An Exciting Announcement!!

Fridays are always a day to celebrate, because it means the weekend is just around the corner...but today is even more exciting for me as I get to reveal a little secret I've been sitting on for a while. The wonderfully talented duo of Lacey and Nikki have asked me to be a guest designer for their company Wags 'n Whiskers for the next two months!! Their stamps are so adorable, and I've been looking forward to playing with them! I worked with Lacey and Nikki while I was a guest designer for High Hopes, and these two are so sweet! There are also a couple of girls on their team who I "met" during my High Hopes term...how exciting to work with you all again! I also look forward to getting to know the rest of the amazing ladies on this DT!! I would like to say a big "THANK YOU" to Lacey and Nikki for this opportunity!

Now, technically my guest term does not begin until May 1...but the girls invited me to play along a day early in their challenge today. We would like to see you break out your stash of flowers this week...I know you all have flowers floating around your craft space! What a perfect challenge for springtime too...I love seeing all the spring flowers in bloom!

The stamp I chose to work with today is "Love You Sis". I adore this image!! As always, I've used Neenah cardstock and coloured with my Copic markers. Both of the girls' galoshes were given a coat of Glossy Accents to make them appear more "rubbery". I'm thinking the paper is from Fancy Pants...but it was out of my scrap pile, so I can't be 100% certain on that! lol One of my favourite centres for flowers are jewelry spacers, so I always try to make sure to keep a bunch on hand.

Time to go get out your flowers and get creative! Now there is one other rule...in order to be in the running for a prize, you must use a Wags 'n Whiskers image on your project. Then you can link up your creation to the Wags 'n Whiskers blog.

There are a few news items to share this week. All of the Wags 'n Whiskers stamps illustrated by the talented Crissy Armstrong (including the one I used on my card today) are on sale for 25% off!! You can buy them here. Also, this Flower challenge will run for two weeks. Why you ask?? Well, it's May Release time for Wags 'n Whiskers!! We will be bringing you previews starting on Wednesday May 5th, followed by an exciting BLOG HOP on Friday May 7th, so mark your calendars now!

I am so excited to be a part of this amazing team for the next two months!! Just wait until you see the new images...they are fantastic!!

Blessings,

Melanie

ps...Don't forget to stop by The Town Scrapper today for our Friday Challenge! Our talented Scrapette Ann designed a fantastic sketch for you to play along with. Remember...we've always got a fantastic prize up for grabs!!

Stamps: Wags 'n Whiskers "Love You Sis", my own sentiment

Ink: Copic markers

Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, Fancy Pants (?)

Embellishments: Dollar store trim, Prima flowers, jewelry spacers, Glossy Accents

Tools: Spellbinders

A Reminder of The Town Scrapper Blog Hop...with prizes!!

Mondays...time to get back to the grindstone. Yup, you can almost hear the collective sigh as kids get up to get ready for school and the grown-ups head out for work. Sigh. I did have a great weekend though, so I shouldn't really complain! My daughter competed in a Highland Dancing competition this weekend and took two thirds and two fourths!! This was enough for her to advance to the next competitive level, so she was just thrilled! I also had the privilege of being a guest designer yesterday for Crissy Armstrong's new challenge blog "Sundays with Crissy"!! What an honour that was. Crissy is such a sweetheart...and oh so talented!! (please scroll back to my post from yesterday for details on rules, prizes and links to Crissy's blog!) I also have some exciting news that I will be announcing on Friday, so I hope you stay tuned!!

Ok...let's get down to business!! lol I want to remind you of the two-week long Blog Hop we are having at The Town Scrapper to help Phebe celebrate the release of her exclusive line of Victoria Case stamps! Last Monday, I had a card to show you featuring "Birthday Sophie"...you can check out that post here. Half of our design team made cards last week, and the other Scrapettes are participating today!! Their projects are bound to be gorgeous, so you do not want to miss out on our hop! Make sure to leave comments on all the Scrapette's blogs, as there will be some random giveaways. We teased you last week with the promise of a grand prize...today we are revealing what the grand prize winner will be getting. Trust me, it's a HUGE prize package!! You can find the details over at The Town Scrapper blog!

So off you go! Here is a list of the participating Scrapettes:

The TownScrapper
Katie
Kim S
Kylie
Lisa
Phebe
Shelly
Tricia
Zoe

If you'd like to buy some of these amazing new stamps for yourself, Phebe can be reached by phone at 519-882-0623 or via email at info@TownScrapper.com . She ships worldwide!

Have a blessed Monday!

Melanie

A Brand New Challenge Blog!!

Good morning stampers! How many of you love a good challenge blog?? I love peeking in on various challenges throughout the week for inspiration...and what a bonus when there is also a prize up for grabs!! Well, there is a brand new challenge blog brought to us by none other than Crissy Armstrong!! Crissy is a well known artist in the stamping community, and she has recently launched her very own challenge blog named "Sundays with Crissy" for those of us who love using her digital images (available through Squigglefly and Whimsy Stamps)! There will be a new challenge posted every other week, and a fantastic prize to be given away once a month! I have always loved Crissy's images and was absolutely thrilled when she asked me to be a guest designer for Sundays With Crissy this week...what an honour!


I need to ask, have you taken the digi plunge yet?? The beauty of digital images is that they are so versatile. You can resize them to fit your project accordingly. (I also love that you can shop from home, and instantly have your images delivered to your email address!!)

Crissy's challenge this week is to use dots!! She's leaving that up to your interpretation. You could have dots in your paper, on your coloured image, emboss them, dotted ribbon...so many possibilities!! Personally, I love polka-dots, so I tend to pick up a lot of papers with them!

Crissy's image on my card today is called "Lion Hugs", available at Squigglefly. I printed "Lion Hugs" onto Neenah cardstock and began colouring with my Copic markers. I then added in additional shading with my Conte crayons to soften things a little, and to achieve greater depth. (warning: Conte crayons have the tendency to be messy!) Also, make sure to use your Copics first! You don't want to ruin the nib of your markers. (Remember though, they are replaceable if you should accidentally damage one.) I've had this polka-dotted paper by Karen Foster in my stash for quite some time, and thought it worked quite nicely with the striped paper by KaiserCraft. The sentiment is my own, just printed off my computer.

I decided to attempt a "dotty" background a la Crissy Armstrong!! (I thought it quite fitting, no??) Crissy creates gorgeous backgrounds to showcase her images, and has a fantastic video tutorial on her blog. This background was made with various cool greys and blues.

I adore this image...it's so beautiful, and an absolute joy to colour! I hope you plan to stop by Sundays With Crissy and become a follower. Now, you must use one of Crissy's digital images to qualify for the prize. You can find them at either Squigglefly Digital Stamps or Whimsy Stamps. Would you like to know what Crissy is offering to one lucky participant this month? Feast your eyes on this:

Are you drooling?? What an amazing give away...15 Copic Ciao markers! This really is a fantastic prize...so very generous!! Don't miss out on your chance to win! You can find the challenge rules over at Sundays With Crissy...you can also link up your creation there! Crissy also has a DT call currently open, but you only have until April 30, 2010 to apply. You can find the details on her post here.

Thanks again Crissy for allowing me to be a guest designer this week!!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: "Lion Hugs" by Crissy Armstrong available at Squigglefly, sentiment by me!

Ink: Copic markers

Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, Co-ordinations, Karen Foster, KaiserCraft

Embellishments: Metal corners from the dollar store

Butterflies, Fairies and Flowers

Another work week done, and another weekend is upon us! That also means that it's time for our weekly Kraftin' Kimmie Challenge!! Now before I get to the challenge details, I have some fantastic news to share!! We have an amazingly talented guest designer joining the Krafty Girls for the next while!! Please join us in extending a warm welcome to Krista, aka Crafty Little Pigtails!! Now, Krista and I have been partners in crime before...we taught our very first Copic class together a few weeks back! I am just thrilled to have yet another opportunity to work with her. Trust me, you will fall in love with her style and will probably stalk, ahem, I mean visit her blog frequently for inspiration!

So, what's the challenge this week?? Well, super sassy Krafty Girl Andrea wants to see Flowers....lots and lots of flowers!! She has even specified a minimum of 3...which can be layered. I do love flowers on a card, so I was really happy to break them out for this challenge!!

I used "Victoria", one of the fairies designed by artist Crissy Armstrong. I adore the detail in the fairy images...the long flowing hair, fabric with tons of folds, gorgeous fairy wings...so much fun to colour!! I used some of my beloved MME paper...my stash of this particular paper is sadly down to just a few scraps. I really need to find some more!! I coloured Victoria with my Copics in co-ordinating shades and used my Nesties to cut her out. I broke out my brand new Spun Sugar Distress Ink that I picked up at Scrapfest last weekend!! Oh, how I have been wanting this shade...mostly due to seeing it on so many of Krafty Girl Tara's gorgeous creations!! So when I saw it at a booth there, I snatched it up! I sponged around the image while it was still in the die. For my flowers, I pulled out my absolute favourites...Prima Hydrangeas...and layered them with some pretty teal bridal confetti flowers that I found at a local stationary/business supply store. Finally, I added a couple of rhinestones swirls and crocheted trim from the dollar store.

I had coloured her wings to look iridescent with some violets, pinks and teals. However, after adding the Distress Ink, it was hard to see this effect as the pinks kind of blended together. So, Stickles to the rescue!! A fairy definitely needs a bit of bling. There are actually three butterflies in this image, however they did not fit into the Spellbinders die that I was using. So I stamped two of them separately, curled their wings a bit and partially adhered them to the image for some extra dimension.

Copic colours used:

Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20

Dress: Colourless Blender, R81, R83, R85, RV95, BG10, BG72, BG75, C1, C3, BV31

Wings: Rv000, V000, BG10, BV23

Now, I know you must have some flowers floating around your craft room!! Grab yourself a Kraftin' Kimmie stamp and get creating! Link up your project to the Challenge Blog or online gallery (you'll find the SCS keyword on the blog) and you'll be in the running to win the gorgeous stamp that Andrea used this week on her fabulous card!

Have fun stampers

Blessings

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Victoria"

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers, Spun Sugar Distress Ink

Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, MME

Embellishments: Prima flowers, bridal confetti flowers, MM mini brads, Star Dust Stickles, crocheted trim and rhinestone swirls from the dollar store, machine stitching

Tools: Spellbinders, sewing machine

A Town Scrapper Blog Hop!! (Complete with Prizes!!)

Happy Monday!! I had a fantastic time at Scrapfest on Saturday with my pal Amy! I had a chance to visit with Phebe owner of The Town Scrapper, Bob and Jennie from Skribbles & Scraps and had a chance to hang out with Kimmie and Andrea! Oh...and who else did I run into, but my friend and fellow Scrapette Krista!! Sadly, I completely forgot to bring a camera...but I know that Amy, Andrea and Kimmie were snapping away so they probably will post some pics! I did a fantastic make and take with the amazing Linda Heavens (You must go check out her blog...oh my goodness!! What talent! Be prepared to drool! lol) at the Stamping Bella booth. It was also my first time working with a Stamping Bella image (I know!! I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that, but I think I'm going to have to get me some of these adorable stamps!!) I had never tried out Prismacolour pencils in regards to stamping, so this was a completely new venture for me! I do have some old Prismas from art class hanging around here, so I'm hoping to pull them out sometime and try something new!

We have a treat for you today! The Scrapettes are helping Phebe, owner of The Town Scrapper in Petrolia, Ontario, to celebrate the recent release of her brand new exclusive line of stamps designed by Victoria Case! These stamps are adorable, and have been flying off the shelves at The Town Scrapper! (They were a HUGE hit at Scrapfest!) The Scrapettes have been having so much fun playing with these images and we are excited to show you some of our projects in our two-week long BLOG HOP!! Half of the Scrapettes will be posting projects today, while the others are posting next Monday. You can find a list of the Scrapettes participating today at the Town Scrapper Blog. I also have them listed below.

The Town Scrapper Blog

Ann

Janet

Kelly

Krista

Leah

Maria

Melanie (you are here!!)

We thought it would be fun to focus on "Girlie" projects for our hop. You will have until midnight on Saturday April 24, 2010 to link up your creations on The Town Scrapper Blog . Winners will be announced on Monday April 26, 2010 (well, except for the grand prize winner!). What can you win? How can you win?? Well, you have three ways to win!

1. You must leave a comment on every blog on the hop, as two lucky winners will be chosen randomly from the comments left! (Some of the Victoria Case stamps are up for grabs here!)

2. Participate in our challenge for creating something "Girlie". As always, a winner will be chosen from the participants who link up their projects. (Yup...another chance to win an exclusive Town Scrapper Victoria Case stamp!!)

3. There will also be a grand prize winner at the end of the two week hop...but we're keeping you in suspense over that one until next week!! Just make sure to participate, and you're in the draw! (Stay tuned to the Town Scrapper blog to find out when the grand prize winner will be announced.)

I chose to work with "Birthday Sophie". I stamped her on Neenah cardstock and coloured her with Copic markers. The pretty DP is from My Mind's Eye, and I tied the bow with my Bow Easy. The little blue border was created with a Martha Stewart punch (love that punch!!). The sentiment comes with Sophie.

I sponged the edges with Antique Linen and Brushed Corduroy Distress Inks. Hmmm...Balloons are tricky!! I wanted to try to make them appear translucent. Wondering if I should have had the rear balloons showing through the front one a bit. It's a learning process, so perhaps I'll work on that for next time I colour balloons!

In case you're interested, the Copics I used for Sophie were:

Skin: E000, E00, E11 and R20

Hair: E31, E33, E35, E37, E50 and E59

Dress: BG10, BG72, BG75, R81, R83 and R85

Shoes: 100, C5 and C3

(sorry...I'm forgetting the colours of the balloons and presents.)

All the fantastic Victoria Case images are in stock now at The Town Scrapper!! If you are not close to Petrolia, Ontario don't despair!! Phebe will ship worldwide, so feel free to contact her at 519-882-0623 or via email at info@townscrapper.com!!

Have fun hopping stampers! (Don't forget to leave those comments to be in the running for some fantastic prizes!!)

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Exclusive Town Scrapper stamp "Birthday Sophie" and sentiment

Ink: Copic markers, Distress Inks

Paper: Bazzill, MME, Neenah

Embellishments: Walmart ribbon

Tools: Martha Stewart punch, Bow Easy

KKS Challenge "For The Boys"!!

Happy Saturday!! I'm on my way to Kitchener, Ontario for Scrapfest with my pal Amy today!! Woo hoo! Two of my favourite local stores, The Town Scrapper and Skribbles and Scraps, are vendors there. Also, I'm planning to meet up with Kimmie and Andrea! I am so excited!!

Speaking of Kraftin' Kimmie, I'm sure you're here to find out about this week's Challenge over at the Krafty Girl's blog! You have me to thank (or maybe blame??!! lol) for the challenge topic, as it's my turn to be hostess this week. I'm calling it "For the Boys!". I don't know about you, but I don't often make masculine cards. Flowers, ribbons, lace, sparkles and all things not-manly just seem to call to me when I get crafting! lol So, this truly is a "challenge" for me too! However, we're in luck stampers because Kimmie's brand new April release (you have seen it right??) has a couple of images just perfect for boy cards! Gee...it's almost like I planned it!! hehe (Actually, Kimmie has several "older" images that would suit this theme too!)

So, I've pulled out the fantastic "Dexter the Dragon" for my masculine card. There's just something about dragons...I really love them! One of my favourite book series is Eragon (The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini). I bought the first one for my son...who never even cracked the cover. Sigh. He's not really into reading, but I had hoped that one may have intrigued him. Nope. So, I read it and was hooked!! I was out at the book store early in the morning for the release of both Eldest and Brisingr. It is a fantastic series! I'm anxiously awaiting the announcement for release of book 4 in the cycle, which will be the final installment. I'll be preordering it for sure! Oh yeah...we were talking about cards! lol Sorry. (seriously though, you need to read that series!)



"Dexter" really is a great image. All of the images from the April release work so well together for creating scenes, but I decided to let Dexter take centre stage for this card. I stamped him on Neenah cardstock and coloured him with my Copic markers. I love roughing up the edges of my paper, so I got busy distressing it with the edge of my scissors. (lol I was such a mess...totally covered in paper fibres by the end of this process!) Now, my best friend (Hi Amanda!!) gets a little perturbed with me whenever I do this, so she encouraged me to get a distressing tool . Well, I finally did, but it broke...after using it twice. So I'm asking my readers....What is your favourite DURABLE distressing tool??

Here's a close look at Dexter:



I used my brand new Nesties Labels 10 (Thank you Phebe!!) to cut out a mat from some DCWV paper to place Dexter on. I also sponged all the paper edges with Black Soot Distress Ink. I kept the layout very simple, as most boys don't want a "frou-frou" card. The sentiment is part of Kimmie's "Everyday Sentiments". I just couldn't resist adding a little shimmer to Dexter, so I used my Sakura Star Dust clear pen on his belly. Dragons have irridescent scales, so this touch of glimmer is totally acceptable...even on a boy's card!

Time to get yourself over to the Krafty Girl's Challenge Blog where you will find some amazing samples by the rest of the team!! These ladies are so talented...my jaw just drops each and every week from their creativity! Then, pull out a Kraftin' Kimmie image (you can find them at the online store, here) and get inky! Link up your creation, and you could be the lucky winner of "Dexter" this week.

Have a fantastic weekend stampers! Oh, and if you happen to be at Scrapfest make sure to say hello!!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Dexter"
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers,
Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, DCWV, and I forget the name of the DP company
Embellishments: Dollar Store metal corners, "Spare" Parts brads
Tools: Spellbinders Labels 10

News Tidbits, A Thank-You and a Little Card!

Hey there! Thought I'd pop on to share a bit of news with you all. Before I get to that though, I just wanted to say a heartfelt THANK YOU to each and every one of you who take the time to stop by my blog. I know we are all busy, and spare time is a precious commodity. That you would take the time out of your busy day to come by is greatly appreciated. I am always so touched by your sweet comments...you are all too kind!! I wish I had the time to respond to every comment, but sadly my computer time is limited too. I don't want any of you to think I take you for granted...if it was not for all my readers, I wouldn't even have a blog! You are all fantastic...mwah!

I wanted to let you know that Phebe, owner of The Town Scrapper, has a special sale in honour of Autism Awareness month!! For the remainder of April, all you need to do is wear blue while shopping at her store, and you will receive an extra 5% discount off your purchase!! (This is over and above any special that she may be running at the time.) Now stampers, I was just there the other day and she has some fantastic new products in stock...including her exclusive Victoria Case line! Don't miss out on this fantastic sale! Oh, and Phebe is a vendor this weekend at Scrapfest in Kitchener, Ontario. So if you are there, make sure to stop by her booth to say hello! (well, and to shop of course!! lol)

Oh yeah! Make sure to check in with the Town Scrapettes at our blog tomorrow, for our weekly challenge! Phebe will be offering a brand new Victoria Case stamp as a prize!

Did you also know that Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps is the sponsor this week for CPS?? For participating in the sketch challenge at CPS, you will have the chance to win a Kraftin' Kimmie prize! As if that's not enough motivation, Miss Kraftin' Kimmie herself is offering up an extra chance to win some KK goodness! If you hop on over to our Krafty Girl's Blog, you will see some projects made with the CPS sketch by our very own amazing DT. If you use a Kraftin' Kimmie image for the CPS sketch challenge, and then also link it up to the Krafty Girl's Challenge Blog, Kimmie will put your name in the running for an extra prize she is offering! This of course, is all in addition to our regular weekly challenge...did you finish your Black, White and Red project yet?? (you still have time you know...we will be posting our next challenge Saturday morning!)

Ok...I think that's it for now! Oh, unless you wanted to see a little card I whipped up the other day?? I was invited to a shower last weekend for my best friend's youngest sister who is getting married next month! This was a small get together with just a few girls, for the purpose of outfitting Carolyn with some pretty little things for her honeymoon nights. I pulled out a previously un-inked Kraftin' Kimmie image to create a little card to go with my little gift! "Vivienne" was just perfect for this themed shower.

I stamped her on Neenah cardstock and coloured with Copic markers. I used the KK sentiment "Strut Your Stuff" which is an accessory sentiment that comes with Vivienne. Believe it or not, I actually whipped this card up in about 45 minutes...including the colouring!! That, my friends, is a new record for me!! Carolyn loved it!

See you back here Saturday morning with the newest Kraftin' Kimmie Challenge!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Vivienne" and c0-ordinating sentiment.

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers

Paper: Bazzill, DCWV

It's April Release Day at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps!!

That's right...the wait is over! The brand new Kraftin' Kimmie April images are available for purchase starting today, and to celebrate, we're having a blog hop! If you've been following us for the last few days, you've already seen the sneak peeks of these amazing images. Annie Rodrigue has gone Medieval on us this month...we have a princess, a queen, a knight, a minstrel and a dragon!!! Also we’ve got another one of Annie’s incredible paintings made into a stamp with Marie Antoinette!! There is also a super sweet single image featuring Cindy and Mindy called, You Make Me Happy! You’ll get to check out all the new stamps throughout our fabulous blog hop today!!

If you arrived here after visiting the incredible Michele, then you are on the right track. If not, then you will want to start from the beginning and just head over to the Kraftin’ Kimmie Challenge Blog! Along the way, you will also see a few more projects by our super talented Junior Krafty Girls!! As you hop from blog to blog, be sure to leave a comment at each and every stop because some lucky stampers will win packages of stamps from the new release!! And when you’re done hoppin’, be sure to head over to the Kraftin’ Kimmie store, because ALL the new images are NOW available! OH and did we mention? Each and every order placed on Sunday, April 11th and Monday April 12th are eligible to be entered in the draw to win one of three postcards featuring Annie’s original painting, Le Messager!

For my card today, I used "Queen Guinevere" and "Sir Galahad". (The sentiment I used actually comes with Princess Petunia, another new April image!) I coloured them with my Copic markers (of course), and paired them up with this paper from a DCWV stack.

A closer look at our gorgeous Queen! She comes with two sentiment stamps. I added a generous coat of Stardust Stickles to her veil.

Here's our gallant knight! Gotta love that chain mail!

My daughter Ainsleigh was also hard at work making a card for the blog hop today!! If you missed our announcement yesterday, Kimmie has recruited our daughters for the brand new Junior Krafty Girls! Ainsleigh chose to work with "Princess Petunia"and her bonus sentiment stamp. She used some pretty Doodle Bug paper and Prima Flowers. I think she did a fantastic job, and I'm so proud of her!

Ok, so here's the blog hop list again, just in case you got lost along the way!

1. Challenge blog
2. Vicki
3. Jeanne

4. Michele

5. Melanie and Ainsleigh
6. Diana
7. Donna

8. Tara
9. Andrea and Jaime
10. Elaine

11. Kimmie

Off you go now to visit the talented Diana who is sure to have something fantastic to show you! Make sure to leave those comments on each blog and get your name in the draw for a prize!! Have fun along the hop, and then get on over to Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps to place your order!

Blessings,

Melanie and Ainsleigh

Melanie's Card:

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Queen Guinevere", "Sir Galahad" and "Princess Petunia sentiment"

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers

Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, DCWV (Once Upon A Tme)

Embellishments: Stickles

Ainsleigh's Card:

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Princess Petunia" and sentiment

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers

Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, Doodle Bug

Embellishments: Prima Flowers, WRMK brads

Tools: Spellbinders

1 Preview+1 Challenge+ 4 Very Special Guests= A Whole Lot of Kraftin' Kimmie Fun!!

I love Saturdays!! Today, I am planning to lounge in my PJ's for a while because, for once, I don't have to hit the ground running! My daughter was at a, ahem, "sleepover" last night...who are they kidding??!! I'm sure there was very little "sleeping" going on, lol. I'll be picking her up around noon and look forward to hearing about all the "girly" fun they had...is it bad to admit that I'm thrilled it was at somebody else's house?? lol

I should warn you now...this is a long post today!! But there are very good reasons for it, so please make sure to read right to the end so you don't miss out on any of the excitement! Feel free to go grab a cup of coffee, tea, juice...whatever you desire! Then settle in for some fun as you check out the Kraftin' Kimmie goodness that is coming your way this weekend!

Ready? Have you been keeping up with the Krafty Girls over the past few days?? We've been bringing you sneak peeks of the fantastic new April Release for Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps! These will be available for purchase tomorrow, and to celebrate we'll be having a blog hop! I know you can hardly wait, but in the meantime we have another Saturday challenge for you! Our very own amazing Donna has thrown down a colour challenge this week...Black, White and Red!

Oh...before I show you my card (which features a brand-spankin'-new Annie Rodrigue image), I would like to share a very special announcement with you! Kraftin' Kimmie is debuting a brand new chapter of her DT...THE JUNIOR KRAFTY GIRLS!!! That's right folks, some of our amazingly talented daughters are joining in on all the fun. Please welcome Hannah, Katie, Jaime and Ainsleigh!! These girls are super excited to show you what they've been busy making! We are so thrilled to have them joining us "big" girls!! Kimmie will be including links to their posts on the challenge blog , so make sure to leave some extra love for these darlings! I'm sharing my blog post today with my lovely daughter Ainsleigh, so make sure you keep scrolling down to see her stunning card after I show you mine!

Whew...so much excitement!! For our colour challenge, I chose to work with "Marie Antoinette", a brand new April image based on the original artwork of Annie Rodrigue!! When Kimmie showed us the April images, I was just thrilled to see Marie!! I love this character, and could not wait to get colouring her extravagant attire!

I stamped Marie on Neenah cardstock and coloured her with my Copic markers. This is the first time I have ever attempted colouring black hair...I must admit, it's a bit tricky! I wanted to colour her dress a deep, rich red which I felt would really play off her black hair and white underskirt. This pretty black and white DP is from Daisy Buckets and I paired it with the red DP from Basic Grey (Shhh...it's actually from the Wassail collection, lol. Yup, I pulled out my stash of favourite Christmas paper in April !! lol) I also added some black gemstones to Marie's dress.

Ready for a treat now? Next up is my daughter Ainsleigh! We had so much fun designing our cards together this week. I'll let her tell you a little about her card.

Hi there! My name is Ainsleigh and I'm so excited to part of Miss Kimmie's Junior Krafty Girls team! For my first DT card, I picked out Giselle from the Tea Party release. I coloured her with my mom's Copic markers. I also used my mom's Spellbinders to cut out the ovals and the tag for the sentiment, which is part of the "Everyday Sentiments" set.

Isn't this fantastic!! Ainsleigh did a wonderful job with this challenge. I love that we share a passion for art, and are able to spend time developing our colouring skills together. The other Junior Krafty Girls have made some gorgeous cards too...make sure to look for their projects along the way today and to leave some love for them! They have been so hard at work this week preparing their projects, and we are all so very proud of them! I know they have been so excited for their debut...what a sweet bunch of talented girls!

Did you make it all the way to the end of this post?? I warned you it was long. lol You've got your assignment this week...pull out a Kraftin' Kimmie image and make something to fit Donna's colour challenge. You just may be our lucky winner this week!

I'll see you bright and early tomorrow for our April Release Blog Hop...I can hardly wait!

Blessings,

Melanie

Melanie's Card

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Marie Antoinette"

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers

Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, Basic Grey, Daisy Buckets

Embellishments: Black satin ribbon, Dollar store rhinestones

Tools: Spellbinders, Bow Easy

Ainsleigh's Card

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Princess Petunia" and "Thinkin' of You" from "Everyday Sentiments"

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers, Distress Ink in Black Soot

Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, Imaginesce

Embellishments: White Satin Ribbon

Tools: Spellbinders, Cuttlebug embossing folder

Card With a Purpose

(This is my second post for today. If you are looking for the Kraftin' Kimmie April preview, just scroll back or click here!)


Well, good afternoon stampers! Friday always marks a brand new challenge over at the Town Scrapette's blog. We will all be featuring stamps from The Town Scrapper's exclusive Victoria Case line, so make sure to hop on over to check out the other DT examples this week. You can also link up your creation this week for the chance to win a fantastic prize from The Town Scrapper!


Did you all know that April is Autism Awareness Month? Phebe has a brand new stamp designed (by Victoria Case) with this in mind. This is "Evan". He is seated in front of a puzzle background complete with an awareness ribbon. Now, I have to admit that I was not familiar with the significance of the puzzle pieces at first, and so sat down to "Google" my way to awareness. Did you know that the puzzle pieces are all symbolic of Autism? There are some fantastic links online to find out more about this disorder...it's a puzzle that is very difficult to piece together. So, we thought it appropriate to have a "puzzle" themed challenge this week. If you already have this lovely stamp, it fits right in with our challenge! If not though, you may incorporate puzzle pieces into your creation in any way you would like. We can't wait to see your creativity!

I chose to make an easel card this week. I have had this paper from Basic Grey kicking around in my stash quite some time, but have been "puzzled" over what to use it with. This is not a colour combination I use very often, but I wanted to go bold and bright with this fun stamp! I kept the layout very simple, and used the sentiment "Puzzle Peace", which comes with this "Evan" stamp.


All right, off you go to the Scrapette's blog to see the other examples by the DT! Some have used the same stamp I did, while others have used puzzle pieces in other ways. They are sure to inspire you! Oh, and several of our Scrapettes have followed Leah's lead and are donating $1 for every card made by the DT and for every submission in the challenge to The Kennedy Krieger Institute. Why not help make this fundraiser a success?? All you need to do is spend a bit of time getting inky this week! (plus you'll be in the running for a fabulous prize!)

Don't forget to plan a trip out to see Phebe at The Town Scrapper in gorgeous Petrolia, Ontario!! She has so many fabulous new stamps in stock from several different companies. You will also find great papers and embellishments to meet all your cardmaking or scrapbooking needs. If you are not local, please feel free to give her a call! You will find Phebe's contact information on her blog.

I hope the remainder of your Friday is fantastic, and I hope to see you back here tomorrow morning!! (I've got yet another sneak peek for Kraftin' Kimmie's April Release...I can't wait to share it with you!)

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Autism Awareness Stamp exclusive to The Town Scrapper
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers
Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, Basic Grey

The Princess and her Minstrel (Day 2 of Kraftin' Kimmie April Sneak Peeks!)

(This is one of two posts today! Make sure to come back around noon for the weekly Town Scrapper challenge!)

It's Friday!! Not only that, but we've got another round of previews for the Kraftin' Kimmie April Release!! Kimmie has listed all the Krafty Girls who have sneak peeks for you on the Challenge Blog. Wow...the Krafty Girls rocked it yesterday!! Their previews were stunning. We've all had so much fun with these new images, and I know that you cannot wait to get them for your very own. The wait won't be long though...release day is Sunday April 11, 2010!! Join us that day for a fun blog hop!


My card today features two of Annie Rodrigue's new images. Meet "Princess Petunia"and "Bartholomew Bard"! I'm just loving these medieval themed stamps. They have great potential for creating fantastic scenes.



I stamped these two lovebirds on Neenah cardstock and coloured with my Copic markers. I drew in the forest background, and added this sentiment from the new release (it comes with Bartholomew).





Time to go see what the other Krafty Girls have created today!

Don't forget to join us tomorrow for our weekly Kraftin' Kimmie Challenge when we'll be bringing you previews yet again!

(just two more sleeps until release day!!)

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Princess Petunia", "Bartholomew Bard" and sentiment
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black and Summer Sky, Copic markers
Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, MME

It's Sneak Peek Time for Kraftin' Kimmie April Release!!

Do you all know what's coming up this weekend?? It's time for the April release at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps!! You are going to love the new stamps...I've been having so much fun playing with these images. Starting today, you can find sneak peeks of the April images on the Krafty Girls' blogs (just check the Krafty Girls Challenge blog to see who has previews each day), and then on Sunday we will be having a blog hop!! That's also the day you will be able to purchase the April stamps!

Today I am showing you a brand new Cindy and Mindy image by artist Jean Grant. This is "You Make Me Happy" (with coordinating sentiment)! I love this adorable image. It's just perfect to celebrate friendship.






Make sure to hop around to see the other previews and don't forget to come back over the next few days!! That way, you will know exactly what images to order come Sunday.

See you tomorrow...I'll be showing you a couple of brand new Annie Rodrigue images!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "You Make Me Happy"
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black and Rich Cocoa, Copic markers
Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, KaiserCraft
Embellishments: Walmart Ribbon, Dollar store metal trinkets, Prima Hydrangeas
Tools: Various Nesties

Kick Up Your Heels!

Good morning! I hope you all have a fantastic weekend as we celebrate the Easter season. We have two big family dinners planned this weekend, one of which will be at our house tonight. Soon, my house will be smelling of turkey! yum. Come five 0'clock, we'll have about fifteen people seated around the table. I'm sure we'll break out a fun game this evening too!

The fundraiser in Petrolia last weekend was a big hit!! Krista and I both taught our first Copic class! Although we were very nervous, the ladies there were all fantastic and eager to learn. Phebe also showed us her fabulous watercolouring skills. What a great afternoon! Thank you to everybody who attended, and I look forward to seeing you all again soon!

I had a bit of excitement this week...I was contacted by the lovely Marcea who asked if she could "feature" me on the Inspirational Blog. Oh my gosh!! What an honour. This blog is full of such amazing talent, and I was very flattered to receive this recognition. Marcea said some wonderfully sweet things which made be blush about a hundred shades of red (hmmm..wonder if Copic makes all those shades?? lol)!! Thank you so very much Marcea. If you have never seen this blog before, you really must become a follower. The name "Inspirational" is perfect...you will truly be inspired by the artists they feature there.

OK...time to get down to business! Did you all get a project done for our last challenge at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps?? You can hop on over to the challenge blog to see who the lucky winner is, as well as check out the fabulous examples for this week's challenge by the Krafty Girls! We're back to our normal time frame now, so you've got just one week to get in on the fun. Our hostess this week is the amazing Jeanne! Her challenge is called "A Little Punchy"...she wants to see you using punches or die cuts on your creation. Remember though, to be eligible for the prize you must use a Kraftin' Kimmie image.

I still have a couple of the March release images that have not yet been inked up...gasp!! So, for my card this week I used "Suzette". I love this image...she's just so happy! (The sentiment I used actually comes with Monique, another fabulous dancer from the March release!)

I stamped her on Neenah cardstock and coloured her with Copic markers. I still have a bit of my French Flea Market paper from MME (sadly, after this card they are just little scraps now...I NEED more!) which was just perfect for Suzette. The label she is mounted on is a die cut from the MME paper kit. I also used a Martha Stewart border punch and my Spellbinders Flower Creations to make the co-ordinating flower. When I put Suzette on the paper, I realized her underskirt was way too white for the vintage paper, so I sponged it lightly with Antique Linen Distress Ink (oh...and treated it to a little Stickles too!).

Time to break out your punches, die cuts and Kraftin' Kimmie stamps (check out Kimmie's online store here)!! You could be the lucky winner of the stamp Jeanne used on her amazing card this week. Just link up your card to the Challenge Blog.

Happy Easter everybody, and may you all have a blessed day!

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Suzette" and sentiment "When In Doubt, Dance"

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Antique Linen Distress Ink, Copic markers

Paper: Co-ordinations, SU, Bazzill, MME, Neenah

Embellishments: Spare Parts brads, dollar store crochet trim

Tools: Martha Stewart Border Punch, Spellbinders Flower Creations