Whimsy Valentine Sale!

In case you haven't already seen or heard about it, Whimsy Stamps is having a 50% off sale on digital stamps from Feb 14 - 21 so it's a great time to stock up on some of those images you've been wanting.  Prices are marked so there's no need for a coupon.

Stella

 Have I mentioned how sweet I think the Saturated Canary digis are?  This is Stella and she can be found at Krista's Etsy Store and I just purchased her last week.  If you check out her blog, you'll find her February newsletter plus she is also giving away the cutest little freebie which is perfect for Valentine's day.  Take a moment and read the whole post because there is information which sadly affects every digi designer/artist out there and it is up to us as the consumer to be aware of what is going on and not support those who are seeking monetary gain by dishonest means.
Stella is coloured with Copic markers and I shaded around her with Tim Holtz's Tumbled Glass distress ink.  I stamped around the edges with a swirly little stamp I have using Spun Sugar distress ink.  The clock die is Tim Holtz's Weathered Clock die and I sponged Walnut Stain ink around the edges.  The papers are SEI, which are some of my favourite.  The sentiment is from Whimsy's Birthday Letter Seals.  The flatbacks were white but I needed red and didn't have any so out came my Copics and I simply coloured them.  Lastly, to give the glasses some dimension, I filled in the lens with Inkssentials Glossy Accents.
Challenges:
The Sketchy Challenges - Sketch
Saturated Canary - Red, pink & white
Catch the Bug - Anything Goes
CardMad Fairies - hearts
Deep Ocean - Love You
Charisma Cardz - Vintage
Bunny Zoe's - Photo inspiration
One Crazy Stamper - Love is in the Air

Spring Lamb - Whimsy Blog Hop!

Can you believe it is February already?  I don't know where January went but I do welcome February because it means new digi images are released today at Whimsy Stamps and there's a blog hop to showcase them, get inspiration from a super talented team plus there's a chance to win some images! 

The hop starts today, runs for one weekend and ends on Wednesday February 08, 2012 at 12 Noon EST.

To have a chance at winning, you need to leave a comment on each of the design team blogs as you hop because there are two random blogs among the DT posts who each will select a comment and the winner will get to choose a digi of their choice.  The Grand Prize winner of the hop will receive 5 new digital stamps of their choice from Whimsy.  And it's a good time... the team has come up with some fabulous inspiration for you to check out plus you get a look at the new digis for the month which will be available in the store today.  Your first stop should be the Whimsy Inspiration blog and in case you lose your way, simply go back to  for the hop order.  You should have arrived here from the very talented Charlene's blog and you next stop will be to see what fab creation Tanya has whipped up.

So... onto the card and some info about it.  The new release I used  is Spring Lamb.  The patterned paper is a piece from DCWV's 'Preppy Princess Stack' collection, the binding is Whimsy's Fern Leaf Ribbon.  Flowers and gems are Petaloo FloraDoodles (#1283-211) and I used Copics to colour the image.  Those are some funky little flowers which I've had for ages and never really knew what to use them on until now.  I tried to do something different with the wool and although I don't thing it really looks like wool at all, I do like it much better than plain.  After I'd coloured it, I took the edge of a towel and dipped it into Copic's colourless  blender solution and pressed it down to lift the colour and give it a more mottled look.  The sentiment is computer generated.  

Challenges:

Divas by Design - Anything Goes

Fab n Funky - use a digi

Whimsical Designs - use something old (mine is the flowers)

Crafty Sentiments - Punches & Dies

Princess Who Kissed a Frog

 

 Well, I had internet issues yesterday and spent all afternoon without it.  What a waste of time... I finally started checking cords and cables and be darned if one wasn't loose so it was a simple fix after all.  'They' always say... make sure it's plugged in, check your connections and then re-boot so yes, when I remembered to it it, it was not a big deal after all.

I found this little gal over at Saturated Canary and had some time yesterday to build a card.  I like it when a card just falls together without a lot of stressing about papers, embellies, etc and that's what happened with this one.  I found a great sketch over at Sketch Saturday:

 

The name of this digi is Princess Who Kissed a Frog - I have bought a few of her images and must get busy and get them done up.  The flowers are some I've had in the stash forever and I pulled the centers and added the pearls.  The little leaves are from a new CC Designs die call Leafy Branch which I purchased from All That Scraps - this little die cuts beautifully and I was so impressed .  Sometimes the fine, intricate ones are hard to use but the paper pulled away easily with this one plus their shipping was very reasonable so I will be shopping there again .  The sentiment is from Stampin Up's 'So Happy For You' set and then cut with one of the Spellbinder's Labels Trio dies  and the ribbon is from Really Reasonable Ribbon.  The papers are from a Prima Sweet Fairy Collection pad and then coloured the image with Copics.

Colours Used:  Hair E43, E33, E35;  Skin E11, E00, E000;  Dress R81, RV10, RV000;  Frog YG63, YG61, YG11

Challenges:

Sketch Saturday

Saturated Canary - dies and punches (no pic but I did use a corner rounder punch on the inside of the card)

Mark's Finest Papers - birthday cards

Sentimental Sundays - Die Cuts plus a sentiment

Ahoy Matey!

 Cold, cold cold... apparently we are now paying for the wonderful unwinter-like weather we've been having for the last 2 months because what a blast of old-man winter we've had for the last couple of days!  All the more reason to stay inside and make some cards!  

It's been awhile since I've posted but I have been busy and do have some wildly exciting news to share with you.  Denise from Whimsy Stamps asked if I would be interested in joining her magazine staff designer team as one of the two new positions which would  feature digi stamps for Whimsy Stamps Inspirational Magazine.  Would I?  Really?.... you bet I would!  So that is what I've been doing with my time... digging in and getting some projects ready for my debut (hahahha... it's like being a movie star!)

Okay, time to get to the card - this one something I'd done awhile ago for our grandson's 3rd birthday but hadn't got to posting it.  He likes pirates so of course he should have a pirate card to go along with his loot and birthday treasures.  I merged Mo Manning's Pirate Stuff (the palm trees) and her Captain Hugh into Make it Crafty's Treasure Map.    For the front of the card, I used only the scroll portion of the map and pulled in the scene and little pirate.  The complete treasure map was for the inside of the card and it was perfect because there was plenty of room on the bottom of the scroll to write his birthday wishes.  The lettering was done with two colours of sparkly paper using a set of alphabet dies I have had forever.  The image was coloured with Copics, the lock embellishment is Tim Holtz, the paper was from the pile I hoard and the sentiment computer generated.
Challenges:
Celebrate the Occasion - use polka dots (mine is the paper)
Crafty Sentiments - Anything Goes
Deep Ocean Challenge Blog - Sparkling &/or Glitter (the lettering)
Scrap Creations - use die cuts (lettering & number)
Partytime Tuesdays - Happy Birthday projects or cards
Stamp n Doodle - Birthdays
Crafty Cardmakers - no floral embellishments

Winter Fairy

 

 Here we are, the first day in 2012 and I wish you all the best in this new year!  

My first post for 2012 is a Wee Stamp from Whimsy Stamps called Winter Fairy.  I adore these stamps - they are so sweet and pretty, each and every one of them.  I coloured the image with Copics and added Soft Flock to the fur on her jacket and boots plus some pink Soft Flock on the earmuffs.  The snow is Flower Soft and a little glamour dust is added to her wings.  The papers are from Bo Bunny's Snowfall collection and snowflakes were cut with Martha Stewart punches.  The sentiment is from Whimsy's Letter Seals set... I can't tell you enough how much I like their sentiments, so versatile and perfect for almost every ard!.  The hearts are a Whiff of Joy die cut and the pearls are from the stash.

Challenges:

Mark's Finest Papers - Use a snowflake

Stampin' for the Weekend - Anything Goes
Charisma Cardz - Anything Goes
Crimbo Crackers - Snowflakes

Catch a Star

 

 Closer, closer, closer... Christmas is sneaking right up on me so this is probably going to be my last post until after the big day.  I have a ton to do and the days are flying by.
Another Wednesday and the last challenge at the Whimsy's Inspiration Challenge Blog until the new year.  For this challenge, your task is to create a project with a charm and add a sentiment.  I used Lia's 'Leah Catch a Star' digi and  the sentiment is from Whimsy's Magical Mini Letter Seals.  I haven't had that sentiment set for very long but it is so versatile and I've used it a few times already.  The checked paper is My Mind's Eye and the gold and floral is Prima.  I used a Sizzix die for the star and the button and charm were found in my stash.  Copics were used to colour the image and Stickles for some glam in the stars.
Be sure to head on over to the Challenge Blog to see what the rest of the DT have created.  ... speaking of design team, I wanted to mention Whimsy Stamps has a some new gals on the digi design team so you'll be seeing them in the new year.  Exciting stuff!!!

Scrooge!

 It's Sunday and that means it's time for another challenge at Kenny K's Krafty Girlz and this week's theme is Christmas hues of blues.  This image is Kenny K's Scrooge and it just cracks me up when I look at it!  The only fitting sentiment I could think of  was 'Bah Humbug' and I know the perfect person for this card.  In addition to winning five of Kenny K's digis, the winner will also receive a $15 voucher from Michelle's Scrapbooking and More.   My term as a designer on Kenny K's Krafty Girlz team  is finished and although I'm saddened by it, I've decided not continue for the same reason most of us have for doing or not doing anything... wow, life is so, so busy!  I do want to extend my thanks to all the Girlz on the DT, Kenny K, Elena, Donna and Sarah Louise.  It was a fab ride and I'm going to miss it but I've got to wind some things down.
Onto the card.... The papers are from a fabulous collection of Bo Bunny's called Snowfall which I purchased as a 6 X 6 pad from One Crazy Stamper.  I've coloured the image with Copics and stamped around the edges with a little flourish stamp I have and some distress ink.  The snowflake is cut with a Sizzix die and the brads are Basic Grey.
Have yourself a good week!

Trimming the Tree

 Closer and closer.... Christmas is not far away and I'm still frantically making cards!  Today is Wesnesday and time for another challenge at Whimsy's Inspiration Challenge Blog with the theme of Patterns and Pearls.  Grab some of that patterned paper you are hoarding (that's where I got mine!) and add some pearls!  I used Whimsy's Trimming the Tree digi designed by Chrissy and I do love the whimsy of those little bears she designs.  The patterned paper from Bo Bunny's Father Christmas collection which I found at One Crazy Stamper - I need to get more of that because there isn't a piece of it I don't like and if I buy a couple of each, I'm not so apt to hoard it.  The ribbon is one of the pieces from the November Ribbon Club collection I received from Really Reasonable Ribbon .  You should see the packages Bonnie puts together... almost too pretty to open and use (there's that hoarding tendency of mine again!).  The sentiment is one from Whimsy's Magical Mini Letter Seals and the Poinsettia is one of the Shape EZ templates.  This was my first try at using the templates and Easy Schmeasy... I cut it out of red glitter paper and then added Stickles around the petal edges and voila... a poinsettia.
Have a great week!
Challenges:
Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes with the option of something dangly
Create Me Pink - Christmas Colours red, green, gold and/or silver
Sweet Stamps - Christmas Bling
Bunny Zoe's - Anything Christmas with Pearls

Ruby

Today's card is my second and final card as December's guest designer at One Crazy Stamper.  Thank you ladies for the guest designer spot - I thoroughly enjoyed the experience!  

Gotta love this Mo Manning 'Ruby' image and it is so perfect because what little girl doesn't like to play dress-up?  I love this one with those too big shoes, the necklace and handbag.  I used Bazill textured cardstock again - I rarely use anything else since I discovered this paper... can't get enough of that texture!  The designer paper is from a 6" x 6" SEI pad called With All My Heart and I used the same cardstock for the flourishes.  The image is coloured with Copics and the sentiment is from Whimsy's A Touch of Elegance collection.  The pearls are from my stash and as a final touch, I went all around the edges with Stardust Stickles.  All of these products are available at Lora's One Crazy Stamper store.  OCS has some of the best customer service ever, fast shipping and she always ships free if your order is over $100.  For those of you who use the Xpress It blending paper, she's got the best price I've ever found in Canada.  I use that paper all the time so was very happy to find a supplier with such a great price on it.

Moonlight Wishes - Lili of the Valley

 Wow... I realized if I'm going to get all my holiday cards done and posted, I need to get busy because time is whizzing by.  Today's card was stamped using Lili of the Valley's Moonlight Wishes stamp.  I love using these stamps - I am fascinated by the whimsy of them and they stamp so crisp and clean plus very quick service.  I used Bo Bunny paper from their Father Christmas collection which I purchased from Lora at One Crazy Stamper and I have to say, that grouping of paper is some of the prettiest ever.  The sentiment is one from Stampin Up's Lots of Thoughts set.  I've used Copics to colour the image and added Glamour Dust to the moon and pom on the hat.  Then Stickles, Stickles and more Stickles!  The big snowflake is from a Jolee's Boutique sticker pack I'd bought at Michaels ages ago and the big clunky gem  was one I had in my stash so I glued it on and I like it... looks like it belongs there!  Have a great week!
Challenges:
Catch the Bug - Anything Goes
Crafty Ann's - Christmas Bingo (mine is red, green, gold or silver)
Crafty Catz - Christmas with the option of adding sparkle
Fairytale - Christmas
Let's Ink it Up - Christmas
Mark''s Finest Papers - Use your favourite embellishment (mine is Stickles and gems)
Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes
Joanna Sheen - It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Top of the Morning - Whimsy December Blog Hop

Hard to believe December is here already, isn't it?  Time is quickly flying by but the one thing I always look forward to is the new digi images released every month at Whimsy Stamps and a blog hop to showcase them plus there's a chance to win some images!  So now's the time to take a little break from the baking, shopping, cleaning and holiday planning and enjoy the hop

The hop starts today and runs for one week,  Thursday December 08, 2011 at 12 Noon EST.

To have a chance at winning, you need to leave a comment on each of the design team blogs as you hop because there are two random blogs among the DT posts who each will select a comment and the winner will get to choose a digi of their choice.  The Grand Prize winner of the hop will receive 5 new digital stamps of their choice from Whimsy.  And it's a good time... the team has come up with some fabulous inspiration for you to check out plus you get a look at the new digis for the month which will be available in the store today at 10:00.  I'm the first stop on the hop and you arrived here from the Whimsy Inspiration blog.  In case you lose your way, simply go back to the Whimsy Inspiration blog for the hop order.

So... onto the card!  This fella is one of the new releases and is named Top of the Morning - I never look that perky or happy on some of these cold mornings!  The patterned paper is Imaginisce's Polar Expressions which has been in my sash for quite awhile.  The narrow strip is a piece from Bo Bunny's Gabrielle collection and I used Copics to colour the image and sprinkled a little Glamour Dust for the snow.  The sentiment is one from Whimsy's Winter Letter Seals collection and the ribbon was in my last monthly shipment from Really Reasonable Ribbon.  The snowflakes were cut using Whimsy's Winter Jewel 1 die and then I added some Sparklets from Kaiser Kraft.

Your next stop on the hop is a visit with the talented Sarah.  Enjoy the hop and have fun!

Challenges:

Sketch Saturday - Sketch

Very Merry Wisemen

How are you today?  It seems to be getting busier and more hectic everyday and I always say that once December 1 comes around, you just are silly busy and don't know where the time goes!
What a thrill this was... I applied for a guest designer spot at One Crazy Stamper and couldn't believe my good fortune when I got the news I was December's guest designer.  I shop at Lora's store and you can't beat her customer service plus she's got a great selection of product and great prices.  She always ships orders over $100 free and somehow, I never seem to have a problem making that amount on an order.
This is the first of two cards I've made for the guest designer spot.  This one is for the December challenge which is a Christmas or Winter theme.  I've used Bazill textured cardstock and designer paper is Holly from Bo Bunny's Father Christmas collection.  The image is also from OCS and is Your Next Stamp's Very Merry Wisemen.  This is my first Your Next Stamp but I am going to get some more because they are wildly cute!
The sentiment is from Whimsy Stamp's Winter Letter Seals set and the buttons are also Bo Bunny's Father Christmas embellishments.  I also used a little flourish stamp to lightly stamp around the edges of the circle and this just happens to be my new craze... I like the look and will probably do it many more times.  The ribbon is a miscellaneous piece from my stash.
Be sure to zip on over to the One Crazy Stamper blog to see what the design team have come up with - trust me, you won't be disappointed.
Challenges:
Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes
Mad for Markers - Christmas
Bunny Zoe's - Anything Christmas with Pearls
Scrapalicious USA -  Christmas project
             

Christmas Tags - Whimsy Challenge

The Whimsy Challenge this week is Anything But a Card so I decided to do some Christmas tags with various digi images by Moon Cookie and digi sentiments designed by Raindrop Echo.  All the images and sentiments can be found at the Whimsy Stamps store.
I don't do this quickly so I'm thinking that since 6 tags took me all afternoon, I had better buy a supply as well.  I used a Go Kreate tag die, Copics to colour and added Stickles and some little pearls.  The ribbon is from the last monthly kit of Really Reasonable Ribbon.
Be sure to head on over to the Challenge Blog to see what the rest of the DT have created.  ... speaking of design team, I wanted to mention Whimsy Stamps has a design team call right now - here is the info (also posted on the Challenge Blog). 

Whimsy Stamps is also holding a Design Team call from now until December 9th. We are looking for some talented crafters to join our Digital Stamp DT and help us showcase our growing digital stamp collections.

Each Digi Team Designer is asked to...

* share one project per week on his/her blog (applicants must have a blog),

* participate in our monthly releases and blog hop,

* Participate in at least 2 monthly challenges on our new Whimsy Inspires Challenge blog. The challenges post weekly, but DT members are only required to participate bi-weekly unless you choose to do more.

* become a member of our Yahoo and private Facebook group,

* share your artwork on our Facebook Fan page, Whimsy Blog, and any other online community you belong to,

* promote Whimsy Stamps by using our images, mentioning Whimsy news and promotions, and linking to our shop.

In exchange for DT work and helping to promote our products...

* members will have access to our digital stamps for use in weekly DT projects,

* members will receive a DT discount of 20% off, on all Whimsy shop purchases, while a member of our team,

* personal bio and photo will be placed on our blog.

If you are interested in applying, please send an email with your contact info, blog link, some details about yourself, and 3 of your favourite projects to whimsystamps@gmail.com with the subject line Digi DT. We will reply to let you know your application has been received. All new members will be contacted during the week of December 12th and announced on our Whimsy Blog thereafter.

Challenges:

Divas by Design - Anything Goes

Stampin Royalty - Anything but a card

Creative Craft Challenges - Free for all

Groove Dude - Kenny K

Time for another challenge at Kenny K's Krafty Girlz and this week's theme is Stitching and it can be either faux or real.  The challenge is sponsored by Kenny K and Dies to Die For and there's some great prizes up for grabs so be sure to enter your project.
I decided it was time to practice with that new sewing machine I got so mine is real stitching - wish it was perfect but I do have a little more work before I'm used to it.
I used Kenny K's Groove Dude image and coloured him with Copics.  My new 'craze' is stamping around the edges of my images and I did it here as well with a small flourish stamp I have.  The paper is from Basic Grey's Little Black dress pad which I purchased at One Crazy Stamper.  Oh my... I love, love, love that paper and there isn't a piece in there I don't like!  I used a Marianne Creatable die for the flourishes, the brads are from my stash and the sentiment is from Whimsy's Fast Lane digi collection.
Challenges:
Lexi's Creations  - One for the Lads
Here Come the Boys - For the Man/Men in your life

Ballerina Magnolia

Hope you are all well and enjoying these last few days in November.

My card today was very easy to make because the papers are so glittery and sparkly plus the sentiment is actually from one of the papers in the Best Creations Inc Ballet Princess collection which I purchased from One Crazy Stamper.  The image is Magnolia's Ballerina and the pearls from my stash.  I coloured the little gal with Copics and then added Tiara Stickles around all the edges.

Challenges:

Just Magnolia - Use some white/red/ or pink on your cards

Color Create - Pink, white and gold
Divas by Design - Monochromatic

Bearly Mine - My favourite things (mine is glitter and sparkles)