SmilynStef This was a tag I submitted to Cards Magazine in May for their October 2007 call. Enough time has passed that I am assuming they are not interested, so I think it’s safe to share. One of the biggest challenges in trying to get more creations published is figuring out how to mesh my style … Read more
For me, most of my stamping happens on the weekends. So, Sunday nights are always sort of a let down for me as I scrub off the ink on my hands and say goodbye to my relatively uninterrupted creative time and start switching my focus to the work week at hand. Next weekend I’ll be … Read more
I love my studio space. It’s full of bright colors and creative artwork. When we travel, we try to buy at least one peace of art from a local artisan. Surrounding myself with those pieces inspires me and brings back memories of our wonderful adventures. My studio is one-half of what was once an attached … Read more
For Beate’s weekend sketch #14, I went searching for tall vertical stamps that would work for the framed element. I decided to make two different takes on this fun layout. The first highlights corn … it fills the Iowa landscape during this time of year. The stamp is by Mountin’ Rubber Stamps in Milan, Illinois, … Read more
Stampin’ When I Can is one of the blogs I check out at least once every day. Allison surfs the vast blogdom and finds all of those cool tutorials, newly discovered bloggers, challenges, sketches, and give-aways, and then she puts it all together in one rockin’ resource. I’m also a bit fascinated by her work-from-home … Read more
I got to spend my Saturday morning doing several of my favorite things. It began with an early trip to the gym (well, maybe not my favorite thing, but I do like listening to mystery books on my iPod while I break a sweat) and then on to the farmer’s market, which was overflowing with … Read more
Today’s inspiration piece is a wool hooked rug by LL Bean in a pattern called farmhouse tile. Since I’ve started creating cards on a regular basis, I’ve found that I look at the world differently. I’m drawn to color combinations, design elements, advertising … whatever is visually interesting … for inspiration. I started with the … Read more
I had so much fun with today’s SplitCoastStampers sketch challenge, I decided to revisit it for my Caardvarks 1-2-3 Challenge entry. The challenge is to create a card using 1 embellishment (Basic Grey small word), 2 patterned papers (Kissin Kate and Slim Jim from Cosmo Cricket’s Wanted Collection) and three flowers (fun primas from a … Read more
I really enjoy sketch challenges. It’s amazing to me how many fun ideas can develop from a basic design. Sketch Challenge 136 on SCS is a unique layout. I immediately thought my prima flowers would look very fun in a scalloped punched out area. I let my prima collection determine my color combination. Then I … Read more
Well, I didn’t win the most recent Caardvarks ribbon challenge, however I have had the marvelous pleasure of being a winner of some of their previous contests. The card that won the ribbon challenge was awesome. I am always so inspired by the designs of the many talented artists who submit their work. This *{make … Read more