My Last Day as a Kraftin' Kimmie Guest Designer!

I had a blast being a Guest Designer with the talented gals on Kraftin' Kimmie's Design Team. They're so very talented, but best of all, they're a fun and zany bunch!

I decided to play along with their last challenge for August!

Here's what Kimmie said about this week's challenge:

Welcome back for another totally fun challenge here at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps!!! We've got a great challenge for you again this week!! Come along and play with us!

This week our hostess is SHERI!! Her challenge for you this week is EMBELLISH IT!! So create a card, scrapbook page or altered item (with a Kraftin' Kimmie stamp) and share it with us here! Get creative! Add lots of fun embellies!! Have some krafty fun and join us this week because we'd LOVE to see your KKS designs. We hope you can play along for your chance to WIN some Kraftin' Kimmie rubbah!!!

All our new AUGUST STAMPS are available now!!! We've got so many amazing new Halloween and Fall stamps from each of our artists!! And this week is your last chance to scoop them up at a discount in our GIMME KIMMIES KITS!! ALSO our new Krafty Kardmaking Kits are available filled with patterned paper, cardstock, card bases, envelopes, twine and lot of fun embellishments!! Be sure to check them out!! AND this week's FRUGAL FRIDAY SPECIALS are up with and extra big helping of our favourite stamps on 25-50% OFF!! OH YEAH!! We've also got lots of NEW PAPER PADS! Wheeeee!

Now go ahead and check out the wonderful creations by our Krafty Girls featuring this week's challenge!! If you join us and play along, you could WIN a Kraftin' Kimmie Stamp!!! 

Here's my take on the challenge!

Bella was stamped using Tuxedo Black Memento ink onto Neenah cardstock and colored with Copic markers which I'll list below. She took a ride through my Big Kick to be die-cut, stayed in the die, while Squeezed Lemonade Distress ink was sponged lightly around the edges. She was then released and put aside.

The patterned papers are from the old, but beloved, Oh Baby Boy collection by Basic Grey. They were layered and Black Soot Distress ink was sponged on the edges.

Maybe it's her skull barrette or maybe it's her familiars, but I always thought that Bella was the tiniest bit "off" in a slightly wicked way, so I embellished accordingly. Glittery skull tape was added over the yellow checkerboard paper. A Tattered Florals Alterations die was used to die cut the flower from the patterned solidish paper. They were molded a bit and a skull cameo was added to the center. The flower was layered atop some webby, but sparkly Prima trim. Memory Box' Scary Spiders (on sale now!) were die-cut from black cardstock as was a Poppy Stamps' Walking Cat.

Thanks for visiting today!

Copic Markers Used: 
Skin: YR0000, RY000, R00
Hair: To, T1, T2, T3, T4, Y21, YR20, YR30
Dress: B00, B2, B14, B16
Kitties: C00, C0, C1, C3

I shall enter this card in the following challenges:
• Left of Center #13: Girly
• Paper Crafting Journey: Anything Goes
• 7 Kids College Fund Challenge Blog: Anything Goes--Markers
• Simon Says Stamp Challenge: Anything Goes

Bombshell Stamps Hump Day Hop!

Alison, our Challenge Captain, has decreed that August's theme is Cowboys and Indians! Bombshell Stamps has lots of fantastic images to go along with this theme in rubber and digi, so you should see some really great projects today!

I decided to double up on the challenges and used August's sketch, designed by moi! There's still time to take the sketch, use your Bombshell stamps, make it your own, and share it with us on Bombshell's blog or on Bombshell's forum for a chance to win a fabulous prize.

I'm the penultimate stop on the hop! You should have arrived here from my pal Kelli's blog, where I'm sure you saw something amazing!

Here's the sketch:

Here's my card:

I decided to make another hybrid card. The Cowgirl is from the Retro Cowgirls Rubber Stamp Set. The split-rail fences are from the Desert Background Digital Stamp Set.

My first step was to resize the split-rail fence using Photo Elements and place it on a blank canvas. I then flipped the fence horizontally and placed it on the canvas opposite the first fence to create an entry way. The fences were printed out onto Neenah cardstock using a laser printer. The Cowgirl, from the Retro Cowgirls Rubber Stamp Set, was stamped using Tuxedo Black Memento ink. The scene was colored with Copic markers which I'll list below.

The colors were chosen to match the patterned papers from the French Country 6x6 and 8x8 pads by Graphic 45. I see that these are out of stock at the moment, but you can find tons of gorgeous 6x6 pads HERE! The sentiment is from the Western Gal set, which is available in both rubber and as a digital set. I used the rubber set to stamp the sentiment onto the patterned paper using Olympia Green VersaFine ink. I like to use VersaFine ink when stamping onto patterned paper or when stamping a design with fine lines!

Thanks for visiting today! Now hop along to visit Jenn's blog! I'm sure she has something fabulous to share with you!

In case you get lost, here's the full roster!
Bombshell Blog
Alison
Kim
Glittery Katie
Alaine
Marnie
Kelli
Kathi
Jenn

Copic markers used:
Skin:
E000, E00, E11, R20, BV00
Hair: Y23, Y26, YR31
Outfit: E4, E7, E19, E27
Fence: E21, E23, E25, E27
Grass: YG11, YG13, YG17
Dirt Path: E40, Ed41, E43
Clouds: C00, C0
Sky: Custom less than B21

I shall enter this card in the following challenges:
• Color Me Creative Challenge #75: Anything Goes
• Left of Center Challenge #13: Girly

Two-Fer Tuesday Blog Hop!

Today the Bombshell Girls and Pin-ups join forces with Altered Pages Artsociates to hold a huge blog hop that showcases Bombshell Stamps together with digital backgrounds from Altered Pages!

Here's a little blurb about Altered Pages.

At Altered Pages we Hope to Alter YOUR Creativity ~ so join us in the adventure!  We pride ourselves on providing the BEST customer service possible!   Find Collages, inks, papers, art tools, doo-dads, paints, Gelatos, embellishments. and so much more at ALTEREDPAGES.COM. Our Design Team will take you to new levels of inspiration with projects and Kits available for purchase.   Join our newsletter for specials and deals!  Follow our Blog to win prizes and join challenges!

HOP RULES:  
Our rules are simple, simply hop and stop by each participant's blog, become a follower, and leave them some love by way of a comment.

HOP PRIZES:
There will be two randomly drawn winners from those who follow the above rules and join the fun.

Prize One
A sponge brush, silly sticks, a tube of acrylic paint, and a stencil from Altered Pages PLUS  Bombshell's Hula Girl stamp set.

Prize Two
A Niji Pearlescent Watercolor Set and Gold Leafing and Tape from Altered Pages PLUS Bombshell's Wild Horses stamp set.

Winners will be announced Tuesday September 3.

You should have come here from Stephanie Siatta's blog.

My card features Bombshell's Speed Shop set (rubber), which is one of the sets in the Hot Rod Collection. I paired it with Altered Pages' Collaged Backgrounds III set, which has four different maps! I love old maps, so this was the perfect choice!

Go grab a cuppa or a cocktail and set for a spell whilst I bore you spitless with my so-called creative process.

My first step was to select and resize the map of Russia from Altered Pages' Collaged Backgrounds III set, using PhotoElements. I printed it out once in color and twice in greyscale using an inkjet printer. I cut one of the black and white versions into strips, then adhered them in position atop the color version. I grabbed the second black and white copy and die cut a circle using a Nestabilities die. Keeping the map in the die, I airbrushed E40, E41, and E43 over the metal die. With the airbrushed map circle still in the die, I temporarily adhered it to the spliced-together map, and airbrushed used Y11, Y13, and Y18 Copic markers over the Tornado stencil by Andy Skinner for Tando Creative. I pulled up the circle, and set everything aside for a bit.

I hadn't stamped the Roadster from the Speed Shop set because I hadn't used it in awhile and it was feeling lonely. Um no. I used it because I felt like using something a bit edgier with the antique map. Anyway, I stamped the Roadster using Tuxedo Black Memento ink, colored it with a variety of Copic markers, then "fussy-cut" it, and set it aside.

I grabbed the spliced together map and edged it with Wild Honey, Spiced Marmalade, Fired Brick, and Black Soot Distress inks.  A Pinked Circle Nestabilities die was used to die-cut black sparkly vellum, which was used to mat the airbrushed map circle. The circle was layered in position atop the spliced map piece and Wild Honey, Spiced Marmalade, and Fired Brick Distress inks were sponged over the Arrows and Hearts stencil by The Crafter's Workshop. The Roadster was adhered over the circle, so it would appear to be driving along the chevron-ish arrows.

A Cloud Speech Bubble punch was used to punch cloudy clear glassine envelope (saved from buying stamps at the Post Office). It wasn't opaque enough, so I punched a second one and adhered them to each other, then adhered it under the Roadster's exhaust pipe. Three phrases from Ideology Remnants Rub-ons were added to the speech bubble.

Jet Black StazOn ink was used to stamp the compass from Bombshell's Homeward Bound set onto glassine. It was die-cut with a Nestabilities die, crumpled, and then heat set. Copic markers were used to add some dots along the perimeter of the circle (Is that the right term? I got a D in Geometry!) and to add a yellow center.  This piece was adhered to the top left of the card. Tire Mark Washi Tape was used to add a bit more visual interest and to balance the card.

Now that you've gotten through all the above, your next stop on the hop is Gia Lau's Blog!

Thanks for visiting today!

Here's the blog hop order in case you got lost!

Bombshell Stamps Blog

Kelli Green

Leslie Rahye

Katie Shanahan-Jones

Trisha Too

Alison Heikkila

Roni Johnson

Jodi Elam

Lyneen Jesse

Alaine Medio

Daniella Hayes

Kim Gaughan

Becky Voth

Sharon Rogers

Tristan Robin Blakeman

Jenn Cochran

Danie May

Marnie Bushmole
Stephanie Siatta

Kathi Rerek
Gia Lau
Altered Pages Blog

I shall enter this card in the following challenge:

• Inspiration Journal's August Challenge: My Summer Vacation

Bombshell Stamps Muse Monday!

It's the last Muse Monday for August. This month, we are showcasing Growing Hearts on the Bombshell Blog. This set is on sale for the month of August, so snag it at a special price while you can!

 

Here's my card featuring this versatile set!

 

The Mother Muerta image was stamped with Black Tuxedo Memento ink onto Neenah cardstock and Eclipse Tape. The Eclipse Tape image was fussy cut to be used as a mask. Mother Muerta was colored with Copic markers, masked, then took a ride through my Big Kick inside a Nestabilities die. The piece was kept in the die and Milled Lavender, Victorian Violet, Tattered Rose, and Shaded Lilac Distress inks were sponged over and around the image. When I was pleased with the coloration, I lifted the masks and put the image aside.

A sheet of patterned paper from BoBunny's Isabella 6x6 pad (currently sold out, but lots of wonderful new pads are available HERE) was slit with Fiskar's Fingertip Craft Knife and the left edge of the stamped, sponged die cut was slid into the slit. The seam was covered with satin ribbon, which adds a touch of texture to the piece. 

Thanks for visiting today!

Happy Bird Day!

You may have noticed that I just love birds (probably because I'm bird-brained), so when I saw Teeny Tiny Blue Jay digi at SCACD, I had to have him! He's one of two pages filled with fabulous Digital Stamps by Carmen Medlin for SCACD.

Here he is:

I resized him using PhotoElements and printed him out onto Neenah cardstock using my laser printer. After consulting with my birding guide, I colored him with Copic markers, which I'll list below. I die cut the image panel using a Circles Nestabilities die, kept the paper in the die, loosely traced the circle, then popped him out. I die cut a piece of scrap cardstock using SCACD's Breezy Branches Statement Corner die, then traced around some of the branches, so he'd have a perch. That was colored with Copics as well. It looks a bit funky, but I didn't feel like fussy cutting him to perch him on a die cut, so I went with the lazy approach. :D His eyes and beak were coated with a layer of Clear Gelly Roll Glaze pen for dimension and shine.

The patterned papers are from the (hoarded) Marrakesh collection by Basic Grey. The zig zag dealies are even older Doodle Bug Frills, which I'm also hoarding. The sentiment is from justjohanna/Odd Bird Planet.  I'm trying to mix old with new in the attempt to clear out some stash.

By the way, the blue is much more a royal blue irl. The photo was taken outside in full sunlight, so I don't know why the color is off, but it is. Sorry. :D

I used the following sketch from Unscripted Sketches, called Flashback #7.

Interesting fact for you! Unlike many other species in the bird kingdom, where the female is usually drabber, both male and female blue jays sport the same coloration!

Another interesting fact! I've been remiss in my blog surfing and commenting lately. I've been busy with family get togethers, house as money pit, and crafting stuff. Plus our 33rd anniversary was Friday. I was a five year old child bride. Things should calm down soon.

Thanks for visiting today!

Copic Markers used:
Bird: B02, B04, B06, B32, B34, N0, N2, N4, N6

I shall enter this card in the following challenges:
• Unscripted Sketches: Flashback #7
• Avenue 613 #34: Anything Goes
• Crazy 4 Challenges #200: Animals 
• Card Makin' Mamas #73: Black, white, and one color
• Creative Corner Challenges: Cute Critters

Fairy Queen!

Here's a card using Fairy Queen, who is one of the new Digital Stamps by Carmen Medlin for SCACD. Isn't she pretty?

I reduced her slightly using Photoshop Elements and printed her onto Neenah cardstock using my laser printer. She was colored usings Copic markers, which I'll list below. I added some shading using chalk pencils and then used my Wink of Stella Clear Glitter pen to add some sparkle to the jewels on her headdress, her dress, her wings, and the path she's walking.

The patterned papers are from the Fairy Rhymes 6x6 pad by Prima.  I think it's sold out now, but there are plenty of awesome pads for you to check out HERE! Since I opted to make the Fairy Queen's outfit yellow, the paper needed some more yellow too, so I colored a few of the butterflies to match. I tattered up the edges using my Tim Holtz Distress tool, edged 'em with a Copic marker, then added a touch of Wink of Stella Clear Glitter pen for even more sparkly bits!

Here's a close up so that you can see the glittery parts. I propped up the card on some shrubbery to take the photo. Ha!

I didn't add a sentiment yet. I'll add one when I decide who should get the card and for what occasion. The card was finished with a few pearls to contribute to the regal touch.

Thanks for visiting today!

Copic markers used:
Skin: E000, E00, R000, BV000 and chalk
Hair: C4, C6, C6, C7, C8
Outfit: Y11, Y13, Y21, Y23, Y26, BG70, BG72, and a custom blend of BG 70 and 72
Background: too many to list :D

I shall enter this card in the following challenges:
• Card Crafter's Circle #89: Bright Colors
• Digitally Sweet #50: Summer Colors

Polka Dotted Birthday Card!

It had been a while since I had gotten out my Paper Artsy Fresco Finish Paints and played, so I decided to do so for the Stampotique Designer's Challenge #112 -- Polka Dots.

I love these paints and have been watching all the fabulous videos posted by Leandra, who is Mrs. Paper Artsy. I watched her create a background using the reverse side of Cut 'N Dry foam with the paints, so I decided to give that a go.

Here's what happened!

I sponged the paints onto 140 lb. Mixed Media paper by Strathmore, which holds up to a lot of abuses. When I was happy with the background, I got out a mess of stencils from The Crafter's Workshop and sponged a variety of greens over them.  I used Tiny Circles, Swiss Dots, Layered Beads, and one of my first TCW stencils, 12x12 Circles all Around.

When I was happy with it all, I edged it with Peeled Paint and Broken China Distress inks and put it aside.

In keeping with the Polka Dot theme, I stamped  Stampotique Originals' Owl with Wings (It's out of stock at SCACD but there are other stamps that are on sale. Just sayin'.) onto polka dot patterned paper from a Lost and Found 6x6 pad by My Mind's eye, then colored it using Copic markers. When I was done coloring the owl,  the piece was die cut using a Nestabiities Circle die, and kept in the die while I lightly traced around the interior with a C0 marker. The piece was removed from the circle die and I added a cloudy sky background behind the owl and the branch. I added Glossy Accents to the owl's eyes, then ran out to get my CSA share, which gave it time to dry without me being tempted to touch it!

Sentiments from justjohanna/Odd Bird Planet were stamped onto another polka dotted piece of patterned paper 'cause I was getting totally dotty! *grin*

Thanks for visiting today!

I shall enter this card in the following challenges:
• Stampotique Designer's Challenge #112 -- Polka Dots.
• Come and Get It Challenges: Things with Wings 
• Hobby Cutz #13: Create Your Own Background

Gryphon, a Magical Creature!

Have you checked out SCACD's new line of Digital Stamps? If not, why not? Designed by Carmen Medlin for SCACD, there's a fabulous variety of images that are so much fun to color!

Here's Gryphon, who is truly a magical creature!

Gryphon was reduced in size and printed twice, once onto white Neenah cardstock  and once onto text-weight paper. The text-weight paper version was fussy-cut to be used for a mask, while the other image was colored with Copic markers.

 When I was done coloring the image, I colored a grey rectangle to form the top of the wall to act as a perch for the Gryphon.

I applied removable adhesive to the fussy cut version and temporarily adhered the mask over the image. I used a circle die to die-cut Eclipse tape, which was placed over colored, masked Gryphon. The  top of the "wall", the Gryphon, and the "sky" parts of the image werecovered with Post-It notes and a base coat of light grey was airbrushed. The ever-so-useful Bricks stencil by The Crafter's Workshop was taped over the base and two shades of darker grey were airbrushed over the stencil.

The stencil was lifted, details were added to the brick wall, then this portion was covered with Post-It notes, while the black night sky was airbrushed around the "moon" and the Gryphon.

All masks were lifted and clear Stardust Pure Glitter gel pen and Clear Glaze gel pen were added to the Gryphon's violet eyes.

The patterned papers are from my ancient and hoarded stash of Black Tie by Basic Grey. Four SCACD Classic Corner die cuts were used to finish the card.

Oh! FYI, here's some useful information from Wikipedia!

The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (Greek: γρύφων, grýphōn, or γρύπων, grýpōn, early form γρύψ, grýps; Latin: gryphus) is a legendary creature with the body, tail, and back legs of a lion; the head and wings of an eagle; and an eagle's talons as its front feet. As the lion was traditionally considered the king of the beasts and the eagle was the king of the birds, the griffin was thought to be an especially powerful and majestic creature. The griffin was also thought of as king of the creatures. Griffins are known for guarding treasure and priceless possessions

Thanks for visiting today!

Kraftin' Kimmie Release -- Last Day!

Now that Kraftin Kimmie's new sneak peeks have been shown, it's time for the last blog hop!

Before I show you my card, here's what Kimmie had to say:

Well welcome back!! We're so excited! It’s our AUGUST RELEASE Day at KRAFTIN' KIMMIE STAMPS!! And we’re celebrating with a KRAFTY HOP!!

Over the last few days in our Krafty Peeks, we have shared lots of AMAZING new stamps from all our artists for our Halloween release! We’ve got something for everyone!! We've got TWO WICKED new sets from Nicole.......FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE! and TIME FOR A COFFIN BREAK!! We’ve got TWO sweet new TRICK OR TREATER sets from Cheryl……HEY GHOULFRIEND! and YOU'RE FANG-TASTIC! We have a spoooky but cute new set from Thais Narciso ...... HAPPY HAUNTING! and also artist Rachelle Anne Miller has a trio of awesome new stamps of FABULOUS FALL ! WHEW!!

Not only do we have amazing new rubber stamps for all your fall and Halloween creations.....but we've made your creating even EASIER with our *exclusive* new KRAFTY KARDMAKING KITS!!! And we've also got ADD ON packages, in case you want MORE of the goodies found in your kits!

You will get to see ALL of the new images today as you sit back and enjoy our AUGUST Krafty Hop! As you hop from blog to blog, be sure to leave a comment at each and every stop because some lucky stampers will win packages of these incredible stamps from the new release!! And when you’re done hoppin’, be sure to head over to the Kraftin’Kimmie shop, because ALL the new images are available NOW!

Now let's celebrate with our NEW RELEASE and get hoppin' and shoppin'!!

Here's my card!

I decided to mix things up and used the pumpkin and gravestone from the Beyond the Grave set with the cutie cat girl from Hey Ghoulfriend!

I first stamped all images onto Eclipse tape and fussy cut them to be used as masks. Using my trusty Stamp-a-ma-jig, I stamped the cat girl, masked her, stamped the gravestone, masked it, and then stamped the pumpkin. I kept the masks on, taped a horizon line using repositionable Scotch Tape, then airbrushed the sky using the Copic Airbrush system. When I was done, I used a toothpick to load a toothbrush with Opaque White, then flicked the brush to create a sprinkling of stars. The sky was covered with Post-It Notes and I airbrushed the grass.

All masks were  lifted and I colored the scene with Copic markers. I used Memory Box' Debutante Frame to die cut orange patterned paper from the Enchanted 6x6 pad by Authentique. The Creepy Web Frame was die cut from Black cardstock. I layered the frame over the stamped scene, then layered the Creepy Web Frame over that. A Memory Box Dangling Spider was die cut from black cardstock, his legs were gently bent, and his body popped up a bit.  He was positioned to hold the sentiment in his feet (claws, mandibles, whatever they're called)!

Kraftin' Kimmie Sneak Peeks -- Day Four!

Woo-hoo! It's been a fun release week at Kraftin Kimmie Stamps and I've enjoyed partying with the big kids on Kraftin' Kimmie's Design Team.  The new sets are fabulous and will be available for purchase TONIGHT! Woo-hoo!

Here's what Kimmie says about today's release:

Welcome back to day FOUR of our AUGUST Kraftin' Kimmie Peeks!!! The awesome new stamps just keep on comin'!!

We are SO thrilled to share the newest trio of stamps from Rachelle! Let's call the collection......FABULOUS FALL!!! It includes stamps called.... Fall Fun!, I pick YOU! and Pick of the Patch!!!

This week our hostess is DEBORAH!! And her challenge is ANYTHING GOES!! So create a card, scrapbook page or altered item with a Kraftin' Kimmie stamp with no restrictions! Use any sketch, any design, any embellishments because Anything Goes! Have some krafty fun and join us this week because we'd LOVE to see your KKS designs. We hope you can play along for your chance to WIN some NEW Kraftin' Kimmie rubbah!!!

Would you like to know who won the new Happy Haunting stamp set that we previewed yesterday???!! Well, you'll just have to wait until TONIGHT at this month's ONLINE RELEASE PARTY!!! Hope you can join us for all the fun and excitement and prizes!!! You can read all the details about how you can join us RIGHT HERE!

All the Krafty Girls listed below have lots of super FUN designs to show you featuring these sweet new stamps from Rachelle! And while you're hopping around, be sure to leave a comment because we are giving away some stamps!!! You could WIN the new FABULOUS FALL stamps!!!!! {All of this week's winners will be announced at the online party tonight!}

So come and hang out with us tonight for all the LIVE action krafty fun at the release party and then come on back here tomorrow to check out the release day blog hop! ALL the new stamps AND our amazing new product, the KRAFTY KARDMAKING KIT, will be available on Saturday night at the KKStamps Shop!!

Happy hoppin'! 

Here's my card for today!

The scene was stamped with Tuxedo Black Memento ink and colored with Copic markers. When I was done coloring the main image, I die cut it using a Nestabilities Labels 11 Grand die, then lightly outlined inside of the die using a C00 marker. I added some grass below the little boy and the leaf pile, then made a cloudy sky using the negative left from the two smaller Memory Box Cloud dies as well as cloud punch. I lightly traced them, then added some puffiness to the clouds with C0 and C00 markers. When that was done, I just added a nice blue sky using a custom blended "less than B21" marker. Clear Gel Glaze pen was added to the dog's nose, his eyes, the little boy's eyes, the rake handle, and the leaves.

I seem to be on a use older patterned paper kick lately. The striped paper (punched with a Fiskar's Border Punch) is from Basic Grey's Mellow collection and the kid scene and the trees are from the Mellow 6x6 pad. They were matted with paper from Basic Grey's Fusion collection, which was edged with Fired Brick Distress Ink.The base layer is from Graphic 45's French Country 8x8 pad.

I braided yellow, blue, and green hemp twine from American Crafts and used it to separate some layers and add some visual interest.

Kraftin' Kimmie Sneak Peeks -- Day Three!

I don't know about you, but I sure have been having fun playing along with the talented ladies of Kraftin' Kimmie's DT. The weather has reflected the fall theme of August's Kraftin' Kimmie release with some cooler temperatures, which is a welcome relief!

Here's what Kimmie had to say for Day Three!

Welcome back to day THREE of our AUGUST Kraftin' Kimmie Peeks!!! Today we are sharing a super cute new set by artist Thais Narciso! It's called.......HAPPY HAUNTING!!

Would you like to know who won the new stamp sets that we previewed yesterday???!! Well, you'll just have to wait until Saturday night at this month's ONLINE RELEASE PARTY!!! Hope you can join us for all the fun and excitement and prizes!!! You can read all the details about how you can join us RIGHT HERE!

All the Krafty Girls listed below have lots of super FUN designs to show you featuring this ADORABLE new set, so be sure to hop over to each of them! And while you're there, be sure to leave a comment because we are giving away one of EACH of the new sets!!! YOU could WIN the new stamp set!!!!! {All of this week's winners will be announced at the online party on Saturday night!}

Then come on back tomorrow to check out the some MORE new stamps....this time from Rachelle Anne Miller in combination with this week's challenge. And ALL the new stamps will be available on Saturday night at the KKStamps Shop!!

Happy hoppin'!

I used a super-cute image from the Happy Haunting set to create this card!

The image was stamped using Tuxedo Black Memento ink and colored with Copic markers. A Nestabilities die was used to cut out the image.

The patterned papers are from Graphic 45's Halloween in Wonderland Collection and from Basic Grey's Fusion collection. I had planned on using a fabulous plaid piece of patterned paper from a small pad, but alas, I put the pad Somewhere Safe, aka the Craftroom Black Hole. Does your crafty space have one of those? After looking for an hour (and finding some useful stuff), I gave up and went with the Fusion paper. It does work, sort of. :D

Bamboo Leaves Memento ink was used to stamp the sentiment, which was die-cut using a Fancy Labels tag. I left the white cardstock in the die and used a Y000 Copic marker over the sentiment and the white space, leaving a white border. This was mounted on the matching green cardstock die cut. Some very old ancient fabric leaves from my stash were used to finish the card!

Kraftin' Kimmie August Sneak Peeks -- Day 2!

Yahoo! It's Day Two of August's Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Sneak Peeks and I'm still playin' along!

And here's what THE Kimmie has to say!

Welcome back to day two of our AUGUST Kraftin' Kimmie Peeks!!! Today we are excited to share TWO supah cute new sets by artist Cheryl Alger just in time for Trick or Treatin'!!! We are sharing samples today featuring.......HEY GHOULFRIEND! and YOU'RE FANG-TASTIC!!

Would you like to know who won the new stamp sets that we previewed yesterday???!! Well, you'll just have to wait until Saturday night at this month's ONLINE RELEASE PARTY!!! Hope you can join us for all the fun and excitement and prizes!!! You can read all the details about how you can join us RIGHT HERE!

All the Krafty Girls listed below have lots of super FUN designs to show you, so be sure to hop over to each of them! And while you're there, be sure to leave a comment because we are giving away one of EACH of the new sets!!! You could WIN one of the new HEY GHOULFRIEND! and YOU'RE FANG-TASTIC! stamp sets!!!!! {All of this week's winners will be announced at the online party on Saturday night!}

Then come on back tomorrow to check out MORE fun new stamps we have to share with you! And ALL the new stamps will be available on Saturday night at the KKStamps Shop!!

Happy hoppin'!

Here's today's card which features a magical new stamp from the new You're Fang-tastic stamp set by Cheryl Alger!

The seriously cute wizard was stamped with Onyx Black Memento ink and colored with Copic markers. The image panel was die-cut with a Nestabilities die and kept in the die so I could add a faint outline and a horizon line. A dotty background was added and the edges of the die cut were colored with Clear Wink of Stella Glitter pen, which was also added to the Star Flourish yellow die cuts and the sentiment panel. The patterned papers are all from scraps of old Eerie patterned paper by Basic Grey.

The card was perched on my daughter's car to be photographed and the reflection actually shows all the glitter much better.

Kraftin' Kimmie's August Release Sneak Peeks-- Day 1!

Today's the first day of Kraftin' Kimmie's new release week and I'm pleased as punch to be able to play along with her super-talented Design Team to present it to you, especially since this release features Halloween and/or Fall-themed stamps. Personally, I think Halloween is the most wonderful time of the year!

Here's what Kimmie's got to say!

It's time for Kraftin' Kimmie's AUGUST 2013 RELEASE!!!!! We've been dying to share this month's new STAMPS with you!! We've got SO many exciting things going on....so let's get to it!

We are kicking off the *New* AUGUST Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps previews today and we're SO excited to share these new stamps with you from artist, Nicole Aspinall!!! Today we’d like to introduce you to these spooooooky new sets ….FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE! and TIME FOR A COFFIN BREAK!

These fabulous images are perfect for your Halloween cards, tags and treat bags!! And you'll see this in the amazing samples today!

We have lots of inspiration from the Krafty Girls and special Krafty Guests, so hop around....and be sure to comment at each and every stop because one lucky stamper is going to WIN BOTH of these new SPOOOOOKY sets!!! {All of this week's winners will be announced at the online party on Saturday night!}

OH YES!! We are having another amazing ONLINE RELEASE PARTY!!! It's happening this SATURDAY evening at our Facebook fan page....and you can get ALL the details HERE!!! ALL the new stamps we're sharing over the next few days will be released on SATURDAY!!

Happy kraftin'!

 Here's my card featuring two of the images from the Beyond the Grave set by Nicole Aspinall!

The Treat Bag image and two Jack O' Lanterns were stamped onto Judikins Eclipse Tape and fussy cut. The Treat Bag was stamped again onto Neenah cardstock, masked, then the Jack O'Lanterns were stamped so they slightly overlapped the bag and were masked too. The background was sponged over the masked images using Scattered Straw and Wild Honey Distress inks.  Post-It notes were used to mask the "wall" and Black Soot Distress ink was sponged over a Cityscape stencil by The Crafter's Workshop to mimic the checkerboard pattern in the patterned papers.

The Jack O'Lanterns and the Treat Bag were colored using Copic markers and the candies were all covered with clear Gelly Glaze pen to add dimension and shine to them. Mats were cut from Bo-Bunny Double Dot 6x6 pads to match the Copic colors I used. The Jack O'Lantern paper and checkerboard papers are from Graphic 45's Happy Haunting 8x8 pad.

I used a Martha Stewart Drippy Goo Border punch to add some interest (and a purple element) to the mat. Fish-tale Die-Namics were also used to to anchor the image and sentiment panels.

Be extraordinary!

 

That's Birdy Shoes by Stampotique. Isn't he just way too cute?  I think he's extraordinary, especially when he's sporting some colorful plumage so he can stand out from the crowd.

He was stamped onto Neenah cardstock and onto a double layer of Eclipse Tape by Judikins, which were fussy cut to be used as masks. I stamped the birdy on the right, masked him, stamped the birdy in the middle, masked him, then stamped the last birdy on the left. The masks were kept in place while I colored in a floor for them. Then the masks were removed and all three birdies were colored in Toner Grey Copic markers. 

An additional Birdy Shoes image was stamped, colored in orange, yellow, and violet to comply with the current challenge over at the Stampotique Designers Challenge blog. He was fussy cut, edged with a black pen, and put aside.

I found some seriously old black/grey patterned paper with a tiny triple dot pattern in my stash that worked really well matchy-matchywise (new word) with my greyscale birdies. This paper is by Keeping Memories Alive, which has been gone forever and a day. I hoard their papers because I find them useful. 

The birdy trio was matted with grey cardstock, then layred onto the KMA paper using almost-as-old photo corner stickers by Scrapbook Adhesives. I hoard those too because they're useful. Sense a theme here?

I die-cut a piece of grey cardstock using an old 4x4 QuicKutz die and stamped the sentiment, from the Wise Words set by Rubber Soul/Wordsworth, using Onyx Black VersaMark ink onto it. I also die-cut an extra grey arrow and a black arrow and stacked all three of them, offsetting their arrowheads a bit. This gave the colorful Birdy Shoes birdy a nice raised perch. Colorful Birdy Shoes was adhered onto the stacked arrows using my beloved-and-hoarded black dimensional foam stickers by Scrapbook Adhesives.

Thanks for visiting today!

I shall enter this card in the following challenges:

• Stampotique Designers Challenge #111: Yellow, Orange, and Purple

• Addicted to Stamps Challenge #61: Wonderful Wings

• Stamping Sensations: Wings & Things and a Touch of Vintage (my papers)

Finally, some good news!

Life has a balance and some fun crafting stuff has offset the recent drama with my house money pit.

I'm excited to announce that I'm a guest designer over at Kraftin' Kimmie's Challenges this month, which is a dream come true since I love Kraftin' Kimmie's stamps! I joined their designers (who I think are freakin' awesome) and participated in this week's challenge.

Here's what Kimmie had to say:

Welcome back for another totally fun challenge here at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps!!! We've got a great challenge for you again this week!! Come along and play with us!

This week our hostess is KERRY!! Her challenge for you this week is SLIPPERY WHEN WET!! So pull out those mermaids, those beachy stamps, summer papers and embellishments....then create a card (with a Kraftin' Kimmie stamp) and share it with us here! Get creative! Have some krafty fun and join us this week because we'd LOVE to see your KKS designs. We hope you can play along for your chance to WIN some Kraftin' Kimmie rubbah!!!

We've been working on some special stuff at Krafty Headquarters!!! Do you sometimes feel like you're floundering?? Do you feel like you've lost your krafty mojo? Or does it just take you too long to create something....you need some help?! Well, we've got something up our pretty little sleeves and we'll be sharing it with you next week!!! Tee hee!! PLUS next week we'll be starting our AUGUST STAMP PREVIEWS!!! Lots of new goodies!! Spoooooky goodies!!!

Now go ahead and check out the wonderful creations by our Krafty Girls featuring this week's challenge!! If you join us and play along, you could WIN a Kraftin' Kimmie Stamp!!!

Happy kraftin'!

Being me, I had a bit of a different approach in that I did not make anything beach related. So, without further ado, here it is!

My card features the girl bathing the cat stamp from the Feathers and Fur set. The look on that cat's face cracks me up. One of our cats is like that about water. Duchess, my familiar and my avatar  online, loves water. As a kitten, she'd jump into the kitchen sink whenever I ran water, so she had many baths. The only problem is that she HATED the blow dryer. Having a soaking wet, long-haired cat tearing through your house at super-sonic speeds did not thrill me. Nor did having scratches and cuts from fingertips to elbow, so the baths stopped. However,  Duchess still likes to sit in the sink, play with water trickling from the faucet, and recently learned how to turn off the faucet! Fortunately, she has not figured out how to turn it on. 

But I digress. So shocking. The little scene was colored with Copic markers, which I'll list below. I added clear Wink of Stella glitter pen accents to all the bubbles and to the Tiny Bubbles die cut. When the glitter ink was dry, I added clear Gelly Glaze pen to add some shine. I also added the Glaze pen to the bar of soap, the cat's pink nose, her eyes, and the girl's eyes. That sounds kind of painful, but I assure you that I was gentle.

The patterned paper is all from Stella Rose: Hazel 6x6 pad by My Mind's Eye. Those pads are old, but beloved, and are still available at AC Moore, which pleases me.

I designed the card based on this sketch from the Crafting Musketeers.

 

Instead of the strip along the left, I used a Fishtale Flags Die-namics die. I would have sworn that I had pawprint brads, but they must be "someplace safe". So I used some hoarded Rain Drops by Cloud 9. I downloaded a Slippery When Wet road sign from the 'net, converted it to black and white, lightened it, and reduced it using Photo Elements. I cut it out and added it to the card to serve as a sentiment. Now if I had a brain and hadn't procrastinated, I would have added Glossy Accents to the negative space in the Tiny Bubbles die cut. Oh well. Next time!

Thanks for visiting today!

Copic markers used:

Skin: E000, E00, E21, R20, BV00

Hair: E53, E55, E57, E59

Shirt: R20, R21, R22

Capris: BG70, BG72, Custom less-than BG75

Cat: C00, C1, C2, C3, C4, R20

Bathtub: R11, R20, R21

Bubbles: R000, R00, BG000, BG10

Soap: BG000, BG10

Brush: E55, E57, E40, E41, E43

Ground: E40, E41

I shall enter this card in the following challenges:

• Crafting Musketeers #4: Sketch

• Stuck on Us Sketches: Die Cut/Furry Friends challenge

• PaperTake Weekly: Anything Goes

SCACD Digital Release Blog Hop!

Today SCACD is formally premiering the SCACD Digital site by adding over 35 images designed by Carmen Medlin!!! Carmen's range is fun, fresh,  elegant, and will have something for everyone. Susana has added quite a few brand new fabulous images and has taken some classic past rubber stamps and turned them into digital stamps for this release!

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Reminder to Our International Friends: As you know, SCACD has stopped the sale of physical items. However, International customers can now purchase SCACD Digital images!

Joining us today to celebrate this release with the SCACD DT are several  amazing guest designers!  If you lose your way check, out the Store Blog for the entire list.

You should have arrived here from Elaine's blog, where she wowed you with a gorgeous project!

Here's my first card, using Acorn Owl!

One of the things that I like best about digital stamps is that you can resize them, change their orientation, and rotate them. That's exactly what I did with the Acorn Owl! I reduced the bejeebers out of him, making him ~one inch high and used Photo Elements to add multiple owls who were rotated to create a whimsical Autumn scene.

The owls were printed twice, once on Neenah cardstock and once on regular printer paper. I colored the owls on the good cardstock using my Copic markers and fussy cut one of 'em, which I put aside for later. The printer paper owls were fussy cut and adhered over their counterparts with temporary adhesive to act as masks. Once the masks were in place, I airbrushed the sky using the Copic Airbrush system. I intentionally used short horizontal bursts of air, using varying pressure, to create a wispy clouded sky. Once done, I added a Copic colored lawn.

I die-cut white cardstock using SCACD's wonderful Breezy Branches Statement Corner, which I colored with Copic markers. The corner was adhered to the scene and the fussy cut colored cardstock Acorn Owl was perched on a branch.

Some Clear Glaze Gelly Roll pen accents were added to the Acorn Owls' acorn hat, eyes, beak, and feet to add a bit of dimension and shine. The scene was matted with white cardstock and popped onto a brown card.

Here's my second project, featuring the Steampunk Dragon!

Steampunk Dragon was slightly reduced and printed onto white Neenah cardstock. He was colored with Copic markers and die cut. I gave him a sandy floor and a dotted background.

I created my own patterned paper using Paper Artsy Fresco Finish paints and the Apparatus stencil by ArtistCellar.

Gears from the Timepiece stamp set by Hampton Art for 7 Gypsies was stamped onto black cardstock using Champagne Dazzle VersaMark ink and heat embossed with Tarnished Gold embossing powder. One side was edged with the Champagne Dazzle VersaMark ink and heat embossed with Tarnished Gold embossing powder, then adhered to the painted piece and trimmed. All edges were Champagne Dazzle VersaMark ink and heat embossed with Tarnished Gold embossing powder. This piece was adhered to a black card.

The Steampunk Dragon panel was matted on black cardstock, then adhered to the card front. Black cardstock was die-cut using a very old QuicKutz die, smooshed into the VersaMark pad, heat embossed it with Tarnished Gold embossing powder, and added to the corners. I ran out of room, so I did not use the sentiment that came with the gorgeous Steampunk Dragon. It says, "I heard you were draggin'!" :D

Now I'm done prattling, so click on over to visit Delphine's blog, where she will inspire you with her fabulous creations!

Thanks for visiting!