Thank you! Etsy Inspired #81

This is my final post as Guest DT for the wonderful gals at the Etsy Inspired Challenge Blog. They have been so good to me and being a part of the team for the month of March was a total blast. Thank you so VERY much for having me.

This weeks Etsy inspiration store is another great one (aren't they always?!). It's called Ponder & Stitch and she makes really beautiful hand-sewn cuffs and bags. The fabrics are so pretty. Please go check her store out and do a little shopping. You won't be sorry.

Here is the piece I chose of hers as my inspiration piece:



And, what would an EIC Challenge be without another wonderful sponsor? Yep! This week's sponsor is Digi Stamp Characters. Really, really cute digi stamps. And this week's winner will receive 3 free digital stamps! Who wouldn't want to win that?! But you gotta play to win, so be sure you link your blog to the EIC blog and get all the other details HERE.



And, since this is my final card as guest DT I decided to incorporate an element from both the inspiration shop AND the sponsor! :) Hope you enjoy something you won't always see from me... a CUTE card:



I think it's pretty cute. But, yes, I'm biased.

Please check out all the wonderful creative inspirations from the rest of the Design Team here:

Ashley
De
Emily
Heather
Jackie
Joy
Kerry
Shannon
Laurel (March Guest DT)


Thank you again, EIC, for having me this month. I had a great time.

Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for stopping by!!



*Sorry, I haven't updated the supplies. I got super sick when I returned from my trip. But the big thing is that I used Basic Grey Kioshi DSP and the super sweet Purr Button digi-image from Digi-Stamp Characters. My stick-on epoxy words are from Jo-Ann's and are by Heidi Grace. All my c/s is PTI, except for the white which is Gina K Designs. Hope that helps a little. :)





All my best,

Etsy Inspired #80

Hi, and thanks for joining me in another Etsy Inspired Challenge.

This weeks inspiration shop designs by cathy has some of the most beautiful (recycled!) silver jewelry I have ever seen. I'm a sucker for silver jewelry anyway and I love that her pieces have that rustic and eclectic look (as she also says in her shop announcement). The oxidation makes them look so cherished. Seriously, check this store out!

Here is the (now sold!) piece that I was inspired to create from:



I know, total *sigh*.

And, if you're familiar with EIC you'll know that there are always fabby sponsors willing to give away wonderful prizes if you participate! (Deets on the EIC blog, so be sure you play along, ok?)

This weeks sponsor is The Digi-Kitty. Really fun, whimsical digital stamps. The winner this week will receive an Easter bundle that contains 8 (EIGHT!!) Easter images! Wow!! The Digi-Kitty also has an Etsy store HERE. Check it out.

Okay, so now onto my card. I really love this jewelry so I thought I try the good ol' faux metal technique and see how it turned out for my card. Not too bad although the sentiment is a little tough to read :( . And I got to use my awesome new Lawn Fawn stamps (will definitely be using these more soon, so fun and they stamp like a dream!).




and a close-up of the sentiment:



Please be sure to stop by the Design Teams blogs, see what they've created and leave them a wonderful comment!

Ashley
De
Emily
Heather
Jackie
Joy
Kerry
Shannon
Laurel (March Guest DT)



On another note there's been a lot of sadness in our lives lately, so I hope that you will all hold each other a little tighter, tell one another how much you love each other, and know how very much your friendships are appreciated.

I thank you for being a part of my life...even if it's in a small way, just by stopping by and saying "hi", you touch my life.



{Supplies:
Cardstock: White (Gina K Designs), Black (SU)
Ink: Black (Memento), Versamark (Tsukineko)
Embossing Powder: Silver (SU)
Stamps: Sew Lovely (Lawn Fawn), A Charmed Life (Melanie Meunchinger for Gina K Designs)
Punch: Loop Border Punch (Martha Stewart)
Dies/Embossing: Oval Nestablities (Spellbinders)
Embellishments: Ribbon (stash), brad (Tim Holtz for Ideaology).
Die-cutting machine: Cuttlebug (Provo Craft). }



All my best,

Facing the Unknown

We are facing something unknown in our household. The impending loss of a loved one. Eddy's dad is so very sick. He has metastatic lung cancer, is already at an advanced age and his mind is fading so fast.

Needless to say, we are beyond devastated. The tears just keep flowing. We feel so helpless, since we don't know when only that it won't be too long. Maybe 6 months? Maybe a year.

I had e-mailed my sister (who I made the butterfly for) since today is her birthday and she sent me the following poem from Henry Van Dyke which I will now post and share with all of you. It made me cry like crazy, but also gave me a sense of peace.


GONE FROM MY SIGHT -- Henry Van Dyke

I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side
spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and
starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty
and strength. I stand and watch her until at length
she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where
the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.

Then someone at my side says: "There, she is gone!"

"Gone where?"

Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in
mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side and
she is just as able to bear her load of living freight to her
destined port.

Her diminished size is in me, not in her. And just at the
moment when someone at my side says: "There, she is gone!"
there are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices
ready to take up the glad shout: "Here she comes!"

And that is dying.

Thank you so much...all of you...who are keeping Eddy's dad (and all of us) in your thoughts, prayers or whatever you subscribe to. It is appreciated so much more than I could ever express in words.


All my best,

Etsy Inspired #79

Today's Etsy Inspiration shop is just super cool! It's called 3Dots Jewelry and there are some really beautiful designs. Love the stuff in this store! I played around a lot with different designs and ideas before making my card. Here is my inspiration piece from 3Dots Jewelry:



Isn't that just gorgeous? Love the wood with all the different colored glass beads.

There's also another terrific sponsor this week. (There always IS with the Etsy-Inspired Challenges, which is why YOU should play along by creating something and linking your blog HERE. ) This weeks sponsor is: Stretch N' Bubbles!! Prizes include 4 digital stamps for first place and 3 runners-up get 1 free digital stamp of their choice. More of their images can be seen on their blog HERE.



So, hopefully you've had some time to take a look at all the wonderful goodies at BOTH places by now, right? Great!

Without further ado, here's my inspiration card from 3Dots Jewelry:



It was just too much fun playing with my wood grain background stamp and breaking out the cork for some additional texture on this one. Way fun!

Please be sure to check out the rest of the DT's inspirations, by clicking on their links below and leaving them some love. ;)

Ashley
De
Emily
Heather
Jackie
Joy
Kerry
Shannon
Laurel (March Guest DT)



Thank you, as always, for stopping by. Wishing you a beautiful weekend!

{Supplies:
Cardstock: Stampin' Up; Other - Cork (QuicKutz)
Ink: Distress Ink (Tim Holtz for Ranger)
Embossing: Clear embossing powder (Ranger)
Stamps: Woodgrain background (Hero Arts), Daily Designs Sentiments (PTI)
Die-cutting: Tags Five, Standard Circle Nestie (Spellbinders)
Embellishments: Page Pebbles (EK Success), Bubble Sticker & Metal Dots (Colorbok), Silver Elastic Cord (SU), Faux stitching - ScorBug & white gel pen (Inkssentials by Ranger)}


*edit: Yes, this post was written prior to today. I thank you all for your kind thoughts & well-wishes for Eddy's dad and for thinking of me, too. xoxo


All my best,

Gift of a Butterfly

I have the most wonderful sister in the world, I really do. And I knew that I wanted to make her something super special for her birthday (and now I'm hoping she doesn't see this post...EEK!). So I was wracking my brain on what I could do that would be crafty, unique and something that she would really love.

I tried to pull a bunch of elements and techniques together and tie them all into one really unique piece. I know my sister loves butterflies, so that was my starting off point. From there I just started thinking of what I could add that could make it my own, yet tie it to the relationship that I share with my fabby sis.

I hope you'll like this project as much as I do. It really became a labor of love:




This was so much fun to make and I have a feeling I may make more stuff like this in the future. Not as easy as a card, by any means, but I really loved putting all the elements together for it.

I'm also entering this into the Simon Says Stamp Mother's Day/Girly Challenge. I think it fits. :)

Thank you for stopping by to have a look & I hope you are having a wonderful weekend.


{Supplies:
Inks: Distress Inks (Tim Holtz for Ranger), Versamark (Tsukineko)
Paint: Acrylic Paint dabber (Ranger Adirondack)
Stamps: Old Letter Writing (Hero Arts)
Paper: Garden Gala Collection (Webster's Pages), Adage ticket (Tim Holtz Idea-ology), old dictionary paper
Chipboard: Butterfly Coaster Album, Olivia Mini Alpha, Butterflies Mini (Maya Road)
Metal Findings: Foliage, Ornate plate, Word stick, Word key (Tim Holtz Idea-ology)
Coloring Medium: Cherry Maya Mist (Maya Road), Chestnut Embossing powder (Zing! by American Crafts), Distress Crackle Rock Candy (Tim Holtz for Ranger)
Trinket/Stick Pins: Vintage Black Pearl (Maya Road), Antique (Jenni Bowlin)
Flowers: Velvet blossom (Maya Road), Rose: created by me out of muslin. (Color created from Distress re-inkers mixed with Perfect Pearls and water.)
Additional embellishments: Pearls (Hero Arts), trim (random in ribbon drawer)
Extra: Copper Wire. }





All my best,

Etsy Inspired #78

I was so incredibly honored and excited beyond words when sweetie Ashley from the Etsy Inspired Challenge blog asked me (ME?!?!) to be one of their guest Design Team members for the month of March. Woooo-hooo! Of course! How cool is that? :)

These girls put a lot of work into finding really cool inspiration shops. I hope that anyone stopping by takes a little time to not just look at what I've created, but to look at the shops that helped inspire MY creations during my time as a guest DT member.

This weeks sponsor is none other than Glue Arts!! I know I adore my Glue Glider Pro! ;) And just look at this prize pack:

• GlueArts Tote Bag
• Glue Glider Pro (GGP)
• GGP Repositionable tape refill
• GGP High Tac tape refill
• GGP Perma Squares tape refill
• Wall Art Decor Adhesive
• Adhesive Squares (roll)
• Ribbon Adhesive (roll)



Today's Inspiration shop is the Fantasy Art of Maigan Lynn

Maigan is ALSO offering a wonderful prize! The winner will get to choose 3 4x6 prints of their choice. So be sure to play along.

Here is the piece that I found from her shop to work from:


So colorful! Isn't it?

So here's my interpretation of that:



I've fallen in love with trying do just about anything I can to make a rose in any way I can!! Hahha! This was super easy, but so fun and it just works, don't you think?

Please check out what the rest of the DT did by visiting their blogs, listed below:

Ashley
De
Emily
Heather
Jackie
Joy
Kerry
Laurel (March Guest DT)
Shannon



For more details, please check out the Etsy Inspired Blog Thanks, as always, for stopping by to have a look at what I love to do.


{Supplies:
Cardstock: SU
DSP: Sugar Rush (Basic Grey)
Ink: Distress Inks (Tim Holtz for Ranger Ind.)
Stamps: The Artist In You (Donna Downey for Unity), Friend Definition background stamp (Hero Arts)
Flower: Petaloo
Brads: SU
Coloring Medium: Perfect Pearls (by Ranger), Copics
Fabric: JoAnne's
Rhinestones: Kaiser }



All my best,

Exciting News!

I have some super exciting news!

I was asked to be a Guest Designer for the month of March for the awesome Etsy Inspired Challenge Blog. Who? Me? You sure you got the right girl? After the initial shock, the happy dancing around the house, jumping up and down like a lunatic and then calming down enough to reply to the e-mail I, of course, said "yes".

I am amongst some really wonderful company. These women really rock out the weekly challenges. Most have been on a variety of Design Teams and have been published, so to be given this opportunity I am extremely humbled and honored.

I hope that during the month of March I can show what "Art Inspiring Art" means to me and do the very best I can.

Please check out the Etsy Inspired Blog TODAY for my introduction (*blush*). And then come right back here on Saturday for my VERY first Etsy Inspired Challenge card. I'm very proud of it.

Thank you, Etsy Inspired and especially Ashley & Tiffany who I am grateful to know personally. You bless my life.



All my best,