More Copic practice

I am waiting for my car to be repaired so I have been practicing my Copic coloring.

This is my best monkey. (CC Designs)

Below are the colors I used.

Here is my best Ellie. (Inky Antics)

The colors I used are pictured below.

More Copic Practice

No stamping today. Lots of laundry and cleaning, but no stamping. Took a break from clothes folding to do some more Copic coloring practice. Adults get to color too!

Recipe: Sailor Moon coloring page, copy paper, Copics:
B000- Pale Porcelain Blue
BG10- Cool Shadow
B14- Light Blue
G00- Jade Green
BG07- Petroleum Blue
YR00- Powder Pink
R02- Flesh
E000- Pale Fruit Pink
E33- Sand
C3- Cool Gray 3

Rubbahdultery with Copics!

Yes it is true. Occasionally I do use something in addition to my SU! stash. Well I took the plunge yesterday and I bought some copics. Here are my practice coloring pages using various line art stamps I have picked up at expos. The image in the top right photo above was a coloring page printed off the Internet with a laser printer on regular cope paper. The other images were stamped on Copic Bleedproof marker paper. The images were stamped with Versafine Archival Onyx Black Ink and Brilliance Graphite Black Pigment ink. I'm not thrilled with the paper or ink.

This my make shift Copic storage. They are these cute plastic cases made by Provo Craft and they are only $1.49 each. Each one can hold about 15 markers and I just lay them on their side and stack them up.

After watching some tutorials by Suzanne Dean, I realized that my copic selection was severly lacking and I was under some misconceptions. First, there is a rule of thumb for blending where you pick a color that you like and then you select two shades from that same color family that are 2-4 numbers away from your original color choice one lighter and one darker and use all three for coloring your image. Second, the colorless blender is not really for blending. You should use the lightest shades possible in your color family of choice to do this. So I set back out to find more copics. The ones I bought yesterday came from Pearl Paints in NYC and Blick Arts in NYC. Blick was less expensive by $.30 and had a much better selection by the way. Today since I am back in NJ...I started driving around not sure of my destination. I read about a Copic class at this scrapbooking store in the area so I decided to try them out.

I quickly found out that Scrappers Cove is the cutest scrapbooking store ever. It is on N. Main Street in Milltown NJ. The ladies there were so patient and helpful and really nice. They have everything you could wish for all right there in one place. I am totally in love. I picked up 12 more copics there. They even gave me a cute spreadsheet of the Copic colors that they sell so I could color my new markers and keep track of what I have. I also scored the best ink by far that I have tried with the copics, Memento Tuxedo Black dye ink. Dries right away and does not smear! Plus they had the new Copic Papercrafting paper. This was made with us stampers in mind and the markers blend beautifully on it. See my completed card below.

Recipe: Perfect Plum and Crushed Curry cardstock and Black Stampin' Write marker(SU). Non SU- Copic Papercrafting Illustration Paper in Natural White 0609-2, Inky Antics G21582F (Elephant Stamp), Burst of Blue by Penny Black (flower stamp) masked and stamped three times, Rhinestone brads, Memento Tuxedo Black Ink Pad, corner rounder, Copic markers:
0- Colorless Blender
YR00- Powder Pink
R20- Blush
C3- Cool Gray
BV000- Iridescent Mauve
YG00- Mimosa Yellow
V95- Light Grape
V000- Pale Heath
RV11- Pink

TGIF Sketch Challenge 4

Here is TGIF Sketch # 4:

Here is my sample: (Note: this was photographed under my Ottlite as no matter what other lighting I tried to photograph the card under, you could not see the embossing on the very vanilla cardstock). I used the Rock and Roll technique on some of the flowers to make the petals look two-toned like real petals.

Recipe: For All You Do and Sincere Salutations Stamp Sets, Textured Impressions Finial Press Embossing Folder, Big Shot, Very Vanilla and Rich Razzleberry Cardstock, Rich Razzleberry Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon, Eyelet Border Punch, Rich Razzlebery and Apricot Appeal Ink.


And last Week's winner for Sketch Challenge # 3 is Evelyn Rivera.

This card features the new In Colors and I just love that polka dot ribbon. Great Job Evelyn! Thanks for playing along. Your mystery blog candy prize is.....3 packs of DSP- Bella Rose, Bali Breeze, and Groovy Guava Prints and a sampling of the new Hodgepodge Hardware Genuine brads and jumbo brads in vanilla, chocolate, white and silver.

To play along with this weeks challenge, enter your information in Mr. Linky below:

Pastelled Medallion

Stampin Addicts Technique Challenge TECH18: Poppin' Pastels-

Directions:

1) Stamp your image on your card using Versamark Ink

2) Color your image by gently dabbing/pouncing pastels using sponge daubers, q-tips, or applicator tool.

3) Blow away any excess pastel dust and embellish your card as desired

On my card, I ran a strip on Blush Blossom Cardstock through my Big Shot using my new Textured Impressions Elegant Bouquet Embossing Folder. Next I ran some versamark over the raised embossed image and then added pastels to color in the floral design.

Finally I finished by adding some Sage Shadow grosgrain ribbon over the seam and a Blush halfback pearl in the center of my medallion.

I also stamped the Medallion on the inside of the card with Versamark and added the "Birthday Wishes" sentiment in Creamy Caramel ink. I adhered my leftover stip of embossed cardstock to the inner left hand side of the card as well.

Recipe: Medallion Background Stamp, Sincere Salutations stamp set, Elegant Bouquest Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Big Shot, Sage Shadow Grosgrain ribbon, Blush Blossom Cardstock, Versamark Ink, Creamy Caramel Ink, (non- SU supplies- The Stencil Collection pastels, Kaiser Craft Blush Halfback Pearl)

Pop Up Goes the Butterfly

Woo Hoo! My new SU! goodies are here! I was inspired by Twila's Butterflies in Flight card and since I just got my brand spankin' new Butterfly Punch, I decided to make my first spiral pop up card. I have been meaning to try this for ages, but never got around to it. So much to stamp, so little time. This was so quick and easy with the circle and butterfly punches.

Recipe: Flight of the Butterfly and All Holidays Stamp Set, Shimmery White Cardstock, Blush Blossom, Creamy Caramel, Tempting Turquoise, Bashful Blue cardstock and ink, Apricot Appeal ink, Sticky Strip, Glue dots, 1-1/4", 1-3/8" and 1-3/4" circle punches, Butterfly Punch

Split Coast Stampers Color Challenge CC226

Pony Party Mojo

I grew up in the My Little Pony generation so I had to get the new Pony Party Stamp Set. I love it! I made a Unicorn/Pegasus pony. She is gorgeous!

I tried my hand at the Mojo Monday Sketch # 94 for the layout and used the beautiful new Cottage Wall DSP and In Color Rich Razzleberry Ribbon. One side has polka dots and the other is plain.

Recipe: Pony Party Stamp Set, Cottage Wall DSP, Orchid Opulence, Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry and Shimmery White Cardstock, Watercolor Paper, Rich Razzleberry Polka Dot Ribbon, 1-1/4" circle punch, 1" circle punch, Almost Amethyst, Blush Blossom, Old Olive, Orchid Opulence Stampin Write markers, Aqua Brush, Dimensionals, Dazzling Diamonds

Robo Birthday

The Lots of Bots stamp set is so much fun! I am so glad I decided to get it. It works so well witht the new In Colors- Bermuda Bay and Crushed Curry.

Here I have tried my hand at the faux copic technique by Julie Buhler to color in my bot.

I double stamped the robot and covered the first layer with crystal effects and dazzling diamonds. It lost the effect of the blending so I colored another bot and cut out certain parts of the image and popped them up.

The result is some sparkling accents and I really like how the bot in now 3D. I also stamped 3 bolts and colored them with going gray marker and crystal effects, let them dry then cut them out and adhered them like brads.



Recipe: Lots of Bots stamp set, Water color paper, Whisper White cardstock, Crushed Curry Cardstock, Bermuda Bay cardstock, Basic Black cardstock, Dimensionals, Black mini brads, Modern Label Punch, Modern Label Movers and Shapers, Large Dots Texturz Plate BackgroundBigShot, Going Gray, Crushed Curry, More Mustard, Bermuda Bay markers, crystal effects, Black Staz On Ink SCS229

Big Shot Die Pack Contest

My new favorite website for all things Stampin' Up! is stampinaddicts.com. It is the new home of plenty of scrappin inspiration, challenges and chat, with a gallery full of wonderful project ideas.
It is the perfect place to hang out on the web. If you are a Stampin' Up fan, you must check it out. There are daily challenges and you simply must share your creations in the gallery. Stampin' Addicts also has tons of ideas using the Stampin' Up! Big Shot. As part of the summer celebration Stampin Addicts is holding a blog contest during the month of July giving away a Big Shot die pack made up of 5 new exclusive Stampin’ Up! dies.

Included are:
Stampin’ Up! Thanks (Embosslits)
Stampin’ Up! Final Press (Embossing Folders)
Stampin’ Up! Perfect Details (Textured Plates)
Stampin’ Up! Two Tags (Bigz Dies)
Stampin’ Up! Fancy Favor (Bigz XL Dies)
To enter the Big Shot Die Pack contest yourself, all you need to do is make a post on your blog about it. Be sure to go to the Stampin' Addicts blog and see all the details and rules for your chance to win!
This is my entry -Now give me my dies!

The Stampcave is operational

Some of you may have seen me post comments about my Stampcave. This is my fun way of embracing change and the fact that I had to move all my stampin stuff down to the basement. I call it the Stampcave because it is very dark down there. But there are some unique benefits to me being in the basement:

#1- It is nice and cool (it was a sauna upstairs even with AC because we have vaulted ceilings)


#2- I can be as messy as I want (can leave my projects lying around in progress and no one sees the clutter)


#3- I can blast my music (tunes make me more creative)


I spent all last weekend and about 4 hours this weekend trying to get it organized and operational and I am thrilled with the results. It may not be the snaziest workspace I have seen, but it is working out great. I don't have to get up out of my seat to reach anything important that I use frequently. I used to have to hunt and search for everything before, and that was very tiring after a long day at work. Here is a tour of the cave!
The hanging sweater organizer holds my retired stamp sets. The drawer cart has all of my tools and embellishments.
To the far left is my Big Shot. The dies are in the storage box underneath. In the center are tidy trays for embossing. On the right is my Michaels storage cube, inside are my favorite retired stamps, circle cutter, and in color paper.
On top of the storage cube is my card bar where I keep envelopes and different pre folded color card bases, ribbon, and a cute Generations picture organizer where I store completed cards only $3 at Lot Less. The giant pink clothes pin holds my favorite card. This one has Bambi and Thumper on it. I adore those cute little 'animules' from the Forrest Friends stamp set.
Under the table are my rolling scrapbooking totes. (And the sombrero that I got from Chevy's for my 31st birthday!)
The center table is my workspace. Here are my inks, markers, and most used tools all in arms reach. I just got this little Ottlite. It is really great, provides natural lighting for my main workspace so I can really see what I am making. Got those great tan faux leather trays for $3 each at my fav store to scavenger hunt in- Lot Less.

I made this cute sign with vinyl lettering to inspire me.


To the right of the desk is a large storage shelf. In front of the shelf is a mail tub filled with scraps and alterable items like journals, metal tags, and planners. The scraps are filed in filed in hanging file folders by color family. My punches are hung in a shoe organizer. Storage tubs hold misc. To the far right are more crafting supplies, my bind it all supplies, and my publications (Stampin Success, Scrapbooking mags, and books) are in a basket on top.The middle shelf holds all my current stamp sets in baskets. Under that is my paper collection. The 8 1/2 x 11 paper is filed in rainbow order in a basket, wheels are in front, and 12 x 12 is in a cropper hopper holder on the right. The bottom shelf holds business supplies and misc. tools. More tools, ink pads, sprays, and misc items are on the top shelves.

Thanks for taking the tour!

Celebrate Independance Day

Happy 4th of July!

I finally used my Movers and Shapers star insert and the modern label insert as well.

Recipe: Itty Bitty Backgrounds stamp set, Matchbox Messages stamp set, Movers and Shapers die/ Big Shot, Modern Label Punch, Wavy Crimper tool, Brilliant Blue Stampin write marker, Clear Rhinestone brads, Dimensionals, Whisper White, Real Red, and Brilliant Blue Cardstock

TGIF Sketch Challenge # 3- Blog Candy

Here is TGIF Sketch Challenge # 3. Please play along if you'd like. Blog Candy Alert- winner will be chosen next Thursday and will receive a mystery prize!!!!!

Here is my sample for this week's sketch:
Recipe: Simple Friendship stamp set, Very Vanilla Cardstock, Encore Silver Metallic Craft Ink, Basic Gray Taffeta ribbon, Half back pearls, Versamark Pen, Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder, Dimensionals, wavy crimper tool, heat gun, Flourishes Texturz Plate, BigShot

The New Idea Book and Catalog

Ok everybody, the new 2009-2010 Idea Book and Catalog is available now. There are so many beautiful new things to ogle, admire, buy, hoard, collect, and use if you actually get around to it! Lol!

I honestly don't know how to tell you what fabulous things are in here, you need to click on the link on the left and peruse it for yourselves.

A little news for you followers out there who have probably noticed a lot of wonky things going on here on my blog over the last couple of days. I was trying to give things an overhaul yesterday while I was home sick, you know, to add the new catty, deals, offers, etc. Well, long story short while I was trying to change my background, this idget deleted her widgets and ended up having to start over from scratch and rebuild everything.

The result is a new look, a 3 column format, and some new tunes. Starting with my tribute to Michael Jackson. May the man rest in peace! So troubled, yet so brilliant. His personal eccentricities aside,he was a musical visionary and his contributions will be sorely missed. Back to the main event....

I will give you a run down on my top 10 picks from the new Catalog(things I actually ordered myself and will begin showing off next week).

1. Medallion Background Stamp- the buzz on this is that it is in every one's top 3
2. Pony Party Stamp Set- You can make a pony like my little pony or a unicorn!!!
3. Dream Garden Stamp Set- Asian style and so fab!
4. French Filigree Background Stamp- elegant!
5. Bigz Lattice Die- I think this will be cute for making layered backgrounds
6. Butterfly Punch- this fits the Flight of the Butterfly Stamp Set
7. Bridesmaid Specialty Paper- it has an iridescent/metallic finish
8. Cottage Wall DSP- pretty floral pattern in Orchid Opulence
9. Elegant Bouquet and Finial Press Textured Impressions- going to be great for all the wedding scrapbooks, guestbooks, and invites I have to make soon
10. Flutter Decor Elements- Butterflies small enough to fit on the front of my new netbook- I got them in So Saffron

Speaking of my new netbook, that is one of the things that has been keeping me from stamping. I finally have the hang of how to use the little bugger. My other major hurdle has been moving my stamping space from the loft back down to the basement. Sigh...no more watching tv while I stamp. Oh well, it was getting too hot up there for me anyway. I almost have everything set up in the basement, I just need some better lighting. I have dubbed it the Stampcave since it is so dark down there.

Check back tomorrow for the TGIF Sketch Challenge!

Summer Fun Sign Up Special

While anytime is a great time to join the Stampin' Up! family as a demonstrator, joining during July and August is especially sweet!
Starting your own Stampin' Up! business means free and discounted products, plus a little extra cash--and who couldn't use that? Plus, from July 15 - August 31, you can become a Stampin' Up! demonstrator for only $85!

The special, limited-time Mini Starter Kit contains many of the items you need to get started in your new business, including:

For All You Do stamp set
In Color Classic Stampin' Pads (6)
Whisper White card stock (8-1/2" x 11")
In Color assorted card stock (8-1/2" x 11")
Business forms and tools
Or if you want to buy the standard $199 Starter Kit, in addition to the supplies listed below, you'll get all six of the new In Color Classic Stampin' Pads and one pack of In Color assorted card stock (8-1/2" x 11")--a $43 value!

The standard Starter Kit includes:
Four stamp sets
A Stampin' Around wheel, handle, and ink cartridge
Stampin' Pastels
Card stock
Eastern Blooms Décor Elements and applicator tool
Five Classic Stampin' Pads
VersaMark Pad
Stampin' Scrub and Mist
Blender pens
Business forms and tools
These special offers--the Mini Starter Kit and the In Color add-on to the standard Starter Kit--are only available for a limited time, so you must act fast!
Benefits of Becoming a Demonstrator
Whether you just love to stamp, or you want to grow a successful, thriving business, the Stampin' Up! opportunity is the right fit for you. Stampin' Up! demonstrators enjoy many benefits, with just a few listed below:

Product discount: Demonstrators get a 20 percent discount on all Stampin' Up! products, including stamp sets, paper, and accessories. It's a great way to support your love of stamping and paper crafting.
Extra income: You'll earn extra income based on your sales and recruiting--how much extra income is up to you. Maybe you just want enough income to pay the electric bill every month, or maybe your goal is bigger--the monthly payment for your new car--it's your decision! See the Compensation Table for more information.
Flexible schedule: This is your business, so you can put in as much (or as little) time as you'd like.
Support from Stampin' Up! We love our demonstrators and it shows through our demonstrator support materials, including a monthly magazine, workshop ideas, and audio and video trainings on all kinds of topics available on our Demonstrator Web Site.

• Now is the perfect time to Join! As a member of my downline you will also get to attend 2 group upline meetings where we will do make and takes and share valuable information and techniques. You can sign up and purchase your starter kit here by clicking on the join now button in the upper right hand corner.

TGIF Sketch Challenge #2 Razzleberry Sneak Peak

Here is my second TGIF Sketch!

Below is my sample card featuring the new Razzledazzle Stamp Set and In Colors Rich Razzleberry and Crushed Curry and the new polka dot ribbon. All will be available for purchase July 1st.
Recipe: Razzle Dazzle Stamp Set, Friendship Words wheel, Razzleberry Lemonade DSP, Rich Razzleberry Ink, Very Vanilla cardstock, Rich Razzleberry cardstock, Crushed Curry cardstock, Rich Razzleberry Polkadot ribbon, half back pearls, dimensionals

If you would like to play along in the sketch challenge please post a comment with a link to your card.