Crazy for Challenges - aquatic theme

Hello Stampers!

I'm thrilled to be joining the Crazy for Challenges blog as guest designer for June!
This week is all about water!  We're being challenged to use aquatic themes in our creation which is perfect for this beautiful summer weather.
I found a cute little anchor on the Silhouette store for my Cameo and combined it with some watery colours (the new Stampin' Up Coastal Cabana & Pistachio Pudding).  I've added a little rope for the true nautical look.
The background is stamped with MFT Abstract Art which I've been dying to ink up for a while now.
Please visit my C4C friends to see a little watery love - and join in the fun this week!

Sarah
xx

High Hopes new release blog hop!

Welcome to stop # 8 of 11 on the High Hopes Christmas Release Blog Hop!

You should have come here from the talented Kristine (if not, feel free to go back and see her gorgeous creation!).

And your next visit will be to the lovely Alex!

This is the lovely new "Christmas Joy" snowman from High Hopes that will be available to purchase on Thursday!  Don't miss out on your order for one of these GORGEOUS new stamps!  I must admit that I really dragged my heels on getting out the Christmas crafting supplies this month.  Especially since I'm still wearing shorts and I HATE saying goodbye to summer every year :-(  BUT these cute little snowmen have helped "ease" me into the spirit!

If you've been following my posts this week leading up to the official release date, I am continuing with my colour scheme for my cards with the GORGEOUS new Bo Bunny Blitzen paper.  DEFINITELY my fave of the new Christmas papers so far!  A perfect match with Stampin' Up kraft paper.  I've added the coordinating cardstock stickers, and accented with a beautiful Prima flower I had left from last year, and some self-adhesive pearls.  Those who follow me know my love with the Spellbinders nestability dies, and this is one of my favourite, labels ten.

I've stamped my little snowman on Copic XPress It with Memento ink in Tuxedo black and coloured him with my Copics.  I always look for an opportunity to use some BG's!

Copic colours:  BG18, BG15, BG13, BG11, BG10, E55, E53, E51, R39, R37, R35, R32, W3, W1, W0, W00, YG17, YG25, YG03, YR12.

I am a proud member of the Scrappin' Great Deals design team, and I'll certainly be featuring these High Hopes stamps on my blog posts over there as they become available for sale.  Maybe I'll even teach with them this fall!  By the way - there is an AWESOME sale on over there right now.....

go to Scrappin' Great Deals to

Save 25% on Spellbinders & Cuttlebug!!

This includes Grand Calibur, Cuttlebug Machine & sooo much more!!

Click here for our extensive Spellbinders Gallery!

Click here for amazing selection of Cuttlebug Products!

(pre-orders & clearance are excluded from this offer)

plus ...

With every $25 purchase (pre-tax) you will receive a FREE bottle of Stickles!

No coupons necessary - discounts will automatically be applied

These special offers end Friday, September 23rd @ midnight

Offers cannot be combined with other discounts/coupons

Tell them Sarah sent you!

Carrying on to your next visit along the High Hopes new release blog hop - please visit Alex!  And when you get back to the High Hopes blog, don't forget to enter this week's challenge "Home for the Holidays".  You have another week to enter your submission - and win some awesome new stamps!!

Happy stamping!

Sarah
xx

High Hopes new release and "Home for the Holidays" challenge!

Hello stampers!


I'm absolutely thrilled to be a guest designer for High Hopes stamps this fall!  And I think I got the BEST release ever to work with!  Just wait till you see these images - they are awesome.  It was really hard to choose which ones to work on for the release this week!


This week - please join us for two special events - our "Home for the Holidays" challenge as well as our brand new Christmas release and blog hop!


This little snowman is absolutely one of my new faves for the holidays.  With his string of hearts, he is SO PERFECT for Christmas!  He just shouts old fashioned family Christmas to me.  And as soon as I found these beautiful Bo Bunny Blitzen papers at Scrappin' Great Deals, I KNEW they would be a perfect match!  I love these old fashioned colours, and muted combinations for Christmas, compared to the very traditional, staid red & green. 

I had a great time colouring this guy with my beloved Copics.  I am 100% a Copic girl, and so High Hopes stamps are ideal for me!  They have nice open spaces to get some really good blending & shading and to really build up that colour.


Be sure to go to the High Hopes blog and see some more of these gorgeous new images!  They are guaranteed to put you in the Christmas spirit!

Stamp:  High Hopes Snowman with Heart String
Paper:  Bo Bunny Blitzen, Copic XPress It
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Tim Holtz for Ranger Antique Linen Distress Ink
Cardstock:  SU! Kraft
Dies:  MFT sentiment die, Spellbinders Nestabilities Lacey Hearts, Tim Holtz Alterations Brackets Edge Punch
Accessories:  SU! ribbon, Diamond Stickles, Sticky Thumb Adhesive, Tim Holtz blending tool
Copics:  E79, E77, E74, E71, R29, R27, R24, B97, B95, B93, B91, E15, E13, E02

Happy Stamping!
Sarah
xx

now designing for High Hopes stamps!

Happy Tuesday and Happy Back to School Day!

My baby is starting GRADE TWO today – I can hardly believe it!  Where did the last 7 years go?  Seriously!

I’m THRILLED to bits to be a new Guest Designer for High Hopes stamps!  I’ve loved this line of stamps for a long time, especially because they are perfect for Copic markers (my favourite medium).  So I’m looking forward to inking up many of their beautiful new release images once they arrive!  YAY!

I stamped this little guy for the “Back to School” theme over at High Hopes.  Be sure and enter the challenge for your chance to win 3 High Hopes stamps of your choice!!  What a great prize!!

 Also come and check us out at our new page on Facebook for lots more creative ideas!

I’ve stamped my little mouse on Copic Xpress It – and coloured him in Copics.  I’ve used Nestabilities Labels Eight in two of the sizes to create a frame as well as the Shapeabilities Butterflies die to create a two-layered dimensional butterfly.  This BEAUTIFUL paper was a perfect way to ease me into the fall mood, even though I hate to give up the summer.  I really am a summer girl – I have such a hard time with winter – ugh.  I’ve spritzed all my paper with Glimmer Mist in Dazzling Diamonds.  I just love the shimmery effect it gives.  I’ve added some gold Smooch to add extra oomph to the flower and some other flowers in the pattern.  I’ve used My Favorite Things rolled daisy die (I LOVE this) and found a coordinating brad in my stash to finish it off.

My background is on SU! Kraft - and I've used two SU! stamps in Tim Holtz for Ranger distress inks to create the setting for my little mouse.  Of course, I've added a little extra bling here and there with some Stickles and some 3D glaze on my little mouse.  I've typed my own sentiment which I found in this awesome book InspirationStation Book of Quotes/ Titles.

And if you're in the mood for a little enabling - check out my post on the Scrappin' Great Deals blog..

 Happy stamping!

Sarah

xx

Cardstock:  SU! Kraft & Early Espresso
Paper:  Copic Xpress It, Basic Grey pyrus
Spellbinders:  Labels Eight, Shapeabilities Butterflies
Other dies:  My Favourite Things Rolled Daisy die
Stamps:  High Hopes mouse under mushroom, Stampin’ Up Linen Background, Inspired by Nature.
Ink:  Tim Holtz Distress inks, Walnut stain, Frayed burlap, Antique linen
Copics:  E59, E57, E55, E53.  E13, E11, E02, E01, R22.  E44, E43, E2, E41.  R29, R27, R24, R22, YR23, BG78, BG75, BG72.  BG02.  YG99, YG97, YG95, G40.  BG10.
Accessories:  Glimmer Mist, Crystal Stickles, 3D Crystal Lacquer, Gold Smooch, Sticky thumb adhesive roller & dimensionals, SU! Dimensionals, Tim Holtz blending tool

fun with MFT dies

This card was just for fun!  Not for a challenge, or design team, or custom order, or anything other than for me!  What a thrill!

I LOVE MFT dies - they are just some of the best in the business honestly!  Now, the rolled flowers did have me stumped for a while, but many YouTube views later, I think I have at least a start at it!

I've used "Own Your Story" stamp set & die combo here which I just ordered last month.  I think it's just a beautiful and versatile set.  I love it!  And how strange for me - a card with no coloring!  Imagine!

I wanted to use all muted, neutral tones here to coordinate with this beautiful Bo Bunny et cetera paper, and to show off the dies really.  I've also used quite a bit of Tim Holtz for Ranger distress ink with the ink tool, which I don't usually reach for.  So this card was quite out of my ordinary style!

I've coordinated with some Stampin' Up cardstock in Kraft and Chocolate Chip, and I've used the Memento ink in both Tuxedo Black and Rich Cocoa.   I LOVE stamping on designer paper - think it just looks so nice.  And the stamps in this set are really versatile - they went so well with this Bo Bunny paper.

I've been trying to figure out this rolled rose die for a while now, and the right material to use with it.  Finally I found some felt that worked just right.  I did try with the Tim Holtz grunge paper, but I just found it too thick and rigid to work with.  Practice makes perfect I hope!

The distress inks I used were Antique Linen and Victorian Velvet.  I've used my beloved Viva Pearl Pen (how did I live without this thing?), some gold smooch, 3D crystal lacquer, and crystal Stickles.  Can NEVER have enough bling!

Happy Stamping!

Sarah
xx

Kraftin' Kimmie Kimiko for BookEndz!

This summer I found this great combination of my two hobbies online - reading and Copics!  Check out the "BookEndz" book club on the "Color Me Creative" online classroom!

The book that we read this month was "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" by Lisa See, which I loved!  I think I read it in about 3 days, which is a record for me.  I absolutely love period stories anyway, and this one was so rich in detail - I loved it.  A great read.  It is about women in ancient China and their place in society, their relationships with other women and the controversial practice of footbinding.  Really interesting.

At the end of the month, we were asked to create a project inspired by the book - and here is mine!

I wasn't sure where to find a Chinese stamp at first, but then found a selection of them from Kraftin' Kimmie!  And of course, I chose red and gold as my colours.  I've also tried for the first time the trend which is ALL OVER the blog world lately - of colouring Copics with no black lines.  So - bear in mind - this is my FIRST attempt!  I'm hopeful that I'll get better at it!

I'm not sure why, but I seemed to go with the toughest techniques on this card - coloring with no lines, blending reds, and black hair!  Sucker for punishment I guess.  I've used Copic XPress It paper with Memento London Fog ink.  I've spruced her up a little with some 3D Crystal Lacquer, some Viva decor liquid effect pen on the flowers, and some gold Smooch.

I had fun coloring this image - and LOVED the book!  I'm anxiously awaiting the party on Thursday night and the announcement of the next book!  Funnily enough that cooincides with my real life book club.  Good thing I like reading!  I did try to coax it out of Suzanne when she came to teach here earlier in the month - but no luck.  She wasn't giving in!

Happy stamping!

Sarah
xx

Stamp:  Kraftin’ Kimmie Kimiko

Ink:  Memento London Fog.  Gold smooch ink.

Cardstock & Paper:  Stampin’ Up (Cherry Cobbler)

Accessories:  Prima flowers, Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels Eight.  Gold stickers.   SU! Embossing Folder.  3D Crystal Lacquer.  Sharpie Poster Paint Pen.

Copics:  R29, R27, R24, R22.  YR23, Y15, Y11, Y00.  C9, C7, C5, C3.  E13, E11, E02, E01, E00.  C2, C00.  C4.  BG10.  B00.  Multi-liner.

High Hopes Stamp Challenge

Hello everyone and happy August!

We are having a beautiful summer here in London - absolutely fantastic!  And for some reason it is motivating me to craft!  Well, that along with the fact that I had my crafty Mother-in-Law here for two weeks, AND I've been making time to get together with my stamping and crafting friends lately!  We had an awesome time at Friday night crop at Scrappin' Great Deals last week - if you live in the area - definitely come and hang out with us some time!  It's a blast!

I am also LOVING this weather and spending so much time outside - enjoying my backyard and deck.  Even sharing my son's little pool with him!  It fits my bum, so it works for me!  And I happen to really like taking photos of my cards outside - instead of inside.  I just like the look of the outside shots personally.

I'm especially motivated lately because I'm beyond excited to go to a full day workshop with Suzanne Dean this Sunday!  HURRAY!  I've been looking forward to this for MONTHS!  If you don't know of her, and you're a Copic fan, you really need to check out her blog - and her FABULOUS YouTube tutorials!  I really love them - they are so helpful.

I've been re-discovering my High Hopes stamps lately, which were buried in my stash.  They are beautiful images to colour with Copics.  I really love little people, and love colouring skin and hair especially, so these are perfect for me!  You can find a full selection of them at Scrappin' Great Deals.  Sheila keeps all the latest in stock!  And my beloved friend and fellow stamper Andrea happens to be on their design team - so that certainly helps - as she's one of my crafty inspirations!  (Definitely check out her beautiful blog for some inspiration - she is so talented).

I stamped this little girl with Memento tuxedo black, on XPress It cardstock.  I always pull my Copic colours from my paper, and this one is My Mind's Eye, Lime Twist - Fly a Kite.  I coordinated with Stampin' Up Pumpkin Pie and Buckaroo Blue to pull from the papers.  I really like working with the 6x6" paper stacks and pulling all my other colours (card, flowers, Copics) from there.

I started by colouring her overalls in blue with B00, B02, B04, B06, B18.  I've feathered over with the colourless blender a little to bring in some more highlight.  I then coloured her t-shirt, bows, and patches in orange with YR07, YR04, Y38, trying to get a little contrast at least, even in those tiny spaces.  Then I picked up the red in the flowers & ladybugs, with R14, R24, R26.  I've coloured the little hearts in R14, R12.  The skin I used my usual combo of E11, E02, E01, E00, R20.  I like having lots of depth in the face and lots of shading.  I just like the effect on my little characters faces.  Her hair I've used my favourite combo E35, E31, YR20, which can really give different effects depending on how many layers you do, and how much white space you leave.  The shoes and buckles are with E29, E27, E25.  The grass and leaves are done with G20, G21, G24, G29.  I've highlighted her eyes with B00 (I'm not fond of leaving "empty" eyes) and as I usually do, outlined the whole image with BG10 (my favourite colour).  I've highlighted the little "dots" in B00, added some diamond glaze to the bugs and the flowers, and some stickles to the dots and lines, just to perk it up a little!

I added some Prima flowers, some rhinestones, and a cute sentiment from My Favorite Things - stamped on some of the Lime Twist paper and punched with a die from My Favorite Things.

I've entered this card into these challenges:
High Hopes:  anything goes
Oldie but Goodie:  Outdoors
Creative Craft Challenges:  summertime
Everybody Art Challenges:  summer
Craft Your Passion:  favourite season
Have a great week!

Sarah
xx

Kraftin' Kimmie Abigail Apple in Copic pastels

Here's my latest Kraftin' Kimmie creation!  I LOVE a stamp with a full skirt - so much fun to colour!  And these colours are my ABSOLUTE favourite.  I have gone through two packs of this beautiful Bo Bunny Gabrielle paper.  It just suits me to a t!

I've stamped Abigail on XPress It with Memento tuxedo black.  I've antiqued the edges with distressing ink and punched her out with a Nestie. After colouring, I've added a few accents with my Sharpie Poster Paint pen and crystal glaze on the apples.  I did have to give her some eyelids and eyelashes.  The big eyes seemed too "blank" for me!

Colours:
Dress:  R17, R14, R12, R11
Apples, sash, bows:  G24, G21, G20
Hair:  E49, E29, E25, E33, E31
Basket:  E35, E34, E33
Skin:  E11, E01, E00, E000, R20, R00
Outline:  Bg10
Eyes:  B00

As mentioned, this is my fave Bo Bunny Gabrielle paper (6x6 stack).  I've used SU! Cameo Coral.  I've antiqued all the edges with distressing ink.  I've added some cute little plastic flowers I had, and some self-adhesive pearls (I LOVE these patterned ones!).  And then I've punched out various Gabrielle papers with my new My Favourite Things dies:  Die-namics Dizzy Doily, Die-namics Sweet Stack Labels, and inside I've used Die-namics Dizzy Border. 

To abide with Kimmie's challenge, I've decorated the inside for once!  I used some more Gabrielle paper, SU! Very Vanilla, antiqued the edges, and stamped with a quote from the SU! Asian Artistry set (I LOVE this set!).

I'm entered this card into the following challenges:
Kraftin' Kimmie
Copic Challenge #54, Pastel Colors

Happy Summer!  It's a hot one here today - 33 - phew!

Sarah

High Hopes Bear Hugs Thank You Challenge

I had a wonderful week of crafting with my mother-in-law who's been here visiting from England!  Sadly my inlaws went home today, and it's back to work for me tomorrow - boohoo!

Here's a card I finished up this morning, for the High Hopes "Thank You" Challenge!
also for the Crazy 4 Challenges C4C95 Challenge.

I've stamped High Hopes "Bear Hugs" in Memento, rich cocoa, on X-Press it paper.  I've coloured her in Copics, punched out with my Nesties ovals and mounted her on My Mind'sEye, Fine and dandy, "tickled pink" paper (punched with Nesties scallop ovals).  I used another piece of paper from the same 6x6 paper pad, and mounted all on SU! cardstock. I also used SU! certainly celery (which I've embossed with a Cuttlebug folder) and kraft cardstock, and topped with an SU! taffeta ribbon.  The "Thank You" sentiment is a SU! stamp, which I've stamped on the "tickled pink" paper with Memento, tuxedo black, and used my Nesties scallop ovals again, and pop-dotted.  I've added some self-adhesive rhinestones, and some paper roses, which I've accented with liquid glaze (thank you Andrea for this great tip!) to look like dew drops.

Copics used:

Bear:  E35, E31, E53, E50, R20, RV11

Skirt/ flowers:  R89, R85, R83, R81

Shirt/ shoes:  YG97, YG67, YG63, YG61

Socks/ t-shirt:  C1, C00, C000

Hair:  E31, E25, E29, E49

Bandage:  E13, E11

Skin:  E11, E01, E00, E000, R20, R00

Grass:  G21, G24, G29

Outline:  BG10

Happy Summer!

Sarah

La-La Land Sweetheart Marci for Copic Challenge

This is my FIRST La-La Land stamp, and it certainly won't be my last!  What a gorgeous image - and PERFECT for Copic colouring!!

I've used SU! Concord Crush and Barely Banana, which I've embossed.  I've used the gorgeous Prima Sweet Fairy 6x6 Paper - what pretty colours!  Accented with a Prima flower, clear SU! button with twine, and some old SU! ribbon I had.

Copics used:

C00, C0, C1

E11, E01, E00, E000, R20

V25, V20, V93

YR23

Y32, Y35

R85, R83, R81

E49, E29, E25, E33, E31

I've created this card for the following challenges:

Copic Challenge No. 53:  White Clothing

Simon Says Stamp Challenge:  A Stitch in Time

Papertake Challenge:  Anything Goes (bonus buttons)

Card Positioning Systems:  No. 225

Happy July everyone!

Sarah

Tim Holtz Movers & Shapers Bird & Cage and Glassine Paper

Still having an awesome summer vacation this week - with my inlaws visiting from the UK.  My Mother-in-law Carol and I have been creating non-stop and spending lots of time at my favourite store, Scrappin' Great Deals and attending lots of craft workshops, including an awesome morning yesterday with my good friend Andrea Murdock.  I LOVE any chance to spend time with my crafting friends - and my beloved Copics!

Here's a card we worked on together after Andrea's workshop last week, where I picked up a new fave, Tim Holtz for Sizzix Movers & Shakers!

Here we stamped SU! French Script in Memento Brown on SU! Very Vanilla, then sponged several distress inks and some chalk inks.  With Baroque Motifs, we embossed in detail white EP and inked the edges with distressing ink.  We punched that out with SU! Top Note Die.  We've used SU! Cool Carribean & Chocolate Chip Cardstocks.

My new faves here - Viva Decor Pearl Pens!  Can't get enough of these!  I also discovered the Tim Holtz Glassine Paper.  SO lovely!  So we've cut out of this paper with the Tim Holtz for Sizzix Movers & Shapers Bird & Cage.  Aren't they adorable? 

Happy Summer!!

Sarah

Kraftin' Kimmie's Krafty Quotes

One more card for the weekend!

I've used SU! cardstock and Prima Jack & Jill paper (6x6 stack).  This quote is from Kraftin' Kimmie, and the sentiment is from SU!.  I've included some paper piercing, and used the SU! Top Note die (three times) as well as a Prima flower, and a Pearl brad, and some SU! self-adhesive pearls.

I've created this card for the following challenges:

Kraftin' Kimmie Challenge #71, Spring Colours

CPS 211 Part 1

ABC Challenge Q is for Quilting/ Sewing

 

Happy Spring!

Sarah

xx