art from the well

greetings all. a long time ago i promised to post the second mono mosaic card i'd made. this is a wonderful technique from www.techniquejunkies.com. the details:
dragonfly: renaissance art stamps
japanese script: madrat rubber
all other: stampendous.
i'm sorry that when it scans the foreground is very clear and the background is less so. but you get the idea. my scan is also off center and i just couldn't get it right!
anyway, enjoy; love to all.

howdy all! here's a response to the latest sweet pea sketch challenge at http://sweetpeastampschallenge.blogspot.com/. the image is a Ching Chou Kuik from a crafty purple frog digital sheet (pre-colored). http://thecraftypurplefrog.blogspot.com/

the colored papers were created long ago and stored away but were done with a make-up sponge and various pigment inks. the dream stamp is from inkadinkado.

seriously i am sure i will start making christmas cards very soon. i hope...
enjoy; love to all.

hello good people. today's card will be entered in 2 challenges, gingersnap's GC77: Haute Couture, http://gingersnapcreations.blogspot.com/2010/11/gc77-haute-couture.html and truly scrumptious' Challenge 46 - Think Pink, http://trulyscrumptiouschallenges.blogspot.com/2010/11/challenge-46-think-pink_24.html which is both a sketch challenge and an optional extra to use pink. i found this sketch challenge thanks to GC founder Sharon Bris' rogue redhead blog http://rogueredheaddesigns.blogspot.com/2010/11/sharon-briss-pretty-in-pink.html.

the deets: hot pink 6x6 card, layered background design is the "fossil stone" technique from technique junkies http://www.techniquejunkies.com/ done with red and pink inks. the focal image is from a collage sheet by Rachel Emilie Jackson. ribbons pearls, "memory" die cut and side punches from the ever-present stash.


i looked up haute couture and the definitions suggested "exclusive fashion design" and i am not sure our girl's clothing is "exclusive" but the reason i think she qualifies is because of her simple, lovely sense of style and that pink flower in her hair just rocks it all in my opinion.

so that's my card.
grandmother Dear is doing remarkably well; thanks for all good wishes. keep 'em coming.

love to all.

for the crafty purple frog "let your creativity blossom" challenge. http://craftypurplefrogchallenges.blogspot.com/2010/11/let-your-creativity-blossom.html. the task is to use flowers. which i already often do... and resisted the urge to use thousands of them but just did my best to accent this lovely craftypurple frog digital "oriental guardian" decoupage sheet image. the bottom layer is a batik background from twisted papers. the paper that the digi is adhered to was spritzed with starburst stains in blue and green shades. i added sparkly swirls and flowers. i dedicate this to my grandmother who is having surgery today. as you know if you've visited here before, she is my dear love and inspiration but she is having a difficult time just now. i hope to go visit next month.

much love.

it is so cold out (18F this morning) but i have a warm place to stay.
so many are struggling right now but i still have a job.
those really rise to the top just at this moment, though there is so much more.
i'm also really grateful for the community of art bloggers who are always so kind and so helpful! and so talented. i'm in awe of you folks every day and humbled that you visit me too. so here are 2 more thanksgiving cards. even if you are outstide the US and this is not a holiday you observe, i still wish you much to be thankful for.

more vintage images from twisted papers and embellishments from here and there...
by the way, i acquired all the twisted papers images when i posted to their facebook page and was randomly selected to win 500 downloads. can you imagine? totally grateful for that. i highly recommend their awesome collection of goodies at www.twistedpapers.com. there are also some awesome vintage images from clearly vintage downloads http://clearlyvintage.blogspot.com/ and digital two for tuesdays http://digitaltuesday.blogspot.com/. i apologize that my live link thingy isn't working.


enjoy; love to all.

that is if you consider all the turkey day cards the "regular programming." for now at least!

last week i was the lucky winner of wildfrog creations blog candy giveaway. http://wildfrogcreations.blogspot.com/. there were 2 winners and 2 prizes. Terry from http://terry2dogs.blogspot.com/ won the blog candy goodies and i won the stamp of my choice from http://www.wildfrogcreations.com/. i picked the "african violet" woman. my stamp arrived today (thank you Shelley!). i was so delighted to get it that i put it to use right away. of course it helped that work was closed due to icy roads.


so here are my two treatments with the stamp. in both cases it was stamped with black versafine on plain cardstock. then colored with colored pencils, cut out and mounted on colorful cardstock. some little embellishments -- not too much since the stamp has so much going on -- to finish off.

that was fun. back to work tomorrow. and more t-day cards tomorrow...
love to all.

so we're snowed in here for today. which is okay by me. i can do some work from home but i can also relax some and chill out (tee hee) and i need the break. been putting in many hours. who knows? i might blog twice in one day! watch out world.


i recently discovered the "take a word" challenge and right now it is "men". http://takeaword.blogspot.com/. so here's mine. this is another twisted papers vintage image. this was a free download from their monthly newsletter -- i would not have been drawn to this image otherwise. but here is this pilgrim-y guy going out to shoot some fowl i guess. i was thinking he was hunting in the snow. the bottom layer card was a card i'd long ago spritzed with zia stamps chroma jewels. i had the blue on white polka dot paper in my stash and it was reminiscent of a snowy day. and the die cut from k & company was also snow-like. so here's your guy out in the snow. now here's a funny for you -- i could not send this to anyone because in my creative frenzy i decorated the card upside down -- so it opens to the left instead of to the right. oops.

love to all.

it is snowing like crazy in seattle!

i said i'd be at it every day with thanksgiving goodies and as promised here i am. most of the thanksgiving cards i've made use vintage images, embellishments and no stamping. these two are the exception and they both use the same focal stamp, the lady cornucopia (as i call her) from madrat rubber. in the first, she is stamped on a background with my super-fancy technique of rubbing a stamp pad around. ha ha! that piece was cut and affixed to black card stock. final card is embellished with silver leaves and pearls. DH liked this one best.

the second was originally intended to be a technique junkies "warhol" style technique featuring just the turkeys (from a hero arts thanksgiving stamps set). but lady cornucopia was still on the table and i ended up making her the focus and adding the turkeys in for fun. some k & co. ribbon rounds that one out at the bottom.


which do you like best? enjoy. see you tomorrow!
love to all.

another thanksgiving greeting. i like the colors on this one. another www.twistedpapers.com vintage image. more fun papers and the border is from k & company.

i'm also entering this in Drunken Stampers Challenge #43 ~ No Stamps for you! challenge. http://drunkenstampers.wordpress.com/2010/11/20/drunken-stampers-challenge-43-no-stamping/ since there are no stamps here!

and hey, today we buy a turkey.

love to all!

but we especially acknowledge it in the US every november. so i'm a little late getting the thanksgiving cards going and can only hope the ones i mail on monday will arrive on time. meanwhile i'll have some to share with you dear readers every day until the turkey reveal. (well, i probably didn't make enough to last until thursday but that's okay too)

here are the 1st two. all vintage images come from www.twistedpapers.com.
for cordial thanksgiving the bottom layer card is actually a technique junkies background called chalk lines. see http://www.techniquejunkies.com/. then i have some cardstock that already had that nice diagonal cut on it and some autumn leaves stickers.


the sweet thanksgiving lady is on a bottom layer that was colored with starburst stains (applied with cotton balls) in opal sea oats and cocoa bean. the ribbon is from k & company and the flowers are from my stash.


i hope that every day you find something to be grateful for.
love to all.

sometimes you've just got to stamp. even when you should be getting ready for bed. this is one of my favorite stamps, from character constructions http://www.characterconstructions.com/ and i wanted to do something focused on her. no fancy background stuff -- just a stamp pad rubbed on the cardstock, our tea lady and some fleurs. that was satisfying.

enjoy and love to all.

i just felt like stamping away. but i had to keep it simple. it was about 10:30 last night when i got started... but i had seen the drunken stampers sewing challenge http://drunkenstampers.wordpress.com/2010/11/13/drunken-stampers-challenge-42-sewing/ & i thought it was a perfect opportunity to pull out the good 'ole technique junkies patchwork technique. http://techniquejunkies.com/


all the stamps are from a hero arts sewing set. i chuckle because the only way my stitches could have been less straight would be if i'd actually used a sewing machine. i purt near flunked home ec. anyway it felt good to do a quick and fun project. even if i did stay up too late on a work night doing it...

i really need to get going on my thanksgiving cards though. all those great vintage images await me. perhaps this weekend.

love to all.

i don't like it when i'm too busy to make and blog. so here are a couple oldies but goodies so that you all won't give up on me. i don't know when i did these because i haven't made an atc for a long time -- though i'm inspired by what i see on other art blogs. for now please enjoy these simply stamped goodies. the details--
face stamp: ducks in a row
butterfly stamp: hero arts
little heart: unknown
egyptian stamp: auntie amy
sun stamp: uptown rubber


love to all!

visit http://going-buggy.blogspot.com/2010/10/win-entire-range-of-148-promarkers.html
to learn how -- it is a complete set of markers and to win this amazing prize there are only a few simple steps --
1. Leave your name on the giveaway post
2. Link to the contest from your blog please
3. Visit Going Buggy every day to see the video links and tips.
fabulous! I could really use some markers -- so nothing ventured nothing gained...
love to all.

this is not an exaggeration -- yesterday i was cutting paper for hours! i wanted to try the technique junkies mono mosaic technique (december 05) and i also wanted to get lots of papers cut to do some new pinwheels (also TJs, i think summer 2010). check out technique junkies for more info: http://techniquejunkies.com/

after all that cutting (and gluing!) i only ended up with 2 completed mono mosaic cards and 3 constructed pinwheels (but not the finished cards). if i get some crafting time today i'll have to do some short and simple goodies with more immediate results!

so here is one of the completed mono mosaic pieces. i wish the scan had come out better because i think the results on this were actually quite fine. the background stamps are all either stampendous or great impressions (the big swirl). the focal floral stamp is from connor's collectibles. the iridescent blue background paper comes from paper temptress https://www.papertemptress.com/.



the second mono mosaic i made can be posted later. i'll be sending it to my november "just one" partner and i always like to wait until my partner gets the card if i can. might not get back to finishing those pinwheel cards for awhile but i'll tell you that i got the idea to use that format for some holiday cards because with the right papers you can get a snowflake effect. so stay tuned for that...

meanwhile happy november and love to all.