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.

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

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.

A Hybrid Layout

My Happy Room ( alias my craft room ) is NOT a pretty sight at the moment - I am buried in projects and paper and despite the mess I am loving  it!! - some of the projects I am working on have come together more easily than others - but this layout took on a life of it's own - I'm sure you have all had that moment when you have an idea in your mind but when you put it into action....it doesn't quite turn out the way you imagined. Well this is what happen here LOL!! All the same I still managed the tropical look I wanted!

 

This is very much a "hybrid" layout - my palm tree and hibiscus flowers are from a "A Road to Bali" a Digital Scrapbook Kit created by Janet Carr of Little Feet Digital Designs - and if you want this kit for you own collection - then you need to visit http://www.fortheluvofart.com/ and participate in the digi challenge..

....because if you do - you can have this kit for FREE!! I printed the embellishments in Black and White on some X-Press IT Blending card and then used my Copics to color the images.

Copics Used:
Trunk of Palm Tree - E33, E35, E37
Leaves of Palm Tree - G02, G05, G07
Hibiscus Flower - Y23, RV23, RV25, RV29

and my Colourless Blender to "push" out the background and define the edges of the leaves....I also wanted a "translucent" appearance to my hibiscus flowers just to give them a more realistic look - not sure I succeed there LOL!! - but the effect was a little different than the usual blending techniques.

X-Press IT Blending Card and the full range of Copic Markers can be purchased online from http://www.madformarkers.com.au/

I used a Black Multiliner 1.0mm  (also available at Mad for Markers ) for my border, the scallop edge and journalling are from the "La Mode" Stamp Set exclusive to http://www.fortheluvofart.com/ stamped in Tuxedo Black Memento ink. The printed paper is called "Ledger" from Kaisercraft, I added some striped paper ribbon from Creative Memories and some fabric ribbon from my "stash"  then added a few small pearl beads to the stamens of the hibiscus.

I LOVE it when I can combine my love of Copics with my love of Scrapbook ....fun, fun, fun!!

...and don't forget to visit the Mad for Markers stand at Paperific (Melbourne ) next week - 1st-3rd of April - the full range of Copic Ciao and Sketch markers will be available.... Sammi and the team will have lots to inspire you including, both the La La Land Craft & The Greeting Farm stamps - Looking forward to seeing you there!

A Little More Love

I wanted to share the card I made in honour of Valentine's Day and yes! once again I have used my favourite colour combo of pink and green. After I had coloured my little Magnolia cutie...Tilda with Heart from the You Are So Special Collection... I felt she looked like she was suspended in space, so to ground her, I added some grass. I created this effect by drawing a few "tufts" of grass with E27 and YG67 then  I randomly "scribbled" patches of YG93, Y95, Y97. Next I used my Copic Colourless Blender to colour over the top and blend all the colours together. I really like the effect and the "softness" it added to all the green combinations.

Copics Used:
Skin - E000, E01, E11, R20
Hair/Shoes - E31, E33, E35
Dress - R81, R83, R85
Grass/Leaves - E27, YG67, YG93, YG95, YG97

I also added some pink Kindy Glitz to the heart for a touch of sparkle.

I enhanced my card with papers from the Kaisercraft English Rose Collection and some leaf embellishments I made using a leaf and vine stamp from my "stash". I stamped directly onto my X-Press IT Blending Card and after I coloured the image I cut around the leaf outline and adhered to the card... enhancing with a few "pink" flowers ;)

The sentiment I printed up on my computer - the font is called CK Higgins Handprint - very cute!!!
The "faux-stitching" was done using a Black 0.1mm Multiliner Pen...apart from my Copics, this is the pen I use most, when creating my cards.. make sure you check out the range of Multiliner Pens available at the Mad for Markers store - http://www.madformarkers.com.au/catalog/
 
I thought I might enter this card in the Copic Oz Love Challenge over at http://copicoz.blogspot.com/  - there are some gorgeous cards over there... you should take a peek.



A Special Delivery

Today the postman delivered the most wonderful little package from a lovely young lady in Finland...

..and of course it wasn't long before it was unpacked and the gorgeous "Hanglar Treasures" were stamped  on my X-Press IT Blending Card... ready to go! These little characters are ever so cute and such a joy to colour!!  This first card was made using "Humletjej" from the 2009 Collection and of course "pink and green" were my colours of choice LOL!!

Copics Used:
Skin - E50, E51, E53, R20
Hair/Shoes - E35, E33, E31
Hat - (Flower) - RV00, RV02, RV04 (RV06)
Green Stripes - YG93, YG95, YG97

To make up my card, I chose some pink and white cardstock and complimented it with some paper prints from Kaisercraft - "Daisy Chain" from the Country Grove Collection and "Twinkle" from the Wish Upon Collection. Then embellished with some rhinestones, silk flowers, ribbon and a heart shaped pin.

The second card was made using the little character from the 2008 Collection, her name is "Blomstertjej" which means "Flower Girl".

Copics Used:
Skin - E50, E51, E53, R20
Hair/Shoes - E35, E33, E31
Dress - Y11, Y15
Spotty Pants - BG01, BG05
Flower - YR02, YR04, YG00, YG95

I used aquamarine and white cardstock and again used some Kaisercraft prints from the "Lilac Avenue" and "Devonshire" collections to make up the base of the card - the lace trim is a Martha Stewart punch, the little butterfly I punched from white X-Press IT Blending card and coloured it with Y11, Y15. I also used the Y15 to colour in some adhesive pearls and I added these to the centre of the flower and the butterfly. The sentiment is a clear sticker. The "faux-stitching" was done using a Black 0.1mm Multiliner Pen which you can purchase from http://www.madformarkers.com.au/catalog/ and the little white "freckles" on my little girls faces was done with a white gel pen.

and here is a close-up

and as an added treat.... I am sharing with you the sketch that I based both these card designs on.

Enjoy! :)

A Few More Card Creations

I do have a digitial project to finish but have found it hard to move away from card making these past few days. I managed three cards last night and thought you might like a little peek.... and I won't tell you what time I went to bed but I wasn't hitting my pillow until they were finished...LOL!

This first card uses a Lily of the Valley stamp - On the Garden Wall. It is such a sweet image and fun to colour.The sentiment is also from Lily of the Valley - Dreamy Days - Set 6 of the Circular Sentiments. This card is a little more decorated than my usual style and has been "splashed" with lots of Kindy Glitz - he he! - gotta love glitter!

Copics Used:

Pinks - RV00, RV25, RV34

Greens - YG41, YG45, YG67

Browns - E31, E33, E35. E37

.....and yes I'm  back to my beloved "pinks & greens"...and I used the sketch from the current challenge at http://justmagnolia.blogspot.com/ for this creation.

This card was made with another image from my Magnolia Stamp Club package and is called 'Tilda with a small gift" from the You are so Special 2011 Collection. I used the same pink and brown Copics to colour her as I did in the previous card...you tend to have favourites don't you?? However, I did take a detour from the pinks and reached for my purples and blues for this card.

This is "Tilda with Amaryllis" - she is another cutie - but all the little Tilda stamps are cute - aren't they??! The patterned papers used here are from Kaisercraft's 6" paper pads - Lilac Avenue and Devonshire collections....I LOVE these little paper pads for card making.

Copics Used:

Purple - BV00, BV02, BV04

Blue - BG01, BG05, BG09

Green - YG93, YG96 YG97

Yellow - Y23, Y26 and Buttermilk Spica Pen

thanks for stopping by...I really appreciate your lovely comments and words of encouragement.

A Touch More Orange

To all the "lovely ladies" that have commented about my orange cards.....you may just have started something LOL!! ;) and just maybe, I do - do orange!! I have made two more cards today and what colour copics did I pick up first? - yep, you guessed it - YR00, YR02, YR07. I was influenced by the fact that I still had some "left-over" scraps of paper from both the Kaisercraft "Tea at Elise's" and "Devonshire" collections scattered all over my desk - so rather than pack them away I put them to good use.

This first card is so much bolder than my usual style and I didn't use flowers - even that is a "detour" for me. I found these tiny buttons in my embroidery basket - they are also "left-overs" from a very old project!! and they were the perfect colour match for paper choices. I hand-cut the heart and used a white gel pen to "stitch" around it and the orange paper. I do have to tell you a "funny-story" about the image I stamped...I'm not sure what happened but I didn't stamp the image evenly and it had "blurred" edges - angry with myself....I threw it in the bin....then feeling wasteful, I retrieved it, turned it over and restamped on the back....how is that for recycling??!! - I think that qualifies me for the challenge over at http://magnoliadownunderchallenges.blogspot.com/ which is REDUCE, REUSE & RECYCLE.

Stamp = Brother & Sister - Magnolia Autumn 2010 Collection

Copics Used:

Tilda's Dress - YR00, YR02, YR07, YG93, YG95, YG97
Edwins Overalls - BG01, BG05, BG09
Edwins Shirt - Y21, Y23, Y26

and card No. 2

Stamp = King Tilda -Yours So Special 2011 Collection

Copics Used:

Crown - YR00, YR02, YR07

Top - Y21, Y23, Y26

Pants - B93, B95, B97

and a close-up photo

I do have to apologise for the "orange tinge" to the background of these photos -  more orange! - I hear you say! - he he! My usual white backdrop is in the wash and outside in the blazing 34oC sun, is not the ideal place to be taking photos.

New Stamps - New Colours

I've finally sat down and had some card-making "playtime". I received my Magnolia Stamp Club shipment just prior to Christmas and I so LOVE the 2011 You are so special Collection!!....  just haven't found the time to to play with them. I also had a lovely parcel of new Copic colours arrive from Mad for Markers at about the same time and both have sat on my desk - until today. I decided to move away from my usual colour palette of "Pink & Green" ( and yes it was struggle !!) and the current colour challenge at http://magnolia-liciouschallengeblog.blogspot.com/ was just the inspiration I needed. This is the photograph the colours of the challenge were taken from....

and this is the first of the two cards I made

Stamp = Tilda with Balloon
Papers = Kaisercraft "Tea at Elsie's" collection

Copics Used:

Hair = E50, E51, E53
Skin = E00, E21, R20
Balloon = YG93, YG95, YG97
Dress = YR00, YR02, YR07

and card no.2

Stamp = King Tilda
Papers = Kaiser Craft " Devonshire Tea" collection

Copics Used:

Hair  = E33, E35, E37
Skin - E00, E51, E21, R20
Pants = BG01, BG05, BG09
Blouse = YG03, YG17
Crown/Socks = Y21, Y23, Y26

and a close up pic

I am so NOT an "orange" kinda girl - but I'm rather pleased with the way these cards turned out....maybe I need to experiment with colour a bit more :)

Thankful Memories

Oh My Goodness!!...hasn't Mother Nature delivered us the most extraordinary week here in Australia? The highest summer rainfall in over 100 years, some snow in the high country, heartbreaking and tragic floods in Queensland. In my little part of Victoria, we have had rain all week, our river systems are on flood alert and the humidity levels presently rival those in Darwin - all unheard of, at this time of the year!! This might all sound dark and dreary but there is still beauty to be found in the great outdoors - the huge raindrops on my roses were testimony to this. In between the showers of rain, I managed to take some lovely photos. Then yesterday I created a layout using my rose photos accompanied by this poem I found online.

What a Rose can say?

A rose can say I love you and want you to be mine,
A rose can say I thank you for being so very kind,
A rose can say congratulations, whatever the occasion may be,
A rose can say I miss you and wish you were here with me,
A rose can say I'm sorry if I've hurt you in any way,
A rose can say get well soon, May God bless you today,
A rose can say I wish you happiness, and the best for you each day.
A rose can say farewell when someone goes away,
A rose can say hello, I'm thinking of you today,
There's just so many wonderful things that a rose can say,
A rose can say goodbye when a love one is laid to rest,
No matter what there is to say, a rose can say it best.

                                                      -Margie Driver

I complimented the layout with some rose embellishments I created using X-Press IT Blending Card, some stamps from my "Stampin Up" stash ( Natural Beauty and Roses in Winter ) and my Copic Markers. After colouring my images, I added a textured look to them by "dotting" randomly over them with my Colourless Blender ( available from http://www.madformarkers.com.au ). I decided to tear the images from the card rather than cut around the image outlines with my scissors...this added some extra texture. I then ran my marker around the torn outline, this disguised the white edge of the card and added more depth to the colour. I rather like the effect! The papers I used were, Cactus and White Cardstock from Creative Memories, the Tea at Elsie's collection from Kaisercraft, along with a strip of paper ribbon from the Creative Memories Hummingbird Collection.

Copics Used:
Pink Rose - RV25, RV32
Orange Rose - YR00, YR02
Leaves - YG45, YG63, YG67

and here is a close-up of my roses and leaves

I have also taken a photo for you of the pink rose image before I tore it from the X-Press IT Blending Card and coloured it. To stamp this image I coloured the rubber with the broad ( chisel ) tip of my Copic Marker then stamped directly onto my card. You have to work quickly when applying this technique as the ink drys very fast. I have my stamp cleaning pad beside me and as soon as I stamp the image I clean my rubber and this has prevented any staining.

as I sign off from this post... my wish for this week.... is for the rain to stop, the waters to recede and for the donations to keep pouring in to assist those affected by the floods.