So I lied.

Okay, okay, so I made another Valentine. It's
for a WTA for a yahoo group I'm in, and the winner
said she wanted vintage, so . . .



I know Michele is with me on the make-tons-of-
Valentines deal. And Shelly, you'd better send
me your address . . .

Have a great weekend, everyone!

:)

Crafty Catz--Valentine
Frosted Designs--Love is in the air
Prairie Fairy Fridays--Let me call you sweetheart
Simon Says Stamp--Love is in the air (french script SU stamp, Prima rose)
Fussy and Fancy--With all my heart
Jellypark Challenges--Shades of love
4 Crafty Chicks--Love is in the air (my daughter just suggested we
start our own blog called "Four Crafty Hicks")
Our Crafty Lounge--Vintage Love

one more Valentine? wanna win some stamps?

You already know about my little Valentine problem,
ahem, need to get those in the mail, yes . . . but
made one more today!!!




Is it wrong for me to think she's just so pretty?



She's the Cosmos Collage stamp from
Lost Coast designs, available at Blockheads.

Made her using a super simple chalk technique, but I'm
so pleased with how she turned out--it was a good effect
for this image, a nice soft touch. If you have a chalk
technique you like to use, consider this--if you enter your
chalky stamped creation at the Blockheads Blog site, you
have a chance at a $25 gift certificate.

Happy Valentine's Day, right? Actually, you have until
the 21st, but that's beside the point . . . and look at
that, I entered the code just like they said, and it
magically posted everything you need to know, right down
there! I'll never understand the intraweb . . .

:)

still making Valentines . . .

So I'm sending Valentines to all the people I didn't
send Christmas cards to this year.

(I didn't send any cards. Don't tell.)



But I'm thoroughly enjoying the Valentine making,
so much fun . . .



Look at this guy, isn't he great?



All three of these use images from Altered Pages,
but the handsome gentleman is from one of my favorite
pages-- Royalty Kings

You know where I'm going, right? Yep, to make
more Valentines!! ;)

Want more Valentine inspiration? Check out these
challenges:

Art With No Boundaries--All You Need is Love
Clear it Out--use your pink and red scraps
Deep Ocean Challenge--Love You!
Everybody Art--Love
Scrap-Creations--Valentines

tragic love story

Do you have a favorite line of paper or stamps, one you
know you will almost always immediately love whenever they
introduce a new line? That's how I've felt about Basic Grey
for years (yes,we have an ongoing relationship), so you can
imagine how pleased I was to be invited to guest design for
Basic Grey Challenges this month.

The theme this fortnight is LOVE, and I happened to have a
heart shaped candy box just begging to be altered:



Grape Fizz and S.W.A.K Fusion papers, some vintage
trim, silk flowers, inks, crayons, my grandma's violet
handkerchief (yes, that really was grandma's), a



vintage calling card, envie, and ticket (that one
really is old), and a not-vintage cameo. The lace
is spray painted violet.



Here's the tragic part: I finished taking pictures,
and went to hang the heart on the wall. BUT I had forgotten
to finish securing the ribbon hanger to the back, it was
only glue dotted on . . . you can probably see where this
is going. Had just hung it on the wall, was still standing
there looking at it, and WHAM, it fell to the floor, exploding
vintage bits and silk flowers everywhere. My daughter was in
the room, and started laughing herself silly--apparently I was
making one heck of a surprised face!

On a happier note, as always, Simon Says Stamp is sponsoring
the challenge, so you not only have the opportunity to make a
lovely love piece just in time for Valentine's Day, but the
chance at a $25 store voucher--sweet!

:)

Some more love-ly challenges:
Di's Digi Designs--Valentines
My Sheri Crafts--Love is in the air
One Stop Craft Challenge--for the one I love
Stamp, Scrap, and Doodle--die cut or punch
Squiggles and Giggles--all loved up
Gingersnap Creations--use up some of your favorite
designer paper stash

makin' Valentines and I can't stop . . .

When we were young, my mom would get out doilies, lace,
construction paper, stickers, ribbons--you know, the
good stuff--and let us have at it to make Valentines.

Well, I may be the mom now, but that doesn't mean I
can't still get out the good stuff and make some
Valentines, right?

I want to be able to actually mail these, so they're minus
the bulkier embellishments that can be so beguiling . . .



This fine young fellow is Rose Boy from
Lost Coast Designs, available at Blockheads.



He's my favorite stamp du jour, as you can see.



Isn't he a sweetie?



And offering up those roses, he's perfect for
Valentine's Day!



These two are for Word Art Wednesday--every week they
post a verse or inspirational quote you can use in your
art for a challenge (it doesn't have to be a card).



Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go make some more
Valentines . . .

:)

Oooooh, look, challenges!
Artistic Stampers--hearts
Crafty Ann's--love is in the air
Crafty Catz--pink and white
Delicious Doodles--all loved up
Fairy Tale Challenge--love, love, love
Stempelsonn Challenges--Valentines
Always Something Creative--Valentines
Really Reasonable Ribbon--red and pink with ribbon(grosgrain)
Little Miss Muffet--love and Valentines
Belli Challenge--hearts/Valentine

Here's a little update--Fliss posted a pretty piece using
this same stamp, you can go see HERE!

words of wisdom

Please, who couldn't use some words of wisdom?
I enjoy proverbs, truisms, sage sayings--personally,
I can use all the help I can get!

So, you can imagine I'm all with the new theme at
Gingersnap Creations--Words of Wisdom. I've decided
to make an altered book, and this piece isn't a card
(it kind of looks like a card), it's a tip-in.



The proverb I used is from the book of Proverbs, but
it's from the NMV. If you've never heard of the NMV,
it's because I made it up--it's the New Mom Version.
It's a paraphrase of the actual verse.



Isn't it funny how different captions to images can
make them tell a whole different story?

So what do you think? Does this Rogue Redhead look
as if she's sitting in time out because she couldn't
keep her mouth shut? Or is she working really hard to
KEEP it shut?? She's from the Relish Reading plate,
and until this challenge, I always thought she was
contemplating something she'd just read . . . but now
I'm not so sure . . .

Rogue Redhead Designs is sponsoring this round of
challenges, so by joining in, you not only have an
opportunity to share some Words of Wisdom with all
the Gingersnaps, but the chance to end up with some
brand new stamps!

It is not in the stars to hold our destiny . . .

click photo to enlarge

Isn't she lovely? What a romantic image! (Not the "kissy
kissy, oooh I love you," kind of romantic, but the idealized
type of romance, know what I mean?) She is part of the
Cosmos Collage stamp from Lost Coast Designs, available
at Blockheads.

I found her charming, and wanted the focus to be on her,
so there is only some very light tinting with pale copics,
and a bit of Tattered Rose Distress Ink.

Challenge? Yes, please:
The Cheerful Stamp Pad--romance is in the air
Cupcake Craft Challenge--recycle (college notes, sheet music)
Pollycraft Monday--favourite (altered books, ephemera)
Crafting When We Can--use something not intended for crafting (ephemera)
Just For Fun--Medieval

Well, for whatever reason, blogger is NOT playing nicely AT ALL,
and I can't link anything properly. I try to add a link, but it
ends up attaching itself to another link, which ends up a big, broken,
not-linked mess. Anyone else having this problem? I CAN, however,
look at something and type what I see, so even though I have no idea
what all the little things do, I feel very accomplished today for
putting in links by myself!!!

:)

some pretty pages

The new issue of Enchanting Creations is out, and
there are pages and pages of pretty things to see.

In the Shakespeare inspired section, they chose to
share one of my most favorite things I've ever made--
this altered book layout, featuring Titania, Queen
of the Fairies . . .



Titania herself is constructed from the Altered Pages Paper Dolls
page, but the hand that is holding her is my daughter's.
The page in Titania's right hand is from the script of
A Midsummer Night's Dream, which I scanned and printed.



You can see the whole issue here, and it's free!
Thank you, Enchanting Creations!

quick and fun little purse calendar

Seriously, I needed one of these, one with room to write
stuff. Last Friday, we stopped in at an estate sale, and
I got one of those treasure boxes. You know, one of those
"Everything For $2.00" deals.

Anyway, there were two unused, government issued, no less,
little notebooks with yellowed pages, perfect purse size,
lots of room to write. Now I don't know about you, but if
something is going to be bumping around inside my cavern of
a black hole bag, it sure shouldn't be anything I spent a great
deal of money on or time making, otherwise I'm just going to
be peeved when it gets banged up.

This quick make was just the right answer, the only mildly time
consuming thing being marking the pages with dates, but even
that speeds along nicely. Plus, I'm doing it with a purple pen,
so of course that makes it easier, too!

Happy Friday, everyone--have a lovely weekend!

Challenges:
Gingersnap Creation--use some of your stash of favorite papers
Basic Grey Challenges--Favourite things--estate sale/flea
market finds, those cute new stamps(but all my new stamps
are my favorites, so . . .), and pretty much any Basic Grey
paper, right? BG lemondade papers & sticker embellishments.
Stampotique Designers Challenge--Altered items--(memo book)
using the Starbirds stamps
Simon Says Stamp--Anything Goes!

Love is the crocodile

on the river of desire.

Look at the croc puzzling over this, even he isn't
sure what exactly that means, poor confused fellow!

Croc and hardware images from Lost Coast Designs
available at Blockheads.

Oh, yes, it's challenge time! Dreaming of spring rather
than crocodiles? Consider the Glorious Green challenge
at Gingersnap Creations . . .

How 'bout some more fun?
SweetStamps--Love
Creative Stamp Friends--Antique or old-fashioned
Cupcake Craft Challenges--All you need is love
Crafting When We Can--use something not intended for crafing
(hymnal page, notebook paper, book page)