Stamping Bella and Prismacolors

It's New Year's Eve!  
I just put my youngest daughter on a train to NYC so she can ring in the New Year with friends.  So I'll be spending New Year's on my couch watching TV and worrying about her.  Oh well... what else is new?

Here is a card I made using my new Prismacolor pencils and odorless mineral spirits.  I've been stalking youtube for videos featuring coloring techniques.  There is definitely a lot to be learned about color selection, blending and shading.  I am having lots of fun playing, though!

 I am very inspired by Therese at Lostinpaper.  I love her clean designs.  The curved focal panel and patterned paper background is very much inspired by her. Therese is doing a series for Penny Black this week.  Be sure to check it out.  I have been waking up each morning, grabbing my coffee and my ipad and watching/studying her videos!

Happy, happy New Year, everyone!  Here's hoping it is a year of good things for you and your family! 

Christmas, Continued....

So, I feel like I'm just now getting into the swing of Christmas card making.  It has to do with being relaxed enough and having time enough to be creative.  I decided to go for it and continue making holiday cards but with a 'Thank You' theme since I will need to thank some special people for gifts received.

  Here are a few using some old and new stamps:

I used an older SU set called Every Little Bit and a Purple Onion sentiment.  The paper is from Doodlebug.  The inspiration tutorial is found here.  I love the way this card turned out!  Such a happy little card, don't you think?

 This card uses some of my  new Christmas goodies; a stamp set from Tiddlyinks called Winter Wishes Wryn and my Prismacolor pencils.  The sentiment is from SU and that's more of the Doodlebug paper.  My Wink of Stella clear glitter pen kind of exploded on the fur trim, but it was not a complete loss, thank goodness!

 Last of all is a paper pieced card using Paper Smooches' Jerome set.  I also used my new SSS stitched rectangle dies.  I have been wanting stitched dies for a long time.  I treated myself to the set of rectangles, circles and square dies.  Yeah!  Definitely worth the investment!


Have a great day!

Goodies!

Hope your holiday was a happy and peaceful one!  We celebrated quietly with family...the best kind of day!  

I am enjoying the time at home and am looking forward to playing with all my new goodies!  I would love to do a haul video, but I'm just not set up for it so I'll just tell you that I've got lots of new stamps...Lawn Fawn, Paper Smooches, Stamping Bella, Simon Says, Avery Elle, and Tiddly Inks!!  Yeah!!!  

One of the things I'm most excited about is my new set of Prismacolor pencils.  I've been wanting some for a long time!  I'm so inspired by the work of Therese at Lostinpaper and Amy at Prairie Paper and Ink, as well as a multitude of other crafters.  

Anyway, Santa left a set under the Christmas tree and here is my first attempt:  

  
I pretty much cased a card by Emily (here) that uses Paper Smooches Giddy Gumdrops set and the partial die-cutting technique that I've been wanting to try.  

I am in love with the Prismacolors!!  I've got to learn to be bolder with my shading techniques but I'm happy with the results nonetheless!  Looking forward to lots of playing!!

Tomorrow is Christmas Part II at my house.  All of my family (cousins by the dozens) are coming!  There are lots of new babies to cuddle!  

Have a great day!!

Let it Snow!

Howdy!

I have officially thrown in the towel!  When you have a room filled with seven year olds humming Jingle Bells and twirling down the hallway, you don't hold out much hope for two digit addition, let me tell you!

Anyway, here is a pic of the little treats I put together for them.

I photocopied a Pinterest poem and colored an old SU stamp.  

Hopefully over the winter break, they'll come in from playing outside in the fresh air and curl up with a good book and some hot chocolate! 


Have a great day!

A Purrrrfect Christmas

Finally having a crafty Saturday!!  Perfect weather for it.  Rainy and cold.  
Today my card inspiration was  my daughter's new little fur-baby.  He's a darling little guy, although a typical naughty kitty! 

Here he is hiding out under her Christmas tree. I swear he's smiling!

And here is my card paying homage to all the Christmas kitties out there who make our holidays interesting!

I had fun combining stamp sets for this card.  I used images and sentiments from four Paper Smooches sets: Chubby Chums, Merry Motifs, Zoo Crew, and Warm Hearts. It was a challenge to mask off the sentiments from three separate stamps to combine just the words I needed.  I don't have a problem cutting some stamps, but these would have been difficult. Instead I used some strategically placed painter's tape and, literally prayed it would stamp out all right!

I'm entering this in this week's Anything Goes challenge over on the Paper Smooches Blog.  I'm always so inspired by the creativity shown by the other entries!!

Have a nice day!