Getting To Know You...Part 3....Artful INKables Blog Hop Next Post Down

Again, I can't say enough about the response I have had to the upcoming Play Date Cafe Challenges that will be starting ONE WEEK FROM TODAY! The response has been wonderful. The first challenge colors have been distributed to the designers and 'word on the street is...' they are excited as all get out to share the first color combo with YOU!
Speaking of which, it is time to introduce our next designer.

For those of you who are regular readers of my blog, Sarah may not be a stranger to you. She lives in the North of England and the way we met was quite extraordinary...to us, anyway. If you are interested, you can read that story dated June 21, 2009 (for some odd reason, I can't link to it). Sarah has been published in a number of UK crafting magazines including a cover article of which I am the proud owner of an autographed copy.
I will let her fill you in on the rest.

Sarah writes: I grew up in a very creative household with a Mum who was always making things. We were popular at parties as we always took a homemade soft toy as a gift (LOL) and some of those friends still have them as treasured possessions to this day! I am very proud to have my Mum as one of my number one fans now. I studied art at secondary school and for a year at college (I had to choose between Maths and Art and chose Maths as you can always pick up Art in adult life!)

But...I then discovered rubber stamping on a trip to the states at age fifteen. I was fascinated, but it took a number of years for it to come over to the UK so it could become a favourite hobby. I describe myself as a frustrated machine embroiderist as I'd love to do textiles at college, but in actual fact, I enjoy the speed in which you can achieve texture in your work
with paper, paint and a bit of heat.

I met my handsome husband on the way to school at age sixteen and we are very happily married with three children aged 12, 13 and 14. By day I'm a teacher in a special school, a job I adore as it's so rewarding, and I'm challenged to teach creatively every day.

When my own children were younger and I taught part-time and was able to write for Crafts Beautiful magazine, one of Britain's leading magazines. I've had work published in Somerset Studio as well as Stampers Sampler. I've taught workshops at the Stampman in Yorkshire, and continue to teach workshops and demonstrate at HSNW for Paddy's Stamping Place.

Well...THAT's my Sarah!
Hope you feel like you know her just a little bit better.
Tomorrow...I will finish off the designer series
with a little of yours truly,
as I am designer #4.

BLOG CANDY GIVEAWAY...Just a reminder! If you haven't grabbed your Play Date Cafe button yet, there is still plenty of time. You will find it to your right, the one that says 'I Play at the Play Date Cafe'. Copy and paste it to your sidebar, leave me a comment and let me know...that's it. The 'candy' is a surprise, but I promise, YOU WILL LOVE IT! Even more importantly, we hope you are planning to play along when the challenges start and PLEASE...share the news with your friends. Deadline for the blog candy is Wednesday, October 21st.

Back later with Julie Ranae's Thursday Night Favs! FINALLY!

Favorite Places to 'Hop' and Other Creative Ponderings...

This could prove to be a bit of a long post and my 2nd one of the day...how 'bout that?! It's nearly midnight here in the unseasonably cool state of Illinois, but I am looking forward to some great sleeping weather.

I managed to get a couple more cards done tonight using my new toy that I talked about earlier. I now affectionately refer to it as 'The Bug', so you do not have to worry about catching anything when I share project ideas with the aforementioned 'Bug'.

Also wanted to plug these great background cardstocks from Fancy Pants Designs. The 12 x 12 sheets of Design Cards are terrific for building your focal points on. Both of the cards featured here and last night's card use the design cards which are slightly collage-oriented, so those of you who are a bit 'collage phobic' will really like what you can do with these.
What I have decided to do is post a few new favorite blog sites each Wednesday. Blog hopping is a fun way to spend an hour or two, if you have the time, but if you only have 15-20 minutes and have NO IDEA where to go, this will be a great way to get you on your way.

If you read my blog roll (favorites list) you will find what I call my 'must visits'. These are blogs that I visit at least once a day, but usually several times a day. So check those out because they are consistently fabulous!

Here are my picks for this week's My New Favorite Blogs:

Vintage Papers is a great blog by Nancy Maxwell-James. The creativity from this blog has been seen in a variety of Somerset Studio publications and the unique perspective Nancy brings when sharing her life will keep you looking through all of her archives. I am anxiously awaiting a set of ATC's based on Marie Antoinette that I ordered from Nancy's collection. I believe there is something for everyone on this blog, so check it out.

While I was there, I found My Desert Cottage, an outstanding blog by Karen Valentine of Scottsdale, Arizona. I am a real lover of shabby chic and it's non-stop exploration when I visit here. She has a couple of other blogs that she manages as well which include handcrafted cards and gifts. She is sponsoring the 'Where Bloggers Create' Party on Friday, July 24th inspired by the publication 'Where Women Create', so mark your calendar and make sure you stop by to see over 100 other blog sites who have signed on to participate, including yours truly.

Last but not least, I was over at Mona Pendleton's blog Cupcake's Creations (which I visit many times a day) and hopped from her blog to one of her favorites which eventually led me to Ross. It appears to me that Ross started out possibly as a scrapbooker, but then I'm not sure...Ross is from Italy and the majority of her blog is in Italian. She definitely loves color, whimsy and mixed media. This is one of the most eye-catching blogs I have come across in awhile and I think it's such a fun place to visit.

I mentioned the other night that when you go 'blog hopping' you will find yourself traveling all
over the world. I have followers from England, Australia, The Dominican Republic, Asia, Canada and of course here in the U.S. Art is one of the universal languages in which we can all say "I speak a little...". Inspiration is found everywhere you look, so I hope each Wednesday you will plan to stop by to see where we'll travel to next!