Ippity Butterfly Extravaganza!

My dear friend, Eva, got a brilliant idea to have a blog hop focused on butterflies - not on a company or a color palette, but a theme. I love theme hops! Eva - thank you so much for doing this!

So - if you've just stopped by because your one of my adoring fans (insert laugh track here) - you might want to go over to Eva's blog and hop through all the sites. There are chances to win some wonderful prizes (thank you to all who are providing these goodies!), and tons of inspiration!

You know I have a few weaknesses: Ippity and Sweet Pea Stamps, Spellbinder's dies, Cuttlebug embossing folders, lots of texture, steampunk anything, and coloring. Wow - I managed to get all of that into this one card:

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I adore this luna moth inspired stamp created by Brigid Ashwood. The sentiment is from ippity - Just Wanted to Say. I know you'll want more details so here's a close up.

I've colored the image with Prismacolor pencils blended with Odorless Mineral Spirits. It's a bit hard to tell from the photo, but all the gearing, support bars and pin-striping is done with metallics.

I was blessed in my career as a biologist to have some very special butterflies in my care. I got to spend days exploring their biology, and captured the first photograph of mating behavior for the Diana Fritillary butterfly. One of my favorite projects was crafting a neglected landscape into the perfect habitat for this creature, and the other butterflies, plants and animals that share that habitat. Warm fuzzies here.

Ok - you've got several places to hop along to, and I do hope these flighty creatures can brighten your day. Spring is coming!

Hop on over to Sylvia's blog for a *gorgeous* butterfly project! You'll love it!


If you're here for the {ippity} blog hop, head over to Carole's blog!

Cheers!
♥ky

Just a little something

I enjoy playing with my copic markers. I especially like coloring Ching-Chou Kuik's beautiful mermaid images.

Just copics, a dot or three of glossy accents, and a little schmear of Golden fluid acrylic interference paint. Enjoy!

~ky

CHAPTER 22: Dancing under the Sea...

"Will you walk a little faster?" said the whiting to the snail;
"There's a porpoise right behind us and he's treading on my tail!
See how eagerly the lobsters and the turtles all advance!
They are waiting on the shingle, will you come and join the dance?
Will you, won't you, will you, won't you-WILL you join the dance?"

Hello everyone! Greetings from here in Wonderland...or maybe today it's UNDERland? As in Under the Sea, perhaps ;)So, today's challenge involves all things sea-worthy and we at Oh, Alice are challenging YOU to create a card or project using sea life! Turtles, whales, dolphins are fabulous as are other sea creatures as in merfolk and those deep, dark creatures you sometimes hear about but seldom see.... the possibilities are as endless as the ocean itself!

We also have a FUN prize for you this week! One lucky winner will receive a Sweet Pea Rubber Stamp courtesy of Oh, Alice! These stamps are large and BEAUTIFULLY detailed and we just happened to have one 'swimmin' around!' Will YOU be the lucky winner? ;)


Here is my sample. She's comprised of a lot of technical work, bundled into a very small size. I really used my gem-viewing glasses for this:

I used Ching-Chou Kuik's Silk Dance stamp. I started with Ranger Distress inks, and stamped my Silk Dance over it. Then I filled in the areas of the mermaid with titanium white acrylic paint. I highlighted areas with Smooch, gold. Here's a little different shot:

When you use Copic markers over acrylic paints, it takes a lot longer to dry. There's lots of time to "push" ink around, so it can look like watercolors when you wiggle markers or dot them along. I loved experimenting and learning with my adorable Sweet Pea stamps! This is an Artist Trading Card, 2.5 x 3.5 inches.

Be sure to upload your card or creation on the Oh Alice! challenge blog! You have until Friday, July 23rd at 8pm CST to enter the challenge, so have fun and we'll see you back next week! Enter your submission to be considered for the prize! If you are uploading to a public gallery, be sure to include keyword OAC22. Thanks and enjoy the summer, sun, and sea!

Ta for now! ~ky

CHAPTER 10: QUEEN of TARTS...

"On this the White Rabbit blew three blasts on the trumpet, and then unrolled the parchment scroll, and read as follows:

`The Queen of Hearts,

she made some tarts,

All on a summer day:

The Knave of Hearts,

he stole those tarts,

And took them quite away!'

Uh ohhhhhhh...someone has stolen the Queen's Tarts! That's a no-no! We need to restore the sweetness back to Wonderland, don't you agree? That means it's time for a sweet treat here...or maybe a mushroom or two? I think I saw one floating around here that said "Eat Me"

 

Clear and Simple Stamps is this week's sponsor with a VERY generous gift certificate of $25 to ONE lucky winner!

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to incorporate FOOD into this week's project! Everyone loves a little treat, right? We can't wait to see what delectable delights YOU come up with! So get those fabulous calorie-free projects ready by Friday, April 30th, at 8 p.m. Central Time, for your chance to win the $25 gift certificate up for grabs from Clear and Simple Stamps! Please use keyword OAC10 when uploading the a public gallery, and link your project to the Oh Alice! blog using Mr. Linky...enjoy!

Here's my project for this week. I love lots of foods (most of you have endured many recipes and orations from this personal chef), and I used to make lots of sweets. However, I realize that the best treats in life are friends and family that decorate my life! That led me to make this card for this week's challenge!

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The central image is Ching-Chou Kuik's Cheshire Cat Illusion stamp from Sweet Pea stamps, and it's currently ON SALE!

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Here's a close-up of my Copic marker coloring, and the gleam in their eyes is Ranger Glossy Accents. These images are so beautiful, and spark the imagination in so many ways. I absolutely adore them!! You will see more of her images in my future work.

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I paired the image with Jillibean and Cosmo Cricket papers, and a sentiment from Unity Stamp Company's December 2009 Kit of the Month. I also used some Ranger distress ink to distress the card, and a bit of Offray ribbon to add a splash of whimsy. The layout is Card Positioning System (CPS) #163.

I hope you've enjoyed stopping by today. Please be sure to visit the other members of the Oh Alice! team and leave them some love. We really love doing these projects to inspire you so we love to know you enjoy them. Have a wonderful weekend!!

Ta for now, ~ky