It's been a while since I've posted.. I'm on spring break right now, so I've been relaxing, going to the gym, hanging out with my son and boyfriend, and celebrating Easter too!!

Onto the card. I love how this turned out. I don't know what it is about mono-chromatic cards but they always look so sharp to me! I started out by stamping the image on papertrey white CS. I coloured with Copic markers, and added glitter using my glue pen and some micro-fine "warm highlight" glitter found at my LSS or you can buy it from the Scor-Pal website (link on the right of my blog).

This colour combo is from a challenge on SCS, but I subbed black for grey because I found this patterned paper that went PERFECTLY with my stamp.. Have you noticed how popular polka-dots are in the fashion world right now?? I just bought a polka-dot shirt today..

On to my news: I'm engaged!! My boyfriend (Ian) hid the ring under my pillow the night before Easter (Easter eve, if you will) and after my son, Phoenix, was done his easter egg hunt the following morning Ian told Phoenix to look under my pillow. I thought it was just going to be MY easter basket, but instead it was a ring box. I was confused cause I knew Ian couldn't afford a ring (he's a student teacher, doing his practicum right now) so I didn't know how he managed to do it. But apparently he asked his mother if she could loan him a ring so he could have something to give me when he popped the question, and she gave him this ring, which was his grandmothers. We won't keep it, (for a number of reasons: I'm allergic to yellow gold, it's not my style etc) but it was amazing, and I'm thrilled he asked me to be his wife.. Now I just have to get used to saying my FIANCE Ian, instead my boyfriend Ian... weird... So have a great day, and thanx, as always, for stopping by!

Not much chatter, just wanted to share this card:

Supplies:
Stamps: Hero Arts, Amuse
Paper: Purely Pomegranate, Basic Grey, Basic Black (SU!)
Ribbon (not sure who it's by)


Thanx for lookin'!

I love Michelle Zindorf's work. (I think I've mentioned that before) So at a crop this weekend I aspired to create a card in her style.
Check out her post here to see how I did it!














And here's a layout I did that night.. Thanx for lookin'!

Here are some cards I've been working on lately. The Elzybells cards are for an upcoming class at my LSS:

I am *in LOVE* with my ribbon storage solution, so I thought I would share it with you.. The components used are: 1 fishing tackle box (acquired at a local hardware store) and embellishment containers by Cropper Hopper. My LSS carries them, but my Mom also picked up a butt-load of them for me from Jo-anns.. They come in a pack of 12 and are about $3 a pack. So here is my system:
Isn't it SO pretty?! And the thing I like about storing ribbon this way is the ribbon is neatly coiled, so there is no need for ironing out crinkly ribbon. I also can't afford to buy ribbon by the spool like a lot of people on SCS do, so this way I can store my measly 1-2 yards of ribbon in a practical way. There are a lot of different-sized ribbon, so I've shown you up-close how I wrap the different sizes:








The medium-sized ribbon (what most ribbons come in) are stored with a little bit of it hanging out, so when I go to use it I can just pull out the length I need and it stays in the container. The other two sizes (small and large) can be stored side-by-side with like ribbon, or on its own if it's big enough.. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Now for a couple of cards:

*visit my SCS gallery for detailed recipe. Have a great day!

The second I saw Taylor's card I knew I had to make one. Click on her name and in her post she's linked a template you cam print out. I printed it on cardstock so it's a little more firm and will last longer.

Tips:

• I was able to create multiple layers using marvy punches. They're a little pricey, but sure come in handy.
• Use firm patterned paper so your flower can stand on its tiny stem.
• Use a punch for an area to write on in the inside of the card.

Being a young boy interested in things like Pokemon cards and watching hockey on TV, my 6 year-old son Phoenix doesn't take much interest in my craft, but every once in a while he'll find a stamp he LOVES, and he'll have to have it. He actually quasi-shoplifted this bunny stamp (he ran out of the store to show me when I was trying to leave) and with tears in his eyes he said, "Mommy, can I have this stamp, PLEASSSSSSSE.... The bun-bun is SO cute!" Being a good mother I said "no," but we put it on hold to see if he still wanted it in a couple of days... He did, and even decided it was worth raiding his piggy bank for..

My issue with Easter stamps is they're cute, but I don't give Easter cards.. So I made this card and paired it with a non-Easter sentiment (using Karen Foster Snap Stamps).

Supplies: Paper: Making Memories (patterned paper), My Mind's Eye (brown), Bazzill (Black); Stamps: Savvy Stamps (bunny), Snap Stamps (Karen Foster); Ink: Burnt Umber (Palette), Red Magic (Versamagic); Ribbon (May Arts), Copic Markers.

This card is using the colours from the colour challenge at SCS. They are: Kraft, Green Galore, and Tempting Turquoise (SU!). I used a stamp set I have only used once, so in my opinion it was a very fruitful and productive day...
Notes about the card: I wanted three different colours for the flowers, but there were only two colours in the challenge, so what I did was (probably a BIG no-no) stamp the flower first in blue, then in the green, then I stamped it.. Voila! Perfect coordinating colour.
Now I'm off to finish my son's Valentines!

Supplies: Paper: Green Galore, Tempting Turquoise (SU!), Kraft (Lasting Impressions); Ink: Green Galore, Tempting Turquoise (SU!); Ribbon (AC); Brads (MM).

Click here to read the article about me (how weird is it to say that??!!) on Queen Kat's Bloggers Club. I love reading their daily posts that feature a different blogger every day.. I have found many a blog to subscribe to, and it's so much fun to read about all the fabulous little details divulged in the features!
Have a great day!

Yippee! Two posts in one day, I can't believe it. I am so glad I waited for the colour challenge to be posted on SCS cause this card was fun to make!

To make the two borders along the bottom I cut two strips that were as long as the red piece, but I didn't really care how thick they were. I stamped the blue strip with the same colour ink as the paper (Buckaroo Blue), but I don't have marigold morning ink, so I stamped the flowers in Versamark, then rubbed chalk over the stamped image to make it stand out. I love using that technique when I want that tone-on-tone look, but don't have the ink to make it happen.

Here's the supply list:

Stamps: so many sayings (SU!), Inkadinkado

Paper: real red, Buck. Blue, Mar. Morning (SU!), PapertreyInk

Ink: buckaroo blue (SU!), noir (palette), versamark, cloud white (versamagic)

Accessories: copic markers, die cut shape (cosmo cricket), marvy punch

While I wait for the colour challenge to be posted and my boyfriend snores in the other room, I thought I would fill out this fun questionnaire that Angie tagged me with. I love getting to know my blogging friends' little secrets, so this will be a fun one to pass along..

Five things I was doing 10 years ago:
1. Living in a cute condo with my best girlfriend, Stephanie.
2. In school to be a makeup artist for TV/film.
3. Gigging almost every night. (Doing my jazz piano/voice thing)
4. Dating.... A lot.. hahaha
5. Smoking.. Boo...

Five things on my to do list today:
1. Send my project to Papercrafts... DONE
2. Drop off a prescription...DONE
3. Go to the gym...DONE
4. Go to Herbal Magic to weigh in/measurements (2 lbs and 2 inches lost today for a total of 75 lbs lost since April)
5. Fax some paperwork...DONE

Five things I will do when I am a millionaire:
1. Pay off student loans
2. Drive my car off a cliff (jump out before it goes over) and buy a new one!
3. Abdominoplasty
4. Give money to friends and family
5. Go to Disneyland!

Five things I will never wear again:
1. Thigh-high nylons that SUPPOSEDLY stay up on their own..
2. Those pretty red high-heels in my closet (they make my toes bleed)
3. Vertical stripes (thank you Stacy and Clinton)
4. Jeans that AREN'T petite.. Who knew i was petite?????
5. White. Period.

Five of my favorite toys:
1. The rabbit. (Think Charlotte and Sex and the City)
2. My piano
3. My Pentax Digital SLR
4. All of my stamp/scrapbooking goodie
5. My iPod.

My five banes of existence:
1. Laundry... Does it EVER end??????????
2. Kitty litter.
3. Dishes..
4. Bills/student loans...
5. My **&^$@&#* car.

Tagging 5 Fabulous Fellow Bloggers:
1. Tara
2. Colleen
3. Dawn
4. Denise
5. MJ

If you don't know about the scrapbooking Blog entitled: One Little Word you need to go there RIGHT NOW! Every week they give you a new word to scrap about, and they have an amazing DT to inspire you.. This was the first week I participated on time, and the OLW was "Create." I thumbed through my pictures to find something that would fit with this theme. I wanted to think outside the box a little with regards to the word "create" so I found this pic of my little boy. The journalling reads "Create... friends, dreams, love, happiness, tradition, memories." That exactly what he does, too!













These two cards are CPS sketches, and if you haven't been there, well you better go NOW! I love their weekly cards sketches and the inspiration their DT brings to the table every week.

I don't know if you are, but I'm going to apply for the CPS design team.. I participate in the challenges fairly frequently, so I thought this would be a design team I could probably keep up with... Now I just have to make cards that will WOW Tami! haha...

This first card was made with my new stamp set Joiles Fluer by Lizzie Anne.. I've admired this set for a while, and WOW I can't believe how nice it stamps.. It was fun to colour too.. It's always nice to find a stamp set that I can use my Copics on.
Supplies: Stamps: Lizzie Anne; Paper: Basic Grey; Ink: Ranger Paint dauber, Lamp Black (Ranger), Landscape (Palette), Copic Markers, Ribbon (May Arts and Martha Stewart), Chipboard and Rub-on (Basic Grey).
The second card was a case of this one (although I kind of messed up the L/O a little, but who's measuring?!?).. I used paper from MM and Creative Imaginations.. They make a great pair, don't they?
Supplies: Stamps: Lizzie Anne; Paper: Making Memories, Creative Imaginations; Ink: Lamp Black, Old Paper (Ranger); Copic Markers, Velvet Rik Rak, Metal Tag (MM).











This last card was an attempt to use some scraps that are piling up around my craft area!! Don't you hate scraps? They're too pretty to throw out, but there is just so much!!!!
Supplies: Stamp: Whipper Snapper; Paper: Basic Grey, Bazzill; Ink: Lamp Black (Ranger); Snaps (WeR), Flowers (Prima).

I had a medical procedure done on friday and I was looking forward to sitting at my craft table all day yesterday while I laid in my bed.. I'm glad I got to play with this cute Whipper Snapper stamp. So fun to colour..

I'm gonna going to run some errands, then I'll probably sleep some more. Thanx for stopping by!


Supplies:
Stamps: Whipper Snapper; Paper: DCWV; Ink: Lamp Black (Ranger); Ribbon (May Arts).

Over the past year and a bit at SCS I've become what's called a "challenge chaser" which means the majority of the cards I post are in some way a response to one of the daily challenges. Well, a of late I haven't had the time (or frankly the desire) to sit and make a card that abides by rules... The task of choosing colours, layouts, images, sentiments etc used to paralyze me, but now that I feel I'm getting a handle on this whole card thing, I finally feel like I can create without someone giving me some direction. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the challenges, and will ALWAYS play, but just lately I've wanted to do my own thing. Anyway, this is what I came up with the last couple of days.

*Note my first attempt at the "Kittie747 technique" with the grass. I used "Itty Bitty Backgrounds "(SU!) in a couple of different colours to create the effect. I have no idea if this is how she does it, but I guessed. I made the clouds by cutting some cloud shapes out of cardstock and using my Copic airbrush system.. LOVE the effect!
The next two cards were made using my newest stamp purchase, which is a clear set by Memory Box that consisted of the famous penquin image, as well as a bunch of cute ad-ons like a kite, sunglasses, a grad cap, clothes, you get the idea, so I made a couple of cards in preparation for V-day as I call it. I used my new nestabilities dies to create the die-cut hearts.



Supplies
Hi: Paper: American Crafts, Basic Grey, Buckaroo Blue, Chocolate Chip (SU!); Stamps: You're Cute (SU!); Ink: Jumbo Java (Versamagic), Lamp Black (Ranger);Accessories: Thickers (AC), Cuttlebug embossing folder, Copic markers, CM Cutting System .

Happy Valentine's Day: Paper: SEI, Making Memories, Bazzill; Stamps: Memory Box, Inkakinkado; Nestabilities, Copic Markers.

From Me to You: Paper: Amuse notecard, American Crafts; Stamps: Memory Box, SU! (Sentiment); Inks: Lamp Black (Ranger); Copic Markers, Nestabilities.

I still can't believe it, but it actually snowed on Christmas.. If I believed in miracles I think I would have thought I witnessed one. Snow is both a blessing and a curse here on the west coast. We don't get enough of it to warrant most people getting snow tires, so when we DO get snow, the driving conditions are treacherous.

My boyfriend and I had to travel from one family's house to another on Christmas night, and let me tell you, it wasn't fun. But OH what a sight it was to look out the car window and see everyone's houses lit up with lights and covered with snow...

Okay. Enough of me being sentimental. Tara charged me with designing a fresh layout for a class (coming in February) using a technique developed by someone else (Trudy Sigurdson), using pre-determined products. I said YES! cause I always love a challenge, and the colours I had to work with were beautiful, and I must say this is one of my fav' layouts I've done in a while. I have always loved taking snow shots with my mom's digital SLR, and this winter it's no different, except now I have my own SLR and I can take as many shots as I want. (Over 150 on Christmas day alone) Besides Christmas we haven't got a lot of snow here yet, so I'm hoping for my little guy's sake we will get some more this winter, if not just for the pictures!!











Supplies: Ranger Alcohol Inks and blending solution; Heidi Swapp Ghost shapes; Acrylic letters (unknown); Paper: Sandylion, Bazzill.

I love the Limited Supply Challenge on SCS. It was the first challenge I participated in because I thought it was for people with limited supplies (which is mostly true) but it opened the door to all of the other challenges available. Here's the list I had to abide by when making this card:

Stamps
one stamped image that can be colored
optional: sentiment
optional: an image to ground the main image like an oval, grass, etc.

Paper
any shade of white
2-3 patterns of designer paper
NO other colored cardstock

Tools
NO specialty tools (No punches, No CB, No Piercer, etc)
any coloring tools
sponges OK

Embellishments
one piece of ribbon

Sometimes I look at the limitations and I start to sweat a little, but todays challenge allowed me to use my favourite product: patterned paper! So it was no problem for me. I used one of my new clear stamps by inkadinkado (christmas present) for the sentiment, so that was good.. I can now say I used that set of stamps (even though there are like 100+ stamps..). Thanks for looking, and I hope you all have a great weekend!!

Stamps: Autumn leaves, inkadinkado, amuse

Paper: making memories

Ink: lamp black (ranger)

Accessories: copic markers, velvet rik rak

I'm posting....FINALLY! I made it through the Christmas concert season (as I call it) in-tact, a little tired, and behind on my Christmas duties, but I'm alive. I had to make some Christmas cards for all of the people I will be visiting on the 25th, so I thought I'd use Jen's "Sketch for you to try."
I had these felt shapes by American Crafts hanging around for a while, so I was intent on using them tonight. They don't match the paper (Scenic Route) exactly, but they'll work. Here are a couple of the cards close-up:















Supplies; Paper: Bazzil, Papertrey (white), Scenic Route (Patterned Paper); Stamps: Amuse (Carolers, sweet sentiment), Memory Box (Gingerbread guy), Impress (fa la la la); Ink: Noir (Palette); Copic markers, Liquid Appplique, Felt Shapes (American Crafts), Ribbon (May Arts).

There are a couple of small details that I thought I should mention; I used a gold-leafing pen around the perimeter of the patterned paper. I don't normally like gold, but the paper already had embossed accents of gold in it, so I went with it! Similar to distressing the edges of cardstock, it gives it that special *polished* look we all aim to achieve with our cards. I also coloured the images using Copic markers and used liquid applique on the gingerbread's buttons.

I hope you all have a *very* merry Christmas, I know I will!! (First Christmas with my boyfriend.. should be a blast!)

Using Random.org the winner of my little gift is:

scfranson said...

You have a great blog, congratulations. Our favorite tradition is each of us buying some stocking stuffers for everyone and on Christmas Eve we take turns opening the gifts from our stockings.
Claudia
scfranson@charter.net

Congrats! I will email you and I'll mail it off.. Thank you to everyone who told me about their Christmas traditions. It sounds like everyone is making some really great memories this time of year. I can't wait till Dec. 24th!!!!

I got a chance to put up my tree tonight, here is a pic:

Here are the treats I will give one lucky reader who tells me all about their favourite holiday tradition. I have LOVED reading all of your replies, thanx SO much for sharing that with me! Please leave a comment in the previous post, and I will announce a winner tomorrow night! Take care!

Because I'm a high school music teacher, AND a freelance musician, this is probably the most concert-heavy time of year for me. This week I am busy for 6 nights straight doing concerts (and this is in addition to teaching every day). Next week I get a little bit of a break, so hopefully I can decorate my tree and put up Christmas decorations.. I just haven't had time yet!

Anyway... On to FUN! I am not the "Blog Candy" type of person, but I think I will have to make an exception because 10, 000 hits is a pretty big number and I need to celebrate! I would like you to leave a comment IN THIS POST and let me know what your favourite Christmas tradition is. I will post a pic of what the blog candy will be in a couple of days...

I will tell you my favourite tradition:

My family is Catholic (I'm not practicing anymore) but I still cherish the wonderful tradition of going to midnight mass. I gather up all of my presents (and clothes etc) and head over to my parents on Christmas eve. We usually have a nap around 9:00 (although of late, my brother and I usually stay up playing poker and drinking.. hahahaha) and around 11:00 we all put on our Sunday best, my best friend comes over, and we head to midnight mass... My brother, best friend and I sing at the top of our lungs during the service (usually drowning out the octogenarian choir) and breathe in frankinsense. We get home around 1:30, bring out all the presents from Santa, and head to bed for a well-deserved sleep.

I will post a pic of the Candy over the weekend, but I will make the draw on Sunday night! Feel free to let anyone know about the blog candy, and thank you all for reading my blog. And have a merry Christmas!!