Inspirational Wednesday at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps-Friends to the Finish

  Hello Krafty Friends!

It's INSPIRATIONAL WEDNESDAY,

the day we provide you with a bit of extra krafty inspiration

to help you get creative with your krafty stamps!

This week, it's my turn to share an Inspirational Wednesday project. I made a card featuring the set Friends to the Finish. I stamped the boxer in Totally Taupe ink and coloured her with Copics. The shirt was paper-pieced and then shaded with markers. This set does include some great sentiments, but I couldn't resist using some sentiments from the design paper collection...just the right dose of cheekiness for this confidence-boosting friendship card!

If you want to add the Friends to the Finish stamp set to your collection,

visit the KKS Shop

and find it at 40% OFF this week!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you have an amazing week!

Happy Kraftin'

Royal Family...January 2021 Release Peeks at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps

Welcome to Day 2 of our January Krafty Peeks!

Introducing a new set from artist 

Sabrina van Vloten called.....

ROYAL FAMILY!!

This fabulous set full of regal elements has the potential to create so many scenes! 

 Check out ROYAL FAMILY in action today as you hop around the Krafty Team's blogs.  You'll also see the new stencils and hybrid ink along the way.  Be sure to leave some love at each stop on the hop because Kimmie will be giving away some krafty $$ to the shop! 

My card features the Royal Family king and queen images. I stamped them in our Wicked Black ink and coloured the scene with copics.

You'll see more of our January goodies tomorrow and then everything will be released after our LIVE Online Release Party on Saturday afternoon at 2pm ET in the Krafty Friends facebook group!  

For now, check out all the magestic goodness in today's hop!

See you tomorrow!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Krafty Day 2011 Commemorative Stamp!! (a special limited time online offer!)

KRAFTY DAY is finally  here!!! 

As many of you probably know, Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps is putting on a fantastic event today with all the local stampers and scrappers!! Since most of our online friends aren't able to join us, except in spirit, we thought we'd do something special!!

The attendees of Krafty Day will enjoy a lovely KKS tote bag filled with goodies and one of those goodies is a special commemorative stamp, created especially for the event!! It's called "Best Friends"! Well, how would YOU like to get one too?!! Beginning today and running only until Friday, October 21st, each and every order over $75 before shipping and taxes will receive this stamp for FREE!! So pop on over to the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Online Store for a little retail therapy. :)


Here's a card I made with the "Best Friends" stamp...and that great sentiment courtesy of The Beatles comes with it. :) 

And the close up:

Please visit the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog to see what some of my fellow Krafty Girls have created with the "Best Friends" stamps.

***Krafty Girl Guest Designer Contest***

Did you see the Kraftin' Kimmie Challenge post yesterday?? Yesterday marked our 100th KKS Challenge!!! This month also marks Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps' SECOND BIRTHDAY!!! Can you believe it?? So we're doing something special to mark the occasion!

Have you ever wanted to be a Krafty Girl?? Well, here's your chance to show it!! Our challenge for this week is to USE YOUR FAVOURITE KRAFTIN' KIMMIE STAMP! Just make a creation featuring one of your fave KKStamps and link it up on the KKStamps blog. Then, leave a message in the comment section telling us that you're applying for the job! The winner will receive a package of new release stamps and will be joining us for the challenges and krafty peeks for the month of December!! (You can still play along if you're not applying to be a Krafty Girl and we'll have our regular weekly winner.) This guest designer contest will be open until October 31, 2011 so you have lots of time to get inky and submit those Krafty projects! 

Well that's it for me today folks...I'm off to Krafty Day!! 

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Best Friends" and sentiment

Ink: Memento, Copics, Distress Ink

Embellishments: Ribbon

Tools: MFT die

Day 2 of Kraftin' Kimmie Previews!!!

(This is Post #2 today!! If you are looking for the Humble Pie Challenge, just scroll down or click here!!)

You didn't miss out yesterday, did you?? A brand new release is coming this Sunday for Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps, and the Krafty Girls are having sneak peeks for all the days leading up to the February Release Blog Hop on Sunday February 14, 2010!!! Oh, there are some fantastic images in this release! Kimmie has a list of all the Krafty Girls participating over on the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps blog, so be sure to hop over there to check out these amazingly talented ladies! But wait!! Before you go, I have another preview to share with you!

This cute image is from the "Cindy and Mindy" collection by Jean Grant. This is called "Bench Friends". I really love this stamp, and how it celebrates the quiet moments shared between friends. Friendship is such a treasure, never to be taken for granted. A true friend is there with you to share not only in your joys and triumphs, but in your struggles and heartaches too.

I stamped "Bench Friends" on Neenah cardstock and coloured with my Copic markers. I paired the image with this pretty paper from Daisy Buckets. The sentiment "Friendship Needs No Words" is also part of the new February release.

Are you making notes of your favourite images so you are ready to place your order first thing on Sunday? Seriously, you could make it a lot easier on yourself and just order the whole release!

Make sure you check back tomorrow. We will have a new weekly challenge on the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog and the Krafty Girls will yet again be showcasing the new images!

Blessings,

Melanie

Winter Birthday Wishes

Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps is sponsoring the challenge over at Pink Elephant this week. The challenge is a pretty simple one: Birthday Cards!! We all need a fairly large stash of these, right? So, you should hop on over and enter in...you could be the happy winner of three stamps from Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps (including ones from the new release! did you see the blog hop yesterday?? feel free to scroll down my previous post for more information on that)

I chose to use Clara for my birthday card. I think she is just so elegant...and I love her clothes! I think she makes a lovely winter birthday card! I paired her up with this beautiful Cosmo Cricket Paper (appropriately called Klara!!). I have been hoarding this paper for a while, just waiting for the right image. I matted Clara on ovals cut from my Spellbinders.

As always, I stamped my image on Neenah, and coloured it with Copic markers. I pop-dotted Clara for dimension. Those little pearls are dollar store treasures!! Saving money on embellishments=$$ for more stamps!

So, off you go to the Pink Elephant to play along with the challenge. There will be some more examples over there by Kimmie's Krafty Girls featuring her fantastic stamps!

I hope to see you back later this morning...I will have another card to post featuring a Magnolia image!

See you soon!

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Clara", Stamping Bella "Happy Birthday"

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers

Paper: Cosmo Cricket "Klara", Bazzill Cardstock

Embellishments: dollar store ribbon and adhesive pearls

Tools: Various Spellbinders

Looking Dapper!!

Saturday marks a new challenge over at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Challenge Blog! The challenge this week is "Heavy Metal", brought to us by Krafty Girl Tara who would like to see you using metal embellishments. Once again, you just might see a few sneak peeks of the January release images...including right here! I am using one of the new Moonlight Whispers images drawn by artist Annie Rodrigue. I would like to introduce you to "Chester".




Dapper...yup, that's what I think of when I look at "Chester"! I immediately fell in love with this character when I saw him! How can you resist him in his suit and top hat? I decided to use Chester to make yet another Valentine's Day card...'cause he looks like he's dressing to impress some lady friend, don't you think?? Imagine Chester showing up at your door...looking so very snazzy! I paired Chester up with papers from My Mind's Eye and Bazzill cardstock. The little sentiment tag was part of the MME paper kit. I have had these metal snaps in my stash for quite some time, and have been waiting for just the right project to use them on. I also had this entwined heart brad kicking around in my collection too...how fitting!



So, are you game?? Play along with Tara's "Heavy Metal Challenge" and you just might find yourself the winner of a terrific prize. Hop on over the the Challenge Blog for all the details, but remember, you MUST use a Kraftin' Kimmie image to be elligible for the prize!

Tomorrow is the big day! The new January Release will be available for purchase!! Not only that, but Kimmie and all the Krafty Girls are having a blog hop to showcase the new images! You will find all the details of the hop and links to the blogs tomorrow over at the Challenge Blog. See you again tomorrow!!

God bless!!

Melanie

Sneak Peeks of Kraftin' Kimmie's January Release!!

Have you played along with the Kraftin' Kimmie Challenge for this week yet?? You still have today to get your submission in before the winner is announced tomorrow...so grab a Kraftin' Kimmie image (which is a new rule this year to be eligible for the prize!), get paper-piecing and enter in for a chance to win!!

Now, some of the Krafty Girls used a few of the new images for the upcoming January 10, 2010 release for the challenge last week!! Did you see them?? I used one of new images by Crissy Armstrong for my first guest DT project...you can find that post here. You can still see the Krafty Girl's examples on the Challenge Blog.

You might have also caught a peek over at Cute Card Thursday this week (including my card here today!!), as Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps is the sponsor!

Today we are bringing you more SNEAK PEEKS!! So grab a cup of coffee or tea (or O.J.-whatever your preference!), and join us for this fun preview. You can find a list of the Krafy Girls who have previews today over on the Kraftin' Kimmie Challenge Blog!

My card today features "Dance Recital" by Krafty Artist Jean Grant. This is a new image for the "Cindy and Mindy" line of Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps. I HAD to have this stamp, as my daughter is very passionate about ballet. She's been dancing since she was four, and is now just about to turn ten. This stamp reminds me of her first recital, where she wore a little blue tutu!

Now, I just recently saw a fabulous tutorial on making frame cards, so I had to try it out!
I'll try to find the link and add it here later, or perhaps to another post.

I stamped "Dance Recital" on Neenah cardstock and coloured with Copic markers. I really wanted their tutus to "pop", so I generously coated them with Stardust Stickles. I used a backdrop of Bo Bunny paper in the recessed area, and then pop-dotted Cindy and Mindy for extra dimension. This stamp also comes with the sentiment I used here "Dance Like No One is Watching"...I LOVE this quote!! I mounted the sentiment on a Spellbinders Fancy Tag. The flowers are all Prima Hydrangeas.

I'm hoping you can see the recessed window on this shot! I really enjoyed this technique, and have plans to use it again soon.

Are you excited for the new release?? It's only a couple of days away! On the Challenge Blog tomorrow, you may just see a few more sneak peeks, and then Sunday we are having a blog hop to showcase all the fabulous new images by Kimmie's three talented artists! So stay tuned for the details!

Before you go, I have to have a proud mommy moment. I don't usually post pictures of my family, but I wanted to let you see a couple of pictures of my daughter doing what she loves best!

The first picture is from when she was four years old (and before my hubby was a photographer, so this was taken with an old point and shoot! ). Can I hear a couple "awww's"?

This next photo is one of my favourites! My husband took this in 2008 (she was eight years old here) during her ballet studio's production of The Nutcracker. It was fantastic...we brought in two professionals from the National Ballet of Canada to play the leads. This was her "Snow Maiden" costume...which I loved on her! So beautiful! (lol...did I mention that I was in the production too?? I played the maid...a "non-dancing role"...cause believe me, nobody needs, or wants, to see me in a tutu! lol...I just got to chase "Fritz" around the stage with a hairbrush, and act frustrated!...figured you don't need to see a pic of that! haha)

Ok...I'll stop gushing now. But, again...this is one of the reasons that I really love "Dance Recital"...takes me back to Ainsleigh's "rookie" ballerina days!!

See you tomorrow morning for a new challenge! Off you go to see the sneak peeks! Remember, all the links are over at the Challenge Blog!!

Blessings

Melanie

SECRET #2 REVEALED!!! (post #2 for today!)

Have I had you all sitting on the edge of your seats, biting your nail in anticipation of my big announcements?? Oh, I have been keeping them quiet for so long...but I do not have to be quiet anymore, or at least about this one! I will reveal my 3rd and final secret later...perhaps today...but definitely by Sunday! So keep checking back in!

Are you ready??!! I have been given the privilege of being one of the guest designer for Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps!!! Oh, you cannot believe how very excited I have been about this! I adore the images from Kimmie's company, and she has an amazingly talented group of Krafty Girls who help her showcase these fantastic stamps! She also has a team of three very gifted artists who bring such wonderful characters to life! I want to take this chance to say a great big THANK YOU to Kimmie for this opportunity! I cannot wait for this term to begin!

The card I am posting was part of my submission to Kimmie's guest designer call. I chose to use Charlotte. I fell in love with this image as soon as I saw her! I just adore her quirkiness! Now, you have to remember that this was well before Christmas...hence the Christmas paper!! lol Charlotte was stamped on Neenah and coloured with Copic markers. I used Basic Gray Wassail papers, and stitched around the edges of the layers. I used some of my dollar store ribbon, and a charm I picked up from Michael's. I matted Charlotte on some Labels cut from my Nesties, and used a touch of Stickles on her dress.

You know, I have a funny story about this card...and a lesson to pass on to all of you! It is said that a wise person learns from his mistakes, but the wisest person learns from other's mistakes! lol I had just finished colouring Charlotte, and moved on to another image I had stamped on the same page. This was my first mistake...I SHOULD have cut her out and put her safely aside. I did not. My second error would be colouring with about five or six markers in my hand. Sigh. Yes, when I get colouring, I layer and shade a lot. I am too lazy to put the markers down, so I keep a mitt-full of them right in my inky hand. This had never posed a problem...before that fateful day! (ok...that was a little melodramatic! hee hee) I dropped one of my red Copic markers...right on Charlotte's eye! Oh, the horror! I had spent so long on this image! So I went to work immediately with my colourless blender, to no avail. Charlotte now had a nasty case of pink eye. Not attractive...at all. (I should have taken a picture, but was too appalled at myself to see the humour at that time!) As I was sitting sulking over my pink-eyed girl, a stroke of genius struck! Well, ok...maybe not genius, but let me have my moment!! I decided to paper piece Charlotte's face. So I stamped up her cute little face, coloured it in, AGAIN, and stuck it on there! Voila! So there...even when all hope is lost, you can still salvage an image! lol

Hope you enjoyed my announcement! I am just ridiculously happy about it! The first challenge of 2010 will be up on the Kraftin' Kimmie Challenge Blog tomorrow! You will not want to miss out, as you may just a get a little sneak peak at the upcoming release! (and trust me, you are going to love it!!) The Krafty Girls have some beautiful examples for the challenge. Hope to see you there!

Blessing to all of you in 2010!

Melanie

Friends

It's been a while since I posted a card for the The Town Scrapper! Phebe gave us all a very light December, so that we could really enjoy the holidays with our families, and not worry so much about deadlines...what a sweetie! Phebe carries so many great stamp lines...pretty much all of my favourites! Whenever I take a trip out to her store, I always leave with a bunch of goodies...you CANNOT go into her store without finding something on your "must-have" list. Phebe has been running some fantastic SALES! All Christmas items are 35% off, all paper packs and Cuttlebug items are 50% off and if you mention her blog, Phebe will be offering a special on her listed "Hot Sellers"!! Her information is on her blog, and you can contact her for more information!

The last time I was out to visit, Phebe asked me to make a card with this great stamp from Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps. It is called "Roxy and Bernice" (illustrated by Crissy Armstrong). How cute are these two friends?? The sentiment "Furever Friends" comes with the stamp!

I stamped "Roxy and Bernice" on Neenah with Memento Tuxedo Black ink, and coloured with Copics. The sky was sponged in with a cloud template in Memento Summer Sky ink. The DP is My Mind's Eye and the flowers are Primas...both of which are available at The Town Scrapper! I cut out the focal image with Nesties, and hey...guess what?? Phebe carries Spellbinders too!

Thanks for taking the time to visit! Let me know you were here, and leave a comment!

Hope you all have a fabulous day!

Blessings,

Melanie

Princes Come in All Shapes and Sizes!!

Saturday is finally here! It has been one long week in our household. There is so much going on! We of course have all the normal hustle and bustle of the season, but added to that are youth events for our son, a ballet demonstration on Saturday for our daughter and then she is also in a production of the Nutcracker on Sunday (put on by Ballet Jorgen), a church Christmas recital...oh the list goes on and on! On a serious note though, my mother was admitted to the hospital this week with pneumonia. She is doing okay, all things considered, and she is one tough gal! But, it is a difficult time of year to be sick, and she is quite annoyed that she cannot carry on with her Christmas preparations. I have been in prayer for a speedy recovery for her. I am also praying that God gives her the patience needed to take it easy so she can recover fully...pneumonia is pretty serious, and she needs to give herself time to heal.

So, I thought that maybe a card with a bit of humour would be just what we need! I love this image from Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps!! Her name is Lillith, and I think the expression on her face is priceless! Incidentally, one of my daughter's favourite books when she was little was The Princess and the Frog, which is probably one of the reasons I adore this stamp so much! I made another easel card, since the last one was so much fun to make! I decided to add my own sentiment, and have a little fun with this stamp. It reads: "Sadly, Lillith's Fairy Godmother had become quite hard of hearing. She was certain the poor child had wished for a "hoppily" every after." Cheesy...yes, but so fun! (well, I amused myself anyways!!) See...no handsome prince for Lillith today...just little froggy! Hmmm, wonder if Lillith requested to be reassigned?!

Ok...on to the details! As always, I stamped the image on Neenah and coloured with Copics. I decided to put Lillith outdoors, so I added in a sky and grass for a background. The frogs were given a coat of Glossy Accents. I also added in some Dew Drops. The sentiment is matted on a Spellbinders Fancy Tag. I added a tag for a place to write my message, and tucked it in behind the image. Papers are Bazzill, and assorted scraps!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Blessings!

Melanie

P.S. Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps has put together a fantastic Christmas Bundle...so many great images/sentiment sets! 13 to be exact, and all for $25.00 USD. You will want to head over to their store and check it out. You can also visit the Digi Blog to see some examples made with these images. Happy shopping!

Mmmm...cupcakes!

I have been making so many Christmas cards lately, that I decided to shake things up a bit! I have been itching to get this image inked up and finally got the chance. This fabulous girl is named Francesca, and she is from Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps. Have you seen the images from this line yet?? You MUST hop on over and check them out! You will buy some...trust me. Francesca is from Kimmie's first release, but she has added many new stamps since.

So, I went with the obvious, and made a birthday card with Francesca. I love her teetering tower of cupcakes...so much fun! I decided to try my hand at an easel card. I love this type of card, and will definitely be making more! (You can find many tutorials for these online.) I have had this great DP (I think it's from Sassafrass Lass) for quite sometime, just waiting for the perfect project. Admit it...you have a stash like that too. That "great" paper that you never use because you love it soooo much, and don't want to waste it??!! Well, this was the card to use this on! I love combos of brown, green and pink...so fresh and cheery. This paper was paired up with cardstock from Bazzill and SU. I stamped Francesca on Neenah cardstock and coloured her with Copics to match the DP. Her tower of cupcakes were given a coat of Frosted Lace Stickles for icing.

On the interior of the card, I added a strip of layered cardstock which was popped up on foam squares. This serves as a prop to hold up the front panel of the card for display. It was also the perfect place to put a sentiment (from Bella Stamps) mounted on a Spellbinders Fancy Tag.

So I did have one issue with this card...I had no place to write a message!! I certainly was NOT going to scribble all over that DP that I so lovingly hoarded for so long! gasp! So, I made a little tag to slip under the image. The recipient can read my happy birthday note, and then tuck it back in...neat and tidy! (I had forgotten to take this picture with the first two, and slipped in a black backgound instead of white! lol...can we say blooper!)

Hope you all have a wonderful day, and thanks for stopping in! I do love to see who's been visiting, so please leave me a comment. That way, I can stop by your blog and see what you've been busy creating!

Blessings,

Melanie