Who loves a challenge? I DO! I'm a sucker for a great challenge. There are so many out there, how do you choose? Well, for me I always check SCS because their challenges are easy to find, and are really great! (I find) Other times I stumble upon somebody's challenge on their blog, or it's a blog I frequent (Like CPS).. So today I'll show you 3 cards I made for challenges in the last couple days.

1) Sketch Challenge / Dare to get Dirty Challenge (Christine)

Supplies: Stamps: MFT, CHF; Paper: Scenic Route, Bazzil; Ranger ink; Prima, button, watercolor pencils.

2)CCEE Stampers Challenge (Jazzytobi)

Supplies: Stamps: Stamping Bella, CHF; Paper: Making Memories, Papertrey stampers select; Ink: ranger, palette; prima, button, copic markers.

3)Dare to Get Dirty Challenge (JulieHRR)

Supplies: Stamps: CHF; Paper: Melissa Frances, Papertrey ink stampers select; Ink: Ranger.

Check this out!!! Tosh emailed me today and I had to read it a couple times to comprehend that they were featuring ME! MY NAME! Well... actually my alias that I've gone by since I started prowling the internet in 1996. These super-talented and famous ladies are in a group that does weekly challenges, and one of them is to pick a snazzy name at SCS and design a challenge around that name. I will definitely play this challenge this week since these ladies have been so kind to think of me! Play along too if you want. Here are the rules:

The instructions we were given for this challenge was that our card must have something musical on it, and the tea dying technique must be used.
Post a comment here (or here on my blog so i can see too!!) so we can see your card. If you are uploading to SCS don't forget to use the keyword CCEEC.

The cat's out of the bag! I am on the first Elzybells design team, and I am super excited to get started with Elizabeth's adorable images! This is the REAL elzybells, not the Amuse kind (that sports her same, but SMALLER images). They are going to be so great to colour.

Here are the members of the first elzybells design team (I'll add a Blogroll asap):

Alex Eaton, UK

Angel Rivera, USA

Beverly Rousch, USA

Charlene Austin, Canada

Dawn wheeler, UK

Deborah Southard, USA

Eva Costigan, USA

Frances Byrne, Australia

Inge Groot, The Netherlands

Jeanne Streiff, USA

Katie Stilwater, USA

Kim Fee, UK

Kitty Frampton, UK

Maria Adams, UK

Michelle Short, UK

Michelle Woerner, USA

Pam Fraser, UK

Paula Williamson, USA

Rachel Hope Baird, USA

Shannan Teubner, USA

Stephanie Mayne, UK

Tobi Crawford, Canada

P.S. Stayed tuned tomorrow for the next round of Gallery Idol. I made the Top 15!!!!

Different cards, but still the same people (top 20)..


Here is the Gallery

*edited: Voting is closed for this round, and I made it to the next one! stay tuned.

This time you can only vote once, and the # of votes are hidden..
Please choose wisely! mwah-ha-haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...
You have till thursday, July 17th at noon to cast your vote!

thanx! Tobi

I don't know how many of you can create on command, but I, for one, CAN'T! As soon as I have to include an element, or NOT use something, I'm stumped. These cards were all attempts on the way to the final result of the next round (or re-do of the first) of Gallery Idol at the new CK site. I will make a new post with the info to vote for your favourite idol, and I'm hoping you can take a second to go over there and vote for me! There are some awesome prizes up for grabs, and it's just plain FUN to be in this competition. I'm also meeting some pretty cool ladies. My fellow competitors are women after my own heart. Anyway.. enough blab. Here are the rejects!! (can you guess the theme)

I love Kristina's color challenges but rarely have time to participate, but now that's it's summer I have all the time in the world ( I LOVE being a teacher....)

Here are the colors






And here's my card:
I just so happened to have a LOT of my felt shapes hanging around and the colors were a PERFECT match! I adhered them with glue dots.

I used an old SU! set because I really do love it, but haven't used it in a LONG time.. Poor stamps...










Supplies:

Paper: Bazzil, Papertrey white, Memory Box (card base. it is white on the other side!)

Stamps: Simply Said (SU!)

Ink: Ranger, Nic Bantock Lamp Black

Accessories: Copic Markers, Gelly Roll (White), Felt Shapes (Fancy Pants)

Well it's a few days late, and there's a few hiccups (like being able to see everyone's vote tally, and you can vote for multiple cards etc...) but follow the link below to vote for ME!!!!!! Just kidding.. Vote for your favourite card by clicking on the card and then clicking the "Love Me" button..

There are some killer cards, so I'm kinda sweating bullets, but I'm happy I got this far.. Hope you like my card! Help me make it to the next round!

PC Gallery Idol


My Card

I designed my first blog for someone! Her name is Jen Mencer and her blog is here. I had a lot of fun creating her custom layout, background and banner. I worked with her for a couple days trying to accommodate her every desire! lol... If you are in need of digital services (banners, watermarks, custom backgrounds) and like what you see (either there or on my own blog) let me know and I'll give you some prices!

I subscribe to the American Crafts Blog and nearly peed my pants when I saw they have a design team call. I probably won't get it, but AC is one of my all-time favourite lines... I have at least 250 pieces of 12x12 and LOTS of their ribbon and a pretty good assortment of accessories. I will be making a bunch of items over the next week and then pick the best.

A couple of these cards were in compliance with the featured stamper challenge at SCS too!

All I have to say is WHAT THE HECK?!?!?! I can't believe that out of 750 entries my card was chosen to be in the top 20 of Papercrafts Gallery Idol.. It works like AI in that each week there's a new challenge, and every week 5 people get voted off. I have a secret project to work on and next week readers will vote for their favourite card. So... I will try my darnedest to make the best card I can, so please keep me in mind when voting!!! *wink wink* but really... it's just an honour to get this far. I really am SO excited. (Can you tell)...

This is the card that won... YAY

I'll keep you posted!

If this doesn't look like something I'd do, it's because using chalks isn't my style, but I thought I'd give this technique challenge a try. I'm not totally sold. I like saturated colour, and chalks are just too wishy washy...

I'm still in love with October Afternoon stamps, and will most likely continue this love affair for a while. I am not looking forward to sleep tonight. It's just too dang hot!!!

Have a great day!

It's 12:20 am right now, and I actually feel GREAT! Who else likes to stamp late into the night? I guess I like it because I know all of the chores are done for the day (or it's too late to do them now.. "DARN.. the vacuum would wake up my son.. oh well...") I usually stick a "Friends" or "Sex in the City" DVD in and stamp the night away...

This is a set of VERY high quality stamps by October Afternoon.. Think Technique Tuesday or Papertreyink quality (they even have the same smell).. I airbrushed the background (cloud tutorial coming soon) and after stamping and colouring the fence and house images, I stamped the clouds. I was going to colour/shade the clouds, but then, do you ever forget you have products? Well, I don't think I've used my liquid applique for at least 6 months and suddenly remembered it would look PERFECT for clouds.. like, DUH.. anyway.. I hope you like this card. It was for the featured stamper challenge. Have a great Sunday!

Here are two cards based on sketches. The first card is a CPS sketch. I took a loose interpretation of the sketch, but that's what I like about CPS, look at the sketch, get inspired, then create!! I used my brand spankin' new MFT stamps again.. Can't get enough of them. I coloured them with different inks and my SU! blender pen.












This second card is based on SCS's sketch challenge. The person who runs this challenge is fairly strict about adhering to the sketch, so this was quite a literal interpretation..

I used my new CUSTOM blended copic marker ( a diluted Y21 for a softer muted yellow).. I was so happy when I got the supplies to make it!!!

Have a great rest of the week!

I know it's awful after the money that I spent on it, but sometimes I forget about my Copic Airbrush system. It's not the easiest thing to master, but I've got a handle on a few of the techniques and my favourite thing to do is make clouds.. If enough people let me know I'll make a tutorial (so let me know!!).


This is my first set of My Favorite Things Stamps. I don't know why I hesitated so long because they are SO NICE to colour in. The stamp is your oyster.. lol

Now... I am still brainstorming the perfect sentiment for this scene, so if you have a lightbulb moment, tell me! I was thinking
-Ewe so crazy
-Caution: Flying sheep
Anyway.. when I saw that flying sheep I knew I wanted it flying behind the girl, and she's like "What the..." and the sheep's like "YEE-HAW!!!!!!!!!"
anyway... my son and i were laughing about it...









This is similar to the other teacher card I made, but I added "music" with snap stamps and doodled some music notes..

Thanx for lookin'!

I've been loving getting back in the swing of things. I finished grading yesterday and the marks are in, so that means I'm off the hook for the summer. I'm SO looking forward to a break.

Card #1 - For today's colour challenge. I love monochromatic colour combinations. It's somehow freeing.. Stamps are Hero Arts, Memory Box, and PapertreyInk.






Card #2 - I've been playing around with my Copics and really delving into playing with the blender pen to create highlight, and grey markers to create a shadow. I'm getting increasingly better results. The stamp is by Stampendous.











Card #3 - I saw someone do this a while ago and had to use this idea. All the guys in my life golf, so it seemed fitting. It's a piece of white CS embossed with my CB, and the raised portion was covered with clear EP.
















Card #4 - This card is for a Copic class I'm teaching in which I will be showing techniques with grey and the blender markers. I used some of that funny ribbon that looks like waffles. LOL

Thanx for looking!!

Tobi

After losing my so-called "Mojo" for a little while it's starting to come back. My mojo returning also coincides with the school-year coming to a close, and it's a good feeling knowing that I'll be on summer vacation in a few short days!










I made this card for Taylor's Cupcake Challenge. I've never done one of her sketches before, (don't know why.. just busy) and this one was fun! I also got to use a cupcake stamp which was cool. It was actually kind of a build-your-own stamp (by technique tuesday) so i could use different inks.


This second card is for an upcoming class at my LSS where I will teach Copic techniques that centre around using greys and the blender to create light and shadow. I'm still playing with the effects myself, and it should be fun! I also incorporated a challenge on SCS to use knots. I knotted a scrap piece of ribbon and used a glue dot to adhere it to the handle of the watering can.

Thanx for looking!

My son had a classmates birthday party to go to and this was the card I made for her. Whenever I sit down to do a card I always take a look at SCS or one of the challenge blogs to see if I can 1) make a card that suits my needs, and 2) play along with a challenge.

This is for today's Featured Stamper Challenge at SCS. I cased this card, and changed all but the layout and embellishment treatment.
I made the "scene" behind Elzybells by using a post-it and my copic airbrush system. I then strategically placed a couple of tree rub-ons, and I was done.

Supplies:

Stamps: elzybells

Paper: american crafts, bazzil

Ink: palette- noir,

Accessories: copic markers and airbrush, basic grey and scenic route rub-ons, amuse ribbon, heidi swapp ghost crown

I have loved watching Kristina create awesome designs using her small circle punch to create scallops and thought I would give it a whirl. I love the results!

This card was make for a friend who just turned 40 (duh!) and I realized I have NO chipboard numbers, or large number stamps. So I printed off "40" from my computer in a font I liked, cut the numbers out, traced them on card-stock, cut those out and doused them with glitter.

Supplies: Paper: Bazzil, A2Z, K&Co; velvet rikrack, glitter, simple stick (Amuse).

This card was for my BF and his partner/fiance for their housewarming party.
Supplies: Paper: American Crafts, Bazzil; Basic Grey rub-on, American Crafts Thickers.

t's not ideal, but this is where I create. I currently live in a two bedroom condo with my son and my fiance, so space is tight. I have taken over the "dining room" and it is now my stamping/scrapbooking/office/music space. Takes the word multi-functional to a new level.


This is the table where I stamp. I refinished it myself a couple years ago and it's actually a nice table to stamp on. I do, however, stamp on a basic grey magnetic mat to protect the table. The stuff that surrounds the mat always changes, but the Making Memories carousel and cutter always remain.

Behind me to my left is my paper rack. Each section can hold about 200 pieces of 12x12 paper so I've divided my paper up by brand. There are some brands (Basic Grey) that I've divided up by line because I've had 100+ pieces just in that one line (Blush and Scarlet's Letter to name a few).


















This is my newest organizational addition. I have wanted a clip-it-up for a LONG time, but my LSS's don't carry them (and won't be brining them in) so I asked my mom to check out the price in the US. It was $60 and I just didn't want to pay that, so I got her to buy me two packs of clips (100 for $13) and I found this picture display apparatus (by Umbro for $25) that resembled the clip-it-up, so I bought it and tried it out. It's not as stable as I imagine the clip-it-up would be, but it's a heck of a lot cheaper.

I have had a whirlwind couple of weeks. Job stuff, house stuff, music stuff.... All good things though, and some of the question marks about the future have been answered like: I was offered (and accepted) after a LONG interview/screening process a full-time choir/band teacher position at a local high school with a long-standing history of musical excellence. I was excited I got it, but two seconds later I started freaking out!! The pressure is definitely on to keep up the choral tradition maintained by my predecessor.

The cards I cranked out tonight are for an upcoming class I'm teaching at my LSS entitled "Scrappy Cards," a term used for cards made from mainly scrapbooking supplies. I used one stamp set from Hero Arts to augment the Basic Grey stickers and to add sentiments to the cards.

The last card was inspired by this card by Dawnsing. She was the featured stamper today on SCS.