Seeing Spots

Good morning friends! We've got another new challenge at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps today...and our hostess is none other than the fantabulous Miss Kraftin' Kimmie herself!! Her challenge this week is "Seeing Spots".

I have a confession to make...I am at NO shortage of polka-dotted paper, lol. I love polka dots, so I tend to pick up a lot of sheets of paper with this pattern! Since the festive mood is in full swing, I decided to use some My Mind's Eye paper from the Holly Jolly collection. I decided to ink up "Miles on Ice"...how cute is he??!! Poor little guy set himself adrift...apparently he didn't use the best judgement on where to stand while using his ice pick, lol. I didn't want this card to be fussy, as I need to add more masculine cards to my collection. The Miles stamps are just perfect for guy cards. I used Kraft cardstock as my base and adhered a couple of dollar store snowflakes that I added a bit of glitter to...guy cards can have glitter, right? Hope so!

Miles was stamped on Neenah Smooth cardstock and coloured with Copic markers. I added some Perfect Puff to the trim on his coat...this stuff is entirely too much fun!!! Just apply heat, and watch it puff right up! I had also applied some Glossy Accents to his little block of ice. Well apparently, Glossy Accents does NOT take to heat very well!! You'll notice that it crystallized, and ended up with a really bumpy, bubbly texture. Now, typically I would have FREAKED. (yes, I've been known to have the odd temper tantrum when I experience a card disaster, lol) However, I think this look kind of works for ice...right??? (please just go with me on this one, k?? lol) Let's pretend that I totally planned for this to happen. :) Funny thing...sometimes your blunders can turn into great discoveries! If you want crystally ice, then just heat up those Glossy Accents! :) Oh, and another lesson learned on this card...the Perfect Puff will tint pink when used beside deep red...look close, and you'll see what I mean. So use with caution next to anything red!


Copics: Miles: E50, E31, E33, E37, E59 Coat: R20, R22, R27, R46, R59 Boots: C10, C9, C7, C5, C3, C1, B60 Ice: a lot of B's, BG's and the colourless blender...sorry, I forgot to write those down

We'd love to have you play along this week...if you make sure to use a Kraftin' Kimmie Stamp on your project, then you could be the winner of the stamps Kimmie used on her amazing card today!! Just link up your project on the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog...oh, and take a few minutes to have a look at the incredible projects by the rest of the Krafty Girls and Krafty Guests...wow, these ladies are awesome!! Thanks so much to our November Krafty Guests...it has been such fun working alongside all of you, and we really have enjoyed seeing your creations with Kimmie's Stamps! You ladies rock!

In need of some new Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps?? Visit the Kraftin' Kimmie Online Store, and do a little Christmas shopping...for your friends and for yourself. You'll be saving your hubby the work!! (He'll appreciate it...really! lol)

I hope you have a wonderful week friends, and thanks so much for stopping by today!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Miles on Ice", High Hopes sentiment

Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, MME

Ink: Memento, Copics

Embellishments: Glossy Accents, Perfect Puff, dollar store snowflakes, glitter

Wrap It Up!!

This week at Wags 'n Whiskers Stamps the fabulous Nikki (co-owner of WnW) has come up with a challenge just perfect for this time of year...Make a gift box, bag or tag!

I am one of those people who loves to wrap gifts. I love picking out pretty papers, cutting, folding and taping it all up so nicely. However, more and more I find we are buying gift cards for people, so my gift wrapping is not quite as labour intensive as before. I used to think gift cards were a lazy gift...but I've since changed my mind. I think my opinion on that changed when my son became a teenager, and started getting picky about his clothing. So, I began to suggest gift cards so that he could just choose for himself. Of course, they ship pretty cheap too for those who need to mail their gifts. I always love receiving gift cards towards my favourite stores too...whether it be a crafty or clothing store. Last year at Christmas, my in-laws gave me a very generous gift card for one of my favourite local crafty stores...I went on quite the spree picking out Spellbinders, Copic markers, papers and other items I had been wishing for!

With this in mind, I thought I would try my hand at making a gift card holder for Nikki's challenge. (It's kind of a box, right??!! Ok...so I stretched on this one!! Lol...I asked permission though, and got the "OK" from the bosses!!)

Back in September, I was at a stamping event where my wonderfully talented and absolutely hilarious friend Andrea Murdock did a make and take with this gift card holder template...I love it!! It's quite easy to make and the possibilities are endless. Thanks Andrea...you rock girlfriend!! I'm sure you could easily whip up a whole bunch of these to have on hand for any occasion...as you can see, mine would suit any occasion. Guess I'll have to pull out the Christmas papers and get going on some for the upcoming holiday season!



Copics: Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20 Hair: E50, E30, E31, E33, E37, E59 Dress: RV000, R83, R85, R89, BG96, BG93, G20, G000, YG11 Wings: Booo, BGoooo, BG93, BG96, Gooo, RV000, R83 Flower: RV000, R83, R85, R89

I stamped "Rosalie" on Neenah Smooth cardstock and coloured her with Copic markers. She was cut out with Spellbinders Labels 2 and popped up with foam squares. The foam squares are necessary on this project because the closure flap tucks in underneath your image panel (see picture below). The cardstock base is a 4 1/4" x 10 3/4" strip scored at 4 1/4" and 8 3/4". So you will end up with 3 sections in your cardstock measuring 4 1/4", 4 1/2" and 2". You will also need to punch a slot in the cardstock for the gift card (see picture of interior), and make sure to only apply adhesive around the perimeter of your patterned paper...or else you will not be able to slip your gift card inside the pocket! All paper edges were sponged with Distress Ink...Antique Linen, Bundled Sage and Walnut Stain. I added in a little tag, jewelry spacer, dollar store pearls and a bow tied with my Bow Easy. Oh, and every fairy needs a healthy dose of Stardust Stickles on her wings...well, I think they do!!

From this angle, you can see how the small flap tucks in under your image panel...it takes a little fiddling to get it just right. I actually doubled up on the foam squares to give more height for the flap to tuck under.


Here's the inside....this is the reverse side of the patterned paper on the front of the card holder. You can see the slot at the top in which I've inserted a gift card. You will want to ensure that your slot is far enough down from the top that you still have room to adhere your paper on the outside. Again, make sure that you only apply your adhesive around the perimeter of your patterned paper on the exterior of the gift card holder...this creates the pocket for your gift card. I used plain white cardstock cut with a smaller sized die of the Labels 2 to give an area to write a little message.


I know you all have gifts to give this year...so get creative with your wrapping and join us for Nikki's challenge at Wags 'n Whiskers Stamps!! Need some inspiration? Hop on over the the WnW Blog to see what the other very talented Divas have been whipping up in their craft rooms! Remember that the WnW challenge prizes are now open to projects featuring any stamp line...but if you use a WnW image on your project, then your name will also be put into a bonus draw!! (You can find them HERE)

Thanks for dropping by today!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps:Wags 'n Whiskers "Rosalie"
Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, Fancy Pants (Little Sprouts "Baby's Breath")
Ink: Memento, Distress Inks, Copics
Embellishments: Ribbon, die cut tag, dollar store pearls, jewelry spacer, Stardust Stickles
Tools: Spellbinders Labels 2, Bow Easy

Little Christmas Angel

Good morning friends! Have you been keeping up with the posts at Sundays With Crissy this month? Each very talented member of Crissy's Crew has a designated day to post, so there is inspiration and gorgeous eye candy to be seen throughout the entire month! This month, Crissy has set a wonderful festive colour challenge of "Red, Green and Gold".

I chose to work with one of Crissy's newest digital images from Whimsy Stamps...this is "Little Christmas Angel". I always adore Crissy's illustrations of children...they are so precious! After measuring the Spellbinders Labels 8 die that I planned to use, I resized "Little Christmas Angel" to fit, printed her off on Neenah Smooth cardstock and coloured her with Copic markers. I chose some design paper from My Mind's Eye and used accents of red and gold for the matting and punched border. To pull in some green to fit with Crissy's colour challenge, I sponged around the image and sentiment (from CC Designs) with Bundled Sage Distress Ink. The little flourish in the sentiment is something I drew in myself...mostly to fill the huge gap left when I misjudged the placement of the word "Christmas", lol. I added in some gold flourishes that were made with Spellbinders Doodleparts. The snowflakes were also made with Spellbinders.

In hindsight, I wish I would have coloured her gown with ivory or cream shades just to provide more contrast between the clothing and the wings. I coated both with Stardust Stickles after colouring.

Copics: Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20 Hair: E50, E30, E31, E33, E37, E59 Bird: R22, R27, R46, R59, C10 Gown: B60, C5, C3, C1, C00, blender Wings: B000, BG0000, BG000, B60, blender

We would love to have you join in our challenge this month...you have until midnight on November 30th (EST) to submit your project on Crissy's post HERE. (Just look for the little blue Inlinkz frog at the bottom of her post) If you use one of Crissy's digital images on your project, you will be eligible to win this month's fantastic prize from our wonderful sponsor LSL Diversified. Take a look:

Crissy will also be giving the winner 3 of her digital images from either Squigglefly or Whimsy Stamps! You can purchase Crissy's digital stamps from Wags 'n Whiskers, Whimsy Stamps or Squigglefly.

Make sure to become a follower over at Sundays With Crissy so that you never miss a post by one of the lovely members of Crissy's Crew...we still have a few more post to come this month!

Have a wonderful day friends...and thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Whimsy Stamps "Little Christmas Angel" by Crissy Armstrong, CC Designs sentiment Paper: Neenah, Bazzill,

Ink: Copics, Distress Ink

Embellishments: Kaisercraft brads, dollar store pearls, Stardust Stickles

Tools: Spellbinders Labels 8 and Snowflakes, Martha Stewart border punch

Gettin' "Krafty" with the Krafty Girls!!

Happy weekend!!! Today marks the start of another new challenge at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog, and this time it's my turn to play hostess. :) My challenge is called "Gettin' Krafty with the Krafty Girls"...I want to see you using Kraft cardstock on your projects this week! (clever, no??? lol)

This is "Christmas Clara"...I love this stamp, and wanted to have another chance to use her this holiday season. I used Kraft cardstock as my card base and pulled out some gorgeous vintage style papers from My Mind's Eye (Holly Jolly)...oh and a little strip of holly patterned paper from Basic Grey (Wassail). The "Merry Christmas" sentiment is actually from Whimsy Stamps, and the little tag is from the Holly Jolly paper pack...there were a bunch of patterned die cuts in the paper pack. (Picked that up at Scrappin' Great Deals back in September!) The glitter snowflake is from the ornament section at the Dollar Store, and I adhered a Christmas brad that I've had kicking around since last year. The little red pearls were not quite the right colour, so I coloured them with my R59 Copic marker. I also used a Martha Stewart border punch on the black cardstock.


"Christmas Clara" was stamped on Neenah Smooth cardstock and coloured with Copic markers. Last time I coloured her I made her a brunette, so I thought it would be a nice change to give her blonde hair this time. :) I gave the Nutcracker and her hair bows a nice coat of Stardust Stickles, and then popped her up on foam squares.


Copics: Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20 Hair: E50, Y21, Y23, Y26, E31, E33, E37, E59 Dress and bows: R22, R27, R46, R59 Nutcracker: E51, E53, E57, R22, R27, R46, R59, YG00, G20, G94, G99, C9, C5, C3

I hope you plan to play along with the challenge this week...if you use a Kraftin' Kimmie Stamp on your project, then you could be the lucky winner of "Christmas Clara", the stamp I used on my card today!! Just link up your projects at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog...and while you're there, make sure to check out all the amazing Krafty Kreations by the incredibly talented Krafty Girls!

In need of some new Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps?? Check out the online store HERE...and remember, that the "Gimmie Kimmie Kits" from the November release are still available for a limited time!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Christmas Clara", sentiment from "Jingle Bell Ride" from Whimsy Stamps

Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, MME, Basic Grey

Ink: Memento, Copics, Black Soot Distress Ink

Embellishments: Pearls, Stickles, die cut tag, material brad, dollar store snowflake ornament

Tools: Martha Stewart border punch

Lavender and Lace

Oh, I am soooo late with this post! I must thank Lacey (and Nikki too!) for her patience with me...I've had some unexpected things come up that required my attention, and so my post had to take a back seat today. Better late than never though...right??

Welcome to another challenge at Wags 'n Whiskers Stamps!! Our challenge this week is "Lavender and Lace".

I decided to pull out one of my favourite Wags 'n Whiskers Stamps, "Say a Prayer" for this challenge. I have to admit that "lavender" is not a colour I have an abundance of in my paper collection. I searched through my papers several times for anything lavender, or even purple, and found this pretty polka-dotted paper from My Mind's Eye (Wild Asparagus). I also found a little scrap of polka-dotted paper from KaiserCraft that I used to paper peice the dress on this beautiful stamp. I chose to use some crocheted "lace"...this is one of my personal favourite embellishments. For finishing touches I distress the edges of the paper with my scissors and Milled Lavender Distress Ink, pulled out a Martha Stewart paper punch, added a few pearls, Prima Hydrangeas, Stardust Stickles, ribbon and a metal sentiment tag from the dollar store. I really wanted to add some machine stitching...another favourite embellishment of mine, but I've run out of white thread! (It's on my shopping list for this weekend, lol)


"Say a Prayer" was stamped with Memento Ink on Neenah Smooth cardstock and coloured with Copic markers. The paper-pieced dress was shaded with Copic markers. When paper-piecing, always remember to add some shading to your patterned paper. Otherwise, those areas of your image will just look flat.

Copics: Skin E000, E00, E11, R20 Hair: E50, Y21, Y23, Y26, E31, E33, E37, E59 Ribbon: C00, C01, C03, C05 Wings: BG0000, V000, RV000, blender Shading on dress: V000, V01, V12, V15, V09

We'd love to have you join in the "Lavender and Lace" challenge this week! You can link up your submission on the Wags 'n Whiskers Challenge Blog...you can also check out all the beautiful cards that the WnW Divas created this week. They are just stunning!

Remember, that the Wags 'n Whiskers Challenges are now open to submission featuring any stamps line. However, if you do use a WnW stamp on your project, then your name will also be entered into a bonus draw for a WnW digital stamp!

Thank you so much for stopping by today friends. It means so much to me that you all continue to keep looking in on my little blog...and your sweet words are so encouraging. :)

Have a wonderful Friday evening, and I hope to see you back tomorrow!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Wags 'n Whiskers "Say a Prayer"

Ink: Memento, Milled Lavender Distress Ink, Copic markers

Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, MME, KaiserCraft

Embellishments: Prima flowers, pearls, Stickles, ribbon, metal sentiment tag

Tools: Martha Stewart border punch

Running a little late...

Good morning folks!

I'm running a bit behind schedule today due to some unexpected things that came up last night, and will be late getting my card posted for the Wags 'n Whiskers Challenge.

I will be back later this afternoon with my card, but in the meantime please hop on over the Wags 'n Whiskers Blog to check out the gorgeous projects by the rest of the DT for our "Lavender and Lace" challenge this week.

Hope to see you back later today!

Blessings,

Melanie

A SugarPlum Christmas

Welcome to another Showcase Monday at The Town Scrapper! I was going through my stamps, wondering what I should work with for today's Showcase when I came across this adorable CC Designs SugarPlum stamp called "Ornament Trevor " and he had yet to be inked up... gasp!!! I think I acquired him last year, just after Christmas, so little Trevor has been waiting patiently in his package for a chance to come out and play! It was a bit of a treat for me too, as I completely forgot that I had him...kind of like finding some money in a coat pocket that's been put away since last season. Gotta love finding "treasure"! :)

The pretty paper on my card today is from Imaginesce. The ribbon and jingle bells are dollar store finds. I decided to use some X-Press It Blending Cardstock in place of my beloved Neenah Smooth Cardstock. Everybody in "blogland" seems to LOVE this new paper...including my 10 year old daughter Ainsleigh! (she has actually requested that I keep buying this paper for her, even if I choose to stick with my Neenah, lol) I've had a few sample sheets kicking around for a while now, but personally I've not been thrilled with my previous attempts at colouring on it...I found that I just was not achieving the same depth that I did with the Neenah paper. However, I'm determined to give this paper a fair chance...I usually take a while to adjust to change. So, I think I'll keep playing around with the X-Press It on occasion before I make any final decisions...as of right now, I'm not ready to make the big switch. I'm still a "Neenah girl". :) Paper really is a personal preference...I have friends who love Beckett, Bristol, Canson, Wassau and X-Press It. You really have to try out different papers to find out which works the best for you. I did find that it was easier to create texture in the hair on this paper...since it is not as soft and absorbent as Neenah, the marker strokes tend to remain a bit crisper or more defined. Sometimes, it's easy to over-blend on the Neenah, which is something you want to avoid when you are looking to create texture with your marker strokes.

I used some Distress Ink in Bundled Sage to sponge around the edges of the paper. Phebe has a great selection of Distress Inks at The Town Scrapper...I love these inks, and I rarely make a card without reaching for them. Stardust Stickles were applied to Trevor's ornaments.

Copics: Skin: E0000, E000, E00, E11, R20 Hair: E50, E30, E31, E33, E37, E59 Clothes: G20, G82, G85, G99, B91, B95, B97, B99, E40, E41, E42, E43, E47 Shoes: E50, E5, E21, E25, E47 Ornaments: Y00, Y11, Y21, Y23, YG00, YG11, G14, G05, BG0000, BG10, BG11, BG72, BG75, R20, R22, R27, R46, R59

Make sure to check out what the other Scrapettes have created for today's Showcase on The Town Scrapper Blog...these ladies always make such gorgeous projects with the product lines available at The Town Scrapper.

To arrange a visit to The Town Scrapper or to place an order, you can contact Phebe via telephone at 519-882-0623 or by email at info@townscrapper.com.

Have a wonderful Monday...and thanks for stopping by!!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamp: CC Designs "Ornament Trevor"

Ink: Memento, Copics, Bundled Sage Distress Ink

Paper: X-Press It, Bazzill, Imaginesce

Embellishments: Ribbon, bells, Stardust Stickles

November Release Blog Hop at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps!!

I always get so excited for release day at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps!! This month, Kimmie has another fantastic batch of stamps that I know you are going to love...there are six new "Krafty Girls" by artist Annie Rodrigue (each comes with a co-ordinating sentiment and accessory stamp) and five new Miles the Mouse stamps by artist Steven Leary (two of these stamps also come with sentiments). The stamps are now available for purchase, and Kimmie has put together a fantastic blog hop today to celebrate...complete with prizes!! The Krafty Girls, our FABULOUS Krafty Guests and our LOVELY Junior Krafty Girls have been busy creating some gorgeous projects for today's blog hop...just wait until you see them!

The hop begins over at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog, where you will find a complete list of all the blogs on today's hop. As you travel around, make sure to leave comments on each and every blog for your chance to win a package of the new stamps!

If you arrived here after visiting the super sweet and very talented Angie, then you are on the right track! If not, just start over at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog so that you don't miss out on any of the blogs...everybody's projects are fantastic and I know you will want to see each and every one!

My card today features "Lavender the Quilter" by Annie Rodrigue. This stamp brings back so many great memories from when I was little. I have never been much of a quilter, but my mom and both my grandmothers made beautiful quilts. I used to love visiting my grandmother as a little girl...and I was always excited to see her big quilting hoop set up in her living room. She used to let me "hide" under the folds of all the material while she stitched away...it was my little "fort". I very much appreciate all the hours of work that go into handmade quilts...they are such a work of art. Lavender has obviously been a very busy quilter...just look at that beautiful patchwork design! Those pretty papers are from My Mind's Eye (So Sophie). The weight and texture of these papers is wonderful.


"Lavender" was stamped with Memento Ink on Neenah smooth cardstock and coloured with Copics. Walnut Stain Distress Ink was applied to all paper edges with my Inkssentials Blending Tool. Lavender also comes with the sentiment "You're Sew Sweet", and two accessory stamps...a thimble and a pincushion.


Copics...quite a long list today! Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20 Hair: E50, E30, E31, E33, E37, E59 Dress: RV000, V00, V01, V91, V93, BV29 Chair: E50, E40, E41, E42, E43, E47, Quilt: Yellow Blocks: E50, Y21, Y23, Y26, YR31, E33 Teal Blocks: BG000, BG10, BG11, BG72, BG75 Green Blocks: G20, BG93, BG96, B99 Mauve Blocks: RV000, V01, V91, V95, R83

I also have a special guest on my blog today....my daughter and Junior Krafty Girl Ainsleigh!! I always love spending crafty time with my daughter for these blog hops...we have a great time colouring up the images together. :) Ainsleigh's favourite image from this release is "Annie the Artist". Ainsleigh is quite the little artist herself...she spends hours a week creating beautiful illustrations. Ainsleigh stamped "Annie" on Neenah paper and coloured her with my Copic markers. "Annie's" easel actually comes blank, so you can add whatever you like to her canvas. Ainsleigh loves drawing Manga characters, so she decided to add a pretty Manga eye to her canvas...I think it's FANTASTIC! Ainsleigh picked out some fun papers from Echo Park for her card, and added a hand-written sentiment. She also decided to try her hand at colouring on some X-Press It Blending Cardstock. Ainsleigh LOVES this paper for colouring...I'm still undecided on it, lol. She has requested that I keep buying it for her. :)

Beautiful job my dear!! Ainsleigh prepared her own sketch ahead of time...she even had it labelled with colours for her carstock choices. :) I'm thinking I may have her design some sketches for me sometime. I really love her choice of black cardstock for matting...it really makes those bright colours in the paper pop!

After you are done hopping around, make sure to stop by the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Online Store to do some Krafty Shopping!! For those of you who just "gotta have it all", you will once again have the option to buy the new Moonlight Whispers stamps or the new Miles the Mouse stamps as complete sets, and at a discounted price to boot!! Just click on the "Gimmie Kimmies Kit" option...easy one-click shopping!!

Ok, time for me to send you off to visit my dear friend Krista's blog...just wait until you see what gorgeous project she has created with one of the new November images!! Oh, and don't forget to leave those comments!

Thanks for joining in the fun today...enjoy the rest of the hop!

Blessings,

Melanie

Melanie's Card:

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Lavender"

Ink: Memento, Copics, Distress Ink in Walnut Stain

Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, My Mind's Eye (So Sophie)

Embellishments: Prima flowers, machine stitching, pearls

Tools: Corner rounder punch

Ainsleigh's Card:

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Annie"

Ink: Memento, Copics

Paper: X-Press It, Bazzill, Echo Park

"Funky Fibres"...and another sneak peek!!

Happy weekend!! It's an even happier weekend because tomorrow is the official release of the brand new November Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps!!!

We have a double-your-fun challenge this Saturday at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog, because all the Krafty Grils and Krafty Guests are also giving you one last sneak peek at the new stamps on their cards today! Our wonderful hostess today is none other my lovely friend and fellow Krafty Girl Krista VanTol . Krista is quite the clever gal...her challenge is called "Funky Fibres" and it fits in beautifully with several of the brand new "Krafty Girl" stamps by artist Annie Rodrigue!

Today, I have used the lovely "Sabrina the Spinner" on my card...I LOVE this stamp! I have never personally attempted to "spin" wool, but I think it would be a lot of fun! I can picture Sabrina sitting in her log cabin...or maybe even her "soddie" (did you read the "Little House" series when you were younger??)...quietly spinning the fleece into yarn while a lovely fire is crackling away in the fireplace. Sometimes I think it would be wonderful to live in a simpler time without all the hectic schedules, cell phones and noise...but electricity, plumbing and medical advances are enough to put a halt to those thoughts! lol The design paper is from My Mind's Eye (So Sophie). I wove some "funky" yarns through the crocheted trim, and also used the yarn to fill the little wooden spools that came in a package of fun buttons.

"Sabrina" was stamped on Neenah paper with Memento ink and coloured with Copic markers. Her dress was paper-pieced (paper is from Pink Paislee) and then shaded with Copic markers. I'm not thrilled with the background...I was a bit heavy-handed with the Distress Inks. I was also trying out a different light source in these photos...not sure I love it. I think I'll pull out my original light for tomorrow's pictures.

Copics: Skin: E0000, E000, E00, E11, R20 Hair: E50, E30, E31, E33, E37, E59 Shading on dress: E40, E41, E43, E47 Spinning wheel: E50, E41, E43, E47, E25, E99, E59

We'd love to see your "Funky Fibres" submissions this week...if you make sure to use a Kraftin' Kimmie stamp (you can purchase them HERE) on your project, then you could be the lucky winner of "Mona the Seamstress", the stamp Krista used on her stunning card this week! Make sure to visit the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog to see the fabulous creations by the rest of the Krafty Girls and Krafty Guests!

Make sure to join us tomorrow for the release day blog hop!

Thanks so much for stopping by today friends.

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Sabrina the Spinner"

Ink: Memento, Copics, Distress Ink (Antique Linen, Walnut Stain)

Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, Pink Paislee, My Mind's Eye

Embellishments: Crocheted trim, yarn, mini wooden spools, ribbon, machine stitching

November Previews...Round Two!!

(This is post #2 for me today! Please feel free to scroll back to see the Wags 'n Whiskers challenge for this week!)

Welcome back for another round of previews for Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps! (Links for all of today's sneak peeks can be found at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog.) The official release day is this Sunday, and we will be having our usual release day blog hop...hope you plan to join us! We'll also have one more round of previews tomorrow during our weekly challenge.

My card today features "Mona the Seamstress", one of six new stamps by artist Annie Rodrigue. I adore the old sewing table Mona has...actually, my friend has an antique sewing table that she is giving to me! (I just need to get my van over to her house to pick it up.) It looks very similar to the one sweet Mona has. The papers on my card are from The Paper Loft. I couldn't resist adding some machine stitching to this card, as it is just so fitting...it also happens to be one of my favourite embellishments. :) I had a perfect little antique sewing machine button that has been kicking around in my button stash for a little while now. The little chipboard spool and needle were lightly shaded with my Copic markers, wound with embroidery floss and adhered with Scor Tape.



Mona was stamped on Neenah smooth paper and coloured with Copic makers. Her little spectacles were given a coat of Glossy Accents. Believe it or not, I actually made it through a card without adding Stickles!! lol

Copics: Skin: E0000, E000, E00, E11, R20 Hair: E50, E30, E31, E33, E37, E59 Clothes: B000, B91, B97, BG000, BG10, Bg72, BG75 Sewing machine and "metal" parts of table: C00, C1, C3, C5, C9 Table: E40, E41, E42, E43, E47, E59 Cloth: G20, BG93, G94

Are you loving these new stamps??? I adore this release...but then again, I adore every release, lol. You won't have to wait much longer...the new November stamps will be available for purchase on Sunday.

In the meantime, hop on over to the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog to visit the other Krafty Girls and Krafty Guests who have sneak peeks to share with you today!

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and enjoy the rest of your Friday!!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Mona the Seamstress"

Ink: Memento, Copics, Walnut Stain Distress Ink

Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, The Paper Loft

Embellishments: Machine Stitching, "Dress It Up" button, embroidery floss, Maya Road chipboard spool and needle, crocheted trim

Tools: Spellbinders

Snow Fairy

This is a tw0-post day on my blog...today is round two of the Kraftin' Kimmie November previews! Please feel free to scroll up to see my sneak peek for today(it will be up at 7:00 am EST)...and for links to the other previews!

Ready for a new challenge at Wags 'n Whiskers Stamps?? Today's challenge is brought to us by the lovely Tracy. She would like to see you using Acetate, Vellum or Tissue on your project. Just wait until you see the gorgeous projects by the rest of the design team over at the Wags 'n Whiskers Blog!

I decided to pull out one of the beautiful WnW fairies...this is "Rhiannon" coloured up as a snow fairy. She is usually perched on a branch, but I eliminated that so that she could be nestled on an arrangement of snowflakes and swirls. This was a fun challenge for me as I rarely use vellum on my cards. I ran strips of vellum and cardstock through my Xyron "sticker maker"...I know that's not the right name, lol. It's a little "X" shaped contraption that you can insert ribbon, paper or other thin embellies through to apply a film of adhesive. I used Spellbinders Doodle Parts to cut out the swirls and then broke out my Ritz Microfine Glitter for the very first time, and applied it to the now sticky vellum and cardstock. I love this glitter! Just burnish it with your finger for a beautiful velvety finish...so pretty! The snowflakes started off as clear plastic. I coated them with glittery "snow" paint, sprinkled them with coarse glitter and topped them off with a rhinestone centre. The pretty DP is from a DCWV Christmas Stack. Finally, I added some random rhinestones for additional sparkle.

Rhiannon was stamped on Neenah cardstock and coloured with my Copics. Those wings were just crying out for some Stardust Stickles...these are the perfect Stickles for fairy wings. They also add to the "frosty" look I was after for this "snow fairy". (The first photo turned out rather bright...it's too "blue". The colours are actually not quite that intense. This second photo is a little more accurate colour-wise...the papers are teal.)

Copics: Skin: E0000, E000, E00, E11, R20 Hair: E50, Y21, Y23, Y26, E33, E37, E59 Clothes: BG0000, BG000, BG01, B14, B37, B99, C00, C1, C3, C5 Wings: BG01, BG000, BG0000, RVooo, blender

We would love to have you play along with our challenge this week. You could be the lucky winner of a WnW stamps! Remember that the Wags 'n Whiskers Challenges are now open to projects featuring ANY stamp line...just link up your project at the Wags 'n Whiskers Blog. Now, if you already own some Wags 'n Whiskers stamps, go ahead and use them in the challenges...those projects featuring a WnW image will be entered into a bonus draw for a WnW digital stamp!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Wags 'n Whiskers "Rhiannon"

Ink: Memento, Copics

Paper: Neenah, DCWV, Bazzill

Embellishments: Ritz microfine glitter, plastic snowflakes, rhinestones, Stardust Stickles, machine stitching

Tools: Spellbinders Ovals, Doodle Parts, Snowflakes

Time for the November Sneak Peeks at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps!!

(This is post #2 today...please scroll back to see the lucky winner of my Sweet 'n Sassy Birthday Blog Hop candy!)

November 11. Remembrance Day. This is such an important day on the calender, and I would like to take the opportunity to express my heartfelt thanks to all the men and women who have served to protect our country. My sympathies are extended to all who have lost loved ones to war. To have just one day to express our thanks and appreciation for their selfless service and ultimate sacrifice seems hardly sufficient. I remember that as a child in school, the moment of silence always seemed an eternity. Now it doesn't seem long enough to reflect on what those soldiers went through....what they gave up to protect complete strangers...what they sacrificed for the cause they fought for. Today we thank them. We express our appreciation through silence and reflection, through poems and songs, through memorials and services. Today, I am praying for the soldiers currently serving around the world...and for their families. I pray for strength, protection and wisdom for the soldiers...for strength, peace and comfort for the families. God bless.

Release day is fast approaching at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps...the big date is Sunday November 14th! :) You are in for quite the treat this month, as Kimmie has some fantastic new stamps lined up for November...you are going to want each and every one! (you know...Christmas is just around the corner, so you can make them part of your wish list this year!!) There are six fabulous "Krafty Girls" by artist Annie Rodrigue as well as several adorable winter Miles the Mouse stamps by artist Stephen Leary. Over the next few days, the Krafty Girls and Krafty Guests will be sharing sneak peeks with you...make sure to visit the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog each day to see who is participating each day. The official release day is this Sunday. Not only will you be able to buy the stamps that day, but Kimmie also has a great blog hop planned!

Today, I'd like to introduce you to "Annie the Artist"....hmmm, wonder where Kimmie came up with the name for this lovely gal?? ;) lol I am totally in love with Annie Rodrigue's characters this month...they are FABULOUS!! The paper is from the Basic Grey "Olivia" line. The "Colour Me Happy" sentiment comes with "Annie"...she also comes with a little paintbrush accessory stamp.

"Annie" was stamped with Memento Ink on Neenah smooth paper and coloured with my Copic markers. Her cute little dress and shoes were jazzed up with some Stardust Stickles. The canvas on her easel is actually blank, so you can have her painting whatever your little heart desires...I chose to sketch in a rose.

Copics: Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20 Hair: C10, C9, C7, C5, C3, C1, B60 Beret: R20, R22, R27, R46, R59 Dress: C00, C1, C3 Easel: E50, E31, E25, E59, E99 Canvas: E50, E30, E31, blender

For more sneak peeks of the soon-to-be-released November stamps, visit the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog where you will find links to all the participating Krafty Girls and Krafty Guests. Stay tuned over the next few days for more previews, our weekly challenge and the official release day blog hop on Sunday!

Have a wonderful day friends, and thanks so much for visiting!!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Annie the Artist" and matching sentiment

Ink: Memento, Copics, Black Soot Distress Ink

Paper: Neenah, Basic Grey, Bazzill

Embellishments: Flowers, button, hemp twine, Stardust Stickles

Winner of my Sweet 'n Sassy Blog Hop Candy!!

(This is one of two posts today... it's time for the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps November sneak peeks to begin!! Please feel free to scroll up to check out that post!)

Good morning folks! Just popping in quickly to announce the winner of the "Cocoa's Ornament" digital image from the Sweet 'n Sassy Birthday Blog Hop. Drum roll please....

The lucky winner (chosen by random.org) is...

"GRANDMAFAIRYMARY"!!!

Congrats...I know you will love this sweet festive digital stamp! I'm sure it will be perfect for your holiday crafting. :) Please email me for new your digi stamp! (you'll find my email link through my blogger profile)

I would just like to say a heartfelt thank you to all who participated in the Sweet 'n Sassy celebration...and thank you for all your lovely comments. :) Stay tuned to the other designer's blogs to see if you won their blog candy...and Korin will be posting a complete list of all the winners on the Sweet 'n Sassy Blog this Saturday.

Blessings,

Melanie

Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Birthday Blog Hop!!

Good morning folks! Earlier this year, I had the privilege of being on the design team for Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with that wonderful group of ladies, and I certainly have missed them. I was absolutely thrilled when Korin, the owner of Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps, rallied up a bunch of us "alumni" and invited us to participate along with her current DT members in a Blog Hop to celebrate Sweet 'n Sassy's 3rd birthday!!

Here's a word from Korin about her wonderful company:

It's hard to believe that 3 years ago today Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps "opened for business" with just 4 clear stamp sets being sold on a simple blog. Since then SNSS has grown to over 100 clear stamp sets and hundreds of digital stamps! God has been so good to us!

Our images, sentiments and scripture stamps are sweet 'n sassy and everything in between. We're sure you'll find something you love. We hope you enjoy hopping along to see all the fun things we've created for your viewing pleasure. May you be inspired to create something truly amazing......something from your heart!

Today's huge Birthday Blog Hop includes the work of several Sweet 'n Sassy past and present design team members!! You will not want to miss a single participant's blog, as each and every one of us has BLOG CANDY to give away...so make sure to leave comments as you hop along!

The hop begins over at the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Blog, where you will also find a complete list of links to the hop participants. You should have arrived here after visiting with the very lovely and very talented Lisa...if not, just start the hop at the beginning, and you'll soon find your way back here. :)

For my card today, I used the festive digital stamp "Cocoa's Ornament". I adore this cute little mouse! Both the first and last projects I made during my term with Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps featured a Cocoa image, so I thought it fitting that I use him again for this celebration blog hop. One of the best features of digital stamps is the ability to re-size and flip them according to your specific project. Before printing the Cocoa stamp, I measured the Spellbinders die that I planned to use on my card, and adjusted the size of the image on my computer before printing. Before removing the image from the die, I used my Inkssentials Blending Tool to apply Distress Ink in Milled Lavender. The gorgeous Christmas paper is from Bo Bunny...I LOVE the colours in this paper line! The bow was tied with my Bow Easy. I added some machine stitching, rhinestones, pearls and a Spellbinders lace border as finishing touches.


"Cocoa's Ornament" was printed on Neenah smooth cardstock and coloured with Copic markers. Stardust Stickles were added to the bow and to the teal stripes on the ornament.

Copics: Cocoa: W00, W1, W3, W5, E50, R11, RV000, R83, R83 Ornament: YG00, YG11, YG20, YG67, G99, BG0000, BG000, BG11, BG72, BG75, BG78, RV000, V00, V01, V12, V15, V09, C00, C01, C03, E50, Y21, Y26, Y17, E33

BLOG CANDY TIME!!! Do you adore "Cocoa's Ornament" as much as I do??? Guess what...I get to give this digital image away to one lucky hop participant. :) Just imagine how many great projects he would be perfect for in the upcoming weeks!! Make sure to leave a comment on this post by Wednesday November 10 at 10:00 pm EST, and I'll announce the winner on Thursday November 11th! (Make sure to check back on my blog to see if you are the lucky winner!!)

When you are finished with the hop, make sure to visit the Sweet 'n Sassy Store to browse through the wonderful selection of stamps available for purchase!

Time for me to send you off to visit the next lovely gal on the hop...the very sweet and talented Joni!

Thanks again Korin for the invitation to join in the Sweet 'n Sassy birthday bash! It has been so much fun to reconnect with everybody and to have the chance to create with Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps again.

Happy hopping friends...and don't forget to leave those comments for your chance to win some great Sweet 'n Sassy prizes!!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Sweet 'n Sassy Digital Stamp "Cocoa with Ornament"
Ink: Copic markers, Milled Lavender Distress Ink
Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, Bo Bunny
Embellishments: Ribbon, Stickles, rhinestones, pearls, machine stitching
Tools: Spellbinders, Bow Easy

Monday Morning News

Well, good morning Sunshine!! lol I hope everybody enjoyed their weekend...ours was great, but it was over way too fast. We sat down last night to watch Toy Story 3...oh my goodness!! It was a such a great movie! I had hoped to squeeze in some crafty time over the weekend, but it just didn't happen. Sooo...I'll be colouring and assembling each evening as I've got a busy few days fast approaching on my blog! :)



I don't have a card to share with you today, but thought I'd tell you about a couple of fun news tidbits!

Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps is celebrating their 3rd birthday tomorrow....and Korin has put together a fantastic blog hop to celebrate!! I had the privilege of being on her DT earlier this year...she has so many great stamps to suit every occasion (both clear sets and digital images)! Korin invited a bunch of "alumni" to participate in the birthday bash hop along with her current DT, so I'll be back tomorrow as one of the stops on the hop with card featuring one of her sweet digital stamps! (Oh, and there are a ton of prizes being given away tomorrow, so make sure to join in the fun!!)



For those of you living in the London area, I wanted to let you know that my good friend Krista VanTol will be teaching her first class at Scrappin' Great Deals this Saturday!! Krista is such a sweetheart...and SO very talented!! She has a wonderful style, and her colouring with Copic markers is absolutely gorgeous. She is a wonderful teacher, and I know that those attending will thoroughly enjoy themselves...and be able to pick up some of her tips and tricks for working magic with those markers!! (you can check out the cards Krista has planned for the class on her blog post HERE.)

That's about it from me this morning...I have a jam packed day ahead!! I hope to see you back tomorrow morning for the Sweet 'n Sassy Blog Hop...and stay tuned later in the week for a ton of Kraftin' Kimmie fun!! ;)

Blessings,

Melanie

How Distressing!!

Can you believe it's already November 6th??? Have you all started your Christmas shopping yet? I say this every year, but honestly my goal is to be done by the end of November. I almost met that goal last year. I only had a couple of things left to get in December. I would prefer to avoid the chaotic stores as much as possible in December...and to get in a little Christmas crafting with Ainsleigh. Dean and I actually went to a Christmas party last night...crazy, huh?? LOL, friends of ours always hold theirs the first week in November in order to beat the upcoming rush of get-togethers. Their house was decorated, carols were playing and we even had a few snowflakes falling outside to boot! We had a great time. :)

Our new challenge over at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog is courtesy of our lovely Krafty hostess this week, the very talented Tara!! Her challenge is called "How Distressing"...I love to add distressing to my cards, whether by ink or by physically distressing the edges of the paper...it really adds such a nice finishing touch to your project.

For this week's card, I inked up "Willard" who was just released a couple of weeks ago...what a cutie! When I saw him all bundled up like that, he made me think of the little brother Randy from the movie The Christmas Story. Remember when his mom had layered him up in all his winter outerwear??...and then he fell out in the snow, and couldn't get up?? LOL...."Ralphie...I can't get up. Raaaalphieeeeee....!!!" (You know, that's a movie that I both love and hate at the same time. We used to watch it EVERY year in elementary school. I can remember piling into the library with the other classes to watch Ralphie on his quest to acquire a Red Ryder BB Gun. His mother didn't want him to have one of course...she just told him "you'll shoot your eye out", hehe. I still giggle about the hideous leg lamp from "Fragile"!! Halmark actually made that into an ornament...complete in it's crate marked "Fragile"...almost bought that one! lol)

Anyways, lol, back to stamping!! I used some great Christmas papers from My Mind's Eye (Holly Jolly) and distressed all the edges with a pair of dull scissors. I also sponged around the paper edges with Bundled Sage Distress Ink. The snowflakes were cut with Spellbinders, sponged with the white ink and given a coat of Stardust Stickles. (um, in real life the red snowflake really does match the papers!) The "Warm Wishes" sentiment comes with Willard...he also has a little Christmas Tree accessory stamp.

Willard was stamped on Neenah smooth paper with Memento Ink and coloured with my Copic markers. I used some fun Perfect Puff on the trim of his hat...Krista and I both picked up a bottle of this fun product while shopping at Scrapfest a few weeks ago. I've been itching to play around with it, especially since I've already seen some great samples by Krista!! (she totally beat me to playing with our new "toy", lol) I love the texture it creates when heated, and it's quite fun to watch it "puff" up! (yup...doesn't take much to amuse me I guess, lol) I just used my hairdryer as I don't even own a heat tool.


Copics: Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20 Hair: E50, E31, E33, E37 Clothes: R20, R27, R46, R59, G20, YG91, YG93, G99, BG0000, BG000, BG11, BG72, BG75, BG78 Mug: C9, C5, C3, C1 Hot Chocolate: E25, E50

Have you visited the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Challenge Blog today to check out the amazing distressed projects by the rest of the lovely Krafty Girls and our November Krafty Guests?? Make sure to take note of the stamp that Tara used on her card this week, because that's the stamp you could win if you play along with our challenge...but only if you make sure to use a Kraftin' Kimmie Stamp on your submission! In need of some new Kraftin' Kimmie rubber? Well then, head on over to the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Online Store to do some Krafty shopping!

Have a wonderful Saturday friends!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps: "Willard" and coordinating sentiment "Warm Wishes"

Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, My Mind's Eye

Ink: Memento, Copics, Bundled Sage Distress Ink

Embellishments: Dollar store pearls, Stickles

Tools: Spellbinders

Sister Act

Happy Friday folks! We have a brand new challenge over at Wags 'n Whiskers today...Barbara would like to see projects celebrating Sisters or Friendship. I am very happy to be back playing alongside the rest of the WnW Divas this month...October ended up being so busy at our house, that I had to take a few weeks off. I'm hoping November is a little less hectic!

Have you heard that there is a big change to the Wags 'n Whiskers challenges?? You are now welcome to play along using any stamp you wish...all entries will be eligible to win the WnW stamp being offered as a prize! However, if you do chose to use a WnW image on your entry then you will also be eligible to win a bonus digital stamp!!

I had yet to ink up "Rosalie" from the second fairy release. I decided to stamp her twice (after masking the first) to create a little pair of dancing sisters. The design paper is from both Cloud 9 Designs and Basic Grey. The little metal "Girlfriends" tag is from the dollar store, the white ribbon is from Walmart and that gorgeous pink silk ribbon is May Arts Silk Ribbon from Lacey's store Stamp and Create...honestly, if you've never tried working with this ribbon you must purchase some. It is absolutely divine for tying beautiful bows!



The "sisters" were stamped on Neenah smooth paper with Memento Ink and coloured with Copic makers. I was quite generous with the Stardust Stickles on their cute fairy outfits.

Copics: Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20 Hair: E50, E30, E31, E33, E37, E59/E50, Y21, Y23, Y26, E31, E33, E37 Clothes: RV000, R83, R85, R89, G20, G82, G85 Wings: RV000, R83, G20, Y00, colourless blender

Need a little inspiration? Well, hop on over to the Wags 'n Whiskers Blog to see what the rest of the very talented Divas have created this week! Remember that the weekly prize draw will now include entries featuring any stamp...but there will be a bonus prize offered for those who use a WnW stamp! (You can find Wags 'n Whiskers Stamps HERE.)

Have a wonderful day friends and thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Wags 'n Whiskers "Rosalie"

Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, Basic Grey, Cloud 9 Designs

Ink: Memento, Copics

Embellishments: Machine stitching, Stardust Stickles, metal dollar store embellishment, ribbon