I'm a Penny Black Designer!

I am ssssssoooooooooooooooo excited to announce that I have joined the Penny Black Design Team! I could not be more thrilled for this opportunity to work for such a wonderful company with such amazing stamps, cardstock, and stickers! Yes, somebody please pinch me! A HUGE thank you to all of you who have supported, inspired and encouraged me on this journey so far. This is a dream come true, answered prayer, and total blessing.

Okay, now I can't share this exciting news without a few cards; right? So here are a couple of peeks at the cards I have over on the Penny Black Blog today. I sure hope you'll visit HERE to check them out and leave a little love. :)
Thanks again, my friends, for sharing in my excitement!!! HUGE HUGS!

Elizabeth *Day 5*

Hi everyone! I'm so sorry to announce that this is our last day of inspiration with Elizabeth. I have COMPLETELY enjoyed sharing her work! Remember you can always see more of her stunning designs and great tutorials on her BLOG and PHOTOSTREAM. I know you'll love this card of hers. I can't get enough of it!And here's my take, especially inspired by the colors in Elizabeth's flower:
All Stamps Penny Black (Flower Gallery 30-031 and Paisley Outline 40-048)
And I just have to share this picture I snapped yesterday of my sweet St. Bernard, Dafne.
Thanks for visiting and I hope you will come back to see me tomorrow. I have a VERY EXCITING announcement!!!!

Elizabeth *Day 4*

You're gonna love this creation by Elizabeth:

And here's my take using Penny Black's flower gallery 30-031: Flower colored with Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft PITT Artist Pens and then distressed with Spiced Marmalade Distress Ink. Green background distressed with Peeled Paint and Crushed Olive Distress Ink. Penny Black 40-048 Paisley Outline stamped with Forest Moss Distress Ink. Scallop border distressed with Crushed Olive Distress Ink.

Oh, and I was so excited to see one of my cards over on the Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft blog--I'm not sure if I shared it here or not, but you can check it out HERE. Thanks again for visiting! HUGS!

Elizabeth *Day 3*

This next card by Elizabeth is just soooo cheery: I love the color combo and the tone on tone pattern stamping. And I especially love the overall design of the card! I used Elizabeth's card design as "sketch" when designing mine. Here's my take:

I began by inking the green cardstock with Peeled Paint and Crushed Olive Distress ink. I stamped Penny Black 40-048 paisley outline with Forest Moss Distress Ink onto this background. Then I flicked it with water using my fingers. Once dry I adhered the dry embossed piece (Sizzix texture fade) to the card base. The orange "seam" was distressed with Wild Honey Distress Ink. The flowers from Penny Black 30-031 flower gallery (yep, the set I've been using all week) were colored with Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft PITT Artist pens. I then inked the background with Broken China and Walnut Stain Distress Ink. Sentiment from Penny Black 30-031 flower gallery.

Thanks so much for visiting. See you tomorrow with another drop-dead gorgeous card from Elizabeth!

Elizabeth *Day 2*

Here's our next gorgeous card by Elizabeth:

Once again Elizabeth has truly blown me away with her ability to make such an elegant card using such fun, bright colors! I love the light background she has created for her beautiful flowers and I just can't get enough of the bright green and pink combination!

Here's my take, again using this great stamp by Penny Black, 30-031 flower gallery (I'm using it all week):

The background for the flowers was created by inking my acrylic block with Crushed Olive and Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink. I spritzed the acrylic block with water and then pressed it on my paper. Once dry, I added a bit of Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink to the edges using an ink blending tool and foam applicator. The flower was stamped using Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft Stamper's Big Brush Markers and Copic markers. I then cut it out and adhered it to the green panel using dimensional adhesive. The white background was embossed and then inked lightly with Antique Linen Distress Ink.

Thanks so much for popping by! HUGS!

Giveaway Winner

Hi everyone! Thanks to everyone who entered to win Britta's e-book and videos. You all left the most lovely comments which had me smiling all weekend! :) Here's our random winner:

#21 gaijinjoy

Wahoo! Please send me an email and I'll forward you onto Britta. She'll get you your book and videos ASAP.

Thanks also to the generous Britta who made this giveaway possible. And I'll see you all tomorrow with another great card by Elizabeth. :)

Inspired by...Elizabeth

This week I am so thrilled to announce that our featured artist is none other than the uber-talented Elizabeth Allan. I love her elegant cards with bright colors! You'll want to be sure to check out her BLOG and PHOTOSTREAM. Here's our first inspiration card by Elizabeth:

I just love all of the blue! The overall design is incredibly balanced and eye catching, right down to the pretty ribbon and gem embellishments.
Here is my take. I just had to create something blue and with a circular element:

I began by die cutting the oval using a Spellbinders die. Next I used the die as a stencil and added a light layer of Wild Honey Distress ink to the oval. I stamped the daisy image twice, once onto the oval and another onto a separate piece of white cardstock. I colored the image with Copics, cut it out, and layered it onto the oval using dimensional adhesive. The background was created by applying Broken China Distress Ink to white cardstock and then stamping with a Penny Black background stamp. Sentiment by Penny Black, 3380D Feel Better.

Oh, those pretty daisies are from this set from Penny Black: 30-031 Flower Gallery. I'm creating a mini challenge for myself this week to use this particular set on every card.

See you tomorrow with another BEAUTIFUL card by Elizabeth. Thanks for popping by! HUGS!
PS- I'll be back later today with a winner from last Friday's giveaway. :) Thanks for your patience!

Lisa *Day 5* and a Giveaway

I want to begin today by thanking Lisa for allowing me to share her work here on "Inspired by..." and for always being such an inspiration to all of us stampers! Remember you can see lots of Lisa's cheery creations HERE. This is our last inspiration photo by Lisa:The beautiful color scheme in Lisa's photo inspired me to create this: I began by inking up a Penny Black cling background by coloring it with Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft Stamper's Big Brush Markers. I spritzed my stamp before stamping. Next, I added shading directly to the stamped image using PITT Artist Pens. The center die cut was then distressed with Crushed Olive Distress Ink. The background began as white cardstock and was distressed using Worn Lipstick, Brushed Corduroy, Wild Honey, and Fired Brick Distress Ink. Sentiment by Penny Black 3380D Feel Better. Now for a giveaway--just what every Friday needs; right? :) The sweet Britta Swiderski has given me a copy of her new and exciting e-book, No-Stress Distress Inks, to giveaway. You can read more about the e-book HERE. To win, just leave a comment on this post and Britta and I will announce a winner on Monday. Be sure to include your email with your comment so we can get the book sent to you if you win! :) Have a fabulous weekend, my friends! HUGS!

Lisa *Day 4*

This may be my absolute favorite photo by Lisa. I can't get enough of the bright colors with the blue vases. STUNNING! And again, just looking at the picture makes me smile. Here's my take. I just had to stamp some big bright flowers:

The tag was created by stamping and masking Penny Black 4183K sparkle with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink. The leaves and flowers were colored with Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft Stamper's Big Brush Markers and PITT Artist Pens. I added a few highlights with my Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft white Pastel Pencil. The tag was mounted on white card stock distressed with Antique Linen Distress Ink. Finally, I distressed the edges of the card base with Wild Honey, Peeled Paint, Worm Lipstick, Dusty Concord, and Fired Brick Distress Ink. Sentiment by Penny Black 2711F ...dreams.... See you tomorrow--be sure to stop by as I will be having a little giveaway. :) HUGS!

Lisa *Day 3* and a VIDEO!

This next photo by Lisa is just sooooo peaceful. I love the look of the prairie at sunset!Here's my take: Background created with Distress Inks (Wild Honey, Spiced Marmelade, Broken China, and Pumice Stone). All stamps Penny Black (30-031 flower gallery, 4155L flower amonst flowers).
Next up I have a video for you. This is the first time I've ever talked in one of my videos and my voice sounds so crazy! I was recording the voiceover with a headset/microphone and my voice sounded so loud when I was recording so I talked softer. ANYWAYS, my hubby and I had a good laugh when we listened to it! LOL The video shows my current favorite coloring techniques using Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft products. Here's the card:And the video:
**To see full screen (sorry it is cutting off part of the video on my blog) click HERE.**

After coloring the flower (Penny Black) using Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft Stamper's Big Brush Markers and PITT Artist Pens as demonstrated in the video, I distressed the entire piece of cardstock with Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink. The green background was created by distressing white cardstock with Peeled Paint, Crushed Olive, and Forest Moss Distress Ink.

Thanks soooo much for watching! HUGS!

See ya tomorrow! HUGS!

Lisa *Day 2*

Good morning my friends. Here's a happy photo by Lisa that is sure to make you ready for spring! And here's my take:To create the center panel on this card I began by stamping Penny Black 4181K words like flowers with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink on Copic Express paper. The flowers were colored with Copics. Next I inked my acrylic block (just press the ink pad directly onto the acrylic block) with Broken China and Brushed Corduory Distress Ink. I spritzed the acrylic block with water and then pressed it directly over my image. Have a great rest of your day! See ya tomorrow!

Inspired by...Lisa Spangler

Hi everyone! Hope you had a nice, relaxing weekend. Mine was fantastic! This week I am so honored to be featuring the talented and suber-sweet Lisa Spangler. Most of you are familiar with Lisa's fun and hip card designs but did you know she is an awesome photographer, too? This week I will be making cards inspired by Lisa's photos. And if you haven't been to her blog, be sure to check it out HERE. It is bursting with charm! Here's our first photo by Lisa: And here's my take:

I began by stamping Penny Black 4184K rosa on white cardstock with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink. I colored the rose using a light purple Copic marker and then layered Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft Art Grip Aquarelle Watercolor Pencils on top of the rose. I blended by dabbing the colored areas with a small wet paint brush. To add even darker shading, I dipped one watercolor pencil into my dish of water and then colored with the wet tip. The leaves were colored with Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft Stamper's Big Brush Markers. Once dry, I distressed the entire center panel with Antique Linen and Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink. The grey background was created by distressing white cardstock with Pumice Stone Distress Ink and then stamping Penny Black 40-048 paisley outline with Pumice Stone Distress Ink.

Thanks soooo much for popping in. I'll see you tomorrow with another stunning photo by Lisa!

Purple Onion Designs SALE

Hope your Saturday is off to a great start! I'm headed to teach card class today at my favorite place to hang out, my LSS, Mementos! Here's my latest Purple Onion Designs card:

The butterfly was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft Stamper's Big Brush Markers. The calendar background was inked with Pumice Stone Distress Ink and before stamping I removed some ink using a baby wipe.

And I just wanted to let you know that Purple Onion Designs is having a great sale and a mini release. All the designs in the mini release are from Stephanie Ackerman--love her unique style! Click HERE to check it out. This one is my fav:

Also, almost every individual sentiment is on sale for $1 or $2!! Special sale pages have been created for this sale. You can view them HERE. Hope you are having a great Saturday. I'll see you tomorrow with another peek in my sketchbook. HUGS!

Darlene *Day 4*

Well, I'm sorry to announce that this is our last day of inspiration with Darlene. It has been such a pleasure to share her work this week, and remember you can always check out more of her cards and fun videos on her BLOG. Here's our last inspiration card by Darlene:

Darlene's card is full of so much delicious distressing--it makes me giddy! I love the stamping of the subtle script in the background as well as the water splotches. Finally, Darlene's gorgeous butterfly really shines against the darker colors of the background. Here is my take. I decided to do a very inky, distressed background with a contrasting focal point, just like Darlene's butterfly: I began by inking the background (white cardstock) with Wild Honey, Brushed Corduroy, and Fired Brick Distress Ink. Once inked, I flicked it with water to create the water spots. The flowers (Penny Black Flower Gallery 30-031) were stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink on Copic X-Press paper. After coloring with Copics I cut out the flower image and adhered it to my card using dimensional adhesive (pop dots). Sentiment by Papertrey Ink. Thanks so much for your visits this week!! :) Have a wonderful weekend and I'll be back tomorrow with a little Purple Onion Designs news. HUGS!

Darlene *Day 3*

Quick post today as I'm hoping to sneak away this evening as I type this to watch Modern Family and The Middle with my hubby. Love those shows- always good for a laugh. :) Here is Darlene's card. I just LOVE that background color!

And here's my take:All stamps Penny Black.

See you tomorrow with our last inspiration card by Darlene. Hope you have a great Thursday!

Darlene *Day 2*

Hi everyone! Welcome to day 2 of inspiration with the fabulous Darlene! Here is her gorgeous card:

Oh man, I can't get enough of Darlene's bright bold flowers. They are colored beautifully! And I love the way she attached her sentiment, too.

Here is my take. I just had to make a bold floral card, too: I began by stamping and masking the flower (Penny Black 30-031 Flower Gallery) with Mementos Tuxedo Black Ink. I colored the flowers using Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft Stamper's Big Brush markers and PITT Artist Pens. I added the lighter white shading on the petals using the Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft white Pastel Pencil.

Thanks SOOO much for stopping by! See you tomorrow! HUGS!

Inspired by...Darlene

Thanks everyone for waiting for this post! Sorry I am a bit behind. This week's featured stamper has an eye for color and fun designs, oh, and by the way, she is super sweet! :) It is.......Darlene! You will want to spend some time over at Darlene's blog- she makes fun videos to go with most of her cards! Here is our first inspiration card by Darlene:

I love the way Darlene has stamped the butterflies in a row along the side of the card- what a great design idea! Her distressed stamping is so pretty. Finally, the touches of black in Darlene's design give it a great finished look. Here is my take: I inked my fern stamp (Hero Arts S5154) with Distress Stains (Wild Honey, Peeled Paint, and Broken China). I lightly spritzed the stamp with water before stamping onto white cardstock which had been lightly distressed with Antique Linen Distress Ink. Sentiment by Hero Arts (CL491). Cardbase distressed with Wild Honey Distress Ink.

Thanks again for your patience in waiting for this post and I'll see you soon with our next GORGEOUS card by Darlene!

Sketchbook Sunday

**Updated 4/10** I just got home late from Copic Certification class in Phoenix (such a great class, BTW) so I will post our next featured artist tomorrow--can't wait much longer to share her awesome work! ;) Thanks for your patience, my friends.** It's been a while since I had a Sketchbook Sunday post on my blog so I'm excited to share today.To begin, I've had several questions about the size and type of my sketchbook. It is 6.25" by 8.5". It is nothing special- just a cheapie I bought at Michaels with a 50% coupon. To begin creating this page, I cut a smaller piece of white cardstock (center panel with flowers). On this cardstock I stamped and masked the flower image multiple times (Hero Arts CG194) using a Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft Stamper's Big Brush Marker in black. I colored each flower with a Stamper's Big Brush Marker, adding a darker shade to the center of each petal and blending the ink with my fingertip before dry. Next I used my new FAVORITE tool, a Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft white Pastel Pencil to color near the tips of each flower. I blended this with my fingertip, too (so fast and easy). Finally, I added a white Candi dot to the flower centers. Before adhering this center panel into the sketchbook, I stamped Hero Arts Friend Definition CG125 with a black Stamper's Big Brush Marker directly on the page in the sketchbook. Sentiment by Hero Arts. Thanks again for visiting, my friends!! See you tomorrow with our next featured artist!

Inspired by...Sally, Day 4

Happy Friday!!! Hope everyone has had a great week. I'm looking forward to a fun weekend of shopping, chatting, and Copic coloring with my good friends Lisa and Peggy as we head to Phoenix for Copic Certification class. But, on a sad note, I'm sorry to report that this is our last day of inspiration with the sweet and talented Sally. Be sure to check her BLOG and PHOTOSTREAM to keep tabs on her newest creations! Here's Sally's inspiration card for today:

Sally's warm, rich flower just glows against the pale, subtle background. The layers of the flower give create great dimension and those pearls make the perfect center. Sally has also done a beautiful job of lightly stamping the white background with the soft tan color. This adds to the overall feel of the card without distracting from her beautiful floral focal point. Finally, that lace is PERFECT on this gorgeous creation! Here is my take:

I stamped the flower (Hero Arts CG287) two times and colored with Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft Stamper's Big Brush Markers. I cut out the flowers (cutting one flower a bit smaller than the first) and adhered them together with pop dots. The leaves (Hero Arts CG148) were colored with Stamper's Big Brush Markers. The fabric background stamp (Hero Arts) was stamped on white cardstock with Hero Hues Soft Sand ink. The sentiment panel was distressed with Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink and stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink. (Hero Arts CL434). Thanks so much for your visits this week! Be sure to stop by this weekend as I will have a peek inside my sketchbook on Sunday--it's one of my favorites! :) HUGS and happy stamping!

Tiffany Doodles Challenge

Good morning, my friends! One more day until Friday... but who's counting; right? :)

Today we are taking a short break from our week inspired by Sally, so I can share with you my card for the April Tiffany Doodles challenge. This month's challenge is a color inspiration challenge using these colors:

I used the challenge colors as my guide when coloring my flower, but then I just had to make a bright background so the flowers would really "pop."

I colored the flower bouquet using Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft Stamper's Big Brush markers and I added white shading and highlights with the Design Memory Craft white Pastell Pencil. The background began as white cardstock which was inked with Distress Ink (Wild Honey, Brushed Corduroy, and Fired Brick). After Inking I flicked the background with water to create the water spots. (Flower by Tiffany Doodles and sentiment by Hero Arts)

More details on this card and this month's fun challenge can be found HERE.

Thanks for visiting and see you tomorrow with our last card inspired by Sally. HUGS!

Sally *Day 3*

This is one of my all-time favorite cards by Sally: I LOVE her layered background. The white embossing really adds a unique touch to this card, as does the fun shape. The colors on Sally's flowers are natural but also bold. Finally, that gorgeous ribbon finishes this card off perfectly!

Here is my take: I began by distressing white cardstock with Antique Linen Distress Stain. The flowers (Penny Black 4155L) were inked directly on the stamp with Distress Stain (Wild Honey, Peeled Paint, and Fired Brick) then I misted the stamp with water and stamped. Next, I stamped the script (Hero Arts K5344) with Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink, removing some ink with a baby wipe before stamping. The base of the card (gold section) began as white cardstock. I applied Antique Linen Distress Stain to my craft sheet. I randomly dipped my white cardstock piece into this ink. Once dry, I swiped a layer of Wild Honey Distress Stain directly on the paper. Sentiment by Hero Arts (CL250). Thanks again for peeking! Can't wait to see you tomorrow with a fun Tiffany Doodles post. :)

Sally *Day 2*

Seriously, has anyone figured out a way to manufacture more hours in the day? Please?! Well until someone sends me a link to that wonderful machine that can add a couple of hours to my day, this is going to have to be a quick post! LOL. Here's Sally's truly elegant card: And here's my take:The flourish was stamped after inking the stamp with Distress Stains (Wild Honey, Antique Linen, and Vintage Photo) and spritzing with water. The brown section on the right hand side was colored by swiping Vintage Photo Distress Stain across white cardstock. The splatter was stamped using Walnut Stain Distress Ink on a splatter stamp (All Night Media). All other stamps Hero Arts (CL380, CG187). Thanks for visiting! Hope to have more time to write tomorrow. HUGS!

Inspired by...Sally

Hi everyone! Time for another post where I get to announce this week's featured artist. :) Over the next few days I have the honor of sharing cards made by the talented Sally Sherfield! You'll want to hop on over to Sally's BLOG and PHOTOSTREAM, too, for additional inspiration. Let's get started with this stunner by Sally:

You know me, I LOVE my butterfly cards! :) Sally's is no exception. The warm yellow background is a great neutral backdrop for her pretty pair of butterflies. The pink of the butterflies just makes me happy as does the pretty punch, ribbon, and button embellishing her card. Here is my take. I was especially inspired by Sally's color scheme: I began by stamping the flower (Hero Arts CG194) with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink on Copic Express Paper. I colored the flower with a Copic Marker (Blush). Next, I added white shading and a darker pink to the flower petals using Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft PITT Pastel Pencils. Just scribble on the color and blend with your fingertip. (LOVE this technique, my friends, it is SUPER fast and so dynamic!) The background was distressed using Wild Honey Distress Ink and the background stamp (Hero Arts Magical Background) was stamped in Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink. Sentiment by Hero Arts (CL351). Thanks sooooooo much for stopping by! See you tomorrow with another beautiful card by Sally!

Happy Saturday

Happy Saturday and Happy Spring! :)

Here's a card I designed using all Purple Onion Designs stamps. More details available HERE.

Hope to see you tomorrow with a fun Sketchbook Sunday. HUGS!