns out i've started doing inventory on supplies to begin making holiday cards anyway.  so you'll start to see them coming along.

well, pink saturday is great fun so consider joining in.  just remember to have a holiday theme!

love to all.

more antique bookplate

here is another card using the antique bookplate technique from the technique junkies newsletter.  this is a simple and elegant technique; i really like it.  i sent this card to my technique junkies "just one" swap partner for november.  the script is from mad rat rubber and the flower is from hero arts. chop stamps unknown.

love to all.

thankful for....

blog friends like Cindy from cindy adkins whimsical musings blog.  she sent me this lovely Christmas tag.

this came when i really needed a lift.  thanks dear Cindy!  please visit her blog if you never have before because her art is luminous and there are fun tutorials and all kinds of goodies.

i can't believe i didn't have time to make and send any thanksgiving cards this year.  i love doing it but i just could not pull it off.  it has been a really busy fall.  but i am thankful for life and health, family and friends.  so to those who celebrate thanksgiving i wish you a wondrous one.  if you don't celebrate i wish you a wondrous day, whatever it is, however you spend it!

love to all.

who's wearing santa's hat?

its time for challenge #30 at the cheerful stamp pad. the challenge sponsor is bugaboo digital stamps. so there will be a prize for the randomly selected winner!  bugaboo kindly offered up a couple samples for the DT.

this little sweetie is sharing the joy of giving.  i colored her with pencils and affixed her to some gift-wrap-like designer paper and added a couple shiny holiday stars.

truth be told i've done next to nothing in terms of holiday preparations -- making cards, gifts, anything.  i just shopped for thanksgiving!  but i'll get it all together.  and i promise to take my time and enjoy the moments.  the true beauty of the holidays should be the love we share with family and friends. 

so have fun, be happy.  love to all.

a "dressed down" pink saturday

the rogue redhead designs blog has an invitation out to"dress down" a creation by using only one sheet of designer paper.  this challenge is open until december 4.  you must use a stamped image but you do not have to use a rogue redhead designs stamp (but they've got some great ones so why not?).
i decided to make a simple creation to link up to pink saturday.  i truly kept it simple -- 2 rogue redhead stamps (from floriculture set), one piece of designer paper.

enjoy; love to all.

antique bookplate sun

i've been exploring the antique bookplate technique from technique junkies.

the japanese script is a stamp by mad rat rubber. the sun stamp is from hero arts.  chop stamp unknown.  the magenta cardstock is from the paper temptress brown paper bag set.  i have colored pearls all around the sun and a wonderful lace leaf.  this was an early try at this technique and i'm still playing with it so stay tuned for more.

i'm linking this up with pearls and lace thursday.

love to all.

more trees

one more week for the trees challenge at the cheerful stamp pad. there will be a prize for the randomly selected winner, a treat from digi darla.

this is another tree stamp from stampscapes.  that company specializes in stamps for scenic stamping --something i've never tried but i have this one set that drew me because of the wonderful trees.  the background was colored with distress inks (antique linen). i stamped in black ink and had at it with colored pencils.  i ripped that and ripped that sheet and placed it on some lovely card stock from paper temptress, the brown paper bag set.  oh there is also a little chop stamp but i don;t know the company.

i hope you'll consider participating in the challenge.
love to all.

a little pink ecstasy

awhile back when i was playing with making magnet art for the gingersnap creations magnet swap (over with now, sorry!) i made this magnet as i was exploring the possibilities.  I'd sort of forgotten about it but it came to mind today and i realize it fits a couple challenges out in blogland so i am happily posting it now.  this is a 4x4 size if you're wondering.

it has an alcohol ink background, a vintage image from twisted papers, the ecstasy stamp from leslie altman designs, and of course some pearls and lace.

linking to PINK SATURDAY and PEARLS AND LACE THURSDAY.

love to all.

oh sheltering tree, send your blessings to me

this is my DT creation for challenge #29 over at the cheerful stamp pad: trees.  you can make whatever type of creation you like, just use trees.  and there will be a prize for this challenge, thanks to the digital stamp company digi darla.

the base is some lovely pumpkin colored card stock.  the stamp is from stampscapes. it is stamped twice.  i inked the first time with markers and the second time with pigment ink and then i did some additional coloring with markers as i wanted that somewhat blurry, windblown feel.  the charm is a heart with wings.

trees are so magnificent -- beautiful, sheltering, a home for sweet birds.  perhaps trees inspire you and you'll be moved to join the challenge.  i hope so!

love to all.

trash to treasure treats!

please please go visit super-artist Lynn Stevens at her gorgeous blog trash to treasure art.  if you participate in her three-year blogaversary give-away you could win some of her amazing art, or awesome supplies or some sort of sure-to-be-wonderful surprise.  get on over there, i would not steer you wrong. 

 
i've been a little too busy for my own good recently but i'll have some art to post before too much longer and will be back around visiting all your delightful blogs.

love to all.