More Pages from My Guest Artist Article in The Stampers' Sampler

With the magazine out, I felt like I could finally post my article. I truly appreciate the warm encouragement and kind comments that so many of you fellow "creatistas" and friends have left me here and on Facebook. While being published is an honor, it also leaves one feeling quite vulnerable. It's hard for me to look at my work in print, as I find that I am critical of the details and also feel that I should have done more. This guest artist issue was no different. I had so little personal time and energy to create the pieces with life craziness at the time, but I didn't want to pass on the opportunity. So I truly do appreciate all your sweet comments!

Winter Issue of The Stamper's Sampler

If you ever find yourself in a creative rut, try one of The Stamper's Samplers challenges, like their "tempting templates" or a theme or color challenge. I find that limiting the scope of possibility helps me focus and produce something much more quickly than if I have no constraints at all. Most recently I created some pieces for a bird challenge, which are published in the current issue, Winter 2016. The goal was general, any style of birds, and I added the additional constraint of keeping with a red and blue color scheme. The stamps are all from Character Constructions. The paper is from the French General. Does having a prompt or a  limitation help you create?

                                                                                          Laura

 

Bee Happy!

Just in time for Spring is the wonderful new collection of Bee Happy stamps from 

Oxford Impressions, Austen Gallery! 

I just love them all.  Between work, my student, getting sick, and having to study, 

I managed to put together this card.  I can't wait to make more. 

Here's another little piece I made using a tin can. I love upcycling cans this way. Perhaps I will give a gift in it. Hmm....

Oxford Impressions stamps come as a solid sheet of red rubber that you cut and 

assemble. You get so many stamps at a great price when you do it yourself. 

For my tutorial to mount the stamps, click here.

I am linking up with parties from these great blogs:

The Charm of Home

Ivy and Elephants

Rooted In Time

Eat, Pray, Love

Whew! What a crazy week I'm having!!!!

It will be much better after next week.

I won't bore you with the details.

I'll just say that I'm looking forward to February!

In the middle of working on Halloween submissions,

(yes, already)

I needed a break to start some Valentine's projects.

Here is my first Valentine card using Character Constructions stamps:

These images and colors are so soothing to me.

Her dress and apron remind me of my grandmother.

And if I could, I would certainly wear a bird nest in my hair every day

 (with my pearls of course)!

When life gets a little crazy,

I need to be reminded to take comfort and pleasure in 

simple everyday activities:

Eat

Pray

Love

I haven't read the book, but now it's on my list.

Wishing that you too will find something of pleasure in each new day.

Laura

Surprise in My Mailbox--New Art Stamps from Austen Gallery

I have had moments, maybe hours, and even some days when I think I will never be creative again. I mourn and lament and think about turning my craft room into a reading room--list all the paper and ink and stamps and tools on Ebay, put two comfy chairs and a few antiques in my craft room and plop down in front of the fireplace and read. But just when I'm about to give in to these thoughts of despair (and stupidity) something gets those creative juices going again, my heart beats a little faster, the sparkle returns to my eyes, and I absolutely can't wait to get started on my newest idea! A few days before Christmas, when I was ready to collapse from work and all the preparations, my muse arrived in the mailbox:

This "Woolen Mittens" art stamp sheet from Oxford Impressions Austen Gallery has so many sweet stamps for Christmas, baby projects, and projects with vintage cording and lace. I immediately made these two pieces, and I have loads of other ideas.

Thank you so much, Suzanne, for making such a beautiful new collection of wonderful vintage images and bringing back my crafting mojo!

Laura

On the Cover of the January 2015 Issue of The Stampers' Sampler!

Just a couple of days before Christmas, packages started arriving -- gifts we had ordered, supplies, and then something wrapped in gray plastic. It felt like a magazine. And not an ordinary magazine! It had the matte textured cover and the heaviness of The Stampers' Sampler!  I immediately knew this meant I had a lot of art in the magazine, or that they had put my work on the cover, as that's how it goes. I quickly tore open the plastic and squealed with delight to find my card on the cover of the Winter 2015 issue:

I'm so happy that they liked my work. I used art stamps from Character Constructions and Oxford Impressions, of which I am a design team member, and from Mad Rat Rubber. 

This issue is on the newstand at Barnes and Noble, Michael's, JoAnn.

It's time to get busy to work on my Halloween submissions!

I'm linking this post with these great blogs:

What's It Wednesdays at Ivy and Elephants

Laura

My First Samples for Pink Persimmon

Wow, could the relaxation of my two weeks in the South have left me me so quickly????? I hardly know what has happened since my feet hit the ground here in So. Cal.  I tried to post on my trip, but the internet was too slow in most of the places we visited to make it practical. (And I was dealing with a new lap top with Windows 8! :-O )  

I sure have missed visiting your blogs and so appreciate your leaving comments on mine.  I will keep going with the Inspired Sunday blog party, so please stop by on Sunday and link up anything you think might inspire us to live with beauty, art, and inspiration.

Before I left, I finished these samples for the first new release of Pink Persimmon stamps for 2014.   My goal was to use some trendy elements to make cards that were not too difficult to be easily replicated.  I wanted the first one to have a postal kind of look, using washi and bakers' twine:

"Hey Girl" Stamp Sheet

For this next one I wanted to use aqua and coral - very fifties colors:

"Hostess Girl" Stamp Sheet

And for my last sample I wanted a chic look, rooted in the forties.  The chalkboard look is one of my favorites--this fancy girl's must have pearls!

"Sassy Girl" Stamp Set

Thanks for viewing and please do come back and link up on Sunday!  Happy New Year to everyone!

Laura

Vintage Halloween Cards

I love to make Halloween cards. I send a few to fellow artists who love the season as much as I do. The rest get displayed through my house, like in this vignette with an antique typewriter:

The card below is a shaker card made with stamps from Oxford Impressions, Austen Gallery:

When you tilt the card, glitter fills the window:

Halloween Card Pinspiration and Inspired Sunday Blog Party

(My planned post of my Halloween decor is not quite finished, so it will be coming next week.)

Do you LOVE Pinterest? I REALLY, REALLY do! When Pinterest surveyed me about adding preferred, ad-type posts, my response was "please, no!" I really hated the Christmas pins from "celebrities" last year! Yick! I even told them I'd be willing to pay a small monthly subscription fee to keep my service the way it is!  Pinterest feels like my very own file system for my work and the inspiring work of other,  that we all can share. Sometimes I just take a color, or an idea and work from there. And sometimes, when I'm having a non-creative day, a too-________-kind-of-day (fill in the blank), and I want to create, I head into my Pinterest boards and find something I've Pinned in admiration and make that. This Halloween card was just that kind of project.

I had the spider web embossing folder from Stampin' Up and the washi from Michaels.  The Pinterest card had a different stamp, but I came up with one that worked equally well. I also added the die cut glitter bats and spiders.

These were super simple and quick to make. I decided to make four to send to my dear mother- and father-in-law who have just moved from their well-loved home and community in Florida to a care home near my sister-in-law in Jackson, MS. I thought they would like to share with new friends they will meet and spread some Halloween cheer. I am also making some candy treats in pretty packages for them to give out. They are always thinking of others, so I hope this will help ease a tiny part of their difficult transition.

What did you share this week?

Debbie from Debbie Dabble put on the most AMAZING decorative spread for a very lucky group of ladies at her church's luncheon. (And I appreciated that she shared that even she--Ms. energy personified--gets stressed out!) She spared no creative idea and made the most festive Halloween table setting, complete with goodies to take home. I'm sure you'll be inspired by everything she did, I certainly am! 

Rhonda at Obsessive and Creative made these fantastic signs and gives a great tutorial--pinning this, anyone? These look FANTASTIC and are SO doable:

Newcomer Julie, from Creating This Life, finds so much fall to buy at the grocery store!  I, too, love these little pumpkins and found her idea to put them in an outdoor lamp to be a very clever one!  Do you love those little pumpkins?  Her blog is beautiful, and I'm sure you'll want to see more!

Newcomer Nancy from A Joyful Cottage wrote a great post on a topic close to my heart: "to paint or not to paint." As a person who grew up with fine antiques, I am often conflicted about this whole Annie Sloan chalk paint craze. I like it, don't get me wrong, but there is a time for all things. Nancy's post shows two pieces, one she painted, and one she decided against painting. For the unpainted piece, she gives an excellent tutorial on how to restore the finish the way antiques dealers have told me all my life! Great info, and the piece is beautiful:

Thanks so much, everyone, for the interesting posts you linked up to this week's party. I quickly visited each one, but didn't leave comments for all. I will do so today, as your posts were all lovely.

If you've been featured, please display my badge on your blog.  

Now lets show our best Halloween or fall-themed inspiration! If you link up, you must link back to my blog to be featured.  Also, please become a follower. Let me know through a comment, and I will follow you back!  Have a beautiful Sunday!

Laura

Halloween Crafting

I've really wanted to make a load of Halloween crafts, but sometimes life just gets too busy.  I did find a few things that I never posted to show you. I hope to get my house decorated completely for Halloween this weekend and show you on my Inspired Sunday post.

The cat card was made with the Halloween Party stamps from Oxford Impressions.  This is a real quick and easy card to copy and it fits into a business-sized envelope.  The pumpkin head doll on the right is one of my favorite creations. Doesn't she look so delighted with her spider! The doll body was made using stamps from Mad Rat Rubber, and the pumpkin head is from Artistic Outpost. Her skirt is fan-folded music edged in gold metalic ink. She required lots of "fussy" cutting, but then I love that!

This final card was an experiment to use non-Halloween stamps to make a Halloween card.  I love the black damask stamp (Oxford Impressions Marie Antoinette collection) on orange! The "boo" stamp is from the Oxford Impression Trick or Treat collection.  Do you think it looks Halloween-ish?

I would love to see what you are making for Halloween. Please join my Inspired Sunday blog party and let us see what creations you've come up with!

Index Card A Day (ICAD) Swap

I recently participated in an international swap with other paper crafting artists. Our challenge was to make ICADs (3x5 index-sized cards) and holders and mail them to the assigned people. I finished mine today and sent them off and just couldn't wait to share what I came up with. (I did warn the recipients that they might not want to view my blog and ruin the surprise.)  I embossed and cut the frame for the front of the holder and tied it with seam binding. The bird stamp is from Oxford Impressions.

After you open the front panel you see the sentiment on the right, also made with stamps from Oxford Impressions:

The inside of the holder looks like this, with collage stamps of music, butterflies, and flowers:

The ICAD fits inside the holder:

And here is the singing bird ICAD with torn bits of a French book and 

the back that I made with an image from the Graphics Fairy:

I hope you are having a wonderfully creative week or at least finding some beauty to enjoy!

 I'm linking up with these parties:

Wow Us Wednesdays

Share Your Cup Thursdays

Grace at Home

Create It Thursday 

Show and Tell Friday

Sweet and Simple Fridays

Inspired Sunday and Another Pink Starbucks Treat

Well, I warned you! 

Maybe it was the color that got me--Stampin' Up calls it "Blushing Bride."

Or maybe it was the French signboard lettering in my favorite white type.

Or maybe it was the crispness of the slightly transparent bag, or 

the dull earthiness of the pink on the corregated cup holders. 

 Whatever it was, these pink Starbucks things have really gotten me inspired!

Everyone knows about my nutty little addiction, so now people are saving cupholders for me. The barrista now recognizes me as the "paper crafting lady," so he gave me a few pastry holders to play with. I went through my craft stash and found some cute assessories:

to make a holder for this 3-D window card that I made with 

an image from the Graphics Fairy.

I folded the doily, taped it on, fan-folded a medallion, added some ribbon:

And the holder was ready for the card :

It's kinda trendy right now to use this type of bag for gifts, 

and you can find them at craft supply places and Stampin' Up. 

How fun though to repurpose! 

(Guess you can't get a messy pastry, or just wrap it in a napkin and take the bag as a bonus!)

You can see my Starbucks treat cup here and 
my staging for a French dress tag using the pink papers here.

-Laura

Inspired Sunday

This week I enjoyed a mini "vacation" in Germany compliments of Brittany at 

The Rococo Roamer. I loved the portraits on the wall  of the Munich Residenz in 

gilded rococo frames.  (My 3-D card has some similarities...)

And another mini "vacation," this time not from Brittany, but in Brittany, brought to us by Magali at The Little White House on the Seaside:

Once off vacation, and back in the craft room, :-), I found Debby Ray's plastic floor mat turned wrought iron wall hanging to bring an expensive and exotic look to 

any well-traveled lady's home.  Check out her post at My Favorite Things to 

see how to make this 7.00 wall hanging!

Now let's see what's inspiring you this week!  Please be sure to put a link on your blog back to mine. Also, I would love for you to become a follower if you haven't already.