Hello and welcome to my blog!
I am a freelance illustrator, artist and paper crafter. I hope you will set back, have a peek around my blog, check out my archives and enjoy!
I would love it if you would "Follow" me and visit often! :)

Click directly on the green arrow below to hear a quick message from me. :)

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PLEASE CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW TO VISIT MY OTHER PAGES AND TO GET TO KNOW A LITTLE MORE ABOUT ME. ;)



Some Of My Favorite Creations To Date

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

"Heavy Metal Guitar" CDS Sneak Peek



Hello,
Today's sneak peek is from Clear Dollar Stamp's October release "Rock On" stamp set.The black and glittered orange CS are from DCWV. The flame and diamond-plate papers are from EK's "Harley-Davidson" collection and that awesome shiny black is "Laser Black Glossy Lustre" from The Paper Temptress.



Please take a few minutes and go check out the wonderful creations the other CDS DT girls have come up with. Just click on their names in my left hand side bar to go to their pages.

Thanks for dropping by!

Hugs!

Monday, September 28, 2009

Luke 2:14" Clear Dollar Stamp Sneak Peek #2



Hi!
Hope your Monday is off to a good start! Mine is because I get to share another Clear Dollar Stamp sneak peek.
This card is made with the soon to be released "Christmas Scriptures" stamp set. It will be available Oct. 1st.You are going to love it and it is releasing just in time to get a head start on your Christmas cards.
I used Bazzill Dots cardstock and can't remember who's DP. It came from my scrap stash. If anyone knows, let me know so I can give credit. That absolutely gorgeous pearl white paper that the scripture is stamped on is from The Paper Temptress. It is their Iridescent Virtual Pearl. I am in love with it!



Please check out the rest of the design teams peeks and creations by clicking on their names in my left sidebar. You will be amazed @ how creative they all are!

Please leave a comment so I will know you took the time to visit!

Thanks and hugs your way! ;)

Sunday, September 27, 2009

I have been playing with my digi board again! My Original Artwork

This is really getting addictive!
Here is mt poinsettia sketch.



And here it is after I worked with it on my digi board.
I love the airbrush tool! :)
Remember...you can click on the picture to enlarge for better detail. ;)



Please let me know what you think.

Hugs,

CDS Sneak Peek "Apple Gobbler"



Hello!

It is sneak peek time again over @ Clear Dollar Stamps! I love it when we finally get to show the creations we have made for next month's stamps!

The first one I am sharing is "Apple Gobbler".



The image was designed by: guest illustrator Heather Rolin. It is from CDS "Let us Gobble Together" stamp set. It will be available in October.

The cute little turkey has a tummy full of green apples.



On the inside, I have attached a wonderful recipe for Green Apple Cobbler. Of course I changed the name a tad to fit the card!

The cardstocks are Bazzill Dots and Core'dinations. The DP is from K&Company's Fall stack.



Please make sure and check out the other girls sneak peeks by clicking the Clear Dollar Stamp DT links in my left side bar.

I am entering this card in the following challenges:

My Time To Craft Challenge #78- Autumn Feast - create a card that has something to do with Autumn.
Mine has Autumn colors, squash, pumpkins, apples, a turkey and an apple cobbler recipe. I think it qualifies. ;)

Creative Card Crew Challenge #29 - Decorate the inside of your card.
I did and even added a recipe! :)

Simon Says Stamp Challenge Blog - Simon Says "Stitch it up!" - Use stitching real or faux on your creation.
That one was easy for me! I always do! ;)

Creative Inspirations #28 - Autumn/Fall
This card has Fall written all over it! ;)


Stamp Something Challenge Blog - Use your favorite layout or sketch.
I love quilting too and love making cards with a quilt like block such as this one!

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge #51 - Animal Antics - Use an animal in your project...the funnier, the better.
This turkey is super cute and super funny! ;)

Thanks again for dropping by.

BTW...please be a sweetie and post a comment! ;)

Hugs,

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Woooo Hooo! My Original Artwork


OK...looks like the majority of you from my previous post, like the dog best.
Someone wanted to see it colored.
Your wish is my command! LOL!
I played a little more with my digi board and found some cool tools that make drawing smooth lines a breeze!
Here is Sam all colored up!
I need to make a card too!
Please comment below if you would buy this as a digi or a rubber stamp if offered. ;)
Thanks and hugs!

Some more doodles - My Original Artwork

Hello all!
I had so many sweet comments on my cupcake doodle that I thought I would show you a few more.
I always seem to doodle when I am doing something else. LOL!
Today I was setting on hole #8 at a charity golf game taking money for shortened drives. There was quite a bit of down time between groups of golfers and I brought along my sketch pad.
I usually start out drawing the head of my critters and the face is last. For whatever reason, today I did the face first. I kept looking at it trying to figure out if it would make a cutter bear or dog and couldn't make up my mind so I did both!
Same exact face but different heads.
Now, you have to picture complete signs. They will be when I turn them into digis.






Which one do you like best? ;)


This one I did on my lunch break at work yesterday. I was a little surprised that it turned out like it did since I did it from memory. No poinsettias available to look at. Of course, this one will look a lot better in color when you can see what is green and what is red or rose.



This one I did in a class. Yes...I was paying attention. I concentrate better when I am not just starring at the speaker for hours. I started with just the apple....got board....picked up the pencil again and did the pear. Got board again and added the grapes. Before long, there was a table and pitcher. Had the class been a little longer, I might have done a whole room! LOL!

If you click on the picture to enlarge, you can see that I did it on the back of a class hand out. There is print bleading through up by the pitcher. Oooops! ;)


Anyhow, thanks for stopping by to see my original artwork. I hope I am not boring you with my doodles!

Hugs,

Friday, September 25, 2009

This is going to be fun!!!! My Original Artwork

Hi!
Well, I finally broke down and bought a digital drawing pad! It is going to be so stinkin' fun to play with. It will sure make digis a lot easier! ;)


I turned this...



into this...


COOL BEANS! Don't ya think?

Thanks for dropping by!
Hope you all have an awesome weekend!

Hugs!

Saturday, September 19, 2009

"The Generous Fairy"


Hello,
I am getting in the Christmas spirit already!
Cuddly Buddly has some brand new fairy stamps created from awesome illustrator Kim Sponaugle's artwork. I have worked with six of them and they are all just so cute! This is the first one I want to share with you. He is called "The Generous Fairy". The holly paper is also by Cuddly Buddly from their "Fairy Fun Seasonal Papers" which are a digi download. The cardstock is Bazzill and Core'dinations.

I popped the fairy then popped his arms and holly again. I then added Stickles to him and the holly paper. Of course I added some stitching and a pretty ribbon too!
Remember, you can click on any picture to enlarge for a better view.





Thanks so much for dropping by!
Please be a sweetie and leave a comment!

Hugs your way!,

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Come join me @ Memory Expo 2009 - "Mid-America's Ultimate Shop and Crop"!



Hello All!
I am honored to have been asked to be a VIP speaker and teach a class at Memory Expo 2009 "Mid-America's Ultimate Shop and Crop" October 30th and 31st in Topeka, Kansas. It will be an awesomely fun event to help raise money for Midland Hospice Care.
Click HERE to see who the other VIP speakers will be. Also check out the links on the page for more info. I would love to see you there! You can pre-register HERE.
This is going to be a huge event! They are expecting 3500-5000 to attend. There will be vendors from all over selling the items we all love so much! I am sure they will be showing their newest wares and I can't wait!
Creative Memories and Canon are a couple of the corporate sponsors who have already signed on!




Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Cuttlebug Challenge Blog #49 Mini Album



Hello!

Glad you stopped by!

This week @ the Cuttlebug Challenge Blog the team has whipped up some really cute mini albums for our Birthday Palooza.

Hope you will go check them all out and join in on the fun!

My album was a quick but fun tombstone shape for my friend with the birthday on Halloween. It was done with core'dinations and K&Company's Halloween stack.

Please leave a comment if you have a second.

Hugs!

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Fabulously Crafty Friends Call @ Cuddly Buddly!



Hi Friends!
Cuddly Buddly is looking to add some new friends to our team.

Here is a bit I have taken from Kim's post

How it works - From time to time we’ll send you new stamps, downloadable papers plus some bits n bobs (ribbons, card, etc.) for you to create a stunning papercraft or altered art piece to showcase the new stamp. If the extras we send don’t suit the idea you have in mind when you see the stamps then just keep them in your Cuddly Buddly stash box for another day. You then send us a good digi pix of your finished card or item along with a ’materials used’ list which we add to the product web page and to our Galleries to help demonstrate the product better to our much appreciated customers.
We never ask or expect our Fabulously Crafty Friends to do any marketing for us so if you create beautiful works but don’t have a blog, or don’t participate on forums we’d still like very much to hear from you. However, if you enjoy blogging and want to share with your online friends what you’re doing with us, that’s fine and I’m happy to make up a special little button for your blog, if you’d like one.
If you’re interested in being one of my Fabulously Crafty Friends then please email me (look for Fabulously Crafty Friends on the drop down menu on the
contact page) and let me know;
who you are,
a little bit about yourself,
how long you’ve been crafting,
your favourite crafting techniques,
how many projects you think you could comfortably take on per month and …
include a link to your blog or online photo album where I can see examples of your gorgeous creations.
Printables Update - After chatting with Susi, our Printables and Cuttables Designer, it appears that Susi would also very much appreciate a Fabulously Crafty Friend to work with her and help make up her Printables Projects too. If you enjoy making up Susi’s versatile and really useful Printable projects and taking them to the next level with the addition of embellishments and graphics then we’d love to hear from you too.
Keep Creating!
KimArt Director Cuddly Buddly Crafts


For more info click HERE

Monday, September 14, 2009

You have got to see my friend Maggie's flip flop tutorial video!

Click HERE then click on "daily line-up" in the upper right hand corner. Then click on "browse videos" under the video window. Scroll down...Maggie is #16.
Such a fast and fun idea!

Sunday, September 13, 2009

And the winner of the Cuttlebug folders blog candy is.....





SMK!

She said "WOW! you go gurl!! super congrats :D I've posted about it {here} and linked you up in my sidebar Candy Bar. Thanks for the chance to enter!!"


Please email me within the next week with your mailing address and I will get them to you!
CONGRATULATIONS!


I would like to thank the other 145 that signed up. Sorry you didn't win this time. Please check back often...I love giving stuff away! Maybe it will be you next time. ;)

Hugs to you all!

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Halloween/Birthday Card + Bag Done With My Original Artwork For Cuttlebug Challenge Blog





Hello All!

It is Wednesday and you know what that means.... The http://cuttlebugchallenge.blogspot.com/ We are continuing on with our Birthday Celebration Palooza. This week we were asked to create a birthday card and gift bag. Just in case you didn't see my invitation and explanation....I have a friend that was born on Halloween. We always throw a party to cover both occasions. Thus the Halloween theme. You just thought I was loosing it didn't ya? LOL!

I did this card with one of my own sketches. I plan on starting my own line of stamps and or/ digis really soon and have been doodling away!



Remember, you can click on any image to get a gloser look!

If you scroll down to the next post, I have a short tutorial on how to turn YOUR sketches into images that can be popped, and you don't have to have crazy computer skills! ;)



For this set I used Core'dinations "Black Magic" papers that I ran through my Cuttlebug and distressed with sand paper. I also used Bazzill Swiss Dots CS and a little bit of Debbie Mumm "Harvest and Holiday" stack DP.



I would love it if you would leave a comment and let me know what you think about my set or original art.

Don't forget to scroll down and see my tutorial.

You can also scroll up and sign up for my Cuttlebug embossing folders BLOG CANDY!


You won't want to miss all of the other awesome DT girl's sets either.
Go to Cuttlebug Challenge Blog and check them out!




Hugs to all that dropped by! :)

Tutorial For Using Your Own Drawing For 3D'ing - My Original Artwork



Hello!
My name it Trudy - AKA True :)
I created this tutorial for the
Cuttlebug Challenge Blog.
Hope you like it!

Sometimes we just have to doodle!
Have you ever wanted to turn that doodle into a 3D image for a card? It is a little tough redrawing all of the layers right?
You don't have to be a computer or graphics whiz to be able to do this a little easier!
The "Cat and Pumpkins" card above is one of my sketches. I will walk you through a few steps that you can follow to be able to turn your own design into a "digital" image of sorts. You don't even need special programs or digital drawing pads!

First, sketch your image in pencil.



You will want the final lines to be fairly dark.
Then scan your image and save it to your desktop or special folder. Now open up MS Word or any "Paint" or "Photo" type program. I used Word here because most of us have it.
Insert your picture into the document.
Re-size it to the size you want to use on your project.
Copy and paste as many images as you would like to "pop" for that 3D look we all love. The card shown here has 4 layers.
Print it out on heavy white cardstock. (If you might want to use this image again, make sure and save your document and next time all you will have to do is print!)
Color your images. If you are still coloring all of your "popped" layers...STOP! It saves a lot of time if you just paint what shows on each later and it also helps your adhesives stick better. Refer to the picture below to see what I mean.
You can outline the image if you want the "stamped" look. I did the cat but left the pumpkins without outlines so you can see the difference it makes.



Cut your main image out however you would like. I used a Nestabilities die for mine.
Then cut out all of your pieces that will be popped.
Use dimensional tape or dots to adhere them together.



Add sparkle and shine if you would like, attach it to your card, and voila...a card with your own artwork on it!



I hope you will all try this out to see how amazing YOUR inner artist can be. I would love to see what you come up with!
If you create something with this technique, please come back to this tutorial post and attach a link to your project on your blog so I can come visit you!

If you found it useful, please leave a comment below so I will know to do more tutorials! ;)

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Get ready for a month of fun with Cuttlebug Challenge Birthday Palooza!!!

Hi Everyone,
Cuttlebug Challenge Blog is turning 1 in September! We would like to invite all of you to come celebrate with us!

We are teaming with "Ready Set Create" as our sponsor for the month of September. You could win a chance to have your Art published!

Tell all your friends! :)

All month long we will be having challenges, tutorials and tips to help you throw an awesome birthday party. Plus LOTS of PRIZES!

Follow along with us and you will have everything you need. Just pick your theme and come join the fun!
The first "Be Inspired" challenge is to create invitations. If you have already peeked at mine you will think that I am really confused. Not at all! I am able to mix it up because I have a friend that was born on Halloween! We always have a combined adult Halloween/ birthday party to make them feel special! Soooo my birthday party theme is HALLOWEEN! Bet none of the other DTs came up with that one LOL! If you want to use my samples to create something similar, you could drop the birthday part and just do a Halloween party theme.

Now, if you follow my blog you know I usually do highly detailed cards that take hours and hours each. I am not going to give you an invitation example that is unrealistic. I personally will need to make about 20 of these. My tip to you is to make pretty but simple invitations if you will be sending more then 5 or 6.
It was really hard for me to keep it simple but I think I did OK. I will have more time to concentrate on the other party elements and can go into greater detail with them.





On this cute little 4” card, I used Core'dinations "Black Magic" cardstock for the hand cut crow and the orange below it is also Core'dinations.They are one of our awesome sponsors! I ran it thru my Cuttlebug in a swirl embossing folder (my fave) and distressed it with sand paper. I popped it with foam tape, added a little stitching and some brads and viola'! Easy cheesy! If you don’t sew you can do it without and it will still be cute.

Don’t forget to enter my blog candy for a chance to win 5 Cuttlebug embossing folders!

You should really go check out all of the awesome DT samples the other girls have created. You will be inspired!

Be sure to comment on this post, at the Cuttlebug Challenge Blogspot, and all of the other Design Team members blogs for a chance to win a prize package from Sakura of America, another fabulous Cuttlebug Challenge sponsor!!!




Thanks and hugs your way!

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

This Candy Post Will Remain On Top Until Sept.12th PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR NEWER POSTS! ;)


THIS CANDY IS NOW CLOSED

More blog candy! This one is to celebrate my "Cuttlebug Challenge Blog DT spot!

I am so excited! Maggie from the "Cuttlebug Challenge Blog" invited me to join their team. They are an awesome group of girls so I couldn't say no! ;)
Since my candy is for CCB I thought it only right that I give away Cuttlebug candy. I love embossing folders so that Is what I am offering. A hint for those of you who don't yet own a Cuttlebug...you can use them in most die cutting machines or they even work with a rolling pin. :)
I hope you will all sign up!

One lucky winner will win all of the following embossing folders:
Distressed Stripes
With Love
Frills
Forest Branches
Leaf Branch

Here are the rules...

1. Become a follower...if you are not already.
2. Place my blog candy picture on your blog and link it back to my blog
3. Come back here and leave a comment letting me know you have done it and leave me a link to your blog. Then I will come around to all of you for a visit to see where you posted my candy and to check out your cards. Great chance for me to see new fellow card artist's work!

This candy will run thru Sept. 12th and I will announce the winner on Sept. 13th.
I hope you will head over to the "Cuttlebug Challenge Blog" and check out the cards my new team mates have to offer. Take your time and look around the archives while you are there. You will find lots of great tips and tutorials!

I would like to thank you in advance for taking the time to help me celebrate my newest DT spot! Good luck!
Hugs,
True :)

I am getting PUBLISHED!!!!!


I can't wait until May to tell you all that I sent a card submission in for the very first time and am getting published! Yipppppy!
I got home from work today to find an email from "Card Maker" magazine saying they loved my card and want to publish it!. I wish I could show you the card but that is against the rules. ;)
As soon as it hits the news stands, I will post it. I am feeling some really big blog candy commin' on! LOL!
Hugs,