Out West arrived in the midwest!!!

I had to have Theresa Momber's very first set, Out West, created as a new illustrator for GinaK Designs. Theresa was the first follower on my blog and left the very first comment and I consider her my first cyber friend and I consider her a friend. She is one of the most talented stamp artists that you have ever seen and if you have been to her blog you know exactly what I am talking about. Theresa, here is the first of many cards that I will make with this totally awesome set.......

The set includes many images that can be used to create so many different cards or scrapbook pages, the possibilities are endless.

I masked the boots and stamped the cactus behind the boots. I had masked the skull to stamp the boots and cactus on the right hand side. I drew in the hitching post by hand and cut a slit in the saddle so that it looks like it is sitting on the hitching post. The saddle is popped up on dimensionals so that it looks like it is on the hitching post.

The Howdy sentiment is included in the set. I sponged around the image, added a button and the main image was complete.

When I ordered the Out West set I knew that I wanted the rope paper I had seen in the sneak peeks so I ordered the digital paper pack Rough and Rugged. It is awesome. I print my digi paper on GP cardstock because I usually use it as a card base and love the true colors I get when printing on it. I was able to download and print the paper on Monday and had to wait till today when my stamp set arrived.

Thanks for stopping by and Thanks to Theresa for creating such a totally wonderful horse lovers, not a cartoon, western set.

I'll be back later with an exciting announcement!

Cathy

Another Dog Gone Birthday!

This is a fitting card for many of my friends when it is time to celebrate another birthday!

Yep, my sentiments exactly!!! This is another darling digital stamp from The Digi Shack and priced at 2.50 per image they are a wonderful bargain, but even better I got all of mine when they had their Grand Opening and everything was 50% off. Yeah I know I am a cheap skate but I got to get twice as many images for the same amount of money. Just that many more images for me to feed my copic addiction :)

I colored the dog with copic markers and mounted it on turquoise and then on chocolate brown cardstock. I had the cuttlebug embossed layer already done and waiting for inspiration. I didn't want to hide all of the beautiful embossing so I left the embellishments to a minimum. I added the 3 brads at the bottom a piece of brown satin ribbon and in the upper left hand corner I used one of my large brown buttons. I didn't want it to look quite so much like a button so I added a blue prima flower and added a sentiment bubble on top.

It was a great plan to make the button with the clear word bubble except that the button was slightly rounded and the bubble didn't want to stay on. I added some Mono glue and used a small glue clamp, yep a craftsman :), and let it set overnight. Walla, my button was exactly the way I wanted it.

I saw on The Digi Shack blog tonight that there is a new sketch challenge up, you should check it out and play along. There is something about buying a digi image and within a few minutes of paying it is ready to download, print and start coloring. Dangerous I tell you ,Dangerous! :)

Speaking of digital downloads, GinaK Designs has a free paper pack on StampTV in the freeby section that is to die for. I have been using the GinaK Designs digital paper since she introduced them a few months ago. I have bought several and gotten several free. The new one is called Jersey Shore and the blues are beautiful. I have been complaining to myself for awhile that there weren't any blues to use, well now there are and the textures are so amazing.

GinaK recommends that you print on a high quality copy paper but I print mine on Georgia Pacific cardstock that I buy at WalMart. It works perfectly in my printer and because it is thicker than copy paper I think the colors are true and absolutely beautiful. You should try it, the price is right but watch out you will be hooked.

One last work on digital paper downloads, you may think that it is more expensive to buy the paper packs this way but remember you only have to print off the ones that you want. I print mine with my printer set at 8 1/2X11 borderless and it is perfect. When you buy an assorted paper pack at Michaels or Hobby Lobby you usually end up with a couple you really love and wish you had more of and the rest just sit and take up space, you know I am right :)

Have a great night.

Cathy

Artistic Outpost card for MOM!

I know that you think that I haven't been making any Artistic Outpost cards lately, well... I have ,I just can't show you yet :) Here is one I made with one of my new sets, Mini Masterpieces and Keeper that I got a couple of months ago.

I love old buttons and the buttons on the background image are from my grandfather's button collection. I even left the thread in the one button that had thread still attached. I have lots of interesting antique buttons in all different colors.

I don't usually make Mother's Day cards because my Mom has been gone for 24 years but I thought that these images were perfect for a Mother's Day Card.

The little square frames, bows, lace, and button collage are from the Mini Masterpieces stamp plate from Artistic Outpost. The Lady with fishing pole is from the Keeper stamp plate from Artistic Outpost.

Dog Gone Stamps is having a SALE! Check out their website and check out all of the specials!

Have a good one!

Cathy

Two GinaK Designs Challenges

Hi Everybody,

GinaK Designs had a release party last Thursday and therefore the ever popular challenges which allow you a random chance to win one of the new sets. There are three challenges and this post will show my two entries.

Challenge 2 is by Bev and is a great challenge called Yummy Recipe. You had to use:

1 side of designer/printed paper

2 different ribbons/fibers

3 eyelets

The second challenge is by Cammie and called Double Vision. The challenge is to use the sentiment stamp to create a background paper as well as the sentiment. I used both the 3 larger leaves and the sentiment to create my background paper. I like the way it turned out.

Thanks for the great challenges Bev and Cammie. I would love to win one more new release, I could only manage to get one, but that is still better than the past few months :)

Gotta go to work.

Be back with Theresa's Challenge tonight

Cathy

Digi Shack Challenge Week 2

Hi everybody,

I am so glad that things have settled down a little bit in my world and I have more time for stamping. The Digi Shack has a color challenge this week and the colors are going grey, summer sun, and certainly celery. Here is the card that I made using those colors:

When I bought this digital image my intention was to cut it out and color it more in the colors of a cone flower and turn it upside down, but once I colored this I really liked the way that it turned out so I left it as it was. I colored with copic markers and then because it was kind of plain I decided to do some paper piercing. I used my circle template and also my square template for the holes starting with the circle around the flower.

I had a little trouble deciding what type of background paper to use for the certainly celery as I didn't want my card to be too plain. I found this circle pattern paper that is pretty much certainly celery colored so that is what I went with for my certainly celery color along with the ribbon.

I made the sentiment tag by cutting three strips of paper and using a tag punch to make the ends tag like. I got this tip from my friend Theresa on her blog, crafting the web.

I am trying to finish a couple of GinaK Designs challenge cards before tomorrow so that I can try to win a couple of her new release sets. I could only manage to buy one set this release so hopefully I can win another. I have been pretty lucky winning GinaK stuff in the past few months :)

Gotta keep plugging away. You may see another post later tonight, you never know about me.

Dog Gone Stamps Blog Hop--Meet Daisy!

If you are here because you like to follow my blog, wonderful, glad to see you. If you are here to follow the Dog Gone Stamps Blog Dog Walk if you came from Jana's blog you are in the right place. If you didn't start at the beginning of the Dog Gone Stamps Blog Walk you should start at Lauri's blog.

Daisy is one of the sweetest looking dogs that you could ever ask to have. She is perfect for a greeting card, invitation to a 4th of July party or just to say hello.

I colored Daisy with copic markers and added the stripes and stars to her hat in honor of the celebration. I think she wore her self out at the parade, don't you?

Be sure to check out all of the other projects created by the rest of the Design Team Members and then go to DogGoneStamps and check out all the wonderful stamps they have to offer. I know you will find some images that you can't wait to play with, I know I always do.

The next stop on the Dog Gone Blog Dog Walk is Lisa Cook. Thanks for stopping by!

Check out the rest of the DT members blogs here:
Lauri Ingram
Mitzi Koons
Dana Grothaus
Lisa Foust
Jeanette Waters
Sandra MacLean
Sandy O Sullivan
Lorie
Jana Mays
Cathy Edgar
Lisa Cook
Tonya
Jacilynn Cox
Sparkle Smith


Nancy Torfin, Owner

Have a great week-end!

Cathy

Baby Wipe background technique

The StampTV tutorial last week was making a background using a babywipe. I have done the babywipe technique where you use the babywipe as an ink pad to get a varigated color stamping, but Gina's plaid background was really cool and I wanted to try it. Here is what I came up with:

Isn't that a cool plaid background. Be sure to check out the StampTV tutorial to see how easy this really is.

Did you notice the little crochet flower in the lower right hand corner. I made it. I am so terrible at following crochet directions that once I get the basic idea I make up my own pattern as I go along. It has taken me 3 days but I think I finally have a mental pattern that works. This was one of my beginning ones but I still like it. It is made from crochet thread and a fairly small crochet hook. Maybe tomorrow I will show you how I make the crochet flowers.

I was finally getting caught up on my stamping and my back decided to go out on me. I was home today and may try to go to work for half a day tomorrow. I don't have too many problems once I get standing or sitting it is just the in between movement.

Gotta go, see you tomorrow.

Cathy

It's not over till........

I have one quick card to show you this morning. It is a super cute Birthday wishing elephant from The Digi Shack:

All decked out in her bright pink skirt Ellie is ready to wish someone a very Happy Birthday. This card was made super simple by the fact that the designer paper I used had the stripes at the bottom already so I just added an edge created with my Martha Stewart scalloped border punch and a piece of ribbon and my card was done.

The images available at the Digi Shack are all digital images to download and priced very reasonably, check them out. I like that I can print multiple images on a page of cardstock and color a group all at once to have ready to make into a project. You can change the size or make them a mirror image all with the settings on your printer, very cool.

Gotta go to work.

See you tonight.

Cathy

I'm ready for Summer!

Since I have totally had all the cold weather I can stand I decided to show you this wonderful image called At the Beach from the 1926 stamp collection at Dog Gone Stamps.

The image was drawn by Doris Folkman Summerill in 1926, isn't it wonderful. I colored this image with copic markers and used my copic airbrush system to add the water and bale blue sky.

The card was created for a sketch challenge that is offered on the Dog Gone Stamp Group page on Paper Craft Planet.

The Dog Gone Stamp DT is having a blog hop, more affectionately known for this occassion as the Doggone Blog walk this coming Saturday April 25, beginning at 10:30 AM. Be sure to come and check-out the newest stamps offered. I am sure that you will find tons that you will love, I know I have :)

Catch you tomorrow, my long week-end is catching up with me and I am going to bed early tonight.

Cathy

Three new Digi Shack cards!

I love coloring these new images that I got from The Digi Shack last week. I find nothing more relaxing than coloring, therefore, my motto: "You never outgrow your need to Color!" followed by Growing Old is mandatory, growning up is optional! (my most strictly adhered to). Here are three cards that I finished tonight:

Isn't this a hoot, I love it. I colored the image with copic markers and used a sentiment and glass from a GinaK Designs set for the sentiment layer.

Two more for tonight and then I am going to bed:

I knew the first time I saw this image that I had to have it. It was a little hard coming up with a sentiment for this one but I think I finally came up with something cute. I used my new Martha Stewart scalloped edge punch that my stores have been out of for months. I colored with copic markers and sponged with black soot Tim Holtz distressed ink. The sentiment is computer generated.

Last for tonight and then the rest will be for later in the week.

Granny has my good fortune, but my grandkids love me anyway. The eyelids, wings, and magic? wand have Stardust glitter pen added.

Good night, See you tomorrow.

Cathy

A Charmed Life Candle gift

I thought that a candle in Kristen's wedding colors would be nice as a little house warming gift. I wanted to use the roses from A Year of Flowers by Melanie Muenchinger, sold at GinaK Designs. You all know this is my all time favorite set is you have followed my blog at all. I also wanted to include the To A Very Charming Couple, wine glass and ring charm and Cheers sentiment to the candle from Melanie's A Charmed Life stamp set. I used both sides of the candle to complete this task. Her wedding was yesterday and it was beautiful, outdoors at a Country Club gazebo. I just got home from Kansas City a little bit ago so wanted to get my candle posted.

I love to create candles with stamped images, it is very easy to do and the method I use is Tissue paper/waxed paper/heat gun. The first thing I do is stamp the images that I want to use on white tissue paper. I used Momento Tuxedo Black ink sold at GinaK Designs, for this candle. I then colored the images with Cat's eye chalk ink on a foam eye shadow make up brush by dabbing on the ink, you have to be careful not to tear the tissue paper. I have used colored pencils for coloring also but not on this image.

Once I had the images colored to my satisfaction I trimmed the images close so that they melt seamlessly into the cancle wax. I laid the images on the candle where I wanted them, doing one side at a time. I wrapped a 4X8 piece of waxed paper tightly around the candle and used my heatgun to melt the images into the candle. You can tell when the images have melted in because the tissue paper turns from white to clear. You don't want to melt the candle so much it runs but don't want to see any tissue edges either. You need to remove the waxed paper immediately so that the wax that is stuck on the waxed paper doesn't re-adhere to the candle as it cools.

Tip: Do not try to reuse the waxed paper, the image will not melt correctly, ask me how I know? Waxed paper is cheap so no reason to try to reuse it.

I added 3 little heart shaped brads by poking a shallow hole in the candle with a pin just enough so that the tip of the brad stem would go into the was and not bend and then just press in slowly until you have set it the depth you want.

I usually add ribbon or a charm but because I had words and an image and didn't really have that much extra room.

Warning to offer candle recipient: This candle can be burned but only down to the image because it is paper and will burn.

Hope you enjoy this project. If you have any questions, do not hestiate to send me an email.

My month as Melanie's guest designer is coming to a close but I will have a couple of more projects over the next few days.

It was a great week-end but really nice to be home.

Later,

Cathy

Challenge card--The Digi Shack

If you remember seeing my Easter Bunny card using a digital design from The Coconut Shack they opened for business yesterday and have a challenge. The name of the store has been changed to The Digi Shack, very cute, and this image was is a free download to take part in their first sketch challenge. Check out the challenge here.

I downloaded the image and printed it out the size I wanted for this card and punched it out with my Marvey Scalloped Circle Punch. I colored it with copic markers. The rest is pretty self explanatory. The tag is a Tim Holtz fragment tag. I love these tags because they are clear so you can stamp on a piece of designer paper or in this case tissue paper and adhere it to the back of the tag and it will not get worn and it doesn't distract from the focal image .

I added a little dot of stardust glitter pen to each stamen (sp) and in real life it is just the right touch of shimmer.

I am sooooo ready for spring and this image helps me forget the not so wonderful winter we had :)

Be sure to check out the darling images on The Digi Shack site and have a great day!

Just a reminder, I posted the winner of my Theme Frame tonight, Congratulations Brenda, hope you like it.

Cathy

Would you like to win this Theme Frame?

The winner of the Theme Frame is Brenda! comment number 22 as picked by ramdomnumber generator. I hope you like it. Send me your mailing address and I will get it in the mail to you right away. Thanks to everyone who left a comment.

I created this Theme frame for Donna's 3-D Challenge on StampTV for this month and it was going to be a gift for my SIL. She has decided to change her decor, so darn the bad luck, I decided that I would offer it as a Celebration blog candy prize for being chosen as Melanie Muenchinger's Guest Designer this month. ( I still can't believe that I get to say that!) I have been having a ball creating projects with Melanie's new A Charmed Life stamp set sold at GinaK Designs. This Theme Frame is my favorite project that I created with this set, so if you like it too, be sure to leave a comment and you may win it.


In case you forgot what it looks like here is a picture:

This post will remain on top until April 16th and I will use a random drawing tool to select the winner that evening.
If you check in tomorrow and this post is not still on top after I post a new one you will know for sure that I am not as smart as I thought I was about keeping this posted on top :) Life is a challenge isn't it!?!

I have some more A Charmed Life posts for the week-end so check back and be sure to leave a comment on this thread because you can't win if you don't comment.

Goodnight

Cathy

Vintage Halloween- Artistic Outpost

I have wanted to get this Vintage Halloween by Artistic Outpost set for awhile but it has been out of stock. I got it on Saturday and I just love it. I know it is early for Halloween but I am thinking of submitting some cards for publications so you have to plan a few months ahead :) a novel concept for me but I am working on it! What do you think?

I created this little scene with four of the stamps from the Vintage Halloween set by Artistic Outpost. I stamped the little girl, masked her and stamped the large pumpkin and wrought iron fence and the halloween sentiment abover her head. I colored with copic markers. My lighting wasn't as good as it should be to get the true colors. The dress is more purples than blues.

The coloring with copics was the easy part I wanted to create a evening sky with an ominous mood so I sponged with four different Tim Holtz distressed inks. I use the Tim Holtz foam applicators and work in a circular motion so as not to leave ink lines. It is amazing how much "muscle" it takes to create the background color, but it is worth the effort in my opinion.

Hey Robyn, (owner and stamp creator at Artistic Outpost), we need a spooky house?!?

What do you think, should I get brave and finish a card and submit it for publication? I have a real aversion to rejection and besides I am a big scaredy cat :)

Hope you like my Vintage Halloween preview, now I just need to make it into a card.

Have a great night and see you tomorrow night.

Cathy

New Copic Challenge Site Yippee!!

I was surfing the blogs the other night and saw a new site for copic marker challenges called Copic Creations. It was mentioned on Marianne Walker's blog so it must be a good one. I have just submitted my first challenge card for their first challenge. The challenges will be twice monthly on the first and fifteenth. I should be able to manage that. The challenge this time was to use a skin coloring technique. I used my flower girl image and completed a card.

I had colored this image, Flower Girl from Dog Gone Stamps, last week. I used the following copic markers for the skin color. E000, E31 and E33. These are basically the only three colors I use for the main skin color on a female image. I usually use R11 for the blush on a human image.

I completed this image by sponging around the edge of the image with Tim Holtz broken china and vintage photo distress inks. I mounted the main image on brown cardstock, the brown on a turquoise polka dot that I sponged vintage photo on the edge. That was mounted on a final piece of brown. The striped designer paper was some that I picked up at Hobby Lobby about a year ago and seems to be my go to dp when using turquoise. I added a piece of brown borner punched along the left side. Inside that I added a strip of K & Company paper flower border. I added turquoise gems inside each flower. I tied two pieces of narrow satin ribbon between the gems and main image as a boundary (and to cover my seam).

Very quick card. Thanks for looking.

I got a lot of projects done this week-end. Some I can show you and some I have to wait as they are DT work, I know I am soo mean, I think it will be worth the wait.

Did you happen to notice the Dog Gone Stamps blog walk hop button in the upper right hand corner of the page. Be sure to join us on April 25, at 10 am for a walk with the Dog Pound group. We will have lots of fun things to show you.

Back later or tomorrow depending on what else I get done tonight.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cathy

Happy Easter!

I found this darling free download bunny last week while blog hopping. I thought it would be perfect to make an Easter Card for all of my cyber friends. The website was Coconut Shack and they have some really cute images:

Isn't this just the cutest little bunny. I colored with copic markers and the easter eggs are stickers. The easter egg designer paper is from the Spring Paper pack from Joanne's several years ago.

I tied ribbon through the button holes for just a little added embellishment. The Happy Easter was cut out of another sheet of the easter paper from the same Spring Paper pack.

Have a wonderful Easter Week-end. I'll post more later tonight.

Cathy

Emboss Resist Butterfly and A Charmed Life

I have always liked the look of the embossed resist technique. There is just something about the stark white against a pretty background that I like. GinaK technique video on StampTV this week is the emboss resist so I had to play along. I created two cards:

For this card I used versamark ink to stamp the butterfly from Take Flight by GinaK Designs on white cardstock. I then used white embossing powder and heated it with my heat gun. I sponged with my Adirondak cranberry and Juniper inks for the two tone background. When you are done sponging over the whole picture you go over the white embossing with a dry towel to remove any ink.

I didn't think that the image needed much else but I added some K & Company half pearls, green in the upper right corner and pearl in the lower left. I tied a white satin ribbon under the main image and I will add a sentiment when I decide what occasion I will use it for.

I really like the way the wine glass and Happy Birthday sentiment from A Charmed Life by Melanie Muenchinger from GinaK Designs turned out. Did you see the little birthday present charm? I used the same technique but sponged the wine with the cranberry Adirondak ink and used Lemonade and Juniper for the rest of the sponging. I mounted the main image on black cardstock and attached brads from the Floral Frenzy StampTV kit. The white paper flowers and black and white checked ribbon are also from the kit.

I mounted the main image on a piece of digital paper, from the Floral Elegance digital paper pack on GinaK Designs, that I had printed on GP cardstock.

Sorry I have been absent off and on but I am still playing catch up from being sick. I am finally back in the swing of things so life is good! Thanks for stopping by. TGIF tomorrow and I have the whole week-end free to stamp.

Thanks for stopping by,

Cathy

Class Reunion Scrapbook layout

I was raised in a small rural community town in Iowa and so the Home stamp plate from Artistic Outpost is perfect for my Class Reunion scrapbook page.
I wanted to use the new masks that I got at Michaels for the page as well. The masks are Tim Holtz and are so easy to use. I can use them with my Tim Holtz applicator sponges or my copic airbrush. For this page I used the airbrush.
I used the barn, Home sentiment, trees, barbed wire and the sentiment "country roads take me home" from the Home stamp plate and stamped them all in brushed corduroy Tim Holtz Distressed Ink. I sponged around the barn image and home with Vintage Photo Tim Holtz distressed Ink.
The school mascot was the Wildcat, We are the wildcats, mighty mighty wildcats,, Sorry having backflashes :) The Wildcat on our gym wall looked exactly like the Tiger from the Vintage Circus stamp plate so he gets to be on my reunion page as well.
I won't really add any more embellishments to this page until I go to the reunion and get some photo so add. My plan is to have this page be the right side of a two page layout and have a collage of pictures on the other page and only one group picture finished in Sepia on this page.
I don't very often create a scrapbook page but every once in a while one comes to mind and I go with it.
It is kind of hard to see the print at the bottom of the page but there are trees on the left side and the "country roads take me home" sentiment and then the barn image with trees on the right hand corner.
Be sure to check out the Artistic Outpost blog and store for lots of ideas for all of their wonderful stamp plates.

Thanks for stopping by, see you tomorrow

Cathy

Let's Do Lunch!

Dog Gone Stamps has new stamps and boy are they cute. I had gotten the fish and worm on a hook with my original DT stamp order and Brian created the Underwater Sea Scape to go with it, isn't it just perfect!

The card is pretty self explanatory, I colored the image with copic markers and the background designer paper is from the Ocean Glass paper pack I purchased at Michaels a few months ago. I tied the yellow stitched ribbon into my anyone can tie this bow knot and my card was complete. I thought the sentiment was funny to go with this card.

The sentiment is from A Charmed Life by Melanie Muenchinger and sold at GinaK Designs.

Tomorrow I will have a new Artistic Outpost card for you. Sorry for the short post but my daughter was using the computer tonight. See you tomorrow.

Have a great day!

Cathy

Copic Challenge Week7

A few weeks ago I applied for the Inky Impressions DT. For those of us that didn't get chosen for the next round we were offered this darling digital image to download.

I decided to color this image for the Copic Challenge for week 7 which was to use the:

R22, E47, and B12.

I had R22 and B12 but substituted #43 for the brown. I colored this with copic markers (duh, I know Copic Challenge) and mounted the main image on a piece of coral cs that I used my corner rounder punch to scallop the right edge. I then mounted that piece on green polka dot, that on white and finally my last main image matt is black. The base designer paper is from the Chloe paper pack from Michaels.

I tied a piece of pink gingham check ribbon to the main panel inside the scalloped edge and used my white gel pen to add dots to the scallop edge.

Off to work on some more projects that I have going today. Thanks for stopping by and I look forward to having you stop by again.

Have a great day!

Cathyy

A Charmed Life Jewelry Set!

I created a Jewelry Set of earrings and a pendant using Melanie Muenchinger's, A Charmed Life ,and I really like the way my first attempt at jewelry making turned out. This stamp set is available at GinaK Designs.

I mentioned yesterday that I bought some faux Vintage buttons to use on my more vintage style cards. I was outside with the dogs and thinking of other projects when I thought that the buttons would make a wonderful earring and necklace set. My ideas are usually pretty good in my mind but to get from point A to point finished sometimes uses a lot of alternate plans :) Here is what I created:

I thought that it would be pretty to just stamp one of the tiny charms directly onto the half pearl, yeah, impossible to do. I decided that since the half pearls pop out that I would stamps the sayings that I wanted onto some sticky labels and adhere them to the center, Not so pretty.

I did stamp the phrases Mazal Tov! on the earrings and Like fine wine you improve with age! on the pendant. I stamped the phrases on shrinky dink frosted and punched the earring phrases out with a 1 inch circle punch and I punched the pendant circle out with a 1/38 SU punch. I had never done these before so I was guessing at the correct circle size and miracle of miracles my guess was perfect. I had to place a small white circle over the holes on the button backs where the half pearls snapped in. I found a pair of pierced earring backs and glued them to the back of the button. I don't make jewelry so I didn't have a way to hang the pendant from a chain. I did have some small gold D rings that I use for ribbon so I glued one to the bottom side of the button top lining the loop I left peaking at the top with the lettering so that it would hang straight when worn. I let this all dry over night and mounted the earrings on the display hanger to take the picture.

What do you think of my first attempt at jewelry making?

I will be back in a bit with a Copic Challenge Card to post.

Cathy

StampTVMonochromatic Challenge Card

I am finally feeling better. The grandkids in town spent the night last night because my daughter has a class on Saturday mornings and between the other grandma in town and myself we watch them. I did manage to get a Challenge card made for StampTV and if you can believe it, there is no coloring on this card.

I used one of my favorite sentiment stamps from Melanie Muenchinger's A Charmed Life stamp set and stamped it in white ink on the crackled brown main image. Usually when I don't make a card that I use an image that can be colored I love to make cards of this type. I usually make them a little more elaborate than my norm and with a more vintage look.

I already knew that I wanted to do some GinaK Designs StampTV challenges this week-end. It seems like forever since I have done any so this is the first. I went to Michaels today and I have been wanting some Vintage buttons and they had a huge package that were perfect for what I want to use them for. They also had the scrolled die cut at the bottom of the card. It is a cuttlebug that was normally 20.00 and they had it on clearance for 10.00. There are two different dies in the package.

I also used my cuttlebug to emboss the top note die with the script folder. I sponged the edges with Adirondak Juniper ink and also Tim Holtz Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

I used the Tim Holtz Crackle paint for the sentiment diecut piece. I applied the Vintage Photo crackle paint onto a piece of chipboard and when it was dry and crackled I punched it out with my Marvy Scalloped oval punch. I sponged the edge with Brilliance Moonlight white ink.

I added the brown ribbon to the coordinating narrow panel, behind the top note die piece, and added two bow knots. I added the button to the die cut at the bottom and a double blossom prima flower to the upper right hand corner. The center gold rimmed pearl is holding the flower blosoms together. The flower was attached with pop dots.

I am going to keep working on more challenges and a few more things I have in mind for A Charmed Life.

See you tomorrow!

Cathy

Love my new DogGoneStamps!

I get to be a Design Team Member for Dog Gone Stamps for another term, I am very excited. I love the stamps that Nancy and Brian are creating and because I love to color they are even more perfect for me. Here are two new images that I got today. I need to do a little out of line repair work but couldn't wait to show you my first new images I colored tonight.

Isn't this image called Flower Girl absolutely beautiful. I haven't decided what kind of project to create with this image but I couldn't wait to show it to you. I imagine that I will use this image to make a Birthday card for my sister who loves Angels.

Brian draws the most realistic looking dogs as well as wonderful more animated ones. Doesn't Daisy just make you go Awwwh. I wanted this image to create cards for the 4th of July. I drew in the stripes and added the stars to the hat.

I am not happy with my coloring of the pup's body but I love her little face and feet an because it is most certainly a beagle the white tip on her tail.

Be sure to check out the new stamps at Dog Gone Stamps because there are lots of new stamps. It is easy to spot the categories that have new stamps because they are in Red type. Go take a look you won't be disappointed.

See you tomorrow

Cathy

Charming Friend Cornflowers

I am in the mood to color so I used Melanie's A Year of Flowers and used the technique she showed on her blog a while back on how to make the large daisy flower into a cornflower. Pretty smart trick. What do you think?

I am so tired of winter that I wanted some pretty flowers and the illusion of Spring. When I think flowers I always use my A Year of Flowers set by Melanie Muenchinger, sold at GinaK Designs.

I colored the cornflowers with copic markers and cut them out. I cut out the tulip also that I had colored the night before.

I used my SU set Inspired by Nature as the base for the flower heads. I used my Cat's eye chalk ink for the flower base as I wanted a subtle look. I sponged the edge of the Top Note Die cut panel with Adirondak Juniper ink.

The cut flower heads are popped up on dimensionals. I wanted to add a sentiment from A Charmed Life and my original plan was to use 3 of my Tim Holtz fragment tags and they would look like petals that had fallen from the cornflower. It was good in theory but after trying for hours to make it work decided that it looked stupid. Plan B is always in the back of my mind. I stamped the sentiments I wanted on vellum and adhered them to read, "To a Very" in the upper left corner, "charming" just above the pink gingham checked ribbon, and I left "Friend" on the fragment tag and adhered it to look like a tag hanging from the ribbon.

I really like the way it turned out but it was more of a challenge than I had planned.

I got some new DogGone Stamps in the mail today and my plan for tonight is to color, color, color so I will have new stuffs to show you.

I know that I will have another post tonight but wanted to take advantage of having the afternoon off to post early, not my usual "later than a night owl" post :)

TFL

Cathy