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

 

Autumn Art Doll with Character Constructions

What a crazy time I've been having since I last posted! With major plumbing repairs and too many other things I won't bother to bore you with, I have been in a slight creative slump. So I felt very rejuvenated yesterday to receive the Autumn 2015 issue of The Stamper's Sampler featuring my art work on a couple of pages. For this issue, I took the challenge of using one stamp in a variety of ways. My stamp of choice was The Beekeeper's Tea Plate 6 from Character Constructions. (The dress is from plate 4 and the sentiment is from Bird and Bee Paperie plate 3. I hope you enjoy!

 Thank you for stopping in!

                                                        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

Published in The Stampers' Sampler Spring 2013

Guess what is finally on the shelf?

The Spring 2013 issue of The Stampers' Sampler!

This issue is so impressively packed full of beautiful art and
distinctive techniques that can satisfy a variety of artistic styles--
I'm honored to be a part of it.

First of all, it made me so happy to be mentioned in the letter from the editor. 

(I've never had this honor before!)  And it's special to me to have a Table of Contents entry...

My work begins here and is staged beautifully:
All of the stamps are from Oxford Impressions Vintage Circus and Big Top collections.

All of these are "shaker" cards--I didn't know what else to call them.  They have a frame over a clear transparent sheet, then a foam liner.  Inside is chunky glass glitter, tiny glass balls,
and some also have hearts or stars.  It's a little bit difficult to see that they are 3D. When they are tilted, the "confetti" inside washes over the images--a little burst of excitement and festivity.

Here are the individual photos that I took before sending it in a year ago:

Love the tickets--so many uses, and they're a great size!

Those tickets again, and I LOVE the hat that's part of the banner. So versatile!

Blurry photo :-( but the banner rocks!  You could put any sentiment inside.

This is a wand with heart glitter inside. I'd love to see a little girl waving this around!

These curtains are amazing. Cut them into two panels to make them larger. 

Love the old ad.  Barnum was such a character.  So if he "says so..." it must be true!

So there it is... The culmination of a few weeks of work and a whole year of waiting and wondering.

These Vintage Circus and Big Top stamp collections from Oxford Impressions (here's my little ad)
are so versatile and could be used for quick party decorations
when stamped in one color and  then added to "spice-up" pre-made circus cards,
 crowns, bags, and other circus themed items that are now at Michael's craft shops
and will probably be everywhere soon.

 I just purchased some of these items at Michael's and have a whole new idea for
using these stamps with them for quick decorations with a lot of bang!
I'll either post them on my blog soon or submit to a Stampington publication--
in which case, I'll probably be waiting another year to show anyone!  :-)

I guess we'll just have to wait and see.


I'm linking up with:
Your Gonna Love It Tuesdays
Wow Us Wednesdays
Weekend Showoff Party
Funky Junk
Share Your Cup Thursdays
Time Travel Thursday

Laura

I'm in the Summer 2012 Issue of Take Ten!

Just checked my mail at 6:00 this evening and to my surprise, there was a copy of Take Ten (Summer 2012) pushed way back in the box.  I don't subscribe, so I skipped along into the door happily thinking I would find a card of mine hidden among hundreds of others.  When I opened it, I almost immediately came to a two-page spread of the four cards I made while crafting with a friend one night.  I love the way they staged it.  How fun!  I'm so excited!  They also chose it to be one of the six articles on their Web site.  Hurray!  Thanks Suzanne, owner of Oxford Impressions for making such beautiful stamps!

Published in the December/January 2012 Issue of The Stampers' Sampler

The idea of neon Valentine cards really challenged me creatively, but when I thought about neon colors over dark chocolate, the creativity flowed.  My piece is the heart on the right page of this latest issue of The Stampers' Sampler.  The background is a toile image from  the Marie Antoinette collection from Oxford Impressions stamped in brown.  The white French candy price list and the pink sentiments are also Oxford Impressions stamps from the Bon Bon collection.  The cat head and clothes are from Mad Rat Rubber.

 Here's the shot I took of the published piece before sending it to the magazine.

Cover in Aug/Sept Stampers' Sampler!

I was absolutely thrilled to see my Halloween project on the cover of the Halloween issue of The Stampers' Sampler! What a delight to also have a two page article and several other pieces published.  Thanks are in order to Suzanne Melvin of Oxford Impressions for her wonderful Halloween Party stamps and Gretchen of Mad Rat Rubber for her wonderful doll stamps, which make this art work possible!  Fun, fun, fun...!!!  I am ready to get started on projects for next Halloween!!!

Second Cover of The Stamper's Sampler

A Stamper's Sampler arrived in the mail one day.  They had a few pieces of mine, but I had no clue what would be in the magazine.  What a surprise to find one of my favorite pieces, the boy in the tent, on the cover!  They always keep me guessing!

Aug/Sept 2009 Halloween Card in The Stamper's Sampler

 

My "Boo" card made it into the Halloween section!  But the bat card didn't.  : (

Oct/Nov 2008 Stamper's Sampler Submission

These happy sunflowers were made with the PSX sunflower stamp on a busy background paper.  The script background is from Stampin' Up.

Here's the original card.

Autumn 2008 Take Ten Submission

This card features my father's aunt and his father when they were children.  Bessie and Morton Sparks were their names.  I remember my great aunt Bessie as an old woman sitting on the porch.  I never met my grandfather, as he died tragically when my father was 4 yrs old.  Anytime I get depressed about how hard life seems now, I just look back at how hard it was in that time.

Doodling is Big Feb/Mar 2008 card in The Stamper's Sampler

I've always loved to doodle, but I don't think I'm as creative in it as most artists I've seen.  I really feel like I need to just loosen up and not always fixate on having it just right. Doodling was hot, so I gave it my best shot, and it got published!  My card is on the lower left corner.

Four Years Later . . .

After my little successes in getting artwork published, life took a difficult turn and left me no energy or creative joy. I changed careers, and in mid-stream, my son needed three surgeries and endured a 4-month mono-like illness that caused him to have to drop out of high school for a semester. Here in Los Angeles, the writers' strike and then the recession took a hit on my husband's work. Stress, stress, stress... and lots of migraines! But the faithfulness of the Lord saw us through those days.

Trying to revive my creative muse, I forced myself to create one summer and came up with a series using Victorian clip art that I loved, and that again was published in The Stamper's Sampler in a two-page article.