Challenge Me Thursday - Patterned Paper

Evening Everyone,

Urgh....the paper that Val gave me to use.....I just can't tell ya how much I don't like it! I have a card all finished, and it's AWFUL!!! I mean really truly awful. I am hot, it's so humid here, so I think I am going to have another shower, and go to bed. I am up really early, so if I can't think of something to save my ugly card, I will just take a picture of it how it is....urgh.....I didn't realise how stumped I would be with one piece of patterned paper? I guess it's really just not me, but, that's no excuse! lol I think it was probably fine, until I decided to stamp, stamp, stamp on the background paper...now it's tooooo much!!!

I am sorry Val, but this one really has to wait til morning!!! lol Hopefully I will dream up something to save it, and I don't have much of the paper left...urgh

I am really challenged....lol
See ya in the morning!
:)
Kim

Edited to add: Ok, I got up this morning and took the card apart, and basically just put everything onto a white card base with no stamping. Looks 100% better than it did last night, but I still don't like it! lol

The tree is from Inkadinkado, the oval is from Amuse. The sentiment is from CHF.
Thanks for stopping by!
Kim

Challenge Me Thursday - Already have a challenge

I was at the lss yesterday and my friend Val bought me a piece of 12 x 12 d/s paper from Bo Bunny. Val knows about my Thursday challenges and issued me a challenge to use this paper. Now, if you saw the paper, you would know it's NOT me! It has red/orange, mint green, and brown in it! And it's floral....hmmmm....the upside is, the backside is much prettier, to me anyway! lol Although I think she meant for me to use the floral side! I am going to have to give this some serious thought! I will take a picture of the paper later, and who knows, might get my card done today for the challenge!

Thanks for checking in today! Check back tomorrow to see the challenge card!
:)
Kim

ATC Challenge

I was issued a challenge to make an ATC using the 1920's Lady TAC stamp. Now I haven't done an ATC for ages, and my stuff isn't really artsy, so I was intimidated to even make one! I guess it's ok, but I have seen so many that are better!! lol

I stamped the image on BG paper, then cut it down a bit. I coloured in the flowers with Copic markers, and then over top with the clear Spica glitter pen. I then cut my background paper to 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 and randomly stamped the Inkadinkado swirl, and coloured a bit with the clear Spica glitter pen. I then distressed the edges of it all with Tim Holtz distress inks. I used d/s foam tape for lift the image off the background, then added some dew drops for a bit of interest.

Thanks for stopping by today!
:)
Kim

Challenge Me Thursday - Monochromatic

Evening Everyone,

Since I already had a bunch of green c/s out, I thought I should do a monochromatic card (thanks for the challenge Robin) using a couple new Amuse stamps that I picked up on the weekend. I stamped the margarita on green c/s and coloured a bit with a green copic marker, then went over the whole glass with clear spica glitter pen, and the green spica for the lime and the drink inside the glass. It's really shimmery irl. I stamped the glass in the background with versamark as well. Then I put a strip of paper thru the cuttlebug using swiss dots, layered and added green silk ribbon. The sentiment is stamped in black archival ink, and then a couple dew drops for good measure! lol I don't normally do cards this small (4 x 4), but these stamps are so tiny that it called for a smaller card.

Thanks for the challenges ladies, I hope you come back next week to give me some more!!

Have a great evening and thanks for stopping by!
:)
Kim

Dance of the Butterflies

Afternoon All,

It's an awesome day here in Halifax! It's raining and the humidity is GONE!! Yeah....I have actually been stamping today, was to hot and humid before to even think about stamping. My friend from the Stamp Shack and I are doing 3 card challenges together. The first one was to make a card using the Dance of the Butterflies with alcohol inks.

I used cranberry, stream, and latte with the extender, and then stamped and embossed the image on top with versamark and black powder. I then rubber versamark over it and put clear embossing powder over and heated. I did that 3 times, to get the look of not just a piece of paper. I then edged the piece with silver krylon pen and layered with olive and current paper. I cuttlebugged one piece of the background olive paper with the swiss dots folder. Cut a few strips of coordinating papers and taped them together, then added my ribbon in the center. Stamped the sentiment on the bottom and embossed, then added a few dew drops for a bit more interest.

Thanks for stopping by today, and I will be back a bit later with my Thursday Challenge card!

:)
Kim

Created Byhand Weekly Challenge - Pastels

This weeks challenge over at Created Byhand is Pastels. Make a card using pastel colours, that could be the papers, the colouring, anything you like. So I decided to do both! lol

I have had this stamp for ages, and thought she went well with the Quietfire Flourishes and saying. I first stamped and embossed the fairy (I have no idea where she came from, it was a gift UM) with platinum. I then used my watercolour pencils, which I haven't used for probably 4 years, to watercolour her. I added some Copic Spica clear pen to her body and parts of the wings. I then stamped the flourish from Quietfire Design randomly, and the Quietfire Sentiment with versamark and used the platinum embossing powder. The fairy was then glued onto the base on the body part, then wings lifted with dimensional pop dots to give the card some depth. This was all pop dotted onto a piece of cream papers with glittery dots on it, it's just beautiful in person, but I am sure won't photograph well! lol

Thank you so much for stopping by today! Why don't you try your hand at the Created Byhand Challenge, it's alot of fun!

See you later!

:)
Kim

Challenge Me Thursday - Post your Challenge

Hi Everyone,

It's that time again! Please post your challenge for me! As long as it includes stamping and it's a card, I will try it (if I have the supplies). I will pick one challenge tomorrow morning (Thursday), make a card and post it tomorrow evening!

The challenge can be a technique challenge, stamp company challenge, colour challenge...the sky is the limit here!

I look forward to seeing what you come up with this time! Last weeks was especially tough...lol...

Have a beautiful summer day!
:)
Kim

Challenge Me Thursday - One Layer

Wow, you guys are tough! I chose this challenge today, because so many of you jumped onto the bandwagon with this! No layers was tough enough, but then you all added no embellishments, no swirls, and no purple? Yikes....

Anyway, I made a few different things, and they all got filed...straight into the garbage! This really was tougher than I thought.....but I did finally get a card made that is half decent. How I yearned to add layers....some ribbon...swirls...lol

I stamped the branch from Hero Arts with Brown and Green chalk inks, and stamped it randomly around the edges. I then stamped the bird in nest from Inkadinkado with black archival ink, and coloured it in with my Copic Markers and a bit of Spica Glitter pen ( a girl HAS to have a bit of bling on a card..lol) If you click on the card to make it bigger, you will see where I added the glitter pen. I then went over all the edges with a sponge and tea dye distress inks to give it a bit more life. The sentiment is from the same clear set as the bird in the nest.

Thank you so much Ladies! This was an awesome challenge for me, and I got back to basics with this!

Have a wonderful evening and see you same time next week!

:)
Kim

My Favorite Movie Swap

Morning Everyone!

I have been trying to think of a swap to host, and finally I think I have it! I would like to host a swap called My Favorite Movie. I have only done swaps on the yahoogroups, but thought it would be more fun to open it up to the bloggers.

For this swap you would have to make cards using the theme of your favorite movie, or your interpretation of your favorite movie. It will be a 5 for 5 swap, you send in 5 cards, and you receive 5 different cards in return. If you have more than 1 favorite movie, you can do different cards. You can send in all the same cards, OR 5 different ones. I think I would like to stick to cards though, no atcs (unless you want to mount them to a card).

I am in Canada, but would like to invite anyone to play from different countries. We will figure out the postage thing, just email me! If you are in Canada, just send the same amount of postage on a SASE with your cards. Just leave a comment if you would like to join, and then email me (link to email me is on the right hand side of my blog). You are also welcome to email me if you have any questions about this swap.

I will take sign ups until July 21, the swap will be due in my hands on August 8th. I think that leaves plenty of time for the swaps to arrive. I will allow a bit of leeway with the due date, but not much. Any swaps that are not here by the 13th, will be returned back to you unopened. I would like to swap these and get them back out to you ASAP.

Thanks for reading and hoping you will join in on the fun!
:)
Kim

My exciting news!

Evening Everyone!

My news is that Quietfire Design was looking for some new Design Team members, and I applied! Guess what........I MADE IT! I just found out this morning that I am one of the new Design Team members! Woohooo!! Very exciting for me! The other ladies that are on the team are amazing, and I feel very honoured to be part of this group of stamp artists! Thank you so much Suzanne!

If you haven't seen Quietfire Design stamps before, you are in for a real treat! Suzanne, the owner, does such beautiful Calligraphy, and makes rubber stamps of her work! Her sayings are just beyond belief, so beautiful! Quietfire Design also carries a large variety of stamping and art supplies. Suzanne just put out a new plate a short while ago, of crows! It is awesome. And the flourishes.....yummy!!!

I have added links to the Design Team members on the right side of my blog. And here is the link to the Quietfire Designers Blog! Amazing art on there and tons of inspiration.

Thank you for stopping by tonight and sharing in my excitement! I am still on cloud nine here....

Happy Stamping,
:)
Kim

Challenge Me Thursday - Post your Challenge

Good Morning,

It's Wednesday again, and I would like to invite you to challenge me to make a card! If you have a challenge you would like to issue me, (could be anything STAMPING RELATED, and there has to be stamping on the card), please leave a comment on this post. It could be a stamping technique, colour challenge, stamp company challenge, anything really as long as I have the supplies, I will try it! I won't be able to do any altered projects though, that takes more time than just a few hours, for me at least! lol

I will pick one challenge out of the comments, and post it by tomorrow evening, Thursday.

Also a bit about me. As many of you know I have been off work for about a month and a half. My diabetes went way out of whack, and I got quite sick. I started taking 2 different insulins to get it all under control. My blood sugars aren't quite regulated yet, but I am feeling 100% better. Today is my first day back at work!!!! YEAH!!! I am really excited about it, but a bit scared as well! I am only going back 2 days this week, and 3 days next week. I am taking it slow because I don't want to end up off work again. Stress can often make a person with diabetes sick. So....wish me luck today!!!!! I love my job, and really can't wait to go in and see everyone!!

Have a wonderful day today!!!
Drop back later to read my exciting news!!
:)
Kim

I have some exciting news.....

BUT, I can't share it just yet! I will be able to tell you all this evening though! So drop by later if you would like to know what it is!

Thanks for dropping by today!!
:)
Kim

Summer in the Tropics

I just received some stamps I bought from Innovative Designs this week, and I just love them! I bought a few plates, but this one really caught my eye. I was dreaming, thinking how nice it would be to visit some tropical island and get my picture taken in amongst all the flowers and have butterflies flying around me too. So that is why it's titled Wanderlust.

I first stamped the girls face twice, once on my base, a second time on a scrap piece of paper. I embossed the face on the card base with versafine black and clear embossing powder. I then cut out the mask and taped it lightly over the card base face. I then inked up my flower stamp and stamped it randomly on the base, and 3 extra times on a white piece of shimmer. I embossed them all with versafine black and clear embossing powder. I removed the mask and coloured all the flowers using my tombow markers. I kept the 3 extra aside for now. I used chalks to lightly add a bit of colour to the background of the flowers, a light blue. I also added chalk on her face in cream colour and a bit of a darker pink for her cheeks. Used blue for her eyes and tombow light pink for her lips. Then....I used a tool I have had for awhile but never used yet! My Bo Bunny Flex Ruler. I created a curve along the flowers, traced and cut. I did the same with the purple shimmer underneath, then added a white piece of shimmer, and my black card. Then the 2 butterflies were stamped and embossed as above, and coloured the same colour as the girls eyes, but with a darker colour added as well. Stamp and embossed the Wanderlust (from Quietfire Designs) on the left hand corner. I then placed my extra flowers where I thought they looked right and pop dotted them. The butterflies were attached using a small drop of Zip Dry glue. When the glue was dry I lifted the wings. I just wanted more depth for this card. The final and most fun part is Stickles! lol...Gotta have some bling! I put it in the centers of all the flowers.

I know this isn't really my typical style, but the bright colours were just calling out to me for a tropical looking card! All stamps except Wanderlust, are from Innovative Stamps.

Thank you so much for dropping by today, and HAPPY CANADA DAY to all my fellow Canadians! I hope you all have a wonderful day today!

:)
Kim

P.S. You can click on the above pictures to see more detail if you wish.

I love Impression Obsession!

My DH has been working crazy hours for a couple months now, and I have been off work and bored! So last night I decided to make some cards with the new Impression Obsession stamps! Their stamps are just gorgeous!!! If you haven't stopped by their site lately....go look here! All the catalogues are at the link, and you can download them.

For the bottom card, I did polished stone background, then stamped the tree with black versafine, then embossed with clear powder. The tree was then coloured in using glaze pens! I had never done that before, and just love the rich look of this card!

The second card done was the 3 windowed flower. Oh I am loving this stamp, and there is so much you could do with it! To start with we stamped the image 3 times, once on cream c/s, once on gold shimmer, then once on vellum. Cut out the windows, leaving the flowers in place, because we had to have something to glue the leaves and primas too. Cut the leaves and foilage at the bottom of the windows out of the gold shimmer. Then used the Vanilla Bean H2O to paint some of the diamonds. Then layered it all together, added ribbon, swarovski crystals and lots of stickles. This card is so stunning in person.

The last card done is with a stamp called The Pond. I just love the colours used and I find this card so striking. I just stamped with black versafine on white shimmer, then embossed with clear powder. Cut out your c/s pieces, embossed the saying, then coloured in the image wtih Tombow Markers. I really love that technique on shimmer, the shimmer still comes thru the marker...looks awesome! Don't know why I always forget to use this technique! Adhered the dragonfly, then all the card pieces together. Then for the fun part....stickles!! This card shimmers and shines like you wouldn't believe.

I hope I caught some of the shimmer and shine in my photos. You can click on any of the pics to see them larger, you can see more detail there. It's a dark, dreary, rainy day here, not the best for photos. But an awesome break from the humidity we have had this week!

Have a great day and thank you for stopping by!

:)
Kim

Challenge Me Thursday - No Stamping

Well, that was a tough one! Thanks for the great challenge!

For this card I printed out an image from one of my Luna Girl Cd's. I then cut it oval with the nestabilities, and very lightly stippled a bit of tea dye distress ink on the edges. Then layered on a scalloped oval. I did a small strip with the cuttlebug polka dot background. I printed out the sentiment on my computer, and used the window punch from SU to cut it out. Then I added a few prima flowers along the bottom edge of the photo just to fill the card a bit.

Whew....seriously, it was hard not to stamp one thing on a card! Made me wish I had some sentiment rub ons!

Thanks again for playing ladies!! And to Jennifer for the great challenge!
:)
Kim

Bella and MFT

Today I wanted to share a couple cards I made over the past few days! I hope I am not offending anyone with the Bella card....I have a g/f who rides, and knew she would get a kick out of this card!

The Bella card uses of course a Stamping Bella stamp, the swirls are from Inkadinkado, and the sentiment is from MFT (Twisted Sentiments). The main image was stamped with black archival ink, then coloured in with Copic markers. I used the nestabilities to make the oval layers. I then stamped the swirls on the background paper, and coloured in any empty spaces in the swirls with the Copic Spica Clear glitter pen. Oh yeah, parts of the motorcycle were coloured with the Spicas as well. The sentiment was stamped with the Black Archival ink. Silk black ribbon was added for a bit of interest!

The MFT card with the headless cowgirl, was stamped with Archival Black Ink. Then coloured with copic markers. All stamps are from MFT (My Favorite Things). I distressed the edges and layered it all. I ran the red paper thru the cuttlebug using the Paisley background. Cut out the cacti and star, added the flower and hemp, and it was done! lol

I know these are a bit different for me, and I had a blast making them!!!

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!
:)
Kim

Challenge Me Thursday - Post your Challenge

Evening Everyone,

It's that time again! Post your challenge for me and I will pick one tomorrow and post it by evening! I will make a card using one challenge, it could be colour challenge, technique challenge, stamp company, anything you like, as long as I have the supplies on hand to do it!

I can't wait to see what you all come up with this time!
Thanks for playing along with me!
:)
Kim

Heard it thru the Grapevine....

LOL...the whole time I was making this card, I was singing that song in my head! I love that song....

Anyway, I have had this stamp for years, and it had never seen ink until today. It's from Holly Berry House, and the sentiment is from Amuse. I did learn something when making this card, it's a no no, but will get into that more in a minute!

I stamped and embossed the image with black embossing twice. I then coloured both images in, the bottom layer only has a colour base, no layers of colours. This card was made using the Tombow Watercolouring technique. I then layered the colours on the top layer. It looked awesome, honestly! BUT THEN, I decided hmmm....why not add some Diamond Glaze over the grapes to add some more depth. Well, there was my mistake. It took some layers of my painting off, leaving more of the base colour. I guess it looks ok....but not the deep colours like it started off with. I will learn from this mistake though! I then run the bottom image thru the cuttlebug with the nestabilities. I put pop dots on the top later and adhered to the bottom layer. This card is very dimensional, but I don't think I caught that with my picture. You can click on it to see it bigger if you like.

Thanks for stopping by today!
:)
Kim

Challenge Me Thursday - White, Black & Hot Pink

Well, finally I got my card done! I was working on something else today and just realised what time it is, and got to it.

Today I chose Julie's challenge of white, black and hot pink! Yikes....I was a bit scared about what I was going to come up with. I started going thru my stamps until I found what I thought might look alright with this colour challenge. And oh yeah, she said it had to be an elegant card! lol...double challenge.

I used a stamp from Stampington as the main image, she is called Russian Beauty. The sentiment is from MFT. The images are all stamped with Archival Black ink. I ran the pink thru the cuttlebug using the swiss dots background. I used the nestabitilities for the layers. The photo corners each have one hot pink swarovski crystal on them. Simple card....but it really made me think, these colours and elegant. Did I do it Julie? lol

Thanks for stopping by,

:)

Kim

I saw this and had to chuckle......

I can't remember whose blog I saw this on, but I seriously started laughing, because it feels like this is almost true! The price of gas just seems to be climbing to a point when you really think about driving everywhere.

Anyway, hope you get a chuckle too!

:)
Kim...who will be back later to post her challenge card!!

Challenge Thursday - Post your challenge for me!

Morning Everyone,

It's Wednesday again, and time for you to challenge me! It can be colours, technique, style, whatever you like! As long as I have the product, I will do it! lol....Just leave a comment on this post with your challenge.

From all of the comments, I will pick one challenge tomorrow morning, and post my card later in the day Thursday.

Thanks to everyone who has been participating already, it's really been fun! I hope to see even more challenges this time, and I will try to incorporate more than one challenge in my card if possible!

Have a great day everyone,
:)
Kim

Went to a class yesterday....

About 6 years ago, I went to a watercolour with Tombows class in Montreal, and it was fantastic. So when I heard there was a class at the LSS, teaching this technique but a bit more advanced, I signed up right away. I thought I could brush up the technique, and learn some more tips and tricks. I have to say I was a bit disappointed. While the cards we made are pretty, and the stamps were gorgeous, I didn't learn anything new. I know the others in the class were just thrilled, because they had never done this technique before, so I know it's just me.

I didn't assemble my cards at the class, I came home and incorporated my own ideas. The deer one is a bit of a mess, because we were using paint brushes from the perfect pearls sets, not proper watercolour brushes, which will make all the difference in the world. I did buy this stamp and will make more cards with it though, it's a beautiful stamp from The Stamp Barn. We were supposed to use blue for the background, but there weren't enough blue markers, so of course, I chose lavender! I know....what a surprise! lol

The pointsettia card is beautiful in person, and I hope I can capture that in my pic. The first layer is just on plain thin white c/s. Then the image was stamped twice on vellum, and painted on the back. Then the 2 vellum layers were cut out and layered onto the white base. It's cool when you paint vellum, it natually curls. This card is so dimensional IRL. I really wanted to use a lighter feel of ribbon, but the only burgundy I had that matched was velvet, so that's what I used..lol The sentiment is from Quietfire Design, and the pointsettia is from The Stamp Barn. I made a boo boo on this card, on the bottom of the flower, usually you can get rid of it with a dab of water, but this was really light weight paper, and all I did was spread it instead of erase it...urgh! lol

Thanks for stopping by today!

Off to stamp some more.....

:)
Kim

Challenge Thursday - Polished Stone & Colour Combo

Evening Everyone,

Thank you so much for the great challenge ideas! I chose polished stone (alcohol inks), because 2 people had challenged me for that one, and then there was a red and green challenge (and it couldn't be Christmas). I know this isn't true red, it's like a raspberry colour...close enough I think! Sorry I couldn't fit a dragonfly in there Julie M., the only 2 I have are HUGE! lol I am going to try to do a couple more of the challenges, but not tonight.

The main image is stamped on a piece of glossy c/s that I did the polished stone technique on, the image is from Postmodern Design, and one of my oldies but goodies! The flourishes were a gift for my birthday last week from Val (thank you Val), and they are from Bo Bunny! I didn't even know they made stamps, and of course I had to go buy another set...lol The sentiment is from PSX. There are no embellishments on this card, which was my personal challenge. Not often I make a card with no ribbon or bling at all.

Thank you so much again everyone, this was fun!

Hope to see you here again next week, same time,

:)

Kim

Challenge Thursday - Post your challenge for me!

Hello again,

I am posting this morning, so you have time to think of a challenge for me to do for tomorrow! To leave a challenge, just leave a comment on this post. Tomorrow morning I will pick one challenge and post it in the evening. Anything goes, as long as I have the supplies to do it.

I look forward to seeing what stamping challenges are posted, and thank you for playing along!
:)
Kim

Happy Birthday Julie and Val!

I made these cards for 2 of my friends birthdays. Val's was yesterday and Julie's is today. We were all supposed to get together for a bit of a party tonight, but I wasn't feeling well, and stayed home. I so wish I was there with them, I know I am missing out on a fun stamping night! Val did drop by and pick the cards though...thanks Val!

The cupcake card is for Val. The cupcake is from Inkadinkado, and the sentiment is from Hero Arts. I just stamped with Archival black, coloured with copics. I then used a glue pen to colour over the frosting and put clear glitter over top. I used bright colours for Val's card, because it just suits her! lol The scalloped layers are done with the nestabilities. In the photo the ribbon looks red on my screen, but really it matches the card base of bright pink.

The butterfly card is for Julie, who has a love for butterflies! Tree branch and sentiment are from Hero Arts, butterfly from Inkadinkado. I used the nestabilities alot on this card, I am so glad I took the plunge and bought myself some! All the images are stamped with Versafine Sepia. The blooms on the tree branch have stickles in the centers, can't really see it in the photo.

Thanks for dropping by today! I think my MOJO is slowly coming back to me! I actually feel inspired...hopefully it stays with me!

Have a great evening everyone!

:)
Kim

Finally...Challenge Thursday Card

Well, that seemed to take forever, but with Mamasprite's (my bf) help, we got photoshop all installed and running properly. I also had a dr. appt this morning, and stopped on my way home to buy a printer. I got a great deal, and it seems to print beautifully. Sigh....life IS good! lol

Jennifer challenged me yesterday to make a black and white card. So, I dug out this Elvis stamp from Cornish Heritage Farms and stamped him with versafine black ink, then used the nestabilities to create the ovals. I then ran a white piece of c/s thru my cuttlebug using the music background. The sentiment stamp is from Stampsmith. I know I used 2 silver brads, but really, I HAD to do it, it just looked right. The brads have glitter on them, and they added the perfect bling to go with Elvis! So I think it will be ok for Jennifers challenge!

Thanks for being so patient, and I look forward to my challenge next week!
Have a great day everyone!
:)
Kim

Challenge Thursday - Post your challenge for me!

Morning Everyone,

Since Beth and I aren't able to do the double take challenge on Thursdays anymore, I thought maybe I would give something new a try! I will post either on Wednesday nights, or Thursday early, and you can all post a challenge for me. I will pick one challenge this is posted in the comments section, and post on Thursday evening. I will try to pick something that I have the supplies for of course, but other than that, the sky is the limit!

So...to challenge me, leave a comment on this post, and I will pick one later today (if anyone posts). If no one posts this week, I will make a card anyway! lol This will keep me stamping! lol

Thank you, and I look forward to seeing some great challenges!!!
:)
Kim

Edited to add: There was only one comment left with a challenge, so I did do a black and white card. The only problem is, I just got a new computer, and try as I might, I can't get photoshop to work for me, so I can't crop or anything. I will try to get it up and running again in the morning...urgh...I feel so lost! I have Windows Vista now, and it's a learning curve, big time. Had to buy a new router, tomorrow I have to get a new printer. Both products were too old and I couldn't install them on Vista? This is costing alot!! lol

Anyway, thanks for your patience, will get it up somehow tomorrow!! And thanks for the challenge Jennifer, I love the look of black and white cards!

Double Take Thursday - Unused Stamp

Today is once again Double Take Thursday, but this one is different.....because it's the last one. Beth has so many things on the go right now, and won't have time to do many of the things she loves...and I completely understand, but I am a bit sad....no more DT Thursdays.... :(

Anyway, for this last Double Take Thursday, I challenged Beth to use a stamp of hers that she has never inked before! Hmmm....that should be an easy one for most of us stampers! lol

I used a stamp from Cornish Heritage Farms, from the Rummage Bin line! I am loving these stamps. I stamped her on SU paper with Versafine Vintage Sepia, and sewed layers together. On the 2 corners of the brown paper I used a rub on that I cut into quarters from K and Co. Then I stamped the sentiment, from Hero Arts in Archival Sepia ink and added a couple of the new collage style primas! I know it's not often that I drag out my sewing machine, but I had alot of fun with it today, and I think I am going to leave it out now! I think you will be seeing more cards with sewing here in the future!

Thank you for the wonderful challenges Beth, this has been great fun! Your work is stunning, and I look forward to seeing your creations on your blog!

Maybe I will just post a challenge on Thursdays, and whoever wants to play along can do so, and link their card in the comments section? I am really going to miss this!

Please be sure to drop by Beth's blog and see her challenge card, I am on my way now!

Have a great day everyone!!!

:)
Kim

Sweet Little One

I had special ordered some stamps from my LSS, and she just got them in last Friday! I was so excited to see the new collage stamps from The Rummage Bin at Cornish Heritage Farms! They are just gorgeous!! I had to play with this one first, but I will post a card later with the other one that I bought! I also bought some of the awesome Elvis stamps from them as well!

This image was stamped in black ancient page ink on glossy c/s. I then used sponges and stipple brushes to add colour to the image. All inks used for colouring are the Tim Holtz Distress Inks. The stamp on the background layer is from Quietfire Design. If you haven't checked out Quietfire Stamps, the link is on the right of my blog, beautiful stamps there!

The flourish in the background is stamped with Perfect Plum. I then wiped a couple of the same coloured distress inks that I used on the image onto a flourish from Tim Holtz Grundgeboard. Then it was embossed with clear ink. A pretty flower was used from Prima...I love their flowers!! lol

Thanks for stopping by!!

:)
Kim...who just noticed this card too is a 5 layer card!! Yeah for Double Take Thursdays! lol

Double Take Thursday - 5 Layers

Well, today is double take Thursday, and Beth has challenged me to make a card with 5 layers! I love layering, so this was alot of fun!

The main image stamp is from Lost Coast, I think? It doesn't have a name on it, it's unmounted, but I am pretty sure that is where it's from. The background is a stamp from SU, from the Essence of Love set. The sentiment is from Paper Inspirations.

I first stamped the main image on white glossy, then stamped her again on white copy paper. I cut her out of the white copy paper to create a mask. I used a tiny bit of d/s tape to attach overtop of my main image, and brayed over top of the whole piece of paper. I then stamped the flower stamp from SU with black archival ink. Then I took the mask off and put it thru the cuttlebug with the large nestability classic circle. Then did the same with a background piece of pp with the large scalloped nestability circle. The flowers are from Prima, the new ones with the collage look. I was thinking about someone and missing them, that's why I chose the "I miss you" sentiment.

Anyway, thanks for stopping by, and stop by Beth's blog to see what she came up with today!!

I have more to share today, but still have to take pics and do a few things around here before I post again! lol

Have a great day!

:)
Kim

p.s. - I just had another look at my card on here, and it looks blurry. I tried so hard to get a good picture, but the main image goes out of focus when I try to get the background clear? I figured a clear main image would be better! lol... I will keep trying though! lol

Amazing Service from She Runs with Scissors!

Hi again,

I am talkative today! lol...I just wanted to share some information with you all! I recently heard of a store in B.C., Canada, called She Runs with Scissors, that carries a huge variety of stamps, nestabilities, and stamping accessories. I gave the store a call and asked what all she carries, and Kristie (the owner) spent a good amount of time on the phone telling me and describing things! Well, I put in a fairly big order, and she rang me up over the phone, and then told me she doesn't charge for shipping? WOW, how awesome is that! My order came promptly and I was so happy with the service. I just placed my second order on Saturday and my order arrived here today!! Now how is that for WONDERFUL service! I just can't say enough good about Kristie and her store! At this time Kristie doesn't have an online shopping store, but she is happy to tell you what she has over the phone! Give her a shout, you will just LOVE her!!!

I have had alot of emails asking exactly what Kristie sells, so I called her and got a list! It's a long one!! lol Here we go:

Stamping Bella - stamps and bella's baubles too!
My Favorite Things
Technique Tuesday
Inkadinkado
Hero Arts
Copics
Magenta
Heidi Swapp
Fancy Pants
Elzybells
Amuse
Sizzix
Bigshot
Provocraft (yup, those sought after embossing folders!)
Stampendous
Impression Obsession
Creative Cafe
Studio G - (the same company as M's, but a different variety)
Crop-a-dile
7 Gypsies
Kaiser Craft (bling, bling, bling..lol)
Reminisce
Bo Bunny
American Craft Thickers
Pink Cat Studio
Spellbinders
Karen Foster
Creative Imaginations
DCWV
Radiant Rain
Twinkling H2O's
Cropper Hoppers
Flocking
Stickles
Embossing Powders
Making Memories
Alcohol Inks
Staz On Ink
Versacolor Ink
Archival Ink
Pearl Luster Embossing Powder
Whisper Markers
Marvy Markers and Punches
Prism Papers
Basic Grey
Imaginisce
Piggy Tales
Prima Flowers and their new line of papers
Heidi Grace
Cloud 9 Designs
My Minds Eye
K and Co.
and the best for last....She Runs With Scissors carry the Scotch Tape Guns and Runners!!! And refills!! I just found this out, Kristies tape is over 4 dollars cheaper than what I am paying now!! Yeah!!!

Kristie has all the latest in scrapbooking, stamping supplies and papers, I so wish I could go see her store for myself!

She Runs with Scissors toll free phone number is: 1-800-287-4572, if you have a long distance plan, you can just call 1-250-287-4572. Oh yeah, did I mention the free shipping??? lol...still can't get over that! It's awesome!

Thanks again Kristie if you get around to reading this! lol
I am going to have a blast playing with my new toys!
:)
Kim

Earth Laughs in Flowers

Sorry I haven't been posting much lately. Just not feeling the best, but trying to get some stamping done anyway! I made this card with a stamp I hadn't inked yet, and I don't even know who made it! lol....The sentiment is from Stamp a Mania. I stamped the image with Black Opal embossing powder from Judikins, it's so pretty and sparkly. The I painted the flower in with Twinkling H2O's. This card sparkles like you wouldn't believe! The picture doesn't do it any justice at all. I used a fern stamp from Stampendous and used versamark in the background so it would be soft and not over power the image. Again, used my favorite colour...PURPLE! lol...What can I say...I can only go without purple for so long! lol

Thanks for dropping by today!
:)
Kim

Double Take Thursday - Birds

Hi Everyone,

It's that time again, Double Take Thursday! I challenged Beth to use some kind of bird stamp on a card. I had planned on using a different bird, but Barb from Embellish-it online sent me this new set from Basic Grey to use, so I decided to break it in today! I was also blog-hopping this morning, and saw a gorgeous card that Julie made from Out to Impress, and after I saw her card, I ended up casing her? I hope you don't mind Julie, your card is far nicer, but I wanted to give it a try! I got out my Nestabilities and started playing! All stamps are from Basic Grey, except the sentiment from Amuse.

Last week Beth challenged me to make a bright card, and I think I failed! lol...so I made another card using very bright colours! All stamps are from Outlines Rubber Stamps, except the sentiment from Amuse. This has 4 flowers on it, all cut out, coloured and layered. I thought it looks a bit like a present with the ribbon like it is. Anyway, I hope this one is better Beth! lol

Drop by Beth's blog if you have a chance, I haven't seen her card yet, but am on my way!!!

Have a great day everyone,

:)
Kim

Double Take Thursday - Bright Colours...ooops

Well, Beth challenged me this week to do a bright coloured card. Honestly, this one started out bright, but the more I coloured and shaded the darker it became! The paper is bright though, and there is gorgeous blue foil on it! Bright, right? lol....

The stamp is from Stamp Oasis, and had never seen ink before! I love this stamp and I thought the sentiment went perfect with it. I used my Nestabilites to do the large scallop circle. The image was coloured in with Copic markers, and the Spica Glitter Pens. In real life this card shimmer like you wouldn't believe! I added some dewdrops for a bit of an accent, but I didn't want the card to get too busy, so I left it at that.

I know that Beth will have created a "true" bright card...and as always gorgeous!! I am heading over there right now, swing by her blog if you have a chance! I am so happy that Beth is back blogging after a week off...I missed doing these challenges, and of course missed her posts! Thanks for playing Beth, and thank you all for stopping by!

:)
Have a wonderful day!
Kim

Shadow Box Card - Rubber Romance

Evening Everyone,

I know it's been awhile since I posted, life has just been busy, and creative juices haven't been flowing! Last night I made a card for a challenge with the group of ladies that we usually have SU parties with. The challenge was to make a card with a different fold. We drew a name and gave the person our card, until everyone's name was pulled. Wow, some awesome cards!!! I wish I had thought to take pictures, I did take my camera, but didn't take one pic! lol

Anyway, this is the card I made! The main image stamp is from Rubber Romance, the swirls from Inkadinkado, and the sentiment is from Amuse. I used some Dew Drops on this card, thanks to Deborah for picking them up for me. I used the directions to make this card from Papertake Weekly Challenge. This card was done with the Shadow Box Card tutorial. The link is on the right side of my blog. Check it out, there are some fantastic ideas over there, and a challenge every week, with prizes to be won!

Well, it's almost midnight here, so I best get to bed!

Thanks for stopping by!
:)
Kim

Blog Bling Winner

Oops, I forgot to post the winner for my Blog Bling! I drew on name out of a cup and it's.....

Julie from Out to Impress! Congratulations Julie! Please send me your snail mail addy so I can get your bling out to you!

I was out shopping the other day and picked up a couple extra Cuttlebug Folders, Swiss Dots and Distressed Stripes, so I will be sending those off to you Julie!

Thanks to everyone who played!!
:)
Have a great day!
Kim

Double Take Thursday - MFT

Hi Everyone,

It was my turn this week to challenge Beth, and I chose MFT stamps! I just love their stamps!

For this card I coloured in with my copics, and touch markers (touch are the same and I only paid 1.99 each!) I stamped the coffee cups on white and cut them out. I guess I like how it turned out, but not sure about the background for the lady, I don't really think the terra cotta colour goes well. I took the brad off that was originally where the prima flower is, and I think it looks better now. I also went over her dress and parts of the cups with my Spica Glitter Pen. It is really sparkly in real life. You can probably see it better if you click on the picture to make it bigger.

Please be sure to drop by Beth's blog to see her gorgeous card!!! And thank you for playing again Beth!!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great evening!
:)
Kim

More Blog Bling - Men in our lives...

Was thinking to myself, how lucky I am to have such a wonderful husband! I was blog surfing and came accross Laurie's blog, and thought what a great idea she had, showing pics of the special man in our life.

My man is so good to me, he is always there for me, thru everything. I think some men may have bailed by now, but here he is! lol He treats me like a princess, and is always so supportive of anything I decide to do. He has taught me so much, to stand up and not be afraid to speak what's on my mind, to be strong, and make my own decisions. I love him dearly, and can't imagine life without him. So today I am posting a picture of the both of us to share with you all!

I challenge each of you to do the same! If you do, link it on my blog on this post, and I too will give away some blog candy! I will draw next Sunday, April 20, randomly. Not sure what the candy will be yet, but I will find something and post a pic of it when I do! I hope Laurie doesn't mind me using her idea! I would have pointed you all in her direction, but her blog candy draw is finished already. If you would like to post a pic of any of the men in your life, that would be great, it doesn't have to be your hubby, can be your Sons, Grandpa, Dad, any man who has been there for you in your life!

Good Luck everyone! And thank you for the inspiration Laurie!

Have a great day!
:)
Kim

Double-Take Thursday - Hero Arts

Morning Everyone,

Today is Double Take Thursday and Beth challenged me to use Hero Arts! I love Hero Arts so I really was looking forward to this one! lol

I was going to use stamps I already owned, but I was at the LSS and saw a new stamp that jumped into my hands...what can a girl do? lol This is a new stamp from the Design Block line, and it is huge! Covers the front of a 5 1/2 x 4 1/4 card! I also discovered something else new to me, Fantasy Film! I love it!!! I wanted to do something simple and elegant with this stamp, and hope I have achieved that. I stamped it with white embossing ink, then embossed with a silver pearl embossing powder. I used the fantasy film to make the butterly off the stamp, and layered it on. Then stamped Hello with light purple and embossed with the same powder I used for the background. I challenged myself to use NO embellishments, store bought anyway. All in all I am pretty happy with this card.

Be sure to drop by Beth's blog to see her HA card! I haven't looked yet, but am on my way, I know it will be beautiful as always! lol

Thank you for playing again this week Beth! I really look forward to Thursdays since we started this challenge!

Have a great day everyone, and thanks for dropping by!
:)
Kim

Water and Lipstick...a bit about me.

Morning Everyone,

I made this card the other night for a Humour challenge. I bought the dietary restriction stamp quite sometime ago, when I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. At first I felt like my world had crashed down on me, and my diet would be VERY limited, hence me buying this stamp! lol

Well, this was about 3 1/2 years ago. I did very well for the first 3 years, started eating healthy, and excercising, a total change of lifestyle for me! lol No more fast food restaurants, no more chocolate bars (my favorite) and no more fries! lol I know it sounds funny, but those are the things I missed at first. Then last November my glucose levels went up alot. I started taking some meds for this, but in January I got really sick, and they went sky high. I was testing my blood sugars, but it was freaking me right out and I didn't want to talk to anyone about it.

Really the long and short of this story is, I have been sick since January on and off, more on though. I have spent a bit of time in the hospital, been fighting off many infections, and just plain tired. I am so lucky my workplace is understanding off all of this. I have had more time off than worked since January. I finally admitted defeat and went to my personal Dr. and the diabetic clinic. They have doubled my meds and started me on another one as well, to try and get my glucose levels leveled out. They also showed me how to use insulin, because it sounds like that is where I am heading and probably soon. It's not so scary now that I have faced all of this, I actually feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I thought it was all my fault that they got so high, that I wasn't eating properly, and I started not eating hardly anything at all. Well, that was pure silliness because I did my body more harm than good. It's not what I am doing, it's my body! My pancreas isn't producing the insulin it should be. I don't know why this made such a difference to me, but it sure did! For my it was truly a fear of the unknown. It was like I was hiding my dirty little secret, but not anymore!

Anyway, they are changing one of my meds next monday to give it a try, hopefully that will work, but if not, I am OK with having to go on insulin. I will make this work and won't be scared anymore.

I just felt like sharing this with you all, to explain why I haven't been as active on my blog as I would like to be. I haven't been stamping as much lately either, but I have been getting back into it more and more, and I hope to get things back to a regular schedule soon, as I am feeling better and better all the time.

Thank you for being so understanding and for your awesome support.

Now for the card! lol

I used a stamp that my wonderful friend Sheila sent me, so I am not sure who makes it. But I stamped her and made a mask so I could stamp flowers on her dress. I used all Basic Grey Sugared papers for this card. I then glittered her hat, scarf, gloves and a bit in the flowers. I used a sheer blossom from Maya Road, just inked with a bit of light pink ink, then embossed with clear embossing powder. Then I put a beautiful flower brad in the center. These are from Spare Parts, and just gorgeous, and best of all inexpensive! lol

Thank you for dropping by today!!

:)
Kim

Blog Bling Winner

Thank you for playing along on this one ladies! The winner is:

Jennifer from Ink N' Scrap Habits. She guessed 42, and there are 45 packages! Congratulations! Could you please email me your snail mail address so I can get these out to you? There is an email link on the right side of my blog!

Thank you again Ladies!
:)
Kim

Double Take Thursday, and an Award!

Morning Everyone,

The challenge I set for Beth and I this week was to use Inkadinkado stamps! Have you seen their stamps lately? Gorgeous!! And they have so many new clear sets out at a great price! Anyway, this week I wanted to use a new frog stamp that I bought. My LSS store owner is great, she is always thinking of me when she orders! She got in this great frog with a crown. She also made me a custom stamp for the back of my cards with a little frog wearing a crown. All a play on my last name PRINCE. So when I saw this stamp I had to get it! lol...I am calling this card STILL WAITING...I know I have a warped sense of humour at times! lol All stamps used are Inkadinkado, except for the sentiment, it's from Stampabitilities. Papers used are all from the new Basic Grey line Sugared. I used my Copics to colour him in, but I have not found the perfect ink yet, as it bled slightly in one place. I should have redone the card, but, I know I am too critical, so I am thinking if I can overlook this, hopefully you all can too! lol....I hate posting anything I am not happy with, but I am doing it this time! LOL I also went over the crown with Copic Spica Glitter Pens. I wish you could see the sparkle of these, it's really amazing, so unlike other glitter pens!

I haven't been over to Beth's blog yet, but am heading there now to see what I know will be awesome! lol Stop by if you have a chance and see what she did with her Inkadinkado stamps!

AWARD

Last but not least, I was given an award from Julie at Out to Impress. It's the Arte Y Pico award. The award is given to bloggers who share their art creations through blogging! Now.... I have to pick SOME folks to pass this beauty on to..... (Oh man, too many to pick from, and I want to really pass it on to everyone that blogs!) These are the people I am choosing and they are being picked because of their creativity, design and interesting material.

My dear friend Sheila (Manicstamper) also chose me for this award! Thank you Sheila, you do amazing work and are such an inspiration to me! (check out Sheila's blog and you will know what I am talking about! :) I am very lucky to have made such incredible blogging friends!!

Stamp Owl

Sharon

Sheila

Sherry

Beth

If you haven't checked out these blogs before, you are in for a real treat! And don't forgot to stop by Julies blog, her work is amazing!!! Thank you so much for the award Julie, you are a sweetheart!

Good Luck everyone, and have a wonderful day!

:)

Cards for Scrappers Haven

Afternoon Ladies,

I had to make some cards using stamps and items that Scrappers Haven sells, (link is on the right side). So these are a few cards I came up with. Some stamps may not be in stock but she can get them in if you wish.

On the first card I did some polished stone with Ranger Alcohol Inks, then overstamped the Impression Obsession shell collage. The metal charm actually says Love but I couldn't get a good picture to show that. The brads on the side are button brads that I glued swarovski crystals in the centers.

The second card used an Artful Stamper flower and a Paper Inspirtations butterfly. I first stamped the word background on patterned paper (Paper Inspirations), then over stamped and embossed the flower and put glitter on parts of it. I used a Martha Stewart punch for the edge on this one. I used versamark to stamp the butterfly and embossed the sentiment from Stamp A Mania.

Thank you for stopping by! Hope your all having a great day! I am off to work now....urgh...lol

:)