I'm Back! with a scrapbooking project to share

I'm Back!  I have not been crafting for a while now.  Managing my IBS has kept me pretty busy for months.  I am happy to report I am doing much better and have gotten back to having some free time to do some papercrafting.  In honor of Virtual Scrap Book Night over on Splitcoast Stampers... here is a scrapbook a friend asked me to make for her coworker who is expecting.  

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

I wanted share a quick valentine with all of you.  Hope you all have a lovely Valentine's day. 

Supplies:

Stamp: Dreamy Vanessa Digi from Make It Crafty

Paper and stickers- Basic Grey True Love

Copics: Hair-E50 E31 E33 E37 E59 Eyes- B05 Skin-E000 E00 E11 RV42

BG70 BG72 BG75

Got Washi and Copic Color Matches for Basic Grey Soleil

I am loving the Basic Grey Soleil collection of papers!  These are all my favorite colors.  I thought it would be cute to color up Saturated Canary image Washi Tape Kinda Girl and pair it up with this cute paper.  I threw in some assorted washi tape from my collection and broke out my Spellbinders Nestabilities Card Creator A2 Dies to make the layers nice and straight.  I can honestly say that did not miss measuring on the paper cutter, not one little bit.  I used a Lil Inkers die to cut out the background on the sentiment and a random heart sticker. 


Some Copics color matches for the Basic Grey Soleil Collection:

R81 R83 R85  Y00 Y13 Y18  V12 V15 V17

Supplies:

Stamp: Washi Tape Kinda Girl digi by Saturated Canary

Paper: Bosie HD Color Copy Cover, Basic Grey Soleil

Copics: Hair-E50 E31 E33 E37 E59 Eyes- B05 Skin-E000 E00 E11 RV42

R81 R83 R85 Y00 Y13 Y18 V12 V15 V17

Hugs and Kisses and Copic Matches for Carta Bella Devoted

Happy February!

I can't believe we are well into the second month of the year already.  I do so love making cards in February.  Valentine's Cards are so fun and easy to make. 

I have not been making very many cards lately as I prefer to use digi images.  When I got my new state of the art HP Envy All In One printer I quickly realized that it was no good for printing digis because the ink would make a smeary mess when I colored with my Copics.  Two weeks back I saw an ad in the Walgreens circular for a Cannon Pixma IP2702 (no frills) printer for only $19.99.  I couldn't believe how low that price was so I went to the store and decided to buy it.  Well that super cheap printer comes with ink that is compatible with Copics. I have to manually force the cardstock to get it to feed through but once you hold it, it will grip the cardstock and it feed straight through.   I was so happy I took a chance on it. I now refer to it as my Digiprinter!

I had a ball over the weekend coloring up this cutie from Saturated Canary. Hope you like her!

Copic Colors to Match Carta Bella Devoted Collection:

Supplies:

Stamps:Hugs and Kisses by Saturated Canary

Paper and Stickers: Devoted by Carta Bella

Stampin' Up ribbon

Frayed Burlap Distress Ink

Copics: Hair-E50 E31 E33 E37 E59 Eyes- B05 Skin-E000 E00 E11 RV42

E70 E71 E74 E79 BG70 BG72 BG75 BG78 R46 R56 R59 R81 R83 R85 E35

Oops! Oh No! Blog Candy Winner

Oops, oh no!  I didn't get a chance to announce the blog candy winner this weekend.  Sorry, I was so late .

The winning comment is:

Kristen said...

I guess if I had to pick one it would be MacGyver. I tend to create for, rather than create because. I'm working on a style. Maybe one day! Great Prize and congratulations on all your views.

January 13, 2013 at 11:06 AM

Kristen please email me your address at michellena317@comcast (dot) net

A 100K Glitzy Blog Candy!

 I was so excited to see that my little blog has past 100,000 views! I think you all really like it when I talk about Copics ;0)

 I wanted to share my excitement over this milestone with all of my followers by doing a blog candy giveaway.  In order to enter you must be a follower of my blog.  

The Blog Candy giveaway will include everything pictured above.

• 2 Glitz Design stamp sets (Hello Friend and Yours Truly)
• Vintage Blue trim
• Vintage Blue Glitzers
• Vintage Blue Epoxy Word Stickers
• Vintage Blue Giant Rhinestones
• American Crafts Premium Brown polkadot grosgrain ribbon
• My Minds Eye Lost & Found Rosy 6x6 paper pad
• Recollections Beige Adhesive Pearls

To enter please leave a comment answering the following question:

What kind of crafter are you?

A) NEOPHYTE-  inspired to craft by brand new goodies!  You can't wait to get your hands on the latest greatest newest released supplies.

B) CLEAN & SIMPLE CLASSIC- likes to craft with the basic tried and true supplies keeping things clean and simple and classic.

C)  MACGYVER- can create with whatever supplies you have on hand or anything you find laying around

I have come to the realization that I am a Neophyte crafter.  I feel most inspired when I get something brand spankin' new to play with.  I definitely want to become a Macgyver so that I can use up my existing stash and stay on budget for 2013.


I will randomly select a winner from the comments received on January 26th!  

NOTW

Nail Of The Week

This is my New Year's manicure.  It is the limited edition color and gel polish combo from Sensationail.  It contains two polishes, Midnight Rendevous ( black polish) and Gold Glitter.  I have never worn black polish before but I thought I would try something new for the new year.  I really love this.  It is so sparkly in real life, like my nails are dusted with gold fairy dust!  I think I will be wearing more dark colors in the future.  

What new things are you going to try in 2013?

New Year's Resolution and Copic Color Combos

Happy New Year!  What are your New Year's Resolutions?  Mine are to get organized, get healthy, and to get crafty more often.  

In honor of resolution numbers 1 and 3, I wanted to share with you a storage unit I won on the Marker Pop facebook page.  The photo above is the Crafter's Companion The  Ultimate Pens and Markers Storage Each unit is $7.99 each and holds 12 markers.  Above I have used 6 units.  

I have chosen to place some go to color combos in the unit and it sits on top of my other storage that I already had.  I like these units and how organized they keep things.  

Below is a chart of Copic's new blending sets (the yellow combo I used Y19 instead of their recommended Y18).  

Below is a chart of some of my go to color combinations that I have filled my unit with.

What I am Reading?

I came across the greatest post about romance novels that really made me laugh yesterday.  It is over on the Supernatural Snark blog and it is all about Fiction vs. Reality and has to do with this lovely someecard.  Love those things!  If you want to read something funny, take a look.

At any given time I am reading no less than two books on my Kindle app on my iPhone.  Right now I am reading Independence (The Significance Series) by Shelly Crane and Avow (Archers of Avalon) by Chelsea Fine.  I am fairly certain this is ruining my vision.   So, I asked Santa for a Kindle for Christmas.  I am pretty sure I will be getting it as I was very good this year.   In my childlike Christmas anticipation phase this week, I have been looking for free ebooks to fill my new Kindle with.  I came across a few of my favorites yesterday that are still free.  I decided I should share the links with you in case you are looking for something new to read.  

I never write book reviews because I AM NOT A WRITER.  I don't feel qualified to review and critique someone who takes the time to commit themselves to writing a book.  I took a creative writing class in college and I absolutely hated having my work critiqued.  Painful!

What I will do is tell people about something I loved reading. What makes me love a book?

 

ROMANCE + HUMOR + ACTION = A GOOD READ

If the writer can manage to make me swoon over the male lead, laugh over the heroine's antics/personality/banter, and can keep me turning the pages on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happens next to the characters, then that is a good read to me. 

 I came across these books after my post-Twilight slump of ..."well that was EPIC what do I read now?"  I went through a slew of Vampire romance novels and maxed myself out on those.  Below are some of my favorite series that are still in the Paranormal Romance genre but don't center on Vampires.  The first book in these series are all free. 

ADULT:

To Kill A Warlock: The Dulcie O'Neil Series, Book 1 (Paranormal Romance) by H.P. Mallory

What it's about: Fairies & other netherworld creatures


Fire Burn And Cauldron Bubble: The Jolie Wilkins Series, Book 1 (Paranormal Romance) by H.P. Mallory

What it's about: Witches & other netherworld creatures


Eternal Eden (Eden Trilogy, Book One) by Nicole Williams

What it's about:  Immortals


YOUNG ADULT:

  Dirty Blood by Heather Hildenbrand 

What it's about: Werewolves


Madly (Book 1) (Madly Series) by M. Leighton *novella

What it's about: Mermaids

If you are looking for more recommendations on what to read, drop by Maryse's Book Blog.  She has turned me on to dozens of great books and she posts the new releases and freebies once a week. 

It's Your Birthday

I did it!  I made a card!  After work!  On a Tuesday! 

It is shocking, but true.  I was determined to make this happen.  I needed to send my Grandmother a birthday card last minute.  I thought I was going to see her in person on the weekend and would have plenty of time to make the card.  Well after Sandy Hook, she is so sad and she has a cold and she swears it is the end of the world ...so she has banned us from coming to the house this weekend.  *Sigh*  Hopefully this card will cheer her up. 

Stamp: The Greeting Farm- Hats Off Miss Anya, Paper: Kaisercraft Up Up and Away, Accessories: Ribbon , rhinestones, sentiment from stash, Tim Holtz Distress Ink Dusty Concord Marker, Memento Tuxedo Black Ink,

Copics: Skin- E23, E25, E27, E29 Hair- E23, E25, E27, E29, E49 Denim- B91, B95, B97 Clothes- RV00, RV63, RV66, V91, V93, V95, Boots- E31, E33, E34, E35, E37

Nail Stamping!

I am still having creative block on the holiday card front.  I know, I know, not many days until Christmas to get those cards out.  I think I have come up with a concept.  It involves dies and making Christmas trees out of triangles.  If I can pull it off, they should be easy to mass produce and pull together by Thursday to be mailed out in time for Christmas. 

I finally did something creative on Sunday.  Nail Stamping!  You know we stampers love to find any new medium to stamp on, so why not our nails? 

I received my Salon Express (AS SEEN ON TV) nail stamping kit this weekend. They sell them at CVS for $9.99.   I picked up some chrome nail polish that I thought might work well when I was at CVS.  I decided to try Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure polish in Shoot The Moon.    The stamping process was fairly easy.  I really like it and can't wait to experiment with it.

After I did my regular gel manicure including top coat I just did the following:

1) Apply Shoot the Moon to the stamping plate image.  ( I chose a zebra print pattern.)

2) Scrape excess polish from the plate using the scraper tool.

3) Press the stamping tool onto the image to pick up the polish design

4) Roll the design onto the nail

5) Let dry ( Shoot the Moon dried instantly.)

6) Apply Gel Top Coat and Cure

7) Clean the scraper and plate with alcohol or nail polish remover with a cotton pad or Qtips

8) Repeat steps for each additional nail

My experience is that you get better results with having the polish stick to the stamper when you file the stamper gently with a nail file.  I think it is the same concept as rubbing a new rubber stamp with an eraser to get the ink to stick better.

Fellow papercrafter Kristina (as in kwernerdesign)  has a great video here on how to do it.  Some of her manis or truly fab!

Pictured-  Sephora by OPI Gelshine Leotard Optional, Red Carpet Manicure Brilliance Top Coat, Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Shoot The Moon

New Copic Blending Sets...more options for choosing Copic Color Combinations.

Have you seen the news over on the Copic Marker site?  They just released new copic blending sets in 3's!

Copic has taken the guess work out of choosing colors with their new Color Fusion and Blending Trio Sets.

It looks like there are 6 Color Fusion and 7 Blending Trio sets. 

This is the information from the Copic Marker site-

Color Fusion Sets- are an affordable way to achieve perfect blends.  The set contains three preselected colors in an ideal belnding group.

Color Fusion Set 1: V20-S, V22-S, V25-S

Color Fusion Set 2:  RV000-S, RV52-S, RV55-S

Color Fusion Set 3: E04-S, R56-S, R59-S

Color Fusion Set 4: YR20-S, YR23-S, YR27-S

Color Fusion Set 5: G40-S, G43-S, G46-S

Color Fusion Set 6: B01-S, B04-S, B06-S

Blending Trio Sets- great for starting or extending your collection.  Combinations selected to deliver perfect blends every time!

Blending Trio Set 1: G40-S, G94-S, G99-S

Blending Trio Set 2: B12-S, B14-S, B18-S

Blending Trio Set 3: RV63-S, RV66-S, RV69-S

Blending Trio Set 4: R12-S, R14-S, R17-S

Blending Trio Set 5: Y00-S, Y13-S, Y18-S

Blending Trio Set 6: E95-S, E97-S, E99-S

Blending Trio Set 7: E70-S, E74-S, E79-S

The Copic Marker site is selling the sets for $20.97 each.  That is the MSRP of $6.99 a marker. Ouch!  Maybe you can ask Santa to stick some of these in your stocking!

It's been a while...

It's been a while since I have posted.  So sorry for being gone for so long.  Hurricane Sandy really took its toll out here on the east coast.  It made things very difficult for a while for me getting to work and servicing my customer base who couldn't return to their offices in lower manhattan.  I am happy to say that everything is back to normal for me.  The "Zombie Apocolypse" effect that occurred the first two weeks after all of the devastation is over.   There have been so many effected and my heart goes out to everyone who lost their homes, possessions, jobs and even loved ones.  I am hoping to be able to go to Jon Bon Jovi's benefit concert 12-12-12 where all of the proceeds are being donated to Sandy victims.

I made this card while the power was out for a week.  I am hoping now that things are back to normal, I will be able to get back to my crafting.  

(Stamp: The Greeting Farm's Sweet Treats Anya, Paper Stickers and Washi Tape: Teresa Collins Tell Your Story, Copics)

In the meantime I have been having a ball with one of my newest hobbies... DIY Soak Off Gel Manicures.  I got the Sensationail Starter Kit that includes the LED lamp from drugstore.com (on sale till Monday $34.99).  

I am in love with Soak Off Gel.  It cures under the LED light in under a minute and then it is dry! No more painting your nails and then waiting hours for them to dry.  Plus the manicure lasts 1-2 weeks with out chipping and flaking off.  

I have been changing my polish every week because I like playing with the colors and trying to do different effects.  The soak off process takes some getting used to but I think I have gotten the hang of it.  With Hands Down nail wraps (they look like bandaids) and a little heat.  You soak for 10-20 minutes and then just push the softened gel right off your nail.  

When I did my first soak off gel manicure my nails were short and bitten down to the quick.  Below is have much they have grown in just 8 weeks.  I have been mixing and matching colors from other brands: Gelish, Red Carpet Manicure, Mally Beauty, and IBD too. It all works with the Sensationail LED lamp.  

(Top: Sensationail French Manicure Sheer Pink Kit + Red Carpet Manicure White Hot,  Bottom:  Sensationail Mauve Maven)

My Christmas shopping is done and now I need to start wrapping everything.  Now I need to get the Christmas cards done!

Sandywatch and Halloween

I am sitting home waiting for Hurricane Sandy to make landfall.  I am using all the electricity I can before the inevitable power outages come rolling in.  3 brown outs so far.  I figured a Twilight marathon would be fitting for Halloween.   Here is my Twilight inspired  Halloween card.  Hope everyone is safe and wishing you all a Happy Halloween!

  

Stamps: Tiddly Inks
Paper: Echo Park
Copics: V12 V15 V17 R81 BV01 Y13 E27 E0000 E000 E30 E31 E37

Summer is Over Smash Sunday

 My goodness it has been so long since I have been here.  Summer was a whirlwind of working, vacations, new births, and tons of summer reading.  No where in that mix has been any crafting.  Now that things have slowed down and the hot summer days have turned to the start of cool fall breezes, I was able to sit down for a few moments of reflection to do something semi-crafty.  I did a SMASH spread of some of the fall trends I really like.  The top two things that I am loving are Burgundy everything and Bejeweled and jewel-tone clothing.  In my smash pages you will see some things I am coveting for fall.  Life and reality being what they are, the best way for me to bring home something similar was to get the new burgundy colored nail polish from Essie called Recessionista.  I love it.  It is a nice deep burgundy color that I think is perfect for fall.  Totally fitting name, Recessionista.  Being inspired by the name, I also got a great sweater on clearance from Banana Republic to match for only $20!  I think my next tiny splurge will be the new lipstick color from MAC's Marilyn Monroe inspired line called Deeply Adored.   

XOXO- Michelle

Candy Winner and Traveling Colors

1st order of business today is announcing my Blog Candy winner.  The lucky winner is #4 Mancy!  Please email me at michellena @ si dot rr dot com with your address so I can mail out your candy.  


 I finally had a chance to make a completed card.  I was packing for my vacation next week to the Jersey Shore, but I decided I just had to do at least one project. This cute Saturated Canary image reminded me of me trying to pack up my Copics to take on vacation.   I have had this digi, Traveling Colors done since the Copic Marker Europe birthday celebration and never got around to making a card out of it.  I saw this cute paper from Basic Grey Clippings and thought it looked finished enough to mount my image on.  A fussy cut and few embellies later my card was done.

Supplies-
Digi stamp- Traveling Colors Saturated Canary
Basic Grey Clippings
Epoxy Sticker Glitz Design
Recollections embellishments
Copics- B000 G00 B41 B45 B32 B34 BG11 BG32 70 T1 T3 T5 E00 E21 E51 E81 E84 E87 E89 E31 E35 E37 E39

150 Follower Blog Candy Reminder

 Today is the last day to enter to win my blog candy.  Please leave a comment on the original post before midnight.   I will announce the winner tomorrow.