Sneak Peeks of Kraftin' Kimmie's January Release!!

Have you played along with the Kraftin' Kimmie Challenge for this week yet?? You still have today to get your submission in before the winner is announced tomorrow...so grab a Kraftin' Kimmie image (which is a new rule this year to be eligible for the prize!), get paper-piecing and enter in for a chance to win!!

Now, some of the Krafty Girls used a few of the new images for the upcoming January 10, 2010 release for the challenge last week!! Did you see them?? I used one of new images by Crissy Armstrong for my first guest DT project...you can find that post here. You can still see the Krafty Girl's examples on the Challenge Blog.

You might have also caught a peek over at Cute Card Thursday this week (including my card here today!!), as Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps is the sponsor!

Today we are bringing you more SNEAK PEEKS!! So grab a cup of coffee or tea (or O.J.-whatever your preference!), and join us for this fun preview. You can find a list of the Krafy Girls who have previews today over on the Kraftin' Kimmie Challenge Blog!

My card today features "Dance Recital" by Krafty Artist Jean Grant. This is a new image for the "Cindy and Mindy" line of Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps. I HAD to have this stamp, as my daughter is very passionate about ballet. She's been dancing since she was four, and is now just about to turn ten. This stamp reminds me of her first recital, where she wore a little blue tutu!

Now, I just recently saw a fabulous tutorial on making frame cards, so I had to try it out!
I'll try to find the link and add it here later, or perhaps to another post.

I stamped "Dance Recital" on Neenah cardstock and coloured with Copic markers. I really wanted their tutus to "pop", so I generously coated them with Stardust Stickles. I used a backdrop of Bo Bunny paper in the recessed area, and then pop-dotted Cindy and Mindy for extra dimension. This stamp also comes with the sentiment I used here "Dance Like No One is Watching"...I LOVE this quote!! I mounted the sentiment on a Spellbinders Fancy Tag. The flowers are all Prima Hydrangeas.

I'm hoping you can see the recessed window on this shot! I really enjoyed this technique, and have plans to use it again soon.

Are you excited for the new release?? It's only a couple of days away! On the Challenge Blog tomorrow, you may just see a few more sneak peeks, and then Sunday we are having a blog hop to showcase all the fabulous new images by Kimmie's three talented artists! So stay tuned for the details!

Before you go, I have to have a proud mommy moment. I don't usually post pictures of my family, but I wanted to let you see a couple of pictures of my daughter doing what she loves best!

The first picture is from when she was four years old (and before my hubby was a photographer, so this was taken with an old point and shoot! ). Can I hear a couple "awww's"?

This next photo is one of my favourites! My husband took this in 2008 (she was eight years old here) during her ballet studio's production of The Nutcracker. It was fantastic...we brought in two professionals from the National Ballet of Canada to play the leads. This was her "Snow Maiden" costume...which I loved on her! So beautiful! (lol...did I mention that I was in the production too?? I played the maid...a "non-dancing role"...cause believe me, nobody needs, or wants, to see me in a tutu! lol...I just got to chase "Fritz" around the stage with a hairbrush, and act frustrated!...figured you don't need to see a pic of that! haha)

Ok...I'll stop gushing now. But, again...this is one of the reasons that I really love "Dance Recital"...takes me back to Ainsleigh's "rookie" ballerina days!!

See you tomorrow morning for a new challenge! Off you go to see the sneak peeks! Remember, all the links are over at the Challenge Blog!!

Blessings

Melanie

Cute Card Thursday (Post #2 today)

Just a quick second post for today! Don't miss my first post for Sweet 'n Sassy's new Digis for today, and about our Digi Day on SNR!! Just keep scrolling for all the info and links, my friends!

Ok, did you land on my blog today courtesy of Cute Card Thursday?? Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps is the sponsor this week!!! You are probably wondering why you are not finding the card posted there, hmmm??? Well, I can explain. You see...I have a "sneak peak" planned for tomorrow of the brand new January release...as do many of the Krafty Girls!! As the theme over at CCT is "new", many of the DT are showing their cards featuring the "new" images there today! (so technically, you could get a "sneak peak of my sneak peak"...hee hee)

I PROMISE if you come back first thing tomorrow morning, I will have not only pictures posted here, but also details about my card that is up on CCT!! Hope to see you again tomorrow!!

Blessings!!!

Melanie

Valentine's Fun with Sweet 'n Sassy!

With the month January came a change to the posting schedule on the Sweet 'n Sassy Digi blog. There will be a brand new post each day by different members of our team! We will also be having two guest designers joining us each month. So, here's how it will work:

Monday: Nicole

Tuesday: Guest designer

Wednesday: Lynne

Thursday: Melanie (your's truly!!)

Friday: Micki

Saturday: Guest designer

Sunday: Spotlight Customer!

This month, our guest designers are Debi Southard (who will be posting Saturdays) and Jennifer Scull (posting on Tuesdays)! Sandy and Deedee will also be posting at different times. So, in order not to miss anything, make sure to sign up as a follower over on the Digi Blog!!

So, on to my card for this week! If you have been visiting Sweet 'n Sassy on a regular basis, you will already know that every Thursday, new digis are released! The new digis for today are "A Note for You" and "All My Heart". Both these images have accompanying sentiments. However, the sentiments used on both the front and the inside of this card are from "Valentine's Sentiments".

The image on the front of my card is from "All My Heart". This heart is so pretty with the flowers and wings. As always, I coloured the digital image with Copic markers. The wings were given a coat of Stardust Stickles, and I adhered little rhinestones in the centre of each flower.

I rarely remember to decorate the inside of my cards, however I wanted to include this adorable koala bear on my project! This Digi Stamp is called "A Note for You". He too was coloured with Copic markers. The little heart gems I used on this card were a bargain find at my local dollar store!!

It's time to get a jump start on your Valentine's cards stampers! Head on over to the Sweet 'n Sassy store to order some of the great digis available...you can be colouring in a matter of minutes!

Today, Sweet 'n Sassy is also hosting a Digi Day on SNR. There will be a challenge, chatting, and prizes! Just for playing along with the challenge, you will receive the Digi Stamp "Sweet as Hunny" . Also, there will be an "earlybird" image called "Blowing Kisses Teddy", and this image is not yet available for purchase!! Don't miss out on the fun!

Have a wonderful day!

Melanie

My Third and Final Secret!!

Wow, this week has just been a whirlwind! I hope your new year is off to a fantastic start! Today, I finally get to share with you a secret I have been keeping since September...can you believe that??!! I was asked to be one one of the guest designers for this term at High Hopes Stamps!! If you have been a visitor to my blog before, you will know that I have posted several cards with their images...I just love them!

The team at High Hopes is back up and running this week with a brand new challenge, and it's a sketch brought to us by the talented Nikki! I do love sketches, as I tend to labour over layouts. I chose to "Elmer Elephant"...I love this guy, and just acquired him about a month or two ago. With all the Christmas card-making going on at my house, poor Elmer had sat uninked...so sad. So, I decided to make a Valentine's Day card with him! Have you ever noticed that Valentine's cards often feature puns...often pretty corny puns?? lol Well, this one is no exception! I couldn't help myself. I also had this cute "Bag of Peanuts" stamp from High Hopes, so I did up a sentiment on my computer to go with the card. Corny?...yes. Cute?....I think so?!!

Elmer was stamped on Neenah and coloured with Copics (do I EVER colour with anything else?? lol). I was able to use some of my new colours I got for Christmas (woo hoo!). I experimented with some warm grays, and was really happy with how he turned out. I also added in some blue-violets for shading. I've noticed a lot of card artists list the colours they use...perhaps I should do that sometime. I never seem to remember to record them though!

I hope you take some time to hop on over to High Hopes to play along in the challenge! There is always a fantastic prize up for grabs...but, you do have to use a High Hopes image!! If you do not own any High Hopes stamps yet, there is a link for a list of retailers on the blog.

I just want to say a big thank-you to Nikki and the High Hopes team for having me as a guest designer! I feel so very blessed to have the opportunity to be a part of such a talented team!

Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: High Hopes "Elmer Elephant" and "Bag of Peanuts"

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics

Paper: Neenah, Bo Bunny, SU cardstock

Tools: Spellbinders, sewing machine

Embellishments: Buttons and ribbon from my stash!

Kraftin Kimmie Stamps, Challenge # 11: Piece it Together!

Good morning stampers!! If you saw my post yesterday, you will know that I have been given the privilege of being one of the Kraftin' Kimmie Guest Designers!! I am so excited about this opportunity, and have been anxious to get started! We are starting the New Year off with a brand new challenge brought to us by the talented Michele...Piece it Together!! Yup, get out your scissors or craft knifes, because we are paper-piecing!

You are in for a treat today, because some of the design team members are using brand new images from the upcoming January Release!!! The official release will be January 10, 2010. The Krafty Girls will begin posting sneak peaks beginning on Friday this week...so keep your eyes on the blogs!Oh my goodness, I'm telling you that you are going to love the new images!! You will find pictures of the DT's projects for this week on the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Challenge Blog, but make sure to stop by each of the Krafty Girl's personal blogs too...what a talented bunch of ladies!!

For my first card as a Krafty Girl Guest, I used one of the images from the new release!! This beautiful stamp is called Flower Fairy, and was drawn by none other than Crissy Armstrong!! I just adore how delicate the features on this fairy are...so pretty! I paired this image up with papers from the Basic Gray Porcelain collection and Bazzill Bling cardstock. I also used Labels 8 and Fancy Tags from Spellbinders. All the edges were inked with dark green. To finish it off, I added some machine stitching and rhinestones.



As always, I stamped the image on Neenah cardstock, and coloured with Copic markers. The pink and yellow segments on the fairy's wings are paper-pieced with Basic Gray Porcelain papers. I also used a piece of pink mottled paper from that collection to paper-piece the flower petals. However, I felt it looked a little "flat", so I used a combination of pink Copic markers to add depth by shading the petals. Now, you can't have a fairy without a little sparkle, so out came the Frosted Lace Stickles for her wings.

Ok...time to hop on over to the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Challenge Blog to play along! Take note though! There will be one new rule starting today for the challenges. Anybody is welcome to play along! However, only those entries featuring a Kraftin' Kimmie image will be eligible to win the weekly prize. If you don't already own some of these great stamps, you can find them here!

We can't wait to see what you piece together!

Melanie

SECRET #2 REVEALED!!! (post #2 for today!)

Have I had you all sitting on the edge of your seats, biting your nail in anticipation of my big announcements?? Oh, I have been keeping them quiet for so long...but I do not have to be quiet anymore, or at least about this one! I will reveal my 3rd and final secret later...perhaps today...but definitely by Sunday! So keep checking back in!

Are you ready??!! I have been given the privilege of being one of the guest designer for Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps!!! Oh, you cannot believe how very excited I have been about this! I adore the images from Kimmie's company, and she has an amazingly talented group of Krafty Girls who help her showcase these fantastic stamps! She also has a team of three very gifted artists who bring such wonderful characters to life! I want to take this chance to say a great big THANK YOU to Kimmie for this opportunity! I cannot wait for this term to begin!

The card I am posting was part of my submission to Kimmie's guest designer call. I chose to use Charlotte. I fell in love with this image as soon as I saw her! I just adore her quirkiness! Now, you have to remember that this was well before Christmas...hence the Christmas paper!! lol Charlotte was stamped on Neenah and coloured with Copic markers. I used Basic Gray Wassail papers, and stitched around the edges of the layers. I used some of my dollar store ribbon, and a charm I picked up from Michael's. I matted Charlotte on some Labels cut from my Nesties, and used a touch of Stickles on her dress.

You know, I have a funny story about this card...and a lesson to pass on to all of you! It is said that a wise person learns from his mistakes, but the wisest person learns from other's mistakes! lol I had just finished colouring Charlotte, and moved on to another image I had stamped on the same page. This was my first mistake...I SHOULD have cut her out and put her safely aside. I did not. My second error would be colouring with about five or six markers in my hand. Sigh. Yes, when I get colouring, I layer and shade a lot. I am too lazy to put the markers down, so I keep a mitt-full of them right in my inky hand. This had never posed a problem...before that fateful day! (ok...that was a little melodramatic! hee hee) I dropped one of my red Copic markers...right on Charlotte's eye! Oh, the horror! I had spent so long on this image! So I went to work immediately with my colourless blender, to no avail. Charlotte now had a nasty case of pink eye. Not attractive...at all. (I should have taken a picture, but was too appalled at myself to see the humour at that time!) As I was sitting sulking over my pink-eyed girl, a stroke of genius struck! Well, ok...maybe not genius, but let me have my moment!! I decided to paper piece Charlotte's face. So I stamped up her cute little face, coloured it in, AGAIN, and stuck it on there! Voila! So there...even when all hope is lost, you can still salvage an image! lol

Hope you enjoyed my announcement! I am just ridiculously happy about it! The first challenge of 2010 will be up on the Kraftin' Kimmie Challenge Blog tomorrow! You will not want to miss out, as you may just a get a little sneak peak at the upcoming release! (and trust me, you are going to love it!!) The Krafty Girls have some beautiful examples for the challenge. Hope to see you there!

Blessing to all of you in 2010!

Melanie

Humble Pie Challenge: Classic Black & White (plus an accent colour!)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! 2010...can you believe it?? Why is it the older you get, the faster time flies by? lol I would like to take this chance to wish you all the very best in the new year!

Well, to start the new year off, we have a brand new challenge over at Humble Pie. This week, we are putting forth a colour challenge...black, white and ONE accent colour. Now, I have to admit that I didn't have much in the way of black and white paper, which kind of surprised me, as I love black and white cards! What a shame...I had to go out shopping for some! lol I found this fabulous Daisy Bucket paper. Actually, I picked up several different patterns. I also got a chance to break out my brand-spankin'-new oval Nesties for the focal image! I used my Labels 8 to make a shaped card. I chose to use Flower Maggie as the image for my card. I was inspired by all those pictures of kids in black and white, where only a bit of the image is highlighted with a colour. So, I used a red Copic marker to colour just the flower...and to add a touch of colour to her cheeks. The ribbon is recycled from a Christmas present.

I hope you get a chance to play along over at Humble Pie this week! Hop on over there to see the winner from the last challenge, and to see the examples from the rest of the Bakers! Remember, if you are on the hunt for some Humble Pie images, you will only find them at The Town Scrapper. Give Phebe a call, or send her an email for more info!

Hope to see you back soon stampers! Remember, I still have SECRETS to reveal!!

Blessings,

Melanie