Published artwork...

Yesterday I received the February 2011 issue of 'Crafts n' Things' in my mailbox and had a tag published on page 36. I have always loved the woman image from the "Beloved" plate (Oxford Impressions) and decided she'd be perfect for this piece. I also used the letter stamp and created the background with it. Then I computer generated the sentiment. It would be perfect to tie on a Valentines Day gift. I know, I know, Christmas is just around the corner...however, with the way the time is flying by it will be here before we know it!

Blog Candy!

Bonnie Garby, owner of Reasonable Ribbon has a blog candy give-away going on. Check out this site for a chance at an awesome prize package -

http://reasonableribbon.blogspot.com/2010/12/christmas-blog-candy-giveaway.html.

You have until Dec. 21st to enter, so hop on over and check it out. Bonnie has an assortment of great ribbons at amazing prices, plus super service! Good luck!

It's Showtime!

I wanted to post a photo of a simple card I made last nite using the new 'showgirls' stamp from Lost Coast Designs. I LoVe this image and can see all kinds of uses for it. The other stamps I used were from the 'party words' plate and the 'diamond border', also from LCD. The ticket was one in a package I purchased at the Dollar Tree. (Sorry for the bad photography, I really should take some classes;(

Hope everyone is getting their shopping done. We decided we are going to skip the cookie baking this year due to time restraints and let the Keebler Elves do the work for us. (Shhhh.....it's our little secret. LOL!)

Have a great day everyone:) Hope you get a chance to make something fun!

CONFIRMED Tornado

I don't have any new artwork to post right now and my life has been, well...let's say like a circus around here. Just when one THINKS things will slow down, something else happens! Last Tuesday there was a family emergency and I found myself on the freeway taking a family member to the hospital in the mist of a major rain/wind storm. We could hardly see the road ahead of us, talk about scary! Anyways, by the time I had headed back home I was turned away as there were road blocks EVERYWHERE into the town where I live. Power was out for a good part of the area and from what I know, trees and power lines scattered all over the roads. I headed out to Burlington as I knew at least there was a McDonald's I could hang out at for awhile and keep warm. Since the temps had dropped to 30 degrees, I wasn't about to sit in my car and freeze too. I called my hubby and he said he managed to get home and that everything was fine - we had power and no major damage. I tried for THREE hours to get home. EVERY route I took was blocked by police and security guards. I thought it was a WAR ZONE. They were telling us such things as "find another place to stay for the nite" and "it might be a couple of hours, we aren't sure". It was unbelieveable....I never saw anything like it. Finally, after taking a round about way (coached by my hubby), I was able to make it to the local high school just blocks from our home. There too I was stopped by a guarding police car! I approached him and asked how long it would be for residents to get home. He told me he didn't know. He said the school was open so I could wait in there. I went back to my car and called my hubby again. He was going to come and get me, parking down the street from where the policeman was parked. A few minutes later, the policeman pulled away and those of us parked in that school lot were able to leave and go home! I read in the newspapers yesterday that the American Red Cross set up a shelter at the local high school but NOBODY showed up. Well.....DAAAHHH! I must have spoken to at least four police officers and NOBODY ever directed me on how to get thru to the school for shelter. So much for communication.....

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and all I can say is I'm glad that we all survived and HOPEFULLY something was learned over all of this! Stay warm and don't eat too much turkey my fellow bloggers...lol! Hope you have a better week than I have:0

Missing In Action....

I know, I'm a terrible blogger. Believe me, I'm guilty and know it, but have been so busy (still). I did manage to create a cute Christmas memory book last week and thought I'd post a couple pages for everyone to take a peek. (Actually I stayed up until 12:30 pm last Thursday to finish it but I didn't even realize it was so late as I was having so much fun putting it together....lol.)

These papers from Santas Workshop - LilyBee Design and were perfect for this project. With papers like this, it's soooo easy to create a great memory (and a perfect gift for a loved one, btw). If you want to create a memory of your own, all these supplies are available at Hannahs' Home Accents in Antioch, IL. Just stop by or call Jill or Dana and they'll set you up with what you need to create one of your own.

Have a great week everyone!

My Favorite Things....

Hi fellow bloggers! I've been SUPER busy these days and will spare you all the details but thought I'd pass on this fabulous news. A newer company called "My Favorite Things" is hosting a blog giveaway! They have the cutest stamps and a new line of dies that are just incredible. Just enter before 10:00 am EST today for a chance to win some. Here's the link:

http://www.mftstamps.com/

Have a great weekend everyone and good luck!!!

Published!

The newest issue of 'The Stampers Sampler' has hit the newstands but my copy hasn't arrived yet(insert a BIG frown here....lol). A couple of friends (you know who you are...:) e-mailed me and spilled the beans that I have a few published items in there. Needless to say I'm thrilled and so happy I have people willing to take a minute or two to contact me over this important stuff! I think submitting becomes an actual addiction, really! Unfortunately I don't have a lot of free time to create but I've been extremely lucky in having had so much published:0

These photos were taken before I mailed them in but thought I'd share them in case you haven't seen the newest issue yourself. My friends Lynne Moncrief and Louise Granlund have some gorgeous cards in there that are truly, truly amazing. It's so much fun to share that joy of creativity with these gals! I may not be rich, but I am in other ways....NO DOUBT ABOUT IT;)

For this particular issue (paper bag challenge), I made school lunch bag and another to hold a Christmas gift. Both were stamped with images from Oxford Impressions. The angel tag was made with stamps from Purple Onion Designs. Unfortunately, the angel image itself was incorrectly identified in the magazine, but is from digitalcollagesheets.com.

Hope you are able to purchase this issue soon and see all the great items yourself. Can't wait to get my copy (hopefully soon)to absorb all that inspiration. This issue is definately a keeper!!!!

Have a wonderful rest of the weekend, everyone!

Happy Anniversary....

Have been too busy to do any artwork lately but today my hubby and I celebrate our 19th wedding anniversary. Yesterday we were chatting about it and scratching our heads, just WHERE has that time gone?! We had the most beautiful wedding day you could ever imagine and I remember it as if it were just yesterday. Anyways, this morning he surprised me with roses and a very sentimental card. You've changed my life too honey;) Love you and hope you have a great day!

Birds on my brain...lol!

I've been having so much fun with this new 7-Gypsies paper (Conservatory - Aviary) that I decided to make a book on bird study:) I started out with a Maya Road birdcage chipboard book. I painted portions of it with gesso and then went over parts of it with Claudine Hellmuth's studio acrylic paint (love this stuff!) in yellow pastel. Then I cut some papers and added them along with bird images and torn paper from the same line. Added some Maya Road ribbons and some Kaisercraft flowers. So fun! All items are available at my favorite scrapbooking store - Hannahs in Antioch, IL. Have a great weekend everyone and thanks for stopping by!!!

Fun Project :)

Had a little creative time recently and made this vertical banner for my favorite scrapbooking store - Hannahs (Antioch, IL). It's made with the new 7-Gypsies paper "Conservatory Collection - Aviary" that I was so anxious to work with. A very simple, inexpensive and fun project for those of you who love birds like I do:) It's just the thing to hang on a door or on your wall. This would even be a great project for kids to make as a gift for their teacher, now that school will be back in session. Hope you have some time to make something creative yourself....Thanks for stopping by!

Published - 'Take Ten'

To my surprise the other day, the Autumn 2010 issue of "Take Ten" arrived in my mailbox. I had submitted this card for an upcoming issue of 'The Stampers Sampler' but somehow it ended up in TT on pg. 13....lol! Here is a photo of it before I submitted to the zine. I apologize for my lack of photography skills but it was late when I took the shot and not much good lighting available. The image is from www.digitalcollagesheets.com and the background stamp from 'Stamp Camp'.

Now, no teasing that it's in my favorite color Again...pink.) Have a great day everyone and thanks for stopping by:)

Love it!!!!

When my friend Linda and I went to CHA a few weeks ago, I spotted some bakers twine in a vendors booth. I wasn't quite sure what colors I wanted so I passed on buying some. Then a week later I could have kicked myself in the pants for not doing so:( However, after a bit of searching I found this awesome website. They now carry bakers twine and it's only .15 a yard! Yep, what a deal. I ordered a few colors and it arrived in my mailbox in just a couple days. Needless to say I LOVE IT!!!! In the past I purchased some Martha Stewart bakers twine at Micheals but this beats it by a margin. It's thicker and more sturdy plus comes in some fabulous colors. So.....if you are aching to find this in the stores and can't, just visit this site - www.reasonableribbons.com. Bonnie (the owner), carries it in wonderful colors such as orange, lemon, aqua, black, apple, cherry, cotton candy and oyster. JUST LOVE IT!!!! She also has some amazing ribbons too. More goodies to buy and stuff to hide in my art room. Shhhh...don't tell my hubby...lol! Have a great weekend everyone:)

Great weekend!

My friend Linda and I went to the CHA supershow this past weekend. For those of you who don't live in the USA, the CHA (otherwise known as the 'craft & hobby association') hosts a convention twice a year. The first part of the convention is held for merchants to purchase products from companies to sell in their stores. The second part, (also know as the CHA Craft Supershow -held on Fri & Sat) is held for the public/consumer. Usually the show is held in Florida or California, but this time it was held in Rosemont, Illinois. For us it was about an hour's drive to get there so we decided to check it out. There were tons of 'make-it, take-it' booths and we kept really busy doing all kinds of things. Many of the companies hosted these projects and everything was, believe it or not - FREE (sponsored by companies such as Michaels & JoAnn Fabrics, Delta, Plaid, Crafts & Things, Paper Crafts Magazine, National Sewing Council and numerous others. We sewed dog colars, flowers from fabric, made beaded necklaces, painted t-shirts and wall hangings and the list goes on and on. Simply wonderful and what a fun time as everyone was enjoying themselves. The National Sewing Association was even raffling off sewing machines on both days!

Many, many well known artists also were there, including the fabulous clay artist - Lisa Pavelka (who used to be on 'The Carol Duvall Show') and mixed media artist Bernie Berlin! I think my jaw dropped when this woman standing in front of one of the craft tables turned around and I realized it was Bernie! I hadn't expected to see her but had always hoped to one day. She was teaching people how to create ATC's. Even though I've made a few of them myself, I couldn't resist sitting for awhile and soaking up any info she was sharing. She's an amazing artist and in my opinion, a real 'earth angel' - a kind, generous and gentle spirit. For those of you who don't know her, Bernie operates and owns an animal rescue called 'A Place To Bark'. Anyone who has saved over 600 dogs lives, in my opinion should be given a special place in heaven. I asked Bernie if I could take a photo of her so I'm posting it on my blog. Thank you Bernie for showing us how to create ATC's and for being the beautiful person you are! She does accept donations so if you want to help her with this incredible mission she's on, please visit her blog. http://www.aplacetobark.com

Have a great nite everyone and thanks for stopping by:)

B-day card....

Today is my friend Linda's b-day so I thought I'd post the card I created for her:) She loves ballerinas and I thought she'd get a chuckle out of this one. I started with a water color paper that I washed with some ink, then stamped with a vintage background music sheet and a birthday word block that I cut apart. I used some scrapbooking paper for the banner which I added the word 'party' cut into pieces. (Stamps are from Purple Onion Designs, girl image from Lisas Altered Arts.)

Hope everyone is having a great day. Still hot here in Wisconsin!

Another quick card...

I managed to create another quick card today and thought I'd post it. Whenever I think I'm going to have some 'free time' something comes up on the home front:( Anyways, I'm hoping things will calm down a bit next week so I can putter a bit. I really could use some relaxing time and creating does just that for me. Good therapy, for sure!

All stamps used on this card are from Stamp Camp. Hope everyone has a safe July 4th and a great weekend!

Some Art!

Got a chance to make a simple card for a friend this past weekend. Hope she likes it:) Very nice images to color in too....(all stamps from Stamp Camp.)

It's been a wild and crazy ride this summer with constant things going on. It was nice to get a few minutes to create some art. Have a great week everyone!

Behind Again.....

Hi Fellow Bloggers,

Well, I am behind again in posting:( Sorry but life has a way of getting in the way. Anyhow, I was doing a bit of surfing this morning and discovered that Michelle from Digital Collage Sheets had posted some new freebies on her site! If you are interested you can find them here:

http://www.digitalcollagesheets.com/free.aspx

Her sheets are really beautiful and so much fun to work with. We "kids" are headed to the movie theatre to see "Toy Story 3" today...lol! I love anything that makes us laugh:)

Enjoy your Sunday, everyone!

Recently I was asked by the owner of my favorite scrapbook/stamp and gift store (Hannah's in Antioch, IL) if I'd like to be on their design team. A chance to play with new items is right up my alley so I was all for it!

For my first project I created this memory book. It was made with Webster's Pages and products. Gorgeous paper and perfect for this 'sea themed' book I wanted to create for a true fisherman I know. I cut the book pieces out on their AccuCut machine and even added some little bubbles above the fish image with some flat round beads that they carry at the store. Such fun!

We are expecting rain on and off all weekend long but hopefully the sun will peek out for a bit so I can do some garage sailing.... Enjoy the weekend everyone and thanks for stopping by!

Blown away.....

Well, my copy of "The Stampers Sampler" arrived in my mailbox yesterday and all I can say is I'm TOTALLY blown away. You can imagine my excitement late last summer when I was contacted by the managing editor to try out for the guest artist spot. After seeing the amazing gorgeous artwork in the April/May issue featuring Wendy Vecchi, I thought to myself...who is going to be the next guest artist as those are some BIG shoes to fill! Then only to discover it was ME....lol! Yipes. However, I think the folks at Stampington did a fabulous job showcasing my art. Never in my wildest dreams when I started submitting (over five years ago) did I ever think I'd end up as guest designer. Dreams really DO come true if only you work at it. It was a lot of work, I have to confess. I'm slow at creating and it took me two months to make the 15 cards they requested. In my opinion, it was all worth it as I'm so pleased with how it looks. Here's a few photos of some of the cards featured. I took these shots before I submitted them so I don't think they will mind. You'll have to grab a copy of it in the stores coming out June 1st to see the rest of it. (Stamps I used are from Alpha Stamps, Artistic Outpost, Lost Coast Designs, Oxford Impressions and Stamp Camp. Digital images from Digital Collage Sheets and Lisas Altered Art.) Hope you enjoy seeing what I've created and that which brings me so much JOY! Enjoy the rest of the weekend, everyone:)

More artwork....

Found a few minutes tonight to create a couple of quick cards. Thought I'd post them on my blog as I often don't have a chance. All stamps are from Stamp Camp. Just love the Mona stamps I have and am having so much fun working with them. Hopefully I'll have more play time soon! Have a great weekend everyone:)

Time for art!

Last nite I had a chance to play with some stamps I've had for awhile and have been wanting to work with. The first one I made with stamps from Lost Coast Designs that I stamped on some scrapbooking paper. The art deco face is one of my favorites along with the ironwork border. Words used were rub ons that I had in my stash that I always forget to use. The second card was made with stamps from Stamp Camp. Love the mysterious smile on Mona's face:) Sure feels great to create something and hope you are inspired to make some art yourself....

Have a great weekend everyone!

Blog Candy!

The Vintage Workshop is offering some free blog candy! If you haven't visited their site, check this link and leave them a comment to win some great prizes -

http://blog.thevintageworkshop.com/

Their images are really nice and the gardening ones are simply beautiful! Have a great day everyone and good luck!

Alice Artwork....

Lucky me had a few hours to create some art today! A few weeks ago I received some stamps from Lost-Coast-Designs and decided that I wanted to make some simple "Alice" themed cards for a friend. Just love the cheshire cat image:) Thought I'd post a few for everyone to see....

Hope all of you had a great weekend. I certainly did!

Happy Easter!

Found this adorable little lamb at Hannah's a few weeks ago and was going to give it to my SIL as a little gift. Then I found the cute covered box at Michaels and put both on our mantel. Decided to keep them both as they just looked too cute up there. Will have to find something else for SIL....lol:)

Have a Happy Easter everyone. Hope the Easter bunny fills your baskets with lots of goodies!

new toys and some play time!

Recently I received this new plate from Suzanne over at Oxford Impressions and couldn't wait to find a few hours to myself to play with them. It was sooo much fun. This plate is great because there are so many images on them.

Yes, I know my photography skills aren't the best but wanted to post a card I created. I took the photo at night and our lighting at home isn't the greatest but hope you enjoy seeing it:) Have a great Sunday everyone!

Earlier this month Suzanne Melvin from Oxford Impressions posted on her blog that she was celebrating her birthday. She asked that people mail her cards using her stamp images. (I mailed this card out several days ago so by now she should have received it!) Anyways, I'm having soooo much fun working with this die and frankly not sleeping real well as my mind is stirring at nite with ideas on what to create next. Talk about sleep walking....well, that's me right now...lol!

My favorite store - Hannah's (Antioch, IL) now carries the Accucut die that talented Vicki Chrismann (Crafty Secrets) created (along with LOTS of other great dies). It's a wonderful store and if you are lucky enough to live near by or are traveling in the area, do yourself a favor and check it out. You'll be really glad you did.

Have a great Saturday everyone and hope a little sun comes your way today!

Ooops!

I noticed in my last posting that I incorrectly quoted the poem I used on my shadowbox die...oops! It reads, "Life Began With Waking Up and Loving My Mother's Face" Isn't that the sweetest??? Sorry about the mistake:) Love ya, Mom!

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to win a chance to use the new 3-D shadowbox dies that talented Vicki Chrisman from Crafty Secrets created. These dies are amazing! There is so much you can do with them and I can't believe Vicki was so sweet to send me a couple along with some digital images from the Crafty Secrets "childhood" images and journal notes book. My head was spinning with ideas to use them but this one was a given!

Although Mothers Day is a bit off, I thought the papers would be perfect for a Mother's Day card. I found a beautiful poem off the internet by George Eliot that I used on the left side. It says, "Happiness is waking up and seeing your Mother's face" What a nice tribute to Mom, wouldn't you say? I'm blessed with the BEST Mom in the world and this couldn't prove it more. I used my two favorite stamp sets from the Crafty Secrets line - "Cherubs" and letters from "Top Hat". You can see more info on the dies (and even an instructional video on Vicki's blog) at

http://www.vickichrisman.blogspot.com

Warning: BE PREPARED TO BE WOWED...lol!!!

If you want to order some of the precut shadowbox dies, you can do so at the Crafty Secrets site -

http://www.heartwarmingvintage.blogspot.com

Have fun blogging friends:)

Published - Somerset Studio

Yesterday I pulled a muscle in my back and I've been moping around the house in pain. The extra strength tylenol and bengay are working but I'm not used to being laid up like this! However, my day was brightened when my hubby brought in the mail and I received my complimentary copy of "Somerset Studio" Apr/May. I had a tag I created published on pg. 116 (using Oxford Impressions stamp images). Just LOVE Suzanne Melvin's "Alice" plates. What fun they are to work with!

Don't know about you, but I can't wait until March 5th to see Tim Burton's movie as I'm a huge fan of Johnny Depp:) Have a great rest of the weekend, everyone:)

Published piece

Hi Everyone!
What can I say, haven't posted anything for ages again. Life always pulls me away but I had to show you this piece that I got published in the Feb/Mar 2010 issue of "The Stampers Sampler" that just arrived in my mailbox yesterday. Frankly I was a bit surprised as I had submitted this piece for their bead challenge a few months ago. When I received an e-mail from Stampington letting me know they were going to use my artwork, I had assumed that it was one of the tempting templates I submitted so you can understand why I was a bit surprised that this card appeared instead. (Funny NO template results were shown in this issue. Can't remember this ever happening but maybe they didn't get enough submissions?? Not sure...) Anyways, my card is on pg. 45 and I'm really happy with how it appears on the page. I used one of my favorite Lost Coast Designs stamps and I'm a big fan of butterflies so this piece was a joy to make. Like I say to people all the time, you never know what they will publish so don't be afraid to send something in. It's soooooo much fun!

Happy Sunday:)