Edwin Challenge

"Fangtastic" has a clear iridescent coating that doesn't photograph so well!
I don't have many boys in my family so this vintage Dracula Edwin is my only stamp unless we count Edwin's Snowman! The card was created for the Magnolia Stamp Lovers Challenge. He made a great little Halloween card and I can't wait to make more with my old iron fence stamp. The sentiment is by Stampendous.

My watch word is "conserve" so I'm trying to use up my stash of paper & embellishments. I didn't purchase anything new for this card...my DH would be so proud!

I enjoyed adding subtle distressed touches to the card along with a cute little bat button! The jack-o-lantern rests on a bed of black branches with a green wire vine. The 2 shades of orange brads fill an empty corner and balances out the card. They are from the same set of old Halloween brads by Queen & Co. This little Edwin was a mixed media man...his cape was paper pieced, along with an assortment of gray & flesh Copics and, since my collection isn't big just yet, I did his hair with gray Copics and watercolor pencils. I've learned through trial and error that purchasing a black Copic was a waste, I don't like the look of solid black and it doesn't shade well. The sentiment, pumpkin & Edwin were all pop-dotted to add some fun dimension to the 5.5" square black card.

Spotted Canary Contest...

Spotted Canary is having a contest! Reduce, reuse and recycle something into something and enter your's by 8/31/10. Click the link above to go to the site for inspiration. I have an idea...hmmm...

The prize is $300. smackaroos...not too shabby so I might have to work extra hard on this one! The winner's will be notified on 9/5 so get busy.

7 Kids Challenge Blog

One of my favorite places online has added a challenge blog today! They have the greatest selection of Magnolia stamps I've seen anywhere as well as lots of other items...namely my new favorite stamps ~ Kraftin Kimmie. I just love spending time there dreaming about all the stuff I'd love to have. A nice $50.00 prize would buy a lot of Kraftin Kimmies, considering 7 Kids prices are the best around too.

I'm thrilled to enter their first challenge and can't wait to see who wins...me pleeeeez! I love altered art and distressing so this was a tiny return to my roots and an experiment for a momentous occasion. Good luck & thanks to 7 Kids!!

My card was created with a base layer of Bo Bunny Double Dots with additional antiqued & distressed layers sewn with a scribbly free-form stitch on a khaki Bazzill cardstock 5.5" square card. I made 1" polka dot button with 1" round Bazzill chips which I covered with polka dot scraps from my stash, added a bit of cluny lace & pink Bo Bunny DD ribbon to this sweet little Ladybug Tilda (purchased at 7 Kids, of course.)

I stamped Tilda on Neenah cardstock and hand colored her with Copics and a little added white highlight. Tilda is pop-dotted on a Spellbinder's cut scalloped oval that was stamped with Magnolia bees & handcolored. The bee wings were coated with an irridescent gel pen to give them bling. I intended to post Tilda tonight but my photos show a mistake the old eyes missed so I'm correcting and will post on Thursday a.m.

HAPPY B'DAY CARRIE!

I couldn't ask for a sweeter, more loving daughter!

Happy August 1st!!

I have spent the morning looking at so many blogs and challenges and am now totally bleary-eyed. One email from a blog I subscribe to has the neatest challenge going on at a spot I've long considered but never entered. Today's email from Jodi at Inked Inspiration was so tempting I think I'm going to have to jump in, finally! The challenge is sponsored by Copic Creations. Best of all the challenge turned me on to some great free digital art by children's book illustrator (my secret ambition) and author, Elisabeth Dulemba. Her link to free coloring pages is at the right. The challenge ends August 14th.

For visitors who aren't familiar, Copics are wonderful alcohol-based markers used in illustration...I've just started collecting them this year from Period Style. Their prices are some of the best I've found and I'm never tempted to buy other items I don't need since they only sell Copics! Shipping is fast and economical too.

Well...am off to work on my project and to finish some items too!

It has been a busy crafting week but totally fun. Thank goodness I am making cards that I can send to family because it sure seems nothing much is selling at my Etsy.com store.

This cute little Tilda is for the Magnolia Stamp Lovers group and Flutterby Wednesday Challenge. She was hand colored with Copic markers but wears a cute little paper pieced dress of pink gingham. This technique seems to be taking the card world by storm lately. I started using this technique on scrapbook layouts last Fall so am really happy to see the transition to cardmaking!

I pop-dotted my cute little Tilda on top of a pieced background of MME's Ooh La La papers along with bits from my stash. Her dainty pair of wings were delicately colored with a dash of Stickles for bling, wire antenna added. I stamped small butterflies on the green dotted background and white cardstock, the hand-colored white ones were cut out and applied over the stamped background. A row of hand-punched, embossed lace was added along with some ribbon a chipboard diecut and a pink button to finish things.

I made this fun little stocking for two challenges! Just Magnolia's #65 Vintage and a double-pocket All That Scraps Wednesday Challenge. It was a fun endeavor for sure and quick too!

I sketched a freehand stocking on a 5" x 8" card and cut around both layers making two sides of the main pocket, then traced & cut pieces to decorate the front side from MME's The Merry Days of Christmas collection. The cuff was trimmed with old lace, ribbon & a button from my stash. I notched the top with a partial cut from a circle punch to make taking items out of the stocking easier and stitched the toe/heel & around the outside of the stocking. A diecut from the same MME collection was used to make the front pocket which was sewn to a layer of green cardstock, 3 corners were punched, brads added & glued in place on card top to finish. The edges of the main section were glued leaving the top open for stuffing with loot!

My vintage Tilda Santa rubber stamp was hand colored with Copics and pop-dotted him on the small outer pocket. The seal, also a Tilda rubberstamp, warns all little children that "Santa is Coming to Town". I decorated a grungy tag by 7 Gypsy's added Prima flowers and MS punched evergreens along with some vintage buttons & ribbon. The ruler was made long ago for a back to school project. I thought it looked perfect inside!

What a perfect Christmas stocking for any boy or girl with double pockets for a giftcard, lollipops and loot...I know a bunch of little ones in my family who are getting this at Christmas!!

Anything But...

All That Scraps is having a challenge for anything BUT cards and this is my entry! My Surfer Emma is a digital stamp I enlarged to about 6" and printed on Bristol board. The coloring is a combo of Copics & watercolor pencils...neither work so well on Bristol so I'm switching back to Neenah cardstock. I festooned a kraft handle gift bag for a special summer treat, added an assortment of Prima and other flowers with some wispy mesh iridescent ribbon, aqua ricrac, & a raffia bow on the handle. Papers are K & Co. Seaglass and treasures from by scrap box! I added a number of starfish & sand dollars which are Cricut diecuts to finish the beach theme...my favorite.

Check out the challenge with the link on the right column.

Here's my entry using this Tammy Wark sketch as my guide for the Imaginisce challenge...

I used the Imaginisce Snag 'Em stamp with scraps from my stash on a 5.5" square black card with a layer of blue bling paper by Bazzill added some sheer irredescent ribbon, black hand punched paper lace, and a double Prima flower with a little Stickles for more bling with a K & Co. pearl brad and a matching Dew Drop for the pupster's ear...voila' quite literally...now off to find Happy Birthday in French to give this to my Europe-bound daughter for her b'day in a week!

Check out the cool freebie I got from Generations Crafting!

All That Scraps Wednesday Challenge

Being a big lover of color I figured I'd be in trouble with this week's theme "monochrome" but it turned out to be one of my favorites thanks to the video ATS provided. Check out Katie Cotton's video. I learned something new and loved it!

For the card I'm submitting I used a digital download of "Coffee Kiki LaRue" in rollers with a cup of coffee. I took my cues from "black coffee" and "monochrome" and placed Kiki inside an old black and white TV with her cuppa joe, bathrobe, and hair in rollers. Sitting on top of the TV is another big mug.


Here's how I made it:
The main image is ATS's Coffee Kiki La Rue. As a base, I used double layers of old papers from my scrap treasure trove on a black 5.5" square card...one layer being from a grungy Tim Holtz 8x8 sheet I've had for years. 3 Prima Sprite flowers with black & white epoxy brads by Making Memories. The TV is my own creation which I pop dotted over Kiki with a cellophane screen & 2 white knobs I slathered with a tinted dimensional glaze. The coffee mug is a Paper Co. clear stamp which I cut out and Stickled the steam then coated with dimensional glaze. I used walnut brown pigment ink pad to antique all the paper and flowers to give the finished card a cohesiveness I thought was lacking with the warm & cool shades of gray. The sentiment I made myself using Curly MT font. Inside the card I used a Stampin Up border with hand punched black lace MS border.

This is a 5.5" x 5.5" card I made for two Magnolia challenges using a template provided by the Just Magnolia Challenge blog. This is Tilda in her swimsuit sitting on a dock stamp I disassembled and reglued by Art Impressions, a sentiment stamp from C.C. Designs, and my own hand drawn and original fish. I colored the images with Copics, and pop-dotted Tilda, the fish, & sentiment. Her little wings have a touch of Diamond Stickles for some shimmer. I used all Bo Bunny papers, ribbons, & brads and Prima flowers.

Theme at the 2nd challenge blog is "travel". Check it out at the Magnolia Stamp Lovers blog. Wish me luck!