Psst....Something Exciting is Coming to SCACD!!!

Please join us at the SCACD Store Blog to Welcome the Newest Artist to SCACD!!!

There is also a chance to win something but you will have to go to the Store Blog to check it all out :o) We are all very excited about this addition and look forward to the upcoming release next month!!!

So what are you waiting for?? Head on over and check it out!!!

Blessings,

Melanie

Feeling a Little "Distressed"?

Good morning folks!! We have some happy news to share with you at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps...we have two lovely new ladies joining us as permanent Krafty Girls!! Please join us in welcoming Nicole Aspinall and Pam Varnell! We are so excited to have both of you joining our Krafty family and we look forward to seeing the creativity you bring to the team. :)

Well, it's time for another Kraftin' Kimmie Challenge, and today it's my turn to play hostess! I would like to see you use one of my favourite techniques: "Distressing". You can feel free to distress your papers however you like...Distress Ink, tearing, crumpling, distressing tools, scissor edges...whatever suits your fancy. :) So go ahead and take a little of your stress out on your paper...it's therapeutic!

Oh, and Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps is sponsoring the Sketch For You To Try challenge this month!!! Jen Del Muro has yet another fabulous sketch for you to play along with, and she will be giving a sweet Kraftin' Kimmie prize to one lucky participant from the SFYTT challenge blog at the end of the month. I do love a good sketch...they make the assembly process much easier for layout-challenged stampers like me! lol I've used her great sketch on my Kraftin' Kimmie Challenge card today.

I'm sure you all have your favourite genre of stamps...I am a total "sucker" (pun definitely intended!!) for Halloween stamps...well, and Christmas stamps too!! I am always drawn to Halloween and Christmas papers, no matter what time of year it is! I decided to pull out one of last year's Kraftin' Kimmie Halloween stamps...this is fanged gent and his lady love are "Fred and Ginger". The striped paper is from Graphic 45. The other design papers are all from We R Memory Keepers "Heebiejeebies"....love that name!! I heavily distressed the edges with some dull scissors and sponged them with Black Soot Distress Ink. The "Love Bites" sentiment comes with Fred and Ginger...it was stamped in Versafine Ink on white cardstock that was sponged with Antique Linen and Black Soot Distress Inks.

One of the things I love about Halloween stamps is that they give you the opportunity to play around with different skin colour combos and shading techniques. Let's face it...not very many ghoulish characters have that lovely glowing complexion that we all strive to achieve with most of our colouring projects! Nope...vampires, witches, zombies and ghosts just cry out for deep, purple shadows...green skin may even be in order on occasion. Last year, I did a card with "Fred and Ginger" and I coloured Fred's face a la "old school vampires"...his face was chalky white with deep shadows around his eyes. This time, I chose to experiment a little with flesh tones and some purple shading. To be honest, it didn't come out quite as dramatic as I had hoped...but it's all a learning process. :) I try to take notes on what works and what doesn't so that next time I can hopefully apply what I've learned and come up with a better result. I did find that I needed to use a lot of tip-to-tip blending to work in those purples so that I ended up with a smoother blend. Sometimes certain colours will not blend seamlessly when applied directly to your paper, but if you touch your marker tips and combine the colours like that, it helps with the transitional areas. After I was done with my Copics, I used my Conte crayons and a blending stump to add additional shading. I was a bit heavy handed with the application of these shadows so I used a kneaded eraser to lift a bit of the Conte crayon after I was done blending. I really wanted to play up the difference in complexion between the living and the dead with Ginger. I applied the "blush" quite a bit heavier than I normally would to try to maximize the contrast of skin with blood still circulating through it. lol I think this pair is so much fun. Ginger is definitely swooning...but take a look at those puckered lips! I'm thinking she may enjoy flirting with danger just a wee bit. ;)



Fred: Skin: E0000, E000, BV00, V91, C00, T2 (additional shading with a black Conte Crayon in 2B) Cape: C3, C5, C7, C9, 100 Shirt: G82, C5 Tie: R27, R59, C5
Ginger: Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20 Hair: E50, E30, E31, E33, E37, E59 Dress: RV000, V00, V01, V12, V15, V09, C5, C7

We'd love to have you play along with the "Distressing" challenge. If you do, you could be the lucky winner of "Fred and Ginger"...just make sure you use a Kraftin' Kimmie Stamp on your project to be eligible for the prize. If you are in the need of some new stamps, you can go shopping at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Online Store. Don't forget that you can double your chances of winning some Kraftin' Kimmie goodness by also entering the SFYTT challenge this month!

Don't forget to hop on over to the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog to see the gorgeous distressed projects by the rest of the talented Krafty Girls!

Oh...and did you check out the "Frugal Friday" sales for this week yet? Each week Kimmie chooses a few stamps to put on sale at amazing discounts! Here are the stamps on sale this week (all at 40-50% off!): Tickled Pink Piggies, Krafty Quotes #2, Fireman Phil, Agnes, Snowshoe Fun and Private Message!! (just click on the above link to go directly to the Frugal Fridays Specials!)

Thanks so much for stopping by today...I truly appreciate your visit. :)

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Fred and Ginger"
Ink: Memento, Copics, Distress Ink
Paper: Neenah, Bazzill,WRMK, Graphic 45

Sweet Cheeks :)

Good afternoon! I've got a card to share with you today featuring one of the brand new stamps from The Peekers Collection 2 which is now available for purchase exclusively at SCACD and at Quixotic Paperie for our UK friends. This adorable little girl is appropriately named "Sweet Cheeks Peeker". This is the age that a little "cheek" is still seen as cute...not so much when we're talking about teenagers or adults. :S lol I just adore artist Elisabeth Bell's style and she has done such a fabulous job on this new set of Peekers.

I decided to make a shaped card using my circle Spellbinders as a base. I then cut an additional panel with Spellbinders Lacey Circles to adhere to the front of the card. I used two sheets of design paper from a fantastic SEI pack called A Fair Day. This paper collection features soft pastel designs and some of the papers have a beautiful shimmer...and it's on sale right now for 20% off! (You can check out Susana's entire selection of 6x6 paper pads HERE.) As much as I love to add machine stitching to my cards, I cannot sew around circles...it always turns into a big mess. :( My solution-hand stitching. Yes it is more time consuming, but it's much easier to work around tricky curves and shapes. Before stitching, I left my paper in the Spellbinders die and used a paper piercing tool to make the holes. (I used my Sew Easy foam mat to protect my table.) This helps to keep your stitching in line, but you could always free hand it if you prefer. I didn't worry about the holes being perfectly spaced as I think it kind of adds to the charm of hand stitching. I used white floss and went around the paper with a simple back stitch. I used to do a ton of cross stitching years ago, so I have quite a stash of embroidery floss. However, if you are in the need of some floss, Susana has a wonderful selection of Sew Easy Floss...the colours are fabulous, and they are currently on sale for 20% off! (I absolutely love the bakers twine.) The flower is a Prima Hydrangea (you can find these flowers in Tan and Purple HERE). The button, ribbon and crocheted trim are odds and ends I found in my embellishment bins...although, now I am wishing I had fished around for a green button instead just to tie in with the green skirt and stripe in the paper.


Sweet Cheeks Peeker was stamped on Neenah cardstock with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and coloured with Copic makers. She was adhered with some foam squares for a bit of dimension.

Colours: Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20 Hair: E50, E30, E31, E33, E37, E59 Clothing: RV000, R81, R83, R85, R89, YG00, G20, G21, G28, C5, C7

The Peekers Collection 2 is now available at SCACD (and at Quixotic Paperie). Oh, and have you seen the newest products to arrive at SCACD??

Authentique 6x6 paper pads (just wait until you see the Halloween pack!!)

New Holiday 6x6 paper pads (Bo Bunny, Authentique)

Holiday Bo Bunny Trinkets

No More Shims Embossing Mat from Scor Pal

New Winter Gorjuss Girls are now in stock!!

Oh, and sit down for this one folks...ready for it???

18 NEW 6x6 PAPER COLLECTIONS FROM MY MIND'S EYE!!!

So after hearing that news, I promptly asked Susana how large her shipping boxes are, lol. She has assured me that she has packages large enough to accommodate all your crafty wishes...so order away my friends!! Honestly, her pricing on 6x6 paper pads is amazing...just make sure to leave a few in stock for me, ok? ;)

Have a wonderful day...and thanks so much for taking the time to stop by for a visit!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: SCACD's The Peeker Collection 2: "Sweet Cheeks Peeker"
Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, SEI
Ink: Memento, Copics
Embellishments: embroidery floss, crocheted trim, ribbon, button
Tools: Spellbinders, Scor Pal, piercing tool, Sew Easy mat

"The Peekers Collection 2" Is Now Available For Purchase!!

Good morning and welcome to release day at Susana's Custom Art and Card Design!! All week long, we've been sharing sneak peeks of the newest exclusive stamp collection at SCACD..."The Peekers Collection 2" by artist Elisabeth Bell! These sweet little girls will quickly make their way into your heart...and onto your papercrafting projects! I know the entire design team has had so much fun creating with these stamps. They are now available for purchase only at SCACD and at Quixotic Paperie if you live in the UK.

If you have been following along with the sneak peeks this week, you will have seen "Secret Garden Peeker", "Mama's Purse Peeker", "Bubble Bath Peeker", "Partners In Peeking" and "Sweet Cheeks Peeker". There are still two more young ladies in this stamp collection that are being introduced today..."What's In The Box Peeker" and "All Peeked Out Peeker".

We are celebrating the release of The Peekers Collection 2 with a day of inspiration over at the SCACD store blog Follow Your Heart. There you will find a list of all the designers who have created some gorgeous projects for your viewing pleasure with these new stamps. This will also be the first chance for you to see those two Peekers who did not make an appearance during the sneak peeks! Now, this is not an official blog hop so you can feel free to visit the designers in any order you wish...but, to make sure you don't miss out on any projects I recommended following the order posted at Follow Your Heart. If you've been visiting the designers in that order, you should have arrived her after visiting with Dianne. :)

For my card today, I used "Secret Garden Peeker". I just love Elisabeth's style...so sweet and innocent. I love the way the hair curls into a cute little ringlet at the bottom of her ponytail...and what do you think she is spying behind that fence?? The paper is Basic Grey Hopscotch. The bow was tied with my Bow Easy. I topped it off with a jewelry spacer and a little self-adhesive pearl. I coloured the pearl with my B95 marker to coordinate with my paper and image. A little machine stitching and Walnut Stain Distress Ink around the paper edges finishes it off.

"Secret Garden Peeker" was stamped on Neenah cardstock with Memento Ink and coloured with Copic markers.

Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20 Hair: E50, YR31, Y23, E31, E33, E37, E59 Dress: B00, B32, B37, B91, B93, B95, C5, R22 Fence: E25, E30, E31, E33, E50, E59, E99 Grass: YG00, YG03, YG67, G14, G21, G99, C5, C9

It's my pleasure to direct you towards Anki's blog to see the next bit of inspiration featuring another Peeker! (Again, you can find the complete list of designers featuring projects at Follow Your Heart )

The Peekers Collection 2 is available for purchase exclusively at SCACD and at Quixotic Paperie for our friends in the UK.

Oh, and as if new stamps are not exciting enough, Susana also has some fantastic new products in the store!! While you're shopping for The Peekers, make sure to check out the newest Bo Bunny Paper, matching Trinkets and the No More Shims Embossing Mat from Scor Pal...you'll find that gem in the "Can't Do Without" section of the "Stamping Accessories" page of SCACD! (it's listed in the left hand sidebar of the store site...but it will also appear on the SCACD home page)

Thanks so much for stopping by today and have fun shopping!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: The Peekers Collection 2 from SCACD "Secret Garden Peeker"
Ink: Memento, Copics, Distress Ink
Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, Basic Grey
Embellishments: Jewelry spacer, pearl, ribbon machine stitching
Tools: Bow Easy

The Peekers...Day Five of the Sneak Peeks!

Welcome to day five of the sneak peeks at SCACD! "The Peekers Collection 2" is an adorable set of little girls designed exclusively for SCACD by artist Elisabeth Bell and they will be available for purchase this Friday!

Sharing the sneak peek of "Sweet Cheeks Peeker" today is the talented Marti! Just wait until you see this, ahem, "cheeky" little tyke! You will most definitely fall in love with her! (make sure to leave Marti a comment on her blog post for your chance to win "Sweet Cheeks 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 any of the previous sneak peeks, you can still pop by to leave comments for those designers on their personal blog posts featuring The Peekers Collection 2:

Sunday (Secret Garden Peeker): Elaine and Janiel

Monday (Mama's Purse Peeker): Kim

Tuesday (Bubble Bath Peeker): Alex and Lori

Wednesday (Partners in Peeking): Danni and Melanie (that's me!)

The Peeker Collection 2 will be available for purchase tomorrow at SCACD and at Quixotic Paperie for all our friends in the UK!! Please make sure to visit Follow Your Heart tomorrow for links to the designers who have created some beautiful projects featuring this new stamp set. There are still a couple of "Peekers" that have yet to be revealed!!

Blessings,

Melanie

SCACD Sneak Peeks...Introducing "Partners In Peeking"!

Welcome to day four of the sneak peeks at SCACD! "The Peekers Collection 2" is an adorable set of little girls designed exclusively for SCACD by artist Elisabeth Bell and they will be available for purchase this Friday!

Today, both Danni and I are sharing sneak peeks of "Partners in Peeking"!

I am absolutely in love with The Peekers Collection 2...and how adorable is this little girl with her puppy??!! Elisabeth Bell has such a remarkable talent for capturing the innocence of childhood. Her images are always so sweet. :) The paper is from Basic Grey Sugar Rush . All paper edges were distressed with my scissors and then sponged with Walnut Stain Distress Ink. I stepped way out of my comfort zone on this one by sewing wonky, curvy lines of stitching with my machine...on purpose!!! lol Usually I'm very concerned with my stitching being as close to straight as possible, but I have seen this look on many cards around blogland and I really like it! I used some Prima flowers...Susana doesn't have this exact colour, but she does have a couple of packets of Prima Hydrangeas in purple and tan. (these hydrangeas are still some of my favourite flowers...you get a ton of them in the package!) The flower centres are some jewelry spacers topped off with a Dark Brown Viva Decor Pearl Pen. I also added a trio of little pearls created with the same Viva Pen. Those chipboard swirls are none other than the fantastic Make It Crafty Lasercut Chipboard that Susana carries...you can find it HERE. I just painted the chipboard with some acrylic craft paint, but there are so many possible treatments for this chipboard...it's such a great finishing touch to any project. The little sentiment is from the "Beachy Sentiments" set from Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps.

Partners In Peeking was stamped on Neenah cardstock in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and coloured with Copics. I was trying to recreate the look of a real wood door...but I didn't quite make the cut on this one. lol I kind of struggled a bit with the wood grain effect. Guess I'll need to tweak that technique a bit for next time. :) (I also forgot to add a deeper shadow on the door edge right under her arm and the puppy's face, as my light source was from the upper right hand corner.) I did crop the image a bit when I cut it out with my oval Spellbinders...the entire image actually includes a bit of a wall on the right hand side. Here's a closer look...isn't she just a doll??!!


Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20 Hair: E50, E31, E33, E37, E59 Shirt: RV000, R81, R83, R85, B000, BG72, C5 Puppy: W00, W1, W3, W5, W7, C9, R20 Door: E25, E30, E31, E33, E37, E59, E97, E99, Y23 Handle: Y17, E33, E35, E50 Background: T2, BV00, BV02

How would you like to win "Partners In Peeking"?? All you need to do is leave a comment on my post here and also over at Danni's post featuring this adorable new stamp! Just read below for full details. :)

***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 any of the previous sneak peeks, you can still pop by to leave comments for those designers on their personal blog posts featuring The Peekers Collection 2:

Sunday (Secret Garden Peeker): Elaine and Janiel

Monday (Mama's Purse Peeker): Kim

Tuesday (Bubble Bath Peeker): Alex and Lori

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

So, if you haven't visited with Danni yet, make sure to head over to her blog next...you are going to love what she's created with Partners In Peeking!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: The Peekers Collection 2 from SCACD "Partners in Peeking", "Beachy Sentiments" from Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps
Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, Basic Grey
Ink: Memento, Distress Ink, Copics
Embellishments: Make it Crafty chipboard, jewelry spacers, Viva Pearl Pen, machine stitching

Have you caught the Peeker Fever yet??

Welcome to day three of the sneak peeks at SCACD! "The Peekers Collection 2" is an adorable set of little girls designed exclusively for SCACD by artist Elizabeth Bell and they will be available for purchase this Friday!

Today we have two designers sharing sneak peeks of "Bubble Bath Peeker"...Alex and Lori ! Don't forget to leave comments on their posts, as you could be the lucky winner of "Bubble Bath 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 any of the previous sneak peeks, you can still pop by to leave comments for those designers on their personal blog posts featuring The Peekers Collection 2:

Monday (Secret Garden Peeker): Elaine and Janiel

Tuesday (Mama's Purse Peeker): Kim

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

I'll be back tomorrow with a sneak peek of another brand new stamp in The Peekers Collection 2...hope to see you then!

Blessings,

Melanie