Afternoon Tea

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I am sharing another card with you today made with images from the newly released London Elements by Artistic Outpost. I have also used images from Loverly London, also by Artistic Outpost. I just love how London Elements has expanded the versatility of the Loverly London and London Underground plates and I really love how the Afternoon tea and teacup, spoon and sugar can be used with this lovely lady to make a really feminine card. I began with Sea Salt card base and added some cabbage rose background paper. Images were stamped on card stock with Black Memento Ink and watercolored with Distress Inks. Embellishments include vintage buttons, cheese cloth, Ideology spinner pieces, and lemon yellow striped ribbon. Have you had an opportunity to check out the London Elements Artistic Gallery, yet? Why not make yourself a nice hot cup of tea, and browse through these beautifully inspired projects! Thanks for stopping by. Best wishes, Yvonne

Flourishes and Diamonds

It's Monday and there's a new challenge over at the Make My Monday Challenge. We continue with the Romance theme and for Week #38, our specific challenge is "Flourishes and Diamonds." True confession: When flourishes hit the scene in the mid 2000s, I absolutely thought I had to have such a stamp. By the time I bought a set, I think I missed the wave. I rarely use them. So it was kind of interesting to unearth them for this challenge. I began with a mushroom colored card base, stamped flourishes by Autumn Leaves with Black StazO Ink. Black lace and vintage black seam binding were layered onto the card base followed by a white doily. The clip art image is from Love Letters 1 by Crafty Individuals and is mounted with black paper. A sentiment was added by Stampsmith to a Martha Stewart Label and attached to the card front. Rhinestones were added to the card front along with black seam binding bows and a vintage inspired rabbit die cut. Wishing each of you a wonderful week. Best wishes, Yvonne

Spring is Here!

Well, it is Sunday evening, here in the states. My post today is for the current challenge at PanPastel UK Challenge. This week the theme is to include "Ribbon" in our project. I began with a piece of card stock. I added three different shades of PanPastels in shades of yellow/green to the card stock for a lovely soft background and trimmed my card stock into a tag shape. I wrapped a doily around the tag, inspired by a tag I saw on Pinterest earlier today. The stamped images are from the Birds of a Feather plate by Artistic Outpost. Finishing touches include eggs at the top of the tag are under Ideology Fragment Charms, vintage black seam binding, liquid pearls and feathers. Thanks so much for stopping by and have a wonderful week. Best, Yvonne

For a Precious Child

Wow! It is hard to believe that another two weeks have gone by and it is time for another challenge over at Fashionable Stamping Challenge. For this time, our challenge is to create a project "Make it for a Child." This is actually the third card I created for the challenge. While the others were for a child, they just weren't the special one I wanted for our challenge. When I created this one, I knew almost instantly, this was the one! I'm sure I am not alone in this. I'm sure all of you have to feel like what you create for a challenge or an occasion is right, too!

For my card, I began by selecting this sweet image from a miniature book from Crafty Individuals. I matted the image and mounted it to a paper doily. Since the little girl is holding her favorite doll, I decide to stamp various vintage toys from Invoke Arts to compliment the main image. After trying different arrangements, I decided to group them together as though they were sitting on a toy shelf for the little girl to chose from. Simple embellishments include gifted braid, which I distressed with Vintage Photo Distress Ink, seam binding, pearls, a heart sticker and metal winged heart from my stash, tied with a bit of Baker's Twine.

I encourage you to stop over to FSC to see all the gorgeous inspiration pieces that my sisters on the Design Team have created and I hope you will be inspired to created a project of your own to share with us. Please remember that we are a stamping challenge so we need to see stamping on your project. You will want to check FSC for all the specifics. Thanks so much for stopping by. Best wishes, Yvonne

'Tis Spring

I hope you are having a relaxing weekend. For my post today, I created a card with a Colors of Spring theme for a new to me challenge over at The Stamp Man. I began by selecting this clip art image from Love Letters 1 and this butterfly image from a Miniature Book, both from Crafty Individuals. I mounted them to a soft pink doily, which was mounted to a mauve card base. I stamped the eggs and sentiment from the Birds of a Feather plate by Artistic Outpost with Black StazOn ink onto scrap card stock and watercolored the eggs with Broken China and Spun Sugar Distress Inks and mounted them to my card front. Simple embellishments include cream colored lace, winter white seam binding, a vintage-style rabbit die-cut image, a feather and pearls. I decided not to include a bird, as the feather and eggs suggest its presence, already! Enjoy the rest of your weekend! Best wishes, Yvonne

P.S. Just reminder, about my Third Anniversary Giveaway. There is still time to leave a comment, through February 29, and be eligible for the random drawing!

Fly Guy

It's Friday and the weekend has begun! My post today is for several challenges. The first is for Bloggers' Challenge. The theme this week is a color challenge of Red, Black and White. The second challenge is for Gingersnap Creations where the challenge is to create a project with Two Colors Only.

I decided to create my card using some of the new images from the Charles and Amelia plate and the Industrial Chic plate from Artistic Outpost. Normally, I would have been inclined to add a bit of color to the images, but for these challenges, that wasn't a viable option. I think the strength of these images stand firm with little to no added colors and keeping them mostly black and white lends a vintage feel to the card. Images were stamped with Black StazOn ink and Barn Red Distress ink and distressed with Black Soot, Worn Lipstick and Barn Red Distress Ink, with the exception of the gears in the background, which were stamped with Cloud White VersaMagic ink.

The plane is attached with pop dots for added dimension an embellishments include re-purposed ribbon, liquid pearls, sprocket from Idealogy, and photo corners from my stash. Hoping you have a fabulous weekend. Best wishes, Yvonne

Birdsong

I recently came across a challenge blog called Dragrons Dream Tag It On (TIO) and am really enjoying the unique challenges they present us with each Wednesday. This week, our challenge is based on the novel "Bird Song." I must confess I was not familiar with the book, but I researched the plot and found it is based on WW 1, takes place in Paris and London, and involves romance and intrigue. Luckily, I also learned that PBS is airing Bird Song on Masterpiece Theater in April, so I hope to check it out. Looks like a good read, too! My tag includes images from a Miniature Book by Crafty Individuals, as well as stamped images from the Bluebird plate by Artistic Outpost. My tag began with a Mushroom colored card stock cut into a tag shape. As I studied the clip art images, I decided to pull out my PanPastels and voila, a mottled background of lavender, pink and purple! I began with white lace, but abandoned it for the intrigue of black lace. Oh the drama! A few pearls for the lady, some vintage black seam binding and a teacup for England, a magenta brad and some colorful braid for the top of my tag and my card is complete.

A Girl and Her Dog

Happy Wednesday to each of you! After an overnight in the hospital, my dear husband is back home and doing much better. Thanks to each of you who expressed concerned. It's always a good feeling to have normalcy, isn't it? I managed to steal away for a few minutes today to make this card while my DH was having some tests. I have decided to try making some cards in a new shape. Change is good, yes? Using a robin egg blue card base, I added some beautiful white lace to the top and bottom edges. For my focal image, this adorable clip art image from a Miniature book by Crafty Individuals is matted and mounted to a white doily. I added Idealogy gauze flowers to the each side. The bow is fashioned out of vintage, gifted ribbon. The paper hearts by Martha Stewart hold vintage pale blue buttons. I am not sure what the buttons are made from, but it is not plastic. They are quite heavy and almost feel like clay or pottery! They are from my son-in-law's elderly grandparents who ran a General Store for many years. To add a bit of whimsy, I've stamped this Artistic Outpost sentiment from the Think and Wonder plate with Black StazOn ink. I hope this post finds you healthy and content. My best to you always, Yvonne

Artistic Outpost New Releases!

The wait is finally over! Artistic Outpost is pleased to bring to you four brand new rubber stamp collections that are vintage, edgy, and extremely artful. We are happy to present: Diesel Punk, Charles & Amelia, Industrial Chic, and London Elements.

What is Diesel Punk? What happened to Steampunk? We still very much love the Victorian magic that is the rage of steampunk, however, we decided to advance the timeline and the trend to a more modern look. It’s like steampunk, but with a combustion engine. To us, Diesel Punk is a style that blends the “edge” of steampunk with the art and culture of the 1920s, 30s, and 40s. We think of motorcycles, roadsters, red lipstick, trench coats, jetpacks, and jet engines. Three of our new releases evoke our interpretation of this style.

Below you will find images of these exciting new Artistic Outpost plates, projects I have created using the new stamp releases, along with some previously released Artistic Outpost images and sentiments, in some cases, to showcase how well all Artistic Outpost stamps work together. These new plates are available as unmounted sheets of red rubber or pre-trimmed and mounted on EZMount cling foam. Stamp sheet measures 8.5" x 5.5".

Diesel Punk: Includes images of good looking guys, a beautiful dame, a kid ready to be a rocketeer, and fast machines to tempt their fates.

For my card, I chose tones of ivory, red and black. The woman in this plate is so classy, I just had to set her off with black accents and a pearl! The vintage buttons, ribbon and lace compliment and complete her 40s look.

Charles and Amelia: Images featuring the king and queen of the skies when flying was more than transportation – it was an adventure.

For my card, I have incorporated images from both the Charles and Amelia and the Industrial Chic plates. I love how these images work so well together. The options are endless! I added a few metal sprockets and silver liquid pearls to complete my spirited card.

Industrial Chic: Backgrounds for any of your projects – steam, diesel, or any other kind of punk.

For my card, I again incorporated images from the Charles and Amelia plate with those from the Industrial Chic plate. The images from the Industrial Chic plate really work well for filling in my background as I challenge myself to stamp my backgrounds more and use less designer paper. He's one handsome fellow, don't you think? And the airplane in this plate, love it! I haven't used it my samples here, but I'll be showcasing some future samples with it.

London Elements: More of our favorite images featuring the fun icons of London.

What a great time for more London stamps! I really had a lot of fun with this card. I enjoyed working with all the new London landmarks and incorporating sentiments from the London Underground and Loverly London plates. The post card was created from the Ephemeral Background plate. My son is going to love the phone booth. He's a huge Dr. Who fan. I am especially enjoying having the pigeon image and London Bridge to add to my card making fun. And the tea cup...love it!

Speaking of tea, why not grab a cup of coffee or brew a pot of tea, relax and take a few moments to be inspired by the Artistic Outpost Design Team Members who have created amazing creations using these new releases? You are going to love them!

Gerrie Johnnic; Lisa Somerville; Suzanne Czosek; Anita Houston; Linda Coughlin ; Tracy Evans;

Vintage Romance

Hello! I thought I would get this posted earlier today, but my dear husband has not been well. So here I am just before midnight, posting! Today, I am posting a card I made for this week's challenge over at Make My Monday, which is "Vintage Romance." After considering my stamps, I decided to use this clip art image from a Miniature Book from Crafty Individuals for my vintage image. I also stamped this beautifully captured version of the Eiffel Tower with Black StazOn Ink on glossy paper. The sentiment and the Eiffel Tower are Stampsmith images. My card base is robin egg blue, the matting is robin egg blue and red. Embellishments include a red doily heart, vintage lace and seambinding, German scrap and pearl accents. It's been a long day. Hoping tomorrow brings my dear husband closer to good health. Take care everyone. Yvonne

Third Anniversary Giveaway!

It was three years ago, today, on February 21, 2009, that I took the leap and created my blog. For the first two plus years, I was posting away, and wondering how in the world I would ever get anyone to see my posts! It really was me talking to myself! Last May, I stumbled onto a Challenge blog while searching the Internet and suddenly I figured out how to find others who had the same passion as me for cards and other paper crafts.

I have met so many wonderful, talented artists through my blog, but even more important, I have made treasured friends. Friends that I chat with throughout the week, not just about our art, but about life. We pray for one another, we encourage one another. Am I lucky or what?

Some of my other Design Team sisters at Fashionable Stamping Challenge have recently held anniverary giveaways, and I thought it was such a gracious act of thankfulness, so I thought I would take their lead. As a thank you for all of you who brighten my world, I have pulled together some goodies that I would like to share with one lucky person. Between today and the end of February, if you would like to be included in the random drawing, please leave a comment on this post. A random winner will be selected in early March and I will post the winner on my blog on March 3.

Many of you who visit my blog are already followers, and I do so value your support, however, I am not requiring you to be a follower to be a part of the drawing, but of course if you would like to do so, here's thanking you in advance! Please feel free to let others know about the giveaway, too!

My best to each of you. Yvonne

Cheerio!

Happy Monday, everyone! This card is for a new challenge over at Simon Says Stamp and Show - Take Your Pick: London, Paris or New York. As you can see from my card above, I chose London! I decided to go with non-traditional colors for my card and all images and sentiments, by Artistic Outpost, are stamped in either Black StazOn Ink or Wild Honey Distress Ink. The card base and the various elements were distressed with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. A touch of Glossy Accents on Big Ben, vintage black seambinding, a crown, and an Ideology hinge clip and memento holder complete my card. Hoping your Monday is going well. Thanks for dropping by. Yvonne

Sweet Innocence

This is my second post of the day. Please scroll down if you would like to see my first! I came across a new challenge today for me while working on another challenge. This one is for Card and Scrap and the theme is "Buttons." I began with my focal image, CI-277, by Crafty Individuals, stamped with StazOn, trimmed and colored with Copic Markers. The image was mounted with foam dots onto a doily that was distressed with Spun Sugar Distress Ink. I added pieces of background paper to the card base and stamped nursery images by Inkadinkado onto them. On the fourth section, I added a sentiment from Crafty Individuals. Embellishments include gingham ribbon, a pink safety pin, pink and white Baker's Twine, and vintage buttons. It's hard to see, but I also added some Frosted Lace Stickles to the various nursery images. Hope your day is going well. Yvonne

Little Cowboys and Horses

Happy Sunday everyone! So many of my dear blog friends have been fighting illness and to each of you I am wishing you renewed health and strength. My first post for today is for a challenge over at PanPastels UK Challenge. This week, the challenge is "Animals." I started my card late last night for another challenge and had grabbed these horses before going to bed to add to my card. When I saw the PP Challenge this morning, I decided to pull out my PP and focus on this challenge instead. I began with this precious stamp of two little cowboys by Crafty Individuals. This was my first time using this stamp. I believe I was drawn to acquiring this stamp as when my brother and I were little, our parents would dress us up in cowboy vests, hats, holsters and boots. We were the apple of everyone's eyes and the subject of many photographs and home movies, I understand. Roy Rogers and Annie Oakley ruled the day. It was a different time. I added this lush dark red to the DP background paper to make the horses pop. I also added several shades of PP to the background of the Cowboys. Simple embellishments include a snippet of burlap, a vintage button and repurposed black safety pin and twine that were on a Valentine gift I purchased for my DH. Thanks for dropping by. Yvonne

A Dip in the Waves

It's Friday! Let the weekend begin! It also means it is time for a new challenge over at Bloggers' Challenge. This week, we are challenge to create a project with a Beach theme. I recently acquired a new set of beach-themed stamps CI-278 by Crafty Individuals. In addition to the sun bather/wader, I was really drawn to the beach huts. We don't have beach huts to speak of along the eastern coast of the U.S., at least not at any of the beaches that I have frequented. When I first saw them, my interest was peaked. I sure would like to know how common they are and where they are popular! For my card, I began with Kraft card base. I built up my panel by tearing patterned blue paper to resemble waves going ashore. The top half of the card includes a sandy patterned paper. The beach huts were watercolored with Distress Ink and mounted with pop dots. The sun bather/wader was stamped with Black StazOn ink and also watercolored with Distress Inks. To balance my card, I added a sentiment included with the set, several sea gulls and a Bourne Mouth postmark. The panel was mounted to white and black paper and simple embellishments include aqua and white Baker's Twine and a vintage button. I love the beach and have the fortune of visiting it year round. Each time I go, I comment how I never grow tired of being there. Each time I am as excited as the time before. Years ago I purchased a mixed media wall hanging. Although I liked the design, it was the sentiment the artist added that caught my eye. It says "If you're lucky enough to live at the beach, you're lucky enough!" Have a great weekend. Best wishes, Yvonne

A Study in Mocha and Cream

This is my second post for today. Please scroll down if you would like to see my first. I made this tag yesterday but did not get a chance to load it on my blog. It, like my first post for today, is not for a challenge. I just felt like getting inky! I recently received some beautiful goodies from Crafty Individuals. I get as excited about the package of free stamps that are included with my orders as I do about what I order. I stamped many of these most recent free stamps with Rich Cocoa Memento Ink onto a peach-toned tag to create a unique background and distressed the tag with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. The sentiment, another free stamp, was distressed with more Vintage Photo Distress Ink and mounted onto the tag with pop dots. For my focal image, I chose this beautiful image from a Miniature Clip Art book from Crafty Individuals and mounted her on several papers with a touch of vintage lace. Embellishments include vintage buttons, Winter White seam binding, more vintage lace, pearls and a portion of an embossed piece of card stock, embossed with a TH embossing folder that was trimmed to fit the top of the tag and distressed with a bit of Vintage Photo Distress Ink. I truly appreciate your visits and value all your comments. My best to you. Yvonne

And They Call It Puppy Love...

Greetings! Dear Husband continues to not feel well so it has been a different sort of week craft-wise. I stole away for a bit this afternoon, with no challenge in mind. I just felt like working with my hands! I began by leafing through a clip art book from Crafty Individuals and found this dear little girl with her puppy dog. I was immediately drawn to the red in the photo. I decided to add blues and browns to my color scheme and from there, the rest just fell into place. The sentiments are from Studio G and embellishments include vintage buttons and lace, burlap, re-purposed ribbon, a doily and some Baker's Twine from Martha Stewart. I hope you are having a good day. For my friends across the sea, Happy Friday! My best to all of you, Yvonne

Dragon TIO - Time

There's a new challenge over at Dragon Dreams - Tag It On. The theme is "Time." For my tag, I blended some PanPastels onto ivory card stock in pinks, reds and yellows and then using Black StazOn ink, I stamped a number of stamps from the Whimsical Melange plate by Artistic Outpost onto my prepared panel and distressed the edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. The focal stamps by Hampton Art were stamped onto scrap ivory card stock, trimmed and distressed with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. The woman was mounted to a re-purposed gold doily and the clock and winged time piece were covered with glossy accent and mounted onto pop dots. The sentiment was created with Ideology stickers. Embellishments include vintage black seam binding and black and white baker's twine, black sewing snaps and stacked vintage buttons. My final step was to mount the tag to black paper to make the background pop. Thanks for dropping by!

Februray Artistic Outpost Design Team Blog Hop

Hello! As a Guest Designer for Artistic Outpost, I am excited to have the opportunity to participate in the Artistic Outpost Design Team Blog Hop for the month of February that features projects created from these gorgeous London inspired plates: London Underground and Loverly London.

For my own project, I began with an unfinished wooden frame. I painted the frame with Picket Fence Distress Stain to create a crackle finish on the frame's surface. Having selected traditional red, white and blue colors for my project, I added some red and white ribbon to the top and bottom portions of the painted frame. Punches of black color were also added throughout my project. I selected and stamped images from both AO plates in Black StazOn ink, Barn Red or Faded Jeans Distress Inks onto glossy paper. All images were distressed with Antique Linen and Vintage Photo Distress Inks. Some of the images were matted with red and blue card stock. The various images were arranged around the border of the frame in a manner that seemed pleasing to me. To showcase the loverly woman, I added a doily, some vintage buttons, cheesecloth and a teacup charm and a seam binding bow.

For the gentleman, I added black snaps, Air Mail Baker's Twine and a Tim Holtz fragment charm to draw attention to the "Pip, Pip, Cheerio" sentiment.

To the middle of the frame, I added a red paper backing to provide a backdrop for the "Keep Calm and Carry On" slogan to which I added a black crown. With the 2012 Olympics scheduled for London, I am thinking someone that I know who may be planning to attend who might enjoy this as a reminder of their trip.

Thanks so much for dropping by my blog. I hope you will visit the other Design Team members as they have come up with some very inspirational projects to share with you. You can link directly to their work below:

Robyn Sharp; Gerrie Johnnic; Lisa Somerville; Susanne Czosek; Anita Houston; Linda Coughlin; Tracy Evans

You might also want to consider creating a project for the Artistic Outpost February Referral Program in shades of red!

Happy Blog Hopping! Yvonne

Long Distance Love on Valentine's Day

Greetings and Happy Valentine's Day to each of you! For today's post, I decided to craft a Valentine with a story. For the maiden, I chose this young girl in the Generation Redux plate by Artistic Outpost. She seems so wistful somehow. For the man of her dreams, I found him in the Gatsby plate, also by AO. My story is one of two lovers, she stayed back home to help her parents with their family business, he went off to an Ivy League school to pursue law. Though there are many miles between them, and culturally they live in two different worlds, he cannot stop thinking of her, nor she him! As for other supplies, the hand cut heart was cut out around the "Be Mine" sentiment, which comes from the Cutie Pie plate by AO. All the images were stamped with Black StazOn ink and distressed them with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. My stamped elements were arranged on a black background, which was mounted to a white card base. I added doilies and part of a recycled printed paper bag, some burlap and a vintage button, seam binding, clip art and pearls. Wishing each of you love in your life. Thank you so much for stopping by. I really appreciate it. Best, Yvonne

Love and Romance

There's a new challenge over at PanPastel UK Challenge Blog. For Challenge 5 the theme is Love and Romance. Although PanPastels are not required, I challenge myself to always include them in a project submission as a means of becoming more comfortable with them. For my card, I began with a white card stock panel and sponged pink, red and burgundy PanPastels onto it. I LOVE this color combination. It amazes me how such a tiny bit of PanPastels can change a white panel. For my main image, I could not resist stamping this beautiful image that just arrived from Crafty Individual (CI-338). I decided to leave her uncolored except for some distressing with Pumice Stone Distress Ink around the edges to cool down the deep red background. I also matted her with black paper and added some textured black hearts and pearls. The sentiment is by Rubber Stampede and the die cut vine by Sissix was sprayed with some Smooch Pearl Spray in Cherry. The panel was matted to a white card base with another black paper mat and the card was finished off with a vintage black seam binding bow. Wishing you a wonderful week. Thanks so much for dropping by. Yvonne

Make My Monday - Challenge 36 - Hearts and Flowers

Happy Monday everyone! Mondays mean a new challenge over at Make My Monday Challenge blog. During the month of February, we are focusing on Romance and this week our challenge is Hearts and Flowers. Additionally, they have asked us to consider using die cuts for our projects. I should begin by confessing that I own very few dies. I love seeing them on other's projects and make myself a mental note to get some, but then I buy stamps, ink and paper instead! I still needed a couple of last minute Valentine's so I rolled up my sleeves and dug through my paltry die collection by Sissix and came up with a vine, and a small label shape. The hearts are a punch by Martha Stewart. To my white card base, I attached a gray die label that I distressed with Pumice Stone Distress Ink. I stamped a sentiment by Studio G onto scrap card stock with Black StazOn Ink and matted it with black paper and mounted it over my label shape. I die cut a vine from a dark silver metallic card stock and attached it to my card. Hearts were punched out of textured black and red paper and scattered over the card. Little red pressed flowers with pearl centers were added next. And finally, I fashioned a bow out of vintage black seam binding and topped it with a lace butterfly by Martha Stewart. Challenges are a wonderful thing. They encourage you to go beyond your comfort zone. Why not join the challenge at MMM?! Thanks so much for stopping by. I truly read and value every single comment left. My best to you. Yvonne

Bloggers' Challenge - In Bloom

Well the weekend is almost over! Between caring for a sick husband and finalizing Valentines for precious family, there has been little time for my artistic pursuits the past few days. I did manage to work on the latest Bloggers' Challenge, which is called "In Bloom." How we interpret is up to us. I just received a miniature book of clip art with flowers and butterflies from Crafty Individuals (CI) and decided to use this pink daisy for my bloom. I mounted it simply on a white doily and then mounted it to a manila tag that I hand dyed years ago with Easter egg dye. To mute the pink tag, I distressed the edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. The little girl looking upward is also from CI, as are the butterflies and dragonfly and sentiment. All the elements were added to a distressed background paper panel which was softened with Pan Pastels. The ribbon and bow were hand dyed with Spun Sugar Distress Ink. Finishing embellishments include stacked vintage buttons, pink and white baker's twine, lace and pearls. Thanks so much for dropping by. Yvonne

Fashionable Stamping Challenges - Monochromatic plus One Color

There's a new challenge at Fashionable Stamping Challenge! This time around, the theme is Monochromatic plus One Other Color. I have been itching to work with a plate of stamps from Artistic Outpost that is new for me that is called "Apothecary." I chose brown tones for my monochromatic color and for my other color, I chose Wild Honey by using Wild Honey Distress ink.

I LOVE this Wild Honey color and I think it adds such a rich tone to my collage. It was fun searching for a variety of embellishments that fit within the brown tones or Wild Honey color. I chose a feather, a scrap of burlap, buttons and twine and a pen nib. I hope you will hop on over to FSC to see what the other Design Team Members have come up with for this this challenge and of course, we look forward to seeing what each of you have in store for us with your entry. Please remember this is a stamping challenge, no Digis allowed. Thanks for dropping by and best of luck in the quest for the prize! Yvonne

Happy Birthday Dear One

The weeks roll by quickly! It is already time for a new challenge over at PanPastel UK. For week # 4, the theme is "Happy Birthday." I am new to Pan Pastels, and trying to expand my skills so I decided to try using a resist ink on my card panel before sponging on a variety of yellow and turquoise Pan Pastels. The background stamp is from Crafty Individuals and came to me free as a thank you for ordering some other stamps! For the main image, I stamped CI-84, also from Crafty Individuals and colored the little girls in with Copic Markers. The sentiment, by Hero Arts, wishes a Happy Birthday to the recipient. Embellishments include lace, ribbon, a doily, German Scrap and a paper heart and ribbon flower buds by Martha Stewart. I really am so glad that I found out about Pan Pastels and scouring the Internet for video "How To's." Thanks so much for stopping by. Yvonne

Cutie Pie, Please Be Mine!

Greetings! Valentine's Day is coming soon and I continue to work on cards for the special people in my life. It is such a privilege to be able to let others know how much you care, don't you think? This sweet little Valentine is made with images and sentiments from the Cutie Pie plate by Artistic Outpost. I have really enjoyed working with this plate of stamps and have been able to use them for a number of different styles of Valentines. For this Valentine, I layered gingham check designer paper onto a blue panel and matted the panel onto a red mat. The majorette was stamped multiple times with Memento ink and Faded Jeans Distress Ink and pieced together. The majorette and puppy were watercolored with Distress ink. I stamped multiple hearts and added some of them with pop dots for dimension. The red doily was backed with white card stock to emphasize the lacy effect and I finished the panel off with some Red Stickles Glitter Glue and ribbons and mounted the completed panel onto a white card base. Thanks for taking time to drop by. Happy Monday! Yvonne

Mary's Lamb

This is my second post for today. I got a bit behind the past few days as I tried to feel better. So, if you would like to see my first post, please scroll down! I have excitedly been awaiting the return of challenges over at Crafty Individuals. For the first challenge of 2012, the theme is Spring! For my card, I began with this sweet clip art image from Crafty Individuals. I matted the clip art with a deep pink mat to pick up Mary's bow. The balance of the card is also layered with yellows and deep pinks to echo the colors of the clip art photo. I stamped butterflies and a dragon fly from CI-292 and a sentiment from CI-277. Embellishments include a doily, a lacy butterfly by Martha Stewart, pink liquid pearls, German Scrap, vintage buttons and bits of Baker's Twine and some Winter White seam binding. I am one of those folks who pretty much enjoys winter, however, making this card has given me a true taste and yearning for springtime!

MMM Challenge #35 - Romance (Love Notes)

This vintage-inspired card was created for the Make My Monday Challenge #35. For the month of February, the challenge is Romance. For this week, the specific challenge is Love Notes. My goal was to create a card that shows romance without specifically being for Valentine's Day. I began by creating miniature postcards by stamping a Postcard header from the Ephemeral Backgrounds plate by Artistic Outpost (AO) on small pieces of card stock. The script from the French Flight plate, also by AO, was stamped with Faded Jeans Distress Ink. I bundled the finished postcards with Baker's Twine and added a German Scrap Rose and an Ideaology TH pen nib. The beautiful woman from the AO Gatsby plate is stamped with Jet Black StazOn ink. The background and the woman were colored with PanPastels. The hand-torn heart was painted with Ranger Picket Fence paint. The doily, image, postcard bundle and ribbon were heavily distressed with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. Finishing touches include pearls, a metal sentiment and vintage buttons with more bits of Baker's Twine.

CR84FN47 - Pink, Red and Light Blue

Greetings! The weekend is upon us. Yeah! Feeling a bit better this evening, and hoping the weekend will make a world of difference. Thanks for all the well wishes sent my way. I decided to make a card for the current challenge at CR84FN. As shown in the inspiration montage above, we are to use pink, red and light blue and of course neutrals. My first thought was to grab a light aqua paper and ribbon, but I decided to challenge myself to really try to go with a more pure light blue, a color I don't often reach for. My second thought was that these colors work well for a Valentine, so that is the direction I chose. On a textured white card base, I layered pink and red baker's twine and vintage light blue ribbon. I then layered on a trimmed pink doily and a white one. I chose a sweet image from clip art from Crafty Individuals and matted it on red and light blue card stock. Paper flowers and rhinestones by Martha Stewart frame the image. I added a fluffy light blue bow to the left of the image and stamped a sentiment by Rubber Stampede onto a tag I found in my stash. Tag was distressed with Barn Red Distress ink and embellished with light blue Liquid Pearls. Thanks so much for dropping by. I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Hugs, Yvonne

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Words of Wisdom

Greetings! Been under the weather for the last 36 hours. I don't usually get sick, so it really threw me for a loop. It took me most of the day to get into my studio, but sick or not, a card was calling me! This card is for the Gingersnap Creations Challenge - Words of Wisdom. I immediately thought of the Typography plate by Artistic outpost. I stamped it in Black Memento ink and then cut it apart and matted the words with black paper. I layered a doily to the card front, and stamped my image, from the Think and Wonder plate, also by Artistic Outpost and added soft color with PanPastels. The bird is from Birds of a Feather, by Artistic Outpost is colored with Copic Markers. Embellishments include lace trim , pearls and seam binding fashioned into a bow.Pin It

Stampsmith Challenge #27 - Love and Lace

Greetings! Before I talk about my card above, I want to share with you that I was so excited to learn this morning that I was recognized over at The Stampsmith Challenge Blog for the tag I submitted in January for the Tag Art Challenge! Since it is February 1, it is time for a new challenge at Stampsmith. For February, we focus on Love and Lace and must use at least one Stampsmith stamp. I began with a taupe colored card base. I chose a number of stamps from the Stampsmith Paris Art sheet and the Eiffel Detail stamp for my focal images and sentiment. The Fleur-de-Lis stamp by Inkadinkado is mounted on pop dots for dimension. Vintage lace from a Lucky bag from Dezinaworld, some Winter White seam binding, vintage buttons, a bit of cheese cloth and a pin and some French inspired charms complete my card.

A moment of reminiscing: When I was in fourth grade, a woman came into our class room one day, gave each of us a French name, mine was Francois, and informally taught us French three days a week, through sixth grade. In seventh grade, French was offered five days a week with a promise that if you took French through the twelfth grade, you would be eligible for a trip to New York City for a weekend and would dine in a French Restaurant! I still remember what I ordered in that restaurant, and even though my family could not afford to send me on the French trip as a senior, I was happy with my NY trip. Fast forward twenty years later, and my oldest daughter had the opportunity to take that special trip to France. I went along as a chaperon, and unbelievably, roomed with MY French Teacher who was now also my daughter's! This plate of stamps means so much to me as it brings back memories of our time in Paris. Au Revoir! Yvonne

Birthday Greetings in Shades of Red

I made this card for my youngest grandson's birthday who turned one last week! He was born a year ago, a month early, and earned the name Little Peanut immediately! For his first birthday, my daughter decided to have a circus-themed party. So, I thought it would be appropriate to make my grandson a Circus card for his birthday. My card is done in shades of red and made with images and a sentiment from several Circus image plates by Artistic Outpost, Send in the Clowns and Vintage Circus. During the month of February, Artistic Outpost's newly updated Referral Program is back with a theme of Shades of Red. For all the details, please drop in over at Artistic Outpost and check out the inspiration projects created by the Design Team. The winner will receive a prize package. We hope you will join in! My best to you, Yvonne

P.S. I hope you will indulge me. Below is a photo of my grandson with a Circus Tent he received as a gift and a photo of his Peanut Cake! Hugs.