Distinctive Touches

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

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

Catching Up - (and a blog hop!)

Did you ever had one of those dreams where you are running and running and just don't ever seem to go anywhere?  That's what my world is like right now!  I'm trying and trying to catch up on everything... and it seems the faster I work, the more I have to do!  LOL 

But you know me... I'm a trooper and I'll just keep running... some time (hopefully soon) I'll reach that finish line. 

In the mean time, I want to share one of the cards I made for one of the MANY birthday's I've missed in the last month or two.  My MIL is always so good about sending cards for all of the special little occasions... and I couldn't even get a birthday card out to her on time this year.  I'm SUCH a bad DIL! (But she is the bestest and will forgive me...  because she loves me!)

I used one of the gorgeous flower images from the Feb. Card Kit over at GinaK Designs. I wanted a whole field of flowers, so I stamped the image multiple times (without re-inking) to get the feeling of depth.  I then colored them (it was so quick and easy with this image!) with my Copic markers (see the color photo below).  

I framed the simple image with Lemon Drop and Creme De Methe card stock (two of the soft spring colors that are now available). 

I stamped the birthday sentiment and cut it out with one of the label Nesties and then cut it so it hung on the bottom of the field of flowers.  I set it off with some buttons and ribbon also from the new Spring collection. 

This was SO easy and turned out so well... I may make a bunch of them (in different Spring colors) so that I'm ready for all of the birthdays I have coming up!  

For even more ideas with the Spring Florals stamp set, please check out these links:

Jessica Fick 

Bev Gerard

Colleen Schaan

Sankari Wegman

Suzanne Dean

Sharri Sevens

Tina Gilliland

Giovanna Smith

Melissa Cash

Carolina Buchting

Jennie Harper

Brenda Turner

There are many more projects that can be found in the StampTV gallery by clicking on this tag: springflorals

Enjoy all the samples tonight!  If you haven't purchased this stamp set yet, please take note that the free Card Kit will be included with each purchase until March 18th.  At that time, the next card kit stamp set will be released.

I promise I'll be back later in the week with some updates on Certifications and some other fun and exciting news! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Is it SPRING yet??? CKC - Blog Hop

Seriously... I'm SO ready for spring!  We are in the midst of yet another winter storm and the temps just keep dropping.

Luckily, I've got something which reminds me that spring can't be too far away...  The new GinaK Designs Card Kit stamp set called Spring Florals. 

For a limited time*, a free Card Kit will automatically be included with each purchase of the Spring Florals stamp set. The entire kit includes the stamp set, a binder sheet, the instructions and materials to make 3 complete cards for $19.95.   

*This offer is valid until March's release, when a new Card Kit stamp set will be released.

Check out samples from this month's card kit on Jessica's Blog HERE... they are simply stunning!

I decided to do a series of my own cards showing just how versatile this set can be.  I stamped and colored all three flower images and then gave them a soft yellow glow by masking them off and airbrushing around them.  I cut each image out using a different shape and created a variety of card styles...

This first card is clean and simple. 

The second card I wanted to do something just a bit different, but I wanted the results to be soft and elegant... nothing too fancy.

This last card is my "layer it up" card...  and of course I added the doodled frames too!

You can check out more previews tonight... Nina's Lovely Labels - which coordinates beautifully with Spellbinders Labels 1, 4, 8, and 9, and a wonderful digital paper pack designed by Nina called Swing into Spring that compliments the new Spring Assortment paper pack.  For even more information on these new products, please visit the Lovely Labels Illustrator's blog Nina Brackett.

Then, check out these designer's links for even more samples made with Nina's stamp set as well as the new Free with Three stamp set called Inside & Out as well as the Spring Florals card kit:

Gina Krupsky

Jessica Fick

Theresa Momber

Melanie Muenchinger

Carolyn King

Tami Mayberry

Lee Murphy

Lynn Mercurio

Kurtis Amundson

Donna Baker

Emily Giovanni

Erika Martin

Bev Gerard

Colleen Schaan

We'd love to have each of you make plans to join us tomorrow night for the big Release party over in Gina's Forum on SCS! The virtual party starts at 7pm CST and is filled with contest questions from Gina, challenges from three of our designers, and tons more samples from the entire GKD team!

For some helpful tips on how Gina's Release parties work on SCS, check out this discussion on StampTV.

Hope is Faith - A Special Announcement

Announcing...  The GinaK Designs Hope Is Faith stamp set..

The Hope is Faith mini stamp set retails for $9.95. It was created to raise money for the Red Cross to help with the devastation in Haiti. $2.00 of every purchase of this stamp set will be sent directly to the Red Cross throughout the month of February.

As the first responders to disasters around the world, the Red Cross is there to help with the basic needs of these people who have suffered so much. By purchasing this mini set, you will help to make a difference to people who are desperate by supporting an organization that works tirelessly to feed, clothe, comfort and care for those in need.

Here are two cards I made with this beautiful set.  The first one features Theresa's digital paper Wings of Hope.  It is a stunning combination of light pinks, bright pinks, and dusty mauves... absolutely gorgeous and the perfect compliment to the new Hope if Faith stamp set. 

I stamped the butterfly onto both the light and the dark pink word papers. I then heat embossed them with clear EP and cut them out.  I folded the wings slightly and layered them so it gave some added dimension to the piece. 

I was on a 3-D roll and decided to make a graphic B&W card using the same set... and here is the result. 

I fell in love with this Mother of Pearl metallic card stock and knew I wanted to use it on a simple and elegant card.  The Faith is Hope set is the perfect fit...  I embossed the butterfly image and the sentiment in black and then cut out the butterfly, bent up his wings, and attached him to the card.  The jeweled brads are just the right amount of bling to finish off this card.  (Oh I wish you could see the shimmer and shine!!!)

Next on the preview list - I just about CROAKED when I saw this adorable set called Hang In There by Theresa Momber!  She has just the cutest images with just a touch of charm and sass.  I decided to whip out my Copics and color up the tree frog.  I just love the way he looks like he is about to launch himself off of the branch!  I paired some Basic Grey patterned paper with some Chocolate Kiss and Fresh Asparagus card stock and tied it all up with a twill bow. 

For more information on these two fabulous sets, please see Gina's Blog. (linked below)

Check out some more amazing previews at the following sites...

Hope is Faith Illustrator: Gina Krupksy
Hang in There Illustrator: Theresa Momber (Wings of Hope Digital Paper designer)

• Jessica Fick
• Melanie Muenchinger
• Nina Brackett
• Carolyn King
• Tami Mayberry
• Asela Hopkins
• Cathy Tidwell
• Lee Murphy
• Lynn Mercurio
• Kurtis Amundson
• Donna Baker
• Emily Giovanni
• Erika Martin
• Bev Gerard
• Colleen Schaan
• Suzanne Dean
  
• Valerie Stangle
  

Thanks for stopping by - Stop back in tomorrow to see if YOU won the set of Specia Glitter Pens!

- Colleen

Fairy Dreams and Wishes

I'm back from CHA and I've got lots to share...  but that will come later!  Stay tuned...

For tonight - It's time to get hopping again with GinaK Designs. 

Tonight's blog hop is showcasing Alicia's set Dreams and Wishes... along with the uber cool photo box that has been the star of Stamp TV this month. 

I don't do much scrap booking... probably because most of the photos that I take are of cards... and how many scrapbook pages can I do of cards???  LOL 

But as we contemplate our next move, I've been taking some photos of the things that I really like here in Oklahoma.  Things that I will miss... like the gorgeous sunrises and sunsets, the field behind our house with the horses and coyotes, the pretty creek that runs through the neighborhood... things that remind me to slow down and enjoy my surroundings.  And of course, I need somewhere to put all of those pictures... since I'm not slowing down enough to scrapbook them yet!   I'm putting them into this adorable photo holder that I made...  

I created the box from a sheet of innocent pink and then layered some Basic Gray Indian Summer patterned paper over smokey slate... and then I added a belly band of smokey slate and attached the image of Alicia's fairy onto it. 

I colored the fairy with my Copics and then added some faux stitching and doodling around the various layers.  

Super simple and very quick... the perfect project for us busy gals!

Check out these links for even more inspiration:

Jessica Fick

Melanie Muenchinger

Lee Murphy

Asela Hopkins

Erika Martin

Bev Gerard

Colleen Schaan

Suzanne Dean

Theresa Momber

Sankari Wegman

StampTV Idea Center

Now, it's your turn! Please hop over to Gina's blog to add the direct link to your blog post showcasing Alicia's Wishes and Dreams stamp set in the Mister Linkey Box. Gina will have a special prize for the one link that she chooses out of all the participating bloggers - check out her blog for the details.

A Sneaky Hambo Hop!

What a GREAT morning it is today. 

It's Wendesday and time for some fun... so let's have a HAMBO HOP! 

What's a Hambo Hop you ask?  Only the coolest, greatest, most fun blog hop evah! 

All of the design team members (past and present) for Hambo Stamps are getting together
to surprise Monica and Tim (the awesome owners) by sharing some super samples with some of their newest stamps!

Why?  Well, because WE LOVE HAMBO!!!

SURPRISE Monica and Tim!!!

My contribution to the hop is this cutie patotie card. 

I used Tim's new Thief digital stamp and colored it in with my Copics.  (I printed the image on Georgia Pacific paper and heat set it with my heat gun for just a few seconds and I had no trouble at all with the printer ink smearing.)

I just love the way this guy is sneaking away with a bag full of hearts!  I can't decide if he is truly terrible or absolutely adorable!  LOL

I stamped some words "you stole my heart" around the outside and doodled in a frame. 

This stamp is so perfect for Valentine's Day, anniversaries or just about any other occasion.  I've even thought about masking off the hearts and filling the bag with other things... chocolate, cupcakes, presents, flowers... you name it!

Okay... I'll send you off to SNEAK over to the next blog on our hop... Isabelle!

If you are joining from my blog or just popping in, you can join the hop at any of these blogs:

Asela

Colleen (you are here!)

Isabelle

Jane

Libby 

MacKenzie

Melissa

Thanks for stopping in... and don't forget to visit Hambo and give Monica and Tim some love!

Wishes and Dreams - Copic Coloring Tutorial and Blog Hop!

Okay all you coloring fanatics out there (and I know who you are...), I have a GREAT new stamp set to show you tonight!  The amazingly talented Alicia Krupsky (daughter of the equally talented Gina Krupsky) is the artist behind this month's Card Kit Club Exclusive Set over at GinaK. Designs. 

Alicia created a rockin' set called Wishes and Dreams that is filled with fun Manga-style illustrations and dreamy coordinating sentiments.  This month only, every purchase of the Wishes and Dreams stamp set includes the new Card Kit that Jessica has designed specifically for this set!  That's right - every purchase! Included in the kit will be the written instructions and cut card stock needed to make 3 cards along with the stamp set. All this will be available for $23.95. This is a limited time offer though - after January, the stamp set will be sold alone.  Take a peek HERE to see the adorable cards that Jessica made with this month's kit! 

To help showcase this set, I've created mini-tutorial showing how I colored this little lovely.  I know many people are intimidated by images that need to be colored, but these adorable little gals almost color themselves!  

I always like to start with the skin.  (I don't have a reason... I just like to.)  Here I used E000 and E00.  I wanted to follow the true Manga style, so I didn't blend it out too much.

I then moved onto the hair.  I wanted a nice dark, blue-black final color, so I started by coloring strokes of C3 and C5.  Notice that I left the center lighter.  This will end up being where the highlights in her hair are. 

I then added some strokes of C7.

And some C9.  Notice that as I go darker, I add fewer strokes of color.  I also haven't blended it at all at this point.

And then since I wanted that dark "bluish-black" look, I added a few strokes of B99.  It's a super dark blue - so use it sparingly. (I've actually added in a bit too much, but I still like the results.)  At this point you can leave it all in strokes or you can blend it together just a bit with the C1 or C3.  Just don't over blend... you want to keep the stroke marks visible for this style.

Then I colored in the wings... I wanted them very light, thin, and almost skin like... so I used very light yellows with a touch of pink. 

Next I've colored the eyes.  Since I'm a blue-eyed gal... most of my images have blue eyes too.  LOL  Here I've done things in the opposite order than I normally color.  (It's a small space and I don't want to use too much ink and chance it bleeding out.)  I added a dot of the B99 to the top of the eyes, then added a dot of the B24 just under that, and then blended them out with the B21.  This gives the illusion that she is looking up a bit.

For the clothing I kept it simple.  I wanted her to be wearing an all pink outfit (gotta coordinate you know)... so I started color blocking all of the clothes in R81 and then adding a touch of shading with the R83.  (I am adding the darker colors to the clothing with a feathering motion.)

I then added more shading with R85.

And then added the darkest color R89 and blended it all together.

And here she is... all colored in and ready to give you warm Birthday Wishes. 

I can't wait to ink up and color the rest of the images from this set...  I know all the rest of you coloring crazed folks out there are going to LOVE it just as much as I do.

For even more inspiration with our new stamp sets being previewed tonight, check out these GinaK Designers' links:

• Nina Brackett {Illustrator of Heartily Yours}
• Gina Krupsky {Illustrator of Love Notes}
• Jessica Fick
• Theresa Momber
• Melanie Muenchinger
• Carolyn King
• Cathy Tidwell
• Lee Murphy
• Donna Baker
• Lynn Mercurio
• Erika Martin
• Emily Giovanni
• Tami Mayberry
• Bev Gerard
• Colleen Schaan
• Valerie Stangle
• Jen Charboneau 
• Suzanne Dean

Thank you all for stopping by and visiting tonight! 

Colleen

Card Details
Stamps - Gina K. Designs (Wishes and Dreams)
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper - Gina K. Designs (Luxury White 80#, sweet corn, black onyx, and wine with everything )
Coloring Medium - Copic Markers (see tutorial)
Other - Luxury Ribbon

Rupa Has Sung From Her Heart! - GinaK. Blog Hop

Now that the hustle and bustle of Christmas is over, I'm moving on to the next happy holiday...  my favorite... Valentine's Day!!!  I have a few Valentine stamps in my collection, but nothing that was jumping out at me this year... that is... until I saw Rupa's new set Sung from the Heart.  It sang out to me and I knew it was the perfect set for my (HEART) Day cards this year.  

There are so many adorable images in this set!  And the coordinating sentiments... oohhhhhh - a mix of everyday and elegant.  I just love them.

I decided to challenge myself by using this set to create a few "simple" cards.  You know the ones... the one-layer, minimal embellishments, clean and crisp designs.  They may look simple, but CAS (clean and simple) cards are one of the hardest types for me to do.  With Rupa's new set though... it was well... SIMPLE! 

 

Card Details
Stamps - Gina K. Designs (Sung from the Heart)
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper - Gina K. Designs (Luxury White 80#, Wine with Everything, Black Onyx )
Coloring Medium - Copic Markers (R83,R85, R89)

I used the same image on both samples because I wanted to show just how easy it is to change up the look.  On  the first sample I stamped the image (heartstrings) just once in the center of my paper.  I ran it through my Big Shot and embossed a square frame around it.  I then stamped the image again on some scrap paper and colored and cut out three of the hearts.  I colored my main image with Copics and then attached the cut out hearts with pop dots (I colored them pink also so they would blend in from the side).  The sentiment is stamped on the bottom right and a doodled frame pulls it all together.  The whole one-layer piece is mounted onto the new textured Wine with Everyting card stock.  YUMMY!

Card Details
Stamps - Gina K. Designs (Sung from the Heart)
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper - Gina K. Designs (Luxury White 80#, cranberry tart, black onyx)
Coloring Medium - Copic Markers (R33, R35, R37)

In the second sample I used the same image but I masked off the top bar and stamped the heartstrings repeatedly across the top of the paper.  I then colored them in with Copics, added some bling with my Spica glitter pens, and then stamped another sentiment on the bottom.  I dotted a frame around the sides and bottom and then colored some pearl gems with my Copics and added them for a bit of dimension.  Voila - my clean and simple cards... perfectly easy for once! 

Rupa's Sung from the Heart is only one of the many new sets that we are giving you a peek at tonight...

For even more inspiration with our new stamp sets being previewed tonight, check out our other GinaK Designers' links:

• Tami Mayberry {Illustrator of Happy Hearts}
• Gina Krupsky
• Jessica Fick
• Nina Brackett
• Melanie Muenchinger
• Theresa Momber
• Carolyn King
• Cathy Tidwell
• Lee Murphy
• Donna Baker
• Lynn Mercurio
• Erika Martin
• Emily Giovanni
• Colleen Schaan
• Sankari Wegman
• Valerie Stangle
• Asela Hopkins

Thanks for stopping by tonight! 

Colleen

Life Is Good! (Blog Hop)

 Theresa Momber has it right... LIFE IS GOOD.  One of my favorite images from this set is the snowy log cabin.  It's always been a dream of mine to live in a log cabin (now, I could do without the snowy, but I'd take it if the snow and the cabin were a package deal).  LOL 

 I imagine myself sitting by a roaring fire, music playing softly in the background, while I cuddle up with my hubby and we watch the deer frolicking in the backyard.  Ahhhhh, the image of a quieter lifestyle. 

It was with that thought in mind that I created my card for tonight's hop.  I stamped the cabin image in Adirondack Timber Brown on kraft and then layered and framed it with black onyx, cranberry tart, and a pretty patterned paper from Basic Grey's Indian Summer collection.  I colored the image with some very light Copics (I wanted the kraft to show through) and added the snow with my gel pen.  Both the deer image and the sentiment are from the Life Is Good set also. 

And I'm taking lessons from Jessica... so I decorated the inside of my card too!  

___________________________________

For even more inspiration tonight with the Life is Good stamp set, check out these links:

• Theresa Momber {Illustrator}
• Jessica Fick
• Nina Brackett
• Melanie Muenchinger
• Lee Murphy
• Erika Martin
• Emily Giovanni
• Colleen Schaan
• Cheri Weston
• Melissa Shultz
• Peggy Wainman
• Geri Utterback{guest designer}
• Brenda Turner {guest designer}
• Linda Payne{guest designer}

The Life is Good discussion on the StampTV Idea Center is also a valuable resource for tips, samples, and tutorials.

Theresa's tip sheet and the Card Kit is available in the discussion as well.

And, finally stop by GinaK's blog today to leave your comment on her blog for your chance to win today's featured stamp set or another stamp set valued at $23.95 of your choice!

Thanks for stopping by... have a great night!

Colleen

First Ever GinaK. Designs Card Kit Club Blog Hop!

Welcome to our very first GinaK Card Kit Club blog hop!

We are having our very first blog hop for the new Card Kit DT and we will each be sharing a few cards on our blogs tonight, based on December's Card Kits. For this month's hop, Jessica challenged each artist to design their projects using the same basic sketch and measurements of the kit card, but to put their own personal touches on them adding whatever embellishments, patterned papers, etc. that they would like to use!

______________________________________________

I fell in love with Theresa Momber's Life Is Good set and was overjoyed when I got a chance to work with the card kit for it.  You can check out the actual kit and layout HERE and see lots of other fun samples that use this stamp set too.  For my first card I knew immediately that I wanted to use the larger sentiment and pair it with one of the two "scenic" water images.  It was so much fun to use the measurements and layer sizes from the kit and change up the layout a bit.  It's a great way to see what other types of layouts you can create with the elements in each kit.

Card Details
Stamps - Gina K. Designs (Life is Good)
Ink - Memento London Fog
Paper - Gina K. Designs (smoky slate, all spruced up, moonlit fog)
Coloring Medium - water brush, Memento ink (london fog, bamboo), Ranger Distress ink (weathered wood), Copic marker W5
Other - grosgrain ribbon, brads

_________________________________________________

My second card uses the actual layout from the card kit but I was able to change up the size and shape a bit.  I LOVE this card.  I used the tree image from the set and created some fall foliage with my Copic markers.  It worked so well to set off the rich earthy colors of the card stock.  Since I'm always one for playing with sketches and "making them my own" I flipped the sketch on it's side, and then made each of my center pieces a bit larger.  Then instead of centering the image on the yellow matting layer, I off-set it a bit.  LOVE how easy this card was... just from using the basic layout in the card kit. 

Card Details

Stamps - Gina K. Designs (Life is Good)
Ink - Timber Brown
Paper - Gina K. Designs (cranberry tart, sweet corn, chocolate kiss)
Coloring Medium - Copic markers (Y21/Y23/E08/E09/R89)
Other - chocolate kiss stitched ribbon, brads

___________________________________________________

Make sure to check out all of the other great designs from the rest of this amazing team.

I know you're going to be thrilled with what each of them came up with!

Bev Gerard {Warm and Wonderful}
Sankari Wegman {Tech Talk}
Suzanne Dean {Warm and Wonderful}
Valerie Stangle {Lovely Shelf}

Happy Hopping and Thanks for stopping by! 

Colleen

Not all THAT difficult!

I am truly blessed.  I sometimes think that one person doesn't deserve all this happiness, but hey... I'm not going to complain about it!

I've been blessed in so many ways - both big and small - a wonderful family, amazing friends, a successful career, a dream job teaching for Copic, an exciting move to the big city, and now this... one of the most exciting things that has happened to me so far...  

I've been asked by the team over at Gina K. Designs to join the new Gina K. Designs Card Club Design Team!!!  Of course... it was a no-brainer to say yes immediately when Jessica contacted me about it.  I kept asking her if it was some sort of joke... did they really want ME? 

Apparently they do!  (You can read more about it HERE and see the other mondo-talented gals who are going to have to put up with me on the team!  LOL)

I've long admired Gina for her sweet personality, her smart business decisions, and her honesty and kindness.  She is someone I look up to - so you can imaging what an honor it is to be asked to join her team.  I am truly humbled.  

And even though I am not going through any difficult times right now (far from it), I know many people who are.  I have one friend in particular who is facing the death of her mother - always a terrible ordeal, but doubly so during the holidays I think. 

I made this card to let her know I care. 

I masked off three squares and sponged the insides with Aged Mahogany Distress Ink by Ranger.  I then stamped the flower image and the sentiment from Comfort and Peace by Gina K. Designs using the same ink at full strength.  I used a white velvet ribbon from Basic Gray to give the card a touch of depth and texture. I hope this brings her a sense of comfort and a small bit of peace.

As for me... What a day... what a week... heck - what a year I've had!  I'm so glad you've let me share my blessings and triumphs with you today!  Make sure to come back on Sunday night for some fun new stuff!!!

A Silly Snow Globe

You know how some days you just feel the need to create?  That's how I felt yesterday... so I put aside some of my other projects and pulled out my stamping supplies. 

I happily stamped and colored away... while an idea was brewing in my mind.  I wanted to make a card that was different, unique, outside-the-box so to speak.  I cut and pasted and layered and tied.  The result? 

THIS! 

Bwaaahaaahaaa!  My spontaneous creativity flopped!  My "outside-the-box" should have been kept in the bag, my different wasn't good!  LOL 

These three guys from Whipper Snapper reminded me of a little snowy scene that you might find in a fluid-filled snow globe, so that's what I set out to create.  I ran into a few problems along the way.  While cutting the red layer (that was supposed to be my card base, I cut the top right off and ended up with two red globe shapes.  Well... that just wouldn't do, so I decided to mount one of them on a black card base... and this time I was very careful not to cut through the top... but it was pretty close.  I'll be honest and say I don't know that this card would survive being opened and closed more than once or twice. 

I wanted to create that nice shiny glass look, but UTEE tends to turn a bit amber in color, so I opted for about half a bottle of Inkssentials Glossy Accents!  yeah... there's about 5 pounds of glue layered over the image... I'm surprised it actually dried! 

And then to add that "snowy" look of a shaken (not stirred) snow globe, I added bits of diamond Stickles into the Glossy Accents as it was drying.  That part looks pretty cool actually.  I smacked it down onto the table a few times to flatten it all out and sort of integrate the Stickles a bit.  Worked like a charm!

Anyway... while it turned out NOTHING like my original (and brilliant) concept, it did make me giggle. 

Hey... did you notice anything new about my blog?  I've changed the format just a bit and now I have additional informational pages linked across the top (under the banner).  I figured it would be easier this way to present the information about my own Copic Certification Classes and the other activities I'm doing.  I've already got my first location picked out!  I just need to finalize the date and the details and we can start taking applications! 

Enjoy the rest of the day... and have a happy Friday!

"A" is for Apple - and a Winner!!!

First off I want to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who visited and left comments on last week's blog post! What a wonderful community of crafters you all are. 

I know you are dying to know who won the big Copic give-away... but I'm going to hold out just a bit longer...  well... at least until the end of this post!  LOL

I wanted to share this card with all my blog readers... it's for you!  I got this adorable little Apple Emma from C.C. Designs and this was my first attempt at coloring her up.  I wanted a traditional fall/school look so I stuck with a basic red and green color combo.  The green patterned paper actually wasn't the right shade of green, so I whipped out my G24 marker and colored the paper to match the image.  (Gotta love how easy it is to make everything match with your Copic markers!)

I wanted to cut out the image with my scallop Nestability, but somehow I got it mis-aligned and one edge got chopped off... so I improvised and came up with this fancy bit of framing. 

I added a few stitches, some highlights on her cheeks, some eyebrows, and a tiny button nose to help her breath.  Isn't she sweet?  Just like all of you!

(Colors Used: E0000/E00/E02/E21/E25/E27/E29/G40/G21/G24/G28/R22/R24/R27/R29/E50/E42/E35)

Now... for the part you've all been waiting for...(drum roll please....)

I had over 360 comments - and I printed them all off... chopped them apart, piled them on the floor and then drew one... (with the help of my dogs!)

           

And the lucky winner is....

Lisa Gobea!!!  She writes...

    Wow, your Santa is just so over the top wonderful. Congrats! I use mostly the sketch, and I make cards to put on my blog that I started just to share my joy of Copics. I just found these wonderful markers this summer only after I had purchased the Stampin Up set of markers. Well what can I say, I sold those on ebay and spent the money to buy my first set of Copics.. I have never looked back.. I highly doubt that I will ever used another brand of markers..My copics give me all of the results that I have spent hundreds on hours and money on to get and never did. I want to get the airbrush system next. But I am afraid that will have to wait until after the holidays...lol...Have a great day.

Congratulations Lisa!  Please contact me and let me know if you would like the ABS-1 or the 12 Sketch Markers!  

Hugs to all... and thank you for visiting!

colleen

Colorful Blog Hop Celebration - With Candy!

*Commments are now closed.  Thank you to everyone who visited and commented.  I will be posting the winner on Monday, November 16th.

It is with butterflies in my stomach and stars in my eyes that I make this announcement...

I am joining the Copic team!!!  

I was contacted by Marianne a few months back and she asked if I would be interested in teaching a few Copic classes in the area.  Ummmm, YES!  (Didn't even have to THINK about that response.)  Apparently my students have been talking about me... and she was hearing good things (OMGosh - thank you thank you thank you students!!!)  LOL

I was a bit concerned that our upcoming move would put me out of the running for teaching classes, but our Atlanta location is actually a better area.  So...

I will be a Copic Regional Certification Instructor for the Southern region. 

I am SOOOOO pumped!  I will be able to travel and teach the ever-popular Copic Certification Classes AND meet TONS of wonderful crafters along the way! 

I just spent the past few days in Eugene meeting with Marianne, some of the other Regional Instructors, and the amazing people who run Imagination International Inc.  I can't tell you how honored I am to be representing such a wonderful company and to be working with such an amazing group of people!

I am joining a WONDERFUL team of uber-talented ladies and we are celebrating with a Big Ol' Copic Blog Hop and a chance for you to win some totally-rocking Blog Candy!

To participate, please leave a comment on THIS post answering ONE of the following questions:

1. How do YOU use your Copics?
2. Which Copic products do YOU use and WHY do you love them?
3. Why do YOU wish you had Copics?

There will be two ways to win:

1. One winner from each blog will be randomly chosen.
2. We will be reading through comments as well.  If we find a testimonial that we REALLY like, then we will contact that person about using their story for our CHA booth and they would then be given a prize equal to that of the random winners.  Make your comments good!

Wanna know what you could win?  (Well Duh, of course you do!) LOL

Winners will get their choice of either an ABS-1 or any 12 Sketch Colors.  WOW... now THAT'S a prize worth playing for!

          

Our blog hop will be open from Wednesday, November 11th through Saturday, November 14th.  Comments will be closed on my blog at midnight (CST) on Saturday, November 14th.  

So... go start hopping!  Please visit the other team member's blogs for more chances of winning!

• Marianne Walker
• Debbie Olson
• Sherrie Siemens
• Sally Lynn MacDonald
• Sharon Harnist
• Lori Craig
• Michelle Wooderson

And because I couldn't post without some EYE CANDY as well... here's my latest Copic creation!

 

I stamped the "I Believe" Santa image from Flourishes and colored him with my Copics (C00/C1/C3/C5/E0000/E00/E02/E93/R02/R05/R22/R24/R29/R37/G12/G14/G16).  I LOVE using stamps like this with stippling because it makes is super simple to color... already showing where the highlights and shadows are.  All I had to do was add color.  Easy Peasy!  I kept the layout simple and uncluttered with just a button (colored with my Copics as well) and a bow.  "I Believe" that this might actually be my holiday card this year! 

Thanks for stopping in today and celebrating with me. I want to send celebratory hugs out to:

The members of the Copic Blog Team

Debbie Olson

Michelle Wooderson

Sharon Harnist

Sherrie Siemens

Sally Lynn MacDonald

And the other Copic Certification Regional Instructors

Northwest: Sherrie Siemens / Marianne Walker

Southwest: Marianne Walker

Northern Midwest / Chicago: Kathy Sanders

Central Midwest: Lori Craig

Southern Midwest: Sharon Harnist

South: Colleen Schaan (HEY - THAT'S ME!)

Northeast: Sally Lynn MacDonald

Western Canada: Sherrie Siemens

Eastern Canada: Sally Lynn MacDonald

Floaters: Debbie Olson / Marianne Walker

November???

I wonder if this is how Ripp Van Winkle felt when he woke from his LONG nap... disbelieving of all the time that had passed him by. 

I can NOT believe it is November; I mean, just yesterday it was June and I was headed to Green Bay for my class reunion!  At this rate, it will be summer again in the blink of an eye!  All of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season will be done and over with without me getting a chance to enjoy it!

Is every one's merry-go-round of life spinning as quickly as mine? 

I needed to take a step back and breath deeply a few times... and that's when I noticed it... the crisp, cool smell of autumn.  Ahhhhhh, there's nothing like the sweet smell of colorful leaves.  Really... leaves have a scent... and colorful ones smell the best.  LOL

That's why I'm sharing this card with you today.  It's using some of my new Inchie stamps and might just make it into my Inching Towards the Holidays class that is just starting today over at My Creative Classroom.  The doodled falling leaves reminded me of those crispy fall leaves outside.  Paired up with some pumpkin pie card stock and a bit of cranberry scallops (hmmm, I'm getting hungry)... these leaves give the distinct impression of fall!

Hope YOU get a chance to enjoy it as much as I'm going to!

Life is Full of Surprises - Big News!

Well... life is good.  

If you have followed my blog for any amount of time, you know that we move a lot.  We started out years ago and have lived in Green Bay, WI; Waverly, IA; Waterloo, IA; Kansas City, MO; Green Bay, WI (again - three different locations); Longview, WA; and Muskogee, OK. 

And now... we are headed to Atlanta, GA! 

I couldn't be happier!  I'm so excited to be headed to the big city!  

Nate was promoted and now has an office... WITH A VIEW!!!  Ohhh-La-Laaaa!  We knew it would happen some day... but this was a bit sooner than expected... so came as a slight surprise.  But a VERY, VERY pleasant one at that.

We are excited to be moving to a place where we can easily travel, we can soak in some culture (the symphony, the theater, the pro-sports events, the fine-dining), and we can find LOADS of activities to suit our creative and technological needs. 

I'm pumped to think that there will actually be CRAFT and ART stores!!!  What a joy and a treat for me!

We are in the early stages of what I'm calling "The Big Move" and it will be crazy and nutty around here for the next few months... (and you are asking how that is different than normal for me?)  but I hope to still blog as often as I can and be crafty every chance I can sneak some time in. 

I just wanted to share the good news... life really IS full of surprises!

A Pile of Fun!

Wanna hear a story? 

We have a dog.  His name is Takeo.  He is 3.  He likes to bark.  A LOT.  He can open our shades.  

One night (wee in the early morning hours actually) my husband and I were startled awake by Takeo's terror filled barks.  He had opened the shade and was furiously barking at something outside.  By the tenor of his yowls and yips and snarls there must have been something HUGE lurking in the back yard. 

We both jumped out of bed fully expecting the house to be broken into by large, brutish thugs at any moment. 

Takeo was just about bouncing off the walls as his barks echoed through the house at this point.

Silently (and a bit terrified) we crept up to the window, turned on the outside light and peered out...  

The terrifying beast that met our eyes?

A turtle! 

Wasn't as cute as this pile of turtles from Hambo, but pretty darn close! 

Darn dog!

Hambo Stamps (one of my all time favorite stamp company for funny images and quirky sayings) now offers digital stamps as well as the regular red rubber ones.  I was THRILLED to snag this "turtle pile" image (along with a few others that you will see soon).  I used it to create this card for my mother's birthday.  I thought it was fun.  Turtles make me laugh... especially when they are creating a well-balanced cheerleader-like pyramid!  (I'm sure THIS would really set Takeo off...)

I used my Copics to color the image (printed the image onto Georgia Pacific card stock with a Kodak ink jet printer.  No problems with smearing or smudging. 

Speaking of Copics... I want to thank the wonderful ladies that welcomed me to Amarillo, TX this past weekend.  I taught my Copic 101 class at a sweet little shop called The Paper Garden.  It was such a super group of gals... full of questions and ideas and joy about coloring.  It was a blast!

Thanks for stopping by!

Fan*Tabulous!

Everything is FABULOUS... FAN*FREAKING*TABULOUS!

It's a beautiful day, the sun is shining, the hummingbirds have been visiting my flowers, I spent time with friends over the weekend, and I'm happy and healthy.

Speaking of the weekend... it was great!  I held a Copic 101 (Beginner) class at ScrapHappy's (a local scrap booking store up in Tulsa) on Saturday morning.  It was SO much fun!!!  OMG... the folks were amazing!  They ooh'ed and aaah'ed and got just as excited about Copics as I did!  The energy was amazing and they blew me away with their skillz!!!!  They were blending and feathering and coloring like pros in no time! 

What a joy to have such enthusiastic learners.  I had so much fun... and can't wait to go back for another class.

Here's one of the samples that I passed around.  They were all so wonderfully sweet...exclaiming with joy over each of the samples as they got passed around.  It just makes me smile!  :)

This stamp is "Demure" from Sugar Nellie... and of course, she is colored with Copics. 

In other news...I'm looking forward to my next Copic workshop.  Coming up on October 17th in Amarillo, TX.  Here are the details... if you are interested and going to be in the area, contact the store to reserve your spot.  Seating is limited.

            

Where: The Paper Garden
                        5700 SW 34th
                        Amarillo, TX 79109

            When:   Saturday, October 17th
                         1:00 - 4:00 pm

            Cost:    $45.00 (includes three sketch markers, the colorless blender, and classroom materials)

            Call:     (806)322-2060 to register

For a full class description and more information, please visit The Paper Garden's website.

Easy Peasy Pretty!

I've been doing so much coloring lately for all of my coloring classes that I almost forgot how to stamp a traditional card!

I was asked to create a mini-tutorial for Everyday Moodlings, our FREE class over at My Creative Classroom.  The topic... masking!  Each teacher approached this topic differently... some used masking fluids and paints, some created mixed media pages with a masked poem, some used stencils as masks with ink sprays and while others masked out images with stamps and post-its. 

Me... I created a brayered background by masking a fancy frame and the setting sun.  I stamped the silhouetted flowers AFTER I took my masks off to give the impression of depth.  You can check out my tutorial HERE.

(If you are not a registered member of the free class, it will ask you for a key code to get enrolled.  Don't have it???  Sign up for our FREE newsletter - get both the key code and all of the latest news on classes and special offers happening at MCC.)

Tomorrow we will be posting another great set of free tutorials on... well, the topic is a secret yet... you'll just have visit MCC tomorrow to find out!

Papertake Weekly... YOU could win!

I FOUND SOMETHING NEW!!!

Sorry to shout...I just HAD TO... you see, I found these new images.   Yup... Uber Cute and PERFECT for coloring with my Copics.  And guess what...  they are Digital!!!  OMG.  I've resisted digital up until now because I really like the feel of wood and rubber, ink and acrylic.  But I saw these adorable "Pixie Chicks" over at Charmed Cards and Crafts and knew I had to give it a go.  It was actually much easier than I thought. 

Here is just one of the sweet little elves... (there are a bunch in the download).  I call her Holly, The Holiday Elf.  (Brilliant - I know!!! LOL)  She is soooooo sweet!  There are all sorts of things in the download for her to be sitting on, but I really just wanted her... so I cropped the excess circle under her legs and it sort of looks like she is sitting on a swing or a wall.  (Oh, okay... so it really doesn't, but I like the way it looks anyway!) 

I used Copics to color her in, Stickles glitter glue for the wings and the fur trim, and a white gel pen for the highlights in her eyes. 

The layout for this card comes from this week's challenge over at Papertake Weekly.  (It sort of evolved from the sketch into this... I would say I was "inspired by" the sketch...)  Check out what their awesome DT did with the sketch..  WOWZERS!  And play along... you could win a $25 gift certificate from My Creative Classroom... good towards ANY class being offered this fall!  (And there are a LOT of them!)

Good luck. 
And thanks for stopping in today!

I'm Craft Class Crazy!!!

Something must be in the air... or maybe it's in the water.  Wherever it is... it is creating quite a stir over at My Creative Classroom! 

Did you know that we opened our fall classes for enrollment on Tuesday?  Yup, sure did!!!  Have you checked out all of the fan-tabulous classes we are offering this term?  No???  Well... what'cha waiting for - get on over there and see all of the amazing new classes (and the super talented instructors).  Whether you are interested in Photography, Digital Scrapbooking, Jewelry Making, Mixed Media, Getting Inky, Fine Arts, or Stamping... we have something for everyone!   (These links are just a smattering of of your choices.)

We've got a lot of 'em... I personally have 15 classes running this fall!  I've been taping video, clicking pictures, and typing till my fingers are numb these past few weeks to get them all ready.  Check out my full class listing HERE and see if there is something that might interest you.  Find your inner artist in my Express Yourself: Portraits in Multiple Mediums, or hang out with me and do some inchie art in Inching Towards the Holidays. 

Don't forget the golden-oldies too.  I'm re-offering a few of my most popular offerings from the past two years.  Learn to color realistic images in The Coloring Craze and the Coloring Craze II, jump on the stamping bandwagon in one of my Stamptastic Techniques classes, or go crazy for Copics in my Everything Copic class. 

I know I will be spending a lot of time over at MCC this fall... both teaching AND taking classes.  I would LOVE to see you there! 

Have a wonderful holiday weekend!

Card Details
Stamp: Stippled Rose (SU Retired)
Inks: London Fog (Memento)
Coloring: Copic Markers
Other: Nestabilities die cut, black organdy, Copic Multiliner - black

I'm Here if You Need Me.

Happy Friday all.  I'm so glad it is finally the weekend!  I'm a bit worn out from all of the running around that I've done this week.  It was the last week of my Surface and Design pottery class up in Tulsa.  I've got some really nice pots waiting to be fired in the kiln and I can't wait to see the results of my glazing experiments.  (If they turn out, I'll share pictures.)  

I have to decide whether I'm going to sign up for a third Throwing class on the pottery wheel.  I REALLY learned a lot during the intermediate class, and I would like to go on to the advanced class... but I just don't know if I have time this fall.  I will have to wait and see.  I've got so much else on my plate right now.  (What else is new right?)

We are ALMOST ready for our Fall Kick-Off over at My Creative Classroom.  There are a few new instructors and TONS of new classes!  I can't wait for the opening of enrollment... be watching next week for that announcement! 

And lastly, I found some time to be CREATIVE this week.  I was browsing though the latest uploads on SCS a few weeks ago and was completely drawn in by this card that Jeanne S. created.  It was simply, it was clean, it was perfect!  I knew that I wanted to use the layout in a card of my own... and so I pulled out my Elegant Flowers set from Gina K Designs and paired it with a pretty matching sentiment from Verve.  The irises are colored with Copic markers, punched out with a scalloped circle Nestability, and then sponged with lilac ink. 

It was really hard for me to NOT use any embellishments or doodle any frames on this card, but I think it turned out really pretty!  It would make a super fast and easy thinking of you or sympathy card.

Thanks for the inspiration Jeanne...  and thanks everyone for stopping by!
Have a wonderful weekend.

Teaching In Tulsa!

I'm super excited to announce that I will be teaching a Copic 101 workshop in Tulsa this fall. 

The details are all worked out and the date is set.  If you are in the area and are interested in learning how to use Copic Markers... join me in class!

           

            Where: ScrapHappy's
                        7142 S. Memorial Drive
                        Tulsa, OK 74133

            When:   Saturday, September 26th
                         10:00 am - 1:00 pm

            Cost:    $35.00 (includes three sketch markers and classroom materials)

            Call:     (918) 250-0472 to register

For a full class description and more information, please visit the ScrapHappy's website.

Card Details
Stamps: Sugar Nellie (Pen Pal), SU (Mini Mates)
Paper: SU (Brocade Blue, Night of Navy, So Saffron), Georgia Pacific (White), Basic Grey
Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black
Other: Copic Markers, mini buttons

           

As Luck Would Have It...

...I have a card to share! 

Our trip to Iowa was brief but fun.  Stephanie was surprised to see us there (we all squeaked out a few tears) and the party was a big success.  I'm glad to be home though.  Travel with the dogs is always a bit nerve-wracking and this time was no exception.  Thank goodness they are learning to sleep in the truck and drink water out of cups!  LOL

I've been pulling out some older stamps lately and I was a bit nervous about inking this one up again.  I LOVE the fishing Thomas Kincaid image from CHF, but I am always a bit intimidated by it. 

I figured since I was going Copic crazy lately, I'd just continue on in that vein. 

I stamped the image with Memento London Fog to get a softer impression which helps to create that soft light in the background.  I then started laying on the lightest base colors.  This image was so much fun because I could add TONS of color by layering on darker and darker inks.  Just look at how bright and vivid those flowers are and yet how soft and foggy the background is.  And I have to say... I'm so happy with how the water turned out.  Moving water is SO difficult to make look realistic.  It's not perfect, but I'm happy with the results. 

I think it's time for me to break out the checkbook and shop for another Kincaid stamp or two!

Hugs to you... thanks for stopping in today!

Stop and Smell the Roses

I sure hope you all had a wonderful weekend! 

This is a scheduled post... so I'm hoping it shows up in a timely fashion on a Monday morning.

Nate and I decided last minute to head up to Waterloo to help his sister celebrate her 30th birthday!  (Happy B-day Steph!)  I spent the end of the week cleaning the house, doing laundry, and packing up for myself and our two dogs (my hubby can pack for himself... that way I don't get blamed when something is forgotten LOL).

I just wanted to share a bright sunny card with you on what I HOPE is a bright sunny Monday... 

Just because...     I wanted to share.

Isn't this just a pretty card?  (If I do say so myself!!!) 

The Stippled Rose (retired SU) is probably my number one "go to" stamp for sympathy cards and for anniversaries or weddings... anything that needs to be subtle and elegant.  But today I decided to use it on a card that was just a bit more... well, fun!

I stamped the image repeatedly and then got to work coloring.  I typically color the roses in a light purple or a pink or red... but again, bright and sunny won the day and these became a golden yellow.  I also have never done this stamp with my Copics.  I usually reach for my watercolor crayons so that I can get a soft velvety look... but this time, I wanted a bit more vibrancy... so Copics it was!  I am REALLY happy with how they came out.  I can almost smell them! (ahhhhhh...)

Anyway, I wanted to keep it simple so I just quickly matted the image layer with black and some sunny yellow... added a quick sentiment... and Voila... Fini!

Hope YOU are all having a Bright Sunny Day!
Thanks for stopping in!

Speeding By to Say...

Zippity Quick today! 

I just wanted to drive by and send a BIG Birthday Wish to the one-and-only Monica!

Monica...  I hope you have a FAN-TAB-U-LOUS day!  Make Tim do the cooking, the kids to the cleaning, and YOU my friend... you just do the relaxing! 

Hugs to you!

Card Deets
Cardstock: SU basic black, green galore, tempting turquoise
Stamps: SU (happy birthday greeting), Whipper Snapper (clown car)
Color Medium: Copic markers with Twinkling H2O's
Other: Dots embossing folder, scallop die cut, buttons, spiral clip, ribbon, faux-stitching

Have a Wonderful Thursday Everyone!

Eat Up!

It's a HOT, HOT, HOT week here in Oklahoma and I'm enjoying every second of it.  The temps are supposed to be in the triple digits all week.  Sigh... love it! 

For all of you who think I never do anything but work, I just have to tell you about a fun little day-trip we took this past weekend.  A fried of ours is a member at this little "club" where members all own cabins on the river.  Most families spend the entire summer at the cabins and everyone knows everyone.  There is even a "main house" where meals are served if you don't want to spend the time cooking.  It's pretty cool.

Anyway... we tagged along and spent part of the day there on Saturday.  We arrived in time for lunch (burgers and hot dogs) and then jumped into canoes and "floated" down the river.  Along the way we hopped out (most of the river was only about knee deep) and did some fishing.  It was a blast!  After spending the afternoon floating down the river and soaking up the sun, we showered and headed out to a "cocktail hour" before dinner.  Dinner was a shrimp boil and boy... it was delish!  After a few more hours of socializing and making new friends, we headed home with full bellies and tired bodies.  It was bliss.

Of course, Sunday brought back work... and I spent some time in the studio making cards.  Here's one of my favorite ones from the bunch.  It's cute and simple. 

I've been trying to plan ahead a bit and do some holiday samples.  I can't remember who makes this stamp... but I use it every year around Thanksgiving.  I'm not a big turkey eater... I'd prefer ham... so this is right up my alley! 

I colored the image pretty simply with Copic markers.  I used my circle Nestabilities to cut out the image and mat it with the scallops.  The Happy Holidays sentiment is from SU. 

I haven't used Kraft card stock if forever... and I just love how this combination turned out.  (Kraft, Night of Navy, Pumpkin Pie)  I also used just a touch of Ranger's Distress Ink (Tea Stain and Marmalade) to grunge up the edges. 

A bit of paper piercing and a wide bow finish it off.  Quick and easy! 

Okay Peeps... I have to run.  I've got a card or two to work on before I head out to Tulsa for another pottery class.  (I promise to show pictures of some of my successful pots soon.)

Have a Happy Day!

Happy Friday!

It's Friday!!!  All day...

I'm so happy!

It has been a super busy week this week - I'm working on some final deadlines.  It always seems like the end of the month is jam-packed with things to do... but that's okay.  You all know that I work better when I'm busy.

I just wanted to take a quick break from "business" to post a card!  Are you surprised???  It seems like forever since I made (or at least posted) a card!  (Well, a recent card anyway!)

This week I was working on some samples for a Copic class that I'm going to be doing this fall.  Here is just one of the many...

I LOVE the simple layout... the pink and the black really pop!  And check out her pants...  I tend to get into the habit of coloring jeans in the typical blues... but this time I wanted to try out some new BG markers I got... and I LOVE the combination of the pink and the greenish... and the colors are all at the higher end of the numbering system so they are a bit more muted... Love the look!  :)

The Deets
Card stock: SU Black, Pink Passion, Basic Grey
Stamps:  Sweet and Sassy (Sugar Nellie), Sentiment from Verve
Colored with Copic markers
Embossed with Cuttlebug folder.

Thanks for stopping by today! 
I've got some news to share with you all very soon...so stop back in...  I'm counting down the days!

Happy Friday -
colleen

Favorite Card Friday - Buzzing with Excitement!

I am SOOOOO glad it is Friday!  I feel like I've been stuck in slow-motion this week while the rest of the world is set on fast-forward! 

I'm busy working on some great new videos for my fall classes at My Creative Classroom along with helping the new instructors get set up and ready to rock and roll.  Some of the instructors have been announce and some are still "under wraps"  and I have to say... when you all hear who has joined us for the fall and spring terms you will jump-for-joy!  I know I am!!!  (I know... it's not nice to tease... but I just can't resist! LOL)  You only have to wait a few more weeks to find out who's teaching with us and what classes are being offered!

I'm also coloring up a storm! (Here's a peek at one of the images I've been working on...I'll show you the final projects soon.)  I've been whipping up some samples to send off to The Paper Garden where I will be teaching a Copics 101 class in October.  I'm buzzing with excitement... I just can't stand it!  Tara and I are hammering out the final details... but I can tell you that I will be at The Paper Garden in Amarillo, TX on October 17th  for a demo in the morning and a class in the afternoon.  I'll have cost and sign up details to you ASAP.  If you are in the area, I'd LOVE to see you there! 

And, since I can't show you any NEW stuff just yet, I'll share one of my FRIDAY FAVORITES... 

Details:
Stamps - Stamps Happen: Three Bees, Karen Foster Snap Stamps
Ink - Memento (Tuxedo Black)
Cardstock - (SU Marigold, Bayou Blue, Chocolate Chip) (GP White)
Other- (Copic markers, wide grossgrain ribbon, large brads colored with Copic markers)

Thanks for stopping in today, have a wonderful and safe weekend!

Black or White?

Some days I just can't make a decision... today is one of those days!

Recently, one of our friend's dog passed away.  It was completely unexpected and I can't imagine the sorrow and grief the family is going through. 

I decided to make a card for them letting them know that we care and that we are thinking about them.  I pulled out my new Comfort and Peace set from Gina K and got to work.  I wanted to make something understated yet pretty... and this set was the perfect choice.  I stamped some of the flowers onto a light pink layer and matted that with a darker pink as the focal point.  I also knew that I wanted to use the beautiful flowered paper from Basic Grey's Phoebe collection. 

That's where my ability to make a decision came to an end.  I couldn't decide whether I wanted to use black or white as my card base and neutral... so I made a card using each.  Same layout... same materials... only one with black and one with white. 

I have to say... I STILL can't decide which one I like better.  I think I'm leaning towards the black... because it has a bit more contrast and I think that makes the pink pop a bit more.  Yet I really like the soft, quiet quality of the white card too.  (Sigh)

I even went so far as to decorate the inside of each... thinking that might make my decision easier.  It didn't.

What do YOU think? 

Black... or White?

Happy July!

I LOVE July...  hot summer days, warm summer nights, BBQ's and cookouts, fireworks and friends.  Ahhhh, life couldn't get any better. 

I'm happy to say that we finally got our flower beds all weeded and looking spiffy again.  All that hot weather after all that rain really did a number on them...  WEEDS EVERYWHERE!  But... with the help of my wonderful hubby, we got all 4 areas done in just three days.  Weeded, new plants planted, and about 40 bags of red mulch spread.  Phew... all that's left is a few hundred pounds of stones and we are set! 

I haven't been stamping as much as I would like, but I do have a cute card to share today.  This is the card that I made for my dad for Father's Day.  I know... I know... it says thank you... but inside it says "for always being there and for being a great dad"  so really, it's a Father's Day card.  LOL 

One of my fondest memories of childhood is waking up EARLY...to go fishing with my dad.  It was always the highlight of my week.  I LOVED every moment that I spent with him...and wish I would still be able to spend time fishing with him now. 

So anyway... this Whipper Snapper stamp is one of my favorites... it is so fun to color!!!  I started with my Copics and then added some extra punch with highlights and shadows with my Koh-I-Noor pencils. 

I wanted to keep the primary color scheme going, so I used some polka-dot paper and layered that with Green Galore, Real Red, and YoYo Yellow.  Bright, sunny and fun!  I used my large label Nestability and cut the image out and then mounted it on the side of the card and trimmed the extra... it gives it sort of a different look.

Hope you like it! 
Happy July -
colleen

Summer Fun

I can't believe that I've been out of school for 20 years!  20 YEARS!!!  Yeeesh.

Part of the reason for our trip to Wisconsin was so that I could attend my 20 year high school class reunion.  I have to say, it was a blast!  We had a huge turnout and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.  It was so nice to reconnect with friends of old and to make new connections with people I didn't really know all that well in school.  It's amazing how everyone seemed so different yet so much the same.  It made me feel both very young and very old at the same time!  LOL

The rest of our visit was spent chatting it up and partying with family and friends at my parent's retirement party.  That also was a big success and while the weather didn't cooperate at first, it turned out to be a beautiful day. 

I was able to get in a little bit of stamping before I left, and this is the card I made for my mom and dad.  I figured now that they weren't working, they could head to the beach and relax (yeah, right!!!)

The image is from Eat Cake Graphics and is colored with Copic Markers. 

After spending a few days in Wisconsin, we headed back towards home and have stopped in Iowa to spend a few days with Nate's family.  He is happy to have the chance to play some golf with his father and I'm happy to rest and relax with his mom and the girls. 

I'll be back to post again in a few days... thanks for stopping in!

Sweet Greetings

I'm busy, busy, busy...

Now that I am starting to feel a bit more like myself, I've been getting back into the swing of life - and enjoying every moment. 

I started swimming laps on Monday.  I'm slow; I'm winded, but I'm SWIMMING...  Yippie!

I've also spent some time in my studio making a few cards to share.  I was on such a "coloring kick" that I sort of neglected some of my other materials... and I wanted to get back to some sweet but simple styles. This is one of my favorite "go to" layouts!  I've done zillions of cards like this... and love making them each and every time.

Here's the same layout... just skewed a bit.  These cards are also another great way to use up some scraps of your patterned paper.  (This is from one of my Basic Grey collections.)  These cards are super simple... super quick... and a SUPER way to showcase some of your sentiment stamps. 

Add a quick embellishment or two - a clear button with a blue bow and some faux stitching for the first one and some dots of liquid pearls and a velvety ribbon for the second one - and you have a great greeting to send to a friend.

Now to go find some friends to send these to...  LOL

Hugs to you!
colleen

What's Up?

Here's a springy little card to brighten up your day!  It was a card that I got published in Ready, Set, Create a while back... but forgot to post for you here.  The adorable chick tower stamp and matching sentiment are from Hambo... some of my favorite spring time images to use.  (They have their new summer stamps out too... check out the Hammock Pig!  Bwwwaaahaaahaaaaa!)  The layout is super simple... and a great way to use up some of those smaller scraps of patterned paper.

Speaking of spring...  it's FINALLY here!  Our record breaking rainfall has ceased and the sun has come out to grace us with FAN-TAB-U-LOUS temps.  Our lawn is growing like it's full of weeds... (maybe that's because it IS full of weeds...LOL)  and our flowers are glorious.  I can't resist leaning in and giving them a good sniff as I walk by.  (Good thing I'm JUST tall enough to not have to stand on anyone's shoulders to smell the flowers like those cute little chicks on the card...that bottom chick sort of got a raw deal - don'tcha think?)

And speaking of sniffing...(okay - that's a really poor transition... but I'm TRYING to tie this all in together...), I FINALLY got in to see the specialist and was fitted with a CPAP machine yesterday.  I can't tell you how THRILLED I am to have a solution to my mysterious illness!  It's been 6 months of pure HECK trying to get it all figured out... and I can honestly say that I don't know if I could have taken another day of it. 

The machine is going to be a bit difficult to get used to - it's a mix between a sexy scuba style and a disastrous Darth Vader sound...

(Whoooooo-Phshhhhhhhh... LUKE....I AM YOUR FATHER... Whooooooo-Phshhhhhhh)

but I'm willing to stick with it as I already see results! 

Hope you are having sunny skies and terrific temps... enjoy the long weekend!

Golden Oldies!

Just a quick post today as I am trying to put the finishing touches on the Ark my husband and I are building. 

(Just Kidding!)  Seriously, it is STILL raining here... and with all the rain our backyard has become a stream...  I'm waiting for the salmon to start spawning!  LOL

Actually, I've been busy painting color wheels for a class that I am actually TAKING (not teaching) at My Creative Classroom from Teri Martin...it's awesome!  You all know how much I love color... and that is the focus of the class... so I'm in a Heaven of Hues! 

 Speaking of color and classes... my current Everything Copic class is winding down and the students have blown me away with their awesome samples.  In fact, one of the fine ladies put some images in the class gallery that blew me away.  Besides being colored expertly, they were the funniest images!!  I had to ask where they were from... and of course, I bought one!!!  (The images are from the Golden Oldies collection by Art Impressions.)

Since my hubby is a golf fanatic (and until I can play again, I'm a golf widow...), I knew I needed this stamp. 

Here's a card I made with it for a friend's birthday...  It's not the best coloring job I've ever done, but I wanted to try for a bit of pizazz with the stripes and plaid.  Guess I still need to work on those huh? 

Anyway... I thought it was a stitch... and the sentiment (also from the same collection) just made me laugh. 

I've got to get back to turning out that Ark... who knows when the animals will start coming two-by-two!  LOL

Hope you have a "happenin' day!"

It Makes a Difference!

Oh Happy Day!!!  The SUN is out!  Whaaaa-whooooo! 

It has been over 2 weeks since we have seen the sun here... it has been cool and rainy for so long that I was considering building an Ark.  I even started a list of who was coming on the party barge with me!  LOL

But... no need for that now; the sun is out and the earth is drying up.  (Well, it will take DAYS of sun for the earth to dry up enough to venture out into the yard, but that's okay... a little mud never hurt anybody!)

My flowers have been just waiting to burst.  Usually, they are in full bloom by the end of March... but this year the weather has just been so wonky!  A day or two with the bright yellow orb and they will pop open in a profusion of color... I can't wait!

In honor of the beautiful spring day today, I made this simple card. 

The image is from Elisabeth Bell with Sugar Nellie... and is just darling... and HUGE!  The image is the perfect size to stamp out, color up, and add a simple layer to make a very simple card.

I stamped the image in Memento (Tuxedo Black) on Georgia Pacific white and colored it in with my Copics.  I am so happy to say that I THINK I am about done with my collection... I have about 20 markers left that I want to purchase... for now anyway! LOL

I have a Copic class in session right now and I know they would be upset with me if I didn't list the markers I used... so here goes:

Grass: YG11/YG13/YG17
Shirt: G20/G21/G24
Pants: B91/B93/B95
Flowers: R43/R46
Hair: E30/E31/E33/E35
Tree: E53/E55/E57
Birdhouse: E25/E27/E29
Face: E0000/E00/E11/R02 (for cheeks)

I've been working on putting together some new classes for the fall... and I'll share a sneak peak into one of those tomorrow.  For now... I'm going to go and enjoy the sun!

Happy Hugs,
colleen

"Fore" your birthday!

Remember my last post?  Well, I finally dug myself out of that mess and cleaned up my studio.  I didn't really have a choice...it was my husband's birthday last Friday.  On Thursday night, I realized that I hadn't made him a card yet, so I hustled into my studio to get busy... and getting busy in my studio meant cleaning my desk and putting away all of my painting stuff before I could get to stamping!

For his card, I used the Golf Ball image from Hambo Stamps (perfect since my hubby is a golf fanatic!).  I stamped it three times and colored it lightly with my Copics (W1/W3/Y11/Y15/Y17/YG11/YG13/YG17). I cut each image out and popped it up on the card with dots.

(Hey... did you see that Tim from Hambo is now offering DIGI IMAGES?  Check it out HERE!)

I used some old patterned paper (sorry - don't remember the brand) and some Marigold, Cranberry, and Navy card stock for the layers.  I added some faux stitching... but really kept it pretty simple.  I didn't even add a sentiment to the front.  (I put a cute/sassy saying inside... instead.)

My mojo comes and goes these days... just like my energy.  To update you on my health - some days are better than others.  I'm still doing a minimal amount of activity... and trying to get lots of rest and keep my spirits up. 

Nate's parents were here at Easter and my parents came to visit this past week(end)... so that kept me busy.  The weather is finally getting nicer here, so I'm thinking of moving a lounge chair outside and doing my "resting" out there.  I saw my new doctor last week and LOVED him.  He was very professional and had a pretty good idea what was causing my illness (the sleep disturbances) and even better, he had a solid plan for fixing it!  YEAH!  I am scheduled to see an ENT surgeon on May 4th to see if there is a surgical option for removing the obstruction that causes me to wake at night.  As much as I dread any type of surgery, I'm more than willing to do whatever it takes to start feeling better. 

In the meantime, I'll keep plugging along and playing with my stamps and markers as much as I can!  :)

Hugs!

LOVE you...

I wanted to share a card with you today.  It's a bit different from my normal bright and vivid Copic cards, but I LOVE it! 

I was sort of sick all weekend (upset stomach and just ookie), so I spent some time curled up in front of the TV doing some coloring.  (Coloring always seems to relax me.) 

Anyway, I had been blog hopping and saw (I don't know where) a color combination that I really liked... it was Saffron, Teal, and Brown.  I picked this image with the plan of coloring it with those three colors.

Well, the you know what they say about the best laid plans.  My Saffron ended up turning into a rusty pumpkin color, and my teal turned into well... more of a turquoise.  That's okay... I worked with it. 

In the photo above, you can see the original image.  You can also see the vintage background paper that I picked to use on the card.  Ummm, they don't really work together do they?  

I decided to give a go at a technique that I taught myself with my Copics.  When I want to "tone down" an image, I use one of the grays to do it.  Here, I am looking for a warm look, so I used both W1 and W3... warm grays... to color over the image... which gives it a more subtle, muted look. 

See...

Then, since I was using patterned paper that was a bit distressed looking, I decided to go all out and distress the heck out of ALL my layers... image included.  Here you can see how I used both Tea Dye and Walnut Stain distress inks to grunge up my card stock and my image. 

Once I was done dirtying up my stash, I assembled my card.  The card stock is Real Rust and Not Quite Navy.  The rust layer is embossed with the screen texture plate and the "LOVE" is from clear stickers that I stuck on vintage patterned paper and cut out.  Overall... a pretty simple card, but I LOVE the warm feel of it.

Thanks for stopping in today. 

HUGS,

Colleen

CHA-CHA-CHA-CHANGES...

Morning blog readers!  Hope you had a wonderful weekend.  It was warm and windy here and I sure enjoyed the sunshine. Of course, I woke to lowering clouds and gusty rain, but at least it is still warm.

I actually spent some time with my stamps this weekend after being inspired by a neat tutorial over on Laurie Wilson's blog.  I wanted to give it a try and I needed to make a birthday card for for my mother-in-law (I'm doing pretty good on the whole "get them made and mailed on time" so far this year.)  Here is the card I made... I'm not really thrilled with it.  It took FOREVER to do all the masking and then in the end, it wasn't really the best image for the technique... not much "overhang" to cut around... but well, what's done is done.

Now... onto my "cha-cha-cha-changes" I know that some of you have noticed that I am not blogging every day lately.  You'd be right!  After some thinking (and even more thinking) I've decided that I needed to streamline my daily activities to be more productive.   You know that one of my resolutions was to try new crafting areas... and I've been working on LOTS of new projects and classes in some of those areas.  (I'll share more info on this later...)

I've also been pondering the purpose of my posting. You know that I LOVE to teach and to share and to inspire... and I want to make sure that's what I'm doing here.  With my daily posting schedule, I felt I needed to make something and write about it every single day... and guess what happened?  My creativity disappeared... my samples were mediocre... and my writing became dull and trite. I wasn't doing what I hoped to do... I couldn't inspire when I wasn't inspired myself. 

SO.... I've decided to take some of the pressure off and throw caution (or at least my blogging schedule) to the wind.  I'm going to break free from my regimented, scheduled, neat-and-tidy ways and go with the flow.

I'll create when I'm inspired, enjoy the process, play when I want, and more importantly... share when I have something to say!  (Want to know when that is... make sure to subscribe to get email updates.)  I plan on sharing ALL of my creative endeavors here too... not just stamping, so buckle up and get ready for an inspirational ride.

Thanks for stopping in!

colleen

A Happy Bee-Day!

One of my 'goals" for this year was to actually make and send out birthday cards ON TIME.  I don't usually have the problem with the make part... it's when it comes to the "send out" part that I run into issues.  So, I'm on a Birthday Card Kick right now... I stamped up a ton of these "bee" images from??? (Inkadinkado maybe?) ad decided to whip up a bunch of Bee-Day cards. 

I colored the little guys in with my Copic markers.  Usually I do this image with my watercolor crayons or with my inks, but I wanted to see if I could do them assembly-line style better with my markers.  (The answer to that is a NOPE!) 

So anyway... I riffled through my scrap papers and found that this polka-dot pattern (an old SU series called Treehouse) was the perfect match.  Since the image is so large, I kept the layers to a minimum... although I did give each layer two matings.  The wide grosgrain is the perfect width for this larger card (I tried a thinner ribbon and it just looked dorky).  Of course I had to stamp the sentiment to play off the image... and the three brown brads helped even out the card. 

I really, really like this card... it works perfectly for a guy or girl birthday, and it is good for any age.  The problem is... I used up my last piece of Treehouse paper on THIS one...  Oh Man!  Now what do I do?  I guess it's back to the drawing (or should I say coloring) board to find a different color scheme.  DARN!

Oh Well... keeps me going!

Big Hugs,
colleen

Technique Tuesday - Polished Stone Plus!

Happy Day... Happy Day!  Hope you'e having a good one!  Just a quick post today with my technique.  I've got LOTS to get done.

Today's technique is a combination of two very simple alcohol ink techniques.  It's been awhile since I've played with my inks, so I figured it was time for some fun.  I call this the Polished Stone Plus... since it starts with the polished stone technique and then I add the drop and spread technique over it.  

You will need:

• glossy card stock
• 2-4 colors of alcohol inks
• alcohol ink blending tool
• alcohol ink blending solution

Here's how it's done:

1. Squeeze a drop of each color ink onto your blending tool.  (Did you know that you need to get the tip of the bottle down into the felt and then squeeze for about 2 seconds to get the right amount of ink?)
2. Pounce the brayer onto the glossy card stock.  Keep moving either the card stock or the blending tool so that the ink "spots" are random. 
3. Fill up the entire piece of card stock with ink
4. Now for the "Plus"part of the technique... Gently 'shake' the alcohol ink blending solution over the inked card stock.  Just give it a few shakes... like you are putting salt on some fries!  (You will notice that the ink on the surface moves and creates puddles on the paper.  COOL)
5. Lastly, take the darkest alcohol ink color and gently shake out a few drops onto the card stock also.  These spots will remain small and intact where they meet just ink and will spread and blend where they meet the blending solution. 

That's all here is to it!  Create breathtaking backgrounds in no time at all. 

Here I've stamped some flourishes in black, added a black layer and strip, and then added a quick sentiment on red.  EASY PEASY!

If you enjoy my Technique Tuesdays and want to learn even more awesome inking and stamping techniques, join my Stamptastic Techniques 101 (Beginner) or Stamptastic Techniques 102 (Intermediate) class over at My Creative Classroom.  Our spring term starts this week and there are lots of fun new classes being posted!  Head on over and check them out - and hey... bring your friends!

Happy Hugs!
colleen

Friday Featured Card... by Michelle Yungbauer

Good afternoon!  I'm soooo thankful that it is Friday!  It's been a LOOOOONG week and I'm glad it's over.

To help me celebrate the coming of the weekend, I have a FAN-TABULOUS stamper with me today!  Let me introduce you to Michelle Yungbauer... creator of my Friday Featured Card! 

Just look at this lovely card!  It immediately jumped out of the gallery and said, "Pick Me... Pick Me..." and who could resist?  It's just adorable.  The first thing that caught my eye was the bright red and pink contrasting with the black... and of course the super fun patterned paper.  As I looked at the card some more, I decided it was the layout that was the coolest part!  Most of my cards have the main image in a large panel and a sentiment as a smaller piece near it... but this card has a neat layer of patterned paper as the backdrop for the image. 

Of course, when I hit my studio, I focused on the layout.  Here is my take on this week's featured card. 

I started with this funky, retro patterned paper and worked from there.  I liked the green, brown, and blue combination and it worked perfectly for an upcoming male birthday card I needed.  So... with layout and color in hand, I got to work.  It has been AGES since I've inked up this chef image from SU's Voila set.  I like to use it for birthdays with the cute little b-day cake on the platter.  I played around with the layout and all the pieces and decided to change it to a landscape format... and of course I had my brown strip cut out already, so I had to change things up a bit.  (Which is part of the point of my Friday exercises - right?) 

I loved the hole punches around the layers, so I did the same.  Normally I have a sentiment on the front, but I decided to leave the front as is and put a sentiment inside. 

That's it for today!  I want to thank Michelle for sharing her incredible talent (Check out her blog HERE for tons of other amazing cards!) and thank you all for stopping in to visit this week.

Have a wonderful weekend.
hugs,
colleen

Thursday Throwdown - Collage It!

Sorry about not posting yesterday.  I had class in the morning and then spent about two and a half hours in the dentist's chair.  My caps (for my front two teeth) finally came in... AND I had to have another cap replaced!  I had root canal on another tooth about a year ago and on Monday night half of that crown fell off... I was finally able to get in yesterday and have ALL of the work done.  Now I've got my permanent front teeth in and a temporary cap on in the back. 

Enough with the tooth talk... let's talk throw downs! 

I've been on a collage kick this week, so I figured it would be a good challenge to throw down.  I CHALLENGE YOU TO MAKE A STAMPED COLLAGED CARD/PROJECT!  There... I said it, it's done!  You're challenged.

To help you out, I did my Technique Tuesday post this week showing just how to create these lovely cards... and guess what?  They are EASY!  Go ahead, try it!!! (And then email me a photo or post a link to your results!)

Here's my sample.  I was completely in the "collage groove" when I made this.  I actually built the card around a black and white party coaster that I had left over from a birthday.  I was actually going to incorporate it into the card, but it didn't seem to want to play with the other elements. 

I used vanilla, Sahara sand, and black card stock.  The main sentiment is actually a clear sticker that I applied over the vanilla CS.  Each layer is "collage stamped" and sponged with distress ink and then layered in Sahara Sand.  (Looking at it now, I realize that I had planned on adding a third matted layer in black.  DARN!)

A few puffy, black stickers and photo corners and some black jewels finish off this one.  I was aiming for sophisticated and elegant with a manly flair. 

Now it's your turn!  Collage me a card!!!  READY - SET - GO!!!!

Last week's challenge resulted in this pretty product from Janine.  She definitely puts the "girl" in "girlie" with this card.  It's just stunning!  Thanks Janine for playing!

Hugs all! Thanks for stopping in.
colleen

Technique Tuesday - Collage Stamping

What a difference a day can make!  Yesterday it was a balmy 65...and this morning it is a chilly 18!  It seems like a perfect morning to curl back up under the covers.

Today I have a card to share (and a technique) that will brighten up your day no matter how cold it is outside. 

You all know that I LOVE to color in my lined image stamps, but sometimes it's nice to get back to the basics of stamping.   THIS card does just that!  With just a few simple steps, I've made a collaged and layered card that looks much more detailed than it is.  

Here's how to do collage stamping...

1.  Pick a main image for your card/project.  It can be a photo, stamped image, transfer... here I'm using a Homespun Cotton Scrap from Crafty Secrets with the sunflower and bluebird.

2.  Pick three or four stamps that will work well together and work with your main image.  (I like background stamps and used By Definition, French Script, Print Pattern.  I also picked a few different flourish stamps.)

3.  Start by stamping one of the images onto a piece of card stock.  Try to stamp crooked or on only half the paper.  Use a light color.

4.  Stamp a second image onto the same piece of card stock.  Again, try not to be perfect.  Stamp only part of the image and don't cover up the entire first image.  Use a medium/light color.

5.  Stamp a third image onto the same piece of card stock.  (Do you see a pattern here?  LOL)  Again, only add a small portion of this image and leave the other stamped images visible.  Use a dark color. 

6.  Use this same process on at least three layers for your project.  On each layer, use the same set of stamps and colors, but mix them up in different ways.  You may decide to only use two or three images on a layer instead of three or four. 

7.  Once you have your layers "collaged" you can start assembling them.  I start by matting each layer with one or two different colors.  I like to play around with my layout before gluing anything down.  Start building from the back with the largest layer and move towards the front, overlapping the layers in areas. 

8.  Add any embellishments and/or sentiments to finish the piece off.

Voila... A beautifully collaged card that LOOKS difficult... but isn't!

Thanks for stopping in today.  Have a WONDERFUL one!

colleen

Friday Featured Card... by Gloria!

Happy Friday Everyone!  I'm thrilled to be bringing you another amazing card by yet another amazing stamper today! 

This week I was stuck by the neat materials used by Gloria (GloriousGreetings) on THIS card.  Isn't it FAB?  Just look at all those layers and all that texture!  I just want to run my hands all over this card!  I also am really drawn to those earthy colors... such a rich (yet fun) color combo.  Lots to choose from for inspiration on this card!  Ohhhh, the button, the charms, the embossing, the polka-dots, the stitching, the fibers, the layout, the colors... what will it be????

I was leaning towards the colors again this week (seems that color is the #1 thing that draws me to a card lately), but I decided that was too easy.  I was looking for something a bit more challenging.  I decided that I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY loved the way the fibers were used... so that is what I ran with.  I dug through my drawer of ribbons, lace, and fibers and came across some light, fluffy bluish-green stuff.  PERFECT! 

And that was how THIS card started...

The blue-green fibers reminded me of this pretty dragonfly stamp that I got when I was at Ranger U.  I stamped it and colored it first with my Copic markers and then I brushed a thin wash of Perfect Pearls turquoise and blue over the wings.  There is just a hint of shimmery-sparkle!  I love it.  The layout was pretty basic... and the colors are pulled from the fibers obviously.  After stamping a sentiment and cutting out my dragonfly, I went back and forth about how to best use my fibers.  I considered stitching around the outside turquoise layer like Gloria did, but again... I wanted to go with the inspiration... and not the CASE.  So... after getting totally frustrated and just wrapping the fibers around the white layer and placing it on my desk to work on later, it hit me... just wrap them!  It was so simple! 

After that it came together pretty quickly.  I added some depth by popping up the white layer on dimensionals and put some gel medium on the back of the dragonfly to help "curl" his wings a bit.  I am just so happy with the results this week.  And I'm THRILLED to have been inspired by Gloria.  She has even more amazing cards in her gallery HERE ... go check them out! 

Thanks Gloria for the inspiration and thanks to all of you for stopping in. 
Have a wonderful weekend!
colleen

Thursday Throwdown - Girlie Girl!

I'm Late... I'm Late... for a very important date! 

With YOU all...

Sorry I'm a bit behind on today's post.  I was feeling a bit ookie last night and most of today, so I took it easy and curled up on the couch to rest.  I'm feeling a tad bit better now, so I thought I'd hop on-line and throw you today's challenge!  Are you ready??? 

It's time to be a Girlie Girl!  Those of you who know me know that this is TRULY a challenge for me.  I'm rough and tumble, tom-boy all the way... and yet, every once-in-a-while I enjoy a bit of femininity... and so today's throwdown is to make a card (or any other type of creative project) that is full of sugar and spice and everything nice... you know, all the frills and the ribbons and the pretty-in-pink stuff.  LOL

Here's my card for the challenge.  This adorable Sarah Kay stamp from Stampavie is one of my favorites to use for love/anniversary/wedding kind of cards, and it was just too sweet to pass up for this challenge.  I colored the image with my Copics - of course... have I used anything else lately???  (Are you all interested in knowing exactly what colors I use on my images or would I be boring you with details?  I tend to use a LOT of colors...) 

The pink and brown patterned paper is from Basic Grey (Phoebe I think).  I was planning on using a piece with bright flowers on it, but this one just sort of looked right.  I used Pomegranate, Pixie Pink, and Chocolate Chip card stock for my layers.  Of course, I couldn't do girlie without a bunch of scallops and polka-dots.  The two hearts are grungeboard pieces that I painted with Claudine Hellmuth's new studio paints and then gave them a thin layer of Pearl for a bit of shimmer.  The sentiment is an old/retired SU Valentine's Day set... it just seemed to fit... so again, I went with it.

I almost went completely feminine and added stickles, but I didn't want the card to be too over-the-top, so I resisted.  I think it will make a wonderful anniversary card for a friend of mine.

There you have it - Today's Throwdown... GET GIRLIE!  I know for some of you this will be a snap... and others, well.. that's why it's called a challenge!

 Eons ago, when I did my last challenge (before the hustle and bustle of the holidays took over), I challenged you to find a long lost stamp and use it.  I am thrilled to finally share this submission.  Dina sent this in... isn't it GORGEOUS?  Dina is the gal that did my watermarks (which I LOVE) and I have to admit that I am totally jealous of her water coloring skills!  She's AMAZING!  Thanks Dina for playing along.

Have a wonderful rest of the day.
Hugs,
colleen

Cow's It Going?

Just a quickie today... I'm taking a quick break from my writing to well... write!  LOL  I am in the middle of creating my materials for a new class that I'm offering this spring over at My Creative Classroom.  I am going to be teaming up with the UBER talented Kylie Hopkins to do a "scrap booking/creative writing" class.  I can't give too much away yet, but I CAN tell you that it is going to be a HUGE hit... I can feel it in my bones. 

So anyway... I took a few minutes this morning to whip up this card and I wanted to share it with you while I'm taking my break. (You'll have to excuse the greenish tinge of the white paper... I forgot to fix that in my photo editing software.)

This Whipper Snapper cow is just one of my favorite images (I know... I say that about all of them, but who can resist such a pretty cow?)  I stamped it in Adirondack black ink and colored it with my Copics.  I picked the bright greens and yellow for the colors from the grass and the bell in the image... plus, I wanted it to be bright and cheery! 

I sponged some shabby shutter distress ink onto the green layers and some scattered straw distress ink onto the yellow layers... and built it up.  I'm getting into the whole twist and tilt look with my layers.  I stamped "Cow's it going?" with my Karen Foster stamps and added a metal swirl, some brads, and a bright ribbon to finish it off.  I sure hope this brightens your day!

Thanks for stopping in today.  I'll be back tomorrow with another Thursday Throwdown!

PS - How do you like January's Blog Banner... a bit of Industrial Craft for you...

Hugs,
colleen

Friday Featured Card - By Christine Okken

Good Morning!  I hope to be back to a more normal posting schedule now that the holidays are over.  There will be a few changes to my blog for 2009 (a new banner each month, my Project 52 works, and some different types of crafting projects), but I will also be sticking with my Technique Tuesdays, Thursday Throw-downs, and Friday Featured Cards. 

And since it's Friday (WaHoo!)  I've got a wonderful Featured Card to share with you.  This week I went in search of something fun and fresh... and I found THIS adorable card by Christine Okken (AKA ChristineCreations over at SCS).  I was immediately blown away by Christine's pretty watercoloring... and who couldn't love those adorable bees???  The red, brown, and mustard is such a rich color combination... the whole thing just makes me smile...and of course, that's what Friday Featured Cards are all about. 

So of course, I was immediately inspired to 'get buzzin' and started in on my own card.  THIS is the result.  I needed a "get well" card for my dad (he did something really dumb and was pretty seriously injured as a result - he'll survive... just minus a few digits).  I was going to send him a "You're a Dumb A$$" card (as a joke - sort of) but I couldn't find a donkey image... so I figured I'd be nice and give him a bit of support.  Although... this monkey DOES only have three fingers... huh, I wonder if he was "hanging around" my dad last week??? 

Anyway... I used Christine's layout as inspiration... and went from there.  I actually had it all laid out with the sentiment and ribbon on the bottom (just like hers), but after playing around with the pieces, I realized they worked better (with the dimensions I had) this way.  I thought about adding more embellishments, but I wanted to keep the focus on the image.  Now that I look at it (and at Christine's) I think I should have taken her cue and cut the monkey out and popped him up... that would have been cool! 

The image is from Whipper Snapper and I actually drew in additional branch pieces on both sides to make it go all the way across the paper.  I then masked the monkey and tree and airbrushed the sky with my Copic ABS...  super simple!  I then colored the cute little guy in with Copics and gave him a few additional highlights with my white gel pen.  The sentiment is stamped with my trusty Karen Foster Snap Stamps and I added a cheesecloth background to the light green card base to add a bit more texture.  I think it turned out adorable... let's just hope dad gets a kick out of it.

Thanks Christine for being my inspiration this week! 
You can check out more of her amazing work HERE in her SCS gallery and keep up with her at her blog ChristineCreations. 

Have a wonderful weekend!
Hugs,
colleen