"The Peekers Collection 2" Is Now Available For Purchase!!

Good morning and welcome to release day at Susana's Custom Art and Card Design!! All week long, we've been sharing sneak peeks of the newest exclusive stamp collection at SCACD..."The Peekers Collection 2" by artist Elisabeth Bell! These sweet little girls will quickly make their way into your heart...and onto your papercrafting projects! I know the entire design team has had so much fun creating with these stamps. They are now available for purchase only at SCACD and at Quixotic Paperie if you live in the UK.

If you have been following along with the sneak peeks this week, you will have seen "Secret Garden Peeker", "Mama's Purse Peeker", "Bubble Bath Peeker", "Partners In Peeking" and "Sweet Cheeks Peeker". There are still two more young ladies in this stamp collection that are being introduced today..."What's In The Box Peeker" and "All Peeked Out Peeker".

We are celebrating the release of The Peekers Collection 2 with a day of inspiration over at the SCACD store blog Follow Your Heart. There you will find a list of all the designers who have created some gorgeous projects for your viewing pleasure with these new stamps. This will also be the first chance for you to see those two Peekers who did not make an appearance during the sneak peeks! Now, this is not an official blog hop so you can feel free to visit the designers in any order you wish...but, to make sure you don't miss out on any projects I recommended following the order posted at Follow Your Heart. If you've been visiting the designers in that order, you should have arrived her after visiting with Dianne. :)

For my card today, I used "Secret Garden Peeker". I just love Elisabeth's style...so sweet and innocent. I love the way the hair curls into a cute little ringlet at the bottom of her ponytail...and what do you think she is spying behind that fence?? The paper is Basic Grey Hopscotch. The bow was tied with my Bow Easy. I topped it off with a jewelry spacer and a little self-adhesive pearl. I coloured the pearl with my B95 marker to coordinate with my paper and image. A little machine stitching and Walnut Stain Distress Ink around the paper edges finishes it off.

"Secret Garden Peeker" was stamped on Neenah cardstock with Memento Ink and coloured with Copic markers.

Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20 Hair: E50, YR31, Y23, E31, E33, E37, E59 Dress: B00, B32, B37, B91, B93, B95, C5, R22 Fence: E25, E30, E31, E33, E50, E59, E99 Grass: YG00, YG03, YG67, G14, G21, G99, C5, C9

It's my pleasure to direct you towards Anki's blog to see the next bit of inspiration featuring another Peeker! (Again, you can find the complete list of designers featuring projects at Follow Your Heart )

The Peekers Collection 2 is available for purchase exclusively at SCACD and at Quixotic Paperie for our friends in the UK.

Oh, and as if new stamps are not exciting enough, Susana also has some fantastic new products in the store!! While you're shopping for The Peekers, make sure to check out the newest Bo Bunny Paper, matching Trinkets and the No More Shims Embossing Mat from Scor Pal...you'll find that gem in the "Can't Do Without" section of the "Stamping Accessories" page of SCACD! (it's listed in the left hand sidebar of the store site...but it will also appear on the SCACD home page)

Thanks so much for stopping by today and have fun shopping!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: The Peekers Collection 2 from SCACD "Secret Garden Peeker"
Ink: Memento, Copics, Distress Ink
Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, Basic Grey
Embellishments: Jewelry spacer, pearl, ribbon machine stitching
Tools: Bow Easy

The Peekers...Day Five of the Sneak Peeks!

Welcome to day five of the sneak peeks at SCACD! "The Peekers Collection 2" is an adorable set of little girls designed exclusively for SCACD by artist Elisabeth Bell and they will be available for purchase this Friday!

Sharing the sneak peek of "Sweet Cheeks Peeker" today is the talented Marti! Just wait until you see this, ahem, "cheeky" little tyke! You will most definitely fall in love with her! (make sure to leave Marti a comment on her blog post for your chance to win "Sweet Cheeks Peeker"!)

***PEEKER BLOG CANDY**** Susana will be giving away one of each Peeker stamp being previewed this week!! To be eligible, you must leave a comment on the personal blogs of the DT members who are sharing sneak peeks for that day (not on the store blog...those comments won't count!). Susana will draw the winners from those people who have left comments. Make sure to pop by the store blog Follow Your Heart each day for links to the talented ladies who are sharing the sneak peeks! All five winners will be posted on July 28, 2011 at 11:00 pm EST on the store blog Follow Your Heart.

If you missed any of the previous sneak peeks, you can still pop by to leave comments for those designers on their personal blog posts featuring The Peekers Collection 2:

Sunday (Secret Garden Peeker): Elaine and Janiel

Monday (Mama's Purse Peeker): Kim

Tuesday (Bubble Bath Peeker): Alex and Lori

Wednesday (Partners in Peeking): Danni and Melanie (that's me!)

The Peeker Collection 2 will be available for purchase tomorrow at SCACD and at Quixotic Paperie for all our friends in the UK!! Please make sure to visit Follow Your Heart tomorrow for links to the designers who have created some beautiful projects featuring this new stamp set. There are still a couple of "Peekers" that have yet to be revealed!!

Blessings,

Melanie

SCACD Sneak Peeks...Introducing "Partners In Peeking"!

Welcome to day four of the sneak peeks at SCACD! "The Peekers Collection 2" is an adorable set of little girls designed exclusively for SCACD by artist Elisabeth Bell and they will be available for purchase this Friday!

Today, both Danni and I are sharing sneak peeks of "Partners in Peeking"!

I am absolutely in love with The Peekers Collection 2...and how adorable is this little girl with her puppy??!! Elisabeth Bell has such a remarkable talent for capturing the innocence of childhood. Her images are always so sweet. :) The paper is from Basic Grey Sugar Rush . All paper edges were distressed with my scissors and then sponged with Walnut Stain Distress Ink. I stepped way out of my comfort zone on this one by sewing wonky, curvy lines of stitching with my machine...on purpose!!! lol Usually I'm very concerned with my stitching being as close to straight as possible, but I have seen this look on many cards around blogland and I really like it! I used some Prima flowers...Susana doesn't have this exact colour, but she does have a couple of packets of Prima Hydrangeas in purple and tan. (these hydrangeas are still some of my favourite flowers...you get a ton of them in the package!) The flower centres are some jewelry spacers topped off with a Dark Brown Viva Decor Pearl Pen. I also added a trio of little pearls created with the same Viva Pen. Those chipboard swirls are none other than the fantastic Make It Crafty Lasercut Chipboard that Susana carries...you can find it HERE. I just painted the chipboard with some acrylic craft paint, but there are so many possible treatments for this chipboard...it's such a great finishing touch to any project. The little sentiment is from the "Beachy Sentiments" set from Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps.

Partners In Peeking was stamped on Neenah cardstock in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and coloured with Copics. I was trying to recreate the look of a real wood door...but I didn't quite make the cut on this one. lol I kind of struggled a bit with the wood grain effect. Guess I'll need to tweak that technique a bit for next time. :) (I also forgot to add a deeper shadow on the door edge right under her arm and the puppy's face, as my light source was from the upper right hand corner.) I did crop the image a bit when I cut it out with my oval Spellbinders...the entire image actually includes a bit of a wall on the right hand side. Here's a closer look...isn't she just a doll??!!


Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20 Hair: E50, E31, E33, E37, E59 Shirt: RV000, R81, R83, R85, B000, BG72, C5 Puppy: W00, W1, W3, W5, W7, C9, R20 Door: E25, E30, E31, E33, E37, E59, E97, E99, Y23 Handle: Y17, E33, E35, E50 Background: T2, BV00, BV02

How would you like to win "Partners In Peeking"?? All you need to do is leave a comment on my post here and also over at Danni's post featuring this adorable new stamp! Just read below for full details. :)

***PEEKER BLOG CANDY**** Susana will be giving away one of each Peeker stamp being previewed this week!! To be eligible, you must leave a comment on the personal blogs of the DT members who are sharing sneak peeks for that day (not on the store blog...those comments won't count!). Susana will draw the winners from those people who have left comments. Make sure to pop by the store blog Follow Your Heart each day for links to the talented ladies who are sharing the sneak peeks! All five winners will be posted on July 28, 2011 at 11:00 pm EST on the store blog Follow Your Heart.

If you missed any of the previous sneak peeks, you can still pop by to leave comments for those designers on their personal blog posts featuring The Peekers Collection 2:

Sunday (Secret Garden Peeker): Elaine and Janiel

Monday (Mama's Purse Peeker): Kim

Tuesday (Bubble Bath Peeker): Alex and Lori

The Peeker Collection 2 will be available for purchase this Friday at SCACD and at Quixotic Paperie for all our friends in the UK.

So, if you haven't visited with Danni yet, make sure to head over to her blog next...you are going to love what she's created with Partners In Peeking!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: The Peekers Collection 2 from SCACD "Partners in Peeking", "Beachy Sentiments" from Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps
Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, Basic Grey
Ink: Memento, Distress Ink, Copics
Embellishments: Make it Crafty chipboard, jewelry spacers, Viva Pearl Pen, machine stitching

Have you caught the Peeker Fever yet??

Welcome to day three of the sneak peeks at SCACD! "The Peekers Collection 2" is an adorable set of little girls designed exclusively for SCACD by artist Elizabeth Bell and they will be available for purchase this Friday!

Today we have two designers sharing sneak peeks of "Bubble Bath Peeker"...Alex and Lori ! Don't forget to leave comments on their posts, as you could be the lucky winner of "Bubble Bath Peeker"!

***PEEKER BLOG CANDY**** Susana will be giving away one of each Peeker stamp being previewed this week!! To be eligible, you must leave a comment on the personal blogs of the DT members who are sharing sneak peeks for that day (not on the store blog...those comments won't count!). Susana will draw the winners from those people who have left comments. Make sure to pop by the store blog Follow Your Heart each day for links to the talented ladies who are sharing the sneak peeks! All five winners will be posted on July 28, 2011 at 11:00 pm EST on the store blog Follow Your Heart.

If you missed any of the previous sneak peeks, you can still pop by to leave comments for those designers on their personal blog posts featuring The Peekers Collection 2:

Monday (Secret Garden Peeker): Elaine and Janiel

Tuesday (Mama's Purse Peeker): Kim

The Peeker Collection 2 will be available for purchase this Friday at SCACD and at Quixotic Paperie for all our friends in the UK.

I'll be back tomorrow with a sneak peek of another brand new stamp in The Peekers Collection 2...hope to see you then!

Blessings,

Melanie

Sneak Peeks of "The Peekers"...Round Two!

So, has Peeker Fever grabbed ahold of you yet??!! "The Peekers Collection 2" is an adorable set of little girls designed exclusively for SCACD by artist Elizabeth Bell and it will be available for purchase this Friday!

To see today's sneak peek of "Mama's Purse Peeker", please stop by and visit the lovely and talented Kim! Oh, and make sure to leave a comment on her post, as you could be the lucky winner of "Mama's Purse Peeker"!

***PEEKER BLOG CANDY**** Susana will be giving away one of each Peeker stamp being previewed this week!! To be eligible, you must leave a comment on the personal blogs of the DT members who are sharing sneak peeks for that day (not on the store blog...those comments won't count!). Susana will draw the winners from those people who have left comments. Make sure to pop by the store blog Follow Your Heart each day for links to the talented ladies who are sharing the sneak peeks! All five winners will be posted on July 28, 2011 at 11:00 pm EST on the store blog Follow Your Heart.

If you missed yesterday's sneak peeks, you can still pop by to leave comments for Elaine and our lovely guest Janiel on their posts featuring "Secret Garden Peeker"!

The Peeker Collection 2 will be available for purchase this Friday at SCACD and at Quixotic Paperie for all our friends in the UK.

Blessings,

Melanie

Let the "Peeking" Begin at SCACD!!!

Susana and the fabulous SCACD design team are really excited this week!! Why? Well, we're gearing up for another release...are you ready for another set of "The Peekers"??!! This is an adorable set of little girls designed exclusively for SCACD by artist Elizabeth Bell. When I received my stamps, I immediately fell in love with the innocence and charm of these sweet designs. :)

Each day leading up to the release this Friday July 29th, a few of the design team members will be "sneak peeking" one of The Peekers...to see who has previews to share each day, you can visit the store blog Follow Your Heart for links to their blogs.

***PEEKER BLOG CANDY**** Susana will be giving away one of each Peeker stamp being previewed this week!! To be eligible, you must leave a comment on the personal blogs of the DT members who are sharing sneak peeks for that day (not on the store blog...those comments won't count!). Susana will draw the winners from those people who have left comments. Make sure to pop by the store blog Follow Your Heart each day for links to the talented ladies who are sharing the sneak peeks! All five winners will be posted on July 28, 2011 at 11:00 pm EST on the store blog Follow Your Heart.

So, do you want to see today's sneak peek??!! Pop on over to visit with the talented Elaine Hughes and our lovely guest Janiel Corley to see the adorable Secret Garden Peeker! (and don't forget to leave comments at each of their blogs for your chance to win the stamp they've used on their gorgeous cards!)

The Peeker Collection 2 will be available for purchase this Friday at SCACD and at Quixotic Paperie for all our friends in the UK.

Let the "Peeker Fever" begin! :)

Blessings,

Melanie

Wishing You Tranquility

Hey there my crafty friends! I hope you've all had a fantastic week. The weather here has been scorching...blech. On Thursday it was around 37 degrees Celsius, but when you factored in the humidity it felt more like 50. Seriously. That would also be the day that our air conditioner at work decided to go on the fritz. Nice. I work for a cardiologist, so our call to the repairman was placed pretty high on the priority list, but it still took until lunch time before he was able to get there...by then it was around 30 degrees in our office. I'm hoping that next week brings a little relief to this heat wave!

This week, our hostess for the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Challenge is the lovely Tara. She has designed a fabulous sketch for us to play with! Tara always creates gorgeous cards with so many pretty layers and embellishments, so I'm excited to use her sketch! (You can find a picture of her sketch over at the KKS Blog...for some reason, I couldn't get it to upload. I'm a bit technologically challenged! lol)

The stamp I used on my card today is "Akiko"....love her. :) She's so beautiful and serene. I used several papers from the MME Stella and Rose Mabel collection to complete the various layers of Tara's sketch. (SCACD is out of that specific paper pack, but Susana still has the "Hattie" and "Hazel" MME pads in stock...you can find them HERE and they are priced at only $5.99 USD!!) The "Wishing You Tranquility" sentiment comes with Akiko. For the scalloped horizontal component of the sketch, I folded over a piece of dollar store crocheted trim to create the double layer. I think the button may be from Basic Grey, but I can't say for certain as I found it laying all by it's lonesome in the bottom of my ribbon container, lol. The string is some jewelry twine I picked up at Walmart...actually it was in the kids crafts section. :) The little brown pearls are also from the dollar store. Since I did not use cardstock to mat the various paper layers, I inked up the edges with Walnut Stain Distress Ink to give them a bit of definition. Machine stitching was added for a finishing touch.


"Akiko" was stamped on Neenah cardstock with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and coloured with Copic markers. I'm not entirely thrilled with her hair...you know that saying "leave well enough alone"? Well, I didn't. lol I had been working on her hair, and had achieved some decent highlights but thought I should add just a touch more ink to create a few more "strands" of hair. That brilliant move basically resulting in mucking up the highlights...now there is very little contrast in her hair. Lesson learned??? I need to bring in the "hands off" rule! lol For shading her kimono, I used quite a bit of grey for the teal portion and a few different browns for the orange sections. I sponged around the image with Oasis Green Chalk Ink and Walnut Stain Distress Ink.



Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20 Hair: B60, C3, C5, C7, 100 Clothing: BG72, BG75, C5, C7, YR02, YR16, E08, E99, E18 Flute: Y17, E31, E35

If you play along with us this week, you could win "Tori", the stamp Tara used on her gorgeous card! (just make sure to use a Kraftin' Kimmie Stamp to be eligible for the prize) For more inspiration, please visit the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog to see what the rest of the very talented Krafty Girls have created this week!

Oh, and don't forget about the Frugal Friday Sale and July Gimmie Kimmie Kits...you can find them by clicking on the "Specials" link on the left hand side of the KKS Online Store. :)

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Akiko" and coordinating sentiment
Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, MME
Ink: Memento, Copics, Chalk Ink, Distress Ink
Embellishments: Button (Basic Grey?), Crocheted trim, twine, Machine Stitching

Frugal Fridays at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps!!

Good morning folks! Have you heard about Kraftin' Kimmie's Frugal Fridays yet?? Every Friday (except during release weeks), Kimmie selects a few stamps to put on sale for the weekend. You will have until Sunday evening to take advantage of these amazing prices...this week's Frugal Friday Stamps are priced at an incredible 40-50% off! You can find the Frugal Friday stamps in the "Specials" link at the left hand side of the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Online Store.

This week's Frugal Friday stamps are:

Eleanor $4.80 (40% off!)

Cannonball Cameron $2.00 (50% off!)

Lavender The Quilter $6.00 (40% off!)

Party Time $4.00 (50% off!)

Brady The Builder $2.00 (50% off!)

Jukebox $6.00 (40% off!)

The July Gimmie Kimmie's Kits are still available as well...but only for a limited time so make sure to scoop them up before they're gone!

Happy shopping!

Blessings,

Melanie

It's Release Day At Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps!!

Good morning...have you all been anticipating the release of the new July Kraftin' Kimmie stamps??!! Well, the wait is over! All of the fabulous new stamps you've seen over the past several days of previews (and perhaps a few you haven't seen yet!) are now available for purchase at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Online Store!

To celebrate, Kimmie has put together a fantastic blog hop today full of gorgeous projects by some very talented card designers and Krafty artists.

If you have been following along the hop, you should have arrived here after visiting with the phenomenally talented Krafty artist Annie Rodrigue...Annie creates all the fun characters we've come to love in the Moonlight Whispers line of Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps. Her artwork just knocks my socks off, and her images are so much fun to work with. :) If you landed here by chance, make sure to pop on over to the beginning of the hop at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog, where you will find a complete list of all the blogs on today's release day hop.

For my card today, I used one of Annie's new world travellers...this is Elaine! (named of course, after our very own UK Krafty Girl Elaine Hughes!!) I just adore how chic Elaine is, so prim and proper in front of that famous landmark, Big Ben. I cut out the image using that out-of-the-box technique with Spellbinders Labels 8. Well actually, I cheated a bit, lol. I confess, sometimes I'm a lazy crafter...so I just traced around the die and hand cut it rather than fussing the true technique that you'll find tutorials on in blogland. (which of course requires careful cutting before running it through your Cuttlebug...and will result in a nice crisp and clean cut) I just sanded down the edges a bit after cutting the image to try and conceal the less-than-perfect edges. :) Lazy...I know! I couldn't resist using these Bo Bunny Timepiece papers, which I thought were just perfectly suited to Big Ben. The sentiment comes with Elaine...and was also cut with Spellbinders Labels 8. The little pearls are from Basic Grey.

Elaine was stamped with Memento Ink on Neenah cardstock and coloured with Copic markers. I orininally sponged in a sky with Summer Sky Memento and Stormy Sky Distress Ink...until I remembered that I was planning to use these deep earth toned papers...it was way too intense of a colour next to the papers. It was throwing the whole colour scheme of the card off. So out came the Distress Ink in Antique Linen and Walnut Stain to tone down that sky.

The new stamps are now available for purchase at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Online Store! If you want to purchase the stamps as sets, Kimmie will have the Gimmie Kimmie Kits available for a limited time...these sets are always available at a discounted price! (You'll find the link for the Gimmie Kimmie kits in the sidebar on the left hand side of the store site.)

It is now my pleasure to send you off to visit with the very sweet Diana Pickering...she's such a treasure on the Krafty Girl design team, and always makes such beautiful cards!

Happy hopping and happy shopping!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Elaine" and coordinating sentiment
Ink: Memento, Distress Inks, Copics
Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, Bo Bunny
Embellishments: Pearls
Tools: Spellbinders

Kickin' Up My Heels in the Big City!!

Good morning and happy Saturday to you all! It's time for another Kraftin' Kimmie Challenge, and how about we throw in some sneak peeks to double the fun?! All the Krafty Girls and our lovely Krafty Guests have used some of the new July stamps by Krafty Artist Annie Rodrigue!! Only one more sleep until you can get your hands on all the new stamps you've seen previewed over the last several days. :)

The challenge this week was set by the lovely, talented and witty Carole Burrage...she never ceases to make me laugh right out loud! Carole wants to see us "Finish the Insides" of our projects. Quite frankly I think Carole was picking on me for this challenge, lol. I must confess that I rarely finish the inside of my cards. I love the look of a nicely finished inside...but unfortunately, I'm often too rushed for time to add anything to the inside. This is a terrible habit I've fallen into because all I ever seem to add is a boring plain white square of cardstock when I grab a card to give away. It's so much nicer to use coordinating design paper to really add that final finishing touch to the inside of the card. So thank you Carole...you are helping me to kick my bad habits. :)

I've been so excited to introduce this stamp to you!! Annie has designed a fabulous set of globetrotting gals just perfect for all of you who like to travel. Kimmie decided to name several of the stamps after some of us Krafty Girls...and this cheery Canadian gal is "Melanie"!! (Thanks so much Kimmie...I have to admit that it's pretty cool to have a stamp named after me!!) Just look at Melanie having a grand old time in Toronto. :) Now although I prefer to live in a smaller city with a slower pace of life, I absolutely love to visit Toronto! There is so much to do there...including visiting the CN Tower, which Annie has included in the cityscape of this stamp! (you will NEVER see me walking on the glass floor up in the tower though...totally freaks me out) I used some fun paper from Fancy Pants and added a little Canadian flag charm that I found at Walmart.


Copics Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20 Hair: E50, YR31, E11, E17, E18, E97, E99, E37, E59 Shirt: E50, E41, E49, W1, W00, blender, R22, R27, R59 Purse: R22, R27, R37, R59, C5, C7 Jeans: B91, B93, B95, B97, C5, C7 Cityscape: C7, C5, C3, C1, B60

And here's a shot of the inside. I didn't do anything terribly fancy...the other Krafty Girls created some gorgeous designs on the interior of their cards...but at least it's better than a plain white piece of cardstock! I know I used this sentiment on my project yesterday, but I ADORE it so you'll probably see it frequently here. lol (this sentiment comes with another new July stamp, Bookworm Jaime)


So, are you up for the challege?? We'd love to have you play along and Finish the Inside of your cards...and if you use a Kraftin' Kimmie Stamp on your project, then you could be the lucky winner "Jeannie", the stamp Carole used on her gorgeous card this week! You can link up your project at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog.

SNEAK PEEK BLOG CANDY: How would you like to be the lucky winner of THREE of the world traveller Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps by artist Annie Rodrigue?? All you need to do is hop around to visit all of the Krafty Girls who made projects today and leave comments for them. Kimmie will draw TWO winners from those comments and their names will be posted tomorrow morning on the release day blog hop post at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog! (each winner will receive 3 of Annie's stamps!)

We hope you can join us tomorrow for the release day blog hop when all the new July stamps will be available for purchase!

Enjoy the rest of your day and thanks for popping by for a visit.

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Melanie", "Oh the Places You'll Go" sentiment from "Bookworm Jaime"
Ink: Memento, Copics, Distress Ink
Paper: Kraft, MME, Neenah
Embellishments: Machine Stitching, metal charm (from Walmart)
Tools: Spellbinders, Bow Easy

"Oh, The Places You'll Go!"...Round 3 of the July Kraftin' Kimmie Sneak Peeks!

Today, some of the Krafty Girls are sharing sneak peeks featuring the newest Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps by artist Cheryl Alger...they will all be available for purchase this Sunday! (each day leading up to the release, you can find links to the daily sneak peeks at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog)

This cute little tyke is "Bookworm Jaime". This image is just perfect for all those avid readers...so I decided to make a bookmark. You can include me in that avid reader category. I love to immerse myself in a good book! The papers are from a MME Stella and Rose 6x6 pad (I buy my 6x6 paper pads HERE). These little projects are a great way to use up scraps of design paper left over from other projects. They also come together fairly quick...no need to spend time fussing over embellishments as bookmarks need to be "low-profile". I had originally planned on adding a little tassel to the top, but I got a bit lazy, lol. Next time I make one up, I think I'll add an eyelet and make a colour coordinated tassel from embroidery floss. Oh, and I absolutely LOVE this Dr. Seuss inspired sentiment that comes with Bookworm Jaime!!

I stamped the image on Neenah cardstock with Memento Ink and coloured it with Copic markers. All paper edges were sponged with Walnut Stain Distress Ink. I added some machine...and look at how wonky it is! That was not intentional at all. It was supposed to be all nice and straight. Hmm...let's chalk it up to the Benadryl I took that evening for allergies. lol (Anybody else out there having a miserable time with allergies??? ) Lesson learned here? Do not operate a sewing machine while under the influence of Benadryl ;)

Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20 Hair: E50, E31, E33, E37, E59 Skirt: B90, B91, B93, B95, B97, C7 Shirt: YR02, YR04, YR07, E08, BG72, BG75, C7 Shoes: E30, E31, E25, E29, E50 Worm: YG03, G82

BLOG CANDY: Pop on by the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog to check out the other sneak peeks for today and make sure to leave comments at each Krafty Girl's blog because Kimmie will draw one lucky winner who will receive all three of the new Cheryl Alger Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps! The winner's name will be posted on the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by! We'll be back tomorrow with our weekly challenge and another round of July sneak peeks!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Bookworm Jaime" and coordinating sentiment
Ink: Memento, Copics, Distress Ink
Paper: Kraft, MME, Neenah
Embellishments: Machine Stitching

A Flower For You

(This is my second post for today...please feel free to scroll back to see my earlier post for today's Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Sneak Peeks!!)

Howdy folks! Susana recently released the Sweet Meets Sassy Collection #2 at SCACD...these gorgeous stamps were designed by artist Victoria Case exclusively for SCACD. There are two sets of stamps in the collection: "Hearts and Hugs" and "Retro Crew". For my card today, I inked up "Rosie" from the Retro Crew set. I used Spellbinders to cut out and frame the image. That gorgeous fabric flower is from Prima ("De Soie") and I made my own pearl flourishes with a Viva Decor Pearl Pen in Ice White. I love pearl flourishes, but they are often pricey...the Viva Decor Pearl Pens are definitely a pocket-book-friendly alternative. :) The striped and polka-dotted papers are from a MME Stella and Rose paper pack, and the pink and white paper is from the Bo Bunny Gabriella collection. (You can check out Susana's amazing selection of 6x6 paper packs by clicking on the link.)


Rosie was stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black on Neenah cardstock and coloured with Copic markers. While the image was still in the Spellbinders die, I sponged around the edges with Victorian Velvet Distress Ink.




Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20 Hair: E50, E31, E33, E37, E59 Dress: BG72, BG75, C5, C7, R32, R35, R37 Rose: R22, R27, R59

The Sweet Meets Sassy Collection #2 is exclusively available at SCACD and at Quixotic Paperie for our crafty friends in the UK.

SCACD carries a wide variety of fantastic products for all your paper crafting needs...and the prices are incredible!! Susana is always adding products to the store as well, so check back frequently to see what's new at SCACD! You can also sign up as a follower at the store blog, Follow Your Heart, where the very talented members of Susana's design team are always posting gorgeous projects featuring the different stamps and product lines available at SCACD.

Thanks so much for stopping by...I truly appreciate that you take the time out of your busy day to visit. :)

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: SCACD exclusive "Rosie"
Ink: Memento, Copics, Distress Ink
Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, MME, Bo Bunny
Embellishments: Prima flower, Viva Decor Pearl Pen, machine stitching

Kraftin' Kimmie July Previews...Round Two!

It's Day Two of the Kraftin' Kimmie July Sneak Peeks and today some of the Krafty Girls are sharing previews of the soon-to-be-released stamps by Krafty Artist Emilie Goulet!

I've used the adorable "Slowpoke"...this image is so cute! I love the personality Emilie gives to her characters...just look at the different facial expressions on each member of this little family. :)


I was in the mood to try something a little different so I stamped Slowpoke on Kraft Cardstock with Rich Cocoa Memento Ink. I started off by laying down a base of colour in Copics...Y11 and Y17 for the little ducklings, various C's for the mother duck, YR16 for the beaks, E33 for the ground, G82, YG03 and YG67 for the grass. Additional colour was laid down with a few pencil crayons and final shading was done with black and brown Conte Crayons applied with a paper blending stump. Walnut Stain Distress Ink was applied to all paper edges.

SNEAK PEEK BLOG CANDY: Kimmie is giving away one complete set of all five new July stamps designed by Emilie Goulet!! All you need to do is visit each Krafty Girl who is sharing a sneak peek today and leave comments on their blogs. You will find a list of links to their blogs over at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog...and that is where Kimmie will announce the winner's name tomorrow. Good luck!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy the rest of your day! We'll be back tomorrow with another round of sneak peeks featuring more new July Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps by another Krafty Artist!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Slowpoke"
Ink: Memento, Copics
Additional mediums: Prismacolour Pencils, Conte Crayons
Paper: Kraft, Fancy Pants
Embellishments: Machine Stitching

Are you ready for the July Kraftin' Kimmie Sneak Peeks??

Good morning crafty friends! We're kicking off the sneak peeks today for the July release at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps. The official release date will be this Sunday, July 17th. Each day leading up to the release, there will be a list of links to the Krafty Girls sharing Sneak Peeks over at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog. Oh, and you'll want to check in every day as Kimmie will be giving away daily sneak peek blog candy!

Today, we're introducing the brand new Sympathy Set. Unfortunately, we are all in need of sympathy cards from time to time...sometimes, we may find ourselves at a loss for words during times of mourning and grief. This set consists of eight beautiful sentiments that will help offer support and encouragement to those going through the loss of a loved one. It also includes the beautiful flower you see on my card...it was illustrated by our newest Krafty Artist Emilie Goulet. I chose to use the quote "Thinking of you in your time of loss." This was actually the first time I have ever made a sympathy card. I didn't want it to be too fussy or busy, so I chose to go with a simple white and blue colour scheme. The white cardstock was embossed with an SCACD embossing folder. The decorative pin is from Maya Road (you can find similar trinket pins HERE). The sentiment was stamped in Stormy Sky Distress Ink and cut out with Spellbinders Labels 8. The image was cut with Spellbinders Circles and matted on a Lacey Circle.



I was trying to achieve a watercolour effect with my Copics. I started by stamping the flower from the Sympathy Set in Memento Summer Sky directly onto my textured Bazzill cardstock. I laid down some loose flicking strokes in B000 by starting in the centre of the flower and flicking outwards, leaving the end of the petals white. I continued "flicking" deeper shades of blue. (B00, B02, B05) I did draw some of the B000 through the darker strokes to blend them slightly. The blue was still a bit intense, so I added some B60 and C1 to tone it down. For the leaves and stem, I used the tip to tip blending method with G20 and G82. The centre of the flower was coloured with R00, R32 and R37.



To see some beautiful samples of the new Sympathy Set, please visit the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog. This set will be available for purchase this Sunday.

BLOG CANDY: Would you like to win the Sympathy Set? All you need to do is hop around to all the Krafty Girls' blogs who have sneak peeks to share today and leave comments. Kimmie will draw one lucky winner who will receive the entire set that consists of eight sympathy sentiments and the gorgeous flower, and the winner will be announced on tomorrow's post at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll plan to join us tomorrow for another round of sneak peeks. :)

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Sympathy Set"
Ink: Memento Summer Sky, Copics, Stormy Sky Distress Ink
Paper: Bazzill
Embellishments: Dollar store ribbon and pearls, Maya Road pin
Tools: Spellbinders, SCACD embossing folder, Bow Easy

6x6 Paper Pad Sale At SCACD!!!

Howdy folks! I've been MIA this past week as my family was on holidays, but we're back home now and I've already been busy today working on some crafty projects for this coming week. :)

I just wanted to pop on quickly with an enabler post!! lol Susana has an amazing SALE on her 6x6 paper pads at SCACD...but only until the end of the day tomorrow, July 11. So hop on over there quickly to take advantage of these amazing prices!! (you can see Susana's incredible selection of 6x6 paper pads HERE)

Happy shopping. :)

Blessings,

Melanie

Material Girl

Good morning and happy Saturday! It's my turn to play hostess this week for the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Challenge. I recently heard one of my favourite Madonna songs on my local radio station, and thought it would be fun to have a "Material Girl" challenge (lol, admit it...you're all singing that song now, right?!)...so dig through your crafty treasure troves and find some fabric to incorporate into your project...just how you choose to use that fabric is totally up to you. :)

I inked up Kimiko from the latest collection of Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps by Annie Rodrigue. (Just out of interest, did anybody ever watch a cartoon called Xiaolin Showdown?? There was a character called "Kimiko" on it. It was such a funny cartoon...my son and I loved it!) My card base is a 4.5"x6" rectangle. I used Spellbinders Labels 8 to cut a window in a layer of cardstock to frame a panel of fabric cut from a dollar store drawstring gift bag. The blue and red matting around the actual black frame was made with two consecutive sized dies from the Labels 8 set...after cutting the black section by running the dies through my Cuttlebug, I traced around the outer and inner edges of the dies and then handcut the blue and red cardstock. The green organza ribbon flower was handmade from the lining of the drawstring bag. (You can find a fantastic video tutorial on these flowers HERE. I used my circle Spellbinders as a template for cutting the circles before sewing them into petals.) I finished off this handmade flower with a Prima Hydrangea glammed up with some Stardust Stickles and topped it off with a Prima "Say It In Studs" embellishment. The rhinestone swirls and blue ribbon are from the dollar store.

Kimiko was stamped on Neenah cardstock in Memento Ink and coloured with Copic markers. I did a little altering on her eyes...gave her slightly larger pupils and added irises to colour a pretty blue. Oh, and I extended her lash line just a little bit. I popped her up on some foam squares for a bit of dimension.

Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20 Hair: C9, C7, C5, C3, B60 Clothing and Umbrella: YG00, G20, G82, G85, G99, B23, B21, B23, B37, B99, R22, R27, R59, C5, C7

If you play along with the "Material Girl" challenge this week, you could win Kimiko, the stamp I used on my card today. Just make sure to use a Kraftin' Kimmie Stamp on your project to be eligible. Need a little inspiration?? Hop on over to the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog to see the gorgeous projects made by my fellow Krafty Girls...those gals never cease to amaze me with their talent and creativity. :)


In need of some new stamps?? Make sure to visit the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Online Store! Oh, and did you see Kimmie's announcement yesterday about Frugal Fridays?? Take a look:

We've got something new and exciting for all our awesome customers! Frugal Fridays start today!! Every Friday we'll have several stamps on SALE at least 40% off!! But only for the weekend! Click on SPECIALS (at the Online Store) to see what's on sale this weekend!!

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend, and thank you so much for stopping by today. :)

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Kimiko"
Paper: Bazzill, Neenah
Ink: Memento, Versafine, Copics
Embellishments: Organza material for handmade flower, Prima Hydrangea, dollar store rhinestone swirls, dollar store ribbon, Prima Flower Centre, Stardust Stickles
Tools: Spellbinders