Greetings from the Funny Farm!

This card says it all! I worked all week last week and prepared Thanksgiving Dinner for 21 people at my house. The 21 people included 9 children ranging in age from 15 to 11 months.

I totally understand that these family members didn't just appear all at one time, but it is usually just my husband, my dog, my cat and myself here. After 4 days of company, which I loved don't get me wrong, I find this sentiment totally appropriate and a sincere greeting. Besides the pain of stamping and copic withdrawal is very real.

Enough of that. I got two new sets of Artistic Outpost stamps last week and tonight was the first chance I got to play with them. This set is called Home. I colord the barn, grass, trees and ground with copic markers. I used my copic airbrush system to color the sky. I sponged the outside edges with Adirondak distressed ink. I stamped the barbed wire on the striped background paper for a little added detail. I used my copic blender pen to create the clouds and outlined the barn, trees and grain bin in cool shadow to add a little dimension.

I popped up the main image and sentiment on foam mounting tape to add dimension.

One of the things that I like the most about the Artistic Outpost stamp sets is that there are 3 or 4 main image stamps as well as several words, phrases, or sentiments in each set.

I also got the Artistic Outpost stamp set called Happiness which has different butterfly stamp images. I thought that the images might have too much black area to color the butterflies the way I like to color but I think I was wrong. What do you think?

I haven't decided what I am going to do with this image yet. I am thinking that I may use it for come note card sets

More My Cuppa Joe

I think this is such a cute versatile set. Here is another card using my "free" stamp set from GinaK Designs. There are so many little coffee cups and sayins in this set I just love it. Almost as much as I love coffee!

I am trying to decide on my design for my girls coffee note card sets for Christmas. I think I like this one. I stamped the coffee cups randomly on my white cardstock. I then stamped the main sentiment in the middle. I stamped coffee all over the background. I stamped Friend on the cappacino cup in the lower left corner and coffee on the blue cup upper left.

I colored all of the cups with copic markers and the airbrushed around all of the cups with the same color used for the coloring.

I think I like the simplicity of this because I have 3 daughters so that would be 12 cards to make with coordinating envelopes. I thought about putting some ribbon on it but couldn't figure out where it would go without covering something up.

Well, I have procrastinated long enough. I have to start cleaning my house and do some laundry.

See you tomorrow.

Cathy

Coffee Anyone?

Anyone who knows me knows that I love coffee. Gina K Designs introduced this new set in her November Release Party and of course I had to have it.

I didn't really have the money to buy any sets during the release party so I decided to do the challenges that they always have during the release party. The prize for being the random drawing winner from the entries is a stamp set of your choice. The only way I was going to get one right now, so I got busy and made something for each challenge.

A while back I posted the three challenge creations. I never win anything but it is still fun and I did some techniques on the cards and scrapbook page that I had never done before, so it is a learning process as well. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Long story short, I actually won Melanie Muenchinger's challenge drawing. We were to use as many different GinaK Design stamps as we wanted on one card. I used 5 stamps from 4 different sets. Sorry, I am rambling, I won the challenge and decided that my free set would be the My Cuppa Joe set and then in a couple of weeks I will order the To a Tee sayings because I need them to go with my Just so Sporty set.

Back to the card way up at the top. I stamped the cup, circle and cupcakes on the plate on white cardstock and colored them using the Copic Gradiant technique in blue and lavendar. I cut each image out and glued them to a white card stock base. I wanted a little more color so I used a left over edge of a lavendar top note die panel and cut each end about an inch wide. I then glued the two ends together. I tied a piece of grosgrain ribbon over the top of that. I had dyed the ribbon a while back.

I popped the You're Cool Beans circle up on a piece of mounting foam and my card was done. Took me longer to write about it than to make it.

My family are all coffee drinkers so I think that I am going to make coffee note cards for Christmas gifts.

I have to get busy now and clean my house. I am having 16 people here for Thanksgiving and I have to work through Wednesday night so I only have my evenings to get stuff done.

Hope you all have a great week and I will post again tomorrow.

Cathy

I can't believe I haven't posted since Wed, Sorry!

Where does the time go? There has been so much going on with work and getting my projects done for the December 15th release at Artistic Outpost.

Here is a card that I made the other night that I haven't had time to post yet:

I have always liked the look of a black and white photo that has been retouched with red highlights. This is the look that I wanted to create with this image. I colored the image with grey copic markers and made large shadows around the little girl. It could be a boy but for today it is a girl. I thought that I could just color the flowers on the vines on the right hand side of the image with my copic markers.

What was I thinking!?! It looked like I shot her, sorry, but that was the first thought that came to my mind when I looked at the red flowers.

I didn't want to discard the image so plan B came into effect. I colored some tiny prima flowers with my copic markers and then colored tiny half pearls with red copic marker as well for the center. Those little boogers are really hard to place in the middle of a flower.

I wanted to maintain the black and white with red accents when making the actual card. I mounted the main image on black cardstock and also mounted the bluebird script that is included in the stamp set. I angled the phrase behind the main image.

I wanted the main piece of cardstock to be red but it was too stark to just leave it plain. I stamped the bluebird script stamp all over the red with Tim Holtz red distress ink and then sponged the edge with the same ink.

I finished the card with a piece of black and white checked ribbon and wallah, another super easy card made with Artistic Outpost stamps.

I just wanted to let everyone know that Artistic Outpost is having a sale right now on a really neat set that was included in their last release. It is called Snowy Woods and it is on sale for 19.99 right now. Here is a picture of the images in the set, they are awesome and check out the Snowy Woods Gallery for some wonderful samples.

I was very excited today to get my free set of stamps that I won doing Melanie Muenchinger's GinaK release challenge last week. I thought that I should receive the My Cuppa Jo stamp set today as it should have been mailed Tuesday. The mail person came and I checked the mail, no stamps. Oh well, I knew they would be here Monday then. Pretty soon I heard the mail truck again. I looked out the window and she stopped at my mailbox, so I took my happy little hiney back out to see what she left and, you guessed it, my Cuppa Jo stamps.

They are all cut out and I am going to play with them tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great rest of the week-end. See you tomorrow!

Cathy

I'm Loving these Artistic Outpost Stamps!!!

I have never really considered myself much of a card maker but these stamps make it really easy for me. Maybe I have been doing it long enough now I have figured out what is working for me so I am happier with the results. Here are two cards that I created tonight:

This is the Blue Bird stamp plate from Artistic Outpost which I received on Monday. I colored the image with copic markers and highlighted with my Copic airbrush system. I wanted an elegant card so I made a frame using a decorative corner punch. I airbrushed the scallops to accentuate the brown in the image. I mounted the image behind the scalloped frame, mounted the frame on craft cardstock and mounted all on brown cardstock that I had airbrushed brown to match the scalloped highlights. I tied a 1 inch brown grosgrain ribbon at the bottom and added a brown dew drop in each top corner.

The second card I made tonight was also from the Blue Bird set but I went for a more antiqued look on this card:

I colored the image with copic markers and left a little border around the image when I cut it out. I distressed the edges of the image and mounted it on black cardstock. I wanted to use the bottom piece of cardstock which is from the Outlaw designer paper from Stampin Up and I wanted to pick up the darker grey in the paper. I didn't have any grey cardstock that color so guess what, yep, I used my copic airbrush with my darkest grey marker for the color I wanted. I had stamped the words stamp from the Blue Bird set all over the grey cardstock before I airbrushed it. I distressed the grey panel before I mounted it onto black cardstock.

I thought thin twine would look more vintage for this image than any ribbon that I had. That meant a trip to Michaels because of course I didn't have any twine. I wrapped the twine around the main image. I decided that I really should add a sentiment so I stamped the Thinking of You, from the Blue Bird set as well, on white cardstock, airbrushed it to match the other images and mounted it on black cardstock. I punched a hole on each end of the sentiment tag with my tiny hole punch and threaded my twine behind the sentiment and tied it around the card.

I stamped the birds sitting on the wire angled across my final background paper in Basic Grey Stampin Up ink. The Artistic Outpost stamp plates really come with so many different stamps in each set that you can create a main image and different backgrounds all from one set.

Like I said I am loving these images to color and make cards with. I hope you are enjoying looking at them as much as I am creating them.

That's all I have for tonight but you can count on something new tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by.

Goodnight

Cathy

End of a Serene Day Card

I am going to be busy for the next few weeks creating cards and items for the December release at Artistic Outpost and I don't have a problem with that at all. I am so excited to be a part of this creative team. The stamp plates that I got yesterday are so easy to work with and the images are large enough to create a wonderful focal point. I really like this card I made last night with the Serenity set:

Not too much to ttell about this card it went together pretty quickly for me. I colored the Serenity farm house scene with copic markers. The stamp images are pretty densely etched but it is no problem adding the color with the copic markers. I wanted a sunrise or sunset because, well, just because I wanted to, no other explanation. I used the gradiant copic technic to pull the colors and blend them away from the sun.

I had bought a pack of paper called Ocean at Michaels because I am planning to use it for my release cards but decided to sneak this piece out. It is double sided so no problems matching the colors. Maybe I shouldn't tell you my secrets :) I mounted the main image on a piece of brocade blue and used the same color for the card base. I wanted this to possibly be a masculine card so I didn't want to add any bows. I decided to use three buttons and tie brown checked ribbon through the button holes, now that was fun because I didn't use a needle. I attached the buttons with glue dots.

I really like the way that it turned out.

Did I mention that I won a stamp set today on the GinaK Design forum on Splitcoast Stampers. After the release party they have challenges created by some of the design team members. I know I mentioned this a couple of days ago and posted pictures here of the cards and scrapbook page I made. I have participated in these Challenges for months because I love to do them and any excuse to play with great stamps works for me but I have never won anything. Today I looked at the challenge results for Melanie Muenchinger's Mixology101 challenge and I won!!!!! I was so excited because I really wanted a couple of stamp sets from the release party but it just wasn't going to fit into the budget so for the first time I didn't order any and decided to do the challenges on the off chance that my name would be drawn as they are random drawings from all of the entries. It was MY lucky day. Thanks Melanie for the awesome challenge and Thanks Gina for always being so generous.

Okay, I have been rambling like a sleep deprived stamper long enough. Thanks for stopping by for a looksee.

Cathy

I can finally say I am a Guest Designer for Artistic Outpost

I am a guest designer for Artistic Outpost for December 2008 and as requested in 2009. Isn't that exciting!!!

I finally get to tell you and it is a good thing because I have been holding this news for a week and you know how well I keep secrets!?!

This is the announcement that came out today on the Artistic Outpost blog:

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

2009 Guest Designers
Thank you to everyone who took the time to submit their artwork for our recent Guest Designer Call - we had an overwhelming number of people apply. Unfortunately, we could not take everyone who applied, there will be opportunities in the future for Guest Artists, be sure to watch for those calls. In the meantime, be sure to check out our generous Publication Incentive and our new Referral Program.Congratulations to the following designers who will be working with Artistic Outpost in 2009 as Guest Designers. We know you're going to enjoy seeing their work using our current plates and our new plates in 2009.

Please welcome our 2009 Guest Designers (in no particular order)
Judy Hayes
Robin Willis
Cathy Edgar
Debby Boltman
Susan Conrad
Toni Tessler
Lynn Stevens
Rachel Baird
Debi Wind
Sharon Briss

End of announcement.

It is so exciting to see my name in print saying that all my coloring practice has paid off :)

I will be the guest designer for the December release stamp plates and I can't wait to get started on the images. Mine should be here by the end of the week but you won't get to see any samples until December 15. They are awesome plates and you are going to love them.

I am off to my stamp room to play, I will post later.

Cathy

My first card from Serenity Set from Artistic Outpost

Isn't this an awesome image? Remember a few days ago when I said that I had found a new stamp company with sets that so fit my coloring style. I finally ordered two sets that came today. They are from Artistic Outpost and they are so wonderful to color. This set is called Serenity and I know that I am going to use this set a lot. There are 12 images in this set, so I have a weeks worth of new cards and images to play with, Yeah!
I colored the image with Copic markers and even though the stamps are very densely detailed I can still add plenty of color to each image, added bonus for me.
I wanted to showcase the image by framing it with the dainty flourishes that came in the set as well so I just used my versamark and stamped the flourishes in the corners on white cardstock and embossed with white embossing powder. I then used my heat gun to set the embossing powder. Because I love to play, or work, with my copic airbrush system I airbrushed the area over the flourishes with the same blue that I had used for the sky and sprayed until I got the tone that I was looking for. I added more color with the airbrush around the picture to set it off just a bit more. Once I had the color the way I wanted it with the airbrush, I needed to remove the color that had sprayed on the flourishes. I used my copic blender solution on a flat Q-tip and swiped the color off of the flourishes.
I added a piece of grosgrain ribbon that I had dyed to match the blue sky and tied a knot bow below the main image. I then mounted the main image on the embossed frame panel which I then attached to the Bordering Blue cardstock.
I love the way it turned out and I know right now that I hate the fact that I have to go to work tomorrow when I would much rather be playing with my new stamps again.
Thanks for sharing my excitement of my new found Stamp Company Artistic Outpost and go check out their stamps, I think you will like what you see, I know I did.

Good night
Cathy

3 challenges in one day, that is a record for me!

I have had so much fun today just doing challenges for the November release party that was held at GinaK Designs on Thursday November 13, I really couldn't buy anything so I am hoping to win a set by doing the challenges. The winners are chosen at random so I have a chance :).

Here are the pictures of the challenges that I did:

What do you think? I guess I should tell you what they are supposed to be and then you will know better if they are acceptable.

The first challenge was by Erika, a scrapbooker extraordinare, who challenged us to use stamps with our scrapbooking. That was easy for me, I use stamps for everything. I had never done a scrapbook challenge before and was completely done with the page before I realized that it was a sketch challenge. Okay, here's your sign!!! There was supposed to be a main image, mine had two, there were supposed to be two embellishments in the upper right section, mine had journaling. There was supposed to be several rows of journaling under the photo, mine was photos with journaling on the side, couldn't even justify my mistake by saying I turned the challenge sideways to make it fit. Oh, well. It was fun. I submitted it anyway, they don't have to count it if they don't want.

The second challenge was by Melanie, to use several GinaK sets all on one item. I chose a single layer card. I had never done the mirror image technique with acetate paper but I wanted the sleigh turned the other way so I did it and it worked, added bonus. Then I masked the sleigh and stamped the bear from Jumpin for Joy, another of Melanie's sets, I stamped the deer from Christmas Blessings in front of the sleigh. I then stamped the everygreen branches and pine cones from Winter Foliage, Last but not least I stamped Go Team? from Melanie's Just so Sporty set. In all I used 5 images and 4 different sets. I colored it with copic markers, drew in a horizon, added reins to the deer and placed them in the bears hands. I made him a Santa hat which is the only thing that was 2 dimensional. I had fun and it turned out cute, if I do say so myself.

Last but not least is Jessica Fick's sketch challenge. I love to color the little boy with the Christmas tree from Cozy and Warm Christmas. I had colored him in red and blue. I didn't have any DP that matched the blue so I decided to make a frame using my decorative corner punch in a rectangle shape. I hadn't tried this shape before but fortunately the rectangle that I cut matched the punch cuts so they really came out even. I glued my frame to the main image. I found a piece of blue checked paper to accent the blue in the little boy's snowsuit and glued my main image to the blue. Finally I glued the blue to another red so that it would not fade into my background paper. My backgrond paper is a piece of white card stock that I ran through my cuttlebug using the negative ink technique, which is just to ink the negative(indented) side of the embossing folder before you run it through the cuttlebug. This method is so much easier than trying to ink the paper after it has been embossed.

I ended up with a dark blue line in the middle where the folder overlapped from the second run through because the paper was larger than the folder. I decided that I would just turn the challenge card around and have the verticle piece be on the right side instead of on top. I used a piece of 1 inch red satin ribbon to cover my blue line. I then mounted my main image on framing mounting squares so that it had some dimension.

The last thing I did was tie a red bow at the top of the card from the same red satin ribbon.

Now you know what I did today, more than you wanted to know? The challenges always teach me things that I didn't know like today I did the mirror image and a rectangle frame with a corner punch. It just goes to show you that you are never too old to learn new things and I am trainable!!!

Something to Crow About!

The rooster says it all. I have something to crow about but I am reduced to a cackle. I still can't tell you who I am the guest design team member for. I hope to be able to let you know later in the week-end.
I know that I haven't posted for a couple of days, been busy cleaning my house, yeah, I know what's up with that? Well, I had a couple of girls/ladies coming over for a Name Frame workshop on Friday. They made some really cute name frames, now I just need to get busy and get mine done that I am giving as Christmas presents.
I guess I should tell you a little bit about this rooster. I got some Ranger Distressed inks today and was experimenting. I want to use them with my copic markers, since they are both alcohol based. I think I accomplished my mission. I stamped the rooster with the Ranger Distressed color, vintage photo, then I colored the rooster using the Copic marker Gradiant technique. I love the effect this technique gives to the feathers and the smooth transition of colors smoothly blended into each other. I probably color my roosters more brightly than they naturally are but I like them that way and I use the sponged background to tone the color down a little. I used 4 different Ranger alcohol inks to sponge the background.
I punched the corners using my Stampin Up ticket punch and added antique brass brads in each corner of the main image. I tied a piece of brown satin ribbon around the bottom of the main image. I wanted ribbon but I wanted the rooster to be the focal point of the card. I added the hand written sentiment which I used a regular hole punch in the center of the yellow sentiment strip as the placement for my brads.
I can't believe that I had time on a Saturday to say hi and to let you know that I will tell you which company I get to work with as soon as they give me the OK!
Have a great week-end and thanks for looking.

Cathy

Something to Crow About!

I'm a Guest Designer for a Design Team!

I wish I could shout it to the world but I am supposed to keep it a secret until all of the guest designers have been notified but I can't stand the excitement. I sent in my most recent cards and the application process was fairly simple but exact. I have been wearing out my email inbox checking to see if there was any word yet since last Friday and much to my extreme excitement it was an acceptance and offer of Guest Designer spot for December.

I will let you all know which Stamp Company it is as soon as I can but I have to be good, yeah I know it's hard for me.

Here is what I have been working on tonight:

When I was at the Copic Certification class one of the Make and Take's next door to the class was a smaller Christmas chipboard that I thought was adoreable. Thus because I love the design and have tons of coasters waiting to be altered I decided to make this. I wanted Melanie Muenchinger's poinsetta's on one frame: Here are close ups of all of the frames.

Now you can see a little more of the detail. I used the cuttlebug snowflake folder and adhered it to a chipboard bird. The Merry Christmas tag is also chipboard. I sponged the edge of the tag with Real Red Stampin Up ink. I tied a knot in a piece of plaid christmas ribbon and tied another knot so that it looks like the bird is holding the ribbon in his beak.

I colored the Poinsettas with copic markers, I know surprise surprise and mounted them on foam mounting squares at different heights for dimension.

The third square is also a chipboard frame because I wanted to add a picture after Christmas I added glitter glue to the frame and them used my copic airbrush to add a green overlayer to the sparkly frame. I added a background piece of red for before picture is added and left the top open so that the picture could be inserted later.

The final frame is a beautiful red cardinal. I always like to do at least one cardinal item at Christmas time as they are such beautiful melodius birds that live in the evergreen tree behind my house. I mounted the cardinal image on a green scalloped square which I then mounted on a chipboard circle that I had sponged with Real Red ink.

I used Christmas ribbons in red, bold and plaid to tie the coasters together. I almost forgot to say that I used my Cropodile to punch the small holes in the coasters to thread the ribbon through.

Doesn't it look festive.

Have a great evening and thanks for looking.

Cathy

I found a Christmas Card Contest ?

Hi friends,
I was looking at the forum posts on Paper Craft Planet tonight and found an announcement from Sue Daly about a Christmas Card Contest that she is sponsoring. There are 4 categories: 1. Most unique color 2. Most Unique card 3. Unique 3-D 4. Vintage
You can enter the contest by submitting your card to the email address on Sue's page before November 15, 2008. From November 17 to November 30 people can go and vote on the cards.
I entered in the Vintage category, no surprise there. I can't tell you to vote for my card but go and vote for the best card in each category. The winner of each category wins a SU set of their choice valued at 25.00.
Here is the link to the Christmas Card Contest: http://www.stampndaly.com/?p=940

Now I am really going to bed.
Cathy

I am finally back on schedule--I think!

I know that my posts have been a little sporadic this week but hopefully I am back on schedule. I finished my 40 Christmas Team cards for my former manager, Cathy. I used the Christmas Blessings set from GinaK Designs to create the cards.

This is just a sampling of the 40 cards that I made. They are a little simple because of two things, I needed to keep the cost down for Cathy but still wanted pretty cards. Most importantly, they are for people who although they appreciate getting Christmas cards from their manager they may not necessarily appreciate the individual creation factor. I do it for Cathy because she wants her "team" to have something special from her because she truly cares about each and every one of them.

I have some challenge cards that I am working on and one example is this card:

The challenge drawing will be tonight I think. The challenge was to use either Little T's or Just so Sporty designed by Melanie Muenchinger sold at GinaK Designs and create a card. I created the card as a Support for Breast Cancer Awareness with words of inspiration scattered over the front of the card. I colored the hoodie with copic markers, stamped CHEER on the front which stands for Cheer for Life and attached a pink awareness ribbon to the front of the hoodie. The winner of the drawing will win one of Melanie's new stamp sets being released this coming Thursday night at the monthly GinaK Designs release party on Splitcoast Stampers website.

I know that people are visiting my blog because my counter moves up about 30-50 numbers per day but a lot of people just look and don't leave comments, or I just haven't created anything comment worthy lately. Wonder which it is? I think a lot of people, myself included, have been spending a lot of their free time on Paper Crafter Planet uploading photos and there are lots of activities going on at that site. I have to force myself to stay off sometimes because you can spend hours looking at all of the different companies that I am just discovering.

Speaking of new companies, at least new to me, Artistic Outpost is a site that I just ordered two new stamp sets from over the week-end. Their style of stamps seems to be more vintage and I think I am going to love them, I am just awaiting my confirmatio notice that they have shipped, hopefully tomorrow. You can find the website here: Artistic Outpost I think you will like what you see. I ordered Blue Birds and Serenity. Believe me you will see examples this week-end if the stamps come Friday or Saturday.

Gonna call it a night and package up my cards for Cathy so I remember to take them to work with me tomorrow.

Goodnight

Cathy

Another Busy Weekend!?!

Boy, another busy busy week-end is about to come to an end. I can go back to work to relax , just kidding.

Here is a card that I made using the Cozy and Warm Christmas set from GinaK Designs for the Saturday Challenge on the newly recreated Paper Craft Planet website.

Isn't this the cutest little girl all bundled up to play in the snow. I had colored her with copic markers and then tried to find some designer paper to match, no such luck. What to do? I decided to create my own matching paper using my Copic Airbrush system. I used the greens and blues that I had used for the jacket and sprayed them on a piece of white cardstock until I had just the right color. I let it dry just a little bit and then I used my cuttlebug and Quikutz cookie cutter circle to cut out the green scalloped edge circle. I used my Fiskars circle cutter to cut the orange circle and also to cut out the main colored image.

Next for the challenge I needed a second piece of designer paper on the left side. I embossed showflakes on white cardstock and then once again used my airbrush to create the soft marbled tones on the left hand side. The airbrushed ink doesn't wipe off the embossed snowflakes just by rubbing like it does with regular stamp pad ink so I used some Blender solution on a qtip to gently remove the color, just a swipe does it. I also airbrushed the same coral color on the edges of the right side cardstock piece and used the versamark pad a watermarked Joy randomly on the right side.

I sewed the layers onto my main piece of cardstock and then popped my main image up on 3 pieces of mounting tape for dimension. I added the piece of 1/8th inch ribbon to the center to make it not quite so plain, I think it worked.

The challenge was supposed to have a sentiment piece in the lower right section of the card but I just stamped the same Joy I had used for the watermarks in black ink instead.

This was a fun challenge to do. I look forward to doing the challenges on saturday since I am not usually too busy that day.

I finally finished my swap cards and they are postal, Yeah! I also almost have my Christmas card order done for my manager, just 5 more to finish assembling.

Have a good week and I will add some more pictures and things that I have been working on tomorrow night.

Take care,

Cathy

\

Fun Challenge on Paper Planet

Sorry I have not posted anything for a few days, life has taken over and gotten in the way of creativity. Now that just has to stop. Here is a card I made tonight for Jessica 's Challenge to make a thank you card for someone special to you.

I love this flower from Botanical Dreams that I bought from GinaK Designs a few months ago. I chose these colors as more fall tones. I mounted the flower image on an orange mat and then the orange mat on Always Artichoke and then mounted that on another orange.

I have seen a couple of really pretty cards in the past couple of days using a corner punch to create a circle with pretty cut out center. Looks like I spent hours cutting this out, Yeah right, you all know me better than that. Becca is the name of the lady on Split Coast Stampers that I watched a tutorial on how to create this circle cutout and it is really very easy once you have done one right. I punched the same corner punch in the upper right hand corner of the flower image to draw the image and sentiment circle together. I punched the corner in the orange layer beneath the flower panel for more dimention. I added 3 dew drops in the corner to accentuate the corner punch.

I added a dew drop to the corner design for a little added texture and dimension, it just seemed too plain.

I almost forgot to mention that I stamped the large flower from the Botanical Dreams set in the same Always Artichoke ink for my background and sponged around the edges with the same.

We'll see how they like it. The challenges are lots of fun to do and stretch my brain to think beyond itself.

Have a great Thursday and I should post something more tonight.

Cathy

Where did the weekend go?

Boy, what a busy but nice weekend. I had quite a bit of time for stamping but I am working on Land Cruise swap cards which are almost done. I am also working on a Christmas Card order which I should have done by tomorrow night. I'll post pictures of those cards when I get them done.

I got this stamped image as a hand out at the Copic Certification class that I took in Kansas City a few weeks ago. I didn't color the image until I got home. I love this type of image to color and can spend hours creating the detail. I finally got around to creating a card from the colored image. The Thomas Kincaid stamps are available at Cornish Heritage Farms and are available in mounted or unmounted.

I sponged the border of the Thomas Kincaid image with Basic Brown ink from Stampin Up. I mounted this image on River Rock which was also sponged with Basic Brown ink. The main piece of Cardstock for the card base is textured Chocolate Chip which I had purchased at Michaels. I stamped the small leave silhouette stamp from the Fresh Cuts Stampin Up stamp set using basic brown ink.

To finish the look I used a one inch wide piece of dotted swiss white organdy ribbon that I slipped through a flower slide which was a bulk buy item from Stampin Up. I think it added just the right touch without distracting from the image.

I hope you all have a great week and I will "talk" to you tomorrow.

Cathy