Finally....

Today, Spellbinders announced the 2010 Design Team! 

Have you checked it out?  Click here!

I made the team!!!  I got the call on Thursday!!!

 Yes, I was at work!  My cell phone rang.  Most of the time I don't hear my cell phone.  In fact, the reception is poor in the building where I work.  It often goes right to voice mail and doesn't ring.   I happened to be sitting at my desk and my phone was in my tote next to it.  My first thought was that it was a phone solicitor as the number was displayed as "unavailable".  I was ready to hang up as soon as I heard the start of the spiel.   What a surprise after I said "hello" to hear a voice say,

"hi, Judy!  This is Stacey Caron!" 

It was incredulous! 

I think my mind went blank.  I don't remember exactly what I said.  I was way too surprised!  I didn't have time to get nervous! 

It's amazing I could actually finish work that day! I had a hard time concentrating after that. 

I wanted to dance on my desk!! I wanted to shout it out!!!

I wanted to post it here but I promised not to announce it until today.

WOW!  Can you believe it?!!! 

I'm flying high!!!! 

I'd love to share my final layout but I can't share it yet.  

So instead, I'll show you the entries I used to get to the Top 24. 

This was my card entry.  If you follow my blog, you've seen it before.  You'll find more info here.

I used this Santa ornament for the "altered" category.  More info here! 

.........and here's the scrapbook layout that I used.  I haven't shared this before. I wish the photo color was better.......the background paper is actually a soft pink. I couldn't get my camera to pick it up well. 

Thanks to everyone who wished me well! 

Thank you especially to all the Fond Memories Girls!!!  You're the best! 

I never would have gotten here without YOU!

(Fond Memories is my LSS, the best in Minneosta in my opinion!)

Special thanks to my daughter and sister for inspiring me to take my final layout beyond "okay".  

To my dear friend, Elizabeth, who amazes me with her creations, you inspire me beyond measure!

Thank you to my DH who puts up with my late nights working on projects.

(He'll never read this but you all know I thanked him!)

Thanks to all of you for stopping here!

I'm still floating!!!

Spring Colors

I just love the colors of this spring line of papers from We R Memory Keepers!
I used a portion of a scalloped edge circle for this card.  It was easy to cut with the grid in the center.  I simply held the paper up to a window with a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" piece of paper behind it.  Then I could see where to cut in order to get a nice layout of flowers.  I layered it over a coordinating tiny print stitched onto the card front.  I added ribbons under the scallops and 3 buttons (Hero Arts) to the scallops.  "Spring" is stamped using Lettuce Paint Dabber by Ranger.  The stamp is also from We R Memory Keepers. This was fun to put together....the colors sure brightened my spirit. 

We need some bright cheery colors to get us through this winter here in Minnesota!  Land of ever moving snow as far as the eye can see! 
Today, we had a dusting of snow.  It's amazing how that little bit of snow can turn into white outs and huge drifts on the country roads.  I barely made it through our road to get home.  We'll have to blow it open to get out in the morning. 
I hope this card brightens your day!  Spring is near!
-judy

A Birthday Wish

........created for my daughter's birthday this month.  I put together the butterfly square some time ago and  never added it to a card.  The butterfly was cut with a Cuttlebug die. I used it as a mask to spray the background. Sorry, I don't remember what colors I used.  I added glitter to the edges and some gems on the butterfly body.  The background is Core'dination paper cut with Spellbinders Labels 8, embossed with Impressabilities Flourish and sanded.  The little birthday wish is from Crafty Secrets. I sprayed the white card with Glimmer Mist Marshmallow...the photo didn't pick up the shine.  A ribbon and bow finish it.

I sent off my Spellbinders final project yesterday!  Now, for the wait.  The Design Team calls will be made sometime on February 26th.  I just got an email saying it may be as late as that evening......that day will seem endless.  They will announce the new Design Team on Spellbinders' blog on February 27th.   I'll keep you posted.

I'm off to do some stamping.......
Happy creating!
-judy

Happy Valentine's Day!

I was curious about the history of Valentine's Day so I did a little research online.  Some of the history is a bit sketchy. I did find that the holiday was named for St Valentine in 496 AD and set on February 14th.  At that time it wasn't directly tied to "love".  

 I quote this from The Holiday Spot:  "During the 14th century St. Valentine's Day became definitively associated with love. UCLA medieval scholar Henry Ansgar Kelly, author of "Chaucer and the Cult of Saint Valentine", credits Chaucer as the one who first linked St. Valentine's Day with romance. In medieval France and England it was believed that birds mated on February 14."  Hence came the connection to "love".

This bit of information seemed appropriate for my Valentine's Card with these birds by Penny Black.  The stamp is called "the forever dream".  My notes are very sketchy about what I used to create this card.  I know I used Copic markers to color the birds, I just can't tell you the colors.  I masked them to spray the Glimmer Mist background.  I first sprayed the yellow......I think it was Candlelight.  Then I cut a circle mask with a Spellbinders die to place over the birds. I used Dreamsicle Glimmer Mist to create the peach background.  The pattern on the card front and on the brown mat were stamped with PB "scrolling along" and embossed with Hollographic EP.  The verse is also from Penny Black.  Not quite the traditional red and pink! 

Here's a bit more information about the tradition of giving cards on Valentine's Day:

"It was not until the 1840s that Valentine's Day greeting cards began to be commercially produced in the U.S. The first American Valentine's Day greeting cards were created by Esther A. Howlanda Mount Holyoke, a graduate and native of Worcester. Mass. Howland, known as the Mother of the Valentine, made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as "scrap". It was when Howland began Valentine's cards in a large scale that the tradition really caught on in the United States."

I hope you carry on the tradition with handmade cards to send love to special people in your life!

Happy Valentine's Day!

10,000 Visits!

WOW! My blog hit 10,000 visits today! 

Thanks to all of you for visiting! 

Valentine's Goodies

I created these little bags of candies for my grandchildren for Valentine's Day.  I used 3 different scraps of paper to cut the patterned hearts.  Each one is glued to the front of a white heart mini card.  I added little glitter heart cutouts to the center.  I used Spellbinders Hearts and Scalloped Hearts dies to cut all the pieces.

With the scraps, I put together this very quick card.

The hearts are the centers from my little heart cards.  The glitter background is the piece that I used to cut out the little hearts.  I layered the hearts so the cut out spaces didn't show.....not much anyway.  If you look closely, you can see a tiny bit of white space. This card went together in less than 5 minutes.

Wishing each and everyone of you a

Happy Valentine's Day!

Joie de Vivre

It's a good thing I have a few things to post that I created awhile back......I just haven't had any time to stamp this week.  I've been working on my layout for the Spellbinders contest.  The dies arrived last Saturday.  I had worked on rough ideas using just the Inverted Circles before then since I already had those dies.   Once I had both the Film Strip and Inverted Circles, I just wasn't able to work the Film Strip into those ideas.  I came up with a new plan Saturday afternoon......it's progressing nicely.  Can't share yet.....

In the meantime, I have a card to show you that I created using stamps from Paris Exposition by Artistic Outpost.  I stamped the lady on glossy cardstock with Ranger Archival black ink.  She's colored with Distress inks. The background paper is Ancestral Tapestry by ANW Crestwood/TPC Studio.  I added Flower Soft to the centers of the paper flowers.  The lace is punched with a Martha Stewart punch.

Joie de vivre! 

Literally means "joy to live".

Enjoy a super day!

-judy

Orange for Love

What do you think of this color combination for a Valentine's Day card?
It's definitely a different twist. 

I used the Penny Black stamp "love is the message".  Remember the red square card I posted awhile back? ...same stamp, different look. 

I first stamped the heart on white paper using Ranger Cranberry and Currant inks.  I applied Distress Dried Marigold ink over it hence the orange "Love" words.  I cut out just the heart.  To give the heart dimension, I rubbed a big paper stump over the back while it was laying on a Coluzzle pad (anything soft will work).  It's hard to see but the heart is actually puffed out from the card.  Along the edges, I applied Dried Marigold Distress Stickles and set it aside to dry.

I stamped the heart again using Currant ink on natural cardstock.  This is the background that you see. I added clear EP and heat embossed it (the clear EP protects the color when adding Distress inks).  Then I applied Distress inks Antique Linen, Vintage Photo and Black Soot until I got the dark color leaving a lighter highlight area around the heart. I rubbed off the inks from the embossing with a paper towel moistened just by "huffing" on it.  

I added dots of Dried Marigold Distress Stickles on the buds (right side below ribbon).  The heart is mounted with foam tape in the center allowing the edges to touch the background.  I used gold, black, dark red, and black mats.

The card front is stamped repeatedly with PB "scrolling along" using Cranberry ink.  I also distressed the edges with Antique Linen and Vintage Photo.  A sheer orange ribbon and a few orange gems finish it off.

The dark colors along with orange give this heart a totally different look.  A more vintage look than my earlier posted red heart.

happy creating!

...smiles....

judy

Love Birds

.....for Valentine's Day or an anniversary!  Any occasion to say "I love you".

The bird stamp is "the forever dream" from Penny Black.  I stamped it with Ranger Espresso.  I added just a touch of pink to their beaks and the flowers with watercolor.  Then I used an Eclipse tape mask over them so I could spray Glimmer Mist for the background.  (I'm sorry I forgot to make a note of the color.  Maybe I can figure it and post it later.) 

The card front is stamped with PB "scrolling along" using Versamark ink and embossed with Polysparkle EP.  I added a touch of sparkle with a Spica Clear pen to the flowers.

I stamped "I love you" from the PB Transparent set, "a piece of my heart" on pink card stock. I used a 3/4" punch to cut it out.  The brown circle and white scallop circle were cut with Spellbinders dies. The tag is mounted with foam tape just under the bow.

Enjoy!

-judy

Thank you!

Thank you everyone for your inspiring comments!   I really, really appreciate your support and well wishes!!  You all rock!

I'm waiting for the dies to use for a 12x12 layout.....my final project.  My mind keeps tossing ideas around.  It was really hard to focus at work yesterday.  Today, I'm back to earth!

Once the dies arrive I'll be running on adrenaline for awhile again.  The deadline is February 22.  I'll post the outcome....whatever the results.

Thank you so much,
judy

Top 24

I made the Top 24 finalists for the Spellbinders Design Team!!! 

WOW!  I'm so excited and honored! 

Here's the Spellbinders announcement on their blog:

Design Team Top 24!

February 1st, 2010


I want to thank all of the talented artists that submitted entries to the 2010 Spellbinders™ Paper Arts Design Team Contest! Spellbinders™ Paper Arts was overwhelmed by the number of entries! Each and every submission was fabulous. We understand and appreciate the time and effort that goes into your art. You made our decisions very difficult!

So without further ado, hereare the Top 24, in alphabetical order:

Janine Blackwelder

Ashley Cannon Newell

Kazan Clark

Kimberly Crawford

Deb Felts

Gina Hanson

Judy Hayes

Kim Holmes

Karen Hunsaker

Nicole Keller

Mary Milar

Renee Morris Dezcember

A J. Otto

Julie Overby

Mona Pendelton

Mary Pfaff

Karen Pruett

Debbie Seyer

Holly Simoni

Gloria Stengle

Karen Taylor

Tonya Turvold

Latisha Yoast

Deborah Young

The Top 24 finalists will be sent Spellbinders™ product to create a project for the final round of the competition.

On Friday, February 26, 2010, Stacey Caron, President and co-founder of Spellbinders™ Paper Arts, will make personal phone calls to each of the lucky winners of this contest! The 2010 Spellbinders Design Team will be announced right here on February 27, 2010!

Congratulations!

Stacey Caron

*  *  *

I so wish I knew what die I'll receive.  I could at least be thinking of  ways to use it.  I'll keep you posted on the details.  Think positive for me, please!
 
-judy