On Hallowe'en Night...

All sorts of costumed lovelies are parading.... such a fun time of year!  I made a little card using a cute winged lady from Oxford Impressions' Masquerade stamp set.  I stamped her three times - once on cardstock to color, and twice on vellum to cut out two sets of wings for her - the top wings and the bottom, to give a little depth.  Her she is close up:

The background is my first experiment with some National Geographic pages soaked in CitraSolv - Oh. What. Fun!!!  The CitraSolv is a little pricey, but if you look at it in the context of "art supplies" (think how much you might pay for gel medium/distress inks in every color/a paper stash to last a century) it's not so bad, LOL!  Especially since you can clean up with it too, heeeheeeeee!  There are lots of tutorials on the web, and it just comes down to experimenting.  I highly recommend it, especially for some spooky Hallowe'en backgrounds.

Haunted Party House!

I've found a few moments here and there to play with two gorgeous new stamp sets from Oxford Impressions - Masquerade and Dr. Coffin's Apothecary.  I absolutely love Hallowe'en, and I've had this little house from Hobby Lobby for*ev*er!!!  I finally put it to some use.  Here are some close-ups....

I adore this little Victorian bat lady... so cute and so proper for a ghoul!

I did a little "surgery" on Mr. Skelly here.... Made a few snips at his shoulder and at his elbow so that he could take the hand of his lady..... I guess the cat got freaked out by that, LOL!

A fine and festive welcome!  Hope you are having a festive time this fall, too - my favorite time of year!

Rogue Redhead's Rebel Challenge and an Unruly RAQ

Today I have a quick, clean and simple (mostly) card for the new Rogue Redhead Designs Rebel Color Challenge, which this month is Lilac, Navy, and White.  I went with crisp white for the background, embossed with microdots for interest and to coordinate with some of my dotty lilac-hued patterned papers.  I've used Rogue Redhead Designs' banner (bunting) stamp from the Just Sayin' plate and the "Miss You" sentiment (from Relish Reading) stamped in Midnight Blue StazOn.  Done in a flash, and in two of my fave colors!  I hope you can play along... check out the link *here* - there's a very nice prize up for grabs. ;)

Elsewhere in blogland.... Unruly Paper Arts has two Reader Art Quests (RAQs) that are going on through Sept. 25.  Being the gluebook junkie that I am, I couldn't resist RAQ2: Glue Book Pages!  You can click on the link to take you to the challenge.  Here's a few that I did for inspiration - any size, any theme will do!

Link up your artwork, then help vote for your faves!  'Til next time! :)

More Oxford Impressions

And today for something completely different .... a feminine take from the Abraham Lincoln stamp set!  This first card I wanted to do in the style of vintage sheet music covers.  I've collected, oh, maybe a few hundred of these, so it's no surprise that I found my muse in them for this project.  Yes, I'm taking liberties with history, but I just loved the mix of girly images.

Another little lady from the set.  I stamped her and cut her out, then pasted her strategically on some 6x6 Webster's paper, which was the perfect scale.  I also love the patterns that are on the backs of these papers, they mix together so effortlessly.

Hope you all have a wonderful evening!

Oxford Impressions Abraham Lincoln Set

I've finally gotten to do a little stamping, with some wonderful new sets from Oxford Impressions!  Once I started creating with this set, I saw lots of possibilities - not just projects related to the 16th president of the United States.  The set has some wonderful, inspiring quotes from President Lincoln himself.  My first card could be for a new graduate (my original idea for it), but could also be sent for a Support Our Troops mission, where every job counts.  Once I started down that road, I came up with another card with a military feel.....

For this one, I used Distress Ink Markers to ink up the flag, then stamped it onto a piece of plastic first, then rubbed the wet image onto the background cardstock - giving it an ethereal effect. The other flag is stamped normally, using Distress Markers to ink it up.  Hopefully an encouraging message for our troops.

I'll have a few samples from the same set tomorrow, and you won't believe how different they are! ;)  Can you tell I'm having fun?

Beach Vacation Bookmarks at Rogue

Hello - long, long, looooong time not blogging for me!  Life has been extremely busy - ALL GOOD - and blogging has taken a back seat to lots of other activities.  A wonderful beach vacation at the North Carolina shore, lots of sporting activities with the kids, and the design of our new house!  We had been in contract negotiations for several weeks, then in the design phase for a few months, and now things are finally starting to happen, so it's very exciting.  The only downside was that I poured all of my design mojo into the house plans, and not much at all into crafting!  But now hopefully.... it won't be soooo long before my next post, LOL!

I've got a little set of bookmarks featuring Rogue Redhead Designs' Beach Babes set and some of my vacation photos (from this year and last).  A little combo of my fave hobbies, you might say.  You can check out the Rogue Redhead Design blog HERE.

And, I'm thrilled to say, that the recent issue of Stampington's Catch-Up Issue featured a little piece I did with another Rogue Redhead set, Relish Reading....  that's my balloon piece on the right:

I hope you're all having a wonderful summer!  My kids are back in school - both in middle school now - so we are back to our regular routine.  Vacation is so sweet, and always so short.  But perhaps now more time for getting inky. ;)

It's the Debut of Unruly PaperArts!

 

Hello Friends, it's been a long while!  I'm finally back with some exciting news about a brand new online art blogozine - Unruly PaperArts!  Unruly PaperArts is run by one of the super-talented founding femmes of Gingersnap Creations, Sharon Briss.  Unruly PaperArts will feature new content all throughout the month, following different artsy themes, with fabulous articles and Reader Art Quests to guide you (yes, these are challenges - so you can get in on the fun!).

The inaugural issue's theme is: Ink Minx - featuring a month of fun inky projects, with informational articles, tutorials, great art for inspiration, and some fabulous challenges.  Sound like fun?  (Of course it does!)  Wanna know more?  Click on the inky banner below to be transported to the Unruliness - Unruly PaperArts Blogozine.

  

Gingersnap Creations Border Punch Challenge

Today at Gingersnap Creations we are asked to pull out those fabulous border punches for the new Spicy Supply Challenge.  I don't know about you, but I sometimes tend to go for months where I neglect my punches.  I don't know why, I just get out of the groove.  So it was super-fun to get out a few and layer some frilly edges on a very spring-time card.  The gorgeous bluebird image is from Retro Cafe Art Gallery - Bird Love Collage Sheet.  Retro Cafe Art Gallery is our sponsor this month, so that means there is an absolutely fabulous prize up for grabs. (Seriously, all you altered art lovers, go look, it's amazing!)  Anyway, I added some distress inks to the edges, which were punched with Martha Stewart's Hydrangea edge punch (sadly retired, I nabbed one off e-bay!) and an EK success doily edge.  The background panel for my birdies is some very cool Jane Austin paper from Papertrey Ink, stamped with a floral motif and inked up with broken china distress ink.  I finished off the card with some lace and a pebble accent.

And in a new twist......  the Ginger Gems will be chosen by our blog readers!  All the details are on the Gingersnap Creations post. :)

Granny's Photo Album at Gingersnap Creations

I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted! So sorry to have been AWOL for so long. Our entire household has had these terrible colds - a horrible cough, pink eye, congestion, fatigue - and I just haven't felt up to crafting, blogging, or anything much else. I am very much aware that this is the "small stuff" though - nothing major, nothing life threatening, and so we just carry on.  I am grateful for the health of my family, for sure.

So enough yammering on... today it's time for another fun month of challenges at Gingersnap Creations, and we're starting off with the theme of "Granny's Photo Album." Our sponsor this month is the fabulous Retro Cafe Art Gallery - with wonderful vintage images and collages that are right up my alley!

I decided to have some fun and came up with a piece that I imagined as "Grandfairy's Photo Album" - a little twist on the theme.  The adorable children's portraits are from the Oh Baby 2 collage sheet, and the lovely floral backgrounds are by Debrina Pratt - DP98.  I added in some stamped and distress stained wings, some charms, and a bit of chipboard here and there.  Some background inking and matting of the photos completed the look.  These could just as easily have been a set of ATCs, too - the backgrounds are sized accordingly on the collage sheet.

So all of you vintage-loving gals... how about giving this one a try?  Spin the theme however you wish. ;)

I am hoping to get back in the swing of things and get around to all of your beautiful blogs sometime this week.  Our schedule this week has slowed down some - my son is in between hockey seasons - his team just won the championship for his age division!!!  Wooohooo to my little goalie!  And my daughter's volleyball tournaments have been local as of late, so we've saved some driving time.  Now for my husband and I to kick our colds, and things should be back to "normal."  Stay warm and stay healthy, my dears!

Go Faux at Gingersnap Creations!

Another fun Random Redhead challenge is revealed today at Gingersnap Creations: GC139 Use A Faux Technique.  Fake it with anything from faux stitching to faux silk, faux brick to faux brads - anything goes.  And if you're stuck for inspiration, you can scroll down to the Tag list in the right-hand margin of the Gingersnap Creations blog - there are a bunch of tutorials on faux techniques linked there.

I used Shelly Hickox's Faux Copper Verdigris technique tutorial from the GC blog.  I must admit that this looked as if it would be a bit time consuming when I first read through it, but once I dug in and started, it really didn't take much time at all.  I won't go into the steps here - just follow the link for Shelly's beautifully detailed tutorial.

And the best part..... one lucky participant in this challenge will win a gift voucher to Rogue Redhead Designs. I've used the Relish Reading plate for this card, and there are lots more wonderful stamps to choose from.

I hope you'll have fun playing along!

A Chunky London Telegraph ATC

There's something about a chunky ATC that just makes me think "steampunk."  I guess it's because they're sturdy enough to hold all of the wonderful steampunk ephemera you can think of.  This little creation features Oxford Impressions' new London Telegraph plate.  I started out by painting the block brown and letting it dry.  I used an anti-static bag over the face of the block, then embossed the background image in white (with ultra fine embossing powder to capture some of the details, like the watchmaker's sign and buildings on the skyline).  I stamped and cut out the man with the hat, then cut his hat in half and hinged it with a brad, so that I could have the word banner coming out of his head.  The stamps on the side are from the same stamp plate.  After finishing the other sides, I glued on lots of fun hardware (using extra heavy gel medium - you don't even have to hold it in place, it's thick enough to hold everything together while it drys).

I have a few more chunky ATCs, and I'm itching to make a Valentine's theme.  Ya know, someday when I have that elusive "extra time."  ;)

A Rogue Mardi Gras Triptych

An ATC trio of sorts, this little set of Mardi Gras madness features the newest stamp set from Rogue Redhead Designs - Carnival Dreams.  I was going for a worn, washed look with these, so I started out by stamping the images on patterned paper with a faint vintage text print.  The first layer of color was done using colored pencils, mainly in shades of green, purple, and gold - the colors of Mardi Gras.  I wanted to keep a certain translucency to the coloring, so that you would still see the background (kind of like a fresco that had faded, showing the colors and textures of the plaster and stone beneath it, if that makes any sense to anyone but me, LOL!)  I kept adding layers of color, outlining the main couple in the center to make the image pop.  I then added in Distress Inks in Peeled Paint, Shabby Shutters, Seedless Preserves, and Concord Grape.  I finished the trio off with some dresden gold elements and a bit of fiber and ribbon.  Here's a closer look at each panel:

Oxford Impressions - Steampunk Fairy part 2

Another little steampunk fairy today, using stamps from the London Telegraph set from Oxford Impressions.  Her mannequin body is diecut with a Tim Holtz alterations die (both chipboard and patterned paper, which I glued together for some heft).  This time, her head, arms, and geared body are all stamps (the gears are embossed with white embossing powder).  I added some hardware from Tim Holtz in her hair and around the edge of her "skirt."  Some paper flowers, bling, and ribbon give her that feminine touch, along with some deep red floral "wings" from Prima.

Here's a little close-up:

 

I feel a bit as if I'm stuck in the Groundhog Day movie, posting the same thing over and over til I get it right, LOL!  Have a wonderful day. ;)

Oxford Impression - Steampunk Fairy part 1

I am so excited and honored to be part of the new Oxford Impressions design team for 2012, and I have been having a huge amount of fun playing with the recently released London Telegraph stamp plate.  This plate has so much going on - it's perfect for steampunk, but it's also very versatile and can be used for tons of other themes.  But to start out.... I couldn't resist throwing a bit of feminine whimsy into the whole steampunk theme.  My fairy starts with a chipboard mannequin base from House of Three.  The lovely lady, her key arms, her vintage advertisement body, and her "ruffly" gear skirt are all stamped from the London Telegraph plate.  I added some ribbon and an old ribbon slide for her belt, some bling, and some fairy wings which are actually floral leaves from Prima (that I've been hoarding forever, LOL!).

And for another, non-steampunk take on this same little lady, here's a card in blue:

Not a stitch of steampunk here, just lace, ruffles, and flowers.  I embellished her ensemble with some gathered blue lace, and popped up the flowers in her hair.  I also used other hoarded goodies - the beautiful blue fabric flower and feathery trim, which I thought kept with the whole milliner theme.  The vintage hat advertisement is stamped directly onto some patterned doily paper.

I'll have another little steampunk fairy for you tomorrow..... cuz I just had so much fun with these, I couldn't help myself. ;)  Happy Groundhog's Day!

Gingersnap Creations Challenge - Words of Wisdom

It's a new month, and that means a new challenge theme over at Gingersnap Creations.  This month, we're "Telling It Like It Is" with lots of fun ideas for you to try.  Today we open with the Chestnut Challenge, which is "Words of Wisdom."  Use your favorite quote or truism for this one.  It can be a stamp or computer generated, letter stickers or paper collaged - however you'd like to get your words across.  And the sponsor this month is one that is near and dear to my heart - Rogue Redhead Designs. :)  For my challenge piece, I used as a base a Stamper's Sampler balloon template from several months ago.  I cut it out of some fun Prima resist chipboard and added some pretty Distress Inks and stamping for the background.  Then I added some circles punched from vintage text in French and German, along with some vintage sheet music.  I cut around the adorable reading children from Relish Reading, and attached them in place of the traditional hot air balloon basket.  The quote is also from the Relish Reading plate: "Let us read and let us dance: two amusements that will never do any harm to the world."  Love that.  We all have something in common, no matter where we're from, and we can all share in some way.

So, how about sharing some artwork?  You'll have lots of time to play along in the challenge, and you could be a lucky winner of some gorgeous stamps.  Pretty cool, huh?  Check it out at Gingersnap Creations. ;)

Getting Artsy with New Rogue Redhead Stamps!

 

Today marks another fabulous Rogue Redhead Designs release, and this month it's a double delight, with a new Mardi Gras-themed mini plate called Carnival Dreams, along with a full plate of fun sayings and cute images, called Just Sayin'!

I love New Orleans and have been there several times, but never during Mardi Gras.... it's one of those things on my to-do list!  My card features some of the wonderful Mardi Gras images from Carnival Dreams.  I decided to get all artsy and shabby with this one.  First, I embossed the main image with some seriously glittery gold embossing powder from Zing!  This stuff means business!  Then I pulled out my tiny Cotman watercolor set and colored in the image.  Here's a little close-up so you can see the sparkle:

The background panel is some of Tim's Distress Ink Core'dinations paper, run through a fleur de lis embossing folder and sanded.  I added a bit of gold Stickles to the harlequins.  I also diecut a green fleur de lis, and punched a little tag with the sentiment.  Some funky trim finishes it off - perfect for a Fat Tuesday party invite!


Now, for a little enabling... here's the announcement direct from the Queen Rogue herself:

"Rogue Redhead Designs is pleased to announce two new releases, Just Sayin' and Carnival Dreams, to brighten up your winter! Each is whimsical in its own way and sure to be a crowd pleaser.  Our Just Sayin' plate is a full-size rubber stamp plate with focal images, sentiments, decorative elements and a full-size background. Order this new full-size plate before February 25, 2012 and get it for the introductory price of $17.60, a 20% savings over its regular retail price of $22.00. 

Our second new release is a fabulous new mini featuring the art of New England artist K. Dunn. This newest addition to the Beautifully Dunn range comes just in time for Mardi Gras and Valentine's Day.  It features beautiful-drawn free-flowing images of love and enchantment. Romance, mystery and a joyous spirit infuse this collection.  Order this new mini collection before February 25, 2012 and get it for the introductory price of $6.00, a 20% savings over its regular retail price of $7.50. 

Want both our new releases?  During our sale, get our January 2012 Release Bundle including both Just Sayin' and Carnival Dreams for the low price of $22.00!   We are also offering our Rogue's Choice Bundle, which includes the popular Relish Reading and Milliner Misses collections, for the same low price of $22.00!  For the romantics in the crowd, we have created a Beautifully Dunn True Love Bundle including Snow Hugs, Candy Kisses and Carnival Dreams for the limited-time price of $33.00.  Get in on these great deals now! They only last until February 25, 2012!

With the release of these new plates and bundles, Rogue Redhead Designs has also updated our website and added mounting and storage supplies to our product line. Purchase any of our unmounted rubber stamp plates by itself, with a sheet of EZ-Mount Cling Foam or with cling foam and a stamp storage panel - all with one click. Visit the individual pages of each plate for these additional choices. Just need to order EZ-Mount or stamp storage panels? Just visit our new mounting supplies section!"

Have fun! ;)

Gingersnap Creations Challenge - Use Your Fave Paper!

It's once again time for my favorite Gingersnap Creations Challenge - the Random Redhead Challenge, and this month it is GC135: Use Your Favorite Paper.  We're focusing on using our scraps this month as well as getting them all organized. So for this challenge, grab some of those fabulous scraps that you just can't part with and make something fun!  Or, resolve to finally cut into that gorgeous piece of patterned paper that you've been admiring for, oh, maybe.... months?!  For my card, I've used an Iron Orchid Designs butterfly paper, along with my all-time favorite type of patterned paper to work with - vintage text!  I've framed up the Small Butterfly and Papillon sentiment from Jo Capper-Sandon's line at Stampotique Originals, our sponsor for this challenge.  Some twine and a small red bead provide a little accent.

I hope you can play along..... One randomly drawn winner from the qualifying participants for this challenge will become the new Home Page Artist for a week on Gingersnap Creations, and will win a $30 voucher to the Stampotique Originals store.  How sweet is that? ;)

Rogue Redhead Victorian Valentine

Hello!  I'm trying desperately to get back to the land of art and papercrafting.  Our family have been on the go nonstop with sports.  I did, however, get a quiet moment today to create a flowery little number in the style of a Victorian scrap Valentine.  All of the floral images are from Rogue Redhead Designs' Floriculture plate, and the sentiment is from the Snow Hugs plate.  The floral images are stamped and colored with Copics (with the exception of the ferns, which are simply stamped in green ink).  The flowers and sentiment are layered over the top of a red paper doily and some patterned paper that I ran through a Tim Holtz Postmark embossing folder.  Of course, everything is shabby chic-ed up with some Distress Ink, in antique linen vintage photo, and tattered rose.

I hope everyone's staying safe and warm!

Gingersnap Creations Challenge - Use a Line of Stamps

Happy New Year, Everyone!  It's time to kick off the new year with another new challenge at Gingersnap Creations.  This one (GC 133) is easy and oh-so-fun:  Get out your favorite Stamp Set or Line of Stamps and show us your creation!  The sponsor this month is Stampotique Originals, and you will have a chance at a fab prize from them if you link up your project to the GC post.  I decided to use the Jo Capper-Sandon line from Stampotique on my card.  First, I stamped the Large Bee on both scrap cardstock and acetate - used Versamark and black embossing powder on the cardstock one, and black StazOn for the acetate.  I colored the bee and cut out all but the wings.  One the acetate image, I colored the reverse side of the wings with a blue Copic marker, then cut out the wings and attached them to the cardstock bee using Glossy Accents.

After that, I glopped some glossy accents into the center part of the bee that is supposed to be the fuzziest part, and generously poured on some black Fun Flock from Stampendous.  Oh, I love this little bee, LOL!

The background was created with a TCW Mini Chicken Wire Template and Maya Mists in Sunflower Yellow and Fig Magenta.  The Gingersnap Creations overall theme this month is Getting Organized and to use our scraps, so I used a pretty little embossed and watercolored scrap to mat my "Wish" sentiment, also from Stampotique (stamped on a leftover piece from my background).  A big ol' pink flower and an adorable little bee paperclip that I've been hoarding finish it off.  Can't wait to give this one to someone special. :)