My Dear Friend

Hey there! Merry Christmas! I thought I'd share a little card I made. My friend Tiffany is taking some time off from hosting our Mix-Ability challenge. I wanted to send her warm wishes as she moves forward, and you can too!

This week's Mix-Ability Challenge on Splitcoast Stampers is to use Tiffany's wonderful gallery for inspiration and CASE-ing (Copy And Share Everything). She is an amazing mixed media artist, yet she keeps a lot of her designs CAS (clean and simple). So I went with CAS and some pretty flowers that pale in comparison to her beautiful spirit.

I have been itching to try Lydia's technique that she shared on her Understand Blue blog. She calls it Frosted Watercolor and it's amazing! She has a video, and I'm sure she'd love you to stop by and watch it.

I stamped the flower on Crumb Cake cardstock with Soft Suede ink. Isn't that a gorgeous stamp?? It's in the Occasions catalog launching January 5th, and it's called Birthday Blooms. I am in LOVE with this set!! Imagine all the colors you could pair up!

So, back to Lydia - she taught me to use our Blender Pens to apply Whisper White craft reinker to any area you want to pop on darker cardstock. Wow!

I painted the flower and buds with reinker, then applied Prismacolor pencils over the reinker. You can really see the difference. The leaves did NOT have reinker, so they are muted and not competing for attention.

I also stamped the row of hearts that are in this set with Whisper White craft ink. I think you are gonna get sick of seeing me use that ink. It really is *that* good!

I added some sequins from the Love Blossoms embellishment kit. That is packed with cool stuff, and makes it really easy to coordinate with the Love Blossoms papers. Oh - and we have WINK OF STELLA!!! Eeep!!!

Ok - you've got lots of new toys, friends and family over, lots of fun memories to make. You can come play anytime! Thanks for stopping in - I love it when you visit. Have a great holiday!

Ta -
~ky

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Lovefest ends tonight!

Howdy friends! Lovefest has been going on over at Splitcoast, but I've been too busy to play all the challenges. I did, however, manage this one and a couple more. 

It's a Happy Hopper from House Mouse and I just adore every image of theirs that I own. This one is no exception. I went fairly simple with the design because I wanted the image to have center stage. I hope you'll get inspired to play, or at least let this card comfort you on this Monday!

Thanks for stopping by!

~ky

Ingredients:
House Mouse stamped in Memento
Colored with Prismacolor pencils and gamsol
Happy Watercolor SU! sentiment
Twinery twine
Basic Grey Whiskers and Max patterned paper
SU! Banner punch
Misc brads, GKD cardstock

OWH Virtual Card Making Party

While Sandy's gone with the cruisers to the Caribbean on the first-ever OWH cruise, we're partying here at home! I was asked to submit a card as a sample for one of the challenges over on OWH's blog. The challenge is Sand and Sea: Blues and Tans. 

Sea and sand always puts me in mind of the turquoise of the Mediterranean Sea where I learned to swim, so I adjusted my palette accordingly. I love this recent stamp set by Tami Mayberry, Gnome One Like You, through Gina K Designs. 

This card folds down, and the curly clip on the side holds it closed. I love how easy it is to make great 'insides' on cards, and so funny!

I hope you'll take some time to play this week. You can join the challenges (there are 2 posted each day of the cruise) anytime between now and Feb 11. Winners will be drawn Sunday, the 12th, after Sandy gets back home from the cruise. You must post your entry on Operation Write Home's page (not here). We're giving away her whole stash of blog candy! LOL Have some fun, and share your creativity with our soldiers deployed overseas.

Thanks for stopping by!
♥ ~ky

Supplies:
Gnome One Like You stamp set, Gina K Designs
Ink, Memento Tuxedo Black 
Cardstock, Gina K Designs pure luxury (Kraft, Ivory)
Patterned Paper, Basic Grey, Max and Whiskers
Die cuts, Sizzix Sizzlits Festive Greenery
Coloring, Copic markers, Prismacolor pencils with Odorless Mineral Spirits
Ribbon, Twine, Gina K Designs edge stitched tan, Twinery Caribbean and Cappuccino
Misc red metallic nailheads, a boxer clip, and an old heart button from my stash

There's Still Time!

Did you know this was VSN weekend? Did you know you still have time to play along? I didn't get all of the challenges completed because Santa came early. I plan to finish my cards and projects today or tomorrow. Yep, VSN is open until 10 p.m. EST on Monday night! Here's a sample of what I made:

{Click on any image to enlarge}

You don't have to make just cards! I channeled my inner Tim for this tag. This challenge involved making a project from packaging or wrapping paper - celebrating all those wonderful gifts we get!

I made this card for my sister because her birthday is so close to Christmas. This challenge was to find inspiration in your wardrobe. I love the Narnia reference for this challenge!

And you know I couldn't go through the night without a bunneh!! Lydia challenged us to make a project using the CUTEST bunneh photo as inspiration. We were to represent what gave us the warm fuzzies! SQUEEE!!

Ok - so there's a little sampling of all the fun you can have at Virtual Stamp Night. It is a wonderful time to share inspiration and laughter with other stampers.

Alrighty - I'm gonna be busy today. Hope to see you over there!

♥ ~ky

Greeting Farm's Customer Challenge

Hey friends and neighbors! I just wanted to let you know about the very FIRST Greeting Farm Customer Challenge event, and I was fortunate enough to be the very first hostess for this challenge! Woohoo! I feel so blessed and honored!

Our very first challenge was MOVIE NIGHT! We had an absolute blast talking about all the wonderful movies that we love. Not just the new stuff, either. Not just the outrageously popular ones, too. We went way back in time, and out to the edges of the future. It was fantastic fun just getting to sit and chat, and talk about all the WONDERFUL images the Greeting Farm has that can be used to make movie-themed cards and projects.

This first card uses my trusty Best Mates set together with Tim Holtz Idea-ology Kraft Resist Paper map. I used the big star stamp in the set to clear emboss over the map so I could add some distress inks to it. Love that effect! Totally matched up with my ideas of Pirates of the Caribbean!

Then I thought back on some of the older movies that I have loved, and another stamp that's a little older too. I love Izzy (Twinkle Tots), and I colored her like more Victorian-era beach attire.

Yes, the movie I'm representing here is Beaches. That movie tore me up, and is probably single-handedly responsible for turning me away from chick-flicks. I avoid those movies like the plague. But this card? Yeah, I could watch this card forever!

Got a movie in your head now? Good! Go grab your Greeting Farm images (or buy a digi!) and get to creating. You have until Monday, Nov 14th at 9 p.m. Central (US) time. You can combine this challenge with VSN (Virtual Stamp Night), so go rock it out! Details for this challenge can be found by CLICKING HERE. There are two full clear stamp sets up for grabs! What are you waiting for?

Go!
~ky

Love You a Latte!

Happy weekend! Here's a little card I put together for the My Favorite Things Getting Sketchy challenge on Splitcoast.

{click to enlarge}

I adore Flopsey. Who wouldn't love a sweet bunny with house shoes and coffee? Hmmm - need to train the boys to see if they can bring coffee...

This little embellishment is a half-flower (EK Success punch) with a metal decorative washer, Twinery twine and a brad. I had mixed feelings about a half-flower, but I think it's growing on me.

You can play along with the challenge, and get a chance to win a My Favorite Things gift certificate. Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Ta!
♥ ~ky

Recipe: Gina K Designs pure luxury base cardstock, My Mind's Eye Lost and Found Union Station patterned paper, My Favorite Things I Need Coffee Flopsey stamp set, Memento ink, Prismacolor pencils with Odorless Mineral Spirits, EK Success border punches, Misc brad/washer, Twinery Twine, and Spellbinder's dies.

Cooler Weather, Simple card

Happy Saturday! I hope you have a wonderful weekend planned. It's finally cooler here in Chicago, and that's a big relief!

{click to enlarge}

This is a simple card that packs a big punch. It's one layer of Gina K's Pure Luxury cardstock, stamped with Melanie Muenchinger's Basket Buddies (brand new!) in Memento tuxedo black and colored with prismacolor pencils. I put two border treatments together, and added a few bits of bling to make the embossed border pop. A simple, thin dot ribbon frames the image.

If you want to get out there today, this is the kind of quick card that will let you get to it while still having time to get crafty. Happy stamping!

♥ ~ky

More OWH Father's Day work

Yep, Cabana Boy is on the road this week. I'm taking full advantage making Father's Day cards for Operation Write Home. Here's the latest:

{click to enlarge}

I used Gina K's cardstock, Basic Grey patterned papers, and one of the new sets, Follow Your Dreams by Theresa Momber; and Lovely Labels 3 by Nina Brackett. I colored a bunch of images with Prismacolor pencils using Odorless Mineral Spirits so that I could make a bunch of cards quickly.

{click to enlarge}

This card uses Gina K's pure luxury cardstock and Bo Bunny patterned paper. The stamps are from Nina Brackett's Lovely Labels 3 (sentiment) and her Vintage Backgrounds (circles stamped in white on black cardstock to make my own patterned paper). I strung beads on fishing line along with the truck charm. I used 2 eyelets to make sure the fishing line wouldn't tear the paper.

So, that's what I have for you today. Stay tuned, I'm always busy! Don't forget to check out Operation Write Home. We're celebrating the one millionth card made for the soldiers to send home! WOW!

Have a great day!
♥ky

Bachin' It

Cabana Boy is on the road. I have the house and schedule all to myself! Right now, I'm wanting a nap, though. Here's something I've been working on for Operation Write Home.

I love this faerie by Alicia Krupsky (Wishes and Dreams set, Gina K. Designs). The love stamp is by Asela Hopkins (Dream Birds, Gina K. Designs). The base and back ground cardstock is GKD, as is the patterned paper on the left. I colored the images with Prismacolor pencils, and added some fun ribbon work using Offray sheer ribbon.

She's so cheery - I know someone will love receiving her with a message from their soldier. Thanks for stopping by today!

Ciao,
♥ky

Ippity Butterfly Extravaganza!

My dear friend, Eva, got a brilliant idea to have a blog hop focused on butterflies - not on a company or a color palette, but a theme. I love theme hops! Eva - thank you so much for doing this!

So - if you've just stopped by because your one of my adoring fans (insert laugh track here) - you might want to go over to Eva's blog and hop through all the sites. There are chances to win some wonderful prizes (thank you to all who are providing these goodies!), and tons of inspiration!

You know I have a few weaknesses: Ippity and Sweet Pea Stamps, Spellbinder's dies, Cuttlebug embossing folders, lots of texture, steampunk anything, and coloring. Wow - I managed to get all of that into this one card:

{click to enlarge}

I adore this luna moth inspired stamp created by Brigid Ashwood. The sentiment is from ippity - Just Wanted to Say. I know you'll want more details so here's a close up.

I've colored the image with Prismacolor pencils blended with Odorless Mineral Spirits. It's a bit hard to tell from the photo, but all the gearing, support bars and pin-striping is done with metallics.

I was blessed in my career as a biologist to have some very special butterflies in my care. I got to spend days exploring their biology, and captured the first photograph of mating behavior for the Diana Fritillary butterfly. One of my favorite projects was crafting a neglected landscape into the perfect habitat for this creature, and the other butterflies, plants and animals that share that habitat. Warm fuzzies here.

Ok - you've got several places to hop along to, and I do hope these flighty creatures can brighten your day. Spring is coming!

Hop on over to Sylvia's blog for a *gorgeous* butterfly project! You'll love it!


If you're here for the {ippity} blog hop, head over to Carole's blog!

Cheers!
♥ky

More Cards!

Yes - the muse is rolling with the cards. Great for the soldiers, so I don't really mind at all. Besides, it's fun!

{click to enlarge}

I have this OCD thing - if I have to cut a base for a card, then I have a leftover base. My head can't let go of that orphaned base, so I'm compelled to complete the other card. Same thing with leftover pieces-parts. You would think I could just put them away for later, but no - they *must* be used right away! LOL What do you struggle with?

I also feel the need to stamp multiple images. This is Charlotte with a Rose, made by Sparkle Creations. I stamped 5 of her, then colored her with my Prismacolor pencils, and used odorless mineral spirits to blend and smooth. These two cards were created using Stamp TV's current sketch challenge.

I think Charlotte is beautiful. What soldier wouldn't love to send her to his mom or sweetheart back home? It's even good for the women soldiers - perfect for mom, or to send a piece of their heart home.

Ok - I'm off for now. I need to get things done so I can't hopefully get messy with paints today. I have awesome ideas for a new canvas and a couple of art journal pages.

Be creative!
♥ky

P.S. if you need specific information regarding any technique or supply used, leave a message and I will get back to you!

CHAPTER 19: Twinkle, Twinkle...

"Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!
How I wonder what you're at!"


You know the song, perhaps?'

`I've heard something like it,' said Alice.

`It goes on, you know,' the Hatter continued, `in this way:--

"Up above the world you fly,
Like a tea-tray in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle--"'

Here the Dormouse shook itself, and began singing in its sleep `Twinkle, twinkle, twinkle, twinkle--' and went on so long that they had to pinch it to make it stop."

Hello out there! It's a beautiful day here in Wonderland and a twinkling one at that! We are wrapping up one FABULOUS month with a super fun, no-pressure challenge! We are going to ring out the month of June with a Twinkle!

That's right, just use something Twinkling, Glittery, or Sparkly on your card or creation this week and we'll put on our shades :D Before we get to this week's challenge though, Oh, Alice would like to thank Kellie at Tickled Pink for such a wonderful sponsorship and amazing prize! Congrats to Barbara Washington YOU are the winner of a Tickled Pink Lil' Lotita Rubber Stamp! Please email Jessica for details on how to claim your prize! We are so excited about our sponsorships here at Oh, Alice! and thank all of our wonderful contributors thus far!

Here's my "Manly" Twinkle-riffic sample:

A VERY special thanks to Lynne Phelps, our June Guest Designer! It has been a pleasure having you at our twisted little table and we will miss you! Next week we will be back to announce our July Guest DT and have more tricks and treats up our sleeves....'til then, there's no time limit to play this week, so get your twinkle on and be sure to come back to the Oh Alice! blog and let us know what you did!

Have a very twinkling week!

~ky (and da bunz!)

IFJM Page 1 - Welcome to my world

Roz Stendahl has inspired me to attempt an event known as the International Fake Journal Month. What's a fake journal you ask? Have you lost your mind, you exclaim? How can you make a fake journal?

Easy. The journal is real. The character making the journal is fake...or at least I'm pretending to be that fake character. You wanna play along or just learn more? Start over at Roz's blog - the Official IFJM site!

This is gonna be soo cool! I feel like a little kid again playing pretend as well as drawing, doodling, coloring and journaling!! So - here's my first page about a young guy named Danny who's life is changing in a fast, permanent and rather special way. I hope you'll enjoy his adventures as he journeys into his future.

{click to enlarge}

{click to enlarge}

He has written:
In the label at the top of the page: This book belongs to Danny Kettle. What's in it ain't none of your bizness.

Wow. Things have been changing fast. After 4 years of sameness, suddenly there's a rush to hurry hurry hurry. I feel like I've been tossed from a glass into a fast river. It's hard to keep my feet - I always feel like I'm forgetting things. Missing something.

See, yesterday Mel came to get me out of kitchen duty. He was in a hurry, so I left my coat on the pegs by the door. I didn't know we were leaving here forever. Dang - I had a pack of gum in the pocket.

Under his drawing, he notes: the Red Abbey Boys Home, Home for 4 years.

Be sure to check out all the other fabulous stories that are in progress beginning at Roz's page. Let yourself go and get involved in art!

Ta for now, ~ky

Oh My Happy Day!

Did you hear?? Did you SEE? Queen Kat Designs has been having a contest for their next design team positions. I was selected to move on to round 2!!! Woooohoooo!!! You all know I love that company!

So, our challenge for this round was to create a project that was anything but a card, and also a card. Since I'm heading to the Craft and Hobby Association next week, I thought I would need a new art journal. What better project for this challenge!?! Here it is:

{click to enlarge}

What do you think?? I love this!! LOVE it! Thanks, Vicki, for making this challenge so I could create a supah journal! That is the beautiful ocean diva, Pearl, as the center piece. Maigan Lynn created her just for Queen Kat Designs, and you can buy her too! This is a hand made journal, complete with 18 pages of Pure Luxury cardstock for me to draw and jot inspired notes in while at Craft and Hobby Association's supershow!

She's colored with copics, layered for dimension (her tail is a layer lower than the rest of her), and placed in a beautiful bed of ocean lilacs. Mmmm... I'm in LOVE! Her mask is Smooch moonlight, and she's holding her siren pearl - in my mind, a fire opal! Isn't she just a beauty??

My second project is a card set for a young lady. I will be contributing these cards to Operation Write Home for some servicemember to send home to a child whom they are missing. Very simple, but hopefully full of happiness. Take a look:

{click to enlarge}

Isn't this fun?? I love how whimsical these images from Gina K Designs are (drawn by her daughter Alicia). I used this week's sketch from the Mojo Monday blog, and I colored them with Prismacolor pencils and OMS. It's a fun and fast sketch with a lot of design power. I hope you'll play along with that challenge too! By the way - QKD has a challenge - check it out HERE and play along!!

So - what do you think? Do I have a snowball's chance? Oooh I do hope so, but regardless I think I did pretty well with these projects. If you need specific instructions of product info, please leave a comment and I will gladly share! Hope you have a wonderful weekend! See you on Monday for the H{ippity} Hop!

Cool runnings ~ peace be the journey. ~ky

Happy Day!

I need one! Mom always told me about the power of positive thinking, and so I am!

Thinking my way to a happy day. So...I made this card for ME. Yep, no postage!

{click to enlarge}

What do you think? This is Racy Randyne from Sunshine Stamps and you can get her from our NEW STORE!!! Check it out! We have some fun things planned, including a blog hop on October 17th! I do hope you'll save the date and join us for fun and prizes!

Ok - off to do some more work on creating that happy day here! Have a blast!

Ta for now, ~ky

Recipe: cardstock, Bazzill, patterned paper Basic Grey; rhinestones Doodlebug; butterfly felt ribbon, Making Memories; mats, Nestabilities in my Cuttlebug; coloring with prismacolor pencils and Copic markers; ink, Memento, sentiment, Unity Stamp Co.

Halloweenies are here!!

It's almost October! I love fall - I love halloween, too! I'm excited by all the cool, neat things that are coming out for papercrafting for fall and halloween. Can't wait to get my hands on some of that stuff! So, in honor of the upcoming season, I made a card celebrating halloween and one of my favorite things about that event: all the personalities you see!

{click for a closer view}

This image is Halloweenie Scarecrow by Ildi Company. She has released several new images for halloween and Thanksgiving. I hope you'll stop by the store and check out the new stuff. There's a sale of 10 images for $20! We also have an new challenge blog where you can play to win free images! Check it out - Ildi Co Challenge blog. Now, the other team members are sharing their projects with the new images. Stop by all the blogs and get some inspiration!

Ta for now! ~ky

Recipe: Chocolate chip cardstock (Gina K), green textured paper (SEI), ribbon (Offray, Gina K), cuttlebug folder with cateye gold ink, sentiment (Unity), ink (Unity, Memento dew drops), sewing (Janome), border punch (Fiskar's), bling (Basic Grey), coloring (Prismacolor pencils with OMS), background technique (reverse highlight by masking and sponging).

Etsy Inspired Pinch Hitter!

Hello all my friends in blogdom!! I hope you're having a wonderful start to your weekend! A dear friend of mine and I have been under the weather, and since I'm getting better faster, she asked me to pinch hit for her on the Etsy Inspired Challenge today! Thanks for thinking of me Shannon! Feel better soon, ok? I need someone to pick on!

I LOVE fall, and one of the fun things about fall are all the gorgeous colors. This week's Etsy shop is Pinky's Pet Gear. This is a very cute shop with custom-made collars and leads for your pet. I love the bright patterns and colors they use. There are some skull prints too, which put me in the mood for magic!

Toni from Digi Shack shared some wonderful new images with the team for this weeks projects - this is Lani, the witch. Isn't she adorable??? They have some great stuff at the Digi Shack - go check it out! Thanks, Toni!!

It's so wonderful that EIC is entering YEAR 2 with this challenge (#53)! We had a terrific party last weekend, where we got to meet the beauties behind the AI Factory and SoftPencil. More info is on the EIC Blog, including this week's prizes! YES PRIZES! Just play along!

Please check out the Etsy Inspired Challenge blog for all the wonderful creations by the Etsy Inspired Team, and don't forget to play along! Thanks to everyone for stopping by today.

Ta for now, ~ky

Recipe: base and green cardstock by Gina K; purple cardstock by Bazzill; patterned paper by Basic Grey; parchment white paper by Pebbles; image by Digi Shack, sentiment by My Favorite Things; image colored by hand using smooch, copics and prismacolor pencils; sparkle by Stickles; ribbon by Offray; dew drops by Robin's Nest.

Things with Wings

Happy second Friends with Flair Friday!! I hope you're having a beautiful day. I love this card, because of the colors, and the elevation.

This is a close up of the center. I popped the sentiment up on dimensional adhesive, and sprung the birdie on a wire. I hope you love it! Now, onward with your FFF blog hop!!

This sneak peek is from Ildi Company. We have a whole slate of new images!! Curious? Stay tuned and check back!

Please take a moment to remember 9-11-01. This is the eighth anniversary. Thanks!

Ta for now, ~ky

Recipe: cardstock, Bazzill; patterned paper, SU!; Prima flowers with a MM flower center and a Boxer flat brad; Offray ribbon, silver embossing powder, prismacolor pencils (birdie), and Robin's Nest dew drops. Unity stamps Birdie Inspiration.

Need a Lift?

Well, do ya?? This is Frankie Forklift, one of the latest releases from Sunshine's Stamp Creations. He's friendly, he's strong, and he's ready to come to your aid! {click on the picture to see more detail}

In our small town, we have a terrific amount of tourism. Along with that tourism comes a lot of people driving extraordinary distances from home, or driving rental vehicles. Tourism in the desert can be tricky - you can be stranded miles from any help or service coverage.

We have a great family owned business here that really cares about people first. Ramsay's Automotive has a board covered with letters and pictures of people who were so grateful to be plucked from those treacherous areas. I was proud to play several seasons on their softball team. They just are that inspiring, caring and generous in helping people they've never met and may never see again.

So - Frankie's here, on my blog, in recognition of the Ramsay family and all that they do to look after travelers. Thanks, too, to you for stopping by to read about them.

Ta for now, ~ky

Recipe: CS My Minds Eye, SU!; PP Basic Grey; ink - memento; sentiment - Scrapacat; Brad - Basic Grey; Sun image - Unity; dew drops - Robin's Nest, Layout - Card Positioning System #131.

Princess Dreams

I hope some of you participated in the Ildi Co. blog hop on Saturday. No?? Well...for shame! I just love working with these images. They are versatile, yet fun; spunky and sassy! This is one of the newer images, Clownkins Princess. I really enjoyed dressing her up to bring a cheerful thank you to a friend. {you can always have a closer look by clicking the picture}




So....what do you think of this lass? I used the Limelight challenge (use dots and a sketch), the Gina K Stamp TV challenge to sew on your project, and the Digital Tuesday challenge to use lace and pearls. See - she's FAB flexible!

Here's a little closer view of the dimension. I used flower soft in lilac, baby pink and lemon, colored her up with my prismacolor pencils, punched the "lace" with my EK Success border punch, and put a demure pearl at her dress collar.

I hope my princess brings you a smile today. I'll be back later with a new project from Sunshine's Stamps - drop back by!

Ta for now, ~ky

Recipe: CS Bazzill, PP SU!, Stitching Janome, Ink Memento lilac posies, rub-ons Basic Grey, Coloring Prismacolor pencils and OMS, rhinestones Michael's, Sentiment Unity, Smooch (crown), pearl Hero Arts, gold cording Gina K.