Beautiful Blogger Award

Hi there! My friend, Monika Reeck, has given me the Beautiful Blogger Award.

The Beautiful Blogger Award:

I always find the passing along part so difficult. I have so many blogging friends that I enjoy. I am so grateful to have met so many wonderful artists, bloggers, and friends and I love being part of the blogging community.

That being said, I also understand the value of awards to expose us to a few blogs that might be new to us. So, in that spirit, here are the bloggers I nominate for the Beautiful Blogger Award, in no particular order. I hope you'll stop by to visit them, too!

• Beverley: Little Shop of Crafts


• Donna: Three Umbrellas


• Fika: juicyflavor's world


• Jan: Far North Designs


• Lysa: Lysa's Crafty Creations

I hope you'll take a moment or two to stop by these blogs (including Monika's!) and leave a nice comment. It takes just a moment, but it is soooooo nice to receive comments! :-)

Special thanks to all my blog readers, followers, and friends - even if you are not specifically mentioned here, I treasure you! I appreciate your continued friendship, support, and interest.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sea Shell Giveaway!

Hello! Today is another installment of my Wednesday photography series. Today's photograph is called "Sea Shell".

Sea Shell Large Framed Print
(Click any image to view it larger.)

This award-winning photograph shows a wave breaking over a triton seashell in the sand. Triton shells are formed by the mollusks that live in them. The interior of the shell has a spiral design and the exterior has large nodules or protrusions that help the mollusk protect itself. Ancient sea faring peoples often removed or drilled the tip of large shells and used them as trumpets and a means of communicating between boats or outrigger canoes. This example of marine life would make a great gift for someone who likes water, beaches, the ocean, or travel to tropical coasts.

Sea Shell was awarded a Student Merit Award by CreativeShake.com (formerly Portfolios.com) in June 2008. Go to CreativeShake.com’s 2008 awards and select the image title to view it.

This photograph is also available as:

• a small framed print;


• a 5"x7" commercially printed greeting card;


• a 5"x7" greeting card printed in my home studio and hand-mounted;


• a spiral-bound journal;


• a keepsake box; and,


• a mousepad.

And now for the giveaway!

If you like this photographic image, I'd love to hear from you! Simply leave a comment on this post and you will be entered in a drawing for a handmade greeting card, featuring a print of this photo. The card and an envelope will be mailed to you (blank/no message) in a clear bag, then in an outer envelope from me, so that you can use it how you choose. For example, you could use it as a greeting card or you can frame it and keep it for yourself. It's up to you!

The prize: a handmade card featuring a print of Sea Shell

The details:

• Comment on this post on or before Sunday, August 2nd, at midnight EST, to be entered in the drawing for the handmade card featuring a print of Sea Shell. I'd love to hear what you like about this image. Or what you think about this series on my blog!


• Comments cannot be anonymous. If I can't click through your name to your blog, please leave your name and an e-mail address such as "yourname[at]email[dot]com".


• No purchase is necessary to win; however, commenters who also buy one of my CafePress items or one of my Etsy items (it doesn't have to be this image) before the deadline will get ONE additional entry into the drawing for EACH item purchased.


• Please leave only one comment per person.


• Commenters who do not follow these guidelines will be disqualified.


• Winner will be announced next week!

Good luck!

And thanks for stopping by!

First Blogoversary Giveaway Winners!

Hello there! Today I am announcing the winners for my First Blogoversary giveaway! The prizes are two clear stamp sets and one wood stamp from Hero Arts featuring the Leaf Flourish image.

AR135-Flourish Branch clear stamp sets and F5042 Leaf Flourish:
(Click the image to view it larger.)

The Three Winners:

The International winner of the first clear stamp set is:
Anne of frayed at the edge!

Anne said:
Hi Anne, Thank you very much for giving me an award - my first!! It's hard to choose a favourite, but I was fascinated by your practice at drawing eyes. My drawing hasn't progressed since I was about 5 - as you will see this Friday when I will be showing a drawing in my post! Again, many thanks and I'm looking forward to the next year of your blog. Love, Anne

oops, sorry - forgot to include 'int' in my comment!! I have just about calmed down from receiving the award, and have passed it on to five friends!

The USA winner of the wood stamp is:
Nancy of Never Enough Time!

Nancy said:
Anne, congratulations on your blogoversary!! Reminds me that mine's approaching ... :o)

Thank you VERY much for the award! That's so sweet! Though I don't post as often as I should, I always enjoy your blog - especially your card & photo creations. (I'll pay it forward when we're back in town next week.) (Oh, I'm in the USA)

Happy Blogoversary!

And the Circle of Friends winner of the other clear stamp set is:
Jacqueline of My Scrap Basket!

Jacqueline said:
Thank you Anne for thinking of me!! You put so much creative effort into every blog post, it is just amazing!
I would love to be a part of those who would love to win one of the stamp sets!
AND, just to finish, that is one beautiful card you chose as your fav of this year - I LOVE IT too!
Here's to your next year!
Jacqueline

Congratulations Anne, Nancy, and Jacqueline! E-mail me (click the "e-mail me" link under my picture in the right column) with your snail mail addresses and I'll get your prizes out to you!

Thanks to everyone who participated!

And, as always, thanks for stopping by!

You Are Amazing Card

Hi there! Today I'd like to share a shimmering, elegant card that I made for the recent Hero Arts "website challenge". I love how the band across the top of this card looks almost like a band of lace!

I am pleased as punch to report that I was one of the third place finishers in this double-the-prizes, double-the-winners challenge! Thank you Hero Arts! Wooo-hooo! So exciting!

You Are Amazing card:
(Click the image to view it larger.)

To make this card, I started by cutting a piece of white cardstock in half vertically, to make an A2 sized card base (4.25" x 5.5"), folded across the top. Then I used a corner rounder to round the bottom edges.

Next I turned the card upside down, so the fold was closest to me, to make it easier to stamp. I stamped a scalloped border in pearlescent lavender ink across the top of the card, about 1/2 inch from the top. Then I stamped a row of butterflies by stamping twice, so that the butterflies stamped off the edges on both sides. Then I stamped the other scalloped border. It is hard to tell in a photo, but the pearlescent ink shimmers and shines in real life and looks great!

I set the card aside to dry as the pearlescent ink is a pigment ink that takes a while to dry. I also stamped a single butterfly in the same ink onto a scrap of white cardstock and set it aside to dry as well.

Once the pearlescent ink was dry, I carefully cut out the solitary butterfly, trimming close to the stamped image. Then I used black ink to stamp the sentiment onto the card. While the sentiment was drying, I turned the card upside down (so I wouldn't accidentally smear the black ink) and adhered crystals to the butterfly area.

Once the black ink was dry, I took the butterfly I had cut out and folded it gently to give it dimension. I attached a crystal and used half a foam square to attach it to the card.

I love how this card turned out. I think simple designs can sometimes be the trickiest to pull off. This card is so elegant and I love how the butterflies and scallops look like shimmery lace!

Materials used:

• cardstock: white


• Creative Memories Corner Rounder


• EK Success 3D-Dots: 1/16" foam squares


• EK Success Cutter Bee scissors


• Hero Arts C4901 Amazing (sentiment)


• Hero Arts CL300 Birds and Butterflies


• Hero Arts CH181 Clear Gemstones


• Hero Arts CL288 Scallop Borders


• Ranger Archival Ink (waterproof): Jet Black


• Tsukineko Brilliance Dew Drop: Pearlescent Lavender

Thanks for stopping by!

I {Heart} Hero Arts Blog Hop

Hello there! Today I'm participating in a Blog Hop started by Ashley Marcu to thank Hero Arts for being such a spectacular company and for designing such fabulous stamps! :-)

How did you get started using Hero Arts products? I have always liked rubber stamps, ever since I was a kid. I even bought stamps before I had ink pads or knew how to use them. The designs were just too cute! Fast forward to the present ... I found the Hero Arts blog in the early spring of 2008 and loved their challenges and the Hero Arts Flickr pool, so I had to join! I love the community of stampers in the Hero Arts Flickr pool and I always get so inspired by what everyone creates. I'm hooked! :-)

Why are you thankful for Hero Arts? Hero Arts is a terrific company. I love that it was originally a small start-up company that has grown into what it is today because of their obsessively fabulous customer service and their top-notch quality products. I am super grateful that Hero Arts is a "green company", doing all they can to minimize their carbon footprint and create a sustainable, eco-friendly stamps and products. And I'm also grateful for Hero Arts' generous Angel Policy, too! I am proud to use Hero Arts products, to be a part of the Hero Arts Flickr community, to recommend Hero Arts to others, and to have a collection of Hero Arts stamps!

Thank You Hero Arts - You Inspire Me:
(Click the image to view it larger.)

Speaking of inspiration, I was inspired by cards made by Kelly Booth and Jennifer McGuire to make this card. Jennifer McGuire and Lucy England recently shared a day on the Hero Arts blog. They both made cards using bright colors on kraft. Jennifer showed a kraft card colored firmly with bright colored pencils and a bit of white. That card inspired Kelly Booth to make this card and this card, and my favorite: this card. As soon as I saw Kelly's cards, I knew I had to try brights on kraft. Then I saw two colored pencils on kraft cards by Jennifer on jennifermcguireink.com and it was all over! I knew I wanted to use the Asian Frames set in my card design!

To make this card, I created an A2 sized card base from kraft cardstock (4.25" x 5.5"). I trimmed the opening edge on the front of the card by 3/16" and then used the Upper Crest border punch to make a decorative edge.

This allowed enough space for me to stamp "you inspire me" repeatedly along the inside edge of the card. I used a white colored pencil to highlight the decorative edge.

Next I stamped the "Thank you" sentiment across the bottom third of the front of the card. Then I stamped the large circular design with the three flowers and the four matching flowers on the card and set it aside to dry.

Once the brown pigment ink was dry, I used white, orange, blue, and green colored pencils to color in the images. Then I masked the large circular element and one of the smaller flowers. I stamped a starburst design using shiny pearlescent blue ink so that the starbursts overlapped the existing design for visual interest. The pearlescent blue ink also provides contrast to the kraft cardstock and orange flowers.

After the pearlescent blue ink was dry, I added two sizes of clear gemstones to the orange flowers as their centers. Thank you, everyone at Hero Arts, for all that you do! You inspire me!

Materials used:

• cardstock: kraft


• Fiskars border punch: Upper Crest


• Hero Arts CL275 Asian Frames


• Hero Arts CH181 Clear Gemstones


• Hero Arts CL351 Friends ("you inspire me")


• Hero Arts CL142 Thank You Messages ("thank you")


• Prismacolor Premier colored pencils: PC938-white, PC918-orange, PC904-Light Cerulean Blue, and PC913-Spring Green


• Tsukineko Brilliance Dew Drop: Pearlescent Sky Blue


• Tsukineko VersaFine pigment ink: Vintage Sepia

Click here to continue the I {Heart} Hero Arts Blog Hop!

Thanks for stopping by! :-)

FIRST BLOGOVERSARY! :-)

Hi there! Today is my first blogoversary - the anniversary of when I started this blog! I can't believe it has already been a year. I've had so much fun meeting and interacting with all of you out in blogland! And, if you read through to the end of this post, you'll find I'm celebrating with a giveaway! :-)

Thank You for Your Enthusiasm for My Posts

First, I'd like to give a great big thank you to all of you for your enthusiasm for my posts, like the ones about my color journal, or product reviews, or experiments, or videos, or cards, or photography.

And thank you for the dozen blog awards you've bestowed upon me! I really have enjoyed meeting all of the people who visit and comment upon my blog and being part of this wonderful blogging community.

Special Thanks to Everyone Who Has Commented
And To All My Blog Followers

There have been more than 1,600 comments on my blog this year from more than 300 individual commenters. And I have more than 70 "followers". Your comments mean so much to me! Thank you for stopping by and taking the time to leave a kind word or two. It means so much!

I would like to recognize the following 72 commenters who accounted for 75% of all the comments I received - listed in alphabetical order. Your repeat visits and continued comments are truly treasured!

1. Altered Route - WY, USA


2. Andi: Andi's Perfect Gravy - OR, USA


3. Anne: frayed at the edge - UK


4. Arlene: A Bit of This and That - CA, USA


5. Barb: Barb's Craft Therapy - AL, USA


6. Candace: EyeCandy - GA, USA


7. Candy - CA, USA


8. Cathy: Candronicou's Card Craft - UK


9. Chris: There's No Place Like Gnome - IL, USA


10. Daria (no blog link)


11. Dawn: The Chatty Stamper - NJ, USA


12. Dawn: Dawn's World - NZ


13. Debbie: Debbie Does Crafts - NC, USA


14. Deborah: Cards and Things - NS, CA


15. Deborah: The Society of Stamp- and Scrap-aholics - USA


16. Denise: Mountain Laurel Folk Art Studios - CT, USA


17. Diana: Designs by Diana - KS, USA


18. Elisabeth: Sassy Stampin' Momma - AL, USA


19. Ethel: The Paperquilter - NE, USA


20. Flor: Flor Larios Art


21. Gina Lee Kim - MA, USA


22. Godelieve: StampingMathilda - Belgium


23. Inge: Pinkepinke - Belgium


24. Jacky: art4moi - AU


25. Jacqueline: My Scrap Basket - France


26. Jane: Sepia and Glitter - FL, USA


27. Jess: All Things Creative


28. Judy: JMKoriginals (music) - USA


29. Julie (no blog link)


30. Julie: Just Julie


31. Julie: They Call Me the Scrapnut - AU


32. Kathryn: Collage Diva (music) - USA


33. Kelly: Lovin the Life I Color - CA, USA


34. Kim: Queen of Arts - NH, USA


35. Kimmie: Kimmie's Krazy Korner - WY, USA


36. Kimmie: Once Upon a Blue Crow (music) - VA, USA


37. Kristin: My Creative Journey - TX, USA


38. Latharia: Loquacity of Latharia - IL, USA


39. Laura: Laura's Stamp Art Journal - VA, USA


40. Lay Hoon: Me Scrap (music) - Malaysia


41. Liannallama: Llama Tales - CA, USA


42. Linda: Blue Eyed Girl - UK


43. Linda: Just My Little Bit - CA, USA


44. Lisa: Lisa Lectura Creations - CA, USA


45. Lisa: My Little Ink Spot - USA


46. Lisa: sideoats + scribbles - TX, USA


47. Mandy: Pearl Maple - AU


48. Mary: Working Projects - SD, USA


49. Miz Katie - USA


50. Mona: Maledilla - Norway


51. Monika: Creative with Monika (music) - Germany


52. Nancy: Loves to Create - TX, USA


53. Nancy: Never Enough Time - OH, USA


54. Nancy: Vintage Papers (music) - MI, USA


55. Nicole: A Roof of One's One - OH, USA


56. notmassproduced: this disordered life - UK


57. Paula: Pajalu's Papers and Fabric Addiction - AU


58. Penny: Penelope's Pitstop - UK


59. Rein: Plezier Met Papier - Germany


60. Ronnie: Biddy Brain - GA, USA


61. Ruby: Ruby Claire.x - AU


62. Sandy: It's a Colourful World (CFH) - WA, USA


63. Sandy: My Own 'Lil World (music) - MI, USA


64. Sarah: Circles of Rain - UK


65. Scrappy Cat - OK, USA


66. Shelagh: Alice in Paris Loves Art and Tea - NS, CA


67. Sue: Wandering Star (music)


68. Suzanne: Suzz's Stamping Spot


69. Tess: The HeART of Words - KS, USA


70. Tomo: Tomoh's Attic


71. Tonje: A Step in the Right Direction - Norway


72. Yvette K (no blog link)

I realize this is a lot of links. But, when you have time, I do hope you'll try to stop by a few of these blogs ... especially the "new to you" blogs ... and leave a comment or two. :-)

The Circle of Friends Blog Award

I would like to bestow upon each of the commenters listed above the "Circle of Friends Blog Award".

The Circle of Friends Blog Award:
(Click on any image to view it larger.)

To pick up the Circle of Friends Blog Award:

1. Cut and paste the award logo and use it on your own blog.


2. Nominate at least 5 other bloggers you feel have become part of your circle of friends.


3. Link to your nominees within your blog post.


4. Include these instructions on how to pick up the award in your blog post.


5. Link back to the person who gave you the award in your blog post, to show your appreciation.


6. Comment on their blogs to let them know they've received the award.

Great Big Blogoversary Giveaway!

Hero Arts AR135-Flourish Branch and F5042-Leaf Flourish
(Click any image to view it larger.)

To celebrate my blogoversary, I am giving away 2 clear stamp sets and 1 wood stamp featuring my favorite Leaf Flourish image from Hero Arts.

• One of the clear sets will go to a commenter with an international (non-USA) address.


• The wood stamp will go to a commenter with a USA address.


• The second clear stamp set will go to one of the 72 frequent commenters that I recognized above, as a special thank you for all your wonderful comments, encouragement, and support!

My favorite card of the past year:

My favorite photo of the past year:

The Hero Arts AR135-Flourish Branch clear stamp set is one of my all-time favorites. I used the leaf flourish from this set to make my favorite card from this past year, as shown above. The wood stamp has a slightly smaller flourish, but it is equally versatile. I've also shared my favorite photo from the past year. Now, I'd like to hear what is your favorite card, photo, or project of mine.

The details:

• Comment on this post on or before Sunday, July 26th, at midnight EST, to be entered in the drawing.


• Please look over my blog, my photography site, or my Flickr pool, and tell me what one card, photo, or project of mine from the past year you like best - and include a link to it if possible. I'd love to hear what makes it a favorite of yours!


• Please tell me whether you have a USA or international snail mail address. Just put "USA" or "INT" somewhere in your comment.


• Comments cannot be anonymous. If I can't click through your name to your blog, please leave your name and an e-mail address such as "yourname[at]email[dot]com".


• If you are one of the 72 frequent commenters I've mentioned above, you will get an automatic extra entry for one of the clear stamp sets.


• Please leave only one comment per person. Leave as many comments as you want! :-)


• Commenters who do not follow these guidelines will be disqualified.


• Winners will be announced next week!

Good luck!

And thanks for helping me celebrate!

Footprints Giveaway Winner!

Hello there! Today I am announcing the winner of last Wednesday's giveaway! The prize is a handmade greeting card featuring a print of one of my photographs. The card (blank/no message) will be placed with an envelope in a clear bag, then in an outer envelope from me.

The prize: a handmade card featuring a print of Footprints:
(Click the image to view it larger.)

I selected a random winner from all qualified entries:

And the winner is ...
Debbie!

Debbie said:
Another great photo! got a chuckle about the footprints drying up before you could take the picture. pretty hot around here these days!

Congratulations Debbie! E-mail me (click the "e-mail me" link under my picture in the right column) with your snail mail address and I'll get this out to you!

Thanks to everyone who participated! I'll be having another giveaway next Wednesday!

And, as always, thanks for stopping by!

A Year In Review

Hello! My first blogoversary is tomorrow! So, I thought today I would take a peek at the past year in images.

My cards

Other projects

Snapshots I've shared

Hope you enjoyed the show! And thanks for stopping by!

Many Thanks Owl Card

Hi there! Today I'd like to share a cute little owl thank you card that I made! I was inspired to make it after watching a Jennifer McGuire video on using Distress Inks.

In the video, Jennifer shares many basic Distress Ink techniques, such as rubbing on the color using an ink blending tool, using masks like the ones designed by Tim Holtz, and stamping with water. After I watched the video, I just had to go play in my crafty room!

Many Thanks Owl Card:
(Click any image to view it larger.)

To create this card, I started with a manilla shipping tag from an office supply store. Shipping tags have a great surface for working with Distress Inks. The ink doesn't sink in too much and it allows you to make very cool effects.

I placed the tag on my non-stick craft sheet. Then I used an ink blending tool to rub on Worn Lipstick (pink) Distress Ink first on the craft sheet and then in circles gradually onto the tag until the tag was covered. I placed my Tim Holtz flourish mask over top of the tag and rubbed over it with Spiced Marmalade (orange) Distress Ink. I removed the mask to reveal two layers of color.

Next I used a Hero Arts Leaf Flourish stamp from an Archiver's exclusive set (a bit larger than the standard wood version of this stamp) to overstamp the tag. I inked the stamp with VersaMark watermark ink and then misted it with water, as Jennifer shows in her video. I found it was best to use a lot of water and get the stamp almost drippy. Then I stamped with water on top of the distress inks. This lifted some of the color in an interesting design that made my third layer. After I allowing the color to lift to a point that I liked, I then dried the tag using my Heat-It Craft Tool (heat gun).

I die cut and dry embossed the tag with my Curved Rectangles Nestabilities in my Cuttlebug. Then I ran it through the Cuttlebug again in my Diamonds in the Rough embossing folder. This gave a fourth and fifth layer of dimension to the tag.

Then I stamped a Hero Arts Owl stamp onto plain white cardstock using VersaFine Vintage Sepia (brown) ink. And I set it aside to dry thoroughly. I picked the owl because it wouldn't cover too much of the lovely layers I had built up, but it would still make a cute focal image.

Meanwhile, I cut a piece of brown BoBunny Double Dot cardstock to 4.25" x 5.5" (A2 card sized) to cover the front of a white card base. I stamped a sentiment from Hero Arts' Card Messages set using VersaMark watermark ink and then heat embossed it with white embossing powder.

After the owl was thoroughly dry, I colored it in using colored pencils. Then I carefully cut out the owl. I cut a glue dot in half and used each half to attach a googly eye to the owl.

A dimensional view of the card:

Next I adhered the tag piece to the brown polka-dotted piece. I adhered the ribbon over top and wrapped the ends behind. Then I adhered the brown polka-dotted piece to my white card base. Finally, I attached the owl to the card using pop dots for dimension.

Materials used:

• BoBunny Double Dot double-sided cardstock: Shittake (brown)


• cardstock: plain white


• EK Success Cutter Bee scissors


• googly eyes


• Hero Arts CL267 Card Messages ("many thanks" sentiment)


• Hero Arts AR135 Flourish Branch (Archiver's Exclusive set similar to F5042 Leaf Flourish)


• Hero Arts B4951 Owl


• Plaid All Night Media Pop Dots (1/8" thick)


• Prismacolor Premier colored pencils


• ProvoCraft Cuttlebug and 37-1607 Diamonds in the Rough embossing folder


• Ranger Distress Inks: Worn Lipstick (pink) and Spiced Marmalade (orange)


• Ranger embossing powder: Seafoam White


• Ranger Inkssentials Blending Tool & Foam


• Ranger Inkssentials Heat-It Craft Tool (heat gun)


• Rangers Inkssentials Mini-Mister and water


• Ranger Inkssentials Non-Stick Craft Sheet


• ribbon


• shipping tag


• Spellbinders Nestabilities: Curved Rectangles and embossing pad


• Therm O Web Zots Small (1/8" glue dots)


• Tim Holtz Mask: Flourish


• Tsukineko VersaFine Vintage Sepia (brown) pigment ink


• Tsukineko VersaMark watermark ink

Thanks for stopping by!

I Still Enjoy the Journey With You Card

Hi there! Today I'd like to share a card that I made with what looks initially like a travel theme, but has a bit of romance, too. I love compasses and travel images, so I had a lot of fun making this card!

I Still Enjoy the Journey With You card:
(Click any image to view it larger.)

To make this card, I started with a piece of cream cardstock and cut it to make an A2 sized card base (4.25" x 5.5"). Then I used a Ranger Inkssentials blending tool and foam to swirl Spiced Marmalade Distress Ink over the entire top surface of the card.

Then I placed a Tim Holtz mini-mask in the shape of a compass so that it overlapped the edge of the card. I used a second piece of foam on my blending tool, and swirled Fired Brick Distress Ink over top of the mask and card base. I repeated this, moving the compass mask to different places as I went.

Next I stamped two different sized compass images over top of the first two layers, using sepia brown pigment ink. The effect of these three layers is a custom designed background. I set the card base aside to dry.

Meanwhile, I took a piece of thin cork and stamped the Hero Arts CardArt Journey stamp on top of it, using sepia brown pigment ink. Then I set the cork aside to dry. (I'm notorious for smearing pigment ink if I don't make a point of setting it aside to dry.)

Once the pigment ink on the cork was dry, I gently tore the cork away from the edges of the stamped images, to give it a rough, torn border. Then I used a sponge dauber and sponged Tea Dye Distress Ink all the way around the edges, about 1/4 of an inch deep. Then I sponged Walnut Stain Distress Ink around the edges in a thinner strip. This gives the edges a burnt effect.

Close up of detail on the card:

The cork that I found at my local craft store was thin, but not adhesive backed. So I ran my cork piece through my Xyron 500 to apply adhesive to the back of it and then adhered it to the card base.

I took a second piece of cream cardstock and swirled Spiced Marmalade ink over top of it. Then I stamped the "Enjoy the journey" sentiment on top, using Versamark watermark ink. I covered the wet ink with clear embossing powder and heat embossed it as a resist. Then I swirled Fired Brick ink over top, to match the front of the card.

Next I stamped the rest of my custom message using Versamark ink and heat embossed using white embossing powder. I die cut the sentiment piece and a coordinating piece of dark brown cardstock using my Labels One Nesties. I adhered them together and attached this sentiment to the inside of the card.

The inside of the card:

Materials used:

• cardstock: cream, dark brown


• craft cork (thin)


• Hero Arts K4886 CardArt Journey


• Hero Arts CL183 Cute Letters (alphabet for rest of interior sentiment)


• Hero Arts CL146 Travel Journal ("enjoy the journey" sentiment)


• Inkadinkado 95127 Nautical Compass (large compass stamp)


• Provo Craft Cuttlebug (used to die cut Nesties)


• Ranger Distress Inks: Spiced Marmalade (orange), Fired Brick (red), Tea Dye (medium brown), Walnut Stain (dark brown)


• Ranger embossing powder: clear and seafoam white


• Ranger Inkssentials blending tool and foam


• Ranger Inkssentials Heat-It Craft Tool (heat gun)


• Ranger Inkssentials Non-Stick Craft Sheet


• Spellbinders Nestabilities ("Nesties"): Labels One and embossing pad


• Stampabilities D1024 Vintage Compass (small compass stamp)


• Tim Holtz mini-mask: Compass


• Tsukineko VersaFine pigment ink: Vintage Sepia (brown)


• Tsukineko VersaMark watermark ink


• Xyron 500

Thanks for stopping by!

Shameless Plug for a Good Cause

Hi there! My brother's girlfriend, Brynn, is trying to raise money for the Muscular Distrophy Association (MDA). She is being "taken to jail" for a good cause, and has to "raise bail" ... as in donations to MDA ... to be released. She's pretty excited about it.

Her bail has been set at $1,600 - enough to send two kids to MDA Summer Camp. If you want to contribute - even as little as $5! - please visit Brynn's Bail Page. Click on the Help Me Make My Goal / Click Here button to donate.

Muscular Distrophy is a broad term that refers to more than 40 specific diseases, including Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS) and more. Many of them dramatically impact the lives of children.

There are some pre-set amounts or you can type in your own amount in the last spot. You pay by credit card and they will send a receipt to your e-mail address showing your completely tax deductible donation. You can also choose whether you want your name shown on Brynn's Bail Page with the amount you donated or not - it is perfectly okay to donate anonymously!

Thought you might want to join in the fun... but only if you want to! (Please don't feel like you have to. I know money is tight for lots of us!)

Brynn is actually excited about being "arrested" and taken to jail in handcuffs for the event. And, if she raises all of her bail, she may be asked to be on TV on the local-to-her PBS station's MDA telethon! :-)

Thanks for stopping by!

Footprints Giveaway!

Hello there! This is another installment of my Wednesday photography series. Today's photograph is called "Footprints".

Footprints Large Framed Print
(Click any image to view it larger.)

The wet footprints in this black and white photograph are simple yet symbolic. Footprints are often used to represent spiritual or inspirational themes, such as faith, peace, or serenity. What I like most about this photograph is the texture, and the contrast between wet and dry.

The feet in the photo are those of my husband, who agreed to be my model. It was taken on our back deck. It was so hot the day we did the photograph, that we had to keep repeating it, because the first footprints would already be evaporating by the time he took two steps! It was a lot of fun though!

Footprints Journal

Good news!

I was able to work with CafePress to find a solution that would work for both of us. As a result, I am still able to offer some of my photographic prints and gifts through CafePress, which has great customer service and quality products. For example, you can order Footprints as a large framed print, journal, or keepsake box. You can also order a photo greeting card featuring Footprints from my Etsy store. I'm happy that I can now offer you the best of both worlds!

And now for the giveaway!

If you like this photographic image, I'd love to hear from you! Simply leave a comment on this post and you will be entered in a drawing for a handmade greeting card, featuring a print of this photo. The card and an envelope will be mailed to you (blank/no message) in a clear bag, then in an outer envelope from me, so that you can use it how you choose. For example, you could use it as a greeting card or you can frame it and keep it for yourself. It's up to you!

The prize: a handmade card featuring a print of Footprints

The details:

• Comment on this post on or before Sunday, July 19th, at midnight EST, to be entered in the drawing for the handmade card featuring a print of Footprints. I'd love to hear what you like about this image. Or what you think about this series on my blog!


• Comments cannot be anonymous. If I can't click through your name to your blog, please leave your name and an e-mail address such as "yourname[at]email[dot]com".


• No purchase is necessary to win; however, commenters who also buy one of my CafePress items or one of my Etsy items (it doesn't have to be this image) before the deadline will get ONE additional entry into the drawing for EACH item purchased.


• Please leave only one comment per person.


• Commenters who do not follow these guidelines will be disqualified.


• Winner will be announced next week!

Good luck!

And thanks for stopping by!

Bubble Thank You Card

Hello there! Today I'd like to share a fun thank you card that I made for a friend.

Bubble Thank You Card:
(Click the image to view it larger.)

To make this card, I started with a textured pink cardbase (4.25" x 5.5" or A2 sized). I trimmed a piece of white cardstock to 4" x 5.25" to leave just a bit of a matte around the edges when I later mount it on the card base. I used a border punch to create the bubble effect across the bottom edge of the white cardstock.

Next I used three colors of pigment ink to stamp different circles onto the top half of the white cardstock: yellow, orange, and pink. I varied the placement of the circles and stamped some of them off the edges of the card and into the area I planned to cover with ribbon. Then I stamped the sentiment using pink ink and set the white cardstock aside to dry thoroughly.

Once the pigment inks were dry, I adhered the black polka dotted ribbon to the white cardstock, wrapping the ends around to the back. To finish the card, I adhered the white cardstock to the pink card base.

Materials used:

• cardstock: white and textured pink


• Clearsnap/Colorbox Cat's Eye pigment ink: marigold (yellow) and pink


• Clearsnap/Colorbox full-size pigment ink pad: orange


• EK Success EKPL8015 Swiss Cheese border punch


• Hero Arts CL196 Sparkle Clear Alphabet: G (dotted circle)


• Hero Arts CL203 Sparkle Clear Alphabet: N (dots and bars circle)


• Hero Arts CL210 Sparkle Clear Alphabet: U (twisted links circle)


• Hero Arts CL142 Thank You Messages (sentiment)


• ribbon

Thanks for stopping by!

Removed Followers Widget

Hi there!

Some of my blog readers have told me that they've been having trouble accessing my blog recently. I've heard that this might be caused in some way by the Followers widget. So, I've removed it from my blog - at least for now.

This does NOT mean that I don't appreciate my Followers! I do! Hopefully, Blogger will figure out whatever is causing the snafu and fix it.

Hope this clears up the issues for now! Thanks for stopping by!

Updated to add:
Removing the Followers widget from my blog has seemed to help more than one of my readers access my blog. This may be related to one of Blogger's known issues that says users are seeing errors when trying to view their blog ... and Blogger is working to resolve this issue. Hopefully it will all work out soon! :-)

Heart Flourish Art Card 2

Hi there! Today I'd like to share another Heart Flourish Art Card that I made using a different color scheme (see previous one). This kind of "art card" could be used for a variety of card-giving occasions.

My Heart Flourish Art Card 2:
(Click the image to view it larger.)

To make this card, I started by cutting out a 4" x 2.75" piece of fadeless art board. Fadeless art board is like posterboard only it comes in smaller sheets. It has a shiny side that accepts dye inks well.

Next, I spread Worn Lipstick (pink) and Broken China (blue) Distress Inks directly onto my non-stick craft sheet. I misted the inks with water until they beaded up. Then I placed the shiny side of the fadeless art board down into the ink and wiggled it a little. I turned it right side up and dried the ink using my heat tool. I dipped the card back into the remaining blots of ink a couple more times, drying it in between.

When the ink was dry, I stamped the Heart Flourish image onto it with VersaMark watermark ink. I sprinkled white embossing powder over it, shook off the excess, and heat embossed it. Once the central image was completed, I repeated the process to stamp bits of the same image onto the edges and heat embossed these areas also.

Next I trimmed a piece of purple cardstock to be a bit larger than the embossed piece. I adhered the embossed piece to the purple cardstock and wrapped it with matching metallic elastic cord. Then I trimmed a piece of white cardstock a bit larger than that, and adhered the purple piece to it. Finally, I mounted the whole thing to a metallic gunmetal gray card base (4.25" x 5.5" or A2 sized).

Materials used:

• cardstock: white, purple, and metallic gunmetal gray


• Fadeless art board (like posterboard)


• Hero Arts K5153 Heart Flourish


• metallic elastic stretch cord


• Ranger Distress Ink: Worn Lipstick (pink) and Broken China (blue)


• Ranger embossing powder: seafoam white


• Ranger Inkssentials Heat-It Craft Tool (heat gun)


• Ranger Inkssentials Mini-Mister


• Ranger Inkssentials Non-Stick Craft Sheet


• Tsukineko VersaMark watermark ink

Thanks for stopping by!

Lemonade Stand Award

Hi there! I would like to thank Suzi of Art with a Touch of Whimsy for kindly nominating me for this award.

The Lemonade Stand Award:

To pick up the Lemonade Stand Award:

1. Comment on this blog.


2. Cut and paste the award logo and use it in your own blog.


3. Nominate 5 to 10 blogs you feel show great attitude and gratitude.


4. Link to your nominees within your blog post.


5. Comment on their blogs to let them know they've received the award.


6. Link back to the person who gave you the award to show your appreciation.

I always find the passing along part so difficult. I have so many blogging friends that I enjoy. I am so grateful to have met so many wonderful artists, bloggers, and friends and I love being part of the blogging community.

That being said, I also understand the value of awards to expose us to a few blogs that might be new to us. So, in that spirit, here are the bloggers I nominate for the Lemonade Stand Award, in no particular order. I hope you'll stop by to visit them, too!

• Altered Route


• Deborah: Cards & Things


• Julie: They Call Me the Scrapnut


• Kathryn: Collage Diva (music)


• Kim Mailhot: Queen of Arts


• Liannallama: Llama Tales


• Mandy: Pearl Maple


• Tonje: A Step in the Right Direction

I hope you'll take a moment or two to stop by these blogs (including Suzi's!) and leave a nice comment. It takes just a moment, but it is soooooo nice to receive comments! :-)

Special thanks to all my blog readers, followers, and friends - even if you are not specifically mentioned here, I treasure you! I appreciate your continued friendship, support, and interest. Thanks for stopping by!

Remembering Michael Jackson

I am grateful that they decided to televise the memorial service for Michael Jackson. There were many moving eulogies, from Berry Gordy's, to Queen Latifah's, to Brooke Shields'. I especially liked Magic Johnson's story of sitting on the floor eating Kentucky Fried Chicken with his idol, Michael. I hope that Michael will be remembered for all the positive things he brought forth in this world, from his music, to his humanitarian and charitable efforts, to his children. I, for one, will miss him. May he rest in peace and may his family, friends, and children find comfort.

Heart Clouds Giveaway Winner!

Hello there! Today I am announcing the winner of last Wednesday's giveaway! The prize is a handmade greeting card featuring a print of one of my photographs. The card (blank/no message) will be placed with an envelope in a clear bag, then in an outer envelope from me.

The prize: a handmade card featuring a print of Heart Clouds:
(Click the image to view it larger.)

I selected a random winner from all qualified entries:

And the winner is ...
Lisa Lectura!

Lisa said:
Hi Anne! Congrats on your 200th post! Love your photo! What a great shot! Yes, please add my name to the pot. Have a lovely day!
Hugs,
Lisa :)

Congratulations Lisa! E-mail me (click the "e-mail me" link under my picture in the right column) with your snail mail address and I'll get this out to you!

Thanks to everyone who participated! I'll be having another giveaway next Wednesday!

And, as always, thanks for stopping by!

The Karma Friends Award

Hi there! I would like to thank Mary of Working Projects for kindly bestowing this award on me.

The Karma Friends Award:

The wording for this award is as follows:
The Karma Award: These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kinds of bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.

I always find the passing along part so difficult. I have so many blogging friends that I enjoy. I am so grateful to have met so many wonderful artists, bloggers, and friends and I love being part of the blogging community.

That being said, I also understand the value of awards to expose us to a few blogs that might be new to us. So, in that spirit, here are the eight blogs I nominate for the Karma Award, in no particular order. I hope you'll stop by to visit them, too!

• Dawn: The Chatty Stamper


• Ethel: The Paperquilter


• Inge: PinkePinke


• Judy: JMK Originals (music)


• Linda: Blue-Eyed Girl


• Mona: Maledilla


• Sandy: My Own 'Lil World (music)


• Scrappy Cat

I hope you'll take a moment or two to stop by these blogs (including Mary's!) and leave a nice comment. It takes just a moment, but it is soooooo nice to receive comments! :-)

Special thanks to all my blog readers, followers, and friends - even if you are not specifically mentioned here, I treasure you! I appreciate your continued friendship, support, and interest. Thanks for stopping by!

Heart Flourish Thank You Card

Hello! Today I'd like to share a card that I made for a Hero Arts Catalog CASE challenge. Depending on who you ask, CASE is an acronym for "copy and steal everything" or "copy and selectively edit." In this case, our instructions were to change two or three things to make it our own.

I selected a tag on page 71 of the 2009 Hero Arts catalog. The tag was made by Sally Traidman and features the Heart Flourish stamp. I just acquired this stamp and I was itching to use it - so this challenge came at a perfect time for me!

I started with the tag made by Sally as my inspiration, but I decided to change the colors and to make the tag into a card.

My CASE of the Heart Flourish tag:
(Click the image to view it larger.)

To make the card, I started by taking a shipping tag and stamping the Heart Flourish image on it with VersaMark watermark ink. I covered the stamping with white embossing powder and heat embossed it. Then I stamped around the edges of the first impression using different pieces of the same stamp, until the tag was covered and heat embossed these areas, too.

Next, I took my non-stick craft sheet and applied both Worn Lipstick (pink) and Spiced Marmalade (orange) Distress Inks directly to the craft sheet. I misted the ink with water in a Mini-Mister until the ink beaded up. Then I dipped my tag face down into the ink and wiggled it a little. I turned it back right side up and dried the ink with my heat tool. Then I dipped the tag back into the droplets and dried the ink again. Afterwards, I buffed the areas covered by the white embossing powder to remove most of the dye inks. I just love how this tag turned out!

For the card base, I took some kraft cardstock and cut it to 4.25" wide by 11" long. Then I folded it in half to make a 4.25" x 5.5" card base (A2 sized). The fold for the card is along the top, instead of along the left side, for variety. I stamped a border around the edges using Vintage Sepia pigment ink and set it aside to dry.

Meanwhile, I took a 1 3/4" diameter chipboard circle and covered it with yellow paint. It took about 3 coats to get good coverage. Once the paint was dry, I distressed the top of it using Spiced Marmalade dye ink spritzed with water on my non-stick craft sheet. I dipped it in the dye ink, dried it with my heat tool, dipped it again, and dried it until I got an interesting pattern. Then I stamped the "thank you" sentiment on top in Vintage Sepia ink.

I used a Ranger Inkssentials Opaque White Pen to add accents to the stamped border of the card base. Then I attached two red gemstones in the lower corners where the borders meet. I attached a ribbon and a gemstone to the tag, and adhered it to the card base. Finally, I adhered the sentiment on the chipboard circle to finish the card.

Materials used:

• Avery pre-strung shipping tag: manilla


• cardstock: kraft


• chipboard circle, 1 3/4" diameter


• gemstones, large red (unknown brand)


• Hero Arts K5153 Heart Flourish


• Hero Arts CL288 Scallop Borders


• Hero Arts CL142 Thank You Messages


• Plaid Apple Barrel craft paint: 20219 Banana (yellow)


• Ranger Distress Ink: Worn Lipstick (pink) and Spiced Marmalade (orange)


• Ranger embossing powder: seafoam white


• Ranger Inkssentials Heat-It Craft Tool (heat gun)


• Ranger Inkssentials Mini-Mister


• Ranger Inkssentials Non-Stick Craft Sheet


• Ranger Inkssentials Opaque White Pen


• ribbon


• Tsukineko VersaFine pigment ink: Vintage Sepia


• Tsukineko VersaMark watermark ink

Thanks for stopping by!

SoulCollage® by Seena Frost

Hi there! Have you heard of a book called SoulCollage® by Seena Frost?

SoulCollage® is a very interesting book about making collages from found images, like those in magazines, that speak to you in a very personal way. You find, cut out, and arrange the images on cards, about 5" x 8", and slowly build up your own deck of cards that contain visual imagery that really evoke your emotions.

It is sort of like building your own Tarot deck or deck of oracle cards. But, in a way, it is completely different, too. Seena Frost recommends four main "suits" or grouping of cards. One represents all the pieces of yourself - all the different hats and masks you wear. The second represents the people in your life, in your community, and may include your pets. The third represents animal companions and even chakras. And the fourth represents universal archetypes like motherhood, feeling lonely, the cheerleader, and more.

I've really enjoyed reading this book and I've just started to build my own deck of SoulCollage® cards. The card below is the first card that I've created and finished. I have other cards that I've started ... but they are still evolving.

The Silent Seeker
(Click the image to view it larger.)

I am the One who is a silent observer and who seeks spiritual truths. I watch without being attached to outcomes. I ferret out hidden truths and meanings and look for answers to spiritual mysteries. I am intense, fully alive, and aware.

In the book, Seena Frost describes a meditation process that you can use to try to figure out what the cards mean to you. And part of that involves finding out the answer to the prompt "I am the One who..." for each card.

SoulCollage® cards are not to be sold, traded, or bartered; they are to be reproduced only for the personal use of the maker of the card. SoulCollage® cards may be shared as examples to illustrate the SoulCollage® process, but it is a principle of SoulCollage® that SoulCollage® cards are not for sale, trade, or barter. [From “The Principles of SoulCollage®"]

Seena Frost also reminds us to thank all of the wonderful photographers and artists whose images inspire us to recreate and discover our inner and outer worlds. I have marked the image of my card above with a copyright symbol not to protect myself but to protect the original photographers and image makers. The copyright symbol denotes that these images are copyrighted by the original creators, but used in this collage for my personal use only. They are not in the public domain. SoulCollage® is a registered trademark of SoulCollage®, LLC. More information about SoulCollage® can be found at www.soulcollage.com/.

Anyway, I had a lot of fun creating this card and I am enjoying the process of creating others. I have been rummaging through old magazines that we have saved to be recycled and I have had a great time pulling out images for future collages. I have a photo box that I am storing my images in and although I've been pretty selective - only pulling those images that really grab me in an emotional way - I have collected quite a few!

Have you heard of SoulCollage® before? Have you made any SoulCollage® cards? I'd love to hear about it!

Thanks for stopping by!

200th Blog Post and Heart Clouds Giveaway!

Hi there! This is my 200th blog post! And another installment of my Wednesday photography series. Today's photograph is called "Heart Clouds".

I picked today's photograph as a BIG THANK YOU to all of you for your kind thoughts, words, comments, e-mails, well-wishes, hugs, and more in the past few days! You are all so fabulous and I treasure being part of this blog community with you! :-)

Heart Clouds Photo Card
(Click the image to view it larger.)

This photo card is 5" x 7" and can be sent as a greeting card or framed and displayed. It costs $4.00 plus $1.56 shipping and can be purchased in my Etsy store.

Heart Clouds is a photograph of an actual cloud formation that I spied above my house one day, after a rain storm. I had to run inside quickly to grab my camera and shoot this picture before the clouds changed. Central North Carolina is normally very sunny with few clouds, so this was a treat for me!

This heart-shaped cloud formation could represent peace, love, spirit, heaven, or Divine Love. It is a very inspirational piece and could be used for a variety of card-sending occasions.

New! 8" x 10" prints now available!

I am also making 8" x 10" prints of any of my photographs available in my Etsy store. You pick which photo you'd like and I'll print it out on here in my home studio on an 8 1/2" x 11" piece of high quality glossy photo paper using archival quality inks. I will send it to you via Priority Mail, so you will get it quickly and so the cardboard mailer will help protect the print during shipping. The prints are $15.00 and the shipping (including the mailer) is $4.95 at my Etsy store.

You can find a pre-made matte and frame at many retail stores. I would suggest a matte cut for an 8" x 10" image that fits an 11" x 14" frame ... and the frame, too!

And now for the giveaway!

If you like this photographic image, I'd love to hear from you! Simply leave a comment on this post and you will be entered in a drawing for a handmade greeting card, featuring a print of this photo. The card and an envelope will be mailed to you (blank/no message) in a clear bag, then in an outer envelope from me, so that you can use it how you choose. For example, you could use it as a greeting card or you can frame it and keep it for yourself. It's up to you!

The details:

• Comment on this post on or before Sunday, July 5th, at midnight EST, to be entered in the drawing for the handmade card featuring a print of Heart Clouds. I'd love to hear what you like about this image. Or what you think about this series on my blog!


• Comments cannot be anonymous. If I can't click through your name to your blog, please leave your name and an e-mail address such as "yourname[at]email[dot]com".


• No purchase is necessary to win; however, commenters who also buy one of my Etsy items (it doesn't have to be this image) before the deadline will get ONE additional entries into the drawing for EACH item purchased.


• Please leave only one comment per person.


• Commenters who do not follow these guidelines will be disqualified.


• Winner will be announced next week!

Good luck!

And thanks for stopping by!