more millefiori...

this is such a fun and versatile technique.  to learn more about it check out technique junkies.
enjoy!  love to all.

millefiori madness!

i needed to make some thank you cards so i tried the new technique junkies millefiori technique.  although i shopped for a circle stamp i could not find one so i had to rely on ink dots! although i do have a circle (with spiral inside) stamp from connors collectibles that i also used.  the flowers are from connors collectibles or hero arts.  various ribbons, die cuts, flowers and such from the stash.
this is a fun and delightful technique that is relatively easy with attractive results.
now i'll get these cards out in the mail!

love to all.

new rogue redhead creation...

after too long a break from card-making joy i've had a busy day today. first i want to share a new creation made with the relish reading plate stamps from Rogue Redhead designs.  the background was an attempt at the new tissue color technique from Technique Junkies but i did not get the dramatic results of the tutorial.  it still made a nice background for the reading girl.  i cut her with decorative scissors and added a quote from the same relish reading plate, a few ink dots for extra pizazz and a nice flower.  felt good to make some stuff today.  more to report tomorrow. 
love to all.

happy valentine's day everyone

alpha stamps image, a background paper from rachel emilie jackson, other goodies from the stash.
sending love to all.

another plaid valentine

here is another plaid valentine, same color scheme as the other but i held off posting this one because i was waiting for my "just one" partner to receive it!  the stamp is by hero arts. enjoy!
love to all

intuitive and serendipitous (and some art from a new friend)

hello all, i am very excited that on saturday the 12th i'll be taking a class from local artist liesel lund on "intuitive art journalling."  i'll be taking the class on my actual birthday so it is a gift to myself.  i've been wanting to unleash my art journalling mojo but i need a nudge so i was thrilled to find this class.  so maybe someone can identify with this: when i was a kid and a teenager and even in 20s i was unashamedly creative in every possible way.  i sang, danced, played music, drew, wrote poetry/stories, everything.  i remember when i used to "publish" a magazine every month for my friends full of made up stories, fashion pages (complete with my crazy drawings of crazy clothes), cartoon strips and everything else.  i didn't edit myself in any way and it never occurred to me to care if anyone liked it or not i just put it all out there.  so at some point and i'm not clear what happened but i got all sobered and adult and ashamed and self-critical and those days of freedom and creativity passed away.  but the creative urge never went away. it just got censored and hidden.  so putting myself out here and blogging my cards and such has been a great experience. and i love all you guys for being in this wonderful world and sharing your art and being kind and supportive of me.  since i'm still hungry for more i think it will be cool to be in a very freeing artful place.  will report back after saturday!

so then guess what else happened?  it was this past saturday i got confirmed for the class and so later i'm at a verizon store where DH is upgrading his phone (this is a long and arduous process) and i see this young lady journalling like crazy in a notebook so i keep tiptoeing closer to where she is sitting so i can look at it and of course it was wonderful so i struck up a conversation.  she was just a doll and she was still in that wonderful creative place (i'm guessing she's around 19-21-ish) where clearly she can't stop creating wherever she goes.  she had gobs of notebooks and she handed them over for me to review so we had some fun talking about art.  so then i left her alone to check out DH's progress and after awhile she called me back over.  on one of her journal pages where she had a (really great) self portrait, she had drawn me into the page standing behind her (and it was a totally great likeness).  i asked her if i could put something on her page and she wanted me to so i drew a little profiles.  she said she'd finish up the page later.  so that is the serendipity part.  also she tore a page out of one of her small notebooks and gave it to me.  i'm posting it here along with a little drawing by me (a profile) so you can see an example of what i added.

i'm artfully happy about it.  i'll be back with more valentines soon.
love to all.

they are in the mail!

thanks for all the sweet comments everyone. i really love making these valentines.  as my friend Megan from peacock paperie says, it is so fun to cut hearts and stickers just like in elementary school! so today i went to the post office and mailed valentines to my out of town family and pals so they will have them in plenty of time to enjoy their red hearts.  (hopefully the early valentines will make up for all the late Christmas cards last year...).  today's post again features images from twisted papers and then lots of other goodies from my stash for embellishment.  enjoy!

love to all.

keeping it pink

as a child and as a young woman i never liked pink very much.  i've come to appreciate it in my life now.  i still don't wear it much but i like to look at it.  these two valentines are on some delicious pink cardstock (origins unknown) and both have images from twisted papers.  you've seen that heart-flower tree from me before.  i really like that image.  the vintage images are layered on other papers that came from the old stash.  and both have die-cut borders from k & company.  more to come!

love to all.

coffee and cream valentine

the current color challenge over at gingersnap creations  is GC88 coffee and cream.  i have a very simple valentine incorporating these colors.  i lightly distressed some cream cardstock with antique linen distress ink and there are only three bits to it -- a "love" tag (sorry i cannot say where it came from, i've had it a long time), some cream colored lace, and a coffee-colored ribbon bow that came off a present and which i saved. and there you go.  enjoy; love to all.

plaid valentine

hello friends.  here is a valentine utilizing a fun technique from technique junkies called plaid.  i used pink and yellow alcohol inks to create the plaid background.  layered on that is another piece dressed up in alcohol inks but not done in the plaid pattern.  the stamp is from ducks in a row. in case you cannot read it it says "always enough love to go around" -- which i believe to be true.  flowers and heart stickers, too, and all layered upon sparkly pink cardstock.  i hope you like.
love to all.