Friday, April 20, 2012

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


Friday, April 6, 2012

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

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!