Distinctive Touches

Never Stop Sparkling!

WOW... what a great weekend I had!  I was lucky enough to attend a trade show where I taught two Copic classes.  I was beyond humbled by the enthusiastic and joyful students I had in both classes. 

The first class created a mixed album full of altered goodness... from ribbon to fabric and gems to flowers...all a mix of inky and colorful fun.   And while there wasn't nearly enough time to finish it all - they buckled in and held on tight as I plowed through the techniques. 

My second class was HUGE... I had over 60 people at tables and a whole audience standing in the back looking on as I covered the basics of the Copic product line and how to blend with them.  In that class we slowed it down a bit and managed to practice and play and create two lovely cards.  (I shared one last week and will share the other later.) 

One of the most enjoyable parts of the weekend was the Sample Making Frenzy.  What a blast to have people get the chance to play with our markers - some of them for the very first time!  I used this adorable Atti-Tude Loves to Sparkle image from Stamping Bella and some pretty pink paper from Bazzill Basics and everyone had the chance to get colorful and make this sweet card.  Of course - we had to add a bit of bling with the Atyou Spica Glitter pens too! 

I had an absolutely fabulous time.  I met some amazing store owners (A big Thanks goes out to The Scrapbook Girl for the Rockin' Sweatshirt!)  and some super cool manufacturers (you will be hearing about some new companies here soon!!!) 

And of course - A big shout out to Ron...  thanks for adding laughter to my days.  

*Important Note*

The Indianapolis and Ft. Lauderdale Certification classes are open to the public. 

There are only a few seats left... sign up now! 

Applications can be found HERE. 

Stained Glass

I want to thank each and every one of you for visiting my blog during our Three Day Mega Hop for JustRite Stamps!  WOW... I was blown away by the sweet and kind comments...  I even had a few people say my designs reminded them of Mary Engelbreit!  WOW... now THAT'S a compliment!  Make sure to check out the JustRite Inspirational Blog starting later today for a list of blogs that will be picking the winners!

I have just a quick post today as I'm getting packed and ready to head to the airport!  I'm off to Framingham, MA for the weekend to teach two HUGE, sold-out Copic classes and to mix and mingle at the Collins Group Trade Show.  It's sort of like a little, mini-CHA with lots of great manufacturers showcasing their products and three days of classes and learning and fun!  I'm SO looking forward to it!

One of the classes I'm teaching is a basics Getting Crafty With Copics and I will be speeding through the coloring/numbering system and teaching the basic blending techniques.  Here is the card that the participants will be creating...  the image is called Stained Glass Magnolias and it is from Magenta.  It's a pretty simple card, but I really want them to focus on the techniques and not the design. 

I'll TRY to remember to take pics and I'll share more about the weekend when I get back.

Wish me luck... and if you are attending... make sure to stop in and say hi!

Have a wonderful weekend!

colleen

It's Big... It's Huge... It's MEGA!!! (Blog Hop w/CANDY!)

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I'm joining over 80 other designers who are all celebrating the Mega March Blog Hop with JustRite Stamps! (Don't worry... we've split up the hop into three days so as not to overwhelm you with inspiration!)  LOL

Even though I don't really sew, the Stitched with Love set is one of my favorites!  I just adore this little heart-pin cushion image...so I stamped it (with a swirly boarder) twice.  I colored both images and then I cut one of them out as a smaller circle and popped it up inside the other one.  This gives it a bit of dimension and I was able to pierce the image with a real stick pin!  LOL  The sentiment from the Loving Thoughts set is the perfect compliment to the heart image.  

I wanted to do something classic and simple... yet bight and fun... so I refrained from embellishments on this one (with the exception of some faux stitching... it IS after all a sewing image! LOL)  I also decorated the inside with a third colored image. 

I went for broke with my next card!  I wanted something fun and frilly and sweet!  I stamped the gorgeous flower image from the Beautiful Spring set and colored it with my Copics.  (YG01/YG03/YG07/Y32/Y38/YR68/BG0000) I even stamped the image a second time and cut out a few extra flowers to glue onto the colored image.  It's like a bouquet of fresh spring air!  I used a sentiment from the Joyful Hearts set and finished it off with an organdy bow and some pretty pearls.

And of course... we can't celebrate without prizes!!!  So read on for more details!

27 designers, FIVE shopping sprees each day.  No one knows where the prizes will be!  Each day of the hop JustRite will have five Mystery Blog Candy Prizes hidden along the hop with a total retail value of  $600.  JustRite will randomly select five mystery blogs each day of the hop and randomly allocate each of the shopping sprees.  For your chance to win, simply leave a little love (a comment) on each designer’s blog including the JustRite blog.  The more designers you leave comments with, the better your chances of winning.  Each day’s comments will remain open for three days.  A winner from each of the mystery blogs’ comments will be randomly chosen using Random.org.  Consult the listing of designers at the JustRite blog each day (each day’s designers will be different) and start out on your way!  Beginning Friday, March 26, summaries of all the winners will be posted on the JustRite blog.  Good luck to everyone and enjoy all the JustRite eye candy along the hop! 

Today during the JustRite Mega March Blog Hop (Day One) JustRite and its sponsors will be giving away the following five prizes:

· $200 JustRite Shopping Spree

· $100 Spellbinders Shopping Spree

· $100 Stampers Dream Shopping Spree, and

· Two additional $100 JustRite Shopping Sprees! 

Blog comments for Day One will be open until Thursday at 6pm EST.  On Friday, JustRite will announce on their blog which five blogs have the mystery candy for Day One.  You will need to go to the JustRite blog to determine where you need to go to find out if you are one of the five lucky winners.

Visit the following blogs for inspiration that is JustRite...

JustRite Inspiration Blog
Becca Feeken
Tosha Leyendekker
Kazan Clark
Laurie Schmidlin
Kellie Fortin
Amy Sheffer
Jerri Jimenez
Denise Marzec
Michelle Rodgers
Stephanie Kraft
Sally Lynn MacDonald
Cindy Lawrence
Jenyfur Pohl
Silke Ledlow
Carolyn King
Dawn Easton
Holly Simoni
Julie Overby
Karen Maldonado
Colleen Schaan
Kimberly Crawford
Karen Taylor
Maren Benedict
Eli Harlan
Linda Beeson

Good luck to all and Happy Hopping!

Colleen

Spring Has Sprung!

There's nothing like the sound of lawnmowers and weed eaters to signal the start of spring!  Here in Atlanta it's FINALLY warming up and my neighbors are out in droves...  cutting and pruning and planting. 

So today I stamped...  to the accompaniment of the mowers and the children playing outside.  And I stamped and I stamped and I stamped!  I've got lots to share with you over the next few days (as long as I get my blogging butt in gear)... 

Tonight's card is a sweet celebration of the fine weather and the (hopeful) end of winter. 

The card uses the wishing-well image from the new Happy Spring card kit.  I just love how fun this set is for coloring...  and I added the butterfly from A Beautiful Life set.   (While I'm totally terrified of butterflies in real life - I LOVE these stamped ones!  LOL)

Stop in and see all of the new Gina K. Designs new releases HERE.

For even more projects with Happy Spring, please check out these GinaK Designer's blogs:

Jessica Fick
Suzanne Dean
Colleen Schaan
Lee Murphy
Jennie Harper
Sharri Seffens
Tina Gilliland
Karen Knegten

Thanks for stopping in... and HAPPY SPRING!

Potted Preview!

Are you enjoying all of the wonderful previews for March?  I sure hope so!  I've been hopping to all of the other designer's blogs and they are AMAZING!  Talk about inspiration...

Tonight I have a card to share with you using one of the images from the March Card Kit Stamp Set.  You are SO going to love this set... whether you are "wishing" for spring or "planting" some ideas, this set has 4 adorable line drawings (perfect for coloring in or for paper piecing) and 4 coordinating sentiments.

I used the potted seeds and the "you're my best bud" sentiment for my card.  I stamped the image twice on some Gina K Luxury white (leaving a space in between them) and colored them (sorry... I forgot to write down the colors... the pots are E90's I believe).  I then stamped and colored another pot and cut it out.  I popped it up in between for a "row" of potted seed packets. 

I used some Apple/Violet Happy Spring digital paper that goes so well with all of the new colors and sets this month.  Of course, I had to add a few well-placed embellishments (buttons and ribbon) to polish off the look.

There are a few changes to the Card Kit for this month... each kit will receive the Happy Spring stamp set and instruction sheet along with 4 sheets of pure luxury cardstock, 1 sheet of exclusive patterned paper with 4 different designs, 1 yard of ribbon, and brads.  The cardstock will NOT be pre-cut... this means you can either make the cards that are shown in the kit.. OR design you own! 

Are you ready for even more inspiration? 

Start with Gina's Blog

Then, find out more information about the new Card Kit here: Jessica Fick

Finally, check out these Designer's blogs: Asela Hopkins {Illustrator of By Your Side}
Melanie Muenchinger 
Theresa Momber
Nina Brackett
Cathy Tidwell
Lee Murphy
Kurtis Amundson
Emily Giovanni
Erika Martin
Bev Gerard
Colleen Schaan
Sankari Wegman
Valerie Stangle
Jennie Harper - our Guest Designer for this Month!

StampTV is celebrating it's first birthday and the festivities are in full swing with this month's release!  We'll be holding this month's Release Party on StampTV and couldn't be more excited about all that Gina has planned for everyone!  The party kicks off this Thursday, March 18th starting at 7pm and ends at 10pm (all times CST) when all the new products will be available for purchase in Gina's online store.

To keep informed of all the party plans and activities, check out this link:

Release Party Forum on StampTV

It's a Beautiful Life - Gina K Previews!

It was a BEAUTIFUL weekend and tonight I want to share a BEAUTIFUL card.  (Well, at least I think it's pretty pretty!  LOL) 

 
For tonight's Gina K Designs Preview Hop I chose to work with Melanie Meunchinger's stamp set called A Beautiful Life... and it is.. well... beautiful!  I love the extra large tulip frame; it's perfect for stamping and creating a whole card-sized image.  And of course, there are lots of pretty sayings and phrases included in the set.

I wanted to create a sort of diorama-type card, so I stamped the tulip frame twice.  I colored them both up with my Copics (V12/V15/V17 for the flowers and the framing, YG03/YG06 for the leaves, B000 for the sky, and Y00 and YR04 for the butterflies). 

I cut the center out of one of the stamped and colored frames, rotated it 180 degrees and then attached it over the first one with foam tape for dimension.  The butterflies are cut out and then applied with their wings bent up just a tad.  I even added a tiny bit of bling with my purple Spica Glitter pen. 

I (HEART) this card...

Here's a close up to show the dimension.  Notice that the flowers aren't blended perfectly smooth.  I wanted a "natural" look for my tulips, so I just did a very slight blend and left some areas white. 

Are you ready for even more inspiration?  

Start with Gina's Blog

Then, visit these Illustrator's blogs of these new stamp sets:

Melanie Muenchinger - A Beautiful Life

Theresa Momber - Sending Sunshine

Tami Mayberry - Fairy Tales

Finally, check out these Designer's blogs:

Jessica Fick

Nina Brackett

Carolyn King

Cathy Tidwell

Lee Murphy

Lynn Mercurio

Donna Baker

Kurtis Amundson

Emily Giovanni

Erika Martin

Colleen Schaan

Jennie Harper - our Guest Designer for this Month!

StampTV is celebrating it's first birthday and the festivities are in full swing with this month's release!  We'll be holding this month's Release Party on StampTV and couldn't be more excited about all that Gina has planned for everyone!  The party kicks off this Thursday, March 18th starting at 7pm and ends at 10pm (all times CST) when all the new products will be available for purchase in Gina's online store. 

To keep informed of all the party plans and activities, check out this link:

Release Party Forum on StampTV

Stop back in tomorrow night for another preview.... you will be so happy you came and "seed" it! LOL

Come Join Me For Some HOT Copic Coolness... In Puerto Rico

What are YOU doing in June?  How does hot sand, warm wind, and shinning sun sound?  How about friendly people, cool classes, and awesome companies? All this... and more are available at the Puerto Rico Scrapbook Event.

Oh... and did I mention ME??? That's right!   I'm joining six other AMAZING teachers for this big event that pulls craft enthusiasts from all over the world.  I'm going to be teaching two of my most popular Copic workshops at the event and I'm personally inviting YOU. 

Registration is now open and classes are filling fast!  There are three great package options to choose from... Don't wait - once classes are full... they are full! 

I'll see YOU in Sunny Puerto Rico!

Getting Crafty with Creative Charms

Yeah... still running... thinking that this treadmill called "life" will slow down sometime in early April.  Until then, I'm gripping the handles bars and pumping my legs.  (After all... I'd hate to fall down and skin my chin on the belt... THAT would look silly now wouldn't it!)

Remember when I went to CHA?  Back before the move...you remember CHA?  Copics and classes and people and products... yeah, THAT CHA.  LOL

One of the companies that I "found" when I was there is called Creative Charms.  They had this cute little booth with all of these flowers and butterflies and adorable 3-D embellishments.  They were kind enough to let me snag some product to play with and see how it worked with my Copics.  

I finally had some time to play and created this.  Isn't it pretty!  Just look at those sparkly flowers!  They were pure white when I got them... perfect for coloring with Copics and creating matching embellishments for cards and scrapbook pages.  It was easy too!  The flower petals are made of these soft, interwoven threads... and the ink clings to them beautifully.  Here, I used my BV01 to color the petals and then I added a feather stroke of the B16 to the middle of them and blended it out.  (The blending works just as easy as on paper!)  I also used the B16 on the tinsel and I colored the tiny flower gems with BV04.  

The one thing that I noticed with these is that you need to use a darker color than you might expect - the color shows up just a tad lighter than on paper.

I wanted to showcase the beauty of the flowers, so I paired them with this beautiful sentiment from Verve and layered it with some embossed white paper to set off the color of the flowers. 

I really enjoyed working with these beautiful embellishments and I've already stalked the pretty butterflies they have in their store too!  Thanks Midori for letting me play with them!

Thanks for stopping in today and I'll be back soon.

Hugs,
colleen