September 29, 2014

Peace On Earth

Hello!  I have another Christmas card that is quite a combination of different stamp sets.  I really love doing that.  Taking several different sets and combining them to make my image.  This card has taken  5 different sets!  All from different companies too.  :-). Check it out...


So the stamps are as follows:
Lamb and lion from Eco Friendly set by Paper Smooches.
Pine bough from Stamping Gear Branches set by Inkadinkado.
Branch with berries from Casual Comfort set by CAS-usal Fridays.
Star from set by 7 Gypsies.
Sentiment from Holiday Sketches:  Christmas Flower set by STAMPlorations.

So first I stamped my lion and lamb and coloured with my Spectrun Noir markers.  Then I fussy cut it out.  I stamped my pine bough using the stamping off technique to get some lighter shades.  I used forest moss distress ink.  Then I stamped my berry branch in soft suede (SU!) then coloured the berries with my metallic red gel pen.  I stamped my sentiment in black and my star in yellow.  I adhered my lion and lamb with some foam dots.  Now, after I assembled my card I noticed that the layout resembles a Christmas tree.  This was totally unintentional but I like it!  :-)

I'm going to link up to the following challenges:
Addicted to CAS - code word is "cuddly".
ABC Christmas Challenge - it's S is for Something Festive.

You'll probably be seeing a lot more Christmas cards here as the season approaches.  I can hardly believe Thanksgiving is just around the corner!  Well, in Canada it is.  Mmmmm, turkey dinner.  My favourite!  I hope you all have a wonderful day and thanks for stopping by!

September 27, 2014

Inkspirational Challenge - Beverages

Hey everyone!  It's that time again for another challenge over at Inkspirational!


It was our fellow DT members, Carol, choice.  She chose the theme of beverages.  Lots of ways to go here so I hope you'll join in on the fun!  Here's my take...


I used a old stamp purchased from the 1.50 bin at Michaels to create my card.  I stamped my martini and then coloured it in with my Spectrum Noir markers.  I added some white glitter to the rim that could be salt or sugar depending on the drink.  :-). I stamped my sentiment (STAMPlorations) and then matted my panel on some patterned paper (Authentique).  Then I attached it to my card base with foam dots.  I like how the patterned paper helps to set off the main image.

I hope you'll stop by the blog and check out the rest of the DT's projects. They are fabulous!  Also, we have the very talented, Mary V from Mary V Scraps, joining us as Guest designer.  Make sure to stop by her blog and leave her some love.

I'm going to link up to the following challenges:

Addicted to Stamps and More - the challenge is tho make a CAS card.
Time Out Challenge - the theme is stamping with an optional twist of using apples.  I didn't use the twist, obviously.  :-)

Now, as per popular request, I am sharing a picture of my new kitchen sink and faucet.  I mentioned this in a previous post.  Now it's nothing fancy but it sure beats the horrible stuff I had before.  What's cool is the sink was found at a yard sale for only $8!!!   It looked almost new!  Love a great deal!  The faucet is brand new and I love it.  :-). So here it is...


So, pretty.  :-). LOL.

Well, I hope you all have a lovely weekend and thanks so much for stopping by!

September 24, 2014

Let It Snow

Just a quick post to link up to some challenges before they close.


I masked off my largest area and stamped my small snowflakes (STAMPloprations) with white StazOn.  Then sponged pink ink overtop.  Then I stamped some Hero Arts snowflakes (F5793 and LP209) in grey StazOn ink.  I masked off some small strips and sponged the grey ink.  I added some glitter lines with diamond Ice Stickles.  I die cut (using my Slice machine) the sentiment twice, once in silver and once in white.  I put the diamond Ice Stickles on the white part and attached the sentiment with some foam dots.

Linking up to:
CAS-ology - code word is "Flutter".  Snowflakes flutter, right?  :-)
Festive Friday - another lovely inspiration picture.


Hero Arts Holiday Challenge - I'm putting this into the "anything goes" category.

Thanks for visiting!  Have a great day!

Autumn Aspens

Well, yesterday was the first day of Fall.  Despite our little warm spell last week it has turned cooler again.  Yesterday, was a lovely day though, if a bit windy.  What made it even better was getting my new kitchen sink and taps installed.  What I had before was a single sink and a tap that was on the side instead of at the back.  Not sure why the people before us who owned the house did it that way.  It was super annoying.  Plus the tap was cheap and falling apart.  Now, it's so pretty!  I might actually enjoy doing dishes.  Nah!  LOL.

Anyway, today's card is one that I made using a new stamp I got a little while ago.  My friend, Darnell, would call it NBUS (never-before-used-schtuff).  I had this idea based on a photo that I saw on Pinterest somewhere.  Take a look...


I stamped my winter trees stamp by Hero Arts on grey cardstock and embossed in white.  I used a black alcohol marker (Spectrum Noir) to make my black marks so they would look like birch trees.  Then I used some dimensional snow (only because I don't have embossing paste) and carefully added it around the bottom of the trees.  Once this dried, I used my markers again to colour it in lovely fall colours to look like leaves.  Then I stamped my sentiment (STAMPlorations) in black.  I love how this turned out.

I'm going to link up to the following challenges:

a2zscrapbooking blog - the September challenge is Autumn/Christmas.
Addicted to Stamps and More - it's their CAS challenge again!
The Mixed Media Card Challenge - its a fall colours theme with the option to use metal or leaves.


Well, I must be off to the doctor now.  I need to get my weekly allergy shot.  This is something new for me and I'm hoping it helps.  Apparently, the allergist said I was the poster child for allergy shots.  My arms lit up like a Christmas tree when they did the test.  Sigh.  Great.  I look forward to when I only have to get stuck once a month.  :-).

Okay scratch that.  Car won't start, we think dead battery.  Not sure why.  Okay,  going to have to reschedule somehow.  Grrr.

Hope you all have a wonderful day (with cars that start) and thanks for stopping by!

September 20, 2014

Make a Wish

So, my son is going to one of his classmates birthday party and it happens that this classmate is a little girl.  I got to make a little girl birthday card which doesn't happen often.  My one niece is almost  18 and the other will be 10 soon enough so the little girly girl cards aren't suitable anymore.  It was fun making this card.  Take a look...


I used an older and NBUS stamp by Stampology for the fairy.  I stamped it in grey then coloured with my Spectrum Noir markers.  I glittered up the wings after fussy cutting it out.  I made a small banner and stamped the sentiment (from the same set as the fairy) and glittered the edges.  I took a white cardstock panel and used a swirl embossing folder (Darice) on it.  I attached the sentiment with some foam dots and the attached the fairy.  I glued down a few sequins (Neat and Tangled) and the adhered my panel to the white card base with some foam dots.  I love the pretty look to this card and I hope she'll like it.

I'm going to link up to the following challenges:

CAS on Sunday - the challenge is "celebration with sequins"
Seize the Birthday - I decided to not use the extra toppings this time.
Darnell's NBUS challenge - use a never before used item, check.  Decided against to optional extras.  :-)
Fusion Card Challenge - I used the sketch and drew my pink colours from the picture.


Well, I hope this post finds you all having a lovely weekend.  Thanks for visiting!

September 18, 2014

Glad Tidings

Hello!  I hope this post finds you all well.  :-). School is in full swing now and in this third week my son has homework.  Or they like to call it home fun!  LOL.  It's a bit more work this year with two books to read everyday and spelling words to practice for the test on Friday.  But he's doing well.  So proud we've raised a good reader!  Anyway, I digress, as usual!  ;-)

I have a card to share with you that adds to my Christmas card stash.  I'm in good shape again this year and won't be rushing to make any.  I totally love that!  Anyway, here's my card...



I stamped my snowbird stamp (Stampendous) on white cardstock and used my Spectrum Noir to colour it.  I decided to make it look like a chickadee.  Isn't it cute?  I love chickadees.  I added some diamond ice Stickles to the snow areas.  I stamped my sentiment (STAMPlorations) on a strip of white cardstock then matted it in a brown wood grain paper.  I put my bird panel on a kraft card base then added my sentiment strip.

I'm linking up to the following challenges:

Darnell's NBUS challenge - my snowbird stamp is NBUS as well as my sentiment.  I went with the Christmas card twist.  :-). If you haven't visited Darnell before, you definitely should!
STAMPlorations - the monthly challenge for September is Stamps and Markers.
Addicted to Stamps and More - the challenge is "Holiday".
Jingle Belles - it's a sketch challenge this time.  Check it out...


Well, that's all for me for today.  I will leave you with a picture of our puppy, Summer.


She has grown so much in the past 3 months!  She's a big baby that likes to cuddle and get into trouble!  And I mean trouble.  She got into our recycling and tore apart a pop can and ate some of it!  I was so worried she may have hurt herself.  All turned out well, thank goodness.  I swear she's going to send me to the looney bin!  LOL.  Anyway, thanks so much for stopping by!

September 13, 2014

Inkspirational challenge - Word Prompt

It's time for a new challenge over at Inkspirational and it is a Word Prompt this time!  Our word is "Flight".


Well, this can inspire so many things!  I'm sure we will see tons of wonderful flying things from everyone.  I decided to use some SN@P stickers to make my card.  There's no stamping at all!  What?!  Crazy!  It's not something I do very often but I like to challenge myself occasionally.  :-) Take a look...


So I arranged and attached my stickers they way I wanted on a white panel.  I popped up the cloud and plane on some foam dots.  I attached this panel to my kraft card base.  It was a pretty fast card to make.  The most time was taken just arranging the stickers how I wanted them.  I'm pleased with the results but I do miss the stamping.  :-)

So, this challenge we have a uber talented guest designer.  She's an amazing card artist and a wonderful blogging friend.  Please stop by and give some love to, Cornelia, of Stempel Spass!  She created not one but two fabulous cards for inspiration.  :-). You also need to check out the fantastic cards the rest of the DT made.  They are one talented bunch of ladies!  I hope you will all join in on the challenge with us!

Thanks for visiting and have a marvelous day!

September 08, 2014

Getting to Know You Blog Hop

Hello everyone!  About a week ago I was tagged by a blogger friend, Sandie of London Days, to participate in this Getting to Know You Blog Hop that's been making the rounds here in Bloggerville.  There are some questions I need to answer so you all can get to know me better.  I was flattered that she chose to tag me.  :-). Of course I said yes!  Who am I to stand in the way of a blog hop?  But for those who don't want to read a whole lot of stuff and just want to see a card, I've got one to share too.  I'll get that over with first so here it is...


I stamped my larger pumpkin first then using a mask I created previously I stamped the smaller pumpkin to look like it was behind the larger one.  The set I'm using for this card is by Lawn Fawn.  I stamped my leaves and then my curly vine.  Using my Spectrum Noir markers I coloured my images and created a shadow to ground them.  After I used glossy accents to give them shine and dimension though it's hard to see in the photo.  I stamped the sentiment underneath.  I matted the image panel with kraft cardstock that I had torn and inked the edges previously.  I attached this to my white card base with foam dots.

I'm linking up to the Curtain Call who has a lovely inspiration photo.  When I saw it I thought of autumn and then pumpkins.


I'm also linking up to STAMPlorations monthly challenge which for September is stamps and markers.  Going to link up to The Paper Players as well, where the theme is "happy fall y'all!".

Now for the "Getting to Know You" questions...

1.  What creative projects are you currently working on?

Well, I'm currently working on projects for the recent submissions call that Paper Crafts and Scrapbooking magazine has out.  I'm often working on submissions for this magazine.  It's my favourite and I never get tired of seeing one of my cards published.  So far, I've had 5 projects published.  Four are out and you can see my projects on my Publications tab but one is still not released yet. Anyway, I'm always working on cards for challenges and for family and friends as well.  I'll also be working on some Christmas crafts for gifts pretty soon.  :-)

2.  What inspires your designs?

I get inspiration from many sources.  Card magazines and Pinterest are two great resources for me.  I also draw inspiration from Fine Art as well.  I have a Fine Art background and it will always influence any of my creative endeavors.  Nature is a great source of inspiration too.  Could be the colours of a flower or the way the clouds look.  Sometimes, an idea just pops into my head and I don't know where it came from but it often stays with me until I can try it out.

3.  What method / process (if applicable) do you apply to each of your creative projects, and how long does each project take to complete? 

My process usually involves a sketchbook.  I use a sketchbook (make that several) to draw out my ideas so I won't forget and it helps me visualize the idea.  It's a great resource if I'm stumped for an idea too.  Sometimes the idea changes and evolves as I sketch and I'll get several possible designs.  Then I'll go to my desk and start creating.  Often things will change as I'm working or I'll get a better idea.  It's actually not too often that a card turns out exactly as I've envisioned it.  There's usually something that's been changed.  It can take ten minutes to a couple of hours to finish a project.  It all depends on the complexity of the design, the time constraint I may have or I'm simply having a difficult time with it.  :-).  Sometimes a card just doesn't want to turn out right!

4.  If you had to describe your 'signature' style, what would it be?

At one time I wouldn't have been able to answer this.  I was all over the place.  But now, I would say that my style is clean and simple (CAS).  Occasionally, I'll do something different.  Usually with Christmas cards.  It seems when I'm making them I don't mind using a different style.  :-).  It's good to break out of your comfort zone now and again.

5.  What 3 crafting products/tools could you not live without?

Oh my.  Narrowing down to three is hard!  But I guess I would have to go with the following:

1. My Fiskars Rotary paper trimmer.  I've had it for years and it's old but I love it.
2. Heavy weight white cardstock.  I go through tons of this paper!
3. My Spectrum Noir alcohol markers.  I may not colour every time I make a card but I adore my markers and use them every chance I get.  So much better than regular markers!

Well, I hope you've all enjoyed getting to know me a little better.  Now, it's my turn to tag a couple more people in this blog hop.  They will have their posts go live next Monday (the 15th).  Here are my chosen two:

Cornelia of Stempel Spass.  She is an amazing card artist and is on so many design teams I don't know how she does it!  I love her style and use of bright bold colours.  She's not afraid of thinking outside the box either.  You really need to go by a visit.

Pia of Pia's Creative World. I love her card making style and I've discovered that we have a similar way of dealing with not having a certain product that we need.  We make our own!  Kindred spirit I think!  :-)  She's one of my teammates over at Inkspirational and I've enjoyed getting to know her.  Now I'd like to know her even better!  I'd totally recommend you getting to know her too!

That's all for now!  Thanks for stopping by and have a fantastic day!

September 04, 2014

Rustic Wreath

Good morning everyone!  It's going to be another warm day here although maybe not quite so muggy.  I hope so!  Can't really complain too much.  Have you seen the weather in parts of Alberta?  Snow!  Crazy!  I'll take our weather, thanks.  :-)

Anyway, I've got another Christmas card to share today.  I'm way ahead of the game this time for my favorite Christmas challenge, Festive Friday.  No last minute post for me!  Here's my card...



So I broke out my new favourite wreath stamp by Penny Black and stamped with soft suede (SU!) ink.  I coloured in a bunch of the dots with my metallic red gel pen (they look like they are berries to me).  I stamped my sentiment (a Michaels $1.50 bin buy) in moss green (SU!).  I attached this panel with foam dots to a kraft card base.  A simple but lovely card, I think.  Easily replicated if you wanted.

Here's the inspiration graphic from Festive Friday:



I'm also going to link up to Christmas Card Challenges where it's Anything Goes right now. And Christmas Cards All Year Round where the challenge is to use kraft and cream.

Well, I hope you all have a wonderful day!  Thanks for visiting!

September 03, 2014

Masculine Leaves

Hello!  I need to post this card ASAP as one of the challenges it is for ends very soon!  So here goes...



This card is for my father-in-law's birthday.  I cut my patterned paper and attached to my white card base.  I stamped my leaves (old Hero Arts set) on white and used my Spectrum Noir markers to randomly colour them.  I fussy cut them out and created my banner for my sentiment (Stampabilities).  I adhered my leaves down underneath the banner.

This card is for the following challenges:

CAS(E) This Sketch -  great sketch this week.

The Male Room - It is an Autumn/Fall theme.
Curtain Call - here's the inspiration photo.
 

Well, that's all for now.  Have a great evening and thanks for stopping by!