time for hot apple cider!

Hello Stampers!

It's almost that time of year again - time for hot apple cider and cozy visits with friends, chats by the fire!

I made this card for the latest Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge - which is a sketch challenge.

I've used one of my favourite Smooches sets, and a brand new for fall Bo Bunny 6x6 pad, "Apple Cider".

Happy Fall!
Sarah
xx

Halloween Smooches!

Hello Stampers!

It's nearly that time again - getting ready for Halloween!  Costumes are in the stores - and crafting supplies are on the shelves.  Here are my first Halloween creations of the season!

I've used the brand new Spookalicious from Paper Smooches.  I love my Paper Smooches and I love paper piercing - so this was a great combo!  As always this is a great set, very versatile - with lots and lots of little elements.

I used an old 6x6 paper pad I had, Bo Bunny Garden Girl, because it was the perfect combo of green, orange, and purple.  I've embossed the little bats with some regular embossing powder.  I used a Memory Box die to cut the fence.

Happy Stamping!

Sarah
xx

High Hopes sneak peek - day 2!

Here's my creation for Day Two of the High Hopes Christmas release!

I am loving working with these stamps!  They are the prettiest Christmas stamps I've seen in a while, and so much more versatile than the usual ones I see.

I've continued my theme with the beautiful new Bo Bunny Blitzen paper.  I admit that I do have an addiction to 6x6 paper stacks - but this one is different - really!

I've stamped High Hopes Snowman with Bird on Copic XPress It with Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  And (of course) I've coloured him with Copics!

I punched him out with my Nesties Ovals and the background paper with the Nesties scalloped ovals - and pop dotted them.  I printed the sentiment myself on SU! Kraft paper, and punched it with my Nesties also.

I've added some gorgeous handmade crochet flowers that I found on Etsy, and added some accents with my Viva Decor pearl pen.

I'm also entering this card to the challenge for the brand new Touch Twin Markers by ShinHan!

Copic Colours: 

R39, R37, R35, R32; YR12; E79, E77, E74; YG17, YG25, YG03; B97, B95, B91; E55, E53, E51; W5, W3, W1, W0, W00; BG10.

I am having such a great time as a Guest Designer for High Hopes - only wish I could do this full time - now that would be a fun career!

DO NOT miss our awesome Blog Hop - tomorrow - Thursday, Sept. 22 - and also to see the full release of these beautiful stamps!

Hope you enjoyed this little sneak peek!

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

MFT Pure Innocence and Copics

Hello all!

VERY pleased to share this awesome deal with you! If you sign up this month at SGD, you can get 50% off any class of your choice in the month of October! What a great way to get back into the winter crafting season again! I'll be teaching two classes in October - Copic 101 on Oct. 12 and Intermediate Copics on Oct. 27.

I wanted to share with you the cards we'll be making at my October 27 Copic cardmaking class. These are the FIRST fall/ winter cards I've made this year. Phew, what a shock to the system! After such a beautiful summer, it was hard to say goodbye to my peach-coloured toes and my summer themed stamps!

These stamps are both from My Favourite Things Pure Innocence Line. I think they're cute as a button! They're very versatile images and come with several sentiments. AND, best of all, they are IDEAL for Copic colouring!

When starting with Copics, you want to choose images that aren't too "intricate" and have lots of nice open spaces so that you can get some nice blending and have room to work. Personally, I really like colouring little people as opposed to animals and scenes. So these stamps are some of my faves!

I also love High Hopes stamps - and I'm thrilled to be a guest designer for them this fall! We are just getting ready for the September release THIS WEEK! So be sure to check out my blog as well as the High Hopes blog to get a glimpse of the GORGEOUS new images which are happily on my craft table right now!

Copic Class - Oct. 27 - Card 1:

Stamp: My Favorite Things Pure Innocence You Color My World

Paper: Bo Bunny Back to Basics Forever Fall

Cardstock: Bazzill

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black & Tim Holtz for Ranger Distress Ink in Antique Linen

Dies: Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels 8 and Sizzix Tags Scallop Combo #2

Copics: BG78, BG75, BG72, RV69, RV66, RV06, YR23, YR21, YR20, E01, E00, E000, R20, E33, E31, YR20, C4, C5, C1, BG10.

Copic Class - Oct. 27 - Card 2:

Stamp: My Favorite Things Pure Innocence Flurry of Love

Paper: Bo Bunny Back to Basics Blitzen Dot

Cardstock: Bazzill

Accessories: Bo Bunny Blitzen Dot Cardstock Stickers, Adhesive Pearls

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Copics: R37, R35, R32, E01, E00, E000, R20, E33, E31, YR20, B97, B95, B93, G85, G82, G40, BG10, BG000.

If you are coming to a Copic cardmaking class at SGD, please bring your own Copics if you have them! We do not have all the colours and will only have full sets for the 101 class. Please also remember to bring your adhesive, scissors, and paper trimmer. THANK YOU!!

I would LOVE to hear from you about any suggestions for future classes! I'm thinking of running some special Copic technique classes including monochromatic, black & white, "look no lines", etc. Let me know what you'd like to see from us!

I'm submitting these cards to the challenge for the brand new Touch Twin Markers!  Check it out here

Happy Stamping!
Sarah
xx

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 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