Scrapping Saturday - Mad for Markers

I am so excited to be sharing with you  my combined love of scrapbooking and copic markers...I've recently accepted a position on the design team at Mad for Markers... and this is the very first time, that I have used my copic markers on a layout - thanks for encouraging me Sammi! This time last year my family and I travelled to Europe and despite leaving our Summer behind, it was such a magical time, experiencing the traditions of the festive season in the Northern Hemisphere. It also marked a significant milestone as my youngest daughter had just completed her Year 12 studies and for me it meant the return of my copic markers - she had them on "long-term loan" for her Graphic Art folio. I am very happy to have them back and I've been colouring up a storm ever since!! Although I have become a bit of a "digital diva" - it is fun to "dabble" with paper and adhesive now and then.

I created this layout using the new  Ltd Ed. Hummingbird paper collection from Creative Memories. I love the soft subtle romantic tones to the paper designs and  I will be adding a lot of this paper to my stash!! I complimented it with cardstock in lilac, grape, black and white. My title was made using the Sizzix Shadowbox diecut font. I added a strip of lace adhesive and I made my other embellishments for this layout using the Eiffel Tower and Tilda with Wine & Cheese stamps from Magnolia. I stamped them onto X-Press IT Blending Card and coloured them in with the following colours.

Eiffel Tower - W1, W3

Skin - E00, E21, E51, R20

Hair - E35, E33, E31

Clothing - BV00, BV02, BV04, G000

Basket - E33, E31

Wine Bottle/ Bread - G02, G00, Y15, E33, E31

I added a plaid pattern to the skirt of my little Tilda with a Black Multiliner 0.1mm and after I added the diamond shapes to the skirt I used my G000 to blend them - this also gave the skirt a "greenish" colour that co-ordinated beautifully with my patterned paper.

I decided not to colour in the napkin in the little basket - instead I used some more Hummingbird patterned paper and "stitched" around the edge with my Black Multiliner 0.1mm - be sure to check out the selection of Multiliner Pens in the Mad for Markers store - they have multiple uses and are a fabulous addition to your collection of markers.

I had so much fun making my own embellishments for this layout - so stay tuned... I can see a lot more of my coloured stamp images making their way into my scrapbooking over the coming months.

Summertime!!

mmm....we are now officially into our third day of Summer here in the land downunder, but what strange weather we are having!!?- it is usually hot and dry in our area during this time of year but for the past week we have truly had a mixture of the 4 seasons !! Yesterday was cold, wet and windy, Today is hot, humid and stormy - I don't like either of these versions of weather patterns, so I have spent today playing in my "happy room". I decided the best thing to do was pretend it really was a beautiful Summers' day and  create a bright and cheery card for the current challenge at http://magnoliadownunderchallenges.blogspot.com/

As you know, I am very much a "pink" girl but I decided that I would spread my wings and experiment with something new to add to my repertoire of  favourites colours...and I went with a very bold approach that will take a bit of getting use to LOL!!  I used "Tilda with Bike" from Magnolia's Lazy Summer Day's Collection 2009 and drawing inspiration from some striped paper, I found in my ever growing "stash", I went with shades of blue, green and purple.

Copics Used:

Blues - B97, B95, B93

Purples - BV00, BV02, BV04

Greens - YG00, YG03, YG06

I coloured the paper flowers with a combination of the same colours, the finished card was very bright and bold and I wasn't sure if I should add a Birthday or Get Well sentiment - but with a toss of a coin the Birthday tag won out!!

I like to take the photos of my cards in natural light so I usually set them up outside in our pergola area...while I was setting up to take the photo.. our 14 year old kitty, Miss Pepper decided she wanted to be in the photo too, so she plonked herself on my drop sheet and supervised the proceedings - it was so cute! - well it was, until... she had a little "nibble" on the corner of my card!!

Paper Wings

I'm so excited to share with you the latest digital kit designed by Angel Hartline - it is called Paper Wings and in the words of Angel -  Let Paper Wings lift you up to heaven! Paper Wings overflows with sublimely soft and delicate textures in shades of pink, purple, blue & cream.

I think this kit is absolutely gorgeous - it is so pretty and evokes such serene emotions. While it is perfect for showcasing photos of the "Angel" in your life - it is ideal for fantasy pages and at the same time a great choice for heritage layouts - yep!! - you guessed it I created a heritage layout with it!

To add this stunning kit to your digi collection be sure to....

Visit Angeltown:
http://angelhartline.com/

For the Luv of Art:
http://www.fortheluvofart.com/

theStudio:
http://www.digitalscrapbookingstudio.com/store/

Playing with Pigs

A little while back my niece asked me if I would design her 18th Birthday invitations - the only brief she gave me was that they had to be pink and glittery! My niece is a real "girly girl" - yes, pink is her favourite colour, she loves and teaches classical ballet, is very much a fashionista etc etc. However, she has the most unusual pet - no cute kittens or toy poodles for this girl - she owns a "black" miniature pig!!

This is Miss Kara  - my nieces pet pig! - and this is the card I made for her birthday next weekend.

Of course Tilda with Piglet  (from the Magnolia 2009 So Jolly & Under the Mistletoe Collection)  was the perfect choice of stamp for my card, but I actually found it a little difficult to colour in! I think my pig blends into Miss Tilda's clothes a bit too much??? - I did add some highlights to the clothing with a white gel pen to give them a bit more definition, but I'm not sure it helped? Apart from that, I think it turned out ok.

Copics Used:
Skin - E00, E51, E21, R20
Hair - E37, E35, E33
Hat/Socks/Vest - RV10, RV21
Pants - B93, B95, B97
Pig - C3, C5, C7, R20

I outlined my pink areas with a pink ( Blossom) Spica pen. I cut my "18" from the  Quickutz Blossom Alphabet Set - coloured it with RV10 & RV21 and also outlined it with the Blossom Spica pen. The pink cardstock is from Creative Memories and called "Pink Lemonade", the blues are "left-overs" from my stash, so I am not sure of names. The sentiment I typed up on the computer using the font Pharmacy. The white lace tag is from the Martha Stewart collection.

I promised I would do some baking for the party too - so next on my agenda I am making some cup cakes - and I'm going to decorate them up as pink pigs - found a simple little recipe here at
http://www.kidspot.com.au/best-recipes/Cakes-and-Baking+20/Pig-cupcakes-recipe+2771.htm

oh and this is my niece - if she braided her hair into plaits - she could almost pass as Tilda LOL!!

A Touch of Christmas

...I have had, a rather productive weekend.... made a few cards, did some digi scrapbooking and all with a little touch of Christmas.

I created this card for the Magnolia Down Under Challenge #72. The theme for this challenge is SHABBY CHIC and the new vintage Reminisce papers from the Creative Memories range was perfect for this challenge.
I used the Santa's Little Helper stamp from Magnolia's Merry Little Christmas 2010 Collection - she is so cute!!



Copics used:
Skin: E50, E51, E53 - cheeks R20
Hair: E35, E33, E31
Clothes and Stockings - R29, R37, R46, W1, W3

I used some Polar White Flower Soft to trim the hat and some White Gel pen to add highlights to the dress and stockings... along with a little "swipe" of my Blender pen ;)

The patterned paper is from the Reminisce Christmas Additions from Creative Memories. The "Dec 25" sticker is also from this pack. The flowers are from the Reminisce Paper Flower pack and I also added a white paper flower, I coloured with my R37. I grouped them together and adhered the arrangement to a Martha Stewart lace tag then added a red button to the centre - my first Christmas card for the season - done!

It is so hard to believe that this time last year we were organising ourselves for the family trip to Europe. One of my favourite photos from this trip was of the huge Christmas Tree in the Grand Place in Brussels and when I saw this new kit from Angel Hartline Designs - called Shabby Holiday Mini Kit...I knew, it would be the ideal digital package to compliment this photo. It is such an elegant collection of gorgeous vintage elements and lovely blue and green colours.






Doesn't the blue work well with the lights on the Christmas Tree? - they were simply magical. If you want to purchase this kit you will find it over a www.fortheluvofart.com

I also tried my hand at the challenge from www.madformarkerschallenges.blogspot.com. The current challenge is to create a 'Christmas Card using Non-Traditional Colours'

...of course I had to use pink LOL! I actually chose Pink and Blue, these colours were inspired by this paper I found from Kaisercraft's Christmas Spirit range - I think it was called "Merry"? It has a little snowflake print in soft shades of blue and a splash of raspberry pink. My image is also from Magnolia's Merry Little Christmas Collection and is called "Tilda wants a Hug"




Copics used:
Skin & Cheeks - E50, E51, E53, R20
Hair - E37, E35, E33
Dress and Stockings - BG01, RV06, RV09 - higlighted with white gel pen.
Holly - RV09, YG67

I also used my cool gray's C3 & C7 to add shadows around my image, it was the first time I had tried this technique...and I think I have a lot to learn!!

To finish this card I added some pen stitching using a pink pigma pen, ribbon, button and embroidery thread, a snowflake punch, rhinestones and a pearl pin coloured in with
BG05 - the Happy Holidays sentiment is a Stampin'Up image. I added it to some cut out shapes and adhered to my card with some foam adhesive.....certainly not your traditional Christmas card but fun all the same.

Colour Challenge

I haven't joined many online card challenges, but I thought it was about time I joined the fun and became a little more active...the thing about challenges is they really stretch you creativity and help you think outside the square. The current colour challenge over at
www.magnolia-liciouschallengeblog.blogspot.com is "Pink & Yellow"....every 2nd Tuesday they have a colour challenge...

HOW YOU CAN PLAY:
Upload your PINK & YELLOW Challenge card to the 'Link System' on the blog - you must post by NOVEMBER 22.
WHAT YOU CAN WIN:
GIFT CERTIFICATE FOR $25.00 from MAGNOLIA-LICIOUS!!!!

...now you all know me and if the colour "Pink" is included I'm sure to be in on the "playtime"!!

I received Sleeping Baby Tilda in the mail this week - so it was a perfect choice for my card....I had a little trouble choosing my Copic colours for this project. Although, my collection of them has grown heaps in the last few months, I discovered I'm a little light on in the colours of pink and yellow! Oh well! - I might just have to go shopping again LOL !

Copics Used:
Skin: E50, E51, E53 - Cheeks: RV20
Bonnet & Pants: RV02, RV10
Top & Pillow: Y11, Y13

I used some Clear Kindy Glitz in the wings - then to make up my card I embellished with some flowers, rhinestones, leaf punches, gingham ribbon and the lace doiley punch from Martha Stewart.



...just a little "close-up" pic!



This card was such fun to make, so I thought I would come up with a boy version as well.

Copics Used:
Skin: E00, E21, E51 - Cheeks RV20
Bonnet & Pants: B00, B02
Top & Pillow: Y00, Y11
I also added highlights of Gold Spica pen and some clear Kindy Glitz





....looking forward to my next challenge :)

Angel Hartline Designs

I'm so excited to share with you the latest digital scrapbooking kits from Angel Hartline Designs - they are simply gorgeous... and they have lots of my favourite colour - PINK ;)

The Any Given Day Collection is jam packed with papers, wordart and the most delightful embellishments - it is all about cherishing everything, and everyone you love in your life… on Any Given Day! This beautiful collection celebrates all those little everyday moments of love and happiness that we cherish.



These are 3 layouts I created using this collection - it is just the sweetest!!







and just released today - "Holiday Madness" - celebrate all the glitz, cheer, joy and well, madness, of the holidays with this colorful & festive collection! it is available to purchase as of the 12th Nov. from the Studio http://www.digitalscrapbookingstudio.com

I've only had a little play with this kit and made up a few hybrid cards - but I have plenty of other projects lined up ready to create with it - 'cos I'm so lovin' all that pink!!

Creating Monsters

I've been admiring the work of my friend Andrea over at www.stampinmoments.com while there, I fell in love with the Lil Monster by Annabelle Stamps and all the beautiful cards Andrea had created with him.......and I just had to add him to my collection of toys. The first card I created with him was very much inspired by Andrea - I took her fabulous idea of replacing the balloon in his hand with a flower.


Copics Used:
Monster - E31, E33, E35
Jumper - B93, B95, B97
Crown - YG63, YG67
I also coloured a white paper flower with B95 - the patterened paper is from my old Stampin'Up stash, the sentiment is also from Stampin'Up - Oval All set.

I've actually done lots of blog hopping lately and as always, it sparks another addiction LOL! - my newest being Hanglar Stanglar Stamps -
how cute are these little Scandinavian images?? - I so NEEDED to add these little beauties to my collection.....there was a slight problem though, they are only available in Sweden, Finland and Norway...but I am grateful for student exchange programs and friends in just the right places... 'cos this allowed my new addiction to become a reality!! - lucky me!! - so without further ado, I introduce my first Hanglar Stanglar cutie to you. This is Sommartjej ( Summer Girl ) from the 2008 collection.


to colour her I used RV10, RV13, RV21, B93, B95, B97 - the blue patterned paper is from the Kaisercraft - Lovestruck range
( very apt!! ) and the pink paper from EK Success is called Pollyanna - the large pink rosebuds are from Prima's fairytale collection.

While on the subject of creating monsters and finding new addictions - my eldest daughter has decided to try her hand at some Copic Colouring and card making - these are her first ever creations and now I am a little frightened that I may have to share my toys - not sure how I am going to handle that LOL!! - but it was fun to "play" with her and she did a fabulous job.

A Touch of Purple...

..paper lace and lots of flowers!! If I had to pick my least favourite colour it would have to be purple, as a stand alone colour, I am not it's greatest fan. However, co-ordinate it with green, lemon and a splash of blue and I can be tempted to change my mind LOL!! My latest card creations are all made up of shades of purple and despite it not being a favourite colour, I'm happy with the results....even though I went a little overboard with my flower embellishments!!
I'm not sure of the correct name of this little Miss Tilda from Magnolia Stamps. I stamped the image when I borrowed my friend Judy's collection - thanks Judy!
I coloured her in using my Copics - BV00, BV02, BV04, BO2 and BO3 as I did on all three of these cards. However, I used my Lavender Spica Marker to add some glittery highlights to her dress. The patterned paper is from the Kaisercraft Utopia Collection - called Idyllic and it is don't you think???



This card is another of Judy's images - yes, she is a good friend!! and is called Rainy Day Emma from C.C. Designs - very apt for the wet weather we are experiencing at the moment. The yellow printed paper is from the "Count Me In" collection from Sassafras and the lilac is from a stash of Stampin Up paper I found in my cupboards ;)



...and my final card from this weekend's playtime is a Swiss Miss from C.C.Designs - Heidi Among the Flowers - I used lots of clear kiddy glitz on this card and again used some of the Utopia Collection of papers from Kaisercraft - this one is called Paradise. I also used my white gel pen to add lots of highlights to her dress and the flowers.



On my craft show travels (over many years!) I have collected all sorts of "odds & sods" that I might one day use. My latest find, amongst these treasures was some adhesive lace I purchased many moons ago!! I used it on all these cards and am sadly getting to the end of what I have...so, if any of you lovely blog readers of mine come across some in your own craft travels could you let me know?? - I would be forever grateful. xx

Digital Playtime

I've packed up my copics and my stamps and hit the world of digital scrapbooking again....well that is the way it may appear - but it is not "techinically" true. I have a heap of stamped images ready to colour and some wonderful new Digital kits to play with so I am alternating between the two. My latest digital kits are by designer Amy Teets and you will find her lovely work over at www.fortheluvofart.com.
One of the things I love about Spring is all the wonderful photo opportunities it gives me and my camera! - Gods best work is produced at this time of year...the Spring Fling Mini Kit by Amy is full of beautiful spring colour and is the perfect colour palette for my photos.


I also used another kit by Amy - It's a Family Affair Scrapkit for this photo of my daughters - this pic is one of my all time favourites and I love using it - it features in a number of layouts in many of my scrapbook projects. Don't you love the quote embellishment? - it says it all...and if you want to add this kit to your collection it is currently on sale at www.fortheluvofart.com

Anything But A Card

The current challenge at www.madformarkers.com.au is to create "anything but a card" but you must use your Copic Markers on your creation. I chose to make a little desktop calendar it was so much fun and very easy to do.



I love the little Tilda characters from Magnolia Stamps so I chose "Sweet Tilda" from the Raising the Ceiling Collection & Right Through My Heart Collection 2010.

To colour her, I used the following Copic Colours:

Skin - E00, E51, E21,
Cheeks - R20 - (Highlighted with a White Gel Pen)
Hair & Shoes - E31, E33, E35
Dress - YG00, YG03, RV10, RV02, RV06 (Highlighted with Pink Spica)

I then scored a white A4 sheet of cardstock at 3 places 1.5 cm from the top - then again at 12cm and 4cm intervals and folded into my calendar base. I decorated the front of my calendar base in the same shades of Pink and Green as "Sweet Tilda's" dress. I used Coredinations Cardstock in Apple and St. Valentino and from the Kaisercraft Hey Birdie Collection of printed paper I cut my 2 tree embellishments - the larger one I adhered direct to the background and the smaller one I adhered using foam adhesive.I added some rhinestones to both trees to add some extra dimension - the smaller tree orginally had clear rhinestones but I changed the colour to green; using my YG03 Copic Marker. I used a white gel pen to add stitch lines to the green background and the trees. Next I handcut around my "Sweet Tilda" also adhering her with foam adhesive to the background. Lastly, I added my Calendar Pad ( size 50mm x 80mm - mounted on pink cardstock and printed paper ) and for my finishing touches some silk flowers.

Digi Stamp Image

I am honoured to be a guest designer for www.madformarkers.com.au during the month of October....so exciting to have this sort of recognition for one so "new" to the world of copic markers.

The current blog challenge is to colour in a digital stamp image. I chose Spring Flower a little Chibis Digital Stamp designed by Star at www.speschstamps.com. To colour the image I used the following Copic Colours:

Skin - E00, E51, E21, R20

Hair - E33, E35, E37 ( which are my all time favourite hair colours! )

Eyes - BG01, BG05

Dress - BV00, BV02, BV04

Flowers & Leaves - R32, R35, YR02, YR04, YG45, YG63




I pieced together the card using some "Salmon" coloured cardstock and some printed paper designs from Basic Grey's Olivia Range. I also resurrected from my "Tools Archive" some Sizzlets Hawaiian Flower Dies and a Carl Leaf Punch to use for my embellishments.( I seriously can't remember when I last used them ) I then cut the flowers out of my scraps of white X-Press IT Blending Card then coloured them in with the same copic colours I used for the flowers in the digi stamp image. I also coloured in my circle sentiment using these colours - that is one of the things I LOVE about my copics, I can always have, perfect colour co-ordinated embellisments on my card creations! I adhered all the embellishments to the card using some foam adhesive and added some orange/yellow coloured faux pearls to the centre of the flowers. I think this little bit of dimension, finishes the card off beautifully.

Don't forget to pop over to www.madformarkers.blogspot.com and check out all the other gorgeous digi stamp images and creations designed by a bunch of talented card makers across the globe

More Card Creations

I do have some digital layouts to share with you in the next few days but in the meantime I have have finished a few more cards - all photographed ready for "show & tell"

While the Magnolia Stamps are a true favourite of mine...I've also experimented with images from The Greeting Farm and C.C.Designs - today's card was using "Sing" a cute Greeting Farm figure. I also dusted off my Hawaiian Flower Sizzlet dies - to embellish this card - they haven't been used for years!! - but were the perfect finishing touch for this card - the sentiment is from one of the very first Stampin' Up sets I purchased "Sincere Salutations" - so yes! all the "toys" in my collection always make there way back to the "playground" ;)





Tilda with Cat - love this stamp!!... reminds me of the way my daughters would walk around with our kitty when they were little....I decided to add some dimension to this card by stamping two images of the kitty's head and then cut one out and adhered it over the top of the other....cool effect. Copics used to colour in Miss Tila's clothing were B93, B95, B97, YG64, YG67 - they co-ordinated beautifully with the checked paper from BasicGrey's Olivia range.


...as soon as I saw this Chinese Tilda Stamp from Magnolia's Bon Voyage Collection 2010, I knew I had to add it to my ever growing "stash" of these stamps. I have a bit of a soft spot for Asian art in black and red tones and this is what I wanted to create with this card...I'm ok with the results but I'm not all together pleased with how the parasol turned out - looks like I need some more lessons in colouring in LOL!!

All that Glitters & Shines...

..yes my latest card creations are all about glitter, gold and all that sparkles! My parents celebrate their 5oth Wedding Anniversary next weekend and I wanted to make a card that highlights how special a Golden Wedding Anniversary is. I used the "only" wedding stamp I own - Tilda & Edward the Loving Couple from Magnolia's Wedding Collection 2010 and combined it with lots of metallic gold paper and some fairytale rosebuds to which I added a little Crystalina Kindyglitz - I'm actually pretty pleased with the finished product ;)- what do you think??


I usually use my warm gray copics for background shading but this time I used them to colour the brides dress and they worked a treat... came up with the antique "off white" look I wanted to create


I also splashed around a lot of KindyGlitz on this card too! - this stamp is a new one, added to my collection a couple of weeks ago - she is Brigitta on a Tree Stump a Swiss Pixie from C.C. Designs - the white card I made from Quill's Galaxy Board in Galactic White it has a glitter finish to it. It is a little hard to see in the photograph but it does glisten & shine in the light - I love it!
The copic colours I used were inspired by some other examples I have seen using this stamp and the bright coloured Prima flowers sitting on my shelf. The Thankyou Stamp is from Stampin' Up's Oval All collection and I used a scallop punch to cut it out. I added rhinestones to my flower embellishments, then coated with a bit more Kindyglitz - maybe I over did it with the glitter?? - LOL!! but whenever I think of fairies - I think glitter!!

...a few cards to share..

yes! - I'm still playing with my copics and making cards. Here are my favourites from this weekend's "playtime".



This stamp is Rosalie with Roses a Swiss Miss from C.C.Designs - the sweet papers were chosen from the Porcelain range from BasicGrey enhanced with Baby Pink Fairytale Roses from Prima



This is "Sitting Tilda"
from the Magnolia Summer Collection 2010
Her Denim Overalls = Copics B93, B95, B97



...and this is Midsummer Tilda from the Fairytale Collection - the rainbow background is also a Magnolia Stamp - I got a bit carried away with the glitter but we all like a bit of bling don't we?!! ;)

SunKissed

Angel Hartline has teamed up with AnDi Designs & JW-DigiScraps to create Sun Kissed. It’s a beautiful kit made up of glorious shades of gold, green and purple....it is so full of "sunshine" it makes your heart sing....just looking at it makes me happy and I’ve already created a variety of layouts with this kit - and I know there are more to come.




If you want to add this kit to your collection too - visit http://www.digitalscrapbookingstudio.com