Autumnal Sunshine

All the leaves are brown
And the sky is grey
I've been for a walk 
On a winter's day

                                                               "California Dreamin' "

Mother Nature seems to have skipped over fall and sent us right into winter...it is 28 degrees in central Louisiana this morning! I haven't even had a chance to enjoy the cool, sunny fall days that I love. I will be taking advantage of the warmer temps next week!

There's a new challenge up on the Southern Girls blog and the theme is to use inks or sprays. The sponsors for this challenge are Neat and Tangled and A Day for Daisies . Each company is generously offering gift certificates to our randomly chosen winners, so be sure to link up your inky creations for a chance to win!

I created an autumn themed art journal layout for my design team project. I found a quote by Nathaniel Hawthorne that sums up exactly how I feel on beautiful fall days!



I used three digital images from A Day for Daisies in my design, A Barrel of Blossoms,  Catching Leaves, and Joy. I love the versatility of using digital images in my designs! I created my design in Photoshop Elements, printed on mixed media paper, and used Gansai Tambi watercolors, distress inks and Prismacolor pencils to color the images.

I can think of so many fun techniques with inks and sprays, but I chose simplicity for this project.  I added some background spatters with an OLD bottle of metallic copper Memories Mist. I haven't used it in years and it still works! The spray mechanism was clogged, so I just took it off and used it to flick droplets onto the background. I also added some water droplets to lift some of the distress ink from the background for added interest. All of the different mediums worked well together. I even blended the colored pencils with Gamsol and didn't get any lifting from the watercolors or distress inks. This is definitely a combination I'll use again! 

Be sure to visit the Southern Girls blog for more inspiration from the Design Team and link up your "inked and sprayed" creation for a chance to win one of our prizes or be one of the Southern Girls' top 5!

I'll look for you in the gallery! 

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Meow at the Moon!

I asked Chris for suggestions for my post title. He liked Howl at the Moon, but cats don't howl.  Or do they? We've never had a cat, so I don't know. My neighbor's cat sounds like it is howling at 3 am...right under my bedroom window. I wonder sometimes if my dog is deaf, but he hears me when I open the backdoor to feed him or call him to go for a walk. He's not doing his job! Anyway, Meow at the Moon is what evolved. It doesn't really sound that scary, but don't underestimate the Tiny Black Kat!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzxFjfB8Dfk]

My brother gave this book to Chris for Christmas many years ago. I read it first and "The Price" was exceptionally good! I probably shouldn't have read that story before bed though. Hmmm, maybe that howling at 3 am should worry me a little...



I'm up on the Just For Fun Rubber Stamps blog today with a spooky Halloween scene!



I didn't do anything fancy here, just some stamping and ink blending. I created this scene using three stamps - the Tiny Black Kat, Haunted Moon Tree, and Bats and a little help from my new Tim Holtz Stamp Platform! Sometimes the silhouette stamps need to be stamped twice to get a good solid print. I used Distress Oxide in black soot to stamp the silhouette images and regular Distress Inks for the background and the moon. The Tim Holtz mini ink blender was the perfect fit for the moon! The BOO letters were stamped with some tiny alphabet stamps from my stash.

The October Card Challenge is going on now!

You have until Tuesday, October 31st at 9:00 PM (EST)to enter. Make something spooktacular for a chance to win a gift certificate from Just For Fun Rubber Stamps!

CHALLENGES ENTERED:

Sweet Stampin' Challenge Bingo Board for Halloween



Color Throwdown #465



As You See It Challenge: Delicious Shivers! #161



 

SUPPLIES USED:

I link to sources for your convenience. Affiliate links used at no extra cost to you. Please feel free to message me with any questions!

 

• Tonic Studios - Tim Holtz - Stamp Platform


• 


• Price: $36.99

• Ranger Ink - Tim Holtz - Distress Oxides Ink Pads - Black Soot


• 


• Price: $5.39

• Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pads - Peeled Paint


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• Price: $4.49

• Ranger Ink - Tim Holtz - Distress Ink Pads - Mini - Seedless Preserves


• 


• Price: $2.69

• Ranger Ink - Tim Holtz - Distress Ink Pads - Mini - Faded Jeans


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• Price: $2.69

• Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pads - Black Soot


• 


• Price: $4.25

• Ranger Ink - Tim Holtz - Mini Ink Blending Tool - Round


• 


• Price: $6.29

 

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Art Makes Everything Awesome

I love fall. The weather is crisp and clean, even the dog gets frisky! Fall always signals "back to school". I loved buying school supplies and getting organized. One of my favorite quotes about fall is from the movie You've Got Mail,"  Don't you love New York in the fall? It makes me wanna buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address." Ahhhh, newly sharpened pencils...I love that smell too. I love the old pencil sharpeners that were screwed into the side of the teacher's desk. They were the BEST kind! 

BUT, the best part of starting school, was art class! Anybody remember these?



If you had these on the first day of school, you were the coolest! It even had a shapener in the back! I couldn't wait to try them out and mom set up a place for us on the dining table. I always remember my mom saying, " You can color things any color you want when you use your imagination." This was probably after I corrected my baby sister for coloring a tree blue or something. Things just clicked! I wanted to use every color in the box, My favorite colors were Cornflower and Burnt Sienna, I think I just like the way they sounded. I couldn't wait to bring them to school and whip them out in art class. The best part about "art" was that we could talk to our neighbor while we were creating. I always walked out of there happier and couldn't wait to come back the next day to start all over again!

This card makes me happy.

[caption id="attachment_10130" align="aligncenter" width="3067"] JFF Rubber Stamps canning jar small, paint brushes and faded art.  Club Scrap® card stock from the Lagoon kit. Paintbrushed colored with Spectrum Noir alcohol markers.  Jar stamped in Versamark Ink and dusted with Kaleidoscope embossing powder, then colored with Distress Ink in Salty Ocean and Tumbled Glass. Word art stamped with Distress Oxide ink in Black Soot.[/caption]

That was a lot of fussy cuttin', but I love how it turned out!



The new monthly challenge at Just For Fun Rubber Stamps starts today! They switched things up a bit this month...instead of a theme challenge, they are hosting a sketch challenge!



Make something using the sketch and link up here for a chance to win a gift certificate to shop at JFF Stamps! I'll look for you in the gallery!

Do more of what makes you happy!

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The Art of Making Others Happy

I haven't had much sugar in the last few weeks and these look DELISH!



This week's color challenge was sponsored by Stamplorations and they are offering a $15 gift certificate to our randomly chosen winner!



The inspiration photo reminded me of the circus! Flashback to 1993...We were college students living in New Orleans and got tickets to take two year old Christopher to the Ringling Bros. Circus in the Superdome.



He was sooooo excited! ( Chris looked like a little kid with that baby face!)



Christopher wanted to sit by himself until they turned the lights off and the music started. My sweet boy... He passed out in his stroller on the long walk back to the car when the show was over. That was a such a good day!



This was my card inspired by the challenge and my sweet memories of our time in the Crescent City! That sure was one happy kid!

[caption id="attachment_8511" align="alignnone" width="3435"] Cutplorations dies, Club Scrap® card stock and stamp images.[/caption]



Be sure to visit the Cupcake Inspirations blog for the winner announcement and the details and link up for the new weekly challenge starting tomorrow!

Have a fabulous Saturday!



 

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Ukulele Lady

I taught myself to play the ukulele a few years ago. Nothing fancy. I play songs that my family sang when I was growing up because those things need to be passed on, ya know?! A lot of my favorites are songs that my Grandma would sing...I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry, My Blue Heaven, and You are my Sunshine. As I learned more chords, I added a few favorite oldies of my own. This one is fun to sing!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knw2HpCmQe4]

That song was the first thing that popped in my head when I made this card!

[caption id="attachment_8398" align="aligncenter" width="3233"] Ukulele Hula Girl, Harvest Moon and Wind Swept Palm JFF Rubber Stamps. Club Scrap cardstock.[/caption]

I caved and bought some Distress Oxide inks... I saw so many posts using them and I was intrigued! They are so smooth and creamy and make inking a background so easy! I love what happened to the background when I flicked water droplets on it.



That sure was a lot of fussy cuttin' but I love how it turned out! I used Spectrum Noir Alcohol Markers to color the images and added some Stickles for sparkle. I heat embossed the harvest moon with silver embossing powder because...you know the song...♫ By the Light of the Silvery Moon♫♪! Oh, I am so ready for a beach VACATION!

Be sure to check out the new Just For Fun Rubber Stamps challenge for July, WEDDING BELLS! Whip up a wedding themed card and share it with us for a chance to win a gift certificate to shop at JFF Rubber Stamps!

Go make something fabulous!

SUPPLIES USED:

I link to sources for your convenience. Affiliate links are used at no extra cost to you.

Distress Oxide Inks

Spectrum Noir Alcohol Markers 

Stickles

[gallery ids="8437,8438" type="rectangular"]

Club Scrap® Card Stock

CHALLENGES ENTERED:

Creative Artiste's Challenge 28  Anything Mixed Media Goes

Brown Sugar Challenge Blog #258 Anything Goes

Crazy For Challenges 393 Create a card to celebrate a popular travel destination

Hiding in My Craftroom 308 Super Scraps Saturday

Dare 2B Artzy July Challenge 

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Christmas Wishes

Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight. I wish I may. I wish I might, make this wish I wish tonight. 

(Close your eyes tight and make your wish)...Mom taught this to us and I taught it to my boys. One day they'll teach it to their babies.  A lot of wishes were made on those first bright stars. Some came true and some didn't. I still catch myself reciting that little poem to myself on a clear night.

My Grandma Judy always gave us a little present at Christmas. I was 5th of 27 grandchildren. She might give homemade cookies, a pair of socks (for the boys) or panties (for the girls), a bottle of nail polish, colors and a coloring book...but her classic gift to the little ones was a Little Golden book. I was fascinated with the realistic drawings in this 1972 version of The Christmas Story.



Mom would read this to us on Christmas Eve in her school teacher voice. I loved the page with the Three Wise Men following the Star of Bethlehem. We had a star for our tree once that looked just like the drawing! Dad would always hold the youngest up to put the star on the tree after it was decorated. That was an important job!

My card woke up all of these Christmas memories. I love when that happens!

[caption id="attachment_4293" align="alignnone" width="533"] JFFRS Stamptangle Star Large and Small, JFFRS Christmas Background stamp images. Star images stamped with Versamark ink and embossed with Ranger Ink Superfine gold embossing powder, background stamped with Versamark and embossed with Ranger Ink Clear Superfine embossing powder. Emboss resist background with Faded Jeans and Salty Ocean Distress inks. Spritzed the background with homemade Perfect Distress in Pearl in a mini mister for shimmer. Edges distressed with a Tonic Studios paper distresser. Ribbon and gems from my stash. [/caption]

My Christmas wish...Peace, Love and Happiness. What more could you ask for?



Challenges entered:

Sweet Stampin' Challenge Blog Let it Snow

A Vintage Journey December Challenge Winter Magic

Fab 'n Funky Challenges #329 Christmas

Fusion Challenge It's Christmas!

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