Look, Ma, No DP!!!

When was the last time you made a card without using Designer Paper? I know it's been a loooooong time for me. I remember when I first started stamping about 8 years ago, we never used DP on our cards. The rules of the game then were "speckle and sponge" and creating background papers with wheels and random stamping. I have to say that I prefer the DP look, but sometimes it's fun to go back to the simpler days.

I actually made this card a week or so ago and forgot to post it until today when... guess what!... it's finally raining in So Cal! Yay, hooray!!! I love rain. I really do love rain. Probably because we get so little of it here. And boy do we need it. It's been such a dry winter that we're in for a really hot, dry summer and lots of wildfires. Yuck.

So, this is me, doing my rain dance! Actually, it's a stamp set from Paper Pretties called Rainy Day Friends. Sophia and her doggie are colored with Copic Markers. The cardstock is SU's Taken With Teal and PTI's Summer Sunrise, as is the ribbon.

I think I'll go outside and splash in a puddle, just for the heck of it. Have a great day!

I'm Off to CHA!

Just kidding. Actually, I sorta am off to CHA. My friend Susan and I were lucky enough to get into Marianne Walker's Copic Certification class tomorrow. She had a few spots open to the public, so we pounced on the opportunity. Anaheim is only about 40 miles from where I live (that's how close I am to the Happiest (and Most Expensive) Place on Earth... Disneyland!).

Not only have I been dying to take Marianne's class, but what a bonus that it's at the same time as many of you, who I "know" through blogger world and SCS, will be there! I'll be the one whose nose is pressed to the glass, wishing I could actually get into the big show...but maybe next time. My dream is to be a designer and teacher (or maybe even involved in retail) some day. In the meantime, I can't wait to learn more about coloring with Copics and experience at least part of the CHA excitment.

The card I'm sharing today is another featuring the ribbon tying technique in my last post. This shows the technique using a narrower bow...a nice, taylored look. And I love that velvet ribbon, which I bought from Taylored Expressions.
I absolutely LOVE this image from Paper Pretties... the Stamp of the Month for December. It reminds me of when I was a kid. I've always loved crafts of all kinds, but I most especially have fond memories of making valentines and valentine boxes at school for the exchange. Those were the good old days before mass produced cartoon Valentines and candy candy candy. *sigh*

The paper is digital from Memory Mixer, but notice that I accidentally put the paper in the wrong way in my CB Swiss Dots embossing folder and ended up debossing instead of embossing. It looked kinda cool, so I left it that way.

Consider this a "before" Copic class example. I'll try this image again after tomorrow with my newly acquired skills.

Speaking of Susan, I wanted to post this lovely card, which she sent for my birthday. Be sure to visit Susan's gallery... coffeeforme on SCS. She's my #1 stamping and scrapbooking buddy. I'm always talking her into crafting adventures. She has never tried Copics before, so she's in for a treat! Of course, she says hanging out with me costs too much money and she made me promise not to tempt her anymore this year because she's put herself on a strict budget (she's waaaay more disciplined than me). We'll just see about that...*grin*

Thanks for stopping by!