Happy New Year

This was the challenge that I have worked the hardest at.  Not because I want to win so much as I thought I would save myself some time, and color some of this in Photoshop.  LOLOLOLOL.  Well no time savings, but a great learning experience.  Here are the lessons.

1. Make sure all the lines connect in the area you want to use the paint bucket on, or it will run into areas you don't want colored.  Draw lines if necessary.
2. Make the areas as big as necessary to fit the paint bucket.  I magnified to 1000% sometimes.
3. Copic Express it paper does not do well in a laser printer.  Thus the grunge effect of Kenny K's Lady Victoria.  Not a bad effect, just unintended.
4. I need new lighting techniques for my photos.  I have a fairly new Canon Digital Rebel, so I know it isn't my camera, so it has to be the lighting.  That is my New Years Present to myself.

There may be more lessons coming, stay tuned.

The two pictures are to show how the card looks in different light, and to show how really sparkly the card is.  As my followers know, "I love sparkle", and it annoys me when it doesn't show up well.

The top photo is more true to color, but the color of her bra and tutu was drowned out by the shiny stuff.  LOVE IT.

Recipe:

• The card center piece is Kenny K's Lady Victoria Digi Stamp
• Cheery Linn Medium Rose & Medallion under the roses, Spellbinders gears and tag and Tim Holtz Rosette Dies.
• Creative Memories & Stampin Up Paper
• Photoshop & Copics to color
• Sakura Stardust pens & Lindy Stamp Gang Mica Powder provide the shiny stuff
• Hobby Lobby Bridal provides the pearl floral spray.
• I-rock Purple Nailheads

Challenges I have entered:

Kenny K's Crafty Girlz-#74 Anything Goes
Cheery Lynn Designs Challenge 8 - Celebrate
One Stop Craft Challenge-#163 Winter Wishes
Secret Crafter's Saturday Challenge-166 Anything goes
Totally Gorjuss: Challenge 112 Happy
C.R.A.F.T. Challenge 135 New Year
Charisma Cardz Week 50 Challenge-Anything Goes
Cute Card Thursday #197 Happy New Year
Incy Wincy Designs Challenge #127-Anything Goes

Christmas Thank You

This turned out a whole lot better than I expected it to.  I used the Basic Grey Figgy Pudding papers to stay with the Christmas theme for one of the challenges that I will enter this in, but it kind of doesn't look too much like Christmas.  Probably because I used flowers and butterflies.  The stamps are Outlines Rubber Stamps, the butterflies are Cheery Lynn die cuts glued onto Figgy Pudding paper and cut around the die cut.  I popped up one of the butterflies on a pop-up device of my own making and used pop dots for the other butterfly and flower.  The doily is also from Cheery Lynn.  I did use a Spellbinder die cut behind the Thank You. 

All the shiny is from Lindy Stamp Gang.  I actually used the mica powder to get that center flower to shine like that, and used Starburst Sprays for the butterflies, flowers and leaves.

I hope you enjoy this.  I had great fun creating it.

 Challenges I hope to enter:

Outlines Rubberstamps Challenge 32, Holiday Thank You
Dutch Dare Card Challenge-Favorite Things.
Simon Says Stamp Challenge 12-28-12-Anything Goes

Thank You Santa Baby

I just love how this turned out.  I used the Basic Grey Figgy Pudding papers, Elizabeth Bell's Letter to Santa Digi.  I also used Spellbinders Dies and May Arts Flowers colored with Lindy Stamp Gang Starburst spray, even stuck in a McGill Leaf.  The spray of pearls is from Hobby Lobby Bridal.  I got to use my new Ephiphany button maker.  I used scallop die from MFT I think, but the packaging is long gone.  I colored the girl with Copic Markers.

I hope you enjoy it.

Challenges I hope to join:

Elizabeth Bell Blog Challenge-Tic Tac Toe
Elizabeth Bell Change to win with DigiBells
Shabby Tea Room Challenge-#94 A Colorful Shappy New Year
Simon Says Stamp-12-28-11 Challenge Anything Goes

Fluttering By Just to Say Hi

I just love hummingbirds, and when I saw this one from Stitchy Bear Digi's I couldn't resist owning it.  I also found the paper at Stitchy Bear.  I colored the Hummer with my Copic Markers.  I did the sentiment on my computer using the paper as a reference for the color of the test.  As you can see, I got a thumb print on it, and I was always told by my teacher, that it is considered the hand of the artist to be treasured along with the artwork.  Of course, my teacher was my mother, and I think she may be biased there, but I'm gonna keep that as a truth.  Besides, it's shiny!!!!  I love shiny.  The rest of the shiny is from Lindy Stamp Gang.

This one was a real devil to photograph.  It is very shimmery, and looks beautiful in real life, but in the pictures it either had too much shimmer or no shimmer in most light.  I finally got the lighting to show up the gold shimmer, but it is the warmer yellow light of an incandesent bulb.  It looks fine, but in real life this isn't quite that yellow.

The challenges I wish to join.

Stitchy Bear Challenge-Choccy's Christmas Challenge

Snowbody Like You

This is a slide card that I did for teaching a class.  This is a Northwood stamp, colored with Sakura Stardust Pens.  I modified the card front to include a die cut after the class was complete.  It added just the right touch and then there was a challenge just for this over at Sassy Cheryl's Digi Stamps.  This mechanism is just so easy, I'm doing a tutorial on my Creative Turn Blog to show how that is done.  I will like to this one when it is complete.  Probably tomorrow.

Challenges I hope to join:

Sassy Cheryl's Digi Stamp-Challenge #95 Snowman with Die Cut

Simon Says Stamp Challenge Let's Play Bingo

The ABC Challenge-F for Frosty

Play Date Challenge 112 Color Challenge

Incy Wncy Designes-Challenge #126 Winter Wonderland

She's a Punk

If you follow me at all, you will think, gosh this looks a lot like one of her other cards, and you would be correct.  I really felt that that card had something missing.  I was cruising the internet looking at challenges, and found a sponser called Saturated Canary Digi's by Krista Smith.  I just fell in love with this image and she is easy to color with Copics.  Sooo I riped some of the rosettes of, and moved a few things, and voila, a much cuter card.  I used the Tim Holtz Ideology  tags, a stamp set, and Rosette Die; Prima Lace; Spellbinders Spritely Sprocket die.  I hope you enjoy.

Challenges I hope to enter:

Party Time Tuesday  PTT#48 Anything Goes
Ladybug Crafts Ink TLT Challenge 50 Bingo
Top Tip Tuesday-Challenge #66 Anything Goes
Creative Inspiration-Challenge #143-Anything Goes
Flutter by Wednesday-Challenge 183 Open, but have butterfly, angel or fairy
Simon Says Stamp Challenge-12-28-11
Basic Grey Challenge #59-Anything Goes
Charisma Cards Challenge #50-Anything goes
Sundays with Crissy-#24 Anything Goes
Crafts and Me Challenge Bumper Challenge #66

Zorana the Dancing Gypsy

I just fell in love with this stamp from Saturated Canary Digi's. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with her. I found this paper at The Paper Shelter, and decided that if fit with my thoughts for the girl. I just got some new shinys from Lindy Stamp Gang, and love that stuff. No end of things I'm likely to do with that. I also FINALLY got my Cheery Lynn big die to work, and used the inside of the die for the sentiment star. I hope you like it.

I also tend to take my pictures with varied lighting.  I usually like the cooler colors that I get without a flash or flood light.  I also take some with a regular incandesent bulb, as this will impart a warmer yellow tone to a photo, or any object that you photograph that way.  I usually don't waste to many clicks and time on the incandecent, but in this case, it looked funny in the cool light.  Must just be because she's a hot chick.

Challenges I hope to join:

Stampavie and more Challenge #159 Hearts

Hugz

Up Up and Away

Got a new Cricut Cartridge called Everyday Pop-Up Cards.  It  had a round hot air balloon and there are so many challenges lately that want anything but straight edges or round cards that I decided to use the balloon as the base of this cards.  I also used a Tim Holtz Stamp to place the stentiment on this card.  I just love the new Heiloom Cartridge that gives this balloon its color.  Enjoy.  Hugz

These are the Challenges I hope to enter:

Crop Stop-Challenge #51: Round and Round we go!

The Journey

I saw the Challenge at Fashionable Stamping Challenges, and the first thing I thought of was Hot Air Balloons, and Graphic 45, especially when they said Corset in the same breath. It took me a bit to compose this card, as I wanted those balloons to show up a bit more, but alas, they still are pretty much covered. However, I love the way this turned out.

I made a switch in the card, and I know this looks a lot like the previous one.  The slight difference are the stamped image and sentiment.  The challenge that I created this for required stamping on the image, and to my utter horror I realized I hadn't stamped anything on or for this card :(  Thank goodness I had just the perfect stamps for it, and they actually improved the look.  Yipppeeee


Challenges for this Card:

Fashionable Stamping Challenges-#11 Travel Around the World
Secret Crafters Saturday Challenge #166 Anything Goes

Love Ted

I went to my favorite store The Scrapper's Place in Findlay, Ohio today.  She had ALL her stamps for 25% off, and I found this guy there.  Then I remembered the Penny Black Birthday Challenge, and had to do him up in a Birthday Card.  He is perfect for my Nephew.  I also used saturated coloring for this, to use in the Copic Creations Saturated Color Challenge.  I found this to be a very interesting lesson, and it really explains a lot about my color choices, I'm definitely a saturated color lover.  I love Deep Dark Colors, the more vibrant the better.  Sometimes I get them so vibrant that I have to cut the color with distress inks because I don't think others particularly care for that.  I see so many pastels in all these challenges, and I'm grateful that they chose a saturated subject for this one.

Challenges I would like to join.

Penny Black and More-December Challenge-Happy Birthday

Paper Creations Ink-Challenge #15 Something Old-Something New  Old Stamp, New Copics

Inspirational Card Sketch-ICS#144

The Crazy Challenge-CCH #99 Bears

Miracle of Christmas

I really like the LaLa stamps and especially the Marci ones.  I did this one up as a Christmas present, but it is also great for a Birthday.  I used Copic Markers and Sakura Stardust pens to color the image.  Used Cheery Lin Rose Die and Spellbinders for the diecuts.  Was surprised how this one turned out.

Challenges I want to Join:

Dutch Dare-DDCC #144-Make It Shimmer-Di's Digis

challenge #69 here at Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenge Blog

Creative Belli #133 Merry Christmas Challenge

Papertake Weekly Challeng-Last Christmas Card of the Year

Sweet Stamps Blog Challenge 46 Recipe  1 Ribbon/Border, 2DP, 3 Embellishments

The Crazy Challenge CCH #98--Christmas

Party Time Tuesday-PTT#47-USE RIBBON!

One Crazy Stamper-Christmas/Holiday Theme

Stampin' for the Weekend #23 Anything Goes

 

Thank You

I want to thank my followers for joining my blog.  I hope you enjoy my work as much as I enjoy yours.

There's Snowone Like You

I bought one of the first Cricut Imagines to come off the line.  I had huge trouble getting this thing to work, and even told Provocraft I wished they had it back.  I put it up for months, and just used my Expression.  My patience had worn so thin, that I was sure that I just couldn't handle anymore fiddling with the bloody thing.  I even considered using it for a boat anchor, as it is heavy enough for that.  Then the Snow Angel Imagine cartridge came out, and I decided that it was time to make this thing work.  Right here is a direct result of the hours of agony that Provocraft and I put into making this thing work.  I hasn't fully become operable with the Gypsy or Craftroom, but it is working well enough for me to make this lovely card using the Snow Angel Cartridge and Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses paper.  I just love the buckle fold card with the lock being made from a Hot off the Press Clear stamp and spellbinders nestabilities dies. 

I hope you enjoy looking at it as much as I enjoyed finally making something with the Imagine.

Challenges:

Paper Lovin' Gals Challenge 10

Merry and Bright

This is made with the Basic Grey Eskimo Kiss, I really like the colors of the set.  I used a Hot off the Press Stamp Set for the Sentiment, and Spellbinder Dies.

Challenges:

Clean & Simple FLT 171
Basic Grey Challenge #58

Hero Arts Background Technique

Had to try this background technique that I saw on Hero Arts today, love the way this works.  Embossed the cardstock with white embossing powder, and inked it with the new Tim Holtz Christmass 2011 colors.  Used a Sizzix Die to cut the label, and Tim Holtz' Tatter Florals for the flowers.  Forget who did the ribbon.

Challenge:

Anything Christmas at Paper Sundaes: Challenge #99
2012 Christmas Card Challenge Week #3-at Weekly Christmas Card Challenge
Divas by Design #17-Merry Christmas

CHNC challenge 51: anything goes for Christmas
Dream Valley Challenge-#22, Christmas

Ornament

I used an Outlines Rubberstamp Ornament Topper for this.  It was a challenge to photograph this thing, as I wanted to show off the hanging jewels and the top art work.  Enjoy.

Purple and Green Embossed Fairy

I love the direct to paper techniques that give an illusion of landscape.  I hope you enjoy this one.

Challenges:

Crafty Sentiments-Green and Purple

Paper Creations-You Bling it UP



Although Blue is becoming almost a traditional Christmas color, I still see it as non-traditional.

Challenge:
Creative Inspiration Paint

Stocking Were Hung by the Chimney with Care

I found this clipart at  Florida Center for Instructional Technology.  It has some rules of use, but it was simple enough to download.  I found this project taking me all the way back to the vintage shabby/grunge that I really love to produce.  The stockings are made with my Cricut Imagine, and the wreath is a Spellbinders, the Stamp is Hot Off the Press.

Challenges:

Week #92 - 'The Stockings Were Hung by the Chimney With Care'

I'm Dreaming of a "You name the Color" Christmas

Belli #132-Christmas and Winter

Flowers & Sentiments

I need just a few more Christmas Cards, so I'm getting Challenges to help me figure out what I want to do.  This works great for getting different ideas.

Challenges

Clean & Simple FLT 170

Fold it a Lot

This is a card that is really simple to make, but looks quite complicated.  Only two cuts and a couple of scores, and you have this design.  Great fun to make.

CCH #97 More than one fold

You've got mail

I got this lovely freebie at the Outlawz Challenge Blog.  All I had to do was make a card, well, and like that was hard.  This went together very easily.  It's always easy to create with great tools.  I will use this one over and over, I'm sure.  The real challenge was getting a good picture of it. Those Sakura Stardust pens have so much shimmer, and at the right angle it would totally obscure the Mail on the post box.   Good thing I have a digital camera.

Thanks

My Favorite Christmas Greeting

This is one of my favorite Christmas greetings.  I love to use this on cards for my friends, as most of them are tea lovers.  I got this lovely little girl stamp as a freebie at Digi My World, and immediately saw the possibilities for this Digi, and my favorite Christmas greeting.  I unfortunately ran out of my good express it paper, and can't get any for a few days;( so the copic looks a little more streaky than I like it on the cheaper paper.  However, it is still a great card.

Challenges:

Cutie Pie-#12 Use a Sentiment

Truly Madly Crafty December Challenge

Icopic Challenge #60

Christmas Tree Plain & Simple

It took me longer to decide what I was going to do, than to actually cut and assemble this card.  For some reason I could not find the proper green cardstock to make the background.  I finally found it, and the rest came together fairly easily.

FLT 169 Challenge Special Christmas

Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty

The other day I was watching a video by a famous papercrafter who was using this device to pop cards up.  It was made of something that looked a whole lot like the acetate that I save from my packaging.  SOOOO, I wondered if I couldn't make one of these.  Smoke rolled from my ears, sweat poured off my forhead, and you could smell rubber burning; Oh she must be thinking!!  Once the smoke cleared, I had an idea.  I used a 1/2 inch wide by 2 1/2 long piece of acetate, and used my Score Buddy to scored it a 1/2 inch increments.  I made this into a square, with a piece that overlapped, and voila, a pop-up device.  You can go do my instruction blog for the specific details of making one.

Challenges:
Basic Grey Challenge #58-Lost & Found