Mme. Designs

Sweet Pea Stamp Off

2011-03-13T18:52:00.000-04:00

I thought I'd shared the card I made for the Sweet Pea Stamps Spring Stamp Off. You can go here if you'd like to vote for your favorite.

I used Spring Witch and colored her with copic markers (including 4 of the NEW shades!!!). The image was actually stamped three times as I layered it to give it a bit of depth. Spring Witch and her kitties are the first layer, the cherry tree is the second layer, and the sky is the final layer. It has a wonderful 3D effect in person but doesn't photograph all that well. *sigh*

The "cherry branches" were made with an SU flower punch and bird punch. For the branches, I punched out branches in brown and in green, cut the leaves off of the green one and glued them on top of the brown ones.

Copic Markers used:

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree...

2010-12-16T21:55:00.000-05:00

Hi all! I can't believe it's been two months since my last post! Sorry about that! I'll have a few projects to share this week during the final wind-up to Christmas.

Today, I'd like to share the Christmas card I made for my sister and her family. She has two adorable little girls (Hi Anna and Emily!), so when I saw Bah-HuggaBuggs by Tiddly Inks, I immediately added it to my cart to use on her card this year.

The image was printed on Neenah cardstock and colored with copic markers. The snowflakes are assorted Martha Stewart punches which were painted with Smooch Illuminate for some shimmer. The pretty paper is from the Wonderful Winter paper stack by My Minds Eye.

Challenges I participated in with this card:

Stamp with Fun - xmas
Kaboodle Doodles - clean and simple
Pink Elephant - winter wonderland
Digital Tuesday - sparkling Christmas
Creative Card Crew - anything goes
A Spoonful of Sugar - christmas card
Copic Creations - sparkle
Allsorts - last minute Christmas

Thanks for stopping by!

Witching you...

2010-10-04T19:30:00.000-04:00

Fall is definitely in the air around here, so I decided to get started on my Halloween projects. For today's card, I used the adorable Betty Belfrey by Tiddly Inks for the focal image.

Isn't she adorable? She reminds me of that old Bewitched episode where Samantha goes back to Salem.

Betty was colored with copic markers, and has silver gel pen on her hat buckle and the metal wrap on her broom. I printed out an extra copy of the broom (with sleeve attached) and popped it up a bit for some dimension. Once the card was assembled, I went over the broom handle and the silver metal areas with some diamond glaze for a bit of extra shine.

My sentiment is from an old SU set, Haunting Halloween. The cobweb in the corner of the image is hand drawn, and was traced with a Sakura stardust gel pen for some shimmer.

Copics used:

Challenges I participated in with this card:

Tiddly Inks - Diamond Glaze
Copic Creations - orange

We'll miss you!

2010-09-27T18:42:00.000-04:00

One of my co-workers is losing his job due to his program closing, so we're all pitching in to give him a good send off. He's a real sweet guy who has been a pleasure to work with, so I thought I'd make him a nice cheerful card to show him how much we'll miss him.

I couldn't find an image that fit, so I decided to combine 3 Tiddly Ink images (Bo, Ellie, and Wild Thing) for a "from the group" card.

Before printing, I erased Bo's balloons, and replaced them with some of Ellie & Wild Things' heart balloons so they all matched. After coloring the image with copic markers, I carefully cut out my balloons, and used a bit of silver jewelry wire to make my balloons float above the main image.

Once the card was put together, I used some paper glaze on the balloons to give them that nice shiny finish (which, of course, did not show up well in the photos).

Copic markers used:

Challenges I participated in with this card:

Tiddly Inks - sketch challenge (I rotated it 90 degrees)
Papertake Weekly - animal magic
CES Challenges - animal antics
Charisma Cardz - anything goes

Fall is in the Air...

2010-09-22T20:03:00.000-04:00

Looking out my craft room window here in upstate NY, I can see the maple tree out front is already painted with red and yellow leaves. It got me in a mood to make a fall card, and what better image is there for a fall card than Tree Hugger by Tiddly Inks?

When I printed the image, I printed a second copy of the leaves on the tree with the plan of popping it up for some dimension. I cut out the 1st (full) image with a circle Nestabilities and left it in the die when I airbrushed the image to get a nice white boarder. I used the copic airbrush system to airbrush the sky, ground and leaves on the full image, and then went back and airbrushed my second set of leaves to match. The second set of leaves was then cut by hand and layered back onto the image with pop-dots. I purposely misaligned the leaves so that some of the bottom layer sticks out and gives a little more dimension.

The orange designer paper is from last fall's Bo Bunny line, I forget the name, sorry. I ran the white side through my Cuttlebug with the Swiss Dots folder to match. The sentiment is a Studio G $1 stamp. The original layout wouldn't fit in a circle (and so would mess with my circle theme, LOL), so I inked up each word with a different color SU marker and stamped them in a more useful (to me) shape.

Copic Markers used:

Challenges I participated in with this card:
Digital Tuesday - It's all about the girls
A Spoon Full of Sugar - anything goes
Midnight Madness - sketch #72
Creative Card Crew - autumn or fall

Thanks for stopping by!

The Frog Prince...

2010-09-21T20:03:00.000-04:00

The hubby and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary on Friday, and I thought I'd share the card I made for him. My hubby likes funny cards, so when I saw Kiss Me by Tiddly Inks, I knew I had found the perfect image to use for his card. Isn't she the cutest?

I wanted to airbrush in the background, so I printed an extra copy of Kiss Me on plain copy paper and cut it out to use as a mask. To get the cloud effect, I cut a cloud shape out of my paper scraps and randomly moved it around my paper while airbrushing. The ground was also airbrushed, but then I went in with my copics to add some grass and flowers. The image itself was colored with copic markers. For the dress, I only colored the sash, and then added a bit of V93 in the corners of the dress for some shadow before filling the whole thing in with Stardust Stickles. I added a bit of gold Stickles to the Frog Prince's crown as well.

The pretty designer paper is from a K&Co Wedding paper pad I got as a gift ages ago. You can't really tell from the photo, but it has a really nice texture to it. In fact, the hubby wanted to know if it was wallpaper. LOL. The purple ribbon was originally white sheer which I airbrushed to match the card. The pretty heart dangle was hand made using some of my beading supplies. I've had those little heart charms for 5+ years, and I think this is the first time I've actually used one.

Oh, yes, this inside of the card. I forgot to take a photo before writing in it, but the greeting printed inside of the card is:
I'm so glad I kissed you!
Happy Anniversary!

The hubby got a good chuckle out of it. :)

Copic Markers used:

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Birthday Ryan!

2010-09-17T16:38:00.000-04:00

My nephews 2nd birthday is this coming week, so I decided to get a head start on his card. Ryan has a doggie, so I thought the adorable Bo by Tiddly Inks would be perfect for Ryan's card. This week's challenge on the Tiddly Inks challenge blog is all about Our Pets, so this card will do double duty. :)

Bo was colored with copic markers, and has a bit of white gel pen on his eyes to make him pop. I used a little Aleene's Paper Glaze on the balloons and Bo's nose for a bit of shine. When I printed Bo, I printed the balloons separately so that I could layer them on my card.

I wanted to do something a little different, so I decided to go with a shaped card. To make the base, I cut my card stock with the largest Nestabilities Labels 6 die and then folded it in half to make my card base. The patterned paper was cut to match and layered onto the front of the card.

Copic markers used:

Thanks for stopping by!

Falling leaves, a venture in jewelry making...

2010-09-10T22:06:00.000-04:00

*Gasp* I have a non-paper crafting project to share with you today! Can you believe it? LOL.

I got addicted to making jewelry a little over 5 years ago when I was a crazy bride-to-be who fell in love with a gorgeous beaded tiara that was very much out of her price range. Crafty(and stubborn) girl that I am, I promptly taught myself the rudiments of working with wire, beads, and gemstones and made a similar tiara (and necklace, earrings and bracelet) for a fraction of the cost of the one I had been drooling over at the bridal shop. And a new craft addiction was born. LOL.

I haven't pulled out my jewelry kits in a while, but while browsing through a gift shop while on vacation I came across a lovely necklace with fall leaves and berries and immediately started itching to make one for myself. This is the result:

I'm a gold girl, so I used 14k gold filled wire for the project. The "berries" are real seed pearls, and the leaves are all made from lustre glass.

What do you think? I have plans to make a matching bracelet, and maybe some earrings, and will be sure to share them once they are finished.

If you aren't interested in jewelry making, never fear. I have a cute little witch all colored and waiting to be made into a card and will get her up soon!

Welcome baby Emily!

2010-09-06T00:08:00.000-04:00

My sister had her second child, Emily, this week, and I was finally able to visit them today!

I've had this adorable image of baby taking a bath in my box of pif's and rak's for a while now, and decided it would be perfect for Emily's card. Isn't she cute? The image was colored with copic markers, and has stardust gellroll pen on the bubbles for a bit of sparkle.

For the card itself, I decided to use some scraps I had leftover from making a name frame for Emily's big sister, Anna, to make a quilted background. The image was cut out with a scalloped square Nestabilities, and hand stitched to a piece of PTI Sweet Blush card stock (I used DMC thread #3713 if you are interested. It is a perfect match for the paper.). The bottom layer was also cut out with a scalloped square Nestabilities, and then run through my Cuttlebug with the Swiss Dots embossing folder. I curled up the edges of the bottom layer before attaching the stitched layer with pop-dots.

Copic markers used:

Challenges I participated in with this card:

Moving along with the Times - in stitches
Craft your Days away - girly n glitter
Stamp Something - Something cute
Paper Play - in stitches
Allsorts - new beginnings

Thanks for stopping by!

Attitude is Everything

2010-08-27T21:56:00.000-04:00

Today's project was a special request by a co-worker. One of her dear friends turns 90 today, and she wanted to give her something special to celebrate.The birthday girl in question is one sassy & feisty lady, so I was asked to make a card to suit her personality. Fun, huh?

For my image, Tito-Mosquito on deviantART kindly agreed to allow me to use his drawing, Mari the Flapper. Isn't she fabulous? What could be more perfect for someone who grew up in the roaring 20's than a feisty old flapper who is still flaunting her stuff?

Mari was colored with copic markers, and has clear spica pen over her outfit for a bit of sparkle. I added white Fun Flock to her boa for some textural interest (close-up below). I wanted to use a real feather for her headpiece, but since I couldn't find one in my stash, I substituted a bit of wired white fringe that I airbrushed to match her belt & garter.

Think she'll like it?

Autumn Falls

2010-08-25T22:52:00.000-04:00

I don't know about your neck of the woods, but here in upstate NY we've been having unseasonably cool weather for the past 2 weeks or more. We were doing yard work this past weekend, and I noticed that the leaves on the neighbor's maple tree are already starting to change colors. Oh, my! The colors stuck in my head, so when I got in the crafty mood, it was a no brainer to play with Sweet Pea Stamps Autumn Falls. Isn't she gorgeous?

Autumn Falls was colored with Copic markers, and highlighted with a white gel pen. I colored over her tail with a clear Spica pen, and added star dust Stickles to her outfit and the leaves for a bit of extra sparkle. The pretty dp is from the DCWV Pocket full of Posies matstack, and the rest of the paper is all SU. I picked up the leaf gems at the dollar store ages ago, and touched them up a bit with my copic markers to make the colors match my image.

Challenges I participated in with this card:

Stamping for the Weekend - anything goes
Stamp with fun - card for a girl (this is already on it's way to one of my girlfriends)
Paper Cutz - anything goes

Quick and Easy Christmas

2010-08-23T22:01:00.000-04:00

I'm trying to get a head start on my holiday cards this year, so I've decided to try to play along with the ABC Christmas Challenge to help get me motivated. I don't know about you, but I find it awfully hard to get to work on Christmas cards when the heat makes me want to spend some quality time in the pool! LOL.

This weeks challenge is Q for Quick and Easy, so I decided to pull out one of my favorite holiday sets, SU's Snowflakes. I must admit, I've gotten a bit out of practice with quick cards, since most of the images I've been using lately require quite a bit of coloring, so this was a nice change for me.

I wanted a bit of depth to my snowflake, so I started out by inking the whole flake with Bashful Blue ink, then rocked on some Brocade Blue ink, and finished off the edges by rocking on some Night of Navy ink. I added a bit of sparkle with Star Dust Stickles (I finally got a bottle, yeah!!!) and added a pearl to the center for my final touch. You can't really tell from the photo, but I also outlined the swirls on the paper with a clear spica pen, so this card sparkles like crazy in real life.

Thanks for stopping by!

Artwork for Anna...

2010-08-16T19:18:00.000-04:00

I thought I'd share the artwork I made for my niece, Anna, for her 2nd birthday a while back. Little Anna is really into ballet (pronounced "bah-way" LOL) right now, so her mommy and I decided on some of the cute digital images by Mo's Digital Pencil.

First, we have Anna's name frame for over her bed:

Anna loves giving kisses, so the adorable "Kissy" was perfect for her name frame.

The image was colored with copic markers, and then carefully cut out to layer onto the background. I added a bit of star dust Stickles to her tutu and a gold Spica pen to her crown for a bit of sparkle. The background itself was made by cutting pieces of Nitwit's Buds n Blossoms digi paper into little squares and layering them quilt-like onto my base paper. I printed "Anna"onto PTI Sweet Blush paper, carefully cut out each letter and ran them through my Cuttlebug for some added texture.

My apologies on the horrid photos of the other 3 pieces in this set. I forgot to take photos of them before giving them to Anna, and so was stuck taking the photos in her not-so-well lit room after they were hung on the wall.

Thanks for stopping by!

male birthday cards...

2010-08-05T22:55:00.000-04:00

See - I told you I had itchy fingers and would be posting projects more often! August is a busy card month for me, with 4 birthdays and 2 anniversaries to make cards for, so I thought I'd better get cracking!

I decided to start with my guy cards since they are always the hardest to come up with. I saved this great card by Michelle Short months ago with the intention of CASEing it at some point, and thought the simple but fun layout would be perfect for a guy card. In fact, I liked the first one so much that I made a second one (slightly different) out of my scraps.

For my first one, I used the cake from SU's Fun & Fast Notes set, with coordinating sentiment. The image was colored with copic markers, and has diamond Stickles added to the frosting and flames for a bit of sparkle.

For the second card, I dug out one of my favorite SU sets, Send a Celebration. This was one of the very first SU sets I ever purchased (Yes, purchased. My introduction to SU came right after SAB that year, and I had to find this baby on e-bay. The horror! LOL!) and it still remains a favorite.

Thanks for stopping by!

Christmas Presents in July...

2010-07-31T18:08:00.000-04:00

Hello all! Did you miss me? Sorry for the long time between posts. I started a new job this month, and between wrapping up things for my old job, settling into the new job, and all of the usual crazy summer activities, I just haven't had much time for crafting until now. My fingers have been itching to do some coloring though, so expect more regular posts in the future!

That being said, I have a card to show you today. Lil Lotita Boutique Challenges is having a Christmas in July challenge this week, and ABC Christmas Challenges is up to P for Presents this week, so I decided to use the adorable Lylah from Tickled Pink Stamps to combine the two challenges. And just to make things interesting, I also used the sketch from the Tickled Pink Monthly Challenge.

Lylah was colored with copic markers, and has clear spica pen on the ribbon on the gift & in her hair for a little sparkle. (If you click on the image to enlarge it, you can see the sparkle better.) The cardstock and ribbon are all SU, and the dp is from the My Mind's Eye Be Merry Collection (my all time favorite holiday paper, which I'm almost out of, waa!).

I like to make holiday cards with a specific recipient in mind so I can personalize it a bit for them. This one is going to a friend who loves to sew, hence the buttons and "thread". The thread (SU silver cord) is actually one long piece that I've threaded through the buttons. I cut thing strips off of a glue dot and rolled them into super-thin lines to use to get the loops in the thread to stay put. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out, and think she will get a kick out of it.

Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Summer Somethings...

2010-06-18T09:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday! Are you ready for the latest Stamp Something challenge? This week, we are being sponsored by La-la Land Crafts, and our theme is "Summer Somethings".

La-la Land Crafts was kind enough to provide the dt images to work with, and I got to play with Summer Bill and Maya. Aren't they fun? They remind me of summers at the beach with my parents, so I will be sending this card to them... shhh...

Bill and Maya were colored with copic markers, and cut out with a Nestabilities label 1 die. I gave Bill an interesting swimsuit by paperpiecing in a scrap of one of the dp's I used on the card. I added a red rhinestone to Maya's hat and a bit of crystal effects to the tube for a finishing touch.

The polka dot dp is by Bo Bunny, and the stripe is a no-namer from my scrap pile (sorry!). The flowers are primas, and were originally yellow before I used my handy dandy airbrush system on them (love that thing!). The leaves are a McGill fern punch, and were also airbrushed for a bit more dimension. I still haven't had a chance to replace my much beloved, and very empty, bottle of Stardust Stickles, so I used Stickles in Xmas Red and Orange Peel, and Studio G glitter glue in a lime shade on my flowers and ferns. (Gasp!)

Copic markers used:

Happy Somethings...

2010-06-11T09:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday! Are you ready for the latest Stamp Something challenge? This week, we are being sponsored by Karen's Doodles, and our theme is "Happy Somethings".

Karen very generously allowed the dt to chose an image to work with this week, and I couldn't resist the adorable Princess Pony. Does she look happy, or what?

Princess Pony was colored with copic markers, and has diamond Stickles on her hat, skirt ruffle, and bridle. I decided she needed a little more sparkle, so I added iridescent Smooch to her skirt and shoes. I added a mini rhinestone to her hat and the pony's bridle for a finishing touch.

Copic markers used:

Thanks for stopping by!

Meow!

2010-06-06T20:39:00.000-04:00

I was lucky enough to win the adorable Evie by Tickled Pink Stamps, and have been itching to ink her up. (Thank you, Kellie!) Isn't she purrfect? LOL!

Evie was colored with copic markers, and has diamond Stickles applied to her outfit for a bit of glitz. (Yes, you read that right. I used diamond Stickles for once. My bottle of stardust Stickles is empty, and I haven't ordered a new one yet. Waaa!!!) Evie was carefully cut out for layering, and glued to an oval that I embossed with a Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder. Before I attached her to the oval layer, I curled her tail, ears and paw over the edge of my finger to give the piece a little more dimension.

The paper is all retired SU, and the pretty ribbon and lace were a Hobby Lobby find. (Drool...) I airbrushed the roses to match the image, and applied more diamond Stickles to the flowers and ferns for even more sparkle.

Copics used:

Challenges I participated in with this card:
Tickled Pink Stamps - Girly Girly
Tickled Pink Stamps Monthly Challenges - sketch #1
Colour Create - baby pink and pastel blue
Crazy 4 Challenges - crazy for pleats
PaperPlay - flowers and sparkle

Crafty Sentiments - punch challenge

2010-05-30T18:27:00.000-04:00

Happy Sunday! I hope everyone is having a great weekend! We lost power yesterday evening due to a transformer blowing nearby, so I'm afraid I am a little bit late with my blog post today. Since we've had nothing better to do with the power out, the hubby and I spent yesterday evening and most of today setting up a pool. Woo! I've been wanting a pool for ages, and was so excited about finally having one, that I actually got in when it was only half full and paddled around for a while until the ice cold water turned my toes numb.

On to today's Crafty Sentiments challenge. This week we are being sponsored by Debbie of The Crafty Pad Designs, and are challenging you to use punches on your card in some shape or form. Easy, right?

Today is my last day as a guest dt member, and I want to send a big Thank You!!! to Suzette for giving me the opportunity to work with her team for the past two months. It's been a lot of fun!

I've been in a summery mood lately, so for my project, I decided to use Amy from the April release. Isn't she adorable in her shorts outfit?

Amy was colored with copic markers, and has white dots added to her outfit with a Sakura Glaze pen in white. For my punches, I used a corner rounder, horizontal slot punch, 1" circle punch, and a scalloped circle punch (to make the flower).

Copic markers used:

Thanks for stopping by!

Stamp Something - Recipe Challenge + candy winner!

2010-05-28T09:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday! Are you ready for the latest Stamp Something challenge? This week, we are being sponsored by Paper Jewels, and have a recipe challenge for you. To play along, you will need to make something with designer paper, ribbon, a bow and a tag.

For my project, I decided to ink up Purple Comfort by Sweet Pea Stamps. Isn't she gorgeous?

Purple Comfort was colored with copic markers, and has stardust stickles on the lace of her gown as well as on the cat's wings. My designer paper is some SU from my stash, and my ribbon is a Big Lots find that perfectly matches SU Certainly Celery. I doubled over some of the ribbon on both sides of the center panel for a "bow" and also have bows in Purple Comfort's hair. My tag was cut by hand, and was outlined with a Sakura stardust pen for some shimmer. All of the pearls on the card were originally white, and were colored with a B34 copic to match the rest of the project.

Copic markers used:

Challenges I participated in with this card:

Stamp Something - recipe
Stamptacular Sunday - pearls and swirls
Everybody Art Challenge - fairytale
Charisma Cardz - going round in circles

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I hope everyone enjoyed our birthday blog hop this week! The lucky winner of my mini candy is...

#3 - Sylvia from Minnesota!

Congrats, Sylvia! Please email me with your mailing address to claim your prize!

Crafty Sentiments - Bride in Monochrome

2010-05-23T04:00:00.001-04:00

Happy Sunday! I hope everyone has been having a good weekend. I managed to get some gardening done along with working on some craft projects.

Since it's Sunday, it's time for the latest challenge with Crafty Sentiments. This week, we are challenging you to make a project using the above sketch.

I used Bride2 for my card. Isn't she lovely?

I colored Bride2 with copic markers, and then used Smooch in Moonlight on the ribbon on her dress, and Smooch in Iridescent on her veil. My wedding dress was covered in lace, so I decided to try to recreate that effect on her dress. To do so, I used a white gel pen to draw in random squiggles all over the dress fabric, and then went back in with a Sakura Glaze pen in white (it has a raised texture when dry) and dotted in some "pearls". It didn't photograph all that well, but the finished "lace" looks lovely in person.

Copic markers used:

Challenges I participated in with this card:
Crafty Sentiments - sketch
Kaboodle Doodles - Monochromatic
Spoon full of Sugar - #104 cute & girly
Crafty Creations - encouragement / celebrations
Paperplay - wedding celebrations
Charisma Cardz - 3D
Secret Crafter - no patterned paper

Two of Something...

2010-05-21T09:00:00.002-04:00

**Update** Candy is now closed!

Happy Friday! Did you have fun at the Stamp Something birthday blog hop yesterday? If not, be sure to go here to start the hop as you still have time to enter to win some fabulous prizes!

Seeing as it is Friday, it's time for our weekly Stamp Something Challenge. This week, we are being sponsored by Karen's Doodles, and are challenging you to make a project with "2 of something". Two buttons, two ribbons, two designer papers, two images, your choice!

I decided to stick with the birthday theme, and used It's My Birthday by Sweet Pea Stamps to make a card for my supervisor. (Happy Birthday Pat!)

She was colored with copic markers, and has lots of stardust stickles on her wings and tail. For my "two of something" I used two designer papers (SU in Lovely Lilac) from my stash. I received them in a RAK ages and ages ago, and keep forgetting to use them.

Copics used:

Challenges I participated in with this card:
Stamp Something - two of Something
ABC Challenge - U is for unused stash

Stamp Something Birthday Blog Hop!

2010-05-20T19:00:00.002-04:00

Stamp Something is celebrating it's 2nd birthday today, and to celebrate, we are having a blog hop! If you came here from Janna's blog, you are right on target. If not, head on over to the Stamp Something blog so you can start the hop off right. Our monthly sponsor, Simon Says, has offered up a great prize for one lucky hopper, and several of my team mates are offering up candy of their own, so trust me, you don't want to miss any of the stops!

Since this is a birthday celebration, the team has been challenged to make something cake or cupcake related/inspired. I decided to make a masculine birthday card featuring a cupcake with some yummy frosting & sprinkles (more on that later...).

The cupcake image is from the Hero Art Cupcake set, and was colored with copic markers. The yummy frosting is Liquid Pearls in White Opal. While the Liquid Pearls were still wet, I sprinkled on some Twinklets Diamond Dust to mimic sugar crystal sprinkles. I thought it needed a little more color, so I made some custom red sprinkles by dumping some Twinklets in a jar and adding a few drops of SU Riding Hood Red reinker.

CANDY ALERT!!!

Would you like some custom red Twinklets of your own? I've added a bag of them to my birthday mini candy, so be sure to leave me a comment for a chance to win. Just for giggles, please share what your favorite birthday dessert is. Inquiring minds want to know!

The candy will close at 7pm EST on Thursday, May 27th, with the candy winner being announced in the following day's challenge post on the Stamp Something blog.

Now, what are you waiting for? Hop on over to Lols blog to see what she has in store for you!

Something to Celebrate...

2010-05-14T09:00:00.001-04:00

Happy Friday! Are you ready for another challenge with Stamp Something? This week we are being sponsored by Motivet, and are challenging you to make something for a celebration - wedding, birthday, new baby, whatever you like!

Motivet was kind enough to donate images for the dt to work with this week, and I was lucky enough to get the oh, so sweet Summer Wedding. Aren't they adorable?

Summer Wedding was colored with copic markers, and has a bit of stardust stickles on the lace on her skirt for a little sparkle.

Copic markers used:

Challenges I participated in with this card:

Stamp Something - celebrations
Creative Card Crew - sketch
One Stop Craft Challenge - wedding wishes

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T04:00:00.001-04:00

Happy Mother's Day! I hope everyone is having a lovely day and is getting spoiled rotten by your kiddos. We've been having awful high winds all weekend, so I am hoping it will settle down enough this afternoon that I am able to go see my mother for lunch. Keep your fingers crossed!

Being that it is Sunday, it means that it is also time for the new weekly challenge with Crafty Sentiments. This week, we are challenging you to make something with the above sketch.

I decided to use the sketch for the Mother's Day card for my mum. My sister and I both had long hair when we were kids, so I thought that Girl with Heart would be perfect for her card. Isn't she sweet?

She was colored with copic markers, and layered with circle Nestabilities. I decided to use a flower in place of the second circle on the sketch, and when I found these red daisies in my stash, I knew they would be perfect. (My mum LOVES red.)

Copic markers used:

Challenges I participated in with this card:

Crafty Sentiments - sketch
Polka Doodles - summer blossoms
By the Cute & Girly - celebrations
The Pink Elephant #65 - Mommy, I love you

Summer Butterfly...

2010-05-08T14:11:00.001-04:00

I was lucky enough to win Connie's Sweet Pea blog candy last week. Woo! Thank you Connie & Lynette! My goodies arrived this week, and I just could wait to ink them up!

Included in the candy was the gorgeous Fly Butterfly as well as the sentiment I used on the card.

I airbrushed the background of the image with Copic BG72, YR31, and E08 before coloring Fly Butterfly in with copic markers. I added a bit of Stardust Stickles to her dress & wings and the handmade flower for a bit of bling.

Copic markers used:

Challenges I participated in with this card:

Sweet Pea Stampers - sketch
Pollycraft - Here Comes the Sun
Paperplay - stamp + bling
Colour Create - color challenge + circles
Delightful Sketches - pull out your punches (used circle punches and oval punches)
Crafty Creations - magical

Thanks for stopping by!

Birthday Somethings...

2010-05-07T09:00:00.003-04:00

Happy Friday! Are you ready for another challenge with Stamp Something? This week we are being sponsored by Whiff of Joy, and are challenging you to make something birthday related.

Tomorrow happens to be my sister and my grandmother's birthday, so this weeks challenge was an easy one for me. My sister used a Precious Moments figurine for her wedding cake topper, so when a friend stamped a few of the adorable "Love Blooms" image for me, I knew I'd have to use it on her birthday card. Isn't she sweet?

"Love Blooms" was colored with copic markers, and was cut out with Nestabilities oval dies. I used a simple and clean layout this time as I didn't want to detract from the image.

Copic markers used:

Challenges I participated in with this card:

Stamp Something - birthdays
Lili of the Valley #52 - here comes summer
Pollycraft #42 - sunshine (image and colors)
Kaboodle Doodles #30 - spring
Whoopsi Daisy - as you like it
C.R.A.F.T. #49 - birthdays / anniversaries

Thanks for stopping by!

Crafty Sentiments challenge 16 - buttons

2010-05-02T04:00:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone is having a good weekend. We've had a pretty busy one so far. My in-laws were down yesterday, and brought a bunch of lawn & garden tools with them, so we spent most of the morning & afternoon pulling weeds and cutting down these awful thorn-covered berry bushes that had taken over the yard. I'm scratched and sunburned, but the yard looks 10 times better than it did before! I have some flowers to plant today if the rains holds off, and then plan to put my feet up and relax with a good book.

**Kitty Update: Felicity went to the vet on Thursday, and got a clean bill of health. Yeah! She yowled all the way there, and all the way back, but behaved like a perfect little lady while she was actually at the vet's. She's starting to fill out a bit, and has a lot more energy. She's been trying to sneak into the rest of the house, much to the displeasure of our two resident cats. They aren't too sure they like having a visitor, and sit outside of the front room whenever I'm in there with Felicity.**

Since it's Sunday, it's time for another challenge with Crafty Sentiments. This week, we are taking it easy on you, and just challenging you to use some buttons on your project.

I recieved my dt package with the new Wedding Amy stamps in the mail yesterday, so of course I had to use one for today's project.

I decided to go tone on tone for today's card. I think white on white is such an elegant and classic look for a wedding card, don't you?

Bride Amy was colored with copic markers, and carefully cut out for layering. I added stardust stickles to her veil, and Smooch Illuminate to her dress for some bridal glamour. She sparkles like crazy in real life! The top layer was cut out with a Nestabilites Labels 4 die. I left the die in place after cutting, and carefully traced the inner edge with a gold Spica pen to make a frame. The bottom layer was run through my Cuttlebug with the Swiss Dots embossing folder, and then had the outside edge traced with the gold Spica pen to make it stand out from the card base.

Copic Markers used:

Thanks for stopping by!

Stamp Something sketch challenge

2010-04-30T09:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday! We're getting sketchy at Stamp Something this week, and are being sponsored by Simon Says. To play along and enter to win a $20 gift certificate, all you need to do is make a project using the above sketch, and then link it up on the Stamp Something blog.

For my card, I decided to ink up Winterberry by Sweet Pea stamps. The colors are not ones I would normally pick, but I recently got some yummy dp by My Minds Eye and was itching to cut into it, so I decided to step outside of my color comfort zone.

Winterberry was colored with copic markers, and then had a ton of stardust stickles added to her hat and dress to dress things up a bit. I just love all the sparkle!

Copic markers used (the orange in the middle is YR02):

Thanks for stopping by!

kitty update...

2010-04-28T22:22:00.000-04:00

Several readers have left comments asking about the kitty we rescued, so I thought I would post a little update. We've decided to call her "Felicity" since she is such a happy kitty now. She's settled right in, and comes running for skritches whenever we open the door to the front room. (Please ignore the awful carpeting! This is one of the few rooms we haven't redone since moving in.)

Felicity is very much a lap cat, and wants nothing more than to be in your arms at all times. She purrs like crazy the minute you pick her up, and gets so excited about being held that she rolls around in your arms. I've been using a Zoom Groom to brush her, and she loves the thing! I leave it out when I'm finished with it, and she will roll around on top of it to massage herself. It's awfully funny to watch!

She still sleeps a lot, but after 4+ days of getting plenty of high-calorie kitten food, she's starting to perk up a bit more, and will bat around a mousie - so long as you are right there to rub her belly while she is doing it, that is. LOL. Have I mentioned how much she likes attention?

I managed to get her to hold still long enough to get some close-ups tonight, so I thought I would share them so you can see her pretty blue eyes.

This one was taken right after she'd eaten. She jumped up on the hubby's lap, and was licking her whiskers clean before settling in for some snuggles.

She has a visit with the vet tomorrow morning, so keep your fingers crossed for a clean bill of health!

Crafty Sentiments New Release Blog Hop Party!

2010-04-28T05:00:00.003-04:00

Are you ready to party? Crafty Sentiments is having a new release today, and to celebrate, the dt is hosting a blog hop. Make sure to leave a comment on everyone's blog for a chance to win the entire release! If you came here from the Crafty Sentiments blog, you are right on track and will want to go visit Jacqui next. If you didn't come here from the Crafty Sentiments blog, then be sure to pop back there so you don't miss any stops in the hop.

For my project, I used one of the sitting Amy's to create a gift box filled with crafty goodness for a stamping friend.

Amy was colored with copic markers, and has a bit of stickles accenting her outfit. I carefully cut her out before layering her onto my die cut circle.

Copic Markers used:

Thanks for stopping by!

Found a kitty...

2010-04-25T18:42:00.000-04:00

Happy Sunday! I hope you have been having a great weekend. Mine has been interesting and quite busy! My computer crashed yesterday, so while hubby worked on it, I decided to take some photos of the fruit trees in the backyard since they are all in bloom. While I was puttering around out there, I noticed this:

The poor thing is skin and bones and apparently has been living in a ventilation hole in our foundation for a while. I gave her a bit of food, and immediately had a new best friend.

We've got her set up in our front room now, and the minute you walk in there, she wants you to pick her up and love on her. We made her a bed, but she seems to prefer curling up on top of a low table under the window, so I put a towel and stuffed animal there for her to curl up with. She seems pretty happy with the arrangement.

She is way too friendly to be from a feral litter, so we suspect she either snuck out of her owners home, or is a dump job. We'll be putting posters up in the neighborhood and listing her in the lost & found section of craigslist. If anyone from the Vestal/Appalachin NY area recognizes her, please email me or leave a comment here. We are estimating she is about 4-7 months old, but we won't know for sure until we get her to the vet.

We can't keep her as we already have 2 cats (and hubby put his foot down that 2 is enough!), so if we can't find her former owners, we will be looking for a good home for her once she is up to a healthy weight. If anyone is interested in a super friend, super cuddly kitten, please email me. She will be up to date on all of her shots and will be spayed before going to a new home.

Getting Sketchy with Crafty Sentiments

2010-04-25T18:17:00.000-04:00

Are you ready for another fabulous sketch challenge? This week, Crafty Sentiments is challenging you to use the above sketch for your project with the added inspiration of also using flowers.

For my project, I used one of the new sitting Amy's, and paired her with a bench by Magnolia.

Amy and the bench were colored with copic markers, and Amy has a bit of white gel pen on her eyes and cheeks for a little emphasis.

I decided Amy needed a little glamour, so I went over her top with a clear Spica pen for some sparkle. My flower was made using both of the Martha Stewart hydrangea punches, and also has some clear Spica pen scribbled on the petals.

Copic markers used:

Thanks for stopping by!

Something Charming...

2010-04-23T09:00:00.002-04:00

Are you ready for another challenge with Stamp Something? This week we are being sponsored by Bunny Zoe's Crafts, and are challenging you to make... Something with a Charm (your choice of store bought or homemade).

A dear friend's father passed away last week, so I made a sympathy card for him and his mother using SU's Thoughts & Prayers. Ed, my friend's father, was very much a nature lover, and could often be found out puttering in his gorgeous garden, so I thought a nature theme would be appropriate for the card.

I inked the tree up with a SU Basic Brown ink pad, stamped it on to my cardstock, and then colored over the leaves with Smooch in Green Apple. The leaves shimmer like crazy, which made the wood look a little dull, so I went over the brown with a Chocolate Spica pen for some added sparkle. I created a sky and some grass by using a piece of sponge to daub on some SU Soft Sky and SU True Thyme ink.

I found a pack of leaf-shaped gems in my stash and tied some copper cord around the stem to turn it into a charm. I thought it went perfectly with the rest of the card. Sorry for the lousy photo. I forgot to take a close-up of the charm, and the card is already in the mail.

Thanks for stopping by!

Crafty Sentiments challenge #14

2010-04-18T17:39:00.000-04:00

Happy Sunday! I hope you have been having a great weekend. Mine has been very busy, which is why I am a bit late posting my project for today.

This weeks challenge from Crafty Sentiments is to use the above sketch for your project with the added inspiration of also using your favorite embellishment.

For my card, I used the newly released sitting Amy. Isn't she cute? I love the sitting pose as it allows me to use some of my much ignored accessory stamps for her to perch on.

Amy and the swing were colored with copic markers, and Amy has a bit of white gel pen on her eyes and cheeks for a little emphasis. My favorite embellishment is glitter, specifically Stickles, so I added that to the ruffle on her shirt and to the roses on the swing.

Copic Markers used:

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to pop on over to the Crafty Sentiments blog to see what the rest of the dt has in store for you!

Something layered for Mother's Day

2010-04-16T09:00:00.001-04:00

Are you ready for another challenge with Stamp Something? This week we are being sponsored by Karen's Doodles, and are challenging you to make... Something Layered!

Karen was sweet enough to allow the dt to choose an image from her store to work with for this challenge. She has so many cute designs, it was hard to pick just one! I decided to be good, and get a head start on my Mother's Day cards this year (instead of waiting til the last minute, like usual!), and so chose A Present for Mom. Isn't it perfect for a Mother's Day card? That little bunny is so sweet!

A Present for Mom was colored with copic markers, and has stickles in star dust and lemon ice on the flowers & ferns for a bit of sparkle. I used circle and scalloped circle nestabilities to cut out my layers, and adhered them to my card with pop-dots to add some dimension. The pretty ruffled ribbon is one of my Hobby Lobby purchases from last week's shopping excursion.

Copic markers used:

Thanks for stopping by!

Feeling Groovy...

2010-04-12T21:43:00.000-04:00

So I've got another altered Greeting Farm digi for you today. For this one, I combined Freaky Flutter's head with Charlotte's body. Cute, eh?

"Fluttery Charlotte" was colored with copic markers and had clear Spica pen added to her belt and eyeshadow for a bit of sparkle.

The retro flowers are handmade using a bit of cream embroidery floss that I'd forgotten I had. You can find the tutorial here. I used a SU scalloped circle punch for my template, but any flower punch with deep petals would work fine.

Copic markers used:

So sweet of you...

2010-04-11T00:45:00.000-04:00

Happy Sunday! I hope everyone is having a good weekend! The hubby and I have been looking for a half circle table for our entryway without much success, so we took a little drive yesterday to check out the stores in a nearby town. We didn't have any luck with the table, but I got to putter around the new Hobby Lobby while the hubby checked out Game Stop, so a good time was had by all. LOL.

Now that I'm done rambling, are you ready for another challenge with Crafty Sentiments? This week, we are challenging you to make a project based off of the above sketch with the additional challenge of using some blue on your card. Be sure to pop on over to the Crafty Sentiments challenge blog to see the rest of the dt's projects, and to find out what you could win if you decide to play along this week.

I decided to use Girl with Heart on my card. Isn't she sweet? I love her wavy hair!

I colored Girl with Heart with copic markers, and then added stardust stickles to the heart for a bit of glitz. I carefully cut her out and glued her onto my background paper. Then I ran the combined piece through my Cuttlebug using a Nestabilities Label 3 die so that the layers would have a smooth edge. The blue bottom layer was made by tracing the Lable 3 die with a pencil, and then cutting the shape out by hand.

Copic markers used:

*Note that a W1 somehow sneaked into my cup. I guess it was feeling photogenic! LOL! It was not used on my project, so I edited it out of the photo.*

Challenges I participated in with this card:
Crafty sentiments - sketch + blue
ABC Challenges - R is for Red
Delightful Sketches - buttons & bling
Stampin for the weekend - ribbons and bows
Oh, Alice! - use flowers
Cooking it up with Katie - recipe - New (papers), Old (buttons), Sweet (image)
Meljen's - girly colors

Thanks for stopping by!

Something Stitched...

2010-04-09T09:30:00.000-04:00

*This is my second post for the day, so if you are looking for my Wags 'n Whiskers post, please scroll down.*

Are you ready for another challenge with Stamp Something? This week we are being sponsored by Paper Jewels, and are challenging you to make... Something Stitched!

For my card, I decided to use the lovely Winterberry by Sweet Pea Stamps. She's supposed to be a winter stamp, as the name implies, but I wiped the ink off of the snowflakes before stamping her to make her appropriate for any season.

Winterberry was colored with copic markers, and then had plenty of sparkle added with some (ok, LOTS) of stardust Stickles. I added more stickles to the flowers, and then some copper colored Studio G glitter glue to the branches. My paper is from the Once Upon a Time stack by DCWV, and also has glitter on it, so this card sparkles like crazy in real life!

Copic markers used:

Challenges I participated in with this card:

Stamp Something - something stitched
Creative Card Crew - vintage / aged
Paperplay - shiny happy people
Practical Scrappers - markers
Stamptacular Sunday - sugar & spice & everything nice
One Stitch at a Time - anything goes

Thanks for stopping by!

Wags 'n Whiskers Challenge #18 - scallops

2010-04-09T07:00:00.004-04:00

I have some exciting news - Lacey at Wags 'n Whiskers invited me to be their guest designer for this weeks challenge! How fun is that? This weeks challenge is to make a project using scallops - Nestabilities, scallop punches, scalloped edges - you pick!

For my card, I decided to use the adorable Ryan's Chocolate Trouble to make a birthday card for my father. Think he'll like it?

Ryan was colored with copic markers, and then very carefully cut out. I glued his head and torso onto my white background paper, and then used glue dots to pop up his arms for a little dimension. I ended up chopping off his legs so I could place him in my scalloped frame (sorry, Ryan!), so I reused the chocolate wrappers that were at his feet to scatter at the bottom of my card.

Copic markers used:

Challenges I participated in with this card:

Wags 'n Whiskers - scallops
A Spoon Full of Sugar - one for the boys
Polka Doodles - birthday

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to pop on over to the Wags 'n Whiskers blog to see what the design team has in store for you today, and don't forget to check back here later in the morning to see what I created for this weeks Stamp Something Challenge (I'll give you a hint - it's VERY girly!).

Glamorous Day...

2010-04-07T00:05:00.000-04:00

I've been having fun combining my digital Greeting Farm images to make new outfits. Today, I have a combo of Odette and Dressy Camille to show you.

I colored "Dressy" Odette with copic markers (sorry, I forgot to take a photo of them this time around), and then went over her dress with a clear Spica pen. I gave her a touch of eyeshadow with a sand Spica pen. I know the camera didn't really pick it up, but trust me, this card sparkles like crazy in real life!

The pretty flowers are handmade using the same paper I used for the card. The stamens were snipped from a spray of flowers I picked up in the wedding section of ACMoore. I used glue dots to hold everything together, and then went over each petal with some stardust stickles. Not only does this make the flower nice and sparkly, it has the added benefit of making it hard so your flowers will maintain their shape. Cool, huh?

Challenges I participated in with this card:
Pollycraft Monday - anything goes
Cupcake Crafts - make your own flowers
Pink Elephant - nature
Kaboodle Doodles - digi girl
Creative Card Crew - vintage / aged
Secret Crafter - how does your garden grow?

Thanks for stopping by!

TGF Battle Royale, Week 2

2010-04-04T23:43:00.000-04:00

My team, the Faux Farmers, made it on to week 2 of the Battle Royale over at the Greeting Farm! Yeah! Thank you so much to everyone who voted for us last week!

This weeks challenge was to make a easel card, and team member Genetta Hutton rocked the challenge with this lovely card:

Isn't is gorgeous? All that lace and the colors she chose give it such a glamorous and vintage feel.

If you would consider popping on over here and voting for the Faux Farmers so we can move on to week 3, we'd really appreciate it! Remember, all you have to do to vote is leave a comment on our card in TGF galleria.

Thanks in advance!

Happy Easter + exciting news!

2010-04-04T05:06:00.000-04:00

Happy Easter to all my readers who celebrate the holiday! I have some exciting news to share today - Suzette from Crafty Sentiments has invited me to be a guest designer for the Crafty Sentiments challenge blog for April and May! How exciting is that?!?

This week, we are challenging you to make a project based off of the above sketch. Be sure to pop on over to the Crafty Sentiments challenge blog to see the rest of the dt's projects, and to find out what you could win if you decide to play along this week.

I decided to use the adorable Boy with Flowers for my card. He reminds me of my younger brothers. When we were kids, they would pick flowers from the neighbors garden on their way home from school, and present my mother with a lovely bouquet. I think she always had a hard time deciding on whether to thank them for being so thoughtful, or scolding them for raiding the neighbors flower beds! LOL!

I stamped Boy with Flowers twice so that I could cut out some of his flowers and pop them up for a nice 3D effect. I also added some Flower Soft in Spring to his bouquet for a little more interest. The papers are all digi papers by Nitwits, and my sentiment is also computer generated.

Copic Markers used:

Challenges I participated in with this card:

Crafty Sentiments - sketch
Papertake Weekly - anything goes
Fab 'n' Funky - spring is in the air
Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge - how does your garden grow?
Crafty Creations - anything goes

Thanks for stopping by!

Pink Somethings...

2010-04-02T12:23:00.003-04:00

Happy Friday! It's time for a new challenge at Stamp Something, and this week, we are challenging you to make something pink. We're being sponsored by The Stamping Boutique, so be sure to pop on over to the Stamp Something challenge blog to see what you could win if you join us this week!

Tracey at The Stamping Boutique, was kind enough to let the DT each chose an image to play with for this weeks challenge. I picked "freeing the fairy". Peter Pan was one of my favorite stories when I was little, and this image makes me think of many happy hours spent pouring over my Peter Pan story book.

I had the bubble layout all planned in my head before I printed the image, so I separated the girl and the fairy to give me enough room around each to cut them out with a circle nestabilities die. The images were colored with copic markers, and have plenty of stardust stickles added for lots of sparkle.

I decided to keep the layout nice and simple so as not to overwhelm the image. The pretty pink designer paper is from my scrap pile. This is my last piece, and I can't remember who made it so I can buy some more. Waa!

Markers used:

Challenges I participated in with this card:
Stamp Something - pink
By the Cute & Girly - fairytales
Papertake Weekly - anything goes
Digital Tuesday - scrap it
Crafts and Me - fairies or wings
Creative Cottage - pretty pink
Colour Create - your choice of pastels

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Birthday, Maggie!

2010-03-29T06:30:00.002-04:00

Today we are celebrating a co-workers birthday, and I thought I would share the card I made for her. Maggie, our birthday girl, has a good sense of humor, so I thought she would enjoy Western Heat by Victoria Case Designs. Can I get an "Mmmmm, yeah!"? LOL!

Maggie is Irish (real off-the-boat Irish, not American-Irish) so I turned Western Heat into a hot Irish fella by adding a lucky clover to his belt buckle. He was colored with copic markers, and had some sparkle added to his buckle with a clear Spica pen.

Challenges I participated in with this card:
Bee Crafty - birthday
Simon Says - anything you like

Copic markers used:

Thanks for stopping by!

TGF Battle Royale + a free digi

2010-03-28T15:41:00.000-04:00

Happy Sunday! Sorry for the lateness of this post - Blogger was being a bad boy and wouldn't let me sign in to my account this morning. :(
As many of you probably know, voting starts today for the first challenge of The Greeting Farm's Battle Royale. I'm part of the "Faux Farmers" team, and we would really appreciate it if you could pop on over here to vote for us so we have a chance to move on to the second round. You just need to leave a comment here to vote (make sure to follow the link as leaving a comment on my blog, while appreciated, doesn't count in the voting).

The theme for week 1 was a color challenge (tan, red, aqua) with a retro twist, and team member Jodi Stanisch really rocked it with this fabulous card:

I loved the chair Jodi used the minute I saw it, and just had to turn the photo into a digital image. I thought others might be drooling over the chair as much as I did, so I'm providing my digital image free to anyone who wants it. Just click on the photo below to see the full-sized image, and then Right Click and select "Save Image As" to save it to your computer.

*Please note that this image is free to anyone who wants it. You are under no obligation to go vote for us in order to get it. Enjoy!

Have a great week! And thank you in advance to everyone who votes for us! We appreciate your support!

Something doodled...

2010-03-26T09:00:00.006-04:00

Happy Friday! Are you ready for another challenge with Stamp Something? This week, we are being sponsored by Simon Says, and are challenging you to use doodles on your project. Be sure to pop on over to the Stamp Something challenge blog to see what the rest of the dt has in store for you!

For my image, I combined 2 digital images by the Greeting Farm, Freaky Flutter, and WS Dressy Camille. I think Flutter has the cutest face, but find the cake body a little disturbing, so I love that I can swap out the cake for any of the other TGF outfits. Isn't she just the sweetest thing ever?

I colored "Fluttery Camille" with copic markers, and then went over the underskirt and hair bow with a Spica pen for some shimmer. For my layout, I CASED this great card by Jen Shults. It's so frilly and girly, and worked perfectly with "Fluttery Camille".

For the doodle, I made a background with the doodles from the SU set Doodle This. First, I stamped it in Blue Bayou ink, and then I added a second layer with Versamark & embossed it with SU Iridescent Ice EP. For a finishing touch, I used a white gel pen to dot along the contours of the doodles stamped in Blue Bayou.

Copics used:

Challenges I participated in with this card:
Stamp Something - doodles
Crafty Catz - white + one other color
One Stop Craft Challenge - let it shine
Creative Cottage - sparkles
Anyone for Anya? - eggstra special
Pollycraft - sparkly things
Quixotic - monochrome
Thanks for stopping by!

Blog Candy Winners!!!

2010-03-22T14:41:00.000-04:00

Hi all! A big THANK YOU to everyone who participated in my candy! I'm truly overwhelmed by the response! 402 comments! Who would have thought?!? I've enjoyed reading all of your lovely comments and seeing your blogs. Thank you so much for your support!

My apologies for keeping you in suspense to see if you've won. I should have had you number your comments, because counting them all by hand took me a while! LOL! I loaded the numbers into Random.org, and he picked our first winner....

Which means the lucky winner of prize #1 is....

Dot Scrap!

I gave Random.org another spin, and the winner of prize #2 is lucky number...

Which is..

Hannapanna!

Congratulations, ladies! Please email me at: melenth@aol.com with your mailing address so I can get your goodies out to you. If I haven't heard from you by 11:59pm EST on Sunday, March 28th, I will have to redraw the winner.

Something Distressed...

2010-03-19T09:40:00.000-04:00

Oh, dear! That title just sounds awful, doesn't it? LOL. Well, not to worry, all it means is that this week at Stamp Something, we are challenging you to create projects with a distressed look! You can use inks, tear your paper, or any other way of creating a distressed look you can think of. This week, we're being sponsored by Stamp and Create, so be sure to pop on over to the Stamp Something Challenge blog to see how you can enter to win!

Stamp and Create very generously allowed each of the dt to chose a Wags 'n Whiskers stamp to play with. The adorable Thinking of You, reminds me of my cat, Emmalee, as she likes to drape herself over you when you are trying to do something, so I was thrilled for a chance to play with it!

I colored the image with copic markers, and then used a white gel pen to highlight the eyes (going back in with some white makes them pop). I carefully cut out the image, and used pop dots to layer it onto a frame made out of a nestabilities circle die and a labels 3 die. The pretty designer papers are from the Cocoa Mint collection by Cloud 9 Designs. The layered flowers, leaves, and gemstones were also colored with copic markers to make them match the rest of the project.

Copic markers used:

Challenges I participated in with this card:

Stamp Something - distressing
Wags 'n Whiskers - Pop it up
Midnight Madness - MMSC45 (sketch)
Cute Daisy May - anything goes
Creative Card Crew - going dotty (dots on papers)
Copic Creations - favorite technique (brunette hair, coloring embellishments, caucasian skin)
Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge - anything goes

Don't forget, my blog candy ends on Sunday, so be sure to head over here to enter if you haven't already!

Misty Reflections...

2010-03-15T22:04:00.001-04:00

As soon as I saw Misty Reflections, one of the new releases by Sweet Pea Stamps, with her two adorable kitties, I knew I had to have her. I finally had time to ink her up over the weekend, and had fun coloring the kitties to look like my cats.

The layout is a fun sketch by Create4fun, and I used some BoBunny papers from my stash. I added lime green stickles to the leaves, and gold stickles to her necklace and the star dangling from her hat. There are more stickles on the flowers for some added sparkle.

Markers used:

Challenges I participated in with this card:

Create4Fun: sketch
Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge: anything goes
Copic Creations - favorite technique (coloring brunette hair)
Fussy & Fancy - green
Cute Daisy May - anything goes
Pollycraft - sparkly things
Cupcake Crafts - going green

Green and Cream Somethings...

2010-03-12T11:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday! This week at Stamp Something, we are celebrating St. Patrick's Day a wee bit early by challenging you to make something Green and Cream. Be sure to pop on over to the Stamp Something challenge blog to see what the rest of the dt has in store for you, and to see how you can enter to win a great prize from this week's sponsor:

For my project, I used the adorable Madelynn by The Greeting Farm. I thought she looked like the perfect little Irish lass for a St. Patrick's Day card.

Madelynn was colored with copic markers, and had some sparkle added to her coat and scarf with copic spica pens in clear and sand. I airbrushed two plain white brads to match the scarf, and used them in place of her buttons for a little interest.

I actually made the flower embellishment for her hat myself. All you need is a flower punch, paper of your choice, a brad or eyelet, and some stickles. Go here to watch Shaz's fabulous video tutorial. The tutorial itself is wonderful, and the comic relief offered by her young daughter will have you in stitches.

Copic markers used:

Challenges I participated in with this card:

Stamp Something - green and cream
The Pixie Cottage - green
Crafty Creations - make your own flowers
Copic Creations - green
Fussy & Fancy - green
Stampin Royalty - green

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Birthday, Jamie!

2010-03-11T21:22:00.002-05:00

My SIL's birthday is next week, and for once, I actually have a birthday card made a head of time! Jamie LOVES stars, so I thought "It's Your Birthday" by Sweet Pea Stamps was the perfect choice for her card.

"It's Your Birthday" was colored with copic markers, and had a bit of sparkle added to her wings with spica pens. I added Ice Stickles in Lemon Ice to the flame and little stars, and I'm afraid I went a little overboard. This was my first time using the Ice Stickles, and they dry to a more solid finish than regular stickles do. I actually had to do in with a pin and scrap off some of them so you could actually see the stamped lines! So be warned if you're like me and haven't tried out Ice Stickles before - use a VERY light hand when applying them.

The sentiment is also by Sweet Pea Stamps, and I thought it went perfectly with the image. Jamie has been having a rough time of it lately, so I thought a nice inspirational saying would be appropriate.

Copic markers used:

Challenges I participated in with this card:
Sweet Pea Stamps - spring / color challenge / flowers
Paper Sundaes - color challenge
Magical Crafts - things with wings
By the Cute & Girly - spring is in the air
Stamp, Scrap & Doodle Saturdays - anything goes
Cute Card Thursday - celebrations
Cupcake Crafts - flower power
Stamp with Fun - Spring
Crafty Cardmakers - feminine form

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

2010-03-09T21:53:00.001-05:00

Today is my MIL's birthday, and I thought I'd share the card I made for her.

I was the lucky winner of this adorable Teddy with Flowers image by Crafty Sentiments two weeks ago on the Crafty Sentiments challenge blog. It arrived yesterday, so I couldn't resist inking him up. Isn't he sweet? My in-laws live way out in the country, and often have bears come to visit, so I thought he would be perfect for her card.

I colored him with copic markers, and added some stickles to the flowers for a little sparkle. The pretty paper is For Peeps Sake - Pretty New Dress by Imaginisce. I've been hoarding it since last spring, and it kills me to cut into it - it's just so pretty!

The rose and leaves were airbrushed with the copic ABS, and also got the stickles treatment. LOL. The sentiment on the side of the image, "birthday wishes..." was hand written using a copic .01 multiliner pen.

Copics used:

Challenges I participated in with this card:
Midnight Madness - sketch 44
Stamp with Fun - spring
Cupcake Craft - flower power
Kaboodle Doodles - Happy Birthday
Simon Says - Mother's Day / Girly

Thanks for stopping by!

Something Girly...

2010-03-05T09:00:00.001-05:00

Wow! Another week has just rushed by! Are you ready for another challenge with Stamp Something? This week, our challenge for you is to create Something Girly. Pinks, frills, anything Girly goes!

We're being sponsored by Sassy Studio Designs this week, and they very generously gave the dt images to work with. I chose Baby Bump, and used her to create a card for my sister who is expecting her second child this September.

Baby Bump was colored with copic markers and accented with Spica pens. I found the poem online, and printed it in my photo editing program. I cut it out with an oval nestabilities die, and then layered it on a labels 5 nestabilities die to create a frame. The pretty paper is another sheet from the Pocket full of Posies matstack by DCVW that I used in a previous post (I'm loving these papers!).

I finished off the card with a bow and button. My sister should receive it in the mail today, so I hope she likes it. Shhh... don't tell her, but I have a matching scrapbook page in the works...

Copics used:

Challenges participated in with this card:
Stamp Something - girly
Paper Jewels - cute & girly
CRAFT Challenge - Mother's day / flowers
Sassy Designs - lilac & aqua
Lexi's Creations - anything goes
Creative Card Crew - celebrations
Allsorts - mom
Simon Says - Mother's Day / girly
Papertake - buttons, bows, brads & bling
Totally Gorjuss - It's for you mom

Thanks for stopping by!

Update! The candy has just doubled!!!

2010-03-02T22:35:00.000-05:00

Wow! Apparently you all like my blog candy as we went over the 100 comments mark in just over a week! As promised, I have added a second prize package to my blog candy. Please go to this post in order to see the new prize package, and to enter to win!

Please note: If you have already entered, you are qualified for BOTH prize packages. You do not need to enter again to have a chance at the second prize package.

Stamp Something - a recipe challenge

2010-02-26T00:02:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday! Are you ready for a new challenge with Stamp Something? This week, we have a recipe challenge for you: use designer paper, ribbon, and some buttons on your creation. We're being sponsored by Simon Says this week, so be sure to pop on over to the Stamp Something blog to link up your creations for a chance to win!

For my card, I used an adorable digital freebie by Becca Kay Designs. Isn't she cute? I just love the frills on her dress!

I colored her with copic markers and then used a white Glaze pen to add in the white highlights on her dress and the cloud. I went over her wings and the ruffle of her dress with a Lilac Spica pen, and used the Stardust Spica pen on her goggles. The flowers were created by layering 2 different sizes of the Martha Stewart hydrangea punches, and then adding a button to the center. The pretty spring-like designer paper is from the Pocket Full of Posies matstack by DCWV.

I'm sorry, but I don't have a photo of the copics I used this time around. I did take one, but I accidentally deleted the photo from my memory card without first transferring it to my computer. Oops! I've ordered a new digital camera, as my 7 year old Canon is starting to act up a bit, so I've been trying to clean up all of my memory cards before it arrives.

Challenges participated in with this card:
Stamp Something - recipe challenge
Crafty Sentiments - sketch
Cute Card Thursday - Ribbon-tastic

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great weekend!

Blog Candy!!!

2010-02-21T00:57:00.003-05:00

***Blog Candy is now CLOSED. Please go to this post to see the winners.***

My blog counter recently went over the 20,000 visits mark, so I've decided to have a blog candy to celebrate. Thank you to everyone who visits, and especially to those of you who take the time to leave me a comment. It's always so nice to know that someone out there in blog land enjoys my projects!

Prize package #1 includes:

A hand crafted card by yours truly (close-up can be seen here).
The stamp used on the card: Summer Harvest courtesy of Lynette at Sweet Pea Stamps (yours will be a new, uninked stamp and not my personal copy)
2 Easter stamps by Magnolia (new in package)
Ciao Copic marker in E29 (one of my favorite shades for hair)
Copic atyou Spica pen in Chocolate
oodles of assorted flowers (most are Primas)
oodles of assorted designer papers - some are flocked, some are glittered, some are embossed, and some are double sided
oodles of ribbon
a small assortment of silver charms/spacers

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Prize package #2 includes:

A hand crafted card by yours truly (close-up can be seen here).
"Shining On" - Haiti Relief Stamp courtesy of Lynette at Sweet Pea Stamps (Thank you, Lynette!!!)
1 rooster stamp by Magnolia
Copic atyou Spica pen in Clear
oodles of assorted flowers
oodles of assorted designer papers - some are flocked, some are glittered, some are embossed, and some are double sided
sample bags of Flower Soft in Lemon, Baby Pink, Spring, and my own custom green mix

To enter, post about my candy on your blog (in a post or on your sidebar, I'm not fussy), and then come back and leave me a comment with a link to your blog.

Optional: For a second entry into the prize drawing, you can follow my blog, or subscribe to it via email / feeds, and then leave me a second comment letting me know which you did.

~~If I get over 100 comments on this blog candy, I will add in a second prize package with lots more goodies (including more Spica pens), so be sure to tell all of your friends!~~ Woo! We made it already!!!

This blog candy will remain open until 12:01 AM EST on Sunday, March 21st. I will announce the winner(s) later that day. One prize package per winner. (so everyone has a chance)

International entrants are welcome. I will ship anywhere.

Good luck, and thank you for all your support!

Believe in Fairytales...

2010-02-20T20:34:00.000-05:00

Are you sick of winter yet? I know I am! We've had snow just about every day for close to a month, and it is getting old. I needed a rush of summer colors, so I decided to ink up September Harvest by Sweet Pea Stamps. Isn't she gorgeous?

I colored her with copic markers in nice, warm tones, and then gave her some sparkle with Spica pens in Buttermilk, Peach, and Clear. The pretty designer paper is a shimmer paper from my stash, and the flowers were made using the Olivia Cuttlebug dies.

Challenge's participated in with this card:
Crafty Sentiments - sketch
Fussy & Fancy - dazzle
Allsorts Challenges - tag, ticket, or label

Be sure to stop by tomorrow as I will be posting blog candy. I'll give you a little hint, today's project gives you a sneak peek of part of the candy...

A Touch of Spring...

2010-02-19T09:00:00.003-05:00

Happy Friday! Are you ready for another challenge with Stamp Something? Janna is hosting this week, and she has chosen the following theme:

A touch of Spring

I don't know about you, but after all the snow we've been getting lately, a bit of spring sounds very appealing! Be sure to check out the Stamp Something blog to see what the rest of the dt has in store for you, and to check out how you can win a delightful prize from this week's sponsor, Whiff of Joy.

When I think of Spring, I tend to think of weddings, so I decided to create a cute little favor bag to show you today. The vellum bag is from a Martha Stewart wedding favor kit I've had kicking around forever and keep forgetting to use. I replaced the topper that came with it with a piece of pretty designer paper from my scrap pile and tied it all together with some pink grosgrain.

I used Wedding Carriage by Whiff of Joy for the tag. It was colored with copic markers and accented with Stardust Stickles. I cut it out with a circle Nestabilities die, and then layered it on a piece of SU Pink Pirouette that was cut with a Nestabilities Labels 5 die. The flower to the side was originally white, so I airbrushed it with the copic ABS and a R81 marker and added stickles to the petals for more interest.

Challenges I participated in with this project:
Stamp Something - touch of spring
A Spoonful of Sugar - springtime
Pink Elephant - ribbon
Our Creative Corner - making something new out of something old
Crafty Angels - flowers
Copic Creations - coloring embellies with your copics

**I'll be posting some blog candy this weekend to celebrate 20,000 hits, so be sure to stop back to check it out!**

Have a great weekend!

With Deepest Sympathy...

2010-02-13T17:43:00.001-05:00

One of my co-worker's lost her dear grandmother last week, so I made a sympathy card for her.

For the image, I used Wild Rose, a digital freebie by Mel's Stampz. The image is very sweet, and I thought it would be perfect for a sympathy card. The sentiment is computer generated, and after cutting it out with a Nestabilities Labels 4 die, I left it in the die to airbrush the center with a copic RV93. I ran a copic YG63 around the edge of the tag to make it stand out a bit from the background.

I colored the image with copic markers, and then went over the black lines on the roses with a Sakura Stardust pen to add a little sparkle. The centers of each rose are petite glass seed beads by Mill Hill from my cross stitching supplies. I used a 2-Way glue pen to attach them, and got them in place by using a needle (they're too tiny to use your fingers).

Challenges entered with this card:
Fussy & Fancy Friday's #4 - dazzle us
Quixotic Challenges #13 - tag it

Copic Markers used:

Thanks for stopping by!

Something Cute

2010-02-12T00:01:00.001-05:00

It's Friday, and you know what that means... It's time for a new challenge with Stamp Something! Our challenge this week is to create "something cute", and is being sponsored by Wags 'n Whiskers Stamps. Wags 'n Whiskers is having a new release blog hop today, and generously provided the Stamp Something dt with some of the new images so we could play along.

For my project, I got to play with the new release, "Let's do lunch." Isn't she cute?

She was colored with copic markers, and layered on Berry Sorbet cs by PTI. The fun designer paper is from an ancient paper pad by K&Co that I've had in my stash forever, and I used the sketch from Paper Sundaes challenge #4 for my layout.

Copic markers used:

Be sure to head on over to the Stamp Something Challenge blog to see the cute creations the rest of the dt has for you. And don't forget to pop over to Wags 'n Whiskers to check out their blog hop. The new stamps are adorable!

Thanks for stopping by!

Midnight Waiting redux: a skin tone comparison

2010-02-06T00:01:00.001-05:00

I was chatting over on the Sweet Pea Stamps group on PCP tonight, and coloring ethnic skin came up. Now I happen to have your traditional Irish coloring (translation: I'm white as a ghost) so as you might imagine, most of the people I color tend to be on the pale side. LOL. My hubby is conked out on the couch with a wicked headache, so since my Friday night plans are effectively out the window, I decided to spend my free time experimenting with a new color combination for skin tone. What do you think?

Yes, I know, I used Midnight Waiting by Sweet Pea Stamps on my last project, but a) I like the image, and b) I thought it would be interesting to do a color comparison.

Midnight Waiting was stamped with Memento ink, and colored with copic markers. When the ink was dry, I used my copic multiliner pen to extend the tree branches a bit. Once I had the card together, I decided it needed that little something extra, so I stamped another copy of the butterfly hair piece, colored it and cut it out. I carefully folded the base and attached it with two-way glue, and then used a glue dot to pop up the wing for a 3D effect. I then used Stardust Stickles & a Sakura Stardust gel pen (can you tell these are my go-to glitters?) to add some bling to her wings and jewelry.

I used a simple card layout again to keep the focus on the image. This layout was completely CASE'd from an adorable card (scroll to bottom of post) by Kittie at Kittie Krafts. Kittie excels at simple but gorgeous cards, so go give her blog a gander if you are looking for some ideas. You won't be disappointed.

I've had some questions on how I do my background, so look for a tutorial in the next couple of days.

Copic markers used:

Challenges entered with this card:

Cute Card Thursday - spots and dots (my background is both)

Dutch Dare - summer

Copic Color Challenge (loving those browns!)

Sweet Stampin - scallops

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great weekend!

Love Somethings...

2010-02-05T09:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Friday! Valentine's Day is just a little over a week away - are you ready? Just in case you're not, this week at Stamp Something, we are challenging you to make a project using a "love" theme. This week our challenge is being sponsored by Bunny Zoe Crafts, so don't forget to pop on over to the Stamp Something challenge blog and leave us a link to your project to be in the running for the prize.

For my card, I decided to use Midnight Waiting by Sweet Pea Stamps. Isn't she gorgeous?

Midnight Waiting was colored with copic markers, and then had Stardust Stickles added to her wings and hair jewelry. I kept the card layout nice and clean so as not to detract from the image.

Now head on over to the Stamp Something challenge blog to see the lovely creations the rest of the dt has in store for you!

Challenges I participate in with this card:
Stamp Something - love
Crafty Creations - wings
Creative Card Crew - Valentine's Day
By the Cute and Girly - love
Papertake Weekly - love
Quixotic Challenges - fairies
Charisma Cardz - love

Copic Colour Challenge #50
Paper Sundaes - Valentine's Day
Pollycraft Monday Challenge #33 - things with wings

Delightfully Delicious Somethings...

2010-01-29T09:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Friday! Can you believe it's almost the end of January already?!? This month has just raced by!

Since it's Friday, it's time for a new challenge at Stamp Something. This week, we are being sponsored by Digital Delights by Louby Lou, and our theme is "Delightfully Delicious Somethings". So pull out your food images, embellishments, papers, etc, and join us in whipping up something delicious!

Wendy at Digital Delights very generously gave the Stamp Something DT images to work with, and it is my pleasure to show you the adorable Cappucino Pippi n. I just love his cup!

I'm not much of a coffee drinker myself, so I decided that Pippin is having a mug of yummy hot chocolate. And what would a good cup of cocoa be with out whipped cream (Liquid Applique) on top?

Copic markers used:

As you can see, I used some of my custom mixed colors again. You can find a comparison of the R81p and YR21p here.

BG72p recipe: 5cc's colorless blender fluid + 80 drops BG72 refill

And a color comparison swatch:

Now what are you waiting for? Head on over to the Stamp Something Challenge Blog and check out what the rest of the DT has in store for you.

Challenges I entered with this card:

Copic Buzz - sketch
A Spoonful of Sugar #88 - Freestyle
Stamp, Scrap & Doodle Sat's #24 - Spring
Bee Crafty #22 - favorite color combo

Thanks for stopping by!

CHA Relay, Day 3 - Toby Cub

2010-01-27T00:19:00.003-05:00

Today is Day 3 of the Greeting Farm CHA relay. The image provided for today's challenge is the adorable Toby Cub.

Isn't he just the sweetest little thing? My sister AND my brother are both expecting their respective second children this fall, so expect to see Toby again soon!

Challenges entered with this card:

Simon Says - new baby
Stamp with Fun - baby
Die Cut Dreams - bears
Thanks for stopping by!

CHA Relay, Day 2 - Charlotte

2010-01-26T00:07:00.000-05:00

Today is Day 2 of the Greeting Farm CHA relay. The image provided for today's challenge is the oh, so stylish, Charlotte. Isn't she fabulous?

Charlotte was colored with copic markers, and cut out for layering on pop-dots. I added Stardust Stickles to her belt, and colored her belt buckle and a line of eyeshadow with a Sakura Stardust pen.

The matching flower was made by cutting out the pink dot paper with 3 of the Nestability Peony dies, sponging the edges with SU Going Gray ink, and then crumpling them up a bit before layering them together. For the finishing touch, I went around the edges of each petal with Stardust Stickles, and also used it on the black brad in the center.

Thanks for stopping by!

CHA Relay, Day 1 - Mer Ian

2010-01-25T00:01:00.001-05:00

The Greeting Farm is have a week-long relay (details here) to celebrate CHA, and I thought it would be fun to play along. If you participate, each day you receive an exclusive digi image to play with. How exciting is that? I decided that I would use the images to create a note card set, complete with holder. So be sure to check back each day to see the latest note card, and then this weekend for the complete set with holder.

Today's image is Mer Ian, and he is such a cutie! I colored Ian with copic markers, and then cut him out for layering. The fun swirl paper is by Pink Petticoat, and I ran the bottom layer through my Cuttlebug with the D'vine Swirl folder to match. Once all of the layers were together, I applied Diamond and Patina Stickles to his tail for a little bit of sparkle.

Thanks for stopping by!

Love you to the Moon...

2010-01-23T18:09:00.004-05:00

Back when we were first dating, my husband gave me a book on the moon for my birthday. It's filled with gorgeous photos, but the very best part about it is the inscription he wrote inside the front cover: "I'll love you to the moon and back." There was more to it than that, of course, but that was the phrase that stuck in my head.

When I saw ching chou kuik's Red Hearts by Sweet Pea Stamps, it immediately made me think of that book, so I decided to use it on a Valentine's Day card for my husband.

The image was colored with copic markers as usual. I wanted to do something a bit different for the background, so I randomly scribbled on color with a R81 and my custom pale YR21* (I have two of these - this one was the darker of the two). I then used my custom pale R81* and custom super pale YR21* to blend the darker shades together. After I was finished with that, I dotted the whole thing with the copic colorless blender pen to give it an interesting texture. Note that you don't have to be too precise when coloring because the clolorless blender pen hides any less than perfect areas. I really like the effect, so don't be surprised if you see it again with different color combinations.

I always get asked about my custom markers, so I did a color comparision swatch for you so you can see the difference between the original copic color and my custom blends.

*The formula's for my custom pale markers are as follows:

pale YR21: 5cc's blender fluid + 80 drops YR21 refill

super pale YR21: 5cc's blender fluid + 30 drops YR21 refill

pale R81: 5cc's blender fluid + 35 drops R81 refill

Challenges participated in with this card:

Charisma Cardz #3 - fruity colors (raspberry, banana, and blueberry)

Crafty Creations #51 - Valentine's or Love

Creative Card Crew #43 - punch it (Martha Stewart Lace Heart punch)

Midnight Madness #37 - sketch (MMSC37)

A Spoonful of Sugar #87 - Lots of Layering

Copic Buzz Weekend Technique #1 - using your blender pen to create texture

Simon Says Stamp - punch it! (Martha Stewart Lace Heart punch)

Thanks for stopping by!

Funny Somethings...

2010-01-22T09:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Friday! Are you ready for another challenge with Stamp Somethin g? This week we are challenging you to stamp something funny or something that makes you giggle in honor of our sponsor, Sunshine and Giggles Stamps.

For my card, I used the adorable "Molly in a box" stamp by Wild Rose Studio. This image makes me giggle because it reminds me of my kitty, Emmalee. Emmalee LOVES boxes. It doesn't matter what kind of box it is, she's all over it. She gets so excited when we get packages, because it means she gets a new BOX!!!! to play in.

Looking cute in PawPaw's box from a class project...

All tuckered out after "helping" open holiday gifts...

And the ever undignified, "I know there's a mousie in here somewhere!!!" LOL! Yes, Emmalee loves her boxes!

Molly in a box is supposed to be a Christmas image, but she's so cute, I couldn't leave her on a shelf for most of the year. To make her into a birthday kitty, I added the party hat and mouse from the SU set "Here, Kitty Kitty" and the balloons are a Studio G stamp (stamped repeatedly). All of the images were colored with copic markers, and have sparkle added with a Sakura Stardust pen (LOVE that pen!).

Copic Markers used:

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to head on over to the Stamp Something challenge blog for some giggles from the rest of the design team!

Whiff of Joy Guest DT call x2

2010-01-20T23:30:00.000-05:00

I love Whiff of Joy stamps, so when I saw that Katharina had announced a call for guest designers, I knew I had to apply! The sketch for the call is a really great one, so since I've been in a card making mood lately, I decided to make not one, but two entries for the call.

For my first entry, I made a wedding card for my co-worker, John, using the Wedding Carriage stamp from the Wedding and Baby collection.

I think this has to be my favorite Whiff of Joy stamp. It is just so romantic! The image was colored with copic markers (colors shown below), and carefully cut it out. I added a few flat backed pearls to the garland, and then covered it with a custom mix of Flower Soft in Christmas Green, Shamrock Green, Pale Green, and Spring for a more realistic feel.

My bride needed some sparkle, so I covered her veil with Stardust Stickles, and then went over her tiara and the scrolls and hearts on the carriage with Spica pens for some added glamour.

John's fiances name is Rosie, so of course I had to incorporate some roses on the card. These started out as white, and were airbrushed with the Copic airbrush system hubby was sweet enough to get me for Christmas. I added more Stardust Stickles to the petals.

Copic markers used:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For my second entry, I decided to get a head start on all of the birthday cards I need for February, and what better image is there for a birthday card than Henry Celebrating Mouse? He's such a cutie!

Henry was also colored with copic markers (colors shown below) and carefully cut out for layering. The background was cut with a Labels 4 Nestability, and airbrushed while the paper was still in the die. I'm obviously still learning to use the airbrush system, but I was pretty happy with the results considering how little practice I have had with it.

I wanted to put some sprinkles on the cupcake, but didn't have any to match. What's a girl to do? Make her own sprinkles, of course! I broke into my jewelry making supplies and found some pretty glass beads in the colors I needed. I tossed a few of each color into a ziplock baggie, and took one of hubby's hammers to them. Voila! Instant sprinkles. And let me tell you, this is a GREAT way to work out some stress! LOL!

The stars are another Nestability die. Aren't they cute? I used my jewelry making supplies again to make the little gold spirals, and put a few of the beads I used to make the sprinkles on the end of each wire to tie everything together. I added a star gem to the center of each cut-out for a finishing touch.

Copic markers used:

Thanks for stopping by!

Stamp Something Blue & White Challenge

2010-01-15T09:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday! I don't know about you, but I am looking forward to having a long weekend! Here's hoping you are lucky enough to have Monday off too!

Are you ready for another Stamp Something challenge? This week, we're being sponsored by Whimsy Stamps, and are challenging you to make a project using Blue and White. Easy, right?

My cousin gave birth to her second child right after Christmas, so I thought it was about time I sent her a card to welcome baby Ethan to the family. I adore the SU set, Bundle of Joy, but hardly ever get to use it, so I decided to dust it off for baby Ethan's card. Think she'll like it?

The cute little giraffe and stars were colored with copic markers (B21, B23, B000), and accented with a Sakura Stardust pen. I stamped a few extra stars, cut them out, and popped them up on glue dots for a fun accent. The pretty fuzzy yarn was a Dollar Tree find a few years back. It's super-sparkly in real life and almost didn't make it on the card because my cat thought it looked like a wonderful new playtoy! LOL!

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to pop on over the the Stamp Something blog to see what the rest of the design team has in store for you. And don't forget to add a link to your project in Mr. Linky if you decide to play along.

Sketch Challenge with Stamp Something

2010-01-08T09:00:00.002-05:00

Happy Friday! Are you ready for another challenge with Stamp Something? This week's challenge is to make a project based on the above sketch. You can do anything you like, just so long as the sketch is still recognizable. This week, we are being sponsored by Wags 'n Whiskers Stamps. They have generously donated not only the prize for one lucky participant in this weeks challenge, but also provided the design team with stamps to work with. If you haven't checked them out yet, be sure to do so soon. Their stamps are adorable!

I was so excited when I saw that I got Ryan's Chocolate Trouble to work with! Isn't he a cutie? My nephew's name is Ryan, and I imagine he'll look like this in a year or two. He's not quite 1 1/2 years old right now, and he's already off to a good start. We had my family down for the holidays, and I had a little bowl of those yummy Hershey Kisses with the cherry flavored centers sitting on the coffee table for people to snack on. My brother gave Ryan one, and the little stinker quickly figured out how to open the wrappers on his own so he could have more! Needless to say, I had to move the bowl out of his reach, but it was awfully cute to watch while it lasted! Anyway, as soon as I saw the image, I knew I would have to use it to make a Valentine's Day card for my brother & his family. I'm sure they will get a good chuckle over it.

Ryan's Chocolate Trouble was colored with Copic markers, and I went over the wrappers with a Sakura Stardust pen for a bit of shimmer. I stamped an extra set of the empty wrappers to scatter at his feet. I guess Ryan has been a very naughty boy, eating all those chocolates!

The frilly heart background is a Nestability die that I got for my birthday and am just now finally using. After cutting out the heart, I stamped the sentiment, and then ran it through my Cuttlebug with the Swiss Dots embossing folder for a little texture.

Copic Markers used:

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Birthday, Jesse!

2010-01-04T16:34:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow is my husband's birthday, and I thought I would share the card I made for him. He is very into music, and also loves comic books & anime, so when I came across this image of the Teen Titans by theravenflysby while browsing on deviantArt, I knew it would be perfect for his birthday card. If you haven't checked out deviantArt before, I highly recommend it. Just make sure that if you find an image you like and want to color, you check and see if the artist has given permission for people to do so. Not all of the artists on there do.

Aren't they cute? The image was colored with Copic markers (including the new colors I got for Christmas! Woo!), and layered on black and SU Rich Razzleberry card stock. I've had the Razzleberry paper for months, and this is the first time I've actually used it. I have to say, I rather like the color. :) I finished it off with a bit of black ribbon from my stash.

I kept the layout very clean and simple because, a. it's a guy card, and b. the image is really too large to leave much room for any embellishments. LOL!

Copic markers used:

I'm entering my card in the Fussy and Fancy Friday challenge (New), and the Charisma Cards challenge (Celebrations).

Thanks for stopping by!

Something New with Stamp Something...

2010-01-01T09:00:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a fun and safe New Year's Eve. Today is the first challenge of 2010 at Stamp Something, and in honor of the new year, our theme today is "Something New". So pull out those new goodies that Santa left under the tree for you, and Stamp Something! LOL! (Sorry, I couldn't resist!)

This week, we are being sponsored by KLM Digital Designs, and they have generously donated 3 digital images (winners choice!!!) for our prize! They are releasing new images for Valentine's Day today, one of which I will be showing you in a sec, so be sure to pop over and check out all of their cute images! You'll be glad you did!

Now on to my card...

KLM Digital Designs was sweet enough to give the Stamp Something design team images to work with for today's challenge, and it is with great pleasure that I get to show you the adorable new image, Valentine Bear. Isn't he a cutie? I like that he isn't specific to Valentine's Day and can be used for just about any occasion. For my card today, I used him to make a Thinking of You card for a friend who is going through a rough time. There's nothing like a little happy mail to perk you up!

I printed Valentine Bear twice so that I could pop up the hands and heart for a 3D effect. Both images were colored with Copic markers, and then cut out for layering.

My "Something New" is the pretty little heart charm dangling from the ribbon. Santa was a dear, and left a package of them in my stocking this year. They didn't come in blue, so I used a B97 Copic marker to color the center to match my project. I love that you can do that with Copics!

Copic markers used:

Now head on over to the Stamp Something blog to see what the rest of the design team cooked up! If you'd like to play along and get entered for a chance at the prize donated by KLM Digital Designs, make sure to leave us a direct link to your project in the Mr. Linky on the Stamp Something blog by 7pm EST on Thursday, January 7th. I can't wait to see what you come up with!

Whimsical Swirls...

2009-12-25T22:22:00.002-05:00

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! The hubby and I decided to stay home this year instead of rushing here and there like usual, and it made for a very relaxing holiday. I even got in some crafting time while Hubby was busy playing the new Wii game Santa left under the tree for him.

While playing on PCP recently, I noticed a banner ad for Sweet Pea Stamps and had to go check them out. Anyone who knows me, knows I am crazy about cats, so as soon as I saw ching-chou kuik's Purple Woods stamp, it just had to go in my shopping cart. Isn't it lovely?

For today's card, I used the sketch from Whimsical Wednesdays for my layout, and also played along with the Charisma Cards Challenge (anything BUT Christmas), the Crafty Creations Challenge (no rules), the Kraftin' Kimmie Challenge (Sparkle, Baby!), and the Creative Crew Card Challenge (anything goes). Be sure to stop by and check them out!

The pretty blue paper I used is part of the Pink Petticoat Elegant Swirls digital paper collection. I embossed the white card stock with the Cuttlebug "Birds & Swirls" folder to match. The gemstones were originally clear, but I colored them with a BG78 copic so they would stand out more. I just love how versatile copics are!

I colored the image with copic markers, and then used a chocolate Atyou Spica pen to add highlights to her hair. I decided I wanted a lot of shimmer on this image to go with the fantasy feel, so I also used a Sakura Stardust pen on her dress and eyeshadow, and then finished it off with some Stickles on kitty's wings and on the leaves. You can see the glitter better in the above photo. I don't know about you, but glitter never wants to photograph well for me, at least not without washing out the rest of the project.

Copic markers used:

Thanks for stopping by!

Dreaming of a White Christmas...

2009-12-19T17:42:00.000-05:00

Woo. This is the last Christmas card I needed to make to finish off my holiday card list this year! I'm so excited to finish with my cards... because that means it is time to start baking Christmas cookies! Mmmm...

For my card today, I decided to play along with the Mo's Digital Pencil challenge for this week- using only white on your card (other than on the image, of course). I chose Door with Wreath for my image, and colored it in with copic markers. The family this card is going to has a blue house, so the blue around the door is supposed to be their siding. The wreath was covered with Flower Soft in Christmas Green and Shamrock Green, and has "berries" made from pearls that I colored with a R29 copic.

For the "snow," I made a custom blend of Twinklets and SU Dazzlin' Diamonds in a spare container for an extra sparkly effect, and attached it to the card with a bit of Zig 2 Way Glue. I know the photo doesn't do it justice, but trust me, if you saw this card in person, the snow sparkles like crazy!

Have a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

ISS - Love & Romance blog hop

2009-12-18T12:00:00.004-05:00

Yes, I know, it's not the last Friday of the month, but this month InStyle Stamps is holding our blog hop a week early since we know everyone will be way too busy next Friday to blog hop. LOL.

The theme for this months blog hop is Love & Romance. If you've landed here from Jodi's blog than you are on the right track - continue on! If you've accidentally stumbled here on your own, take a moment go to the Instyle Stamps blog to start the hop off right. Trust me, you really don't want to miss any of the lovely projects the design team has in store for you! Be sure to visit each stop on the hop and leave a comment so we'll know you were here.

For my project today, I'll be showing you the soon-to-be-released digital image, Mitchel and Tiff. Aren't they sweet? I still needed to make a Christmas card for my hubby, and what could be more romantic than a Christmas kiss under the mistletoe?

Mitchel and Tiff were colored with Copic markers, and Tiff had a bit of eyeshadow added with a Sakura Stardust gelly roll pen. I used a Martha Stewart punch for the mistletoe, and went over it with Distressed Stickles in Peeled Paint. I kept the layout clean and simple since my hubby isn't a big fan of bling or frills. Think he'll like it?

Copic markers used:

On to the Blog Hop details...

We will be giving away a Grand Prize to one lucky Blog Hop participant and also have a prize for one lucky design team member. To enter, finish hopping through the design team’s blogs, (leaving a comment at each stop, of course!) and then go to the InStyle Stamps blog and vote for the designer who's project inspired you the most. (You're going to vote for me, right? LOL!) Then, in order to be entered into the drawing to win the grand prize, leave us a comment on that post.

Thanks for playing along with us today! Next you will head to Joy's blog to see what she has in store for you! Thanks so much for stopping by! Happy Holidays!

4 little angels...

2009-12-17T00:22:00.002-05:00

I rarely make more than one of any given card, but I liked this one so much, that I made several, changing the color of the outfit and the angel's skin and hair based upon who the recipient was going to be. So, here's 1 card, four ways.

The first card was sent to my mother, who's favorite color is red. I colored the angel to look like my little neice, Anna.

For the version I sent to my brother, the angel was colored to look like my nephew, Ryan, and so got a green outfit with lighter colored hair.

This version of the card was given to a co-worker (who has asked to remain nameless), and was colored to look like her daughter. I love the pink outfit on this one!

And the final version was also given to a co-worker, and was colored to look like her son. Her favorite color is red, so that determined the outfit color.

The adorable little angel is Michael by Mo's Digital Pencil. I love how he can be either a girl or a boy depending on how you color the image. So versatile! Each image was colored with Copic markers, and had Frosted Lace stickles added to the wings.

Thanks for stopping by!

2 challenges, and some exciting news...

2009-12-16T19:13:00.000-05:00

I received some good news this week - I'll be a member of the Stamp Something design team starting in January! How exciting is that?!? Denise and Erin always have fun challenges each week, and I'm honored to be joining such a talented group of ladies!

Now on to the project... For my card today, I decided to play along with the Stamp Something challenge (a card with a Winter Wonderland theme), as well as to use this week's sketch from Friday Sketchers.

I'm just about finished with my holiday cards, but needed something special for one of my officemates. She's the outdoorsy type, so I thought Fishing Penguin by Elzybells would be perfect for her card. Isn't he a cutie? The image was colored with Copic markers, and then I added Twinklet's for the icey pond. The top layer of the punched snowflakes is also covered with Twinklets for some extra sparkle.

I was in such a rush to get this card photographed so I could get it ready to send that I forgot to take a picture of the Copics I used. My apologies. If you scroll down to the previous post, the colors are identical, except I added B91 for the water and E57 for the fishing poll.

Thanks for stopping by!

Gift set...

2009-12-14T22:58:00.000-05:00

Today I thought I would show you the gift set I made for a dear friend. She loves penguins, so I used Penguin Snowflakes by Elzybells for the image on the card and on the ornament.

Both images were colored with Copic markers, and then had Twinklets applied to the snowflakes and the ground for a nice wintery feel. (Have I mentioned my Twinklets addiction? LOL!) For the card, I decided to try my hand at an easel card (great photo instructions can be found here).

I know you are supposed to put a brad or some such in the middle to hold the card in place, but the three layers of card stock I used on the base seemed to work just as well.

For the ornament, I used the same papers as I used on the card to decorate one of those little party favor tins by Wilton. I used them for a baby shower last year, and have a ton of them leftover, so I'm glad to finally find a use for them!

I used a nestabilities circle die to cut out the image, added a bit of Elmer's glue to the inside bottom of the tin, and then smooshed the image in place. Once it was dry, I added some more Twinklets to the container to turn it into a shaker. Before I put the lid on, I added a line of Elmer's around the edge to hold it in place. The outside was covered with a stripe of designer paper, and then the front and back were decorated with more Nestie cut-outs.

My project does quadruple duty today, as I played along with the Elzybell's challenge 33 (making a gift), the Create4fun challenge (making an easel card), the Stampstacular Sunday challenge (not using red or green), and the Colour Create challenge (using purple, aqua, black and white).

Copic markers used:

Warm thoughts...

2009-12-13T20:06:00.001-05:00

We are doing our Secret Santa gift exchange and holiday breakfast at work tomorrow. My person loves chocolate, so I used "Sweet tooth" by Mo's Digital Pencil for her card. Think she'll like it?

I decided to play along with this weeks Charisma Cards challenge (using red, green, white or silver), so that determined my color scheme. I colored the image with copic markers, and then added a bit of stickles for some bling. I did something a little different with the card this time around, and scored it to open in the middle.

Happy Birthday, Brandan!

2009-12-09T23:53:00.000-05:00

My nephew's birthday was last week, and we are having the family over to celebrate this friday. When I saw Video Boy by Mo's Digital Pencil, I knew it would be perfect to use on Brandan's card as he is constantly playing the Wii or his gameboy.

Video Boy was colored with copic markers, and then I went over the metallic areas (watch, soda can, chip bag, candy wrapper) with a Sakura Stardust pen for a bit of a metallic sheen. I kept the layout very simple as an 11 year old boy isn't going to want any bling on his birthday card. LOL.

Copic markers used:

Wishing you joy...with 5 challenges!!!

2009-12-07T12:13:00.000-05:00

Have you mailed out your holiday cards yet? I am hoping to do so this week, but still need to make a few for the special people in my life. My husband's parents are heading to Texas to spend the holiday with his brother next week, so their card was first on my list.

My in-laws are very much the traditional Christmas card kind of people, so Door w/ Wreath by Mo's Digital Pencil was perfect for their card. After coloring the image with copic markers, I added Twinklets to the door frame and snow for a realistic icy snow effect, and then painted the wreath and sled with Angel Wings Shimmerz for some added sparkle. The "berries" on the wreath are dew drops and mini pearls colored with a R29 copic marker. The holly leaves are a Martha Stewart punch, and were also painted with Shimmerz (in the retired Sagebrush color), and then finished off with a bit of Twinklets. For a final bit of sparkle, I colored the door handle with a silver Spica pen.

If anyone has some tips for photographing Shimmerz, please leave me a comment. This card sparkles like crazy in real life, but I just couldn't get it to show up very well in the photograph. Probably why I usually stick to my Stickles. LOL.

I did some holiday multi-tasking, and played along with 5 challenges with this card!!! The sketch is by Sketch Saturday, I have lots of "glitz" for Stamp Something, my colors (olive, red, brown/cream) are for Color Throwdown, I've got lots of sparkle for Digital Tuesday Challenges, and finally, I used traditional Christmas colors to make a card for someone special (my in-laws) for Mo's Digital Pencil. Woo! That's a lot of challenges!

Copics used:

InStyle Stamps guest designer call

2009-12-02T00:00:00.002-05:00

It's time for the monthly Club Anime sketch challenge with InStyle Stamps, and this month, a spot on the guest design team for January and February is up for grabs! If you'd like to play along, head over to the Club Anime blog to check out all the details and get the sketch.

For my card, I took a break from all the holiday cards I've been working on lately to make a birthday card for a friend. I used Ava Sitting, one of my all time favorite images from InStyle Stamps, as the main image for my card. Ava was colored with copic markers, and then I used Pearl Ex with Future Floor Wax to color in her wings. I just love the effect this gives you, and the way the floor wax seals in the Pearl Ex so it doesn't get all over everything. You can find a tutorial here if you aren't familiar with the technique.

Don't forget, you can save 5% off of your purchase at InStyle Stamps by following this link. Happy Shopping!

InStyle Stamps Blog Hop

2009-11-27T11:57:00.017-05:00

It's the last Friday of the month, and you know what that means - it's time to go blog hopping with InStyle Stamps! The theme for this months blog-hop is Holiday Ornaments. If you've landed here from Raquel's blog than you are on the right track - continue on! If you've accidentally stumbled here on your own, take a moment go to the Instyle Stamps blog to start the hop off right. Trust me, you really don't want to miss any of the fabulous projects the design team has in store for you! Be sure to visit each stop on the hop and leave a comment so we'll know you stopped by.

I hope all my US readers had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday! Did you brave the cold and the crowds this morning to do some shopping on Black Friday? We normally do, but decided that sleeping in was a much better option this year. I don't know about you, but I'd rather shop in my pj's on the couch and avoid the crowds! LOL.

For my project for today, I created a double-sided ornament using the adorable Kimi. Double-sided, you ask, how'd she do that, you ask. Well, let me tell you. One of the benefits of digital stamps is that you can play with them with your photo editing program. I printed off one copy of Kimi as she comes, and then flipped the image so she was facing the other way and printed that off too. After coloring both images, I carefully cut them out and then glued the wrong sides together (sliding a piece of gold cord in the middle to make the hanger). Once the ornament was together, I added stickles to her wings (letting the one side dry before applying them to the other side, of course).

Kimi will be part of a friends Christmas gift this year, so I decided to make a card to hold her. I used oval Nestabilities to cut a window in the front of the card and put a piece of acetate in between the layers.

Once I was finished decorating the card front, I used an exacto knife to cut a little oval in the back of the card to slide the ornament hanger through. A little bit of tape will hold it in place until my friend is ready to take Kimi off of the card and hang her on her tree.

On to the Blog Hop details...

We will be giving away a Grand Prize to one lucky Blog Hop participant and also have a prize for one lucky design team member. To enter, finish hopping through the design team’s blogs, (leaving a comment at each stop, of course!) and then go to the InStyle Stamps blog and vote for the designer who's project inspired you the most. (You're going to vote for me, right? LOL!) Then, in order to be entered into the drawing to win the grand prize, leave us a comment on that post.

Thanks for playing along with us today! Next you will head to Lysa's blog to see what she has in store for you! Thanks so much for stopping and good luck!

Happy Birthday Carly!

2009-11-20T00:58:00.000-05:00

My niece, Carly, is celebrating her birthday next week. Carly is a high-energy child, so Abby Celebrating by Mo's Digital Pencil was the perfect image for her card.

Isn't she a cutie? Abby was colored with copic markers (colors below), and highlighted with a white gel pen.

When I printed Abby, I printed 2 additional copies of the balloons so I could pop them up off of the card to make them look like they are floating. I normally would add some crystal effects to the balloons for a nice glossy finish, but I've found that this makes my copic ink run. Waa! So instead, I added a touch of sparkle with a clear spica pen (which, of course, doesn't photograph well).

My card today does double duty as it uses the Charisma Cardz #46 sketch, and follows the rules for Mo's Digital Pencil Challenge #7.

Markers used:

Fairy Christmas...a color challenge

2009-11-18T23:57:00.004-05:00

With only 35 days left until Christmas, I've really got to get cracking on my holiday cards. I get tired of using red and green on all my cards, so when I saw this weeks Digital Tuesday Challenge was to make a card using white, purple and silver (or gold), I thought it would be perfect for a non-traditional card.

My sister-in-law loves snowglobes, so I knew Christmas Fairy Holly by Mo's Digital Pencil would be perfect for a card for her family this year. Isn't she sweet?

Holly was colored with copic markers, and then I went over her wings and the bells on her sash with a Sakura Stardust pen for a bit of sparkle and silvery sheen. I dotted a bit more on the ruffle of her skirt for a little more oompfh.

For my snowflake accent, I punch 2 snowflakes out of vellum. I used my V95 copic to color the largest snowflake to make it stand out against the white background, and then covered both snowflakes with Twinklets (are you sick of hearing about them yet? LOL!). I just love how they sparkle!

Copics used:

Wishing you peace...

2009-11-15T00:00:00.001-05:00

Meet Kimi, one of the adorable new holiday digital images by InStyle Stamps. Isn't she a cutie?

Kimi was colored with Copic markers (see photo below), and then had diamond Stickles added to her wings for a bit of sparkle. I dotted on a bit of gold Spica pen to her halo and sash as well for a little metallic shimmer. The pretty snowflakes are vellum coated with Twinklets Diamond Dust.

I'm doing quintuple duty with my card today. I made a holiday card using a digital image for this weeks Digital Tuesday Challenge, I've got glitter for Cute Card Thursday, coloring with gold for Copic Creations, I used the sketch by Friday Sketchers, and finally, the snow theme goes with InStyle Stamps Over-the-Hump Blog Candy Challenge. How's that for multi-tasking?!? LOL!

If you'd like to purchase Kimi, or any of the other adorable images from InStyle Stamps, click HERE to recieve a 5% discount on your purchase.

Markers used:

Happy Birthday Paul!

2009-11-11T22:23:00.003-05:00

When I saw this delectable image, Western Heat, by Victoria Case Art Designs, I knew it would be perfect for a birthday card for my friend, Paul.

I colored Western Heat with copic markers, and then used a silver spica pen and a sakura stardust gelly roll pen on the belt buckle for a little metallic sparkle. Paul is a simple and clean kind of guy, so I kept my embellishments to a minimum with just a few brads and an embossed layer for a little "oomph". On the inside, I used the computer to print "May all your birthday wishes come true." I know mine would if this guy showed up on my door step! LOL!

Copics used:

We've moved, and you get the house warming gifts!

2009-11-02T23:56:00.004-05:00

InStyle Stamps has moved to blogger, and to celebrate our move, we have presents for you! The first 150 people to subscribe to the new InStyle Stamps blog by 6 pm, Monday, November 9th will be given a free digital image or free digital paper of their choice. You must subscribe by the time frame given and leave a comment on this post on the InStyle Stamps blog with your email address. So what are you waiting for? Go check it out!

Spread the Love blog hop for Jaimie

2009-11-02T10:00:00.009-05:00

Welcome to the “Stamp Something…for Jaimie, Spreading the Love & Hope” blog hop. If you came here from Jaime Schlangen’s blog, then you are right on track. If not, then please start at the beginning of the hop at Katharina Frei’s blog.

Jaimie and her mother were the victims of a senseless crime that resulted in the death of Jaimie’s mother, Kimberly, and left Jaimie seriously injured. (See details below.) We want to flood Jaimie with love and well-wishes, and are asking everyone who reads this to take the time to join our special Card Drive Challenge and send Jaimie a card. We have generous sponsors who have kindly offered up some prizes to anyone who makes a card, posts it on their blogs, and lets us know they mailed it out.

A little about the cause of our hop:

On October 4, 4 teenagers armed with knives broke into a home in a small town in New Hampshire. Alone and sleeping inside were a mother and her 11 year old daughter. These 4 boys broke into this home with the intent to rob and kill anyone inside. They stabbed the mom, Kimberly Cates, to death and left her daughter, Jaimie, for dead in their driveway. It was a completely random act, their home was chosen only due to its secluded surroundings.

Our hope is that everyone hopping around today will stop for a moment and think about Jaimie and her father and what life must be like for them now. One moment in time has changed their lives forever. We are asking that everyone reading this message please take a moment to make a card and send it off to Jaimie. You can make something very simple or much more involved, but please share some words of hope and love and let her know that people do care and want the best for her. Please send your card to the address below:

Jaimie Cates
c/o Mont Vernon Fire Station
Main Street
Mont Vernon, NH 03057

The hop will run until Monday, November 9th, so you have a full week to participate and make a card for Jaimie. Once you’ve sent your card, pop on over to the Stamp Something…for Jaimie blog and leave us a comment for a chance to win some fabulous prizes generously donated by our sponsors.

For my card, I decided to use Vanessa, one of the adorable anime images by InStyle Stamps. I had pj's just like this when I was a teen (mine were blue and red), so this image always brings back memories of slumber parties with my friends. You know, the ones where you pigged out on Mountain Dew and Doritos, and stayed up all night giggling over boys. Those were the days! LOL.

Jaimie's favorite colors are hot pink and black, so that determined the colors I used for my card. I colored Vanessa with copic markers (see bottom of the post for the colors) and then went over the LOVE on her pj's with a silver Spica pen for a little sparkle. (There is a close up below so you can see the sparkle better. It is really pretty IRL.)

My card layout is from the Club Anime sketch challenge for this week. Jaimie is not a girly-girl, so this layout was perfect for a non-fussy card. I just added a prima flower and some flat-backed gems for a little bling. I'm not sure of the brand of the patterned paper. It was in a stack of loose sheets a friend gave me a while back and the name slips my mind.

Now what are you waiting for? Head over to Erin Bailey's Blog to see what she has made especially for Jaimie.

Markers used:

**I noticed after I uploaded the photo that my RV02 marker was turned the wrong way, so that is the mystery pink ciao.

ISS Blog Hop - Set the Table

2009-10-30T11:57:00.001-04:00

It's the last Friday of the month, and you know what that means - it's time to go blog hopping with InStyle Stamps! If you didn't come here from Lysa's blog, then you might want to go to the InStyle Stamps blog to start the hop so you don't miss any of the great projects the dt has in store for you!

Since Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner, this month our theme is "Set the Table". And as usual, we will have some great prizes to give away, so make sure to read all the way down to the bottom of the post to see how you can get entered into a drawing for some great goodies!

For my project, I decided to use the adorable new Anime images, Virginia and William. Aren't they just the cutest little pilgrims?

Around here, "Setting the table" during the holidays always includes a pretty container of seasonal flowers. I decided that my pot of mums needed a little dressing up, so after coloring Virginia and William with my copic markers, I cut them out and used glue dots to attach them to a pair of chop sticks I had laying around (unused, honest!).

The mums came in one of those plain jane green plastic pots, so I rummaged through my collection of decorative pots and found this great tin basket. I added some green ribbon around it, and then used my nestabilities to make a cute flower for the sentiment.

The flower is very simple to make. Just use a scalloped circle nestie in a size to coordinate with your center circle, and snip in each scallop toward the center to make your "petals". The sentiment is computer-generated using one of my favorite fonts, Kayleigh. (Download it for free here.)

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On to the Blog Hop details...

We will be giving away a Grand Prize to one lucky Blog Hop participant and also have a prize for one lucky design team member. To enter, hop through the design team’s blogs, (leaving a comment at each stop, of course!) and then go to the InStyle Stamps blog and vote for the designer who's project inspired you the most. (You're going to vote for me, right? LOL!) Then, in order to be entered into the drawing to win the grand prize, leave us a comment on that post.

I'm the last stop on your hop today, so now you'll want to go back to the InStyle Stamps blog to vote and enter the hop contest.

Thanks for playing along with us today!

Holiday Wall Art

2009-10-28T20:53:00.003-04:00

This weeks challenge on Mo's Challenge blog is to make anything but a card. I've had an idea kicking around for some framed holiday art since I made a card with the oh, so sweet Singin So Beautiful last week, so I decided to participate.

Once again, I colored the kitties to look like my two Siamese, Octavian and Emmalee. The image was colored with copic markers (you are going to gasp if I ever use anything else, right?) and then I added Twinklets to the ground for some snow. I thought the sky needed a little something more, so I drew in some snowflakes with a white gel pen and added more Twinklets for some snowy sparkle. To finish off the piece, I used glue dots to attach real miniature bells to Octavian's collar, and then added 3 larger bells and a ribbon to the mat.

I had one heck of a time getting a decent photo of the entire frame, so below is a close-up of the image so you can see it better.

I forgot to take a photo of the copics I used, so sorry! They basically are the same colors I used in this post, with the addition of G85, G82, G40, and G24 for Octavian's collar and hat.

Sweet birthday wishes...

2009-10-26T19:48:00.004-04:00

This week's challenge on Copic Buzz is to make a card without any patterned paper. I've been using patterned paper on just about all of my cards lately so this was quite the challenge!

I used the oh, so adorable Bronte and Louis by Mo's Digital Pencil for my image. Bronte and Louis were colored with copic markers, and then had white gel pen accents added.

I added more white gel pen to the eyes to make them more expressive. (click image for a larger version)

Markers used:

Meowy Christmas!

2009-10-17T00:01:00.000-04:00

Anyone who knows me, knows how much I adore my furbabies, Emmalee and Octavian. (Emmalee is the lilac point Siamese, and Octavian is the flame point Siamese, shown above.)

When I saw the adorable Singin So Beautiful at Mo's Digital Pencil, I knew I had found the purr-fect image to use on a holiday card for Octavian's foster mommy from Siamese Rescue.

Think she'll like it? The image was colored with copic markers, and I used Spica pens in gold, buttermilk, and clear to accent the bells and red ribbon. The sentiment is computer-generated. I kept the layout clean and simple to make it easier to mail.

This card is also my entry for the Copic Creations challenge #14, coloring with black. (Emmalee was colored with W5, W3, W1, W0, and W00.)

Copics used:

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Boss's Day!

2009-10-16T22:15:00.002-04:00

Happy Boss's Day! Did you remember? I have to admit that my co-workers and I completely dropped the ball on this one. Ok, not completely. I did hear a commercial about it on the radio on the way home from work last night, so I at least had time to make a card for my supervisor.

At my office, we have a cabinet that is kept well-stocked with hot chocolate and several varieties of teas and coffees. Pretty much the first thing everyone does each morning is make something hot to drink (preferably accompanied by something to munch on), so I thought that AM Sweet Tooth by Mo's Digital Pencil would be perfect for the card for my supervisor.

I colored the image with copic markers, and then used a Sakura Gelly Roll pen (I think it is stardust) on the spoon and the trim on the mug and plate. I used white Foam Paint by DecoArt (in the fabric paint isle at your local Michael's/AC Moore) for the whipped cream. Once it dries, it has this wonderful "wet" sheen to it. The image needed a little "sweetening", so I added Twinklets onto the cookie and the foam to add a little "sugar".

Copics used: