Bug Light

I don't have any cards I can share right now, but here's a little drawing I just finished.  The lighthouse is Bug Light on the breakwater in South Portland, Maine.  I did the drawing in pen and ink then scanned it and added color in Photoshop. 

I'm off to ink some rubber now, and I just got the new Technique Junkies Newsletter, so I just might have a card to show you tomorrow.

Sneak Peek

Or is that a sneak pick?

That awesomeness I alerted you to yesterday is the release of the DoodleFactory Creatures II collection from Starving Artistamps!  That's right, Yapples and Zot and Frozey and all the others have a whole bunch of friends just waiting to join them on April 1st.  Just like the originals, the new creatures are just a little bit funky, a little bit crazy, a little bit weird, and a whole lot of fun!

Mark your calendar and stop back here or go to Starving Artistamps after noon (EST) on April 1 to see the whole set and lots of neat cards made by me and the rest of the Design Team!

Awesomeness Alerts!

The first Awesomeness Alert I have it this...Starving Artistamps will be releasing an awesome new DoodleFactory set on April 1. No fooling...I'm serious. Keep your eyes peeled right here because I'll be posting a sneak peek tomorrow.

The second Awesomeness Alert is awesome mostly to me, but I'm sharing it anyway...I recently finished my first colored pencil portrait!  This is my step-grandson, Matt, done in Caran d'Ache Pablos pencils on 11" x 14" Strathmore smooth Bristol. 

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed doing a portrait.  It's true what they say, "You never know unless you try."

I'll see you tomorrow with a peek at that DoodleFactory awesomeness I promised.

Clean and Simple, Quick and Easy

This could have easily been a one layer card, too, but I just couldn't resist adding the orange mat to frame the images.  The stamps are from smARTworks, and I stamped them onto white card stock with Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  On my card, I stamped the owl first and then masked it before I stamped the hats, but it would have been quicker and easier and just as effective to simply stamp the hats next to the owl.  I used Prismacolor pencils and a colorless blender to do my coloring and added just a little bit of sparkle by putting some Stardust Stickles on the hats.

Well, I'm off.  I've got a few chores to do, but then we're kicking back with some friends to enjoy the first full day of Spring.

Divine Diva Inspiration Challenge #24

It's time for another Divine Diva Inspiration challenge.  I knew that I wanted to make an Easter card, but other than that, I had no idea what to do with this challenge.  Surprisingly, though, once I sat down at my table, everything just kind of fell into place.

The first thing I did was grab a piece of kraft card stock and emboss it in my Cuttlebug.  Then to more closely mimic the look of the rattan headboard, I highlighted the embossing with some brown chalk ink and matted the panel with another piece of kraft card stock.

While I was doing that, I remembered an old Stamp Cabana floral egg stamp way in the back of one of my stamp drawers.  Perfect!  The design picks up the floral pattern from the pillow, and I used Copic markers to color it with the same scheme as the inspiration photo.  I did think briefly about adding some embellishments, but decided against it because I'm pretty happy with this one just the way it is.

Everyone is invited to play along in the Divine Diva challenges, and you can link your creation here. If you upload to PCP or SCS, use the keyword DDIC. For even more inspiration, please visit the other Divine Divas: Anne, Chris, Lori, Julie, and Kerri

Have a wonderful day!

Ava's Card

I think it's safe to post this now.  This is the card I sent Jenn McMillan right after her daughter Ava was born last month.  Geez, Jenn...isn't it time for some new Ava pics on your blog????

Card Details

Stamps - Starving Artistamps - DoodleFactory Oh Baby

Paper - Cosmo Cricket Early Bird Mini Deck

I only have time for a quickie post today during my lunch break, but I'll be back tomorrow for another Divine Diva Inspiration challenge.  See you then!

My Neighborhood

Don'tcha just love this? That's my little house in the suburbs in the middle there.  I have big trees in the front yard and quilty stuff all over house.  I'm just a regular slice of Americana, I tell ya.

I made these great little inchies by punching out parts of border stamp from the House and Garden sheet from Starving Artistamps.  They are colored with Copic markers, and the printed paper is Basic Grey June Bug. 

Have a wonderful day!

Divine Diva Inspiration Challenge #23

Lori always comes up with the greatest inspiration pieces for her Divine Diva Inspiration challenges, and I thought the White House | Black Market catalog cover she chose for this week was especially wonderful.  Red, white and black = one of my favorite color combos; poppies = one of my favorite flowers; beads and jewelry = well, who doesn't love those; vintage and a little shabby = a look that I love.  So I have to admit, this one really wasn't much of a challenge at all!

 The layout for my card comes from sketch challenge #270 at Splitcoast Stampers.  The papers are all Basic Grey except for a couple of odds and ends mixed in.  Some of the papers were too bright for my design, so I grunged them up as necessary with Copic markers and Distress Ink.  I stamped the silhouette poppies, from Starving Artistamps, with Fired Brick Distress Ink.  The sentiment is actually dry embossed and then sanded to show the white core of the paper.  To finish everything off, I added some ribbon and a cool charm I found on clearance at Michael's.

Everyone is invited to play along in the Divine Diva challenges, and you can link your creation here. If you upload to PCP or SC, use the keyword DDIC23. For even more inspiration, please visit the other Divine Divas: Anne, Chris, Lori, Julie, and Kerri

Have a wonderful day!

It's Coming!!!!

Spring is coming!!!  Look what I found today....