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

A Festive Blog Hop at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps!

Woo Hoo...it's RELEASE DAY at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps!!! This month's brand new stamps feature six characters by artist Annie Rodrigue (each one comes with an accessory stamp and a coordinating sentiment) and five new images from artist Steven Leary featuring Miles the mouse and his furry friends. All the new stamps this month are holiday themed...perfect for getting a jump start on your Christmas crafting this year. You will be able to see all these fantastic festive stamps on our blog hop today!! Just wait until you see all the amazing holiday projects by the Krafty Girls, Krafty Guests and our wonderful Junior Krafty Girls...they are sure to inspire you!

The hop begins over on the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog, where you will find the list of blogs on the hop today. While you are hopping, make sure to leave a comment on each and every stop, and you just may be one of the very lucky winners of some brand new October stamps!

Now, you should have arrived here after visiting our very lovely Krafty Guest Angie. If not, then just start over at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog, and follow along the hop until you end up back here.

My card today features one of Annie's new Christmas characters...this is "Noelle". I just love her candy cane dress! I used some great Bo Bunny Christmas papers, and pulled the colours for her dress from there. The bows and trim on Noelle's dress were coated with Stardust Stickles. My card base is 6x6, so you can see that Noelle is quite a large stamp. "Sweet Holiday Wishes" is the sentiment that comes with Noelle...you will also receive a candy cane accessory stamp with her. I kept the layout clean and simple on this card as I didn't want to cover up that gorgeous paper. I finished it up with some machine stitching, crocheted trim and pearls from the dollar store.

Noelle was stamped on Neenah smooth cardstock with Memento Ink and coloured with Copic markers.

Copics: Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20 Hair: E50, E31, E33, E37, E59 Clothes: V00, V01, V12, V15, V09, BG000, BG10, BG11, BG72, BG75, B99

My daughter and Junior Krafty Girl Ainsleigh has also created a card for the blog hop today! She decided to work with her favourite stamp from the October release, "Christmas Clara". She picked out some pretty Christmas paper that I've had in my stash for quite some time. Ainsleigh used my Copic markers to colour Clara and her Nutcracker. She also used the sentiment that comes with another new October stamp, Merry.

Great job sweetie...I'm loving the multi-coloured highlights in her hair!

It's time for me to send you off to visit another of our very talented Krafty Guests this month, Pam!! I know you will love what she has to show you today.

When you are done the hop, make sure to pop on over to the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Online Store because all the new holiday images are now available!! Oh, and we know you've all been loving the Gimmie Kimmie's Kits, so they are available again this month! If you want to pick up all the new images as a package at a discounted price, just click on the Gimmie Kimmie's option! How's that for easy shopping?!

Have fun hopping stampers!

Blessings,

Melanie

Melanie's Card:

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Noelle" and coordinating sentiment

Paper: Neenah, Bo Bunny, Bazzill

Ink: Memento, Copics

Embellishments: Stitching, Pearls, crocheted trim, Stickles

Ainsleigh's Card:

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Christmas Clara" and sentiment from "Merry"

Paper: Neenah, Bazzill (not sure what company the DP is from)

Embellishments: Dollar store wooden shapes, Smooch Illuminate

A Little Christmas "Joy"...Day 3 of the Kraftin' Kimmie Previews!!

Happy Monday everybody!!! I know you're all bright-eyed, chipper and ready to start of another work week...right??? lol

While we may not all be super excited about heading off to work this morning, we do have a little somethin' that will put a smile on your face...how about some more sneak peeks of the brand new October Kraftin' Kimmie stamps?

This is "Virginia" and she will be available for purchase at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps tomorrow! She is one of six new Christmas characters by artist Annie Rodrigue. What a cutie-patootie...and look at all those presents she's carrying! I used some Christmas paper by My Mind's Eye on this card...I also used it to paper-piece the wrapping paper. The "JOY" sentiment comes with Virginia. (You'll also get a stocking accessory stamp!)

Virginia was stamped on Neenah cardstock and coloured with Copic markers...except the presents, which were paper-pieced.

Copics: Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20 Hair: E50, Y21, Y23, Y17, E31, E33, E37, E59 Dress: R22, R27, R46, R59, G20, G21, G82, G85, G99

Make sure to check out today's sneak peeks by the rest of the Krafty Girls and Krafty Guests...you'll find links to their blogs at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog.

One more sleep until Release Day!!! Make sure to join us tomorrow for the blog hop, prizes and some Krafty Shopping at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Online Store!!!

Thanks so much for stopping by today friends. I also wanted to express my heartfelt thanks for all the sweet comments left. You all just brighten my day, and I appreciate you so much!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Virginia" and coordinating sentiment

Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, MME

Ink: Memento, Copics

Embellishments: Stitching, ribbon, pearls, jewelry spacer, foam squares, Stickles

October Kraftin' Kimmie Previews...Round Two!!

Good morning folks! I'm planning to kick back and take it easy today...gotta recover from Scrapfest, lol!! What a fantastic event. I spent both days "working" (more like "playing"!!) at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps booth along with Kimmie, her hubby Al, her daughter Emileigh and some fabulous Krafty friends Krista, Vicki and Tara. We were busy hosting make and takes on Friday, and doing colouring demos on Saturday while Kimmie's stamps were flying off the racks...even Al and Emileigh got in on the colouring fun! We had an absolute blast, and were thrilled to meet everybody who came out to the event. Not only did we see some familiar faces, but we met so many new people! We were also able to meet up with some friends who we had only known "online"...it's always so nice to be able to meet in person! Thanks so much for making Kraftin' Kimmie's very first experience at Scrapfest such a wonderful success!

We're also gearing up for the October release this Tuesday! The sneak peeks started yesterday during our weekly challenge. We have another round of previews to bring you today. Make sure to pop over to the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog for links to all the Krafty Girls and Krafty Guests who have sneak peeks to show you today.

This gent is "Nick" one of six brand new stamps by Krafty artist Annie Rodrigue. I'm loving his super cool pose...and how he's just waiting for some lovely gal to join him under the mistletoe! I used some great Christmas papers from My Mind's Eye on this clean and simple card. The sentiment seen here actually comes with one of our other new October stamps (Christmas Clara...I used her on my card yesterday).

Nick was stamped on Neenah smooth cardstock with Memento ink and coloured with Copic markers.

Copics: Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20 Hair: E50, E31, E33, E37, E59 Pants: E50, E41, E42, E43, E47 Shoes: C9, C7, C5 Jacket: C9, C7, C5, C3 Shirt: R22, R27, R46, R59 Tie: G20, G82, G85

We will have one more round of sneak peeks to show you tomorrow...as always, you will find a list of the sneak peeks on the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog. The official release day is Tuesday...and we will be having our usual release day blog hop to celebrate!!

Thanks so much for stopping by friends! I hope you enjoy today's sneak peeks, and I hope to see you back tomorrow!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Nick", sentiment from "Christmas Clara"

Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, MME

Ink: Memento, Copics

Non-traditional Christmas Colours!! (oh, and how about a sneak peek??!!)

Good morning stampers! I've got my post for today scheduled as I'm currently at Scrapfest with Kimmie, her hubby Al, her daughter Emileigh and some of the other Krafty Girls (Krista, Vicki and Tara)!! If you're attending, make sure to stop by the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps booth to say hello and to do some Krafty shopping!

We've got a great challenge today at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog... "Non-traditional Christmas Colours"! So, resist the urge to reach for your red and green supplies, and let's get creative using something unexpected!

As an extra treat, the Krafty Girls have all used stamps from the upcoming October release!! We all fell in love with these stamps as soon as Kimmie showed them to us, and we've had a great time creating with them! The official release day is set for this Tuesday, October 19th, and we'll of course be having a Blog Hop that day to celebrate! In the meantime, you will be able to see sneak peeks each day by the Krafty Girls and Krafty Guests leading up to the release...just make sure to check out the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog for a list of all the participants in the previews each day!

For my card today, I used the adorable "Christmas Clara" by artist Annie Rodrigue. I was thrilled to see this stamp, as The Nutcracker Ballet holds a special spot in my heart. For two years, my daughter Ainsleigh performed in a local production of the ballet. Both those years, intense rehearsals began in August. It was such a high quality production...we even had two professional dancers from the National Ballet of Canada come to dance the roles of the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Cavalier. What a fantastic opportunity for our girls to meet and dance with professionals. Actually, I got to play the role of the maid during Ainsleigh's second year. It was so much fun! Now, Ainsleigh did not actually play the role of Clara, but one of the roles she played both years was a "party girl"...all dolled up in a Victorian gown, with lots of ringlets in her hair (well, that was really courtesy of a hair piece worn over her bun, lol) and beautiful bows. So, my heart melts just a little when I look at this stamp!

Ok, back to the card! Christmas Clara was stamped with Memento Ink on Neenah smooth cardstock and then coloured with Copic markers. These gorgeous papers are from Bo Bunny...definitely not "traditional" Christmas colours. Ok, well, there is green on them, but not the same dark shade of green that we usually think of at Christmas. I love these papers...think I'm going to buy a few more sheets! I used a Martha Stewart border punch on the white layer, just to add a little visual interest. The bow was tied with my Bow-Easy and I of course had to add some Stardust Stickles to the Nutcracker's attire. The sentiment I used comes with Christmas Clara, and I think it's just perfect for her.

Copics: Skin: E0000, E000, E00, E11, R20 Hair: E31, E33, E35, E37, E50, E59 Dress: BG000, BG10, BG11, BG72, BG75, BG99 Nutcracker: YG00, YG11, YG67, YG99, RV000, V01, V12, V09, E50, E41, E42, E43 (the colours for the Nutcracker are from memory as I forgot to record them, so chances are I left a few out...sorry about that)

We'd love to have you join in with our Non-Traditional Christmas Colours Challenge this week...just make sure to use a Kraftin' Kimmie Stamp on your project (find them HERE) and you just may be the lucky winner of one of the fabulous brand new October stamps! For some great inspiration, head on over to the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog to check out the fabulous projects by the Krafty Girls and Krafty Guests...you can also link up your entry there.

Don't forget to visit the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog over the next few days to see more sneak peeks...and the official release day is Tuesday!! You know what that means, right?? Blog hop time!

Have a wonderful day stampers!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Christmas Clara"

Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, Bo Bunny

Ink: Memento, Copic markers

Embellishments: Martha Stewart Punch, Stardust Stickles, ribbon

Calling All Kraftin' Kimmie Fans...Who's Going To Scrapfest???

Good morning friends!! Do you have plans this Friday and Saturday?? If not, then I think a road trip may be in order...rally up your friends, and come on out to Scrapfest in Oshawa, Ontario! I've attended before as a "shopper", but this time I'm going to help out at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Booth along with Kimmie, her family and some of my fellow Krafty Girls! Kimmie has all sorts of fun and surprises in store for all the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps fans, so don't miss out! Here's what Kimmie posted about Scrapfest:

We're totally stoked at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps because this weekend is Scrapfest in Oshawa!! This will be our very FIRST consumer craft show and we can't wait!!

We've been working like busy little beavers to prepare for this busy weekend....cutting and packaging and stamping!! And we have a SUPER exciting surprise for all the Scrapfest attendees! Wanna know what it is??? Well, as you probably know, if you are a KKStamps fan, we usually have a new release each month. And our October stamps haven't been released yet.....well, we just HAPPEN to have them all packaged up and ready to bring to Scrapfest to release THIS WEEKEND!!! Yep, yep!! Scrapfest attendees can purchase the soon to be released October Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps!!!

Our October release images are ready to help you make all those Christmas cards and holiday projects!! There are FIVE new adorable stamps from Steven Leary, featuring Miles and Mouse and all his friends! They are having some winter fun!! And of course we have SIX fantastic new Christmas themed stamps from Annie Rodrigue, each one comes with a bonus accessory stamp AND sentiment!! Can't beat that! And if you're going to be at Scrapfest, you get the first opportunity to get your inky little fingers on them. They aren't going to be released anywhere else until next Tuesday, October 19th!!! Heehee!

We've got a cute little tag for our make and take featuring a couple of the new Miles the Mouse stamps, so stop by and make one! You'll get to colour with some of the Krafty Girls from our amazing design team! You'll get to meet Tara Godfrey, Melanie Holtz, Krista Van Tol and Vicki Garrett!

Now just a reminder, this will be a CASH ONLY event for us, so be sure to stop at a bank machine on your way over. We've got lots of new goodies for you to see, plus you can pick up lots of other fun stamps from our previous releases to add to your collection! We'll have lots of past themes including: Halloween, Pinup Girls, Fairytales, Mermaids etc.....all ready to help you make fun cards and scrapbook pages!!

OH! And we'll also have our new Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps TOTE BAGS!! Have you seen them yet?? Super stylish and sturdy....perfect for carrying all your purchases!

Okay, it's back to work for us! We've got lots to do to get ready.....be sure to come see us at Booth #425 on Friday and Saturday!! We'll be at Durham College in Oshawa in the Campus Recreation and Wellness Centre! See you there!!

Sooo?? Are you coming? Remember, Kimmie's booth will be CASH ONLY, so make sure to stash some $$$ in your wallet...I'm such a "debit" gal, that I don't always remember to stop by the ATM, lol. Don't miss out on your chance to buy the new October stamps before the official release...I've already been busy creating with them, and I know you will love them! I am excited to have another chance to hang out with the Kraftin' Kimmie team...actually, this will be the first time I've ever met Tara and Vicki in person!!

If you're planning to come, let me know by leaving a comment...we cannot wait to meet you all!!

Blessings,

Melanie

A Little Monday Morning Pixie

Good morning stampers! I hope you've all had a fantastic weekend...we enjoyed one Thanksgiving dinner with my side of the family last night, and we've got another dinner planned tonight with Dean's family. (I'm thinking elastic pants might be in order, lol) We're also heading out to the Brigden Fair today. Ainsleigh has a Highland Dancing demonstration, and then we'll be hitting the midway, barns and exhibits.

We've got another Showcase Monday for you today at The Town Scrapper Blog. I decided to pull out one of my cute Swiss Pixies this week...this is "Heidi". The Town Scrapper has a great selection of CC Designs Stamps. The pretty green paper is from Pink Paislee. The floral paper is from October Afternoon (so is the red polka-dotted paper used on her dress). The paper edges were all sponged with Bundled Sage Distress Ink. All of the above product lines as well as the cute little charm are available at The Town Scrapper.

Heidi was stamped on Neenah smooth cardstock and coloured with Copic markers. I paper-pieced her dress with some October Afternoon paper. Don't forget to add shading to your paper-pieced areas so they don't appear flat. I also added some Stardust Stickles to her wings.

Copics: Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20 Hair: E50, Y21, Y23, Y17, E31, E33, E37 Shading on dress: R59, R32, R00 Boots: G20, G82, G85, G99 Wings: E41, E42, E43, E50

Make sure to check out The Town Scrapper Blog to see what my fellow Scrapettes have created today using some of the great product lines that you can find at The Town Scrapper. Don't forget about our current challenge...the theme is "Distressing". You can read the details and then link up your project on THIS post.

To plan a visit to The Town Scrapper or to place an order, Phebe can be contacted by phone at 519-882-0623 or by email at info@townscrapper.com.

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

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: CC Designs "Heidi"

Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, October Afternoon, Pink Paislee

Ink: Memento, Distress Ink, Copics

Embellisments: Metal Charm, jump rings, self adhesive pearl, jewelry spacers, assorted flowers, ribbon. Stickles