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Monday, September 30, 2013

Wrapping up September with a chilly little creation from Crafter's Companion!

BRR!  woke up this morning to a VERY chilly house!  fall is definitely here!  so why am i inspired to make something that screams WINTER?!  well i *AM* a Canadian girl, after all!  maybe i'm just sitting tight and waiting for it...

NAH.  i'm not a big fan, to be honest.  i prefer spring and fall.  but i DO need to keep the momentum going with my holiday crafting, so i couldn't resist this super cute stamp from the Mulberry Wood collection at Crafter's Companion!  i want them all, of course, but i started out with this sweet little family of owls - the set is called "Wish Upon a Star" and i had to have 'em.  here's why:


'cuz they're way cute, that's why!  aren't they?  they're colored up with my Prismacolor Pencils with a piece of pale blue vellum done up wtih the Holiday Holly embossing folder from Die'Sire behind them.  i see myself getting LOTS of mileage from this combination! 

nope, so i don't really want winter to come, but working on my holiday cards with such fun crafties is going to cushion the blow a little bit.  ;) 

CLICK HERE to check out the other cute sets from Mulberry Wood - the holiday sets include moose, raccoons (!!), birds, kitties, pandas, pooches and elephants.  i kinda (totally) want them all.  :D

Sunday, September 29, 2013

more Sheena Douglass beauty from Crafter's Companion!

okay, i'm having altogether WAY too much fun with my Spectrum Noir Re-inkers, and i don't know what the heck took me so long to just bust them out and start playing!  i've had the tools for a long time, but i think i was a little intimidated by the Tim stuff - little did i know, there are LOADS of ways to use them and make stuff pretty, without being an alcohol ink genius.  :)  i certainly am not, but lately i feel like one!

i'm sharing a card i made using the Koi stamp from the new Koi and Waterlilies set from Sheena Douglass' "A Little Bit Oriental".  the entire line is available HERE - there are gorgeous stamp sets, lovely embossing folders, and a paper pad that's just stunning and totally versatile! 


i LOVED colouring this koi.  and i LOVED playing with my little eyedroppers.  here's what i used:

High-Gloss Cardstock
Spectrum Noir Ink Refills GB6 and BT6 (with a smidge of BP3 that was leftover on my foam), plus just a couple of drops of blending solution
StazOn in Jet Black (for the sentiment and around the edges)
Koi from Sheena's A Little Bit Oriental "Koi and Waterlilies" stamp set
Koi coloured with Spectrum Noir markers: OR1, OR2, OR3, GB2, GB3, GB6


and that's it!  added some ribbon and a couple of little embellies, plus my sentiment, and this card just kind of happened!  i love playing with the re-inkers - you never know what it's going to look like, and you can make it as light or pale as you like with lots of ink, or less ink and blending it around the page more.  in this case, i used the entire sheet, although that wasn't my initial plan!  happy little surprises.

okay.  so GO HERE to check out my BLOG HOP POST!  you have until tomorrow night to hop with us at Crafter's Companion and you could win the Sheena set of your choice from this gorgeous new release!  :)

innies and outies at Charisma!

WHEW!

i'm a little late, but it's been something of a frantic week here.  LOTS going on in la Maison l'Orange, and my mind is kind of, well, elsewhere. 

but i'm sharing a project today that i made for the current challenge at Charisma, and we want to see you decorate the INSIDE of your card, as well as the outside! 

here's what i did:


and the inside....


hee hee.  the other Charisma Galz have rocked the heck out of this one - i am quite often blown away by the ideas they have, and how much of their talent goes into each and every creation.  CLICK HERE to see what the girls have done, and play along by WEDNESDAY, for your chance to win stuff from:

and from


there are 6 digis up for grabs from DigiStamp Boutique, and 3 from Crafty Sentiments, and not a whole lot of people have played along yet, so your chances are GOOD!  :)  whatcha waitin' for?  hmm?



Thursday, September 26, 2013

Sheena Douglass NEW RELEASE at Crafter's Companion - hop with us and WIN!


ANNNNNNND we're HOPPING! :)

Hi CC fans! Today we are excited to launch another gorgeous collection from Sheena Douglass
called “A Little Bit Oriental”.

This collection contains four beautiful stamp sets, four 5x7 embossing folders and a paper pad with
48 BEAUTIFUL sheets of coordinating pattern papers in 16 designs. This entire release is available
right now on the Crafter’s Companion website. To celebrate this wonderful new release, the designers
have created projects to inspire you, and we can’t wait to show them off! Hop along and don’t forget
to leave comments along the way because we will be selecting a random winner who will receive one
of the lovely new Sheena Stamp Sets (winner’s choice!).

Here's my card, featuring the gorgeous large water lily, paired up with the Tranquility sentiment, from
the Koi and Waterlilies set:




I used my Spectrum Noir markers to color up the flower and edge the sentiment... Here's the color list:

Flower petals - PL1, PL2, TP4, TB5, PL4 (stamens)
Leaves - LG2, LG5, JG5
To add highlights to the petals, leaves and stamens - Blender

Here's the hop list for you...

Chrissie Tobas
Christiana Reuling
Denise Coulter
Kendra Wietstock
Leah l'Orange
Mary Dawn Quirindongo
Roxanne O’Brien
Stacy Harper-Watson
Stephanie Severin
Trena Brannon
Tenia Nelson
Deb Felts (Guest Designer)

CLICK HERE
to visit the shop and see these gorgeous new releases, and for inspiration, visit our gallery!
It's crammed with pretties, and there are lots of new projects featuring these beauties! :) Our hop runs now
through Monday, September 30th, so happy hopping, enjoy all the amazing inspiration from our team, and
good luck! Remember to comment at every stop along the way!




Monday, September 23, 2013

Endless Summer at Paper Issues - $20 to spend at the store!

okay, have you officially said goodbye to summer yet?  the afternoons still warm up around here, but the mornings are dewy and brisk, and in the evenings, i break out the slippers and onesies (yep, i wear those one-piece PJs!).  so while fall is here, there are still traces of summer lingering around the days like pigeons at the park, and we're not QUITE ready to bid adieu at Paper Issues!

this issue is all about summer, and you can do whatever the heck you'd like with it.  CLICK HERE for the current issue, and do the whole like/link thing and you could win a $20 gift certificate to spend at the Paper Issues store.  :)

here's my little tribute to summer - i will be VERY sad, to say the least, when the ice cream place around the corner closes its doors for the season.  so, ya know, kids eating scrummy treats...


and a close-up of Ice Cream Tia and Popsicle Tobie (for maximum freckle effect!):


okay.  so you know what you gotta do, right?  link your project - new or old - and then cross your fingers so you can win THIS:


and you can use this to save money:



Sunday, September 22, 2013

HOT PINK INK at Crafter's Companion!

WHOA.  seriously, i think i'm in LOVE!  i placed my first actual order with Crafter's Companion since joining the design team, and i knew i'd picked a bright color for my Spectrum Noir re-inkers, but OH MY GOOMIE.  words cannot begin to express my excitement when i moved that blending tool across my High Gloss Cardstock.

LOOK.

this is BP3 in the Speccie refills, and i am going to run out of this ink FAST because i'm going to use it on everything!  is it not GORGEOUS?!  yes, it is!

i also added a drop or two of GB6 and pounced it around for some paint splatter effects, then grabbed my Tuxedo Black Memento ink pad and stamped Pansies from the Art-Kure Britain in Bloom collection, and added a portion of the sentiment from the Friend set from Mulberry Wood.

a punched edge, a black mat, a little tag, a ribbon and a smidge of pearly bling, and DONE.  and oh my GOOMIE, this pink ink is just too fabulous.

yeah.  so that happened.  and if you're looking for sheer CUTENESS, check out the Makey Bakey Mice - there are 6 Christmas themed sets and 6 everyday sets, and an awesome SALE going on right now! :) 

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Something's squeaking over at Crafter's Companion!

okay, so who knew i'd be so into HOLIDAY crafting right now?  seriously?!  but there's a brand new family coming to Crafter's Companion, and i just couldn't resist these little cuties!

they're coming this THURSDAY, and you'll be able to grab them for yourself, but i had the privilege of getting my hot little hands on them in advance.  :)  ready to meet one of the Makey Bakey Mice?!


oh my goomie, SO CUTE!  love his crooked little smile!  the Trimming the Tree set comes with this little dude, some sentiments, and a couple of extras, so you can mix and match to your heart's content.  i printed him out on Ultra Smooth Premium White Cardstock and colored him up, added my sentiment and some simple bling, and PRESTO. 

adorbs, no?  :)  well you can't have him yet, but you CAN put him on your wish list, along with the other fab sets (check out the other sneaks by CLICKING HERE!)...  and Thursday's the day!

here's a close-up:

so.
fun to color.
mix and match.
a BUNCH of other cute sets to choose from!

you know you wannnnnnna!

Sunday, September 8, 2013

it's simply EMBOSSALICIOUS! i'm making holiday stuff!

evenin', crafty friends!  hope the weekend has treated you well!  i spent mine working and doing a charity walk, so i'm rather exhaustified, but wanted to share a little something with you before i call it a night...

i tend to collect embossing folders, and then conveniently forget i have them.  i don't show my folders NEARLY enough love.  i also collect cardstock.  all colors, textures, sizes.  i have so many pretty things, but my ADHD brain thinks about them for about 6.3 seconds before obsessing over something else!

today, i made another holiday card (that's a big head start for me!), and i used the 6x6 Die'sire Embossalicious "Christmas Ornament" folder:


papers, alphasand teeny gems are from my stash and i went simple with the layout - i wanted the ornament to take center stage.  i rubbed some StazOn in Olive Green over the raised parts, added some yellow Stickles, and loved how the ornament was blingy but still kind of subtle.  check it out up close:


i actually think the stickles are STILL wet!  it's been hours!  but i love the shimmer and the bits of glitter in the actual cardstock.  also not my typical holiday color combo!  i shall be getting lots of use out of this folder and i already have a few other projects planned!  check out the rest of the Christmas goodies by CLICKING HERE and i'll be sharing a ton of holiday projects over the next few weeks!

oh, and we've got some exciting things up our sleeves at Crafter's Companion!  if you are one of our newsletter subscribers, you'll have caught wind of this yesterday, but if not, i'm sure the buzz will be coming your way soon!  :)