Sunday Sip and Share...Share the Love

Hello there coffee-loving friends!  It's Kerry here for another Sunday Sip and Share and this time, I thought I'd share a little coloring therapy.  It's been a rough weekend for me as I said goodbye to my little "Ladybug" Peanut on Saturday morning.  She was, and forever will be the most amazing love of my life.  She was my shadow and loyal companion for 18 wonderful years.

Since coloring is quite a bit of therapy for me, I decided to ink up a new stamp in my collection and do a little coloring.  This Whimsy Stamp (yes, I'm addicted) is called "Served with Love".  Isn't it cuuuute?!  When I was coloring, I couldn't help but think of the relationship Peanut and I shared.  I felt it was represented in the image so perfectly.  I just love how this image evokes a nurturing and loving connection between the two little characters.  It was just what I needed this weekend.

I love playing with texture when coloring.  Since I collect teddy bears, this teddy-fella had to get some teddy bear fur.

Of course, his little buddy needed some coordinating warm weather wear too.  I popped a little blue from the bears hat onto the penguins scarf and toque.  The background was embossed with an old Sizzix Basic Grey embossing folder from my stash.

I used the following Copic markers to color this adorable image:

Now let's move on to the coordinating sketch!  I hope you find some time in your week (or month) to play along.  Remember, you can use any or all of the sketches featured this month!  Just link up your creation on this post below.  

An InLinkz Link-up

Sunday Sip and Share...Danke!

Hello there coffee loving cardmakers!  It's Kerry here and I'm back with another Sunday Sip and Share!  Today I have TWO cards and a sketch for you...SO get ready!  

The first card was created especially for one of my FSJ Coach friends Ruby.  She recently went on her yearly trip to Germany and Austria with her Hubby and I was able to travel there with her via her gorgeous photos of her adventures.  I so wish I can travel back to the land where my family began...and someday, I will.  Until then, I can live vicariously through my friends and family who share their photos and adventures with me.  

I was excited to learn that she thought of me when she was traveling around and even tried hunting for some German sentiment stamps.  She couldn't find them but she did pick up some fun stickers to send my way.  Isn't that sweet???  So...I just got her package in the mail last week and decided to create something fun!  

Of course I have a huge collection of Fun Stampers Journey supplies, so I had to use some of those in this creation.  And since we share a love of FSJ, it was quite appropriate to do so.  For this card,  I tweaked Rita's Freshly Made Sketches #258 sketch just a little and added a yummy Hero Arts mug in the background by using some Turbo Teal ink.  I scribbled some Copic color on the bugs (as I knew they would be covered and blurred with the vellum overlay.  
I know that metallic stickers/sentiments are widely used in European cardmaking and I'm not sure why the style hasn't made it quite that big here in the USA.  I've seen a few (there are a few bible journaling ones with FSJ), but not many!

Since I speak a tiny bit of German, I had fun trying to translate the sentiments.  Luckily for me, they were quite simple and common sentiments so I had no trouble at all.  :)  Wahoo!

Yummy ribbon (Oatmeal Cookie from FSJ) and some jute finished off the sketch.  I want to send a special thank you "Vielen dank!" to my friend Ruby for sending me these stickers.  Watch your mailbox!!!

I'm not done yet...Are you ready for card #2?  This one helped inspire MY sketch...Check it out!

So to create this card full of Metallic GORGEOUSNESS, I brushed some Silver and Gold silk onto some Cocoa Powder cardstock.  After that, I splattered some watered down Butter Cream acrylic paint and the Silks (including Dark Roast) onto the cardstock.  I cut out the brushstroke pattern #1 because I thought it was not "popping" like I wanted it to and #2 Well, frankly, because when in doubt, POP IT OUT!  I love layering!  

I stamped the mason jar from the Hipster at Heart set then cut out the jar (after I colored it with Copics) using Versafine Onyx ink.   I popped it up on the card then added some Journey Glaze to give it some shine.  I stamped the sentiment from the Hero Arts set called You Are My Happy onto Whip Cream cardstock.  A little scrap of Cocoa Powder cardstock was attached to the edge then dipped into Journey Gold Embossing Powder.

I hope you enjoyed my cards today.  I had so much fun playing and creating!  Are you ready to see my sketch for this week?  OK...Please join us in playing with this sketch.  The sketch challenge runs until the end of the month and I have created several sketches thus far.  If you would like to play along, please add your link to our inlinkz below.  When posting to social media, please include the hashtag #clcsipandshare so that we can find it easily!  :)

Have a great week!  I'll be back again next Sunday with more yummy fun!  :) 

An InLinkz Link-up

Sip and Share...Hipster Vibe

Good morning coffee-loving friends!  It's another Sip-And-Share Sunday at the Coffee Loving Cardmakers blog and I'm back to share another card and sketch with you!  I'm really diggin' the set I used this week and I hope you enjoy it too!  

I'm in love with the images in the Hipster at Heart set from Hero Arts!  When I first saw this set, I knew I had to have it in my collection!  I love the coffee cup and the beans, but I REALLY love the hipster vibe the whole set provides.  I'm not a hipster by any way shape or form but I DO love the hipster vibe...cool, trendy and laid back!  

So let's take a look at the card I created using this fun set:  

So I thought this set was the perfect set to create a fun collage!  Just pile all those awesome images onto a card!  I couldn't just pick a few, so almost every single image is on the front!  LOL.  

To create the background, I applied a few swipes of PanPastels then brushed some Windsor and Newton Masking Fluid over the top. After the masking fluid dried, I added some more PanPastels over that to create more dimension and depth of color. I peeled the masking fluid off and rubbed the Pan Pastels with a cloth to allow for a softer bridge between the color and masked layer. To finish off the background, I splattered some Fun Stampers Journey Silver Silk and Bronze Silk.  

I stamped each image onto white cardstock using Black Onyx Versafine Ink then colored them up a little with some PanPastels. After coloring the images, I applied a bit of Journey Glaze to the Mason Jar glass, the gems and the camera lens.  

Yummy! Finally, I arranged the images into a collage "line" along the edge of the background paper then added a piece of polka-dot paper from my stash. To finish off the collage, I added some jute and a few scraps of graph paper. Adding a bit of gold washi (From Target) tape to the panel gave it some pop it was missing and helped to finish off the piece.  

I mounted this collage panel onto white cardstock then attached it to a gray card base. Once the card was finished and photographed, I set off to create the sketch.  

So, what do you think? Are you ready to give the sketch a try? Why not give it a go?! Please join the fun and create a card using this week's sketch. Make sure to hop over to my coffee lovers blog post HERE to link your creation! To make it easier for you to add your link, you can also link up right here on this post.  Just click on the inlinkz button below!!!  

 I'd love to see it! PS...If sharing your card on social media, please include #clcsipandshare for easy reference!  

I hope you enjoyed my card and sketch today. Join me next Sunday as I share another fun coffee-loving creation!  :)

An InLinkz Link-up

Woodware Monday...Gettin' Sketchy...

Hey stamping friends.  It's MONDAY and that means it's Woodware USA Blog Challenge day!  Every Monday the Woodware USA design team brings some fun and fabulous creations to you in the form of a challenge...If you choose to take part in the challenge, you are entered into a drawing for a FREE stamp set and BOY oh BOY...there's no time like this week to join the challenge! 

DID YOU KNOW THAT the 2011 FALL stamp collection have been released???  Andre totally surprised us when he posted them to the store!!!  OH MY GOODNESS...YUMMY is all I can say.  I've already placed an order.  and can't wait to get them inked up!  Why not stop over at the webstore and check out the NEWEST stamps to the collection.  Lemme know your new favorite, too...I'm doing a secret poll!  LOL..

This week's challenge is a fun one.  I designed a sketch for you to play with.  It's a fun sketch and it incorporates some simple layout design and of course, a little bit of embellishing fun!  So here's my sketch: 

When I design sketches, I just go with the flow...I don't stop until I think it looks...perfect...The crucial part is in creating a card that looks just as perfect.  I always wonder if something fabulous can be made from the sketch because I've had some DUDS...let me tell you! 

I can say that this has to be one of my most favorite sketches EVER!  I LOVED how my card ended up coming out and I think it has so much to do with the sketch.  It works so well wit those sentiment circles I love to make.  Hey, come to think of it, did you know that you can turn many of your WoodwareUSA sentiments into circular formation stamps?  Another beautiful thing about clear stamps is that you can manipulate them into any shape or "flow" on the block.  I didn't do that with this card as the sentiment was already in a circular form. 

So here's my card.  I got some cream crepe paper at the Melissa Frances booth at CKC Valley Forge a few weeks ago because I loved all the projects they had in their booth that incorporated it.  I could have shopped that booth forever that day...so shabby, so pretty, so beautiful!!!  If you look closely at the flower in the center of the "medallion", you can see that I created it from the crepe paper too.  Pretty simple to create actually.  I colored the crepe paper with some Ranger Spun Sugar ink to make it really girly then punched some circles out.  After that, I folded the circles in quarters and just cut some strips with my scissors.  I opened up the cut circles and glued/layered them on top of each other then "szhusshed" (Really technical, huh?) them up a bit...Voila!  The little blossom brad in the center has been in my stash forever and I have never used it-so I think it found the perfect spot on this card!

This ribbon had to have a little something so I added a bit of bling...just a touch, right? 

I also distressed the edges of the patterned paper (Valentine Die Cut Cardmaking pad by Kelly Panacci for Kand Co). 

Love the Circular Greetings!!!

Woodware USA Sketch Challenge...

This week at Woodware USA we're using a sketch I created to make some cards.  This sketch incorporates a tag...a perfect way to give a little bookmark, gift card, or something special to the recipient! 

Here's my sketch:

 For this card I went to my favorite green Bazzill Cardstock.  PARAKEET...I just LOVE that color.  Added some Bazzill Red to give some POP of color and coordinate with the DCWV polkadot paper.  I used two WoodwareUSA sets for this card:  Large Small Greetings and Sharing a Cuppa.  Inks used were Memento Lime Tart and Memento Ladybug.  I also colored with my Copics to match the paper...sorry, don't have the #s. 

The patterned paper wraps around the back of the tag to cover the whole back of it! 

I hope you have some time this week to play around with my sketch.  See what you can do with it and make sure to come back and post a link to it...I'd love to see what you've made!!!

K

Woodware Monday...a Sketch Challenge!

Hey, Hey! Welcome to MONDAY!  I'm getting so excited because I have only two half days left of school!!! I'm SOOOO ready for summer vacation!!! 

It's time to break out a new challenge!  This week at Woodware USA blog, we're using a sketch I created to inspire you.  I just love creating sketches and it's such an honor to have been invited to share them with you!!! 

This is such a simple sketch! It's so versatile too. 

Here's my card inspired by the sketch: 

I used a couple sets to create this country chic card.  Leafy Swirls and Circular Greetings combine to create the perfect card!  To create the top and bottom border, I used a Martha Stewart punch.  Oh and forgive the tattered stitching...My machine was giving me fits! 

Please hop over to the WoodwareUSA blog to check out my fellow DT sister's interpretations of this sketch.  Join the fun and create something too.  I'd love to see what you make of it.  You just might win a free stamp set!!!

Gettin' Sketchy with Woodware USA...

This week we're getting SKETCHY!  Join us as we use the above sketch I created to make a fun card.  You can use it AS IS or tweak it if you wish..If we can "see" the sketch in your card, IT WORKS!!!  So join the fun, make something, post it and cross your fingers...You just may win a fabulous prize!!! 

My Card:

I decided to go a little spa-like for this card.  First, I selected my color palate.  Then I selected the two sets that were perfect for this palate:  Large/Small Greetings and Ornamental Flourishes.  After I was all finished stamping, sewing and assembling the front panel, I squirted a few squirts of Tsukeniko Sheer Shimmer Spritz in Sparkle all over the panel, then attached the panel to a 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 piece of white cardstock. 

The four inchies were created by stamping the Ornamental Flourishes stamp using Blue Lagoon Colorbox Chalk ink.  The little happy/you sentiments were stamped in Bisque Colorbox Chalk ink.  Adding a bit of Stardust Stickles and a few bits o' bling just made them the perfect little embellishments along the side of my card.  Since I added sentiment-like words all over my card, I decided to leave off the sentiment at the edge...just not necessary for this card. 

Here you can see a little bit of the shimmer...and some Stickles to make the teal HELLO POP! 

And here's the final product...Simple and spa-like, don't you think? 

PS...All the entries will have another chance at winning right here on my blog... I'll award one participant in the sketch challenge a new Woodware USA stamp set and post the name of the winner on my blog next Monday!!!

Woodware's Sketch Challenge...

This week's challenge at the WoodwareUSA blog is to create a card from this sketch/layout:

For my card today, I used the sketch as is...no flips, turns, or slides.  I used a scrap of my scarce and precious Flair Holly Jolly collection paper, some kraft cardstock and cream cardstock too.  Stamps used for this card come from two WoodwareUSA sets:  Sweet Tooth and All Through The Year (sentiment). 

Why the cupcake?  Well, the other day, one of my students gave me the most DELICIOUS cupcake I have EVER had!  It was from a cupcake store down the street from my school called OCASSIONALLY CAKES.  I've only been there once because it's kinda like "Starbucks" pricing in there, but I definitely LOVE their cupcakes...I love them so much I became a follower on Facebook so I can see updates of their flavors each day!  LOL...

This cupcake shop has new cupcake flavors every day and the one she brought me was a chocolate EGG NOG cupcake.  YEP!  EGG NOG.  It was like HEAVEN...I'm serious!!!  If you LOVE EGG NOG like me, you would love it too.  May sound strange, but it was DEELISH!!!  Even the frosting had an eggnog flavor- and I'm not a frosting lover!  So, in honor of that cupcake and the shop, I made this card!!!

I wonder what they'll come up with for New Years???

Hope you have a Happy Christmas!  If you have time this week, please consider joining our challenge at WoodwareUSA.  You may win a fabulous stamping prize!!!

Stop by Wednesday for my weekly Heartfelt Creations Post...You're going to love it!

Kerry

Yahoooooo!!! It's officially SUMMER!

Yahoo!!! Summer has officially begun for me! Today I finished packing up my classroom (I'll be looping with my third graders next year so I had to pack EVERYTHING.), turned in my keys and badge and checked out for the summer. YAHOOOO!!! What a relief! I'm done, and now I can spend all my summer stamping, crafting and working on my house.

SOOOO...when I came home today I headed straight for my craft room to do a few sketches, try them out and start working on my next "Ready, Set, Sketch" youtube video. Here's one of the cards I worked on today. I used the sketch I created this afternoon and really like how the layout turned out as an actual card. I was happy because sometimes sketches aren't all that great turned into cards. I'll post the sketch tomorrow after I scan it on my computer but in the meantime, Here's the card...
I think I mentioned in one of my last posts that I was attending the Great American Scrapbook Convention in Chantilly last Friday and Saturday. This year was the first year I didn't volunteer, and I participated in a class (A Recipe Book by the Button Farm that I'll post later), a crop (Hi MD friends...I'll try to schedule teaching a Copics Class with your store soon.) and SHOPPED, SHOPPED, SHOPPED. I was impressed this year with the wonderful amount of Rubber Stamp Companies represented. Unlike years of the past where only a few stamping companies were represented, this year there were about 7-8 rubber stamp companies there as well as a shop that was selling COPICS!!! I picked up several sets of stamps and also got more Copics for my huge collection. Anyway, this little lady was found in a set of clear stamps by Woodware Stamps. This company is primarily in the UK but now has distribution rights in the US!!! I was impressed with the quality of these clear stamps and will definitely be buying more!

Here's a close up of my coloring. Sorry, I didn't keep track of the Copics I used. I did use Daisy D paper and DCWV cardstock. You can see that I pulled out my dry Versafine pad too so I could distress it up a bit. The colors were just too crisp for the patterned paper so I distressed it up a bit to work well with the image.

I'm sure I'll be back tomorrow showing more creations from the stuff I got at the convention.

Shack Challenges are BACK!

Hop over to the STAMP SHACK and take a peek at the fun challenges starting TODAY! I hope you find one (or more) to your liking and you'll throw your stamps in the ring for some FUN! Please join us as we revvvvv up our stamping MOJO.

Here is a list of the challenges this week (with some links to the Shack):

Color

Theme

Technique

Mystery

Limited Supply

Sketch

COLOR CHALLENGE: We will use this photo for our color inspiration this week:

Photo: HGTV
Copic Coordinates: R59 Cardinal, G40 Dim Green, E40 Brick White, Black 100

Here's my card:

THEME CHALLENGE "Summer Days"

Here's my card:

SKETCH CHALLENGE:

Here's my card:

TECHNIQUE CHALLENGE: "Using Painters tape to mask"

Here are a few tags:

LIMITED SUPPLY CHALLENGE: You must use one button and one stick pin.

Here's my card:

MYSTERY CHALLENGE: "Turn acetate into an embellishment!"

Here's my card:

Hope you enjoy the challenges! I will award one prize to a random participant next Friday. The more challenges you complete, the better chance you have of winning the GRAND Prize...and it's good!

Bye!

Kerry