New Year, New Design Team Member

I'm thrilled to announce that I have been selected to be a part of the Roc Nicholas Rubber Stamp Design Team beginning 1/1/14! I am very honored, and I'm looking forward to working more with her whimsical rubber stamps. I think they are adorable, and they tug on my heart.
Be sure to join the Roc Nicholas Rubber Stamp group on facebook. Not only will you be able to see what others are creating with Roc's Rubber Stamps, but hopefully you'll join in the fun.
Happy New Year! Live creatively!

 

Three of Roc Nicholas Rubber Stamps were used on the postcard shown above. From left to right: Little Church, Roc's Angel, and Steampunk Border.

I also used those same three rubber stamps to create ornaments that were given away as part of this blog's grand opening.

Anything Goes...

...is the theme this week at Sunday Postcard Art, so my submission is this 4x6 piece I made using three stamps--Steampunk Border, Roc's Angel, and Little Church--designed by my friend, Roc Nicholas.

Clueless

Yesterday I did a bit of treasure hunting at the Goodwill store, and I was thrilled to find this...for only $4.99. I fell in love with it and bought it, but now I have to confess, I have NO idea what it is!
Please forgive the photos, the 'box' still needs some TLC, so you're viewing it in its 'raw' state!

As you can see, it has a little drawer in the front. And the back of the 'box,' lifts up to reveal a cubby sort of thing.

 

I've thought of several uses for this, but I'm still curious as to what it is, what it was initially intended to be used as/for. So, if anyone has a clue, I'd love to know!

Merry Christmas

I hope your day is filled with the beauty of love, laughter, and grace!

'Tis the night before Christmas...

...and all through the house...we are ready for Christmas. The stockings are stuffed and ready to be hung; the goodies are baked; dinner is prepped; and so on and so on.
We always have appetizers for dinner on Christmas Eve. We nibble as we come together for some family fun.
Are you ready to celebrate? What are some of your traditions?

Whatever holiday you celebrate, I wish you love, peace, and joy!

And the Winners are...

The ornament created with the Steampunk Border Stamp goes to Gez!
The ornament created with the Little Church Stamp goes to Jackie!
And the ornament created with Roc's Angel Stamp goes to Julie!

Congratulations! I want to get these mailed ASAP. So please Gez and Jackie, please provide your mailing address to me via email or private facebook message at your earliest convenience. Julie, I have your address, and I'll let you know when your angel is en route.

Be sure to check out these stamps, as well as other stamps designed by my friend, Roc, on Stampotique.com. When it comes to creating, the possibilities are endless!

Grand Opening Giveaway!

It's time to officially launch the opening of my new blog, PureOne Impressions, and what better way to do so than with a giveaway?

Tis the season, so three winners will receive one of the ornaments pictured below. The ornaments were crafted using stamps designed by my good friend, Roc. They are available at Stampotique.com.
The designs are stamped onto vintage paper and backed with decorative festive paper. A mix of markers, embellishments, and fibers add dimension and shine to these ready-to-hang one-of-a-kind pieces.

Names will be drawn via a random selector. The first winner will receive the ornament crafted from Roc's Steampunk Border Stamp. The second winner will receive the ornament crafted from Roc's Little Church Stamp. And the third winner will receive the ornament crafted from Roc's Angel Stamp.

You will be given multiple chances to win. Here's how:
You will receive one chance to win simply by leaving a comment in this post.
You can receive another chance to win by reccommending this post/blog on a post in your blog. (Leave a link to this in your comment below.)
You can receive yet another chance to win by linking/adding my blog to your list of blogs on your blog. (Leave a link to this in your comment below.)
You can receive even another chance to win by following this blog. (Again, leave a comment in your post.)
Lastly, you can receive another chance to win by sharing this post on facebook! (Yep, let me know in the comment section.)
So all in all, you can have up to five (5) chances to win one of these adorable ornaments!

Contest ends Friday, December 20, 2013. Winners will be drawn Saturday, December 21, 2013 and notified via comment link(s) that day. Winners should provide mailing addresses to me via email ASAP to ensure prompt mailing.
If for some reason a winner does not respond to me by Friday, December 27, 2013, a replacement will be randomly selected.
Good luck!

Throwback Thursday

Here's a mixed-media canvas I created a few years ago. I had giclee prints made, and it was a popular piece. If I ever get to that place again, I still have the professional scan to make prints. But for now, it's just not something I'm involved in.
Anyway, this piece is called "As A Bird."

You had me at turquoise

My favorite color is blue, and at the top is turquoise--from light aqua to sea green to deep turquoise, and anything in-between. So I was excited when I found this cute little cake plate at our local Goodwill for just $2.99.
As a rule, I don't go for the frilly look, but this was just too cute. Not to mention a steal of a deal!
Have you found something you love lately?

Oh Fudge

Long story, but I'm going to a Christmas party tonight with some of my local art friends, and I need to bring some goodies. Originally I'd planned on baking some cookies, but the day is jam-packed, so I decided to make (for the first time!) Alton Brown's microwave fudge. It was quick and easy, and hopefully it will be good. It has high ratings, but I was short about 1 ounce on the amount of powdered sugar the recipe called for. It should be fine, right?
Next I wanted to quickly create something festive to carry the fudge to the party. So I'm not saying this is my most marvelous piece of work, but it only took minutes.
I covered the side of a cookie tin with gold decorative paper and then wrapped it with some lime ribbon. I then cut a circle out of decorative paper to cover the top, and then topped that with some gold and green bows (inexpensive finds from goodwill). The paper had to be topped because my circle definitely was not perfectly cut!
It might not be a work of art, but I think it's festive and fun. And that's the spirit, right?

Simply Put

I love quotes about creating. Here's the latest I stumbled upon:

"Creation is the opposite of destruction."

Simply put. But I love the fact that by the simple act of creating we oppose the act of destruction.

What's your favorite quote about creating?

Sunday Postcard Art

It's been a while, since I haven't been blogging, but one of my favorite art sites to play along with is Sunday Postcard Art, hosted by UK art friends Mandy and Donna.
This week's theme is Advent. Here's my simple submission.

Snow Snow Go Away

This is our 3rd winter in Redding, Calif. and our first snow. We live in a valley, and as a rule, winter snow typically remains in surrounding mountains. After 30 years in Alaska, I'd happily never see another snowflake. But alas, it's not meant to be. At least not tonight....

Stepping in Tune with One Another

I saw this passage of scripture on facebook the other day, and it really spoke to me. Of course it's always applicable, but it just seems like a good word for the season.


Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.

(Colossians 3:15-17 MSG)

Throwback Thursday

On Throwback Thursdays I plan to share some of my older art. These two pieces, Journey I and Journey II are mixed-media canvases I created 2 years ago in December. They quickly sold at Juneau Artists Gallery, a cooperative I was part of back then. Although they were not placed in the art intentionally, if you examine the pieces you might see some cats. Someone said they thought that meant I had nine lives. I hope so!! What do you see in these pieces? Do they speak to you in any way?

 

 

Small 'Peace' of Art

Yesterday I made a (4"x6") postcard using stamps designed by my friend, Roc Nicholas. I used her church stamp, angel stamp, and steampunk border stamp--all which can be purchased at Stampotique.com.

It's A Wrap

Papaya Arts, one of my all-time favorite shops in Ashland, Oregon (a family favorite jaunt about a 2 hour drive from where we live in Redding, California) is offering a sale on some of their fabulous paper, which you can purchase online.

Today Only! Use code GLITTERED to save 20% on all Glitter Paper Wrap! Then use these 4 templates to make goodie bags out of your scraps.

A Window of Possibility

If you like art and/or art supplies, here's your chance to win a couple of giveaways. What a holiday treat, right?

The Possibility of Windows

Here's a simple Christmas decoration I came up with for our--I want to say 'dining room,' but we have an open floor plan--window that sits above our dining table. The strands are just connected to the curtain rod with those rings that easily open and close, from which hang small chain link, to which we added ornaments. This photo doesn't really do it justice, because the ornaments are glittery lime, fuchsia, and silver which look amazing in the sunlight. But it's difficult to take a decent photo facing into direct light. So hopefully you get the gist!

In other news, I think my blog building is just about complete, and I plan to start adding art and building a more substantial content as soon as possible.
I hope you  can follow me, add me to your blog list, and even recommend other blog or other social media connections.
Survivor tonight. Are you a fan? I'm a huge fan. I never miss a show!
Have a wonderful Wednesday!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

The tree is up, the outside lights are hung, and (battery-operated) candles cast their glow from our windows, and a wreath adorns the door. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at our house, what about yours? What have you done? What else will you do?

The Blog Before This Blog

I just added a link to my former blog http://www.cparmelee.blogspot.com/, which for some reason can still be viewed, but I'm not able to post, edit, and/or manage it...thus I started this new blog. Which might be fitting since we're now living a new life in sunny California. (High temp today: 73!!). But my former blog does contain a lot of my artwork, so it's nice to be able to still access it.

Calling All Artists

My good friend, Roc Nicholas, is putting together a design team to showcase her rubber stamp collection, which is sold at Stamptique.com. Check them out. If they're calling your name, visit Roc's blog for instructions to apply for a designer position!