Textured Flowers and a Cupcake Winner!

Fabric and paper, the two go so well together....I love cutting my fabric with spellbinder dies, this is the new dahlia shape! A couple of fun details....I had this large SEI brad (but it was pink) so I airbrushed it a dark brown with my copic markers, then stamped my apple image and embossed. I also embossed the apples on the card front but they looked a little plain so.... since I still had my airbrush on my desk I just squirted a little R39 in the centers to tie in all the colors.
A few little details on this flower. It is four die cuts. I airbrushed the back side of the fabric a little so it didn't look white. To achieve this multi-petaled look simply fold your flowers in half and then lay them on top of one another (like the flaps of a cardboard box when you close it). The brad secures them all in place.
Here are the complete card deets:
Rubber Stamps by Cornish Heritage Farms:
All Things Fall (Rummage Bin)
Ink:
Espresso Adirondack (Ranger)
Versamark (Tsukineko)
Paper:
Gretel Patterned Paper (Cosmo Cricket)
Natural Smooth Card Stock (Prism)
Accessories:
Air Brush System (Copic)
Vanilla Embossing Powder (CHF)
Big Brad (SEI)
Sewing Machine
Sponge
Now on to the winner of my sketch challenge.....by random draw a HUGE CONGRATS to KELLY BRAUND! She has won my challenge with THIS CARD....thank you all for playing, it was so much fun to see all your cards! Pop by TAYLOR'S blog today to find out the rest of the winners!

Home again, home again, jigadeejig

Helloooo everyone! It is so nice to be home! I had a wonderful time chatting with everyone about one of my favorite products...yep, my copics. I haven't posted a card since I left so here is one that I made before leaving for CHA. It is this months' stamp at Cornish Heritage Farms and I wouldn't want you to miss out on such a lovely flower and sentiment. I paired it up with Cosmo Cricket's Fleuriste Paper and Blackboard. Any just to prove I was in California...here are the two ONLY photos that hit my camera!
On the last day that I was demoing I had to ask Marianne if she could quickly snap a photo....I always have the largest intentions of snapping pictures but found on this trip I was far too busy to take any.
I really enjoyed my time demoing, talking and coloring. Make sure you hop around blogs as there were many that DID take photos!














Here I am coloring!

So glad to see you all have jumped right in on Taylor's "year of sweets" celebration. Looking forward to announcing a winner tomorrow from my sketch! You all did a fabulous job! Way to tackle those circles!

A Year of Cupcake Friday's!

Taylor is celebrating the one year anniversary of the Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge! She asked each of the ladies on the Weekly Cupcake Crew to design a sketch for the celebration. This is the sketch I designed and I hope you'll all play along with the challenge! I will be selecting one random winner from among all the participantsin my challenge to win a $10 gift certificate from Taylored Expressions!

All you have to do is make a creation using this sketch (a card or scrapbooking layout) and post your creation to Splitcoast using keyword (TECC52SS). The deadline to be eligible for the prize drawing is Thursday, January 29th. I'll do the drawing on Thursday evening and announce the winner on Friday, January 30th.

I am so lucky to have three very talented ladies sampling my sketch to get your mojo going...so check out their blogs today!
Lynn Mercurio: Stamperosity
Becky Givans: BouncyFlouncyFun
Cindy Haffner: Cindy Haffner's Corner

Don't forget to stop by Taylor's blog, the anniversary celebration headquarters, and check out the awesome grand prize for one random winner who participates in ALL 9 sketch challenges! You can find all 9 sketches on these blogs:

Taylor VanBruggen: Taylored Expressions
Stephanie Hargis: Steph's Stampin' Stuff
Vicki Chrisman: This Art that makes me Happy
Jami Sibley: More is More
Monika Davis: M.A.D. Stamper
Ana Wohlfahrt: Ink A Stamp
Donna Baker: Stamp A Maniac
Jackie Pedro: The Scalloped Edge
Sherrie Siemens: Card Creme

Don't forget to check out the cupcake sampler this week...Congrats to Christine! You can check out her beautiful creations HERE!

We hope you'll join us in celebrating this yummy occasion!
Here is my card with my sketch! I paired up the adorable bunny from Kim Hughes' "Sweet Spring" set with the yummy cupcake in the "Baked with Love" set. Colored up with my copics to match the Cosmo Cricket patterned paper.


My sewing machine certainly got a workout on this card! Even SLOWLY stitching the zig zag around my focal image....had to make it EXTRA special for today's occasion! I am so excited to see what you all come up with for my sketch...how fun!

I'm off to CHA, but bringing my computer with me! Gotta check up on everyone and will hopefully be able to post about the fun in Anaheim! Have an awesome weekend!

What to wear to CHA....

I am so looking forward to breaking out my spring clothes (even if it is just for a week)! I thought it would be fun to have some funky jewelry to wear too! I picked up some polymer clay and borrowed my MIL pasta machine and within minutes I have a cute chocker to wear with some of my t-shirts.

The process,
White polymer clay (I got it on sale at Michael's)...the kind you bake.
Run it through the pasta machine a couple of times for a nice flat even surface.
Cut with a cookie cutter (I also cut the hole with my largest eyelet setter)
Airbrush any color of the rainbow with my copic airbrush system (I used B15, this was totally cool!)
Stamp with the Paisley Pattern Scrapblock from CHF in black pigment ink.
Bake and add rope and toggles.
So simple and quick that I'm gonna make another one today!
I love the toggles I found, they match the daisy shape!

SEE YOU TOMORROW FOR A VERY SPECIAL CUPCAKE FRIDAY!

The joy of 6x6 rubber!

These fun little valentine goodie bags were all made from stamping scrapblocks onto 6"x6" plain pieces of fabric (an old sheet actually). A cute way to recycle. I did them by stamping with acrylic paint and then folding in half (right sides together) and sewing the bottom and up the side to make a little bag. Tied up with ribbon and a little tag and you have adorable little treat bags.
This project is in the February edition of Crafts 'n Things. The full instructions and details are in there.
I'm doing some final preparations before heading out to CHA. BUT DON'T MISS FRIDAY'S POST! TAYLOR is having an anniversary and "cupcake friday" will be VERY special this week!

See you then!

Artsy Blooms

Out of the box with the artsy blooms.... I love the look of these flowers and the possibilities in color that they hold. Did you know that the panel the flowers are stamped on was just plain white card stock? All the coloring was done with my copics...even the shading around the flowers.
I wanted to show you a real close shot of these blooms. I wanted to show you how two very DIFFERENT colors can blend together with copics. I know I have shown you a lot of the same color tone blending (markers close in shade) but this is where I used the feathering technique and brought the yellow from one side to meet the pink from the other.
As a final touch I added some of the pink and red spica pens to the blooms. They really shimmer, just like they were wet from dew!

Here are all the card deets:
Rubber Stamps by Cornish Heritage Farms:
Artsy Blooms (Shady Tree), Friend Centers (MLM)
Ink:
Tuxedo Black Memento Dye Ink (Tsukineko)
Paper:
Fleuriste Patterned Paper (Cosmo Cricket)
Simply Smooth White (Prism)
Accessories:
Copic Markers
Red, Pink Spica glitter pens (Copic)
Butterfly Die (Spellbinders)
Felt
Pearl (Kaiser Craft)
Rub on Stitching (Daisy D)

Enjoy your day!

Kiss the Cook

Back to monday routine. This week won't be as routine for me though....I head to CHA on Saturday so LOTS to do between now and then. I will be demoing at the COPIC booth so if you are coming...make sure you stop and say "hi"!
In the meantime, here is a fun lil' card made with one of the many adorable Kim Hughes' sets!

Card Deets:
Stamps by Cornish Heritage Farms:
Baked with Love (Kim Hughes Collection)
Ink:
Cranberry, Espresso, Aqua, Caramel Adirondack Dye Ink (Ranger)
Paper:
Weathervane Patterned Paper (October Afternoon)
Simply Smooth White (Prism)
Accessories:
Copic Markers
Ribbon (Berwick)
Safety Pin
Sewing

Enjoy your Monday!

Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge 51!

We have been blessed with some sunshine the last couple of days...a very welcome relief from the snow/rainy days of late. So time to make another fun springy card!
It's cupcake friday and time to play along with Taylor and her fabulous cupcake sketches!
My new Kim Hughes' sets have not seen nearly enough ink yet. This is from the "spring trees" set...I just love the lil' funky mushrooms! I found these big chunky paperclips at Staples, perfect to hold my ribbon and add a fun accent to the card.
Here are all my card deets:
Rubber Stamps all by Cornish Heritage Farms:
Spring Trees, Ocean Friends (Kim Hughes Collection)
Ink:
Watermelon Adirondack Dye Ink (Ranger)
Tuxedo Black Memento Dye Ink (Tsukineko)
Paper:
Simply Smooth White (Prism)
Urban Prairie Patterned Paper (Basic Grey)
Accessories:
Copic Markers
Green Spica Glitter Pen (Copic)
brads (Basic Grey)
Paperclip (Staples)
Ribbon (Offray)
Rectangle Nesties (Spellbinders)
Sewing Machine

Here is the sketch so you can play along in TAYLOR'S challenge.
Don't forget to see what the rest of the cupcake crew came up with:
Stephanie Hargis: Steph's Stampin' Stuff
Vicki Chrisman: This Art that makes me Happy
Jami Sibley: More is More
Monika Davis: M.A.D. Stamper
Ana Wohlfahrt: Ink A Stamp
Donna Baker: Stamp A Maniac
Jackie Pedro: The Scalloped Edge
The cupcake sampler this week is Jenn, you can find her designs at her blog " I Got Stamps".

Have a great weekend!

Color Inspiration

Today's ways to use it challenge was a color challenge. We were to use the color wheel or find an inspiration source on the web. I often find my inspiration for color in fabrics. You all know that I like to sew so... I am looking at fabric all the time! Here is one of the fresh spring patterns from Paula Press sold at Michael Miller Fabrics. I wouldn't naturally put these colors together so it made a great challenge piece. Here is what I came up with...













It is the shady tree studios release day at Cornish Heritage Farms. These are beautifully illustrated blooms. The one I chose to use today is called "Artsy Blooms". I wanted to show you this close shot to show you the spica glitter pens (in blue and red) and also how you can color "loosely" with copics. I did not color these blooms in tight circles rather in a whispy watercolor fashion (that suits the image). I love how my copics can have as many "styles" as I can dream up. The little butterfly is felt cut with my butterfly die from Spellbinders.
Here are all my card deets:
Rubber Stamps from Cornish Heritage Farms:
Artsy Blooms (Shady Tree Studios), Distressed Grid (Scrapblocks), Motivational Centers (Mona Lisa Moments)
Ink:
Tuxedo Black Memento Dye Ink (Tsukineko)
Lemonade, Aqua Adirondack Dye Ink (Ranger)
Paper:
White Simply Smooth, Rose Medium, Frosted Teal (Prism)
Accessories:
Copic Markers
Red, Turquoise Spica Glitter Pens (Copic)
Label 1, Butterfly Die cuts (Spellbinders)
Paper Frills (Doodlebug)
Microbrad (Creative Impressions)
Felt
Button, Twine, Sewing

I would love to see what inspires you! So play along today if you have the chance!
Are you lovin' these blooms? Enter for your chance to win some over on the CHF Creative Blog...

Mulitiples

Back to multiples...yes, all my card shops are now looking for anniversary/valentine cards. This is a very simple layout and quite inexpensive to reproduce. It is using Kim Hughes' set "I Thee Wed" in combination with the wedding sentiment set and the script essential sets from Mona Lisa Moments all by Cornish Heritage Farms.
I cut the little felt flowers myself with my cuttlebug and the flower nestability die from Spellbinders. I stitched on the main panel (a very cheap adhesive) and stamped the silhouette in black pigment ink.

Got a good cold goin' on so I'm off to medicate and lay down....see you tomorrow!

Blending Solution Tutorial Video

It has been a long time since I have played along with Mojo Monday, so today is the day! I wanted to show you a really fun technique in how to make the bear seem furry on this card so I decided to do it in video format so you could see. This is the finished project and here are the details on the supplies that I used:
Rubber Stamps all Cornish Heritage Farms:
Bear Hugs, Spring Trees (Kim Hughes Collection)
Ink:
Rich Cocoa Memento Dye Ink (Tsukineko)
Snow Cap Pigment Ink (Ranger)
Paper:
Simply Smooth White (Prism)
Patterned Paper (October Afternoon)
Accessories:
Copic Markers
Blending Solution (Copic)
Paper Frills (Doodlebug)
Circle Cutter (EK Success)
Oval Fragment (Tim Holtz)
Buttons, Twine, Cotton Batting





Here is a real close up of the bear fur...love this texture! Click on the video below to see how simple it is to create!

More than paper

Have you had a chance to pick up the February edition of Crafts 'n Things? Today I'll show you one of my projects that is in there. You will find all the supplies and step by step instructions in this wonderful magazine. I love this publication because it shows of projects not only in the papercraft variety but also it inspires us to use our stamps for a WHOLE LOT MORE! I love that! From 3D paper projects, jewelry and my personal favorite...fabric!

I am sharing with you one of my favorite projects and yes, if you are wondering, the stamps are all Cornish Heritage Farms!








This is a full shot of a table runner I created. It has 6 central stamped panels that are framed by fabric and then surrounded by gorgeous patterned fabric.
A photo of all the panels. The trees I created to look a little funky and fresh. I do love the color scheme of grays and lavenders.
A very close detail shot. I even tied the little bird house on with some string.
Why not add a set of potholders too. While you are making 6 panels you might as well make 8 and have two potholders to make a lovely set.
I love to share with you my passion for fabric stamping....I love to make things for my home and for others that are entirely personal, you can't buy them anywhere. I just love the unique capabilities of that!

Have a great Sunday!

Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge 50!

Happy Friday! Are you as pleased as I am to see all the fun spring/summer designs cropping up? Yup, I am done with winter (weather that is). Taylor's sketch really inspired me to think about how I could interact my design with the sketch. I had to think a bit, I just didn't want it to look like 3 circles floating in mid air with a sentiment....hmmmm...since I still had "Ocean Friends" sitting on my desk an idea sparked!
I did hand draw a couple of elements (brace yourselves)....the boat and the fishing poles I drew with my copic multiliner pen. I know, nothing earth-shattering, but you don't know how well I can draw! It is awful to say the least....
I am hoping this is the summer where we can take the kids out and teach them a little fishin'. We'll see, I know I will have to take my patience pills with me if that ever comes to be.
Here are all the deets on this design:
Rubber Stamps by Cornish Heritage Farms:
Ocean Friends (Kim Hughes Collection)
Ink:
Tuxedo Black Memento Ink (Tsukineko)
Paper:
Patterned Paper (Cosmo Cricket)
Accessories:
Copic Markers
Black SP Multiliner pen (Copic)
Black spica glitter pen (Copic)
Circle Dies (Spellbinders)
Twine
Microbrads (Creative Impressions)

Here is the sketch so you can play along in TAYLOR'S challenge.
Don't forget to see what the rest of the cupcake crew came up with:
Stephanie Hargis: Steph's Stampin' Stuff
Vicki Chrisman: This Art that makes me Happy
Jami Sibley: More is More
Monika Davis: M.A.D. Stamper
Ana Wohlfahrt: Ink A Stamp
Donna Baker: Stamp A Maniac
Jackie Pedro: The Scalloped Edge
The cupcake sampler this week is Renee, you can find her creations on her blog Stamping for Sanity.

Have a great weekend and fun blurfing around!

Guitar Hero Anyone?

I know there are some serious "hero" players out there so this card is for you! When Julia said the "ways to use it" challenge today was to incorporate stars into your design... I took that star theme and RAN with it! Yup, a whole lotta stars in this card.
I had to show you a close up of the funky guitar that I added a little sparkle to. This design is a lot of stamping. I started with the background (writer's block) and then layered the star, guitar and sentiments over that.



Usually when I create a card I would sew neatly and evenly around the edges, because this is what I do when I sew....Sometimes it is good to mix things up a little, you can see that my sewing has a different seam allowance on each edge in the attempt to add some more "funk" to the design. Anywho....hear are all the deets:
Rubber Stamps by Cornish Heritage Farms:
Supah Star (Kim Hughes Collection), Writer's Block (Backgrounds)
Ink:
Pool, Willow, Peach Bellini, Espresso Adirondack Ink (Ranger)
Paper:
Natural Smooth (Prism)
Patterned Paper (October Afternoon)
Accessories:
Jewels (KaiserCraft)
Felt
Circle Die Cut (Spellbinders)
Butter Paint, Star Brad (Making Memories)
Stick Pin (Fancy Pants)
Sewing Machine

Ocean Fun

So are you ready for some ocean fun?! There are so many CUTE characters in this new Kim Hughes set....I really love the personality of this shark.

I paired up Kim's shark, waves, bubbles and sentiment with October Afternoon's patterned paper. Love this paper, so clean and fun!

Here is a fun lil' close up of the sentiment and shark. I stamped the sentiment on natural card stock then applied glossy accents to the backside of my fragment piece and stuck it to my sentiment. Once dry, I then cut it out and adhered it to my card.
Here are all the fun deets:
Stamps:
Ocean Friends (Kim Hughes Collection) by Cornish Heritage Farms
Ink:
Tuxedo Black Memento (Tsukineko)
Paper:
October Afternoon Patterned Paper
Simply Smooth White, Black , Frosted Teal Medium (Prism)
Accessories:
Copic Markers
Grey Spica Glitter Pen (Copic)
Oval Fragment (Tim Holtz)
Letter Stickers (Basic Grey)

Tenting?

Our family went camping this last summer and I totally reminisced while making this card.
My kids LOVED camping so I will "grin and bear" the tent....as long as there are no bears! I am sure I am not alone in my "love" for tenting...lol!

I'm sure you've heard, but if you haven't....Kim Hughes has her release day today! All 4 sets are SOOOO cute!
Here I am using the "Bear Hugs" set, the whimsy of her sets go perfectly with October Afternoon's patterned paper. I had a little fun with the stitching too.
Here are all the deets:
Stamps:
Bear Hugs (Kim Hughes Collection), Fine Houndstooth (Scrapblock) by Cornish Heritage Farms
Ink:
Moulin Rouge (Tsukineko)
Cloudy Blue, Espresso (Ranger)
Paper:
October Afternoon Patterned Paper
Baby Blue Medium, Rose Red Dark, Simply Smooth White (Prism)
Accessories:
Copic Markers
Chipboard Arrow (Scenic Route)
Ribbon (Offray)
Sewing Machine

Candy anyone?

Have you been watching CHF's new Creative Blog....they are offering some fabulous new Kim Hughes sets as blog candy. I am waiting for those 4 new sets....they look so CUTE!
Hop on over HERE and add a comment to enter your chance to win! Good Luck!

Here is a little eye candy that I created today. Need something pretty for your purse....these are quick to make, great little gift idea when you need one.
Here is a photo with my kleenex sticking out. I buy these kleenex at Costco and then just refill the little sachets when you need them.

Urban Baby Couture

Need a personalized gift? How about these baby girl/boy gifts? The fabulous fabric is Michael Miller and I added a stamped panel to the front. This is from Kim Hughes' "Baby Love" set. The little baby bib image and the "got milk?" are my favorite! Another wonderful use for those copic markers. I thought this made a very hip bib duo.
They are so easy to make. I just drew out a shape of a bib on a piece of paper and used that for my pattern....the brown binding around the edge finishes them just like you would a quilt.


We all need baby gifts now and then, with adding stamping they are entirely original....LOVE THAT!
Enjoy your day!

Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge 49!

It's cupcake friday! (Well not quite yet but close enough!). Taylor is posting a little early this week due to her new release! I missed last week due to family gatherings but I sure enjoyed creating for today....it is great to get back to routine and play in my stamp room again. This was a really fun layout and I thought I would pair up Kim Hughes' "The birds and the bees" set with fabulous Urban Prairie patterned paper by Basic Grey. Such a great compliment to each other....
I took a close up shot of one of my bees...I wanted to show you the sparkle of the copic spica pens. I used the yellow and black for the bees. It is fun to use the colored glitter for some extra accent.

Here is the sketch so you can play along in TAYLOR'S challenge.
Don't forget to see what the rest of the cupcake crew came up with:
Stephanie Hargis: Steph's Stampin' Stuff
Vicki Chrisman: This Art that makes me Happy
Jami Sibley: More is More
Monika Davis: M.A.D. Stamper
Ana Wohlfahrt: Ink A Stamp
Donna Baker: Stamp A Maniac
Jackie Pedro: The Scalloped Edge
The cupcake sampler this week is Carolina...you can find her fun creations HERE!



Happy blurfing and make sure you buzzzz over to Taylor's site to check out her new releases!

Happy New Year!

Hope you all have a wonderful 2009! We are going over to my in-laws' place to enjoy new years cookies... yummm.... Speaking of sweet things, how about some sweetie pie. This was a fun whimsical design. It fit today's "Ways to use it challenge" on SCS. We needed to incorporate silver into our design. Here I have silver jewels (that I colored red with my copics to match) and the silver on my stick pin as well as silver running through my ribbon. I think I got the silver covered...
Here are all the deets to this card:
Stamps:
The Birds and the Bees (Kim Hughes), Fine Houndstooth (Scrapblock) by Cornish Heritage Farms
Ink:
Chocolate Pearlescent Brilliance Ink (Tsukineko)
Snow Cap Pigment Ink (Ranger)
Paper:
Kraft, Simply Smooth White (Prism)
Blue Patterned Paper (Crate)
Accessories:
Copic Markers
Stick Pin (Fancy Pants)
Ribbon (Offray)
Jewels (Kaiser Craft)
White Paint (Making Memories)
Stickles (Ranger)
Chipboard (Maya Road)

Enjoy the start to a brand new year!