One Sketch, Two Versions

Have you seen the CUTE stamps at Stamps and Smiles? Yikes, they are adorable! I've seen so many wonderful samples, I couldn't resist getting a set of my own. I chose Egg Hunt, and used that set for the Stamps and Smiles Sketch Challenge #9.And here are my versions... I used the same design for both, but changed up the colors.
I can't decide which I like better. I got the idea for layering the scalloped edge punched borders from one of my favorite designers Cindy Haffner. Cindy is a master of layering, I tell ya. I want to be her when I grow up!

The paper is from Stampin Up... for the first one, it's Bashful Blue cardstock and Delicate Dots DSP (from SAB), and the second one is Certainly Celery cardstock with Tea Party DSP. The border punches are Martha Stewart Crafts, except I did use the SU Eyelet Border punch for one of the layers on the green/pink card. And can I say I'm LOVIN' the scalloped oval punch in the SU Occasions Mini Catalog! It works perfectly with the SU Large Oval punch for layering.

The images are colored with my Copic markers. It's hard to tell from the pictures, but I colored the eggs in Mama Bunny's basket with my atyou Spica pens. Love, love, love the sparkle!

Gotta run and eat my lunch. I've managed to sneak one vacation day this week while my kids are on Spring Break, and my DH just brought us lunch. What a nice guy, eh? I think I'll keep him.

Question of the day: What are you doing for Easter?

We are going to church (of course) and then to the Club with friends for brunch. It's one of those special brunches where you have to eat in stages because there is so much food! Like my husband always tells the kids... don't go away hungry! Me, I'm happy that I don't have to clean my house and cook. (hee hee) I'm sure after we get home, the guys will be glued to The Masters on TV, and I shall sneak away to stamp. Bliss!

Whatever you do, I hope you have a truly blessed day. Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Spring!

For this Spring card I used the set I won from Anna Wight called Bo Peep's Sheep. I was on a roll with my Prisma color pencils and OMS from the Gina K Stamp TV projects, so I used them on this card rather than my Copics. You have to work a little harder with colored pencils and OMS than you do with Copics, but it's still a fun technique for a change of pace. The front sheep is cut out and popped up with a Dimensional. The base is Gina K's new base weight cardstock, which I love. She's also carrying it in black and will soon add a rich dark brown (I sampled some in the Floral Frenzy kit and it's awesome!). The rest of the card stock is Stampin Up, as is the DP, which is part of the SAB Delicate Dots paper pack. I added a little paper piercing in the corner, some ribbon and button, and voila!

Question of the day: what is your favorite season?

Mine is a tie between fall and winter, probably because both are so mild here in Southern California. But I can't deny that beautiful sunny days like today, with flowers blooming, hummingbirds outside my window, and blue skys with a light breeze are pretty awesome, too!

Have a wonderful day!

Blog Candy Winner!!!

Hi Everyone! So sorry it's taken me so long to get to my blog candy drawing today. I just wrote down everyone's name on a slip of paper, folded them up, and had my youngest son Avery draw the winning name. And the winner is: Stampowl (Frances Byrne)! Congratulations Frances!!! Please email me your address and I'll get your package of goodies mailed out to you right away!

My sincerest thanks to each and every one of you who promoted the fundraiser for the Victorian Bushfires Appeal. I'm quite sure that our fundraiser would not have been a success without each of your efforts. It's wonderful to see people reaching out to help one another, especially during these very difficult economic times. No effort is too small.

We're all waiting on pins and needles to see who wins the prizes. I believe we'll know soon... it's a matter of getting the final information from Paypal and then drawing for the winners, something the good folks at Splitcoaststampers are taking care of for us. We could not have done this without them, and our sincere thanks goes out to SCS, and Jenn Balcer in particular, for all their help and support.

I'll be back tomorrow with a card or two to share. Have a great evening!

Sweet Forest Friends and Last Chance for Victorian Bushfire Appeal Prizes!

I absolutely love this little stamp set from the Occasions Mini Catalog! It's called Forest Friends, and definitely reminds me of Bambi. I have to apologize for the photo quality... this card looks so much better in real life. It's 4 1/2 inch square, which is a size I haven't tried before. It's perfect for these smaller images. I don't know if you can tell by the picture, but the little bunny is cut out and popped up in front of the deer with a Dimensional. Everything you see is Stampin Up. The DP is from the SAB paper set, and the cardstock is Bashful Blue and Chocolate Chip.

Please don't forget that tomorrow (Friday, April 3rd) is the last day to make a donation to the Non-Raffle for the Victorian Bushfires Appeal and earn some chances to win some awesome prizes. I will also be drawing for my blog candy opportunity on Saturday, so there is still time to enter by spreading the word one last time tomorrow!

Thanks to all who have supported this very worthy cause... and to those of you who actually read my blog!

The question of the day is: What is your favorite TV show (or shows)?

Mine are One Life to Live and General Hospital. Yep, I'm a soap addict. And there is no cure for me. LOL

Another Gina K Stamp TV Card

I am just loving Gina K's Stamp TV and Floral Frenzy Kit! Not only am I trying old techniques again, but it's helping me get my mojo going. There's nothing like settling in and following along after someone else has done the hard work of designing for you. Then it's all about the crafting and relaxing... no pressure. I love it!

This card uses the Thumping With Markers technique. Gina uses Memento markers, but you can do this with Stampin Up markers (that's what I used). It works best with watercolor markers. You could actually get it to work with Copics, but it requires re-moistening with a mist of Colorless Blender. I've never tried it, but I saw Marianne demonstrate it at the Copic Certification class. Still, I think Thumping is really meant for watercolor markers.

Everything here is from the Floral Frenzy kit except the little felt butterfly, which is by Heidi Swapp.

I'll be back soon with more cards to share.

In the meantime, the Question of the Day is: what is your favorite meat (if any)?

Mine is filet mignon... cooked to perfection, of course, at a fine restaurant! I guess I have steak on my mind right now because my husband is grilling some for dinner. Not filet mignon, but it will be tasty just the same.

Stamp TV Sketch Challenge

Have you checked out Stamp TV with Gina K Designs yet? If you haven't, you'd better head over there and watch her videos. Although I've heard of and/or tried most of the techniques before, seeing her demonstrations reminds me of what fun they are and inspire me to try them again. The old becomes new again! Plus, I think Gina K is one of the sweetest people out there in stamping land.

They also post challenges on Stamp TV, so I thought I'd give the Thursday 3/26 Sketch Challenge a try. My version turns the sketch sideways.

One of the techniques Gina teaches on Stamp TV is Coloring with Odorless Mineral Spirits. I've been so wrapped up in my Copics, that I hadn't touched another coloring medium in ages. It was fun to get out the Prisma pencils and OMS and give this a try. I used the same stamped image as does Gina in her videos, which comes from the Stamp TV Floral Frenzy Kit. It was easy to follow along with Gina's instructions to get the technique flowing again. It's fun! I'm going to have to use my pencils more often.

My card uses Gina K's new base weight Chocolate Kiss paper (a few sheets come in the kit), and one of the green layering cardstock pieces and sheer vanilla ribbon that also come in the kit. However, the DP is Die Cuts With a View called Once Upon a Time. That glittery corner was serendipity!

While I was at it, I made a second card with this image just for fun. Everything here is from the kit except the brads, which are from SU (More Mustard). I also tried the double layering trick that Gina uses so often, and I love it!I hope you've had a wonderful weekend. Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the world. And don't forget to support the Non-Raffle for the Victorian Bushfires Appeal!

Question of the day: If you were able to master a talent that you don't already have, what would it be?

For me it would be to play the piano. Oh how I wish I could sit down and play anything I wanted!

Happy Saturday!

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend! I'm happy to say that I've actually had some time to stamp, although my mojo is taking awhile to warm up. I almost didn't share these cards, but then decided "what the heck."

The first card is one I actually did a week or so ago when I thought I'd have time to do all of the March Viva la Verve Sketches. It wasn't to be (sad face), but at least I did two of them (see March 17 post for the other)!
This was for the March Week 1 Sketch. I set this card aside for so long because I could not figure out if the buttons looked right, and I also could not figure out where to put a greeting. Oh well. Sometimes you just have to call it good and move on.

But at least I got to play with this adorable Riding Hood Anya digital stamp by The Greeting Farm, which I colored with Copics. I just love The Greeting Farm images, and Marie has the most fun blog called Splendid Stamping with The Greeting Farm. You should check it out. I love the way she does the Question of the Day. I think I'm going to start doing that. It's a fun way to get to know your blogging friends.

The paper is from the Hog Heaven collection by Sassafras Lass. The pattern is pretty busy... but I thought it appropriate for Little Red Riding Hood to appear as though she were in the forest, on her way to Grandma's House. Besides, I love the phrase "Hog Heaven." That's a good place to be, don't you know! LOL

The next card is from a set by Anna Wight for Whipper Snapper Designs called Bo Peep's Sheep. (I'm sensing a pattern here... children's stories...hmmmmm). I actually won this set from Anna herself as surprise blog candy!!!! Woo hoo!!! Not only is Anna one of my very favorite artists, she also blogs about life on her farm in Texas, which I find absolutely facsinating. Which is so funny because I am NOT the outdoor type. But I love her stories and videos about the animals (lots of baby chicks these days), and of course her artwork is always fun and inspirational.This card was for the TCP Tuesday Sketch, which I saw on Jen del Muro's blog.I don't have any TCP stamps (frown), but I liked the sketch and thought I'd give it a whirl. Unfortunately, it isn't quite as eye catching as I thought it would be (not the sketch... my version). For one thing, I should have embossed the yellow strip with a CB folder. (Don't you hate when you figure stuff like that out too late?) For another, I think the paper washes out too much. It's the cutest paper by SEI, but perhaps too soft. I don't know.

I hear the dryer buzzing, so off I go. Thanks for stopping by, and PLEASE don't forget to make a donation to the Non-Raffle for Victorian Bushfires Appeal and encourage your friends to donate, too. This is a very worthy cause, and we need your help! Not to mention the fact that it gives you chances to win some awesome prizes. Have you seen the prize gallery lately? Wowser!

Before I go, here is my Question of the Day (inspired by Marie):

What is your favorite coffee drink?

Mine is a Starbucks Grande Vanilla Latte, which is what I'm drinking right now!

Non-Raffle for Victorian Bushfires Appeal Extended thru April 3rd!

Hi everyone! This is a quick post, and I'll be back soon with another, but I wanted to make you all aware (if you don't know already) that the Non-Raffle for the Victorian Bushfires Appeal has been extended through April 3rd. So far, we've raised a little more than $2000, but we think we can do better! We've got approxiamtely 100 prizes in the gallery now. Please post on your blogs and encourage all your friends to donate money to earn chances to win... and help the victims of those devastating fires.

I will likewise extend the blog candy opportunity through April 3rd.

Thanks so much for your support, and I mean that most sincerely.

I actually have a card or two to share, so I'll be back soon!