Auld Lang Syne

My end of year, life, project, etc. dirge is Auld Lang Syne. Many of you may sing it tonight, even, but do you know what it means? It's a Scots' song focusing on things that have passed, long time since, or for the sake of old times. It's romantic and a bit sad to look back on the old days, to reminisce on the ups and downs of the past year.

My lost love, Tate.

My friends, Diane Schulte, and Sherry Campbell and Kim Muhl, have been the shining stars of my year, along with my Dad, my sister, and several other very dear friends in crafting, writing, and facebook circles. It's been a complete rollercoaster for me this year. It started with me looking forward to following my One Little Word - Distance - toward the goal I thought it would lead to - running another half-marathon. Instead, it plummeted me to the bottom of my world when my marriage abruptly ended.

The hard lesson that no one else will look out for you. It's a do-it-yourself world.

Instead of enjoying greater health and more physical fitness, the distance turned into many other applications: moving quite a distance, learning to unbuild and move a distance away in my heart from most of the things and people I loved, and falling a distance backward in my state of health and fitness.

A bit of zen artwork that kept me sane.

Yet there were amazing things that came out of those negative events. I found myself and my faith again. I moved in with my Dad and we've done a lot of projects together, including building my dream - the ArtLab! It will be opening for virtual business in 2013.

Sweat equity and a black eye.

I purged my belongings and have eliminated a lot of useless clutter. I ran a 10k event, and have been training at that distance again. I finished writing a second novel, and made good progress on a third.

Dyna, enjoying a sunny window on a warm bed.

The bunnehs have a safe, very large backyard, and long periods of good weather for romps. The kittehs have cozy places and a yard to explore. Things are on the upswing again, and I have further, recent evidence that God will bring me through it. He's confirmed He's still watching out for my best interests, even if it means a painful transition. Afterall, He gave me a white Christmas in Texas just to let me know He's with me, and let me feel a few minutes of my mom 'near' me. Love you mom.

Buddy enjoys fresh air and hay.

I hope your transition from old to new is a positive one, and that you don't mind reflecting on things, for auld lang syne.

Peace be with you, Lord willing, I'll see you in the new year.

~ky

12 Days of the Apocalypse

Everyone who knows me, knows I love a good laugh, a great story and a real connection. So, if you're here today, it's because you survived the apocalypse and the last day on earth as predicted by the Mayan's. Or, more likely, you're here because the sun is making it's appointed rounds. Either way, I'm glad you are here!

WELCOME TO THE DECEMBER “12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS” BLOG HOP!

Hi everyone!  Happy Holidays from everyone at the Blog Hop for Sean & Regina! Thank you for playing along in our December blog hop!  The Blog Hop with Sean & Regina features Gina K. Designs stamps only for our monthly blog hops!

This month, we are featuring the “12 Days of Christmas”. Each blog hop designer will be hosting a day from December 13 – December 24 that will feature Christmas/Holiday cards from a Gina K. Designs stamp set. A list of blog hop designers are listed in this post with the day they will be hosting. You are invited to take part in each of the twelve days. Subscribe and comment on the hop designer’s blog hop for the day and at the end, the person who has completed the entire twelve days will win a wonderful GINA K. DESIGNS PRIZE PACK!

Enjoy yourself as you hop along for the holidays!

OUR BLOG HOP PRIZE!

A Gina K. Designs Prize Pack including:

• Gina K. Designs stamp set
• Gina K. Designs Pure Luxury card stock
• Gina K. Designs pattern paper
• Brads
• Ribbon
• Embellishments

LET'S GET HOPPING.....

Now it is your turn to blog hop with all of our friends!   

The rules are simple:

1. Visit each participating blog on the list below from December 13 – December 24.
2. Leave a comment for the blog host designer.
3. Become a follower of each participating blog.

If you follow rules 1 – 3, you will be eligible to win the grand prize of a Gina K. Designs Prize Pack.

At the end of the hop, a random winner will be chosen for the Blog Hop Grand Prize using comments and followers from each blog. We will be posting the winner a day or so after the holidays!

The blog hop designer this month and the designated date they are hosting are as follows:

12/13	Regina Hardy	http://cardsbyregina.blogspot.com
12/14	Nancy Leppek	http://scrapperatheart.com
12/15	Patti Gilliam	http://www.cherisheachpreciousday.blogspot.com
12/16	Cheryl Wright	http://ideasforcardmaking.net
12/17	Lori McAree	http://smilingwhilestamping.blogspot.com
12/18	Penny O'Dell	http://pennyskrafts.blogspot.com
12/19	Alex Turner	http://prettypaperandinkyfingers@blogspot.co.uk
12/20	Suzanne Dean	http://scrapbitz.blogspot.com
12/21	Kyra Sanders	http://bunnynest.blogspot.com
12/22	Kay Simmons	http://livinlifeinthecreativelane.blogspot.com
12/23	Donna Bowman	http://thecraftycorgi.blogspot.com
12/24	Sean Fetterman	http://cardcraftyclub.blogspot.com

Please leave a comment for the blog hop design and sign up/follow each hop designer to be eligible to win the Gina K. Designs Prize Pack!

Tomorrow, Kay will be posting the next in the “12 Days of Christmas” blog hop! Please visit her blog at: http://livinlifeinthecreativelane.blogspot.com.

Thank you for visiting my blog!

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!

~ky

Recipe:

Cardstock - Gina K Designs Pure Luxury

Textured Cardstock and patterned paper - SEI Dill Blossom

Ink - Rich Cocoa, Memento

Coloring - Copic Markers

Rhinestone, Brad and Ribbon - WalMart

12 Days of Blog Hopping FUN!

Happy Monday friends,  I think it’s time for me to let you know that I will be participating in a fun 12 days of Christmas Blog Hop very soon. It starts on Dec. 13th and it’s going to be so much fun!  So be sure to mark your calendars to come back and check it out!  You are not going to believe the great Prize pack that will be given away!   Keep reading….

The “12 Days of Christmas” Blog Hop with Sean & Regina!  We would like to invite you to come along on the 12 Days of Christmas with us and our blog hop designer friends for December.  The blog hop will run from December 13 – December 24.  Each designer will be hosting one day of their own.  The designers and dates they will be hosting are:

12/13  Regina Hardy
12/14  Nancy Leppek
12/15  Patti Gilliam
12/16  Cheryl Wright
12/17  Lori McAree
12/18  Penny O’Dell
12/19  Alex Turner
12/20  Suzanne Dean
12/21  Kyra Sanders ---- me
12/22  Kay Simmons
12/23  Donna Bowman
12/24 Sean Fetterman

The GRAND PRIZE this month is a GINA K. DESIGNS PRIZE PACK including a stamp set, Pure Luxury card stock, pattern paper, brads, embellishments and MORE!

Information on each blog hop post during the 12 Days of Christmas will be posted here and on the Blog Hop with Sean & Regina Facebook page!

Merry Christmas and Happy Stamping!

Free For All Friday

Hi everyone! This week, I'm hosting the Free For All Friday over at Stamp TV. My challenge centers around all the cleaning and preparation we do for the holidays. You know you've gotta do a lot of laundry, so my challenge is to use a dryer sheet, or similar item, in making your card. Here's mine:

I used the tutorial by Emily Keaton, called Dryer Sheet Flower. Hop on over to Stamp TV and share what you create with us!

Thanks for stopping by!
~ky

Hopping with Sean and Regina!

Hi everyone! Thanks for playing along in our November blog hop! The Blog Hop with Sean & Regina will now be featuring Gina K. Designs stamps only for our monthly blog hops starting this month! A lot of us have started to create our holiday cards. There are some amazing new stamp sets by Gina K. Designs that were released in October and we are sure to be inspired in the upcoming November release as well!

You should be coming to this blog from the beautiful blog of Lori McAree. If you've just stumbled across my blog, feel free to go to the beginning of the hop at Sean Fetterman's blog, Card Crafty Club.

This month, we are honored to be joined by Rebecca Oehlers, a Gina K. Designs Illustrator who has created some beautiful stamp sets for Gina K. Designs available in the Stamp TV Store!

The blog hop designers have been busy creating a card or cards that we hope will inspire you to create some beautiful Christmas and winter themed cards for your family and friends. Enjoy yourself as you hop along for the holidays!

OUR BLOG HOP SPONSOR!

Becky Oehlers is a member of the Gina K. Designs Illustrator Team! Becky’s style is really fun, crisp and clean. They are used to make wonderful cards with just the right message or can be used to add some fun to your scrapbooking pages. In addition, Becky is one of the best card designers and artists in the craft world.

Go to Becky’s blog to look at the great things she has been up to AND view the card samples she has created with her newest stamp set “Mistletoe Memories” that was released yesterday during the Stamp TV October Release Party. Becky’s blog address is: http://hemidemisemiquaverdesignblog.com/.

I am using the wonderful new Stamp TV kits for my cards today. These cards feature stamps from the Merry Little Christmas set in that kit, along with the wonderful papers!

I adore this house! It works great if you love to color, but it's also wonderful done like this - a little rustic Merry Home for the Holidays! The printed papers are in that same kit. Do you know what a STEAL this kit is? Lemme tell you! Two full stamp sets, a 6x6 patterned paper pack, ribbon, brads and solid cardstock for $49.95. SQUEEE!

Just had to do this same layout in a different color combo. I love that paper. Love it! Ok, there's a lot more inspiration for you, so leave me a note, follow my blog and hop on over to the lovely and talented Kay Simmons!

The rules are simple:
1. Visit each participating blog on the list below.
2. Leave a comment for the blog host designer.
3. Become a follower of each participating blog.

If you follow rules 1 – 3, you will be eligible to win the grand prize of a Becky Oehlers stamp set for Gina K. Designs.

At the end of the hop, a random winner will be chosen for the Blog Hop Grand Prize using comments and followers from each blog. We have decided to keep the hop open from Friday – Monday. We do this because some people that want to participate need more time to get through the entire hop.
The deadline for leaving comments is Monday, November 19 at 8pm CST. The winner will be chosen and announced on Tuesday, November 20, 2012.

Grand Tags

Chilly nights are here, and days are just cool enough to keep bunnehs inside. Work continues on the studio, and I'm hoping I'll be moved in by Thanksgiving! Yeehaw! Being inside most of the time now gives me a little more time to play with my toys.

I created this card for one of the Hope You Can Cling To challenges on Splitcoast Stampers. Tenia challenged us to use music as our inspiration, and include pink.

I used Tami Mayberry's Grand Tags set by Gina K Designs. I love this set because it does all the thinking for you. I stamped the image twice, cut out the piano, and popped it up on foam.

I'm thinking of so many of my friends up and down the East Coast who are under the aim of Hurricane Sandy. I hope everything can get back to normal very soon, and that everyone will be safe. I'm off, now, to start on Christmas orders. If you would like custom made cards, leave me a message with your email and I'll get back to you.

Ta for now!

~ky

Recipe:
Cardstock - Gina K Designs Pure Luxury
Patterned Paper - My Mind's Eye Indie Chic, Saffron
Inks - Memento Rhubarb Stalk, Potters Clay
Rhinestones - Basic Grey
Ribbon - Hobby Lobby

Practice makes perfect

Mom always told me to keep trying until it worked. Then she told me to keep practicing, not until I got it right, but until I COULDN'T GET IT WRONG. My Mom was amazing, and I miss her daily. Her advice comes back to me every day. So, listening to her voice, I took another stab at my hardest card making technique - one-layer cards.

YIKES! Almost as hard for me is the CAS (clean and simple) style. Here are 2 samples of my recent efforts.

Both cards used Theresa Momber's Whimsical Wishes stamp set, by Gina K Designs. I embossed the pink card with my Spellbinder's nestabilities die, and cut a matching piece of scrap cardstock to use as a mask. I buffed on the Spun Sugar distress ink, leaving it lighter in the center.

I stamped the image in Picked Raspberry, and used my distress markers using the thumping technique on the leaves. I added just a little bling to the centers of the flowers. I am pleased with how it turned out. But I was compelled by Mom's voice reminding me to practice until I couldn't get it wrong.

This is the second card, using the one-layer and CAS styles. Being a graphic designer, I often struggle with balance in my designs, especially when I'm working off the cuff. I didn't have a plan for this, but I just kept going. I was trusting my practice to lead a so-so project into a wow project.

What works: Having three strong elements on the lower left needed balance on the right. If you look at it, the 'weight' of the midge with one rhinestone, and the four graduated rhinestones on the right, it adds up to the 'weight' of the three circles because the space between the right-hand elements adds to their value.

Weight - if you look at a card and your eye is following a triangular pattern, that is one of the most pleasing alignments, you should feel like the card is centered. If you look, follow the triangle, but your eye comes to rest on one side or the other, that is unbalanced, or side-weighted.

I could have chosen to stamp the sentiment in teal. That certainly would keep it even more clean and simple, but it wouldn't balance the weight. The lighter color of the sentiment reduces it's focal importance to keep the card balanced.

Ok - enough of the technical stuff. I enjoyed making this card, and I think I'm a little more practiced at CAS and one-layer design. Thanks, Mom!

And thank you, too, for stopping by.

~ky

Recipe:
Pink card: Cardstock - Gina K Designs Pure Luxury
Ink - Distress Ink and Distress Markers
Rhinestones - Basic Grey

Blue card: Cardstock - Gina K Designs Pure Luxury
Ink - Memento Teal Zeal, Peanut Brittle
Rhinestones - Basic Grey

Last Flowers

Welcome to Fall! That means most of our beautiful plants are dumping flowers and leaves, or at least putting out one last show for us. 

This stamp set is by Theresa Momber, through Gina K Designs - Tropical Nature. I love this set because of this big flower image. It is so much fun to color!

The festive color of these blooms just begged for a bright backdrop. I am trying to use up all the rest of my older paper packs because I want to buy the new stuff. Tee hee! Oh - I'm part of another challenge group that inspires you to pull out your old supplies - stamps, paper, tools, even techniques! Pop by to get a daily dose of inspiration at Stamping With The Oldies. I'll see you there!

Happy inking!

~ky

Recipe:

Cardstock, Gina K Designs Pure Luxury

Patterned Paper, Basic Grey Lime Rickey

Dies and punches, Spellbinders and EK Success

Ribbon, Hobby Lobby

Ink, Memento and Copic markers

Hit or Miss

Hey folks! I've been diverted from blogging for so many reasons. One sick person, then another, trips here and there - you know, just life. I'm trying to get back into the habit of creativity. That is important to me, and my well being, especially since work on my studio keeps getting interrupted, too.

I've been dying for autumn to arrive. We should be getting our first real cool-down this weekend. I hope so! I love fall because of the big bold colors and the feeling that something big is about to happen. The season just seems to put a big shot of potential into the world - kids going back to school, holidays approaching, sports waking up for new seasons. It's just a wonderful time in my mind.

I'm playing a challenge over on Stamp TV with this card. Cat challenged us to CASE GKD illustrator, Theresa Momber. Theresa does these amazing scenes and the stamps she creates for us let us follow along with her AWESOME step by step tutorials. Seriously - you should visit her blog. This image was cut with my new Silhouette Cameo using the matching cut file.

These images are from Country Roads stamp set, and it evokes so many memories for me. I spent 3 years in upstate New York, growing up. There were beautiful covered bridges like this one, and many hours spent soaking up the flaming forest full of fall leaves.

Oh even the smells still linger in my mind! Back then, Simon & Garfunkel were big, and one of my Mom's favorite songs was Bridge Over Troubled Water. Yeah, so I CASEd Theresa's card, but it took me for a long, loving stroll down memory lane. Just like autumn, thoughts of Mom are still sharp though she's been gone 11 years.

Hey - why don't you play along? If you need more inspiration, check out the blog where my friends and I play with all our older supplies and images. Check us out at Stamping with the Oldies!

Ta for now,
~ky

Recipe:
Stamps, GKD Country Roads (by Theresa Momber), Springtime Silhouettes (GKD STV)
Cardstock, Gina K Design's pure luxury
Patterned paper, Basic Grey Origins
Ink, Memento, Ranger
Coloring, Copic Markers
Cut File, Silhouette Cameo, Country Roads (GKD)
Miscellaneous ribbon, brads, EK Success border punch.

Getting Antsy

It has been a hard, long transition. The heat has been unbearable, so work on the new studio is progressing very slowly. I'm hoping to get my things out of storage after labor day, if I can get the last bits of the building done. We've been dealing with serious illnesses, too, but I think we're finding our feet again (all three of us).

So that's progress - all the insulation is now in, and yes, I'm putting in plenty of sweat equity! A friend of mine, Sherry, struck on a great idea. She's created a new blog (Stamping with the Oldies) where each weekday we post a project using *only* our old stuff - old stamps, old paper, old techniques. You should check it out! We hope to have occasional challenges with prizes, but we would love to see what you make!

This is one of my favorite older sets by Theresa Momber - By The Sea, made by Gina K Designs, and a newer set, American Made by Becky Oehlers, also through Gina K. I'm so thankful that Sherry asked me to work on her team because I needed a little push to get going again.

Summer is almost gone - I hope you had a great one, and are ready for fall. I sure am!

Hugs!
~ky

Fell off the earth...

Or so it seems. I selected a word in January, and that word was Distance. I thought I knew where this word would take me, or where I would see it in my life, but I had no idea this was coming. I am now single, again, and have moved home to help my Dad in Texas. That is quite a distance.

I don't have room yet to pull out my crafting supplies, nor the space to really work with all my usual tools. However, my Dad is graciously helping get a studio building put in his back yard so I can set everything up, and have a place for the critters to live. In the meantime, I challenged myself to make a card with the limited supplies of just 2 boxes from my packed studio.

I love this new set from Tami Mayberry - it's called Vintage Notes, and this month's Stamp TV Facebook challenge was to use things from your office supplies to make the project. I started with a small manila tag, and stamped the distressed lined note on it in Memento Rich Cocoa. Then I added "Take Note" and the numbers in Ranger Distress marker Rusty Hinge. I took apart a hinge clip, so it would lay flatter, and placed it over a stacked layer of paper to look like a miniature clip board.

The tag is tucked into a trimmed down Glassine envelope. When I worked in an office, I usually could count on a random button or two and a roll of dental floss, so I added those to the side. Cardstock is Gina K Designs pure luxury, and patterned paper is Authentic.

Thanks so much for dropping by today. I hope my posts will get back to a regular schedule soon, although my new studio is still several weeks away. Have a great weekend!

Ta!
~ky

Up to my elbows in Color!

Hey all - I'm in Milwaukee taking the amazing Copic Certification classes from the talented Debbie Olson! I am so thankful that I finally was able to take the classes. I hope to be teaching soon!

I made this cute bookmark for a friend who's kiddo loves to read. I mean, how cute is that! I am going to need to make another one for me! I used Tami Mayberry's Fairy Tales set, by Gina K Designs. I paper pieced the frog and crown, used punched hearts for little flowers, and layered punched branches over crocheted and velvet ribbons. The crown is covered in Sakura Star Dust pens for a gorgeous, camera-unfriendly sparkle. I used the Corner Bookmark tutorial from Splitcoast Stampers as the template.

I hope this project brings a little smile. I will have a twist on this theme in the near future, and I'm really excited about it. Now, go out and have a fantastic weekend!

Ta for now,
♥ ~ky

Days are getting longer!

I am so glad we have returned to 'normal' spring temperatures here in the Chicago area. I am not at all ready for the hot-box conditions that will come our way all too soon. Easter is upon us. As Holy-days go, this is probably my favorite. It remains true to the story, not an alteration to hybridize Christianity with paganism (my opinion, please respect that).

A friend of mine (and probably yours too) recently suffered 2 brain aneurysms, and 2 brain surgeries. I was so scared for her! Remarkably, she has popped right back up and is ready to get back to crafting! Stamp TV and all the great fans over there hosted a challenge to make a card for Karen. For added appreciation, we were asked to CASE some of her work. CASE is 'copy and share everything'.

Here is the card Karen made that I chose to CASE. Isn't it lovely? 

Here is mine - I changed a few things on it - I didn't have the same border punches, and I used a slightly different color palette. My ribbon is white, and the sentiment tag is from Tim Holtz's Sizzix die.

Here's another little card I put together. I used Versamark ink on the stamped image, and applied 4 colors of Perfect Pearls. Love this effect!

My Perfect Pearls have an interference quality to them. When you tilt the card to different angles, you see a subtle shift in the colors. Isn't that cool?

I also decorated the inside. I don't do that very often, so it was fun to play with the reverse embossing image on the inside of this one-layer card.

It's a bit hard to photograph and I didn't have much time to fool with it, but you get the idea. A tip for working with Perfect Pearls - the powder sticks well to the Versamark, but will still rub off if you touch the image. I set mine using a fixative spray. Actually, I use Aqua Net hairspray. I hold it out at arms length and spray across the card rather than close up and direct. If you spray too close to the card, it will give it a slightly yellow tint. Holding it out and spraying across it allows the hairspray to fall in a gentle mist that is virtually undetectable.

I hope you get a chance to enjoy beautiful spring weather where you are. If not, just think of days when the butterflies will hover over beautiful flowers. Thanks for stopping by!

Ta for now,
♥ ~ky

3 Cards, All Seasons

Hello again! I've been busy creating things, and haven't had the time to update you on what I've been working on. I have created three cards to share with you. I hope you love them as much as I do!

I used Gina K Designs latest Stamp TV kit (Petals and Wings) to make this cute balloon card. I love the Basic Grey  Out of Print papers - they are the perfect whimsical touch for this image. I colored the main panel with Copic markers, and added three levels of pop-ups to get a real 3D feel. Paper piecing is fun and fast with this simple image.

 Love to play with the clouds! This makes me happy!

This cutie is flat because I want it to be easy to mail. Do you see that gorgeous frame stamp in green? Do you notice how the pattern is a slightly smaller, perfect match to the patterned pink paper? Gina K is so freaking fabulous for thinking of that - it's in the Petals and Wings set too. I love it! Yes, that's her new venture - her own line of printed papers.

See the little bunneh? It was orange, but I dipped it in glue then in pink embossing powder, and viola'! Perfect accent! I also colored the flowers with Sakura Stardust pens but the camera just wouldn't pick them up well. It's very pretty in real life!

This is a Father's Day card. Now I know the calendar says April, but this is slated for our soldiers through Operation Write Home. Our Father's Day deadline is the end of this month. I need to get busy cranking these out! Tami Mayberry's new set, Masculine Tags, makes it a snap to do! The patterned papers are also new from Gina K.

I love this little collection of elements. It's a Tim Holtz ticket colored with distress ink, 2 McGill punch branches from Tim's new glassine paper (love this stuff!), a couple buttons, some twine and a rhinestone. Decorative but not at all feminine, even with the bling. I paper pieced the frame - this set is designed for cutting with Spellbinder's Labels 22, but they are easy to cut by hand.

So there you have it! I'm so glad you stopped by today. If you have any questions, feel free to leave me a note in the comments, and I'll get right back to you. Have a great weekend!

Ta for now,

♥ ~ky

Elephant and Giraffe Get Waxed

Into every life a little rain must fall. I am thankful for the rain because it means cooler temperatures are on the way. I am amazed at how quickly our lawn needs mowing! I watched Gina K's video today on using crumpled wax paper to make an interesting background.

I thought grey would be a perfect color for an elephant. Did you know their skin isn't all the same color? Nope, they have blemishes, and spots just like we do. I used Milled Lavender, Pumice Stone and Weathered Wood distress inks to color the background. Then I colored the elephant with Copic markers. Just another month and I will be taking my Copic certification classes! Woot!

Just like Gina mentioned, it's a good idea to use two pieces of cardstock as the 'bread' in the waxed paper sandwich. You get two backgrounds with one effort. Now, I used my little $10 craft iron, and it wasn't hot enough to do both pieces. No worries, I had it out, so I just crumpled up more wax paper and did it again.

I did the giraffe similarly, but I wanted him to have a little sky and grass with him. I masked him off, and burnished in some Cantaloupe and Bamboo Shoot inks (Memento), then stamped the smaller grasses around his feet. I colored him with a bunch of Copic markers, too. This background is a combination of Wild Honey, Rusty Hinge and Pumice Stone distress inks.

Big changes are coming, but I can't share the details just yet. Thank you for visiting my blog - it makes me happy to know you've stopped by. I hope you have a beautiful day!

Ta for now,

♥ ~ky

Busy busy little bee

I should have a bee-themed card for that title, huh? LOL But I don't. I have been busy lately, however, so I've been neglecting the old blog. Forgive me! Please?

I adore this little typewriter. I also love the Jillibean Soup paper, so yeah, I'm hoarding it. Tee hee!

Here's a little close-up on the embellishment I built using a Spellbinder's die to cut a felt circle (tan), then a smaller circle from coordinating paper, then a McGill punch shape, a heart cut from cardstock and distressed, then a heart cut from the paper, then a heart die cut from fun foam, all held together with a gem brad. So much fun to make!

Thanks so much for stopping by - your visit means so much to me. Have a beautiful day!

Ta!
♥~ky

Getting Her Groove Back

It's been awhile since I spent time in my studio that was longer than just setting down this or that on my desk. I 'blame' my husband. LOL He said he would like to see me doing more in there, so I have been trying to be an obedient wife. Yeah, I know, I don't believe it either. So, here's a little card I made that I hope you will like.

I'm using Gina K Design's True Love Stamp TV kit again (love it!). This time, I pulled out some fantastic papers from Jillibean Soup Dutch Mustard pack. Love this pack!

One thing that really helps me is using sketches. This one is from Verve's Mojo Monday #230. They have fantastic challenges. I turned the sketch to fit my longer image, and the direction I wanted my card to go.

I added a stacked McGill punch, put a flower brad (Making Memories) in the center, and added a rhinestone (Heidi Grace). I added a little extra bling with my Sakura Stardust Clear Star pen to the punch nodes. This card just makes me happy, and I think it's really encouraging me to enjoy my time in the studio again. That is priceless.

I hope to see what you get inspired to make. Feel free to leave me a link to your work!

Ta for now,
♥ ~ky

Mix It Up Monday on Thursday

I love Stamp TVs challenges. I've been so busy that I haven't had much time to play, though. I did get a little time today when the Cabana Boy said he'd like to see me spending more time in my studio. LOL I love that man!

This week's challenge was to create a card using Black, White and just one other color. Surprise! I used a deep pink with Gina K's True Love Stamp TV printed papers, stamps and ribbon.

I wanted to keep this card simple, and mailable because it will be going to Operation Write Home. Just a little bling on the hearts to make it special, and that wonderful EK Success border punch. It made my day so nice! No Copic coloring, no stress, no worries. I spent most of my day in the studio drawing a map for a new 'town' for a short story anthology, so easy was just what I needed.

Thanks so much for visiting today. I hope I'm starting a new habit of studio time!

Ta!
♥ ~ky

Awesome Poppies!

It has been a very long time since I've shared a new project with you. I'm sorry it's taken me so long! I've been working on other projects and just haven't found the time or motivation lately to indulge in the pure joy of creating.

This card is more about crafting than about stamping. There are so many fun little details, let me show you!

I started with two images and a sentiment from Gina K Designs' True Love Stamp TV set. I love that little floral scrap of paper from Basic Grey's Picadilly line. I stamped the poppy image 4 times on Pure Luxury layering weight white paper, and colored them with Copic markers to coordinate with the BG paper. I had a big scrap of Pure Luxury Creme De Menthe paper, so I stamped the twiggy branches in Memento Bamboo Leaves ink, turning the paper on each pass so it looks random.

I colored each flower twice with Copic markers. I didn't get too precise on the second copy because only parts would show. I carefully cut out each poppy, cutting the second set into two parts - one to go underneath the full flower, and one to pop up the center.

I took my flowers and rolled them with the McGill Paper Blossoms tools to create a lovely petal shape and curl. The lower leaves were rolled from the back to get them to curl forward. The upper leaves were rolled from the front so they would cup like real petals do. I glued all the parts in place, added some Prima paper flowers with gem centers, a few random rhinestones, some pearls from My Paper Studio, and the beautifully coordinating Twinery twine wrapped into a bow.

So here it is, all together. I used CardPositioningSystem's sketch to pull the elements together. There are the usual bits of edge and ink distressing, and ScorBug embossing that always seem to make an appearance in my projects. I really enjoyed the process, although this was anything but a 'quick' card.

Thanks for stopping by - leave me a comment if you have any questions! I know - I need to make you a video... maybe soon!

Ta for now,
♥ ~ky