It's A Beautiful Day!




for the Club Anime Sketch Challenge! Like the sketch?

I decided to use Kei for this sketch card she'll be available next week in the Club Anime. As of my post 4-inches of snow from a couple of days ago has just been washed away by ice-rain and a thunderstorm. Just wanting a little warmth and sunshine right now, so Kei is going to get me there in my dreams.

I colored her with Prismacolor markers, as you would have expected, and went to find some paper to compliment the colors. I couldn't find what I wanted so I got out some Crushed Curry ink and a sponge and made some. The patterned paper is from Making Memories Black and White pack. (I used my Prismacolor markers to color the flowers, too.)

I hope you can join us over at "Too Cute for Words" with this sketch. You have a whole month to work on it and then mention it over on the post. That's it.

Well now, I feel like I've had some sunshine! I hope you all have a beautiful day. Thanks for stopping by.

Details:
Stamps: InStyle Kei, CTMH True Happiness
Paper: Mohawk Smooth White, Making Memories Black & White Paper Pack
Ink: LaserJet printer, Prismacolor markers, SU! Crushed Curry
Accessories: Martha Stewart Hydrangea 3-in-1 Punch and Photo Corner Punch, Nestabilities scallop circle, Megabilities Large Rectangle, SU! Crushed Curry Grosgrain ribbon, SU! circle punch and Leaf die

Prismacolor Details: Kei's Skin - Pale Peach, Brick Biege, Clay Rose, Cinnamon Toast; Mouth - Clay Rose, Flagstone Red, Cherry; Hair - All Cool Grey 10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, 90%, Black; Eyes - Celdon Green, Teal Blue; Shirt - Deco Yellow, Tulip Yellow, Yellow Ochre, Brick White; Pants - Blue Slate, Cerulean Blue, Brittany Blue, Muted Turquoise; Shoes - Light Tan, Sienna Brown; Swing - Light Walnut, Dark Walnut, Sepia. Hydrangea's - Blue Slate, Muted Turquoise, Brittany Blue

Mojo Singing Ava



The last days of 2009 are here and I have a cutie pie card to show, probably the last, before the new year! WOW! I hope you all have another year ahead of you that is filled with blessings and gracious love.


My little Ava is singing with a grateful heart for Mojo Monday's last sketch of the year. The image is InStyle's Karaoke Ava. I was mostly tickled to find I had Prismacolor's to go with the paper from Where the Heart Is by My Mind's Eye. I say mostly because I lacked the lighter blue green marker to do Ava's dress, so I made a special trip to the art store. {wink}

Have a safe and fun New Year! Thanks for stopping by.



Details:
Stamps: Instyle Karaoke Ava, Verve Christmas in the Air and PJ Grateful Heart
Paper: MME Where the Heart Is, Mohawk Smooth White, Close to Cocoa
Ink: Laserjet printer, Prismacolor Markers*, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa
Accessories: Nestabilities Classic Square and Scallop Square, Classic Circles; stitching, Stickles Waterfall and Orange Peel, MS Onyx and Sterling glitter, Glossy Accents

*Prismacolor Markers Details: Hair - Terra Cotta, Pumpkin Orange, Mineral Orange; Wings - Yellow Ochre, Goldenrod; Skin - Pale Peach, Brick Beige, Clay Rose; Mouth - Blush Pink, Clay Rose; Dress - Jade Green, Teal Blue; Leggings - Pale Jade, Jade Green; Shoes and Microphone - Cool Grey 30% and 90%

Date Night Kit Tutorial




Hello all,

I wanted to give the construction details to my Blog Hop project here, but I ran out of time before I needed to post the actual project. LOL I hope they work since I wrote this from memory and measurements from the completed project.

So here are the details on how I made the CD holder and the cuts for the tickets and gift card.

1 - 5 3/8 x 10 inch cardstock
1 - 5 x 12 inch cardstock
3 - 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch cardstock or patterned paper
2 - 2 x 2 1/2 inch copy paper (hidden and optional)
1 - 3 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch copy paper (hidden and optional)
Martha Stewart Score board or Scor Pal
ISP or Tacky Tape
Eyelet Hole Punch with smallest punch
Craft Blade Knife (Xacto Knife)


Step 1:
Score the 5 3/8 x 10 inch cardstock at (A) 4 3/8 inch and 9 3/4 inch. You will have a 1/4 inch tail for adhesive. Rotate 90 degrees to the left and score at (B) 1 inch. Fold cardstock on the (A) scores and press with a bone folder. Apply sticky tape to 1/4 inch tail and press together. Score line (B) is to make the book crease on the same line, but is not a functional fold or really needed I guess. LOL. Use a circle punch in the center of the open end to make a notch (about a 1/3 of the punch should be used.)







Step 2: Score the 5 x 12 inch cardstock at 5, 6, and 7 inch marks. Fold and press with a bone folder. Inside the valley fold line the edges of the 5 and 7 inch scores on the inside (see illustration) adhere some sticky tape.




Step 3: Center the 1-inch tab of the cd insert into the valley fold of the cover and secure using the sticky tape on the cover.





Step 4: Take one of the 4 1/2  by 4 1/2 inch square pieces of cardstock and  mark on the front side the desired position of the ticket holder cuts. For my project the the coordinates for the left cut are: 7/8 inch from the left side and 1 5/8 from the bottom and ending 2 5/8 inch from the left side and 2 inches from the bottom. The right cut coordinates are: 2 inches from the left side and 2 5/8 from the bottom and ending 3 5/8 inch from the left side and 1 1/8 inch from the bottom.

At each end of the cut line use the smallest eyelet punch you have. Use a craft knife and cut the lines.


(Hint: Click on the image to enlarge it and make it easier to read the measurements.)

Step 5: Turn the ticket panel over and apply sticky tape across the top of each line.



Step 6: Take another panel (4 1/2 by 4 1/2) and draw a line 3 1/2 inches long about 2 inches from the bottom. Using the same eyelet punch, make holes at each end of the line. Cut the line as you did for the ticket panel. I punched a small dip in paper below the cut line to make it easier to slide in the card.


Step 7: Turn over the giftcard panel and apply sticky tape above the line.


Optional: If you want to make sure the tickets or giftcard don't slide down into the cuts of the panel, make the following sleeves out of plain copy paper. Adhere each one to the back of the panel before attaching the panel to the inside of the cover. Each sleeve length should be 2 1/4 inches long and the width should be the same length as the slit ( My tickets cuts were 1 1/2 inches and 3 1/2 inches for the giftcard). Make a score line at 1 inch for all and fold. On the outside of the 1 inch length apply sticky tape. This will be adhered just under the cut line. The sticky tape on the panel just above the cut will be for adhering the longer length of the sleeve.









Use sticky tape on the back of the panels and adhere to the insides of the cover. Now would be a great time to add two lengths of ribbon for a bow closure element. (I forgot to do this part on my blog hop sample.) WAIT! Check to make sure that the seam on the CD cover is at the bottom before applying the panels, this way the recipient won't see a seam when they open up their gift kit.

Now you just need to decorate the front!

If you have any questions email me or better yet leave a comment on this post. Other visitors may have the same question as you do!

I would love to see what you create with this tutorial so if you can remember to email or post a comment linking back to your project I would just love it!

Eeks! Just two days left until Christmas. Have a great week!

It's time to hop into some Love and Romance!






Are you enjoying the Blog Hop so far? The Design Team has created some awesome projects. If you've been hopping with us then you came from Linda's blog. If you've just arrived here for a visit and if you've got time we would love to have you join us! Hop over to the beginning at the InStyle Stamps blog here.

My project for the hop today can either be for your significant other or as a gift to a couple you know.  It's a date night kit of sorts, all wrapped up into one package. Just as a frequent flyer has a wallet for passport, boarding pass and charge cards, this little package has a pair of tickets, music CD and a restaurant giftcard.



I used Mike and Jessie for my cup of sweetness. They just look so much in love it makes you smile. You'll find them as well on the music CD label. I stamped around on the red panels with a couple of dreamy sets from Verve called Thankful Accents and Thankful Hearts as well as the sentiment from Anniversary Birds. I downloaded and resized a digi-paper from A Cherry on Top and printed it out for four (4) panels, but my ink cartridge was low and I only had two match, so I just used some paper in my scrap pile for the cover.

That's it! Thanks for stopping in on the hop. You're next stop is at Genevieve's blog.

After you're done visiting all the design team blogs go back to InStyle Stamps and give yourself some love by entering a chance to win a prize. Don't forget to vote on your favorite project by a design team member.


The hop list, just in case you need to know where you are on the hop.
Mary
Jodi S.
Melissa
Raquel
Linda
Janelle - You're here!
Genevieve
Lysa
Virginia
Margie
Piali
Lana
Angelique
Cyndi


Details:
Stamps: InStyle Mike and Jessie, Verve Thankful Accents and Thankful Hearts, Anniversary Birds
Paper: Brocade Blue, Digi-paper from A Cherry on Top, Red and tan cardstock unknown
Ink: LaserJet, Brocade Blue, Prismacolor Markers*
Accessories: Rhinestones, SU Finial Press EF

*Prismacolor Details:  Mike: Hair - Cinnamon Toast 201, Light Tan 95 and Mocha Dark 200; Shirt and Sweater - Brick White 79, Brittany Blue 142; Pants - Khaki 209; Shoes - Mocha Dark 200. Jessie; Hair - Deco Yellow 131 and Yellow Ochre 18; Shirt - Flagstone Red 73 and Mahogany Red 150; Skirt - Cool Grey 30% 110 and Cool Grey 70% 114; Shoes - Cool Grey 30% 110 and Cool Grey 90%

Letterpress Kit Giveaway




Lifestyle Crafts has a giveaway! I'm so curious about this Letterpress technique and equipment. I've seen it advertised at Archiver's. Well, I don't enter many give-aways but I think I'll try this one over at the Lifestyle Crafts website.




You become a Follower of their blog, post on your blog with a link back, and become a member of their Fanbook on Facebook. Each option permits an entry in the comment section and a chance to win this $150 value kit.

It's worth a try.



Happy New Year's Party Invite



It's Over the Hump Day Blog Candy Giveaway at InStyle Stamps blog today! The Challenge theme for the month is New Year's. If you haven't already thought of ideas for this quick approaching day or just need a change from the hustle and bustle of your current day, head on over and look at some of the InStyle Design Team's projects for inspiration.


Here's my card or rather 3D project. You would not believe where this "card" started if I told you so I'll just tell you what I did once this idea blossomed. (Thanks dear MIL for all the ideas). It's an Invitation Door Hanger. Who wouldn't want to get an invite like this hanging on their front door?

My popped up image is from InStyle Stamps Sitting Kylah. I went back to the colored pencil and OMS technique for coloring after watching an episode on Stamp TV, and I feel like I did much better at getting depth and vibrant colors this time.  It's a great alternative to using my Prismacolor markers. I'll be doing it again! I added some glitter to her dress and wings which of course is not photogenic AT ALL. I made a picture hanger out of paper and hole punched it, put the silver cord through it and slipped it over the acetate box.

The box template is called Piece of Cake from SEI's post here. I used clear acetate so that the foil wrappers from the candy would be visible and give the invitation some texture. Here's a tip: If you use acetate you might want adhere the sides at the bottom of the box so the contents don't fall out. I used ISP from i{heart}papers. The box normally doesn't need any adhesive to stay together, just the ribbon tied at the top of the box.


One of my tangent ideas was to make a table decoration or party favor using triangle box template from The Guilded Bee using the same construction and assembling as the door hanger. Maybe I'll try it out if I have time. LOL

Details:
Stamps: InStyle Sitting Kylah
Paper: Astrobright copy paper (various), Mohawk Smooth White, Clear Acetate
Ink: LaserJet, Prismacolor Pencils
Accessories: SU Crushed Curry ribbon and silver cord, candy, wire, OMS, Yellow Stickles, MS Wintermint glitter and gel adhesive, SU Ticket corner punch, standard hole punch

Prismacolor Details: Hair - Light Umber 947, Dark Umber 941; Skin - Peach 939; Mouth - Blush Pink 928, Carmin Red 926; Wings - Canary Yellow 916, Yellow Ochre 942; Dress - Parrot Green 1106; Leggings - French Grey 20% 1069; Shoes - Black 935

Tis the Season - We have a Winner!


Good morning everyone! The blog candy closed last night, but later than I had posted. The close function wasn't working out as planned for Mr. Linky so there was an extra 5 hours to enter. LOL

Thank you, Cheryl, Penni, Shanna, Cathy and Ginette, for playing in "My mistake can make you a winner" Blog Candy Give-away.

I used Random.org to generate the winner and that person is Cheryl from She Stamps blog. Congratulations! Cheryl, please send me your address to me (go to View my complete profile link to get my email address) so I can get it out in the mail.

This was fun! I think I might find another mistake and do another Blog Candy next month. It might be something to do with coloring images. Hmmmmm what could it be?

Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday to you and your family! Stop in any time.