An Award!

Tomorrow is Canada's birthday and we went out with the kiddies to see the fireworks. We tucked them into bed when we got back and I went to check for comments and LOOK AT WHAT I FOUND! Bev gave me this award. I am absolutely thrilled. It was such a lovely surprise. Thank you so much Bev. I love you work, your coloring is phenomenal, and so it is an honor that you chose me.

Now I get to pass this along. Here are the rules for this award:

1. The winner can put the logo on her blog.
2. Link the person you received your award from.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4. Put links of those blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message on the blogs you've nominated.

The talented ladies I'd like to nominate are:
Claudia
Katharina
Inge
Camilla
Nikki
Marlene
Kimmie

it was hard to pick just 7 because there are so many gifted ladies out there and I don't know if some already have been awarded...I guess they'll just have 2!

So Kind - Spoonful of Sugar Challenge

I am going to post this tonight because we have a busy day tomorrow. The Spoonful of Sugar challenge for this week is to use "checks" in your design. Ribbon, paper it doesn't matter what. I really wanted to use this Sweet Ebony stamp. I was lucky to order it when it was re-stocked because they didn't last long! I got it from Funky Kits. This checked paper is from my new Papertrey ones. I used my copics to color and I think I am getting the hang of it. The card design is based on a card I saw on the Pretty Pressings blog. If anyone wants the dimensions or the scoring lines, just leave a comment and I'll let you know! The part with the scalloped circle lifts up and the part with the DP folds down. Thanks for looking!

Recipe:

Stamps: Sugar Nellies - Elizabeth Bell - Sweet Ebony, SU! Priceless

Paper: Papertrey

Inks: Adirondack Pitch Black, Papertrey Plum

Embellies: Hero Arts Flowers, Dew Drops

Cute Card Thursday Challenge # 16

This week's Cute Card Thurday challenge is not to use any patterned paper in your creation! You can stamp a design yourself which is what I have done on my card. I stamped the flourish with versamark and then embossed with clear embossing powder. I use my Nesties to cut out the ovals. The scalloped oval is actually white vellum. I think it is such a soft detail. The oval itself I sponged with Sof Sky ink and colored in the water with a prisma & Gamsol. I stamped Tilda separately and cut her out so it has a 3 dimensional feel. I found I liked not using DP because now the focus is all on my cute little Tilda. What a fun challenge. Now, I have a little pocketful of time for myself. My husband took the 10 year old and the 3 year old out shopping for bikes. The 7 year old is fully immersed in play-dough so I will get some stamping done. (I hope...have I just jinxed myself?) Have a lovely day!

Recipe:

Stamps: Seaside Tolda, SU! Barocque Motifs, Sentiment Rubberstamp Tapestry

Paper: SU! Almost Amythest, White Vellum

Inks, Stazon, SU! Soft Sky, Versamark

Embellies: Prima Flower, SU! Rhinestone Brad

Tools: Nestabilities Ovals, SU! 3-for-One punch

Tilda & Co Challenge

Yesterday, I finally recieved my Copic Marker order but with one thing or another I was only able to find time to sit and try them out tonight. I am learning to be very patient! It is going to take time to get my shading where I want it, but they are fun and so different from the results you get from the Gamsol technique. I colored in my Tilda to use in the Tilda & Co Challenge. This week they want you to go "dottie"!!! I used Papertrey ribbon and paper to get the dot factor in and here is my first attempt at Copic coloring. I have been reading the "I Like Markers" blog everyday and I have to say, that really helped me get a start. I knew what kind of paper I needed as well as the ink. I made a "garden-gate fold" for my card and cut out the circles with my Nesties.So, what do you think? If you need to know more details about any card I make, please feel free to ask by posting a comment. I am more than happy to help!

Recipe:

Stamps: Magnolia from Shabby Chic collection. SU! Short & Sweet

Paper: PaperTrey

Ink: Adirondack Pitch Black, PaperTrey

Coloring: Copic Markers

Ribbon: Papertrey

Papertake Challenge

This week for the Papertake Challenge, there was a great sketch by Katharina to follow. My order from Papertrey came in yesterday so I had a great excuse to break upon the seals on the yummy paper and stamps I received. It came together really easily because everything is co-ordinated already and didn't take much time at all! Yesterday was a "sunshine day" as we call it over in our home. We spent a lot of time outside. So, I only was able to start the card at 10pm!!!!
Recipe:
Stamps: Papertrey Out on a Limb
Paper: Lavender Moon, Guidelines PaperTrey
Ribbon: Papertrey Lavender Moon
Embellies: Flowers by Hero Arts, Dew Drops

Tilda Thanks - Friday Sketchers Challenge #7

Well, it seems like I will be doing my postings at night when the kids are tucked in bed. I wish a "Bonne Fête Nationale" to all my fellow Quebecers. It is a holiday for us in Quebec. We celebrate St-Jean-Baptiste or John the Baptist.

Here is my card for this week's Friday Sketchers Challenge. Again, what an amazing sketch. Can you believe the talent of the design team? I am so in love with these papers by Crate but I seem to be using them in everything I make these days! I also am using this partciular Tilda quite often too. She is one of my favorites. The thing is, you color her differently and she seems brand new again! Thanks again for coming by!

Recipe:

Stamps: Magnolia, SU! Short & Sweet

Paper: SU! Groovy Guava, Crate DP

Ink: Stazon Black, SU! Ruby Red

Coloring: Gamsol & Prismas

Embellies: Ribbon SU! Soft Sky, Hero Arts Flowers, Dew Drops

Just Because You're You

I made this card to post to Katharina's blog. It is her sketch and if you make the central image a Sugar Nellie, you have a chance to win one of their stamps. That is very good incentive for me. I really love this sketch. The image actually has her standing beside a clump of flowers and holding a basketful of apples but I thought it was too big to use in this sketch so I ended up cutting her out set her against some DP. It is a little intimidating to post this to the amazing talented Katherina's blog, but hey, I want a go at the goodie!!! Have a great day! Summer break has officially started over here in our home. Here's to a lovely Summer for us all!

Recipe:
Stamps: Sweet Ebony by Sugar Nellie, Sentiments are SU! Short & Sweet and Simple Delights

Paper: SU! Bluch Blossom, Crate

Ink: Stazon Black, SU! Rose Red

Coloring: Gamsol & Prismas

Embellies: Flower by Hero Arts, Dew Drops

Tools: Nestabilities Circles

Wish Big

I made a card tonight following a sketch on one of my favorite blogs to visit: Pretty Pressings. Claudia invited people to try it out if they like it. Of course I like it. I love everything that she does! It was a great sketch and I had a fun time making this card. You can find her sketch here. Tomorrow is my children's last day of school and we are all looking forward to a fun-filled summer break. I will try to post regularily but maybe I'll be missing a day here and there. So don't give up on me!!! I'm still crazy about stamping but I'm crazier about spending time with my guys! Thanks for looking!

Recipe:

Stamps: Magnolia, SU Short & Sweet

Paper: Daisy D

Ribbon: May Arts

Coloring: Gamsol with Prismas

Flower by Hero Arts

Penny Black Challenge & Yummy Blog Candy

I found a new challenge! It is called the Penny Black Challenge and I believe it is a fairly new one. The DT cards are absolutely gorgeous, you need to go and check them out. I do have a few Penny Black stamps and the challenge this week is to make a friendship card. I just love this stamp with the cute little bunny and wee chick greeting one another. It was a dream to color and I finally found a use for the green flower ribbon I have had hanging about.

Recipe:

Stamps: Penny Black, SU! So Many Scallops

Inks: Stazon Black, Wild Wasabi

Paper: SU! Certainly Celery, Misc scraps

Coloring: Gamsol & Prismas

Tools: Nestabilities

Enjoy! Have a great Sunday. I am off to take the kids out to a movie. It is raining here AGAIN! I hope summer vacation will be sunnier than the last 2 weeks have been! Before I go, here is a link to a fabulous blog by Jaqueline. I just discovered her today as well and she is super-talented. She has some yummy blog candy!

Teacher Thank-You Cards

Here are the cards I made for my children's wonderful teachers. I love this High Hopes "Teacher Angel" because that is how I think of their teachers. We are lucky to have such kind and dedicated people teach our kids. I made each teacher a pair of earrings that we tucked inside the card. Our school is a bilingual one meaning that they have an english teacher one day and the next day a french one. The curriculum is split into both languages as well. For the english teachers we gave the card above with the english text and we gave the french teachers the one below and the kids wrote to them in french.

Recipe:

Stamps: High Hopes (teacher & text) SU Artfully Asian

Ink: Stazon, Wild Wasabi

Paper: SU!, Crate

Cute Card Thursday Challenge # 15

I was excited this morning to see what the challenge would be for this week. I had already started out making this card last night (when the kiddies were tucked in bed). The challenge this week is to make a birthday card. It is always great to have some made and set aside! I had seen a tutorial on making a card like this on Pretty Pressings so I thought I'd have a go. I don't have a little swivel knife so the edges are a little ragged. I'll have to add that to my ever-growing wish-list! I love this little barefoot Tilda so I thought I'd just cut her out away from the fence and perch her on top of some ribbon instead! The ribbon is really a good match in real life. Some things just don't show well when they are scanned!

Recipe:
Stamps: Magnolia Sea & Summer Collection, Stampin'Up So Many Scallops
Paper: Daisy D, SU Certainly Celery, Whisper White
Ribbon: SU Fairy Tale Collection
Ink: Stazon black, SU Rose Red
Coloring: Gamsol & Prismacolors
Tools: Scor-Pal, Scallop Circle Punch
Here is a look at the inside card that slides in.

Papertake Weekly Challenge

This is another weekly challenge that I wanted to try. This week they ask you to use HOT colors. Well, I knew I had the right paper and I decided to try out the Diagonal Fold Card tutorial on Splitcoasters at the same time. I used some High Hopes stamps from their Jungle collection and one of my favorite SU stamp kits. You need to use double-sided paper to make this card. As you can see, when it is all folded up, you can see both sides of the paper. I made the bookmarks with the same paper. You can see the bookmarks and the card opened out in my second picture. This was fun and pretty easy to do and would make a great card to slip a gift card of money into!

Recipe:

Stamps: High Hopes, Stampin' Up - Artfully Asian

Paper: K&Company, Su Wild Wasabi, Misc Scrap

Coloring: Gamsol & Prismacolors, H2Os

Tool: Scor-Pal, CM Custom Cutting system.

Sun-Kissed Summer Tilda

I have wanted to try making a Gate Fold card for a little while now and I thought this cute little Tilda would look nice. She is from the Sea & Summer Collection. Don't you love her bare little toes? I followed the instructions on Splitcoasters except made my card a little bigger. I used my Score-pal to score the two lines and cut two pieces of Crate Designer paper to put on each "gate". It is super easy to do but really creates a nice look. I colored my Tilda with gamsol and prismas and then added a little H20s and Stickles to add a little glimmer and shimmer! I cut her out and put her in the center of the circle and scallop circle that I cut using Nestabilities. I made the center of my flowers by adding Stickles. (Just a warning..it takes a while to dry!) I cut a white piece of card-stock for inside the card and stamped a few flower branches and sentiment. This is how it looks with one side open.

Thanks for looking and a huge "Thank-You" to those of you who have left such kind comments on my other posts. I truly appreciate it.

Stamps Unmounted VS EZ Mounted

I thought I'd answer Laurie's question here because there may be others who are wondering the same thing. On the Magnolia website (Sweden) there is an option to buy the stamps either unmounted or EZ mounted. Both types are made of rubber and you need to use them with an acrylic block to be able to stamp. The difference between the two is that the EZ mounted come ready to use right away while the unmounted are just the bare rubber. In order to use the unmounted stamps with your acrylic blocks you either adhere them each time with double-sided tape or you buy your own sheet of EZ mount and mount them up yourself.

So, it really is up to you. I always buy the unmounted from Sweden. They are lower in price and I tend to buy quite a few at a time (I find them hard to resist). It is more cost effective for me to then buy a sheet of EZ mount and mount them myself but it does take a little time to do. I find I save money that way.

(When I bought them from Diana at Magnolia-licious they were already EZ mounted. It was a nice treat to be able to use them right away.)

So, I hope this helps you make a decision. If you need any more help, please just ask. I just started to stamp, so I may not have all the answers but I'm a good researcher and I'll be able to a least point you in the right direction.

One Of A Kind ~ Week 6 Friday Sketchers Challenge

I really love working with sketches!!! I gives me more time to concentrate on my coloring!!! I just received this little mermaid in my last order and she seemed perfect for this challenge. Again, I used Twinkling H2os on top of my Prismacolor/Gamsol coloring. It gives a soft shimmery effect which unfortunately really doesn't show in the scanned picture. You'll just have to take my word for it...her tail is very shimmery! I put stickles on her wings and used my beloved Nestabilities to cut my circle and scallop shapes. I stamped a few star fish on my top paper and colored those in with H20s as well.

Recipe:

Stamps: Magnolia Mermaid & Star Fish, Stampin' Up Sentiment from One of a Kind Set

Paper: SU Blue Bayou, Paper Trey Aqua Mist, DP is from Walmart

Embellies: Prima Flower, SU Brad, PT Aqua Mist Polka Dot Ribbon

Tools: Nestabilities

Enjoy and I always welcome comments!!!

Happy Father's Day

The kids have made their Dad beautiful gifts and cards but I wanted to make him a little something just from me. I couldn't go too "girly" so I held myself back with the embellies and didn't use a Tilda! I found I had a beautiful paper that serves as the background scene behind the lions. I used Twinkling H2os to enhance the coloring. You can't really tell with the scanned picture but the lions' manes and noses have a subtle shimmer. I am thinking of getting more H20s because I really like the effect. Now I just have to get my father-in-law's card done, help the kids wrap the presents and I'm set for tomorrow. I'll try to post his card today if I have time.

Recipe:

Stamps: High Hopes (Lions & Sentiment)

Ink: Stazon, Close to Cocoa

Paper: Su Wild Wasabi, Card base is River Rock, Patterned is Aerial by Memory Box

Flowers: Bazzill

Coloring: Gamsol Technique using Prismacolors

Best Wishes

This is yet another Magnolia card. I had a great time making it. Lots and lots of layers. I am learning that it really makes your card pop! I used my SU word window punch for the first time. I punched out my first layer of paper and embossed the sentiment on the second layer of paper. I stamped the sentiment with my Versamark pad, sprinkled white embossing powder and then heated it with my embossing heat tool. Voila!

Recipe:
Stamps; Magnolia from Shabby Chic Collection
Ink: Stazon, Versamark (for embossing)
Paper: SU Bali Breeze
Coloring: Prismacolor Gamsol Technique.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by.

Cute Card Thursday Challenge # 14

Another great challenge that has a fabulous Design Team is the Cute Card Thurday challenge. This week it wasn't too hard. Just include 3 different embellishments. I had already colored this little Parisien Tilda last night and had picked out my paper. So all I had to do to meet the challenge was find 3 matching embellisments. Of course I chose my 3 stand-bys: ribbon, flowers and dew drops! The ribbon and paper match much better in real life. The photo makes them look like they are different tones but they really aren't. This is one of the stamps I ordered from Diana at Magnolia-licious.

Recipe:
Stamps: Magnolia Paris Tilda, Stampin Up Carte Postale
Inks: Stazon Black, SU Close to Cocoa
Paper: Paper Trey Spring Moss, Misc Scrap paper (sorry I don't remember the company)
Embellies: Hero Arts flowers, Dew Drops, PT Spring Moss Polka Dot ribbon
Tools: Cuttlebug & Oval Nestabilies Set, SU Photo Corner Punch

That's it for today. I really have to pay some attention to the laundry that is waiting to be folded(sigh).

Flowers

I just received this new stamp and I couldn't wait to use it. It is a Sugar Nellie stamp from the Sweet Ebony line by Elizabeth Bell. It is so cute and so much fun to color!



Recipe:
Stamp: Flowers - Sugar Nellie
Paper: SU Wild Wasabi, Basic Grey Two Scoops
Hero Arts Flower, May Art Ribbon
Coloring is Gamsol technique with Prismacolors.

I'll also leave you a link for some Wonderful Blog Candy!!
Donalda at Enjoying The Journey has Fabulous die cuts up for grabs!!
It is well worth the visit to see her beautiful creations! Enjoy and Good Luck!

Where I get Magnolias

Good Morning Everyone,

I have been posting my cards on Split Coaster as well as here on my blog. I am getting several queries as to where I get my Magnolia stamps. I got my first two batches directly from the Magnolia on-line store. They are located in Sweden. But, there is a new North-American on-line store opening up by Diana (of Scor-Pal fame. It isn't officially opened yet but she is taking orders. I just received mine yesterday. I can't say enough about how fabulous she is. Great Customer service and very good prices on the stamps and the shipping.Here is her email:
www.magnolia.us@shaw.ca
Please tell her Jeanette sent you!

Hope this helps you. These Magnolia stamps are amazing.

Friday Sketchers Challenge Week 5

This is a week of many firsts for me. This is my first entry to a sketch challenge. It is called Friday Sketchers Challenge. Hope I did it right!




Recipe:
Stamp: Magnolia
Paper: Ellen Hutson Begonia, Basic Grey Two Scoops
Ribbon: May Arts
Flowers: Hero Arts
Coloring done with Gamsol/Prismacolor technique.

Tilda with Lilacs

Here is another one of my favorite Magnolia stamps. I colored her in with prismacolors using the gamsol technique. I added a little sparkle on her wings with my Sakura gelly roll pen. I cut out a square in the card front and she sits right in the corner. I decorated the front of the cut-out with the flourish from my SU Priceless set. When you open the card you can see the full quote which is printed on vellum and mounted on decorative paper.
Stamps: Magnolia Lilac collection , Su Priceless

Paper & Ink: Almost Amythest
Embellies: Dew Drops & Ribbon

Seaside Tilda

Here is one of my new Magnolia Stamps. She is called Seaside Tilda. I colored her using the Gamsol Magic Technique. I used my brand new Nesties to create the oval and scalloped oval. I also used my Swiss Dots embossing folder. Paper is from SU and Papertrey. The ribbon is also from Papertrey. Isn't she cute?

Happy Anniversary

So, I finally did it!!! I have my own blog. I have a place to share all the cards I make and the "recipes" that go with them! This is a first for me so I will be learning as I go along. The first one will be the anniversay card I made for my hubby.

Recipe:

Stamps: Fresh Cuts

Paper: Soft Sky & Blue Bayou

Ink & Ribbon: Blue Bayou

Other Supplies: Cuttlebug Embossing folder, Ticket corner