Are You There?

 

 

Greetings! I have been away from blog land since early July and it sure does feel good to be back again. I have missed making art and participating in my Design Teams. I am happy to kick off my return with this post for the October Challenge over at Fashionable Stamping Challenges where the theme this month is "Book Pages" and we are asked to incorporate a book page into our project.  Having moved over the summer and my art studio still in storage, I was thrilled to be able to quickly access a piece of vintage book page in one of the first boxes I broke open.  The stamped image is by Lost Coast Design and the sentiment is by A Cat's Life Press.  I hope that you will stop over to FSC to see all the gorgeous makes by the Design Team and then consider creating a project of your own to share with us at FSC. Remember, as we are a stamping challenge, stamping most be the focal point of your project. And, as always, one lucky participant will be selected to win a stamp from our generous vendor, Ink Art Designs.  Best wishes! Yvonne

Come Play!

 

Greetings! It is time once again for a new challenge over at Inkspirational. This time we have a word prompt and the word is "Play!"

 

Lots of ways to interpret this one! Check out how each of the design team members approached their project and our guest designer, as well!

 

 

 

 

 

When I saw the word play, I immediately thought of this image by Lost Coast Design of a little girl playing with balls or bubbles. The background was done with Magicals on Mixed Media Paper and the dog is by Tim Holtz as are the letter tiles, for Idea-ology.

 

I hope that you will submit an inspired piece of your own for us to enjoy. Thanks so much for stopping by. Hugs, Yvonne

Love is the Music of the Soul

 



Greetings and a warm thank you for stopping by today!  I am busy making Valentines for a showing in a display case where my daughter works.  This is the first time I inked up this precious little musician from Lost Coast Designs and when I saw him, I immediately thought of this sentiment I acquired recently from Red Lead Paperworks.  I kept the color scheme simple and added some washi tape from my stash and a bit of stenciling with a Tim Holtz Stencil.  It is snowing here!  I hope you are keeping warm.  Fondly, Yvonne

On a Roll, with Comedy...

Greetings!  The weeks they do fly by, don't they!  It is time for a new challenge over at Inkspirational and this time it is a colour challenge!  A great color combo of Red, Orange and Yellow to be exact.  Please pop over to Inkspirational for the fine details about adding neutrals to your project and to see the WIDE range of projects the Design Team have come up with to Inspire you!

Two posts in a row, I sought comedy for my posts.  How unusual!  I recently acquired some quirky sentiments from Dylusions by Ranger and remembered this focal image by Lost Coast Designs that was begging to be inked up for the first time, and came across when I was considering images for last week's post and everything seem to fall into place. The stencils are from Red Lead Paperworks and were inked with Mustard Seed and Spiced Marmalade Distress Inks.  I thought they gave the impression of coffee rings!  The focal image was stamped with Archival Ink, trimmed and mounted over the stenciling.  The sentiment was stamped with Black Archival Ink and then trimmed, distressed with Pumice Stone Distress Ink and added to the card front.  I also lightly distressed the edges of the card with  Pumice Stone Distress Ink.  A repurposed sheer red and white dotted ribbon was fashioned into a simple bow and added to the top right corner of my card.  I hope you will get inky and share your own creation with us!  On another note, my husband and I settled on our new home in my home town yesterday!  I have been away for over a decade and am so excited to move back home and be just two miles from all of my children, grandchildren and extended family.  We plan to move in early September.  As you might expect, I am holding out my art supplies to the bitter end for packing! I'll share photos of my new art studio when it is set up! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Hugs, Yvonne

Child's Play

Greetings!  Thank you to my faithful followers and friends for continuing to visit my blog and encourage me in my artful journey! Already, two weeks have gone by and it is time for another challenge over at Fashionable Stamping Challenge.  Our challenge this time is around the theme of "Child's Play!"  

For my creation, I immediately knew I wanted to work with some images I picked up last year from Lost Coast Designs.  They were all stamped with Black Archival Ink onto scrap card, trimmed, lightly tinted with Distress Inks and mounted to my card front, which was first stenciled with Pumice Stone and Spun Sugar Distress Inks using stencils by The Crafters Workshop. The sentiments and "Jacks" are by Artistic Outpost.  A repurposed scrap of sheer ribbon was fashioned into a bow and added as the sole embellishment.  You will certainly want to view the other inspiration pieces of the rest of the Design Team over at FSC and we do hope you will share a creation of your own with us for a chance to win a $20 gift voucher from our gracious sponsor, FlonzCraft.  

Thanks so much for stopping by.  Best, Yvonne 

Learning without Imagination...

Greetings!  The Pink Team is up for the new challenge over at Eclectic Ellapu, where the challenge is to create a project that is "Anything but a Card."  As most of my followers know, I am a card maker!  So,a challenge it was and is for me!  I decided to create a tag.  I adhered a vintage dictionary page onto a jumbo tag and then sprayed it with a variety of Dylusion Spray.  The focal images and sentiment, by Lost Coast Design, were inked with Black StazOn Ink, water colored with Distress Ink, trimmed and adhered to the tag front.  A smattering of black embossing paste stenciled with a Tim Holtz Stencil, and some Ideaology Mirrored Stars and black Dresden Trim by Red Lead complete my tag.  I hope you will stop over to Eclectic Ellapu to be inspired by the rest of the Design Team and then submit a project of your own.  Thanks so much for stopping by! Hugs, Yvonne

Love Is In the Air

Greetings! It is time, once again, for a new challenge over at Fashionable Stamping Challenge.  This time, our challenge is called "Tag Along with Us," and we are asked to make a tag. I began with a Jumbo Manila Tag from the Funkie Junkie Boutique. I layered ivory corrugated paper over top,trimmed to fit and tore bits of the corrugated paper off to distress a bit.  The edges were distressed with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.  The focal image by Lost Coast Designs was inked for the first time, and is one I have admired for quite some time.  It was matted with some burlap fabric with frayed edges.  The background of the tag was inked with images from Artistic Outpost's Generation Redux.

Embellishments include several tickets and paper string from Tim Holtz, a bottle cap with an image by Crafty Individuals.  The twill tape at the top of the tag and the heart gems are from my stash. I hope you will pop on over to FSC to see the gorgeous tags my Design Team Sisters have created, and then create and share one or more of your own with us!  As always, one lucky participant will win a gift voucher for $20 from our generous sponsor, FlonzCraft. Thanks so much for stopping by.  Hugs, Yvonne

Thanksgiving Blessings

Greetings Followers!  Today's post is for Word Wednesday over at 365 Cards.  Our word this week is "Thankful."  I was excited to be able to ink up this adorable pilgrim child by Lost Coast Design.  I stamped the focal image onto a manila tag, added some vines by Artistic Outpost along the bottom of the tag and distressed the entire tag with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.  The digital image to the right of the focal image, the leaves at the top and the sentiment are all by Gecko Galz.  I stained a paper doily with Wild Honey Distress Stain and layered all the pieces over a white card blank that was distressed with Vintage Photo and Wild Honey Distress Stain.  A bit of spritz and flick technique and the corners were stamped with a complimentary stamp I received recently from Crafty Individuals. The pumpkin dye cuts were left over from an earlier project as was the seam binding bow that was colored with Distress Paint. A bit of brown burlap string and some buttons from my stash from my stash complete my card.  For those of you who celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow, Happy Thanksgiving.  It is nice to stop for a day and give thanks for all the blessings in our lives, to eat too much and spend time with family.  Hugs, Yvonne

In a Land, Far, Far Away...

Greetings!  It's Wednesday and time for another Word Wednesday Challenge over at 365 Cards.  Our word this week is "Super."  My first thought was to make a card with Superman on it, but since all those types of items are safely packed away and down at the beach, I decided to go in another direction.  Instead, I thought of this huge, beautiful flower by Paper Artsy.  To further enhance the size of the flower, I selected a smaller image of a beautiful little girl trying to catch bubbles that is by Lost Coast Designs. The background was distressed with Iced Spruce and Black Soot Distress Ink. The sentiment along the bottom is a rub-on by 7 Gypsies.  I thought it appropriate as I was trying to give an illusion of a fantasy card!  I cannot wait to see what you come up with for your own card. Thanks for stopping by. Hugs, Yvonne

Eye See You!

Hello faithful followers! I am having one of those days when I have multiple Design Team Posts to share with you, so thank you in advance for your patience.  The tag above is for the newest challenge over at Fashionable Stamping Challenge, where my Design Team Sister, Laura Bomber, has chosen for us to create a project "Without Using Ink."  We are permitted to use ink for coloring in.  As always, our challenge is supported by FlonzCraft and one lucky participant at the end of the challenge will be chosen to receive a gift voucher for $20.  Now if you follow my blog on a regular bases, you know that I am primarily a card maker!  I thought I was going to die when I had to make my first tag for FSC back in 2011!  For some reason, I just thought this would be a good challenge to use a tag.  I began by smooshing various fall colored Distress Paints onto my Craft Mat.  A bit of water mist came next and then I dragged my tag through the paints for my background color.  I would normally distress the edges with Vintage Photo or another color of Distress Ink, but I resisted and instead used some Gathered Twigs Distress Paint with a blending tool. Next, I embossed the tag with some White Embossing Paste by Dreamworks through a Tim Holtz stencil.  In the center of the tag, I pounced Black Soot DP through another Tim Holtz stencil.  The focal image by Lost Coast Design was stamped with more Black Soot DP and colored in with the allowed Distress Markers.  For more contrast, I added Idea-ology Rub-ons onto the tag. I painted several chipboard pieces with more Black Soot DP and dabbed some Spiced Marmalade DP onto a wood piece by Idea-ology.  The gauze behind the focal image and at the top of the tag where colored with more Distress Paints as was the metal tag.  I must say, I was out of my comfort zone for this challenge on many fronts and kept trying to reach for my ink pads, but that's why it is a challenge, yes?!  I'm glad I gave it a go, and I hope you will stop by FSC to see what the rest of the Design Team has created and then make a project of your own.  Thanks for dropping by!  Yvonne

Steampunk in Black and White

Greetings dear friends!  Thanks so much for stopping by today.  My card above is for the current challenge over at Eclectic Ellapu, which is "Black and White."  I do not often work in just black and white, but I really do like this color combination and found this to be a very enjoyable challenge. Beginning with a blank white card base, I used Wendy Vecchi's Black Embossing Paste with a Tim Holtz Stencil in the upper left corner.  Various black and white tissue tapes by Idea-ology were added next.  Also by Idea-ology, are the rub-ons I added to the card front.  The images, inked for the first time, are by Lost Coast Designs.  The sentiments are by Artistic Outpost.  Buttons and Idea-ology Sprockets, which were painted with Black Soot Distress Paint complete my card.  This is our last challenge until the new year.  I hope you will stop over and see all the gorgeous samples by the rest of the Design Team, and then, create a project of your own.  

I am also entering my card over at Our Creative Corner where they are having a Steampunk Challenge with Tic Tac Toe, having used Gears, Texture (buttons) and Transport.  What a fun challenge!

Thanks so much for stopping.  Hugs, Yvonne

Party On!

Greetings! It is hard to believe it is time again for the Pink Team over at Eclectic Ellapu!  Our theme this time around is to create a project based on our pets. It can be a current pet, or a past pet.  I decided to create this card in remembrance of my most recent cat, Pepper, who was a member of our family for 16 years.  Pepper was a gray tabby cat, very shy, wanted to be in the room with us, but at a safe distance.  She was very sweet and left a lasting impression on all of us.  I chose to use three cat images from Lost Coast Designs called "Party Cats" and inked them with Mowed Lawn, Salty Ocean and Mustard Seed Distress Ink.  The cat images were trimmed and mounted over a card base that was stenciled with a variety of stencils by Andy Skinner, Tim Holtz and Crafters Workshop.  The ink splats are a stamp image by Crafty Individuals and the word "Meow" was stamped with an alphabet set by Studio G.  Paper String by Ideo-ology completes my card.  I sure hope you will drop over to Eclectic Ellapu to see what the Design  Team have created for you and then share a project of your own with us.  

By the way Eclectic Ellapu is about to celebrate its first year in October.  They have come up with a month long Treasure Hunt that is filled with fabulous prizes.  Stay tuned for more information.  I hope you will join in the fun!  Best wishes, Yvonne 

Love is Simply Magical

Hello everyone!  I hope your weekend is going well.  Once again, the days have clicked by and it is time for a new challenge over at Fashionable Stamping Challenge.  For the next two weeks, the theme is Magical or Mystical.  Unlike my Design Team sisters, I was pretty well stumped as to what to create until my Dear Husband suggested I create a card based on the Beatles' song: Magical Mystery Tour.  Unfortunately, only a portion of the stamps I ordered arrived in time, probably due to the Memorial Day.  So....I decided to go with this dear little fairy stamp by Lost Coast Designs.  I began by layering a background paper to my card base and then layered a strip of paper lace from the Funkie Junkie Boutique and some Idea-olgy gauze flowers, tinted with Peacock Distress Ink.  The fairy was stamped with Black StazOn Ink on white card stock and watercolored with Distress Inks.  The bow above the fairy is from Character Constructions.  The ChitChat stickers are by Idea-ology and the corrugated heart was a thank you gift for placing an order at the Funkie Junkie Boutique. Finishing touches include turquoise thread, cheese cloth, pearls and Ranger Stickles.

I hope you will drop over to see the absolutely gorgeous inspiration pieces created by the Design Team.  I hope, too, you will consider joining the challenge by submitting a project of your own.  You will want to check FSC for all the details and remember, ours is a stamping challenge, so no digis are permitted.    Thanks for dropping by today.  Best wishes, Yvonne

CAS Birthday Wishes

A number of my dear friends are celebrating September birthdays next week. I decided to make some Clean and Simple cards to pop in the mail to them. My friend Sally has a cat and one of my other friends is a school teacher and loves children, so their cards reflect these things. It has been a very long couple of weeks digging out from flood waters. The insurance adjuster was finally here yesterday and today they hauled away all of the contents of our basement that were sitting in our driveway these past couple of weeks. It is sad to see items that you have used and are a part of your family for many decades taken to the dump. We have much to be thankful for, though, as others in our community have lost everything and cannot even live in their homes. Hoping everyone has a great weekend. Best, Yvonne

Use it Tuesday - Challenge # 15 - Uninked Stamp

A fun challenge over at Use it Tuesday for Challenge #15. We are to ink a stamp that we have had for a long time that has never been inked before! I purchased a set of three Party Dogs stamps from Lost Coast Designs years ago, but had never inked this party pooch. I found this sentiment nearby, also uninked, though I cannot be sure who it is from. Simple embellishments of buttons, twine and some glitter gems complete the card. Thanks for dropping by, and if you're looking for a fun challenge, that helps you use hoarded supplies, check out Use it Tuesday! Yvonne

365 Cards- Day 145 - Dress it Up

Today's challenge at 365 Cards is "Dress it Up." Specifically, we are to dress up an image three ways. I chose this adorable little fairy by Lost Coast Designs and covered her dress with netting, and decorated her wings with glitter glue and liquid pearls. This card will be headed to my husband's niece for her birthday! Thanks for stopping by! Yvonne

Mythical Paperpieced Creature!

Working on two challenges today. The first is for 365 Cards, where they ask that you create a card that includes a mythical creature. This dear image from Lost Coast Designs immediately came to mind. I also am using this card for a Simon Says Challenge that calls for paperpiecing or piercing. I chose paperpiecing. For my friends who are new to this term, it is when you stamp an image on multiple colored papers or cardstock and then cut them out and piece them together to give an overall colored image. The beautiful bow at the top of the card is from Character Constructions. The bird, sentiment and hearts are from K & Company. Thanks for stopping by. I love comments, so I hope you will leave one if you are moved to do so! Yvonne

Birthday Greetings for a Dear Niece

Our niece recently turned 15. As I thought about a card for her, I knew I wanted to make her something fun, but not too childish. After all, we all remember being fifteen! I chose purple Bazzil cardstock for my base as I think most young ladies love purple. For my focal image, I chose a "Party Cat" from Lost Coast Designs. Though I generally stamp the image with black ink, I decided to use a new green stamp for a fresher, more youthful look. Rather than mat the image, I kept it lighter by just edging the image with the same green ink. The sentiment is by Heidi Grace. I added a bright striped ribbon and some perky paper flowers in complementary colors for a finishing touch. Hope she likes it! Meow!