Old School Vampires (you know...before they sparkled?!)

Good morning and welcome back! Have you been enjoying all the spooky Kraftin' Kimmie sneak peeks by the Krafty Girls and our fantastic Krafty Guests?? ( Our August guests are none other than Colleen Schaan, Jessica Diedrich, Kerry Johnson and Paula Williamson!!!) Tomorrow is the big release day, and Kimmie has planned a fun-filled creepy blog hop to celebrate! Just wait until you see what the Krafty Girls have been brewing up in their studios...I have seen them, and they are AMAZING! We will be joined by our August Krafty Guests, Kimmie's artists and of course our Junior Krafty Girls.

In the meantime, we have another new Kraftin' Kimmie Challenge along with more previews...are you game?? Your very talented hostess this week is the lovely Krista...she has come up with a great recipe for you this week. She would like to see you using Scallops, Buttons and Bling on your project.

Have you been caught up in this whole vampire craze?? Lol...I'm guessing that as soon as you read the word "vampire", you thought of Edward and Bella??? Confession time....I'm a Twilight fan too. Well, for all you fang fans out there, Kimmie has a great new vampire stamp that will be available for purchase tomorrow! Allow me to introduce you to the new "it" couple...."Fred and Ginger"! The "Love Bites" sentiment comes with this great stamp...however, the little fang marks and blood are my own addition, lol.

When I sat down to colour this image, my first inclination was to have Fred sparkle...I was all set to pull out my Smooch Illuminate and Stardust Stickles to make him look like Edward in the sunlight. As I was colouring his cape, I got to thinking that Fred reminded me more of the "old school" vampires...remember when vampires didn't "dazzle" us in the sun?? Actually, they couldn't go out in the sun at all! So, I shaded his very pale face with greys and purples. I went back to blend them out with the colourless blender. Then, out came my Conte crayons, and I got busy giving him deeper shadows around his eyes. In stark contrast, Ginger's skin is still very alive and warm. This gal has definitely not been "changed"....yet! Looks like Fred's going in for the bite, and Ginger's really not putting up much resistance! The poor gal has totally fainted (or maybe just swooned)...but doesn't she look glamorous in her red dress?? (Again, I was going for strong contrast with this rich red against the black and white used on Fred) .



If you plan to add additional shading with a different medium, please remember to do this after you have finished colouring with your markers. If not, you run the risk of ruining your marker nibs. However, if this should happen it's not the end of your marker as the nibs are replaceable. I used a blending stump to pick up pigment from my Conte crayons and then applied it to my image. I tend to work in little circles to achieve a smooth blend. I guess it's the same technique you would use with pencils and OMS, but I'm working with a dry paper stump here. I also added some black Conte crayon to Fred's cape. It kind of softens the look of the ink. Oh, one other note...Conte crayons are messy. (kind of a hybrid between chalk and pastels) Your fingers will get messy (which will easily transfer to other areas of your image), and small particles of pigment will likely land all over your paper...don't try to brush these off as you'll get smears of colour across your lovely image...don't ask me how I know. lol (I turn my paper on end and tap it off, or just lightly blow on the image)

Well, that was a long post! Are you still with me?? (I'll warn you next time, so you can grab a fresh cup of coffee or tea before settling in!)

We would LOVE to have you join in the challenge this week! Just follow along with Krista's recipe and make sure to use a Kraftin' Kimmie image on your creation (you can find them HERE)...then you could be the lucky winner of the stamp Krista used on her amazing card this week. Hop on over the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog to check out all the projects by the Krafty Girls and Krafty Guests!

Before you go, I also want to remind you about the First Annual Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Krafty Day on September 25, 2010! Check out this POST for details about the event and registration. We sure hope to see you there!

Ok, see you back tomorrow for the RELEASE DAY BLOG HOP!!!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Fred and Ginger" with included sentiment

Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, Daisy Buckets, Best Creation Inc., Karen Foster

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Black Soot Distress Ink, Copic markers

Other mediums: Conte crayons

Embellishments: Ribbon, button, Onyx Martha Stewar glitter, rhinestones, StarDust Stickles, Christmas Red Stickles

Tools: Spellbinders Fancy Tags, paper blending stump

Kraftin' Kimmie August Previews: Day 2

Welcome back! My word, it seems you all are big Halloween fans...we've had such a great response after just one day of sneak peeks. I would like to say a heartfelt THANKS for all the lovely comments left on my blog yesterday...you are all so sweet!

Are you ready for more previews of the brand new August release for Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps?? The stamps will be available for purchase on Sunday, and we're planning a blog hop that day to celebrate! Meanwhile, you can be checking out previews of these fantastic stamps each day with the Krafty Girls!


Once again, I'm combining stamps from two of Kimmie's artists on my card. This awesome "Haunted House" by Annie Rodrigue is the perfect backdrop for "Halloween Miles and Maisie" by Stephen Leary! (aren't they cute in their costumes??) The flocked spider web paper is from Making Memories, but I can't remember what company the other Halloween paper is from. The edges were all sponged with Black Soot Distress Ink and I glammed up the button with some Onyx Martha Stewart glitter.




Sorry folks...I didn't record the colours for this card as I ended up with an enormous mountain of markers on my table by the time I was done. I did add some extra shading with my Conte crayons.



Kimmie has packed so many great Halloween stamps into this release! To see more previews, hop on over to the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog to see what the rest of the amazing Krafty Girls have been up to!

See you back tomorrow for our weekly challenge and another round of previews!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Haunted House" and "Halloween Miles and Maisie"

Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, Making Memories and ??

Ink: Memento, Copic Markers, Distress Ink

Embellishments: MS glitter, button, twine, ribbon

Previews Begin Today at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps!!

I love release week at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps...it's always jam packed full of fun! This month is no exception. Kimmie has a fantastic line-up of Halloween themed stamps from two of her artists, Annie Rodrigue and Stephen Leary! She also has a great set of Halloween sentiments to go with the new images. Starting today, the Krafty Girls will be bringing you previews of the August stamps right through to the release day this Sunday, when we will be celebrating with a blog hop! Make sure to check out the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog each day for a list of the participating Krafty Girls!

For my first preview, I made a Halloween wall hanging with two of the August stamps...and they are by two different artists! Introducing "Witchypoo" by Annie Rodrigue and "Pumpkin Miles" by Stephen Leary. I love how well these images work with each other for creating great scenes! The "Happy Halloween" tag was made with Spellbinders Fancy Tags and the great "Halloween Sentiments" set that Kimmie will also be releasing this Sunday...this is yet another set full of great themed sentiments sure to suit all your spooky projects!

Some of you may be aware that I am a bargain junkie. I love dollar stores and clearance bins...you can find some fantastic treasures! I recently picked up several of these great wooden shadow boxes for a dollar a piece! I painted the entire surface with some black craft paint. After creating my little scene, I got busy "jazzing" up the frame. I used some chipboard flourishes as a stencil and traced around them to create a pattern, added glue and then sprinkled it with some black Martha Stewart glitter. The little orange gems are yet another dollar store item.

Witchypoo needed a bit of bling too, so I sparkled her up with Stardust Stickles. Her boots also got a coat of Glossy Accents. Copics used: E000, E00, E11, E31, E33, E37, E50, E59, RVooo, V09, V12, V15, G11, YG63, YG67, 100, C1, C3, C5, C7, YR00, YR02, YR04, YR07, E08, BV31

After stamping Pumpkin Miles, I added in a couple of extra pumpkins and vines to make it look like he was in the middle of a pumpkin patch. Copics: C1, C3, C5, C7, YR00, YR02, YR07, E08, E25, E31, E33, E49, E50, YG00, YG11, YG63, YG67, Y38.

Want to see more? Well, hop on over to the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog to visit the rest of the Krafty Girls for their previews. Oh, and Kimmie has some amazingly talented super-star guests joining us this month...you'll find out who they are when you visit the blog! Make sure to check back with us tomorrow, as we have more sneak peeks planned for you!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Witchypoo", "Pumpkin Miles" and "Halloween Sentiments"
Paper: DCWV, Bazzill, Neenah
Ink: Memento, Copics, Bundled Sage and Black Soot Distress Inks
Embellishments: Martha Stewart Glitter in Onyx, Glossy Accents, Stardust Stickles, orange rhinestones
Tools: Spellinbinders Fancy Tags

Blog Candy Winner!!

Good morning folks! As promised, I'm back with the winner of my Wags 'n Whiskers Blog Candy!! I used random.org to choose a number, and you winner is...

MARGO!!!

Congrats Margo and I hope you have lots of fun playing with these great stamps! Thank you to all who joined in and left such lovely comments. I'm planning to post another blog candy giveaway from another wonderful sponsor later this weekend, so make sure to stay tuned friends!

Blessings,

Melanie

For the Teens

Happy Saturday!!! It's time for a brand new challenge at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps. Did you miss us last week?? Our last challenge ran for two weeks, as Kimmie and Andrea headed out to CHA where they met up with Jeanne, and many other crafty friends! They had a fantastic time, and I loved seeing all the pictures they posted. But now, it's time to get back to business and get stampin'!

This week, our hostess is the lovely Vicki Garrett!! Her challenge to you is to make a birthday card for a teenage boy. Hmmm. Tricky. I sat pondering, and pondering, and pondering, and....well, you get the point! It took me a lot of thinking to come up with something for a teen! (which is pretty sad, since my son is 17...you'd think this would come easy to me. Nope.) While looking through my ever-expanding collection of Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps, my eyes landed on Bartholomew the Bard and Princess Petunia. Hmmmm. Bartholomew looks like he's got some pretty mad guitar skills...and Petunia has such an adoring look in her eyes. What teenage guy doesn't dream of having the girls look at him like that?? Perfect!

Welcome to Medieval Idol. It's Bartholomew's turn to rock the court, and there to cheer him on is the lovely Petunia. Girls have always gone nuts for rockers, even way back in the middle ages! I stamped both Bartholomew and Petunia on Neenah cardstock (except the pupils in her eyes...I drew them in after, so she would be staring at bad-boy rocker Barty), and then drew in the background with a Copic multiliner. The sentiment is something I came up with on my own. On the outside it reads: "Chicks dig guys with mad guitar skills..." and then on the inside, "...but dude, next time leave the tights at home. Happy Birthday!" (ugh...I was frustrated with the inside of the card. I accidentally smeared some black ink from my finger on the white paper while adhering it...which is why I had to sponge around the edge with more black ink to cover up my error. sigh. )

Copics used: E000, E00, E11, R20, BG000, BG10, BG11, BG72, BG75, RV000, R83, R85, R89,C7, C5, C3, C1, R17, R35, R46, R59, E25, E 31, E33, E37, E99, E50, E59, YG00, YG11, YG63, YG67, G14, G21, G99, Y11, Y21, Y17, colourless blender

This main image panel ended up being huge (this is a 6x6 card base), so it left very little room for a fussy layout which is just fine for a "guy" card.

I hope you'll join in on the challenge this week. If you do, you could win the stamp Vicki used on her awesome card this week! Just make sure to use a Kraftin' Kimmie stamp on your project to be eligible, and then link it up on the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog! While you are there, check out what the rest of the Krafty Girls have been creating this week...can I just say, AMAZING!!

I also wanted to remind you about the First Annual Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Krafty Day scheduled for September 25, 2010 in London, Ontario!!! Read this post HERE for more information. If you're thinking about attending, you'd best register quickly, as Kimmie has already been flooded with registrations...over half the spots are sold already! Act fast stampers...we'd love for you to join us.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Have a wonderful weekend, and try to find a little time to get inky!

Blessings,

Melanie

(ps...I've got a bit of blog candy up for grabs...read this post HERE to find out the details! I have more stampin' goodies to give away this month too, so make sure to check back in with me frequently so you don't miss out!)

Stamps: Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps "Princess Petunia" and "Bartholomew the Bard"

Ink: Memento, Copic markers, Copic multiliner

Paper: Neenah, Bazzill, Basic Grey

Embellishments: Dollar store metal corners, Stardust Stickles

He Loves Me (and a little CANDY!!)

Good morning friends!! Make sure to read all the way through my post today, as I've got a bit of CANDY to give away to one lucky stamper!!

Are you all ready for another new challenge at Wags 'n Whiskers? Your hostess today is the lovely and amazingly talented Chris Olsen. Her challenge is called "Triple Play"...use any element in groups of three! Chris has left this up to your interpretation, and the possibilities are endless! You could use 3 stamps, 3 papers, 3 flowers, 3 ribbons or even 3 techniques (ie embossing, die cutting, distressing)...the list goes on and on!

We would also like to welcome some brand new members to the Wags 'n Whiskers Design Team. Our new permanent member are Tracy, Debbie, and Angelique!! Joining us as guest designers for August and September are Emma and Louise!! We are so thrilled to have you on the team ladies and look forward to seeing your gorgeous creations!

For my project today, I used "He Loves Me", one of the gorgeous WnW stamps by Crissy Armstrong. I've used "3's" in several ways on this card. There are three different patterned paper layers (Basic Grey Porcelain), a little group of three flowers in the bottom right hand corner of the stamped image, a cluster of three Prima Hydrangeas (LOVE these flowers) in the lower left hand corner of the card (plus, the centre flower is made with three different sizes of these gorgeous flowers), three rhinestones in the flower centres and groups of three pearls in various spots on the card.

Oh, and see that pretty punched edge?? That's one of my brand new MS punches that I got this past weekend! I've been wanting this Arched Lattice punch for so long. Let me tell you...I really lucked out! I took a trip to London for a bit of back-to-school clothes shopping for the kids, and made a couple of crafty stops along the way. I went into Michaels with my 40% off coupon in hand for this exact punch...but when I got to the aisle, it was no where to be seen. So I picked out another punch I liked. Then, I spied a clearance rack...with a few MS punches on for amazing prices!! Here is where I found my long awaited Arched Lattice punch, for $9.99!! I also scooped up two other border punches (one priced at $12.99 and one at $6.99) and one co-ordinating corner punch (priced at $6.99)! Gee...almost felt like Christmas! lol




I coloured the sweet image with Copic markers, but I decided to use some of the Porcelain BG papers to paper-piece the dress and the flowers. I added some shading to the paper-pieced areas to create depth.

We'd love to have you participate in our challenge this week! Remember, you will have two weeks to enter! There is always a great prize up for grabs, but you are only eligible if you use a Wags 'n Whiskers stamp...either rubber or digital! In need (or want! lol) of a new stamp?? Click HERE to go shopping!

Ok, so I promised some BLOG CANDY...are you interested?? I've decided to celebrate this month! I've got so many reasons to celebrate...my birthday is very soon (trying to ignore that the numbers are creeping up), I've had the opportunity to work with some amazing stamp companies, I've made so many lovely friends through blogging over the past year and I've now reached over 200 followers on my blog...although I prefer to say "friends"! I'm so grateful to all of you who stop by my blog to see what I've been up to. I know we're all busy, so it really means a lot to me that you take the time out of your day to stop by for a little visit. So, I'd love to thank you (with the help and generosity of some fantastic companies) by offering up some candy throughout the month!!

Today, I have two beautiful stamps donated by Wags 'n Whiskers that are just waiting to find a new home!! These stamps are high quality deeply etched red rubber that give a clean, crisp image every time.

These lovely stamps are called "Millie With Cupcake"and "Magical Friends". Wondering how to get your inky fingers on these gems?? Just leave me a comment on this post, and make sure that I have some way to contact you (either through your blog or by email). This candy will remain open until Monday August 9, 2010 at 11:59 pm (EST). The winner will be announced on August 10, 2010!! Easy peasy. If you would like to spread the word, please feel free too! (but I won't insist, lol) Good luck stampers!!

Blessings friends, and thanks so much for stopping by!

Melanie

(ps...keep checking back with me, as I'll be posting more blog candy soon!!)

Stamps: Wags 'n Whiskers "He Loves Me"
Ink: Memento, Copics, Bundled Sage Distress Ink
Paper: Neenah, Basic Grey, Bazzill
Embellishments: Prima flowers, pearls, rhinestones
Tools: Martha Stewart border punch

Sweet 16

Good morning folks! So umm, remember last week when I posted my "last" project for Paper Romance??? LOL...I may have unintentionally fibbed a little! I forgot that Amy had invited me to play along for one last challenge. So this is officially my last contribution to the Paper Romance Team as a guest designer.

This week's challenge is brought to you by the incredibly talented Vicki Garrett!! She is asking to see projects with a "Teen" theme this week. I decided to pull out this adorable Popcorn the Bear set called "Someone Special", available at Paper Romance. I decided to make this into a "Sweet 16" card. The pretty papers are from Cloud 9 and KaiserCraft...I really love yellow, pink and green together! I layered two Fancy Tags from Spellbinders for the sentiment which was done on my computer. Add a little machine stitching and a few pearls, and voila! Happy Sweet 16th!

Copics used on Popcorn: E50, E31, E33, E37, E25, E47, E59 (sorry...forgot to record my colours for the grass and flowers :( )

My good friend Krista gave me some Beckett Expression paper to experiment with, so thought I should try it out! It's quite different from my regular Neenah...it actually reminds me a bit of Prism Simply Smooth which is what I used when I first started colouring. I do like it, but I think that Neenah is still my favourite. I really would like to get my hands on a new paper called X-Press It Blending Card, but I think it's only now coming to the USA...hope it will be in Canada soon! It's supposed to be "the best of both worlds"...the blending abilities of Neenah, but with very little bleeding as when using the Prism. When colouring Popcorn stamps, I always use tiny "flicking" motions to create the texture of fur. Be careful not to overblend when using this technique...you want to see your marker strokes! Try to keep light-handed with your markers as well, to avoid "blobs" of ink.

Hop on over to the Paper Romance Challenge Blog to see the beautiful cards made by the rest of Amy's DT. You will also spy cards by her new August Guest Designers! Join in the fun for your chance to win a great prize from Paper Romance!

Once again, my thanks to Amy and her lovely DT for allowing me to play along over the last several weeks. You ladies rock!

Blessings,

Melanie

Stamps: Popcorn the Bear "Someone Special"

Ink: Memento, Copics, Distress Ink in Bundled Sage

Embellishments: Crochet trim, pearls, Glossy Accents

Tools: Spellbinders Fancy Tags