Featured Creation by Joanne

It's getting cold as we head straight on to the heart of the holiday season.  I'm sure everyone is busy with shopping, decorating, and social gatherings (performances at school, office party, church party, and oh so many more).  I just wanted to bring you another crafter feature today after taking a bit of a break.  I'm still working on the renovation of the digi store, while trying to get the house ready for the holidays like everybody else, so I missed doing these spotlight features since November.

I've been wanting to showcase Joanne Godden Bell's lovely coloring project with the Snow Queen - Blooms of Ice - digi.  Check it out!

Isn't she lovely?  Very icy, mesmerizing with the frozen gaze, and what a lovely setup for the photo!

Information on which colors she used can be found on her blog post right here.

This Snow Queen is the latest to join the Aurora Wings' digital stamps collection, but many of you know that I have multiple images inspired by the story of the Snow Queen (the original Hans Christian Andersen version).

Snow Queen - Blooms of Ice

This is a full-size coloring page digi at 2400 x 3300 pixels

Icy Snow Queen
Card sized at 1500 x 2100 pixels 

(Prints just fine for coloring at full page size.)

Snow Queen 5x7 version

Card sized 2100 x 1500 pixels
(Also prints just fine for coloring at full page size.)

Snow Queen Full Version

Full size coloring page digi at 2150 x 3150 pixels 

Thank you again for stopping by today!  Happy coloring & Happy Holidays!

Featured Creation by Teresa

It's November 1st already!  Hope everyone had a safe & fun Halloween.  Since it's the Day of the Dead celebration time in Mexico, I'd feature a beautiful card by Teresa Morgan to get in the mood today.

Isn't she gorgeous?  I love how the bright pastel tones of pink, blue, and green, grounded by the purple and black.  The final look is an elegant mystery with contrast of youthfulness and maturity, life and death, light and dark...   You can read more about, and see more picks of, this lovely creation by Teresa on her blog post right here.

Teresa's beautiful card features the Las Calaveras digital stamp, which you can find here on Etsy and here at my web site.  This beauty comes in at 1800 x 2400 pixels, that's 6 x 8 inches or 15.2 x 20.3 cm at 300 dpi in JPG.

Teresa receives a digi of her choice and a custom blog badge with today's date for being the featured crafter today.  I am open for submissions of your work with AW digi or rubber stamp images anytime throughout the year.  Feel free to add your photos to the special album at our FB group HERE.

We're coming to a close of our ATG challenge at Aurora Wings Challenge.  Challenge will end at 11:55 pm EDT US Saturday, Nov. 5 (3:59 am GMT, Sunday, Nov. 6). Still time to join!

And we have a new monthly contest at our FB group.   November's theme is "Nature's Bounty" - basically anything inspired by food - veggies, fruits, baked goodies, holiday food - and their shapes, colors, aromas, etc.  Lots of possibilities.  Feel free to interpret the theme in your own, creative way.  Thinking outside of the box can give you a big payoff!

Featured Creation by Zoe

Hi, everyone!  Thank you for stopping by for our new Crafter Feature today.  We have a gorgeous, GORGEOUS, creation by Zoe March to show you.  Check it out!!

Isn't it exquisite?  Her coloring on the Linnea Sprite is gorgeous, but the vellum details is what's awe-inspiring on this project.  Layers and layers of intricate flowers and foliage create an amazing look.

While I was visiting Zoe's FB page , I couldn't help but notice this close-up and just had to add to this post.  Such beautiful details!!  So delicate and so fresh.  Makes you swoon, doesn't it?

If you'd like to see more of Zoe's and her sister's work, visit their FB page and check out their album there.  You'll find lots of gorgeous projects.

The "Linnea Sprite" digi can be found in JPG here and in PNG here at AW Etsy.  1500 x 2100 pixels at 300 dpi (5 x 7 inches or 12.7 x 17.8 cm).

As a featured crafter today, Zoe receives a custom blog badge and a digi of her choice.  You may be the next crafter who gets featured right here at our Showcase Blog!  You can send in your project pics at Stamps by AuroraWings FB group photo album at any time throughout the year.  I am always looking for a piece to feature, so please add your proud creations to our album for a chance to be showcased.  And please don't get disappointed if your piece is not showcased right away.  I hope to feature many crafters, different styles, and skill levels on our Tuesday posts in the upcoming weeks and months.

We're in Week 2 of our current challenge at Aurora Wings Challenge Blog!  The theme is everyone's favorite, ANYTHING GOES!

Over at our FB group, we have our monthly contest underway in the theme of "Pink Ribbon" in honor of the Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  Hope you can join over there, too.

Till next time, happy coloring & crafting~!!

Featured Creation by Julie

Hello everyone, and thank you for stopping by for our Crafter Feature post at AWSB!  Today, I have a gorgeous card by Julie Price to spotlight for you.  It's so soothing to the eyes...  I think you'll agree.

Isn't this stunning?  Love her creation in pretty shades of pink and lavender.  Julie's coloring of the "Orchid Fairy" image is so soft and beautiful, I'd say it's almost 'fragrant' as well!  This lovely card is full of feminine beauty and elegance, it really is enchanting.  You can read more about her project and feast your eyes on more pics in her blog post right here.

The digi she used, the "Orchid Fairy", is available as a 6 x 8 inch/ 15.2 x 20.3 cm, JPG digi (300 dpi, 1800 x 2400 pixels) at AW Etsy here.  Also available at the AW web shop right here.

As a featured crafter today, Julie receives a custom blog badge and a digi of her choice.  You may be the next crafter who gets featured right here at our Showcase Blog!  You can send in your project pics at Stamps by AuroraWings FB group photo album at any time throughout the year.  I am always looking for a piece to feature, so please add your proud creations to our album for a chance to be showcased.  And please don't get disappointed if your piece is not showcased right away.  I hope to feature many crafters, different styles, and skill levels on our Tuesday posts in the upcoming weeks and months.

We've kicked off a new challenge at Aurora Wings Challenge Blog!  This time, the theme is everyone's favorite, ANYTHING GOES!  This is as 'open' as themes get, and a great chance to get two (or more) birds with one stone, if you know what I mean. *wink*  So what are you waiting for? 

And over at our FB group, we have our monthly contest underway in the theme of "Pink Ribbon" in honor of the Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  Hope you can join over there, too.

Till next time, happy coloring & crafting~!!

Featured Creation by Vivian

It's my favorite time of the year when stores start stocking Halloween stuff everywhere!  Although I confess that these days I'm not quite as heavily involved as I once was when I was younger (and my child was younger), I still LOVE checking out the neighborhood for everyone's spooktacular yard decor and checking out the kids' costumes on Halloween night.  So when I saw this fun project from Vivian Foo showed up in the submissions album, I just HAD to showcase it (OK, I had my eyes on this ever since she entered it into the 'For Men & Boys' challenge at AWCB.).  

Don't you just love this page from her art journal?  Lots of characters, all coming out for a night of mischief!  Love the less 'traditionally Halloween' colors she used on the Trick or Treat Boys image to make them pop against the darkly spooky backdrop.  You can visit her Facebook photo and read more about this project.

You can find the Trick or Treat Boys at the AW Etsy shop in JPG and PNG.  They come in at 2100 x 1500 pixels (7 x 5 inches / 17.8 x 12.7 cm at 300 dpi).

Be sure to join our Halloween-y challenge "Black, Orange, and One Other Color" at AWCB this week!  This challenge will come to a close on Saturday, the 15th, at 11:55 pm EDT US.  Not only is it fun to toss in green, purple, hot pink, or electric blue to traditional Halloween color palette of orange and black, this is a fun challenge even on a non-Halloween image.  Challenge yourself with a high-contrast, bold color palette and join!

And one more thing!  There will be a new release showcase right here on Friday, the 14th.  Hope to see you there!

Featured Creation by Teresa

Hi, everyone!  Hope you enjoyed last weekend's double new release here at AWSB!  This week, we are back with a new Crafter Feature for this lovely Tuesday.

Well, day by day, in the northern hemisphere, we are feeling the temperature cool off more and more, and seeing leaves turning reds and yellows even at lower elevations.  In my garden, the show is now left to the chrysanthemums and cosmos flowers after all the summer-blooming plants have stopped blooming.  There are a few last roses, but Mother Nature is getting ready for the winter slumber!  I love gardening and I love flowers, so I'm sad to see the flowers go...

So today, it was Teresa Morgan's beautiful card that caught my attention.  Her card features the 'Petals in the Wind' image, and the fairy does look as if she's being blown by the winds and about to disappear into the mist of autumn.

Isn't it lovely?  I love the soft pastel colors throughout, and also her loose approach to coloring that is perfectly in keeping with the line art style here.  It's amazing how kraft paper (and other toned papers) can give such a distinct and beautiful look to a coloring.  You can read her blog post and see more pics of this project at this link.

"Petals in the Wind" is available at AW Etsy and at AW web shop.  It comes in JPG at 2100 x 1500 pixels (7 x 5/17.8 x 12.7 cm at 300 dpi).  With so many color possibilities, this image has a wonderfully versatile style for many occasions and seasons.

We just kicked off a brand new, fun color challenge that is perfect for Halloween, at Aurora Wings Challenge Blog yesterday.  Each new challenge usually runs for 2 weeks (I say "usually" because it sometimes goes for 3 weeks when a month has five Mondays.),  so you still have lots of time to create a colorful project to join us. We'd love to see you there!

I would also like to remind you that our monthly FB group contest for October just started on Saturday.  Over at the group, our theme is "Pink Ribbon" in honor of the Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  We'd like everyone to come out in support of our mothers, grandmothers, sisters, aunts, nieces, and friends, who have been affected by breast cancer ... and of course, fighters and survivors!

And one last thing.  Have you seen the new gift-with-purchase Sprite?  The Autumn Sprite is still being offered as a gift with purchase through Sunday, Oct. 9!

In order to qualify for this offer, please make sure that your FINAL total, after you apply the discount code (if choose to use any), comes up to $10 USD or more.  That's all!  The rest is handled automatically -- your GWP digi will be sent to your email that is on the record within 24 hours. (Most cases will not take that long.)

Featured Creation by Nana Connie

I'm happy to be back writing up these crafter feature posts regularly again.  This is the third one in three weeks.  Let's hope I can keep it up!

Today, I have a stunning work by Nana Connie, using the Owl Masquerade digi.  Take a look!

The high contrast of the dark base and the colored image area brings dramatic flare to this project.  The die cuts and lace border all utilize this contrast for a stunning presentation.  The lovely owl duo is golden, elegantly complimented by the lavender dress (which also looks beautiful on her blog's layout, by the way!).  The sentiment is perfect as owls have always been associated with wisdom since the ancient times.  You can read more about the details on Nana Connie's blog post at this link.

I actually have four digis in my store that have the theme of  "owl mask" (There are even more if you look for just "owl" or "mask" separately.).  Yes, owls and masks together are one of my recurring themes that show up periodically.  I have another idea for an illustration as I write this, just swirling around in the back of my head...  You can find "Owl Masquerade" at my Etsy shop right here.  It is a JPG digi, 1500 x 2100 pixels at 300 dpi (5 x 7 inches/ 12.7 x 17.8 cm).

Would you like to have your project featured on this blog?   You get a custom blog badge and a free digi if your work is featured.  All you have to do is add the pics of your projects with AW images into our special album at the FB group.  I'll put a direct link here to make it easy for ya!  (Of course, you'd have to be a member of our group before you can add a pic.  Send a join request, and one of us, the group admins, will approve it. )

We just kicked off a new challenge at Aurora Wings Challenge Blog yesterday, in case you didn't hear about it.  The theme of our latest challenge is "for Men and Boys".  Anything you make for your husbands, sons, brothers, fathers, boyfriends, nephews, grandpas, ... or anything with masculine feel would be great for this theme, whether it's in the images themselves, color schemes you use, or overall style.  Have fun with it, and join our challenge!

And we are in the final ten days of our monthly contest at our FB group!  Don't miss!

Till next time, happy coloring and crafting, everyone!

Featured Creation by Rita

Hello, friends!  Glad you can stop by for another Crafter Feature today!  It is starting to cool off in the northern hemisphere, and leaves have just started changing colors where I live.  I still have many flowers blooming in my garden, and bees, butterflies, ladybugs, and humming birds are still visiting. But I know that they won't be around that much longer...

I saw this delightful work by Rita Krogsund pop up in the Showcase Blog Submissions Album at the Stamps by AuroraWings FB grouop the other day, and I just had to spotlight it - before the growing season is over.

 Isn't it beautiful?  It's soft, sweet, magical, and simply adorable!  The whole thing looks like a page from a children's story book with all the sweetness.  The sentiment is one of my favorites, and goes so well with anything that has a flower in the image.  And since the Ladybug Sprite is holding a single flower, it's utterly perfect!  You can see more pics of this project (step by step) and read about the details on Rita's blog post right here.  (You'll find a translator about halfway down the sidebar, if you're like me and need translation.)

The "Ladybug Sprite" is an insect sprite among my ever-growing Sprites Collection, and comes at 1500 x 2100 pixels (5 x 7 inches or 12.7 x 17.8 cm at 300 dpi - can be printed larger at a lower resolution without losing too much in terms of line quality).  Available in JPG or PNG at AuroraWings Etsy.  Also available at AuroraWings on DGS right here.

I would like to take a moment to mention our current challenge at AWCB.  Our theme is 'Fantasy'.  How easy is that?  You can use any of the lovely women and girls, mermaids, even the darker images (Get ready for Halloween, Samhain, Day of the Dead, what have you!), angels, and of course, Sprites!  There's still plenty of time left to color up something and create your winning piece.  This challenge will close at 11:55 pm EDT US on Saturday, Sept. 17 (3:55 am GMT on Sunday, Sept. 18).

  And on our FB group, our September contest theme is 'All Things Autumn'.  I can imagine a project that would work for both of AW themes this month, can't you?  Fantasy in autumn colors.  Yeah!  Well, if you miss the deadline for our Challenge Blog above, you'll still have time till the end of the month with this contest.  It won't close until 11:59 pm EDT US on Friday, Sept. 30.  Hope you'll join us!

Till next time, happy coloring & crafting!

Featured Creation by Jane

Crafter Feature is back at AW Showcase Blog!  How long has it been since the last one?!

I feel so bad about not having done one of these in a year...  A year!!!  Seriously, time flies when you're [ just fill in the blank ].  Is it just me or time seems to go by faster as you get older...  I'm sure I'm not alone feeling this way.

Today, I'm happy to feature a creation by Jane Proffitt, who submitted a lovely Moon Goddess coloring.

She gave the goddess lovely golden skin tone, gold and pearl jewelry, shiny black hair, and striking green eyes.  And gave the image a lovely frame to complete a lovely presentation.  Isn't she just stunning?  You can visit her blog post of this project at this link to read more about her work, see which Copics she used to achieve this beautiful coloring, etc.

"Moon Goddess" digi can be found at AW Etsy at this link.  She is also available at AW digi shop at my site on this page (Note to EU customers: All digis are, on average, 25% cheaper for you if you purchase on my site, compared to AW Etsy.  Both of my shops are EU digital VAT compliant, but set up very differently, and that's the reason for the price difference.).  She comes in JPG at 5 x 6 inches (1500 x 1800 pixels at 300 dpi).  (You can print her a little larger than the originally intended dimension without losing too much in line quality.  Most AW digis can be printed at about 150% (1.5 times) the original dimensions and still be perfectly suitable for hand coloring.

Thank you for stopping by today!  I hope to be bringing crafter features more regularly as I restructure my business to allow myself more free time.  If you'd like your AW projects considered for a feature on our blog, please add your project photos to the submissions album at Stamps by AuroraWings FB group.

Featured Creation by Shelley

Thank you for stopping by today for another crafter showcase, where we feature a fellow crafter's creation!  Today we have a beautiful card from Shelley Lanthier, using the EXCLUSIVE, special edition fundraiser digi called "Starfish Mermaid".

Isn't Shelley's card gorgeous?  The coloring on the mermaid is lovely, with wonderful attention to detail from hair ornament to glossy hair to the shadows on her forehead, cast by the ringlets (My favorite part!!).  The embellishments of bubbles and fish scales all add to expand on the ocean theme for a delightful card.  You can read all about this in her own words on her blog here.

Now, you may be wondering what I meant by the big red letters earlier, "EXCLUSIVE".  It means that this digi was drawn for Cristena Bagne's special fundraiser "Coloring for Clean Water" event, and it's only available through this event!  Many of my fans and AW DT ladies have donated to the cause and received this digi and others.   There are four other artists who also donated their images to the cause, and you can choose just one digi ... or get all five, depending on your donation amount from $3 to $12.

Isn't she pretty?  You can get her for just $3 USD donation.  But you must hurry.  Today's your last chance!

Do you want it?  Then hurry on over to the fundraiser page right here and show your support TODAY!
Sounding like a used car sales person trying to lock you into a deal, I mean it.  Today is the last day of the fundraiser.  If you miss the deadline (midnight Pacific Time), you will not find this pretty mermaid anywhere.  So go and give $3 (or more, if you can) and get this for your coloring fun.  It really is a win-win situation!!  You get to perform a not-so-random act of kindness by donating to a good cause, and create not-so-random act of beauty by coloring and crafting with this pretty digi!

Today is also the last chance to take advantage of the special discount code at AW Etsy.  I don't know how else to sweeten the deal.  LOL  :D  Happy shopping!

Please be advised that this code is for digital stamp purchase only.  If you're purchasing non-digi items, please order them separately without using this code.  Any non-digi items that are included on an order that uses this code will be cancelled from your order with a refund.  Thank you for your understanding.

Featured Creation by Marlene

Hi, everyone!  Once again, I let the crafter feature lapse with a huge interval... My bad!! It's summer and we typically have so much going on with vacations/holidays and family activities.  And since the weather is nice (unless it's storming and going crazy as we're seeing more and more...), we're not cooped up indoors as much.  Well, it's August and kids have begun (or already been in school) to head back to school and it's the return of the routine for many of us.  I'm hoping that I can also get back into the swing of featuring crafter creations regularly once again here.

Today I have a lovely work from Marlene Ekeblad Andersen, using the challenging "Ribbons and Braids" digi.

She used the classic combo of yellow and blue, but they're muted and softened to achieve the sophisticated and feminine look here.  Blond hair with blue ribbons woven throughout makes this image come to life.  The liquid pearl dots and rhinestone details add sparkles.  The pretty flowers, butterflies, and a charm all add interest and dimension, and the ever-handy cheese cloth is a wonderful addition of airy light texture.  You can find her blog post of this lovely piece right here.

"Ribbons and Braids" is available as a 1500 x 2100 pixels JPG digi measuring 5" x7"/ 12.7 x 17.8 cm at 300 dpi.  A great image to play with (or practice your skills on) hair coloring.  Available at AW Etsy here and at the digi shop located at AW website here.

* * *

AuroraWings' special fundraiser event Color for a Cause is coming to a close.  At the time of this writing, the campaign has raised $490, just $10 short of the $500 goal.  All donations are going to Project Numbat, an Australian non-profit which is dedicated to the conservation of endangered numbats through fundraising, education, and awareness.  With every donation, regardless of the amount, a donor will receive the exclusive 'Numbat Fairy' digi, which can be then used to enter into the Color & Craft Contest for two chances to win either the $30 USD worth of digi of choice or one of Mitzi's coloring books!  It's a win-win situation!

Be sure to check out our current challenge 'Anything with Wings' (Easy one!) at AuroraWings Challenge Blog  and our monthly Facebook group contest 'Three of Something" (album is right here.).

If you're shopping for digis this weekend, don't forget to choose from the two codes here.  These codes are for AW Etsy shop (www.AuroraWings.Etsy.com).

The code below is for the digi shop at AW website, and there is no minimum requirement.  Also, please note that this code is valid through the end of the month (11:59 pm GMT, Aug. 31, 2015).

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone~!!