Creating Backgrounds...A Kraftin' Kimmie Challenge!

Hi folks! It's time for another challenge at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps. This week, I'm playing hostess and my challenge is "Creating Backgrounds"! Now, don't run off scared! lol  You don't have to draw in a background...although, you can if you like. :)  Your background can be any technique you would like to use. Perhaps you may be in the mood to use inks and sponges. For those of you who have an airbush system, feel free to use that! You could reach for paints, sprays, stamps, patterned papers, dies...whatever your creative little heart desires!

I chose to sketch in a background for my stamp this week. This cute little kitten is "Meow-y Christmas"...the fun sentiment comes with the stamp. It only seemed natural to create a fireplace and mantle as a backdrop for this image. The image was cut out with Spellbinders Labels 8. I pulled out some Echo Park Christmas paper from last year. Embellishments were kept to a minimum with a border punch and some black pearls made with a Viva Decor Pearl Pen.

Meow-y Christmas was stamped in Memento Ink on Neenah cardstock. I then set to work sketching in the fireplace and mantle. This is a super easy background to sketch. Your bricks do not have to be perfect...I intentionally made my brick edges slightly irregular. To create the arch, I used a Spellbinders Circle die as a guideline. I also added in a bit of evergreen garland along the top of the mantle. After the sketch was complete, I went over my pencil lines with a Copic multiliner and then got busy colouring. :)

Stocking: R22, R27, R29, R46, R59, C00, C1, C3, C7   Kitten: C1, C3, C5, C7, 100, R22  Bricks: E04, E11, E31, E33, E37, E59, E59, W5, W7  Mortar: E71, E77, W5, W7  Mantle: W1, W3, W5, W7  Inside of fireplace: W1, W3, W5, W7  Garland: YG00, YG03, YG63, YG67, G99, W7

We'd love for you to join in on the background challenge this week! If you use a Kraftin' Kimmie Stamp on your project, you could be the lucky winner of "Meow-y Christmas", the stamp used on my card this week. For more inspiration, make sure to stop by the KKS Blog to see what my fellow Krafty Girls created for the challenge!

KKS NEWS

• Frugal Friday specials are on until Sunday evening!!
• Remember Genevieve from our Steampunk collection??? Kimmie has brought her out of retirement for a limited time, so don't miss out on getting your inky hands on her. :)
• The October Gimmie Kimmie Kits are only available until this Sunday! 
• November 10th Guelph Mega Crop: KKS will be at this fantastic event and will be offering four different classes that will be run throughout the day. You don't have to attend the crop to attend our classes, but we sold out quickly last year!! So if you are going to be in the area next weekend and would like to come get Krafty with us, you can check out the details HERE!

Thanks so much for stopping by!!

Blessings, 

Melanie

SCACD Release

Good morning crafty friends and welcome to release day at SCACD!!

This is SCACD's last release of the year! We're bringing you two different collection. The first is from Elisabeth Bell for SCACD which consists of 4 new adorable stamps in the Sampler #8 Collection. We also have a new Susana Loves Stamps collection- Mythical Reflections which brings you 4 more gorgeous mythical stamps!  

To celebrate the release, we are having an inspirational blog hop to showcase the new stamps! Be sure to check out all the details on the SCACD store blog where you will find the complete list for today's hop. If you have been following along, you should have arrived here after visiting my talented friend Lori !

I have two cards to share with you today. First up is Little Draco from the Mythical Reflections collection. I have to confess something. I love dragons, so when I saw this image I was really exciting to get colouring! The intricate black medallion was created with the Ornate Hinge Die by SCACD. I also used one of the Classic Corner Dies by SCACD. The paper is from an older Authentique pad, but you can check out all the fantastic 6x6 paper pads at SCACD HERE. 

Little Draco was stamped in Memento Ink and coloured with Copics. I coloured him predominately with a stippling technique to develop the shading and to simulate texture. 

Colours: YG00, YG03, YG11, B21, B23, B24, BV29, C5, C7, C9, Y21, Y17, E13, E17, E18, E59

Next up is another stamp from the Mythical Reflections collection. This is Arctic Princess. Ok, another confession...I also love mermaids. :)  So this stamp collection is definitely right up my alley! (I also LOVE the other two Mythical Reflections stamps, and will be creating projects with them later this month.) This stamp is a lot of fun to colour up...look how beautifully it is drawn! Loving the mermaid's flowing hair and that seahorse is just awesome. I kept my layout super simple with this card to allow the image to take centre stage. I just added some Classic Corner Dies by SCACD and a few rhinestones to a white card base. 

Arctic Princess was stamped in Memento Ink and coloured with Copics. I added a thin coat of Stardust Stickles to her tail for a bit of shimmer. 

Skin: E000, E00, E11, RV95, RV42  Hair: E50, E31, E33, E37, E59  Tail: YG00, YG11, B21, B23, B24, C5, C7  Crystals: BG0000, B21, B24, RV000,YG11  Seahorse: Y15, Y17, Y21, E13, E17, E18, E35, E50, E59, G20, G82, G85, G99  Shells: RV000, R85, R59

This is the last stop on the hop, so now it's time to go do a little crafty shopping!!!

All of the new stamps from the Elisabeth Bell for SCACD "Sampler 8" and Susana Loves Stamps "Mythical Reflections" are now available for at SCACD! Our international friends can find them at Quixotic Paperie.

Thanks so much for joining us on today's hop! 

Blessings, 

Melanie

Copic Coloring Guide Winner!!

Hi folks!

Just popping on to announce the winner of my copy of the Copic Coloring Guide 3 from our blog hop a couple of weeks ago.

The lucky winner is:

Nana Donna

Congrats Donna!! Thanks to all who participated in the hop and for all the lovely comments left. :)

Belssings,

Melanie

The Travellers Tag

Good morning crafty friends!

Today I'm sharing a tag featuring one of my favourite SCACD exclusive stamps. This is The Travelers by Carmen Medlin for SCACD. I used an Inkssentials Kraft tag as my base and some Bo Bunny Christmas paper from last year. You can check out the vast selection of 6x6 paper pads at SCACD HERE, including some great holiday collections. The corner embellishment hidden slightly by the bow was cut with Classic Corner Dies by SCACD. The vine embellishment was cut with a Memory Box Die. I added some rhinestones for a finishing touch.

I absolutely adore The Travelers. It is such a beautifully drawn image. I love the detailing on the gypsy's clothing and the wolf's fur provides a great opportunity to work on creating texture with your colouring. Unfortunately, I do not have a list of colours today as I forgot to record them. My apologies!

Susana is always adding fantastic products to the store site. Here are just a few of the newest items that you might want to check out!

•  New Make it Crafty Chipboard
• New Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps
• New 6x6 paper pads (including American Crafts and Bazzill)
• Bo Bunny Clear Stamps

You can keep up to date with all the new products at the store and projects by the design team by following the Store Blog. 

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Blessings, 

Melanie

Inspired by Music at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps

Hi Krafty friends!! We've got a fun Kraftin' Kimmie challenge for you today brought to us by our lovely hostess, the incredibly talented Elaine Hughes. She wants to see projects Inspired by Music.

I decided to make a Christmas tag inspired by the carol, Hark the Herald Angels Sing. I stamped "Elysia Angel" on Kraft carstock in Memento Rich Cocoa Ink and added some monochromatic shading in various browns with my Copics (except for a bit of pink on her cheeks and the yellow in her horn). Her wings and the trumpet were given a bit of shimmer with a light coat of Stardust Stickles. I sponged around the image with Bundled Sage and Walnut Stain Distress Inks. The patterned paper is MME Lost and Found Christmas. All paper edges were distressed and inked in Walnut Stain Distress Ink. I stamped one of the Holiday Trinkets on Neenah in the brown ink and coloured the details with my YG91 and R59 Copics. The flourish was cut with an MFT die. I added a bow tied with some red satin wired ribbon and a Maya Road Trinket Pin. The acrylic snowflake is a dollar store find that was coated with Glossy Accents, sprinkled with Glamour Dust and centered with a rhinestone.

Skin: E40, E41, E43, R22  Hair: E30, E31, E35, E37, E59, Y21  Dress: E21, E24, E29, E59, colourless blender  Trumpet: Y21, E50, E31, E33

Make sure to check out what the rest of the Krafty Girls have created this week over at the KKS blog. We'd love to have you play along with the challenge. If you use a KKS image on your project, you will be eligible to win the stamp seen on Elaine's fabulous card.

You can also find this week's Frugal Friday specials HERE. Each Friday, Kimmie selects several stamps to put on sale for a great discount until Sunday evening...perfect for some Krafty Christmas gifts for friends or even yourself. :) 

Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,

Melanie

Steampunk With a Goth Flair

Hi folks!!

The SCACD design team is having a bit of creepy fun with a Spook-A-Licious blog hop today with stamps and dies by SCACD. :)  Each designer has worked their creative magic to give these images and dies a creepy makeover. Through the strategic use of colour selection, paper and embellishment choices and perhaps even a slight tinkering to the stamped image, we have all stretched the versatility of these stamps to work for Halloween projects...just wait until you see what the DT has come up with! If you have been hopping along in order, you should have arrived here after visiting with the lovely Chris. If not, you can find the entire hop list over at the Store Blog.

So many choices to go with here! Zombies, vampires, witches, ghouls, ghosts....what's a girl to choose?? I selected to work with "Steampunk Eyes". My first inclination was to make her a vampire or witch but as I started colouring, I changed my mind and decided to go with a "goth" vibe instead. I pulled out an Inkssentials tag and began to create a background by first stamping the word "Halloween" and the chandelier in Archival Ink. Both these images and the skull in the bottom corner are from an older Teresa Collins set, but Susana similar Halloween stamp sets in stock HERE and HERE. I also used the Steampunk Clock from the Susana Loves Stamps Mixed Media collection. However, instead of using the entire image, I just selectively inked up the gear portions of the stamp and used those on the tag. I grabbed my palette and mixed some green and orange acrylic craft paint with Matte Medium to make them translucent. These were applied in random patches over the tag. I applied a few layers, not worrying if the application was even...in fact, I actually wanted some darker lines in the background, so I applied some "marble" like lines with the very edge of my flat paintbrush and very lightly blended them out just to slightly soften the effect. I then picked up some black ink on the edge of my brush and used it to emphasize or shadow those lines. This resulted in creating a creased or distressed look...almost like the tag had been crumpled up. To finish off the background, I added a hint of silver paint to the edges and then heavily inked the edges in black. I also used the fabulous Alice's Clock Statement Corner from Dies by SCACD. I cut it out in a dark cardstock, applied silver paint and then sponged it with black ink...everything about this tag is dark and grungy. :)

Let's talk a bit about "Steampunk Eyes". :)  To "goth" her up, I used a lot of warm greys to shade her skin and clothing. I really went to town shading around her eyes with my W5, W7 and W9. I also pulled out my black conte crayon and paper blending stump to add further smokey shading to her eyes and clothing. Rather than going with a traditional eye colour, I chose to go with violet because I felt it kicked the creepy factor up a notch.

Skin: E000, E00, E11, RV95, G20, W3, W5, W7, W9  Hair: C3, C5, C7, C9, 100, V12, V15, V09  Purple collar and other accents: V12, V15, V09, W3, W5, W7  Coat and boots: C3, C5, C7, C9, 100, BV29  Shirt: YR04, E08, W5, W7  Shorts: G82, G85, G99, YG91, W3, W5, W7  Goggles: C00, C1, C3, C5, Y17, E18, E59   Eyes: R59, V09, V06, V00  Gears: C3, C5, C7

So what do you think?? It was a lot of fun to play with a "cute" image and give her a totally different creepy look. I know the other design team members had a blast with this theme as well. :)

BLOG CANDY ALERT: What's a Halloween Hop without a little candy??!! Make sure to do a little trick or treating at the SCACD store blog for your chance to win 2 FUN prizes. There is also another different Blog Candy at the Quixotic Paperie store blog! When you are done hopping along be sure  to visit both the SCACD store blog and Quixotic Paperie store blog for details on how to enter for your chance to WIN! You can find all the stamps HERE--if you are in the USA, and HERE- for our International friends. The Dies by SCACD can be found HERE--if you are in the USA and HERE-for our International friends!! Happy hopping and shopping!!

 SCACD is your one stop shop for all your crafty needs. Susana has a ton of products perfect for any project you are working on. From cardmakers, to scrapbookers, to mixed media artists...she's got you covered! She is always adding fantastic new products to the store, so check in often. Of note, she just recently added some great new 6x6 paper pads...you can check those out HERE. Service is always fast and friendly, and her prices are fantastic. :)

It is now my pleasure to send you off to the next designer on today's hop, Lori...just wait until you see what she has to share with you!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,

Melanie

October Release Day at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps!!

(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!!)

Welcome to the release day blog hop at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps!! 

Over the last few days in our Krafty Peeks, we have shared lots of amazing new stamps from all our artists. We’ve got something for everyone!! We've got two new characters from Cheryl Alger........it's LEXI'S WINTER FUN and SNOW DAY LUCAS!! We also have an adorable set from Emilie Goulet called OH BABY!! And of course we have an amazing new set of SIX elegant DASHING DANCERS from Annie Rodrigue that are simply stunning! OH and don’t forget the exclusive line of sentiment stamps that will coordinate with ALL your images this season.... called WINTER TRINKETS by the lovely Nicole Aspinall!!! 

Oh, and there is a SPECIAL image we are releasing to you today and we haven't shared it with you yet! See if you can find it along the hop! It's the awesome new stamp that the participants at yesterday's Krafty Day received in their goodie bags!! It's called KRAFTY KATASTROPHE and we know you'll love it!!

You will get to see most of the new images today as you sit back and enjoy our October Krafty Hop! 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 these incredible stamps from the new release!! And when you’re done hoppin’, be sure to head over to the Kraftin’Kimmie shop, because ALL the new images are NOW available!

And of course, as always, we have our Gimme Kimmies Kits available for those of you who ‘need it all’!! The stamps are grouped together by artist and are available at a discount, but only for a limited time! (Look for these under the "Categories" on the left hand side of the KKS Store website)

My card today features one of the new Dancers by Annie Rodrigue...this is Trixie Tapper! I LOVE her. :)  I've always thought it would be fun to learn to tap dance! My card layout is pretty simple to allow Trixie to take centre stage. I used silver and black metallic cardstock matted with red to pick up the accents of red in the coloured image. The silver oval was stamped with flourishes for a bit of visual interest, and I used Classic Corner Dies by SCACD to frame the image. The silver and red cardstock was sponged with black ink, and I added some rhinestones as a final touch. 

Trixie Tapper was stamped on Neenah with Memento Ink and coloured with Copics. A bit of Stardust Stickles was applied to all the red accents for a bit of pizzazz. :)  

Skin: E000, E00, E11  Hair: E50, E31, E33, E37, E59, BV27  Shirt: C00, C1, C3 Suit: C3m C5, C7, C9, 100 Vest, bowtie and hatband: R22, R27, R46, R59

Here's the full hop list...the next stop after me is the talented Jenny Peterson.

Remember, you can find all the new stamps at the KKS Store !!

 Just wanted to give a shout out to all the ladies who attended Krafty Day yesterday...what a FANTASTIC day!! Hope you all had a blast. :D

 Thanks for joining us today!

 Blessings,

 Melanie