2013 in review

So fun to look back over this last year! Actually, it helped me to look back - I can't even believe how quickly this year has passed. Here are a few creative highlights.

January:
A new release of dkdesigns stamps debuted at the CHA Winter show in Anaheim...

February:
We started the Mix-Ability challenges at Splitcoaststampers... what a fun team experience and creative awakening for a group of ladies each week! Lydia says I was made for this challenge, and I agree - I have enjoyed growing as a mixed media artist this year and have learned so many things. This was my first challenge card:

March:
I made the decision to close my custom watermark business. I also began designing sentiment stamps for Flourishes! Here's the first set I collaborated on, called Old Tea Rose.

April:
This sweet set released at Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps:

May:
I had the fun opportunity to be a guest designer for Inky Antics - here's my favorite card! I developed a sort of obsession with Les Miserables this year, and this quote is a line from one of the songs.

This set released in May as well, a tribute to faraway friends. I have a lot of those! xo

June:
In June I started a new project - an altered hymn book. I wanted to express my heart, and also keep the words of the hymns readable. I haven't worked in it regularly, but I always enjoy the process when I do. Here's my favorite page so far:

July:
Some of my artwork was featured in an infomercial for Daily Window Products! You can view the video here. I also released a batch of new artwork through Impression Obsession at the CHA summer show:

... and this set through Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps:

August:
God Is was released as a companion to the silhouette set above:

September:
I launched the Pencil Basics online class! Over 50 students have signed up.

October:
October was full of fun challenges and work behind-the-scenes for Splitcoaststampers' Hope You Can Cling To card drive for breast cancer patients at MD Anderson in Houston. Here's a favorite card from the challenges.

 
November:
November found me working on a variety of projects behind-the-scenes - many of them top-secret, and some of them for local upcoming events (Christmas parties, graduation, and a wedding). It was a bit of a blur! Here's a favorite card I made for the Mix-Ability challenge during that time:

December:
With December came the announcement that I'll be joining the Splitcoaststampers team as Tutorial Coordinator and Artist in Residence! I'm thrilled and can't wait to get started 'officially' - I've been training all month behind the scenes.

What a year! Thanks for walking (did we walk?) through it with me - your comments and encouragement have meant so much! 

Mix-Ability - Basic Shapes

Jeanne's challenge to us this week in the Mix-Ability forum is to create a mixed media project with at least 1 square, 1 circle and 1 triangle.

My card is a sort of modified tri-fold card... it took on a life of its own as I went, actually! The stamps I used are from Impression Obsession - the main image (Pamela) is colored with reinkers, Albrecht Durer Watercolor Pencils, and Polychromos Pencils, with a little paper piecing in the umbrella. I used a glaze pen on the raindrops and the puddle for a little more dimension.

The sentiment is called Until the Sun - such a sweet one!

Here's a better view of the fold...

...and a closer look at the main panel.

We had a hot Christmas with a little bit of rain - today it's windy and there's a storm on the horizon. Good day for staying in and working in my studio! Enjoy your weekend!

Merry Christmas to you and yours...

A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn... ♥

Love and blessings as you celebrate!

Inchie Cube ornament

One more ornament project for the season... this one I actually made last year, following this tutorial for making a cube out of Art Squares from the Inchie Arts blog... it's very well written and easy to follow, so I'll let the tutorial speak for itself. Go check it out if you'd like to know how to make your own!

Their project is larger, but I thought Inchie squares would make a sweet little ornament cube. Each face is a one-inch white Art Square from Inchie Arts - I stamped each surface first with a Poinsettia image from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps, and colored with Inktense pencils, then coated each piece and edge with gold Lumiere Acrylic Paints.  I decorated the top corner joint with diecuts from Impression Obsession.

Happy Holidays to you and yours!! We've just gotten back from a week away on another island, renewing all our passports, and visiting friends. It's good to be home!

Click here for more Inchie Arts products!

Mix-Ability - Christmas mini-canvas

This week's Mix-Ability challenge is to use stencils and modeling paste on our projects... I don't have modeling paste but I've had good results using household acrylic caulking. I decided to do a mini Christmas canvas - this is a 4" canvas panel from Blick - I love this little fun size! I bought the classroom economy pack - 24 little canvases for $3.00!? Amazing deal.

I started off with a blank canvas and used a stencil from the Crafter's Workshop to add my caulking in the corners - I used an old library card to scrape the caulking through the openings, and let it dry overnight.

After the caulking was dry, I added some gold acrylic paint, spritzed with water, spread it with my fingers, then daubed some of the paint off with a tissue. To highlight the raised areas, I used Colorbox Fluid Chalk inks.

The branches and ornament with its hanger were cut from book pages using Impression Obsession dies. The stamps I used are from I.O. too.

The whole canvas is covered with a couple of coats of matte varnish. On behalf of the Mix-Ability team I'd like to wish you a Merry Christmas - we appreciate you!

Impression Obsession DT Challenge: Quick and simple cards

The Impression Obsession team's challenge today is to create cards that are quick and simple to make. I followed (mostly!) this tutorial by my friend Giovana, which posted last month on Splitcoaststampers.

The Sunburst background and Mary Manger Silhouette image made the focal panel of my card so easy - I inked the background and misted it before stamping. I did the same with the silhouette, then added details with Albrecht Durer Watercolor Pencils.

The cardstock I used for the frame is from a pack of  "Crinkles" cardstock - so a quick swipe with a brown inkpad easily distressed the raised areas. The little tag was cut with a Sizzix die, and you can find the sentiment HERE.

Here's a closer look at the center...

Be sure to check out these other designers' blogs for inspiration -

Anna @ Sassy & Sweet Notes
Daniela @ For the First Time
Dina @ Mama Dini's Stamperia ---- you're here
Ellen @ The Serendipitous Stamper
Jeanne @ Inky Paws
Jenny @ One Krafty Kat
Kittie @ Kittie Kraft
Laura @ Laura's Stamp Art Journal
Vicki @ Summerthyme Studio

Remember you can enter these challenges too, using your Impression Obsession stamps! See the I.O. blog for all the details - you might even win a $25 gift certificate!! We'd love to have you join us.

Announcement!

In case you haven't seen the official announcement and welcome at Splitcoaststampers, you can click on the snapshot below to go to the news page there. I'm not "top news" very often!

Thank you so much for all your sweet messages of congratulations and well wishes!

So very loved.

This month's Fan Club Gallery over at Splitcoaststampers is a beautiful tribute to a very sweet lady. Ten years ago, long before papercrafting tutorials were commonplace, Beate Johns started creating them for Splitcoaststampers. In February of 2004, these tutorials became the beginning of Splitcoast's free tutorial and resource section. Now, ten years, more than 500 tutorials and nearly 400 Weekly Inkling newsletters later, Beate is retiring from her job here at Splitcoast. It's been a huge honor to work with such an incredibly talented artist and friend, and we will miss her very, very much.

If you read the news article on the Splitcoast home page, you might have caught another announcement... did you see? Beginning on January 1st, I will be officially joining the Splitcoast team as Artist in Residence. I've been training with Beate for a few weeks already and I'm very excited to get started!

This card reminds me of Beate in so many ways! The layout was inspired by one of her sketches... she used the same Whiff of Joy stamp in THIS blog post... she shared a tutorial HERE on the coloring technique I used (pencil shading on an alcohol marker base)... and she showed me how to input new tutorials at Splitcoast using MY tutorial for the background technique on the rose panel - that's coming  January 1st!

Henry Mouse is colored with Polychromos Pencils and Touch Twin Markers - I love that technique and use it quite often... the markers are great for an even base of color, and I love the texture and gradient of pencil coloring.  Here's a close-up of the background - can't wait to share that technique with you! Easy and so much fun. That stamp and the sentiment are from Impression Obsession.

Beate - you are so very loved! Thank you for inspiring so many. xo

Snowy Walk

Here's another card for the current Impression Obsession challenge - there's still time to enter if you haven't yet! It also fits for this week's Mix-Ability challenge to make a holiday card. This is one of Gary Robertson's winter designs, and it's colored with Touch Twin Markers but I don't have a record of which colors I used - so sorry about that! I added some white acrylic paint for smoke and shaded with pencil, too.

The image is called Coming Home - in his last release Gary had a few images with people in them, and I love the sentiment that adds to his scenes.

Remember you can enter these challenges too, using your Impression Obsession stamps! See the I.O. blog for all the details - you might even win a $25 gift certificate!! We'd love to have you join us.

Inchie Phone Charm

I just wanted to make something for myself recently, so I created a little charm for my phone. I had bought up some Ranger Memory Frames from Eclectic Paperie when they were on sale, and this little 1" frame was perfect for showcasing some Inchie Art! A 1" Art Square is a tiny little canvas, but so much fun to work with.

This was my inspiration - my favorite (now chipped) coffee mug that holds my most used art supplies now. (It says Mama on the handle.)

I stamped and masked the mug image (link is below) on a white Inchie Art Square first, then colored with pencils around it and stamped some extra text. The small pen image was stamped several times over the mask too, then I added color and doodles to make some pencils and some pens and brushes.

The rings are part of the frame... I used an eye pin to attach a bead on one end, and some jewelry cord I got from etsy on the other end, and layered a 1" glass square in the frame to protect my work. Done! I love it.

Impression Obsession - Espresso Yourself

Inky Antics - Hattie Sends Love

Make something for yourself today!

Click here for more Inchie Arts products!