By the Tide

I love this stamp set, and I have hem-hawed all year about getting it. I finally said - self "you have men who love the fish and who love to eat seafood and who love the ocean and and and and" so I talked myself into getting this great set. I love love love the sea fan in the set the best. I know where you can get you one..... just click on the purple highlighted stamp set below.

By The Tide wood mount Stamp Set	131910
Price: $27.95
Beautifully rendered and exquisitely detailed--who wouldn't want to add this extravagant seven-piece set to their stamp collection? Makes a wonderful gift for ocean and nature-lovers. Coordinates with the 1" Circle Punch. Wood-mount. Set Quantity: 7 By The Tide Clear-Mount Stamp Set 129120 Price: $19.95

Life is Art

This just says it all.... 

And just a few more days till the new catalog sales begins! 

Thank You

My friend Judi Birt is always surprising me with a lovely creation she makes for me. she used the cute tea set and beautiful back ground paper to design this card. Thanks Judi for always thinking of me.

Dreaming of Vacation

Sun, Surf, Sand, Seafood, Sunsets and Sunrises, ahhh dreaming of vacation.

Oh Happy Day

Clean, Quick and so easy to do. I love the Pool Party card stock with Brown Sugar ink. I used the wood grain background stamp  and the star burst stamp set and die. Super fun, super easy, great for guys and grads. Click here to get the goods to make this great card.

Starburst Sayings Wood-Mount Bundle	134817
Price: $44.95
Oh, happy day! This stamp set is a burst of sunshine with several diverse sentiments, perfect for a variety of projects! And the Starburst Framelits Dies make cutting the Starburst Sayings images quick and easy. Buy the Starburst Sayings wood-mount stamp set and coordinating Starburst Framelits Dies together at a 15% discount. Starburst Sayings Clear-Mount Bundle Price: $38.95     Starburst Sayings 133182 Price: $25.95 Oh, happy day! This stamp set is a burst of sunshine with several diverse sentiments, perfect for a variety of projects! Includes 6 stamps. Coordinates with the Starburst Framelits Dies. This limited-time set is only available from January 3 through May 31, 2014, so order yours today! Available in both wood- and clear-mount, as well as Spanish and French (clear only).   Baked Brown Sugar Classic Stampin' Pad 131174 Price: $5.95 Classic Stampin’ Pads come in exclusive Stampin’ Up! colors, grouped in collections to make choosing coordinating colors simple. Exclusively designed stamp pad lids fold under to make inking large images like background stamps easy. * Dye-based ink * Acid free * Coordinate with exclusive Stampin’ Up! cardstock and Stampin’ Write Markers * Firm foam pad for great ink coverage * 1/2 oz. ink refills available Pool Party 8-1/2 X 11 Card Stock 122924 Price: $6.95 Contains 24 sheets of 80 lb., high-quality 8-1/2" x 11" smooth card stock, dyed with pure color all the way through. Ideal for scrapbooking, this acid-free, lignin-free, and buffered card stock offers all sorts of stamping and scrapbooking options, from a simple background paper to the core elements of stunning cards and other stamping projects.

Angry Fat Bird

No not the the angry bird game... but my first bird. I think he looks mad and is really fat. I wanted fat, but he looks like he eat every worm in the yard! I really like the background color and tree limb. Even if you are not happy with your art, you can always rip it out of the book, or find something you like about it. But keep trying and drawing and coloring and painting. Never stop, because one day you will love what you created and have your "aah haa" moment!

Cluck Cluck

This little chick came to be, because I didn't want to make another rectangle card. So thinking of a simple shape and lines that I could share in card club - this is what I came up with. If you love this, come to card club in May and make one - or sign up for card club by mail.

What makes this card so cute is the fun greeting added to the inside."We are such good friends because you are not intimidated by my beauty!"

Proverbs 31

Proverbs 31:10&25;  Who can find a virtuous women for her price is far above rubies. Strength and honor are her clothing, and she shall rejoice in time to come.

You can always find something to art about from the Bible.

Shabby County Chic

A little bit of shabby county chic never hurt anyone right?

I used a sponge with ink and sponged on the ink over the large doily stamp, then I stamped it on the crumb cake card front. Yes, crumb cake doesn't that make you want some crumb cake?  Buy sponging the ink on the stamp you don't get a perfect stamped image giving you another look to it. I like it a lot. It also helps those who are OCD or a perfectionist to get over it! Well so that is what I tell my OCD - perfectionist self! haah.

I punched some shapes out of scraps of designer series paper and pop dot the layers on. Add a bit of twine and lace. Easy peasy quick cuteness!

Added bonus, come to card club and make this card! Order card club by mail for $12.50 and get 5 cards, everything included (including shipping)!

So Stink'in Cute

ATC swaps for the month of May - theme was So Stink'in Cute! Georgeanne Caine made the little piggy and I did the dog. I just love the way they turned out. You can join the ATC swap. Just make four 2 1/2"x 3 1/2" mini size card fronts and get them to my by the end of the month. It is helpful to let me know that you will be joining. I will swap them out and get them back to you.

ATC's make great additions to card fronts. All you do is fold a 8 1/2" x 4 1/4" piece of coordinating card stock in half and glue on the ATC - wa-la- card done!

ATC's also make great book markers, or gift tags, or you can save them in baseball card saver covers in a binder and collect them. Mine I am sad to say is in a baggie clipped to to my bulletin board in my studio. One great thing anyone who visits the studio can look though them.

June ATC theme is Blooming Awesome!

A Day in the Garden

What could be better for the soul then spending a day in the garden.... and drawing about spending a day in the garden. I won on both tasks. I spent the time planting the flowers that I started by seed this winter and then I drew about it in my journal. No that is not me.. I don't have blonde hair anymore and never wore funny shaped hats! I wanted to practice on a face and thought glasses might be an easy way out of doing the eyes! Ya I was a bit tired from working in the garden, but a good tired. I have blooms on those flowers now! Yah!

As For Me....

Here is another little water color pencil design I did on a piece of canvas. Just like I was drawing in my art journal, but I did this on canvas. I used inktense pencils by Derwert and so this is permanent when dry. Love my intense pencils. I added this to my little craft booth at Gilley's in Plainfield too. Stop my one day - and see all the great things we have made for sale.

Buttons Buttons Whos Got the Buttons

 These are so stinkin cute! I made a few up for my little booth at Gilley's in Plainfield IN. I was surprised at how time consuming they are. Winding all that wire was a bit of a challenge and made my fingers hurt. But I enjoyed the process and love the turn out.

 This one matches my studio, so I had to keep one back for myself.

I made a few sets and have them price at $8. Such a cute addition for a little shelf, nook or sewing room. Beside I love buttons anyway, so this is perfect. Flowers that will last forever.

Would you like to see what is on the inside? Come to club and see!

A Day of Rest

 I have been working playing in my art journal like a mad happy woman! Every evening here lately you will find me planted on the couch sitting with dad doodling, coloring,and  blending away!

As you can read in this journal entry... let the work go and just play! I like practicing what I preach! hahaha!!

Stained Class and Watercoloring

Here is one of the card shares for this month clubs.

I used an aqua brush in ink to watercolor the back ground on white card stock. All you need to do is squeeze or hug you closed water based ink pad to get a little puddle of ink in the lid, then drip a bit of water from the aqua brush in the puddle, and then pick up that ink and scribble it across your card stock. The trick is using plenty of water. that will make the ink move and smear across the card stock. You can use water color paper, but remember it is more pores and will absorb more water, and making it a little difficult to smear the ink like I did in the sample. The white card stock from Stampin Up worked great for this look.

Then I embossed the flower with white embossing powder on card stock vellum and water colored the back side of the vellum giving the image a stained glass look.

You can order all your tools toys here! I cannot say enough great things about Stampin Up's Aqua Painters. You may gasp at the price... but let me tell you..... I and others have had the cheaper models and they stink! I use my Aqua Painters nearly everyday... especially in my art journal book. The bushes are long wearing, they do not leak, they distribute the right amount of water. You get a large and small tip brush. Stampin Up's Aqua brushes are Artist Quality and in my book well worth every penny spent.  TIP: Use only distilled water so bacteria will not build up.

Aqua Painter	103954
Price: $16.95
This wonderful tool is versatile and easy to use, and works great with Stampin' Up! Watercolor Pencils, Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Classic Stampin' Pads, and other mediums to pull and blend colors. * 2 painters included per package: 12 mm and 15 mm brush sizes * Portable and easy to use * Reservoir holds 8 cc of liquid

Bird ATC

My ATC with a bird theme for a group I participate in. I just used designer series papers, trims and stickers to create this. A little out of the ordinary for me, but love the outcome.

It is coming to a club or a workshop soon.....

 

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Box Card

I offered this box card class this month and will be happy to offer another one. Gather 6 of your friends (live within 50 miles of Cloverdale IN) and I will come and show you how. All supplies are included. Class by mail also available. Contact me for dates.

Looks what is on it way!

 

Watercolor Picks

 What mess do I have here? Well I wanted a color swatch of some kind for my 72 water colors that I use daily. So I traced the inside of a stencil in this rectangle shape 72 times. Ya I know I need my head examined! Then I colored about half way down with each color in a rectangle. Then I used my aqua painter bush to paint the color. I wanted to see light and dark and pure shading with the pencil and with the water.

 Once the swatches were dry I wrote all the names at the bottom of the swatch, and cut them all out. The swatches are bit to small to put on a ring and I really didn't want them like that, so I opted to make them into a "stick".

 I hot glued the swatch to a popsicle stick.

 I then popped them in an old glass container I had and ooh a bouquet of watercolor sticks !

Now that makes me happy! Yep it is the little things in life - right?