All Inked Up!

...for those of you who follow my "creative capers" -  you would remember me posting about an ATC swap challenge I was participating in...with a group of "Scrappy Friends"??!! Today I would like to update you on that journey... and share some of my Artist Trading Cards with you. Initially I found it really difficult to work on such a tiny surface - I am big 12 x 12" girl myself  ;) but now I am amazed by just how much detail you can place on a 2.5 x 3.5" piece of cardstock!!...and I have been experimenting with "inks" -  they are a very popular medium amongst my "Scrappy Friends" but not one I have had much to do with...but I managed to use them on all 3 of my latest ATC's

January's Theme was "Sizzlin' Summer" and my ATC was created using hybrid techniques - the base is cardstock from Creative Memories called Mediterranean and using a digital kit "Cheerful Tropical Additions" from Creative Memories I made a "sun, sand & sea" scene and embellished with seagull diecuts and twine. The edges were inked using "Antique Linen" from the Tim Holtz range of distress inks and "stitched" with white gel pen - a small introduction to ink LOL!

February's Theme is "Show us some LOVE" - I got a lot more adventurous with the ink! I was struggling to find background paper for this challenge so again, I thought I would create my own. I printed up the word "love" in a variety of fonts on plain old white 210gsm card and then set about turning it into a vintage pink colour using "Victorian Velvet"  Tim Holtz Distress Ink....then I embellished with some Vintage images from "darkroom door" called Love Letters from the Filmstrip range, some cobweb lace, paper flowers and adhesive pearls all compliments of a visit I made to my friend Karen & Co at Scrap2Relax 

....and then I was hooked!! LOL!! so I decided I would keep ahead of the challenges and tackle March's Theme which is "Autumn Antics". One of the things I have loved about creating ATC's is that anything goes! and I have discovered all sorts of "goodies" in my craft room. In my stash I found some old BasicGrey paper called "Tangerine" from the Fusion collection it matched perfectly with some Paper Flowers from the Creative Memories Reminisce Power Palette and I thought they were the perfect colour to base my ATC around.

I found a little poem about Autumn that was really sweet, so I adapted it and printed it up on little tags....I then inked these tags along with some more white background paper in an assortment of Autumn tones - "Bundled Sage" from Tim Holtz Distress Inks and "Really Rust", "Close to Cocoa" and "Apricot Appeal" - Stampin' Up Inks. Added a yellow adhesive rhinestone to the centre of the paper flower and some leaf punches and I was done!! - now I wonder what ink I can add to my April ATC - I think I am a bit addicted LOL!! -  stay tuned!

All things Australian

I am having an extra long weekend thanks to the public holiday, for Australia Day. Our national day of celebration, has left me feeling a little patriotic. I have spent the last couple of days, colouring up all the Aussie images I have in my collection, with my beloved Copic Markers! :)...and finishing off Week 3 and 4 of my photo-a-day Family Album. The photos that feature in my layouts for these weeks, are very typical of  Australian Summer activities and icons - backyard BBQ's, cricket, swimming, thongs (flips flops to my overseas friends!) and lots of time outdoors - who could ask for more?!

 As you can see, my youngest daughter has left today for Fiji as part of a Volunteer Eco Students Abroad

program - where she will be in a little village working with the children teaching English and basic sanitation, installing new play equipment, repainting the school and constructing bathrooms. I am sure her adventures will be well documented in Week 5 and 6 of our Family Album.

These are a couple of the Aussie themed cards I have worked on this weekend. The first is Digger Marci she is a relatively new release from  La La Land Crafts Stamps - designed especially for us Aussies and available to purchase now in the Mad for Markers online store.

Copics Used:

Skin -E11, E01, E000/Cheeks RV42
Hair - Y21, Y23, Y25, YR23
Boots - E31, E33, E35
Shorts -YG97, YG95, YG93
Top - YG95, YG91
Dog Tags/Socks - W1, W3, W5
Flag - B18, B16, B12, R27, R24, R22

I used a white gel pen for the stars and the outline of the Union Jack and to cover up some of my colouring mistakes LOL! - I need a bit more practise colouring in finer detail! The papers used were from My Mind's Eye - Stella & Rose collections - Gertie & Hazel 6 x 6 Paper Pads. I also made a discovery while colouring this image and if you are curious as to what that discovery was... pop on over to the Mad for Markers Blog to find out LOL!

The wonderful "Boss Lady"- Sammi at Mad for Markers created some fantastic Australia Day Freebies to share with you -

....and I was very eager to colour the Aussie Gal and Mr Cool Ray. I saved the images emailed to me, in a word document - resized them to fit on my card, then printed them (on my home printer ) onto some X-Press IT A4 Blending Card.

Copics Used:

Skin -E11, E01, E00, E000/Cheeks RV42
Eyes - B12, B16
Hair - Y21, Y23, Y25, YR23
Dress/Shoes - B12, B16, B18, R27, R22
Sun - YR23, Y23, Y21, B16, B12

again, I used a white gel pen to add detail,the sentiment was printed on my computer and the patterned paper is also from the Gertie paper pad.

The Mad for Markers DT would love to see your creations using these Aussie images - feel free to share them on our Facebook Group Page and while you are there, remember to send Sammi some love.

Happy Colouring,

Love, Sunshine and lots of Photos

We are two weeks into the New Year and I am sure it is still ok to say "Happy New Year"?!?. As readers to my blog, you know that I love taking photos and I'm very addicited to my Copic Markers and 2012 will be no exception!! That is why I thought, I might dedicate my first post of the year to a bit of both!!

Over the past few years I have participated in a Photo a Day type project. In 2009 I joined a group of friends online and we encouraged and challenged each other to commitment to the project. In 2010, I played along with my online friends again and continued to take my scheduled "photo-a-day". It was  fabulous and a whole heap of fun! At the end of the year I completed a two volume  Digital Scrapbook....below is look at the pages pertaining to my Week 5 of this project.

In 2011 I continued to take my scheduled "photo-a-day", but sadly the photos I took are still sitting on my computer. Sometime during the year I got a little lost...life was throwing me a few curve balls and my project came to a bit of standstill. I was still taking photos -  but not daily! - and when the year ended I was very disappointed with myself....I stressed over it for awhile then decided not to worry...I could always go back and present my 2011 photos in a monthly format and slowly this is what I am doing. Now in 2012, I am going to make the effort of continuing the tradition of recording my daily activities and family life in photos.

These 2012 layouts are all in Digital format and were created in Creative Memories Storybook Creator Plus using the Digital Kit "Garden Tranquility".

I really love the concept of a Photo-a-Day...it makes me look at ordinary things in extraordinary ways, it improves my photography skills, and leaves me with a snapshot of "the year that was" for our family. I encourage everyone to give it a try - you won't be disappointed!

My feature photo for Week 1 of 2012 was the inspiration for my latest card creations. It portrays Summer Fun.... as does Beach Marci, a sweet stamp from the La La Land Crafts Stamps range, available in the Mad for Markers store. The bright pink inflatable ring, blonde hair of my daughter and the blue/green of the water all inspired my chose of Copic colours for these cards.

For my first card I reached for my favourite pink and purple colour combinations -

Copics Used:

Skin -E11, E01, E000/Cheeks R20
Hair - Y21, Y23, Y25
Sun-Hat - BG11, BG13, BG15, R81, R83, R85
Swim Suit - V12, V15, V17, BG11, BG13, BG15,
Inflatable Ring - R81, R83, R85, BG11, BG13, BG15

I also used a little bling in the centre of the floral design of the inflatable ring and the sun hat...and some more of that great adhesive paper lace I mentioned in my last post!

I was a little more adventurous for my second card, challenging myself to use a more vivid pink combination of Copics and a little air-brushing.

Copics Used:

Skin -E11, E01, E000/Cheeks R20
Hair - Y21, Y23, Y25
Sun-Hat/Inflatable Ring - RV02, RV04, RV06, RV09, V12, V15, V17
Swim Suit - V12, V15, V17, BG11, BG13, BG15
Sky -B12
Grass - BG10

The sentiment "We all grow better in Sunshine and Love" is something my Mum says - I generated it on my computer using the font CKJournalling...which is the same font I used on my 2012 Photo-a-Day layouts.

I love how you can take one image and get so many different looks for your cards just by varying your colour choices. If you would like experiment with some new colour combinations yourself... be sure to pop over to the Mad for Markers Challenge Blog where the DT team have been sharing their wonderful creations and some fabulous Copic combinations....and remember, now is a perfect time to add some new colours to your collection - every marker purchased from the Mad for Markers store.. earns you some free goodies in the Copics Rewards Program.

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.