here's to us, crafty friends

Hi, hello and how are you? It's been extremely quiet around here over the holidays. That will change soon, but before it does I'd like to thank you all for coming by and leaving lovely comments. I'm so  happy to hear I inspire you with my creations, as you inspire me.

Today I want to thank Craft Stamper mag for the feature they did on me as the winner of their November challenge. What an honor, especially since my card had a lot more white space than you usually see at Craft Stamper! You can find a tutorial for my project here, BTW. I'm looking forward to my upcoming guest design with those talented gals.

It was a fun and productive 2018. As the virtual world seems to take up more and more of people's time these days, I'm happy to be a part of a paper, ink and scissors community of artists who even manage to send their "real" creations around the world to brighten other people's days. Here's to us! And here's to an even more creative 2019!

Happy New Year, my friends.

two winners!

First off, thank you all so much for your comments on my Leading Lady posts for Winnie & Walter! I thoroughly enjoyed them. And the month. And for those of you who asked... my all-time favorite children's book is The Velveteen Rabbit illustrated by Michael Hague! Although I think it's as good a book for adults as for kids. Don't you love this quote?

“Real isn't how you are made,' said the Skin Horse. 'It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.'
'Does it hurt?' asked the Rabbit. 
'Sometimes,' said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. 'When you are Real you don't mind being hurt.' 
'Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,' he asked, 'or bit by bit?' 
'It doesn't happen all at once,' said the Skin Horse. 'You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand.” ― Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit

So, the non-real Mr. Random has spoken. Comment #40 (of 222 - and I'm only sharing that with you cuz it's been a special number for me since it was my dorm room number freshman year at college, with my dear roomie with whom I lived all four years ;)

Drumroll please... The winner of the $30 Gift Card to the fabulous Winnie & Walter is lucky TracyM #6773 who left this comment, as well as super sweet comments on my other three Leading Lady posts.

TracyM #6773March 7, 2016 at 1:08 PM

CONGRATULATIONS on being Leading Lady Maria!!!
Your work is ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS, LOVE your STYLE!!!
THANK YOU for sharing the story of your watercolour cards ... I confess that I am a slow starter on this trend and need all the help I can get => feeling INSPIRED and looking forward to practising with your pretty colour palette :)

Tracy. please send me your email address so I can pass it on to Shay at Winnie & Walter!

And I promised in my birthday post to send a lucky commenter some goodies and Mr. Random has chosen pcm who left this comment: 

pcmMarch 25, 2016 at 1:56 AM

pretty blossoms! happy birthday!

pcm. please send me an email with your mailing address so I can send you some goodies.

Vielen Dank to everyone who stops by here regularly. I truly appreciate your support.

happy WCMD and winners!

One day I hope maybe I will get together with other like-minded gals to make some cards on World Card Making Day. Last year I was oh-so-lucky to have a card chosen as a winner at Paper Crafts (the souls who breathed life into WCMD about ten years ago). This year I'm spending the day in the vineyards rather than in my craft room.

But I've got a card to share with you - one of the three that I actually sent in to the PC contest last year. Used one of the best (IMO) Christmas sentiment stamps out there and some PP.

Not certain if Virginia will agree... but I'm hooking up to her Virginia's View CAS challenge. The PP makes it seem busy, but it's really a very simple card.

Now, for the fun stuff. I've got two winners.

Jim, better known as Irish Cherokee. Come on down. DD picked #1 to be the winner of some goodies I promised in my Getting to Know Me post. The early bird gets the worm... ;) Oh and BTW, Kate of pinnedandpenned has her GTKM post up. Check it.

And Carol, better known as cm, you are the lucky winner of a STAMPlorations stamp set. DD went all mainstream on me and picked #27 which was the last comment!

I will be contacting you both.

Happy WCMD to you all. Let's hear it for "hugs with a fold." Go make some :)

frame by frame (Moxie Fab) and a winner

Lucky I got this one photographed before dark - in between six batches of Christmas cookie dough...
I recycled for this one - that should come as no surprise.  Upcycled actually.

When I saw the Tuesday Trigger at Moxie Fab it reminded me of a card I'd made for DD's bday which had found its way into my "old cards" box.  Feminine, pink, flourish of black.  Decided to turn the front panel into an anniversary card.  Inside now reads "nothing beats true love."

In the trigger the turquoise circle frame with the butterfly caught my eye.  So I added a turquoise heat embossed frame on vellum popped up on dimensionals with a stamped and pencil-colored butterfly behind it.  Voila.  Maybe in my next life I'll crochet some cool little frames.

Dear followers, thanks so much for your comments/advice on this post.  DD chose the number 3 which means Maria M. wins the wooden ornaments!  I'll be contacting you Maria (love the name BTW!).

Thanks for stopping by.

Supplies for love:

Paper: cardbase Buttinette, vellum

Stamps:   BG CHF, Fancy Pants, frame Viva, butterfly K and Co.

Ink : Cats Eye, Versafine, Versamark, Distress Ink

Tools: 

Other: embossing powder Zing, colored pencils