Friday, October 30, 2009

A Little Panda Goes Trick-or-Treating

I'm so excited for Halloween this year since it's my son's first real trick-or-treating experience. He's going as a panda, of course, and I'm making a matching tote for his costume. He's going to be adorable!!! Hubby and I became addicted to pandas when we were living in San Diego and watched the Zoo's panda cam all the time. When the cubs were born, we'd be checking on the cub day in and day out. We counted how many stuffed pandas my son had accumulated just in his first year and the number was something like 14. LOL

This tote sparkled the idea:

So anyway, I was not happy with the Halloween totes I saw out there and couldn't find one like the one I had as a kid. They don't make things the way they used to! I decided to head to Fabricland and make my own. I was inspired by the Easter tote my son received from his paternal grandparents in the spring. He loves this tote so much and carries it around with some of his building blocks. I wanted to add a lining to my version to make it more hefty. I wish I started earlier so I could get more intricate with the design on the front. Instead, I went with a simple panda to match my little guy's Halloween costume. If I had more time I would've loved to have put a second panda on the back of the tote or maybe even a pumpkin. Maybe next year.

Close up of the lining:

Normally I only craft when my little guy is napping but he wouldn't take his nap this afternoon so I put my son in his high chair so he could watch me finish sewing and understand that I made it for him. When I was done and handed it to him, he was all smiles, pointed at the panda and proudly exclaimed, "CA-!" He knows the panda is not a cat but it's the only animal word he knows so he calls all animals cat. Sometimes he says to the dogs, "WO-WO-WO-WO-WO!" It's all too cute! I'm sure he'll enjoy his panda tote long after Halloween is over. ;)

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Pink Cat Studio ~ Oct 29th Digi Release!

Melissa has outdone herself again! This week there are so many digis to fall in love with. You'll find several Lily and Billy images as well as owls and über cute birds! There are winter, Christmas and plenty of wonderful Hanukkah images to choose from. You won't know where to begin!

A close up of all the Billy cards (click on any image to enlarge):
For my project this week, I decided to make a set of eight winter holiday cards using Lily and Billy with their cocoa. Eight was the number I came up with because that's how many fit on to a page when I printed them out. LOL I definitely could've made more but it was enough work cutting them out! I coloured them all in the same neutral colours and it was wonderful that they matched so much of my dp. I wanted to use up more of my Christmas paper because I always have too much left over at the end of the season and of course next year I will want to buy new patterns. What a great excuse, eh? Besides, I needed a bunch more cards to fill some orders.

All the Lily cards:

Plus, I finally got my hands on the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder. Can you believe it took two months? They were all sold out at my local craft store as well as the CreativFestival! Well, I'm so happy I finally have it so of course I had to use it! Also, I've been seeing people tearing hills left and right so I combined those two things and made them a part of this set. I didn't add any sentiments because I couldn't decide which ones to use. These images are so versatile so I'll let the customer dictate. :)

And details of the embossing:

Here are all 10 of this week's beautiful digi releases:

Please CLICK HERE to visit the Pink Cat Studio Digi Store. I finally added all the DT links to my sidebar so head on over and see what the rest of the girls made this week!

Sources: TPH 111lb matte white cardstock; GinaK 120lb pure luxury white cardstock; American Crafts textured earth tones cardstock; SU chocolate chip cardstock; Paper Reflections cardstock (various colours); Bazzill Basics Turquoise Mist textured cardstock; Cosmo Cricket Jolly By Golly dp; Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses Snow Globe & Thin Ice dp; Pink Cat Studio Billy Hot Cocoa & Lily Hot Cocoa digi stamps; Copics; Zig Emboss Writer; PSX Snowflake embossing tinsel; Hobby Hot Boss; Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder; dimension squares

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Pink Cat Studio Digi DT Bio Betty Contest

Happy Tuesday! Melissa has another contest for you starting today. She asked the digi DT to design an Itty Bitty Betty to represent ourselves. I have to tell you it was a ton of fun doing it and even more fun admiring what all the girls did with theirs! The catch is that you have to guess which design team member created which Betty. If you guess correctly you could win some free digis!!! Head on over to the Pink Cat Studio blog for all the details and have some fun! :D

Monday, October 26, 2009

Swedish Wedding

A friend of mine asked me to make a wedding card for her friend in Sweden. This was the card I was working on at the same time as yesterday's card for my friend in Italy so I made two cards heading to Europe this week! With this one, I stuck to my own style of classic and stylish. My friend is the same way and she gave me complete creative license so it worked out well.

I think I would call the style of this card funky-retro-classic. I had seen Wendy Bond use this colour combination a couple times and it stuck in my mind. I wanted to this style of ribbon border for so long and thought this was the perfect opportunity. I love how it turned out considering it was my first try. Oh, and I can't believe how straight I stitched the border! LOL

This was also the first time I used the alphabet die that I got for free when I purchased the QuicKutz Epic Six. Originally I was just going to copy this card and use the same alphabet punches because I was having a huge creative block but I'm glad I didn't and pushed myself to make something more unique. I'm sure I'm not the first person to think of stamping white paper to make a colour of cardstock I didn't have but that's what I did. I like how the letters look rustic since the ink was stamped on textured paper and didn't cover every single bit of white. :)

Sources: The Paper Company weave white cardstock; SU textured black, textured basic gray & textured whisper white cardstock; TPH 111lb matte white cardstock; SU 1-3/8" circle punch; SU kiwi kiss ink; SU kiwi kiss 5/8" striped grosgrain ribbon; QuicKutz Sticky Note mini alphabet set; SU heart to heart punch; Local King Rubber Stamp words background; Lewiscraft 24 gauge stainless steel wire; Gutermann metallic thread; dimension squares

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Buon Compleanno, Mio Amico!

I hope everyone's having a wonderful weekend so far! I was so excited about making this birthday card for my friend Scott that I had a creative block. Part of it probably has to do with the fact that I was trying to make a wedding card at the same time. I hemmed and hawed over which colours to use and also the shape of the card. Finally, after much debate and input from hubby, I settled on this. It was hubby who suggested the dark gray background and I have to say that it sure comes in handy being married to someone with an artistic side! ;)

Our awesome friend Scott has been in Italy for nine years! He's a fellow Canadian who went to school with my sister and he's an avid cyclist - both road and mountain. We're always envious of the riding Scott gets in Italy. Hubby moved to Italy the same year but only stayed one year. We actually had our first date there! How romantic, eh? I guess that's why we plan to retire there. ;) Anyway, I digress. As far back as I can remember, I've been making Scott cards with some sort of cycling theme, whether it has a bike or the Alps in the background.

For this card, I just had to ink up one of the new sets I bought at the CreativFestival last week. I thought this window was so Italian! I love photographing the windows and doorways when I'm in Italy or anywhere in Europe because they're so pretty. It's part of the reason why I bought this set. I know the bike is proportionately small which is why setting it outside the red paper works fairly well! Scott has been sweet enough to find an Italian stamp store for me so I know what I'm getting for Christmas. LOL Since I don't have my Italian sentiments yet, I wrote in this one. It was hard writing smoothly on that textured cardstock! Thank goodness it turned out well. ;) Happy Birthday, Scott!

Sources: SU textured basic gray & textured going gray cardstock; SU ruby red cardstock; GinaK 120lb pure luxury white cardstock; Local King Rubber Stamp Welcome Inn window; The Old Island Stamp Company bicycle 608-B; Chapel Road Artstamps cobbles; Memories Artprint Brown ink; SU Garden Green & Basic Gray inks; Versafine Smokey Grey ink; Copics; SU tearing edge; Sharpie Ultra Fine Black Pen; dimension squares

Friday, October 23, 2009

'Tis the Season to be Fairy...and a Contest!

I'm officially having myself committed for even attempting what I did in this card. LOL When you saw this image of Lily as a Snowflake Fairy at the release yesterday, how many of you thought to yourselves, "Emily is definitely going to use a rope with that swing." Just me? Ever since I used ropes for these two cards (Ghostly Rodeo & A Boy and his Dog) it was only a matter of time before I did it again! Can you believe that the knot at the base of the swing was a mere accident? As I was trying to pull the cord through the slot I cut, part of it frayed and the knot just formed. I love when things just fall into place! Unfortunately I can't say that about the colouring. My Copic markers seemed to have taken on a life of their own yesterday.

For some reason the ink kept smudging on this project and Lily looks a bit messy. I wish I could just go out and buy a new printer but I can't so I may have to start heat setting my images. I popped the big snowflake to look like a wheel that a swing could really move from. I glued Lily's hand and legs down and popped the back of her so it looks like she's really swinging! I don't enjoy working with glitter because it gets all over the place but I do like to emboss. Christmas 'tis the season to make snowy or sparkly cards! Before gluing everything in place, I stitched a wonky border a là Donna Baker in her card here. I love how it looks and will have to use that style more often.

Oh, right, I promised you info on a contest! ;) Melissa is having a Digi Ideas Contest where you can submit an idea for a new digi image. If she chooses to create a new digi image using your idea, you'll receive that digi free and be invited to create a card with that image. Your creation will be displayed on the Pink Cat Studio blog along with the new release projects! Isn't this fabulous? CLICK HERE to read all the details and submit your ideas!

Sources: American Crafts textured earth tones cardstock; SU kraft cardstock; GinaK 120lb pure luxury cardstock; Basic Gray Eskimo Kisses snow globe dp; Pink Cat Studio Lily Snowflake Fairy; Copics; Zig Emboss Writer; Hobby Hot Boss; PSX Emerald, Malachite, Red, Snowflake & Sparkle embossing tinsels; Marvy-Uchida 1/8" long reach hole punch; SU 1-3/8" circle, large oval & scallop oval punches; SU brads; Darice hemp cord; Gutermann threads; dimension squares

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Pink Cat Studio ~ Oct 22nd Digi Release!

This week's Pink Cat Studio digi releases are so beautiful, you have to see them to believe it! I love, love, love that Melissa created digi Lilys. She must've read my mind. I'm a huge fan of Lily from all the PCS rubber sets and was delighted when Melissa came up with not one but two digital Lilys!

I kept things pretty simple with Winter Coat Lily. Just to try something different, I flipped Lily before printing her twice once on smooth white cardstock. On the first copy, I coloured in her hair, skin and boots, embossed her scarf and cut out the entire image. On the second copy, I embossed her hat and muff and cut those out. Then I printed out her coat on red fern dp and glued that on followed by the hat and muff. I used a white gel pen to colour in the buttons on Lily's coat so they would stand out. To finish, I placed Lily on the branches dp with dimension squares. It looks like one of the birds flew out of the dp and grabbed Lily's scarf!

Sources: SU ruby red cardstock; Paper Reflections yellow cardstock; DCWV green cardstock-branches & red ferns; GinaK 120lb pure luxury cardstock; Pink Cat Studio Lily Winter Coat; Copics; QuicKutz retro squares A2 embossing folder; SU scallop border punch; Zig Emboss Writer; PSX Snowflake & Red embossing tinsel; PSX Sparkle embossing powder; Hobby Hot Boss; Uniball Signo broad white gel pen; dimension squares

This Santa Owl Tree is so pretty even when it's not coloured! There are so many possibilities with this tree. When I cut it out, I knew the three ornaments would fall off so I purposely cut them off and hung them with wire just like real ornaments! My favourite part of colouring this tree was the little tiny light bulbs! Can you tell I shaded them? I used my Atyou Spica glitter pen on the light bulbs and the inside of the nest. It was really fun making this tree super colourful, shiny and sparkly. I added sparkle to all the gifts and of course Santa's belt and the star. I added crystal effects to Santa's eyes and the candy canes. I'm not very good at colouring wood so I layered chalks on top of Copics to make it look more smooth but I also tried to colour it in the pattern of bark. LOL Unfortunately you can't see the four layers of snow in the photo so I took a close up. If I had the time I would've loved to have added even more dimension by sinking in the nest where the two little owls are sleeping. Maybe next time!

Sources: American Crafts textured earth tones cardstock; SU textured whisper white cardstock; GinaK 120lb pure luxury cardstock; Pink Cat Studio Santa Owl Tree; Copics; Pebbles chalks; Atyou Spica glitter pen; Lewiscraft 24 gauge stainless steel wire; Zig Emboss Writer; PSX Snowflake embossing tinsel; Hobby Hot Boss; SU crystal effects; PSX Xmas Red Stickles; Gary M. Burlin gold, green & silver glitter glue; Martha Stewart scary fence border punch; SU scallop border punch; Gutermann metallic thread; dimension squares

Would you like to try digital stamping for free? Melissa has created an informative tutorial to show you just how easy it is to download and print digital stamps. In the tutorial there's a free digi stamp that you can download and try out! ---> CLICK HERE

Before I go, here are this week's lovely releases:

Please CLICK HERE if you would like to purchase any of these images and be sure to visit the rest of the PCS Digi DT to see what fabulous projects they came up with!

Alicia Weiman
Inge Groot
Kerry Donovan-Casey
Kristen Catalano
MacKenzie Bruckler
Maria Bell
Suzanne J Dean
Tracey Cuccia
Tori Hemmingway
Vicki Garrett

I started working on a card using Snowflake Fairy Lily but didn't finish it in time for today's post but hopefully I'll have it for you tomorrow! :)

Monday, October 19, 2009

Just For Laughs

I really wanted to make a card and post something this weekend but it was so busy and literally impossible to finish anything I started. I had a lot of fun with the family though as hubby took Friday off and we went to the CreativFestival where I was good to my wallet and only picked up these six stamp sets. I would've bought more except the lineups were so long and some of the credit card machines were broken. I can't wait to put these to use as I had in my head how versatile they'd be when I bought them.

Now for the laugh. This is my dining table. It's huge but it's two-thirds covered with my craft stuff most of the time and the piles are getting higher. That eight-inch space on the edges are to keep my son from pulling down all sorts of stuff which he works really hard at. LOL I can't wait 'til we have a bigger place and more space where I can have a real studio and not use the dining table for dual purposes. It's really hard to start and finish something when I have to put it away so we can eat which happens several times a day! In fact, there are several unfinished cards that I started and never uncovered to finish. Yes, it's a true wonder I can get anything done! I probably should've entered that SCS contest to win the Workbox, eh? ;P

Friday, October 16, 2009

Pink Cat Studio ~ Oct 16th Digi Release!

Welcome to another week of new releases from Pink Cat Studio. This week the owls have flown the coup and landed at the PCS Digi Store! There are owls for all occasions and you're going to love them. As soon as I saw them, all sorts of ideas popped into my head, the first of which was paper piecing so that's what you see on my cards this week. I chose to work with the two Christmas images because I have a ton of Christmas orders to fill for friends and a boutique.

For the Hootie Pie Santa card, I used Cosmo Cricket's Jolly By Golly dp. It was perfect for this silly owl dressed as Santa. I made the eyes stand out by colouring them with my Atyou Spica glitter pen, then adding crystal effects on top. I blinged him up with embossing tinsel and some glitter. I was so happy I got to do a little bit of embossing! Don't you just love his belt? He's a rockin' Santa. LOL

Sources: SU kraft, chocolate chip & ruby red cardstock; Cosmo Cricket Jolly By Golly dp; Staples 100lb smooth white cardstock; QuicKutz retro diamonds A2 embossing folder; Pink Cat Studio Hootie Pie Santa; Copics; Atyou Spica glitter pen; Zig Emboss Writer; PSX Snowflake embossing tinsel; Hobby Hot Boss; Gary M. Burlin gold glitter glue; SU crystal effects; SU 1-3/8" circle punch (to round corners); SU large oval & scallop oval punches; Gutermann metallic thread; dimension squares

I've been seeing a lot of pink Christmas cards so I thought I'd give it a shot. It's so offbeat and how was I going to pull it off? With Basic Gray's Eskimo Kisses line, of course! I was all over the place with the accents though. I really wanted to use ribbon because I haven't put ribbon on a card in ages but of course that didn't work out. I also wanted to put a sentiment on it but that didn't end up working out either. It's true that the third time's a charm because this is what I ended up with. I had totally forgotten about the Basic Gray buttons I got for 'free' when I sold a bunch of things at the Scrapbooks By Design 2nd Hand Sale.

Owls are all about the eyes. I knew owl eyes were incredible and significant but I didn't know exactly how so I did a little research to find out. I was amazed and you will be, too! If you'd like to know more about owls' special eyes, go to this link. I had to make these eyes glow with crystal effects, too. After sunset I walked past this card, the eyes flashed in the light and caught my eye several times. Cool!

Sources: American Crafts textured earth tones cardstock; Basic Gray Eskimo Kisses snow globe & thin ice dp; Pink Cat Studio Christmas Stump; Copics; Basic Gray buttons; Darice hemp cord; Gary M. Burlin gold glitter glue; SU crystal effects; Gutermann metallic thread

I should also announce that Melissa is providing free sentiments to go along with all of her fabulous images. They're now available at the PCS Digi Store! How wonderful is that? :)

So...HOOT are this week's new releases (plus Dino Bobby):

Please CLICK HERE if you would like to purchase any of these images and be sure to visit the rest of the PCS Digi DT to see what fabulous projects they came up with!

Alicia Weiman
Inge Groot
Kerry Donovan-Casey
Kristen Catalano
MacKenzie Bruckler
Maria Bell
Suzanne J Dean
Tracey Cuccia
Tori Hemmingway
Vicki Garrett

See you next Thursday for another release but of course you don't have to wait a whole week to visit my blog! ;)

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Itty Bitty Christmas

It's release day at Pink Cat Studio and there's a new rubber stamp set called Itty Bitty Christmas. It's cute, cute, cute! You can purchase this set as of today ---> CLICK HERE. :)

Don't forget, this week's digi release has been moved to Friday so be sure to come back in two days to see the new digi stamps. You're going to love the new characters!!!

Monday, October 12, 2009

A Boy and his Dog

A friend of mine ordered a birthday card for her brother who lives in Charlotte, NC with his airdale terrier. I wanted to make a nice homey scene for this card. I used one of my new QuicKutz embossing folders to make the house look like elegant stone. I love the versatility of the QuicKutz house and tree dies because I used them in this Halloween card but it looks completely different here.

The boy and dog are from Pink Cat Studio's Dress Up Billy and Lily & Billy Accessories sets. I tend to rely on those when I have to put people and animals in my scene cards. It was a lot of fun making this card and it was another one of those I drew a sketch for. I added stitching detail in two shades of blue to the roof of the house and also around the edge of the card. Ever since I used hemp cord to make a lasso in this Halloween card, I couldn't wait to find another similar use for it and I thought it would be perfect for the dog's leash.

Sources: SU kraft & chocolate chip cardstock; American Crafts textured earth tones cardstock; Provo Craft Slab IV paper; The Paper Company cottonwood cardstock; Q-Print smooth white cardstock; Pink Cat Studio Dress Up Billy; Pink Cat Studio Lily & Billy Accessories; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Copics; dimension squares; QuicKutz house and tree dies; QuicKutz retro squares A2 embossing folder; Gutermann thread; Martha Stewart picket fence border punch; SU crystal effects (to adhere cord to dog and Billy)

Sunday, October 11, 2009

CAS Polar Christmas

Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends! I hope you're all enjoying time with people you love this beautiful long weekend. It rained a lot here this past week and the wet weather returns tomorrow so we've been taking advantage of these two sunny days and spent as much time outside as possible. I just love walking around breathing in the crisp fall air!

Today I have another set of Christmas cards for you. I have to admit the only reason all my sets are based in white is I bought a bunch of cardstock from The Printing House to try out with Copics but they didn't work out well so I have to use it up somehow. There's no sense in wasting paper or money! I turned to my third set of Sunshine Designs Christmas stamps and this one features polar bears. Aren't they cute? My favourite is the one holding a candy cane but I wonder why he has an oven mitt on. LOL

I don't know if I can really call these CAS cards but I had good intentions. They seemed easy until I decided to sew around all of them. I wanted to use a different stitch but it didn't work out so here I am again with the straight stitch. At least it's shimmery for that good old-fashioned holiday feel. I was going to stitch along the trees, too, but thought it would be too much so I just added a bit of glitter to the tops of a few trees. I'm not sure I like the result but you can be the judge.

Sources: TPH 111lb matte white cardstock; SU ruby red cardstock; American Crafts textured earth tones cardstock; Paper Reflections cardstock; The Old Island Stamp Company Christmas Background; Sunshine Designs CRS057CU(lg) polar bear collection; Memories Black ink; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Copics; Pebbles chalks; SU 1-3/8" circle & scallop circle punches; EK Success alpine trail border punch; Gutermann metallic thread; dimension squares; Gary M. Burlin silver glitter glue

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Pink Cat Studio ~ Oct 8th Digi Release!

It's another exciting day of new releases from Pink Cat Studio Digi Stamps! This week we have seven ridiculously cute images for you to feast your eyes on. That's right, I said seven! It's a Thanksgiving celebration and even the turkeys are celebrating! Melissa came up with so many fun images this week that I really had trouble choosing which ones to use. I thought I had settled on one or two but then this crazy idea popped into my head. I decided to make a gathering out of all them because that's what Thanksgiving is about. Canadian Thanksgiving is next Monday so Canadian crafters will have to work fast - not hard with these hilarious images - but our American friends have more than a month to indulge. Lucky! :)

I had so much fun colouring in all these turkeys but my fingers weren't doing so well after I finished cutting them out. LOL They were printed and coloured on extra thick cardstock so the smaller the image the harder it got to cut. The chocolate border is actually a frame that sits on top of the dp, a pretty fall forest that ended up being totally covered up by all the turkeys. I used the Copic colourless blender to shade for the very first time as the colouring ended up being very time consuming. I really love how it brought the feathers to life and I'll definitely be using that trick again! When it came time to positioning the turkeys, I just glued the bottom half of them so their feathers curl off the card a little for added dimension. The image at the forefront is the only one I used dimension squares on.

Those of you who have little ones at home can play this game with my card:
(1) All together, how many turkeys are there on this card?
(2) How many real turkeys are there?
(3) How many kids are dressed as turkeys?
(4) How many kids are riding turkeys?
(5) How many in this crowd are holding celebration signs?

Sources: American Crafts textured earth tones cardstock; SU chocolate chip cardstock; BoBunny Delilah Here's 2 U dp; Q-Print smooth white cardstock; Pink Cat Studio Itty Bitty Betty Turkey Costume; Pink Cat Studio Itty Bitty Bobby Turkey Costume;
Pink Cat Studio Itty Bitty Betty Turkey Ride; Pink Cat Studio Itty Bitty Bobby Turkey Ride; Pink Cat Studio Turkey; Pink Cat Studio Turkey Family; Copics; dimension squares

Here's lovely Itty Bitty Betty with her delicious fresh-baked pumpkin pie! Well, it can be any kind of pie but I coloured this one as a pumpkin pie. I can't get enough of pumpkin pie at this time of year but I do love all kinds of pies. I have a weakness for pie! Mmm, just talking about it is making me hungry. LOL

So this is obviously a CAS card, a complete 180o from my crazy turkey card! LOL I love everything about this card from the paper to the gold stitching and especially Betty's curls! What makes a girl happier than a nice do and a homemade pie ready to take to a Thanksgiving party? Not much! Maybe there's some sea salt and dark chocolate in the mix, too. That was from yesterday's post. ;) Mmm, are you hungry now, too? :D

To recap, here are this week's new releases:

Please CLICK HERE if you would like to purchase any of these images and be sure to visit the rest of the PCS Digi DT to see what fabulous projects they came up with!

Alicia Weiman
Inge Groot
Kerry Donovan-Casey
Kristen Catalano
MacKenzie Bruckler
Maria Bell
Suzanne J Dean
Tracey Cuccia
Tori Hemmingway
Vicki Garrett

Sources: SU chocolate chip cardstock; SU kraft cardstock; Basic Gray Indian Summer Russet; Gutermann metallic thread; Staples 100lb smooth white cardstock; Pink Cat Studio Betty Baked a Pie; Copics; DMC embroidery thread; dimension squares

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

It's Always a Good Day...

...when the Brown guy comes knocking at my door! Yippee! I took advantage of Caroline LeBel's specials in September and ordered a bunch of stuff I've been needing for a while now. Most of it's organizational stuff so that should be very helpful. Maybe now I can craft a little faster. LOL I also got a bunch of stuff for a friend's birthday and I can't wait to give it to her. She'll be so surprised as she doesn't have the budget for a lot of this stuff and has been drooling over the SU catalog I gave her. I'm such a temptress, aren't I? :P Speaking of temptations...

Can you imagine my eyes when I saw this at the Farmer's Market yesterday?! OMGOSH!!! Chunks of sea salt embedded in dark chocolate?! I wasn't surprised when the woman at the coffee place I go to told me this was the most popular flavour. Mmm...I think I'm in heaven!!! Click on the image to try them for yourselves!

I don't have a card to show you today but tomorrow is Week 2 of new releases from Pink Cat Studio Digi Stamps so please don't forget to come back here and also visit the Pink Cat Studio blog! If you loved what you saw at the Launch and also last week's releases, you're in for a real treat because the design team has a lot to show you!!!

Monday, October 5, 2009

CAS Snowmen

I hope you all had a nice weekend! We had a little break from the rain on Sunday morning so we took the little one to the High Park Zoo to see the animals. It was a perfect crisp fall day and Lil' D had a great time pointing at and calling out to all the doggies that were on their walks through the park. It really upset us that people were feeding the animals all sorts of junk, and thus teaching their children to, even though there were signs everywhere asking visitors not to feed them since it leads to illness. Why are people so ignorant and selfish? Ugh.

Anyway, I worked on this set of 12 snowmen cards for a few days, doing little by little so it didn't feel like a huge project. Heather Nichols' cracked glass tutorial gave me the idea to punch out parts of the images this way. They look simple but for some reason I was agonizing over the style of card and layout. I'm pleased with the way they turned out even though I did rush the embossing. Boy have I missed embossing! I haven't done much of it since the munchkin was born because the Hobby Hot Boss is noisy and the glitter is messy. That about says it all, doesn't it? I guess the photos are self-explanatory. The snowmen images and sentiments are all Sunshine Designs and I raved in this post about how much I love their Christmas designs. I used Copics except for the blue shading. I didn't have the right blues so I used chalks. This is the first time I combined the two mediums and I really like the way it turned out so I'll have to experiment some more. Everything else is self-explanatory. Please let me know if you have any questions! :)

Sources: TPH 111lb matte white cardstock; Bazzill Basics textured green & red cardstock; Sunshine Designs RS027CU(lg) Snowmen & CRSW004CU(lg) Christmas Words; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Copics; Pebbles chalks; SU 1-3/8" circle & scallop circle punches; Fiskars Threading Water border punch; Gutermann metallic thread; Hobby Hot Boss embossing heat tool; ColorBox Treasure pigment ink; PSX Sparkle embossing powder; dimension squares

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Free Broom Rides!

I hope you're all enjoying your weekend! Here in Toronto it's mostly overcast with scattered showers and it looks like the next couple of weeks will be more of the same. Fall is still my favourite season but in the past it hasn't been this rainy. I prefer snow over rain if you can believe it! I find it easier to move through snow, especially with the stroller. With snow I don't have to worry about having to carrying an umbrella or getting soaked. Anyway, enough about the weather!

Today I have another Pink Cat Studio Halloween card for you and I used the Itty Bitty Halloween set. The images make me laugh every time I look at them. LOL As you know, I've been writing down ideas and drawing sketches because I come up with ideas when I'm not free to make cards and it's so hard to remember everything. This was one of the cards I sketched out. I imagined this scene with Betty showing off on her broom and poor Kiki Kitty flying off the end of it. LOL I thought a foil moon and bats would be fantastic but what bats would I use? I didn't end up buying the QuicKutz bats I wanted. Oh, wait! There's a great bat in the set and I could just cut off Bobby. Sorry, Bobby! Maybe next time. ;) The scary fence and tombstones were easy peasy and I was definitely going to use this sentiment but the idea of a sign came to me at the last minute as I was finishing up the card.

Sources: SU textured black cardstock; SU textured going gray cardstock; SU textured basic gray cardstock; Provo Craft Hallo Palooza Halloween dp; Provo Craft Trick or Treat dp; Q-Print smooth white cardstock; Pink Cat Studio Itty Bitty Halloween; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Copics; SU 1-3/8" circle punch; The Japanese Paper Place origami foil; Martha Stewart scary fence punch; Uni-Ball Signo Broad gel pen; Gary M. Burlin silver glitter glue; Q-tip