Long Time No Post -- So A Long Post

A dreary, dreary March day around here yesterday led me to my local Archiver's for a little pick-me-up.  Here's a few of the things that came home with me:

Love this cheerful paper from October Afternoon!  Just the thing to get my mind off the gloomy weather and onto spring!

I've been able to resist the last few offerings of paper from Graphic 45, but their new line, "Olde Curiosity Shoppe, was irresistible.

This paper from Simple Stories called Documented will go fast.

Two new stamps sets, the one above is a Tim Holtz set which was from Archivers.  The one below is something I ordered on-line, but which I know will get a lot of use.

Love these mini alphabet playing cards from Tim Holtz, too!

Saving the best of my purchases for last -- Tim Holtz' new Distress Markers.  Along with the detailer water pen.  I already played around with these a bit and I'll just say that I absolutely adore them!   Been having fun playing with different colors on stamps -- wow, it's been a long time since I felt like doing that.  They are very easy to blend with the watercolor pen and there's a great variety of looks I think one can achieve with these.  Nice spring colors, too!

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Jacqueline has been showing off some wine labels here son gave her (we should all have sons who bring home stampable ephemera:)    She was nice enough to send me some and so I played around with the wine label and my new Distress Markers to create the card below. 

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Finally, the spring edition of Take Ten arrived recently with a card I had created as a designer for Artistic Outpost using one of their stamps from Huck Finn set.

Pink!

I love Valentine's Day if only because I can create with utter abandon in my favorite color!

"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.