Saturday Showcase: November 3, 2012

Of all the days for me to have to set up a new computer...

You see back at the end of August, both my computer and beloved cat died on the same day.  Obviously the second loss was much more devastating than the first.  I'm still dealing with the loss of my dear Bella who was just shy of her 12th birthday.  However, as many of you out there can attest to, losing one's computer brings up a whole bunch of challenges, especially when one is on it for most of the day.  My husband graciously split his computer into two so that I had some place to work.  It was only the box that didn't work on my old system so my hard drives were all intact.  Subsequently, we attached my hard drives to his system and I had a place to continue to work and design.  Well, we were finally able to save enough money to buy a refurbished system and today was all about setting it up.  Doing so has stolen a huge chunk of my time; time I wanted to spend creating.  Thus, while some stuff will have to sit on the back burner, there is one thing I need to accomplish today.  Setting up the...

SATURDAY SHOWCASE

There are so many wonderful artists out there creating astounding pieces of work.   Each week, I come across a lot of truly unique blogs featuring incredible freebies, remarkable card designs and great tips and techniques.  Consequently, I have decided to create a special post on Saturdays showcasing other artists' work (whether it be stamps, cards or otherwise), a blog post offering a great technique, or I might even just pick a whole blog to showcase.  The criteria I am using is that it has to move me in some way (it makes me laugh or cry; awes, inspires or astounds me; etc). I believe that it is extremely important to support other artists within our creative community and this is my way of doing so.

My top picks for this Saturday's showcase include:

CARD CHOICES...

SHOWCASE ITEM #1

This wonderful card was designed by

 Lisa Minckler

Her blog is called "You Made Me Ink"

Reasons For Choosing:

I found Lisa's blog a few months ago and have been a fan ever since.  When I came across this card from her October 28th post entitled "Hello Friend...", it just jumped out at me.  First of all, the colouring is amazing. The rich earthy browns just bring the picture alive.  Moreover, when I gaze at it, I imagine fairy folk flitting around inside making the tree into a home. You will find the details for this card in the post mentioned above.  If you are unfamiliar with Lisa's work, pay her a visit and see her talent for yourself (clicking on the blog name will take you straight to her blog).

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 SHOWCASE ITEM #2

This wonderful card was designed by

 Vicky F.

Her blog is called "Crafting Vicky"

 

Reasons For Choosing:

I became familiar with Vicky's work through the Create With TLC blog.  Her work is often showcased on the site since she is part of Paulette's design team. This 'warm winter wishes' card is from her October 28th post entitled "Crafting When We Can Challenge #30".  The colour choices on this card are wonderful.  The contrast between the white and red is very striking and Vicky did a great job on colouring the digi she used.  Check out Vicky's blog for more details on this card and to see her other incredible creations (clicking on the blog name will take you straight to her blog).

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SHOWCASE ITEM #3

This wonderful card was designed by

 Jane Allen

Her blog is called "Jane's Box of Colours"

Reasons For Choosing:

I became an admirer of Jane's work some time ago.  I believe I did a search for 'colouring with Copics' and her blog was one of the recommended sites that came up.  Regardless of how I found her site, I am just so very glad I did.  Jane's work with Copic® markers is astounding.  I can only hope that one day I'll be half the artist she is.  This 'just to say...' card is from her October 28th post (what was it about Oct 28th this year) entitled "Make It Crafty".  This particular card spoke to the little girl in me and brought back wonderful memories from my childhood.  To view more of Jane's marvelous designs and to find out the details for this card, please visit her blog (clicking on the blog name will take you straight to her blog).

 

FREE DIGITAL STAMP CHOICE...

SHOWCASE ITEM #4

This wonderful freebie was created by

 Sue

Her blog is called "Grands9Creations Free Word Art"

Reasons For Choosing:

I have only recently starting visiting Sue's blog.  I found her listed one day on 'Free Digital Stamps'.  A site you are probably more than familiar with since 98% of you found my blog through the same route.  While I haven't been visiting her blog long, I now make it a point to stop and visit her everyday.  Her word art creations are beautiful and I am so thankful she is sharing them for free to her readers.  This week I have chosen her creation from the post entitled "Picture Without Speaking a Word".  This image really spoke to the artist within me.  Pictures have the ability to tell a beautiful story just on their own.  Please stop by Grandds9Creations to download this image.  While you are there check out more of her incredible work (clicking on the blog name will take you straight to her blog).

And finally, that  brings me to the...

This is a special category highlighting a stamp for sale by another artist.  This week that honour goes to...

  This cute stamp was created by

 Nikki

Her store is located at: Limited Runs Stamps

Reasons For Choosing:
I absolutely love Nikki's work.  She was one of the first digital stamp sites I visited when starting out.  Every Friday she has a great freebie available to her readers.  The reason I am highlighting 'Ed' is that he gave me a chuckle when I first saw him.  He is just so cute.  He is also season appropriate for all my American readers who will be celebrating Thanksgiving very soon.  If you would like to visit her store and see more of her amazing goodies please follow the link above.

Well that is it for the first edition of the 'Saturday Showcase'.  Thanks to all these wonderful artists for agreeing to allow me to showcase their work on my blog.  You never know, I may be contacting YOU next to showcase something incredible you've created.

Until next time,