"Cherish"

My first time participating in the Simon Says Stamp challenge.  The challenge is to use a song title to inspire you, and so I've altered a little wooden house I found in a thrift store and used the song "Cherish" as my inspiration.  I forgot who sang the song, but the words were "Cherish is the word I use to describe, all the feelings that I have hiding here for you inside....."  Well, I could go on, but I won't:)

Here is the opposite side which I also altered.

Happy New Year!

Stamps by:  Artistic Outpost

Wishing everyone a happy and creative New Year!  Hoping this year brings more time for me to create and visit my blogging buddies!  The busy-ness of this past year really cut into that and I miss it!

Christmas Art Book

I have had no time to participate in Tim's Tags this year, but I did want to share a book I have been putting together the last few weeks.   It's along the same lines as my Halloween book where I put together some of my favorite holiday art that I have created and received (from some amazing artists I may add). 

 So I want to start off by thanking all the artists that have contributed to this book by sending me some of their beautiful Christmas creations over the past few years :

Robin Woodard (cover), Sarah Hemphill, Jacqueline de Groot, Lynn Stevens,

Nancy Maxwell James and Kris Dickinson.

This gorgeous Christmas card I received from Robin Woodard graces the cover.

I collaged the inside cover and then added a mini paper bag which I decorated with this lovely tag sent by Sarah Hemphill.   Since Sarah and I both share some German roots, I really adore this tag.

I covered the opposite side of the paper bag and inserted inside of it tags I made last year for Tim's 12 Tag of Christmas.

I then cut out two plastic sleeves from my ATC holders and added some of my

favorite Christmas ATC's I made. 

The Christmas arch I included here was one I received from Nancy Maxwell James.  I placed it in a plastic sleeve and backed it with a card from 7 Gypsies.

Another gorgeous arch, this one sent to me by Kris Dickinson.

Opposite that I collaged a bingo tag.

                   I'm thrilled to have one of Jacqueline's grid cards to add to my book.

Opposite that is a large pocket envelope which I decorated with yet another one of my tags for Tim's tags last year.

From the large envelope you can pull out a wonderful Christmas tag created by Lynn Stevens.

The next page I added was a smaller envelope which contains one of Jacqueline's lovely tags.

My final two papes are the back of the envelope to which I added one of my

house-shaped ATC's. 

The inside of the back cover was then collaged by me.

So happy to have this incredible collection of artwork to grace my coffee table this Christmas!

French Flight Matchbook

A matchbox accordian booklet I created using the new French Flight stamps from Artistic Outpost.  Love these stamps for collage work!

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Artistic Outpost has a special going on now until November 30th!

For every $25 you spend, we'll send you a special gift code for $5 (GC must be used by March of 2012). Better yet! These gift codes stack! If you spend $50 you will get a $10 certificate, spend $100 get a $20 certificate! Remember, in the US you get free shipping when your order totals $50 ($250 internationally). Offer ends November 30th, 2011.

New Stamps From Artistic Outpost

French Flight is the newest addition to Artistic Outpost's catalogue of unique vintage inspired stamp collections.

In the late 1700's , two French brothers, Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier launched the first manned ballon from the from the center of Paris and flew for a period of 20 minutes. In 1793, Jean Pierre Blanchard became the first to fly a hot air balloon in North America, yet another French adventurer!

This stamp collection pay homage to these adventurers.  It is available in both unmounted rubber sheets or pre-mounted on EZMount cling foam and hand trimmed on a clear cling storage card

I created this mini book with a pull out tag from the new stamps.

To see more great art using French Flight check out these designers:

Gerrie Johnnic Lisa Somerville Judy Hayes Lynn Stevens Barbara Washington Stephanie Severin Suzanne Czosek.

Spring Book -- Part 2

Here is Part Two of my Book on Life: 

This page features a pull out tab which shows the sentiments shown below:

(Once again, click on the images to get a better view.)

Spring Book Part I

I don't want to let a month pass without a post (Yikes, it's been that long?), so even though I'm moving backwards season-wise I am posting, in two parts, a spring book I just completed.  I'd been wanting to make this all spring and summer, but it took me finishing my Halloween book to get the inspiration going to actually make it.

The cover for this one is also made from the 7 Gypsies book covers.  The theme is Life.

My inside cover and first page:  Dreams and Trust that Life is Good.

This page includes a small paper sack with a pull out tag covered with an arch I made long ago for the Gothic Arch challenge.  Its sentiment is to feather your nest.

The next page is made from a large 7 Gypsies ephemera sheet and defines Blessings.

Wishes -- and a gorgeous image from Paper Whimsey.

I love the sentiment I stamped here on this mini bag:  Live life one day at a time and make it a masterpiece.

A tag pulls out from the bag.

Two sliding botanical cards grace the page titled Take the Road Less Traveled.

The sweet image on the opposite page is the center of my Love page.

Leave a Legacy is my next page created on some more 7 Gypsies ephemera cards.

I then included a plastic sleeve in which I placed the Tim Holtz birdcage over some sweet vintage ephemera and faux rhinestone embellishments.  The theme here is the vitally important life statement that Every Girl Needs Some Sparkle."

Clicking on the pages will make it easier to see all the details.

Halloween Book

I started to pull out some Halloween artwork and found I had much more than I knew what to do with.  I thought it would be fun to create a book that would incorporate some of my art plus some of the very cool artwork I've received from friends over the years.

I started with a chipboard book from Seven Gypsies and added a vintage Halloween image and an Apothecary Sticker.

The first page was a mini paper bag which I decorated with another vintage image, a Tim Holtz tag, some dimensional letters.

The back of the cover became a page dedicated to Poe.

Inside the bag I placed a Halloween card I received many moons ago from Kris Dickinson and which I've always liked.  It fit perfectly in my paper bag.

This shows the back of the bag covered with some of my favorite Halloween paper from Authentique as well as an image I know Kris sent me quite a while ago.

I then altered the next page which began as a piece of ephemera from Pink Paisley's Junque line.

This doily covered page is actually just a very sturdy piece of acetate that came with some Prima flowers  I thought it would serve to steady some of my other pages.



Next is a fabulous tag book made by Sarah.  There's four parts to it although I'm only showing two here.  This was a very nice addition to my book.







The back half of this part of Sarah's tag book. The rest is folded up.

I then added a plastic sleeve and inserted this gorgeous Gothic Arch which came again from Kris Dickinson.  (Her Halloween blog is a great visit!)  This page turns the other way in case you'r ewondering.

The opposite side of that page is one of my favorite tags that I created and also fits in the book sideways.

I then created a little pocket to hold some of the extra tags from Sarah's tag book.  I added another vintage image here and this cool banner (just love banners!)

A library card pocket is the next page, decorated with a Halloween bingo card, which holds another tag.

For the opposite side of the library pocket, I created a  little fold which opens up as seen below.

Below is one of my favorite tags -- made by Sarah and given to me on her

visit to Chicago last year.  How cute is that!  (Sorry, Sarah, I had to fold up

the bottom to fit it in, but it makes a wonderful last page.)

I love having my Halloween book sitting on the end table in my front room with all these lovely creations gathered together.

Thanks, Ladies, for unknowingly participating in my little project.

Whimsical Melange Fun

Banners are everywhere -- and I have to admit that I am loving this craze.  I was so thrilled to see a large and small sized banner on the Whimsical Melange plate from Artistic Outpost.  I added to them by cutting out the little camoes on that set and inserting them into my banner.  The ruler along the bottom comes from WM as well.  I cut out the sentiment from AO's Typography plate.

My digital image is from Paper Whimsy.

Hold Fast to That Which Is Good

A set of mini note cards I made using the new Whimical Melange set and the Typography set from Artistic Outpost.

This is the outside of one of the mini notes. (Couldn't help but add the tiny snap to where it says "hold fast.")

And this is the inisde. I held the two sides together with some decorative tape down the middle.

As today is the ten-year anniversary of 9/11, I think this simple sentiment is very appropriate.