Follow Your Bliss…

Oh my goodness it seems like it’s been forever since I sat down for some good creating time! Last night after work, I needed to just step away from the computer (that I sit in front of for 12+ hours) and get in some fun stamping. Naturally, I picked up my favorite Anna Wight Whipper Snapper sets!

I turned to my fellow Dirty Dozen (current and alumni) for inspiration on these two cards, combining several challenges from the SCS Dare to Get Dirty Challenge!

This card combines Toy’s sketch, scrapnextra’s tearing/distressing, and sf9erfan’s masculine challenges. WOO HOO! Triple challenge!

I used some of my new Anna Griffin Sierra paper. For those of you that like the look of kraft paper, this 8×8 paper pack is for you!

I used a lot of Ranger vintage photo and walnut inks for the sponging. The leaves were stamped with Memento rich cocoa ink, and colored with my Copic markers, (YG93, YG95, W3) then cut and embossed with the petite oval Spellbinders dies. Everything was distressed, and a bit of faux stitching was added. I finished it off with a little brown twill from Jacksonbelle.

This next design combines Lauraly’s vellum challenge, and tasher’s sketch! I wanted to use my favorite pattern from Basic Grey’s Sultry line for this card. I had the idea to stamp these flowers on vellum, then turn it over, and dry emboss where the flowers are, to make them white.

These flowers remind me of lilies of the valley, even though I’m not sure what they are “supposed” to be. In my world today, they are lilies of the valley.

I colored the stems, both front and back with Copics YG17 and YG67, and shaded with W4. I also stamped the image on the kraft cardstock before adhering the vellum on top. This helps to add more depth.

I stamped the little butterfly in the top corner, then stamped again on white cardstock and trimmed. It’s colored with Copics RV11, RV34, E27, and adhered with glue dots. A bit of Stickles, some stitching, and Martha Stewart ribbon finish it off nicely!

I’ve really been enjoying my time with Whipper Snapper! Hope you are enjoying it, too! (Wait till you see August’s sets…OMG!)

Thanks for visiting!

If so, I want to meet you!! As you know, I am Product Manager for DRG’s PaperWorks and CardMaker Kit of the Month Clubs. It is my pleasure to invite you and a friend to a special event to be held in your area Aug. 23. I would love for you to join us!

We plan to discuss what women love about card-making & scrapbooking and to get your pointers and ideas for making CardMaker and Paper Works kits even better. We have reserved a meeting room in the administration building at the Allen County Fairgrounds (2726 Carroll road near the intersection of Lima and Carroll Rd.) and invite you to join us for a craft chat and snacks. Here’s our planned schedule of activities:

Saturday, August 23, 2008: Allen County Fairgrounds, Administration Building, 2726 Carroll Rd., Fort Wayne, Ind.

10-11:30 PaperWorks

10 am: Sign in

10:15-11:00: Welcome and craft chat—guests will share their insights and ideas about scrapbooking, trends, colors, etc. My staff and I will have a variety of kit ideas we’ll be sharing with you.

11-11:30: Snacks and round table discussion

11:30: Farewell until next time!

2-3:30 CardMaker

2:00 – 2:15 p.m.: Sign in

2:15 – 3:00: Welcome and craft chat—guests will share their insights and ideas about card making, trends, colors, etc. My staff and I will have a variety of kit ideas we’ll be sharing with you.

3:00 to 3:30: Snacks and round table discussion

3:30: Farewell until next time!

If you would like to join us, please contact Robin (robin_arnold@drgnetwork.com or 260-589-4000 extension 330) or Lisa (lisa_ringger@drgnetwork.com or 260-589-4000 ext 349) and specify which session you’d like to attend. (one or both). We’ll add you to our guest list. If you are bringing a friend, we’ll need her name as well. Please R.S.V.P. by August 9, 2008.

Don’t delay as we can only accommodate the first 30 women per session who respond.

This is sure to be a fun-filled event as you meet other creative women in your area. All participants will receive five free card making/scrapbooking kits and one lucky lady will receive a free one-year membership to CardMaker Kit-of-the-month Club!

Please join us for this exciting craft event!

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad! Today is their 51st Anniversary!

I decided to play along with Lindsey’s DTGD challenge to make my parent’s card. I hope they like it!

I love using pink & back together, but haven’t for quite some time. I love the contrast between the two colors, and the retro feel it has!

I used my Spellbinders RicRac Scalloped Pierceability die across the bottom, and then embossed across the top 2/3 of the card with my new Cuttlebug embossing folder. Before embossing, I rubbed my Ranger pitch black inkpad over it, then inserted the cardstock, and ran through my Wizard. It almost looks like fabric…very cool! Part of Lindsey’s challenge was to do faux stitching, too, so I faux stitched around a couple parts of the pierceabilty die. FUN!

I colored the Lockhart tart of hearts with my Copic markers (R83, RV34, C3), then cut and embossed with the Labels 1 die. I accented it with a Sakura white souffle pen, as well as a Sakura black glaze pen. Naturally, I covered the hearts with Stickles for some yummy sparkle.

To finish off the design, I added some ruffle-edged black May Arts ribbon, and some K&Co black bling.

Thanks for stopping by today!! Have a great afternoon!!

I have one more treat to share with you from CHA! I found this booth as I was just walking the floor, and it literally stopped me dead in my tracks. The booth was decorated so beautifully, all with their different lines of papers. My favorite line is Botanicabella.
I’m disappointed that some of these pictures are really blurry. Not sure what happened with my camera, but I’m sharing them anyway. If you’d like to see their full lines of papers (and I recommend you do) check out their website: Graphic 45.

Click to see these pics full size!

Look how gorgeous! She set eyelets in the papers, and wrapped the silk pillows with a 12×12 sheet of paper.

I’ve seen so many home decor projects using paper decoupaged to furniture. I MUST try this!

And here’s the shot of the Botanicabella line. Richly colored, nature themed collage style. Stunning! I sure hope I can get my hands on some of this paper!

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you have a fabulous FRIDAY!! I’ll be back with some designs from the Dirty Dare Challenges!! WOO HOO!!

I’m so glad you all enjoyed the Basic Grey photos! Today I’d like to show you pics from Doodlebug & BoBunny!

Doodlebug has 3 darling holiday lines for Halloween (hocus pocus), Christmas (merry & bright), and Easter (bunny hop). In addition, they have a stunning monochromatic line, complete with glitter and flocking, called “Paper Potpourri“. They also have a Valentine line (true love) that I did not get a photo of. Their “boutique brads”, “braddies”, and “boutique trims” are SO stinkin CUTE!! *sigh* I *heart* Doodlebug!

I’ve always loved BoBunny, but this release literally made me GASP! The Spooktastic line is soooooo cool, and the Beautiful Life, Beau Jardin, and My Darling lines are *stunning*!!

Is your checkbook feeling lighter yet? I know mine is! LOL!

Hi there! Well, I am home safe and sound after the most fabulous trip! It was the perfect mix of work and fun with great friends. For me, the show is just the icing on the cake. Getting to be with my friends is always the best part.

As promised, here are some pics of the new stuff! Today I will focus on Basic Grey, who always knocks me out. This year, butterflies were *everywhere*, and Basic Grey was among the best of the best. (Click for full size pics!) Allow me to introduce:

Ambrosia (my number one fave)

Urban Prairie (my tied for first fave, LOL!)

Eva (drool…)

Granola

Offbeat

Here’s a shot of some of their projects

And here’s their new chipboard in white chocolate chip, milk chocolate chip, and dark chocolate chip (drool)

They are also releasing FABRIC!!! Yes, soon you will be able to purchase Basic Grey Sultry fabric! YUMMY!!!!! As usual, Basic Grey has another awesome release. How do they do it time after time?

I’ll be back with more eye candy!

Well hello there!

I’ve been having such an awesome time here this year! I’ll be sharing pictures of the show soon, but I wanted to share some photos from downtown with you.

I was fortunate enough to be invited to see the city with Lindsey, Michele and her family! This is such an amazing city!! I don’t have time for a lot of narration this morning, But just wanted to show you some photos from our tour of the city. We walked the Magnificent Mile, and went on a river and shore boat tour as well. FABULOUS! Hope you like the pics! Click on them to view full size.

I’ll be back soon with some yummy eye candy!

The winner of the Spellbinders Ric Rac Scalloped Pierceabilities dies from Sunday’s post is:

Mary Ann Tinney!!!

WOO HOO!! Congrats, Mary Ann! Kim from Spellbinders has emailed you, so be sure to answer her and claim your prize!

Don’t forget that the Grand Prize Winner of a new RASPBERRY WIZARD and a $500 retail value die package will be posted on Spellbinders’ Homepage www.spellbinders.us on July 18^th.

WOO HOO!! Imagine my delight when I received an email from the fabulously awesome Anna Wight, asking me be to be a Whipper Snapper featured designer for July and August! It took me about 4 seconds to respond with a resounding YES!! LOL! I am honored to be among a group of ultra talented designers and friends. Check out this lineup!

Pam Hooten
Blog: http://pamhooten.blogspot.com
SCS Gallery: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/iris

Jami Sibley
Blog: http://jami.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/
SCS Gallery: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/jami

Carol Halvorson
Blog: http://happinessblooms.blogspot.com/
SCS Gallery: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/hb

Leslie Miller
Blog: http://leslierich.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/
SCS Gallery: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/leslierich

and Anna of course!!
Blog: http://sweetmissdaisy.typepad.com
SCS Gallery: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/sweetmissdaisy

Where Flowers Bloom…

The 2 sets we will be designing with are Blossoms & Butterflies and Blooming Expressions. As far as I am concerned, you just can’t go wrong with butterflies, flowers, and sentiments, right? RIGHT!

My design was inspired by this card of Debbie’s. I had received a set of Spellbinder’s new Butterfly dies, and just knew it would be perfect for this design. First, I knew I would need a mask, so I cut the butterfly in a piece of scrap paper cut to the same size as the cardfront, about 4 3/4″ and set it aside. Next, I embossed the die into a Fabriano Medioevalis notecard, added the outer mask, and replaced the die on the card. This left the inside of the butterfly open for stamping the images. I stamped the flowers and butterfly using Versafine Onyx black ink.

I removed the die and mask, and chose to watercolor this image for a change of pace. It has been a long time since I watercolored! When I think of watercoloring, I think of Anna…she is the master! I used Adirondack inks in wild plum, raspberry, eggplant, butterscotch, lettuce, stream, and espresso.

With my watercoloring complete, I once again added the outer mask and die, and used my Copic airbrush system with the Y21 marker to airbrush the inside of the butterfly. Once that was completed, I masked the entire butterfly (with the butterfly I cut from the scrap paper), and airbrushed some BG11 around the outside. I added some shading around the flowers and butterfly with my C2 Copic marker.

To finish off the card, I sponged some Ranger vintage photo ink around the edges for depth, added a row of bling to draw your eye to the sentiment, pierced the antennae, and knotted some black gingham ribbon through eyelets. The final touch was adding Stickles to the butterfly and flowers!

Be sure to check out all of the other guest designers! I can’t wait to see what they have done.

Thanks for visiting!

Can you believe it? Today is the last Spellbinders Birthday Celebration sneak peek! At the end of this post you will find a copy of the official rules for the Spellbinders Birthday Celebration Sneak Peek Party Drawing for the dies I’m sharing with you today, and for a chance at the grand prize of a new raspberry Wizard and $500 worth of Spellbinders dies.

I personally think they saved the best for last, but I am a wee bit biased of these AWESOME dies! Allow me to introduce Spellbinders Pierceabilities!

These cards use the RicRac Scalloped Pierceability die set (S4-166 with an MSRP of $19.99).

As with all of the Spellbinder’s dies, you can cut, emboss, and stencil with these. In addition to that, they are piercing templates! Genius I tell ya! PURE GENIUS! They are also perfect for using with the Copic Airbrush system as seen here:

Are these dies not the most gorgeous things you have ever seen? Take a peek at these pocket cards I have created with these beauties:

As you can see, your possibilities are endless with these amazing Spellbinders Pierceability dies. How about making some gorgeous belly bands to wrap around a set of cards? Create a band to wrap around a candle for the perfect gift! The results are so professional, no one would believe you when you said that you handmade it!

If you already have another die-cutting machine and need to know how to use Spellbinders dies with it, check out these YouTube videos.

The deadline for this last drawing is 12:00 midnight Central Standard Time on July 14^th.

Be sure to follow these instructions!
The name of the Grand Prize winner will be posted on Spellbinders’ Homepage www.spellbinders.us on July 18^th.

Click here to enter the drawing. If this pop-up link does not work or you use an email client that does not work with this pop-up box, you may copy and paste this address to send your entry via email to - newdierelease@spellbinders.us.

Spellbinders Birthday Celebration

Sneak Peek Party Drawing Information

Spellbinders will randomly pick one entry from each of the 14 Spellbinders Sneak Peek Blog reveals as stated in the “Rules”. This name will be drawn to receive the die being revealed on said blog. These entries must follow all rules stated below to be valid for the drawing.

Entrants visiting all 14 Spellbinders Birthday Celebration Sneak Peeks Blog reveals and correctly entering their information into the 14 separate drawings, as described below, will automatically be entered into a GRAND PRIZE give away of a new RASPBERRY WIZARD and a $500 retail value die package!

Rules

Any participant wishing to be included in the daily drawing for the Spellbinders Birthday Celebration Sneak Peek die give away must adhere to all of the following rules:

1)Participant must click on the provided drawing link on blog to enter each individual drawing on sneak peeks between June 30 and July 13.

2)Participant must type in the subject line the name of the die being revealed.

3)Participant must send their entry for this blog before 12:00 midnight Central Standard Time on July 14^th.

4)Participant is only allowed to enter each of the 14 Spellbinders sneak peek blog give away drawings one time per sneak peek. Participant must use the same email address daily to be considered for grand prize entry.

5) Spellbinders Design Team members and employees are not eligible for drawing.

Any participant wishing to be automatically entered into the drawing for the Spellbinders Birthday Celebration Sneak Peek Grand Prize drawing, must enter the drawing from all of the 14 blog reveals and follow all the above rules.

Please note:

*Spellbinders will only use email information to contact the winner.

*Spellbinders will not share this email address with any other parties.

*Spellbinders will not use this email information for advertisements or communications

other than to contact the winner.

*If you wish to be included in further communications from Spellbinders, please go to their homepage and sign up: www.spellbinders.us

If you have questions regarding the contest or entries, you should e-mail Spellbinders to ask them since this is an official Spellbinders Contest.