Welcome New Followers!

Keeping true to my word, it's that time to welcome any new followers of my blog!  So, glad you joined us.  :-). I will always try to have a link to your blog (if you have one) when I can.  Sometimes I just can't find it.  Just like I can't find one of my new stamp sets at the moment.  I think it's a sign I need to clean up my craft desk.  Actually my whole craft area needs reorganizing.  But, I just want to make cards!!  Anyway, I've gone totally off topic.  I swear I'm like a magpie....ooh look, something shiny! LOL.  Here's all the new followers, check out their fabulous work on their blogs!

LaVon Hall - (I couldn't find if you had a blog so I just linked up to your Flickr photostream.  Hope that's okay.)
Ava Sloane - Ava's World
Dawn Turley - Dawn's World
Nina Yang - Waffle Flower Paper Crafts
Jutta M. - Crafty Gal's Creations
Virginia L. - Yes, Virginia...
Helen Gullett - Helen G. Designs
Melania Deasy - deasy designs
Darcy - Our House of E...
Joy Meadows - Morning Glory Card Studio
Cecilia Hsieh - Cecilia's Cards
D. - Designs by Dragonfly
Cathie Watt - Cathie's Scrap Cafe
Nancy Kirkup - Always a Story - Creations by Nancy
Dana Colbourne - Reliving Tomorrow
Kimberly Wiener - Wienerhoneymooners

Anyway, to welcome all you newbies, I've decided to share a painting I did.  Now, I did this back in the days of yore...LOL, okay, I'm not that old.  I painted this in my first year of University.  We were given the task of choosing one of four tools to paint with and ONLY use that tool.  Nothing else allowed.  We did some smaller test paintings to see which tool we liked best.  I chose to use my hands.  Yep, I reverted to my childhood, finger painting!  It was a blast!  But challenging too.  Here it is...

How the image was chosen was simply choosing a postcard.  That was the assignment anyway.  :-)

So, welcome and thanks for following!

Pretty Poinsettia

Just a quick post to link up to the current Festive Friday challenge.  They've got a colour challenge this time that is just so pretty!  Check it out...

Lovely isn't it?  So I decided to break out a stamp I hadn't inked up yet.  It's a jumbo cling stamp by Stampendous.  I found this set at Michaels after Christmas on clearance.  You can still get it from Stampendous though.  Here's the card.

I coloured it with my Spectrum Noir markers keeping it light.  I added some silver glitter to the stamen of the flower.  Then I fussy cut it out and adhered it to a white panel with foam dots.  I matted this on silver paper and attached the ribbon.  The ribbon was another purchase from Michaels clearance after Christmas.  :-).  Glued one of my dollar store sequins to the bow.  Stamped the sentiment (Fiskars, Simple Expressions set) in black StazOn.  Then attached to a light pink card base.

I really love how this turned out.  I just adore that poinsettia stamp.  I think I'll also link this up to Always Playing With Paper's, Merry Mondays, Anything Goes challenge.  :-)

***UPDATE***  I'm going to link this up at Moxie Fab World and their Holiday Cards challenge.  It's a challenge to celebrate the new Holiday Cards and More magazine by PaperCrafts.  :-)

Have a fantastic day!

New Challenge at RCS, "The Hangover"

It's that time again!  Another card challenge over at Red Carpet Studio.  This week we are using the movie, "The Hangover" as inspiration.  The challenge?  Make a card with a cocktail or drink on it, of course!  Our sponsor is Squigglefly and the prize they are offering is 3 digi stamps of the winners choice.  The challenge runs from today (July 28) until August 3rd.

Squigglefly generously gave us some images to use for our cards.  I used the "Martini" image.

I coloured my image with my Spectrum Noir markers.  I added some white glitter (Elmer's) to the rim of the glass.  I cut out the image and layered it on blue card stock (an old colour from Bazill Basics).  Made the card base from green (Bazzill Basics) and layered a piece of white on that.  Took a piece of circle patterned paper (I think it's from a Provo Craft stack) from my scraps and cut a strip for the bottom part.  The colours went perfectly.  I then attached my image with foam dots.  I stamped the sentiment (from Scrappy Cat, Birthday Wishes set) in black StazOn.  It's kind of a fun card, isn't it?

Well, I hope to see some wonderful creations from some of you in the next week!  Have a fabulous day!

Little Yellow Birdie

Hello everyone!  It's been a while since I've posted!  Busy summer fun.  :-). Anyway, I've got a card to share today using a digi stamp by TAWS (The Alley Way Stamps).  They have some super cute stamps and they also provide some free digi stamps.  I wanted to play along in their current "Be Inspired #33" challenge so I was happy to find the freebies.  :-).   Here's their inspiration photo.

Doesn't it just make you want to create something?  I originally was going to do something Christmas related but ended up doing something else.  I've always wanted to make a yellow Christmas card.  Mostly because yellow is just not the colour you think of when it comes to Christmas.  I may still do something later.  Anyway, here's my card.

Isn't that little birdie so cute?!  The sentiment is a free digi from TAWS too.  Once I had printed them off, I coloured the bird with my Spectrum Noir markers and then fussy cut it out.  I matted the sentiment on grey cardstock and added some white glitter (Elmer's).  I used my Zig two way glue pen for that.  I love that glue pen.  :-). Once I attached that to my white card base I adhered the bird with some foam dots.  I added the yellow ribbon at the bottom.  It's funny about the ribbon.  I realized when making this card that I don't have a single piece of yellow ribbon.  I had white though and so I coloured it with one of my alcohol markers.  It works great!  :-).  My husband looked at me funny when I told him and said why didn't I just buy some yellow ribbon?  Um, here I thought he'd like my frugalness.  LOL.  If I'd only known!  :-)

Anyhow, I'm going to link this card up at Addicted to CAS as well.  Their code word is glitter.  I do like me some glitter.  :-).

Well, that's all I've got for now.  Have a great day!

RCS Christmas in July Blog Hop!

Just because there's not snow on the ground, doesn't mean Christmas can't be celebrated a few months early! Happy Christmas in July, everyone, and welcome to Red Carpet Studio's Christmas in July blog hop!

If you're unfamiliar with Red Carpet Studio, we're a challenge blog that challenges crafters to create projects inspired by movies! Right now we offer alternating weekly card and layout challenges, but starting in September we'll be opening up our challenges to any types of projects that fit our theme, as well as extending the duration of the challenges to biweekly to give you awesome crafters more time to create and play along! We're also having a design team call!

Now onto my project..

I decided to try something I've see a lot of lately in blogland.  I masked off a strip and sponged and stamped on top and below.  I used Sage Shadow (retired), Soft Suede and Perfect Plum by SU! for ink colours.  I used a new stamp set of snowflakes I found at Michaels by Hero Arts (LP209).  I made the lighter shades by stamping off some of the ink first before stamping on my card.  I stamped the sentiment (Hero Arts, Joy to All set) in Perfect Plum in the area I masked off.  I added a white bow and some fun sequins I found at the Dollarama.  They kind of looked like snowflakes to me.  They are white with an iridescence to them but they look quite purple here.  I mounted this panel to my card base with foam dots.  I quite like the look and may try some more cards this way.

I hope you will join us for the hop and a chance to win some great prizes!

***UPDATE***  I'm going to link this up at Moxie Fab World and their Holiday Cards challenge.  It's a challenge to celebrate the new Holiday Cards and More magazine by PaperCrafts.  :-)

 

And of course we have some wonderful sponsors giving away gifts to those who are a follower of Red Carpet Studio (either through Google Reader or Blog Lovin') and comment on EVERY stop of the hop!

Miriam's Crafting Supplies

$5 Gift Certificate

Designs on Cloud 9

$10 Gift Certificate

Eureka Stamps

5 Digis of Winner's Choice

Winners will be randomly chosen and announced on Tuesday July 23rd along with the winners of our Action Wobble challenge!

Your next stop is Dawn's blog.

Red Carpet Studio

Tonya

Robin

Kim

Dawn

Rochelle

Darcy

Chas

Stephanie

Anneliese

Happy Hopping!

Sail Away With Me

Ahoy there!  Just getting into the nautical swing of things that seems to be happening in and around blogland.  There's some challenges out there that the theme is nautical related.  One of them is a new challenge blog.  Well, I guess it used to be around but went away and then came back new and improved!  It's called Curtain Call.  There are some great gals on the design team and are sure to make this challenge blog a fun and fabulous one!  Here's their inspiration photo.

Now, if you're like me, you love all things that are nautical.  My son's room is in a nautical theme.  I even painted a mural on one of his walls!  Here, let me show you...

I'll be sad when he decides he wants to change it.  Anyway, I recently had to make a card for a card exchange and now that I know she's received it I can share it.  So, I figured I would link it up to this challenge too.  Here it is...

 

I used and old sailboat stamp (Great Canadian Stamp Co.) on watercolour paper and used some watercolour pencils to colour it in. I cut a partial circle window in the map paper (DCWV, Tradewinds 12 x 12 paper pad) and layered that over top.  I cut two circles in blue and cream and made the sentiment by hand.  I didn't have a stamp that said what I wanted and didn't like the fonts I had on the computer.  I added the postage stamp sticker (K&Company) too.  I really like how this turned out.  :-)

 

Hope you have some time to check out this new blog.  I look forward to seeing what is going to be next.  :-)

 

Have a fantastic day!

Sea Glass and Sand Dollars

Good day everyone!  It's another hot and humid day here in New Brunswick.  It's way too hot to be in my craft room upstairs so I've been crafting a bit downstairs.  It's a bit inconvenient as I always forget something I need so I'm forever going up and down the stairs.  Which makes me all hot and sweaty.  Kind of defeats the purpose.  Oh well.  I've got a card to share with you today that I really love.  It's probably one of my husbands favourites too.

I've wanted to use some sea glass in one of my cards for a while and I came up with this idea.  I stamped my sentiment (Fiskars, Simple Expressions set) with black StazOn right onto the sea glass.  I took a piece of kraft card stock which I tore a strip out.  Then I stamped my sand dollars (Studio 112) in versamark and embossed in white on the two torn pieces.  I masked a bit where there is the two sand dollars.  I did some splattering of white and gold acrylic paint.  (Looks kind of polka dotty to me. LOL). I made a card base I (turquoise mist, Bazill Basics) and put a white panel on it.  Then I put the torn kraft pieces on the white with foam dots, leaving a space for my sea glass sentiment and glued that on.

I'm entering this into a few challenges.  CAS-ual Fridays has a polka dot theme going on right now.  My splatters cover that, I think.  CAS-ology's cue card is "Cool".  One of our favourite ways to cool off on these hot days is a visit to the beach.  This card is definitely beachy.  And lastly, Addicted To CAS whose code word is Water.  Lots of water at the beach!  :-).

Well, hope your all having a great Tuesday!  Stay cool!

Guest Designing at CCAYR

For those of not familiar with CCAYR, it's Christmas Cards All Year Round.  They have a monthly challenge where they challenge you to (obviously) make Christmas cards.  There's a random draw for a prize and they pick their top 3 favs.  I was lucky enough to be one of their top 3 in May.  :-). This month I was asked to guest design.  The theme is all about Santa.  Anything to do with him, reindeer, presents, etc.  I actually don't have too many Santa stamps but this one (by Rubber Stampede) is an oldie but a goodie.  :-)

I stamped the image and coloured it in with my Spectrum Noir markers.  I added some sparkle snow to Santa's hat.  I cut a strip of sparkly red paper (Recollections, Jolly Jamboree paper pad) with Santa's catch phrase on it.  Its a bit hard to really see the sparkle.  Trust me its very sparkly!  Added some green ribbon and a bow.  Love that sparkly paper!

Hope you all can join in the fun.  You have the rest of the month to link up.  Have a fabulous day!

I'm going to link this up as well at Lesley's blog Alway Playing With Paper and her Merry Monday Challenge.  This time it's running all month long and it's an anything goes theme.

New RCS Challenge, "Action Movies"

It's a new challenge at Red Carpet Studio this week and we are featuring action movies!  What does that mean for the theme?  You have to make an action wobble card.  The challenge runs from July 14-July 20.  Our sponsor this time is Treasure Box Designs.  They are offering a $15 gift certificate as the prize.  Here's some inspiration for you.

Now I have never made a card with an action wobble.  And I've never seen them at my local Michaels.  So I had to improvise and make my own.  Just used some wire which I twisted into a spring form and adhered to a couple of small pieces of card stock.  Wasn't too pretty but it works.  Here's a close up of it wobbling.  You can tell as the heart is all blurry.  :-)

This idea came to me pretty quickly.  I computer generated the sentiment and used an old embellishment sticker that had been sitting in my embellishment box since I had been married!  I added a white rose which I coloured a bit with a red Spectrum Noir marker.  I put the heart on the panel with my sentiment using my homemade action wobble and put that on my card base with some foam dots.  I quite like the results.

Anyway, hope you can join in all the "action"!  (I know, I know.  Bad pun.  LOL).

Have a fantastic day!

It's Christmas in July Everywhere!

Everyone is doing the Christmas in July theme for their challenges it's seems.  And I'm loving it!  :-). So I've got another Christmas card to share today.  This one is being linked up to CAS on Sunday.  I don't think I've played along before but I've sure wanted to.  They've got some great challenges and a fab design team!  So many challenges, so little time.  Anyway, I digress.  Here's my card.

I used a technique called "stained glass", I discovered on Pinterest.  (See HERE)  Using a wire form shaped to look like a flower petal you brush a liberal amount of nail polish across.  Like a soap bubble will cling to the edges so will the nail polish.  It may take a few tries.  Once it's dry you twist all your petals together to create the flower.  Neat, eh?  I used a Polaroid frame from Dear Lizzy Neapolitan collection, cut out the middle part and replace with the snowflake paper (Recollections, Jolly Jamboree paper pad).  Looped some ribbon and attached it and the flower to corner of Polaroid frame.  Stamped the sentiment (Hero Arts, Joy to All set) in black StazOn.  Hope you like it!

Have a wonderful day!

Enjoy The Season Tag Tin

Doing a quick post so I can link up in time for Festive Fridays Trigger challenge.  The trigger word is snow.  I missed out playing along with the last challenge so really wanted to participate this time.  Also, want to link up with The Paper Players current challenge, Christmas in July.  Seems to be a trend right now for challenges this Christmas in July.  I don't mind at all!  :-). Also, going to link this up to Jingle Belles current challenge, a card stock christmas.  Can't use any patterned paper.  Thats right, no patterned paper was harmed in the making of this project.  LOL!  Anyway, here it is...

For my tin I used a Jones Soda candy tin which is wrapped in white card stock.  I sponged brocade blue and perfect plum ink (SU!) and the stamped the snowflakes (Hero Arts LP209) with versamark and embossed in white.  Tied some twine around the top.  The lid has a piece of ard stock cut to fit and sponged the same way.  Stamped the sentiment (Hero Arts LP209) in brocade blue.  The tin was painted  on exposed parts to blend in.  I computer generated the "to/from" and made my own tags.  This time I embossed with clear and then sponged ink on.  Then I tied some twine on the tags.  This would make a cute gift for someone.

***UPDATE***  I'm going to link this up at Moxie Fab World and their Holiday Gift Tag challenge.  It's a challenge to celebrate the new Holiday Cards and More magazine by PaperCrafts.  :-)

Anyway, just a reminder the giveaway is going on until the end of the month!  Have a great day!

One Year Blog-aversary!

So, today is my one year anniversary of my first blog post!  Wow!  I started this blog on a whim and I can hardly believe its been a year already.  It has been a wonderful year in blog land.  I've discovered some amazing blogs and super talented people!  I've made some great blogland friends.  I got to be a part of my first design team (Red Carpet Studio.  Thanks Ashley!) and have guest designed a couple of times for other blogs.  I had luck with some challenges and won a Top 20 spot in the Paper Crafts Gallery Idol competition.  And as exciting as all that was, I'm still super excited when I see I've gained a new follower!  I'm just so amazed that you all enjoy reading what I've been up to.   But I've realized that I've been a bit remiss in my appreciation of you all.  From now on, at the end of the month, I will be making sure to welcome any new followers I get.  For those of you who are following me now...

Greetings By Chera
Therese
Tenia Nelson
Amanda Coleman
desmarsol
Ida
jillandstu (sorry, couldn't find a link)
Made Especially For You
Darnell Knauss
Kristen (sorry, couldn't find a link)
Chas
rsp547 (sorry, couldn't find a link)
Sandra
fun stamping
Sonia Kertznus
Paula
Marianne Barkman (sorry, couldn't find a link)
Barb Murphy
Ardyth Percy-Robb
Pam (sorry, couldn't find a link) A special thanks to you for being my first follower!
Irene Watson (sorry, couldn't find a link)

And those of you following by Bloglovin (sorry, I don't know who you are as it doesn't tell me)

Thank You!!
You choosing to follow me means a lot to me.

So, to celebrate and show my appreciation I'm doing my first giveaway!  If you'd like to be eligible all you need to do is comment below and be a follower.  (In your comment please mention how you are following me). At the end of the month I'll draw a name.  :-)  Here's a picture of the giveaway I'm offering.

Dear Lizzy Neapolitan phrase garland

Dear Lizzy Neapolitan letter stickers

Inkadinkado daisy frame cling stamp

Making Memories glitter bling frame

Studio 18 rhinestones

Jolee's Boutique beach dimensional stickers

So, thank you all again for joining me in my first year blogging journey.  Hopefully, the next year will be just as fabulous!!

Kim