Here Comes the Sun

Good morning folks!! The challenge over at Sundays With Crissy this month is Here Comes The Sun. This is open to your interpretation! You could use sunny colours, summertime images, include an actual sun on your project...so many possibilities!

I decided to pull out one of my favourite stamps that Crissy illustrated for Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps...this stunning fairy is Ophelia. (You can find all the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps by Crissy Armstrong HERE.) I've used her a couple of times before, but I absolutely adore her so I was excited to ink her up again. :) Ophelia is actually perched on a rock, but I chose to not ink that portion of the stamp so that I could have her sitting on the edge of my main image panel with her legs extending past the border. I could have used that "out-of-the-box" Spellbinders technique that so many talented bloggers use...but I was too lazy! lol So I just placed the die on the paper, traced around it with a pencil and hand cut it...definitely not the perfectly clean and crisp edge you get when using your Spellbinders properly, but it will do. :) I've been hoarding that sunflower paper from Fancy Pants (Rusted Sun) for ages and finally decided it was time to use it, especially since the sunflowers seemed to be perfect for this challenge. I had this gorgeous deep red satin ribbon that I thought would be a perfect colour match for the red in the paper...nope. My ribbon supply is actually quite limited, and I felt the card needed another horizontal element behind the image. I had recently picked up a roll of organza ribbon at the dollar store, so I covered my ribbon with a layer of that to tone down the intensity of the red...and I was hoping it would echo the shimmer I planned to put on Ophelia's wings. The little white pearls were created with a Viva Decor Pearl Pen in Ice White.



Ophelia was stamped on Neenah paper with Memento Ink and coloured with Copic markers. The sky was sponged in with Stormy Sky Distress Ink and a hand-cut cloud template. In keeping with the Here Comes The Sun challenge, I wanted to use sunny colours for Ophelia. I also wanted to experiment with some feather blending on her wings...fairy wings are so much fun to colour! It took me a few tries on a scrap piece of paper to come up with the right combination of yellows, oranges and reds to achieve the effect I wanted...she actually ended up looking a bit more like a fire fairy than a sun fairy though! lol I added some subtle shimmer to her wings with Smooch Illuminate.



Copics: Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20 Hair: E50, Y21, Y26, E31, E33, E37, E59 Dress: R22, R27, R29, R46, R59, C5, C7, YR16, Y17, R27, E08, E99 Wings: E50, YR20, YR16, Y17, Y23, R17, R27, R59

Why don't you get creating and show us your Sun/Summer themed cards!! There will be five free digi's given to one lucky challenge participant who will be chosen by Random.org at the end of the month! You may now use images from any company and still be included in the draw for the blog candy prize! Those who use one of Crissy's images, either from her rubber or digital collections will be entered twice in the draw. But please respect the rule of no more than three entries per month. Otherwise your entries could be deleted the first post is "HERE"

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Ophelia
Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, Fancy Pants
Ink: Memento, Distress Ink, Copics
Embellishments: Ribbon, machine stitching, Viva Decor Pearl Pen

Spring is in the Air!

I sure hope spring stays in the air...we had snow earlier this week in Southwestern Ontario! I do love winter, but I am ready for warmer weather and sunshine to set it. I love hearing the birds out chirping in the trees, and it's so nice to let some fresh air into the house. It's my turn today to share a card at Sundays with Crissy. We have two options for your challenge theme this month..."Spring" or "Baby" themed projects!

For my card today, I used two of Crissy's newest digital images from Whimsy Stamps..."Meadow Background" and "New Chickie". I merged the images together before printing them out on Neenah cardstock. The paper is from October Afternoon.


We'd love to have you play along with us. You can link your project up on Sarah's post from the beginning of the month, HERE. (just look for the Inlinkz button at the end of her post) All rules for entering challenges at Sundays With Crissy can be found in the sidebar of the challenge blog.

(sorry for the short post today folks...we've got company arriving as I'm typing! lol)

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Crissy's "New Chickie" and "Meadow Background" from Whimsy Stamps
Ink: Copics
Paper:Neenah, Bazzill, October Afternoon
Embellishments:Ribbon
Tools: Martha Stewart Punch

Help for Japan-Whimsy Stamps Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to a very special blog hop today! The illustrators of Whimsy Stamps have come together to draw a special set of digi images for the purpose of raising money for the relief effort in Japan. All proceeds from the sale of these images will be donated to that cause. Kenny K, Raindrop Echo Designs, Meljens Designs, and Crissy Armstrong all contributed art work.

For the whole month of April, you can purchase the images as a set or individually (your choice) by visiting THIS PAGE on the Whimsy store site. Please consider helping this special cause by purchasing one or all of the digital images we are offering.

If you have landed here after visiting the lovely Mary Lou's blog, you are right on track. If you have come here randomly and would like to start hopping from the beginning, please go to Crissy's blog. She has the blog rotation order posted if you need to refer to it.

The amazing ladies of two design teams have come together to host this blog hop for you! Crissy's Crew from Sundays With Crissy and Denise's DT from Whimsy Stamps have joined forces to design some amazing jaw dropping creations for you. You have seven days to hop through all the blogs and enjoy all the lovely creations from these talented people. The hop runs from now through til Sunday April 10 at noon. There will be several opportunities to win blog candy! Four random commenters will get a chance to receive one of the three individual images or Ann's sentiment set. So be sure to leave comments all along the way for your chance at a free digi! Also, if you post the "Help for Japan" button on your blog's sidebar, you can enter into the draw for the grand prize! The grand prize will consist of the entire digital set made just for this cause as well as a gift certificate donated by Ann of Raindrop Echo Designs worth 10$ to use at the Whimsy Stamps store! To enter, you must help us advertise for this cause by posting the "Help Japan" button on your blog's side bar (just grab it from my side bar) and then get your name on the Inlinkz option on Crissy's post so we can be sure to find the winner.

For my card today, I have used the beautiful image Crissy drew for this cause. This is "Heartfelt Angel". The papers are from the Basic Grey Hopscotch collection. I sponged the white doily and the white paper-punched mat with Antique Linen Distress Ink. The sentiment (from CC Designs) was stamped in Stormy Sky Distress Ink. The distress ink was also used to stamp the swirls (Impression Obsession) on the background paper behind the image. I used some fantastic laser cut chipboard embellishments from Make It Crafty (thanks Zoe!!!)...I used two different sets, "Flower Leaf Embellishments" and "Swirly Corners". After applying a few coats of white acrylic craft paint with a makeup sponge, I used another sponge to apply some Antique Linen Distress Ink. Finally, the laser cut embellishments were covered with a light coat of Smooch Illuminate. The little pears are from the dollar store.

"Heartfelt Angel" was printed on Neenah cardstock and then coloured with Copic markers. I also added some additional shading with my Conte Crayons and a paper blending stump.

Colours: Hair: E50, E30, E31, E33, E37, Y21 Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20 Dress: B91, B93, B95, B97, BG000, C5 Wings and sash: E50, E53, E57 (the colourless blender was also used on the wings) Bubble wand: E30, Y17 Bubbles: RV000, V01, BG11, BG0000 (and Smooch Illuminate)

Next you'll want to visit Sylvia's blog to continue hopping. Thank you so much for stopping by, and for your support of this very worthy cause.

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: , CC Designs " Amy R's Thank you Sentiments" and Impression Obsession's "Flourish 2"Ink: Copic markers,Distress Ink Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, Basic Grey Embellishments: Make It Crafty's "Flower Leaf Embellishments" and "Swirly Corners", doily, machine stitching, pearls, Smooch Illuminate

Dream Big

Good afternoon lovely blogging friends! Today is my turn to share a card for Sundays With Crissy, and I am absolutely in love with the challenge this month...Stitching!! If you happen to stop by my blog on occasion, you may have noticed that I almost always add stitching to a card. It's a compulsion, lol. I just love the way it seems to finish things off so nicely. To join in the challenge, your stitching doesn't have to be done with a machine though...you can stitch by hand or even add faux stitching to your projects.

The digital stamp I chose to work with today is Crissy Armstrong's "Maya Making Wishes" available at Whimsy Stamps. I have used this sweet image before, but I've been looking forward to colouring her again. Crissy captures the sweet innocence of childhood so beautifully in this image...do you remember making wishes on dandelions? Sometimes as adult, I think we forget how to find joy in life's small moments and simple pleasures. One of the wonderful things about digital stamps is the ability to resize and flip your image according to your specific project's needs...I wanted to make a smaller 4.5" sqaure card, so I printed Maya quite small so that I would still have room to add some different layers and embellishments to my layout. The papers are all from the Basic Grey Hopscotch collection. All paper edges were sponged with Walnut Stain Distress Ink. I've had the cute metal charm in my stash for quite some time, and thought the font was perfect for this image.

After resizing and flipping little Maya, I printed her on Neenah paper and then coloured her with Copic markers. To create the curly texture of her hair, I began by laying down little "squiggles" of black (100) and leaving white areas in between. A minimal amount of C3 was applied next (still leaving some areas white) and followed by the black again to add in a few more squiggles and dots. B60 was lightly applied to most of the white areas. For her wings, I applied the colours to the base and tips of the separate sections with light feather-blending followed by the colourless blender to fade the colours into each other. I kept playing with the application of colour and the blender until I was happy with the results. They were still a bit too intense for the more muted colours in the design paper, so I decided to go over the entire wings with a light layer of E50 and E0000. Stardust Stickles were applied as a finishing touch.

Colours: Skin: E50, E11, E13, E25, E29 Hair: Black (100), C3, B60 Clothes: G20, G82, G85, G99, C9 Wings: G20, G82, BG0000, BG10, RV000, blender

We'd love to have you play along with our "Stitching" challenge at Sundays With Crissy this month. You can find all the details/rules for entering the challenge in the sidebar at Sundays With Crissy. To link up your project, please visit Sarah's Sundays With Crissy post by clicking HERE...just look for the little blue Inlinks frog at the end of her post. If you play along, you could be the very happy winner of five of Crissy's gorgeous digital images!!

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I hope you have a wonderful week. :)

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Crissy Armstrong's "Maya Making Wishes" from Whimsy Stamps

Ink: Copics, Distress Ink

Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, Basic Grey

Embellishments: Machine Stitching, ribbon, crocheted trim, metal charm, Prima Hydrangeas, pearls, Stardust Stickles

It's All About Love

Good morning friends! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend...we enjoyed a three day weekend here! Monday was Family Day...we attempted to sleep in, which was cut short by our neighbour deciding to start up his snowblower at just after 7:00 am. Hmpf...what's up with that??!! Then our dog wanted out. (normally he waits until around 8:00 or later to go outside) Then Ainsleigh woke up earlier than she does on a typical school morning, and decided it was a great time to put on some noisy music and start choreographing dances. Lovely. Our dog Kalev, (who incidentally is a pretty sorry excuse for a Siberian Husky, lol...he much prefers to be in a warm house than out enjoying all the snow that is supposed to be his natural habitat) wanted back in after only five minutes outside. He then promptly sat in the kitchen and started to howl for more water in his dish...which he NEVER does!! I had really only hoped to stay in bed until around 8:00 or 8:30, but I ended up getting up around 7:30 as I figured falling asleep again was pretty much a lost cause. In reality, this was pretty typical of "family life" though...we did end up having a great Family Day despite the less than desirable start to our day. :)

Today, it's my turn to share a card over at Sundays With Crissy. Our challenge this month has been All About Love. For my card, I chose to use Crissy's beautiful carousel horse digi "Dance of Love" available at Whimsy Stamps. I decided to try a technique for a pleated background that I saw over on Amazing Paper Grace...Becca Feeken is an incredibly talented papercrafter, and her blog is a favourite of mine. (It is a constant source of inspiration...her work is absolutely stunning, and I am always so grateful when she shares her expertise through tutorials.) I used my circle Spellbinders to cut a "window" out of my patterned paper. The pleating was done with two strips of paper that were scored at 1/4 inch intervals. (Each strip was about 1 3/4", so that when they were formed into a circle, the diameter would be slightly larger than the cut-out circle on the patterned paper, which was about 3") The pleated circle was adhered to the centre of my cardbase, and the patterned paper later was then attached with a double layer of foam squares...the extra height was required to accommodate the pleated layer. To frame the circular window, I used the same size of circle Spellbinders with the Lacey Circles set to create a border. Finally I added some machine stitching and dollar store pearls

"Dance of Love" was printed on Neenah smooth cardstock and coloured with a combination of Copics and Conte Crayons blended in with a paper stump. I really love the soft blending you can achieve with the Conte crayons...I found them very effective for helping to create the musculature and bone structure in the horse. They also helped to soften the dappled effect that I first loosely laid down with my Copics. If you chose to use Conte Crayons, Prismacolour Pencils, or some other medium in combination with your Copics, you must lay down your marker ink first. If you attempt to layer the Copics over these other mediums, it will ruin your marker nibs. If this should happen though, don't fret...remember that the nibs are replaceable should something happen to them. :) I used some additional foam squares to adhere "Dance of Love" to the pleated background.

(OOPS...noticing just now that I accidentally typed 2010 instead of 2011 into my watermark on the close-up. lol)

Copics: W00, W1, W3, W5, W7, W9, 100, C9, (I only skipped C7 here because it is completely dry...need to get a refill!!) C5, C3, C1, C00, B60, BG10, BG11, BG72, BG75, BG78, R32, R35, R46, R59, Y00, Y21, Y26, YR31, E33, E35, E37, E59, Black and Brown Conte Crayon

We would love to have you join in our "All About Love" challenge at Sundays With Crissy! Crissy is offering a prize of FIVE DIGI'S this month. You can read all the details on Sarah's post from February 1st. You can also link up your project on her post....just look for the little blue Inlinkz froggie at the bottom of her post. (The list of rules for entering the challenges at Sundays With Crissy may be found in the sidebar.)

Thank you so much for stopping by today friends...it means so much that you take the time out of your day to stop by for a visit. :)

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Whimsy Stamps "Dance of Love" by Crissy Armstrong

Ink: Copics, additional shading with Conte Crayons

Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, My Mind's Eye (Olivia)

Embellishments: Machine Stitching, pearls

Tools: Spellbinders, ScorPal

Mistletoe Mischief!

Good morning friends! I cannot believe that it's already December 22...this time of year just flies by so quickly. I trust that all your holiday preparations are complete? On Christmas day, we'll be having dinner with my in-laws and we're hosting a boxing day dinner at our house for my side of the family. At my hubby's request, roast beef will be on the menu...and perhaps some spiral ham, which is more to my liking! My cousin always requests pumpkin pie...one of his own, and one for everybody else to share, lol. Following dinner, we'll be breaking out the games!! I LOVE playing games, and this year I was finally able to find Balderdash!! I've been looking for this game for years, and this was the first time I've been able to find it...although I think they've redone it, so I'm curious to see how it differs. We've also picked up Scribblish, which I'm looking forward to trying out.

Today is my turn to post over at Sundays With Crissy. This month, Crissy is giving us the choice of two challenge topics...Christmas is Coming or Winter is Here!! I thought I would sneak in one final Christmas Card this year. I chose to work with one of Crissy's images that she drew for Wags 'n Whiskers Stamps...this is "Steal a Kiss". I adore this cute image, and have been waiting for a chance to use it. It would obviously be perfect for Valentine's Day, but I thought it would also make a cute Christmas card with the addition of a little hand-drawn sprig of Mistletoe! You have to watch out for that stuff you know...people can be pretty sneaky hanging it throughout the house in order to sneak a little kiss! lol The design papers are from Bo Bunny. The "Meet Me Under The Mistletoe" tag is something I found in my stash while I was hunting for an embellishment to fill the upper corner of my layout...how perfect is it for this image?? I love it when that happens! I added some little jingle bells I recently picked up at the dollar store to the bow tied with my Bow-Easy. I thought the little snippets of red ribbon would be just right to tie in the red bow on the mistletoe I drew, as well as the lettering on the tag...now I'm second guessing that colour choice a bit. Red is not a colour I would normally put with purple. Hmmm. Probably won't put them together again. I'm now suffering a bit from that "hindsight is 20/20" syndrome. :) Anybody else ever afflicted with that?? lol



I printed the digital image "Steal a Kiss" on Neenah Smooth Cardstock and coloured it with Copic makers. I also did a little experimenting shading with some old Prismacolour pencils I've had kicking around since my high school years...and no, I'm not going to clarify how long that's been, lol. ;) I used some baby oil and a paper blending stump after I was finished using my markers...it's really important to colour with your markers first, as you will ruin the nibs if you try colouring over pencil crayon. (However, don't fret if you should happen to ruin a nib, as they are replaceable. It's just an extra expense that is nice to avoid if possible.) I sponged around the image with Bundled Sage and Walnut Stain Distress Inks. I also added some additional shading with a brown Prismacolour pencil, and blended it out with the baby oil.



We'd love to have you join in with our challenge this month! All projects can be submitted on Crissy' Post ...just look for the Blue Inlinkz frog at the bottom of her post. Crissy has changed a few things up this month in regards to prizes....here's what she had to say:

I'm going to do something a little different for blog candy with this month's challenge! In the spirit of Christmas and giving, I am going to give away one digital image to the first 12 players! AND I am opening up the contest to include EVERYONE (not just for those using one of my images)!! So if you are one of the first twelve players to link up your Christmas/winter card on here, you will get your choice of one of my digital images from either Whimsy or Squigglefly! How fun is that! Now to keep it fair, you must make a card specifically for this challenge. Any cards that are "back-linked" will not qualify. And, if you don't make it in the race for top twelve, you can still have a chance to win at the end of this month. I'll still draw a name (using Random.org) from the participants, and that lucky person will get to choose 2 images of their choice from my collection. So what are you waiting for!! Ready, set, get crafting!!

Being later in the month, we have of course far exceeded the first twelve entries, so the "earlybird" prize is no longer up for grabs. However, our lovely Crissy's Crew member Zoe, owner of Make It Crafty, has added an additional prize for the winner! She will be contributing her brand new digital image "Stairway to Heaven"...it is a gorgeous background digital stamp that would work beautifully with many of Crissy's images!

You can find Crissy's digital images at Wags 'n Whiskers Stamps, Squigglefly or Whimsy Stamps.

Well friends, this will likely be my last post before Christmas as I plan to spend the next several days with family and friends. (unless I can find a little pocket of crafty time!!) I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas!! May you enjoy this time with loved ones, and create memories to treasure in the years to come as we celebrate this wonderful season...the day that we remember the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. As we remember His humble arrival in that stable so many years ago, may you experience the peace, hope and love this season brings.

God Bless!

Melanie

Stamps: "Steal a Kiss" digital stamp by Crissy Armstrong for Wags 'n Whiskers

Ink: Copics, Distress Ink

Paper: Neenah, Bo Bunny, Bazzill

Embellishments: Chipboard tag, ribbon, bells, machine stitching

Tools: Bow Easy

Little Christmas Angel

Good morning friends! Have you been keeping up with the posts at Sundays With Crissy this month? Each very talented member of Crissy's Crew has a designated day to post, so there is inspiration and gorgeous eye candy to be seen throughout the entire month! This month, Crissy has set a wonderful festive colour challenge of "Red, Green and Gold".

I chose to work with one of Crissy's newest digital images from Whimsy Stamps...this is "Little Christmas Angel". I always adore Crissy's illustrations of children...they are so precious! After measuring the Spellbinders Labels 8 die that I planned to use, I resized "Little Christmas Angel" to fit, printed her off on Neenah Smooth cardstock and coloured her with Copic markers. I chose some design paper from My Mind's Eye and used accents of red and gold for the matting and punched border. To pull in some green to fit with Crissy's colour challenge, I sponged around the image and sentiment (from CC Designs) with Bundled Sage Distress Ink. The little flourish in the sentiment is something I drew in myself...mostly to fill the huge gap left when I misjudged the placement of the word "Christmas", lol. I added in some gold flourishes that were made with Spellbinders Doodleparts. The snowflakes were also made with Spellbinders.

In hindsight, I wish I would have coloured her gown with ivory or cream shades just to provide more contrast between the clothing and the wings. I coated both with Stardust Stickles after colouring.

Copics: Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20 Hair: E50, E30, E31, E33, E37, E59 Bird: R22, R27, R46, R59, C10 Gown: B60, C5, C3, C1, C00, blender Wings: B000, BG0000, BG000, B60, blender

We would love to have you join in our challenge this month...you have until midnight on November 30th (EST) to submit your project on Crissy's post HERE. (Just look for the little blue Inlinkz frog at the bottom of her post) If you use one of Crissy's digital images on your project, you will be eligible to win this month's fantastic prize from our wonderful sponsor LSL Diversified. Take a look:

Crissy will also be giving the winner 3 of her digital images from either Squigglefly or Whimsy Stamps! You can purchase Crissy's digital stamps from Wags 'n Whiskers, Whimsy Stamps or Squigglefly.

Make sure to become a follower over at Sundays With Crissy so that you never miss a post by one of the lovely members of Crissy's Crew...we still have a few more post to come this month!

Have a wonderful day friends...and thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Whimsy Stamps "Little Christmas Angel" by Crissy Armstrong, CC Designs sentiment Paper: Neenah, Bazzill,

Ink: Copics, Distress Ink

Embellishments: Kaisercraft brads, dollar store pearls, Stardust Stickles

Tools: Spellbinders Labels 8 and Snowflakes, Martha Stewart border punch

Buttons and Bows at Sundays With Crissy

Good morning friends, and happy Friday to you all! It's my turn to share a card with you for Sundays With Crissy. Our current challenge is "Buttons and Bows"...have you been keeping up with the posts by my fellow Crissy's Crew members? Each lovely gal has a designated day to post each month...that way, we hope to keep the inspiration flowing throughout the entire month!

This month, our wonderful sponsor is Stitchy Bear Stamps and they have very generously offered five digital images as a prize...this is in combination with Crissy's prize of three of her digital images! Somebody is going to be a very happy digital stamper this month. :)

For my card this month, I chose to work with two of Crissy's newest digital images available from Whimsy Stamps. These two adorable little tykes are "Anna's Halloween" and " Bobby's Halloween". Crissy captures kids so beautifully...I just adore her artwork. These two remind me of my kids in their Halloween costumes when they were little. Nathan was a big orange dragon Pokemon (Charzard) when he was in grade one, and Ainsleigh was several different princesses over the years when she was younger. Since I wanted these images to reflect my own kids, I resized "Anna" to be much smaller than "Bobby"...Nathan is almost seven years older than Ainsleigh. The design paper is from Graphic 45 (love this paper). To fit in with our challenge, I added some black satin ribbon and tied two layered buttons to the middle of the bow with twine. The little "Trick or Treat" sentiment is from Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Halloween Sentiments".

Anna and Bobby (or Ainsleigh and Nathan, lol) were printed on Neenah cardstock and coloured with Copic markers. Before printing them, I measured the Spellbinders die that I wanted to use and tweaked the size of the images until they would fit nicely inside the die. This ability to resize and flip your images to suit your specific project is one of the best things about digital stamps! While the image was still in the die, I used my Inkssentials Blending Tool to apply Distress Inks in Antique Linen and Bundled Sage. Finally, I added some Stardust Stickles to parts of the image.

Copics: Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20 Hair: E50, E31, E33, E37, E59 Orange Dragon: E50, YR00, YR02, YR07, E08, E59, Y21, Y23, Y26, E33, E37 Princess Dress: BG75, BG72, BG11, Bg10, BG000, BG0000, B60, C00, C1, C3, R30, R32, R37 Hair: E50, E30, E31, E33, E37, E59 Pumpkins: E50, YR31, YR07, YR16, Y17, E33, E37, E99

We'd love to have you join in with our Buttons and Bows challenge this month. You can link up your project on Crissy's post from October 1...you can find that HERE (just look for the little blue froggy at the end of her post).If you would like the chance to win the fantastic prize this month, then please make sure that your project features a digital stamp from either Crissy Armstrong (available at Whimsy Stamps, Squigglefly or Wags 'n Whiskers) or from our sponsor Stitchy Bear. You have until midnight on October 30, 2010 to play along!

If you have not yet become a follower over at Sundays With Crissy, then make sure to sign up! That way, you can keep up to date with the posts by each member of Crissy's Crew...these ladies are so talented and I know that you will not want to miss a single project.

I thought I would share a few pics of the kids from past Halloweens (back when I used to have time to make more elaborate costumes!). Here's Ainsleigh as Belle...I think she was about four years old.

Next we have Nathan in the Pokemon costume that inspired me to colour the dragon orange on my card today...oh, and the cute little Pikachu is my cousin Derek..who I'm sure is thrilled that I'm sharing this pic. :) Nathan was about six in this picture:

And how about one more from two years ago (when costumes were not quite so "home-made", lol)...

(hmmm...Ainsleigh had a cute little black beret she wore with her mime costume, but I think it had fallen off during some pics where Nathan, with his "Superman" strength, was picking her up over his head, lol. My kids are goofs when they see a camera...this is actually a very rare picture where they are both smiling nicely!)

Have a wonderful day, and thanks so much for stopping by!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Whimsy Stamps (digital) "Anna's Halloween" and "Bobby's Halloween" by artist Crissy Armstrong, "Halloween Sentiments" from Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps
Paper:Neenah, Bazzill, Graphic 45
Ink: Copic markers, Distress Ink (Bundled Sage and Antique Linen)
Embellishments: Ribbon, buttons, twine, Stardust Stickles
Tools: Spellbinders Labels 8, Bow Easy

Trimming the Tree

Well, good morning friends! You may have noticed that we've had a few changes over at Sundays With Crissy. We have recently made the switch to becoming a monthly challenge blog, with each new challenge being announced on the first day of each month by the lovely Crissy Armstrong. We have also made a change in the posting schedule. Each talented member of Crissy's Crew now has her own scheduled day to post at Sundays With Crissy, as well as posting on her personal blog. This way, we hope to provide you with some inspiration throughout the month to join in with our challenge. As always, there will be a fantastic prize up for grabs for those participants who have used one of Crissy's digital images! Crissy will include the "inlinkz" on her initial post of the month, so make sure to link up all your projects for our challenge THERE...just look for the little blue froggy at the end of her post.

Today is my turn to share a card for Crissy's current "Sparkle and Shine" challenge. I chose to work with one of Crissy's recently released images at Whimsy Stamps. This is "Trimming The Tree". How cute is this little pair? I struggled a bit trying to capture the tone of a polar bear's fur. It's got quite a yellow hue to it in real life, but my first attempt at replicating it was what you might call an"Epic Failure", lol. Good thing I printed this image a few times! This is my second attempt, and I still think I need some work on this colour of fur, but it is much closer to an actual polar bear than my first go! Can you spy all the glittery elements on my card? The pretty swirly DCWV paper is from a glitter Christmas stack. The garland on the tree was jazzed up with some Martha Stewart glitter in Pewter. The star, tree decorations and the trim on the penguin's hat were all coated with Stardust Stickles. The candy canes were coated with Glossy Accents...I know this isn't "glittery" but it sure adds a nice shine to them! (The sentiment is from High Hopes Stamps, and was mounted on a Spellbinders Fancy Tag.)

Copics: Bear: W1, W3, W5, W7, E50 Penguin: C1, C3, C5, C7, Scarf: B91, B93, B95, B97, B99 Hat and Candy Canes: R35, R37, R46, R59 Tree: A whole bunch of greens! (sorry, lost track of these) Star: Y11, Y21, Y17, YR31

We'd love to see your glittery creations using one of Crissy's Digital Stamps! (you can find them at Whimsy Stamps, Squigglefly Stamps or Wags 'n Whiskers Stamps) You can link it up at Sundays With Crissy on THIS post, and if your project features one of Crissy's images then you will be eligible to win this month's prize!

If you haven't seen the beautiful projects posted by some of the members of Crissy's Crew for the "Sparkle and Shine" challenge, please take the time to scroll back through the previous posts at Sundays With Crissy...and don't forget to stay tuned for upcoming posts by the rest of our design team!

Have a wonderful day friends, and thanks so much for stopping by!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Crissy Armstrong's "Trimming the Tree" from Whimsy Stamps, High Hopes sentiment

Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, DCWV

Ink: Copic Markers (I also added some extra shading with Conte crayons)

Embellishments: Martha Stewart Glitter, Stardust Stickles, rhinestones, black satin ribbon

Tools: Spellbinders Fancy Tags, Bow Easy

My Favourite Time of Year...plus a little CANDY!!!

(This is my second post for today. Please scroll down or click HERE for the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps August Release Blog Hop!)

Welcome to another brand new challenge at Sundays With Crissy! We were all thrilled to see your gorgeous "Christmas in July" submissions for our last challenge...thanks so much for playing along! This time around, Crissy would like to see projects relfecting "Your Favourite Time of Year"! She is leaving it up to your interpretation...perhaps a favourite season or holiday?

I'm also offering a bit of blog candy today, but you'll have to read all the way through my post to find out how to win!

I chose to go with my favourite season, winter!! (although fall is a VERY close second) I know many of you are hot weather fans...but I am not. The hot humid weather of summer causes me to retreat to my central air conditioned house, lol. Being a redhead, I burn easily...and my allergies are always worse in the summer months. So, I look forward to the cooler weather...and I love when the snow starts falling. It's always so beautiful right after a fresh snowfall...when the snow is still clinging to the trees and everything sparkles in the sunlight.

Earlier this week, I showed you a Halloween themed wall hanging. Well, it put me in the mood to create one for the winter months. I chose to work with "Zoe and Gemma's Snow Fun" which is one of Crissy Armstrong's digital images available at Wags 'n Whiskers Stamps. The shadow box (from the dollar store) was painted with a base coat of blue followed by a glittery dimensional "snow" paint.

This pretty image was printed on Neenah Cardstock and coloured with Copic markers. I ripped the edges of a few strips of cardstock for the snowy hills, and adhered them at different depths within the recessed window. I used Polar White Flower Soft on the "ground" and the snowman. The sentiment is chipboard letters covered with the snowy paint and then sprinkled with Flower Soft. Finally, I added a cluster of snowflakes and flourishes made with Spellbinders dies. I sponged them with blue ink while still in the dies and then coated them with Stardust Stickles. (the little punched snowflakes in the background were also "Stickled" up!)

Need a little inspiration? Why not hop on over to Sunday's With Crissy? My fellow Crissy's Crew members have just outdone themselves once again with with some stunning creations. We'd love to have you participate in our challenge...you will have lots of time to complete your project, as this is yet another extended challenge. Just make sure to use one of Crissy's digital images to be elligable for a fantastic prize! (Crissy has put together a great package of some digital stamps and a pad of paper for one lucky participant!)

You can find Crissy's images at Wags 'n Whiskers, Squigglefly and Whimsy Stamps.

I really appreciate all the support and encouragement I have received from all of you over the past year. It means so much to me that you all stop by and leave such lovely comments, so I thought I would try to do a little something in return. I will be offering a few different blog candies throughout the month of August. For today's prize, Crissy Armstrong has very kindly (and generously) donated this wonderful prize package...your choice of three of her gorgeous digital stamps!! Crissy's images are always such a joy to colour, and I have felt so blessed to be a part of her very talented team. Would you like to be the lucky winner of this blog candy? Just leave me a comment on this post by August 21, 2010 (by 11:59 pm EST). I will announce the lucky winner (chosen by random.org) on August 22, 2010. Good luck!

Have a blessed Sunday stampers!

Melanie

Digital Stamps: "Zoe and Gemma's Snow Fun" by Crissy Armstrong available at Wags 'n Whiskers Stamps

Paper: Neenah

Ink: Copic markers, Memento

Embellishments: Polar White Flower Soft, Stardust Stickles, Spare Parts brads, chipboard letters

Tools: Spellbinders Snowflakes and Doodle Parts,

Other: Snow paint, blue craft paint

'Tis the Season to Be Jolly...really???

(This is my second post today...please scroll back for the Kraftin' Kimmie July Release Blog Hop!!)

You know, in the midst of all this heat we've been getting here in Southwestern Ontario, I'd be thrilled to see a little of the white stuff! I am not a fan of this hot humid weather. If you are wishing for some relief from this hot weather, then our new challenge at Sundays With Crissy will have you thinking of winter in no time! Our very own and very talented Crissy's Crew member Sarah is asking us to help her celebrate"Christmas in July"! What a fantastic time to start on all those Christmas cards. You know that come November most of us are swamped with all the other preparations for Christmas, so why not join us this challenge and get ahead on your cards?

The sponsor for Sundays With Crissy this time around is Whimsy Stamps! If you would like the chance to win the fantastic prize Crissy is offering, then remember you must use one of her digital images in your project. Then just link it up on Sundays With Crissy. This is yet another extended challenge, so you will have lots of time to create something "Christmas-y".

We would also like to extend a warm welcome to a special guest joining us this month...Michele Spera! Make sure to stop by Michele's blog to have a look at her gorgeous work!

The image I used on my card is "Mudzie Plays Christmas Tree" available at Squigglefly Stamps. I printed him on Neenah cardstock and paired him up with some fun Christmas paper. Lots and lots of layers for matting on this card! (sentiment is from High Hopes Stamps)





I love sweet Mudzie...how cute is he all decorated up?? I added in some Glossy Accents on the candy canes and light bulbs. The star and bulbs were also coated with Stickles. Oh...and that fabulous garland Mudzie is modelling was jazzed up with some Martha Stewart Glitter.



Are you in need of a Crissy Armstrong digital stamp? You can find Crissy's images at Wags 'n Whiskers Stamps, Squigglefly Stamps and Whimsy Stamps. (Actually, Whimsy has just released some brand new Crissy Armstrong Digital Stamps which are PERFECT for our Christmas in July challenge!)

Have a blessed Sunday stampers, and we look forward to seeing your Christmas in July projects at Sundays With Crissy!

Melanie

Stamps: Crissy Armstrong's "Mudzie Plays Christmas Tree" from Squigglefly Stamps, sentiment High Hopes Stamps
Ink: Copic markers
Paper: Neenah, SU, Bazzill, DP is from a big stack I picked up last year
Embellishments: Stickles, MS Glitter, Glossy Accents, metal corners from the dollar store

Monochromatic Musings

Welcome stampers...hope you are all enjoying your Sunday. Happy Father's Day to the men in your life...or to any male readers?? (not sure if any guys stop by, but I sure didn't want to leave you out!) We are back with yet another new challenge at Sundays With Crissy. This week the amazingly talented Mary Giemza has challenged us to create a monochromatic project! I was really excited to try out this technique, as I've seen some gorgeous monochromatic creations around blogland.

This week, I've worked with one of Crissy's digital stamps available from Wags 'n Whiskers. This is "Ride 'Em Ryan". I thought this image would lend itself beautifully to the monochromatic challenge. I was thinking of those Old West "wanted" posters....something weathered, masculine and coloured in shades of brown.

In keeping with the overall "brown" colour scheme, I went with a Kraft cardstock base, dark brown Bazzill cardstock for matting a scrap of DP from Bo Bunny. I had a lot of fun distressing that piece of Kraft cardstock behind Ryan. I crumpled it up into a ball and rolled it around in my palms to loosen the fibres of the paper. I then misted it with water and ran it through two shades of Distress Ink (Antique Linen and Tea Dye). After drying it with a hair dryer (umm, I should probably get a heat tool, huh?? lol), I applied more Tea Dye ink followed by some Brushed Corduroy with my Tim Holtz blending tool. I also inked all paper edges with Brushed Corduroy.


I started off colouring with my Copic markers, but decided to add in additional shading with my Conte Crayons. I also ran a little more Brushed Corduroy over the entire image in an attempt to antique it a bit more.


You should see what the rest of Crissy's Crew has created for Mary's Monochromatic challenge...be prepared to sit and soak it all in. These ladies are so very talented, and I know you will find some inspiration when you check out their work over at Sundays With Crissy!

We're changing things up a little for this challenge...you will have until midnight (EST) on July 17, 2010 to create a project for this challenge. Crissy has also added to her fantastis prize package from LSL Diversified this month...the winner will also get a free Crissy Armstrong Digital Image!! Not only that, but Crissy will have a second prize for this extended challenge...a beautiful pack of paper plus a free Digital Image! The rules?? You MUST use one of Crissy's Digital Images on your project if you would like your name to be put in the running for this wonderful prize! (although, we do still love to see your creations even if they are featuring other images...there is so much talent out there in blogland!!) So, grab one of Crissy's digis and choose your monochromatic colour scheme...then all you need to do is link up your project over at Sundays With Crissy. We can't wait to see what you make!

(you can purchase Crissy digital images from: Wags 'n Whiskers, Whimsy Stamps or Squigglefly)

Blessings,

Melanie

Digital Stamps: Wags 'n Whiskers "Ride 'Em Ryan" by artist Crissy Armstrong

Ink: Copic markers, Distress Inks (Antique Linen, Tea Dye, Brushed Corduroy)

Paper: Neenah, Kraft cardstock, Bazzill, Bo Bunny

Embellishments: KaiserCraft brads, twine, metal corner embellishments (from the Dollar Store!)

Relish to Embellish

Good morning stampers! I'm trying to talk myself into being energetic and perky, lol. I didn't end up getting to bed until around 3:00 am! We were at Ainsleigh's recital last night and then we headed over to the after-party. The girls had such a fantastic time, and they were just beautiful up there on stage. Now, other than dancing in our Canada Day Parade and a couple of Highland Dancing competitions, we have the whole summer off!!

Are you ready for another challenge over at Sundays With Crissy? This week, Crissy has called her challenge "Relish to Embellish"! I think we all love to dress up our projects with a little something special.

I was thrilled to work with one of Crissy's brand new images released this past week for Whimsy Stamps....introducing "Maya Making Wishes". This image is simply gorgeous, and I just fell in love with it the moment I saw her. Do you remember how much fun it was as a child to make wishes with dandelions?? Sometimes as an adult, I think we lose sight of these simple joys.

I printed Maya Making Wishes on Neenah cardstock and coloured her with Copic markers. I used a lot of the colourless blender on her wings, and on the background. Her pretty wings were given a generous coat of Star Dust Stickles (probably my favourite!), as was the little dandelion.


Skin: E13, E21, E25, E29, E50 Dress: B000, B00, B02, B93, B95, B97 Wings: B000, B60, BG10, BG72, RV00, RV10 Hair: Black (100?), C7, C5, C3, B60

I used some of my favourite embellishments on this card: StarDust Stickles, machine stitching, Prima roses (which were also Stickled-up!), self adhesive pearls, crocheted trim and a metal word charm. This charm was absolutely perfect for this image...I knew I was holding on to it for something special!

The ladies of Crissy's Crew have outdone themselves once again with this challenge! Hop on over to Sundays With Crissy to have a look at the gorgeous projects they made. You will also be able to see a picture of this month's prize package! Crissy has introduced our very first Sundays With Crissy sponsor...LSL Diversified! This is a great online store based out of Ontario, Canada with a great selection of products at fantastic prices! To be eligible, you need to make a project for the challenge and it MUST include one of Crissy's digital images. You can find them at Whimsy Stamps, Squigglefly Stamps and Wags 'n Whiskers Stamps. So get busy embellishing and then link your project up...we can't wait to see it!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: "Maya Making Wishes" from Whimsy Stamps

Paper: Neenah, KaiserCraft, Bazzill

Ink: Copic markers

Embellishments: Machine stitching, Star Dust Stickles, self adhesive pearls, crocheted trim, ribbon, metal charm, Prima roses

Tools: Spellbinders

A DT Call and A Special RAK

Hi folks! Hope your week is going smoothly. I don't have a card to show you today, but thought I'd update you on a couple of items that just may pique your interest. (It's a bit of a long post with lots of details to read, so please grab a coffee or tea and get comfy!!)

1. One of my DT sisters at Sunday's With Crissy has a very special request that I hope you will consider participating in. Lisa has shared with us that her sister Jayme has been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. Lisa would really like us to help put a smile on Jayme's face by sending her cards, especially with frog images as Jayme really loves frogs! Now, she is asking that these cards NOT be get-well cards...something pretty or humorous to help brighten Jayme's day would be perfect!! Lisa has a detailed post on her blog HERE with instructions...she's also got some lovely blog candy up for grabs as a thank you for participation in this RAK. Crissy Armstrong has also designed a brand new image just for Jayme.

This adorable new frog image called "Beach Baby Jayme" is available FOR FREE at Whimsy Stamps...you can download it HERE. I've always felt that handmade cards are a beautiful ministry...the time and love you put into your cards can mean so much to the recipient. Won't you please help us send some smiles along to Jayme? (I'll post mine on my blog here as soon as I'm done!)

2. The Town Scrapper is having a DT call!!! This is a fantastic store in beautiful Petrolia, Ontario. Here are the details:

We are a growing Canadian stamp company carrying many popular stamp lines, (including Magnolia, CC Designs, Magnolia, My Favorite Things, Motivet, Whiff of Joy, Wags 'n Whiskers, CC Designs, The Greeting Farm, Kraftin' Kimmie, Hanna, Scrapmagasinet) along with our very own line of rubber stamps, illustrated by Victoria Case, and a challenge blog! We are looking for Senior Design Team members, who have a passion for paper crafts, and rubber stamps! Your coloring of stamped images should be your strength - whether it's with Copics, watercolor, or any other medium. Previous Design Team experience is not necessary, but would be an asset. We welcome international applicants. You should have an active blog (post at least 3 times per week).

We will be taking submissions starting immediately, until all positions are filled (so, the sooner you apply, the better your chances!). We are currently expanding our design team. So, if you are ready to become a part of a growing stamping and paper crafts company, we want to hear from you!

As a senior member of our Design Team, you will be asked to:

• Create 4 projects a month (using stamps carried by The Town Scrapper), by participating in weekly blog challenges, and provide high-quality digital images of these projects to our Blog Managers. You may be asked to work with digital images.


• Mail two of your cards/month to Phebe at the Town Scrapper, in Petrolia, Ontario,
  Canada


• Contribute a minimum of one (papercraft) tutorial (with photos and detailed
  instructions) during your six month term, and one "tip or trick" per month


• Participate in Blog Hops, to promote release of new stamps, approximately every
  2-3 months.


• On a weekly basis, help promote/advertise The Town Scrapper on your personal blog
  and to any message boards where appropriate.


• Provide quality scans/photographs of all projects as well as posting any related
  tips/tricks


• Have an active blog presence on your own personal blog (posts at least 3 times
  per week)


• Commit to a 6-month term beginning immediately

To apply, please send the following information to Kim, Design Team Co-Ordinator at: love_10s@hotmail.com

--Link to your online gallery and blog
--Provide full contact information - name, phone number, email address, and location
--Submit a short paragraph or two of why you want to be one of our designers
--List your current DT/designer/site commitment(s)

As a Senior Design Team member for The Town Scrapper, you will receive:

 25% discount off the regular price of anything purchased from The Town Scrapper
 50% off one item per month
 One free rubber stamp per month
 The experience of working with one of the best stamp companies in the world! ;)
We look forward to seeing your beautiful creations. Good luck!!

Whew!! Did you make it all the way to the end of this post?! So sorry I didn't have any projects to share today, but if you have a bit of time to spare over the next few days, I have several posts planned! Tomorrow I'm hoping to share a card I made with a Popcorn the Bear image, Friday is a double post day with challenges for The Town Scrapper and Wags 'n Whiskers and Saturday is always Kraftin' Kimmie day here on my blog! I also hope to be posting my card for dear Jayme very soon!

Have a blessed day friends!

Melanie

Layer it Up at Sundays With Crissy!!

Good afternoon stampers! I hope your weekend has been peaceful and relaxing. It's time for another new challenge at Sundays With Crissy!! Crissy posts a new challenge every two weeks and has a fantastic prize give away for a lucky participant at the end of every month. Remember that to be eligible, you MUST use one of Crissy Armstrong's digital images. Want to know what Crissy is giving away this month?? It's one of my all-time favourite Spellbinders sets...Fancy Tags!! If you do not already have any of Crissy's digital images, you can buy them here

• Squigglefly
• Whimsy
• Wags 'n Whiskers

Ok, the challenge for the next two weeks is "Layers"!! I chose to work with the digital stamp "Thinking of You" available at Wags 'n Whiskers. I though it would be fun to do something other than a card this week. This little wooden box from the dollar store is just the perfect size to hold a small journal and some mini glitter gel pens (also dollar store finds)...just perfect for a little girl to record some of her thoughts and dreams! How many of you kept diaries as kids? I guess some of us still do, although "journal" sounds a bit more grown up! All the design paper on this project is from K&Company. I cut several layers of paper with various Spellbinders and then pop-dotted the image for some added dimension. I also added some layered Prima flowers.

After printing "Thinking of You" on Neenah, I coloured it with my Copic markers. I also printed off just a portion of the image on K&Company paper so I could paper piece her shirt. I love how this technique allows the clothing to be patterned! After gluing the piece in place, I added some shading with my Copics so that it would not look too flat. Thought I'd try my hand at shading over my Copics with some pencil crayons blended out with OMS...I only did this on her pants. I have a limited supply of Prismas, but I really love the soft blending some artists achieve with them. The little kitty was shaded further with some Conte crayons and a blending stump.

Here's a peek inside the box. I also included a little pocket inside to hold some stickers, or perhaps even some stamps for sending off letters to a loved one. My daughter has already called dibs on this! I was hoping to stash it away so that I could surprise her with it, but she spied it while my hubby was photographing it. Actually, she probably would have seen it anyway...do you know what she told me she did the other day?? She "googled" me at school to show her friends that I'm on the Internet!! lol Apparently the kids were all looking in on my blog! Guess I should give a shout out to all Ainsleigh's friends....HI KIDS!!

You will be absolutely blown away by what the rest of Crissy's Crew has created this week! Have I mentioned how blessed I feel to be a part of this talented design team?? Grab yourself a cup of coffee or tea, and hop on over to Sundays With Crissy to see their lovely projects.

Remember, you have two full weeks to complete a layered project for our challenge. When your project is complete, make sure to link it up to Sundays With Crissy so that your name will be in this month's prize draw...just make sure to use one of Crissy's many digital images!

Have a blessed Sunday,

Melanie

Digital Stamp: "Thinking of You" by Crissy Armstrong available at Wags 'n Whiskers Stamps

Ink: Copic markers, Distress Inks

Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, K&Company

Embellishments: Prima flowers, dollar store trim and pearls, American Crafts ribbon (for pens)

Tools: Spellbinders

Extras: Journal and pens from the dollar store

Guess What???

Ooohh, I've been so excited to share this news with you!! I'm a member of Crissy Armstong's brand new DT, "Crissy's Crew"!!! (If you are a regular here then you may remember that a couple of weeks ago I had the privilege of being a guest designer on Crissy's new challenge blog, Sundays With Crissy.) Crissy has put together an amazingly talented group of ladies for Crissy's Crew. I feel so very honoured to be a part of this team and to work alongside these sweet ladies....be prepared for some jaw-dropping gorgeous creations from them!! I want to thank Crissy for this amazing opportunity! The members of Crissy's Crew are:

Crissy Armstrong

Debbie Eastman

Jodi-Ann Lee

Lisa Cook

Maria Cossa-Rossi

Mary Giemza

Melanie Holtz (c'est moi!!)

Patricia Garcia

Sarah Litterick

Zoe McGrath

Crissy Armstrong is a well-known and very talented artist in the stamping community. She is currently designing digital stamps for Squigglefly and Whimsy Stamps. Wags 'n Whiskers has just recently released some of the images she illustrated for them as digital stamps too. If you have not tried using digital images yet, then I urge you to jump right in! There are so many advantages to digital stamps...ie. shopping from home, no need for bulky storage and fantastic prices. My favourite aspect of digital stamps is their versatility! You can flip them and resize them to suit your project! How many times has an image been too big or too small for your needs??

A brand new challenge will be posted at Sundays With Crissy every two weeks, and a fantastic prize will be awarded to one randomly drawn participant at the end of each month. To be eligible for the prize, you MUST use one of Crissy's digital images available from Squigglefly, Whimsy or Wags 'n Whiskers.

Crissy's challenge this week is "Favourite Things". There are so many ways to interpret this challenge! You could use your favourite papers, image, embellishment, layout...the possibilities are limited only to your imagination!

I have used one of Crissy's brand new images released this week for Whimsy Stamps. This is "Gracie's Roses". Isn't she absolutely gorgeous? I fell in love with her as soon as Crissy showed her to us! I used some new-to-me papers from K&Company. My "favourite" paper changes from day to day, but I'm really loving the colours in this collection. (blues, greens and teals are some of my all-time faves!) I just bought some of these beautiful new roses by Prima, which are now included in my "favourites". I'm also a big bargain shopper, so I keep my eyes open for dollar store treasures! Can you spot them here? Both the pearls and the crochet trim were $1 items...love them. Hmmm...other favourites on this project?? Spellbinders and machine stitching! As you can see, I really went to town with this challenge topic!


"Gracie" was printed on Neenah and coloured with my Copics...which of course, are my favourite colouring medium (I also "flipped" the image before printing). I love all the folds in her pretty dress. Her features are just so delicate. This image was an absolute joy to colour...then again, all of Crissy's image are! I also tried out a new-to-me product called Smooch Illuminate. I brushed it over Gracie's skirt to try and make it look like an iridescent tulle. Unfortunately, it's tricky to capture the shimmer in a photograph. I used some Distress Inks in Antique Linen and Bundled Sage to sponge on the edges of the paper. I also toned down the white roses by touching them with a little Antique Linen. What would I do without Distress Inks?? (you're probably getting tired of hearing me say "favourite", huh?? lol)

Time for you visit the rest of Crissy's Crew over at Sundays With Crissy to see what gorgeous projects they have made for you! Remember, you will have two weeks to complete your project and link it up at Sundays With Crissy! If you do not already own some of Crissy's lovely images then you can hop on over to Squigglefly, Whimsy or Wags 'n Whiskers to go shopping!

Before you go, I would like to wish you all a Happy Mother's Day!!

Blessings friends!

Melanie

Stamps: Crissy Armstrong's "Gracie's Roses" available at Whimsy Stamps

Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, K&Company Wild Raspberry

Ink: Copic markers, Distress Inks

Embellishments: Prima Fairy Tale roses, Dollar store crochet trim and pearls, machine stitching

Tools: Spellbinders