More Marie

I actually was going to use the image of the woman in the hat for yesterday's Theme Thursday piece, but found it too small for what I wanted. So it seems that the challenge at Thank God it's Friday (which is to make an ATC in arch shape) is just the size I need for the images from Oxford Impressions's Marie Antoinette set.

Like our guest artist at TGIF this week, I was inspired to make three of them.

Theme Thursday -- Hats

Here is a 4x4 I made from an image of Marie by Oxford Impressions. Stamps are by Oxford Impressions, too. Background paper is by Basic Grey.

Wednesday Stamper -- Orange

Wednesday Stamper's challenge is to use orange. I couldn't quite set my mind on which direction to go, so I figured I'd show you everything I started playing around with this morning.

This chipboard puzzle piece was the base for my stamped images from Prima, Stampington, Paper Artsy and Cavallini. Behind the missing puzzle piece is a glossy flower photo.

This butterfly stamp from Autumn Leaves is one I've been wanting to use before spring is over. I stamped over this gorgeous orange flower and added the little girl from Hampton Arts.

This seed packet stamp from Serendipity Stamps was my first idea. I also added part of the image offered from Art Creations Friday. I'll be turning this into a card, probably with a few embellishments.

Colorful Vintage -- Crazy Amigos Challenge

I've been so enjoying Jacqueline's white embossed backgrounds, that I had to give it a try here.
I used stamps by Anna Griffin and Hero Arts. The four squares are all from Crafty Individuals.
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Another colorful image from Crafty Individuals. Background panels made with stamps from Hero Arts and Tim Holtz.

I just love the way that dog's paw rests on her shoulder:)

Monday's ATC

Think Monday, Think ATC's theme tihis week was "cars." Mine's a little tongue in cheek, although I'm sure many of you will agree wholeheartedly with its message:)

My background stamp is from Tim Holtz. Other stamps are from Oxford Impressions and Making Memories.

Sunday Postcard Art

Audrey Hernandez is the hostess for this week's butterfly theme at Sunday Postcard Art.

I was going to experiment with some alcohol inks and a few of my butterfly stamps, but by the time I had fiddled around with a few things laying on my craft desk I had already finished this card and was happy with the way it looked.

The image is from Collage Visions. The background text is from a French Composition book I recently found at a thrift store. The butterfly definition stamp is from Paper Artsy And the vellum I am just crazy about -- found a whole package of 12x12 sheets at Big Lots for $2. Which is not the real reason I'm crazy about it. I just think it's gorgeous.

Art Creations Friday

When I saw this picture offered up by Art Creations Friday, this sentiment was the first thing that went through my mind. So I went with it!

TGIF -- Fish

Here's the fish tag I made for the challenge at TGIF.

The fish chart is from Collage Visions.

Don't know who made the bait bag, but it's a stamp I've had forever.

Theme Thursday -- Famous Faces

I just recently acquired this stamp of Mt. Rushmore with its famous faces, so I thought I'd use that and this image of George Washington I've had so long it just needed to finally be used!

(I know the map background is not correct geographically, but it was the only map paper I had of the U.S.)

You can see the rest of the submissions for this challenge at http://themethursday.wordpress.com/.

And now I'm off to watch American Idol to which I'm terribly addicted to see who the next famous face may be in the music world!

Wednesday Stamper -- Earth Day

I love this little gardener -- it was a freebie from Rein a long time ago. She seemed perfect for the challenge at Wednesday Stamper today as she tends her little part of the earth.

I stamped the music background and the little bird as well as the sentiment on the side.

Crazy Amigos Challenge

The challenge today at Crazy Amigos is to incorporate a proverb or saying into a card. I used a saying by Mother Theresa. The stamp is from Stampabilities.
The image is a photo stamp from Stampsmith, stamped on glossy cardstock with Ancient Page ink.

Can ya beat this?

A complementary issue of Stampington's Catch Up issue arrived yesterday. I expected to see a card or cards I'd submitted a while back. But I was astonished to see a card I submitted almost three years ago! Can anyone beat that? I've seen posts for a year to almost two years, but nothing approaching almost three years.

I checked my old issues of Stampers Sampler and found I had submitted the card below (which is cut off because of the way it was photographed in the magazine) for a challenge for spinner cards which was due August 15, 2006. Which means I was probably working on it in May or June of 2006.

The unfortunate thing about showing card on it's own is the spinning concept is entirely lost. When you spin the wheel on the side of my card it showed pictures of different female images (ones I thought fit the femmes fatale theme.)

Gothic Arch

This arch comes from sheer determination. You would think that "home" would be an easy challenge idea. And yet I think this is my fourth try. I could just not get my arch to come together and it got to the point where I wasted so much paper and time on this challenge between yesterday and this morning that I just refused to give up. So here is what I finally came up with before I said "uncle."

I used images from Collage Visions (house and children).

Lots To Do Challenge

It's my first time participating in the Lots To Do Challenge. I liked their challenge of "Black and White." The image I used is a photostamp from Stampsmith. The quote is from an old StampinUp set which I stamped on vellum.

I may have cheated a little bit with the dash of yellow in my daisies:)

Theme Thursday

Here is my "glamour girl" for the challenge this week at Theme Thursday.

Wednesday Stamper -- Alter a Postcard

I enjoyed creating my postcard for the Wednesday Stamper challenge. (I wasn't sure if they meant to create a postcard or alter one you already had, but since I didn't have any postcards

available, I created my own.) I first stippled some distress inks onto ivory cardstock. I then stamped the word "postcard", postage stamp and text (PaperBag Studios).

Finally I added some transparencies from ArtChix Studios.

Tag Tuesday

No, it's not a new challenge site -- it's just a name I made up for today's post as it seems I've been drawn to making tags lately -- and to this little fairy/angel stamp from Oxford Impressions (Fairy Sweets sheet).

She's been popping up all over the place. In this tag I placed her in a frame I cut out from a Crafty Individuals stamp. The text above her is from Hero Arts.

TMTA

This is my entry for TMTA's challenge of "eyes". I created my background using the method Tim Holtz showed this weekend on his blog. It's my attempt at plaid:) I did mine on glossy cardstock with distress inks.

The quote stamp I used is by TH, too. My eyes are from Stampington.

Chipboard Tag

Just a little tag I made with some of the odds and ends sitting around my craft table.

Stamps by Inkadinkado and Tim Holtz.

Cuttlebug Matchbook Card

I decided to join in the Cuttlebug Challenge again this week which is to use vellum in your Easter creation. I just came upon a stash of long-forgotten vellum so I figured I would use it in this Easter egg card I wanted to make. The border embossing folders make great Easter eggs. Each strip is its own folder so you can design the eggs differently. With an oval punch, it's super easy.

I did emboss the vellum on the outside of the card, too. I love the way the vellum crackles when you run it through the CB.

Below is the inside of the matchbook card.

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Saturday Workout

I'm not the biggest technique junkie -- but I couldn't resist this super easy one they challenged us to use on Saturday's Workout. It's called the fossil stone technique and it produces a very cool background with minimal effort. There's a how-to link on the challenge site if you're not familiar with it.

I created an ATC with my background as well as a simple card for a male colleague. I was so thrilled to find an appropriate sentiment in my stash of old stamps to go along with this new Tim Holtz image of the man under an umbrella. I think it makes a great male encouragement card!

Make A Moo Friday

I don't usually do a lot of cutsie things, but I had to use this bunny from Art Impressions at least once before Easter was over -- so here he is on my moo. The theme today at Make A Moo or Two is yellow, a color I find I seldom work with.

Charm Swap

Here are the charms I received from a recent charms swap at the Vintage Veranda. The artists are (starting with the heart and going clockwise):

Kathy, Liz, Sarah, Lyneen and me.

Mine were all a little different. Here are four of my Paris inspired ATCs and charms.

Pisa -- Our Sister City

I made this tag for Wednesday Stamper's Bella Italia theme this week.

I've never been to Italy, but I've been to the Leaning Tower.

Yup, that's right. We have one in our own little town of Niles, Illinois. I'm not talking small scale here, it's actual size. Our YMCA has an exact replica of the Leaning Tower -- and Pisa is our sister city. At Christmas they light up the different stories with alternating green and red lights and it's gorgeous.

Stamps are by Inkadinkado, Paper Studio and Stampington.

Beau Monde

Here are three pieces I made using the new set of stamps from Oxford Impressions. You can see the sheet of stamps here. What a gorgeous set!

My picture of this first one doesn't show the acetate behind the window frame that I used as glass, but IRL it has a cool effect. I really like the little curtains I made from the fan in this set.

I thought that the images would work well as inchies, so I made a tag from some of them. (Don't think they are quite one inch square, but who's measuring?)

I also made this fan using most of the lovely images from that set.

TMTA

"Together" is the theme at Think Monday, Think ATC. My "birds of a feather flock together" take on this came as a result of my sorting through my stamps last night and re-discovering these birds I like so much. ( I really need to go through all my stamps every so often -- it's amazing how many I forget I have. Which is not a reflection so much on the size of my stamp collection but the lack of my memory.) So a bit of reorganizing\spring cleaning and I've got a better take on my stamp collection.

I was also happy when I remembered this index from a book of trees to use as my background. After I stamped and colored my birds (Crafty Secrets) I attached them to the background and added a little gesso across the surface.

Sunday Postcard Art

Swan Lake is the theme at Sunday Postcard Art this week. This is my submission.

Stamps by: Serendipity Stamps and Inkadinkado.

Make a Moo

With all the fussing I did with my Ukrainian Easter Eggs yesterday, I can't believe I joined in on the Moo challenge this week -- their theme was "eggs." But I didn't get a chance to use the charming image from Art Creations Friday last week and I had an idea for it. This egg was a little easier to manager than yesterday's.

Egg stamp is by Invoke arts. Text stamp is by Studio G.

Ukrainian Easter Eggs

I wanted to pay tribute to my Ukrainian heritage with this basket of Easter eggs. My father was born in the Ukraine and every Easter we made the traditional Ukrainian Easter eggs. (Of course, as a kid I just wanted to make the Pas ones like everyone else!) I can appreciate the tradition much more as an adult.

I have to say that making them in real life could not be more time-consuming than coloring my stamped version of them was. It took me half an hour just to color the eggs, not to mention how long it took me to fashion this basket and liner. Let's just say I am glad I only paid $1 for this stamp (Serendipity Stamps) because I doubt I'll be using it much. I really don't have that kind of time or patience!

The words on the basket are Ukrainian for Christ is Risen pronounced "Kris-tos Vos-kres."

April in Paris

I was working on a swap (coincidentally the theme was Paris) and I had all my stamps and ephemera out when I saw the challenge at Theme Thursday was Paris. I had it in my head that it needed to be a 4x4, so here is my Paris 4x4.

Transparency is by ArtChix Studio. Stamps are by Paper Studio, Rubber Stampede, and Inkindinkado

Wednesday Stamper

I got an early start on today's Wednesday Stamper challenge to create a 2x4. I was up at 4:30 in the morning -- which is easy to do when you fall asleep on the couch at 6:00 p.m.! DH woke me up at 7:00 because he knew I was waiting to watch American Idol. I woke up to hear Ryan Seacrest say "This is American Idol!" and I was immediately back to sleep! I think I'm still catching up on sleep from the scrapbooking weekend in which I got about seven hours of sleep total.

So here is my 2x4 which I created using stamps from Oxford Impressions (the Marie Antoinette and Beau Monde sets). The frame however is from Hero Arts.