Slice o' Cake

How about a big ole slice o' cake today?  Doesn't that sound yummy?  I've been trying to drop a few pounds before an upcoming vacation, so I can only dream and color - like this cutie patootie Paper Nest Dolls, Birthday Cake Ellie, that I got from Firefly Crafts.

She is colored up with the following Copics:

Skin:  E000, E01, E11
Hair:  E33, E35, E37
Clothes:  BG01, BG02, BG05, BG17, R81, R83, R85, Y21, Y23, C1
Cake:  E31, E33, Y21, C1, C3

I am submitting her to the Firefly Crafts, Tic Tac Toe Challenge (using teal, a Shaped Card, and some buttons).

I am also submitting this card to Paper Nest Dolls Challenge 7 (my second entry).

Craftily yours,

Karen

Bright and Sunny

The current challenge over at Tiddly Inks is Summer Sun.  The idea of this challenge is create something with summer fun, summer images or a summer feeling.  I chose the summer feeling on my creation using the Tiddly Inks Fairy Sunny Day image.

I found the brightest and summeriest paper at my local Michaels.....and colored the adorable image with the following Copic markers.

Skin:  E000, E01, E11
Hair:  E21, E23, E25
Flowers:  Y13, Y15, Y18, W0, YG61, YG63
Wings:  Y00, Y02
Clothes:  YR12, YR14, R81, R83, R85

Thanks for stopping by today!

Craftily yours,

Karen

Dare 2B Artzy Relaxation Blog Hop

Welcome to Dare 2B Artzy's New Release Blog Hop!!

Yup, you read that right!

Dare 2B Artzy recently released 17 new stamp sets! and 6 Dies!

We are so excited to share some fun projects with you, using some of the new stamps!!

Which is why we decided to have a blog hop!

Our theme:

Relaxation

You should have arrived here Cindy's Blog - Dare 2B Artzy!  

Be sure to follow each blog and leave comments along the way for your chance at winning!  We will randomly choose a winner from one of the blogs, so the more you comment, the more chances you have to win!!

The Blog Hop will end Sunday evening at 7:00pm Central.  We will then post a winner!!

For me, the best relaxation happens in winter, when it's cold, all snuggly warm in a sweater, by a toasty fire, or under a blanket, so I used the AdOrAbLe Dare 2B Artzy Penguin Fun Stamps. 

I adore this sweet penguin with his fun sweater, and, of course, there is a sentiment perfect to go with it.  The trees are also part of the fun set.  Here's a close-up of the cutie:

He is colored with Copic Markers (RV52, RV55, B93, B95) and stamped with Dare 2B Artzy Totally Black Ink.  The paper is from the Artzy Doodles Paper Pack.  This paper is perfect for crafting year-round!  

Your next stop in the hop is Kendra's blog! Thanks for stopping by! We hope you are inspired all along the way! 

Check out all D2BA's products here!

Happy Hopping!

Craftily yours,

Karen

Christmas in July - Dare 2B Artzy Style

I've got a new post over at Dare 2B Artzy today.  Are you ready for Christmas?!  Yeah, I'm not either....but no time like the "present" to get started making those cards, like this one made with the ALL NEW Dare 2B Artzy Penguin Fun stamps!

SO cute.  The Copic colors I used are:  G43, G46, E33, E35, R56, R59, YR12, YR14

I stamped with Dare 2B Artzy Totally Black Ink.  The papers are from Heartfelt Creations Sparkling Poinsettia.

Be sure to stop by the Dare 2B Artzy Blog and the Dare 2B Artzy Facebook page for more fun-filled inspiration.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Craftily yours,

Karen

Christmas in July

I sent out tons of Christmas cards every year, and I love making them.  I start early!  Ok, really, I just make them all year-round...

Today's card uses a super cute Tiddly Inks image, Wryn - Santa's Helpers.

The paper is from Heartfelt Creations, Sparkling Poinsettia.  I made the flower with the stamps/dies from that collection.  She is colored with Copics.  LoVe her.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Craftily yours,

Karen

Be Yourself

I have been going through fiscal close at work.  I have accounts with about $20M in expenses, and in some ways, I love fiscal close because all of the accounts get so clean and pretty.  In some ways, it's VERY stressful.  When that stress comes on, I love to color.....and I've been coloring a lot lately!

Today, I'm posting a card for the Paper Nest Dolls, Anything Goes Challenge.  I recently got my hands on the Paper Nest Dolls, Messy Hair Ellie stamp.  Check her out:

Don't you LoVe her hair??!  And her clothes?  She is perfection, and she is colored with:

Skin:  E000, E11, E01
Hair:  Y21, E23, E25
Clothes:  BG45, BG49, Y13, Y15, R81, R83, RV66, RV69

The paper I used is So Fancy from Simple Stories.  The border die is from Tattered Lace.

Well, that's it for me for now.  Thanks for stopping by!

Craftily yours,

Karen

Safari Adventure

My post over at Cut@Home this week was all about the Graphic 45 Safari Adventure Collection papers and chipboard accents.  I made several cards using the collection!

First I made a tri-fold card, here's the front:

Here's one view from the inside:

And here's the inside:

And here's my second card for the post, mostly in green:

And finally, I absolutely LoVeD the "wild" chipboard and pretty much decorated the rest of the card around it:

Thanks for stopping by today.  For more details, check out my Cut@Home Post.

Craftily yours,

Karen

Poppin' It Up

I have been just obsessed with coloring here lately.  What a great way to reduce stress!  And I really love the images at Tiddly Inks!  I decided to color up one of their Molly girls - Molly Shares - to enter their new challenge - Make It Pop!

Isn't she just adorable??!  I used Heartfelt Creations, Peacock Paisley paper.  The border around the image is a Tattered Lace border die.  I used the following Copic Markers:
Skin:  E000, E11, E02
Dress/Shoes:  B93, B95, B97, E41, E43
Hair:  E23, E25, E27
Flowers: Y35, Y38, YG41, YG45, W0, W2

For the "Pop" part of the challenge, I colored and fussy cut the flowers that Molly is holding and popped that up.  I also popped up the entire image panel.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Craftily yours,

Karen

Turtles in Love

I'm up over at Dare 2B Artzy today with these fun-filled turtles - the Dare 2B Artzy Turtle Couple!

Those turtles are SO much fun to color!  Here are the Copics I used:

YG03, YG06, B93, B95, R81, R83, YG61, YG63, BG53, BG57

They are stamped with Dare 2B Artzy Totally Black Ink, and I added a couple scraps of the Dare 2B Artzy In Bloom Papers.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Craftily yours,

Karen

Special Cards for a Friend

I recently applied for the Tiddly Inks Design Team.  Once I started coloring up those images, I just had to do a few more.  I love to color, and these images are so cute!

I have a friend who is going through a rough patch right now.  I decided to make her a few cards that I'll leave for her on her desk randomly.  Here's the first one using Tiddly Inks Genius.  I usually write down the Copic numbers as I'm coloring, but I forgot to do it on this one!  The paper is from Basic Grey Recess.

And I purchased another of the new Molly digital stamps, Molly Shares.  Her hair is SO pretty!  The paper is from Heartfelt Creations.  She is colored with the following Copic markers:
Skin:  E000, E11, E02
Flowers:  RV66, RV69, YG61, YG63
Clothes:  RV52, RV55

Finally, I colored one of the mermaids from Amy and her Mermaid Friends.  The paper is from Heartfelt Creations Peacock Paisley.  She is colored with:

Hair:  YG03, YG06, YG07, YG17
Skin:  E000, E01, E11, BV20
Outfit:  YG03, B93, B95, B97, G24, G28

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Karen

Dare 2B Artzy July Challenge

Our challenge at Dare 2B Artzy this month is "Lots of Layers."  How fun is that?  Join us.  You can win a crafty goodness prize!  Here's some inspiration using Dare 2B Artzy's This Won't Hurt a Bit stamp set and some Dare 2B Artzy In Bloom Paper!

We can't wait to see what you create!  Be sure to check out all the Dare 2B Artzy products in the store (here) and like us on Facebook (here).

Thanks for stopping by today!

Craftily yours,

Karen

Tiddly Inks

It's a little hotter than 100 deg F outside here in No California.  Tooooooo HOT!  So, my solution - staying in my craft room obsessively coloring!  Gosh, I love it!

Yesterday, I saw that Tiddly Inks was doing a DT call.  I've always loved their images, so I decided to apply.

I downloaded a few of their adorable digi images and got to coloring.  This first one, using Tiddly Inks Molly, is my submission to their DT and to their current Tingo Challenge (using dies, a Tiddly Inks Image and some ribbon):

Isn't she fun??!  I used some Heartfelt Creations, Sugar Hollow Paper.  I also used some lace and some purple seam binding ribbon.  The girl is framed by a Spellbinders Labels 10, and I added a Tattered Lace doily die cut.  The flowers are die-cut Tim Holtz rolled flowers, and I finished the card off with some twine and pearls.  I love how she turned out.  Here's the Copic colors I used:

Skin:  E000, E01, E02, BV00
Hair:  E31, E33, E35
Clothes:  V12, V15, V18, YG00, YG03, G14, RV63, RV66
Shoes:  E43, E44, E33, E35

I wanted to do something a little different, so I used Tiddly Inks Girl's Best Friend, some Spellbinder's Celebra'tions paper, some twine, pearls and a button to make this card:

I really love her curly hair!  She is colored with these Copics:

Skin:  E50, E01, E11, BV00
Hair:  E41, E43, E44, E47, E49
Clothes, BG53, BG57, R81, R83 (and a Molotow White Acrylic Paint Pen)
Doggie:  C1, C3, C5

Thanks for hanging with me through this long post!  And thanks for stopping by!  I'm going to have to straighten up the craft room a bit since I only have about a 5 in square to work on!  hehe

Craftily yours,

Karen

Birthday Girl

I'm just hooked on coloring.  I love everything about it.  I recently picked up a few stamps from Paper Nest Dolls.  Love these girls to color!  They are super cute!

AND I took a day off work, so I colored up this cutie; her name is Candle Avery.

I colored it with the following Copic Markers:
Skin:  E51, E21, E11, R21
Hair:  E50, E31, E35, E37
Clothes, YR12, YR14, YR15 (with accents from W0 and W2)
Candle:  R81, R83, BG11, BG12, Y13, YR14

The paper is from an old stack I had in my stash from Amy Tangerine.  Because I shopped from my stash, I am entering this into the Shopping Our Stash, Dress Challenge.  I am also entering it as my second entry into the Paper Nest Dolls Anything Goes Challenge.

Other items used:  Joy! Crafts Flower Die, Pearls, Timeless Twine, Spellbinders Medallion 4 and Labels 4

Craftily yours,

Karen

Bow WOW (Thanks for the Walk!)

Hi Everyone!  I'm posting up at Dare 2B Artzy today with a fun card that's perfect for me to give to the fabulous people who watch our dog when we have to kennel him - like when we go see fireworks.  Poor pup is terrified of fireworks!

I used Dare 2B Artzy Puppy Talk and Pet Lover Stamp Sets as well as their gorgeous Artzy Doodles paper.    To color him, I used the following Copic colors:
Dog:  E31, E33, E35, E4
Collar:  B95, B97, RV66, RV69

To add some texture to his fur, I spritzed a piece of a wash cloth with some blending solution and dabbed the colored image.  Neat effect, huh?!

And I decorated the inside with the absolutely perfect sentiment!

Have you "liked" Dare 2B Artzy on Facebook yet??!  You should!  There's beautiful inspiration there.  Be sure to check out all fo the Dare 2B Artzy Products here!

Craftily yours,

Karen

Sweet Butterfly Girl

I've recently completed my Intermediate Copic Certification!  Woo hoo!  I needed some MORE fun images to color, so I bought a mystery box (filled with amazing goodness) from Paper Nest Dolls and a few more dolls from Firefly Crafts during their grand opening.  I could not wait to color them up!

Here's Paper Nest Dolls, Butterfly Friend Avery!

I used the following Copics:
Skin:  E000, E21, E11, E13, R21
Hair:  Y21, E33, E35
Overlay Dress:  V12, V15, V17
Under Skirt:  R81, R83, YG03, YG07
Butterfly:  V15, R81, R83, YG03, YG07, E41, E43
Grass:  YG17, G17
Basket:  E31, E33, E35 and Flowers RV69, Y18

So much fun to color!  The paper is from Heartfelt Creations, Sugar Hollow.  I made the flowers with HC Birds and Blooms stamps and dies and some pearls.

It's been way too long since I've entered a challenge, so I am entering this card into the following challenges:

Firefly Crafts, Anything with Wings
Paper Nest Dolls:  Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by today!

Craftily yours,

Karen

Heartfelt Creations Sugar Hollow

I recently purchased a bunch of the elements of the Heartfelt Creations Sugar Hollow Collection.  Gorgeous.  I decided to play with it for a Cut@Home Design Team post.    I'd also received the Heartfelt Creations Arianna Blooms Stamps and Dies, so I made flowers for my cards today.

Here's the first one I made.  I sure to love the purples!

Then, I made a tri-fold card:

Here's a couple pics of the inside:

Such a pretty collection!

Craftily yours,

Karen

Graphic 45 Altoids Mint Can Mini-Album

I finally get to share my Altoids Mint Can Mini-Album.  What?!  Yes indeedy, I made a mini-album that fit into an Altoids Mint Can.  It was a Cut@Home Design Team project, but I was waiting to share it here because it was a gift to my beautiful and smart niece for her graduation!  I used the re-released Graphic 45 Steampunk Debutants Collection.

Without further ado, here's my short video showing you the mini-album and how I made it:

I covered the can with chipboard and paper from the collection and added some twine and ribbon.  I also adorned all of the pages with UmWow Studio Butterfly Confetti.  Here's a pic of the outside of the can.

And when you open the can, this is what you see!

She's gorgeous, right?  I then cut some kraft cardstock into 2" x 3.25" pieces and made a tiny "scrapbook page" for each side.  I adhered them together with small paper hinges.  Here's a view of one side.

I used pictures from all phases of her life.  Here's a close-up of a few pages from the other side.

I really loved making this mini so much, that I'm going to do it again.  It's a perfect size for her to display on her dresser or tuck in a drawer.  I think she liked it.

Craftily yours,

Karen

Let's Party

Hi Everyone!  I'm posting up at Dare 2B Artzy today!  I have been itching to ink up my Dare 2B Artzy Tangle Thanks Set.  It is seriously SO much fun to color.

Cool, huh?!  The sentiment (and box around it) are from the Dare 2B Artzy Fun Titles Set. I fussy cut out the box and popped it up to add some fun dimension.  See the close up:

The Copics I used to color this fun card are:

BV00, BV02, B93, B95, B97, V04, V06

Have you "liked" Dare 2B Artzy on Facebook yet??!  You should!  There's beautiful inspiration there.  Be sure to check out all fo the Dare 2B Artzy Products here!

Craftily yours,

Karen

Graphic 45 Communique

Father's Day is coming.  No time like the present to get some cards done for pop!  I made the following cards for a Cut@Home blog post using Graphic 45 Communique Collection.

To see my complete supplies list and my video on these cards, be sure to check out my Cut@Home blog post!

Craftily yours,

Karen

Be Bold

Welcome Dare 2B Artzy fans!! 

Dare 2B Artzy has so many fun stamps with so many fun styles.  There's something for everyone!  For my card today, I decided to get super inky using the Dare 2B Artzy, Totally Tracy, Be Bold Stamps!  Here's what I did:

  

I love the fun and bright colors!  My niece is graduating high school soon and will be heading off to college.  This card is going to her to congratulate her on making her choice of colleges.  She is a great kid - over 4.0 GPA, cheerleader, track, etc.  So smart.  I'm very proud of her.  To create this card, I cut a watercolor cardstock into two pieces using Spellbinder's Curved Borders.  Then I used Color Burst inks in orange and yellow on the top and in green and blue on the bottom.  I then stamped that gorgeous flower using Dare 2B Artzy Totally Black Ink (great ink for watercolor or alcohol ink processes) onto another piece of watercolor cardstock.  I used Color Burst inks in pink and purple; then I fussy cut it out.  Here's a close-up:

 

  

I really love the splatter-y effect.  I finished the card off with some seam-binding ribbon, sequins, a button and a twine bow.

Have you "liked" us on Facebook yet?!  You should!  There's all kinds of beautiful inspiration.  Be sure to also check out all D2BA's products here!

Thanks for stopping by!

Craftily yours,

Karen

Whooo Loves You??!

Welcome Dare 2B Artzy fans!!  

Today's post is all about love.  And I sure do love Dare 2B Artzy's Wedding Owl Stamps!  And I sure do love this month's Dare 2B Artzy Purple and Teal Challenge!  Combine the two, you say??!  Well, ok, here's what I did:

I love the colors, and I really love the Dare 2B Artzy, Artzy Doodles Papers.  (They are definitely my current favorite!)  The owl is colored with Copic Markers:

 Owl Body:  E31, E33, E35

Band, Eye Shadow, Accents:  BG53, BG57

Apron: RV93, RV95

Flowers and Baubles:  RV66, RV69

Nose:  YR07

Here's a close-up:

Isn't she the cutest??!  The stamp set says wedding, but this set can be used for a lot of different reasons.  I'll give this one to my husband just because :)

Have you "liked" us on Facebook yet?!  You should!  There's all kinds of beautiful inspiration.  Be sure to also check out all D2BA's products here!

Thanks for stopping by!

Craftily yours,

Karen

Graphic 45 Botanicabella

I've got a post up over at Cut@Home today sharing some cards that I made with the beautiful Graphic 45 Botanicabella Collection.  This is one of the fabulous collections that Graphic 45 has released in "Special Collection" editions.  I'm so glad they did!  Look at these pretty cards:

To see my full supplies list and my video (where I made one of these cards), please check out my Cut@Home blog post!

Craftily yours,

Karen

Dare 2B Artzy May Challenge

Welome Dare 2B Artzy fans!!

I am excited to be sharing a card for the Dare 2B Artzy May Challenge.  This month, we are challenging YOU to create something with turquoise and purple.  That's definitely one of my favorite combinations!  You have about a month to join us, and you could WiN a fabulous Dare 2B Artzy Prize.  Wowzers!!

My inspiration card for the challenge uses the super fun Dare 2B Artzy Dream Big set and  Dare 2B Artzy, Artzy Doodles Paper. Here's what I made:

Copic Markers Used:  BG15, BG18, BG45, BG 49, RV52, RV55, RV63, RV66

I stamped and colored the "circle" part of the dream catcher twice.  I fussy cut the flower out of the center and covered it with TH Rock Candy Crackle Paint.  The strings to the feathers are drawn on with a black thin marker.  And finally, I poked holes (free hand) around the end of the image and added some twine and sequins.  Here's a close-up:

Love the sparkly effect!  I also used the stamp stamp-set and paper (along with some Dare 2B Artzy Premium Ink in Paradise) to decorate the inside:

Have you "liked" us on Facebook yet?!  You should!  There's all kinds of beautiful inspiration.  Be sure to also check out all D2BA's products here!

And please - join our challenge!  I can't wait to see what bright things you create!

Thanks for stopping by!  

Craftily yours,

Karen