This card was created for the Art Creations Friday blog. The challenge was to use this lovely vintage photo of a lady at her spinning wheel.

I made the card so that it folded open to reveal two other panels. I was really happy with the way the vintage paper and lace worked with the colours in the photograph. A special thank you to Art Freeby for supplying the wonderful image!

Autumn Quote

As you know, I love doing art blog challenges! I think I have one for every day of the week now...

This challenge is from a great blog, called One Powerful Hour. The trick is to try and complete the challenge in one hour. This week's challenge was AUTUMN. A favourite subject of mine, the quotes about this season are always so beautiful, and have such great imagery to work with. Combine that with the beautiful autumn color palette (provided courtesy of my favourite COPIC markers) and I was able to come up with this lovely little piece.

This is a 4x6 postcard that I have available for trade.

Gratitude

Vintage Inchies

Here are couple of VINTAGE inchies that I did for a challenge posted at the Small World of Inchies and Twinchies blog. Inchies are so much fun! The challenge of creating on such a small scale is a great thing to do, I recommend you give them a try...

WELCOME

For this weeks Illustration Friday prompt, I decided to create a Welcome sign using a retro autumn palette.

I would like to introduce you to one of my heroes, my online friend, Bernie Berlin.

Bernie is an amazing woman. In addition to being an incredible mixed media artist, Bernie runs a shelter for dogs and cats called A Place To Bark. Bernie has rescued thousands of sick, abused and abandoned animals. She is up all hours of the day and night caring for sick dogs and cats, and every week Bernie drives from Tennessee to Chicago with her van full of healed dogs and cats, so that they can be put up for adoption.

Right now, one of her dogs, Alphie, is in the Cutest Dog Competition on the All American Pets Brand website.

If her dog wins, Bernie will receive desperately needed funds for her shelter. If you’d like to help Bernie, and all of the animals, please register and vote here for this little love. You can even vote every day!

Molly and I have a challenge for all of you who have dogs or cats that YOU love. Go and make a donation to A Place to Bark, as I have. (I used PayPal) If all of us make a donation, we can help Bernie continue her amazing work!

I created this piece as part of a challenge on the blog, KIMBERLY'S MIXED MEDIA ART. Kimberly is running a contest using her Peaceful Lady image, and will be creating a collage sheet of some of the selected entries. Using my COPIC markers, I used a quote, featuring my lettering. Please visit Kimberley's blog after September 15th to vote on your favourite entry. Who knows, it may even be mine!

More Inchy Magnets...

So here are a couple more Inchy Magnets, created for the blog challenge,
at Inchy by Inch. This time the theme was stitch, so I decided to stitch some buttons onto these magnets. The background designs I created with my Copics.

You'll soon find these on a refrigerator near you!

Strong

Strong, originally uploaded by sapphire252.

This piece is for another Illustration Friday prompt, STRONG.

When I think of Strength, I think of the women, like my mother, who have had to battle breast cancer in their lifetime. Some, like my mother, have won that battle, and some, sadly, have lost. But all have shown strength that always leaves me in awe.

This is for you, ladies.

Copic Certification

Those of you who follow my blog, or have seen a lot of my artwork, know that one of my favourite weapons of choice are the COPIC markers. Oh, how I love thee, let me count the ways!!!

Last weekend I had the opportunity to take a COPIC Certification Class with Sherrie Siemens, a member of the COPIC design team, and a cardmaker extraordinaire. Visit her blog, Card Creme and you will see what I mean! Inspiring in so many ways, Sherrie is truly a kindred spirit. Anyone who names her blog after the frothy top of a latte is a girl after my own heart!

So I spent last Saturday in a creative heaven, learning great tips and tricks to use with my beloved COPIC markers. I also had the opportunity to work with the COPIC Airbrush system....I have to get one of those. As the girls in the class heard me say, I want one so bad it HURTS!!! Copic ink will color on pretty much anything - metal, glass, fabric, so the airbrush is a great way to add these colors evenly to your embellishments...

Being in this class gave me an opportunity to meet some wonderful people from near and far with similar interests, not to mention some wonderful business owners.

Here are my buddies from my table, Peggy and Amanda from Paperworks Co. and Camille from Scrap 'N' Bean.

We all had so much fun, and I am now a Certified Copic Instructor, which means I can teach others all about my favourite tool!