Sheena's Shells are GORJE!

are you a Sheena Douglass fan yet?

her stamp sets are beautiful, crafty friends.  surrissly!  this set is called Sea Shells from the Sheena's A Little Bit Scenic line (they're all available HERE at Crafter's Companion), and it's stunning and versatile for SO many different themes.  encouragement, sympathy, retirement, vacation, relaxation, serenity, etc...  and i'll use it over and over and over when i'm looking for a bit of elegance and maturity in my projects.  check it out!

she's purdy, no?  the shell is colored with my pencils, and then, because i ordered this Die'sire 8x8 embossing folder (Regency Swirls) that won't fit through my C'bug, i inked the raised side with my Delicata Golden Glitz and put my paper in the folder and stepped on it a few times.  yep, that's my kick-arse technique for this one!  and i LOVE how mottled it came out with the textured paper!  shimmery and subtle without drawing away from the image. 

added a gold foil panel behind it and a strip across with some ribbon, plus some adhesive pearls and an OLD Heidi Swapp sentiment sticker.  voila!

here's the close-up detail of my shell:

and this will round out my 2013, folks.  with a new year upon us, i'm VERY MUCH looking forward to some changes and some fun.  see you on Wednesday if you're up for a game of TAG!  ;)

Shiny and New at Paper Issues!

we've got a new issue, folks!  but we ALL have issues, right?  well for this we're looking for anything that follows the theme "Shiny and New" (interpret however you'd like!), but we also have a sketch if you'd like an extra push.  NOT necessary to follow the sketch!

for this one, we're also giving away an awesome $20 gift certificate to spend at the Paper Issues store, and WHOA, there's so much new stuff i'm having a hard time keeping up!  every time i place my order, new stuff comes in and i have to place another!  :D

here's what i made for the occasion:

i used the yummalicious Sweet Cherry Color Shine from Heidi Swapp (Paper Issues has LOADS of colors!) and Double Yellow Mister Huey's from Studio Calico to pretty up their mistables, Carribean Baker's Twine from The Twinery.  some paper from Echo Park (an older collection - Happy Days, but there's lots of EP available HERE!), ball trim (swoooooon) and a cheapie felt key from somewhere.  lullz.  bling.  alphas.  done.

so yes.  LINK UP HERE.  win this:

shop with THIS:

**linked up 4/3/14 to the new Pocket Full of Sunshine issue at Paper Issues!**

LOVE Bamboo from Crafter's Companion!

how CUTE is this little fuzzpaw?  seriously!

he's a furry little dude from Crafter's Companion called Hugs from Bamboo from the Party Paws series, and he's perfect for ANY occasion...  i did some Christmas cards using him with different wrapping combinations (one was paper pieced - it was a breeze!), and i was having so much fun coloring him that i decided to keep the fun going with some birthday lurve.  :)

the sentiment is from the Imagine set in the Everyday Sentimentals series (there are SO many awesome sentiments in the Sentimentals line - whenever a new one comes out, it goes right into my shopping cart!), and i think the font is just super fun.  whatcha think? 

Hugs from Bamboo and my sentiment are stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and i colored my image up with my pencils...  some spunky new papers and a few brads and enamel dots and i was content! 

i love this little dude.  i really do!  squeeeeeeezable!

CLICK HERE to check out all the awesome stuff at Crafter's Companion, including the YUMMY new line of Memento Luxe inks (they are WONDERFULLY juicy and i can't stop using them - they're especially awesome with all of the Sheena Douglass silhouette stamps!)

are you making any new year's resolutions?  mine is to look for more opportunities to color, because it's absolutely therapeutic for me, and i could use a little more therapy (tee hee) - at least to come down from some of the craziness that sometimes pops up.  in the meantime, i'm counting down the days until 2014 and i know it's going to be an EXCITING year!

majestically old and oaky at Crafter's Companion

okay, so i told you i was loving my new Majestic Oak stamp from Crafter's Companion - well it's not a new set, per se, but it's new to me, and i am getting LOADS of mileage from it!  here it is again, stamped in Memento Espresso Truffle ink onto a simple patterned background with minimal embellies:

the quote is a good one, no?  perfect for encouragement or retirement or even sympathy...  LOVE it, and I could easily spend a whole day just making cards with this stamp set and different patterned paper combinations.  it's classy and elegant and seriously, the cards practically make themselves!  you'll be seeing this one a LOT on my blog, and since i'm loving the Sheena stamps so much, THIS ONE will probably be next.  :)  it's on my wish list and will be falling into my shopping cart very soon!  

hope you're all having a most awesome weekend - i have a LOT of shopping to do, since i'll be heading up to Canada next Saturday (to surprise my Dad for his birthday on Sunday).  SO MUCH to cram in and i hope i have energy after work to get it all done!  happy holidays, chickens!  xo

December challenge at Crafter's Companion - Ribbon/Twine/Thread!

hey there chickens!  so there are only two weeks left before Christmas Day.  is that ridiculous or what?  WHERE did 2013 go? 

well it's been a busy year for me, but i'm looking forward to an exciting 2014 with lots of fun things on the horizon!  i know i mentioned that i will be staying on with Crafter's Companion as one of the members of their brand new Inspiration Team (!!!) and i can't wait for you all to see what we're up to!  lots of fun things going on with new products, new releases, new faces, and LOADS to check out on the blog!  you'll just have to trust me, because we still have a couple of weeks until it all happens!

in the meantime, if you're feeling up to a challenge, we're looking for Ribbon, Twine and/or Thread on your creations!  use your Crafter's Companion products (see the list of eligible items HERE) and play along with our December challenge, and you could win £30/$30 to spend at the Crafter's Companion store, and lemme tell ya...  it's EASY to spend!  :)

here's the card i made using the new Sheena Douglass - A Little Bit Scenic "Seascapes"...  these are GORGEOUS for masculine and elegant creations!

i incorporated ribbon and twine into my project, and backed my image with a simple kraft panel embossed with a Die'sire Embossalicious 6x6 folder (Chevrons), coloured my image with my Spectrum Noir markers (Blender, IB1, GG1, GG2, EB2, DG2, DG3, BG2, BG3, BG5, DR3, DR5, DR6, TB1, TB2, TB3), distressed the edges of my image panel, added a bit of minimal and subtle bling, and VOILA.  i can totally see this for retirement cards, congratulations, destination weddings, and even sympathy.  and believe me, it's easy and FUN to colour!  :)

so.  care to play along?  there's still PLENTY of time left in the month to join us - just CLICK HERE to see what the awesome UK team did to inspire you and to link up! 

Hopping again with Crafter's Companion and CardMaker Magazine!

if you're here for the Hol-ODD-Day hop, CLICK CLICK and you'll get to my post.  :)

seriously, what a FUN week!  you must be here TODAY for the big Crafter's Companion USA and CardMaker Magazine blog hop!  WELCOME and thanks for coming by!

i am SO excited about this hop - not only do i love my Crafter's Companion products, but i have been subscribing to CardMaker Magazine for many years and i am a HUGE fan!  the content, the projects, the gorgeous spreads and detailed instructions, designer tips, and the DESIGNERS!  so much talent!  such an inspiring magazine!  and speaking of talent, you've probably arrived from Trena's blog - if so, you're well on your way!  if NOT, then you may want to CLICK HERE to start from the beginning!

YOU, dear friend, could win one of two awesome prize packs which include: a 1-year digital subscription to CardMaker Magazine, a stamp set, 2 six-marker sets of Spectrum Noirs (the new generation!) and an embossing folder.  check out this AWESOME prize pack!

i went Nutcracker-themed for my card, combining some holiday with non-holiday products and colours...

LOVE this little girl - so poised and graceful, and trying so hard!  i took dance lessons when i was younger, so i can relate!  :)  here she is, up close and personal:

this image is from the Angelica and Friends EZmount set - "Eleanor"
the sentiment is from the Sentimentals "Christmas Magic" set...
Eleanor is stamped on Ultra Smooth Premium White cardstock
with StazOn Jet Black ink (and I used my Prismacolor Pencils)
and the sentiment  (plus the inking around the scalloped panel) with Distress Ink in Dusty Concord
cut my girlie out with a Nestie, inked and stickered.  :D
i used the 6x6 Die'sire Embossalicious folder in Holiday Holly
inked the raised parts with Memento Luxe ink in Pear Tart (have you TRIED these inks?  WHOA!)
and splattered some Spectrum Noir re-inker in PP4 randomly around, then gave it a nice coating of Heidi Swapp Color Shine in white (of course that doesn't show up in the photos, but the pink paper and embossed panel are SUPER shimmery!)

the pink paper is from issue 3 of the Crafter's Inspiration magazine (yep, it's available now!)

then i added some ribbon and clustered some flowers and bling to finish it all off.  :)  LOVE the added texture.  i just can't do a flat card anymore, no matter how hard i try!

and the REST of the Crafter's Companion team have had some fun for the occasion, too!  BUT, there's more!  we're hopping with the CardMaker crew, too!  LOADS of stunning projects to inspire you from THESE people:

CardMaker

Kendra Wietstock

Mary Dawn Quirindongo

Stacy Morgan

Khristen Foss

Laurel Beard

Chrissie Tobas

Alice Golden

Stacy Harper Watson

Denise Coulter
Christiana Reuling

Michelle Woerner

Roxanne O'Brien

Trena Brannon

Leah Lucescu

Rosemary Dennis

Tenia Nelson

Stephanie Severin

Jennifer Ingle

Latisha Yoast

Taylor Usry

Crafter’s Companion

you'll need to drop by the Crafter's Companion Facebook page to say hello and enter to win one of the two hop prize packs i mentioned.  :)

thank you for dropping by, and i hope you're enjoying the hop so far!  now you're off to visit Rosemary - tell her i said hello!  ;)  happy hopping, and happy CRAFTING, and happy holidays from Crafter's Companion and CardMaker!

it's a Hol-ODD-Day blog hop with Some Odd Girl and special guests!

IT'S TIME!  :)  i LOVE this time of year.  the Odd Girls are throwin' it on down!  

WELCOME to our Hol-ODD-Day Hop!  ‘Tis the season for the Odd Girls to get their craft on, and whip up some fun things just in time for the holidays!   Some Odd Girl is very happy to bring you our annual…

This year, we are VERY happy to bring you some of our gift and decor ideas that we hope will inspire you as we all head into the home stretch!  Today, we HOP!  All you have to do is visit all of the blogs below and leave some love at each stop.

You might have arrived from Lenny’s blog...  if so, WOO HOO, and you've made it to the END!    If not, CLICK HERE to get to the beginning ‘cuz you won’t want to miss a beat!

There are some random thingies to be won here and there, but I can’t tell you exactly where!  You might also notice that we have a guest crafter or two  joining us this week! (One joins us today – YAY! – and another may pop up during the week and we’ll give you an extra chance to win!)

I have gotten all boxy and stuff lately, and decided to make a little pillow box for giftin'.  Not only does it hold things, so I can put a thin scarf or some gloves or maybe a wallet or something for hubbin, but the box is extra-keepable and super cute to boot!  I also went NON-Christmassy, just because I'm rebellious like that, and used the Feathered Friends digi  for my image.  Look!

Ermah, they're cute, no?  I used a sheet of the new Crate Paper "Bundled Up" line , along with some Glitz Design stickers and ephemera, and threw in some word stickers from Tim for good measure.  Don't these two look all cute and snuggly?  Well I thought that might be a good way to bring about some Christmas noodlin'!

And all coloured up with my Prismacolor pencils...  I still love them and spent a LOT of time in the last week colouring with 'em, so you may see a bunch more pencil projects coming to this space!  :)

Needless to say, we Odd Girls have had a TON of fun making our Hol-ODD-Day projects, and we hope you have fun hopping with us!  Ready?  Here’s the hop list!

Some Odd Girl blog

Mary Pat Siehl

Judy Bagwell

Isha Gupta

Alexis Kemp

Lesley Croghan

Anna Sigga

Suzanne Bier

Kristy Dalman

Jenn Cochran

Katie Perry

Lenny Sacreas

Leah the Orange (the end!)

So if you haven't already hit all the stops, be sure to make your way around to all of the blogs and leave your comments by Sunday, December 15th at midnight EST and we’ll have some winners to announce on Monday, the 16th!  There may or may not be a stamp set or two up for grabs.  There may ALSO be (or maybe not!) some of the new Odds & Ends to win!  ANNNND there may even be some extras.  But you’ll have to join us throughout the week to find out!

I hope you've enjoyed the hop, Oddies, and we’ll be showing details of some of the projects throughout the week, so drop by and watch for your bonus chances to win!

Crafter's Companion has LUXE INKS and a very Majestic Oak

whoa.  have you tried these?  the Memento Luxe inks - TO. DIE. FOR.  i'm seriously loving them.  they're juicy without being too wet, they're wonderfully opaque and give amazing coverage.  and i have 4, and i need to have ALL. OF. THEM.  they're available now, but they're in HOT demand at Crafter's Companion.  you might wanna CLICK HERE to check 'em out.

i made a card using the gorgeous Majestic Oak (from Sheena's A Little Bit Sketchy line) and stamped it onto my patterned paper using Espresso Truffle. distressed my edges and used Antique Linen and Vintage Photo Distress inks around the edges (always my go-to combo for that perfectly aged paper look), then added super minimal embellies.  the stamp is fab.  the INK.  ermahgerd.  just TRUST ME. 

and then i proceeded to stamp out 8 more of The Majestic Oak, with the intention of making retirement, congrats, birthday and thinking of you cards.  you'll be seeing lots more of this one, folks.  :)

SO.  there's a new challenge up at the Crafter's Companion blog...  i'll be sharing my project soon, but you might wanna hop on over to check it out!  lots of inspiration to be found over there - the U.S. and U. K. teams make for quite a collaborative force!  :)