...and world peace

I can't believe February's almost over and this is the last royal challenge over at Gingersnap Creations! Today we're working with a color challenge: Jewel Colors with Gold.  Sure hope you play along and link up your creation by March 20 here:  GC92.  You may be crowned the next Home Page Artist or Ginger Gem!

 
My jewel colors are alcohol inks along with gold metallic mixative dabbed on glossy card stock.  Additional gold is the German scrap around the Gecko Galz image (see link on sidebar) and Adirondak gold paint dabber edging the word strips which are a cut up Stampin' Up rubber stamped sentiment.  Black card stock blank card base.  I finished with a regal flower and a jeweled stick pin which reminds me of a queen's scepter. 

Seashells by the Seashore

This is a thank you card for my SIL who invited me to vacation with her in Florida.  We did some shelling on the beaches. 

This is my second collage attempt.  I'm taking Mary's class at Green Papers Collage Club.  (link on my sidebar).  This lesson uses vintage papers torn into strips, gesso, and stamping. Some of the papers are Mary's from the class.  I added a couple from the Graphics Fairy (music and shells).  The focus image is another freebie from Bastelmania (link on my sidebar).  I used Ranger Distress Inks in Tea Dye and Weathered Wood.  Rubber  stamps are Versailles Crest from Memory Box and Floral Stem from Stampabilities.  I also dug out my Stampin' Up punch.  The shell is one of the souvenirs we collected on the beach.

This card also qualifies for the card challenge hosted by DTer Starr over at Bella Creations.  Her challenge, which ends on the last day of February, is to make a card using maroon, cream, and brown, ribbon or fibers, a quote, and something 3-D. 

Be The Crown

Be the Crown !!!  okay, okay, I've watched Miss Congeniality one too many times!  I was working with Wendy Vecchi's Studio 490 stamps, developing an ATC to use for both the Gingersnap Creations Crowns challenge and the EWV Yahoo Group Make Art challenge---I pieced together one of Wendy's sentiments--and the phrase just happened!!!!  Works for me.....

About the Gingersnap Creations challenge:  this month's theme is royalty.  This week it's the Random Redhead challenge: GC91 Crowns.  I'd been wanting to work with this Studio 490 stamp set for quite some time and was so happy that I could use it for my Ginger Design Team work.  I hope you find the perfect crown in your stash and join in the fun.  You have until March 13 to post a link to your creation on Gingersnap Creations. 

About my ATC:  tag with distress ink spritz technique, cut to ATC size.  grunge paper butterfly.
Inks:  Archival: black, sepia;   Ranger Distress: fired brick, spun sugar, tattered rose.
Studio 490 stamp sets:  Dreams of Art (background lines), Art by the Number (corner dotted scallop, scroll border), Art Fit For a Queen (crowned face, words from a sentiment), Make Mine Mini Art (butterfly)

About the Everything Wendy Vecchi Yahoo! Group.  We recently started a Make Art challenge series, based on Wendy's books, using Wendy's stamps.  I made this ATC for the first challenge.  I was away on a trip during the time of the second challenge, but plan to enter the third one which is posted today.  Work is posted in our EWV Yahoo group, and members comment there on each others' work.  The challenges and time frame for completion vary based upon the challenge.  Once in a while, there will be a prize for one of the entries, chosen at random. Some of the challenges have a swap option.  Lots of fun.  If you'd like to join in, there's a button on my sidebar that leads you to the Yahoo group.  But you can also take a short cut by clicking HERE

I've also posted in my sidebar a badge/link for the Ginger Design Team call.  Click on the badge to learn more about becoming an Official Ginger.

Rabbit

I host the Oh La La group at Bella Creations.  Gecko Galz. sponsors our group.  We get from them an image to use in our challenge and an ephemera set (digital collage sheet) chosen by the winner is the monthly prize    The winner always is by random draw.
The past month we made a tag using our group avatar and had 20 fantastic entries.
February's challenge is to make a bookmark using a rabbit image from Gecko Galz.  Why the rabbit?  We explain it all in our group.  Here is my sample:

 If you like making tags, bookmarks, and ATCs, we'd love to have you join us in the Oh La La group at Bella Creations.  Just enter the site through the blinkie badge on my sidebar.

The Boy Who Would Be King

Gingersnap Creations' is getting regal in February. Our muse is Shelly Hickox. Our three visiting artists this month are Holly Brown, Autumn Hathaway, and Sandi McLean,

This week's GC89 Theme Challenge is Kings and Queens. If you'd like to submit your art for this challenge, you have until February 27. One winner will be homepage artist.  And ten will be chosen as Ginger Gems.   Please see all the amazing samples and get more information about the challenge here at Gingersnap Creations. 

My design team Ginger sample:
Card 4-3/4" x 6"
Patterned background papers:  DCWV Old World Stack.
Background scene from a sample digi sheet from Itkupilli
Boy King digital image from Gecko Galz free January ephemera set
Torn Paper with stamp image from printed collage sheet from Red Lead Paperworks
shell from a broken necklace; mini letter tile alphas

On a personal note:  Art is therapy.  This card was tearfully made in memory of my brother who passed away earlier this week.

Two New Challenges at Bella Creations

I have lots of wonderful  info to share with you about two new challenges that will be featured every month---starting today--- at Bella Creations, a ning site hosting amazing, talented scrappers, paper crafters and artists.  (Enter the site through my blinking badge on my sidebar.)

ONE:  If you've been following my blog for any length of time, then you know that I make a grunge board album page for each art group that I belong to.  This is the page for Bella Creations.  It's also our first Design Team assignment.  We were to use turquoise, pink, and cream to create something for the February Tres Chic contest. There are a few more requirements in addition to the color palette, but you can create any project you'd like.  On March 1, one lucky entrant will win this prize by random draw:

For my album page, I glued core'dination paper on top of grungeboard.  Bella Creations' colors are black and pink with a touch of turquoise.  So I chose the black paper with the pink core.  Prior to gluing, I used the Tim Holtz brick texture fade on the corners.  Then I sanded the bricks and all the way around the edge of the page to expose the pink.  Bricks symbolize building the foundation of Bella Creations.  You see some Tim Holtz tissue tape on the top right which I ribbon folded.  My friend Sandi sent me the pink punchinella (sequin waste) that you see in the bottom left corner.  Here are a couple close-ups:

 
TWO:  For the Bella Muse Challenge, you can create anything with a specific image.  The image of this little girl inspired me to create something special in memory of baby Clara who became an angel of God a year ago.

:

I started with a red foil heart, lined it with turquoise paper and then added various trims including creme ruffled crepe paper. 
The Muse challenge is sponsored by Scraps of Darkness (link on my right sidebar).  February's winner, by random draw announced on March 1, will get this prize which is the January Scraps of Darkness kit:

If this isn't enough to get you over to Bella Creations, the other Design Team Bellas have their own groups and sponsor their own challenges.  There's something for everybody!  I'll be sharing my group's challenge and prize in Thursday's post.

We honor members in other ways besides prizes.  Tobi. is La Creme du Bella Creations this week for her beautiful collage/layout.  Lynne is the Bella du Jour and Terry is our first Bella du Mois.  If you'd like to learn more about these honors, please join us at Bella Creations! We'd love to see you there!