Hello from Durham! Sneak Peeks for PMS July begin!

Hello from Durham North Carolina! I decided to head up to Durham NC for a few days while the sneak peeks are getting underway to spend some time with family. My grandmother has not been well and has been moved into nursing care. Since i'm aware that this very well could be the end of her wonderful and long journey here on earth, I wanted to be sure to see her with the boys one last time. It will be a short trip, but a nice break as well. We'll likely be heading back to South Carolina tomorrow to be with daddy for 4th of July festivities!

But thats not why you came to my blog-a-roo today! The sneak peeks for the July release of Paper Makeup Stamps are underway! And I have a card for you that i'm actually tickled pink with, and guess what... it took me 7 minutes to make!

I used an oldie but goodie... Ashlie's Solo Snail to pair with my sentiment, a new release from the Cutie Critter Sayings set. The new set will be released on July 7th at 8pm CST.

So here is my 7 minute card! I do have to say i had some help from a really stinkin' cute paper line! The company is Sassafrass Lass and i'm really sorry i dont remember the collection name and now i'm not at home to look! But i just love the paper from Sassafrass Lass! It's thick, but not too thick. Double sided. SUPER fun! The colors are INTENSE, nicely saturated color and bright, but not bright neon bright. They are playful and just "cool". And the other thing i love... 1 edge on every sheet is this funky ticket like cut. And that strip with the funky border is a different pattern than the other patterns on the paper. I used part of a border on my card to give a quick nifty look that i didnt have to take the time to punch out.

So did this card REALLY take me 7 minutes? Yes it did. The other night it occured to me... OH SHOOT! We're starting sneak peeks a day early! I'm not ready for that! And i knew i'd be leaving the following morning to drive to durham. SO here i am, coloring at 1:30 in the morning!

Even know the snail image isnt technically a Retro Cutie Critter, he was illustrated by the same artist (Diem Pascarella) for the Ashlie Fairy. And he perfectly matched one of the bonus Cutie Critter Sayings so i just had to use him on a card. And another bonus, i think i could color this image in my sleep as it's one of the images i use in my Copic 101 class! So that was on my side. I colored him in about 5 minutes if not a little under. I stamped my sentiment underneath and went to bed! The next morning i woke up and after packing up some things, went to finish my card. Since reorganizing my papers (as i mentioned in my post yesterday!) i instantly remembered the fun paper from Sassafrass Lass. I cut my standard background (4x5.25) and then a strip of another pattern. I then cut off the cool border i was telling you about and took another small square of the strip cut and flipped it over for the card. Quick and easy my card came together without much thinking. I added the brads for some extra dimension, sponged my image and papers and added some white souffle pen to the image. It all got glued to my card base and bada bing bada boom, my card was FIN! I grabbed the camera, took a shot and luckily it worked out because i didnt really look at it before i left home!

So thats that! And for those who really dont care about that part and just want to see the pics...here's a closeup of the colored image...

Ok wow, i didnt really mean for it to be THAT big, but ya know, i'm too tired to resize it, so you get to see the snail in extreme close up view! I really gotta figure out the best sizes for blogger!

This image, like i said, i think i've colored in my sleep! It's a great image to learn off of.

I colored on Couture Cardstock - One Sheet Wonder for this one with the following Copic Markers: E33, E35, E27 (which i realized only after i started i did NOT grab the E37, oh well)

I added a white souffle pen (by gelly roll) for some highlight accents and made sure to also add a white dot to the snails eye. The grass i drew in after the snail was colored using some flicking motions with a G28 copic marker and my sky is B000.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Be sure to check out the PMS blog for some more wonderful sneak peeks and a chance to win some free stamps!

Read more...

My Time Made Easy with a Wonderful Watering Can!

Today, I get to share a treat with you from My Time Made Easy!

I know I talk about why i love MTME every month, but I do get new subscribers just about everyday (THANK YOU!!!) so I feel like i should reiterate a bit... if you've heard my spiel, just scroll down. :D My Time Made Easy truly is just that! We are all busy people! I know that myself, I am first a Mom and a Wife, then i also run 2 companies, have design team obligations, I teach at least 1 class a month, I try to donate what time i have to my church, and then I'm still human and I like spend time with my friends as well as BY MYSELF! So all that... yea, it's hard to make a gift sometimes. But homemade gifts are the best! Plus what if it's something you'd like to do for someone but you dont have a lot of funds, or maybe spending a lot isnt appropriate?

Well thats when all the things that MTME has to offer comes in handy. I give many of these template gifts to Jack's teachers and ladies at my church. They feel like i must be superwoman, but really, I just took an extra 30 minutes of my day to make something special for them. Given all that i do, those 30 minutes are precious, but the gifts come together so easily and it's so much fun!

I had a blast putting together this awesome template to share today! My head was bursting with ideas, but in the end, i kept it to a wonderful watering can! But think of all the reasons to give a watering can to someone! Mine is going to have a gift certificate to a local nursery inside! I've also used the cut file of the Perfect Pansy and made it come to life with and airbrush!

Ok, i'm getting ahead of myself! First, let's view this Wonderful Watering Can!

Isnt it Cah-Ute?! I especially love the extra score lines making it look so much like a real watering can! First I assembled the entire project using cardstock from Couture Cardstocks in Meadow. Then i took a strip of some DP that i've had seriously forever (i rediscovered when i reorganized my stash recently). I matted the strip with some white cardstock that i punched an eyelet scalloped border (a punch from Stampin Up). A strip of rhinestones along the bottom my Glitz finished off my base.

Here's a quick "aerial" view the watering can. I did use the same DP on the top, the sunlight just washed it out a bit in my photo!

Now time for some stamping! I used the Tending the Garden stamp set for the cover of the watering can. This completely covered the "seam" of the 2 pieces of paper together.

I stamped the frame in Melon Mambo ink (SU) and cut it out. The fronds on the inside was stamped in Clover Meadow (CTMW) and then the sentiment in Tuxedo Black (Memento).

All of the stamps are from the Tending the Garden stamp set! But this set has SOOOOOO many other sentiments and adorable images. You should really check it out!

You'll also notice in the above picture, i added a few other embellishments to the watering can.

The dragonfly is actually a punch by Martha Stewart. I colored the body in with a copic marker (E47) and then added stickles in Fruit Punch to the wings.

The more "fun" addition to the watering can that i did was the pretty pink pansies. Yes i know pansies are supposed to be purple, but pink went better with my paper, so let me live in my dream work of hot pink pansies! :D

Here are 2 close up shots of the pansies...

Arent they fun! The Perfect Pansy is actually a cut file from My Time Made Easy and is available for a mere 2.50! You also get leaves when i opted not to cut, since the green wouldnt stand out against my green watering can anyway!

My trick to get them to come to life was to use the copic airbrush! Easy enough, i cut the pansies out using Sweetheart cardstock from Couture Cardstocks. Then i used a copic RV29 marker in the airbrush. I sprayed the center and just the outer edges of the petals. You could get this effect as well by sponging, but the copic airbrush was way faster and for me, i get much more consistent results. I then bent each petal with my thumb and forefinger before gluing them together. I used some orange flower soft in the center to really bring them to life. So, maybe not so much like a real pansy, but pretty, at least i think so! You should see Lauren's post HERE where she did some great things to her pansies as well!

So thats my project! I have decided to pick up a gift certificate to a local nursery and tuck it inside when I give it as a gift, but since i havent figured out it's recipient just yet... i dont want to do something silly and have the gift certificate expire or have them write the date of when it was purchased on it and then something think its a hand me down gift! hahaha!

But wait... one last picture! I was ecstatic when i was taking my picture (i took the picture outside because afterall, thats where a watering can belong, plus the boys were DESPERATE to play outside... but to wait do my eyes appear...

My peppers!!! Ok, so i've never really had my own garden! This is my first attempt and really, it's more of my husbands but still, i have some green peppers that will be ready soon! Yiipiiiieeee!

Ok, be sure to check out Lauren and Silke

for more devine creations!

Have a wonderful day!

Read more...

Copic Creations Challenge Number 31

2nd post for the day! Scroll down to see my post for My Time Made Easy, Or just click HERE.

But really, you should scroll down, because i have something fun to share!

Well, it's the first so that means another challenge from the Copic Creations Challenge blog!

I loved all the entries from the last challenge - coloring on paper thats not white. What awesome ideas everyone had!

The challenge today is easy enough... BIRDS!

And our sponsor is TiffanyDoodles.blogspot.com

There are LOTS of images there to choose from, even some freebies!

Now first, when i saw this digi, i wasnt sure how to color it. So realistic! I'm usually more of a whimsy, cutesy to even punky type of person, so this was a challenge. Well DUH! Of course it's a challenge! Thats the point! Well, before i get to the details, let me show you my card! :D

Ok, so now when you are coloring something out of your comfort zone, as i was, the first things you should do is pull out some reference pictures. I simply went to google and typed in bluebird pictures and then clicked on images and i had a whole slew of real pictures to look off of to choose my blues, discover oh i need some "red" on his belly, go hmm, his beak should be black, etc. Now if i didnt follow these actual pictures to a T would my image have looked bad? No, of course not, but it did help me color him! I also noticed a glint in the eye of one of the actual photos and thought, oh thats a good idea! And pulled out my white gel pen to make that little glint in my colored picture.

Now when putting my card together, my original intention was to put the flowers a little higher so that the birdie looked like he was little in a little bunch of flowers. Well, apparently my fingers didnt get the memo as i was glueing everything down, so, oh well! But if i had the card to redo, i would redo that part!

Birdie Colors are: B12, B14, B16, B18; E33, E53, E51, E50; W1, W3; E47 (beak)

After i colored the birdie, i cut him out using a circle nestie and then used my Copic Airbrush inside the nestie using E21. I used this same technique for my sentiment, which by the way is from the Tweet Things set from Paper Makeup Stamps.

Now go check out the Copic Creations blog to see samples from the other fabulouso design team members!

The Card Deets

Stamps: Bluebird from Tiffany Doodles; sentiment from Tweet Things (Paper Makeup Stamps)

Copics Used: B12, B14, B16, B18; E33, E53, E51, E50; W1, W3; E47 (beak)

Paper: Patterned Paper from D'Bohemia collection from My Mind's Eye; Cardstock from SU

Tools: Label Trio and Small Classic Circles from Spellbinders; Flourishes by Quikutz

Accessories: Paper Flowers from Prima Marketing; Pearls by Kaisercraft

Read more...

Group Card share for My TIme Made Easy

The new release for My Time Made Easy is LIIIIIIIVE! Woohoo!

You may want to RUN over the store to do a little shopping!

The first of every month, the design team for My Time Made Easy does a group card share.

Each team member makes a card (or many cards!) to show off what all you can create with the My Time Made Easy stamps! And today, we're all using one of the cut files Simple Seedling or the Gardener's Apron in combo with the stamps! My Time Made Easy isnt just for templates (though, ya gotta admit, the templates are pretty darn cute, right?)

Here is my project for you today... a perfect little card to go along with a new baby gift!

Now the Simple Seedling cut file is the most perfect thing ever to give someone a seed packet as you can see in the sample gift Lauren has made on the site, but I decided to make a little tag card that would be perfect to go with a gift, or to stick a gift card to, etc. A big bonus is that the tag can then be used on a scrapbook page later!

I also decided to show the versatility in the Tending the Garden set. Though it is perfect for those summery and garden themed projects and cards, there is SO much you can do with this set! The pea pod and sentiment on my card are both in this set (which you can also buy as a digital stamp set!) The stork image is from the Bringing Home Baby set (remember when the buggy template was released!)

Without further ado, here is my tag card!

I colored my images with copics (G20, G21, G24, G28; E50, E51, E53; YR15)

I thought this tag turned out so sweet and the bonus is that it could very easily be used on a scrapbook layout as well as being a card. My note will be written on the back of the tag.

Also included in the cut file is a matching envelope! Silly me totally forgot to take a picture of the BACK of the envelope so that you could see the flap. It matches the scalloped top of the tag perfectly.

I decided to decorate the envelope to make it a little more matchy matchy as well.

I made the made pea pod image as used inside my card and then used a scrap of the same DP used on the tag (which by the way is from Cosmo Cricket's Garden Variety Pad)

Just seeing that pea pod makes me smile! I've seen pea pod images before, but none of them has captured my heart like this one has! I can see lots of baby cards done with this one!

So thats what i have for you today! Don't forget to check out the rest of the MTME crew and their wonderful creations today!

My blogger is being wonky on me, so i'm gonna get this posted now but you can see all the MTME team members listed on my sidebar!!!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Read more...

Hello New Friends!

This is a fun post to help welcome my new friends with Paper Makeup Stamps!

The design team call is down and today is the day that we announce our newest team members!

Andrea Vernagus

Anita Hovey

Bonnie Sharp

Ginger Schwerin

Michelle Van Patten

Sherry Campbell

Stephanie Zito

Welcome ladies! I'm SO excited to be working with all of you!!!!

Read more...

Holy Cow I'm Back!

Are you ready for this... I am back in action!

Thank you SO much to everyone for my birthday and computer well wishes!

We got my computer back up and running buy purchasing a new harddrive and thank goodness i back things up all the time so i actually didnt lose anything other than some computer programs that i'll have to gather the discs back up (some of them were um, technically my dads and others are around here somewhere!) but we're on the up and up! And my room is ALMOST finished!

And it's sneak peak time! So WOOHOO! I've been ACHING to get crafty! And now i finally get to!

Today is the first day of sneak peeks from My Time Made Easy!

This release is *truly* my favorite release so far! There are lots of elements of this release that i really can see myself using over and over and over again, even with the addition of new stamps. The template i get to show you today, called The Flapper, is no exception!

This is one of those perfect gift box templates. It's more than "just a box". But it's more general in theme so it can be used for ANYTHING! But it's anything but basic! It's various angles make it much cooler than just a box and i love the way it opens to peek at the giftie inside! You'll have to keep reading to see!

Here's what i've done...

I just think its such a fun template! But the template isnt the only reason i'm stoked about this release, i'm also loving the paper and stamps being released. Here i've used some of the pretty printables digi paper from the Bangin' Burlap collection and this color is Burlap Sprinkles. The photo turned out a little more bright than it appears printed.

Then... the stamps! OMG, lovin' these stamps! I actually used 4 different stamp sets on this project! First i printed the burlap paper and then used it when cutting the decorative layers for the template. I took the cattails stamp from the Killer Curves stamp set (set of 8 images for $20). This set i'm just GAGA for! I inked up the stamp in Old Paper Distress ink and also sponged the edges in the same ink.

For the front...

I inked up the solid image from the Lovely Labels stamp set and actually sniped off the top "bubble" in order to get it to fit where i wanted it to on the box. Quick FYI - you may remember the Lovely Labels cut file that was released a bit back that fit perfectly on the front of another one of Lauren's templates... well that perfectly fits all these images too! WOOT WOOT! My sentiment on the inside of my label is from the awesome Tending the Garden stamp set. You'll get to see this set in full form tomorrow from Stephanie, Lesa, Pam, Geny and Dawn! Oh yeah, and ME on the 2nd! So stay tuned!

Ok, got off track... so why in the world is this template called The Flapper? Well, it's because of it's nifty little flap closure! Here's the open view... and my giftie inside...

How cute is that little fold over. I decided to just use a simple string (DMC floss for cross stitch, soooooooo many colors to choose from, sooooooo cheap!) to tie is closed.

And the inside is more spacious than you might think! You could fit so much in there! I opted for more of a presentation type of set up, filling the bottom with extra scraps of kraft paper (the real kraft paper, the kind you see brown bags made of! it crinkles better!) and then placing 2 wallflower refills inside. By the way, i am TOTALLY addicted to wallflowers from Bath and Body Words! They go on mega sale all the time and I picked these up this weekend for a mere 2 bucks a piece (they retail for 6.50) making it cheaper than glad and yummier smelling!

My sister is also addicted to wallflowers! Which is why i made the gift! The other bonus about these, is they come in so many different scents and colors, it's really easy to match the color and or theme of your project!

And one last photo for you!

This is one more peek at the Killer Curves Fancy Frames set was introduced, well those images fit perfectly inside this stamp set which also means this stamp works fabulously with the Killer Curves cut file that was released last month! You gotta love it when things you buy coordinate with other things!

Ok, back to the project, i knew that when you opened the box, i wanted more than to just see the gift inside. I treated the lid of the box sort of like a card itself in that you get to read the note when you open the card. I did this mostly because i couldnt figure out where to stick the card or tag for the project other than to just make a coordinating one. Which of course is great to have a coordinating card, but whats the liklihood that i sis will stick it on the table next to her little box? I wanted her to remember my thoughts right when she opened the box each and everytime! Well my sis, she's pretty amazing. In fact, she's Scent-Sational! haha! I used that sentiment from the Take Time set. The other images here are all from the Killer Curves set.

Whew! I had forgotten how wordy i could be! How could you forget! HAHAHAH! Well, i guess i have a lot of babbling to do to get caught up from my silence!

Have a wonderful day!

Dont forget to check out

Lauren

Tracey

Silke

Dawn and

Geny

for more fabulouso creations!

Read more...

Happy birthday to me and an update try 2

Phew well this has been a crazy month. I'm so sorry for the lack of posting and whatnot. After being gone the first half of the month I scrambled trying to get caught up setting aside all things crafty until orders and such were up to date. Then began the redo of my craft room which was actually half done while I was gone so the pms catch up was being done out of boxes (ugh). So I finally get caught up and even have a few things to share but I can't find my camera anywhere!  And then some programs start acting wonky on my computer and yesterday the whole thing DIED!  as it is now, I am updating via email being sent from my iPod!  Oy, technology. I have the worst computer luck in the world (remember my external harddrive pooped out on me last october). My husband told me he was going to just get me awriting tablet and carrier pidgeon but thought PETA might come after me if I killed the pidgeon.  So it will be a few more days yet before I get to update you again.  Sneak peeks are coming up for my time made easy and then paper makeup stamps so I will find a way to make those posts!  Bear with me!

And with all my luck guess what today is... My birthday! At least my hubby called already to wish me happy birthday. Last year he forgot!

You know who didn't forget?  My AMAZING design team! They organized a special surprise birthday hop just for me!  Made me feel so special and thank goodness for my iPod so I could see there amazing creations!  Go to the paper makeup stamps blog to see everything they did!!!!

I'll try to update again soon!

Sent from my iPod

Read more...

Copic Creations Challenge No. 30

It's the 15th which means it's time another another Copic Creations Challenge!

This is challenge number 30 for Copic Creations and challenge number 3 for me on the team.

I'm still just tickled pink that i get to be acquainted with these ladies!

Phenom talent they have, i tell ya!

Challenge No. 30 is to color on paper that is NOT white!

This is another great way to really change the feel of an image, or to get the most for your money when you buy a stamp! When you stamp and color on another paper, you can truly get a different look!

The sponsor for this challenge is Stampavie. Since i have, ahem, more than 1 Stampavie stamp that hasnt seen love, this was a great opportunity for me to pull one out!

Here is my card...

I chose one of the cutie patootie bear images drawn by Penny Johnson.

This one in particular is called Butterfly Bear.

I stamped him out on Neenah Kraft cardstock in 80lb weight. The blendability of the kraft cardstock versus the neenah white is about the same. The biggest difference is as kraft cardstock gets "wet" with the alcohol ink it gets noticeably darker. This would be the case with pretty much any colored paper. Just like when a blue shirt gets more noticeably darker when it's wet than say a white shirt does. So what works best for me is to color with a marker. And then take moment for the alcohol to evaporate out of the paper so that you can see what your final result color is going to be. It's also good to have a scratch piece of the same paper you are coloring on to scribble out colors on. Remember with kraft, to use brighter colors as the kraft cardstock will mute down the color quite a bit.

Here's a close up view of the image and a list of the copic colors i used....

Browns: E29, E27, E25, custom color E23, E21

Butterfly: Y02, Y04, Y08, YR04, YR07

Background: G03 for grass, B00, B000 for sky

First i paid a lot of attention to the tufts of hair around the bear and added some darker colors there and blended the other browns out from there. I did add a bridge to the bears nose by using the E25 there where the rest of the bears face is E21. E21 is a VERY almost non existent color on the kraft paper but in my opinion worked great.

I decided to not use a white gel pen anywhere as i knew that the bright white would be very eye catching, and i was going with a more subtle image (BUT OMG, i've already seen some of the other ladies samples, one with Copic opaque white and another with gel pen, and when it's done right MAN does it look good, and these ladies know how to do it right!) But i did still want a highlight. What to do, what to do. So i pulled out a white colored pencil for a much more toned down highlight. :D

I used some blues to trace around the bear and to flick out away from the bear. I didn't need to create the whole blue sky but I wanted to make the image stand out a little bit.

My papers are all from the Fly a Kite collection from October Afternoon.

Accents: Kaisercraft Pearls, cheap ribbon (haha, i cant remember the brand, but it's the 25¢ type), button by creative cafe.

Thanks for stopping by today! Dont forget to check out the rest of the Copic Creations team and the challenge today!

Read more...

There's a free digi for you....

I so wanted to have something crafty to post! But i'm still in catch up mode from being out of town and redoing my craft room! I have a friend coming over this afternoon to help me put furniture pieces back, so maybe, just maybe i'll have pictures of my newly done craft room for you soon!

BUT, i did want to let you all in on a freebie from Paper Makeup Stamps!

Check out THIS POST to get the freebie!

But here are some phtoos i promised of my little man in his tux!

(He looks buff! Thats because they didnt have a vest his size and we had to make the part around his waist cinched as tight as it would go to fit him, so the top made him look like "a super hero" (according to HIM!)

(notice he is not wearing any socks, it was the only way i could make a deal with him to wear his shoes!)

So yep, pictures as promised! Now go get that freebie digi! And have a great day!

Read more...

MTME Group Post - Time for a Spot of Tea!

It's the 8th so it's the last day of scheduled reveals from My Time Made Easy!

For my project today, I used the Tea Tabbed Box.

Now what's fabulous about this template is you can very easily create it without the slot in the front to create a very cute little box for lots and lots of treats. And in fact, I will have another box made for you sometime next week so you can see just that!

But today, today i actually WANTED to create this in the way it was originally intended.

Maybe it's because my out of the box thinker hasnt been turned on this month, or MAYBE it's because Lauren's templates this month are so cute and such fun ideas for gifts, i just HAVE to use them the way she envisioned them first! :D

Here is my tea tabbed box...

I actually created this from the PDF version. I know, *GASP* hand cutting, no cricut! But that was just not one thing i wanted to bring with me on my trip, and i wasnt ahead of the game enough to have this done before i left. Oh no no no, i whipped up this badboy yesterday lickity split might i add! This is definitely an easy template if you are looking to see how fast and fun these templates can be!

Since i was using the PDF version, I had the ability to lay the template out perfectly on my patterned cardstock (which is from the crafty DCWV paper packed that i picked up today at JoAnn's!) I really wanted the flowers climbing up the front of my box, and since the box folds under to create the base, i couldnt just have it start at the base of my paper. But this was so easy to line up and i used the extra pieces for other elements on my project so no wasted paper!

Here's a forward view of my box!

Now the front piece has a curved dip. It's what made me think to put a circle label on the front, but then the blossom nestie kinda covered it up. I like the way the front looks, but i regret not taking a picture beforehand so you could see the curve.

The sentiment is from the A Spot of Tea set which is sold both as an acrylic stamp set and a digi set. here i actually used the digi because the stamps are either buried in my suitcase, or sitting oh so sad and lonely on my craft table at home asking why i forgot them!

The top of my box i simply decorated with some large flowers (that were also picked up today from Jo Ann's! I was going to use the to DIE FOR tea cup image for the top, but i saw another genius had already used that idea. haha. Plus i REALLY wanted to use these flowers and fun brad center! HAHAHAH!

Now since today is a group share day, that means the whole team has treats to share!

Check them all out!

Lauren Meader

Catherine Doucette

Dawn Easton

Geny Cassidy

Lesa Rapp

Pam Imholz

Stephanie Kraft

Tracey Cuccia

Silke Ledlow

Have a wonderful day!

Read more...