So Artful Challenge - Pitfalls of Passion

This card unexpectedly turned into a valentine. Kind of strange for a valentine but there it is! If nothing else it was great practice for Photoshop. I'm still not that good at digital creations so this got the tactile treatment as well.

Valentine Greeting in Purple

This one is back to basics - all paper and lots of layers. The pin nibs are separate paper pieces, though it doesn't look like it in the picture. Woman image from Luna Girl.

Award from Louise!

I am very excited to have received an award today from Louise, who has a very beautiful blog at http://kardkrazy.blogspot.com/ Thank you, Louise!

The rules behind this award are: I would like to pass this award on to the following wonderful people who are first and most importantly ...CARING bloggers who take time to comment on others work. Also they have fabulous blogs with excellent artwork.

I would like to give this award to Jan, at http://jan-jansjournal.blogspot.com/, who creates some of the most amazing mixed media art pieces I have seen!

And to Jacqueline, at http://myscrapbasket.blogspot.com/, who has the most serene blog - you will want to get a cup of tea and linger!

Discovery

I just discovered Photoshop Brushes! I never bothered to explore those dropdown menus. I thought they were all just round with different sizes and feathering. Slow learner here! Who knew what designs were to be found! And the ones you can buy off the interenet - WOW! I just opened up a blank and started sweeping different brushes across the page using different settings and colors. When I finished I decided to add this cool image I got from http://www.art-e-zine.co.uk/vintageresources.html under Maggie's Flea Market Finds. I rather like the effect!

Kreativ Award from Kris!

I am so honored and pleased to receive an award from a woman I consider my Papercraft Guru - Kris at http://nostalgiccollage.blogspot.com/ Everything she creates is amazing and the amount of art pieces she produces is equally amazing. Yet she always takes time to visit and encourage newbies like me! Thank you, Kris.

The rules behind this award are:I would like to pass this award on to the following wonderful people who are first and most importantly ...CARING bloggers who take time to comment on others work. Also they have fabulous blogs with excellent artwork.

I would like to pass this award to my other two Papercraft Gurus, talented artists who have thrilled me with their encouragement and inspiration:

Marie at http://ozstuff-ozstuff.blogspot.com/

and

Criss Rollins at http://thepapergirls.blogspot.com/

Valuable Thoughts - ACF Challenge 10

This is my take on the lovely challenge picture at ART CREATIONS FRIDAY

I feel like this is cheating - I just got a new book on digital scrapbooking, which has a disk loaded with background papers and digital elements. The images I used are from the Flowering Horizons collection created by Katie Pertiet. This was so easy it was like shooting fish in a bucket...no wait, my son did that when he was a teenager and he found it was not easy at all. What can I say, he grew up to be a U.S. Marine.

Theme Thursday 2x4 Challenge

This is my first attempt taking up a challenge presented by Theme Thursday. I hope I followed the instructions correctly. Working in this small format is harder than it looks! Thanks for letting me share.

Full Digital - ACF Challenge 9

Here is my fully digital rendition of this serious little student. I could not decide if she was serious about her future studies - planning to be the first female doctor in her town, or whether she was solemn because she knew her career would be in homemaking rather than medicine. What do you think?

Half Digital - ACF Challenge 9

I loved working with the picture of this little girl, though I never could get her to be anything but serious! After cutting and colorizing her image, I scanned a couple of scrapbook papers - rulers and dots and melded them together digitally. After digitally adding a school desk for her studies, I changed mediums and enhanced the rest of the card with real paper, chipboard, ribbon and "sunflower" Glimmer Mist. Oh, almost forgot, she has legs digitally stolen from another little girl her age.

Lesson 2

Digital lessons resume with my daughter home from college for the three day weekend! This afternoon she taught me the basics of using the magic wand. And it really is magic! Well, it certainly cuts out a lot of unneccessary steps I was taking. Anyway, the starting point for this picture was a furniture ad - I ended up blowing up a very small piece of the wallpaper in the ad. Amazing what can inspire....

Love Lyrics

I did this card with only two digital layers. A scrap of red toile Christmas wrapping paper was scanned into my computer. Then I laid in my lyrical Luna Girl lady. The shiny photo paper appeared rather stark against the creams in all the scrapbook papers, so I used a touch of russet luster rub on paint.

A Suggestive Valentine

So happy I got to use this new stamp from B-Line designs! One of my best friends gave it to me (along with several others) for Christmas!

It could be a valentine....

So I got sidetracked; I often do when I am sitting amidst my pile of Luna Girl cd roms. I'll get back to valentines tomorrow....

Art Creations Friday Challenge 8

Still practicing my digital art lessons! But I cannot seem to let go of the tactile elements of conventional card making, i.e. ribbons, buttons, and brads! I'm okay with that. That is where my heart is. But who knew erasing layers could be so engrossing?

This background did not exactly suggest Valentines - I forced it, because on January 1st I am full throttle into Valentines, my favorite card making holiday. Christmastime is too stressful for me to send cards, but six weeks later I try to catch up with old friends by sending Valentines - after all, Valentine's Day is all about the cards!

Art Creations Friday Challenge 7

I'm late with my entry but I did make a card using this great background! This one is exciting for me because this is the first time I have done any digital art using layers. My 21 year old daughter was home for college and spent a few hours teaching me the basics of layering. Until now I had only used Photoshop to alter one picture at a time. This is an eye opening new experience! Thank you, Holly, my beautiful and generous angel for encouraging me to open my horizons!