Ainsleigh Arabesque

(If you are looking for the Copic Coloring Guide 3 Blog Hop, just click HERE! Make sure you visit all the designers because everybody is giving away one copy of the new book!!)

Good morning and Happy Saturday to you all!! We've got another round of Kraftin' Kimmie October sneak peeks to share with you today in combination with our weekly challenge. The sneak peeks today feature six brand new Dashing Dancers by Annie Rodrigue...just wait until you see them, because they are FANTASTIC. :)

Our challenge this week is a Sketch designed by our lovely hostess, the very talented Pam.

My card today features a stamp very near and dear to my heart. This gorgeous young ballerina is Ainsleigh Arabesque. Now those of you who are frequent visitors to my blog might know that I have a twelve year old daughter Ainsleigh who has been taking ballet since four  years of age. Ballet is her passion. When Kimmie showed me this image and told me she was naming it after my own Ainsleigh, my entire family was so touched. I can't tell you how excited Ainsleigh is to have a stamp named after her, and especially once that is a ballerina. So a HUGE thank you to Kimmie for this sweet gesture!! The papers are from Authentique. The decorative trim was cut with an element from Spellbinders Parisian Accents. The flourishes are an MFT die and the flower is from Prima. I scored the pretty crochet trim at my local fabric store.

Ainsleigh Arabesque was stamped in Memento Ink and coloured with Copics. I really struggled trying to duplicate the "ballet pink" tights that most dancers wear...I didn't even come close, lol. They were originally way too pink, so I had to tone them down by going over them with my skin colours. I also add a coat of Stardust Stickles to the white part of the tutu.

Skin: E000, E00, E11, RV95  Hair: E31, E33, E37, E59  Blue and pink parts of Tutu: B32, B34, B37, B39, BV20, C7, C9, R81, R83, R89 White part of Tutu: C00, C1, C3, C7  Tights: R30, R32, RV95 E000, E00  Pointe Shoes: R81, R83, R85

Just wanted to share a picture of my Ainsleigh in arabesque. This was taken during dress rehearsal last June for the year end recital. I tried to find a picture similar to the stamp:

We'd love to have you play along with our Sketch Challenge. If you use a Kraftin' Kimmie Stamp on your project, you could be the lucky winner of Holly Hip Hop, the stamp seen on Pam's gorgeous card this week. Check out what all the other Krafty Girls have created over at the KKS blog.

BLOG CANDY: Make sure to hop around and visit each of the Krafty Girls participating in today's sneak peeks and leave comments as you go because Kimmie will be choosing two lucky winners who will each receive three of the new Dancers by Annie!!

Hope you all have a fantastic Saturday! I'll be hanging out all day in London, Ontario for Krafty Day 2012 with Kimmie, her family, some fellow Krafty Girls, Annie Rodrigue and a bunch of KKS fans!! I know we are going to have a blast and I'm looking forward to seeing everybody who is able to attend!

Make sure to join us tomorrow for our release day blog hop!!Oh and P.S. There will be a SPECIAL stamp that you haven't seen yet, being released tomorrow as well, so be sure to check out tomorrow's Krafty Hop to see if you can find it!!!

Thanks for stopping by. :)

Blessings,

Melanie

Copic Coloring Guide, Level 3: People Blog Hop!!!

Good morning and welcome to a very special blog hop! I am excited to announce my participation and publication in the new Copic Coloring Guide, Level 3: People! I consider it such an honour to be included in this book along with so many other talented ladies. :) This is definitely going to be a book that you will want to add to your crafting resources. 

Authors Colleen Schaan and Marianne Walker have partnered up again with the team at Annie’s and some of the most talented artists and designers in the industry to bring you a quality publication packed full of techniques, theory, tutorials, and inspiration.  The 64-page book is the next step in the Coloring Guide series, offering information and educational material for crafters of all skill levels.

From the how and why behind picking colors and coloring skin to the tips and techniques for coloring hair to the helpful hints on how to create realistic looking clothing and fabric, this book presents information in an easy-to-follow format. 

An included CD contains all of the hand-drawn images used in the tutorial section of the book, along with the assembly instructions for all of the projects, and a number of blank reference charts.

Each participating designer is hopping today to give you a peak at their favorite project from the book - and a chance to WIN your own autographed copy! 

This is the card I have in the book, "Curiouser and Curiouser". It features two of my favourite Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps, "Alice in Wonderland" and "The Mad Hatter"...I absolutely LOVE colouring these images!! Alice's hair is a dream to colour with those long flowing locks...perfect for working on your highlights and texture. Both she and the Hatter have amazingly detailed clothes as well. There are some great folds drawn into the fabrics and you can of course add more through use of shading and highlighting. 

To help kick off the celebration of the new book... each designer on the hop is giving away an autographed copy of the book...signed not only by Colleen and Marianne, but by the individual designer too!  Please comment on my post for your chance to win your copy of mine!  Commenting will be closed at midnight on Friday, October 26th.  Winners will be announced on the individual designer's blog. If you've been following along, your next stop will be the very talented Michelle Houghton. If you just happened to pop in at my blog for a visit, make sure to visit all the other designers on the hop to see their gorgeous projects and to get your name in for their book draws as well! Here's the full list:

Jane Allen

Melissa Andrew 

Michele Boyer

Jennifer Dove

Beate Johns

Sharon Harnist

Melanie Holtz   (You are here!!)

Michelle Houghton

Debbie Olson

Claudia Rosa

Colleen Schaan

Marianne Walker  

Copic Coloring Guide Level 3: People is now available at many stamping and scrapbooking stores. Visit your local store today and ask about availability.  It is also sold through the Annie’s catalog, accessible online at Annie's.

I just wanted to say thanks again to both Colleen and Marianne for inviting me to be a part of this new installment in their Copic Coloring Guide series. The previous books have been such a huge success, as I know this one will be as well. So make sure to get your copy soon!! 

Enjoy the hop! :)

Blessings, 

Melanie

Halloween Medallion

Hi there folks! Hope you all have been having a great week. :)

I've got a Halloween card to share with you today featuring the Ornate Hinge from Dies by SCACD. I created an intricate medallion by cutting out twelve hinges. I trimmed the panel off the bottom of the die (where there are three little holes for brads) and glued them in place behind a black cardstock circle. The papers are from last year, but you can check out Susana's entire stock of paper HERE where you will also find lots of holiday themed paper pads. The image is from a Teresa Collins stamp set that is no longer in stock, but Susana has some fantastic new Halloween stamp sets that have great images! For example there is the amazing Tim Holtz Mini Halloween #3, Trick or Treat, or MME Lost and Found Halloween ...so many fantastically creepy stamps perfect for your Halloween themed projects!! See the little bits of gold around the edges of the papers?? That is the fantastic Viva Decor 3D Stamp Paint in Gold. I just used my finger to pick up a bit of product, apply it to the paper edges and lightly blend it out. I followed that with some black ink to "grunge" everything up a bit.

The Ornate Hinge Die is so versatile! You can of course, use it as an actual hinge, lol. But it can also be used as a medallion as seen here, as a border, or in any other way you can come up with! I love stretching the possibilities of dies. They are some of my favourite crafting tools. :) You can find the entire stock of Dies by SCACD HERE.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Blessings,

Melanie

Holiday Trinkets...Kicking off the October Kraftin' Kimmie Sneak Peeks!

Hi folks! We are kicking off the *New* OCTOBER Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps previews today and first off, we’d like to introduce you to a beautiful new set of Trinkets!!! We are very excited to share with you our….WINTER TRINKETS!!! 

These circular sentiment stamps have been created and designed by the totally talented Krafty Girl, Nicole Aspinall!! They are made especially to fit in your 1 3/8ths and 1 ¾ inch punches for quick and easy cutting!!! This month we are releasing the WINTER Trinkets set which includes eight trinkets in each set with four of each size and they come as both positive and negative images, so you can use your black or brown ink with the positive stamps and use your coloured inks with the negative ones!! You will get the set as a completely unmounted full sheet of deeply etched grey rubber.

All of the Krafty Girls are primarily cardmakers and we have found these to be such a quick and easy way to add a sentiment to our creations or to use as the focal point on our cards! They are also perfect for your Smashbook pages and your scrapbook pages, not to mention your altered items and tags!! No stamper's stash is complete without them. :)

Here's my card featuring one of the new Winter Trinkets. I used some Bo Bunny paper from last year. I stamped the Trinket in Memento Rich Cocoa and then coloured it with my B93 Copic marker followed by E42 to match the paper. The Trinket was mounted with foam dimensionals on a snowflake ornament that I picked up at the dollar store. The bow was centered with a Prima Flower Centre. I also added a few rhinestones for a bit of added sparkle. 

BLOG CANDY: Make sure to check out what the Krafty Girls have created and be sure to comment on each and every stop because one lucky stamper is going to WIN the new WINTER TRINKETS set!!!

Thanks for stopping by! 

Blessings, 

 Melanie

"What Big Eyes"

Hi crafty friends!!

I have a card to share with you featuring "What Big Eyes", one of the recently released Eyes of Fables collection at SCACD. The sentiment on my card comes with the stamp. I used some older MME paper, but make sure to check out the paper section at SCACD HERE...Susana has an incredible selection of papers in stock, and she is always adding new pads! That fabulous corner embellishment was created with one of the newest exclusive Dies by SCACD. This die is one of two sold as a set called Fancy Flower and Key Corners. I also added some pearls made with a Viva Decor Pearl Pen, a flourish made with the Memory Box Elegant Scrollwork die, a bit of crochet trim and a Petaloo flower.

What Big Eyes was stamped on Neenah with Memento Ink and coloured with Copics.

Skin: E000, E00, E11, RV95, R20  Hair: E50, E21, E25, E29, E59, BV29  Dress: BG000, BG11, BG70, BG72, BG75, C5, R81, R83, R85, YG02, G81, G85

Here's just a little taste of some of the newest products at SCACD:

• Art Anthology products
• New Poppy Stamp Dies
• New Luminarte Silks colours

Susana is always adding the latest and greatest products to the store, so make sure to check back frequently. You can also keep up to date with all the happenings at SCACD via the Store Blog.

Hope you all  have a great day, and thanks so much for stopping by. :)

Blessings,

Melanie

"Skulltastic Challenge", Anniversary Celebration and World Cardmaking Day Fun at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps!

Hi folks! There's so much fun happening with Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps this weekend!! Just to give you all a bit of warning, this is going to be a lengthy post! But trust me, you will want to make sure to read the entire post thoroughly so you don't miss out on anything. ;)   So go grab yourself a cup of coffee or tea and let's get this party started!

1. Happy Anniversary to Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps!!  Kimmie has been in the business of bringing us amazingly fun stamps to colour and create with for THREE years! To celebrate, she is running a HUGE sale this weekend. You can find all the stamps on sale HERE.

2. World Cardmaking Day!!  Kimmie is running some fun challenges at the KKS Blog and on the Facebook Fan Page. Make sure to stay tuned throughout the weekend for your chance to WIN! (psst...for those of you interested, there will be a chance to win a guest designer spot for the month of December!!) There are of course some krafty challenges that will require you to get into your studios and get busy...we can't wait to see what you create! There will also be some fun trivia challenges to join in as well. It's going to be a really fun weekend and I hope you can join us!

3. Our weekly challenge at the KKS Blog!! As always, Saturday is the day for us to post a new challenge for all you Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps fans to play along with! This week our lovely hostess is the very talented Cheryl whose challenge is called "Skulltastic!"...quite a fitting challenge for the month of October! It's pretty simple...just make sure there is at least one skull somewhere on your project. It could be part of your image, in your design paper or an embellishment. It's totally up to you!

For my card this week, I inked up an oldie but a goodie. This young swashbuckler is Billy Blyth. Isn't he awesome?! And of course, he fits in perfectly with the Skulltastic challenge thanks to his little footrest. The DCWV Once Upon A Time papers were distressed, inked with Walnut Stain Distress Ink and treated to a little machine stitching for a finishing touch. I FINALLY remembered to stop by the fabric store and pick up more thread. It was driving me nuts to not have it. I absolutely love to add stitching to my cards and often feel they look a bit naked without it. lol  I did sponge over the thread with a bit of brown ink, but I should have been a bit more generous with my application as the thread it a bit too stark for the earthy tones of this card. That decorative border was made with one of my awesome new Dies by SCACD...this one is called Ornate Hinge. I absolutely love the intricacy of this die. It has a little panel across the bottom with three holes for brads or pearls so it will look like a hinge, but I trimmed it off and overlapped three of the hinges to create a continuous border.

And here's your closeup of young Billy. He was stamped on Neenah with Memento Ink and coloured with Copics. Pirates are just awesome! I'm a big fan of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. How much fun would it have been to be involved in those movies?? And can I just say that Captain Jack Sparrow has got to be the best pirate ever! He's awesome...mostly due to the fact that he was played by one of my favourite actors, Johnny Depp. The man is absolutely brilliant...especially when playing eccentric characters. He truly shines in those roles. From the Mad Hatter to Sweeney Todd to Sam in Benny & Joon...each character was played to perfection. (incidentally, has anybody ever tried making grilled cheese with an iron??? I've always wanted to try...) It's a tough call as I really love so many of his movies, but I think my favourite  has got to be Edward Scissorhands. I LOVE that movie. I can't even remember how many times I've seen it. I adore the character of Edward, poor guy. Breaks my heart when his maker dies in front of him as his scissors slip through the hands that were meant to be his....so sad. :(  I haven't seen Dark Shadows yet, but I am definitely looking forward to rectifying that soon!

Lol...got off on a bit of tangent there!  But for those interested, here are the colours used for colouring Billy:

Skin: E000, E00, E11, E21, RV95  Hair: E21, E25, E59  Coat: G20, G21, G24, G85, G99, C5, C7, C9  Shirt and head scarf: B91, B93, B95, B97, C5, C7  Pants: E11, E13, E17, E18, E59, W7  Treasure Chest: E50, E21, E25, E31, E29, E59, Y21, Y17  Skull: W1, W3, W5, W7, W9

Make sure to stop by the KKS Blog to check out what the rest of the Krafty Girls have created for the Skulltastic Challenge. If you play along, you could be the lucky winner of "Perfect Poison", the stamp used on Cheryl's awesome card! (Perfect Poison happens to be one of my favourite images!!) Just make sure to use a KKS to be eligible for the prize. :)

So there you have it folks! You've got so many opportunities to win with KKS!! So don't forget to check out the KKS Blog and FB page for all the challenges and trivia opportunities as well as our weekly challenge.  Hope you get a chance to hang out with us a bit this weekend!

Oh, one last thing...have you registered yet for Krafty Day 2012??!!  Spaces are limited, so register soon! This is a fantastic event that we always look forward to. Come on out and hang out with us for the day. We'll colour, create, eat and laugh together. Annie Rodrigue will also be there and you'll have the chance to watch her in action. You can find all the details HERE...I sure hop to see you there!

And HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all my fellow Canadians!!

Blessings,

Melanie

Let the Celebration Begin with Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps!!

As you may have read on the Kraftin' Kimmie Facebook fan page, we are having a little online party to celebrate our THIRD Anniversary AND World Cardmaking Day, which both happen to be this weekend!

The first part of our celebration has already begun!! We've got over 140 of our most popular stamps on SALE 20-75% OFF, but only while supplies last! So hop on over to the Online Store and scoop up some inky savings!!
...

Next up, we will be posting TWO extra special Challenges today!!! We've got some prizes here to give away, so play along with as many of our Anniversary challenges as possible! Not only will you have a chance to WIN, but you may be asked to join the Krafty Girls as a Krafty Guest for the month of December!!!

Then we'll post TWO MORE extra Challenges tomorrow for more chances to WIN! AND we always have our regular weekly challenge on Saturday with lots of awesome samples from the Krafty Girls!

Also we'll be having some random trivia questions and games posted at the KKS Blog and on our Facebook page, so be sure to stop in often to join in the fun and even WIN some rubber goodness!!!

Have fun, and hope to see you back tomorrow! :)

Blessings,

Melanie