High Hopes Challenge

Happy Sunday Everyone! Today I have my card for this week’s High Hopes Challenge to show you! Our theme this week is “Valentine” and it was the perfect reason to ink up this new stamp from our new release. I know you are all loving the Dustin Pike images as much as I am and so I am sure you’ll fall in love with this cute little monkey and the sweet matching sentiment.

I used the wonderful sketch from Papertake Challenge. It worked beautifully with the image. I added Pink Shimmerz to the frosting and then glued chunky glitter “sprinkles” on top. I also added shimmerz to the cherry. Instead of airbrushing, I lightly sponged the edges of my image, scallop mat and sentiment.

• Stamps: High Hopes Cherry Chip Chimp
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
• Paper: Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses, DCWV glitter paper
• Coloring: Copic Markers, Shimmerz in Pink
• Embellies: Ribbon from Ellen Hutson

High Hopes stamps can also be purchased from our Diva’s stores:

• Amy Wegener - Stampin' Stuff based out of Australia
• Nikki Fairbairn - Bunny Zoe's Crafts based out of the UK/Europe
• Lacey Stephens - Stamp and Create based out of the US
• Amy Leggate - Paper Romance based out of Canada

Here is the awesome prize that is up for grabs! OMGosh how cute is this little guy? He might just come home to you but you have to play along for a chance to win!

Be sure to check out all the samples that my fellow DT sisters have created for your inspiration. We hope you will be able to play along and post your own creation on the High Hopes Challenge Blog.

Sketch Saturday

Happy Saturday! OMGosh, how is the weather where you are? We have snow and freezing cold (-30C) and terrible wind. It has just been howling for 2 days now! We can’t stay outside for any length of time at the moment and the kids are a little stir-crazy……so am I! I spent a lot of my day yesterday in my craft room but I didn’t stamp a thing. I was busy re-organizing all my things. I have put aside some things, mostly stamps that I have decided to sell. I love them but I need the room. Stay tuned for my sale.

Here is my card for this week’s Sketch Saturday and an opportunity to give you another sneak peek of the City Girl stamps which Whiff of Joy will be releasing on February 4th! They are GORGEOUS and so much fun to create with and I decided to color this one a deep rich blue….my favorite color in a dress…………ask anyone who knows me…………..I have so many blue dresses hanging in my closet!

After coloring with my Copic Markers, I added some twinkling H20s in buttercream to her hair and champagne and in blue ice to her sash and shoes. I find that this is the little “extra” step that gives the coloring richness. I did a little airbrushing around the image and also on the sentiment and added some pretty lace that has been in my stash for a while now.

I added another of the sliders that I bought from my friend Jacqueline’s store. I LOVE them! They are so pretty and I haven’t seen anything similar anywhere else.

• Stamps: Whiff of Joy City Girl Available Feb 4th, Sentiment from General Sayings
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
• Paper: SU Sahara Sand, Bella Bleu DP
• Coloring: Copic Markers, Twinkling H20s
• Embellies: Prima flowers, WOJ bead caps, lace from stash

Be sure to check out all the samples that my fellow DT sisters have created for your inspiration. We hope you will be able to play along and post your own creation on the Sketch Saturday Blog.

We have a wonderful prize that this week is being given by one of our regular sponsors: The Craft Barn.

City Girl Sneak Peek ~ Friday Sketchers Challenge

Happy Friday! I am so excited to show you a sneak peek of Whiff of Joy’s New Release: City Girl. OMGosh, the stamps are amazing and so sophisticated and chic!  Please check out the rest of the WOJ DT because I know that they are showing little peeks on their blogs as well!

This week at Friday Sketchers Challenge it is my turn to host so I was delighted that I was able to use one of the new stamps!

This sweet image of Willow getting ready is just so gorgeous. When I first saw it I thought that it would look amazing paired up with the WOJ chair…just holding on to the arm for a little extra balance………as a super klutzy person it is just something that I thought of!

Do you see that fancy slider that I used? I am totally in love with this look. I bought them from my friend Jacqueline’s store Cute Stamps and Cards. Before I get tons of emails :) I will give you the link -->here<—and tell you that she does ship internationally. I also bought oval, square and heart-shaped ones!

• Stamps: Whiff of Joy City Girl Collection (available February 4th) Willow’s armchair, Sentiment: General Sayings
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
• Paper: SU! Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, DP by Memory Box
• Coloring: Copic Markers, Twinkling H20s (buttercup), Shimmerz Pixie Dust
• Embellies: Fancy slider available -->here<—, Fancy Flourish from stash Brad by Karen Foster
• Tools: Martha Stewart punch for border

Here is my little sketch:

Be sure to check out all the samples that my fellow DT sisters have created for your inspiration.

Aud, Bea, Claudia, Tanja, Jacque,  Jacqueline

Our wonderful sponsor this week is Totally Stampalicious! Check out their cute store logo. It makes me giggle! Just click on it to be taken to their fabulous store.

I hope  you will be able to play along and post your own creation on the Friday Sketcher blog. I am anxious to see what you all do with my sketch!

Wags ‘n Whiskers Challenge

Happy Friday! Once again it is time for the Wags ‘n Whiskers challenge. This week it is Inge’s turn to pick the theme and she picked the color challenge of blue, white & brown.

I haven’t had the chance to ink up this super cute stamp “Ryan’s Chocolate Trouble” yet and I thought the color combo would work great! Such a pathetic look little Ryan has……….and since he has saved one chocolate I think it will be easy to forgive him!

I colored Ryan with a mix of copic markers and prismacolor pencils & OMS. Please remember to use your copics first and then add the prismacolors. If you do the reverse you will ruin the tips of your markers.

Copic Markers used: B00, EOO0, EOO, EO1, E35, E42, E50, R21

I kept the card fairly simple with just one layer of DP over some cardstock that I punched with a Martha Stewart punch.  I couldn’t resist one huge luxurious bow…made with some satin ribbon and my handy dandy Bow Easy! Love how fast I can make a perfect bow with this thing!

You can buy Wags ‘n Whiskers Stamps -->here<--

Please check the gorgeous cards that the Divas have created for your inspiration and I hope you will get the chance to join us and share your card on the Wags ‘s Whiskers Challenge blog!

Chris, Inge,  Jacqui,  Karen, Lacey, Michelle, Nikki,  Sharon, Tina

I will be posting my Friday Sketchers card a little later on so stay-tuned!

The Stamp Shoppe January Challenge

Happy Wednesday! Today I have a card that I made for the Stamp Shoppe’s January challenge which is to use one of your oldest Magnolia stamps and couple it with some of your oldest patterned paper. There is still time to enter the challenge so I hope this inspires you!

I chose this cute Tilda with Balloons and used some SU paper that was in my scrap drawer. I don’t know if it is the oldest I have but it was pretty well down near the bottom of the drawer! I used the very fun sketch from this week’s Just Magnolia challenge. I found a little bag in my embellie stash that had all these little roses and buttons and I thought it would be perfect to use! I have no idea where it came from :)

Stamps: Magnolia Tilda with Balloons from The Stamp Shoppe

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Paper: SU Red Riding Hood, SU Retired Paper

Coloring: Copic Markers, Prismacolors and OMS for background

Embellies: All from stash, Bow made with the Bow Easy, Shimmerz on Balloons and wings: Pink, Sky Blue

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have time to play along. You can find the posting with all the rules -->here<--

I sometimes neglect my older Magnolias and working on this one made we remember how sweet they are!

My Heart Stamps for You ~ Stamp & Create DT Card

Happy Tuesday Everyone! Whew! I am tired! We went away this weekend to Toronto to visit friends and family and also the King Tut exhibit at the AGO. I was a busy bee getting all my DT cards made and  scheduling all my posts.  I am now up to my ears in commenting and emails. Wow! Go away for a few days and things really start to accumulate! So if you have been wondering why I haven’t been commenting… well know you know! We had a great time. The kids had a blast and it was so nice to relax! The only thing I feel bad about is that I completely didn’t stop to think that maybe the King Tut exhibit might be a little scary to a 4 year old. My little one did not like the statuettes with the animal heads at all.  He didn’t cry or anything like that but you could tell by his face that it was really creeping him out. My hubbie just whipped through with him while the older boys and I took our time!

Today I wanted to show you a little card project I made that features a real cute and country-feeling stamp line. It is called My Heart Stamps for You. Pretty sweet! Lacey carries them in her store, Stamp & Create and this week they are our Product Spotlight so they are also  25% off!

This is a little criss-cross pocket card. You pull out the insert where you can write your salutations.  One of the reasons I really like these stamps is that many of them come in pairs. One large and one small stamp of the same image. I just think it is such a great touch. Here you can see the insert once it is removed from the pocket:

• Stamps: My Heart Stamps for you: Dress Up Bunny available -->here<—, SU sentiment
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
• Paper: SU Sahara Sand, Retired DP Afternoon Tea
• Coloring: Copic Markers, Shimmers in Angel Wings, Stickles in Bubblegum and Stardust
• Embellies: Heart charm and rickrack ribbon from Stamp & Create,  Sheer Ribbon from Michaels
• Tools: Martha Stewart Heart border punch

Copic Markers used: B000, B12, B14, C1, E50, E51, E53, G24, G85,  R000, R21, R81, R83, R85, R89, Y21, Y23, Y26, colorless blender

I am also super excited to announce that Stamp & Create now has its very own dedicated blog! So, to celebrate, Lacey has a blog candy of $20 to give away! To enter all you have to do is become a follower of our new blog or join the newsletter and spreading the news of our new blog.  Just click on the picture below to go to there:

As if that wasn’t enough, we are very lucky to have Joy joining as the Guest DT until the end of March and she has a blog candy too! Just click -->here<—to go to her blog. You will love all her gorgeous creations! WOOT! WOOT! Love spreading good news.

have a great day!

Scene it! ~ High Hopes Challenge

Happy Sunday Everyone! Time for another High Hopes Challenge! I hope that you have enjoyed our exciting week! Isn’t the new release amazing! I love all these new Dustin Pike images!

This week it is our Guest Diva Alex who chose the challenge theme for us. She asks that you create a scene using at least 3 stamps. I knew that I want to try out some more of these cute space image AND can you believe it? I didn’t use any DP! Shocking! I used Copic Markers: BG0000,BV0000, C1, G21, Y21 and then added more shading with my Prismacolors & OMS. I added Glossy accents to the helmet and the hatch of the spaceship. It gives a really fun effect!

High Hope stamps are available from:

• High Hopes Stamps based in Ontario, Canada
• Amy Wegener - Stampin' Stuff based out of Australia
• Nikki Fairbairn - Bunny Zoe's Crafts based out of the UK/Europe
• Lacey Stephens - Stamp and Create based out of the USA
• Amy Leggate - Paper Romance based out of Canada

Please join in! As usual there is a fabbie prize and I have a feeling you will REALLY want this one!

Love You ~ Sketch Saturday

Happy Saturday! I just had to use this cute Tilda image that I got from The Stamp Shoppe! Is she ever cute. She is from last year’s collection but she is brand new to me! Heidi has her on special so now is the perfect time to add her to your collection! -->Here<—is the link!

Another tremendous sketch from Jo for this week’s Sketch Saturday! Isn’t she phenomenal? It is so great to have all the hard work already done for you! LOL!

Our generous sponsor this week is Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps! OMGosh! This is a challenge that you want to win! Love her stamps! I made a card with one of her new releases yesterday. His name is Chester and he is cheeky! You can find my card -->here<—.

Nothing cheeky about this little Tilda butterfly! I went with very soft pinks and greens to match the DP and added as much bling and embellies that the card could hold! LOL! I cut off her stamped antennae and added little these little flower stamens that were in one of my prima flower packages.

• Stamps: Magnolia Chasing Butterflies Collection available --here<--
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
• Paper: SU Pink Pirouette, Ellen Hutson Pink, Basic Grey Porcelain
• Coloring: Copic Markers, Shimmerz in Pink
• Embellies: Basic Grey Pearl Flourishes, Melissa Frances brad. Flowers and tag made with spellbinder dies, Martha Stewart border and corner punches

 

Here is the sketch and I hope that you will find the time to play along! Please visit the Sketch Saturday Challenge blog to see all the AMAZING creations that my fellow DT-sisters have made!

Cheers ~ Friday Sketchers Challenge

Happy Friday! I just received this Kraftin’ Kimmie stamp from Lacey over at Stamp & Create and I just HAD to use it right away. His name is Chester and how cheeky is this face?! Now Lacey has told me that she sold out of this one pretty fast but not to worry….she has another shipment on its way and is accepting pre-orders right now -->here<--

This week our host for Friday Sketchers is the lovely Jacqueline! What a fantastic sketch she has created for us. Our generous sponsor is My Creative Classroom.

I reached back into my scrap-paper drawers for the DP for my card so I can’t tell you the manufacturer. Since January I have been making a point of going to that drawer first and looking for paper instead of cutting into new sheets. So far I have been pretty good but it is still going to take a while before I get it empty! LOL!

For the side panels beside the oval, I have used Spellbinders’ Fancy tags die. I just cut it into half and cut some DP to go in the inside. I love the look it gives! The little pocket watch is a stamp that comes with. I added a little Shimmerz in Angel Wings to the hat band, vest and pocket watch.

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to check out all the samples that my fellow DT sisters have created for your inspiration.  We hope  you will be able to play along and post your own creation on the Friday Sketcher blog

Aud, Bea, Carole, Claudia, Tanja, Jacqueline

Wags ‘n Whiskers Challenge ~ Be Inspired!

 

Happy Friday! This week at the Wags ‘n Whiskers Challenge, it was Crissy’s turn to pick the challenge and she has asked us all to Be Inspired by someone’s else’s project.

I picked someone who I have admired since I first started stamping 2 years ago and I didn’t have to look any further than my Wags ‘n Whiskers fellow Divas! It is dear Inge and you can see  her card right -->here<—! Thank you Inge for always being such a tremendous source of inspiration!

I LOVE her coloring! It is just pure magic and her ability to combine colors and layers on her card is just phenomenal. I have used the same color palette as she did and tried to re-create her gorgeous grouping  of flowers as best as I could!

• Stamps: Wags ‘n Whiskers available -->here<--
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
• Paper: SU! Chocolate Chip, Basic Grey Bittersweet, Scraps for the flowers
• Coloring: Copic Markers, Prismacolor pencils & OMS
• Embellies: SU Brads, flowers made with Spellbinders die. leaves with SU! die

Please check the gorgeous cards that the Divas have created and see who inspired them! I  hope you will get the chance to join us and share your card on the Wags ‘s Whiskers Challenge blog! Show us who inspires You!

Chris, Inge,  Jacqui,  Karen, Lacey, Michelle, Nikki,  Sharon, Tina

Blog Candy Winner

Happy Thursday Everyone!

Thank you to everyone who entered my candy! I chose a winner through random generator and so:

Katarina from http://kamadesign.blogspot.com/

Congratulations!  You have won the 3 delicious stamps from Stamp & Create. Please contact me with your mailing address so I can send if off to you.

Also, I had some unclaimed candy from Christmas so I picked a new winner. It is:

Kym of kymkreates

Congratulations!  You have won 2 Whiff of Joy Stamps! Please send me your mailing address!

I also want to let you know that Lacey has the new Stampavie stamps available for pre-order at her store Stamp & Create!

They are GORGEOUS! I love them. Go and has a little look-see -->here<—!

High Hopes Blog Hop

Happy Wednesday! OMGosh! It is finally here. High Hopes is releasing its new collection of stamps illustrated by Dustin Pike! Of course we are celebrating with a Blog Hop!

If you have come here from Melanie’s blog then you are on track. If not, start -->here<—at the HH Challenge blog. You don’t want to miss any of this! There is a chance to win 4 prizes along the way. All you have to do is to make sure to comment on each Diva’s blog because the prizes are on random Diva blogs. There will be one main prize of the FULL Release and then 3 prizes of stamp packages. (Also there is a prize if you participate in the challenge this week at the HH Blog -->here<--)

I created a fun little outer-space scene card using 4 of the new stamps. The little alien in the crater is actually a separate stamp but I thought he would look pretty cool on the space scene! I cut away the front of the card to create an aperture and framed the opening with a Spellbinders shape.

When opened you get the full view of the space scene as well as this amazing sentiment. This is such a great motivating sentiment. It is so true!

I took a picture of the side view of the card. You can see here that I have 4 layers here. This is the perfect scene to do this with. I stamped it out 4 times and airbrushed each one with slightly different hues of ink. Then I cut them out and layered them, slipping the little alien between the top two layers. Everything is mounted on foam dimensionals. I forgot to take a picture of the markers that I used. So sorry. I had a lot of cards going on all at once.

I love how this card turned out. Only one problem….both my older boys want it………I see a lot of cutting, airbrushing, and foam dimensionals in my future! LOL!

High Hopes Stamps are available at:

• High Hopes Stamps based in Ontario, Canada
• Amy Wegener - Stampin' Stuff based out of Australia
• Nikki Fairbairn - Bunny Zoe's Crafts based out of the UK/Europe
• Lacey Stephens - Stamp and Create based out of the USA
• Amy Leggate - Paper Romance based out of Canada

The next stop on the blog hop is the lovely and talented Amy W.

I hope you enjoy hopping your way through all the new creations! Have a great day!

Whiff of Joy DT Card ~ Mini Airbrush Tutorial

Happy Tuesday Everyone! I wanted to let you know that I have posted a tutorial on the Whiff of Joy Inspiration & Tutorial Blog on how to make a card with an acetate front.   You can find it right -->here<--

I received so many questions on a similar card I posted at Christmas and I promised you all that I would get a tutorial done for you. Promise kept!  If you don’t remember the original card, you can see it -->here<--

Here is the card I made while creating the tutorial. At the same time I took some pictures of how I airbrush my images. I get a lot of questions as to where I bought my system. I purchased it from Ellen Hutson. It was actually a present from my dear sweet hubby last year!

1. The first thing I do is color my image. Here are the Copic Markers that I used. I also added Twinkling H20s for added depth and a subtle shimmer. I used Bashful Blue, Egyptian Gold, Poppy Red, Chestnut Brown and Pale Porcelain. I have used Charlotte riding Pigeon from Whiff of Joy’s Happy Mail release.

2. I created a mask of my image by stamping the image onto Eclipse paper. Don’t worry if you do not have this. You can use a large post-it instead.  Carefully cut it out with sharp scissors. This is an important step. Make sure you cut very close to the edges or you will have a white “halo” around the image after you airbrush. For little areas within the image (like under her right arm) I use an exacto knife.

3. Here you can see the mask affixed directly on top of my colored image. It is very important that you take great care at this step to have it perfectly positioned. I used Copic Marker BGooo to airbrush.

 

4. It takes a little practice to get the hang of airbrushing. A very good resource is this blog “I Like Markers”. Marianne has created such a complete and comprehensive airbrushing  tutorial and so I will just direct you there :). Just remember to press the nozzle down and keep an even pressure to make sure you don’t get spotches. Also, the color will spray a little ahead of where you think you are pointing. I always work on a large piece of white paper and start spraying on that first to get a feel of where it is hitting the paper and the intensity. Then I move onto my project. Because this is the sky, I did not color the entire background uniformly. This way it looks like the sky and clouds.

 

5. Once you are finished, you carefully peel the mask off and you will have a gorgeous background. I always keep my masks. You can use them over and over again and what a joy to just have it ready and waiting for you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. The final touch was a little sponging around the edges with SU! Baja Breeze ink.

Here are some more pictures of the card.

I hope you found this mini tutorial useful and you will find the tutorial on how to create the acetate front -->here<--

I have very exciting news for you. Katharina is holding a Guest DT call for Whiff of Joy Stamps! Just click on the banner below to find out how you can enter! And remember that even if you have tried before, you should try again. You just never know ;)

Thanks for stopping by and let me know if you found this helpful. I love to have feedback so I know what everyone is interested (or not) in!