Go Packers!

I know that green and yellow are not your typical Valentine's Day card colors, but I made this card for my brother who is a big Green Bay Packers fan.  Those of you who follow the NFL know that the Packers will be playing in the Super Bowl this coming weekend.

This cute little guy from Artistic Outpost was colored with Prismacolor pencils.  He looks ready to hit the field for the Packers on Sunday, doesn't he?

Have a great Monday!

Supplies:
Stamps: Artistic Outpost, All Night Media, Hero Arts; green and yellow cardstock from Hobby Lobby; whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; Archival jet black ink; Prismacolor Premier pencils; odorless mineral spirits; mustard seed distress ink; Memento cottage ivy dye ink; pop dots.

Addicted to Firearms

Once I found this phrase in an old novel, I had a lot of fun creating this super grungy and aged ATC to go with it.

These boys were pictured in my grandmother's 1930s biology book in a section about the effect of hookworms on the human body.  They are both supposedly 18 years old, but the boy on the left is of below average size due to having hookworms.  (Who says art isn't educational?)

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; patterned paper by K & Company; clipart from ArtChix Studio; stamps by Artistic Outpost and Stampin' Up; Prismacolor Premier pencils; white acrylic paint; peeled paint, frayed burlap, and walnut stain distress ink; light charcoal pencil; text from a 1920s novel; photo from a 1930s biology textbook.

Excess Value

I'm trying to get my mojo back after having the flu.  I just sat down at the craft table tonight and started playing around with a variety of clip art and paper goods, with no particular ideas in mind.

This card is a combination of vintage ephemera (German text and Flinch playing card), new clip art, and a little bit of ink and charcoal pencil.  I decided to not use a human figure, because it had been a while since I'd done that.




I hope you had a great day!  Thanks for stopping by.

Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; vintage German text; vintage Flinch card; clipart from 7 Gypsies; butterfly and red clipart from ArtChix Studio; medium charcoal pencil; fired brick and walnut stain distress ink; Archival jet black ink; Liquitex matte gel medium.

Beautiful Birthday

This is the birthday card I made for my mom earlier this month.  The main image is from Artistic Outpost.

It's bitterly cold here!  Time for another cup of hot tea.  Thanks for stopping by. 

Supplies:
Stamps: Artistic Outpost, 7 Gypsies, Tim Holtz and Serendipity Stamps; brown cardstock by Bazzill; decorative papers by Basic Grey; whisper white cardstock from Stampin' Up; Archival jet black ink; aged mahogany and pumice stone distress ink; Prismacolor pencils; odorless mineral spirits; Swiss Dots embossing folder; Martha Stewart border punch; Martha Stewart pink twill ribbon; pop-dots.

La Vie en Rose ATC

This is my final ATC for the Vintage French swap.  I really wanted to get my cards mailed last week because they have to travel all the way to Scotland, but I've been fighting the flu since Wednesday and have felt absolutely miserable!  I think I've turned a corner today, as the fever seems to be gone.  I'll probably need to buy more decongestant and tissues before it's all over though.

This lovely vamp and her roses are from ArtChix Studio.  The Eiffel Tower stamp is from Artistic Outpost.

Thanks for visiting!


Supplies:
Stamps: Artistic Outpost (Eiffel Tower); Tim Holtz (Paris postmark); splatter pattern (All Night Media); clipart images from ArtChix Studio; vintage French text; barn door, Victorian velvet, and walnut stain distress ink; Adirondack metallic gold paint dabber; gold Dresden trim border; Golden gloss gel medium.

Another Birthday in Sight

This is the birthday card I made for my cousin who is also receiving the ATC I shared with you yesterday.

I pulled out some of my favorite stamps from Artistic Outpost and a masculine patterned paper by Basic Grey to create this card.  The ticket and keyhole are by Tim Holtz.

Have a great day!




Supplies:
Stamps: Artistic Outpost; navy blue cardstock by Bazzill; naturals ivory cardstock from Stampin' Up; Archival jet black ink; chipped sapphire, vintage photo, and scattered straw distress ink; Tim Holtz ticket; Tim Holtz pewter keyhole; ticket corner punch from Stampin' Up; pop-dots.

Serious Fellow ATC

I went to a flea market last weekend in search of paper goods and was surprised to see one of my cousins there as a vendor.  After I explained why I was looking for old books and sheet music, he told me about a watercolor class he had taken and how some of his fellow classmates meet once a month to trade cards featuring their watercolors.  Since his birthday is this week, I decided to surprise him with a card that is indicative of my style, and ask him if he'd like to make a trade.

This handsome young man is our grandfather.  The background includes some vintage German and arithmetic text and a German postage stamp that I received in a packet of goodies from Marie of Lost Bird Studio.  I went a little crazy on the background and had a lot of fun.

Thanks for stopping by! 

Oh...if the blog looks a little different since the last time you visited, it's because I had to change the background.

Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; vintage German text; vintage arithmetic book text; German postage stamp; rubber stamps by Stampa Rosa (Berlin postmark) and Stampin' Up (vintage looking text); typewriter key sticker (unknown/forgotten); white acrylic paint; Adirondack metallic silver paint dabber; pumice stone, dusty concord, and walnut stain distress ink; medium charcoal pencil; Distressed Effects "splatter-white" rub-on by My Mind's Eye.

Paris Sunset ATC

This is my third card for the Vintage French swap.  It combines two things I love to work with:  distress inks and a stunning female image.  And vintage text; that makes three things!

Oh, and stamps from Artistic Outpost and 7 Gypsies.  See how easy I am to please?

Have a great day!









Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; vintage French text; peeled paint, Victorian velvet, spiced marmalade, and walnut stain distress inks; Archival jet black ink; Eiffel Tower stamp by Artistic Outpost; Paris stamp by 7 Gypsies; postmark stamp by Inkadinkado; female clipart from ArtChix Studio; medium charcoal pencil; Adirondack copper paint dabber.

French Gent ATC

Here's another one of my cards for the Vintage French swap I'm participating in on ATCs for All.

For this card I adhered my ArtChix Studio transparency fellow to some vintage French text colored with distress inks and stamped with a Tim Holtz clear stamp.

Have a great Monday!



Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; vintage French text; Eiffel Tower stamp by Tim Holtz; corner flourish stamp by 7 Gypsies; clipart postmark and transparency gentleman from ArtChix Studio; dusty concord and stormy sky distress inks; black Stazon ink; Adirondack gold metallic paint dapper; Liquitex matte gel medium.

Elle ATC

Before the weekend was over I decided I better get moving on my artist trading cards for the Vintage French swap I signed up for.  I'm happy to report that I completed three cards today which means I need just one more and I can send them on their way to the swap hostess.

If you've ever bought a Somerset Studio magazine, you know that it usually includes a few pages of free clipart.  The women on this card were just that.  I transferred the clipart to a piece of contact paper and then colored the reverse side of the woman on the left with pastels (unfortunately, the white of her shirt disappeared when I set the pastels with a spray sealant).  I then adhered the contact paper to a piece of scrapbooking paper that had French ads on it. 

I hope you had a great weekend!  Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog.

Supplies:
Cardstock ATC base; clipart from Somerset Studio magazine; Loew Cornell pastels; background paper by GCD Studios; Duck brand contact paper; typewriter letter stickers by Sticko; Adirondack metallic silver paint dabber; Liquitex matte gel medium.

Balzac's Babe ATC

Tonight I started to work on some ideas for my cards for an ATC swap with the theme of "Vintage French."

My Eiffel Tower by Artistic Outpost is leaning a little bit so I'll keep this card for myself, but I like the overall look of this card so I plan to make a second version for the swap.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great weekend.



Supplies:
White cardstock base; French text background; Eiffel Tower stamp by Artistic Outpost; Paris stamp by 7 Gypsies; vintage woman clipart from ArtChix Studio; black decorative paper from Paper Pizazz; Prisma paper flower; black German scrap corner from Alpha Stamps; black soot and Victorian velvet distress ink; Adirondack metallic silver paint dabber; medium charcoal pencil; pewter mini brad.

So Ever Grateful, Dahling!

I received such wonderful gifts from my friends in our December 2010 Secret Santa exchange!  They were so generous and because they know me so well, everything they picked out is absolutely perfect.  I got busy and used some of my new supplies to make their thank you cards.

Jo sent me these gorgeous papers by Basic Grey and Carolina gave me the 7 Gypsies clear stamps used to create the background behind the focal image.

Have a great day!


Supplies:
Stamps:  Avignon set by 7 Gypsies; decorative papers by Basic Grey; brown cardstock by Bazzill; vamp clipart image from ArtChix Studio; Stampin' Up whisper white cardstock; pumice stone, antique linen, spun sugar and walnut stain distress ink; medium charcoal pencil; computer-generated text; Robin's Nest hyacinth Dew Drop (on her headpiece); self-adhesive pearls; Martha Stewart border punch; pop-dots.

Happy New Year!

Best wishes for a healthy and prosperous 2011!

And Happy Birthday to my mom!  She was the first new baby born in their county in the year 19___.  (She would kill me if I told you how old she is, so I'll just have to let you guess.)

Here's a cute picture of her as a young girl with her metal lunch box.



Thanks to everyone for visiting my blog and sharing your comments.  I've enjoyed the chance to meet so many talented and enthusiastic artists from around the world.  Here's to another year of creativity!