April Showers Bring May Flowers

I certainly hope that's true! We've been getting our fair share of rain this week, but as a result our grass is looking lovely and green and the leaves are opening on the trees. We don't have any spring annuals in our garden though...I keep forgetting to plant bulbs in the fall, lol. However, I had fun pulling out some krafty flowers this week...our lovely hostess for the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps challenge is Andrea Murdock, and she'd like to see FLOWERS on your projects!

My card today features a quote from the Krafty Quotes #2 Set. I cheated a bit, and started with an unadorned patterned card from The Paper Studio...my best friend Amanda gave me a box of these cards. They have many of my favourite earthy colour combinations in gorgeous patterns and textures...all they need is a little embellishing, and they're good to go! I hunted through my, er, collection (aka my "hoard", lol) for some papers that would coordinate, and settled on using this striped paper from Basic Grey (Capella). It was cut out with my Spellbinders Labels 10. I traced around the outside edge of the die and hand cut a tight-mat out of brown cardstock. The crocheted trim is from the dollar store, and the flower are from Prima. Pretty much everything on my card was distressed...the paper edges were roughed up with a pair of scissors and several inks were applied with sponges. Even the flowers failed to escape my Distress Inks. :) I finished it off with a few dollar store pearls.



The Krafty Quote (Set #2) was stamped with Versafine Ink on Wassau cardstock. (When stamping, I separated the Quote to make it fit within the Spellbinders Fancy Tag I planned to use...thanks to my inability to stamp anything straight, this took me a few tries until I got it right. lol) I always keep a stack of this cardstock in my crafty stash...it comes in handy for sentiments, matting, interior of cards and various other uses. In keeping with my colour scheme, the white cardstock needed some extra attention to make it coordinate with the rest of the card. Before cutting it out, I applied Antique Linen and Walnut Stain Distress Inks with makeup sponges. I then used my Mini-Mister to apply water and dried it with my hair dryer (yes, I know...I need to get a heat tool! lol) I also added some Aspen Mist Chalk Ink, and played around with the ink layers until I was happy. The corners were rounded and the edges were distressed with scissors before adhering it to the brown cardstock cut with Spellbinders Fancy Tags.


If you play along with Andrea's "May Flowers" challenge this week, you could be the lucky winner of the stamp Andrea used on her gorgeous card...just make sure to use a Kraftin' Kimmie Stamp on your project to be eligible. For some flowery inspiration, hop on over to the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog to check out the beautiful projects by the Krafty Girls and our Krafty Guests.

I would like to take this opportunity to say a huge THANK YOU to the five lovely ladies who were our Krafty Guests this month...Deborah, Tanjii, Krista, Jenny and Amanda. You ladies did an AMAZING job!! It was an absolute pleasure to work alongside all of you throughout the month of April. :)

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and thanks so much for stopping by today!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Krafty Quotes #2"
Ink: Versafine, Distress Ink (Antique Linen, Walnut Stain), Chalk Ink (Aspen Mist)
Paper: Cardbase from The Paper Studio, Basic Grey Capella, Wassau, Bazzill
Embellishments: Prima flowers, crocheted trim, pearls
Tools: Spellbinders Fancy Tags and Labels 10

Clarabelle

Good morning...and happy Easter weekend to all! Are you all ready for another challenge over at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog?? Your lovely hostess this weekend is my very good friend Krista Vantol...Krista's colouring is always jaw-dropping gorgeous. :) Her challenge this week is to get "Frilly"!! So break out your lace, ribbon or whatever frilly things you might have in your Krafty arsenal and get stamping!

I still had one fairy left to ink up from this month's new release...this is the very, ahem, cheeky "Clarabelle"! lol I decided to use some pretty DCWV paper from the Once Upon A Time stack. I really love that paper collection! All papers were sponged with Walnut Stain Distress Ink. After cutting out a circle with my Spellbinders, I applied Scor Tape to the back edge and hand gathered some crocheted trim to make it "frilly". This layer was then adhered with pop dots to a layer of cardstock cut with the Spellbinders Lacey Circles. I added some machine stitching and pearls as finishing touches. (The ivory pearls were coloured with my E42 marker to coordinate with the colour scheme.)



Clarabelle was stamped on Neenah cardstock and coloured with Copics. After colouring, I realized the wings were too intense in colour for the papers so I sponged them with Antique Linen Distress Ink to create more of a muted look. Her wings were then given a coat of Stardust Stickles.

Colours: Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20 Hair: E50, E30, E31, E33, E35, E37, E59 Clothes: B91, B93, B95, B97, B99, C9, R30, R32, R35, R37, R59 Wings: RV000, RV02, R35, R37, R59, BG0000, B91, B93, B95, B97, C9

If you play along this week, you could be the lucky winner of the stamp seen on Krista's beautiful card...just make sure to use a Kraftin' Kimmie Stamp on your card to be eligible for the prize. Looking for some inspiration? Just hop on over to the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog to see all the gorgeous "Frilly" projects by the Krafty Girls and Krafty Guests.

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I hope you have a wonderful Easter weekend. :)

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Clarabelle"
Ink: Copics, Memento, Distress Ink
Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, DCWV
Embellishments: Pearls, stitching, crocheted trim from Webster's Pages
Tools: Spellbinders

Spring is in the Air!

I sure hope spring stays in the air...we had snow earlier this week in Southwestern Ontario! I do love winter, but I am ready for warmer weather and sunshine to set it. I love hearing the birds out chirping in the trees, and it's so nice to let some fresh air into the house. It's my turn today to share a card at Sundays with Crissy. We have two options for your challenge theme this month..."Spring" or "Baby" themed projects!

For my card today, I used two of Crissy's newest digital images from Whimsy Stamps..."Meadow Background" and "New Chickie". I merged the images together before printing them out on Neenah cardstock. The paper is from October Afternoon.


We'd love to have you play along with us. You can link your project up on Sarah's post from the beginning of the month, HERE. (just look for the Inlinkz button at the end of her post) All rules for entering challenges at Sundays With Crissy can be found in the sidebar of the challenge blog.

(sorry for the short post today folks...we've got company arriving as I'm typing! lol)

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Crissy's "New Chickie" and "Meadow Background" from Whimsy Stamps
Ink: Copics
Paper:Neenah, Bazzill, October Afternoon
Embellishments:Ribbon
Tools: Martha Stewart Punch

Kraftin' Kimmie April Release Blog Hop!!

Good morning and welcome to RELEASE DAY at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps!! Have you been following along with us for the sneak peeks over the last few days? Kimmie has pulled together yet another fabulous release full of incredible stamps! There is the brand new Krafty Quotes #3, some fun Dress Up Kids from Steven Leary and a set of gorgeous fairies from Annie Rodrigue!

The hop begins over at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Challenge Blog where you will find a complete list of the blogs on today's hop. As you hop along, make sure to leave comments on each and every blog, as Kimmie will be drawing some lucky stampers who will win packages of some of the new stamps!

If you've been hopping along in order, you should have arrived here after visiting with the super sweet Angie...her work is always so gorgeous! (if not, just pop on over to the Challenge Blog so that you don't miss any blogs along the way.

For my card today, I have used two of Annie Rodrigue's beautiful new fairies. These two gorgeous gals are "Isabelle" and "Rosabelle". I've had this sheet of pretty KaiserCraft paper in my stash for a while now, and knew it would be perfect for the new fairies. I love the pattern on this paper, so I decided not to cover it up with a fussy layout. I pulled out a bunch of flowers and played around with a few combinations. I have to say that this is probably the most elaborate flower grouping I've ever put on a card, lol. All the flowers are from Prima. I did add some Stardust Stickles to the mini roses and hydrangeas to coordinate with the large glittered rose. The laser-cut corner embellishments are available at Make It Crafty...I just gave them a few coats of white craft paint and topped that off with Smooch Illuminate. The sentiment comes with Isabelle. It was stamped in Versafine Ink, cut out with Spellbinders Fancy Tags, sponged with Milled Lavender Distress Ink and coated with Smooch Illuminate. The fairies' wings were also glammed-up with Stardust Stickles...there is no shortage of shimmer on this card, lol. Finishing touches include machine stitching and dollar store pearls.



Here's a closer look at "Isabelle":



Copics: Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20 Hair: E50, Y21, E30, E31, E33, E37, 59 Dress: BG0000, B91, B93, B95, B97, C9 Wings: YG11, BG0000, RV000

And a close up of "Rosabelle":



Copics: Skin: E000, E00, E11, E21, R20 Hair: E50, E30, E31, E33, E37, E59 Clothes: RV000, V01, V12, V9, BG0000, BG10, BG11, BG72, BG75, C9 Wings: RV000, V12, BG10, BG0000, B60, blender Mushroom: I am not going to list the colours I used on the mushroom because I tend to go by memory when I'm doing up my posts. The pile of markers on the table was immense and I cannot remember all of them, lol. I "dotted" several layers of browns, yellows and greens to develop the depth, and finally went in with C9 to achieve the deepest shadows.

Time for me to send you off to visit with the lovely Jeanne...just wait until you see what she has created for your viewing pleasure!

When you are done hopping, please make sure to visit the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Online Store, because the new stamps are now available for purchase!

Happy hopping...and don't forget to leave those comments for your chance to win some new April stamps!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Isabelle" and coordinating sentiment, "Rosabelle" Ink: Memento, Versafine, Copics, Milled Lavender Distress Ink Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, KaiserCraft Embellishments: Smooch Illuminate, Stardust Stickles, assorted Prima flowers, corner embellishments from Make It Crafty, pearls, Martha Stewart punch, Spellbinders Fancy Tags, machine stitching

Krafty Bingo...and another round of Sneak Peeks!!

Good morning! We've got a "double-your-fun" kind of day in store at the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog...not only do we have a brand new challenge, but we also have another round of sneak peeks featuring the April stamps that will be released tomorrow!! All the designers today have used the brand new April stamps by Krafty Artist Annie Rodrigue!!

First, let's talk about the challenge. Your lovely hostess this week is the very talented Tara Godfrey. She has come up with a fabulous and fun challenge...Krafty Bingo! On the challenge blog, you will find a "bingo card" created by Tara. Your task is to create a "BINGO" by using any combination of embellishments on the chart that will form a row vertically, horizontally or diagonally. How fun it that?!

Now, let's talk NEW STAMPS!! Annie Rodrigue continues to delight and amaze us each month with her creativity. Her characters are always so vibrant, fun and sometimes even a little cheeky...I love them!

This month, Annie has created a gorgeous collection of five fairies. For my card today, I used "Lilybelle" and "Tallulahbelle". My "Bingo" consisted of Bling, Ribbon and a Punch.(remember, you can find the bingo card on the challenge blog) This is one of those few occasions where I coloured my images before I picked out paper...big NO NO. I spent soooo much time pouring through my paper trying to find something to match these two pretty fairies. I finally settled on some paper from K&Company and Pink Paislee. I fear I may have cheated a bit on the bingo card challenge though...when I saw the "bling" option, I immediately thought of using Stardust Stickles on the fairy wings. However, when I went back to check the bingo card after I was done, I realized that one of the other options was "glitter". Oops. Well, the "bling" option on the bingo card actually reads "Bling or Gems", so maybe we'll count the pearls as gems. :) The decorative border was created with a Martha Stewart Punch. The sentiment on my card comes with another one of the new fairies, "Rosabelle". I stamped it with Versafine Ink. Oh my goodness, why did I not know how wonderful Versafine Ink is for stamping sentiments?? I think it was Krafty Girl Andrea who shared this tidbit with me. (I'm sure many of you probably already knew this.) Seriously though, this ink is awesome for stamping sentiments or finely detailed stamps...but NOT if you intend to colour them with your Copics, as it is definitely not Copic compatible. It grabs every little bit of your stamp and creates a wonderful crisp and clean impression. Love it. :)



I was inspired by my fellow Krafty Girls and our Krafty Guests in their use of more adventurous hair colours...so I thought I would venture out of my comfort zone for "Tallulahbelle's" hair, and attempted to make it coordinate with her wings. What do you think? I'm still not sure about it. lol Her hair really is fun to colour though, no matter which colours you choose to make it. Those corkscrew curls are awesome! As I chose to cut out both fairies, I had to hand draw in their antennae after adhering them to the paper. (there was no way that I was going to try to fussy-cut something that delicate! lol)



Colours: Skin: E50, E13, E25, E29, E59 Dress: RV000, R83, R85, R89, V12, C5 Wings: RV000, R83, V01, YG11, BG000, B91 Hair: BG0000, B32, B34, B39, YG11, RV000, R83

Here's a closer look at the sweet "Lilybelle". I popped one of her wings up on a foam dimensional square:



Colours: Skin: E000, E00, E11, R20 Hair: E50, E30, E31, E33, E37, E59 Dress: G20, G82, G85, G99, C9 Wings: RV000, B91, YG11, BG0000

If you play along with the Krafty Bingo Challenge this week, you could be the lucky winner of "Rosabelle", the stamp seen on Tara's gorgeous card! Just make sure to include a Kraftin' Kimmie Stamp on your project. For your viewing pleasure, please stop by the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog to see the Bingo creations by the incredible Krafty Girls and our fantastic Krafty Guests...these ladies have been doing an amazing job with the challenges and release this month! We're so happy to have them playing along with us. Please make sure to stop by their blogs and leave them a bit of love. :) (you will find links to everybody's individual blogs at the Challenge Blog)

Only one more sleep folks! Tomorrow is the big release day, and we've got an incredible blog hop planned for you! Please join us tomorrow for all the fun!

Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,

Melanie
Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Lilybelle", "Tallulahbelle" and sentiment that comes with "Rosabelle"
Ink: Memento, Copics, VersafinePaper: Neenah, Bazzill, K&Company, Pink Paislee
Embellishments: Stardust Stickles, ribbon, brad (Spare Parts), machine stitching, pearls
Tools: Martha Stewart Punch, Bow Easy

April Krafty Peeks...Day Two!

Hello and happy Friday to all my blogging friends!! Did you know that we are only a couple of days away from the next release at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps?? You will be able to get your inky little fingers on the new April stamps this Sunday...but in the meantime, the Krafty Girls and Krafty Guests have been busy creating some gorgeous sneak peeks! Yesterday, we showed you projects featuring the new set, "Krafty Quotes #3"...today we'll be showing you the new stamps by Krafty artist Steven Leary!

For my card today, I chose to use the adorable "Chef Sheldon"...how cute is this little guy?! Steven's cute little tykes this month are perfect for cards, tags, party favours, scrapbook layouts...so many possibilities! The paper is from October Afternoon. The sentiment is from Kimmie's "Everyday Sentiments Set".

Chef Sheldon was coloured with Copics on Neenah paper. I had initially intended for his hat to be white, and used my E40 range to shade it. However, after I was done, I realized that a green hat would suit the paper much better, so I started laying down greens over top of the original colour.

Copics: Skin: E000, E00, E11, E21 Hair: E30, E31, E33, E37, E59, Hat: (first attempt: E50, E41, E42, E47) G20, G82, G85, G99, E49 were then layered over top Apron: G20, G82, G85, E49 Shirt: R37, E59, C9 Lettering: R37 Oven Mitts: BG0000, BG10, BG11, BG72, BG75, C9 Shoes: E50, E31, E25, E59 Pie tin: C9, C5 Crust: E50, E31, E33, E37, E59

To see some more sneak peeks of the new stamps by Steven Leary, hop on over to the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog where you will find a list of links to the Krafty Girls and Krafty Guests who have previews to share!

Please join us tomorrow for our weekly challenge, and another round of sneak peeks featuring new stamps by another Krafty artist...oh, and don't forget to plan to join us for the official release day blog hop on Sunday!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and enjoy the rest of your day!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Chef Sheldon" and "Everyday Sentiments" Ink: Memento, Copics Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, October Afternoon Embellishments: Button, twine
Tools: Spellbinders Lacey Squares

Ready for some Kraftin' Kimmie Sneak Peeks???

Good morning...are you all ready for some April Sneak Peeks at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps??!! The official release day will be this Sunday, but in the meantime we'll be showing you previews of the new stamps. Each day leading up to the release, you can check out the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog to see who has sneak peeks to show you. :)

Today, we're kicking off the sneak peeks with projects featuring the brand new "Krafty Quotes #3". I have been loving the addition of this line to Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps. They can of course be combined with many of the Kraftin' Kimmie image stamps, but they are perfect for so many other applications as well. They look beautiful on cards, scrapbook layouts, altered items...so many possibilities. "Krafty Quotes #3" includes four larger sized quotes .

My card today features the quote by Eleanor Roosevelt, "A woman is like a tea bag-you can't tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water". The sentiment was stamped in Walnut Stain Distress Ink. After stamping, I realized that I failed to apply an even pressure which resulted in some of the letters not stamping perfectly. Rather than stamping again, I thought I would just use it to my advantage and go for a bit of a distressed look. The paper edges were distressed with scissors and sponged with the Distress Ink. I also created a coordinating flower with the Spellbinders Lacey Circles. The centre of the flower is a dollar store metal brad. The little teacup is actually an accessory stamp that comes with an older Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps, "Gabrielle". It was stamped with the Distress Ink and lightly shaded with Conte Crayons. To finish it off, I added some flourishes that were created with Spellbinders Doodle Parts, some dollar store pearls and a few leaves.

Please visit the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog for a complete list of links to the Krafty Girls and our lovely Krafty Guests who are participating in today's Krafty Quotes #3 sneak peeks.

I hope to see you back tomorrow for another round of previews featuring some new stamps by one of Kimmie's Krafty Artists!

Thanks so much for stopping by today. :)

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Krafty Quotes #3", "Gabrielle's" teacup accessory stamp Ink: Walnut Stain Distress Ink, Conte Crayons Paper: Bazzill, Kraft Carstock, the design paper was all from my scrap bin...sorry not sure of the company Embellishments: Dollar store pearls and brad, leaves Tools: Spellbinders Lacey Circles, Labels 8