hello, sunshine!

 i'm so happy to celebrate the fun-in-the-sun of this summer

with my new stamp set over at Technique Tuesday!!

there are lots of great designs to help you
send some sunshine to someone special…...

and tell them how much they brighten your day!!

and p.s. …. thank you SO much for brightening my little spot in cyberspace
every time you stop by my blog!!  sending you lots of these:  xoxoxox!!


{for more information about this "hello sunshine" stamp set,
and other new sets including Christmas stamps,  please click here!}  

inspiration monday

as a collector of quotes, this magazine ad quickly made its way
 into my inspiration file as soon as i saw it!
but the other day, it caught my eye again…..
this time, not for the quotes, but for those fabulous talk bubbles!

so i decided to have some bubbly fun with one of my new stamps….

and then i took a nosedive into my vast collection of alphabet stickers.

 after a little punching….

and some stamping, and gluing…..

i had created this fun little bubbly card!
which just goes to show that what inspires us one day,
can easily inspire us another day…...for a completely new reason!


{supplies:  white card stock, hugs & kisses stamp, alphabet stickers, scrapbook paper, 
foam tape, tombow tape runner, micron pen, charcoal stamp pad}

{you can see my rubber stamp designs here}

inspiration monday

i was roaming the aisles of my favorite craft store this past weekend, and i came across

this punch that creates really cute paper flowers.  i was really inspired by this idea, so here's another way to create a paper flower using supplies that you probably already have.  to make a flower, all you need is some paper, a paper punch, and strong adhesive.

for the base of your flower, cut two strips of paper about 1/4" wide and 12" long.  

punch out a nice little pile of shapes using your paper punch

(these will be the petals).

now apply some adhesive to your strip of paper.  you can use double-sided tape, glue, or some of the industrial strength red craft tape.....you just want it to be strong!  now lay your paper shapes onto the paper strip, spacing them evenly across the strip.  if you're using a paper that has a pattern, lay it pattern- side-down onto the strip.

now lay the second strip of paper onto the top of the first (the adhesive on your first strip will help attach the second strip).  apply adhesive to the second strip and lay more shapes in between the shapes of your first strip.

once your strips of paper are completely filled with punched shapes, start to roll your paper strip into a coil (you can wrap the end around a pencil to get it started).   roll your strip with the adhesive side out......the adhesive will help the paper stick together as you're rolling.  

once you've completely rolled your strips, place a dot of glue at the end of the paper to keep it from unraveling.  now gently bend the tops of your petals outward to start forming a flower shape.

you can add a decorative brad to the middle of your paper flower......

and then attach your finished flower to a card, small canvas, or art quilt!
these are so much fun to make, you'll have your own little art garden in no time!



{supplies:  scrapbook paper, fiskars heart punch, tombow permanent adhesive tape, decorative brad, glue, pitt pens, 4B graphite pencil, derwent watercolor pencils, strathmore 90 lb. paper}

color me an artichoke

our little art group got together for a play day, and our sweet friend rynda shared some of her tips, tricks and vast wisdoms about colored pencils!  she loves them, and i wish you could see her artwork.....it really is spectacular (think botanicals, seashells, sunflowers......oh my goodness, colored-pencil-happiness all over the place!).

the other thing rynda loves is artichokes.  

i don't think i've ever eaten an artichoke, but i thought maybe i could try to draw one......

and send it to her!
(and now i love them, too......colored pencils, that is!)

{artichoke card created using prismacolor pencils, 3B pencil,
 bristol paper, scrapbook papers, glue stick}

***
rynda, you inspire me, sweet girlfriend!
thank you SO much for sharing your creative gifts with us!!  xoxox

just to say hello

i created these little doodle letters and decided to make a greeting card....just to say hello!

the decorative scrapbook paper is by K&Company, the greenhouse collection, designed by carolyn gavin. other materials used to finish the card are: micron pens, watercolor pencils, niji waterbrush, fiskars border punch, ribbon, and a glue stick. the finished card measures 5.5" x 4.25"

thanks SO much for your blog visits!! have a great weekend!!

for a larger format, you can view this video here at you tube.

inspiration monday

i found this packed away in a box labeled "so true"!

thank you SO much for all of your sweet, encouraging words and best wishes these past several days!!  you're the absolute BEST!!  oh, and that squeeze you feel around you right now?   that's me giving you a big 'ol hug!!  :))) 

card by Leigh Standley at "curly girl design"

click on image for larger view

heart-in-hand, part two

i have probably used the heart-in-hand image more in card making than for any other project.  this card was made using purple and blue paste paper, with arches textwove inside.

the hand shape was cut from the paper and then layered...and a sewn heart with a little message is revealed inside.

many years ago when i was president of our calligraphers guild, i made this small card for each of our board members in appreciation of their support, hard work,  and wonderful devotion to our group. 

cut in the shape of a hand, this one opens accordion style...

to reveal hand-marbled hearts surrounded by a special hand-lettered message!  i have so many more examples of cards (but, i promise, i won't bore you with them all!).  it's so much fun to take an image and see how many different ways you can use it!

please click on any image for a larger view

blue Christmas

 this is a card that i hand lettered a few years ago, and reworked it so i could put it in my etsy shop.  i've named this card "blue Christmas", but not the elvis kind of "i'll have a blue Christmas without you".  this is a happy blue Christmas...actually more of a julie andrews "these are a few of my favorite things" type of Christmas.  but, in blue.    :)