After Christmas Sales!

Just wanted to collect a few sales in one place, in case you need a place to spend your Christmas money! :) Affiliate links may be used at no cost to you.

A Jillian Vance Design - 55% OFF all Last Chance, retiring and overstocked items. No Promo Code Needed!

Blick Art Materials is having a year end clearance event, and a 15% discount on qualifying orders. Ends. Dec. 31.

Butterfly Reflections Ink - 40% off hundreds of items! Sale ends Dec. 31.

Joggles Holiday Hoopla Sale - save on markers, papers, stamps, stencils, pencils and more!  Save 18% site wide (discount applied automatically) plus up to 60% off sale products.

MarkerPop - Christmas Clearance sale prices, plus an extra 10% discount with code XMAS10.

My Favorite Things - Dec. 26-27, save 25% on your order of stamps, dies and stencils (excluding new release).

Our Daily Bread Designs - Use code FREE5 in the Discount Codes area in the shopping cart to save $5.00 off a $20.00 purchase. Use code FREE10 in the Discount Codes area in the shopping cart to save $10.00 off a $40.00 purchase. These codes are valid through December 29, 2017

Sizzix After Christmas Sale - save up to 85% on selected products, and check the clearance section too! Free shipping over $25 is always nice (some of those dies are heavy!).

Spellbinders - lots of dies and other products on clearance! I treated myself to some very cute stocking stuffers.

Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps - Save 17% storewide with code YEAREND17 through 12/31! 

The Cat's Pajamas - enjoy a 40% discount on your order through Dec. 31.

Whimsy Stamps - Through Dec. 31:
Save 10% on orders over $50 with coupon code WHIMSYDD50
 Save 15% on orders over $100 with coupon code WHIMSYDD100
 Save 10% on orders over $200 with coupon code WHIMSYDD200
Check their Bonus Bundle deals as well - there are some great bargains in there!

If I hear of more sales I'll add them in! :)

2017 in Review

It's a tradition on my blog to look back at the end of the year and pick out a few creative highlights! Hope you enjoy... this year went so fast, it's fun to look back through the blur! 

January
 In January with help from a team of supporters, I was able to add a wide format printer to my creative space - it has been a great asset for my business, and such a blessing.

I also added to my stamp line at Impression Obsession with a Spring release, which was revealed at the Creativation show in Phoenix.

February
One of my pendant designs was sent out in a curated subscription box by Fortify My Faith - that was a fun experience. Here's the collection all together, though the site seems to be closed at present.

I finished this painting, which was a fun challenge in skin tones, and a deep statement for unity - prints are available here.

March

In March (and several other times throughout the year) I was a super sponsor for the Coffee Lovers Blog Hop - I always enjoy playing along and providing prizes. The hop really grew this year!

April

In April Impression Obsession released their hybrid ink collection, and I enjoyed putting those to the test.

I also got to do a guest block for Whimsy Stamps - I just adore their sweet images, and their team behind the scenes. 

May
In May I released a new summer collection of stamps through Impression Obsession...

I also entered a few of my paintings in a regional art show, and was surprised to get a couple of ribbons! It was such an encouragement to me, and a great introduction to the art community in mid-Missouri.

June 
In June I was able to take a pencil class with a local artist, which again was very affirming for me... I had worked extensively with pencils, but needed a mentor's encouragement to push to the next level.

July
I spent several weeks in June working on this painting, which won a ribbon in another local show:

I also got to meet one of my dearest online friends, Bridget, when our visits with parents coincided in Idaho. That was such a special time! Bridget and I joined the Splitcoast Dirty Dozen team at the same time in 2011, and this was our first time meeting in person.

This little guy made his debut in my stamp line in July - he's proven to be quite a favorite!

Also in July, a friend asked if I would consider drawing her husband's dog for a Christmas gift, and with that commission, my art took a turn I had not expected! I haven't stopped drawing dogs since. This was my first portrait - this is Jake! 

August

In August we wrapped up another year's edition of Dare To Get Dirty, a Splitcoast event for our Fan Club members - this was one of my favorite cards. I've collected all these adorable Paper Smooches animal card dies - I just love them!

September

In September I got to visit with another fun stamping friend - Meg found her way over dirt roads to my little corner of the woods!

She also was kind enough to hand deliver a portrait of Lydia's kitties to her, and I love her reaction here:

I also shared one of my favorite tutorials with my Splitcoast friends - Debossed Die Resist.

October
In October I launched my new website for portrait commissions, and it's been such a help to have all my information in one place. 

We hosted Falliday Fest at Splitcoaststampers, and I had the privilege of working with 10 tutorial authors who shared their fun holiday projects with our community. Here's one of my favorite projects - I actually made 30 of these for teacher gifts!

October also marked 11 years of blogging here! It's hard to believe it has been that long, but what a blessing this community has been. The face of blogging has been changing slowly, and I don't blog as often or as deeply as I used to... I hope the things I share are still of benefit to you as you read!

November
In November I spent most of my free time working on Christmas orders, and I feel so blessed to be able to bring happiness to so many people! Here are a couple of favorites, and you can find the others in my gallery here.

I also had the honor of being a guest speaker at the Mid Missouri Artists Inc. meeting at the end of the month. I was able to share some business aspects and experiences, social media and supply tips, and some thoughts about empathy in art. 

December
I spent a lot of time in December filling orders for portraits, prints and jewelry - this was my final commission for 2018. Such a sweet face!

I can't tell what 2018 will bring! I didn't expect this turn in my creative journey at all, and I'm ready to see where it leads. I have ideas for stamp designs, and lots of ideas for tutorials and projects. My 'one little word' for 2018 is REACH... I think that word will affect how I set my goals and work toward a new balance for the coming year.

Thanks again as always for your faithful support, comments, and encouragement - my greatest encouragement is to see you learning new things here and using what you learn! 

Impression Obsession DT Challenge: Anything Goes!

The Impression Obsession team's challenge today is to create a project with any theme. I never shared this sample from the Fall/Winter release - it's a collage of vintage images, and it's a great one for a quick one-image card.

The background is embossed in gold, and the photo corners and wings are painted with gold acrylic paint - the rest of the image is watercolored in a loose style.

Product links: Hark,  CAC Starburst, Instant Photo Frame die set

Be sure to check out these other designers' blogs for inspiration, and please welcome Giovana to our team!

Anna @ Sassy & Sweet Notes
Daniela @ For the First Time
Giovana @ Believe
Ilina @ Creativity Within
Jeanne @ Inky Paws
Jenny @ One Krafty Kat 
Karen @ Paper Lilies and Ink 
Kelli @ Stamping with a Dream 
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. Merry Christmas!

Splitcoast Tutorial: Creating with Chibitronics

This week's tutorial over on Splitcoast is a wonderful overview of Chibitronics products! Chibitronics makes these amazing LED light kits with DIY circuits - they are flat enough to use in cardmaking, and they add really cool effects to cards as well as other projects.

Ally tackles a 5-light project in the photo tutorial, but I wasn't ready for that level of commitment, so I decided one would be enough for mine. I purchased a intro kit (this one) for $10, which came with a battery, clip, copper tape, 3 white lights, and some sample cards with instructions. If you'd like a broader kit with all the basics plus a variety of colored lights, check out the STEM kit instead.

Here's my simple circuit map, although I ended up switching the positive and negative sides...

...and proof that even I was able to figure this out. I did tear one of the copper pieces the first time and had to replace that, but after that, it was just a matter of keeping the light stuck down.

This project takes a LOT of foam tape, so be prepared for that. Also when all was finished... this arrangement of foam tape wasn't very pretty from the side, so next time I'll think about layering some sheets of foam instead, with die cut openings for the battery and light.

Here's a closer look at my card - I used a couple of my stamps from this year's Fall/Winter release (Lantern Silhouette, Let Your Light Shine), masking off the lantern beam and snow with Frog Tape before watercoloring.

The lamp lights when you press the sentiment, which is pretty cool, I think! The lantern is cut out in the opening, with a small scrap of vellum to diffuse the light.

That's all I know! I'm so glad I tried this project - hope you will too!