Cat's Meow

                                                              

I made this little album from a black interactive flip book by Teresa Collins, and decorated it with papers from the Raining Cats & Dogs collection by Graphic 45.  I happened to see the blank book at JoAnn's and the idea came to me that it would make a cute little photo album.  The book was already assembled, so all I had to do was populate it with the papers.  For this album, I only used the cat themed papers, thus the title "Cat's Meow" on the cover.  I added the final touches of rhinestones and a ribbon on the front. This book is for my sister so she can display photos of her two cats Berto and Pascualina.                                                         

Inside of the front cover and the first page

 

 

Following pages

 

 

Another view of the middle pages

 

 

Back cover

 

Christmas 2014

                                                     

I  meant to post this entry last month in December in the midst of the holiday season, but between making cards and getting ready to fly home, the time got away from me.  I recently retired from the Federal government after working more years than I care to remember. I am very happy to be retired, and it happened at the best time, right after Thanksgiving.  I have absolutely no regrets and it's a wonderful feeling to know that every day I wake up is mine to do as I want. For those of you that are still working, your day will come, so hang in there!

Although I made many different types of Christmas cards for 2014, I have only posted those with images designed by Rick St Dennis.  With all the rush and lack of time, I did not take photos of the other cards I made.  The card above is one I made for a Christmas card swap sponsored by Kit & Clowder, and it was mailed all the way to Scotland.  I am pleased to say the recipient was delighted with this card!  The image used is a hat model called 1940 Park Avenue, and I also used it for a second card I made, a variation that I gave to my sister Anabel.
                                                           

The following three cards I made back in August and submitted for publication in Just Cards magazine.  I have not heard anything yet as of this date, but perhaps we will see them in a future holiday issue.                                               
                                     

December Holly

 

                                                                         

 

Iryna

 

 

Starry Night Santa

 

 

Last but not least, I have included Billy Goldenbells, and I hope to use for Christmas 2015!  Better late than never..... I wish everyone a happy new year!

 

 

Rick's Witchy Women

                                                  

Mystique

 

Hello everyone... it's been a while since I posted, but I will be retiring next month, and not only will I have more time for my art projects, but hope to be posting on a more regular basis.  Anyway, Halloween is around the corner and I was able to complete 5 witch images all designed by Rick St Dennis.  Although the colored images have been posted to Facebook within the last month, I wanted to wait until I integrated the images into cards before posting them on this blog.  Not sure if I'll have time to complete the remaining two cards, but I wanted to post these three now, of which I am proud of, as I like how they turned out.
                                                      

Sweet Lil' Witch

The witches have all been colored with Copic markers, and I used papers both by Graphic 45 and Hallow's Eve by Marah Johnson.  I used different ribbons and trims for the finishing touches. 

All designs are by Rick St Dennis and are available from his Zibbet shop at www.zibbet.com/Rick1949 .  Rick has a wide variety of Halloween images, from the glamorous to the cute to the creepy, so I am sure you will find something just right for you. 

                                                  

1950's Vampy Witch

Below is Katie the Pin-Up Witch - my 4th addition to Rick's Witch Women.  Not very "threatening", but looks can deceive, since she is bewitching LOL!
                                                              

                                           Katie the Pin-Up Witch                                             

All my best and a Happy Halloween to each and everyone!

Victorian Story Book Cards

                                                            

Hello everyone!

I hope everyone had a nice Memorial Day weekend.  I was busy with a Copic color workshop, and during this time I got an idea for a new series of cards using Pre-Raphaelite art images.  I have long been an admirer of Pre-Raphaelite art, and love the intense colors and imagery of Medieval and Renaissance culture.  There is also the element of fantasy and nature in Pre-Raphaelite art which makes it so compelling.  Looking at a painting is like reading a story, and this was my intention when I set out to make the cards.  In fact, after I was finished, they looked like distressed covers of Victorian books.             
                                                 

 

 

It's said that a picture is worth a thousand words, so I hope you can look at each card and imagine Once Upon a Time.....and They Lived Happily Ever After.

                                                  

                                                 

 

Life Is All About Plan B

                                                    

 

The above card is my entry for the steampunk challenge from the team.  It was only by chance that I already happened to have this digi stamp designed by Rick St Dennis.  This digi stamp can be purchased from Rick's Zibbet site under the Steampunk category for anyone interested. Since I am still new to Rick's team, I was not planning on participating, but I not only had a stamp, but also an idea, so decided to go with it. 

The card is 6 1/2" x 6 1/2", and the background prints and vintage tag are from the Timeless Type collection by DCWV.  The sprocket dies are from Spellbinders and La-La Land Crafts.  I added a tiny cameo and a clock as final touches.  The image of Ephasia I colored with Copic markers. I worked as many steampunk elements as I could into the card, but the sentiment really says it all, and it's so true.  Nothing is constant in life; as what we plan may take another turn, thus....life is all about Plan B.  In other words, we have to learn to adapt and to improvise in life.  I think of it as going with the flow.

Shady Ladies

                                                    

Hello everyone,
For those of you that do not yet know, I was recently asked by Rick St Dennis to become a member of his Design Team.  I was very flattered, as this is my first time being part of a design team, so this is all new to me as I navigate my way around. Many thanks not only to Rick himself, but to fellow team members Aletha, Monique, and Helen for being so helpful.

Rick's new hat series is called Shady Ladies, and as you can see, they are not very nice girls LOL! Rick did ask Aletha and I to make them evil, but I couldn't help giving them my touch of glamour.  Still, they do look dangerous!

            

                                        

There Was A World and I Was Queen

                                             

 

Queen Elizabeth I is one of my favorite historical characters, and a woman I admire in so many ways.  I can't tell you the number of books I have about her, written by authors with different perspectives.  She truly was an enigmatic woman and a fascinating one. 

Not too long ago, I purchased an odd looking Spellbinder die called Gold Majestic Circle.  At the time I was not sure what I would do with it, but it looked like an unusual frame to me, so I knew that somewhere down the road I would find a use for it.  Soon afterwards, I saw a new paper pack called Uncharted by Paper Studio. This 12 x 12 pack is made up of antique maps redefined, some in colorful hues.  I decided to use the maps as a background for a card showcasing Elizabeth in the Spellbinder die.  I then went looking for images, and spotted this artistic version, that although very idealized, is perfect as a card.

This is one of those "just because" cards, since it's not really meant for any special occasion, like a birthday, for example.  I look at it as perhaps an empowerment card for someone that needs a little confidence or push in the right direction.
                                               

I made two versions, each with a different background.  The sentiment stamped inside is:

"There was a world and
I was Queen
A world where I created
all things seen"

I can't think of a better way to describe Elizabeth I.  It truly says it all.