Monday Morning Greetings!!

Well, good morning friends! Welcome to another Monday, which means the start to another work week. (insert sigh here, lol) We're heading for a long weekend though, so that's good news! Oh, and the kiddies are back to school next week too...how on earth did the summer go so quickly?? I don't have a card to show you today, but just wanted to pop on to share a few things with you.

Did you enter my current BLOG CANDY?? Check out THIS post for a chance to win some Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps!

Ok, I have to apologize as I'm a little late in posting a lovely blog award that I received from two very thoughtful stamping friends! I am so grateful to both Mary Lou and to Robin for thinking of me. I was so touched...thanks so much ladies! Take a look:

There are a few rules that go along with this blog award:

1. Thank the person (or in my case "people") who sent you this award.

To both Mary Lou and Robin....THANK YOU LADIES!!!! You have just brightened my day, and I truly appreciate you both...not just because you thought to send this along my way, but for your continued encouragement and support through all your lovely comments.

2. Post the award on your blog.

Done. :)

3. List three things about yourself:

• I love to read.
• I love to draw, although seldom find the time for it.
• I treasure my family...my supportive and loving husband Dean, our 17 year old son Nathan and our 10 year old daughter Ainsleigh.

4. Post a picture you love.

Thought I would share a picture that Dean took of our daughter Ainsleigh from her ballet recital this past June. Ainsleigh is often a "guest" on my blog, as she is one of the Junior Krafty Girls for Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps. She always joins us with a lovely creation on our release day blog hops. She loves anything art-related, but dance has been a passion for her since she could walk. We just love to see her up on stage...even her 17 year old brother comes out to support her! (I love that Nathan will sit through recitals to shows his sister he cares...even though we know it's not his "cup of tea", lol.) He always greets her with a hug and words of encouragement after a performance...and sometimes even a rose. Love my kids!!

5. Pass this award on to five friends.

Oh, it's so hard to narrow it down, as I can think of so many deserving stampers (and I hate to leave anybody out), but here you go:

• Amanda
• Krista
• Maria
• Rach
• Sharon

Oh, and Mary Lou currently has some fabulous Blog Candy...check it out on this post HERE!! I'll also be putting up a link to her candy in my sidebar.

Well, that's about if from me today! I hope you have a wonderful Monday, and I hope to see you back this Friday for a brand new challenge from Wags 'n Whiskers Stamps!

Blessing friends, and thanks so much for stopping by!

Melanie

Pearly Whites (oh, and I've got CANDY!!)

What a week! We have been so incredibly busy at work. Let me just say that I am thrilled it's the weekend at last! (although, our family has a lot on the agenda for the weekend, so it's bound to be busy too.) Last Sunday, I had the pleasure of spending most of the day stamping and colouring with some lovely gals. Kimmie, Andrea, Angie, Amanda and I were all invited over to Amy's brand new studio. What a fantastic space Amy has...I was just a tad jealous! lol My stamping space is my kitchen table! We all coloured to our hearts' content, and shared more than a few laughs! It was a great day, and we hope to do it again sometime soon.

Make sure to read to the end of my post, as I've got some CANDY to give away to one lucky stamper!!

One of the images I worked on last Sunday was for this week's challenge at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog! The lovely Jeanne Streiff is your hostess this week, and her challenge is called "Pearly Whites"...so make sure to include the colour white and some pearls on your creation this week!

I pulled out one of my favourite Annie Rodrigue stamps, "Marie Antionette". I LOVE colouring this image! Just look at that skirt...I bet she has to turn sideways to fit though doors! lol In keeping with that vintage feel that I love, I decided to go with a creamier white for the accents on her dress. I also sponged all white cardstock with Antique Linen Distress Ink. That pretty punched border was cut with Spellbinders Classic Lace Borders Grand...I've been after this die for a LONG time, and picked it up last weekend at one of my favourite local stores, Skribbles and Scraps. The papers on this card are all from the Basic Grey Capella collection...I absolutely love these papers. I used some flat backed pearls from the dollar store.


The image was stamped on Neenah cardstock with Memento Ink and coloured with Copic markers. She was cut out and popped up on foam squares. Now, I believe Marie's little birdie friend is a raven...but I needed a bit more white on my card to fit in with Jeanne's challenge. So, I attempted to make him look more like a white pigeon...just pretend with me, ok? lol Oh, you'll notice that Marie also has some pretty pearls in her hair...just perfect for the challenge.

Copics: Skin E0000, E000, E00, E11, R20 Hair: E50, E31, E33, E35, E37, E59 Dress: B91, B93, B95, B97, B99, E50, E41, E43, E47

We'd love to have you join in with Jeanne's challenge this week. Make sure to use a Kraftin' Kimmie stamp (find them HERE) on your project, and you could be the lucky winner of the stamp Jeanne used on her card this week! For some inspiration, go check out the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog to see the gorgeous projects by the rest of the Krafty Girls and our lovely Krafty Guests!

Just a quick reminder to register soon for the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Event on September 25, 2010...space is limited and tickets are going fast! Check out THIS post for details. I sure hope to see you there!

Ok, are you interested in some BLOG CANDY??? I have been offering blog candy throughout the month of August as an expression of thanks to all the lovely folks who stop by my blog and leave such sweet comments. I appreciate each and every one of you! So, how would you like to get your hands on a couple of gorgeous Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps? Take a look:

If you would like to be the very happy winner of "Nerissa" and "Snow White", then just leave a comment on this post by September 3, 2010 at 11:59 EST. I will announce the winner next Saturday along with our next Kraftin' Kimmie Challenge. I'd like to say a great big THANKS to KIMMIE for generously donating these stamps! Good luck stampers!

Thank you so much for stopping by today. Have a wonderful Saturday, and I hope you find some time to get inky this weekend!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Marie Antoinette"

Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, Basic Grey Capella

Ink: Memento, Copics, Distress Ink (Antique Linen and Stormy Sky)

Embellishments: Pearls

Tools: Spellbinders Classic Lace Borders Grand

And the Winner Is...

Good morning folks! I hope your Sunday is off to a fantastic start! I'm sure you're longing to find out who won my blog candy donated by the lovely Crissy Armstrong. Well, without further ado the winner is...

FIONALAWLOR

Congrats!! I know you will have a lot of creative fun with your three Crissy Armstrong digital stamps! I'll be contacting you soon with more information on choosing your three images!

Keep your eyes peeled as I'll have another giveaway very soon...and I know you'll love it!!!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope to see you back soon!

Blessings,

Melanie

Mermaid Music

Welcome to another challenge at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps! Your hostess for this week's "Stars" Challenge is the very sweet Diana who wants to see you incorporating stars into your project. There are so many possibilities here: buttons, papers, stamps, die cuts...take your pick! Just make sure we can see those stars somewhere on your project!

Now at first, I was in a bit of a pickle with this challenge. I went digging through my craft supplies and realized that I have NOTHING with stars on it. I thought a shopping trip might be in order, until I remembered that the lovely Aurora has stars in her hair...perfect! I inked up Aurora, stamped her on Neenah cardstock and coloured her up with my Copic markers. I also used the little starfish accessory stamp that comes with Calliope.

After colouring the image, I glammed up Aurora's tail with Stardust Stickles. (LOL, I initially thought about having the Stardust Stickles as my "star" component for this challenge, but thought I might get in a wee bit of trouble for pushing the envelope! hehe Diana actually wants to see star shapes on your project!) The background was done with various markers and the blender. all the paper edges were sponged with Bundled Sage and Brushed Corduroy Distress Inks. The flourishes were cut with Spellbinders Doodle Parts.

Copics: Skin: E0000, E000, E00, E11, R20 Hair: E50, E31, E33, E35, E37, E59 Tail: YG00, YG11, YG63, YG67, G99 Starfish: Y17, Y21, YR31, E35, E47

We'd love to have you join in with the challenge this week! If you make sure to use a Kraftin' Kimmie stamp (you can find them HERE) on your project, you could be the lucky winner of Halloween Miles and Maisie as seen on Diana's fantastic card this week! Hop on over to the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog to see the incredible projects by the other Krafty Girls and Krafty Guests...what an amazingly talented group of stampers!!

How would you like to increase your chances of winning some Kraftin' Kimmie goodness? Kimmie is sponsoring Cute Card Thursday's sketch challenge this week. I used the great sketch on my challenge card today. Why not combine the Star Challenge and Sketch Challenge to increase your odds of winning? (take at look at Kimmie's post HERE!)

(Have you registered for the upcoming First Annual Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Krafty Day?? Check out THIS post for details!)

Thanks so much for stopping by friends, and have a fantastic day!

Blessings,

Melanie

ps...You have until 11:59 pm EST tonight to enter my current BLOG CANDY on THIS post!!

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Aurora" and starfish accessory stamp for "Calliope"

Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, Crate Paper, KaiserCraft

Ink: Memento, Copics, Distress Ink

Embellishments: Stardust Stickles

Tools: Spellbinders Doodle Parts, Martha Stewart punch

A Fairy Blog Hop at Wags 'n Whiskers Stamps!

Welcome to release day at Wags 'n Whiskers Stamps!! We have a brand new set of rubber stamps by artist Cris De Lara featuring some gorgeous fairies...did you see the sneak peeks over the last two days?? I know you will fall in love with the beautiful new images, just as the entire DT has. To celebrate the release, we are having a blog hop today!

The hop begins over at the Wags 'n Whiskers Blog, where you will find a list of all the particpants. As you hop from blog to blog, make sure to leave comments as there will be three lucky winners drawn from those names who will each win two stamps from the new release! When you are done, make sure to head back to the Wags 'n Whiskers blog to comment on your favourite design...and then go shopping! The hop will remain open until Monday August 23, 2010 at 5:01 am GMT/12:01 am EST.

If you have arrived here from the lovely Mag's blog, then you are on the right track...aren't her creations just beautiful?! If not, just head on over to the beginning of the hop at the WnW blog and make your way through the list.

One of the things I love about these fairies is their versatility. Depending on what colour scheme you use, they are perfect for any season or occasion. So many blogs are featuring Christmas projects lately, that I've been in the mood to make something festive...although I suppose this could be a gift for other occasions too. I saw a video tutorial (found HERE) a while back by Becca Feeken that shows how to create a pretty ornament out of Spellbinders Fleur De Lis pendant. I followed her directions for folding the pendants and made an ornament to feature one of the Wags 'n Whiskers Fairies...allow me to introduce "Lacey"!



I stamped Lacey on Neenah cardstock and coloured her with Copics. I added sparkle to her wings with Stardust Stickles. I added additional shimmer to her dress with Smooch Illuminate.

Copics: Skin: E0000, E000, E00, E11 Hair: E50, E31, E33, E37, E59 Clothes: BG000, BG10, BG11, BG72, BG75, E50, E41, E43, blender Wings: B93, B21, B000 and RV000

Time for you to visit the sweet and very talented Debbie who I know has a gorgeous project to show you! Remember, if at any time on the hop you get a little lost, just return to the Wags 'n Whiskers Blog for the hop list. Don't forget to leave those comments for your chance to win some new stamps!

When you are done hopping, it's time to get shopping! (lol...didn't know I had poetry skills, huh??) You can find the brand new Wags 'n Whiskers Fairies HERE.

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Wags 'n Whiskers "Lacey"
Ink: Memento, Copic markers, Distress Ink
Paper: Neenah, My Mind's Eye
Embellishments: Rhinestones, crocheted trim, ribbon
Tools: Spellbinders Fleur De Lis Pendant

Wags 'n Whiskers Fairy Sneak Peeks-Day Two!

Have you heard the news? There is a brand new release at Wags 'n Whiskers Stamps this Friday! We started the sneak peeks for these stamps yesterday, and we're back with another round today. The August release features some gorgeous new fairies by artist Cris De Lara.

Today, I have a card featuring "Nichola". I just love how elegant these pretty fairies are and they are so much fun to colour! I decided to colour Nichola in autumn colours and paired her up with some pretty papers from Daisy Buckets. After colouring her wings, I coated them with Stardust Stickles...because every fairy needs just a little bling!

Copics used: Skin E0000, E000, E00, E11, R20 Hair: E50, E31, E33, E37, E59 Clothing: YR00, YR02, YR04, YR07, YR08, YG00, YG91, YG95, G99 Wings: BG93, BG96, YG91, Y17, Y23, YR31, E50 and RV000

Hop on over to the Wags 'n Whiskers Blog where you will find links to the rest of the DT who have some beautiful previews to show you featuring the new WnW fairies! You can also check out THIS post to find out how you could win the entire new release!

Don't forget to join us tomorrow for the release day Blog Hop!

Blessings,

Melanie

ps...Have you entered my current BLOG CANDY?? Check out THIS post for all the details!

Stamps: Wags 'n Whiskers "Nicola"

Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, Daisy Buckets

Ink: Memento, Copic markers, Distress Inks

Embellishments: Prima flowers, buttons, ribbon(coloured with Copic marker G94), dollar store charm and twine

August Sneak Peeks at Wags 'n Whiskers!

Good morning friends! It's time for another new release at Wags 'n Whiskers stamps!! Just wait until you see the beautiful new images that will be available for purchase this Friday...and you can see some sneak peeks starting today! You can check over at the Wags 'n Whiskers Blog to see a list of designers participating in the previews each day. To celebrate the release, we have a fantastic blog hop planned on Friday...I sure hope you plan to join in the fun!

This new release features some beautiful fairies. The images are very versatile, and can be used for so many different occasions and seasons. Today, I'm showing you a card featuring "Angelica". I paired her up with some pretty paper from the Basic Grey Capella collection...I really love the colours and designs of these papers. The sentiment is from JustRite and the little brown pearls are from the dollar store.





"Angelica" was stamped on Neenah cardstock and coloured with Copic markers. I used the colourless blender on her wings to fade the colours into each other and then coated them with Stardust Stickles. The background was done by sponging in Bundled Sage and Antique Linen Distress Inks while the image was still in a Spellbinders Die. (The edges were all sponged with the same inks.)

Copics: As I didn't actually record all the colours, I'm going by memory here! lol Skin: E0000, E000, E00, E11,R20 Hair: E50, E31, E33, E37, E59 Skirt: E50, E41, E42, E43, E47 Bodice: BG000, BG10, BG11, BG75, G00, B99 and YG91 (the G00 and YG91 were used very sparingly to tone down the blue in order to match the paper better)

Would you like to see more? Head on over to the Wags 'n Whiskers Blog for links to the other sneak peeks. The Diva's have been busy preparing some gorgeous projects! I know you will fall in love with these new fairies, just as we all have!

While you are at the WnW blog, check out THIS post to find out how you could win the entire new release!

I hope to see you back for another sneak peek tomorrow!

Blessings,

Melanie

ps...Don't forget about my current blog candy...you can read all about it HERE!

Stamps: Wags 'n Whiskers "Angelica", JustRite stamps (sentiment)
Ink: Memento, Copic markers, Distress Inks
Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, Basic Grey
Embellishments: Dollar store Pearls
Tools: Spellbinders