Back to the Butterfly

This card was CASE'd from the fabulous Mary Fish. If you are a Stampin' Up! demonstrator you will have seen a version of this card in July's Stampin' Success magazine. It was sooooooooo easy to make this card thanks to punches and the Big Shot. The butterflies were punched out with the Butterflies die and the Eyelet border punch made a great border. This paper is retired but I just had to make a card from it. The colours in the card are Old Olive, Pretty in Pink, So Saffron, and Whisper White.

Big Announcement and MOJO

Ever have one of those days when it seems that no matter what you do, nothing turns out the way you want it to? Well it's been one of those days for me. I spent a lot of time making my entry for this week's Mojo challenge, but it's just not what I was expecting. Please scroll down to see the photo. So I decided to post the picture anyway - I put a lot of effort into it and how could this day get any worse eh? BUT then my luck had a sudden turn for the better. I just sat down at my computer to post my Mojo card, when I discovered that I have reached a personal goal. When I started this Blog Candy contest a few weeks ago, I set myself a personal goal of 50 followers for my blog. Well, imagine my surprise a few minutes ago when I found that I have MORE than 50 followers now. I'm SOOOOOOOOO excited. So to celebrate, I'm adding another draw to the blog candy. You could win this collection of chipboard tags, ribbons, stickers and paper with an autumn theme. And I'm setting forward another challenge for all of you. If I can reach 60 followers before the draw date, then I will add ANOTHER draw for a similar collection.
But I digress. Here's my Mojo entry this week. I combined this challenge with Makeesha's Inkspiration Colour Challenge. Check out below for the sketch and the colours.

Best Wishes - SPCC #17

This card was made for this week's SPCC's colour challenge. I had a lot of fun making this card. I used DSP donated by the Scrapmaster herself and a stamp from DRS stamps. Check out future challenges as DRS has a sponsor week and you will get an awesome sampling of their offerings. I absolutely LOVE this butterfly stamp and as soon as I saw it I knew i HAD to have it. The image was stamped using Always Artichoke ink as it offered up a stronger image. I used my Stampin' Write markers to colour in the Bashful blue, and my Blender pens to colour in the rest. The ribbon slide and the frame are from the Very Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware set from Stampin' Up! And the sentiment is from Sincere Salutations which is one of the most affordable and most versatile sets that Stampin' Up! offers.

SP Christmas Color Combos

This is my second post today, please scroll down for more...

That Samantha, the Scrapmaster over at SPCC, she's sooooooo busy. Right now she's posting Christmas Color Challenges on the SPCC blog. They aren't on any set date, so you have to check regularly to see if there's a new one. This card was made for Christmas Combo #3 and for Clean & Simple's Fall-to-Layout # 61

Digital Scrapbooking Again???

Here we have another digital scrapbooking page from My Digital Studio. It gets released on October 1st, so keep that in mind. Check out the holiday mini catalogue for more information. I'm absolutely loving it. And I'll show you some hybrid scrappin' that I've been doing in the next few weeks. One of the criticisms of digital scrapbooking is the flattness of the image. It's easier to store a flatter image, but it doesn't quite look the same as traditional scrapbooking. When you combine digital and real life embellishments it's called hybrid scrapbooking. But this page is all digital. It took me 5 minutes to do because the page is another template in the digital scrapbooking kit. But like I said before, you can also create your own projects from scratch. And My Digital Scrapbooking gives you access to the images from more than 65 stamp sets. Pretty amazing considering the software is only $106.98 Cdn.

Blog Candy Reminder

Just a reminder to get your entries in for my BLOG CANDY!!! The draw date is coming up. You have until Sept 30 to earn an entry. Click on the photo of the blog candy post on my sidebar to find out how to enter. Remember that each entry gives you another chance to win!!!

As Easy As Pie

I have been busy. Yesterday my new shipment from Stampin' Up! arrived and I've been playing with My Digital Studio ever since. Can you believe that this page took me 5 minutes (and that was because I struggled with the text). This page is a template in My Digital studio and it uses images from the Happy B-Day Simply Scrappin' Kit. For the price of 4 simply scrappin kits you get access to more than twice that. Plus almost every Designer series paper, Embellishment, and Stamp set in the Catalogue!!!! It's crazy but I love it. I've never been horribly interested in Digital Scrapbooking but with Stampin' Up! offering this product I can now make pages, and add real details over top because all the colours MATCH! Over the next few days (or weeks) I will be featuring lots of pages that I made using this software. This page was a template. All I did was add the photo and some text. Of course I can completely start from scratch and design my own page.

Does this look familiar?

This card was CASE'd from the fabulous Mary Fish. If you are a Stampin' Up! demonstrator you will have seen a version of this card in July's Stampin' Success magazine. It was sooooooooo easy to make this card thanks to punches and the Big Shot. The butterflies were punched out with the Butterflies die and the Eyelet border punch made a great border. This paper is one of my favourites.

Build-a-bear SPCC #16

OK isn't this the most fabulous colour combo? Of all the one's SPCC has come up with - this is my absolute FAVOURITE!!!! This card was made using the fabulous new dies for the Big-Shot. Stampin' Up! has teamed up with Build-a-Bear and come up with these fabulous dies for the big shot. You can mix and match papers and colours and create your own bear - A La Build-a-Bear's own products. It was super easy for me to make this card and I have to say I absolutely LOVE the result. This card was made using the new Cottage Wall DSP and cardstock from the combo colours. Looking for Whisper White? Check out the polka dots on the bear's sweater. I ran out of Tempting Turquoise cardstock, so I made the shoes out of Going Grey and then sponged them in Tempting Turquoise ink. I really like the result and it was sooooooooo easy to do.
Of course this card was created for SPCC's challenge this week. Check out SPCC to see what the amazing sponsors have offered up for the winner. I know you will absolutely LOVE the prizes.

52 Sketches at the Farmers Market

This layout was based on this week's 52 Sketches challenge. (Just like last week's Tuesday Tutorial) I printed out the pictures for last week's layout and this week's and managed to get last week's done in time for Tuesday Tutorial. Anyway, I love this layout because it used 5 photos which is great for vacation pic's. I mounted the photos on Riding Hood Red and decided to make the layout a bit more funky so I tilted the photos around a bit. They were laid out on Old Olive Cardstock, and I mounted the whole thing on Chocolate Chip. The stickers are from Making Memories and the adorable tags are from We R Memory Keepers. The fabulous punch horse was copied from Natasha Hein. You need to check out her blog. She is the queen of Punch Art.

Purple Christmas

If you didn't already know, PURPLE is my favourite colour. I decided to combine my favourite colour with my favourite stamp set - Best Wishes And More. I used the scallop circle die from the big shot and the modern label movers and shapers die which combines nicely with the modern label punch. The single snowflake ws popped up on a dimensional and then glitter was applied with the 2 way glue pen.

Gift for a Wedding Shower

Recognize these cards? They are very similar to a post from last week. The card I posted last week was using up my leftovers from making these cards and jazzing it up a bit. This project here was made for a customer for a wedding shower. I bought a small wooden box at the dollar store and covered it with DSP. Then I used the Note Cards that SU sells for the Thank You cards themselves. I used these because they are a bit smaller than a standard card (5"x3.5") and they fit in the box perfectly!! There are 10 cards and envelopes and I made a little insert to keep them seperate.

Supplies: Paper: Razzleberry Lemonade, Rich Raz, Whisper White. Ink: Rich Razz. Stamps: Live Your Dream (ret). Accessories: Labels 4 nesties, Pretties Kit, So Saffron 1/2" grosgrain ribbon, Textured Impressions folder.

Mojo For You

So it's time for another Mojo challenge. I used the card below as an inspiration for this challenge. Well, basically I CASE'd her card. This card below is by Mercy Kerin. Check out her Lordhavemercy blog here. I put a copy of her card on my computer to inspire me because I love this card of hers sooo much. I think it's pretty obvious why I felt her card fit this sketch. Mercy used Basic Grey, but I used Burnished Silver cardstock as the base of this card. I layered Cameo Coral and Whiper White and then used my cutter be and scor-pal to make the outside border. I then used my paper piercer to pop the holes all the way through. The sentiment and the butterflies are from 'Great Friends'. I used silver embossing powder for the sentiment, and versamark with the classic ink to clear emboss the two butterflies. Then I carefully cut them out with craft scissors. The large scallop is from the Bigz die Scallop Circles #2. The smaller circle is the scallop circle punch. The large circle is cut with the Circle Scissor Plus and the smaller circle is the 1 3/8" punch. The DSP is Walk In The Park, and Basic Grey DSP. This is a Stampin' Up! only card with a few retired products to spicen it up.

Clean & Simple Challenge

This project is designed to fit in a shadowbox. It's 6"x6". I made this for a challenge last month in our Stampin' Up! demonstrator magazine (another perk of being a demo) but I didn't win, so now I can post it. The challenge was for a Clean & Simple project. I used the Butterfly Bigz die (exclusive to Stampin' Up!) and made the butterflies from whisper white, and white vellum cardstock and then inserted rhinestones to not only adhere the butterflies to the background, but to form the bodies too. The sentiment is from the Razzle Dazzle stampset. I also used the eyelet border punch and the Rich Razz 1/2" polka dot grosgrain ribbon.

It's BLOG CANDY TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here it is...

wait for it...

as promised...

some fabulous BLOG CANDY!!!!!!!!

As I wrote previously, I've been a bit negligent. I was fully planning to offer this up at 10,000 hits, or my blogaversary and I missed both of them with a super busy summer. But now I'm back on track and so here it is....................

What's up for grabs??? Well there a large sampling of 6x6 DSP, over 60 die cuts of DSP, the retired hostess set Comfort Food and a tempting turquoise stamp pad. The DSP includes Parisian Summer, Junior Varsity, Summer Picnic, Georgia Peach, Washington Apple, Urban Garden, Windsor Knot, Bella Rose, Hawaii Papaya, Maine Blueberry, & Green Tea, to name a few. The stamps are new and unmounted and the stamp pad is still wrapped up in it`s shiny plastic wrapper.

So how do you get a chance to win, you ask...

Well what you need to do is sign up as a follower for this blog. If you sign up as a follower you will get one entry, if you comment on this post, you will get another entry, but only if you are signed up as a follower first. If you post a link to this on your blog you will get another entry in the pot, but you have to be signed up as a follower first and foremost - get the drift. You do not need to have your own blog to sign up as a follower.

You have until September 30th at midnight PST to do this.

I really hope to see you all as followers. And if you are already a follower, you already get an entry, but if you link to me or post a comment you will get more!

Scrapmaster's Paradise Colour Combo #15

Another monday...another SPCC. This week's colour challenge is posted over SPCC. Please check it out to see what awesome prizes are available this week!!! This week I made a card with supplies from some SPCC sponsors. The rick rack is from 62 Cards, The White knitted ribbon is from Sue Z, and the DSP is from the Scrapmaster herself. The cardstock is all SU. I used the labels 4 nesties for the medaillion in the middle and the sticker was from the dollar store. I coloured it in with Stampin' Write Markers.

Color Throwdown #59

Even though I thought that I wouldn't have time to participate in challenges, I have to say this first week back at work (and daycare for my children) has been less painful than expected. I expect that next week will be a lot busier, but for now I have had lots of time to myself and can leave work early and get in some stamping time at home.

This is for this week's Color Throwdown. I really like this colour combination, but I have to say this card took a long time to get started. I finally settled on using the rock'n roll technique on the Best Wishes & More stampset. The Whisper White has been embossed with the Finial Press Textured Impression Folder.

Inkspirations #12

Time for another Inkspirations Challenge. Check out Makeesha's blog to see what it's all about. I'm trying to use up all my non-stampin' up product, so the flowers and brad came from the dollar store. The DSP is retired but it had the right colours in it. I used the Elegant Bouquet Textured Impression folder and I love the look on the white cardstock. If you're wondering where the Real Red is, I stamped the sentiment in RRed ink. And the Stampset I used is soft summer.

BLOG CANDY!!!!!!

OK ladies. I have been very negligent. I have crossed over 10,000 hits recently and I have not offered out any goodies. So watch this site closely for the next few days and I will post up some blog candy. If you are a follower you automatically get an entry into the pot. If you post about my site on your blog, you get another entry into the pot, AND if you comment on any of my blog postings up until the draw I will add ANOTHER entry into the pot. So spread the word and increase your chances of winning!!!!!!

Mojo'ing Again

Ahh, I've been Mojo'ing along once again. I've been working on Christmas Cards with non-traditional colours. Purple and green is my absolute favourite colour combo. All the cardstock in this card is from SU but the beads are from a little vendor at a quilt show I went to and the sentiment is from g-stamps. The DSP is cottage wall and the white cardstock is shimmery white. The other colours are Old Olive and Rich Razzleberry. If you look carefully you can see the silver cardstock I used at the top of both ornaments. I ran the white cardstock through the big shot with the snowflakes cuttlebug folder, and I heat embossed the sentiment with silver.

Copying a Great Artist

************Please scroll down if you haven't visited for a few days as I've put up 3 posts in the past day or so.**********

In my life I have taken a few art courses, but the one that had the largest impact on me was an Art Education class at the Vancouver Art Gallery. The Exhibit was of Frida Khalo, Georgia O'Keefe, and our own local great, Emily Carr. One of our exercises that we had to do each day was to go into the gallery and sketch one of their works. I found that what this did was make me concentrate very closely on the work of the artist, and that I focused very closely on every tiny detail in the work. I learned A LOT!! With that said, I have decided that I am going to work on my own artistry and do that by copying the works of great papercraft artists. Below you will find my copies of the work of Jenn Dierks. I have been following Jenn's blog for quite a while now, and I love it! Jenn has graciously agreed to let me post her original card which you will find at the bottom of this post.I love checking out Jenn Dierks' blog. She is a very talented artist and she was a top 30 finalist in this year's Artisan Award challenge She is also a member of the prestigious Tour De Freaks, along with some other Stampin' Guru's like Patty Bennet and Jan Tinks. I found this card on her blog and I decided to copy it (not case it).

I have altered this card slightly. I did not have the silver cording to use on the ornaments. I added an extra silver brad and a stamp on the inside of the card. I also made 2 versions of this card by moving the ornaments around.

Supplies: Stamps: Delightful Decorations, Baroque Motifs, Ink: Tempting Turquoise, Soft Suede. Paper: Tempting Turquoise, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla, Holiday Lounge DSP. Accessories: Very Vanilla Grosgrain Ribbon, Ornament punch, Silver Brads, Linen Thread, Textured Impressions Die - Finial Press, Eyelet Border Punch, Corner Rounder Punch.

SPCC Color Challenge #14

Welcome to SPCC's Colour Challenge #14. This week I designed a card using a Mojo Monday sketch from their recent Mojo Turns 100 week of sketch challenges. I had a lot of fun with this card and I absolutely LOVE this colour combo. Isn't it great? I'd like to add a special thanks to some of SPCC's Sponsors for some of the supplies. The wavy rick rack grey paper is from 62 Cards. The sentiment is from Sue Z and the buttons come from the Scrapmaster herself.

Pals Paper Arts Challenge 6

Whew! After all the craziness involved in creating my submission for last week's Pals Paper Arts Challenge, and all the excitment over winning the challenge (see my new blinkie on the sidebar?) I decided to tempt fate and enter this weeks challenge. It's a colour challenge - see the colours below - and I'm discovering that I'm a sucker for colour challenges.
This image was made with the Simple Birthday Thanks stamp. I paper pieced it together after stamping the image on Brocade Blue DSP, Whisper White, Crushed Curry, and Ruby Red Cardstock. I die cut the letters with the Billboard die for the Big Shot. I lightly sponged the icing with chocolate chip ink to give it a bit of definintion. The only non-Stampin' Up! items are the square rhinestones which I just couldn't help myself from adding.

Just a quick note to start this entry. I have been working very hard to try and publish every day this summer, but next week I am going back to work full-time. With 2 toddlers to care for at home, I don't think I'll hace enough time to publish every day. So I promise to publish 3 or 4 times per week. I hope you continue to enjoy reading my blog.

Time for Mojo 102

Time for another Mojo. I absolutely love the new holiday lounge DSP from SU! This card started as an only SU card, but then I decided to use my circle nesties instead of the circle scissor plus to make the large circles. Then I used the die as a stencil and sponged on some turquoise to add another layer of colour. The oval image was stamped and cut out on the line, then I used the wide oval punch to add a silver matte. After I was sure it was dry, I used my two way glue pen to add the glitter. The ornament was stamped and punched out and after the rhinestone and silver twine was added, I also used the two way glue pen to add glitter.

I WON!!!!

I'm so excited. I entered the PPA inspiration challenge yesterday. It took all of my efforts to get the entry in before the deadline. And I was estatic to find out that I have won. I get this cute little blinkie which I will install on my sidebar as soon as I can get it working right.

Halloween in August??

Well I guess I should say September by the time I actually get this post up :)

This project was made for the Pals Paper Arts Challenge. This challenge blog was set up by the wonderfully talented Mary Fish. I love, love, LOVE her work. This week's challenge was to design a project with a Halloween Theme. I came up with this little Mini album. It would be great for pre-teens or teens. They could put little pictures in of their Halloween events one year, or maybe Mom would like to put together one with a picture from every year to showcase the different Halloween costumes over the years...the possibilities go on, and on...
First I made the house shape out of the heavy cardboard that we get with our DSP packs of paper. It's easy enough to cut in the paper cutter, but heavy enough to make a cover from. Next I inked up some Creamy Caramel paper to make the faux wood effect. Then I used punches to make the fence and the circles. This actually started out as a birdhouse card, so if you're wondering where the door is; it's a birdhouse!
The pages were made from clear envelopes I cut them down, and used a craft knife to add a little slit so you can access the pages. Then I made inserts and slid them in. Next I stapled all the inserts together and then attached them to the front cover using these cute eyelets I found at the fabric store. The great thing about these eyelets is that they are 2 pieces, so there's a front and a back which means no sharp edges on the inside of the album.
I put rings through the eyelets and attached the front and back cover together. Then I added some ribbons to the rings. This fabulous DSP is from K&Co. The ribbons are from Mike's and the Rings are from my stash. The ghost image on the cover was cut out of the DSP, inked and adhered to the cover. Look below to check out the bling on the back cover. The stamps used on the cover are SU! (halloween frights)