Monday, July 25, 2011

Sneak Peeks of "The Peekers"...Round Two!

So, has Peeker Fever grabbed ahold of you yet??!! "The Peekers Collection 2" is an adorable set of little girls designed exclusively for SCACD by artist Elizabeth Bell and it will be available for purchase this Friday!

To see today's sneak peek of "Mama's Purse Peeker", please stop by and visit the lovely and talented Kim! Oh, and make sure to leave a comment on her post, as you could be the lucky winner of "Mama's Purse Peeker"!

***PEEKER BLOG CANDY**** Susana will be giving away one of each Peeker stamp being previewed this week!! To be eligible, you must leave a comment on the personal blogs of the DT members who are sharing sneak peeks for that day (not on the store blog...those comments won't count!). Susana will draw the winners from those people who have left comments. Make sure to pop by the store blog Follow Your Heart each day for links to the talented ladies who are sharing the sneak peeks! All five winners will be posted on July 28, 2011 at 11:00 pm EST on the store blog Follow Your Heart.

If you missed yesterday's sneak peeks, you can still pop by to leave comments for Elaine and our lovely guest Janiel on their posts featuring "Secret Garden Peeker"!

The Peeker Collection 2 will be available for purchase this Friday at SCACD and at Quixotic Paperie for all our friends in the UK.

Blessings,

Melanie

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Let the "Peeking" Begin at SCACD!!!

Susana and the fabulous SCACD design team are really excited this week!! Why? Well, we're gearing up for another release...are you ready for another set of "The Peekers"??!! This is an adorable set of little girls designed exclusively for SCACD by artist Elizabeth Bell. When I received my stamps, I immediately fell in love with the innocence and charm of these sweet designs. :)

Each day leading up to the release this Friday July 29th, a few of the design team members will be "sneak peeking" one of The Peekers...to see who has previews to share each day, you can visit the store blog Follow Your Heart for links to their blogs.

***PEEKER BLOG CANDY**** Susana will be giving away one of each Peeker stamp being previewed this week!! To be eligible, you must leave a comment on the personal blogs of the DT members who are sharing sneak peeks for that day (not on the store blog...those comments won't count!). Susana will draw the winners from those people who have left comments. Make sure to pop by the store blog Follow Your Heart each day for links to the talented ladies who are sharing the sneak peeks! All five winners will be posted on July 28, 2011 at 11:00 pm EST on the store blog Follow Your Heart.

So, do you want to see today's sneak peek??!! Pop on over to visit with the talented Elaine Hughes and our lovely guest Janiel Corley to see the adorable Secret Garden Peeker! (and don't forget to leave comments at each of their blogs for your chance to win the stamp they've used on their gorgeous cards!)

The Peeker Collection 2 will be available for purchase this Friday at SCACD and at Quixotic Paperie for all our friends in the UK.

Let the "Peeker Fever" begin! :)

Blessings,

Melanie

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Wishing You Tranquility

Hey there my crafty friends! I hope you've all had a fantastic week. The weather here has been scorching...blech. On Thursday it was around 37 degrees Celsius, but when you factored in the humidity it felt more like 50. Seriously. That would also be the day that our air conditioner at work decided to go on the fritz. Nice. I work for a cardiologist, so our call to the repairman was placed pretty high on the priority list, but it still took until lunch time before he was able to get there...by then it was around 30 degrees in our office. I'm hoping that next week brings a little relief to this heat wave!

This week, our hostess for the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Challenge is the lovely Tara. She has designed a fabulous sketch for us to play with! Tara always creates gorgeous cards with so many pretty layers and embellishments, so I'm excited to use her sketch! (You can find a picture of her sketch over at the KKS Blog...for some reason, I couldn't get it to upload. I'm a bit technologically challenged! lol)

The stamp I used on my card today is "Akiko"....love her. :) She's so beautiful and serene. I used several papers from the MME Stella and Rose Mabel collection to complete the various layers of Tara's sketch. (SCACD is out of that specific paper pack, but Susana still has the "Hattie" and "Hazel" MME pads in stock...you can find them HERE and they are priced at only $5.99 USD!!) The "Wishing You Tranquility" sentiment comes with Akiko. For the scalloped horizontal component of the sketch, I folded over a piece of dollar store crocheted trim to create the double layer. I think the button may be from Basic Grey, but I can't say for certain as I found it laying all by it's lonesome in the bottom of my ribbon container, lol. The string is some jewelry twine I picked up at Walmart...actually it was in the kids crafts section. :) The little brown pearls are also from the dollar store. Since I did not use cardstock to mat the various paper layers, I inked up the edges with Walnut Stain Distress Ink to give them a bit of definition. Machine stitching was added for a finishing touch.


"Akiko" was stamped on Neenah cardstock with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and coloured with Copic markers. I'm not entirely thrilled with her hair...you know that saying "leave well enough alone"? Well, I didn't. lol I had been working on her hair, and had achieved some decent highlights but thought I should add just a touch more ink to create a few more "strands" of hair. That brilliant move basically resulting in mucking up the highlights...now there is very little contrast in her hair. Lesson learned??? I need to bring in the "hands off" rule! lol For shading her kimono, I used quite a bit of grey for the teal portion and a few different browns for the orange sections. I sponged around the image with Oasis Green Chalk Ink and Walnut Stain Distress Ink.



Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20 Hair: B60, C3, C5, C7, 100 Clothing: BG72, BG75, C5, C7, YR02, YR16, E08, E99, E18 Flute: Y17, E31, E35

If you play along with us this week, you could win "Tori", the stamp Tara used on her gorgeous card! (just make sure to use a Kraftin' Kimmie Stamp to be eligible for the prize) For more inspiration, please visit the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog to see what the rest of the very talented Krafty Girls have created this week!

Oh, and don't forget about the Frugal Friday Sale and July Gimmie Kimmie Kits...you can find them by clicking on the "Specials" link on the left hand side of the KKS Online Store. :)

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Akiko" and coordinating sentiment
Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, MME
Ink: Memento, Copics, Chalk Ink, Distress Ink
Embellishments: Button (Basic Grey?), Crocheted trim, twine, Machine Stitching

Friday, July 22, 2011

Frugal Fridays at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps!!

Good morning folks! Have you heard about Kraftin' Kimmie's Frugal Fridays yet?? Every Friday (except during release weeks), Kimmie selects a few stamps to put on sale for the weekend. You will have until Sunday evening to take advantage of these amazing prices...this week's Frugal Friday Stamps are priced at an incredible 40-50% off! You can find the Frugal Friday stamps in the "Specials" link at the left hand side of the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Online Store.

This week's Frugal Friday stamps are:

  • Eleanor $4.80 (40% off!)

  • Cannonball Cameron $2.00 (50% off!)

  • Lavender The Quilter $6.00 (40% off!)

  • Party Time $4.00 (50% off!)

  • Brady The Builder $2.00 (50% off!)

  • Jukebox $6.00 (40% off!)


  • The July Gimmie Kimmie's Kits are still available as well...but only for a limited time so make sure to scoop them up before they're gone!

    Happy shopping!

    Blessings,

    Melanie

    Sunday, July 17, 2011

    It's Release Day At Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps!!

    Good morning...have you all been anticipating the release of the new July Kraftin' Kimmie stamps??!! Well, the wait is over! All of the fabulous new stamps you've seen over the past several days of previews (and perhaps a few you haven't seen yet!) are now available for purchase at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Online Store!

    To celebrate, Kimmie has put together a fantastic blog hop today full of gorgeous projects by some very talented card designers and Krafty artists.

    If you have been following along the hop, you should have arrived here after visiting with the phenomenally talented Krafty artist Annie Rodrigue...Annie creates all the fun characters we've come to love in the Moonlight Whispers line of Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps. Her artwork just knocks my socks off, and her images are so much fun to work with. :) If you landed here by chance, make sure to pop on over to the beginning of the hop at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog, where you will find a complete list of all the blogs on today's release day hop.

    For my card today, I used one of Annie's new world travellers...this is Elaine! (named of course, after our very own UK Krafty Girl Elaine Hughes!!) I just adore how chic Elaine is, so prim and proper in front of that famous landmark, Big Ben. I cut out the image using that out-of-the-box technique with Spellbinders Labels 8. Well actually, I cheated a bit, lol. I confess, sometimes I'm a lazy crafter...so I just traced around the die and hand cut it rather than fussing the true technique that you'll find tutorials on in blogland. (which of course requires careful cutting before running it through your Cuttlebug...and will result in a nice crisp and clean cut) I just sanded down the edges a bit after cutting the image to try and conceal the less-than-perfect edges. :) Lazy...I know! I couldn't resist using these Bo Bunny Timepiece papers, which I thought were just perfectly suited to Big Ben. The sentiment comes with Elaine...and was also cut with Spellbinders Labels 8. The little pearls are from Basic Grey.

    Elaine was stamped with Memento Ink on Neenah cardstock and coloured with Copic markers. I orininally sponged in a sky with Summer Sky Memento and Stormy Sky Distress Ink...until I remembered that I was planning to use these deep earth toned papers...it was way too intense of a colour next to the papers. It was throwing the whole colour scheme of the card off. So out came the Distress Ink in Antique Linen and Walnut Stain to tone down that sky.

    The new stamps are now available for purchase at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Online Store! If you want to purchase the stamps as sets, Kimmie will have the Gimmie Kimmie Kits available for a limited time...these sets are always available at a discounted price! (You'll find the link for the Gimmie Kimmie kits in the sidebar on the left hand side of the store site.)

    It is now my pleasure to send you off to visit with the very sweet Diana Pickering...she's such a treasure on the Krafty Girl design team, and always makes such beautiful cards!

    Happy hopping and happy shopping!

    Blessings,

    Melanie

    Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Elaine" and coordinating sentiment
    Ink: Memento, Distress Inks, Copics
    Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, Bo Bunny
    Embellishments: Pearls
    Tools: Spellbinders

    Saturday, July 16, 2011

    Kickin' Up My Heels in the Big City!!

    Good morning and happy Saturday to you all! It's time for another Kraftin' Kimmie Challenge, and how about we throw in some sneak peeks to double the fun?! All the Krafty Girls and our lovely Krafty Guests have used some of the new July stamps by Krafty Artist Annie Rodrigue!! Only one more sleep until you can get your hands on all the new stamps you've seen previewed over the last several days. :)

    The challenge this week was set by the lovely, talented and witty Carole Burrage...she never ceases to make me laugh right out loud! Carole wants to see us "Finish the Insides" of our projects. Quite frankly I think Carole was picking on me for this challenge, lol. I must confess that I rarely finish the inside of my cards. I love the look of a nicely finished inside...but unfortunately, I'm often too rushed for time to add anything to the inside. This is a terrible habit I've fallen into because all I ever seem to add is a boring plain white square of cardstock when I grab a card to give away. It's so much nicer to use coordinating design paper to really add that final finishing touch to the inside of the card. So thank you Carole...you are helping me to kick my bad habits. :)

    I've been so excited to introduce this stamp to you!! Annie has designed a fabulous set of globetrotting gals just perfect for all of you who like to travel. Kimmie decided to name several of the stamps after some of us Krafty Girls...and this cheery Canadian gal is "Melanie"!! (Thanks so much Kimmie...I have to admit that it's pretty cool to have a stamp named after me!!) Just look at Melanie having a grand old time in Toronto. :) Now although I prefer to live in a smaller city with a slower pace of life, I absolutely love to visit Toronto! There is so much to do there...including visiting the CN Tower, which Annie has included in the cityscape of this stamp! (you will NEVER see me walking on the glass floor up in the tower though...totally freaks me out) I used some fun paper from Fancy Pants and added a little Canadian flag charm that I found at Walmart.


    Copics Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20 Hair: E50, YR31, E11, E17, E18, E97, E99, E37, E59 Shirt: E50, E41, E49, W1, W00, blender, R22, R27, R59 Purse: R22, R27, R37, R59, C5, C7 Jeans: B91, B93, B95, B97, C5, C7 Cityscape: C7, C5, C3, C1, B60

    And here's a shot of the inside. I didn't do anything terribly fancy...the other Krafty Girls created some gorgeous designs on the interior of their cards...but at least it's better than a plain white piece of cardstock! I know I used this sentiment on my project yesterday, but I ADORE it so you'll probably see it frequently here. lol (this sentiment comes with another new July stamp, Bookworm Jaime)


    So, are you up for the challege?? We'd love to have you play along and Finish the Inside of your cards...and if you use a Kraftin' Kimmie Stamp on your project, then you could be the lucky winner "Jeannie", the stamp Carole used on her gorgeous card this week! You can link up your project at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog.

    SNEAK PEEK BLOG CANDY: How would you like to be the lucky winner of THREE of the world traveller Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps by artist Annie Rodrigue?? All you need to do is hop around to visit all of the Krafty Girls who made projects today and leave comments for them. Kimmie will draw TWO winners from those comments and their names will be posted tomorrow morning on the release day blog hop post at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog! (each winner will receive 3 of Annie's stamps!)

    We hope you can join us tomorrow for the release day blog hop when all the new July stamps will be available for purchase!

    Enjoy the rest of your day and thanks for popping by for a visit.

    Blessings,

    Melanie

    Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Melanie", "Oh the Places You'll Go" sentiment from "Bookworm Jaime"
    Ink: Memento, Copics, Distress Ink
    Paper: Kraft, MME, Neenah
    Embellishments: Machine Stitching, metal charm (from Walmart)
    Tools: Spellbinders, Bow Easy

    Friday, July 15, 2011

    "Oh, The Places You'll Go!"...Round 3 of the July Kraftin' Kimmie Sneak Peeks!

    Today, some of the Krafty Girls are sharing sneak peeks featuring the newest Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps by artist Cheryl Alger...they will all be available for purchase this Sunday! (each day leading up to the release, you can find links to the daily sneak peeks at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog)

    This cute little tyke is "Bookworm Jaime". This image is just perfect for all those avid readers...so I decided to make a bookmark. You can include me in that avid reader category. I love to immerse myself in a good book! The papers are from a MME Stella and Rose 6x6 pad (I buy my 6x6 paper pads HERE). These little projects are a great way to use up scraps of design paper left over from other projects. They also come together fairly quick...no need to spend time fussing over embellishments as bookmarks need to be "low-profile". I had originally planned on adding a little tassel to the top, but I got a bit lazy, lol. Next time I make one up, I think I'll add an eyelet and make a colour coordinated tassel from embroidery floss. Oh, and I absolutely LOVE this Dr. Seuss inspired sentiment that comes with Bookworm Jaime!!


    I stamped the image on Neenah cardstock with Memento Ink and coloured it with Copic markers. All paper edges were sponged with Walnut Stain Distress Ink. I added some machine...and look at how wonky it is! That was not intentional at all. It was supposed to be all nice and straight. Hmm...let's chalk it up to the Benadryl I took that evening for allergies. lol (Anybody else out there having a miserable time with allergies??? ) Lesson learned here? Do not operate a sewing machine while under the influence of Benadryl ;)

    Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20 Hair: E50, E31, E33, E37, E59 Skirt: B90, B91, B93, B95, B97, C7 Shirt: YR02, YR04, YR07, E08, BG72, BG75, C7 Shoes: E30, E31, E25, E29, E50 Worm: YG03, G82

    BLOG CANDY: Pop on by the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog to check out the other sneak peeks for today and make sure to leave comments at each Krafty Girl's blog because Kimmie will draw one lucky winner who will receive all three of the new Cheryl Alger Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps! The winner's name will be posted on the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog tomorrow.

    Thanks for stopping by! We'll be back tomorrow with our weekly challenge and another round of July sneak peeks!

    Blessings,

    Melanie

    Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Bookworm Jaime" and coordinating sentiment
    Ink: Memento, Copics, Distress Ink
    Paper: Kraft, MME, Neenah
    Embellishments: Machine Stitching