Saturday Showcase: December 15, 2012

It is that time of week where I showcase 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. If you are new to my blog you can find out why I created the showcase HERE.

My top picks for this week include... 

Card Choice

This stunning card was designed by

  SYLVIA

Her blog is called

Sylvia's Stamping Place

Ooooohhh!...Prreetttyy... Isn't it amazing what you can come across when you are out and about poking around the internet?  About four weeks ago, I paid a visit to a number of blogs whose cards were posted on the Make It Monday Challenge Blog.  I had no idea that when I clicked on the thumbnail that led to Sylvia's blog, that I would find such a gem as this.  This particular card is from Sylvia's post called, "Let It Snow (Card) and Some Exciting News".  Once I was done picking my jaw up off the floor, I paid more attention to the details of the card.  First of all, the card has stitching on it.  Karen from The Sweetest Thing also does a lot of stitching on her cards.  Along with these two, there are a few other people that I've seen using this technique.  It astounds me as to the amount of detail some people put into their cards.  I wouldn't even know where to start figuring out how to go about doing it without destroying my paper.  I've also begun to notice that I'm really drawn to cards that use intricate patterns.  I can't seem to pull them off myself, so I'll just admire those people, like Sylvia, who can.  I love the layering, the colour choices, and of course that doily.  She also distressed the edge of the circle that the sentiment is stamped on, giving it a bit of an antiqued look.  The brad in the middle and the star and heart embellishments top this card off making it one of perfection in my eyes.  Please head off to Germany and pay Sylvia a visit at her blog.  I'm sure she would love the company (clicking on the blog name will take you straight to her blog). 

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Free Digital Stamp Artist Choice

These incredible word art creations were designed by

   SUE B.

Her blog is called

grands9creations

I've gone back to Sue for this week's free digital stamp artist choice.  I can always count on her to have something I like.  Her stuff is just that good.  As you can see I'm highlighting not one but two of her images.  However, if you look carefully, you will see some similarites between the two.  I came across the first one in Sue's post called, "Baby Jesus" from November 4th.  As soon as I saw it I knew I wanted to showcase this image in my last Saturday Showcase before Christmas.  The theme was perfect for this time of the year.  While I understand that not all my readers are Christian, the base nature of the image, an angel with a baby boy, can have a wider appeal to audiences.  Of course, the sentiment itself is a universal concept that we should practice every single day.

In this image, from her November 17th post, "In the Warmth of His Baby Hand", Sue used the same word art as her November 4th image.  Only this time she used one of her own drawings.  Yes, you heard that right--her OWN drawing.  This is a sketch she made of her daughter's and grandaughter's hands.  Sue is one incredibly talented lady.  Photography, word art, drawing and more?   It seems there is nothing that this woman can't do creatively.  I was so blown away by this drawing, that even though I had already picked out one to showase, I wanted more people to see what an incredible artist  she is so I just had to add it today's post.

Now before I finish with Sue, I also want to say a big congratulations to her for reaching the 100th follower milestone.  I'm sure that number will be 200 in no time at all if her growth continues to expand at the rate it is--she gained 25 members in the last six weeks alone.   So, if you haven't managed to get over there yet, please pay Sue a visit (clicking on the blog name will take you straight to her blog).  Oh and here is a special gift for Sue to celebrate but keep it a secret, will you?  I want it to be a surprise for her.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

 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 gorgeous stamp was created by

MICHELLE PERKETT

Her blog is called

 Michelle Perkett Studio 

Her store is located HERE

This stamp set is available for sale HERE

Isn't this piece of art just stunning?  I originally saw her in Michelle's blog post from Oct. 29th called, "MPS FREEBIE - 50 % OFF SALE AND NEW "CHRISTMAS SNOW ANGEL".  I fell in love with it the moment I laid eyes on it and knew I just had to have it for this week's showcase.  Thankfully I was able to contact Michelle and make all the arrangements to display this gorgeous stamp before the showcase goes on hiatus until after the holidays.  This angel repesents comfort to me.  She is beautiful, she is dressed warmly to help her get through those cold winter nights, and those wings are so large they could wrap around protectively and encompass anyone having trouble coping with the holidays.  Michelle often has freebie's on her blog so please take a moment and go pay her a visit.  If you are interested in purchasing this incredible stamp I've provided the link above.  I've also provided a link to Michelle's Etsy store so that you can check out all the other wonderful stamps that she has for sale (clicking on the above links will bring you to their respective locations).   

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 Just one more thing before I finish up.  A couple weeks ago I showcased Ike's blog called "Ike's World".  Well, Ike is just three people short of 200 followers.  Another incredible milestone.  People are hitting important mile markers all over the place around here!  Anyways, please go and pay Ike's blog a visit and if you like what you see become a follower if you haven't already.  She was hoping to reach this milestone by Christmas but maybe we can help her at least achieve it before the year is up.  Don't forget to check out her Friday Freebie while you are there.  This week's image is an amazing piece celebrating the coming New Year so the trip over is definitely worth your time.

Well, another edition of the Saturday Showcase is done.  Thanks to all these wonderful artists for agreeing to allow me to showcase their work on my blog.  As I eluded to above, the showcase will be going on hiatus until after the holidays.  Please be sure to come back and check out the next showcase at the beginning of January. Don't fret though, I haven't abandoned you completely.  I'll still be around completing other posts and there are more holiday hand outs to be had throughout the rest of December, so please come back and see me tomorrow.  
  
Until next time,

Notes:  

*Thanks to Nikki from Limited Runs Stamps for creating my Saturday Showcase badge.

Holiday Handout: Day 6

We sing to celebrate.  We sing because we are happy.  We sing when we are sad.  We sing to honour community.  We sing to praise.

Whatever your reasons, for singing...

Please note that due to the nature of this design, you may not use it on products you intend to sell since the image of the horn is for personal use only with no profit generation.  If you use this image please ensure that you also credit Romiposer 11 for the horn. 

The Christmas countdown continues... 

  Until next time,

 
Font Used: 

• Musicals
• Santa's Big Secret BB

Click the font name to take you to a download location.  Musicals is considered free for commercial use.  Santa's Big Secret BB is free for personal use only.

If you haven't already, please become familiar with my terms of use found in the copyright tab at the top of this page.  I have included a quick summary below.   If you are not sure how to copy the image, check out the download instructions page.  
   Quick summary of Terms of Use: 

• Do not claim the image as your own.
• Credit 'Decosse's Dynamite Doodles' & 'Romiposer 11' somewhere on your creation for this specific design.
• Do not share my images with family, friends, etc.  Additionally, do not post any images to file sharing services like Pinterest®, 4-Shared®, etc.  Instead, please direct people to my blog so they can grab the image for themselves.
• If I have signed an image, do not delete my signature.
• Leave a comment on my blog.  It is currently the only way for me to know if any of my freebies are being nabbed.  Additionally, it will help to inspire me to continue to create and offer future freebies.

Holiday Handout: Day 5

As soon as I saw this image in a free kit from Far Far Hill, I just knew I wanted to create this sentiment to go with it.  Hope everyone's holiday preparations and plans continue to go well.

Here is your holiday handout for today.

Please note that due to the nature of this design, you may not use it on products you intend to sell since the image of the stockings is for personal use only with no profit generation.  If you use this image please ensure that you also credit Far Far Hill for the stockings.

The Christmas countdown continues...

Until next time,

 
Font Used: 

• Mountains Of Christmas

Click the font name to take you to a download location.  This font is considered free for commercial use. 

If you haven't already, please become familiar with my terms of use found in the copyright tab at the top of this page.  I have included a quick summary below.   If you are not sure how to copy the image, check out the download instructions page.  
  
Quick summary of Terms of Use: 

• Do not claim the image as your own.
• Credit 'Decosse's Dynamite Doodles' & 'Far, Far, Hill' somewhere on your creation for this specific design.
• Do not share my images with family, friends, etc.  Additionally, do not post any images to file sharing services like Pinterest®, 4-Shared®, etc.  Instead, please direct people to my blog so they can grab the image for themselves.
• If I have signed an image, do not delete my signature.
• Leave a comment on my blog.  It is currently the only way for me to know if any of my freebies are being nabbed.  Additionally, it will help to inspire me to continue to create and offer future freebies.

Card Design: Designed 2 Delight December Card Challenge

In amongst the Christmas card panic I also had to get a card ready for the Designed 2 Delight free stamp of the month challenge.  This card is the one I'm going to send to Sebastian.  The image worked out perfectly for a 'get well' card.  I hope that he likes it.  To read more about the drive for cards for Sebastian you can click HERE (my post talking about him), HERE (the original story from Ginger's House), or HERE (the most recent post about his upcoming surgery).

In order to enter this challenge, you must either have received the latest image by having participated in the previous month or you can buy the stamp for the current month's challenge.  Everyone who enters and follows the rules is a winner because you automatically get the stamp for the next month's challenge.  Stop by the site and check out the rules for yourself.  While you are there, have a look around.  Their digital images are just so cute!  This is the card I'm entering.

Here are the details.  I hope I haven't forgotten anything...

• Image of the mouse and balloons is from Designed 2 Delight.  It is coloured using Copic(R) markers.  I apologize but I've been too busy to write down the colours I used.  If you really need to know, send me an email but please give me until after the holidays to answer back.  
• Paper:  The base is from another card set from my stash that I got at Dollarama(R) awhile back; the chevron paper and the blue textured paper I used to back the image are both from the Recollections(R) Bright & Basic paper pad and are also part of my stash.  These are some of the first items I got when starting out so they definitely qualify as old.
• I cut the tag out from hand after printing it on basic white paper from Michaels.  Both the outside and inside sentiments are my own.  I also created the little heart balloon digi on the inside.  I'm actually pretty happy with how it turned out.  I do have to apologize for the way the inside looks.  I hadn't planned out the card well enough and went with a different direction than my original vision.  Therefore, the inside piece was actually meant to fit a vertical card and would have looked much better if it had but I wasn't about to waste the piece and reprint it so it is what it is.
• Since I've entered a challenge that requires I use something shiny and/or sparkle, the three blue embelishments on the top left side are made from metal (sorry, I know it is hard to see but cross my heart, they really are metallic).  Also the ribbon used (sorry the name is downstairs) is a silver metalic ribbon so it sparkles too.  This is a ribbon that my mom had for years before handing it down to me so it to is definitely old.
• One of the challenges is a colour throwdown.  I couldn't believe my luck when I was looking for challenges and came across this throwdown.  This is the first colour challenge where I actually had something that fit into the colour scheme displayed. 

Including the Designed 2 Delight Balloon Bouquet Digital Stamp Challenge, I have entered this card into the following other challenges: 

• Through the Craftroom Door -- Anything Goes Challenge #44
• Word Art Wednesday --  Challenge #58: Anything Goes/Uplifting
• Love To Create Challenge  -- Challenge #45:  Anything Goes 
• Great Impressions Stamps -- December Challenge:  Anything Goes
• Everybody Art Challenge -- Challenge #217: Anything Goes
• Tuesday Alchemy -- Challenge #44: Anything Goes
• The Color Throwdown -- Color Throwdown #222
• Inky Impressions -- IIC89:  Use something old
•  Make It Monday -- MIM #119:  Anything Goes 
•  Digi Haven -- December Anything Goes Using a Digi Freebie Challenge
•  Lady Anne's Challenges --Challenge 1:  Anything Goes
• Artistic Inspirations Crafts -- Challenge 19
• Crafty Blogger's Network --Challenge #6
• Daisy Doodles Dreative Challenges -- Challenge #73: Anything Goes
• Paper Makeup Stamps --  Digi Makeover Challenge #66 - Sparkle
• Eureka Stamps -- Challenge #118-Sparkle and Shine 
• My Grafico Crafts -- Challenge 42:  Anything Goes
•  Whoopsidaisy Challenge -- Use Up Your Stash

I was really surprised that more people haven't entered the Designed 2 Delight challenge.  Last month there were over 50 entries and this month, at the time I entered, there were only 15 entries.  I can't believe that anyone who already had the image would give up the opportunity to get the next month's incredible design for free.  Oh well, I guess those people were just too busy this month.

Thanks so much for stopping by and don't forget to leave some love if you have the time.

Until next time,

Holiday Handout: Day 4

For people of Swedish heritage, today is St. Lucia Day.  This day is celebrated in honour of the patron of light.  Traditionally, St. Lucia Day marks the beginning of the Christmas celebration in Sweden.  So I thought that today's holiday handout should reflect just that--the idea of tradition. While traditions may be different depending on where we live, the idea of tradition is universal no matter where we are in this world.  Religion, culture, art and most of all familial history all play a huge role in the traditions we develop throughout our lifetimes.  So, today celebrate your uniqueness.  Think about and discover how your own holiday traditions began.
 

The Christmas countdown continues...

Until next time,

 
Fonts Used: 

• Candal
• Black Jack 

Click the font name to take you to a download location.  These fonts are considered free for commercial use.  

If you haven't already, please become familiar with my terms of use found in the copyright tab at the top of this page.  I have included a quick summary below.   If you are not sure how to copy the image, check out the download instructions page.  
  
Quick summary of Terms of Use: 

• Do not claim the image as your own.
• Credit 'Decosse's Dynamite Doodles' somewhere on your creation
• Do not share my images with family, friends, etc.  Additionally, do not post any images to file sharing services like Pinterest®, 4-Shared®, etc.  Instead, please direct people to my blog so they can grab the image for themselves.
• If I have signed an image, do not delete my signature.
• Leave a comment on my blog.  It is currently the only way for me to know if any of my freebies are being nabbed.  Additionally, it will help to inspire me to continue to create and offer future freebies. 

Reference:
Putatunda, Rita . (2011). Winter Holidays Around the World. Available: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/winter-holidays-around-the-world.html. Last accessed 10th December 2012.

Giving Without Expectation

UPDATE:

I'm sorry but the images that were in this post are no longer available for download.  Free Digital Photos has revoked the permission that they had originally given me.  While I am still allowed to post their images on line, I am no longer able to offer them up for download.  I can however still offer you the original quote that was part of the motivational graphic.  Sorry for the inconvenience.

We often forget that we are all made of three parts:  physical, mental and spiritual.  While we take care of our health and exercise to increase our physical attributes; learn and keep our minds active to develop our mental abilities; we rarely do anything to nurture our spiritual self.  Keep in mind that while our spiritual side may involve religion it doesn't necessarily have to.  Something as simple as taking a walk in nature and letting the stillness of the moment flow over you, can help to expand the spiritual side of your being.

Giving without expectation of return is another way to help us develop that all important spiritual side of our nature.  For those of us who celebrate Christmas, this is the perfect opportunity to practice the art of giving without expecting anything in return. There are certain things we should do just for the inherent goodness attached to doing them.  The fact that you have done something right should be the only reward you need in these cases.  Once you’ve conditioned your mind this way, the actuality is that you do indeed get something in return.  Kevin Sinclair describes these benefits in his article, “Give Without Expecting Return”.  When you give without expectation you benefit in the following ways:  “a higher state of awareness; the pride that you have given something of powerful, lasting, un-aging value to the world; and, you have made the world in which you live a better place, which can only benefit you even if indirectly and not in any immediate sense.” 

For those of you who are skeptical that selfless acts still exist, let me share a story with you.  I paid a visit on Monday to the blog of one of my favourite designers.  Many of you are probably familiar with Anna Stillwell from Cuddlebug Cuties.  If you have followed Free Digital Stamps for awhile then you already know that she has a generous nature.  On Saturday, she shared something special with us.  You see, Anna has an Etsy store like so many digital artists out there.  Yet, instead of pocketing the profits, she made the choice to take all of her earnings from every stamp purchased in her store and donate the funds to her favourite bookstore.  Each year during the Christmas season, this particular bookstore does a drive to collect books for a local orphanage.  While Anna was in the very long checkout line, she continued to hear the store associates ask each customer in turn, if they would be interested in donating a book for the book drive.  Unfortunately, there were more people that said ‘no’ than said ‘yes’.  When it came time for Anna to make her purchases, she piped up before the associate had a chance to even ask the question.  It was apparent on his face and in his demeanor that he was dreading to ask the question again and receive yet another reply of 'no'.  She dumped her armful of books onto the counter and said, “these are for your book drive".  The man was so overwhelmed that he started to cry.  Anna made the difference in a number of children’s lives that day, expecting nothing in return.  Now, that is what this season is all about--giving from the heart with no strings attached.

We could all do with a little extra positive energy flowing into our lives this holiday season; so, go out and find someone that you can gift something to without anticipating anything in return.  It doesn’t have to cost money.  Not everyone has the financial ability to do what Anna did.  Many of you need the extra money you make selling stamps to help pay the bills and put food on the table.  Find a different way to give.  Be creative.  The only requirement is that you give from the heart.

If you are interested in the information used to create this sentiment, I have included it below along with my other usual caveats.  Please note that due to the nature of these designs, you may not use either quote on products you sell since three of the fonts are for personal use only with no profit generation.

Until next time, 

 Fonts Used: 

• Cheri & Cheri Liney 
• Angelina
• Lobster Two 
• Champagne and Limousines

 Click the font name to take you to a download location.  While Angelina and Lobster Two are considered free for commercial use, the remaining are for personal use only.

If you haven't already, please become familiar with my terms of use found in the copyright tab at the top of this page.  I have included a quick summary below.   If you are not sure how to copy the image, check out the download instructions page.  
  
Quick summary of Terms of Use: 

• Do not claim the image as your own.
• Credit 'Decosse's Dynamite Doodles' somewhere on your creation
• Do not share my images with family, friends, etc.  Additionally, do not post any images to file sharing services like Pinterest®, 4-Shared®, etc.  Instead, please direct people to my blog so they can grab the image for themselves.
• If I have signed an image, do not delete my signature.
• Leave a comment on my blog.  It is currently the only way for me to know if any of my freebies are being nabbed.  Additionally, it will help to inspire me to continue to create and offer future freebies.

References:

Cabelis, Walter . (2010). The Essence of Giving. Available: http://www.lionslinger.com/2010/01/08/the-essence-of-giving/. Last accessed 11th December 2012.

Deschene, Lori . (2009). 20 Ways to Give Without Expectations. Available: http://tinybuddha.com/blog/20-ways-to-give-without-expectations/. Last accessed 11th December 2012.

Hitchcock, Cheryl . (unknown). Practicing the Art of Giving Back. Available: http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/practicing-the-art-of-giving-back. Last accessed 11th December 2012.

Sinclair, Kevin . (2009). Give Without Expecting Return. Available: http://kevinsinclair.hubpages.com/hub/Give-Without-Expecting-Return. Last accessed 11th December 2012.

Card Design: Christmas Card Panic Continues

Okay, the husband is fed, the rest of the Christmas decorations (well the ones we've decided on anyways) have been put up, and two and one-half more cards have been created.  That is a total of six.  Woo-hoo.  Here is number two.  This one is even more simple than the first one.

The curse of my inability to make anything straight hits again.  Neither my ribbon, nor my sentiment inside are as straight as I wanted them.  I can measure three times and still end up crooked.  I tell you someone put a curse on me a long time ago ensuring that I see the world through unbalanced eyes.  And yes, all connotations of unbalanced certainly apply to me.

Here are the details.  I hope I haven't forgotten anything...

• Image of the tree is a sticker from my stash picked up last Christmas at Dollarama.  The tree has green and red in it and the ribbon of course is red fulfilling a colour element for one of the challenges.  
• To fulfill the requirements of one of the challenges, "use a star", this image has one on the top of the tree.
• Paper:  The base is from another card set I got at Dollarama(R) awhile back so it is from my stash as well. 
• The sentiment inside is also from a year old stash of rub-ons I also got at Dollarama(R).  I also classify the inside sentiment as a scrap because it was one of a few items left over to use on the aforementioned rub-on transfer sheet.  Although it doesn't really look it, the sentiment is also green fulfilling another challenge element.
• One of the challenges asked for metalic of some sort.  While it may be difficult to see the ribbon has gold metalic on the edges.  The ribbon also counts as a scrap for the challenge.  I had cut some ribbon awhile back and didn't use it so it went into my 'ribbon bits' container and I used it up on this card. 

I have entered this card into the following challenges:

• Make It Monday -- MIM #119:  Anything Goes
• Trimmies Craft Challenge -- CRAFT Challenge 184, Christmas
• Hiding In My Craftroom  -- HIMCR #75 - Super Scraps Saturday
• Robyn's Fetish Challenge Blog -- Challenge #137: Christmas Cards
• Whoopsidaisy Challenge -- Use Up Your Stash
• Marks Finest Papers & Stamps --Challenge Week 137....." RED & GREEN"
• Creative Card Crew -- Challenge #25 Star 
• Holly Jolly Christmas Challenge -- Metallic Christmas
• Top Tip Tuesday -- Challenge 91 - Christmas
• Clear It Out Challenge -- Theme of Christmas or use red/white/green if don't celebrate it

Thanks so much for stopping by and don't forget to leave some love if you have the time.

Until next time,

Holiday Handout: Day 3

The holiday handouts continue with day number three.

For those of us who are Christian...
           Joy to the World, the celebration of the birth of Christ is near!

For those who celebrated St. Nicholas Day on December 6th or for those who just celebrate Christmas without any religious attachment...
          Be Joyful.  It is the most wonderful time of the year!
 
Whoever you are, wherever you are, you certainly have the capacity for a little joy in your heart. 

The Christmas countdown continues...

Until next time,

 
Font Used: 

• Action Is

Click the font name to take you to a download location.  This font is considered free for commercial use.  The lisence information for Dreidl is unknown.  Therefore be careful if considering to use the second image on cards you intend to sell. The quote's author is unknown.

If you haven't already, please become familiar with my terms of use found in the copyright tab at the top of this page.  I have included a quick summary below.   If you are not sure how to copy the image, check out the download instructions page.  
  
Quick summary of Terms of Use: 

• Do not claim the image as your own.
• Credit 'Decosse's Dynamite Doodles' somewhere on your creation
• Do not share my images with family, friends, etc.  Additionally, do not post any images to file sharing services like Pinterest®, 4-Shared®, etc.  Instead, please direct people to my blog so they can grab the image for themselves.
• If I have signed an image, do not delete my signature.
• Leave a comment on my blog.  It is currently the only way for me to know if any of my freebies are being nabbed.  Additionally, it will help to inspire me to continue to create and offer future freebies.