Here Comes the Clown

I have a friend who thinks clowns are creepy, and I know that many others do, too. I have no such aversion, though. Clowns are just silly of you ask me, like this guy from the Starving Artistamps Doodlefactory Costume Party collection.  He's colored with Copic markers to match the background paper, which is from Basic Grey.  The layout I used is Card Positioning Systems sketch #5.

Have a great day!  I think I'm going to venture out and try to relieve myself of some of my Christmas cash.  :-)

So, now what?

That's how I feel after Christmas is over...so, now what do I do?  Not that I don't have lots of things I want to do, mind you.  I just can't decide which to start on.  And you mean I can use colors other than red and green?  Too many choices!  So, where did my unfettered muse take me, you ask?  Somewhere near Galveston, I think.

Before you look, I should warn you...you'll have this song stuck in your head for days.
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Don't say I didn't warn you...

He-he-he, you're singing along now, aren't you? 

My Rhinestone Cowboy, from the Starving Artistamps DoodleFactory Costume Party collection, is colored with Copic markers and encrusted with all sorts of glitter pens, Stickles and gems, and the song lyrics are from the internet.

What are you doing now that the holiday is over?

Poinsettia Card

Since Christmas is only a few days away, I think this is going to be my final Christmas card posting for the year.  This is the card I made from the poinsettia painting I posted  a week or so ago.  Until I made the holly cards, this was my favorite card ever.

I cut the poinsettia image "outside the box", and then mounted that on a red mat.  The scalloped square is cut with a Nestabilities die, and the yellow square is cut using a Martha Stewart Punch around the page set.  I also added maroon Stickles dots to the green scalloped panel just to add a bit of bling.

Merry Christmas!

Divine Diva Inspiration Challenge #18

It seems like I've been waiting for today's challenge forever!  Lori sent us this photo quite awhile ago, and when I saw it, I just couldn't believe my eyes.  I had just started working on a new painting that I was hoping to get done in time to use on my Christmas cards.  A painting (from a design by Lynda Montefusco) of a bouquet of greenery with holly berries and currants...WINTER BERRIES!  Can you believe it?

I finished the painting last week--not exactly last minute, but close.  The original is 8" x 8" and is done with Prismacolor pencils on Stonehenge paper.  I scanned it and then used every single one of my Photoshop skills (a few of them aquired just for the occasion) to get the greens and reds to match the original.  Then I reduced the image to about 3" x 4" and printed it on some good quality, heavyweight drawing paper. I needed a very simple layout because I had a bunch of these to make in a very short time period so I went with the oval focal point and red background from the inspiration piece.

So here you have it...my favorite Christmas card ever:

As always, everyone is invited to play along in the Divine Diva challenges, and if you do, please link your creation here. If you upload to PCP or SC, use the keyword DDIC18. For even more inspiration, please visit the other Divine Divas: Anne, Chris, Lori, Julie, and Kerri

Have a great day, and join us if you can!

Here's my smART-Word challenge card...where's yours?

The smARTworks design team along with owner, Susan, have a monthly challenge, and it's so easy to play along.  Just make a card inspired by the word of the month and post a link to your card on our smART-Word Challenge blog.  I know it's a busy month for many of us, but if you can take a break from your  holiday prep, we'd love for  you to join us! 

The word for December is Christmas, and I made this card using the smARTworks Snowy Pines and Little Say sets.  The paper is from Memory Box, and I stamped my pines with Dark Moss Fluid Chalk ink.  I added a few shadows with a green colored pencil and dimensional glitter glue (from Sparkle and Spinkle) and pearl glitter for the snow.  You could use any glue for the glitter, but the dimensional glue makes mounds that look just like snow.

Merry Christmas!

Poinsettia Painting

This weekend was our big "clean the house, put up the tree, and get the rest of the decorating done" weekend. For some unknown reason, we don't like to put everything out too early. I'm not sure why because I really love having the house all decked out. Next weekend is all baking, all the time.

I finished this painting a few weeks ago and decided to use the image on some of my Christmas cards. The poinsettia is done with Prismacolor pencils, and the background is a combination of Derwent watercolor pencils and Inktense pencils. The original is 8" by 8" done on Rising Stonehenge paper. I'll show you the cards later, after I've gotten them in the mail.

Happy Holidays!

Oooh...Glitter!

I wish you could see how cool this card looks in person! I used Barbara Trombley's Art Glitter.  The color is called Green Briar, and it is so pretty...mostly green with little bits of gold and copper and red.  And, talk about easy! This is one of my extremely rare 10 minute cards. I used a Martha Stewart glue pad to ink up my Snowy Pines stamp from smARTworks, stamped it onto some pretty printed paper and sprinkled on the glitter. Next a ran a coordinating piece of paper through my Cuttlebug, and added a mat with some Kraft cardstock, sponged and distressed the edges a bit, glued everything together, and added a plump little bow.  I just love it when a plan comes together!  : )

Happy Holidays!

Brrr...DoodleFactory has Gone to the Arctic

Welcome to the Starving Artistamps New Release Blog Hop
and One Day Only Blog Candy Giveway!

We are so excited to present our newest release...DoodleFactory Arctic

You are going to want to visit all the stops on our hop because someone is giving away a complete unmounted set of the new release for blog candy! We are keeping the blog candy open for one day only so your chances of winning are even better! (blog candy ends 11am PST December 8th, 2009 the winner will be announced on or before December 9th 2009). If you have arrived here on your own and are just finding out about the blog hop you should start at the Starving Artistamps Company Blog

And, now for my cards...

Eskimo Girl

Stamps: Starving Artistamps – DoodleFactory Arctic
Supplies: Cardstock, printed paper (Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses), brown paper bag, Copic markers, snowflake stickers
Ink: Adirondack Pitch Black, Ranger Distress Ink – Tea Dye
How To’s: Stamp images and color with Copic markers; cut out. Create background panel using Technque Junkies Brown Bagging tutorial (12/09). Assemble as show to create an A2 card.

 

Merry Christ-moose

Stamps: Starving Artistamps – DoodleFactory Arctic; harlequin background
Supplies: Cardstock, Green Coredinations paper, Cuttlebug, embossing folder, twine, Stickles
Ink: Adirondack Pitch Black, Versafine Black
How To’s: Stamp image and color with Copic markers; cut out. Cut and emboss panels; stamp red panel with harlequin stamp; sand green embossed panel to highlight embossing; punch several snowflakes. Assemble as shown to make an A2 card, and highlight center of snowflakes with Stickles.

 

Chill Out!

Stamps: Starving Artistamps – DoodleFactory Arctic
Supplies: cardstock, printed paper (black/white polka dot), Smooch Spritz (blue), Copic markers, ribbon, Cuttlebug, oval Nestabilities die, circles embossing folder.
Ink: Adirondack Pitch Black
How To’s: Stamp images and color with Copic markers; cut out. Spray a piece of blue cardstock with Smooch Spritz; let dry. Cut panels; emboss white panel, and assemble as shown to make an A2 card.

Thank you for stopping by my blog, the next stop on the hop is: Lori @ Inking Aloud
In case you get lost somewhere along the way here is the complete list of stops:
START HERE: Starving Artistamps Company Blog
Juliana @ Stampin' With Inky Fingers
Donna @ Dee's Studio   (you are here)
Lori @ Inking Aloud
Lydia @ Understand Blue
Tracey @ Stamp-o-matic
Jenn @ Confessions of a Scrapaholic
Eva @ Muffins pyssel
Nina @ Ninas krumelurer
Dawn @ Amusing Musings & Things

Thank you for hopping with us! You can find the new Arctic collection and much more at Starving Artistamps.

Snow Today!

The weather in New England sure can keep you guessing. The other day it was in the mid 60's. Today? Snow.  Are you ready, Freddy?

Reddy Freddy

Stamps: smARTworks - ABC Happy Winter

Supplies: Cardstock, Copic markers, Cuttlebug, embossing folders, Nestabilities, ribbon, Stickles

Ink: Adirondack Pitch Black

How To’s: Stamp image and color with Copic markers. Cut and emboss panels, assemble, and embellish with Stickles as shown to make a 5 ¼” by 5 ¼” card.

Divine Diva Inspiration Challenge #17

For our inspiration piece this week, Lori chose these cocoa mugs from Garnet Hill.  Aren't they great?  I've been doing these challenges since September, and I'm not sure which part is more fun...making the cards or checking out the cool sites Lori finds!

Anyway, when I first saw these mugs, I knew just what I wanted to do for my card.  And, joy of joy, it came out just the way I pictured!  I made my background by using the handle of a paintbrush to make random dip dots with white acrylic paint.  Just dip the handle into a puddle of paint and holding it straight up and down,  touch it lightly to the paper--perfectly round dots!  Have trouble making dots that look random?  Here's a trick I learned that works...make your dots in groups of three in a triangle pattern.  I'm not quite sure why this works, but it does.  Another thing I did to make sure the dots weren't all the same size was to make two or three dots before I dipped into the paint again.  I'm going to try this method with different color combos, because I think it makes a great polka dotted paper.

As for the rest of the card, the image is from smARTworks, and I colored it with my trusty Copic markers.  Seriously, I don't know how I lived without them!  I stamped the image directly onto the background and again on white cardstock.  I colored the white one, cut it out, and glued it over the background image.  I did the sentiment with stick-on letters, and you can't tell in the pic, but they are glittery...because I can't seem to make a card without glitter these days, lol!

Remember, everyone is invited to play along in the Divine Diva challenges, and if you do, please link your creation here. If you upload to PCP or SC, use the keyword DDIC17. For even more inspiration, please visit the other Divine Divas: Anne, Chris, Lori, Julie, and Kerri

Have a great day, and join us if you can!

Silver Pines

Are you ready for a Christmas card blitz? I'm just making my cards now (wish me luck with that, lol!) so I'll have plenty to share over the next couple of weeks. I don't like to make 60 cards of the same design, but no way will I have time to make them all different. The strategy I'm using so far is to make a card, and if I like it, make a few more while the supplies are still out on my table. So far, it's working out pretty well.
Here's a card I made over the weekend. The glimmer on the blue panel is just unbelievable in real life, and the card went together really quickly so this was definitely one of those "make a few more" cards.  So how about you?  What's  your Christmas card situation? 

Silver Pines

Stamps: smARTworks Snowy Pines
Papers: card stock - white, light blue
Inks: Versamark; Ranger Distress Ink - Weathered Wood, Broken China
Other Supplies: silver embossing powder, Cuttlebug, Swiss Dots embossing folder, oval Nestabilities, Smootch Spritz - pearl, blue
Embellishments: silver cord
Special Techniques: Technique Junkies Newsletter, Dec. 09 - Antiqued Glimmers
General Instructions: Cut oval frame and emboss; stamp trees with Versamark, emboss, and cut out; create blue Antiqued Glimmers panel; cut and assemble as shown using foam tape between oval frame and blue background.

Save the Date!

We are super excited to present the newest addition to the DoodleFactory line at Starving Artistamps....

DoodleFactory Arctic

The Design Team along with a few special guests will be kicking off the release with a blog hop starting at the Starving Artistamps Company Blog on December 7th 2009 at 11 am EST.

I already made my cards, and I can not wait to show them to you...so save the date, and I'll see you there!!