Fantastic Friday Fun!

Yes, Friday...home to the wonderful sketch challenge by Taylor and today something a little extra for you too! First off...here is my sketch card! If you scroll to the bottom of today's post you will see that I turned the sketch on it's side today.
In this card I used "Sweet Spring" Jolinne from MFT. I used my copics for coloring her. I hadn't done black hair in a while so I used a series of cool grays for this (C00, C2, C5, C7 and C9) I probably didn't have to use ALL those grays now in hindsight (could maybe omit the C7) but I was in the "playing" mode. Her dress is RV11, RV14, and RV19 and then I used the label 6 die from Spellbinders to cut her out and then airbrushed the edges while my die was still in place.

So do you have your cuppa? Today's post is lengthy but you will want to see it all! My Favorite Things is introducing something new.... Dies! Yup...can never have too many of those! Dies for myself need to be durable and today I did up a little video to show just how well these new babies cut! They get released on May 5th but make sure you hop around today and see what the design team came up! You can see the whole list by starting atKim's blog for this!
The VIP members of MFT already have their dies....one of the perks of membership!



Here's a close shot of the die cut border edge....I used SUPER thick 100% wool felt and it cut beautifully! Here is the video so you can see for yourselves!
Teehee...my jacket in the video totally matches my felt strip...yeah...planned that :)


Here is the sketch so you can play along in TAYLOR'S challenge.
Don't forget to see what the rest of the sketch crew came up with:
Jami Sibley: More is More
Monika Davis: M.A.D. Stamper
Lynn Mercurio: Stamperosity
Melissa Sauls: In Stamping Mode
Rachel Sztonyk: Gingerbread Gallery
Alice Lihsuan-Wertz: Alice's Little Wonderland
Lisa Hjulberg: The Craft's Meow
Lori Craig: Making a Difference

Now to get to all that blog hoppin'! Have a great weekend!

Wednesday Post for a Tuesday Trigger!

Ah, Isn't this pool side shot lovely....It is the "Tuesday Trigger" over at Moxie Fab World and I wanted to play along this week! I took the outdoor feel along with leaf elements and the colors and came up with this:
Can you believe there is no stamping on this card....(insert shocked face!)...But there are copics:)
I airbrushed over a leaf mask with my YG17 marker onto REAL WOOD paper from Creative Imaginations. I love the silhouette look that this creates.
I covered a maya road chipboard piece with picket white distress crackle paint...if you look really close you can see the cracks. I then used a rub-on from Melissa Frances to carry out the "branch/leaf" theme. I also tried to keep the same width in my frame border to match the width of my white card mat.
Very simple, I know....but I totally cleaned up my studio so I was enjoying the simplicity of my space today.


A little copic note: The copic certification for Seattle on June 27th is now accepting applications. You can find the application form HERE. Hope to see you there!

Enjoy your day!

CPS Sheltering Tree

I thought it would be fun to play along with the CPS sketch this week as the sponsor company is none other than My Favorite Things! Here is a look at the set called "Sheltering Tree" I liked the long layout of the sketch so I just turned it on it's side.
Here's a peek at the inside....using up some scraps from this "Quite Contrary" line by MME. I added a little color to the acorn with my copics.
Here is a close shot of the main details of this card. I actually stamped this background stamp in the set with PAINT. I wanted something that I couldn't see through and none of my inks would work. The only spots that I wanted visible were the leaves. I also attached some pretty ribbon to my card stock to look like grass on the "hills" under the tree.
Here are all my card deets:
Stamps:
Sheltering Tree (Stephanie Fizer) by My Favorite Things
Ink:
Chocolate Brilliance (Tsukineko)
Blue Acrylic Paint (Golden)
Paper:
Quite Contrary (MME)
Fossil (My Favorite Things)
White (Neenah)
Accessories:
Copic Markers
Twill Tape
Chipboard Button (Jenni Bowlin)
Ribbon (SEI)
Sewing

To play along with this sketch challenge just visit the CPS site HERE!

Copic Winner and a Card

When you are a parent....nothing rings truer than this sentiment...
Something a little different today...I don't always use my copics to color an image (although that is my favorite thing to do with them).
Here is a card where my copics take the lesser role but are needed all the same. I used them to color the edges of my sentiment tag and over the text in the corners of this vintage text stamp.
Here is a close up so that you can see the texture of this card. The back label that I cut with my spellbinder die is made of a plush green fabric that I applied adhesive to the backside.
The main image is a cotton scrap from Crafty's Secrets that adds such a pretty homespun feel to it!
I love all the text in this card and to give it that "book" feel I did the book binding border punch up the side as well.....
Here are all the card deets:
Stamps:
Vintage Text (Scrapblocks), Father Centers (MLM) by Cornish Heritage Farms
Ink:
Espresso, Watermelon Adirondack (Ranger)
Paper:
Vanilla (Neenah)
Accessories:
Copic Markers
Cotton Scraps (Crafty Secrets)
Green Plush Fabric
Twill Tape
Label Die (Spellbinders)
Book binding punch (EK Success)
Creatopia (Xyron)

...a big congrats to the blog candy giveaway winner that said this:

Stampin Kimber said:
Love the card and your coloring is awesome!!! Congrats to Jenn!!! I had a really great time at the Copic certification class in Calgary, btw you are awesome at public speaking.....well, I ordered my compressor yesterday and just a few more markers....lol...I almost have them all now!!! :) Now to be patient until it arrives....so many things to airbrush.....thanks for such a great giveaway!!!

kimfletcher@shaw.ca

Congrats! If you can e-mail me with your address that would be great! Enjoy your prize!

Friday is blooming!

Welcome here friday! I am so ready for a weekend...and look what is smiling back at me in my yard....TULIPS! I had to pick these ones as I am in love with their ruffled edges....Just a few photos of them and I wanted to share my tulips with you!


Friday's are also for playing along in Taylor's sketch challenge and I was so in love with my tulips that I decided that I needed to go with a "nature inspired" card.
I did the quilting thing for the design of this card....take a beautiful piece of patterned paper (Melissa Frances) and cut it up and then sew it back together....much like quilting.
The dragonfly was a little special touch. It is part of a set by Cornish Heritage Farms in their Sara England line called "emerging dragonfly". Such a pretty one and the sentiment is part of this set too.
I decided to take on the direct to rubber coloring with my copic markers. I colored on various colors that matched my patterned paper and colored my dragonfly. I then misted it with colorless copic blending solution and then stamped on a piece of white card stock. A beautiful watercolor effect is the result!

Here is the sketch so you can play along in TAYLOR'S challenge.
Don't forget to see what the rest of the sketch crew came up with:
Jami Sibley: More is More
Monika Davis: M.A.D. Stamper
Lynn Mercurio: Stamperosity
Melissa Sauls: In Stamping Mode
Rachel Sztonyk: Gingerbread Gallery
Alice Lihsuan-Wertz: Alice's Little Wonderland
Lisa Hjulberg: The Craft's Meow


Wishing you a beautiful weekend....hope flowers are blooming near you!

Copic News and Giveaway!

Hey everybody! Some fun stuff to share with you today....first of all a fun card that puts me in the spring mood. This is one of my favorite images from the "Friendly Kritter" line from Cornish Heritage Farms. It is called "Lending a hand".
One thing I LOVED in the design of this card is the core'dinations cardstock that has this woodgrain pattern in it. It is the cosmo cricket pattern in the coreimpressions. I loved this pretty warm grey that I could match my copic markers.
Here is a close up of my tap....do you see the blues and violets in there? Metals are really fun to color. My little rub on sentiment I could bend around the tap too!


NOW to copic news....if you have been on the copic teams' blogs this morning you may have noticed that we are adding a very special girl to the team...

WELCOME JENN BALCER! Woohoo!
She is such a sweetie and talented like crazy...I'm so glad she is joining us! She is looking after the south central part of the US.
To celebrate copic is giving away an empty 24 piece size wallet to carry your favorite markers in. I often use this size when traveling on a plane to color while I am up in the air.

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post and I will do a draw first thing Saturday morning.....good luck!

Be sure to check out the other designers blog and enter for your chance to win there too!

Lori • Marianne• Sharon • Jennie • Jenn • Debbie • Sally Lynn • Colleen • Mish

On the certification note.....Anchorage, Alaska has just opened up to the general public so now applications will be received on a first come, first serve basis. I am so looking forward to this class.....come and spend the day coloring with me! You can find the application form HERE!

Who's that girl Hop!

Welcome to the mid month fun blog hop....if you have come here from Mel's fantastic blog you are on the right path! I am at the end of the hop so you have had a chance to see some fun new things! If you need to start at the beginning of the hop you can do that on Kim's blog.
I thought this was a really fun "who's that girl" set....it is called "top shelf" and it was really fun to stamp. I stamped the main image first in black memento ink and then for the cakes on the shelf I stamped those in versamark and embossed it in clear detail powder. This way the cakes don't have that strong black outline....it gives a fun different look.
I paper pieced with Melissa Frances vintage paper and the rub-on sentiment and tag are MF as well.
Here is a close up of the coloring I did with my copics. I colored the cakes as well as the background to match my fun paper.

Here are the fun shopping details of today's hop:
This is a ONE DAY ONLY product (will be available through April 21st at 11:59 PM EST), that gives you the opportunity to purchase the WTG set TWO WEEKS early. Here are the details about the VIP Kit:

Top Shelf VIP $34.85

Top Shelf stamp set (WTG)
Top Shelf ribbons (7/8” grosgrain in white, black, wisteria, grey, sunflower)
MFT NEW EXCLUSIVE PRODUCT. This is a “BLIND” addition to the kit. You will be one of the FIRST to receive and use this product! It’ll be a happy surprise!
Top Shelf Sentiments FREE ($9 value)

Happy Shopping at MFT!

Pictures of the Weekend

I'm in the hotel room here in Calgary, getting ready to fly home after a VERY jammed packed weekend-o-fun! I thought I would post a few pictures of the event here.
First up.....bright and early in the morning, I was first up at this event and gave a room full of retailers a basic "Copic 101" low down.....it was a great way to start the day!
There were so many fabulous companies represented and I only managed to get a few photos....I somehow missed getting a photo with the Hero Arts girls but I did manage to get this one with the Bo Bunny girls! They were so sweet and I really got a chance to get to know them. Aren't their sweaters adorable!
Here is what the ballroom looked like just before the big "camp croppin'" event began....The buzz in the room was fantastic. See those red gift bags....the organizers of the event gave each one of us instructors a cute little "Canadiana" bag full of lots of fun stuff!
Here is a photo of a cute gal I met....her name is Rhea and she owns her own little company that is fabulous for us Canadians looking for goodies. I came home with a package of ribbon from her that will be very fun to use. You can find her at Savvy n Sassy....lets' support those Canadian girls!
I taught consumer copic classes at the store Scrapbooker's Paradise that was just a block away from the hotel....and guess who took one of my classes....The ubber talented Dawn Easton! I love meeting my fellow "dirty girl alums"!
Here is a quick shot of some of the girls who took my copic class.....they were all amazing. The girl in the pink in the corner was at the event toting along her friend (flat Amanda) who couldn't come out to the event due to the fact she is at home fighting breast cancer. Barb (in the pink) was sure to let Amanda enjoy the "virtual" experience and took lots of pictures of all she did to share with her crafty friend. A story that just warmed my heart!
Last but NOT LEAST was my great time with Jeanne New! Jeanne spent the day with me during the copic certification...she helped clean up after me and all my messes, handed out things for me and was a JOY to visit with. She took me out to dinner at a very swanky spot in Calgary and we enjoyed a patio dinner.....YES...PATIO....in April....in CALGARY. We had a beautiful time. She teaches at the North store in Calgary. She is sweet as anything....Thanks Jeanne!

On my way back home.....I have something FUN to show you crafting tomorrow! See you then!

Friday Flight....

My butterflies have taken flight and so have I! I'm here in Calgary teaching people how to color...yes...LOVE my job!
You will want to read this WHOLE post as I have done some playing and have a cool idea for you copic lovers!
First off....can you see that BRAND NEW scrapblock that is being released today at Cornish Heritage Farms...there are a ton of cool sentiments in there wrapped up in one big stamp (6x6).
I stamped right over my patterned paper in a soft pink and embossed it in clear.
Next....my butterflies! I stamped, colored with copic markers and cut out an extra butterfly to lay over top.....BUT WAIT.....
Do you see that shimmer!!!!!
I was digging through my supplies the other day an stared at the LARGE stack of perfect pearls that I have and wanted a way to use them in a new way.

What I did....I took my E43 various copic refill...added about 2cc's of the color and 2cc's of the copic blender solution and combined them in a spritzer...then took some gold perfect pearls and scooped a little into the spritzer....my own "glimmer mist" in any of the fabulous copic colors I already own (that is quite a few...chuckle).
I sprayed my paper as well as my butterfly and oh does it shimmer!
Here is a visual of the supplies I used. I know Tim Holtz has done this with his water based distress ink refills and perfect pearls so that gave me the idea to try it with my copic refills....fun, fun, fun!
Here are all my card deets:
Stamps:
Life (Scrapblocks), Vintage Butterflies (SEP) by Cornish Heritage Farms
Ink:
Shell pink pigment ink, Espresso Dye ink (Ranger)
Paper:
Petite Pages (Webster's Pages)
White (Neenah)
Accessories:
Copic Markers,Various Ink Refill,Blender Solution
(COPIC)
Spritzer
Heirloom Gold Perfect Pearls (Ranger)
Lace
Clear Detail Embossing Powder
Jewels (Melissa Frances)
Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers)

Here is the sketch so you can play along in TAYLOR'S challenge.
Don't forget to see what the rest of the sketch crew came up with:
Jami Sibley: More is More
Monika Davis: M.A.D. Stamper
Lynn Mercurio: Stamperosity
Melissa Sauls: In Stamping Mode
Rachel Sztonyk: Gingerbread Gallery
Alice Lihsuan-Wertz: Alice's Little Wonderland
Lisa Hjulberg: The Craft's Meow
Lori Craig: Making a Difference

Enjoy hopping to my favorite peeps to check out their creations today...they never disappoint!
Have a great weekend!

Tooty Fruity!

Important update:
Anchorage Alaska
Vancouver BC and
Boise Idaho Applications for copic certifications are now available...you can find them HERE!



Our family LOVES fruit....so much so that we will travel miles for the first cherry batches from the Okanagon and that we will choose fruit often over other treats....
I love this set by My Favorite Things...so much so that I bought it before even being on the MFT team. It is a Stephanie Fizer set called "Feelin' Fruity?"
The color scheme came from this fresh fruity like paper from the material girl collection at Cosmo Cricket. Love this gingham pattern! I also love incorporating fabric in my card designs so I cut a long piece of grey felt for this one with my pinking sheers.
The pink felt flower from Making Memories goes really well and I had these over-sized paper clips from the office supply store. Now that I had my color palette I was off to color....
Here is a close shot of my fruit. They are 4 separate stamps that I masked and overlapped a little and then colored with my copic markers. I know cherries/watermelon and strawberries are more red...but they served my pink colors....and I think that lime slice was intended to be an orange but I wanted lime to play into my colors.
Here are the colors that I used....I know the pinks don't follow the rules but this is a combo I came up with while "playing"....note to self...write this down in my sketch book so that I don't forget!

I'm off to Calgary tomorrow....but I do have a post ready to go for Taylor's Sketch Friday....
see you then!

Birthday Chick

Oh how I love to sit and color with my copics....this little chick with her balloon is really fun!
I stamped the image and then masked off the chick and balloon. I then airbrushed the blue sky. I left the area closest to my image the lightest in order to highlight it.
Then the rub-on....isn't it perfect! It is from Melissa Frances and I love being able to shape rub-ons around my images.
I also love creating those puffy clouds from cotton batting and my label 6 die from spellbinders.

Here is a close up of the image and all the card details:
Stamps:
Spring Chicks and More(Tom Fun Collection)by Cornish Heritage Farms
Ink:
Espresso Adirondack (Ranger)
Paper:
White Cardstock (Neenah)
Peyton(Melissa Frances)
Accessories:
Copic Markers
Air Brush System (Copic)
Label 6 Die (Spellbinders)
Rub-on sentiment, Lace Trim (Melissa Frances)
Cotton batting, Button, Twine

Enjoy your day! I'm off to color....

Happy Monday

I thought I would post something warm and cheery for a Monday morning. Ah, yes, our family is definitely missing those wonderful beaches in Hawaii. We actually saw some golden retrievers go out on the surf boards doing "paddle surfing". Is there anything that those retrievers can't do....our Lucy (Havanese breed) spends 90% of the day curled up in a ball on the couch....
I had this little scrap of girl friday patterned paper left and had to use it! I love the mixing of really fun patterns in this paper collection. I had to use this "B" somehow as the pattern totally mimicked the pattern in the little girl's swimsuit!
This is another Sara England design for Cornish Heritage Farms. I love these as they are simple line art which gives me a lot of play room with my copics.
Here is the really close shot of the coloring. I went in afterward and added some spica pen highlights to the sand. Here are all the card details:
Stamps:
Best Friends (Sara England) by Cornish Heritage Farms
Ink:
Rich Cocoa Memento (Tsukineko)
Paper:
Natural Cardstock (Neenah)
Chocolate Box Cardstock (Core'dinations)
Girl Friday (Cosmo Cricket)
Accessories:
Copic Markers
Clear Spica Pen (Copic)
Chipboard, Tiny Type (Cosmo Cricket)
Twill

Here is a quick picture of the lemon poppyseed cake we enjoyed yesterday. Yummm.

Enjoy your Monday!

Afternoon Coffee and Catch-up

Ah, afternoon coffee. A little treat while I wait on the lemon poppyseed cake that is in the oven.
I'm enjoying the last of the beans I brought back from Hawaii....mmmm. The smell transports me.

Hope you are all enjoying your weekend, it is a glorious sunny day here and everything is budding and in some cases blooming!

I thought I would update you all on my travel/teaching plans.

I am in Calgary this coming up weekend...teaching card classes at Scrapbooker's Paradise and the copic certification on Sunday (which is full).
If you tried to get in the Calgary class and couldn't....no worries...I will be heading out to Calgary again in the fall.

May 15th
I'll be teaching a fun card class at Precious Memories Saturday May 15th! Hope to see you there! ....Don't worry if you are just a beginner or have no markers yet...I will bring everything we need to play!

May 22,23
I am in Anchorage Alaska! I am thrilled to come here and teach.....I have never been to beautiful Alaska and am totally looking forward to teaching both card classes (through the Stamper's Attic)and a certification.
****note**** you can send your applications in for this certification. Currently it is only open to store owners/designers/instructors but if you don't fall into these categories I would suggest getting your application in anyways as when the class opens to the public acceptances are based on a first come first serve basis.

May 30th
A certification right in my own "backyard"....Vancouver, BC. Located right near the airport with free shuttle service if you are flying in.
I suggest the same thing that I did for the Alaska certification...send your applications in as soon as you can as this class has filled up quickly in the past.

I am finalizing a card class out in the Vancouver area so stay tuned on details for that. It would be held on the Saturday May 29th.

June 12,13
I am in Boise Idaho! I'll be teaching card classes on the Saturday (Scrapper's and Stampers Delight) and doing the certification on the Sunday. Applications for the certification will be released next week.

June 27th
I have plans for Seattle, WA. If you are a store looking to have a guest instructor come in and teach a card class...drop me an e-mail as I am unfamiliar with the shops in this area but would love to come and visit!

If you would like applications or information from me feel free to drop me an e-mail HERE!

See you Monday

Taylored Expressions Challenge #108!

Happy Friday! Seeing that I can't seem to put away my fabric these days I thought I would do a sewing themed card. The material girl collection from Cosmo Cricket is so adorable!
I thought Taylor's sketch looked a little quilt/patchwork like so I went with that look.
The iron image and sentiment are from CHF's Domestic Love set. I stamped the iron in versacraft ink and then just gave it a blast from my heat gun to set the ink before I colored it with my copic markers.
Here is a close shot of the coloring. I even went in with my spica black pen afterwards and highlighted the handle a little. It is hard to capture that shimmer on camera but it looks really sweet in real life!
Here are all my card deets:
Stamps:
Domestic Love (ATC) by Cornish Heritage Farms
Ink:
Black Versacraft (Tsukineko)
Paper:
Material Girl (Cosmo Cricket)
Vanilla (Neenah)
Accessories:
Copic Markers
Black, Silver Spica Pen (Copic)
Pinking Shears
Chipboard (Cosmo Cricket)
Cotton Fabric
Ribbon (Offray)
Trinket Pin (Maya Road)
Sewing

Here is the sketch so you can play along in TAYLOR'S challenge.
Don't forget to see what the rest of the sketch crew came up with:
Monika Davis: M.A.D. Stamper
Lynn Mercurio: Stamperosity
Melissa Sauls: In Stamping Mode
Rachel Sztonyk: Gingerbread Gallery
Alice Lihsuan-Wertz: Alice's Little Wonderland
Lisa Hjulberg: The Craft's Meow
Lori Craig: Making a Difference

Wishing you all a great weekend!

Blog Hop and Shop!

Welcome to the last stop of the hop! Whew! Seen lots of eye candy tonight? If you are on the hop you should have come here from Mel's blog....if you are just happening on my blog you will want to start from the beginning, that is Kim's blog.
For this hop I played with an adorable Pure Innocence girl....
I thought this image went really well with the ice cream cone die from Spellbinders. I stamped the PI girl in versacraft ink on this little onesie and colored her with my copics. Seeing that this is a 0-3 months onesie the little one who wears it will probably only wear it a few times before she out grows it. Copics do fine in the wash if it is an item that is only going to get washed periodically....they do fade after SEVERAL washings. I like to iron my item after I am done creating and that heat sets the image quite well.
Here is a close up of this sweet image. I still managed to do some shading/blending even though I was working on fabric. I think this would make a cute customized gift.....The die cuts of fabric I ran through my creatopia to apply fabric adhesive to the backside....NO SEWING!

My hubby was trying to feed my little baby nephew ice cream the other day...made me chuckle. Of course you aren't going to feed a tiny baby ice cream....but soon they will want a "double"!


Here is the run down of what is being released tonight at My Favorite Things!
Happy Shopping!
Baby Bump 15.95 (WTG)
Clearly Sentimental about Babies (Triple Scoop set)
Baby Bump Additions 9.00
Clearly Sentimental about Mothers 15.95
Jolinne – Sweet Spring 15.95
Jolinne – Sitting Pretty 9.00
PI - Birthday Princess 9.00
PI - Book in Hand 9.00
PI - Make Mine a Double 9.00
B&D – Tree Swing 9.00
Clearly Sentimental about Birthdays 15.95 (previous Triple Scoop set)
Millie the Mouse 5.50 (a NEW character)
A Bunch of Bots 15.95 (this set contains 3 of the 4 robot digis, a new robot and some fun, new sentiments)
Fred Bear Graduates 9.00 (a NEW character)
Fred Bear in Flight 9.00 (a NEW character)

****Remember...there is some blog candy hidden somewhere on this hop, all you have to do is leave a little commenting love on each member of the hops' blog to enter...good luck!******

Jolinne

Another very sweet Jolinne set is coming to My Favorite Things! Today you get a little teaser from this set. I stamped this Jolinne on vellum with Staz-on and then colored it from the backside with copic markers. I wanted to be able to see the pretty Melissa Frances paper through my image.
Here is a close up of the coloring. On vellum you cannot blend the same way that you do on cardstock, if you get too much ink happening it just becomes a mess....although the blender pen does a fabulous job of wiping off excess color.
Here are all the deets on this card:
Stamps:
Sweet Spring (Jolinne) by My Favorite Things
Ink:
Stazon (Tsukineko)
Paper:
White Card Stock (Neenah), Vellum
Patterned Paper (Melissa Frances)
Accessories:
Copic Markers
Ribbon (Making Memories)
Flower (Prima)
Brad (Basic Grey)
Pearls (KaiserCraft)
Crocheted Flower (made by me)
Sewing Machine (Janome)

For the full list of designer teasers today check out Kim's blog after 11am to see!
Tomorrow is the big release day....I something totally cute to show you! See you then!