A Cute Little Treat

Getting away from spooky Halloween, I designed this test tube holder using stamps from Oxford Impressions' "Masquerade" collection and orange and black bakers' twine from Trendy Twine.

A Little Halloween Decor

A little Victorian table by my front entry doors decked out for Halloween.

Topanga Vintage Market Haul

Every 4th Sunday is a collector's delight at the Topanga Vintage Outoor Market in Woodland Hills.  Hubby and I went again for the second time, and I found plenty to buy--again, including sterling puffed heart earrings--all for $35.00!  Here's my haul for the day:

Time to Get Spooky!

It's eepy, creepy time.  So that means time for some fun Halloween projects with rubber stamps from Oxford Impressions' two new lines:  Masquerade and Dr. Coffin's Apothecary.  Thanks Suzanne for your fabulous vintage stamp line and for your wonderful support of your fellow artists!

 Test tube holder and bottle made with stamps from Dr. Coffin's Apothecary collection. 

Back side of bottle

Card made with the Masquerade collection

In the card above, a skeleton peers into a window where a crow perches on a withered branch against a background of Poe's "The Raven" printed in gothic type.  Chunky silver glass glitter and small black beads rest below the crow's feet ready to shift when the card is moved.  A framed portrait of Lenore as a child finishes the tale.

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!

A Little French Country Shabby Chic

Hubby and I spent a gorgeous but warm Saturday antiquing in Agoura.  The shops had quite a variety of furniture and hardware, but most noticeable was the French Country look--white, coarse linen, burlap, cut glass and crystal, lots of things painted white, weathered wood, and antique silverplate with a variety of added jewels or metal embellishments.  I came home wanting to redo my whole house in the light, fresh country colors, although I'm sure I'd add back all the color in a few months! With the day's scenery still influencing me, I created this box using stamps in the Easter Bunny collection from Oxford Impressions.  What fun!

I made Oxford Impressions Design Team!

Well, it's a little bit late to post this, but at the beginning of the year I was chosen to be on the Oxford Impressions Stamp Company's Design Team!  It was such an honor to join the group of talented artists who are regularly published in the top magazines.  My first creations were for a stamp series called London Telegraph. I'll post those pics later.  Most recently, I have been coming up with designs for the Easter Bunny collection.  I'm really happy with this first creation, which is a shaker card.  Stay tuned for more to come this weekend!