The Four Seasons

What an interesting challenge today over on the 365 Card Blog. It is to make a card celebrating the four seasons. Now I had to stop and think a long while about this one. I spent time in my stamp image notebook (we all have a binder of our stamped images, right?) There were several possibilities, but in the end, I decided to go with various Cosmo Cricket papers to create my seasons.

The images are from Girl Friday, Early Bird, and Wonderland. The cherries remind me of Spring, that stylized leaf, ears of corn from Summer, the luscious pear, Autumn, and the snow covered pine cones, Winter! Using the square nestabilities from Spellbinder, I cut my squares and used the shadow squares for the widest frames. The word 'season' is stamped directly onto the grid paper (the reverse of Ribbon Sandwich). The letters were mixed up from different sets, though primarily Fancy Pants clear acrylic. I added the 1,2,3,4, from cutting one of those 'ribbons'.

So now, let me know what you think!

Happy Wedding Day

Once again, I've left one of the 365 Card Blog challenges till the last minute! Oh well, you just can't rush the muse. I actually had a invite on FaceBook today from a friend of my son and amongst her pics, I found the photo to use on my 'keep it to yourself: Wedding Card challenge'.

She noted on her page that it was a month and counting now. So I am on top of this card! Yipee!

Pam asked that we not use any sentiments on the front of the card. I used this delightful

cherubs carrying a gilded mirror image from Stamp Francisco. I stamped it twice, once in Memento Tuxedo Black and again the mirror frame embossing with Platinum ep. I PSE'd the photo to make it black and white, and the right size for the frame. The very cool springy collage paper is a Memory Box pattern. I added a layer of lavender on the GP white Kickstand card. And finished it off with a double satin ribbon, saved from a gift. Oh, a I used a piece of packaging, embossing with the Diamond ef from Cuttlebug. The inside Wedding sentiment is from SU inked with Memento lovely posies

I would love to know what you think...

she lived in Nashville

Hey, guys, it's the weekend...yippee!

If I had to pick just one challenge over on SCS that I have, just have to do each week, it would be the Inspiration Challenge...Stef really stretches my safe box by linking to any number of catalogs, web sites, book covers, Coldwater Creek, and today the personal blog of one Sarah Collier. Oh, her work is fab! Collage is my favorite medium so when I spied her, 'she lived' series, I knew exactly what I would create. And to make the day any better, the 365 Card Blog Challenge was to work with silhouettes.

I used Tim Holtz's Patterned Pieces...inking with white and cutting this rather elegant woman out and using the reverse side for the silhouette. Doing a Google search, I was able to find an old map of Nashville circa 1917. My grandmother would have been 6. I used printer paper for the map and then distressed it with TH di old paper, wadding and wrinkling it as I went. I added 3 vintage buttons from my grandmothers' button box, a scalloped edge in SU's baja breeze. The card base is an antique looking wallpaper from My Minds' Eye.

I love the fashion from my mothers' era...the slim lines, big pocketbooks (as we call them in the South), GLOVES, and pillbox hats. The best vintage store in my town is a treasure trove of these old clothes; I love to take a walk down memory lane by visiting. Thanks so much for stopping by, I always appreciate your comments.

scatter joy

Over at 365 Card Blog the challenge today is to frame it. And it was so easy, I am almost embarrassed to post. I knew exactly what sentiment I wanted to use with this photo of Siberian Poppies taken from my garden. I used PSE to enhance the picture, though, the poppies really are this gorgeous shade of blue. The petals are cut and popped to add dimension. The oval frame is a B Line Design image which was stamped on GP white with Tim Holtz walnut stain ink and embossed with TH black soot distressed powder. The scatter joy (a Daisy Bucket clear acrylic stamp) was inked with Memento Tuxedo Black.

I'm sending this out today to someone who need a bit of cheer. I think we could all remember to scatter our joy along our paths today! Have a wonderful weekend, wherever on this earth you are!

Patience...

This card required patience, I'll tell you! I'm not a symmetrical kinda girl. So sketches that are usually give me fits. So with that said, hopefully you'll understand why chose this St Augustine quote. And I supposes I gained some wisdom this morning. The Anna Griffin ribbon stamp was inked with Memento Paris Dusk and Nick Bantocks' Sap Moss Green. I embossed the ribbon centers with clear ep and paper pierced around the ribbons. The background was stamped with Cornish Heritage Farms net inked with VersaMagic Aloe Vera. I added scalloped circles with the reverse colors on each one. I used SU's canvas on the green to match my ribbon. The quote is alos by CHF as well as the butterfly. Both were inked with Memento Tuxedo Black. I added a bit of trim and two and one half hours of my time!

The sketch was from 365 Card Blog super sketchy Sunday, the color scheme and paper piecing qualifies for Sharon Johnson's No Time to Stamp 93 (that is certainly a misnomer for me!!!) And what started this all off was a challenge I do with some twisted sistahs every Friday, and today it was to create an elegant card. I hope that I accomplished that.

It's the weekend, all. Hope yours is blessed. Thanks for stopping by!

Life short...art long

The challenge today on the 365 Card Blog is ONE stamp and ONE sentiment, no patterned paper (yikes). Actually, I think this is a fabulous challenge as there are so many images that can stand alone in their impact and beauty. Amy Tsuruta's card is one such example. I wish I had more time today to create other cards, but this one will have to do.

I chose the famous Katsushika Hokusai wave painting from 1831. And while mine is nowhere near the masterpiece of the original, I love the power that comes through in the monochromatic scheme. The image is from Stamp Francisco and the sentiment is from a local craftsman who is, sad to say, no longer doing rubber stamps. I used two colors of ink, both from Nick Bantock. Cerulean Azure and Deep Turquoise.

I love art, how about you?

homecoming...

Good Day everyone, with our Fourth of July celebration so close I've been thinking of homecomings. What joy it brings to us all, when a loved one walks back up the driveway and into our arms. My card today celebrates this feeling. And using bright and bold colors, it covers the Ways to Use it challenge on SCS. I used many hues to create the feeling of home and Artistic Outpost's new She-roes set (the woman solider) and older releases (Serenity and Home). The woman was inked on acetate, I used a vintage star button that I embossed with gold ep. The scene of the homestead was inked and then the background chalked. I used a rainbow of colors around the edge with the beautiful flower flourish from the Serenity set. Various fibers and twill add texture to the card.

Check out the awesome Heros and She-roes sets here.