Friday, February 26, 2010

A Sketchy Circle!

CHAPTER TWO: Running in a SKETCHY circle...

"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat.
"I don’t much care where--" said Alice.
"Then it doesn’t matter which way you go," said the Cat.


We have a fabulous sketch challenge today designed by our own TWISTED Tea Party member, Mary Giles! Here is the sketch:



We are VERY honored to be introducing our first sponsor to you today. Kathy from Pixie Dust Studios has VERY generously let us work with her new Digis from her "Down the Rabbit Hole" collection debuting March 1st! What's more? ONE LUCKY WINNER will be chosen at random from this week's participants to choose THREE FREE DIGIS of their choice from Pixie Dust Studios! Thank you Kathy!


{click to enlarge}

What did you expect? It's a curious challenge! I had to turn it! I colored this cute image (I love critters!!) with my prismacolors because they've been sitting in their basket whimpering. They were worried they'd be given to the bunnies for sharpening! Oy!

Such sweet images Kathy has shared with us. You simply *MUST* play along! If you don't, what can I say - "You're late for TEEEEEEEEA!" {and yes, I will throw teacups at you!}

You have until FRIDAY, March 5, 2010 at 10pm CST to upload your card or project using the above sketch as your muse! Upload to your blog or public gallery (please use keyword OAC2, use the letter not the number) and LINK your name on the Oh Alice Blog using Mr. Linky! We can't WAIT to see your creations!

Cool runnings ~ peace be the journey! ~ky

Friends with Flair!

Wow - another Friday! I had a very good mail week - so I have a project using the February kit of the month for you today.

Are you a kit member? No?? What are you waiting for? It's a stellar deal - a full 8.5x11 inch piece of rubber full of the best deeply etched images on the market. Even better? Each stamp is custom cut for you!! You want MORE?? It's only $26 per month plus shipping, and you can skip a month anytime! ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? Nope - Unity is just that awesome! Mention my name if you decide to subscribe so they'll know who sent you.

I'm back into the swing of multiple cards per studio session. It feels good, and supports Operation Write Home. Lookie at these two simple beauties!

{click to enlarge}

I used this week's inspiration card (FWF13 challenge) as my basic design. I just love how quickly these came together and the way the rounded edges were carried through the design. I switched up some of the details between the two, but they are essentially the same. That ribbon is, once again, some of my new May Arts!

Next up on the hop is Lisa sharing a project from beautiful Alaska! Don't forget, tonight starts Virtual Stamp Night over on Splitcoast, and Spellbinders is our prize sponsor! We start challenging and chatting at 6 p.m. Eastern time. Come join us!!

Ta for now, ~ky

Monday, February 22, 2010

Hippity Hop!

Monday! I'm learning more reasons to love the beginning of the week. First, I love that it's {ippity} stamp day! Second...that my honey is home on Mondays! And today - we have SNOW!

Did you guys see the launch of our new challenge blog on Saturday? Oh Alice! I love everything to do with that story. It was one of the first 'chapter' books that captured my imagination. I've always loved to read! Come join us - we're gonna have a fun, curious time with off-the-wall challenges.

Don't forget I'm selling ippity - at about 17% off retail, and with a little surprise in each package. I also have some wonderful ribbons from May Arts! Check it out here!

Here's my card for today.

{click to enlarge}

That wide stripe down the left is some of the new May Arts ribbon. I am in love with this stuff! I must tell you, while making this card, I kept thinking about my buddy Jimmi - she hates winter! Here you go, Jimmi - a card designed specifically to bring spring here sooner! And yes, that's our Jinge-bear saying a big hello!

Are you still looking for an adhesive that plays well with vellum? I got a great demonstration at CHA of the adhesive Zip Dry. I've had several of my crafty friends recommend this product, but until I tried it, I was skeptical. Get you some...it's sensational!!

Ok - there are tons of terrific projects out there on the Hippity Hop today. Be sure to leave lots of love where you go. You never know who might need the little lift your words will give. Then hop over to Splitcoast in the Unity/Ippity forum to chat with everyone.

Off you go to Jen Marie for her darling project!

Ta for now! ~ky

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Alice Gets Glammed!

CHAPTER ONE: DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE: THE BEGINNING...



The White Rabbit put on his spectacles. "Where shall I begin, please your Majesty?" he asked.

"Begin at the beginning," the King said gravely, "and go on till you come to the end: then stop."


ALICE GETS GLAM: INSPIRATION CHALLENGE


In anticipation of the upcoming Tim Burton remake, let's GET GLAM with Alice! Jessica recently scored this UBER fab makeup palette by Urban Decay and fell in love with the awesome colors, the NAMES of the eyeshadows (all after Alice, of course ;) and the pop-up mushroom mirror!


We wanna see how YOU get Glam using this amazing little piece as your inspiration! Show us your style, put on the glitz, and GET GLAM!

And WHAT would our first Challenge be without a PRIZE?! Now, normally we'll be (hopefully) sponsored on the 1st Sat. of each month, but for today's FIRST Fall Down the Rabbit Hole, we thought we'd give away a little something! ONE LUCKY WINNER will be chosen at Random to WIN a stamp single of their choice from THE GREETING FARM (in stock items only). So, GOOD LUCK and here's how to play:

You have until FRIDAY, February 26, 2010 at 10pm CST to upload your card or project using the above inspiration photo as your muse! Upload to your blog or public gallery (please use keyword OAC1, using the letter 'O', not the number) and LINK your name Mr. Linky on the Oh Alice blog! We can't WAIT to see your creations and THANK YOU for your support of this CURIOUS new venture!


{click to enlarge}

I used the polished stone technique to create the metallic/marble background, and paper pieced Ms. Alice sitting on her toadstool. Stickles add some bling to the glamorous setting along with the rhinestones, rich gold embossing and fabulous May Arts fabric ribbon fit for the queen {OFF WITH HER HEAD!}. I hung a charm and a marble polished stone from a charm pin for a little more interest.

On a side note, I have brand new ippity stamps for sale, and 5 new ribbons from May Arts!

I cannot WAIT to see what you find down the rabbit hole! Be sure to head back to Oh Alice's blog and check out the other projects we've created just for you!

Cool runnings ~ peace be the journey. Ta for now ~ky

Friday, February 19, 2010

It's Friday! Finally!

Let the weekend commence!

Have you seen the new Unity blog? Whoa! That's seriously beautiful, with such heartfelt contents. Love it! And I love that Angela is getting a chance to share her thoughts with us. Love reading her posts! You're here today to enjoy a little customer hop, and I'm delighted to join you!

I went a little different direction today. This week, we had some decisions to make. Some that weren't very hard, but required a lot of exploring. While I don't want to share the topic, I do want to share the process.

I have an art journal. I've been reading about Journal Spilling... it's a stream of consciousness thing. You write. Just pour thoughts onto paper. Feel it - write it. Honest thought, real feelings. You write on top of writing. Slide down that slope like an Olympic skier.

When it's all out...all there on paper...you cover it up. You bury the issue in beauty, and watch for it to emerge later from the cocoon you built, all pretty and grown up.

{click to enlarge}

I mixed gesso (a chalk/glue mixture used for surface prep), matte multi-medium (a gel that extends the drying time), and a drop of Ranger distress reinkers together, and painted general areas, using a color-blocking technique. I used Broken China, Peeled Paint, and Aged Mahogany reinkers for coloring.

After the gesso mix dried, I used Peeled Paint reinker mixed with multi-medium and a liner brush to paint the stems and leaves (across the bottom). I stamped bunches of grapes (Gina K stamp) with Memento over the color-blocked area to give the appearance of lilacs, and clear embossed them. Then I added rock candy stickles over the flowers to give the appearance of dew or frost. I also used Glimmer Mist (sunkissed peach, and turquoise blue by Tattered Angels) sprayed broadly over the page to give a nice shimmer.

{click to enlarge}

I cut a portion of bar coaster material and dipped it in melted Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel that had been color with regular embossing powder (a la Suze Weinberg). While it was still hot, I pressed the circular ornate plate stamp from the Unity January 2010 kit of the month to emboss the enamel, brushed the resulting negative image with perfect pearls (gold), and rubbed it with Patina stickles. Then I added a metal flower and leaf with a long fastener (Tim Holtz, idea-ology Foliage) and adhered it to the page. I stamped one of my favorite Proverbs passages from {ippity} Devoted on velum, heat embossed it and applied it to the page.

Whew! All that to say.... I put all my angst onto this page, and turned negative energy into something positively beautiful. Now I can look back on that day and think about how that difficult decision made me stronger, and by giving it over to the Lord to handle, I can wait for the beauty of His timing to bring the perfect answer.

Don't forget - tomorrow marks the debut of Oh Alice! A curious collection of unusual challenges that I know will have you jumping down the rabbit hole to enjoy!

Now, back to the hop! Don't forget to check out Unity's new blog, and the deal of the day! Happy hopping!

Cool runnings ~ Peace be the journey!  ~ky

Monday, February 15, 2010

Beautiful Monday!

Welcome my dear friends to yet another wonderful, beautiful Monday! DH and I are hoping to go to town for a bit of recreation - movies and food! Sort of a belated Valentine's Day. So...I'm gonna get an early start on things for today.

Some of you may have read about my cat, Bitty-kitty, also known as Dyna, and now Dyna Dot... Curiosity didn't kill the cat, but it sure left it's mark! She really wanted some lovin' but rubbed up on my Adirondack ink refill bottle instead! LOL! She's a cutie, a rescue, she's 8 years old, and weighs 6 pounds. She's T.I.N.Y. and full of cATTiTuDE!

{my tiny Maine coon dancer...}


Ok - here's my project. I love scripture, and I've got a small library of studies I've done, books and study aids. I love the word of my Lord. I'm not always the best child in His family, but I know He loves me and I love Him. So this card was just a product of feeling thankful, and represents how His word is the center of my heart and home.



I hope you enjoyed your stop here. Please remember to leave a comment, and check out the rest of the {ippity} peeps for this wonderful release day! If you'd like to reserve a stamp set from the new release, please email me at scrapacat at yahoo dot com. I am also adding a line of May Arts ribbons to my sales list, if you are interested....drop me a note!!

And...one final announcement: I have been selected as one of the Twisted Thirteen!! Wahooooo!!! Check it out at Oh Alice! We're going to be hosting some WICKED challenges with twisted themes, and wonderful inspiration based on the upcoming release of Jim Burton's Alice in Wonderland! You don't want to miss out! We start with challenges on this Thursday....and nothing is what it seems!



Cool runnings - Peace be the journey! ~ky

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Friends with Flair Friday!

Wow...another Friday. This year is flying by - before we know it, it'll be 2010.

.......

Oh wait... it IS 2010! My goodness but I'm not liking the fast track!

I made a new card for FWF this week (or FFF if you prefer). I love this card. LOVE IT! It's a hodgepodge of my favorite distress techniques. Have a look:

{click to enlarge}

I stamped Wishes first in Ranger distress embossing ink, then into Concord Grape distress ink. I covered it with clear embossing powder, and spritzed the entire thing with Tattered Angels Glimmermist. Love that stuff! The paper is Gina K and Basic Grey (a match made in heaven!). I rolled the edge up on the "Wishes", and punched the edge with Fiskar's border punch. I colored the cotton crochet thread with Concord Grape distress ink, and tied little bows. I used two Spellbinders dies to cut the sentiment. Both stamps are from the latestest Unity kit of the month.

Love this card so much I may growl if I send it out!! Ok. Go check the Unity store for sales, and the Unity blog for more friends with flair! Don't forget to check out the weekly Unity challenge!

Ta for now, ~ky

I'm gonna be busy with the Olympics this week!!

Monday, February 8, 2010

It's MONDAY!

Wow! Wasn't this Superbowl the BEST we've seen in a few years? Congrats to the Saints!!

It's Monday again - and that means two things, the end of the football season (BOO) and the beginning of another week in Ippity! Yay!! I am also looking forward to the beginning of a new year of NASCAR!

Time for another H{ippity} Hop!



Today's card uses Jillibean Soup papers, and {ippity}'s Devoted set. Love this card. Did you see all the new Spellbinder dies that are coming out this month? Oh my GOSH but I have got to get some of those!

Something else you may have noticed today, but I am no longer on the Queen Kat Design team. Many of you know that I really wanted to be on that team, mostly because of the fabulous art of Maigan Lynn! Well, after spending 9 days on the road and at CHA with the owner, I began to see that this is not a company I want my name associated with. As a result, we have parted ways.

I'm kinda strange that way - I don't take kindly to people who run other people down just so they feel taller. I'm fiercely loyal to my friends, just so we're all clear on that point...

Here's another little project that I will share. It was the {ippity} make and take at CHA. I LOVE this little project, and it was so much fun to watch the Unity guys helping people make them. Great memories, so much fun!


Ooops...can't show you that just yet. Sneak peeks don't start until Feb 15th! You're just gonna have to wait. It will be so very worthwhile though!!

Ok - I'll send you on your way. Leave me a comment, and head back over to the {ippity} blog for the complete list of talented, genuine, precious ladies who've worked up projects for you. Delight in your friends!

Click here to go to Anita' blog and see her beautiful project!

Ta for now, ~ky

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Friends...with Flair!

Wow. CHA is gone. I'm still looking at images...still missing peeps...still wishing time slowed down.

{just me...Feb 2010}
I was told my CHA photos showed an OLD woman.

Meanwhile, my January Unity kit of the month came. I inked it up. I studied it more than I ever did for college finals. I love so many of the images in that set!! It was hard to decide what to use. Here's the project:

{click to enlarge}

I hope you like it. The background paper is from We R Memory Keepers, the flower on the lower left is a Tim Holtz alterable. I used Tattered Angels glimmer mist in Turquoise Blue and Sunkissed Peach, and stamped in Memento rich cocoa, and distressed embossing ink.

I hope you've enjoyed this project. Continue on your hop, and don't forget to check out the Unity blog and store for the great offers they have!

Oh - check out my post below. I reviewed the new Scor-it-all board. You're gonna love it!!

Cool runnings - peace be the journey. ~ky

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Product Review - SCOR-IT-ALL

There were so many intriguing and exciting products at the Craft and Hobby Association Trade Show this year in Anaheim. I'm going to indulge in a few reviews of specific products that I feel would be of interest to my readers. Please be aware that these are unsolicited reviews, and no product or fee was provided to me in exchange for my review.

SCOR - IT - ALL
with Tim Hammonds, President


We papercrafters have been excited with the Scor-Pal, and the accessories that work with it. However, there are issues with the Scor-Pal that are remedied by the Scor-It-All. Overall, I feel the Scor-It-All is a better product, and here's why:

1. Cracking or flaking of papers
Do you work with metallic, white or dark core cardstock? Have you noticed that when you use the Scor-Pal or Crafter's Companion scoring tools (and similar others) that the fold cracks or flakes? There's a reason.

Paper is made by layering and orienting fibers on random planes and adhering them with binders before allowing them to dry, pressing them dry or molding them. The result is essentially a 2-dimensional plane of fibers of varying orientation. {author's note: yes, I realize it's really 3-dimensional, but I'm simplifying for the reader's ease} These fibers are like very fine toothpicks pressed closely together in a pile.

Using the currently available home-use tools, a bone folder (or similar tool) presses paper into a sharp edged depression, and then the paper is bent along that press line. The result is a line of broken, fine toothpicks of fibers along that pressed edge. This is where thicker papers (like cardstock) begin to crack or flake. Cracked base cardstock is a sign of damaged paper, and often does not result in a pleasing final product, especially in contrasting core colors of papers. Additionally, the folding groove and folding tool result in relatively wide foldline that has a tendancy to not remain true or plumb - a crooked card.

{Tim Hammonds shows CHA participant how easily the Scor-It-All works}

Prior to the introduction of the Scor-It-All, paper was broken, rather than molded, and will eventually fail, tear or distort. The Scor-It-All remolds your paper in a manner similar to professional binderies, is precise, yet retains the surface features of your paper on both sides. The tool comes in a variety of sizes.

2. Differing units of measure
Currently, home-use folding tool measurements are country/unit specific, and rely on finding the correct measuring line to reach the desired project dimension. For many late-night papercrafters, or those working with speed, making appropriate measurements, or selecting the appropriate groove is challenging and often wasteful. Many tutorials are written in English measurements, but are replicated in metric. Conversions reduce the amount of actual crafting time and add stress.

{Tim shows how easily the measuring headboard can be flipped for the desired measuring units}

Papercrafters prefer to enjoy their hobby with a scoring product that naturally fits their measurement system. They also like the flexibility of having the exact score line available without resorting to 'eyeball' measurement shifting. There is no need to choose between English and Metric boards, and measuring is done from the central post. Paper can be placed at any measurement to achieve a precise score.

3. Bias embossing
Fanciful embossing is very popular today in papercrafting. We have many products available to us that provide easy embossing, but tend to be expensive. Straight line scoring yields a very formal and professional design, but is hard to acheive with current home-use scoring products. Most scoring products allow uni-dimensional scoring only, or require a bit of guessing at getting the intended result.

{easily bias emboss}

Embossing on the bias with flexibilty across the project size is desirable. Embossing can be achieved on the inside or outside of the project, and debossing is also possible!

The Scor-It-All remedies all three issues facing papercrafters today, and is comparably priced. If you are looking to purchase or replace your current scoring system, I would highly recommend this product over others currently on the market. For more information, please reference the Scor-It-All website.

I hope this review has been helpful! Please feel free to leave comments, questions or your personal view for others to consider.

Cool runnings - Peace be the journey!  ~ky

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Royal Kat Tuesday!

I am no longer affiliated with QKD - I cannot support a company who runs down any company that's successful in our business. Stamping is about supporting each other and raising people up, not knocking others down so you can look bigger. Not to mention an owner who blasts her own design team members. Thanks to all my readers for continuing to visit me. I value you highly.

Hello and welcome to my blog! Have you heard of Steampunk? It's a fabulous combination of old Victorian style and modern mechanical pieces. I love this stuff!!


And...here is my card! (yes....it's hanging out with my Bubba Gump margarita shaker!)


I used Cosmo Cricket, Gina K, and Basic Grey papers for this card.


I stamped the birds on a fence in StazOn, and embossed with clear powder. Then I inked the background with Ranger distressing inks to give the faux sky and background. I used Basic Grey bling, Gina K's flower and ribbon, and my trusty Copic markers to fill in. I did turn the sketch on it's side. Now, you know me, this card will be going to our soldiers, so I have some additional work to do on the inside of the card.

I'm grateful that you stopped by here on your way today.

Cool runnings. Peace be the journey. ~ky
Welcome to the Bunny Nest! I host rescued animals in a small in-home setting. Currently, I host 3 bunnies and 2 kitties. These animals will be socialized and housed for the entirety of their lives in my home. They inspire my crafts, and I use any proceeds to pay for their needs. Thanks for visiting!