CHEER'S to a New Year!

Well, this is the last post of 2012, a year that to some has been a wonderful year, and to others not so wonderful.

For the next few days we will be hearing of all the spectacular events that have made news over the last year. Most of it will be the bad things, but I want to remember the good, and look forward to a happy and healthy year in 2013. What is done, is done! I don't like dwelling in the past, instead dreaming of what wonderful things will happen in the future. As this quote I found in this sentiment set from My Favorite Things states, "Cheers to a New Year and another chance for us to get it right!  Oprah Winfrey

I love this quote, and am using it to remind myself to look forward in the new year. I may have done some things in previous years that didn't work out quite right, but there is no use dwelling on past mistakes. Just try to get it right this time!

This card was stamped on watercolor paper with the Hydrangea Flower stamp from JudiKins, I believe, with Archival Ink and then colored with watercolor pencils. The verse was stamped with VersaFine black ink and attached with pop dots to the card stock.

I hope everyone has a wonderful and Safe New Year's Eve and New Year's Day and I will see you again next year, in 2013!  Happy Stamping!

Sketch & Stitch & Sew

Greetings fellow stampers!

Just stopping by to show off part of my Christmas present to myself. Parts of this card were from items I got from My Favorite Things. The little girl in her coat and hat were from the Warm Wishes stamp set, and the lace edging, a die cut titled "Dainty Lace Edge." The flower is from Memory Box Stamps, and all colored items were stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with Copic Markers.

The quilt square was a pre-printed scrapbook paper image that I cut out and adhered to the card, and the antique sewing machine was a Dazzles sticker from Hot off the Press.  My dark purple ribbon and coloring on the little girl's coat and hat look almost black, but they were colored with a very dark purple copic marker that looked much better in person than on film.
The wording on the card, "Sketch & Stitch & Sew"are from a clear stamp set that I purchased years ago when I first started stamping. The packaging has since deteriorated, so I'm not sure exactly which company made them, but you could very easily have hand written those small words.

I believe I have finally completed my card-making for 2012, so I am off to do a little organizing in my studio before the new year begins.  Then I will begin making cards for birthdays and such for 2013, and the process begins again. Take care and have a wonderful "last week of the year!"

Thank YOU!

A BIG thank you goes out to all the well wishers on this beautiful Christmas morning!

The weather is predicted to be a nasty and cold afternoon, after the cold front blows through, but right now it is simply beautiful! It is a little windy, but the sun is shining, so enjoy it while you can!

Today's card is my fashionista stamp, colored with copic markers, with the background stamped in the Hero Arts background stamp "Chevrons." I covered half of the card base in retro dot scrapbook paper, before attaching the fashionista and her dog with foam tape to pop out the figure. I then attached the "thanks" banner with a button, tied with Caribbean blue twine which matches the background.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful happy day, spending quality time with your family. Enjoy this time, and do a little crafting if you can. It's one of those moments you will treasure for a lifetime!  See you again soon.

Twas the Night Before Christmas Eve . . . . .

Merry, Merry, stampin' friends!  It's Christmas Eve eve, and this will probably be the last Christmas card post of the year 2012.  I just wanted to take the opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday from my house to yours!

Little Miss Tilda is sitting on the Christmas Word Collage from Cricut, I purchased for myself for the holidays. The Cricut cartridge is titled "Word Collage" and has many groupings of related words you can cut out and use.  I am just getting around to figuring out all of the many ways to manipulate the items you can cut from the Cricut, I'm like a kid with a New toy.  I have had my Cricut for years, but  never really had the time or patience to sit down and actually play with it.

The paper at the top is from The Nutcracker Suite paper pad by Graphic 45, and of course the Vintage Tilda Stamp is from Magnolia Stamps.  To all my family and friends out there across the World Wide Web, may you have the merriest of Christmas' and the happiest New Year! And until we visit each other again, "To all a Good Night!"

Finally Finished: My Cards that is. . . . . .

Seasons Greetings fellow stampers! I finally finished my Christmas cards, now into the mail, and off they go. Hopefully they will get to their appointed locations before Christmas.

Luckily, I didn't have too many to make, and all the paper  piecing didn't take too long to assemble and to dry. The card was made from a template I got from the Stampington.com website. They have many templates there that have been used in previous issues of their magazines.  I got out my assortment of 8" X 8" Christmas paper pads and tore out several sheets that seemed to go together.  Then I started cutting out pieces of paper that would fit the various parts of the birdhouse template. I used a kraft colored base card trimmed to fit the template, and then glued the decorative papers to the base card. Then using an 11/2" hole punch, punched the hole in the house for the opening. I then punched a replacement hole using a dark colored stock to glue into the opening. Using Lawn Fawn's Christmas wreath stamp, I stamped out the wreath and colored it with my Copic markers, and then cut it out and glued it over the punched out replacement piece. That then held the punched out piece in.  I then die cut the small Memory Box bird out of brown felt and glued it to the front of the house and accented it with a half pearl eye. Inside I stamped "Merry Christmas" using the Christmas Greeting clear stamp set from Hot Off the Press.

I made each birdhouse different, using all the scraps from the few pages of paper I originally tore out.  Of course, they look really cute together in a group, but no one but you will see them this way once they get mailed out.

Here's hoping you all have a wonderful Christmas, and a Happy New Year!  Seasons Greetings and  Best Wishes for a Happy and Healthy 2013. Thank you for visiting, see you again soon.

Need a Little Pick-up?

Greetings Friends,
Christmas is just a little less than two weeks away, and who doesn't "need a little pick-up" at this time?  As I was rummaging through some of my stamps, I found this pick-up truck from Deadbeat Designs, and thought wouldn't that make a great card during all this Christmas frenzy.

I want to mention first of all, that this card is not finished!  It is still a work in progress.  I started out by making a trifold card from a sheet of heavy printed scrapbook paper. I stamped out the truck on white card stock, colored it with my copic markers and glitter pen, then fussy cut it out to adhere it to the front of the card, right on the edge. You can see the edge going down through the windshield. I left a little tab at the bottom for the phrase, also from Deadbeat Designs.
When you open the front flap of the card, you see the second page, where I have placed a Hero Arts  house, stamped on watercolor paper with StazOn ink and colored with my Inktense watercolor pencils. I then cut it out, and glued it to the far left of the card so it wouldn't show from the front. I also punched a cute little butterfly to put in the "sky" area.

Then as you open the last flap of the card, I added an area where I can stamp a sentiment, or hand write a personal message. Below this area, I added a flower and leaf cluster that I had in my copic coloring "goody box".  One of those items I was practicing coloring on, and when finished just stuck it in the envelope and never wrote down the stamp name or who it was from.   I need to add a little more detail to the front and second page of the card, maybe some trees or mountains, or maybe a cactus or two since I am in Texas.  If you have any suggestions, comment on this post and let me know what you think it needs.  I sit down and piddle with it while I am watching TV in the evenings, between Christmas chores and decorating.

I have also been working on my Christmas cards, and almost have them completed. I hope to complete them this weekend, so I can get them into the mail, and post the finished product on this blog.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and that you enjoy all of the happenings of the season. See you again, soon.

Coloring Stamped Images with Inktense Pencils

Fellow Stampers,
Today I am coloring stamped images with the Inktense colored pencils from Derwent.

In the previous post, I mentioned using them to color the snowman on kraft colored card stock. These are stamped on white tags, and the color is even more intense. Using water to blend the colors, seems easier to me than blending with just regular colored pencils. Of course, I like coloring some images with my Prismacolor pencils because of their creamy smooth texture, but these just seem easier to blend, plus you get the intense color without building the many, many layers of color.

I have tried several different brands of watercolor pencils in my day, and I really believe these Inktense style, by Derwent, are the fastest and easiest to use when coloring stamped images. They are also said to give vivid color on fabric surfaces, but I haven't tried this medium yet. I have a canvas envelope  that I plan on stamping today, so I may have a sample using them on fabric for you tomorrow.

Just like Copic markers are faster and easier to blend then other brands of markers, Inktense pencils are easier than other colored pencils. Of course, this is my opinion, try them out for yourself and see what you think before purchasing.  Many small Mom & Pop owned art stores will let you try many products before you buy, whereas the larger chain stores will not. Even attending a class or a crop will expose you to new products that you can "try, before you buy." So while out shopping this holiday season, try "Shopping Small" with local merchants. You will learn more than you thought humanly possible, and even get a great deal to boot!  You may even make a good friend in the process. Help support small business!

Christmas Possibilities!

Hello fellow stampers! I have been working on samples for my Christmas cards, putting bits and pieces together to try and finally find an arrangement I like for my holiday cards.

This one takes awhile to make, so if I don't hurry along and decide soon, I won't get any cards done at all. I stamped the image of the Jolly Snowman from Stampabilities on kraft card stock with StazOn black ink. I am using watercolor pencils to color the image, so I didn't want the outline ink to bleed. I used the new Inktense colored pencils from Derwent, and they are a watercolor like pencil, but has very intense colored pigment.  You can see how intense the color is on kraft stock, so you can imagine how bold it is on white stock.  You can color the image with the pencils directly, and then use a brush with water applied over it to blend the colors together. Or, you can use a water brush (paintbrush that holds water in it) to just drag over the point of the pencil to pick up color, and then paint directly on the paper.  It doesn't take a lot of water to blend out the colors of these Inktense pencils, so you can use them on any type of papers, watercolor to cardstock. It says they can even be used on canvas and fabric!  I haven't tried it on those surfaces yet.

After coloring the image, I matted it on polka dot printed paper, and wrapped some Peppermint colored twine around and knotted it. Then I mounted it on the gray snowflake paper, and then the kraft colored card base.  The sentiment and peppermint twine are from Lawn Fawn, the sentiment from the Bows & Holly set. For the final step, I inked around the entire card with navy blue chalk ink to distress it a bit.

Well, off to try my hand at a few more designs. Stick around and see what I come up with, I will share them as I go.  Have a wonderful day, and Happy Holidays!