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Saturday, June 30, 2012

A Touch of the Orient

Greetings!  Thank you so much for stopping by my blog.  My post today is for our new challenge at Fashionable Stamping Challenge, which this time around is to make a project with an Asian theme.  I have always been attracted to Asian-style stamps and papers due to the fact that my son at an early age decided he was in love with all things Japanese.  Now, in the early - mid 80s, there was no internet, no cell phones, or personal computers.  Our only source of feeding his inspiration was to look for television shows or magazine or newspaper articles on Japan.  Ironically, a young man at church, with a similar interest to my son, made a connection in Japan, and lived there for many years.  Long story short, a Japanese family whose business was teaching English, brought many of their students over to spend three weeks with church families.  Our whole family was immersed in the Japanese culture over the next decade with many visitors to our home and to this day we stay in touch via FaceBook!  The young man from church would send my son age appropriate Japanese text books and by the time he entered college to study Japanese, he advanced out of the first five classes of Japanese, and the University created new classes for him specifically!  There is much more I could share, but I know your time is limited, so on to my card.  The images used on my card are by a sadly, now defunct company called Art Declassified.  All were stamped with Black StazOn Ink or Barn Red Distress Ink.  Simple gold thread embellishes the card, along with some handmade paper I folded into paper fans and wrapped with gold paper compliments of a Blog Candy win from Gabrielle.  I hope you will pop over to see all the mouthwatering inspiration pieces my Design Team Sisters have created, and I hope you will also give the challenge a go yourself for a possible fabulous prize.  Thanks so much for dropping by today.  Best wishes, Yvonne

Cherish and Love One Another

Have you checked out the challenges over at Frilly and Funkie Challenge yet?  I just love them.  The blog is so comprehensive with challenges, tutorials and something for nearly every style of art.  The newest challenge is to create a project with lots of texture and to incorporate fabric into the design.  I began with a Kraft card base and stamped several complimentary images from Crafty Individuals along the top and bottom of my card in Black StazOn Ink.  The card base was wrapped with wide antique white lace and layered next with white burlap fabric that was die cut into a cabinet card.  The couple, by The Stampsmith, were stamped onto Specialty Paper by Ranger. Embellishments of paper photo corners, appliques, vintage seam binding and button and burlap string and Chit Chat stickers, which I purchased at the The Funkie Junkie Boutique complete my card.  Hope everyone is staying cool!  I cannot bare not to be outside, but am posting from the shade of our porch!  Best wishes, Yvonne

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Forevermore

Greetings!  It seems like I have been away from blogland far too long, though it truly has not been too long in reality.  Due to travel and health issues for my husband recently, I have not been able to participate in some of the June challenges over at Make My Monday, so I was excited to ink up this new to me stamp for this weeks challenge "Strawberries and Cream."  Our challenge to make a card with red, white/cream and green.  My first thought went to this adorable stamp by Alpha Stamps.  I stamped it once in Barn Door Distress Ink and again in Black StazOn ink and combined them.  The doily and the chit chat stickers by Sir Tim were purchased at the Funkie Junkie Boutique. Vintage buttons, seam binding and a lace applique, office supply house tag and a chip board heart complete my card.  Thanks so much for stopping by.  Yvonne

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Ten of Something


There's a new challenge over at Our Creative Corner this week.  We are to make a card with ten of something on it.  I decided to add ten buttons to my card!  I just returned from my husband's convention.  The soap in our room came wrapped in this satiny, waxy paper and was boxed in corrugated cardboard.  It occurred to me that these components would work well in card making.  I stamped the gentlemen from the French Flight plate by Artistic Outpost onto the wax paper with Black StazOn Ink.  More images from the same plate were stamped onto the Kraft card base with more Black StazOn Ink and Barn Door Distress Ink.  The buttons are tied with burlap string, which I acquired from the Funkie Junkie Boutique.  I'll be submitting this card to the Sunday Share at the Frilly and Funkie Challenge Blog as well.  Thanks so much for stopping by.  Best wishes, Yvonne

Monday, June 18, 2012

A Handsome Gent

Hello!  I am sharing a post today for the current Bloggers Challenge with a theme of Masculine Cards.  I felt like creating a clean and simple card in black and white with touches of red.  The images are by Artistic Outpost and were stamped with Black StazOn ink onto Ranger Specialty Paper. Embellishments include red and white ribbon, red photo corners and repurposed buttons.  Thanks for dropping by! Yvonne   

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Nature: Discover Your World!

Greetings!  It is hard to believe another fortnight has rolled around, and here we are with a new challenge at Fashionable Stamping Challenge.  This time around, our challenge is to make a project with a theme around "Nature."  Now you could go one of many directions:  Butterflies, flowers, trees, mushrooms and on and on!  I chose birds, on of my absolute favorites.  I began by layering a background panel to my card base.  The panel was monoprinted using a GelliArts plate.  The fern-like stamps on the panel are from Hero Arts.  The rest of the images are from Artistic Outpost and were stamped with Black StazOn ink onto Ranger Specialty Paper.  This was the first time I ever used the Specialty Paper and I was very happy with the results.  The images are very crisp and detailed.  The images were colored with Distress Markers and the edges were distressed with Old Paper Distress Ink.  The vintage button and liquid pearls were from my stash.  The white jute and black burlap string are from the Funkie Junkie Boutique.  My Design Team Sisters have once again come up with spectacular inspiration pieces for your enjoyment.  I hope you will pop on over and take a look, leave them so love and then submit an inspiring piece of your own! Please remember that Digis are not permitted, as we are a stamping challenge.  Thanks so much for dropping by!  Best wishes, Yvonne

A Button and A Bow

I am sharing a card this evening that I created for a rather new to me challenge over at Our Creative Corner.  They have an amazing Design Team with a huge spectrum of styles, and some unique challenges.  For their newest, the host:  Linda Coughlin called it easy peasy, and I must agree.  The challenge is simply to include a button and burlap or a button and a bow on your creation.  My card includes a designer paper background panel.  I am trying to move away from premade panels, but this one was just too beautiful to overlook.  The stamped image by Crafty Individuals was stamped onto muslin and the edges were frayed.  (Another first for me, stamping on fabric!)  I found this reel of gorgeous, vintage turquoise seam binding at an old sewing factory and used it for my bow.  The button is also vintage and sits atop two gold skeleton leaves.  The snippet of lace is from the Funkie Junkie Boutique as are the Chit Chat Stickers.  The golden Butterfly is from Martha Stewart.  Thanks so much for dropping by today.  Best wishes, Yvonne 

Friday, June 15, 2012

A Lifetime of Memories



Hello!  Sharing a card with you today that I created for several challenges.  The colors of the card are based on the photograph directly above of a parrot as part of the challenge over at Frilly and Funkie.  I immediately thought of the new Seasonal Distress Inks in Peacock and Squeezed Lemonade!  My card is also for the challenge over at Our Creative Corner where we are asked to create a card using a Technique by Tim Holtz.  I chose the technique of spritzing and flicking water onto Distress Inks.  The stamp images are by Crafty Individuals and the white crepe paper and paper lace are from the Funkie Junkie Boutique.  Thanks for dropping by today.  Best wishes, Yvonne

Monday, June 11, 2012

Happy Anniversary to a Cute Couple

Greetings everyone, and especially to my new followers.  Sharing a card today I made for the current challenge at Bloggers Challenge.  This week, we have a theme of "Anniversary."  I chose this cute couple and sentiment by Art Declassified.  The woman's dress was tinted with Tumbled Glass Distress Ink.  The sentiment edges were also distressed with more DI.  The chipboard florishes were painted with Picket Fence Crackle Paint and then distressed with even more DI and then dotted with Liquid Pearls.  The ribbons by Maya Road were from the box I received recently from Gabrielle.  I thought it was fitting that the ribbon was named "Bliss" and I used it for an Anniversary card. Thanks for dropping by today!  Yvonne 

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Blog Candy Arrival!


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I recently met Gabrielle online and shortly thereafter was fortunate to win blog candy she was giving away to celebrate HER birthday! This is my first ever blog candy win, so I was pretty excited.  Her parcel made its way across the ocean today to my home and I just had to share with you all the delightful goodness that was packed inside.  The wheels are already turning for many of the items enclosed and I am so moved by Gabrielle's generosity to do a giveaway on a day when one normally is the recipient of gifts.  If you are not familiar with Gabrielle's work, please drop by and visit her blog.  Hoping today is filled with happiness for each of you.  

June Birthday Wishes

Hello!  The Make My Monday Challenge is celebrating a full year of weekly challenges with this their 52nd Challenge!  For the month of June, we will be challenged to make projects associated with the month of June.  For this first week, the theme is to create a Birthday Card with Pearls.  My youngest daughter has a June birthday, so she will be the recipient of my card, I think!  She turns thirty this year!  Images, and the background paper, for my card are from Crafty Individuals, except the sentiment, which is from Hero Arts. The watercoloring was done with Distress Markers.  Thanks for dropping by today!  Best wishes, Yvonne

Comforting Butterflies


Hello!  This post is for the current challenge over at Simon Says Stamp and Show.  The theme this week is to make a project that "Shows Some Texture."  I decided to create a sympathy card, which I needed, for the challenge.  The distressed doily and cabinet card by Sissix Alterations - Tim Holtz were die cut with white corrugated cardboard purchased from the Funkie Junkie Boutique.  The beautiful butterfly collage is from Crafty Individuals and was colored with my new Distress Markers that have finally arrived!  Texture was layered with a lace panel, embossed background paper scraps, seam binding, burlap string, buttons and a corrugated cardboard butterfly.  Thanks for dropping by.  I really appreciate your comments.  Yvonne

A Summer's Ball

Greetings!  This is my sixth attempt at posting this card in the last 12 hours.  Hoping the gremlins have moved on.  The card is for the next challenge over at Crafty Individuals where the theme is A Summer's Ball.  For my story, the belle has excused herself from the dance floor to get a breath of fresh air in the garden.  She comes across a caged songbird and releases it while it's fellow birds look on.  The background paper and all images are from Crafty Individuals.  I used CI-331 and CI-329.  Thanks for stopping by.  Yvonne

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Love is Simply Magical

Hello everyone!  I hope your weekend is going well.  Once again, the days have clicked by and it is time for a new challenge over at Fashionable Stamping Challenge.  For the next two weeks, the theme is Magical or Mystical.  Unlike my Design Team sisters, I was pretty well stumped as to what to create until my Dear Husband suggested I create a card based on the Beatles' song: Magical Mystery Tour.  Unfortunately, only a portion of the stamps I ordered arrived in time, probably due to the Memorial Day.  So....I decided to go with this dear little fairy stamp by Lost Coast Designs.  I began by layering a background paper to my card base and then layered a strip of paper lace from the Funkie Junkie Boutique and some Idea-olgy gauze flowers, tinted with Peacock Distress Ink.  The fairy was stamped with Black StazOn Ink on white card stock and watercolored with Distress Inks.  The bow above the fairy is from Character Constructions.  The ChitChat stickers are by Idea-ology and the corrugated heart was a thank you gift for placing an order at the Funkie Junkie Boutique. Finishing touches include turquoise thread, cheese cloth, pearls and Ranger Stickles.

I hope you will drop over to see the absolutely gorgeous inspiration pieces created by the Design Team.  I hope, too, you will consider joining the challenge by submitting a project of your own.  You will want to check FSC for all the details and remember, ours is a stamping challenge, so no digis are permitted.    Thanks for dropping by today.  Best wishes, Yvonne

So We Beat On...

It's June, which means that it is time for a new challenge at the Artistic Outpost Referral Program.  During the month of June, AO is looking for submissions of projects that are created with AO images that reflect a Masculine Theme.  For my take on the theme, I considered many possibilities among the numerous plates of images that would fit the bill.  In the end, I decided to work with the Gatsby plate as it has been awhile since I have worked with it.  I added a panel of red card stock to the right side of the card base for a punch of color.  The images and sentiments were stamped with Black StazOn ink onto glossy paper and distressed with Old Paper Distress Ink.  Simple embellishments include vintage buttons, a bit of red burlap string and black liquid pearls.  Thanks for dropping by! Best wishes, Yvonne

Friday, June 1, 2012

Be Good

I created this card for the challenge over at Frilly and Funkie.  This week, we are being asked to create a project that incorporates Kraft paper and twine.  I decided to use a Tim Holtz Die Cut of a distressed doily and used Kraft card stock for the doily.  The doily was layered over a monoprint made with a GelliArts Gel Printer.  The focal image by Artistic Outpost was stamped with Vintage Photo Distress Ink onto white card stock and distressed heavily with more DI.  The image was then matted with chocolate card stock and added to the card front.  Embellishments include a distressed, embossed photo corner, lace, button, burlap twine, a snippet of muslin and burlap and an Idea-ology binder clip. 

That Which is Good

Joining in on the latest challenge over at Bloggers' Challenge.  This week, we are to create a card with one layer!  This is by far one of the very hardest challenges in my mind.  I love embellishments, and to create a card without elements that normally add tactile texture was a bit difficult.  I began with a white card base.  For my one added layer, I added one of my very first prints using the Gelli Arts Gel Printing process.  The edges were distress to add a bit more texture.  Over top of the this layer, I stamped a variety of Artistic Outpost images from the Generation Redux plate with Black StazOn Ink.  The sentiment is also by Artistic Outpost.  All in all, I am pleased with how my card turned out.  Thanks for stopping by!  Yvonne