Big Announcement

It's time for the big announcement - drum roll, please . . . . USArtQuest has formed a new design team and I am very excited and honored to have been chosen to be a member.  Other members of the team include Jan Hennings, Jessica Griffin, Julie Ranae, Lea Cioci, Sarah Anderson, Suzi Blu, and Terri Sproul.  Check out their fabulous blogs (links located on the right).

I had the pleasure of spending time with Susan Pickering Rothamel at her store and studio last year to learn all about the fabulous, artist-grade products offered by USArtQuest.  If you've taken any of my classes, you know how much I love this line.  Feel free to leave a comment and tell me what you think about the USAQ line.  Don't know what I'm talking about?   Well, hop on over to the USAQ website and check them out.  You'll also find some great how-to videos featuring several of the products.

Stay tuned for more news and happenings in the upcoming weeks!  This would be a good time to become a follower of my blog and to sign up for automatic email notifications so you don't miss out on any of the buzz!

Thanks for visiting.

Big News!!!

I have some very exciting news to share with you - I've been published again in the July issue of CardMaker Magazine.  My article is all about reverse stamping  and includes three cards, each using a different technique.

But wait -there's more!  I am about to embark on another aspect of my creative journey and I'm not going to do it alone.  Want to know why I'm all smiles and about to burst at the seams????  Well, I can't tell you just yet - you'll have to check back in a couple of days to find out all the details on this one!

In the meantime, I thought I'd share a quick card that is appropriate for the upcoming holiday weekend - the unofficial start to summer - yippee!  This cute little chef is from Inky Antics and the inside contains the verse "my condiments to the chef" - also from Inky Antics.  Wouldn't this make an adorable thank you card to send to your host/hostess for this weekend's barbecue or picnic?

I colored this with my Prismacolor pencils and Gamsol.

CBD Card Contest Winners

Our first quarter card contest from my Cheaper By The Dozen class is over and the results are in.  We actually had a tie for first place so I asked my craft sister, Peggy, to cast the tie breaker vote to keep the judging as unbiased as possible.  Although the contest is set up to only have one winner per contest, I decided to do a first and second place this time.

And the 1st place winner is . . . . Barb Voelkel!  Barb submitted a twist on the "cocoa monkey" pocket card.  Using some printed paper, an embossed and popped coffee mug and a palette of soft greens, shades of taupe and accents of black, Barb created a winning card.  On the inside of the card, she layered the scalloped pocket and repeated the circles punched from the printed paper.  Tucked inside the pocket was a packet of cocoa and a coffee stirrer - a greeting card and a gift all in one.

Our 2nd place winner is the fun-loving team of Bonnie Brill and Jan Heller.  Their card was also a twist on the "cocoa monkey" pocket card.  Bonnie and Jan used a completely different color palette - purples, pinks and greens and included a packet of seeds in their Mother's Day version.  What a clever idea!

Thanks to all who submitted cards and to all my fabulous "Cheaper Chicks" for voting.  Don't forget that entries for the 2nd quarter contest are due to me by July 1.  Click here for all the contest rules.  Check the class list on the right for future dates of CBD classes.

Congratulations to Barb, Bonnie and Jan!

Alex the Patriotic Pup

With Mother's Day just around the corner, I decided to spotlight one of my "kids" for the MiTi at Marco's Paper yesterday.  I turned an easel card into a photo frame easel card by simply layering a piece of acetate over a decorated piece of cardstock.  By using brads to hold the acetate in place, you can easily change the photo by simply sliding it under the acetate.

We used the watercolor palettes and the fine liner tool from USArtQuest to make the card.

If you weren't able to join us yesterday, check back in the next day or so and I'll post my usual step-by-step instructions.

Happy Saturday!