Sweet Pea Stamp Off

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...

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...

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!

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...

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...

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!

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!

male birthday cards...

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...

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...

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...

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!

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

Two of Something...

**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

Happy Mother's Day!

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

Birthday Somethings...

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

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!