The wheels are turning…the creative sparks are flashing!…

So much inspiration flowing from my drawing pen day and night!

I’m so excited to share my new Layers of Color art stamp designs with everyone! I’m joyously creating collections of art stamps that you’ll love so that your artwork will continue to be an inspired piece of who you are. The new clear art stamps will beautifully compliment our debut art stamp sets found at Layers of Color.

Soon, I’ll be presenting new stamps for our art stamp line that are simply perfect for cardmaking. And I can’t help but add more elaborate Signature Art Stamps to help you express yourself creatively in mixed-media! Production takes time, but I just had to share my excitement and give you something to look forward to! Until then…

Creative Sparks!

Coins are the theme at Layers of Color Challenge this week. Here’s my artwork. I hope this Gothic Arch inspires you!

Remember discovering a coin on the ground when you were a child, and how exciting that was? I would pick it up and sing, “Find a penny, pick it up!…all day have good luck!”. My children would call the shiny ones, “girls”. I still look for found coins, but instead of picking them up, I point them out to any nearby children, just to see their smiles shine!	Penny Found
Image from Dover, background paper from Shabby Cottage Studio. All stamps used are Layers of Color Art Stamps, Flower Child, Architectural Blocks, Fleur Heart and Renaissance Hearts.	Close Up
Details include rick-rack, fringe trim, colored pencil, acrylic paint, stitched on heart charm, French coin replica from an old belt, and handwriting.	Details

I LOVE Autumn! It’s my favorite time of year. It’s sunny yet, crispy cool. Time to wear my favorite clothing, cuddly sweaters. The air smells fresh, a mixture of pine trees and campfires. The house is warm and often filled with the scent of baking sweets and apple/cinnamon candles. The trees gently shake away their colorful leaves. I have one tree that turns bright red and one I call my ‘Rainbow’ tree because it has leaves that are green, yellow, orange and red. They bring me smiles everyday!

It’s the time of family gatherings, Thanksgiving, thankfulness, and many birthday celebrations among my family and friends. So I’m also in my studio much of the days making gifts as I prepare for celebrations and Christmas.

I’ve made a gift with an Autumn theme that fits into two challenges beautifully: Arty Girlz – Autumn; and, Dans Ma Maison Il y a…Une Fleur. Sharing it with you before I wrap it…

This started out as a card, and turned into a 3-dimensional house! It’s 4 1/4″ X 12 1/2″.	An Autumn Gift
I used Layers of Color Garden Borders Art stamps on the sides. Beaded Frames and Renaissance Hearts on the raised center of the sunflower. It’s been painted with watercolors and spray mist.	Side View
Dover sister image, Layers of Color Renaissance Hearts & Fleur Heart art stamps are used over a copy of an early floral engraving.	Details
The card sits atop pinked velvet and an upholstery fabric imported fromthe Netherlands.	Close Up

	Raised Flower Center
	Close UP
A smashed and reshaped bottle cap  decorated with heart charms enhances the peak of the roof.	Bottle Cap Embellishment
Velvet and embroidered ribbons, tiny fall leaves and button brad on top of pinked velvet decorates the corner.	Corner Embellishments

Cammie has a Heart to Heart Blog Candy Giveaway where she is encouraging us to make a “Thank You!” card for those who care for Alzheimer’s patients. Her cause is heartfelt and her story is touching. Layers of Color is supporting Cammie, and honoring World Alzheimer’s Day, by donating two art stamp sets (winner’s choice)! If you participate, I’d appreciate it if you’d list ‘Layers of Color’ as a manufacturer. Thank you, and good luck!

My Heartfelt Appreciation For All You Do

Here’s my contributing card:

It’s made with Layers of Color Beaded Frames and Garden Borders art stamp sets, Paper Whimsy image, a copy of a floral textile and a canvas background painted with acrylics; all placed on orange cardstock with a black envelope.

The challenge at Dans Ma Maison Il ya…une Fleur. A perfect opportunity to use my “Fleur” stamp on a birthday card. There are over a dozen birthdays I’ll celebrate between now and the end of the year, so this is the first of many.

I used glossy card stock, alcohol inks, Staz-On ink, Dover image, Layers of Color Fleur Heart and Garden Borders art stamp sets, pencil, marker and a copy of an early floral engraving…all for a card in the shape of a house.	Fleur Birthday Card
	Close Up

If I was a little girl with pigs I’d both play “baby”, and roll in the mud with them! When we went to the county fair this summer we were able to pet the pigs, watch them race, and fantasize about owning them. Here’s my Layers of Color Challenge for “Farm Animals”…

Paper Whimsy girl and pigs from a children’s book.	Oink Oink
3-D dots as buttons, lace, moss, metal tag and sequin waste are part of this mixed media piece.	Piglettes
Layers of Color Fleur Heart and Renaissance Hearts art stamps along with lots of stitching, acrylic paint, spray mists, walnut ink are also used.	Close Up
Layers of Color Art Stamps are also used on the flower and leaf.	Details

I recently discovered that in the UK there is a farm where they breed sheep pigs! Two for one. That’s right, pigs with sheep curls! I think the redheads are particularly adorable!

Layers of Color art stamps have been published in a special issue by Scott Publications, “Just Invitations!”, Volume 1, Summer 2008! Our card designer, Denise Lynn submitted a stunning wedding invitation, featuring Layers of Color Renaissance Hearts stamp set. I created a party invitation using Layers of Color Garden Borders stamp set. This is a fun issue with over 200 invitations to inspire you!

	Just Invitations Vol. 1 Summer 2008
Page 114	Wedding Invitation by Denise Lynn
Page 24	Party Invitation by Laura Kirste Campbell