{KKS113} Handmade Embellishments

It's Saturday and that means another Kraftin' Kimmie challenge. This week Melanie is our hostess and she has challenged us to make our own embellishments! Sounds fun, right?
I used Cheryl Alger's Sugar and Spice for my card.....

Her little dress is paper-pieced (headband stamped twice and on the second, the little centre bow was cut out and popped up and slightly bent for dimension)...I added liquid pearls to the polka dots on the headband and shoe buckles.

Here is a closeup of my hand made rolled flowers and vines...

I put together a quick photo tutorials to show you how I made these easy-peasy scrappy rolled flowers:

Supplies (plus your adhesive of choice..I still have no idea what works best, so don't ask;) See that wierd little screwdrivy-looking-pokey thing? It's a quilling tool (you can buy them at most crafting joints)...I showed another finished flower there too...

First, free cut a circle with your paper snips (I had approx. 2x2 dp scraps left over from my card front, so I used those...the teal flower is obviously made from a smaller square)....you DO NOT have to cut a perfect circle...the more 'off' the better, in my opinion! If you are uncomfortable with a wonky circle, feel free to punch a large circle out)...see the imperfection in my circle? Yep- it's wonky!

 Now just start cutting in a spiral, turning the paper as you cut.

Okay, now stick the tiny end in your quilling tool, with the handle facing in (you can use a pair of fine tipped tweezers if you don't have one of these but I highly recommend buying one- this was about $4)

And start rolling the paper around the end of the tool, wrapping the paper tightly around itself. You want tight- you can loosen the flower up after.

Here's the end of the rolling process. Now you would just pull the tool (or tweezers) out the back of the flower and glue the flower to the end nub (end of your spiral cut).

  Here are two flowers, the striped one 'looser' than the letter dp flower. If you want a looser, or larger flower, just use your fingers to slightly pull the curl out! And with these homemade flowers, it's okay that they aren't perfect!!! They are, after all, supposed to look like you made them!!

Okay- now get to work and make your own embellishments! Check out details on our challenge at the Krafty Blog! Remember that there is always a weekly prize up for grabs! Oh yeah- all weekend we have some great sales on selected Frugal Friday stamps!!

Sketch: CPS 252

{ISSC} A New Sketch Challenge with a Twist!

Whoo hoo!!! Who likes sketches? Who wants to hang with some of the funnest stamping chicks around every week? If you answered YES, then I have a the solution.....there is a brand new sketch challenge on the block: I Spy Sketch Challenge....it is very different from other sketch challenges you know and love, and I am pretty sure this challenge will soon become a fan fave! See the ISSC Blog to see what I'm talkin' bout!
Guess what else??? I am one of those fun stampin chicks that I mentioned above:) That's right, the fabulous master of watercolouring, Kimberly Teasdale, emailed me and asked if I would be on her debut DT! Yippee! Since I am basically a dolt without a good sketch, I had to say yes! And the lineup on this team is truly inspirational and such a postive bunch of ladies... how could you not want to be a part of this? And you can be a part of it too! That's what's so different about it! Okay- get over to the blog and you'll see what I mean;)

We will be back next Friday with a sketch! Can't wait for you all to play with us!

Oh yeah- I'll be drawing my blog candy winner from this post tonight, so you still have time to get your comments in!
Jenny

{TSG January Release} Scootin' By

Hey There She Goes fans!! We REALLY hope you have been enjoying this week's blog hops! Today is our FINAL day of Blog Hop Challenges, and today we have TWO super cute new sets from Melyssa!!

Cruising on a Sunday afternoon, scootin’ by to say hi! Melyssa Connolly has brought Leah back and she’s " to be wild"! She already comes with lots of fun, but if this isn’t enough she has a kit to accessorize to her hearts content! Whether she’s moving, heading off to school, or enjoying a ride she’ll surely make tracks into your heart.

Scootin’ By is a 4x8 set that includes a total of 15 stamps and will sell for $18.00.

Scootin’ By – Accessories is a 4x4 set that includes a total of 14 stamps and will sell for $10.00.

Would you like to win the new Scootin’ by and Scootin’ by Accessories stamp sets? Here is what you need to do- visit the Trendsetter’s blogs that are participating in each of the blog hop challenges below and comment on their creations as you go. One of the Trendsetter’s blogs (from each hop day) will be randomly chosen as the ‘it’ blog and a winner will be picked using a random number generator from the comments left on that Trendsetter’s Blog Hop Challenge post. You will not know which blog has been chosen so the more you comment on the better your chances are of winning new stamps! The Blog Hop Challenges will be open until 5 PM Eastern Time Saturday January 28th with the winner being announced during the release party chat.

Here is the list of participants in today's Blog Hop!!

{TSG January Release} Perk Up!

***Scroll down for my Kraftin' Kimmie Hop project***

Today is day two of this month's new release Blog Hop Challenges, and we have another ADORABLE set for you to LOVE!!

Friendship and coffee are a good blend to send greetings near and far. Torico has created a darling set to perk up the one "mug" you’ve been missing. An absolute must for those sweets and treats without all the calories!

I went for a Shabby Tea Room kind of look...damask, crochet trim,  doily border,  pearls,  botanicals, fine china... those sort of lovelies;)

I decided to try my hand at a Criss Cross Pocket Card (you can find the tutorial here, in the SCS resources). I was inspired by Jody Morrow for this one:)
Here is a pic with the insert removed:

The 'bits and pieces' all separated:

Here is the beck, decorated, so you can write a message here as well, or if nothing else, it's pretty to look at...I have stamped my TSG signature stamp on the back.
And you can see that the smallest cup was popped up on dimensionals....

 The front, when the belly band is removed and the insert is out.

Paper-pieced tea/coffee cups, with some fancy pearl accents....

And everything all put together again.

Perk Up! is a 4x8 set that includes a total of 36 stamps and will sell for $18.00.

Would you like to win the new Perk Up! stamp set? Here is what you need to do- visit the Trendsetter’s blogs that are participating in each of the blog hop challenges below and comment on their creations as you go. One of the Trendsetter’s blogs (from each hop day) will be randomly chosen as the ‘it’ blog and a winner will be picked using a random number generator from the comments left on that Trendsetter’s Blog Hop Challenge post. You will not know which blog has been chosen so the more you comment on the better your chances are of winning new stamps! The Blog Hop Challenges will be open until 5 PM Eastern Time Saturday January 28th with the winner being announced during the release party chat.

Here is the list of designers participating today!!

{KKS} A Scrappy Hop

Welcome to a fantastic joint blog hop featuring Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps and the Art du Scrapbooking store in Quebec! Grab a cup of coffee and sit back to enjoy all the gorgeous creations using the January release of new stamps from Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps! If you’d like to start the hop from the beginning, head over to the KKS challenge blog and be sure to leave a comment at each and every stop because some lucky random stampers will WIN some prizes!! All the new images are now available at the Art du Scrapbooking store online and in person or from the KKS online shop, where you will find ALL our stamps! Get ready....get set.....HOP!!

You should arrived here from Chantal's blog...if you want to start from the bery beginning so that you don't miss a thing (it's a lonnnngggg hop;), then go back to Kraftin' Kimmie's challenge blog....

I have used one of our brand new kitty cat stamps from the Kitty Kapers 2 set and paired it some gorgeous Art du Scrapbooking goodies (designer paper, paper flowers, metallic circle punches)....the button, twine and CS are my own supplies:)

Next up on the hop is Sophie!

Remember to leave comments along the hop for some great prizes!!

{TSG January Release} Nursebot

No "bots" set would be complete without Nursebot! Torico has done it again. She warmed your heart last month with Lovebots and this month she’s going to make you feel all better with Nursebot. What a great way to send well wishes then a visit from the Nursebot!!

Nursebot is a 4x4 set that includes a total of 11 stamps and will sell for $10.00.

 Here is a close-up of Nursebot:) She is popped up on dimensionals on the text DP, and I shaded with my warm grey copics underneath. Some natural hemp twine and a threaded matchy-match button threaded with red hemp twine add some jazz! Loads of white machine stitching was done around each panel as well as a wee bit of light sponging! Instead of using DP on all the little square panels, I decided to use the pill bottle image for one of them....I like the way it turned out! Along with the regular copic colouring, I also added clear spica glitter pen here and there to Nursebot and the pill bottle.
I used this weeks Mojo Monday sketch, which I am totally in love with!

And here is the inside, using one of the sentiments that comes with the set. I added some wonky stitching that mimics the look of a heart rythym....
Plus a little TCP die cut heart:) I love love love this card (maybe it's the nurse in me;) and I think I am going to make a similar card for my bestie, who is also a nurse....maybe a special gift in the mail for Nurse's week, which isn't for quite awhile, but with my level of procrastination, I better get on it now;)

Would you like to win the new Nursebot stamp set? Here is what you need to do- visit the Trendsetter’s blogs that are participating in each of the blog hop challenges below and comment on their creations as you go. One of the Trendsetter’s blogs (from each hop day) will be randomly chosen as the ‘it’ blog and a winner will be picked using a random number generator from the comments left on that Trendsetter’s Blog Hop Challenge post. You will not know which blog has been chosen so the more you comment on the better your chances are of winning new stamps! The Blog Hop Challenges will be open until 5 PM EST, January 28th with the winner being announced during the release party chat.
Here is the list of designers participating today!! Have fun!!

{TSG140} My Main Squeeze

It is time for this week's There She Goes challenge, and this week....we can feel the love in the air!! We are celebrating Valentine's, Love and Hearts, and just in time for that special day...you know the one!! Here are some details about the challenge!!

To be eligible for the giveaway, create a card or project for Valentine’s with love and hearts, and then come back to the TSG Blog to add your name and a link to your project in the InLinkz that is located at the bottom of this challenge post. This challenge is open until the winner has been announced on the following Monday (January 30th). The winner will get a $5 gift certificate to use in the TSG Web store!

By participating in this challenge, you may also find yourself in the Trendsetting Spotlight that shines on the TSG Blog every Thursday. We will be on the lookout to find challenge cards that stand out and show Trendsetting qualities. TSG stamps are not required to participate in the challenges but are appreciated :)

You do not need to have a blog to be able to participate in the TSG Challenges! You can simply add the URL link from your project after it has been uploaded to your online craft gallery. If you upload your card to an online craft gallery, please use the keyword TSG140 so we can check out your beautiful work!

Oops, my bad! On my stamping calendar, I only wrote 'Love' for this challenge, and didn't notice the bit about hearts til just now!!!! Yikes! Hope they don't make me a benchwarmer for the next few weeks;)
Here is my FREAKY love card! Yes, I admit it's unconvential and maybe even a bit, dare I say it, GROSS! But my little National Geographic lovin' 7 yr old is gonna think it's a pretty sweet Valentine!

Lemme tell ya folks, it's a bright one!!!! Practically found my way upstairs last night at 1:00am without even turning on a light! I used the ridiculously cute Zoo-pendous set, building myself a little scene with trees, branches and snakes;) I used my copic mulitliner to draw in the rest of the tree trunks to make them taller. Everything is coloured with copics and I added a bit of spica glitter pen to the snakes spots, underbellies and tongue. Glaze was added to the eyes. The tree tops and leaves were paper-pieced and popped up on dimensionals. I used the same BG paper pack that was on my desk from a few cards ago;)

The sentiment was stamped on an MFT dienamic, and the big artichoke SU button was threaded with a double hemp twine bow. Lots of machine stitching and silver brads finish it off!

And don't forget about my TSG GIVEAWAY!!! You still have til Friday to leave me a comment for your chance to win!! Check out the deets on this post:)

Since this is such a wacky valentine and completely non-traditional, I'll be entering it in The Ribbon Carousels challenge, which is to use non-traditional colours!

{KKS112} Spotlight Challenge

Hi there! It's time for another challenge from Kraftin' Kimmie and today Elaine is our hostess, and she would like us to spotlight part of a KK image! I had yet to ink up Annie's Goddess Gaia and I thought that she would be a perfect candidate for this one:)

I used this earthy DP from BG (an old pack..not sure on the name, but full of greens and blues) and some MFT dienamics (fancy flourish and mini rolled roses) as well as a spellbinders fancy circle die. I kept Gaia black and white (using my warm grey copics) on purpose....who am I to say what colour Mother Earth is? And I wanted her skintone and hair not to matter in this card..I wanted the earth to stand out in colour...Get it? I think my peace and love to all mankind goes pretty darned good with the sentiment, don't you?
The colouring on my globe is seriously poor...I was having some major 'pooling' issues with the greens.....I am terrible at keeping my paper straight (I NEED to label what name it is!!!), so I very well could have been using a non-friendly copic paper here, although the greys seemed fine on it? who knows??
The earth is full of texture, so be it;) My rendition is too!

 
I stuck SU rhinestones in the flowers to hide the complete mess of hot-glue that I had going on! I was trying to make gorgeous flowers like my fabby friend Melissa (I'm talking about you Shorty;), but I think that must be her thing and not mine....I usually use felt for the plain reason that it is as forgiving as all get out! Paper, on the other hand, has no give. It is hard to manipulate these little suckers!! And did I mention that I'm in the clear when it comes to committing all major crimes, as I have no fingerprints left? Hot glueing isn't for sissys!

Okee dokee- check out the Kraftin' Kimmie blog for some more inspiration by my fellow Krafty Girls! And play along for your chance to win! The blog has all the deets on that as well!

{YNS} Fun Fridays!

Hey there! Not sure if you heard, but there is some fun new action going on over at Your Next Stamp every Friday! Every single Friday, YNS designers are featuring a project and some fun tips for you:)
Today I am showing you a really bright and sunshine-y card (I think this cold Alberta weather has me longing for warm summer days;) I used Miss Flower Fhiona.

Here is a close up and you can see her little legs stamped again and popped up on dimensionals....

And the inside....the sentiments are from PTI.

Want to hear my designer tip on paper-piecing?? Check out the YNS blog for that, as well as more projects and ideas by our designers:)

{TSG...Again} Puppy Love and a Giveaway!!

This week, the TSG senior Trendsetters have been showing you their past and present cards with 3 'older' sets Buckets Of Love, Puppy Love and Love....are you starting to see a theme here?? lol
At the end of the week, they ask new designers to showcase these sets....I am playing along this week, and I chose the sweetest little love-pups from the Puppy Love set:)
I know I've made the DH a couple of valentines..but this is THE one! I promise;) hehe.....We are high school sweethearts and I think we both suffered with a serious case of puppy love back in the day;)

 
I added the dog holding the heart to the other image, stamping it and fussy cutting, then popping up on dimensionals beside the boy dog;) I coloured them with copics, adding tiny twinkles to 'his' collar and buttermilk spica pen to 'hers'. Glaze was applied to their noses and the heart.

I wonky stitched around the base, as well as the smaller panel, and some random zigzags were added the the circle panel. I used an SU embossing/cutting heart folder and topped it with a pawprint button tied with a SU linin thread bow.

 Here is the inside, using another puppy image and the sentiment was stamped on the sign after colouring! I used two different paw print stamps, the big set his and the small set hers;) I'll still be able to write over top of the pawprints if my love letter gets to lengthy;)

 
Here is a close up of that super sweet sentiment:):) I LOVE the way this card turned out and I am so excited to give it to my hubby!! This time I'm actually gonna write in it and put it in an envie!!

Check out the TSG blog for more inspiration:)

*****Okay- here's your chance for some CANDY!!!!!!!!!!*****

That's right peeps- I am having my first ever BLOG CANDY GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!!! I just so happen to have two of this set (don't ask;) and since I have had a pretty good run since starting the ol' blogeroo a short 1 1/2 yrs ago, I will be giving away lots more prizes from some of my favorite companies over the next few months!!! Starting with  TSG's Puppy Love!
So, here are the deets: You have to leave me a comment telling me something about a love in your life...doesn't have to be a significant other, I know Valentine's Day can be crippling for some;)...it can be anything! Cupcakes, campfires, AC/DC, wool socks, The Bachelorette...anything that you love at the moment! Actually, if you write The Bachelorette, I'll probably remove your comment- I hate that reality TV stuff;) hehe!! And one comment per person please (duplicates will be removed)!
You don't HAVE to become a follower to win, but guess what? I would sure appreciate it!!!
And finally, I have to have a way to contact you...so leave me an email if I can't find you through your blogger profile. And I'll ship to ANYWHERE! There's nothing I hate more than being excluded from contests just because I live in Canada!
I'll leave the contest open until next Friday and then I'll announce a winner shortly after that!
As always, I appreciate each and every kind word from all of you! Good luck!

{TCPTUES193} Love Ewe

Time for another TCP Tuesday! This week, Lori is our hostess and she has given us a yummy pallette of Chocolate, Pale Pink and Melon....
Now I figured this would be an easy one, as the colours seem to be suited for eachother, but it seems like there might be a gap in DP! I thought I had an old SU paperpack that would be perfect, but is it lost to the black hole of the stamping room, or did I miraculously use an entire 12x12 paper pack? We'll never know the answer!

Lord help me, I had to throw in a touch of green;) It needed it, and so I had to! I used the new Build-A-Bingo set (yeah- I love it!) as well as an oldie, but a goodie Ewe Complete Me. Very easy to colour- just a hint of E30,31 on the legs/arms and faces and R81,83,85 on their hearts and flower. A tiny twinkle was applied to the flower centre. The white wool was simply coloured with a sponge tip applicater and white craft ink (PTI's snow white) in circular motions. Easy Peasy.
The new Queen of Hearts border as well as Heart Trio Cutups were used. Some pink seam binding finishes it off:)

Close-up of the happy couple:)

Wanna play along for your chance at weekly catcash or even better, the title of Swanky Stamper?? Simply upload your colour card to the Dancing in Pajamas blog, or SCS using the keyword TCPTUES193!