papermonkey.org {make time for playtime}

Naughty Tilda & Sonja's WOJ Blog Candy

 

Hi everyone!  This is such a silly little card and I had such fun with it. I love creating scenes! Here is naughty Giggling Tilda (currently 30% off at Magnolia-licious) and a little A Muse Mouser, both of whom should be in bed so that Santa can come and do his work. The Cozy Fireplace is also a Magnolia stamp available from Magnolia-licious. The quote in the picture frame is from Elzybells UK.

The couch is from Alota Rubber Stamps and is also available through Magnolia-licious in the furniture section. I LOVE this couch! It is sooo easy to cut out and paper piece. I stamped the entire couch on BasicGrey Wassail paper, then stamped it again on white cardstock just for the cushions and lace part which were colored with Copics.

I ruched some lace ribbon and adhered it to the cushions with Scor-Tape. The holly berries above the fireplace and on the Bazzill Edge Strip "garland" were made with Ruby Red Liquid Pearls. 

I hope this card made you smile. Have a fantastic weekend! I have some really fun new stamps to share so I hope to be back with more cards today - just need light to photograph them. 

PS - Its Sonja 's turn to give away a Whiff of Joy stamp! Check out her blog for the deets!

hugs across the miles,

Suzy

A Cozy Christmas With Elzybells

 

Hi everyone!

I am behind in everythinggg so this will be super quick post with just the facts ma'am! It has been a while since I used an Elzybells UK stamp - ah so many stamps, so little time! This Christmas Window stamp is new and only available through the UK site. Some of you may have Elzybells NA distributed through A Muse stamps -the UK versions are much larger and you also have the option to go unmounted.

  This is a pretty simple card:I colored the image with the Copics you see above, keeping the shading "cartoon like" as she reminds me of a female Charlie Brown.

I  added some Dazzling Diamonds glitter to the snow with a glue pen. It is all framed by a white Fancy Pants Felt Scallop Square. 

The Ski Slope paper and Blue Bayou/ Real Red textured cardstocks are from Stampin' Up!

I couldn't find a tag to hang from the red velvet so I just used a Spellbinders Tag Trio and just cut the end off. The A Muse sentiment is stamped with VersaMagic ink. The cotton trim is from a Scarlet Lime kit I got a while ago.

Hope you like it! Thanks for stopping by!

Suzy

You Make Life Sweet

  

Happy Monday everyone! We awoke today to a blanket of snow on the ground - winter has arrived early.Our puppy Freeway got his first taste of the dog booties. You can check out the YouTube video here (edit - will add the link in a bit I am having technical problems). The dogs buck like broncos for a while and act like they stepped in something - they may not be having fun but it is pure entertainment for us. I know, we are so bad!

Monday marks a new challenge over at the House Mouse & Friends Challenge Blog. This week's challenge was a recipe card -not the kind you bake, but rather you are given the ingredients to make a card. Your card had to include the following:

• Ribbon
• 2 Buttons
• Felt
• A scalloped edge

You may add anything else you like to your project but it must also include all of the above.

 

  I colored my main image, Happy Hoppers Happy Pops with the Copic markers you see in the picture above. I added Crystal Effects to the suckers and also where the sucker remnants are on the sticks.

The image was placed on white felt that was cut with a Spellbinders Nestabilities Scallop Rectangledie.  Here is a tip - if you use the cheap felt sheets that are super fuzzy, iron them on a low heat setting. The fuzz disappears and you can get a nice crisp cut. The little flower is also a felt die cut (Cuttlebug Flowers).

It was so hard to put two buttons - I like odd numbers on my cards lol but I think this looks cute with them in different places with a touch of pink embroidery thread.

The textured pearlized pink cardstock is Bazzill Bling; the pink patterned paper is BasicGrey's Euphoria. The scallop edge requirement was fulfilled thanks to a scrap of my favorite new paper Bazzill Dotted Swiss in Saltthat was punched with a Fiskars Threading Waterpunch. The sentiment is by A Muse and is on a Spellbinders Ribbon Tags Trio die cut that has been sponged with pink ink.

Be sure to check out what the other DT members have made this week at the HM & Friends Blog. The prize this week is a two week spot on the Design Team - for those who wish for a chance please add the word DT to your comment.

I will be picking the winner of the Whiff of Joy stamp tomorrow.

This is a multiple post day so check below for more. Thanks for stopping by. Stay warm!

Suzy

Just a Little Sparkle...

 

Woo hoo I finally received my Toodles & Binks stamps! These unmounted red rubber stamps are the first two in the series, and are drawn by Disney Illustrator Geneviève Godbout. They are so fun!  I wanted to make a fun, cartoon like Christmas card using non-tradional colors with lots of bling. Ah I wish the true sparkle and glitz could be seen! This card is sooo sparkly!

 

I colored the images with the Copics pictured above. I then traced along the lines of Celeste The Fairy'swings and her cloud with Stickles Glue, and added some ultra fine glitter to her collar trim using a glue pen.

   Joel the Deerhas a bit of Stickles in the Holly berries and some Crystal Effects on the leaves and in his eyes, hooves and nose. I added a bit of White Opaque Gel Pen to both. The glittery blue cardstock is Doodlebug's Sugar Coated Cardstock. It is a sheet of blue paper covered with a layer of ultrafine holographic glitter. So pretty! It reminds me of a starry, clear sky. One word of warning though - Zip Dry glue had a bad reaction to this paper and it went right through to the front. I had to use Tombow Mono Multi glue. Test a patch of your glue on the paper.

The polka dotted embossed cardstock is Bazzill's new Dotted Swiss paper and I am so in love with it! I think it makes the perfect texture for fun snow hills (hand cut) and fluffy Oval Nestabilities  clouds.

I added lots of tiny silver stars and used an A Muse sentiment that says Wishing You a Magical Holiday Season. 

Hope you like this fun, cartoony card! Don't forget to enter my drawing to win a Whiff of Joy stamp if you haven't already entered - I will be picking a winner Tuesday!

Thanks for stopping by!

Hugs,

Suzy

Supplies List

Stamps:Toodles & Binks Celeste the Fairy and Joel the Deer; A Muse Magical Holiday Season Sentiment

Paper: Select White by Papertrey; Doodlebug's Sugar Coated Cardstock in Swimming Pool; Bazzill's Dotted Swiss paper in Salt.

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Ancient Page Chocolate

Accessories: Copic Markers; Stickles in various colors; Stampin' Up! Dazzling Diamonds glitter and Crystal Effects; Oval Nestabilities; Signo White Opaque Gel Pen.

Happy Hoppers: Naturally Pink & Copic Color Choosing Tips

 

This week's challenge over at the House Mouse & Friends Challenge Blog is to use something natural on your card - it could be natural in terms of color, materials, content etc.  There is a prize up for grabs this week so be sure to play! 

Card Details: I have been wanting to use this sweet Happy Hoppers Love Bunny stamp for a while and I started to make a brown card with it but my hands kept moving to this Stampin' Up! Pink Pirouette textured cardstock.  I used my natural colors and linen twine as accents and to meet the challenge guidelines.

I colored the bunnies with Copics and sponged around the Nestabilities cut shapes with VersaMagic Pink Grapefruit chalk ink. You get a nice blended look with a creamier ink as you can "push" it around on the paper with your sponge for a longer time before the ink dries.

The cardstock was stamped with Stampin' Up! Flannel Plaid background stamp (retired, sadly) in a rich brown (Memento Rich Cocoa).

The patterned papers are BasicGrey scraps so I am not sure what pads they come from.

The mesh ribbon, linen twine and fuzzy dot ribbon are all by May Arts.

The buttons are from my Wal-Mart find ~ one pound of buttons for $2!

Finally, I added a tiny pink crystal heart over the I in special on the A Muse sentiment. The pink ribbon is by Stampin' Up!.

Choosing What Copic Colors to Buy

I keep getting those e-mails ~ please show your Copics! Ahh this time I remembered :)

I have been asked what colors to buy if you are just starting out. This is very hard to answer because it is the blending of colors that makes Copics so fun so technically you need light medium and dark shade of each color to do that. Then add super light colors (anything that has a lot of 0s in the name) for adding shadows and halos around your images. Then add skin tones for coloring faces - you need shadows, tan colors, pale colors -see what I mean?

If you go back to my very first Copic post you can see how I colored back then. I only had about 10 to start out with I chose 1 each of the primary colors, the colorless blender, and a light gray and blue to shadow with. My coloring was very flat and one dimensional. What makes the markers special is the ability to layer and blend - to create glowing images that actually have dimension. You need a lot of different colors to take advantage of that.

Alas, they are expensive. So what can you do as you slowly build your Copic wardrobe?

1. Be aware of starting limitations:Even if you are a skilled artist you will have a learning curve with these markers. Even if you have a ton of colors, it will be a while before you learn to bring out their full potential. I work with them everyday and I am not there. So even if you only have 5 you can make beautiful things - just don't compare your work to those who have been at it forever and have every color available. People who do put the Copics away and give up.

2. Mix mediums: Copics go beautifully with your artist grade colored pencils. Use your pencils to fill in the color gaps until you can build your collection. Do not mix the Copics with Gamsol though.

3. Buy the colors you need:  Between the different types of markers there are over 300 colors available (see them all in a PDF file here). If you are a huge Stampin' Up! fan you may want to buy the matching colors of your favorite Stampin' Up! Colors.  If you own a lot of nature images, you will want more blues, greens and browns. Do you color mostly people? Then buy skin tones and hair colors.

One very cool thing to remember- each marker will create many shades for you if you have the Colorless Blender. Take a shade of blue for example - if you go over it many times you will create a darker blue without hatch marks or ruining your paper like with regular markers. If you go over it with the Colorless Blender it becomes lighter with each pass of the blender. So even if you only have one color, you can still shade to an extent.

4. Buy based upon need:If you hate to color and mainly only stamp your images, you will not get a lot of use from these markers and will feel like you wasted your money. If you love to color, trust me you will love these. You can actually color plastic and metals, perfectly match Primas and ribbons, even create water color looks with rubbing alcohol in place of water.

5. Have the right ink and paper:If you do not have the right accessories you will end up hating the Copics and not working with them. The alcohol in the Copics will break down certain inks. I recommend Memento Ink. It bleeds the least. 

As for paper, you want it to not be super shiny and flat or it will slide across the paper and dry in a puddle, but you also do not want it to be super absorbent like a watercolor paper or else the paper will eat up your marker and you will run out fast. Buy a happy medium. My preference is Papertrey Select, a 110 pound paper.

I hope these tips help you. One final tip is to print out a color chart on the type of paper you regularly color with for easy color reference. I made an Excel chart for all the Original Marker Colors here. I am working on one for the Sketch Markers and will post that soon.

Be sure to check out what the other DT members have made this week at the HM & Friends Blog. They have worked so hard to inspire you, please be sure to take a peek.

As always, thanks for stopping by. I appreciate your visit and your comments so much.

Suzy

Fall Time Fun: A Challenging Sketch

Oh. So. Full. We had our Canadian Thanksgiving dinner last night and it was all so yummy - which was the problem *pats tummy*. It is a bright, sunny day here in Newfoundland and the perfect fall day. This weather is so inspiring so get ready for lots of all cards ahead. Today's card is based upon this week's sketch challenge over at the House Mouse & Friends Challenge blog. I have to tell you, it was a real challenge for me! The line in the center is what threw me. So many layers and places to put accents and pretty embellishments make the sketch really fun though. I can't wait to see what you do with it!

 

Card details: I used Stampabilities Fall Time Fun. I colored the image with Copic markers. Notice how the blue outline around the images brings out the other colors and makes them pop? I added Stickles to the berries and some gold leafing around the edge. 

I am in love with this Stampin' Up! felt ribbon and can't put it down.

I cut out pieces of the image to have some of the mice coming out of the circle.

It is hard to see in the picture, but I put a scallop punched layer of BasicGrey Mellow paper on top of the base layer for a tone on tone effect. There was so much going on with the sketch. This way I could have little details without it completely going over the top.

Be sure to stop by the House Mouse & Friends Challenge Blog to see what the other Design Team members have made for you this week. Come on, play along too!

Thanks for stopping by. Happy Thanksgiving Canada! If you are looking for a yummy fall salad check out my post below. I wish I had added a bit less sugar, but it was really good!

Later today I will be back with a special announcement. Not gonna say *just yet* Have a great day!

Suzy

Supplies List

Stamps: House Mouse by Stampabilities Fall Time Fun; A Muse sentiment

Paper: Select White by Papertrey; BasicGrey Patterned Paper in Mellow; Stampin' Up! Chocolate Chip, Cool Caribbean & Ridinghood Red Cardstock

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Ancient Page Chocolate

Accessories: Copic Markers, Stampin' Up! Alpine felt ribbon; May Art velvet rickrack; Large Scallop Oval and Large Circle Nestabilities; Krylon 18 K Gold Leaf Pen; Stickles in Xmas Red; Fiskars Threading Water punch

Hallowhimsy Creepy Crawly Treats Card

Today's card was created for the rub-on challenge over at the Embellish-Online forum. I love rub-ons, but often forget to use them on my projects. To make up for it I used rub-ons from three different Imaginisce Hallowshimsy packages for this sucker card. To allow the sucker to fit onto my card I did snip a bit of the stick off.

Regular black sewing thread is coming out of the rub-on web, I let is naturally dangle on the card.

The black velvet spider sticker has moving tiny googly eyes.

The spider is holding the thread in place except for the end, which I let dangle. I like how he is eying the candy.

The striped cut out was stamped with Stampin' Up!'s new Cute and Curly Label Punch set. I do not yet have the Oval Punch, so used my Cuttlebug die cut to cut some Tangerine Tango textured cardstock.

The die cut (adhered with a pop up dot) fits perfectly over the punched shape. A tiny strip of Hallowshimsy green paper was added for color.

The Imaginisce Hallowshimsy collection is available in the EI store right now - don't forget to use code GLITTER for 20% off your order.

Thanks for stoppin' by!

Suzy

Supplies List

Stamps: Stampin' Up! Cute & Curly

Paper: Tangerine Tango  and Elegant Eggplant Textured Cardstock; Bazzill scalloped cardstock; Imaginisce Hallowshimsy Patterned Paper; Black and White cardstock

Ink: Stampin' Up! Basic Black

Accessories: Sandy Lion spider sticker; Stampin' Up! Curly Label Punch; Pop up glue dots; Glue Dots; Imaginisce Hallowhimsy Boos & Tattoos, Transylvania Transfers & Bat Scratch rub-ons; black sewing thread; a muse black sheer ribbon; Tootsie roll mini pop

Card Size: 4.25 x 6 inches

A Card For Suckers...

...Or lollipops as I prefer to call them. Again - super simple using A Muse Makenna, Sweet Shop and Got Candy? stamps on Papertrey White cardstock.

Images are stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink, then colored with Copics. Notice the lollipop is colored in a rainbow of colors?

I created her "print" dress with the Colorless  Blender pen and allowing lots of lighter Copic inks to "bleed" tiny bits of darker ink.

The windows and lollipops are given shine and dimension with Crystal Effects.

A mini Tootsie Roll pop was put between a snippet of A Muse pink ribbon.  A nice little treat to give to someone! Just read the wrapper carefully - on the other side the paper is cut so that it says Tootsie Poops! So tempted to make a different kind of card with that.

I have some Halloween cards with candy attached like this to show you soon too, as well as this year's Halloween meal. Last year's recipe was for my mom's Halloween Hedgehog Balls. This year promises to be just as yummy :)

Thanks for stopping by,

Suzy

Super Simple A Muse Thank You Card

I have had this idea rolling around in my head for a while, and finally got down to making it. It is quick and fun to make. The ribbon is by a muse as are the Gymnasts and Many Thanks images; the little thank you words being juggled are all from Papertrey's Mixed Messages. I stamped it all onto Papertrey Select White cardstock with VersaFine Onyx Black, a super juicy and crisp black. A dash of color was added to the gymnast's shirts with Copic Marker R29 Lipstick Red.

I made this card for LeeAnne over at the wonderful blog Southern Comfort. She purchased doubles of some a muse stamps and rather than exchange them, she is having a giveaway a week, and I won the Lion stamp! How nice and generous of her to do that for us - many thanks to you, LeeAnne!

Pamela from Attempted Creativity, who sent me the much sought after Martha Stewart Fence Punch will also be receiving this card, as will a muse's very own Rhonda Maynard of Crafty Blessings who blessed me with a stamp I was looking for. Thank you all for your generosity and kindness!

I have been asked where to buy a muse stamps online if you live in Canada.  You can buy them directly from a muse at the official website. Shipping costs quoted on the website are for priority - if you want to spend less, you can ask them to ship first class mail in the comment section and they will adjust the cost manually, but they warn that it takes a long time and it not tracked or insured that way.

Thank you for stopping by :)

Suzy

Using the New In Colors in an Archaic Way: Masculine & Fall Cards

Today's cards were created for the Embellish-Online.com Design Team Gallery, which opens today. Got your weapon of choice (its coffee for me!)? Settle in for a long post with lots of eye candy.

This month's theme is Fall & Fellas. I have to admit: I HATE making man-cards! I am just no good at it. I like adding girly accents, shiny ribbons, and PEENK. Another reason I hated making masculine cards - I didn't cared for the masculine patterned paper/embellishment lines until recently.  Manufacturers like BasicGrey, Fancy Pants, Making Memories and Cosmo Cricket seem to have gotten the message and have modernized their masculine lines and given us a lot more options.  Lately the masculine trends have been very fun and inspiring, which makes it so much easier to do a man card.

The first card I wanted to share with you is my favorite of the batch. I love the wavy patterns of this Pod paper from the BasicGrey Archaic line. I cut the waves into strips and placed them on a sheet of Primal with very thick 3D Pop Dots.

Using Stampin' Up! circle punches, I cut out various Archaic papers and Stampin' Up! In Colors Tangerine Tango and Baja Breeze.

• Design Tips:
• Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip and Tangerine Tango work beautifully together, and with the BasicGrey Archaic Line.
• Create your own patterned paper details by adding Crystal Effects, Glitter, or Flocking to patterned paper. Here, Crystal Effects was added over circles existing in the paper, and on punched circles.

Next is a kooky scene created with A Muse stamps Moose, Tiny Bird and Three Trees. I wanted to take the sentiment of Happy Fall literally, and created a bird falling. I drew in the dots that symbolize the falling pattern - Allan didn't get it at all and asked me why the bird was upside down. 

Details: The coloring was done with Copic Markers. Crystal Effects were added to the antlers. The little birdy is on pop dots. The brown matting (Archaic paper) was created with the new Cuttlebug Forest Branches Embossing Folder.

The sentiment was created with my Around the Block Tape Writer Kit (like a Dymo label maker). If you dig these, there are four left in the store on deep discount. The refill tapes are on sale too. Check out the bottom of this post for a code to save even more.

Since I was so silly with my Happy Fall card, I went for a more traditional card next using a Lockhart Adirondack Chair and sentiment. To me an Adirondack chair always means the last days of summer or early fall. I love laying back in them and just relaxing, taking in nature's beauty.


I also wanted to show that Archaic patterns are not just funky - here Pods paper mimics the sea in form, and early fall in colors. Bygone Plaid is behind the main image, and also glued to a clear button at the bottom right of the card.

The images were colored with Copic Markers - I used a lot of 0 Colorless Blender Pen to get a bleached out wood look on the chair.

The sky is created with a sponge and chalk ink.

Linen twine, twill, and Fruit Punch Stickles on the flowers act are additional accents.

My final card was created with three patterns from the Fancy Pants Papa Collection and one of my fave A Muse images, Rock Star.

First I cut out stars from the Brave patterned paper and sponged the edges with a Krylon Gold Leafing Pen. Next I cut out a strip of card from the Cards paper (the small diamond pattern) and fit it on the Leader large star paper.

The A Muse sentiment was stamped with Memento Rhubarb Stalk Ink - a great and unusual color. The image was colored with Copics then mounted onto a Marvy Scallop punch square of cardstock with pop dots.

I think this is an easy, fun masculine card that a teenager or teen at heart would love to receive.

Goings On at Embellish-Online:

Sales and New Discount Code - Right now at Embellish-Online.com you can save $5 on on 12x12 BasicGrey paper packs. There is also a new discount code ~ GLITTER will save you 20% off your whole order (put the word in the voucher box on the order form)- I am not sure if this applies to the $5 off papers, I have to check on that, but it is good for your entire order including the other sale items. Click *here* to get to the store.

Guest Designer Kim Frantz - be sure to see the wonderful work Kim has done for us this month. She won our first Friday Free For All Challenge. Her gallery is a must see - that is one talented woman. Wait until you see the CAR CARD she created! No wonder she was named  Memory Makers Master for 2009. Shock and awe, people. Shock and awe! Stay tuned for her Halloween cards next month - we just had to have her for two months.

New Basic Grey - Ambrosia, Eva and Offbeat patterned papers are in the store right now; the matching chipboard stickers and albums etc will be arriving later this month.

Cuttlebug Folders are still on sale.

Friday Free For All Challenge ~ This week Norma is blinging us out with a Shimmer & Glimmer challenge. Be sure to join in the fun. We are choosing our future Guest Designers from challenge uploads - you never know when you could be chosen!

Whew! My fingers hurt. Thank you for stopping by :)

Suzy

How Ya Bean?

Whew it is Monday but it feels like Sunday! Hope you are enjoying your holiday if you are in North America. Today's card was created for the third House Mouse Challenge. Emma made a sketch to play with. I used BasicGrey Mellow patterned papers over the new Stampin Up! Tangerine Tango cardstock, as well as Chocolate Chip and textured Garden Green. I really love the combination of colors.

I colored in shadows, grounding, and the mouse with Copics then propped it up on pop dots. Other embellishments include some deep brown yarn and flowers made of brown paper bag and orange felt from Wal-Mart die cut with the Cuttlebug. The how ya bean? sentiment is by A Muse.

 

Since the card was coffee themed I thought it would be fun to add coffee beans as an embellishment (you need to sand the oil off the back to make it stick to a glue dot).

Be sure to check out the House Mouse Challenge Blog to see what Emma and the other DT members have come up with - the cards are always so awesome. Here is Emma's sketch. With the sketch you can - flip it, stretch it, shrink it, twist it, add accents to it BUT you MUST be able to see the original sketch on your project.

It's entirely your choice what you make - card, Lay out, ATC - anything goes as long as it features at least one House Mouse or Friends image and follows this weeks theme.

Hope you are having a great weekend. Allan and I spent the day getting burned to a crisp at the dog park by the Quidi Vidi Lake - warm sun, tons of cute dogs to play with ours (including a 4 month old Pug named Haggis lol) - the burn was totally worth it! Later in the evening I finally was dragged to George Street (infamous for having the most bars per square inch in North America) and had a great time. We went to the fat Cat Blues Bar, located in a cave like setting, then decided it was too nice a night to be cooped  up inside so hit a heated open deck over at Sundance. My weapon of choice: Cosmos. You know how you are warned to never drunk dial? People usually drunk dial an ex, right? Well we drunk dial our parents LOL! We are sooo far away from everyone and started talking about how we miss our family, and before you know it we called Allan's mom begging them for a visit LOL...... (we weren't really drunk).

Thanks for stopping by.

Suzy

Basically Beautiful Challenge, and Memento Dye Ink

 

Hi everyone!

I am the hostess this week at Embellish-Online's Friday Free For All Challenge. My challenge is to cut the pattern already in BasicGrey paper, and then to use it on your cardstock. This is different from paper piecing - you do not fit patterned paper over your stamped image. It is kind of a tough challenge but can really get those creative juices flowing, so give it a shot! If you don't have BasicGrey paper - that's ok! Use anything patterned paper you do have! Just have fun :)

For this challenge I thought about love. Who doesn't love being in love? I refuse to call it FALLING because to me, the feeling is rather like floating. A sudden loss of gravity that tickles in the tummy endlessly without hitting land. Just air. Heaven. I tried to recreate that feeling in this anniversary card.

I cut out the cherry blossoms from a LilyKate 6x6 pad ~ the flowers were all cut from the same area of the paper and adhered to Papertrey Select White cardstock. I just kept cutting the shape the flowers would be if they hadn't overlapped, then didn't worry about holes in the pattern and such - I just tucked in whatever was missing a piece under the other flower.

The sentiment is from Simple Little Things by Papertrey (the 2008 free anniversary set), the Kissing Couple is by A Muse, and the stamped cherry blossoms are by October Afternoon - don't they go perfectly with this paper? Kismet I tell ya! I stamped the flowers in Dandelion, Angel Pink and Summer Sky. My camera did not capture the true color of the yellow - it is much less of a mustard in real.

Ah well, at least the pink from the acrylic crackle paint is true in this picture (it is not as dark as shown in the main picture and actually matched the pink in the paper quite well). I painted chipboard with ivory paint, allowed it to dry, then added Worn Lipstick Crackle Paint by Ranger over it, and put it on foam tape for extra dimension.

I also spackled some paint onto punched and cut flowers, then shaped them a bit by  hand to tie it all together.

The lovers were colored with Copics and her skirt is paper pieced with Lily Kate.

Memento Dye Ink

I wanted to share a bit about my new favorite kind of ink. Memento Ink by Tsukineko is a dye based ink. For fans of Stampin' Up, the pad and ink can best be compared to the Classic Ink. The ink is very fluid, the color is super vibrant and it is absolutely the perfect ink for use with Copic markers. I have not had ONE bleeding issue with this ink. I was only sent a few colors but posted them for you to see in the chart above. I will edit to add as I get more colors in.

Here is a Memento Color Chart for you to download if you would like your own (.doc form). Just  print it out onto cardstock.

Thanks for stopping by!  Be sure to head over to the EI Forum to see what the rest of our Design Team came up with for this Friday's challenge. The challenge lasts all week - we hope you join in!

Espresso Yourself!

I am really diggin' on the new A Muse Stamps releases. The tiny stamps pack a punch of personality. This is the To Go Cup stamp on the new 4 Bar Vintage Orange notes. I love the retro feel and wanted to complement the pattern and create a funky look by using a scallop punched with Doodlebug Bon Bon Chiffon flocked paper. Is it just me or does the scallop look like one huge coffee bean? but I digress....

I added Crystal Effects to the top of the cups to give them a plastic look, and ribbon jackets and green buttons in place of a Starbucks' logo. So fun.

The sentiment is by Elzybells UK.

What do you think? Is it too plain?

I usually go so over the top but kind of like a more simple look with my a muse stamps.

Totally OT: Daily Monster

I was adding this to my blog list but today's post was so awesome I thought I would give you a heads up here. This guy makes a Daily Monster right in front of your eyes! You will watch amazed and wonder..where is he going? I love 344!

Thanks for stopping by - see you tomorrow with Friday's challenge!

A Muse VMAA Challenges: 30 Minutes to Make a Card?!

These cards were made for the A Muse Addicts challenges last night. It was hurried but a lot of fun! We only had 30 minutes to do these challenges, so these cards are pretty rough - I usually spend hours on a card, I am so slow!

For the first card we had to do an inspiration challenge of this picture. Here is my take. I meant to only color the center one but I messed up so had to color them all.

Next challenge I missed ack! Will have to do it tomorrow.  It was to be a card about love.

The third challenge was to use our favorite stamping things. I love this stamp as it looks like my hairless dog! I love bling too, so added little flowers to her paper pieced sweater :) LOVE my Threading Water Punch and these new A Muse Notecards.....love it all!

The 4th challenge was to use only ONE stamp. I just did this with the Madeira stamp today so it was on my mind.

I colored with Copics then put a sheer sparkly ribbon over it. I did this in 7 minutes lol!

Julie's surprise challenge was to make a humorous card for a friend. This is for DH - we recently had a romantic night um....interrupted REPEATEDLY by our fur babies.

What is worse is that he is in radio and I heard him discussing it ON THE AIR. Oh the shame.

I won't go into detail but he will get a kick out of this.

Ipodabella Rocks with Copics

Hi everyone - hope you are enjoying this lovely Sunday in your corner of the world. Do you ever design stamps around the paper you have? Usually I do just the opposite, but I fell in love with this chartreuse and pomegranate paper from Making Memories Noteworthy Delaney collection. I was going yo use a Lockhart vase with flowers but it seemed too cool and edgy for that. Next I tried an Elzybells - no, too grown up. This called for a Bella in really tight jeans - Stamping Bella's Ipodabella was just the girl.  It has been so long since I last  used my Bellas.

I stamped my A Muse Music Player in Mauve VersaMagic ink and the A Muse You Rock! sentiment in Jumbo Java. The punches are by Stampin' Up!, as is the Old Olive & Pomegranate paper and ink used to sponge, as well as the Soft Sky paper used for the scallop. I will so miss this year's in colors :(

The flocked brown paper is Doodlebug Bon Bon Chenille Spot Flock Paper. It is so rich and cool looking - it reminds me of vintage baroque wallpaper.

Other embellishment accents include chartreuse colored  Robin's Nest Dew Drops and Making Memories Delaney ribbons.

I  stamped the image with Memento Ink in Tuxedo Black. I like this ink even more than Ancient Page for coloring Copics with! The ink is light and thin, yet creates a crisp, vivid image. I bought the Dew Drops version - the pad is fabric like the Palette inks.

I colored her in with Copic Markers then added bling with Copic Spica glitter pens in Clear. Yes she is wearing eyeshadow (V06 Lavender) and blush (R20 Blush and RV10 Pale Pink).

Copic Coloring Tip: I am far from a pro at Copics. I am just learning too and sharing as I go. I wish Copic would do an online certification or come to Atlantic Canada. Despite my lack of skill, I have been asked what my favorite flesh color is. For pale skin I love using a base of E53 Raw Silk because it has some warmth to it; it is very realistic. For children I will use the more pinky colors like E21 Baby Skin Pink.

I used way too many Copics to color Miss Bella so I will just show you a picture of what I used.

The most important Copic was my 0 Colorless Blender which blends the colors together through lifting and pushing color. It gives me the sheer, watercolor look I love.

Lots of 0 was used to ground her. I pushed the blender pen down and to the left to form a dirt pattern.

I will try to share more Copic tips as I experience my learning curve.

It is a gorgeous, sunny day here in Newfoundland -  Allan has surprised me with a boat ride to go visit Puffins and whales. I will take lots of pics to share :) Hope your Sunday is as warm  and sunny. Thanks for spending it with me for a few.

Mini Stamp Shop Card

Hi everyone! Today's challenge at SCS was to make a mini anything - what could be more perfect than making my very own mini stamp shop?  I have the perfect stamping sentiment on the way but until then I thought this A Muse Journey  sentiment was quite apropos -when is a journey to the stamp shop not a reward?

I stamped the image twice - once in Ancient Page Coal Black, and a second time in VersaFine Satin Red. I cut out the red parts and propped them up on foam glue dots. I colored the image in here and there with Copic Markers - do you like my feeble attempt at a cobblestone street lol? After coloring the window in a light blue, I added Plaid Papier Finish (like Crystal Effects) and Fruit Punch Stickles here and there. Tiny flowers were adhered with my Zip Dry glue and paper piercer. The scallop is my Fiskars Threading Water punch - yes I am obsessed with it. The patterned paper is Cosmo Cricket Honey Pie which I love except for one thing - two of the sheets are white. BLANK patterned paper? The pink ribbon is A Muse.

My friend Dejah, who owns her very own stamp shop, sent me this A Muse Stamp Shop stamp and lots of other goodies for my birthday. Thank you Dejah!

She sent this book too which I think will be so helpful. Her card was so gorgeous but it didn't photograph right so I will have to take more pics as I want you to see the layers of her flower.

Look what was at my feeder today! I used Allan's birthday gift to me, a book of Atlantic Birds to look him up - he is a White Winged Crossbill (I think).

Such a pretty and colorful bird I thought it was a parrot at first! They eat cone seeds in the forest so I am not sure what he was doing here, but I am glad he visited!

Happy stampin'!

A Muse and Stampin' Up! Sneak Peeks

Just in case you did not know - you can see sneak peeks from the upcoming Stampin' Up! catalog in the SCS Gallery *here*. Stampin' Up! demonstrators are allowed to buy some product from the catalog early and are making cards. What is really neat is that some of them are including pictures of product too like *here* - I can't wait to get my hands on that punch woo hoo! What do you think of that set? I think it has my name on it *wink* If you look closely throughout the gallery, you will see the new in colors used, as well as some of the new patterned papers. The entired catalog will be revealed at the demo convention I believe.

A Muse stamps are having their amusapalooza pre-release party online right now. In the store parties you can actually go see the new stamps too. If you can't get to a store and want to see what they look like, check out this blog (SPOILER ALERT- don't click the following link if you don't want to know yet!) *HERE* on Kristina's Balance Blog.

Final Sneak Peek: Treasured Friendship Sea Card and more Puppy Tongue!

Hi everyone!

Hope your Saturday is off to a GREAT start! Another quickie for me because I am about to take off - the days are just zipping by for me lately. Today's card is the final card we will be making in my upcoming class. It was so hard to take a photo of because of the acetate - it looks much prettier in real life. The mermaid is partially copper embossed and has lots of shimmery Spica marker coloring. In her tail you can still see the variegated background of blues and greens. The "sand" at the bottom has the wonderful shimmer and texture I love. Poking through the seaweed lies a treasure chest with a few Swarovski gold crystal coins.

I think (hope) we will have such fun making this card - I sure did!

I have to share the cutest photo I was sent. Yesterday I posted a photo of our doggy Freeway with his tongue poking out.  Look what reader Robyn sent me - this is her Boston Terrier Riggs. *smoosh* I LOVE BTs :)

Thanks again for stopping by! Tomorrow will be a silhouette card using the new Hero Arts large background silhouette stamp.  And maybe a cupcake :)

 

Card Class Sneak Peek

Hi everyone!

This is a sneak peek at one of the cards we will be making at my A Muse class on April 19th. We will be using all kinds of products on our cards - you know I like to mix it up!  I am so excited and a little nervous - I hope I don't stink as an instructor lol!

This card uses a combination of Alcohol Inks, Embossing Powders, and Embossing Folders.

It sure was hard to photograph. The first picture at the top is truer to color, but I like how you can see the texture of Earth here.

I hope you like it! See you tomorrow with another sneak peek!

Splitcoast VSN Weekend is Here! Fashion Flowered Challenge; Dog Photos, and a Recipe for You!

 

Hi everyone!

Sorry for the long pause between posts! My world kind of crashed around me a little and I needed to recuperate a bit. I didn't stamp at all, sadly. My heart just wasn't in it. But I am all better now thanks to the greatest guy and parents a girl could ever have. I have sooo much to post now I can't hardly choose so this post will be quite the smorgasbord.

Today's card kicks off my very first challenge as a Virtual Stamp Night (VSN) Hostess at Splitcoast Stampers! For those of you who are not familiar with VSN, we post a series of challenges that you have 45 minutes to do.  This VSN's theme is all about Fashion! My challenge for you starts today at Noon EST and is called Fashion Flowered. It is all about flower power! Make a card using flowers - the more the better! For more details see my challenge on Splitcoast here.

Challenge Details: New challenges are posted today on the hour, every hour from Noon EST until 11 pm EST- the extra 15 minutes is for you to get a snack, post your work and chit chat with all the other challengers! You can play the challenge whenever it's convenient for you. This is just a fun way to stamp, chat and share together. You can upload your projects to Splitcoast anytime until 11 p.m. EST Sunday night, April 6. The gallery approvals have been turned off for this VSN weekend so you can upload on Sunday too even if you aren't a member of the Fan Club.

My card used all kinds of flowers: felt, epoxy, chipboard, crystal, mulberry paper, and patterned paper. It also shows off the new Making Memories 5th Avenue collection - how perfect is that fashionable line for this challenge!

I used the Stampin' Up! Boho Blossoms Punch to punch out the Sophia Geo paper (I used both sides of the sheet).

After coloring in the lovers with Copics I paper pieced her dress with a bit of the patterned paper then propped it up on foam dots. I sponged around the Scallop Circle Punch with Wild Wasabi Ink.

Here are the Copic colors that I used.

Baby Skin Pink is my favorite for lighter skin coloring. I added just a drop of Tender Pink to her cheek then blended it with more E21.

I used Ancient Page Ink on standard white cardstock - this is my favorite ink for working with the Copics.

Now for some doggy fun - here are my critters Rosie and Freeway soaking up the sun a few days ago.

Doesn't Freeway look funny here? He is growing so fast and in that awkward stage where he is all legs and ears.

Little baby teeth are falling out everywhere and he LOVES to bite us. We are trying to substitute toys for our hands and just hope the teething phase ends soon lol!

Chipotle Chicken Wraps

I wanted to post a yummy recipe for those of you that love spicy food. This one is hot hot hot because of the chipotle peppers, which also give a lovely smoked flavor. Half a can added a LOT of heat - I think I will go with 1/3 or 1/4 of a can next time. You can just add the salsa if you don't want heat/smoked flavor. Adapt the recipe to your needs. Let me know if you try it!

Ingredients:
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
1 medium onion, minced (reserve 1/3 cup for the beans)
6 garlic cloves, crushed (reserve 2 cloves for the beans)
olive oil
1/2 can chipotle chilies, chopped, sauce reserved (to taste depending on how hot you like your food)
1 cup salsa plus more to serve on the side
1/2 cup uncooked rice (rinsed well)
spices: chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper to taste
6 nine inch flour tortillas
12 ounces jack cheese, shredded
1 can black beans, rinsed
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, minced

Directions:
1. In a large pan, saute onion and garlic in olive oil. Add chicken, chipotles and 2 TBS adobo sauce. Continue to saute until chicken is so tender you can shred with a fork into bite sized pieces. Keep warm.
2. While chicken cooks, put salsa in another pan with 1 1/4 cups water. Bring to boil over high heat. Add rice, chili powder, oregano and cumin, cover, and simmer on low heat until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 25 minutes.
3. Place rinsed beans in a pot with some olive oil, 1/3 cup onion, 2 cloves crushed garlic, chili powder and cumin and a bit of water and heat. Keep warm
4. Toward one edge of the tortilla, place the chicken, rice, cheese, beans, sour cream, and cilantro in layers. Fold edge over filling and roll tightly to enclose. Serve as is, or for a crunchy wrap, crisp it in the pan with a bit of oil. Serve with more salsa on the side. Makes 6 wraps.

Thanks for stopping by :)

Stamps: A Muse Kissing Couple

Paper: BasicGrey Perhaps; Bazzill Bling in Bank Roll; Making Memories Geo and Die Cut Scallop from the 5th Avenue Sophia Collection; Black cardstock

Ink: Ancient Page Coal Black; Stampin' Up Wild Wasabi

Accessories: Black & White Epoxy Buttons and Colorboard Stickers from the 5th Avenue Sophia Collection; Prima Flowers and Say It in Crystals ; Etsy bought felt handmade flowers from my Scarlet Lime Kit; Swarovski Pink Crystals; May Arts Ribbon, Robin's Nest Dew Drops in Water and Spring Blooms; Stampin' Up! Boho Blossoms and Scallop Circle Punch; Copic Markers; Foam Pop Up Dots; sponge; Cosmo Cricket Blackboard Shapes.