I feel like the gall bladder surgery has sucked the life out of me. Seriously, how long does it take for me to get my energy back?? I am tired all of the time. I managed to squeak a couple cards out today, though.

I am designing a class that's called "Inside Out" in which we will make cards that are ornately decorated on the outside AND the inside.I used this week's CPS sketch for the layout on the outside:



These adorable stamps are by Stampendous. SO fun to colour. Here's a shot of the outside and inside side-by-side. I made two. I'm so productive, I can hardly stand it..


The inside features this handsome fella:



I've mentioned this before, but don't you hate it when you show someone a card you made and they say WOW, that's SO nice, then look on the inside to see if there's anything else. Well, it's always a pleasant surprise when there is, right?


So there's my big accomplishment for today. Besides teaching since 7 this morning, getting home, teaching private lessons for 3 hours, but you get the idea!!

Supplies: Patterned paper: My Mind's Eye; Cardstock: Papertrey Ink and Bazzill; Stamps: Stampendous; Ink: Momento; Copic markers, Kaiser Jewels, Making Memories Slice (to make the little tag), Ribbon (American Crafts).

I also wanted to mention that for a couple of my sneak peek's I've been using Koh-I-Noor pencils that Elizabeth is now offering in her store, and so for today's final sneak peek I wanted to feature them.. I'm not as good as Paula is, but I'm really trying!!!


Elizabeth did a tutorial on her blog about how they work, and for the beginning pencil crayon-user it's a great resource. I just try to think of how I would use my copics, where I would add shading etc, and apply those skills to the pencils.. Here's a close-up of my work:


Ian said "that's a really simple card for you." And yes, it is, but I like no-layer cards sometimes!!!

• Angel Rivera
• Charlene Austin
• Deborah Southard
• Frances Byrne
• Jeanne Streiff
• Kim Fee
• Maria Adams
• Michelle Short
• Paula Williamson
• Rachel Hope Baird
• Stephanie Mayne

Very simple, very quick, and a perfect layout for a quick card. (I used today's sketch challenge at SCS).

Remember to check out the other ladie's creations!!!

• Angel Rivera
• Charlene Austin
• Deborah Southard
• Frances Byrne
• Jeanne Streiff
• Kim Fee
• Maria Adams
• Michelle Short
• Paula Williamson
• Rachel Hope Baird
• Stephanie Mayne

Elzybells Blog

This one was really all about the image because the card base was really busy and bright, and didn't really need much else. I coloured the bears with Koh-I-Noor pencils and Gamsol with blending stumps. I am really trying to get better at colouring with this medium.

• Angel Rivera
• Charlene Austin
• Deborah Southard
• Frances Byrne
• Jeanne Streiff
• Kim Fee
• Maria Adams
• Michelle Short
• Paula Williamson
• Rachel Hope Baird
• Stephanie Mayne

Elzybells Blog

If you've ever struggled to make "Man Cards" then you will LOVE this release.. Check out this daddy bear:


This stamp is so awesome because THIS IS MY DAD!!! He has a chair. It's HIS chair. And every day after work he comes home and catches some "ZZzzz's" before dinner. To make the background I stamped on the orange patterned paper, then the blue (it's actually a double-sided piece of My Mind's Eye paper) and cut the image out of the paper leaving the background.. I overlapped the blue over the orange and coloured in some brown "trim."


I used this week's CPS sketch for the layout. Isn't it perfect??

Make sure you check out the rest of the design team's creations for the next 4 days because we all get different stamps and that means TONNES of inspiration. See you tomorrow for day 2 of the sneaks!

• Angel Rivera
• Charlene Austin
• Deborah Southard
• Frances Byrne
• Jeanne Streiff
• Kim Fee
• Maria Adams
• Michelle Short
• Paula Williamson
• Rachel Hope Baird
• Stephanie Mayne

Elzybells Blog

I was able to muster some energy to make a couple things between naps the last couple days, but only photographed them and uploaded them today..

This first project is a card I made for last week's CPS115 sketch:






















All stamps on the can from Cornish Heritage Farms.

Every few months at SCS there is what's called a "Virtual Stamp Night" where there are challenges posted hourly and prizes to be won. You have to make a card in 45 minutes or less, and I find it a great way to get a lot of cards done quickly. I don't always like the results, but some interesting ideas always come out of me anyway..

Here was a card I made that had to be inspired by food or drink.. I made this coffee cup card with my Silhouette using a cup die-cut and creating a mirror image to make it into a card base! I'm glad it worked, but I really don't like this card. Maybe it's the colours... but whatever.. I saved the card template and I will cut it out in a more neutral card base next time.


This next challenge was to use the "grid technique" which simply means you score a grid onto a piece of CS and use it as a layer.. I used my scor-pal to make the grid.



Elizabeth sent me a cool new tool: gold and silver Koh-I-Noor pencils! I love how even after you blend with gamsol the pencil still retains its shimmer.

This challenge was to use the colours BLACK, WHITE, AND RED only. I use this colour combo often so it wasn't hard to put this card together in less than 10 minutes. This was the stamp set I used:


I used the stamps Ian and I used on our invitations and some pretty bright colours!!!

This final card is one of my favourites.. Ever... Everything just worked out so well on it.



This challenge was to use the spotlight technique. Here's how the image looked separated:


I used Making Memories tag maker to cut out the circle and make it into a tag. Everytime I do this technique I LOVE the result.. *Tobi... don't forget to do this again soon!*

Well I am clearly recovering well. I have had some sizable naps today, but I was still happy with what I accomplished! Take care!

I had my gall bladder out yesterday. It was actually better than I expected. I usually prepare for the worst, then am pleasantly surprised when it's not as bad as I had thought.

This is me a little while after I woke up. Isn't it great how my skin actually matches my gown? hahaha... I took the picture with my Blackberry. I was SO thirsty and SO hungry because by the time I was allowed to eat food it had been 24 hours since my last meal.

So now I'm nursing 4 holes in my stomach, and am trying to drink as much water as humanly possible.





I used one of my favourite stamps from the last release called "Butterfly Ted" . He has so many useful applications: birthday, thankyou, get well etc. AND there are so many ways to colour him that he seems to be my go-to stamp lately.

• Angel Rivera
• Charlene Austin
• Deborah Southard
• Frances Byrne
• Jeanne Streiff
• Kim Fee
• Maria Adams
• Michelle Short
• Paula Williamson
• Rachel Hope Baird
• Stephanie Mayne

Check out the Elzybells Blog as well because Elizabeth has a little contest going on if you participate in this challenge. 

I had a little time this evening to tidy up my craft area and make a quick card. I played the colour challenge at SCS and this is the card I made:

I had a heck of a weekend. It was frought with dress rehearsals, concerts, holding honour choir auditions and a few morsels of time here and there to play with my new toy. The one frustration with it is that it doesn't cut through Papertrey Ink paper (which is a very thick variety of cardstock PERFECT for card bases and gift items). Considering there are some templates in the Silhouette software for pillow boxes etc, I'm pretty bummed the paper won't cut... Oh well.. It cuts through Stampin' Up and Bazzill paper just fine, and I have a pretty good selection of that too, so onto the card at hand...


 Supplies: All paper by Stampin' Up; Card base and circle insert was cut with the Silhouette and it's a design by KWerner, the cake is a Quickutz design; Happy Birthday rubon (basic grey); white gel pen, SU! scallop punch.

I have wanted to work on Kristina's 50th colour challenge (with prizes!) all week and finally, tonight, at 1:00 am I am done, and it's photographed and uploaded... Phew!!

I think you're gonna like this one. I used some extra special goodies on it. Wanna see??

There was a thread on splitcoast I was talking in that centred around storage of nestabilities. I saw this idea on the web somewhere, and stole it!!! It was kind of frustrating to put it together, and more expensive than I'd bargained, but I love having my dies out in the open so I can just walk over to the wall with my image I want to cut out and hold it up against all of my choices..  You can see I don't have a lot of nesties, but I am happy with my collection, and don't often find myself wishing for a different shape. Materials:

Bulleting Board. (It cost me about $35!!!) like this one

Magnetic Sheets (about $15)  like these

I used Zip Dry adhesive to glue the sheets to the dry erase board, and voila!

The second thing I want to show you is my CD rack I use to hold many of my unmounted and clear sets. I have two binders full of stamps, but I would love to move all of them to this kind of storage because I'm really liking, again, SEEING my stamps. I use things more when I can see them..


The rack is from Ikea. In Canada it's $16.99... Find it here. It hold 35 cds.. My problem right now is I don't have a lot of empty jewel cases.. That's what I need to buy when I go out next!!