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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Blessings,

Melanie

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

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers

Paper: Bazzill, DCWV

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1. Challenge blog
2. Vicki
3. Jeanne

4. Michele

5. Melanie and Ainsleigh
6. Diana
7. Donna

8. Tara
9. Andrea and Jaime
10. Elaine

11. Kimmie

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

Blessings,

Melanie and Ainsleigh

Melanie's Card:

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

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers

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

Embellishments: Stickles

Ainsleigh's Card:

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

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers

Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, Doodle Bug

Embellishments: Prima Flowers, WRMK brads

Tools: Spellbinders

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Blessings,

Melanie

Melanie's Card

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Marie Antoinette"

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers

Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, Basic Grey, Daisy Buckets

Embellishments: Black satin ribbon, Dollar store rhinestones

Tools: Spellbinders, Bow Easy

Ainsleigh's Card

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

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

Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, Imaginesce

Embellishments: White Satin Ribbon

Tools: Spellbinders, Cuttlebug embossing folder

Card With a Purpose

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


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


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

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


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

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

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

Blessings,

Melanie

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

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

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

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


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



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





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

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

(just two more sleeps until release day!!)

Blessings,

Melanie

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

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

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

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






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

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

Blessings,

Melanie

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

Kick Up Your Heels!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Melanie

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

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

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

Embellishments: Spare Parts brads, dollar store crochet trim

Tools: Martha Stewart Border Punch, Spellbinders Flower Creations