Lots of Kisses with Best Wishes

....Hello friends and "blog followers" while I share with you, my very last creation for 2011...I would also like to take this opportunity to thank you for being such loyal followers... and for all your lovely comments throughout the year. Your kind words and encouragement are very much appreciated.

My final card of the year was created with another of my favourite Mo Manning  digital images - this Sweet Miss is called Kisses - and again perfect for the sentiment!

Copics Used:

Skin: E11, E00, E000
Cheeks/Lips: R20, RV42
Hair: Y21, Y23, Y26
Dress: R81, R83, R85/ Frilly Edge - C1, C3/ Ribbon BV000, BV00, BV02
Flowers/Leaves: R85, R81, Y08, YG41, YG45, YG67

The sentiment... is my own attempt at poetry LOL!! and was generated on the computer using the font CK Journalling. I added some Crystalina Kindy Glitz to the frilly petticoat and flowers... and used  Liquid Pearls (colour - Bisque) for the heart pendant. The papers are from a collection of 6 x 6 Paper Pads - Kaisercraft/Lilac Avenue, Echo Park/Victoria Garden and Imaginisce/Garden Party. The adhesive white lace trim was picked up at a little $2 type thrift shop and I so wish I had purchased more!! ;)

As I mentioned in my previous post, I had a busy lead up to Christmas with a mixture of happy and sad moments and as such, my plans of homemade Christmas cards for everyone... just didn't happen!! My idea, was to create a collection of cards based on Mo Manning's Christmas Cherubs Irma and Vieno.... some made it into the post - others didn't!....but I thought I would share them here, so you know my intentions were good LOL!!

They were all coloured in with variations of the following Copic colours:

Red: R22, R24, R27
Brown: E31, E33, E35, E37
Green: G03, G05, G07 - G14, G16, G19

The hats were all trimmed in Polar White - Flower Soft the diamond speckled range and the papers were all chosen in shades of green and red to tone in with my base cardstock of Creative Memories - Cranberry. They were all embellished with snowflake punches and rhinestones...and some liquid pearls added to the coat buttons.

I am looking forward to a much nicer start to 2012 and lots more time to create goodies to share with you.

Wishing you a Happy New Year filled with Love, Happiness and many Special Memories.

Busy, Busy, Busy.....

...and not with Christmas preparation!! - as you can see, it has been a whole month since I last blogged and shared some creations with you. I did have good intentions -  but life, in my little part of the world as been crazy ( to say the least! )....sadly my parents have had numerous trips to hospital and my hubby is next, with minor surgery scheduled for Monday. However, there has been some special happenings in my family too. In September my nephew and his lovely lady got engaged and I was privileged to capture the moment on camera.

....aren't they just the cutest couple? Anyway, they were to be married next December, but her father has been diagnosed with a horrible illness and it was decided to bring the wedding forward 12 months. Now!... whoever said a wedding can't be planned in just 3 weeks has never met this amazing couple and their parents!! Last Friday, I again, got to witness (through the lens of my camera) - the strength and love of these two gorgeous individuals....and we had a wonderful day of celebration.

and this is the photo that just warms my heart - my sister congratulating her "baby" boy!...with a huge proud Mum smile :)

....so as you can see, Christmas card making ( and shopping ) has not appeared on my agenda as yet! However, I have managed to make this card for a dear friend, who has helped hold me together through this time. It was created with a digital image by Mo Manning called "Sophie" and it portrays exactly the sentiment I wanted.

Copics Used:


Skin: E11, E00, E00, R11
Clothes/Socks: R21, R22, R24, Y21, Y23, Y26
Hair: E33, E35, E37
Doll: B21, B23, B24, Y21, Y23, C1, C3

Hopefully, after this week, things will settle down....so I can get our Christmas celebrations organised, some gift shopping done... and I am really looking forward to a few days off work to just sit and "chill" in my craft room.

Same - Same... but Different!

Friday was a lovely mail day (thankyou Karen) - I received the very cute Tilda with Hellebores stamp from Magnolia's Sweet Christmas Dreams 2011 Collection and quickly got to adding some colour to her with my Copics - 3 times -  LOL!! Then this afternoon (Sunday), I created some cards with my 3 coloured images - each of the cards uses the same sketch formula, the same lace and a selection of the same bling and charm embellishments.....but at the same time, each is uniquely different....and a little different to the usual flower arrangements I embellish my cards with!!

Copics Used:

Dress - R81, R83, R85
Hair - E53, E55, E57
Boots/Ribbon - B93, B95, B97
Flowers - YG67, YG45, B91

Copics Used:

Dress - R81, R83, R85
Hair/Boots -  E31, E33, E35, E37
Flowers - YG45, YG41, R81, E50

Copics Used:

Dress - BG01, BG02, BG05
Hair/Boots - E71, E74, E77
Dress Trim - RV91, RV93 and some clear Kindy Glitz
Flowers - BG93, BG96, RV91, RV93, RV95

....with all the bling on these cards I thought I might enter Challenge # 121 - Charms and Bling at Magnolia Downunder Challenges - rather great timing for my weekend's work!! ;)


To celebrate 20 years of Copic Markers in Australia and New Zealand, and to thank all the Copic users, COPIC AUSTRALIA have established a rewards program. Mad for Markers is a Copic Rewards Partner - be sure to check out the store for all the details.....this is the perfect time to add some new colours to your own Copic Collection.

2 Cards - 2 Challenges

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, was going to spend my day off playing in my happy room.....and I did! I decided it was time to get myself back into some online card challenges and of course I chose to play with my favourite images - the Magnolia Stamp Cuties and the wonderful Mo Manning Digital Characters.

Challenge #120 at Magnolia Downunder is "Shhh - It's a Secret" where we were asked to hide something within our creation. I chose to use Nurse Tilda and Doctor Edwin and "partially" hid them in  a little pocket in the front of a Get Well card. This was such a fun challenge, I really enjoyed giving this creation an interactive component - hopefully it will put a smile on the face of the recipient :)

I used my warm grey Copics to colour in their scrubs - W1, W3 and W5. I like the distressed look but then again my medical friends would probably prefer crisp white uniforms. LOL!!

Challenge #106 at Mo's Digital Challenge is Any Holiday or Celebration the perfect opportunity to get a start on my Christmas cards. Little Elf Mim is one of Mo's most popular images and you can see why! - this little Elf is very Cute and ever so Cheeky. I think I need to download the rest of the Elves in this series!

Copics Used:

Skin: E000, E00, E11 / Cheeks R20
Ornament - Y21, Y23, Y26
Pants & Stripes in Hat - R24, R27, R29
Top & Shoes - G03, G05, G07

I used Polar White flower soft for all the white fluffy trimmings. The sentiment is something quirky I came up with LOL! and generated on my computer using the font CKJournalling.

Well it is back to work for me tomorrow and already I am having withdrawals from my craft room.

ATC's - a new addicition!

Artist Trading Cards have always intrigued me! - everytime I have attended an Art Show or Craft Fair  I have admired these miniature pieces of Art Work...and wondered what it would be like to create my own. Just recently a lovely group of "Scrappy Friends"  decided to begin their own little ATC swap group and I accepted an invitation to join them. Wow! - what  a world of new discoveries did that open up for me! I "googled" ATC's and was simply "blown away" with all the inspiration to be found - mini oil paintings, paper folding, digital, and mixed media art work all done on a 2.5" x  3.5" base - just amazing!! The first challenge was to adapt myself to working on this surface size....very different to my 12 x 12 Scrapbook pages and the large square cards I use for cardmaking. The second challenge, was the theme for our first  ATC swap - "Shabby Chic Christmas" - eeeks!! I love the look of Shabby Chic but find it so hard to master...but I gave it a go....and here "blog readers" is my 1st ever ATC!!

I know it looks a little more vintage in appearance than Shabby Chic - but I am pretty happy for my first attempt. My background paper is called "Brown Sugar" - the music print is from Kaisercraft's Vintage Timeless collection - sprayed with "Coffee Shop" Glimmer Mist and inked with "Antique Linen" Distress ink. The little pearls in the centre of the snowflakes were coloured with a Copic Marker R37 to match my red paper.

As soon as I finished making this ATC - I was hooked.. and couldn't wait to do another one....so I'm all organised and have December's Swap Theme of "Anything Goes" finished - LOL!!

I adapted to working in miniature a little easier the second time around, even enjoyed cutting up tiny strips of patterned paper. The papers are all from my Creative Memories stash :) - the pink twine is from Jillibean Soup and the edges were inked with "Tempting Turquoise" from Stampin'Up.

Both ATC's have now been packaged up and sent off to our Swap Co-ordinator - can't wait to see what awaits me in return!!??

....and while I was experimenting with the Shabby Chic theme. I decided to create this card.... be sure to check it out at the Mad for Markers Blog for info on all the embellishments that I coloured in using my "treasured" Copic Markers :)

Tomorrow is a public holiday for the racing of the Melbourne Cup... famously termed the "horse race that stops a Nation" - I plan to spend my day in my "happy room" surrounded by paper, photos, stamps, copics etc!

Enjoy!

Time to Share the "Love"

...love of Copics that is!!

I often get asked what is the most favourite thing I love about my Copics - and it really is a tough question to answer! I love the vast colour range, I love how easy they are to blend, I love their versatility - I love.....yes the list goes on an on. However, I truly just love colouring in with them. As you are aware I have a passion for all sorts of Arts & Crafts but there is something very therapeutic about colouring. I find colouring very relaxing . I often have heaps of images stamped out on my X-Press IT Blending Card ready to go and when life gets tough I reach for them... and my 'beloved' Copics and have some good old chill-out time. I have been doing that a lot lately LOL!... and finally got to spend some time the last few days, making these coloured images into cards - here is a couple I thought I would share.

This is 'Hip Hop' girl  a 'Hanglar Stanglar' image coloured with my favourite shades of Pink - R81, R83, R85 & Blue - B91, B93, B95. I consider these a "must-have" in any Copic Collection.
 
The gorgeous pink embossed paper used for this card is from Kaisercrafts Paper Pad Miss Nelly and the beautiful paper flowers are by "Hooked on Craft" available from Karen & friends at scrap2relax - a very apt name for a store considering today's post LOL!!


The sentiment I made up and printed out on my computer using the font CK Journalling ( another favourite! )

..and this sweet 'Lily of the Valley' stamp is sure to cheer anyone up - that teddy-bear is so stinkin' cute! Mr Teddy was coloured with E31, E33, E35 and E37 - his rosey cheeks were courtesy of a little more R83 and his caring Nurse was coloured in with Warm Greys - W1, W3 and W5 and Red - R22, R24, R27
 
I made this card using the "Gertie" papers from My Minds Eye Stella Rose collection by Jen Allyson and another sentiment I made up myself.




I hope you get to have yourself some "chill-out" time this week with your favourite Copic colours and don't forget to check out the whole colour range available at Mad for Markers

Enjoy

I'm Back!!

....did you miss me??? - my apologies for taking so long to get back to the "world of blogging". The winter plays havoc with my "mo-jo" I find it so hard to get motivated when it is so cold and miserable...but I have managed some creative time. The past few months I have been busy doing some design work for Creative Memories and have been out and about teaching some scrapbooking ideas to consultants...it's been fun, but it is now time to get myself back into the "happy room" and spend some time with my Copics and my Camera!

There is no doubt Spring is my favourite time of the year - I love days filled with warm sunshine and a garden in full bloom. I thought I would share these photos of my cherry blossom - a beautiful sight to behold, when I open my curtains in the morning :)

I spent last weekend with some of my favourite scrapping buddies and this is one of the cards I created.

....when I first saw Mermaid Marci from La-La Land Craft Stamps I knew instantly that I wanted to give her beautiful mermaid tail, a shimmery look and with a bit of experimenting, I am really pleased with the effect I was able to achieve. I started by colouring the tail in with BG11, BG13, BG15 and my usual method of shading. Then over the top of this colouring I applied a thin coat of Tim Holtz Perfect Pearls ( Berry Twist mixed with water ) and finished it all off, by tracing over the tail image (scales) with clear Spica Pen. The effect was a little difficult to photograph, but if you have ever seen the children's book The Rainbow Fish this tail has the same wonderful shiny foil appearance :) I can't wait, to try this technique again, it would be perfect for all my princess & fairy themed stamps!



Copics Used:


Skin - E000, E00, E11 - Cheeks/Lips - R20
Hair - E31, E33, E35
Top & Star - R81, R83, R85
Tail - BG11, BG13, BG15 / Clear Spica Pen

...well now I am a back and the "mo-jo" is returning.... stay tuned for more regular posting :)

Card Sharing Time

....yes!! finally, I have something to share with you - my neglect of this blog has a long story attached to it and I won't bore you with all the details...but my Mojo has simply disappeared this past week - I worked very hard on the weekend to try and colour an image and when I finally did, I found my card making tools had disappeared too!!! After a BIG search I finally tracked them down....it seems my daughter had taken them back to Uni with her last weekend - eeks!!....but without further ado LOL!! Here is the card I eventually made to share with the Mad for Makers girls.

This is Kaylee with Balloon - one of the new photopolymer clear stamps from Some Odd Girl that are now stocked by Mad for Markers -  Each stamp comes with an additional sentiment enclosed and this one is a pretty funky looking Happy Birthday....and don't forget to check out the other Some Odd Girl stamps now available here in the Mad for Markers store....there is a sweet little cow and gorgeous little fella with his dog Toby.

Copics Used:
Skin - E000, E00, E11 - R21 Cheeks
Eyes - B00, B02 - white gel pen
Hair - E74, E77, E79 - it was the first time I have used this brown combo and I rather like it!
Shoes/Skirt/Jacket - W1, W3, W5
Balloon, Headband, Socks - R81, R83, R85

I also had a little play with this Mo Manning digital image called Teacup Fairy and the current sketch challenge at Mo's Digital Challenge to see if I could "kick-start" my mojo again 'cos I am a huge fan of Mo's designs and they always put a smile on my face!

......she is very cute!!

Copics Used:
Skin - E000, E00, E11 - R21 Cheeks
Hair - E31, E33, E35
TeaCup - G00, G03, G05
Pink Roses - R81, R83, R85 - and crimson adhesive pearl centres
Fairy Wings - R83, Spica - Blossom ...and some Crystalina Glitter Gel for that extra Bling LOL!
I created my card using papers and embellishments from the 6 1/2" Paper Pad from Kaisercraft called Chanteuse - lots of my fave pinks and greens to be found in this collection!


Enjoy your week! - and if you find my Mojo or manage to track down my daughter - I would LOVE to hear from you - LOL!

Yay! - it's the Weekend!!

....and I am home alone - my family are all off doing their own thing - and I don't mind a bit!!!.... It means I get to spend it in my "Happy Room" colouring with my trusty copics, scrapbooking and whatever else, my heart desires LOL!!

Just recently the Mad for Markers Challenge Blog had a "Colouring with Gray" challenge and shared a wonderful tutorial from Copic Oz all about "Desaturating Colour with Gray" - it was perfect for this card I created using the digitial image Jack & Ginger by Mo Manning.

I wanted the colouring of my elderly couple to look a little faded and worn and I also needed my colouring to tone in with the muted and distressed look of my papers....( Kaisercraft - Timeless &  Praire Lane Collections ) Therefore, when I finished colouring my image, I waited for it to dry completely... then I coloured over the top of all the clothing areas with the

W1 ( Warm Gray ) Copic Marker and I was able to create the look I wanted.

Copics Used:

Skin - E00, E00, E11
Hair - W1, W3, W5
Pants - E33, E35, E37
Jack's Jacket/Shoes - W1, W3, W5
Skirt - E31, E33, E35
Ginger's Jacket/Hat - BG01, BG02, BG05
Ginger's Shoes/Handbag - E33, E35, E37
Posy of Flowers - YR04, Y21, YG93
....I also used a white gel pen and the Colourless Blender to add highlights to the clothing.

I used my Copic Airbrush System with BG02 to alter the white roses and pearls to co-ordinate with my papers and images... and I gave the edges of the image and the sentiment areas a distressed chalk look by "dragging" the E31 Copic Marker along the edge of the paper. I was rather pleased, with how this card turned out and I am sure I will be using the desaturating colour technique on many more in the future.

Here Comes Summer....

....he he!! - not here in Australia.....we have just entered the months of cold nights and frosty white lawns in the morning...the ideal time to stay indoors and play with paper... the current challenge over at mosdigitalchallenge is all about warm days and sunshine - and this challenge gave me the perfect opportunity to add a little bit of  "warmth" to my  cardmaking "play-time".

I chose the digital images - "Lacie with Ice-Cream" and "Kai in the Sand with Flowered Hat" for my cards....they are both so very,very cute!! I coloured each of the images with Copics and used the same sketch idea for all three cards I completed for this challenge.

Copics Used:
Skin - E000, E00, E11 - Cheeks - R20
Sand - E53, E55, E57
Bucket - R81, R83, R85
Ball - BG11, BG13, BG15, W3, W1
Hat - R81, R83, R85 BG11, BG13, BG15
Nappy - W1 & Colourless Blender

....little Kai is such a sweetie so I couldn't resist making another card.

Copics Used:
Skin - E000, E00, E11 - Cheeks - R20

Sand - E53, E55, E57
Bucket - R32, R35, R37
Ball - B93, B95, B97, R32, R35, R37
Hat - R32, R35, R37, B91, B95, B97
Nappy - W1 & Colourless Blender

....and for little Lacie I reached for my trusty pinks and came up with this card.

Copics Used:
Skin - E000, E00, E11 - Cheeks - R20
Hair - E50, E51, E55
Dress - R81, R83, R85
Stool & Ice-Cream Cone - E31, E33, E35
Ice-Cream - B00 & Colourless Blender
Thongs & Sunglasses - B91, B95, B97 - Flowers - Y15, Y17

Hope for a Brighter Future

I've got exciting news for you....the wonderful Graphic Designers at http://www.fortheluvofart.com/ have joined forces and created a kit as a fundraiser for the New Zealand & Japan Earthquake.... Red Cross Appeals....called "Hope for a Brighter Future" - profits from the sale of this kit will be evenly distributed between the two countries.


It is now available in store, for you to purchase and it is a kit you will mostly certainly want in your collection....it has fantastic papers and embellishments suitable for all forms of scrapbooking - traditional, digital and hybrid - and of course card makers.

Here is a little preview of the embellishments - the papers are equally as beautiful.

and here is a little layout I created with it ....using pics of my gorgeous eldest daughter - this layout was based on the current Digi Challenge over at the forum at For the Luv of Art - these challenges are such fun.... you should check them out...http://fortheluvofart.forumg.biz/t3151-for-the-luv-of-art-digi-challenge-2

Happy Easter

I hope you are all enjoying the Easter break, spending time with your family, eating lots of chocolate eggs and finding time for a little Copic colouring.

I am sharing some of my Easter themed projects with you today... firstly a little pillow gift box (filled with chocolate of course!!) and a card...both created with some sweet Magnolia images from the 2011 Butterfly Dreams Collection..."Tilda holding Egg Basket" and "Tilda & her Bunny" the fence is from a previous Spring collection from Magnolia.

Copics Used:
Happy Easter Pillow
Skin - E00, E11, E000 - Cheeks - R20
Hair & Boots - E31, E33, E35
Basket - E33, E35, E37
Dress - R81, R83, R83 - W3 - Colourless Blender
Easter Eggs - Y21, Y23, R35, R32, G00, G02, B00, B01, YR07 YR00, B91, B93, YG03, YG00

Forever Friends Card
Skin - E00, E11, E000 - Cheeks - R20
Fence & Boots - E31, E33, E35
Hair - E33, E35, E37
Hat - Y21, Y23, Y26
Top & Ribbon - RV91, RV93, RV95
Pants - B91, B93, B95
Daffodils - Y21, Y23, YR07, YG93, YG95, YG97

The sky and grass were airbrushed with B21, YG93 using the Air Brush System Set 1 it is a complete set ready to use. It comes with the Airgrip, Aircan 180 (approx.40mins of air ), the Air Adapter, Airhose and Can Holder and is available to order online in the Mad for Markers store http://www.madformarkers.com.au/....and those gorgeous little paper daffodils were purchased last weekend at http://www.scrap2relax.com.au/ - thanks to my friends there for suggesting them - I already "need" more LOL!! They also mentioned that I "really need" some Liquid Pearls for my card making too...so I came away with 3 different colours of that too!! Miss Tilda here is wearing some Ranger Liquid Pearls in Bisque as earrings in this card - just to add a touch of sophistication - he he!

I also want to share another card I made for Easter using Bonnie from Spesch Designer Stamps - she is so cute and with her precious little bunny  is the perfect image for your Easter friendship cards.

Copics Used:
Skin - E00, E11, E000 - Cheeks - R20
Hair - E13, E15, E17
Dress - V12, V15, V17
Ribbon & Trim - BG11, BG13, BG15
Bunny - R20, W1, W3

I added some texture to the dress by dabbing a scrap piece of fabric with some colourless blender ink and pressing it over the coloured image.....I love all the fun things you can do with the colourless blender... make sure you add one to your next Mad for Markers order, if you don't already have it in your Copic Collection.


..and if you have some inspirational and/or creative ideas using Copic Markers.... submissions are now open for Copicendium ... a mini-magazine/ ideas booklet to be produced by Mad for Markers - devoted solely to the use of Copic Markers...

A "Distressing" Good Time

I did say I would be back today with a few more cards to show you....remember?? I said I was spending the weekend with my BFF... and she was going to introduce me to something new -  well not really "something new" but something I hadn't played with before! I had a lesson in the variety of uses for Distress Inks - it was fun to get my embossing powders and heat gun out again..... and rediscover the huge stash of stamps I have collected over the years - and shhh!! don't tell anyone but I did find some stamps and inks that I had never used - they were still  wrapped in their packaging!!  ;) I did enjoy creating some different looking cards but this form of card making is a lot messier than my beloved Copics and not nearly as theraputic as colouring-in....but it makes for a nice change now & then....and I can see myself playing a bit more with them.

These are two of the cards I made....

and a closer look at "You Amaze Me"

The stamp set I used is For The Luv of Art "La Mode" Stamp set - available here online at http://www.fortheluvofart.com/ForTheLoveofArtLaModeStampSet.aspx The flourish in the corner is from a SU set called "Baroque Motifs" - the pink patterned paper is from Echo Park's Love Letter range - I used some "Old Paper" Distress Ink to tone down the brightness of the pink.....the other ink colours I used were "Victorian Velvet", "Peeled Paint" and "Walnut Stain" all from the Tim Holtz Ranger Ink range.

...and "Thankyou"

....this card was created with a selection of my "Stampin' Up" stash the only name I can remember is the background stamp - "French Script". I embossed the flower and leaves with clear detail embossing powder and used "Antique Lined", "Bundled Sage",  "Walnut Stain" and "Tattered Rose" to create my background. The pink spotted paper is from the "Chicks Rock" collection by "Three Bugs in a Rug" - really cool girly papers in this range!

As we enter into the Easter weekend and the prediction of rain, I expect you will find me in my "happy room" playing with Paper, Ink, Stamps and Copics - stay tuned!!.... to see what I come up with LOL!!

Think Spring

While it may not be Spring here in the land downunder - the days here are starting to get dark and dreary. Therefore I thought it would be the perfect time to  introduce some sunshine and happiness to our days.
This is a new Digital Kit Collaboration - by the "Sugar Girls" over at http://www.sugarhillco.com/  called "Think Spring"

No surprises that I LOVE the colour scheme of this kit!! LOL!....here is a digi layout of my two favourite girls that I created with this scrumptious kit!!

....and a card I created for my friend Jacinta's birthday - combining the kit with my beloved Copic Markers.

Copics Used:

Skin - E00, E21, E51
Cheeks - R20 and White Pen
Dress - R22, R32, R35
Hair - Shoes - E31, E33, E35
Balloon - Y21, Y23, Y26

...for more info on this Digi Kit visit - http://angelhartline.com/blog/ or http://www.sugarhillco.com/ and for all your Copic Marker supplies - http://www.madformarkers.com.au/

I'll be back tomorrow - with some of the goodies I made over the weekend!!