Art Impressions Challenge #215: Orange and Purple

The current challenge at one of my favorite stamp companies, Art Impressions, is to use Orange and Purple in a creation. While you do not need to use one of their images, well, why wouldn't you?! It needn't be a Halloween card, either.

These two oldie goodies just entered the house. They've been on my wish-list for a while. The recent sale at Art Impressions was just too good to be true so I scooped them up. These characters make me smile.

I stamped these marvelous characters using My Sweet Petunia stamp positioned and Momento ink, then colored the images with my Copics. Next, I fussy cut the images. The background was created with Ranger Distress Oxides. This gal begs for bling, so naturally, I added some rhinestones. Despite having positioned the sentiment, I'm not really thrilled with the placement but I decided to accept it because perfection may never happen in this crafty space!

Here we go, again...

As you can see, it's been years since I have posted on this blog. Oh, I've written a few posts, but never actually published them. Seriously, the world is chock full of posts and opinions. We don't need another, but I've recently decided to enter some challenges, again and a blog is just the vehicle. So, here I go...

Two Years Later...

About two years ago, my husband and I decided it was time to move for a number of reasons. This was a very difficult move for me emotionally. To complicate matters, my husband had a serious fall while the house was on the market. Naturally, he was only in the initial stages of recovery when the house sold. Thank heaven for kind and supportive friends who spent a day helping me pack.

Leaving this beautiful home, this bucolic setting, this charming town was oh, so hard for me. I had to practice acceptance and reevaluate perspectives. Within a couple of months, I found new, friends, new community, a thriving creative group. No longer was I living life in the cornfield, but life in this potato field has proven to be pretty good!

I feel like I have the best of both worlds, now. In our new home, I have a studio without the beautiful view. However, it's bright and big and accessible year round. The former studio was much smaller and too expensive to heat or cool when temperatures dropped and rose. My neighbors are close-in every sense of the word. It's like being eight years old, again. We have playdates. Though we moved about an hour away from our former home, I head over to my adopted hometown weekly to visit with family and friends.

My days are busy: clubs, committees, playdates, babysitting, the requisite cleaning and cooking, reading, and crafting! Oh, how I love to color, ink, cut and paste. My friend and neighbor shares here expertise on a regular basis. She's taught me some new techniques and stirred my creative juices. it's good to have community.

Recently, my friend convinced me (pretty easily) to purchase Ranger Distress Oxides. They arrived and sat as I was a bit intimidated by them. It had been years since I had used my Distress Inks. The Distress Oxides have different properties. She encouraged me. We did some projects together, and now I look for opportunities to use them.

Art Impressions, Copics and Ranger Distress Oxides

Stampendous, Copics and Ranger Distress Oxides

So, here we go, again-a post on blogger. Will I keep at it? Time will tell!