I Choose Hope - Penny Black Charlotte and Cricut Design Space

You have been assigned this mountain 

to show others it can be moved. 

Copic markers, Stampendous stamp, Tim Holtz flower dies, blue dp, pink dp, butterfly die,
rhinestones, white gel pen, gold leafing pen

Hey there,

I can't let the month of October drift into November without  making one last breast cancer awareness card for a fellow cancer survivor who bravely beat the odds. We're both very thankful to still be here doing the things we love.   And all because we were vigilant in getting our mammograms.  I'll repeat it again like the Pledge of Alligiance...get 'em squished, girls!

While experimenting with some of my Penny Black cling stamps, I came across this adorable line drawing stamp and couldn't resist coloring her simple cuteness.  While pondering how I would design her shirt, it occurred to me that Cricut  Design Space has oodles of  awareness images and I could use the writing feature to add one to her shirt.  I printed the phrase in Design Space on pink dp and colored it with markers.  I traced her shirt onto acetate , centered it on the image and cut it out.  The shirt is attached to my copic-colored lady with mounting tape. Simple and easy. I can think of a thousand ways to use this technique on other cards, so my template will live with this stamp.   The flowers are Tim Holtz dies cut in white and colored with copics.  The frame is two adjacent nesting rectangle dies cut from white glitter paper and edged with gold.

Thanks for visiting.
Go forth and choose hope. 
Nancy
     
Playing along with:
        Craft Rocket Challenge #64
        Crafting With an Attitude Challenge #56
        Time Out Challenge #146
        Lemon Shortbread Challenge #104
        Unicorn Challenge #48
        Through the Craft Room Door Challenge - October 15
        Let's Craft and Create Challenge #152
        Creative Craft Cottage Challenge #123
        Creative Moments Challenge #178
        Penny Black Saturday Challenge - October

Stampendous Christmas Card - Laurel Burch and Copics

Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.  

Hey there,

Laurel Burch and Copic markers go together like Christmas cookies and hot chocolate, don't you think?  It was a delight coloring this sweet little cat and dog duo from Stampendous in vivid colors (ala Laurel Burch) for the focal point of a Christmas card I recently created for my besties. I thought this cute, cuddly image fit well  with my message of "peace on earth."  I used a Lori Whitlock svg for my side step base, cut coordinating mats for the card front and stairs, and sized it to my favorite 5 x 7.  

The "PEACE ON EARTH" letters were a snap to weld to the separate card mats in Cricut Design Space and provided stability and precision when I glued the glossy red letters on top. I cut a few pine sprigs for embellishments to fit the steps and added Christmas Red Stickles for berries. My  handy go-to Nuvo drops worked perfectly on the  spots and fringe to add a little texture and shine. 

One note of caution, though. Glue and glossy card stock don't make the best marriage.  Even the smallest amount of  glue shows on the card stock and it's hard to clean up or disguise.  I used a small alcholol wipe for clean ups, but it removed some of the color on the cardstock in some areas.  A little glossy card stock goes a long way...something to remember in the future!

Side step cards leave a lot of  fabulous "real estate" for imagining and creating.  I definitely need to design cards with this versatile base more often.

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and create something fabulous.

Nancy

Playing along with:

        Through the Craft Room Door - December 4

        Tuesday Throwdown Challenge #420

        Crafting From the Heart - Challenge #231

        Cupcake Inspirations - Challenge #459

        Pammies Inky Pinkies - Challenge #1848

        Path of Positivity - Challenge #64

        The Paper Girls - Challenge #165

        Moving Along With the Times - Challenge #85

Norma Burnell Witch - Copics and Cricut

When witches go riding and black cats are seen, the moon laughs and whispers "tis near Halloween. - Unknown

Double bubble, toil and trouble.  I certainly had more fun than  trouble coloring this fabulous Norma Burnell digi image with beautifully vivid fall colors. Who says witches can't be trendy and glamorous?   I loved coloring all the intricate details on her amazing dress with my Copics and then adding extra depth  with my Prismacolor pencils.  Cricut Design space is always a good source for fun holiday images and this bat frame creates the perfect stage for this classy lady.  I cut the layers in black and white glitter paper and attached them to a white 5 x 7  card base.  The cute sentiment stamp from Stampendous says it all.

Like many of you, I love all things Halloween and I was delighted to find an image that matched my "fancy lady" style. I think I'll send this to my "girlie" friend to inspire her to create some magic in her life this Halloween.  

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and create something fabulous.

Nancy 

Playing along with:

        Craft Rocket Challenge #53

        Crafting with an Attitude Challenge #44

        Creative Knockouts #266

        Watercooler Wednesday Challenge #190

        Cupcake Inspirations Challenge #455
        Crafty Creations Challenge #375
        Darling Cardmakers Challenge - With a Flourish
        Crafty Gals Corner Challenge #175

Stampendous Tutu Toad - Lawn Fawn Stitched Hillside /Cricut CTMH Artfully Sent Pop Ups

This delightful little Tutu Toad from Stampendous has been staring at me everyday for five years from the shelf above my working desk and says, "please let me make someone smile today."  This week I finally had the opportunity to make her wish come true. My friend is recuperating from knee replacement surgery and I think this googly-eyed tiny dancer might be just the encouragement she needs to get her tip toeing through the tulips again soon.  Or at least doing some arabesques in rehab.  In my first attempt at this Lawn Fawn Stitched Hillside scene, I created the pop up inside my card but I found my tulips were too floppy and I didn't like the way the pop up looked.  So I aborted my original plan, as I do so often, and created my scene on the front of my card sans the pop up.  I think my little lady and flowers are much sturdier raised with pop dots on this flatter surface.

I still had a vision of a cute pop up inside my card.  I discovered this perfect get well pop up on the Close to My Heart Artfully Sent Cartridge in Cricut Design Space. There's just enough space for me to write my "tip toe through the tulips" note.  Sometimes the best laid plans are replaced by even better ones.

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and be fabulous.

Nancy

Playing along with:

        Creative Craft Cottage

        Sheepski Designs

        The Rubber Buggy Challenge

        Fab n Funky Challenges

        Scrapy Land Challenge

        Always Fun Challenges
        Retro Rubber - 2012 Stamp

Laurel Burch Mermaid Side Step Card - Have a Magical Day.

I can't help being a little obsessed with coloring these fabulous Stampendous Laurel Burch stamps with my copics. They're so coloricious!  I couldn't wait to work on this beautiful mermaid stamp set and I decided it would be perfect for my daughter's birthday next month. Aren't we all a little fascinated with magical creatures like mermaids and unicorns?  I think my 30-something daughter will love it!

I used the bright Stampendous Laurel Burch copic pallet and added some gold glitter paper and Starform glitter stickers for accents to make my sea lady sparkle.  To my amazement, I created the side step file by myself in Cricut Design Studio.  My brain almost exploded but I finally got it right and now I can use the file to make other side step cards in a snap.  I even figured out how to size the insert pieces (with a lot of trial and error). It's not hard...it just takes a little perseverance.   The finished card measures 5" x 7".  The sun, cloud and waves are from the Cricut image library. I love that I can just type in "sun" or "waves" in the search bar and I get to choose from tons of images.  Since I have been a Cricut geek for many years I already have many purchased cartridges loaded in the library and with my added monthly subscription, I rarely have to buy an image.  The stamped greeting is one I found in my stash.  

I had the best time creating this ocean scene on my Cricut for my sparkly mermaid.  And as for having a magical day, as my sentiment suggests, I'd say most of the days I spend in my craft room are magical...even if it's just enjoying the miracle of a card turning out the way I would like it to. We crafters are blessed that way!

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and be fabulous.

Nancy.

Playing along with:

        Cupcake Inspirations

        The Fairy and the Unicorn

        Crafty Gals Corner
        Dare 2 B Artsy

        

        Creative with Stamps

Stampendous Laurel Burch Doggies - So Glad We're Friends!

  

What could be more fun than coloring these beautiful Laurel Burch images from Stampendous!  I think these doggies are absolutely adorable. There are several in the set and I had the best time auditioning the ones I wanted to stack for my focal image.  It was hard to pick just two but that's all I could fit.

Stampendous has published this helpful copic chart to help with the bright Laurel Burch pallet.  I must say,  the colors aren't the ones I would have picked right away, but they really work for the Laurel Burch look.   For the base of this card I used the Lori Whitlock center step SVG file and sized it as large as I could in Cricut Design Studio.   It measures about 5 1/2" by 5 1/2".  The layering panels are included in the file so it was very easy to cut the card stock pieces to fit  my background.. The sun is from the Cricut image library, sized to fit my center panel.   Gotta love Cricut Design Studio!!!  The grass is a die cut I had in my stash and the sparkly embellies are Starform Stickers.  I love using these stickers because they look like gems but they don't add bulk to my card for mailing. The cute butterfly is from the Laurel Burch cat set.

I'm going to make a few of these for my equally adorable and  colorful besties.

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and be fabulous.

Nancy

Playing along with:
        Through the Craft Room Door
        The Sisterhood of Crafters (I'm from sunny California)
        Time Out Challenges
        Addicted to Stamps
        The Crafty Addicts
        Color Throwdown

"Sup Kitty Cat - Stampendous Laurel Burch

I desperately needed a break this morning from our busy tax business so I cruised on over to Splitcoaststampers where I know I can always find an interesting challenge.  Sure enough, they had a fun sketch challenge so I dove right in and colored this delightful Laurel Burch kitty with my beloved copics.  It worked!  Now I can go back to my pile of paperwork feeling renewed and energized. Sometimes you just have to do something artsy to clear the cobwebs!

Adding my card to Addicted to Stamps Challenge

Thanks for visiting.
Go forth and be fabulous.
Nancy

Stampendous Blossom Stencil Duo - Boho Flower

Who doesn't smile when they're coloring with Copics? When I decided to color this flower I had some really bright colors on my desk from another project and I'm glad I was too lazy to haul my other colors out.   I think my flower turned out sorta boho-liscious. 

                            

To create my flower I used Stampendous duo stencils. They have two parts...an outline and a pattern. I taped the outline down on one side first and traced it with a permanent black pen.  Then I lifted the hinged stencil and placed the pattern stencil underneath.  I moved  the pattern stencil around until I liked the look and then just traced the design inside the shape. I have other stencil duos and the patterns are interchangeable. The result is a beautiful design to color!  Easy, peasy.

  

I like A6 size cards and I love being able to manipulate my Lori Whitlock svg files in Cricut Design Space.  I feel so techy, but really it's super simple and fun.  

I love all things zentangle and I really love not having to use my own doodles. But these stencils would be really cute with some of YOUR original doodles on them. MINE, not so much.  Just sayin'.

Adding my card to these challenges:

The Crafty Addicts Challenge
Crafty Creations Challenge
Fab 'n' Funky Challenge

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and be fabulous.

Nancy

   

Copic Heaven - Stampendous Laurel Burch

I can't even begin to express how excited I am for the new Stampendous Laurel Burch stamps! I have been enamored with her whimsical, vibrant images forever.  I was so sad when she died a few years ago at a young age, but she leaves a wonderful legacy of rainbow colored fantasy images. With her stamps, a few of my  brightest copic markers and some blingy embellies I can create my very own sunshiny masterpieces. Stampendous even has this color chart to help you  with a your Laurel Burch copic pallet.  I made this card for my darling daughter's birthday next month.  She's a legit artist, with an art degree and everything, but she assures me that anyone who creates is an artist and she is wonderfully supportive of everything I do.  How blessed we are to have brilliant artists like Laurel who are willing to share their gifts with all of us in a very personal way.  Now I can't wait to get started on some of her adorable felines...with doodled butterflies.  Laurel was a zentangler before zentangle was chic! So was I.  How about you?

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and be fabulous.

Nancy

Class-y Tuesday - Pretty Posies

I'm very fortunate to live in an area where some extremely talented artists share their skills with our paper crafting community.  The Stamp Art Shoppe was the host to some wonderful teachers for many years and we were all very sad when it closed it's doors recently, Happily, some of my favorite teachers are still offering classes in the area.  I created these cards at the Stamp Art Shoppe in a class taught by Susan Porter.  I will be posting more of the cards from Susan's and other artist's classes in my "Classy Tuesday" blogs.

All of these cards were created using the Stampendous Build a Bouquet stamps and dies. I used distress markers on the flowers and blended them with a paint brush and water to achieve the water color affect. 

There are several types of flowers and two different cute glass containers in the set. The coordinating dies make it easy to cut out the images.

Stampendous also makes dies to create pop ups for the inside of cards.

I love tools that can be used in a variety of different ways. This has become my "go to" set for fast and fun cards for all occasions.  

Thanks for visiting. 

Go forth and be fabulous.

Nancy