MMM Challenge 31 - Nature (Animals)

The Nature Theme continues for the month of January 2012 over at Make My Monday. This week, the specific theme is "Animals." How we interpret it, is ours to decide. Although I have a variety of animal stamps that I purchased early on to make cards for the men in our family, I was immediately drawn to a set of Animal stamps by Cavellini for this challenge. I found these vintage-style stamps in a gift shop in Vail, Colorado several years ago and had them shipped home. From the first time I saw them, I just saw them stamped in red ink and nearly every time I stamp with them, I chose red ink! I chose "Festive Berry" Distress Ink this time. A little different this time is balancing the red with mostly yellow. When I finished my card, I felt as though it just needed something. I decided some gingham check was in order and I really like what it adds to the card. The numerals are from Artistic Outpost. Embellishments include vintage buttons I received for Christmas, Baker's Twine and a red dotted bow I found at Michael's. I am thinking this might be a cute card for my youngest grandson who soon turns "one!" Looking forward to seeing what everyone else comes up with for the challenge. Thanks, as always for stopping by.

Dressform Theme Times Three

I came across a new challenge site, for me, while visiting one of my sister design team member's blog, Dot's Dabbles. She was entering her gorgeous, African Trio cards at the Crafty Cardmaker Challenge. The challenge was interesting to me in that you are to "Use it Three Times." It could be a stamp, a theme, a style, three ways. I had just finished some thank you notes all with a dressforms theme with stamps by Oxford Impressions and so I thought I would enter the challenge as well. These cards were created out of my now famous duffel bag, which I carry with me when we travel as I cannot bare to be without my card stash, and are made up of bits and pieces of mostly scraps. I am always facinated as to how color selection can make the very same stamps take on a completely different look or evoke a different feeling or era. Looking forward to meeting some new fellow artists over at Crafty Cardmaker. Thanks for stopping by! Best, Yvonne

MMM Challenge 30 - Nature (Birds)

Happy New Year! As much as I love Christmas, it is almost refreshing to make some non-Christmas cards for a change, although I have to confess I am already poised to order some Christmas items for my 2012 cards! I have missed a few challenges during December due to the Holidays and other personal matters, so I was excited to check out Make My Monday today and see that the challenge for January will be Nature, and the specific challenge for this week is birds. I am currently out-of-town and have my trusted "duffel bag of supplies" with me. It is a good thing we are headed home tomorrow as I am nearly out of card stock! When I saw the theme of "birds," one of my favorites, I got a bit nervous. I have limited stamp plates with me. However, I got lucky in that one of the stamp plates called Typography by Artistic Outpost includes a sentiment with a border of birds. I stamped the sentiment and birds and then restamped additional birds on either side of the first image to give me a whole line of birds. My card also includes images from the Whimsical Melange plate, also by Artistic Outpost. I tried a technique, new for me, with this card; using sequin waste to add color to my card. I think this could become addictive! Well, thanks for dropping by. Best, Yvonne

FSC - New Year, New Stash!

As this post goes live, it is a New Year in many parts of the world! Over at Fashionable Stamping Challenge, they thought it might be fun to use some of your new stash you received over the holidays to kick off the New Year! For my own card, I received a new stack of designer background card stock from my daughter. The stamps from Vintage Circus and Big Top Circus by Oxford Impressions were a gift to myself and are making their debut with this post. I stamped the various images and sentiments with Black Memento Ink and water colored the images with a variety of Distress Inks. I elected to keep the colors muted to give a vintage feel to my scene. The embellishments are limited to some Black Liquid Pearls and some black and white Baker's Twine, which I also distressed to tone down the bright white. You will absolutely want to check out the other Design Team Members samples for inspiration, and then it is your turn! Please remember to check FSC for the specifics. I wish everyone a very Happy New Year!

( I am also adding this card to Lisa Somerville's Blogger's Challenge - Celebrating the Circus Coming to Town!)

On New Year's Eve

As 2011 draws to an end, I want to thank each of you who happen on to my blog, on occasion, regularly or just this once. It was early 2009 when I decided to create a blog. I spent the next two and a half years talking to myself, which was okay! In May 2011, while recuperating from my second knee replacement, I stumbled onto my first challenge, and I truly mean stumbled. I had no idea all of you were out there, or perhaps a better way to say it is that I had no idea how to connect to all of you. I was utterly amazed to say the least. Since May, I have become a follower of a number of blogs that speak to me, and I have learned so much from all of you. I have had the honor of becoming a Design Team Member along with an outstanding group of artists at Fashionable Stamping Challenge and have made precious lifelong friends. Like many of you, I plan to make my annual New Year Resolutions over the next few hours. Concerning my art, my resolutions include: Continuing to develop my techniques, continuing to encourage others in their art and with my art, continuing to create and share my cards with all of you and continuing to learn from you. I wish each of you a very Happy New Year and thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support! Best, Yvonne

Note: The card above is a birthday card for my brother-in-law. The stamps are part of the Steampunk Elements collection at Oxford Impressions. Inks are Distress Inks and Versafine. I am entering my card in Simon Says Anything Goes and Stampin for the Weekend (both "Anything Goes" themes.)

Whimsical Birthday Greetings

My brother-in-law, and one of his sons, both celebrate birthdays in early January. They are also both graphic design artists. One of them will receive this card for their birthday. I began with a Kraft card base and using Distress Inks stamped images from the Whimsical Melange plate by Artistic Outpost onto the card front. I stamped the frame and sentiment and pendants onto ivory card stock, water colored with Distress Inks, trimmed and mounted the images to the card front. Embellishments include Baker's Twine and Silver Liquid Pearls for a pop of metal. I hope one of them enjoys it.

We are currently away from home. I am once again working out of a duffel bag and wishing for many supplies I left back home! Cannot bring myself to leave some of my stash at our beach condo as then I will long for it back home! It does make you work with what you have, though, which is probably a good thing. How about you? Are finding time to squeeze some craft time in now that Christmas is over?

We will have a quiet New Year's Eve and Day here at the beach. Back home, in Pennsylvania, in the heart of Dutch Country, we celebrate New Year's with Pork, Sauerkraut, Mashed Potatoes, Bread Filling, and Gravy (also hot dogs) for good luck and wealth in the New Year. At the beach, in Delaware, they celebrate with Pork and Black Eyed Peas. Any special foods where you live? Have a great day! Xoxo, Yvonne

TIO - Steampunk Birthday Greetings

I was looking for a challenge today, and really could not bring myself to do anything more for Christmas. I have been making a list of challenges to check out and came across a non-Christmas challenge at Dragons Dream Tag It On, which calls for a tag that is either Steampunk, Victoriana or Gothic-inspired. I have a number of birthdays coming up in January for men in my family so I decided to mount these gorgeous stamps by Sam Poole that I recently purchased. I checked the fine print, and you can either make a tag or mount the tag to a card, which is what I chose to do. I used a lot of Wild Honey and Vintage Photo Distress inks and embellishments include Copper Liquid Pearls and Black and White Baker's Twine. Unfortunately, I now find the challenge is closed, but that's okay. I'll definitely check out their challenges again. In the meantime, check out this blogspot for some gorgeous tags by their Design Team! Best, Yvonne