Darcy's Postcard Challenge

 Hello art friends! I hope 2011 treated you well, and that you were able to make plenty of art! I myself have been engrossed in growing as an artist myself and having a ball! I've met some fantastic artists and friends on ustream and joined in several challenges. The most recent is hosted by Darcy! Check out her link to read all about the deets:) Here is my postcard book and first card. 

I hope to update more regularly, (ya, I've said that before), and list more of last years projects soon!!! Santa brought me an iPad, so I'm learning to post to blogger from it. I'm crossing my fingers this post works and that this process will make it easier for me to stay current:):) 

Hugs and inky paint stained fingers:)

Jamie

Art Journal Play

Whew, hi all,  how's it going??? I've been soo bad at blogging, it's so hard to find time to create and blog about it as well! But alas, I'm here now, I can feel guilt free for at least a little while:) Lately, I've been in Art Journaling heaven!!! As a scrapper, I've always played with mixed media, but never in an Entire little journal
just for me and my ramblings! I've been hanging out on ustream, and have found a wonderful little art community full of inspiration and encouragement! As a matter of fact, I've even streamed a few videos;):)
Here are some pics of my pages, there's still plenty of room for the journaling, that will come.... either with my wine or my coffee:):)

I hope you are all able to make time for creative play in your days! Thanks for stopping by:)
Hugs xx
Jamie

Homemade pound cake with Citrus glaze and Jazzed up Blackberries!

Hi all, hope you are doing well! Just wanted to share some of my favorite baking creations!!! This pound cake was soooo scrumptious, it didn't last long! Cooking, and art are one of my favorite ways to destress:)
I made the pound cake from scratch, and used my moms orange juice glaze recipe for the icing. I also love blackberries, and decided to Jazz em up a bit by marinating them in blackberry cassis liquor and sugar!!! YUM, YUM, YUM:) I'll be happy to share recipes if anyone is interested:)
Have a good one:)

Jamie

Thankful Me

Wahooo can you guess how much paint and ink and modge podge I have all over the place!!:):) Well its so worth it! To create with free abandon is so good for the soul:) I have created this art journal after taking Heidi Kelley's class called B You! She is a teacher at Miss Arts Papercrafting School. This class covers mixed media application and so much more!!!!
I've not finished the journaling yet, that will come when the mood hits. Probably with my morning coffee:)

Thank you looking and I hope you get some creative play soon too!
Hugs
Jamie

These are the days of Miracle & Wonder

TCR #63
I'm having a blast trying to keep up with the color room palettes! These colors are yet again not what I would gravitate to, but as the layout comes together I love em! I tried REALLY hard to use less "STuff" on this layout, and go for a more simpler look.... (not an easy task for me:)  I used stitching, crackle paste, shimmmerz, glitter and my trusty quickie glue pen. The fonts were cut out with my Silhouette, (which I'm still learning how to use:), and then dressed up with crackle glossy accents!

Thanks for stopping by and looking, (excuse the pics, I'm trying to remember how to take and crop them again:) The lighting is off and the colors aren't showing true.....if anyone has any suggestions, please let me know! Have a good one:)
Jamie

You bring such joy!

Whew,what a tough palette for me! This is the first time I've ever played in the color room, and orange is not one of my favorite go to colors.....but I'm pleased with how this turned out! What a really cool site! They have GORGEOUS plalettes and sketches! I found them from one of my favorite artists sites http://www.seesterk.blogspot.com/  Heidi is a fantastic artist and has great tutorials. She's truly inspirational!
For this challenge we could only use the 4 colors in the palatte, and no other neutrals.... it really was tough, but fun!

My DD Brenah is 17 now, (holy cannoli time flys) and I found this pic after we moved and it beggged to be scrapped. She was 8 in this pic and super sweet:) Not any of the teenage moodiness, or drama:):):)
I used everything I could get my hands on in this page. Texture paste, shimmerz and shimmer spritz, prima flowers, and pretty much anything that was in arms reach:) Thanks for looking, hope you get some creative play time too!
Hugs
Jamie

YIPPEEE!!! I'm scrapping again!!!

WOW, it sure feels good to be creating! It's been wWAY too long:) SOOO much has happened since my last post. We no longer live in Houston, we've been relocated to Tulsa Ok and have been here for almost a year!! I'm finally feeling setteled enough to scrap again!! And boy it feels GOOD:) Everyone is adjusting well and I must say Tulsa is a lovely town! We sure do miss our family and friends though.... which is what led me to scrap this pic of Mom, Brenah and myself! My folks came visit us for Christmas, and we three decided to each knit a "one skein hat in a day"!!! It was an all day long pajama affair and a blast!!! It doesn't get much better than crafting with your mom and daughter:) Thanks so much for looking, I hope you all are doing well and good:)
(p.s. its been so long since I posted, I've got to relearn how to upload and post things:):) I feel old:)
Have a good one

Hugs
Jamie

Bakery Buttons!

Hi everyone! Happy Friday! Today is the official release day over at Taylored Expressions!!! She has some FANTASTIC new stamps sets, featuring "Apple Doodle Ink"! Some super cute "A La Carte" stamps, awesome new kits, and last but not least some YUMMY new "Bakery Themed Buttons"!! I created these buttons exclusively for Taylor to coordinate with Basic Grey's Nook & Pantry paper!!! Hurry on over and check em out before they are all gone:):) She's also debuting my new RED colored Frameabellies!!! Just in time for Valentines's day!!!! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and can get some creative time squeezed in:)
Hugs,

Buttons for Zoe!

Hi Everyone, good day to you:) Burrrrrr it's cold here in Houston again! It's often said here that if you don't like the weather, just wait 5 minutes and it will change!!! And that is soooo true. First its 30, then the next day back into the 70's..... CRAZY, I tell ya:) That's why everyone has this yucky cold:(:(  Anyhoo, back to the fun stuff:) I recently had the priveledge to create a custom button order for a sweet little 6 month old named Zoe! Her grandma and I had fun getting to know each other while we discussed design ideas!! That's truly what I love about this! I guess that's what we all love, that's why we blog and share our creations right, to just get to know other like-minded artists! So without further ado....... Buttons for Zoe

Let me know what cha think!:):)
Have a great rest of the week, and happy creating!

Valentines Buttons!!!

Hi everyone! Happy Friday:):) Today was a fun day in the Button Boutique!!! I've been throwing away TONS of empty clay containers so that means LOTS of buttons and Frameabellies:):) It was so nice to have a WHOLE day to myself doing what I love! I hope you have had some time to create and play, life just gets so crazy sometimes...Anyhoo, on to the good stuff:) Here are 3 new sets I made and FINALLY added to my store! Thanks so much for stopping by, have a GREAT weekend:)
Create something beautiful:)

Buttons, and Fencing!

Hi everyone, hope you are all having a great week! Since my last post, the big release at Taylored Expressions, well it's simply been HAIR ON FIRE CRAZY!!!!! A huge honkin Thank You, to everyone for your fabulous comments and feedback on my buttons and frameabellies!! The positive response is just overwhelming!!! My little Button Boutique has been crazy busy!! The buttons and frames SOLD OUT super fast, and I have been remaking more orders as fast as my fingers can!  It's pretty awesome to see my little clay babies come to life on your projects:):)!! There is no better reward:):) I've also created a new set of custom buttons for Taylor, so stay tuned for those!!! All this clay magic leaves little time for me to ink up my new rubbah, but oh well:):) I did get to create a couple of button sets for Valentines day, that I need to post in Etsy....there's just not enough hours in the day:)
We also had a fantastic fencing tournament this weekend! My daughter (the one on the left), is 15, and  has qualified for the Junior Olympics again this year!! WAHOOO!! So we are headed to Memphis in Feb!! I just had to share this pic of her scoring a touch! See the little red light, that's what happens when her blade hits the target! Her light is red, and the opponents is greeen!!(Which really helps when you can't get close enough!) She won 5th place in this event which was a mixed women's competition,(meaning all ages)! We are super proud, and It was sooo much fun!
Thanks for stopping by:)
Happy Creating

Cuppie Love Scenes!!! Card and Layout!!!

Hi everyone! Happy Thursday to you;) Taylored Expressions release day is finally here!!!!!!! YIPPEE!!!
I am honored to get to play along with Taylor and the Bakers Dozen!  Both of my projects showcase Taylor's new Cuppie Love Scenes set. These images are so dang cute, and tons of fun to color!
For my card, I used Taylor's new Valentine paper release, Be-Loved by My Minds Eye. This is the paper I designed her custom buttons to coordinate with!!! My focal image was stamped onto Choice Buttercream Cardstock, with Memento Tuxedo Ink, colored with Copics, and dressed up with stickles, which you can get here!
The fuzzy ribbon was hiding in my stash, and reminded me of snuggling with my honey on our soft couch:)
And the snazzy clay button, well that I designed exclusively for Taylor's Store! It is handmade and handpainted!!! And is only available in limited quantities!!! So don't wait too long:):):)
I used Nestabilities to cut out my focal image and to add an extra layer!

My next project started out as a card, and just kept GROWING, and GROWING! So I decided to turn it into a layout!!!:):) I have been wanting to scrap sooo bad, and this Cuppie image, reminded me of a favorite picture of me and my sweetie in Vegas on our Anniversary!!! So, whoalla..... scrapped and archived FOREVER! What is also so cool about this image, is that we LOVE movies! Our typical date night is dinner, movie, and coffee:):):) So this "You're my happy ending!" sentiment is just perfect!!!
Ok, back to the deets on the layout. Here again I used Taylor's new delish Be-loved paper, and added some websters pages from my stash. The Cuppie Love Scene image is colored with copics, and stickles, and glossy accents. I used one of my handmade Frameabellies to highlight our picture! (Which is sealed with an acid free archival safe sealer!) And of course I had to use another one of my custom Buttons to accent the movie tickets! I used some of the ribbon from my Key Ingredients Kit, and sewed it under the torn edge, just to add a neat texture. The rub-ons, flower, leaves, and crystal bling are all from my Prima stash. The XOXO border was done with my new Martha Stewart punch, and the lace, and wooden corner embellie is from my stash!

Now for the best part, Taylored Expressions is offering Free Shipping for orders over $75.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now that just plain ROCKS!!!!  So, hurry, RUN on over to Taylor's store, and grab yourself some new Frameabellies, buttons,  yummy new Rubbah, incredible Valentine Kits, and premium quality supplies before they are all sold out!!!!:):):) Thank you all so much for looking, and be sure to check out all the amazing Baker's Dozen creations!!

Alex Maldonado

Charmaine Ikach

Donna Baker

Jackie Pedro

Jodi Collins

Karen Giron

Karen Motz

Laurie Schmidlin

Melissa Sauls

Sankari Wegman

Nancy McKinney

Jeanie Witmer
 
And of course Taylor VanBruggen
 
Happy Creating:)
Hugs

EXCITING NEWS!!!

Hi everyone! Happy Happy Day!!! I am BUSTING AT THE SEAMS EXCITED, and HONORED beyond belief to share with you my new news:):)...................... I have partnered with TAYLORED EXPRESSIONS and designed custom handmade buttons EXCLUSIVELY for her store!!!!! They will be officially released tomorrow, but the sneak peeks have begun!!!!!! Not only is she carrying my buttons, but she is also carrying my FRAMEABELLIES!!!!! WAHOOO!!!! RUN over there and check it out!!!!! I am at work today and cannot make this post as long as I would like!!! I'll be back tonight with more info and tomorrow for the release!!! Her new stamp sets are FANTASTIC, and I had tons of fun creating with them!!! Stay tuned for tomorrow, I'll be posting my projects!!!!
Hugs
Jamie

You did it!

Hi everyone! Happy New Year!!!! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season, surrounded by family and friends!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That said, I am glad the hustle and bustle is over and life can get back to normal:) :) I'm not a scrooge, mind you, just super relieved to have put the tree back in the attic:)  And the yard decorations, ugh.....ours kept falling down due to wind and rain, so we kept tethering them to each other, to bricks, to rocks:):) (you get the picture:):) So yes, I'm welcoming the New Year, and no more yard art for a few months:):):):):)

Today is my birthday!!! My dear hubby surprised me with a snazzy new camera, and dinner at my favorite Mexican restaurant! But, my dear daughter gave me the best gift of all...... She played with her little brother so I could escape to my studio to create!!!! Wow, it sure felt good to be able to get in the zone, and just have fun!!! I know you can all relate:):):) One of my resolutions this year is to MAKE more time to get full of ink:):)  Here is a quick pic of me loving the sombrerro and the Happy Birthday song:):):)

So my card today is for Mercy's sketch  MTSC54  created for my daughter, Brenah.
She qualified for the Junior Olympics for Fencing!!!! Not only did she qualify, but she qualified with a comeback! Several months ago she had a freak accident with a heavy metal gym door and almost severed her middle finger on her right hand! (Her fencing hand) After a fractured tuft bone, and plastic surgery, she was out of competition for awhile. She worked hard and trained her legs when she couldn't hold a blade, and made a comeback and DID IT!!! So I'm SUPER proud of her, and can't wait to see her compete in TENN this year!!!
Ok, back to the card:) The lace doesn't look quite so ragged in person... I guess my new camera pics up everything a little too good:):)
The image is from The Greeting Farm, Flapper Anya. I stamped her onto choice cardstock with memento tuxedo ink in black. Colored her with copics, and added some glitter with my favorite sakura quickie glue pen. The paper is from my Taylored Expressions December Key Ingredients. And lastly I spritzed the background with shimmer spritz!

Supplies:
Stamps: The Greeting Farm- Flapper Anya, Taylored Expressions - A Year Of Sentiments
Paper: TE's December Key Ingredients
Copics
Lace, from my stash
Punch: Martha Stewart Lattice
Nestabilities, and Impressabilities
Shimmer Spritz, bubblegum and Irridescent Gold
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Hugs

You're Sew Sweet!

Happy Tuesday everyone. Today is my beautiful Mom's Birthday!! To celebrate her day we're having dinner at my house. Lasagna, salad and garlic bread are on the menu, along with banana split ice cream cake!!! Doesn't that just sound YUMMY?:):):) I'll have to post a pic of the cake later:)

Now, on to Mom's card! She is a fabulous quilter, and has sewn all of her life. So this wonderful Crafty Cuppie stamp set was  a no brainer! Isn't this just too cute? The basket of thread and the pin cushion with the needle and thread in it, oh I just LOVE it:):)

I used TESC94 for this layout, along with Taylor's new card kits! It's so nice to have everything cut for you:):) Love that for a change! I used one of my new Frameabellies to "frame" my cute seamstress cuppie:) Copics to color and a Kaiser pearl as the perfect cherry.

Check out my new handmade polymer clay heart button! That was a fun one to make:) Hearts just make me happy:)

I also added stitching, (cause it's a card for my MOM and I HAD too;):):) and last but not least, I used a snap to accent my "happy birthday" banner! A fun change instead of an eyelet!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I have some exciting plans for the Button Boutique coming in the new year and will share them as soon as I can! Happy Holidays everyone! May you not be too stressed, and get lots of creative time:):)
Hugs

Life Is Just A Bowl Full Of Cherries!

Hi everyone! Happy Sunday:) I made this card for the TESC92 .  My clay was calling me and the creative forces were at work! I am super excited to share with you my new creation "Frameabellies"!!!! I wanted something unique to add to my new Etsy boutique, and it needed to be good! These frames are handmade by me,  from polymer clay and designed to coordinate with nesties!!!! I will be posting them soon for sale, so let me know what you think!!!

I also made the "smile" button to go with this awesome new paper, (from my Taylored Expressions Key Ingredients Kit!) I used my copics to color the Rainer cherries, which by the way are my favorite type of cherries:):) My husband said they look like peaches:):), oh well......
And last but not least, I added some stitches to the panels.
 Thanks so much for stopping by!
Happy Creating!

Recipe:
Inkspelled Frameabellie circle in Fossil Wood
Inkspelled polymer clay button
Stamps: TE Berries & Cherries
Paper: Taylored Expression Key Ingredients November kit
Ink: SU choc chip, memento tuxedo black
Copics
French wired ribbon, (from my stash)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wow, another Thanksgiving come and gone:) Time is just flying... I hope you all had a wonderful day with family and friends, ate lots of good comfort food, and simply feel truly thankful! We enjoyed a huge feast and reminisced about life and good times..... A truly good day:):) I am sooo very thankful for my soulmate hubby, and two sweet children!

I don't have a card, or a scrap page to share, but I did make more buttons:):) Hopefully, tomorrow I'll get some time to stamp:) After we decorate for Christmas, that is:):):)

Making these buttons got me in the Christmas spirit!!! Thanks for looking, and your comments, they mean so much:)

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

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