Creating Backgrounds...A Kraftin' Kimmie Challenge!

Hi folks! It's time for another challenge at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps. This week, I'm playing hostess and my challenge is "Creating Backgrounds"! Now, don't run off scared! lol  You don't have to draw in a background...although, you can if you like. :)  Your background can be any technique you would like to use. Perhaps you may be in the mood to use inks and sponges. For those of you who have an airbush system, feel free to use that! You could reach for paints, sprays, stamps, patterned papers, dies...whatever your creative little heart desires!

I chose to sketch in a background for my stamp this week. This cute little kitten is "Meow-y Christmas"...the fun sentiment comes with the stamp. It only seemed natural to create a fireplace and mantle as a backdrop for this image. The image was cut out with Spellbinders Labels 8. I pulled out some Echo Park Christmas paper from last year. Embellishments were kept to a minimum with a border punch and some black pearls made with a Viva Decor Pearl Pen.

Meow-y Christmas was stamped in Memento Ink on Neenah cardstock. I then set to work sketching in the fireplace and mantle. This is a super easy background to sketch. Your bricks do not have to be perfect...I intentionally made my brick edges slightly irregular. To create the arch, I used a Spellbinders Circle die as a guideline. I also added in a bit of evergreen garland along the top of the mantle. After the sketch was complete, I went over my pencil lines with a Copic multiliner and then got busy colouring. :)

Stocking: R22, R27, R29, R46, R59, C00, C1, C3, C7   Kitten: C1, C3, C5, C7, 100, R22  Bricks: E04, E11, E31, E33, E37, E59, E59, W5, W7  Mortar: E71, E77, W5, W7  Mantle: W1, W3, W5, W7  Inside of fireplace: W1, W3, W5, W7  Garland: YG00, YG03, YG63, YG67, G99, W7

We'd love for you to join in on the background challenge this week! If you use a Kraftin' Kimmie Stamp on your project, you could be the lucky winner of "Meow-y Christmas", the stamp used on my card this week. For more inspiration, make sure to stop by the KKS Blog to see what my fellow Krafty Girls created for the challenge!

KKS NEWS

• Frugal Friday specials are on until Sunday evening!!
• Remember Genevieve from our Steampunk collection??? Kimmie has brought her out of retirement for a limited time, so don't miss out on getting your inky hands on her. :)
• The October Gimmie Kimmie Kits are only available until this Sunday! 
• November 10th Guelph Mega Crop: KKS will be at this fantastic event and will be offering four different classes that will be run throughout the day. You don't have to attend the crop to attend our classes, but we sold out quickly last year!! So if you are going to be in the area next weekend and would like to come get Krafty with us, you can check out the details HERE!

Thanks so much for stopping by!!

Blessings, 

Melanie

We're "Making a Scene" at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps!

Hi folks! Hope you've all had a fantastic week. :)

It's time for another Kraftin' Kimmie Challenge and this week I get to play hostess! So my challenge for you is to "Make a Scene"...now often times, making a scene in public is frowned upon. But this rule totally does not apply with stamping! lol  You can create a scene using multiple stamps, by using die cut elements to create a setting or even drawing your own background. It's totally up to you, so let your creativity run a little wild. :)

Last week, we released a new crop of Halloween stamps. I love August at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps...I always look forward to seeing what the Krafty Artists have brewed up for our colouring pleasure. Halloween images are so much fun to play with. :)  So this put me in the mood to pull out some oldies-but-goodies...Hattie and Horace. I stamped them both out and then drew in a graveyard scene. It's been a while since I drew anything, so I am a bit rusty! That being said, I really enjoyed creating this scene. I first sketched the tombstones in with a pencil. When I was content with my design, I went over everything with a Copic multiliner. I set Hattie's tombstone at an angle to make it look like one of those old graveyards where the ground has settled kind of funny over the centuries. Horace's seems to have held its position a little better. :)  The papers are all from Authentique "Glowing". The corner embellishment was cut with the Madera Corner Memory Box Die. The pearls were all made with a Black Viva Decor Pearl Pen. Finishing touches were added with a Martha Stewart border punch and some machine stitching.

And here's the close-up. Hattie and Horace were stamped in Memento Ink on Neenah cardstock. As mentioned before, the tombstones were hand-drawn and outlined with a Copic multiliner. The entire picture was then coloured with Copics and additional shading was added with a black Conte crayon applied with a blending stump. I used a lot of warm greys throughout this picture for shading including throughout the grass to really tone down the intensity of the greens as it is supposed to be a night scene.

Ghost skin: W00, W1, W3, W5, W7  Hair: W00, W1, W3, E43, E47  Top Hat, Horace's err tail (???) and Sky: C1, C3, C5, C7, C9, 100  Vest: YR00, YR02, YR04, YR07, E08, E17, E18  Shirt: W00, B91, B93, B95, B97, B99 Dress: G20, G21, G25, G94, W5, W7, W9 (same B's as the shirt) Tombstones: W00, W01, W05, W07, W09, E42, E43  Grass: BV00, G21, G94, G99, W5, W7, W9

If you play along with the "Make a Scene" challenge this week, you could be the lucky winner of either Hattie or Horrace...winner's choice! Just make sure to use a Kraftin' Kimmie Stamp to be eligible. For more inspiration, make sure to pop by the KKS Blog to see the fantastic scenes created the very talented Krafty Girls!

(Don't forget to check out this weekend's Frugal Friday specials HERE! And you can register for Krafty Day 2012 HERE!!)

Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Blessings,

Melanie

I Was Double-Dared!!

(This is my second post for today! If you are looking for the Kraftin' Kimmie March Release Blog Hop, just scroll down or click here!!)

Good morning stampers! Sundays, of course, always bring a new challenge on the High Hopes Blog!! My pal Amy L. is our hostess this week, and she has asked us to create something with "Flutterby's". Now, there was some discussion on our group about what falls under the definition of a "flutterby". Amy cleared things right up, and basically said we could use anything with wings. Well, for those of you who know me, you are aware that I can be a little, well, let's just say "silly" at times. I jokingly asked that if I created a flying monkey, would it count as a flutterby?? Well, Lacey and Jeanette hopped right on that and double -dared me to do it. So, you are about to see the result of that dare! I just wanted to prepare you...because this is a little different!! (oh...and I think Lacey jumped on board too, and posted a flying monkey card...we even used the same monkey stamp! lol)

So, that night I spent quite a bit of time lying awake trying to figure out what to do with this challenge. Well, I came up with the idea of a monkey disguising himself as a bird in order to sneak into their exclusive bird bath! Yeah, I know...it's a little crazy!! But hey, normal is boring folks! (just humour me, ok??...please??!!)

Now, I had to use High Hopes stamps of course!! I also wanted to honour Amy's challenge topic by sort of sticking to her original idea of a "Flutterby". So, I pulled out "Burt's Bath" and "Mike on a Vine". I stamped my images, but only inked up part of each. Obviously, poor Burt was eliminated from the final product...sorry Burt, nothing personal!! The bird bath was stamped directly on the Neenah paper. Mike was stamped separately, and removed from his vine. Mike's one arm was cut apart from his body, and re-attached at a different angle (to hold the hand-drawn brush). I cut around the bubbles and the rim of the birdbath to slip Mike in. I also drew some wings and adhered them to Mike's back. I drew some straps over his shoulders to "attach" the wings to.

I also decided to draw in some birdies who are not very happy about a monkey invading their bird bath! Oh...and I also added in a bottle of "Lot's 'O Bubbles" (again, my own drawing), which have completely overflowed from the bath onto the poor little birdies' heads! The bubbles were all given a coat of Stickles. I just couldn't resist using this Sentiment from High Hopes newest release..."It seemed like a good idea at the time!"...lol!!

So, what do you think?? I giggled the whole way through this card! I hope both Lacey and Jeanette are pleased!! Now, it's my turn to think up a dare...look out ladies!! If nothing else, this card will perhaps show you that stamps are not always limited to just one purpose!! Creative masking and trimming can open up all sorts of possibilities!

Time to hop on over to the High Hopes blog to see what the other Divas have created. I hope you decide to play along this week (just remember to use a High Hopes stamp). Link up your creation on the challenge blog, and you just might be the winner of a High Hopes prize!

Have fun stampers!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: High Hopes Stamps "Burt's Bath", "Mike on a Vine" and "Good Idea" (the birds, brush and bubble bath bottle were all hand-drawn)

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black and Summer Sky, Copic markers, Copic Multiliner

Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, Pink Paisley

Gone Fishing (Sweet 'n Sassy)

Hello Sweet 'n Sassy Digi Stampers!! I hope you all are ready for Christmas. Can you believe it's only a few days away! Ladies, if your hubby has left his Christmas shopping until the last minute, let him know about the Sweet 'n Sassy Digi Bundles on sale now!! These are a fabulous bargain. You will get over $30.00 (USD) worth of images for only $25.00 (USD)!! Easy shopping for the men, great images for you to create with...what could be better?! Don't miss out on these bundles.

So, my card today features the image "Gone Fishing". I just LOVE this image by Korin Sutherland!! This bear and penguin are so cute together. This image is so versatile. I love that it can make a great masculine card...which I have to admit, I struggle with. Does anybody else have a hard time with these? You could also use this one for a friendship card, birthday card, winter card...the possibilities are endless! Have a look:

Now, when I saw this image my wheels started turning. I was thinking how funny it would be for this pair to be ice fishing in a teeny tiny hole...but they have no idea what they are about to catch! So, I drew in this killer whale...or orca...whatever you prefer! Just imagine the look on their faces when they try to reel in their catch! (you might need a bigger bucket boys!). I tried to capture the same feel that Korin creates with her adorable characters...her illustrations are so cute! The image was coloured with Copic markers. I also broke out the Polar White Flower soft for the snow on this image. The sky was created with a cloud mask and Memento Summer Sky ink. Finally, I coated the underwater scene with Glossy Accents.

So, hop on over to the Sweet 'n Sassy store to check out the incredible prices on not only single images, but the Digi Bundles I mentioned earlier! There are so many images you will fall in love with!
I would just like to take this chance to wish you all a Christmas season full of wonderful moments you will treasure for years to come! God bless you and your family as we celebrate the birth of His son!

Melanie

Tip: If you plan to draw any of your own images to colour with Copic markers, make sure to invest in a Copic multiliner so you will not end up with a smudgy line!!

Stamps: Sweet 'n Sassy "Gone Fishing" Digi stamp (the whale is a "Melanie" original)

Paper: Bazzil, Neenah, Fancy Papers

Ink: Memento, Copic

Embellishments: Ribbon, Bo Bunny Brads

High Hopes Challenge #47 and Stampin Sisters in Christ Challenge #7

Happy Thanksgiving weekend!!


I love fall. It is probably my favourite season! The trees are just beautiful at this time of year. I love walking through the woods during this cool, crisp weather with the leaves crunching underfoot, and the squirrels racing around gathering nuts! As I am typing this post, there are two pumpkin pies baking in my oven...LOVE the smell of pumpkin pie baking! Eating it isn't half bad either!



So, on to my card. This is the first time I have ever entered a card into more than one challenge! High Hopes challenged us to use layers. Over at Stampin' Sisters in Christ, they put forth the challenge to make a card showing the earth rejoicing (Psalm 97:1). The glorious colours of autumn seem to be a celebration of our awesome Creator! I know I rejoice when I see this colourful display!



This cute little High Hopes puppy is named Watson. I have made birthday cards with Watson, but thought it would be fun to let him get outdoors! This was a fun card to make, as I wanted to create a fall backdrop. The pile of leaves and the little pumpkin are also High Hopes stamps, but the falling leaves are from CC Designs. The sky was sponged with Memento ink and a hand cut cloud template. This is a fast, easy way to create a sky.

The tree is hand-drawn. Everything was of course coloured with my Copic markers, and stamped/drawn onto Neenah cardstock. If you are going to use hand-drawn images on your card, make sure to use Copic compatible ink! I used a Copic multiliner. These are very handy fineliners to have on hand. The sentiment was printed from my computer. I love this quote! Unfortunately it turned out a bit small, but it says: "Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."

Here's a closeup of the image.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. Take time to reflect on what you are thankful for. God is great, and I thank Him for the many blessings he has sent my way.



Melanie