Sketch Saturday

Happy Saturday! I have my card for this week’s Sketch Saturday to show you! I had fun with this one! I used this gorgeous image from Whiff of Joy’s Life’s A Beach Store Kit and paired it up with some of my favorite Basic Grey papers. The lovely flourishes that frame my image are from Papertrey stamp set! Aren’t they gorgeous? I didn’t add a sentiment yet but the die panel is ready to have a little tag attached. The panel is made with felt (Papertrey) and was cut out with a Papertrey die! Okay….you guessed it! I splurged a few weeks ago and bought some lovely stash from Papertrey! I wish I could buy all their stuff but the shipping and duty charges are so high! ACK!

• Stamps: Whiff of Joy Store Stamp Kit ( available at Stamp & Create)
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
• Paper: SU! Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Basic Grey Bittersweet
• Coloring: Copic Markers
• Embellies: Papertrey ribbon and felt, Flowers 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 Challenge!

 

Happy Birthday ~ Friday Sketchers Challenge

Happy Friday! Can’t believe that Friday has come around again so fast! My week has been quite hectic with 2 of my boys attending camps (on sailing one in hockey) and all the running around that comes with it. Add that to the fact that the two younger ones are also playing soccer in the evening, it makes for a day full of juggling to ensure that everyone get to where they need to be and that they get there fed as well! Okay, enough of my blathering.

This week it is my dear friend Tanja who is hosting the challenge and as usual her sketch is wonderful and fun!

I was able to get some precious Hanglar stamps through a very dear friend! Thank you so much my dear! Here is the first one that I colored up.  Isn’t she just so sweet?

• Stamps: Hanglar & Stanglar
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
• Paper: SU Very Vanilla, Black, Basic Grey Love is green
• Coloring: Copic Markers
• Embellies: Papertrey ribbon, Flowers from my dear friend Jacque

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. Our sponsor this week is KLM Stamps!

Aud, Bea, Carole, Claudia, Tanja, Jacque,  Jacqueline, Janneke, Inge

 

Just Magnolia Challenge ~ The Stamp Shoppe

Happy Wednesday! Thanks for stopping by today! Just a quick post for me. My card today is for the Just Magnolia Challenge which is to go vintage. I am not sure really how well I have done but I didn’t have much free time and my Mojo has disappeared! My friend Claudia had a wonderful sketch on her blog yesterday and that saved me!

• Stamps: Magnolia Fairytale collection Lady Tilda, Sentiment from SU!
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
• Paper: SU! Bashful Blue, Whisper White, DCWV Once upon a Time DP
• Coloring: Copic Markers
• Embellies: Papertrey ribbon, Magnolia Flower, Wilton Doily

Hope you have a lovely day and if you see my MOJO….tell it to come back home to me! LOL!

Sweet November Product Spotlight at Stamp & Create

Happy Monday! I hope your weekend was sunny and bright and that you enjoyed yourselves. Summer is flying by! Today is my baby’s birthday……………..he turns 5 today. I cannot believe it. My sweet little baby boy has grown up too fast.

He woke up to balloons at the end of his bed and tied to them were Woody and Buzz Lightyear. If you have little boys then you know exactly who I am talking about! His brothers were so sweet and they also had little things for him…….the staples of childhood………..playdough, bubbles and little toy cars. His  smiles warmed our hearts!

Stamps & Create’s product spotlight this week is Sweet November stamps! They are my new addiction! LOL!  All Sweet November stamps will be on sale for 25% off through Sunday, August 1st. Get yours now before they fly off the shelf! Lacey made sure to restock them all but they sell out fast!

 

I used my Bind-it-all to create a 6x6 book for myself. I created a little pocket for the inside front cover and the book is filled with Neenah Solar Crest cardstock and I will use this to  keep all my copic color combos at hand. Once I work on it, I will show you what I mean!  I decided to use Shimmer Redkelp on the cover and created what I hope is an ocean feel. I had to make sure that any embellishment that I added was relatively flat so that it wouldn’t interfere with actually using the little book!

• Stamps: CC Designs Shimmer Redkelp
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
• Paper: SU! Olive Cardstock, Cloud DP
• Coloring: Copic Markers, Shimmerz Angel Wings (sand-dollar belt)
• Embellies: Swirl Gems from $ store, SU Taffeta Ribbon,Felt flower & filigree, Papertrey ribbon, pearl brad from stash

The last few weeks, I have been using a different paper. It is Cryogen White Iridescent and I got mine at Paper Temptress. It has this gorgeous subtle shimmer worked right into the paper and I LOVE the effect it gives! You can see it in this picture above.

Lacey is on a much deserved vacation until July 31st so orders will go out after her return on Aug 2nd. However, all orders received from Friday, July 23rd-Aug 1st will be entered into a special drawing for a $25.00 gift certificate (this is separate from the regular July Customer Rewards drawing - so if you order during this time, you will actually be entered into both drawings)!!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope to catch up on all my emails and comments later today!

Life’s a Beach ~ Sketch Saturday Challenge

Happy Saturday! I was so happy that my gorgeous Whiff of Joy DT package arrived the very day after I returned from my beach holiday! The image that I used for today’s card is from the Store Kit Life’s A Beach and I knew that it would be perfect to use for the Sketch Saturday Challenge.  Lacey is carrying this kit in her store ~Stamp & Create~.  Another wonderful kit and I LOVE that it co-ordinates so well with the Fun in the Sun kit! Look soon for some scene cards that I will be creating!

I took my color cue from this wonderful Webster’s Pages DP ~ Seaside Retreat~ and I really love this color combo. I thought that the numbers printed along the side of the paper were like a little thermometer……whoo hoo……….it can get HOT on the beach. Good thing the ocean is there to cool you off! The image was colored with copic markers and the sand effect was made by added dots with various shades of brown and then coloring over them with the blender pen. The air was sponged with SU Baja Breeze ink. I ended up distressing the image panel. It looks a little more rustic that way. The buttons are SU!

Here is the two-part tutorial on how I did it:

 

Thanks for stopping by. I hope that you will be able to get a little inky and join our fun challenge. Our sponsor this week is MelJen designs! Don’t forget to check out the amazing creations of my fellow DT sisters! They amaze me every week with their gorgeous cards!

Double Friday Challenges

Happy Friday! Hope it is sunny and warm (but not too hot) where you are! I am slowly getting back into the swing of things after our time away!

The Quebec strawberries are ripe and plentiful at the moment so that meant that it was time to make my strawberry jam! I spent the afternoon hulling the strawberries that I bought from the farmer’s market and turning them into sweet yummy jam. Jam making is something I never did growing up. My Mum never made jam but a few years ago I decided to try it out and became instantly hooked on the whole process!

My first card today is for the Friday Sketchers Challenge which I am hosting this week by our generous monthly sponsor Simon Says Stamp. My sketch is nice and simple and I hope you can find a little time to try it out!

I made my sketch a while ago but when it came time to create a card with it, I knew that I wanted to use this Sweet November mermaid and create an underwater scene. I used some vellum which I ran through my cuttlebug using this swirl embossing folder. I lightly sponged over top of it with some Bashful blue ink.

• Stamps: Sweet November  Ocean Wavedancer  (I bought mine ~here~ at Stamp & Create)
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
• Paper: SU! Bashful Blue, Black, Bazzill Shimmer cardstock, Basic Grey Wisteria DP
• Coloring: Copic Markers
• Embellies: Gem adhesives and ribbon 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 Friday Sketcher blog.

Aud, Bea, Carole, Claudia, Tanja, Jacque,  Jacqueline, Janneke, Inge

My second card is for the Wags ‘n Whiskers challenge which is to use stitching on your project. Mine is there…you just have to look hard for it! LOL! See the four little cross-stitches……that’s it ……although one is almost hidden by the elephant’s foot.

I LOVE, LOVE these new images by Emma Metcalf. They are sweet and lend themselves to some nice CAS cards. Here is mine:

Stamps: Wags ‘n Whiskers Ellie & Squeak available ~here~ in either digital or rubber format, Sentiment from Papertrey

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Paper: SU! Bashful Blue, Whisper White, SU DP from scrap drawer

Coloring: Copic Markers

Embellies: DMC floss for stitches (can you believe no ribbon, flowers or bling?) Martha Stewart punch set, Papertrey die 

Please visit our Wags ‘n Whiskers blog to see the gorgeous creations of my fellow divas As always there is a lovely prize up for grabs for one of our participants! That is it for me! Have a wonderful day and I hope you find the time to get a little inky!

The Beach

Happy Thursday Everyone! We returned home after our short holiday and it has been super busy around here. We went to the beach and I do believe that we imported a few tons of sand home with us! LOL! Funny thing about sand. I absolutely adore it on a beach. There is nothing that compares with walking barefoot in the sand with the waves splashing your feet. But, I do not enjoy the sensation of sand on my feet in my home!

The kids had a FABULOUS time and so did my hubby and I. Their joy is infectious and so is their energy and so I think that this is where the inspiration came for my card today.

Here is a simple card that I made using the Whiff of Joy’s Fun in the Sun kit:

This paper from Webster’s pages Seaside Retreat was perfect. You can’t get more simple than this. One piece of DP adhered to a card-base. Can you see what I added? There is Oakley and the sandcastle but the little crab in the bottom left is also from the kit! I love all the sentiments that are already printed on my paper but I couldn’t help adding one more from the kit: “Splish Splash”. It is right beside Oakley’s head and it filled in that empty space perfectly.

Please click on the banner above to see the new Whiff of Joy stamps as well as take advantage of the big Summer Sale!

Thanks for stopping by! I will be back tomorrow with my card for Friday Sketchers Challenge!

More Sweet November Mermaids

Happy Monday! This is the last of my scheduled posts! We have been away on a spur of the moment beach holiday for a few days and before I left, I scheduled all my posts! Fingers crossed that it has all worked and I will respond to any questions that have been left  in the next few days! :)

This week, the Stamp & Create product spotlight is all things “Summer Themed”. You will be able to receive up to a 25% discount on all summer themed stamps and products!  I couldn’t resist creating another explosion box to showcase more of these gorgeous Sweet November stamps! I had to really modify it from the original dimensions so that the mermaid would fit inside!

 

View Full Album

 

• Stamps: ATS Sweet November mermaids:  Pearl & Seamor and Fanthom & Lio.
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
• Paper: Whisper White, Papertrey Ocean Breese, Crate DP
• Coloring: Copic Sketch Markers , stickles , adhesive pearls from stash
• Embellies: prima flower , delicate crochet lace, champagne net.

Inside the box, Fanthom is set amongst some swirling coral which was made using champagne net and strips of acetate. I didn’t have time before I left to create a tutorial but if you want one, please let me know and I will create one for you all! The only thing that I don’t like about the project is that I tried using a crafters glue that was recommended to me and after it dried, it has warped the paper a little. Oh, well, live and learn!

Some Close-Ups:

 

Don’t forget about our Stamp & Create challenge this month which this to use stitching. You can find out all the details and where to enter right ~here~. You could win a $20 gift certificate!

Remember that each month during the summer, all orders of $30 or more will be entered into a drawing for a $25.00 gift certificate to Stamp and Create!!

Thanks for stopping by my little blog and I hope you have an “inky” day!

Coloring Hair on Whiff of Joy Image

I receive many questions regarding how I color the hair of my Whiff of Joy images. I have a video tutorial showing how I colored this one. You can find it on the Whiff of Joy Tutorial and Inspiration Blog.
The tutorial on how I created this cloudy sky background can be found ~here~ and ~here~. It is a two-part one!
Hope it helps!

Sketch Saturday #112

Happy Saturday! Do you have big plans this weekend or are you planning on having a few relaxing lazy days? Either way, I hope your weekend is fabulous!

Here is my card for this week’s Sketch Saturday. It was perfect to showcase my newest stamp obsession: Sweet November Mermaids! I absolutely LOVE mermaids and these ones are all so pretty. I have them all ***blush*** so you will be seeing quite a few of these beauties in the next few weeks!

• Stamps: All that Scraps Sweet November Coral Reefweaver (I got mine ~here~ at Stamp & Create), Sentiment by Verve
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
• Paper: SU Kraft, Chocolate Chip, Basic Grey Green at Heart
• Coloring: Copic Sketch Markers
• Embellies: Adhesive gems from stash

I hope you have the time to participate over at Sketch Saturday. Our sponsor this week is my good friend  Nikki’s store:

Have a great day!

Friday Sketchers #111

Happy Friday! Once again it is time to show you my card for Friday Sketchers! The lovely Janneke is our host this week and she created a wonderful sketch for us all to follow.

• Stamps: Motivet Cat and Mouse in Rain
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
• Paper:  Papertrey Aqua Mist, SU! Garden Green, MME DP
• Coloring: Copic Markers , stickles in baby blue
• Embellies: May Arts silk ribbon in celery

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 . Our wonderful sponsor this week is 7 kids college fund.

Aud, Bea, Carole, Claudia, Tanja, Jacque,  Jacqueline, Janneke, Inge

Explosion Box & Stamp Shoppe Sale

Happy Wednesday! Today I am super excited to show you this explosion box that I made! I first saw on one Suzanne Dean’s blog and I followed her link to the tutorial on Splitcoasters. Here is the one I made…..with a few tweaks here and there!

   

I just love how it turned out! I waited so long to get my hands on this sweet ballerina and I knew I had to do something special with her!

• Stamps: Magnolia Ballerina Tilda 2010 Fairytale Collection available ~ here~
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
• Paper: SU Very Vanilla, Pink Pirouette, Basic Grey Porcelain DP
• Coloring: Copic Markers, Shimmerz (Angel Wings)
• Embellies: Magnolia Pink Gardenia, May Arts silk ribbon

The Stamp Shoppe is having an amazing sale! If you have a few Magnolias that are on your wish list….now is definitely the time to get them!

Hope you have a great day and thanks for stopping by my little blog!

Stamp & Create Summer Spotlight

Happy Monday! Hope you all had a fabulous week-end! I just love the summer-time! We can come and go as we please and we don’t have to worry about the kids getting to bed at a certain time…….they can just sleep in the next morning. Which occasionally they do!

My post is late today because I did sleep in a little AND then my son wanted to ride his bike to sailing camp today and wanted me to come along.  I stopped just before we got to the sailing center and handed him his heavy back-pack. I thought he might not want to ride in with his Mum. I was rewarded with a big smile. I remember what it is like to be 12!

 

This week, the Stamp & Create product spotlight is all things “Summer Themed”. You will be able to receive up to a 25% discount on all summer themed stamps and products!

I am totally in love with Kraftin Kimmie stamps. Especially the Moonlight Whispers line. This one is how I want to look on the beach…..well at least in my mind anyways! As I usually do, I colored the image up with copic markers and then added the background shading with prisma color pencils.

I used Kraftin Kimmie's Florence to create this summer beach card. The paper is Basic Grey's Green at Heart and I used May Art's Champagne Net ribbon. I just love the natural rustic look it gives. The sentiment is from TGF Roll Call stamp kit. I just was too perfect for this image.  The final thing I did was to color in Florence's sunglasses with stickles.

My card fits this week’s Kraftin’ Kimmie Challenge which is Get Pink!

Don’t forget about our Stamp & Create challenge this month which this to use stitching. You can find out all the details and where to enter right ~here~. You could win a $20 gift certificate!

Remember that each month during the summer, all orders of $30 or more will be entered into a drawing for a $25.00 gift certificate to Stamp and Create!!

Lacey has received oodles of new and gorgeous items over at Stamp & Create. I was just there drooling! LOL! One of the new items is the Whiff of Joy #3 Store Stamp kit! OMGosh! How gorgeous is this?

Have a fantastic and hopefully sunshine-filled day.

Sketch Saturday # 111

Happy Saturday! Thanks for stopping by today! Hope all is well with you all!  We had a tremendous rain and thunder storm yesterday that lasted for hours! The kiddies and I had gone into the city to shop and were just driving home when the storm hit. OMGosh! It was as dark as night and then the rain was coming down so heavily, I couldn’t see the highway at all…just the hint of tail-lights of the car in front of me. Luckily there was a service station not too far along  and I pulled in (me and about 15 other cars) and waited until the storm abated. The kids thought it was “AWESOME” and they were right……as long as you weren’t trying to drive! LOL! What crazy weather we are having!

Today I have my card for Sketch Saturday to show you. Once again, Jo has come up with a fabulous sketch. I had to tweek it here and there to fit my image. The stamp was a RAK from a lovely friend and was so much fun to color up!

I colored her up to match the gorgeous colors in my DP which is Basic Grey’s Green at Heart. Such gorgeous, lush colors in this pack. The sentiment is by Stampin’ Up as is the satine ribbon. The pretty little oval slider is from Cute Cards and Stamps. I just love the look it gives to the card. I added a little glossy accents to the glass and pitcher although I don’t think you really see the effect in the picture.

I hope you can join us this week for our challenge. We are being sponsored by one of our regular sponsors: Simon Says Stamp! You have the chance to win a very generous gift certificate!

I also want to give a big thank-you to all of you who are visiting and leaving such wonderful and kind comments! I so appreciate them and they motivate me to keep up my little blog. I haven’t had much time lately to visit your blogs but I hope to catch up at some point! My kids seem to be permanently attached to me these days!

Double Challenge Friday

Happy Friday! After record-breaking temperatures the last few days, the weather is finally cooling somewhat! Thank goodness. I have a quick post for you (most of my summer posts are quick). The first card I have to show you is for this week’s Friday Sketchers which is being hosted by one of my very favorite blogging buddies: the amazing, sweet and talented Jacque!

• Stamps: Stampavie Sweet Dreams available ~here~ at Stamp & Create
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
• Paper: SU! Bashful blue, DCWV glitter stack, BO Bunny DP
• Coloring: Copic Markers , Shimmerz in Candlelight & Angel Wings
• Embellies: SU! Ribbon, Flower a gift from Jacque

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 . We are being sponsored by the amazing Motivet Stamp company! What an amazing prize! They are the sweetest images!

Aud, Bea, Carole, Claudia, Tanja, Jacque,  Jacqueline, Janneke, Inge

*****

My second card is for the Wags ‘n Whiskers Challenge which this week is to use punches on your project. With 4 boys in the house, you can bet that the World Soccer Cup has been on quite a bit. So, I wasn’t very hard to pick a stamp for my card.

Wags ‘n Whiskers is releasing there Fun in the Sun and Let’s Play lines as digital images. So, if you love this little guy, he is only a few clicks and a few minutes away!

Stamps: Wags ‘n Whiskers  Go for Goal available ~here~

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Paper: SU! Clery, Green, K&Co Wild Saffron DP, DCWV glitter stack

Coloring: Copic Markers , Prisma pencil for background shading

Embellies: Stars made with CM punch

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,  Karen, Lacey, Melanie, Michelle, Nikki, Sharon, Tina

Wags ‘n Whiskers is having a DT call! If you are interested in becoming a “DIVA” and joining our team, please go ~here~ to find out how! Good Luck!

Thank you so much for stopping by. I appreciate it so much. Have a great day and week-end!

Lazy Days of Summer

Happy Thursday Everyone! Well, we are in the middle of a heat-wave here in Quebec. Yesterday, the two younger kids and I pretty much stayed in and kept cool. It was 35 C but factoring in the humidity, it was 41 C. Much too hot for me that is for sure. My older son is taking a sailing program and was on the lake. I was a little worried about him but he said that it was much cooler being on the water.

I haven’t had the chance to do much crafting. The other two keep me pretty busy but I did manage to make this simple  card using the Whiff of Joy’s June stamp kit. I love the fact that it comes ready to use and in a nice little CD case, not to mention the gorgeous images.

I really love the new Websters Pages die-cut package that I bought. I cut the card base with my Creative memories circle system and just layered on this gorgeous die-cut. I colored sweet Willow from the stamp kit and paired her up with this tree stump that is from the 2009 collection. I stamped the sentiment and punched two holes at the top of the card and threaded some gingham ribbon through. It was fast and simple and perfect for Summer!

• Stamps: Whiff of Joy Stamp Kit #3, tree stump
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
• Paper: SU! Chocolate chip, Websters pages Diecuts
• Coloring: Copic Markers
• Embellies: Gingham ribbon from $ store

I have had quite a few emails asking me how I photograph my cards. I hope to get around to answering that soon. One tip I can give you is to take your pictures outside when possible. You can’t beat natural light. This picture was taken on my backyard deck.

Just a quick note to let you know that Wags ‘n Whiskers is having a DT call! You can find out all about it right ~here~.