Mother's Day

 

 

Greetings! With Mother's Day soon upon us, it is fitting that the new challenge over at Eclectic Ellapu is "Mother's Day!" For my own card, I pulled out this image by Pam Carriker for Stampington, as I found to be very nurturing. The quote is by Alison Bomber for Paper Artsy. The background stencil is by Tim Holt and the background panel was sprayed with Dylusions Ink. I hope that you will stop over to see what the rest of the design team have created to inspire you and we hope that you will consider sharing a creation of your own over at Eclectic Ellapu! Thanks for stopping by!

Mademoiselle de Paris

Greetings! It is time again for a new challenge over at Fashionable Stamping Challenge.  This time, our theme is all about "Feminine."  You will be absolutely delighted with the varied samples of the design team and we hope that you will be inspired to create a project of your own to share with us at FSC.  Remember, stamping must be the focal point of your project. One lucky participant will win a free stamp courtesy of Ink Art Designs. 

For my own project, I began with a water color panel. I spritzed various colors of Distress Inks onto the panel and added water. The beautiful stamp is by Carabelle Studio and stamped with archival ink by Catherine Pooler. The textured lace is a stencil by Tim Holtz as are the flowers. The ribbon is from my stash. Not my first thought, when thinking of feminine, but in the end, I went where my heart led and I am pleased.  Hugs, Yvonne

One for Sorrow, Two for Joy

 

Greetings! I am back today to share with you a card that I created for a challenge over at Frilly and Funkie Challenge Blog where the theme is "Count Me In." For my own creation, I began with a watercolor panel that I applied four different Distress Oxide Inks to. I then stenciled using Tim Holtz's stencils various sizes of numbers with some of the Distress Oxide Inks. I added black texture paste through another stencil. The focal image and sentiment by Paper Artsy were inked up for the first time and added with Tim Holtz Vintage Collage Medium. Some dyed cheese cloth, thread and buttons complete my card. Thank you for stopping by and thank you for all the words of encouragement as I've returned to this fabulous world of art. Hugs, Yvonne

 





Hold On Tight!

 



Greetings my friends! My post today is for the June Challenge for the Pink Team over at Eclectic Ellapu where "Anything Goes!"

I hope you will stop over and see what the Pink Team has dreamed up to inspire you and then submit a project of your own!  I decided to onk up a brand new to me stamp from Kate Crane available through Stampotique. I began with a hot press water color paper panel and sprayed with several shades of Dylusions Ink Sprays.  I added polka dots with Festive Berries Distress Ink through a Tim Holtz Stencil.  The Stars were wiped out of the background with stencil and a baby wipe.  I also added more stars through the same stencil, by Red Lead Paperworks with embossing paste.  I added some washi tape by Tim Holtz at the bottom of the card to anchor the angel.  The text filled circles are hand cut from a book page and doodled with black and white ink. The sentiment comes with the angel!

Thanks for stopping by! We hope you will join in.  Best, Yvonne

Strong Women

Greetings and thank you for dropping by my blog today.  I found myself not entering challenges after joining a number of Design Teams and after my husband had a major stroke last year.  It occurred to me recently that I might like to try my hand at it again.  I popped over to one of my all time favorite challenges, Our Creative Corner, and found a Tic Tac Toe Challenge going on.  I chose "Paint, Stamps and Stencils" as my challenge.  I began with a piece of watercolor paper, which I misted with water and then added several colors of Dylusions Spray Inks.  When dry I sprayed more water onto the panel.  I stenciled with a Tim Holtz Stencil and Wendy Vecchi Black Embossing Paste.  I splattered Dr. Ph Martin's Black ink on the panel and then splatted Goldens High Flow Acrylic Paint in white and allowed the larger drops to drip.  The flower is by Donna Downey and colored with TowBow Markers.  The images and sentiment are by Dina Wakely.  I would also like to submit my card for the Drips and Drops Challenge over at the Country View Crafts.  Thanks for stopping by. Yvonne

Sparkle with Love

 

Greetings and Thank You for stopping by my blog!  I am back today to share with you a card I made for the latest challenge over at Fashionable Stamping Challenge.  Our theme, this time around, is to create a project with numbers somewhere on your project.  What variety the Design Team has come up with to inspire you!  I hope you will pop over to see their creations and then create one of your own to share with us.  Remember, our generous sponsor, FlonzCraft, is offering a gift voucher for $20 to one lucky participant!  Please remember that we are a stamping challenge, so stamping needs to be the focal point of your piece.  For my own card, I started with a piece of water color paper and added puddles of soft red, blue and purple paint. The butterflies and script are a stamp set by Red Lead Paperworks, as is the little Pixie which I stamped onto smooth card, trimmed and water colored.  The number was stenciled with a Tim Holtz stencil.  The gorgeous Washi Tape and foil hearts are by Retro Art Café.  A simple seam binding bow completes my card.  Thank you, again, for visiting and thank you for your kind comments.  They make my day! Hugs, Yvonne

 

They call it Puppy Love

 

Hello!  Thanks for dropping by.  I am still in a Valentines mode and recently made this card in a little bit more modern color scheme.  The image called Jane and Jeff and the sentiments are all by Red Lead Paperworks.  The vintage polka dot background is also by Red Lead.  The stenciled hearts were made with a Tim Holtz Stencil.  I had fun added some doodling to the background.  The paper doilies and seam binding are from my stash.  Thanks for stopping by! Fondly, 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

Who She had Always Been

 

Thank you, as always, for stopping by my blog today!  I especially want to thank each of you who have encouraged me through your warm, heartfelt comments concerning this passage of life my husband and I are experiencing.  We were in the emergency room again all day yesterday, but so happy to be back home today!  My card above is for the new challenge for the Pink Team over at Eclectic Ellapu for November. Our challenge is to create a project using our favorite color scheme.  I hope you will pop on over and see what each of the design team members dreamed up to inspire you! Oh to pick my favorite color scheme!  I confess, I just could not do it.  My card above was created with soothing Vintage Photo Distress Ink and warming Worn Lipstick Distress Ink.  I love these colors together, but refuse to commit to them being my absolute favorite!  Speaking of favorites, this newly inked up image by Donna Downey for Unity Stamps is at the top of my list, as are the sentiments included with the stamp!  The stenciling was done with Tim Holtz Stencils and the butterfly clusters, which were stamped repeatedly, are by Hampton Arts.  The lace and bit of ribbon were laying on my work table and the buttons are from my stash.  We cannot wait to see what you create!  Thanks for stopping by! Hugs, Yvonne 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love Rocks.

Greetings!  It's a new month and time for a new challenge over at Eclectic Ellapu!  Our theme for the Pink Team for the month of September is "Hearts."  I immediately think of Valentine's Day, but realize that you can use hearts in your art all year long.  I began by creating a background using Distress Inks and various stencils by Tim Hotlz for Ranger and Rebekah Meier for The Crafters Workshop.  The focal image is by Pam Carriker for Stampington and was also colored with Distress Inks.  The sentiments are by Dina Wakley for Ranger.  I hope you will check out what the rest of the talented Design Team have created to inspire you and then consider sharing a project of your own with us.  Thanks for stopping by.  Hugs, Yvonne

Get Your Kicks on Route 66!

Greetings!  Thanks for stopping by.  My post today is an 8" x 10" canvas that I created for the new challenge that starts today over at Eclectic Ellapu.  Our theme is "Around the World, Land, Country or Holiday." After looking through my stamp images, I decided to stay in the USA this time, and pulled out this vintage set of images from Artistic Outpost called Route 66. My canvas is a "Road Trip" on Route 66! There is a song call "Get Your Kicks on Route 66 from 1946 that has been recorded by numerous artists and pays homage to US Route 66 highway, which used to run a long distance across the US, from Chicago, IL to Los Angeles, CA.  I began by selecting Ranger Distress Paints in colors that reminded me of the desert.  I stenciled some Wendy Vecchi Black Embossing Paste using a Tim Holtz Stencil in the bottom corner.  Images from Artistic Outpost were stamped with Ranger Archival Ink on tissue paper or scrap card stock and water colored with Ranger Distress Inks and adhered to the canvas.  A bit of burlap and some mini sprockets by Idea-ology add a bit of dimension.  I hope you will visit EE and check out all the other inspiration samples by the talented Design Team and then consider submitting a piece of your own for us to enjoy!  Thanks for stopping by.  Hugs, Yvonne

Dreaming of my Summer Vacation

Greetings! It is hard to believe that two weeks have flown by so soon and it is already time for a new challenge over at Fashionable Stamping Challenge (FSC)!  Our challenge this time is "Dreaming of Summer."  When I started thinking about my own project, the first thing that comes to mind when summer approaches is vacation.  I LOVE to travel all over the place and see new things, try new foods, learn the history of a region, meet new people, but just now with my husband's health, we are staying much closer to home.  If I had to pick my most favorite place, hands down it would be the beach!  I was so excited a couple of years ago when Artistic Outpost released their Boardwalk Stamp Plate.  As a young girl and even a young adult, Atlantic City, NJ, was our vacation spot. I have fond memories of the Steel Pier, the Diving Bell, the white, sandy beach, getting dressed in the evening and promenading on the gigantic, wide boardwalk.  It was almost like being in Hollywood!  But I digress...For my card, I stenciled various Tim Holtz Stencils with Distress Inks onto the card front. The images were stamped either directly onto the card front or onto scrap card stock and watercolored with more Distress Inks. The edges of the card were also distressed with Distress Inks. Some of the images were popped up with foam dots.  I had fun digging through my stash of preserved, miniature starfish and sand dollars and adding them to the front as well.  To finish off my card I tied a scrap of gauzy cheese cloth to the top of the card and added a metal sand dollar charm by Red Lead Stamps for a bit of shine. I hope you will pop on over to FSC to see what else the Design Team has dreamed up for you and submit a creation of your own.  Remember, we are a stamping challenge, so your focal images need to be stamped.  One lucky submitter will be selected to win a $20 gift voucher from our sponsor, FlonzCraft.  Best wishes, Yvonne 

On the Fourth of July, Part One

Greetings to all my followers and Happy 4th of July to all of you in the USA.  My husband asked me to create a card to celebrate the holiday. Gecko Galz released two gorgeous collage sheets in June called Little Miss Firecracker (1&2).  This image reached out to my heart immediately.  The background is done with the Tim Holtz stencil using Tarnished Brass Distress Paint.  The rest of the card front was sopped up with Faded Jeans and Barn Red Distress Ink.  The edges were blended with the same inks, as well. The sentiments are from Artistic Outpost.  The metal disc by Idea-ology says "Inspire," however, the sunlight obliterated it. Speaking of inspired, Tracy Evans has a beautiful tag over at Artistic Outpost that I saw before creating my card.  I feel her influence in my card.   I found this faded red bow in my stash and am using up some of the last of my star ribbon tape.  Wherever you are, have a wonderful day.  I'll be sharing another Fourth of July card in my next post.  Hugs, Yvonne

Vintage Furry Friends

Hello!  So good to be back over at Eclectic Ellapu after a four month hiatus.  The format has changed a bit with both the Pink and Purple Team posting challenges simultaneously, every three weeks.  For the Pink Team, our challenge was to create a project around "Furry Friends."  I immediately thought of these vintage images from Artistic Outpost which were stamped with Ranger Archival Ink and watercolored with Ranger Distress Inks.  The arrows and splatters are Tim Holtz Stencils.  Please pop over to see what the rest of the team have created and we look forward to seeing what you create, too!  Hugs, Yvonne

So Good To Be Back - Flowers for Fashionable Stamping Challenge

Greetings!  It is good to be back after a four month hiatus from Blogland!  I am so thankful for each of you, dear friends, who have inquired, prayed, and sent encouragement to me while my husband was recovering from a major stroke back in February.  He was away in rehab for three months and I am so happy to have him back home.  The first few weeks were an adjustment, but we have settled into a routine and he was the first to encourage me to return to my art.  And so, for my very first post, I think it is fitting that it be for the very first Design Team that I was ever on, Fashionable Stamping Challenges.  My thanks to everyone of the Design Teams for allowing me this time away and letting me know I was welcome back when I was ready.  The challenge this time around at FSC is Flowers!  I love flowers, often they are the subject of my water colors, but I do not have a lot of flower stamps.  As I went through my stamps, I came across these two beauties from Paper Artsy! I stamped them with Black Archival Ink, trimmed them and water colored them with Ranger Distress Inks.  The card base was stenciled with a Tim Holtz Stencils and Wendy Vecchi Black Embossing Paste.  The bumble bees by Red Lead are rather large, but are proportioned well to the focal images, don't you think?  The balance of the card base was filled in with some images from Artistic Outpost. A few scraps of vintage dictionary page and some very old craft thread complete my card.  I hope you will stop over to FSC to see the gorgeous samples my Design Team Sisters have created and considered sharing one of your own with us.  As always, there is a prize to be awarded for one of the submitters by our generous FlonzCraft.  Thanks, again, for dropping by and for all your comments.  They mean so much to me.  Best, Yvonne

Going Fast

Greetings everyone!  I am a bit late with my post today.  My dear husband, as some of you know, has been battling a very severe health issue for over a decade, and these past few months have been particularly challenging.  That aside, I am happy to share with you my latest post for the newest challenge over at Fashionable Stamping Challenge where the theme is "Anything Goes!"  It was a good excuse to pull out some new stamps from Paper Artsy and a new stencil from Tim Holtz!  I began by smooshing Distress Inks on my Craft Mat, spritzing with water and pulling by card front through the puddles of inkiness.  The images were stamped with Black StazOn Ink onto the inked card front.  The sentiments by Artistic Outpost were stamped onto scrap card stock, edged with a black pen and added to the card front.  Using one of Tim's newest stencils, I added a bit of Mowed Lawn Distress Paint to Embossing Paste and pushed it through the stencil.  Embellishments include Black Liquid Pearls, Chit Chat Stickers and Idea-ology Mini Gears.  I hope you will pop over to FSC to check out the rest of the Design Team's gorgeous inspiration pieces and then submit one of your own for a possible gift voucher for $20 from our generous sponsor, FlonzCraft.  Thank you for dropping by.  Hugs, Yvonne

Think and Wonder

Greetings!  In my quest to join in on challenges beyond my various Design Team responsibilities, I am submitting the canvas above for three Challenges, two of which are about to close!  The first is for the challenge over at Simon Says Monday Challenge where the challenge is to create something using something you love.  I chose to create my canvas using this focal image that I love from Artistic Outpost.  The second challenge is over at Our Creative Corner where the challenge is to create a project using Blue, Brown and Purple with no Black, hence my chosen color pallete. And finally, as all the images and sentiments I have used  are from Artistic Outpost, I am entering my canvas in the Artistic Outpost February Referral Program.  I began with a blank canvas, spritzed it with water and then applied Distress Paint in Dusty Concord, Gathered Twigs, Chipped Sapphire, Vintage Photo, Broken China, Antique Linen and Seedless Preserves.  Next I stamped the focal image by Think and Wonder with Timber Brown StazOn Ink onto tissue paper and adhered it with Glue & Seal.  Other images from Generation Redux and Polaroid Cutie were stamped around the edges of the canvas. White Embossing Paste, by Dreamworks, was tinted with Chipped Sapphire Distress Paint and stenciled through several Tim Holtz Stencils. The sentiments, from Think and Wonder, were stamped onto scrap card stock, distressed with Vintage Photo and Broken China Distress Ink, trimmed and adhered to the canvas.  Some paper string in brown, by Ideaology was twirled into circles and adhered, completing my canvas. Thanks so much for stopping by today.  Hugs, Yvonne  

DO NOT Conform!

Greetings!  Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today.  I do not often enter challenges any more, as my design team assignments keep me quite busy, but I am challenging myself in 2014 to try to do so a bit more often as I really enjoy doing so.  I decided to join the fun over at Simon Says with their current challenge of creating a project around the Wild West called "This is Where the Cowboy Rides."  For my card, I stenciled the card base with various shades of Distress Ink, using a number of Tim Holtz Stencils.  Next I stamped stars and a sentiment onto the card base.  The focal images were stamped onto scrap card stock and water colored with Distress Markers and mounted to the card front.  All images are from Artistic Outpost.  I am also entering my card in the January Artistic Outpost Referral Program, which ends today!  Thanks so much for dropping by.  Hugs, Yvonne

Today I Will Stand Quietly...

Greetings! The weeks fly by so quickly and already it is time for another challenge over at Inkspirational!  This time, we are creating a project based on the photo below.  The picture is The Firebird by Edmund Dulac who was famous for illustrating fairy tales. 

What a fascinating photo!  I knew I wanted to use this beautiful, new to me stamp of trees by Hero Arts and stamped it with Midnight Blue StazOn Ink.  The fairy and sentiment are by Red Lead and were inked for the first time, as well.  A bit of Wendy Vechhi's Embossing Paste and a Tim Holtz stencil add sparkle to my card, along with some Dresden trim by Retro Art Cafe.  I hope you will pop over to Inkspirational to see what the rest of the Design Team have come up with and then create a project of your own to share with us.  Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Tie Down Your Business and Sail Away...

Greetings and a special thank you to my recent followers!  My card today is for the this week's "Word Wednesday" over at 365 Cards. Our word this week is "Tropical."  I am in full gear now for Thanksgiving and Christmas cards, so I needed to take a step back to give this one some thought.  And alas, my dear husband and I had planned to be living at the beach by now so all of my obvious "tropical" stamp images are far, far away, as are all of my fall and winter clothing, which is another story.  And so, in sorting through my present stash, I remembered this gorgeous plate of images I purchased recently from Non Sequitur. The white card background was blended with Tumbled Glass and Vintage Photo Distress Inks. The images were stamped with Jet Black StazOn Ink, water colored with Distress Markers and distressed with more Vintage Photo Distress Ink.  After doing the spritz and flick technique, I felt the background still needed something so I added some rays of sunshine, vintage style, using one of Tim Holtz's stencils.  It was not what I might have created if I had my "tropical" stash at hand, but I truly love the vintage feel that resulted.  I hope you will consider joining in our challenge.  Thanks so much for dropping by.  Yvonne