INKY ANTICS

This is another of the Christmas in July cards I am doing for my class. The image is from Inky Antics and I coloured it with my copic markers. I experimented with a new colour combination for the dress and I am pleased with the results. The colours were E00, E01 and E04. I'm not sure how accurate the picture is but in reality it is a soft peachy colour. I think the image is quite versatile and could be used for birthdays and other occasions.

Today I really have to clean out my frig (AKA the science experiment) and do some grocery shopping. Tomorrow is Canada Day and we are having a BBQ. What I really want to do is play with a new stamp I got yesterday from Crafter's Companion. It is a Popcorn Bear Kid birthday celebration and I think he is adorable. The other image is of the bear in a baby pram and he is also adorable. Thankfully my friend Brenda bought that one and we are really good at sharing!

I'll post next week the time and place for my Christmas in July class. I hope some of you can make it. Happy Canada Day to all us Canadians and Happy 4th for all our American friends.

Girlfriends!!!!

Here is one of the cards I made with my new girlfriends stamps from Art Impressions. The image comes with three sayings all of which make me chuckle. For this card I used the Happy Birthday tutu you for the outside and the inside says "Dance like no one's watching who can have you committed." Teh Teh!! The other saying is so perfect for a card for my neice. The saying reads "Note to self...too much tequilla." I just know I am going to have fun with this one.

I have to admit this was a bit tricky to colour with my copics because some of the spaces are very tiny. To acheive some shading I used the tip to tip method. But on the positive side if you want to practice shading skin this image is great. For the skin I used E50, E41 and R20. I like the look of those three colour with these gals.

Well I am off for a day of scrapbooking with my scrappin' buddies and I am working on a page for my grandson's third birthday. Happy crafting everyone.

Christmas in July is Here

Well I said I would be posting some Christmas cards for a class in July and here are the first two. I do enjoy the whimsical stamps so I used one of the Penny Black hedgehogs and added some paper die cuts from the Silhouette. The image is coloured with copic markers. I will admit this card is a little picky to make with all the gluing of the die cut pieces but I think they add dimension to the card. I can honestly say I will not be making many of these to send but it will be fun to do three or four for some special people.

The second card is a more elegant and much easier to make. I used distress inks to create the background paper. The ink colours are bundled sage, peeled paint, vintage photo and spiced marmalade. I then stamped the image twice with peeled paint and used perfect pearls in copper to complete the image. The image is from Impression Obsession. Yes I have a confession to make. I went to Exeter through London and stopped at one of my favourite stamp shops and picked up a few new stamps. Really some of them are so bold they jumped right into my shopping basket and of course I couldn't disappoint them so I brought them home with me to join all the others. I have been having fun playing with my new images and I will upload one tomorrow. It is from Art Impressions and features their new girlfriends line. They are a hoot and have great sayings with them.

My great niece's graduation was wonderful and I am proud to say she won the citizenship award. She was so surprised but very happy. Congratulations Katie!! She looked beautiful and now I am going to start on making her a special scrapbook to record all the memories. Oh boy some pink paper is coming my way!

The Earth Moved !!!

We had a small earth quake here in the Toronto area yesterday. At first I thought it was just me so excited because I got new stamps but it turned out the earth moved for everybody!

Well here is another Golden Oldie I ordered from Art Impressions. It just tickled my funny bone and reminded me that you are never too old to have fun. I try to live by that. I coloured with my copic markers and then added a saying from the Underwater Sentiments from CC Designs Also from Art Impressions I bought a sentiment that reads "Happy Birthday from the King of Cool and his Happenin' Babe" which I thought I could use inside the card. I just made a simple card without a lot of embellishments because I wanted the image to be the focal point.

I'm off to my great niece's grade eight graduation tonight and as luck would have it I have to drive right through London Ontario - yes I know there are faster shorter routes but that's my story and I'm sticking to it. While in London I will visit the Rubber Room and Stamp Art and I will only buy what I really need...OK I know I don't need anything so maybe I'll just have a quick peak. LOL Nancy at Stamp Art carries Art Impression stamps and I am hoping she has some Impression Obsession stamps because I really want one of the scenes. I am also looking for Christmas stamps. That's right you heard me Christmas stamps. I am going to run the class Christmas in July so I would like to find something new to work with. I am afraid to even look at my Christmas stamps before I go because if I do I will feel so guilty buying more. Hope everyone has a great day and enjoys the sunny weather.

YIPPEE NEW STAMPS!!!!!!

My order from Art Impressions came yesterday and of course I just had to play. I also had to convince my DH that I was carrying on a science experiment in the refrigerator and it could be several days before it was completed. I'm not sure he bought it but it has given me a few extra days to play before I tackle cleaning out the frig!

The stamps I ordered are all quite humourous and just working with the images has given me a lift and a smile. I also ordered some sayings and I am playing around with masking a part of the saying and combining it with other stamps. The outside of this card reads "Another birthday..." and the inside says Yippee! Cheers to you. I think Ella is just adorable with her coconut bikini top and tiny clown like hat. I can see using her for birthdays, girls nights or a swimming party invite.

I coloured her with copics and got a chance to practice the new techniques I learned when I took the copic certification class. The pattered paper is from Basic Grey, lemonade line.

Well I am off to teach a class at the Memory Keeper and then tonight I can play with a couple of the other stamps---that is the great part of menopause (yes I am trying to convince myself there are positives ) I can stay up all night and play since I don't sleep anyway. I'll post again tomorrow. Happy stamping everyone.

Magnolia Birthday Bash Challenge

I really wanted to do a card for this challenge since it was all about bling but quickly learned that maybe I am not a bling kind of gal. I think I have been scrapbooking for boys for so long that I have lost my touch for all things frilly and shiny. I used a very subdued paper from Cosmo Cricket and added some brown. Really not all that girly but I do gravitate to those muddy colours. I coloured my Tilda with copics and then added the pearls and rhinestones. I tried adding some flowers but really they just didn't work with the card layout. I'm not totally pleased but the most important thing is I was challenged by it and found joy in doing it! As I have hopped from blog to blog looking at all the submissions I am awed by the talent and creativity in this group. You inspire me.

I am going to be busy today cutting paper for my class at the Memory Keeper tomorrow night. It's focus is on using distress inks to colour backgrounds and flowers and most importantly to colour our Maggies. I am using Tilda as a dragonfly. I borrowed this image from my friend Deb but then I decided I had to have her so I ordered her from Diana. She arrived last week with just a few others (honest it wasn't really that many) along with a free gift and I have been stamping her ever since and plotting how to use all the goodies I got with my gift. Happy crafting everyone.

Sample from the Copic Cerification Class

Well I was having a senior moment or should I say a full blown episode. On Saturday morning my friend Deb and I headed out early to Toronto for the Copic Certification Class. We arrived ready to go only to find out we were a day early! Oh well better a day early than a day late. So on Sunday morning bright and early again we headed out ready for a full day. I found the class very informative and met some really great gals from all over Ontario.

The instructor Sherrie Siemens shared some of her stamps with us so we could practice some new techniques and I fell in love with this dog image from Cornish Heritage Farm designed by Sarah England. I coloured the dog at the class and then came home and finished colouring the image and then made a quick card. You can see from the close up the "fur" like affect you can get with blending fluid. The company also has a cute image of the dog and a boat. I would love to add both of these to my "little" family of stamps. Really ladies I need a twelve step program!! I am excited to become a certified copic instructor and I am looking forward to sharing some of the techniques in my copics classes at the Memory Keeper.

I am going to try to put together a card from Magnolia's Birthday Bash challenge because this week it is BLING. I usually scrapbook for boys so whenever I get an opportunity to use Bling and glitter I'll be all over it. I hope to post my card soon but honestly I have to clean the frig or I will have penicillin growing in there soon. Have a great week

Friday Sketcher's Challenge

I set aside some time today to organize my craft room but I got distracted when I found a Tilda I had yet to stamp and colour so of course I stamped her and yes I created my card for the Friday Sketch challenge. I used copic markers( R22, R27, YG91, YG93, YG95 E40, E50, E30) to colour her and used some paper from my stash and also some Magnolia paper I have been saving for something special. I have lots of paper but for some reason there are some that every time I go to use them I think "This is my last piece so I won't use it" Really crafters are just collectors in disguise!!! I found some cute ladybug buttons while I was reorganizing so I added one along with a flower and some hat pins. Ribbon completes the card.

Tomorrow I am off to Toronto to do the copic certification course with my friend Deb. I am hoping to pick up some more blending techniques and I am excited to try out the airbrushing with copics. I'll post on Sunday with my feedback from the course. Have a great weekend.

Distress Inks Create Backgound Paper

Well it has been a busy week and although I had every intention of entering the Fridy Sketchers challenge last week I just didn't have time to create anything new. I've been doing child care for my grandson while his caregiver was vacationing in Vegas so I have been busy playing trains, going for train rides and most importantly cuddling with that sweet boy. We also celebrated his third birthday so all and all a very busy time. I am going to enter this weeks challenge.

I had some time last night to play with some of my distress inks to create the background paper for this card. I used tumbled glass, shabby shutters and bundled sage. Then I used the shabby shutters and bundled sage to stamp the leaves. This is an Impression Obsession stamp and it is so versatile. The Queen Anne's lacy is a Technique Tuesday stamp which I stamped with white craft ink and then embossed with embossing powder. The sentiment is from Stampin' Up. I love the colours and I am planning on experimenting with some golds, oranges and browns to create some fall background paper.

I know it is hard to believe but in the next few weeks you might be seeing some Christmas, yes I said Christmas, sample cards. I like to start early and I do three or four a month so that when the crunch time comes in November and December this is one less thing to put on my to do list. I will even be doing some Christmas in July card classes in my home and probably at the Memory Keeper.

Well the washing needs to be done and darn that husband of mine he wants to eat each day so I am off to plan dinner. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

MY First Challenge!!!

Well I got my first order from Wild Orchid crafts and I just had to use some of the new mulberry paper roses. Love them!! I also order some hat pins and some crystal stems. I used the pearl hat pins on this card and they are of great quality. The flowers are not too large and add some real dimension to the card. I'm going to venture out into the world of blog challenges so I have submitted this to the Friday Sketchers for this week. I'm excited to give this a whirl and I am looking forward to the next sketch

I had a card class today for a great group of ladies fromGuelph Ontario. Ladies you did a fabulous job today and I am so glad you went home inspired to make cards!

I hope everyone has a great weekend.