A Merry Christmas Snowman - Paper Cupcakes Monday Challenge

Hello everyone - (I have to edit this post very quickly to say a big "oops" - apparently the challenge was to use "traditional" red and green colors with this image - I didn't follow instructions very well - I do apologize) this has been a very stressful week for me and I am so glad that it has come to an end and a new week is beginning. My dad went into emergency with a blood clot in his head last Tuesday night and they had to operate the same day. It was quite a scare for our family but thankfully everything went well and he is now home again on the mend. I am actually excited about this upcoming week as both my oldest son and my daughter are coming home for a few days - they won't be home for Christmas but I am just thankful that they will be home for a few days before. We are having our family Christmas dinner on Saturday night. This is the first Christmas my husband and I will be home alone - I know I won't like it - but I knew that one day it would happen. They are all adults now and have lives of their own. This card was made for Paper Cupcakes Monday challenge - we are all to use the same super cute image - A Merry Christmas Snowman 2 illustrated by the very talented Nina May of Paper Cupcakes digi stamps. (Again I do apologize for not following the challenge as far as colors) I wanted to make a colorful card so I found lots of different colorful DP and layered them. I colored the image with my copics and added a button, some twine, a quikutz corner die and a few dark red brads. I used some Tim Holtz black Soot distress ink around some of the edges as well. I hope you enjoy your week. Thanks for stopping by for a visit.

Your stamping friend, Debbie

Paper Cupcake Challenge - Ornaments

Hello everyone - once again an extremely busy week - I think from now till Christmas I will be lucky if I can post once a week - in one way it is good that I am on the design team for Paper Cupcakes because when my life gets this busy it forces me at least to post for the once a week challenge. I know in January my busyness will slow down and then I should be able to get back to posting more regularly. This weeks challenge at There's Magic in the Air is to make an ornament. This challenge really scared me at first because we had to make something other than a card and I was really afraid to step out of my comfort zone - but again challenges are good as they force us to try something we normally would not do and we sometimes surprise ourselves and realize that we can really do it. My ornament was made with these adorable love penguins - in a past challenge I did use this image for a card. I made the image much smaller this time and colored it with my copics. I actually used a couple of creative memories circles for the actual ornament and a SU punch for the top of the ornament. I added the snow on the bottom half which I also ran through my cuttlebug to give it texture (swiss dots). I used DP for the background and a sizzix die cut for the heart. I added some jewels and pearls and a black/white gingham ribbon. I think this could also be used as a tag as it opens up. Thank you for stopping for for a visit and maybe you can get a chance to play along yourself. Check out the wonderful creations the rest of the DT have made here. Hope you have a great Monday and a wonderful week (in case I don't get another post until next Monday). Bye for now!!

Your stamping friend, Debbie

Cute Card Thursday challenge - Blast from the Past - I used Challenge #138

Hello - I know I don't post for a whole week and than all of sudden I post twice in one day - my life is kind of like that right now - and especially since we were away again. After we got back yesterday and I cleaned up my house a bit I really just wanted to be in my craft room and make a card - it relaxes me to do that - so that is why I ended up with a couple of cards for today. Who knows when I will get a chance to be in my craft room again - hopefully soon though! This card is made with an older Magnolia stamp - I think I have had this one for a couple of years but I really like this Tilda. I decided I wanted to make a card using traditional Christmas colors so I just went through my Christmas paper stash and found all these different colorful papers. I colored the image with copics and layered everything together. I added a new magnolia swirl die (I love this die - first time I used it). I also added some ribbon, did some faux stitching and added some white gel pen highlights. That pretty much does it - thank you for stopping by to visit - Have a great week! I might be back again sooner than later - hoping to get back in my craft room this evening - maybe. I love making Christmas cards at this time of year!! Oh I have entered this card in Cute Card Thursday Challenge - Blast from the Past - I am using Challenge 138 - Anything Goes - I figure this card will work for that.

Your stamping friend, Debbie

Anything Goes - Magical Monday at Paper Cupcakes Challenge

Hello - we should just be getting back from our weekend away when this card is posted. We were away to watch our son play hockey on the coast. Well it is again Magical Monday at Paper Cupcakes and the challenge this week is "Anything Goes" which means we are pretty much open to do anything we want with any image. I choose this adorable Owls on Candy Cane illustrated by the talented Nina May at Paper Cupcakes. I have used this image before when the challenge was Tags and I really wanted to also make a card with this image and so here it is. I printed the image on white cs and colored in with copic markers. I added Tim Holtz antique linen to around the edges. I added a bit of red ric-rac ribbon and used my sizzix holly leaves die cut. The Merry Christmas ticket is also from Paper Cupcakes digi-stamps - there is a whole sheet of Christmas tickets which is new to the site as well as some other non-Christmas tickets - you might want to check them out. I finished off the card by layering with some more of my favorite BG Jovial line and some other DP from my paper stash. I added a couple of flowers and some brads and that pretty much does it. Thanks for stopping by for a visit and hopefully you will get a chance to stop by There's Magic in the Air to check out the rest of the DT cards and maybe join in yourself - Have a wonderful Monday and where-ever you may be - I hope you are keeping warm!!

Your stamping friend, Debbie

Magical Monday - Paper Cupcakes challenge - Cream and Red

Hello everyone - just when I thought I would get a bit of time off of work and more time in my craftroom - one of our main guys at work broke his foot on Friday and is off for at least 6 weeks - what that means for me is more time at the office. I am not very happy about it - but on the other hand I do feel awful for the guy that broke his foot. My getting more time in my craft room will most likely not happen until mid to end of January. It also means now that I must be more organized - I used to be so good at that but not so much anymore. Well it is Monday once again (and now almost the end of November - Yikes!! - where did the time go?!!). The challenge at Paper Cupcakes blog - There's Magic in the Air is to make a card (it doesn't have to be a Christmas card) and use the colors red and cream. This card that I created used the digi-stamp "Christmas Bulbs" which was illustrated by the talented Nina May at Paper Cupcakes - I used mostly Basic Grey "Jovial" line of paper (I absolutely love this paper!). This was a very detailed card - I printed out the digi-stamp on white CS and then I added fine red glitter to the bulbs - I colored in the strings in gold and added a gold star sticker to the one bulb (there is actually a star on the design). I then cut out the entire image - that was crazy hard - I had to use my x-acto knife for this one. I then did some paper layering and used some lace and ribbon for accents. The sentiment I am not sure where it is from but I thought it was the perfect saying for this card. I wanted to make it a vintage type of card and I think I succeeded with that goal - this card is much prettier in real life as the Christmas bulbs really do sparkle with all that glitter. Hopefully you will get a moment to stop over at the challenge blog to check out all the other cards made by the Design Team and maybe even get a chance to play along yourself for a chance at winning a great prize. Thank you for taking time from your busy day to stop by for a visit - I hope that you are all keeping warm and cozy - we are heading for some very chilly weather in the next few days - so I know that I will be bundling up everywhere I go. Have a great day!!

Your stamping friend, Debbie

Santa Stocking

Hello - I decided tonight to make another Christmas card and to use a Whiff of Joy stamp that I purchased last year but never got around to using. I love this Willow with Santa Stocking stamp and she was perfect to paper piece and I knew as soon as I had decided to use her that I was going to use my Basic Grey Jovial paper once again. I love this paper - it has a bit of a vintage feel to it yet it is still very Christmasy. I stamped this image on white CS. I then paper pieced her coat, hat and stocking. I cut out the holly leaves from green paper and added a few red jewels for the berries. I colored the rest of the image with my copics - mostly E40, E41, E42, E43 and E44, G85 and G99, E11, E33. I used my sizzix die cut to cut out the scalloped frame and I added little red brads to each scallop. I then used the sentiment from the same stamp set and framed it with SU brass. I added some Christmas prima flowers and did lots of paper layering in the background as well as a couple of border punches and a piece of ribbon. I used Tim Holtz frayed burlap distress ink around the image and did a bit of faux stitching and that does it. Thanks for stopping by for a visit - it is snowing and cold!! Just got back from taking my dog for his "before bed" walk. As we were walking my dog became a bit agitated and started pulling on his leash and then all of a sudden a deer appeared and it was only a few feet from us - my dog barked and the deer stopped and the two of them stared each other down - meanwhile I was taking in the beauty of the scene - you have to picture this - it is lightly snowing, it is night-time, there is big beautiful trees in the background, a full moon and a street light shining down on the deer highlighting it to perfection - it really was a gorgeous site!! Well I am off to bed - tomorrow is back to work for me - I have a super busy week!!

Your stamping friend, Debbie

Penny Black Challenge - All my Favorite Things

Hello everyone - today I decided to join in the challenge over at Penny Black - I actually have 2 favorite things at Christmas - snowmen and angels. I decided I could not combine the 2 on one card so I choose angels this time. The adorable angel is from Penny Black - Mimi's Christmas set (the entire set is so cute!!). I inked her with versamark ink and embossed her in gold. I then only colored in her face (E01,E02,E11) and her hair (YR21, YR23, YR24). Her dress and wings I paper pieced with some embossed vellum paper (the same paper I used in the background of the window frame). The window frame was cut with my Cricut Christmas/Noel cartridge as were the gold candles. The big star in the background is a Sizzix die cut which I masked with dark brown paper and added some gold string. The sentiment is cut from the gold DP which is also used in one of the layers. I embossed a gold frame around the ivory background piece - this piece was also run through my cuttlebug and then I softly added TH Vintage Photo distress ink to highlight the embossed swirls. I added a brown star brad in the angel's hair and attached her to a SU oval punch so she has something to stand on. That about does it for this card. Thank you for stopping by for a visit - this is actually my 2nd post today - not a common occurence for me that is for sure but with Christmas approaching very quickly - I am spending quite a bit of time in my craft room. I hope you have a wonderful Monday and the rest of your week. Happy Crafting!!

Your stamping friend, Debbie

Paper Cupcakes Challenge - Who's Candy?

Hello everyone - it is once again Magical Monday over at Paper Cupcakes Challenge Blog - There's Magic in the Air. Today we are all given this digi-image called "Who's Candy?" illustrated by the talented Nina May over at Paper Cupcakes. I colored the image with my copics (colors listed below). I added some sparkles to the gummy candies on the snow and also added some sticker snowflakes and a candy cane embellishment. I used my quickutz for the 2 brown corners. I did a bit of layering with various papers from my stash pile. I paper pierced on the white matt and added a ribbon to the bottom. I also added the word Joy which is cut from a sizzix die cut. I did a bit of faux black stitching around the main image as well. Thank you for stopping by for a visit and hopefully you will get a chance to check out the rest of the DT's entries for this week over at There's Magic in the Air. Have a super day!!

Copics Used: W00,W3,R24,R35,R37,C3,C5,C7,E40,E43,E44,E49,G14,G17,B91,BG72

Your stamping friend, Debbie

7 Kids College Fund Challenge - Thank You

Hello everyone - Yeah!! The weekend is upon us once again and I couldn't be happier. I really cannot wait until I retire (I know it is still at least 10 years away - one can dream though). I will be spending so much more time in my craft room. Work really does get in the way - oh well - I guess I need to work to support this obsession. I am grateful and blessed to be able to have a beautiful area to craft in and for the time I do get to spend in there. Over at 7 Kids College Fund there is a fantastic challenge - all you have to do is use one of the images that 7 Kids College Fund sells (that in itself is easy to do) and it must be a thank you card. Since I am really well into the Christmas card making mood - I decided to use a Christmas image for a thank you card. I used my new Stampavie stamp and colored in this adorable image with my copic markers (E49, E35, E33 and E31). I then cut the entire image out (that was not easy). I paper pieced the bow and ribbon. The paper is from the Basic Grey Jovial paper pack. The sentiment is computer generated. I used Tim Holtz distress inks on most edges. The leave in the background is a Magnolia die cut. I added some SU corners around the sentiment and some green ribbon on the bottom. I glued some gold dew drops around the nesty circle and that pretty much does it. Oh I forgot to mention this challenge at 7 Kids - well you have a chance at winning a $75.00 gift certificate (maybe I shouldn't have mentioned that - the less people that know the better my chance is - lol!!) darn - I just can't be that nasty - I hope you get a chance to play along and wish you good luck in the draw. I am off to bed - I hope you have a great weekend - I don't have any plans other than doing some house work and hopefully getting some more Christmas cards done. Bye for now

Your stamping friend, Debbie

Merry Moose-Mas with more traditional colors

Hello everyone - this is my first creation that I made for yesterday's Paper Cupcake Magical Monday challenge. I am not sure what I was thinking - I made this card and thought - this will work perfectly for the non-traditional Christmas color challenge. I showed my hubby as I do with most of my cards - I need someone's approval and he is always happy to oblige and usually has some positive remark - although this time he said to me "isn't this challenge supposed to use non-traditional Christmas colors?" and I said "yes - and doesn't this card work so well" and then he replied "I thought green was a traditional Christmas color" - well I don't know what I was thinking - of course green is a traditional Christmas color - so at first I hated that he was right - so I said "yeah but there is not much green on it - I think it will be ok" - after I thought about it for a bit - I knew he was right (boy do I hate when that happens - lol!!) I had no choice but to redo the card - which is what I posted earlier this morning. This card uses the same adorable Merry Moose-Mas from Paper Cupcakes digi stamps. Again I used an older SU sentiment and some SU copper hardware. I used the same circut die cut for the tree and the same Cuttlebug embossing folders. I used the same copic colors for the Moose as well. The CS and DP was all from my stash. I hope you enjoy seeing the variation. Thanks for stopping by for a visit and have a great Tuesday - we have another holiday on Thursday - here in Canada it is Remembrance Day. I am looking forward to relaxing and spending some more time in my craft room - I have lots of Christmas cards to get done and the time is passing quickly. Bye for now.

Your stamping friend - Debbie

Magical Monday at Paper Cupcakes - Christmas Card - Non-traditional colors

Hello everyone - I know just how fast time goes as each Monday comes along way too quickly - Monday is not one of my favorite days - thankfully that is Paper Cupcakes challenge day so I do look forward to that part of Mondays. Today the challenge was actually choosen by myself and my challenge to the DT and whomever else wants to play along over at There's Magic in the Air is to make a Christmas card using non-tradional Christmas colors. I will have to admit - I messed up on this challenge - the first card I made had some green in it and I didn't really even think of it until my hubby looked at my card and he said "I thought you weren't supposed to use any Christmas colors" and then he went on to say "isn't green a Christmas color?" I could not argue that fact with him so I quickly remade my card and this time I made sure there were no Christmas colors - no Christmas colors to me means no red, green, gold or silver although it was not made that clear in the challenge request. I will post my other version (with the green in it tomorrow for you to see). I acquired the the Merry Moose-Mas image from Paper Cupcakes digital images. The very talented Nina May is the illustrator and I must say this Moose has got to be one of my favorites! I actually did not mind making 2 cards using this image as he was a lot of fun to use. I colored him with my copic markers (E49,E44,E43,E41). I then used my cricut to cut out the 2 white Christmas trees. I then put the trees through my cuttlebug to emboss. I also embossed the background dark blue CS. I ran a strip of brown CS through my krimper and layered a piece of gingham ribbon on top. The sentiment is from SU and I used my SU scallop punch to cut out the sentiment. I added a border on the bottom using my MS star border punch. I then added some blue jewels, some star brads and a prima flower to finish off the card. I layered the entire card on a piece of new Bo Bunny paper that I had just purchased. I must say I love this time of year when all the Christmas decorations are starting to surface all over town and this is the time of year when I love to sit and make Christmas cards - they are my favorite cards to make. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend - we had a great weekend - Saturday we celebrated my cousin's 25th wedding anniversay and today the weather was spectacular for this time of year - beautiful blue sky and lots of sun! My husband, myself and our adorable dog Toby went for a really nice long walk - going for long walks with my dog are another one of my favorite past-times so when I get the chance to go - it makes me very happy!! I hope you get a chance to check out some of the other DT entries and maybe even join the challenge yourself. Have a great Monday! Thank you for stopping by to visit and for your ever so kind comments!!

Your stamping friend, Debbie

Happy Anniversary Card

Hello everyone - another busy work week - so glad it is finally the weekend - this will be a quick post as it is almost midnight and we just came back from my cousin's 25th wedding anniversary party. It was a lot of fun and nice to see some relatives I have not seen in quite some time. I made this card this morning - I thought with all the cards I have made in the past something would work for an anniversary card but nothing I had was appropriate so I made this card. I am pretty sure this is a Sarah Kay stamp - I am too lazy to go downstairs right now to check. It is a pretty simple card - colored with my copics and layered a couple of times on DP and CS. I added a C.C. Design sentiment and a few brads together with a couple of prima flowers. I also used Tim Holtz Pumice Stone distress ink around the edges. Well off to bed for me - I am so thankful it is daylight savings weekend and we gain an extra hour of sleep tonight - I need it!! Thanks for stopping by to visit and have a wonderful Sunday!!

Your stamping friend, Debbie

Paper Cupcakes Magical Monday Challenge - Be Thankful

Hello everyone - It is Monday once again! It always amazes me how quickly the weekend goes and how much slower the weekdays go! This Monday the Paper Cupcake Magical Monday challenge is "Be Thankful" or "Thanksgiving Card". As a Canadian we have just had our thanksgiving but I know in the USA thanksgiving is near the end of November. This card was made with the beautiful "creamandsugarwithflowers" image illustrated by the very talented Nina May of Paper Cupcakes digital stamps. If you get a chance to stop by to visit her website you will be surprised at how many wonderful images she has to offer. This image is colored in with my copic markers and then cut out and layered on design paper from my paper stash. The sentiment is from an older SU set that I have. I added a couple of prima flowers, some polko dot ribbon and few brown brads. I used Tim Holtz walnut stain distress ink to some of the edges. I hope you get a chance to stop by There's Magic in the Air blog to see some of the other cards made by the very talented design team and maybe you might get a chance to play along for a great prize! Have a wonderful Monday - back to work for me. Thank you so much for stopping by to visit - just to let you know your comments mean so much to me!

Your stamping friend
Debbie

Double Joy

Hello everyone - I was so happy when I got my new Stampavie stamps in the mail last week. I have had them on pre-order since July!! It was worth the wait though - I just love them - this is one of my new Stampavie Stamps (Laurence Design). If you follow my blog you would know that I love dogs and any type of "cute" doggie stamps. This one was no exception. I colored these two dogs with my copic markers - I had initially wanted them more white than gray but I started off with too dark of a gray and by the time I faded to the lightest gray I realized that these two doggies were not going to be white anymore. I added a bit of W5 to the gray to soften the tone somewhat. I colored this image at crop night last night at our local scrapbooking store and then put away my copics so again I do not have a list of colors - sorry. I used my sizzix die cuts for the Joy sentiment and the holly leaves. I added a MS garland border on the bottom and glued some bright red polka dot ribbon on top. I layered some dp from my paper stash and added a few red brads in the corners. I used my white gel pen for highlights and my fine black felt pen for some faux stitching. Thanks for stopping by for a visit. The weekend is going by fast - I managed to get a few things done that I wanted today so that makes me feel good. I am looking forward to seeing all the kids in their costumes tomorrow night - we get about 60 kids or so every year and then we watch the fireworks from our house - we are overlooking the fire hall where they have the firework display so we always enjoy that. Happy Halloween to all!!

Your stamping friend
Debbie

My very first Halloween card

Hello everyone - well we made it back safe and sound and we did go through a bit of fog and snow - but all and all it was not so bad - I am just glad we drove back in daylight - it would have been way worse had it been night-time. My card today is made with a new Penny Black Slapstick stamp. I think I only own 2 halloween stamps - the other one I haven't ever inked and I bought it last year - just may have to ink that one up before Halloween - I had no intention of buying this Halloween stamp but when I saw it at our local scrapbooking store - I thought this witch was too cute to pass up!! I didn't have any "Halloween" paper so I just looked for any paper with orange/green or black and I did find a bit of it in my stash pile. This image is fairly large so there was not too much more to do other than color her with my copics (sorry didn't keep track of the colors this time), I layered the papers and added some black pre-cut borders - I like them because they have a bit of glitter to them. I had a package of sizzix halloween die-cuts that I have never used either so it was fun to use the Boo and the pumpkin for this card. I added a few corners using my SU corner punch. I added my own doodles black border around the image and also used some Tim Holtz Black Soot distress ink for around the image. Thank you for stopping by to visit - I have a very busy week once again - I am already looking forward to the weekend - I guess we are almost half way there. Have a great Wednesday!!

Bye for now
Your stamping friend, Debbie

Magic in the Air again - Paper Cupcake challenge - Die Cuts

Hello everyone - another busy week and weekend - we were away in Vancouver visiting our son and his lovely girlfriend. As I am posting this I am sitting in the hotel room - I thought I had better do it now as I am not sure what time we will get home tomorrow night - we are supposed to have snow on the pass tomorrow and apparantly lots of it - so that kind of makes me nervous - I may not be in any mood to post a card tomorrow night - anyways the challenge this week is to use die cuts and any acquired image from Paper Cupcakes digi stamps. The challenge is over at There's Magic in the Air - you just may want to play along for a chance to win a prize. Even if you don't get a chance to play along you may just want to check out some of the other cards made by the very talented design team. My card uses the adorable Love Penguins illustrated by the very talented Nina May. I used my cricut to cut out the snowflakes and my sizzix die cut for the "Brrr" word. I colored the image using my copic markers and the blue and purple paper is all from christmas stash pile. I added some white netting to the background and it just didn't jump out the way I wanted it to so I added some lace overtop and I found that was what it had needed. I also used my MS garland border punch for the background - I really do love this cute penguin image. Thank you so much for stopping by to visit my blog - your comments are really appreciated! I hope you have a great week and by the time this post is up I hope I am home safe and sound and back in my craft room - I really do miss playing in my craft room when we go away - I always am so happy to be back home - I don't travel well - I don't sleep well in any other bed but my own - I am a real homebody - I love my crafts and I love to cook and clean my house - I know I actually said "I love to clean my house" - but really I do - I love the satisfaction I get when it is all done. Well enough rambling - hope your Monday is fantastic!!!

Your stamping friend, Debbie

Magic In the Air Monday Challenge - Tags

Hello everyone - over at Paper Cupcakes - Magic in the Air - challenge is to make a tag using any image from Paper Cupcakes digi-stamps. I choose this adorable Owls on Candy Cane image. This was something new for me I had not made a tag in a very long time so it was fun to be challenged to make one again. I used my Cricut to cut out the tag template and then I just added an inside background which I layered. I used my copic markers to color in the image. I added a few punched out snowflakes which I added some sparkle to. I also added a small tree embellishment to the background together with some black gingham ribbon. That pretty much does it - you may want to check out all the other entries that the design team have made here. I hope you all have a wonderful Monday and thank you for stopping by to visit.

Your stamping friend, Debbie

Let is Snow - but not yet!!

Hello everyone - it has been a while since my last post - I have had an extremely busy week - with work and now my hubby and myself have committed ourselves to taking Bikram (hot) Yoga 3 times per week. Let me tell you if you want a good work-out and you want to sweat buckets than this is for you - we have gone 4 times now and already I am feeling such a difference in my body - the stretching feels so wonderful - once you get past all the muscle soreness and stiffness than it does really feel good. So with working all week and this new exercise program and now watching our son's hockey games on webcast my time for cardmaking is less than it used to be. This card for today was a week long process - I started making it last Sunday and everyday I would walk by my craft room and add another piece to the card - finally today I have finished it. I used one of my uninked Magnolias and a cricut die for the 2 trees as well as the 3 background snowflakes. I hand cut out the snow on the trees and added some sparkle. The log that Tilda is sitting on is also from Magnolia. I put the snow on the ground through my cuttlebug using swiss dots. I added a few punched out snowflakes on to the trees and the sentiment was cut out of DP. I didn't keep track of my copics this time as this was a week's work in progress. I hope you all had a wonderful week and weekend - as usual my weekend went by way too fast. Thank you for stopping by to have a look.

Your stamping friend Debbie

There's Magic in the Air Monday Challenge

Hello everyone - Happy Thanksgiving to all the Canadians out there - I had a very busy but wonderful Thanksgiving - today I will be able to just relax a bit more as we were out at a family gathering on Saturday and then Sunday I had my parents over for thanksgiving dinner - I am so pleased with myself as I made 2 pumpkin pies for dessert and they were scrumptious - we have lots of left-overs from the dinner so no cooking for me today!! This card was made for this weeks challenge over at There's Magic in the Air - we all had to use this beautiful vase and flower image and stamp it within a frame of some sort - now I will admit to you - I love this image from Paper Cupcakes digi-stamps but I am not happy with my card. I had another vision for this image but I left everything to the last minute and then with Thanksgiving and the extra cooking and family events - I was totally rushed - I started making this card at 10:30 on Saturday night (already a day behind for submission - thank you Nina for your understanding and allowing me to be late) and was so so tired that I just hurried it together - that is so unlike me and I guess that is enough excuses but excuses they may be it is the truth. Anyways this image is illustrated by the very talented Nina May over at Paper Cupcakes digi-stamps. I used my copics to color the image and made the dark frame from my Accent Essentials Circuit cartridge. I then layered it all together and added a SU birthday sentiment and a few sizzix flowers and a couple of prima flowers with brads for the centres. I added a bit of Tim Holtz pumice stone distress ink for the background. I promise my next card will not be a rushed card!!! Thanks for stopping by to visit and I wish you wonderful blessing this Thanksgiving and all year long!!! I am so thankful for my wonderful blog friends and my incredible family!!! Have a great day!!

Your stamping friend
Debbie

My New Mimi's Christmas

Hello - I just purchased this new Penny Black set called Mimi's Christmas and it is so adorable - the other stamps on the set are all just as cute!! I had to play with this set tonight. I colored her with my copic markers and added a bit of sparkle to the snowflakes and her angel wings. I layered on Christmas DP from my paper stash. The sentiment and the tree are from DP. I added a prima flower, a fern punch for the leaves, a few brads, a strip of ribbon and a small "handmade with love" heart. I used my SU oval punch for the little oval Mimi is standing on. I am already up past my bedtime so I will make this post short. Thank you for stopping by to visit and hope you have a great Friday!! Yeah the start of the long weekend - can hardly wait!! - Good night!

Your stamping friend
Debbie

A dog-gone good Birthday

Hello everyone - just a quick post today as I am off early this morning. I have a very busy day ahead of me - thankfully my sore muscles are getting a bit better!! As most of you already may know - anytime I see a dog or dogs on a stamped image I have to have it and this stamp was no exception. My son's girlfriend and I were on a road trip to watch my son play hockey and on the way home we stopped at the local scrapbooking store. When I spotted this adorable Whipper Snapper stamp it was love at first sight. My thoughts changed somewhat once I stamped the image out and then looked at it and thought to myself - now I have to color the whole thing - it was actually a bit of a challenge since I am still trying to perfect my copic coloring skills. Once I finished the coloring everything took on a bit of a orange hue so instead of starting over (even though I felt like I should) I decided to just add orange to the background and give the whole card an orange kind of look! Once I added black to it I was happier - I liked the contrast. There is not much to this card other than the main image, a couple buttons, some black gingham ribbon, a SU sentiment and some white gel pen for highlights. Thanks for stopping by for a visit and hope your day will be wonderful and full of good things!! Oh I will not be listing the copics I used this time as I used so so many of them and didn't really keep track.

Bye for now
Your stamping friend, Debbie

An Old Fashioned Christmas

Hello everyone - this is my 2nd post today - I don't do this very often but I finished this card last night and I was quite happy with the results so I just wanted to get it posted. I purchased this Stampavie stamp a while ago and I had the image stamped and sitting on my craft table for a couple of weeks now - I kept looking at it thinking there is a lot of coloring - my first impulse was to paper piece her clothing - (for me that is my way of cheating sometimes when i don't feel like coloring) however I thought to myself this would be a good challenge for me. I used my copics and just started to color and I actually surprised myself because I like how it turned out - it looked kind of old-fashioned to me so I found some old fashioned type paper to layer in behind. The sentiment was part of the dp. I added a poinsetta flower and a few small buttons and some TH pumice stone distress ink around the image edges and background and that pretty much does it! I hope your Monday is going just fabulous - I am aching all over - for some strange reason i decided I would try taking a "Hot Yoga" class on Saturday morning - there is a new studio in town - I really think it was a mistake - it was the hardest thing I have ever done and I am still exhausted not to mention my muscles are screaming at me!!! I am sure that I over did it - I know that it is a great stretching and toxic removing exercise but I am not sure my body can handle it. I may give it one more try and see what happens but I will have to wait until my body re-coops that is for sure!!! I am probably too old to be getting into something like that even though they say even an 80 year old can do it - I am not too sure about that!!! Well off to work for me in a few minutes - hope you enjoy your day and thank you so much for taking some time from your day to visit my blog!! Oh the copics I used for this card are E40, E43, E00, E11, R20, E30, E33, E37, E04, E07, E09 and G85 and BG75.

Bye for now
Your stamping friend Debbie

Magical Monday and Lots of Snowflakes

It's Magical Monday time again over at There's Magic in the Air. As some of you may know I was guest designer for the Month of September - but Nina has asked me to stay on till the end of December and join the Design Team - I graciously accepted and I am very excited to be working more with some of her fabulous images!! Thank you Nina! This week's challenge is to make a Christmas card using lots of snowflakes with any image from Paper Cupcakes. I choose this adorable Shelly Shell Slidin. I am still having a bit of trouble with digi images and deciding how big or small to print them out - this one ended up a bit bigger than I first envisioned so the card ended up larger than I normally make as well. I colored in the image with my copic markers. The Joy sentiment is cut from a sizzix die cut, the snowflake a MS punch. I added some gingham ribbon and a cute ribbon I had in my ribbon stash with the words warm hands, warm hearts. I did a bunch of layering and added a few brads and a pearl to the centre of the snowflake to finish off. It is hard to believe that in just over 2 months it will be Christmas! I hope you have a wonderful Monday and thanks for stopping by to visit. See you next time!!

Bye for now
Your stamping friend Debbie

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Hello everyone - it has been a few days since my last post and I was in my craft room tonight looking over all my Christmas paper and in the process getting quite inspired and excited about the upcoming Christmas season - my favorite cards are Christmas cards so I always love this time of year when it justs feel natural to make them. So here is one of my first ones of the season. I recently purchased a set of Angel Emma by C.C. Designs - I think she is so adorable - I don't know what paper I used as it is in my huge Christmas stash. I stamped a Penny Black musical stamp using a gray slate ink on to gray DP for the lower half of the card. I did some paper piecing for her dress and trumpet. The rest of her I colored using my copics. I added some sparkles to her halo and her wing. I used my SU oval for the base, a sizzix die cut for the swirls around the prima flower. The sentiment came in the same C.C. Design set. To finish off the card I added some small star brads and used some of my SU silver hardware for the flower centre and either side of the sentiment. Thank you so much for stopping by again to visit. I hope your week is going well for you - I am playing lots of catch-up this week - catching up on bookwork at my office and catching up on housework at home - but the weather here the past couple of days has been PERFECT!!!! Finally we are getting our indian summer!!! Bye for now!!

Your stamping friend
Debbie

Pictures from the Wedding

This is a picture of myself and my husband - it was lots of fun to get all dressed up!!





This is a picture of my son and his adorable girlfriend - she lived with us for the summer and she is a beautiful girl both inside and out - I truly adore her




This is a picture of my youngest son and my daughter. My oldest son could not make the wedding as he is away at University.

There's Magic in the Air Monday Challenge

Hello everyone - it is Monday once again and time for There's Magic in the Air challenge. I was given an image to use this week by artist Nina May from Paper Cupcakes digital images. The image she gave me to use is called "Autumn's Solitude". I was a bit leary of this image as it is very detailed and I really wasn't sure how I would put this all together. I will be honest it is not one of my favorite cards but I do like the color combination of orange and turquoise. I actually did quite a bit of paper piecing - the fairie's dress, her wings and the two pumpkins are paper pieced from various DP. I used my copic markers to color in the rest of the image and added an orange straw flower, a quickutz die cut, some small bronze and turquoise pearls, ribbon and I added some wire swirls to finish off. Nina had provided us with a photo of fall leaves for our inspiration. I had a very very busy weekend - the wedding we went to was very nice - I will add a couple of photos this week when I get a chance to download from my camera. My house is a disaster after having my kids here for the weekend and all the busyness. Hopefully by next weekend I can have things back to some kind of normalicy. Thank so much for stopping by to visit and I hope your Monday is a good one. Bye for now.

Your stamping friend
Debbie

A Formal Wedding

Hello everyone - another very busy week this week - can't wait till mid next week - my house will finally be quiet!! My son is home again for this week and his girlfriend is here as well and my daughter is coming for the weekend - we all have a wedding to go to tomorrow and we are all excited to go as it is a formal wedding at a brand new resort close to where we live - this resort is world known and it is spectacular!!! There are 14 bridesmaids in the wedding party!! I cannot imagine that so it will amazing to just see that!! I am not used to getting dressed up - in fact I had to go and buy a fancy dress for this occasion, not to mention jewellry, shoes and a fancy clutch purse - I am getting my hair done tomorrow as well so it is all pretty exciting stuff. I made this card to take with the gift. I remembered I had this Stamping Bella wedding couple that I had bought a couple of years ago and decided it would be perfect!! The wedding colors are black and white so I made the card to match. There will be lots of glitz at this wedding as well so likewise I added it to the card too!! I colored the image with my copics and layered with Paper Potpourri DP. I added some flowers and sizzix swirls and that pretty much does it! Thanks for stopping by to visit today - I hope you have a great day - I am off to do some grocery shopping - with all the kids here this weekend I need to stcck up!! Bye for now - will hopefully get some photos of the wedding to share.

Your stamping friend
Debbie

There's Magic in the Air once again!! - Monday Challenge

Hello - today's card is for There's Magic in the Air Monday challenge. We are all to use the same stamp this week called "Easy does it" illustrated by Nina May of Paper Cupcakes digi-stamps. When I saw this digi stamp I was really excited because this little guy is so adorable! I colored him with copics and used Kaisercraft "Jungle Bug Collection" paper. The sentiment is from SU. I did use a bit of Tim Holtz walnut stain ink around the borders. I made the card and then re-read the challenge and then I found out we were to bling it up as well so I did add some sparkles to the cupcakes and his antennas but it is kind of hard to tell in the picture. BTW we did have our neighbourhood bbq tonight and it was cold, windy and very rainy but it was still a lot of fun - we were all hundled in the garage - we did make the best of it - I am really hoping for much better weather tommorrow!! Thanks for stopping by for a visit and if you get a chance head over to There's Magic in the Air blog to check out the other entries. Copics used were B00, B000, B0000, G12, G14, G16, E43, E49, B45 and YR09.

Your stamping friend, Debbie

House Mouse Challenge 78 - A Special Sketch

Hello - it has been a while since my last post - I cannot believe how quickly this week has gone by - we were gone some of this week so it really put me behind in everything. This card is made for House Mouse challenge - this week's challenge is a very special one as it is the 2 year anniversary of HM Challenge Blog and they have some fabulous prizes to offer - you may want to head over there and enter yourself for a chance to win!!! I bought this HM stamp about a year ago and never used it yet - this is what I love about challenges - it allows you to use a lot of the "on a whim" stamps that you buy and then put away and forget about. This card is rather large - much larger than what I am used to making but because of the sketch lay-out and the image it had no choice. I stamped the image and colored the entire image and background with my copics. I added a bit of Tim Holtz walnut stain ink to the edges. The rest is just layering - I used some old SU DP and some other from my stash pile - I am not sure where the sentiment is from - again it was in my "old" stamps drawer. I hope you have a wonderful Sunday - our neighbourhood is having its annual barbeque - I think this is the 14th year in a row our neighbourhood has been doing this (we have lived here for 16 years). It is a lot of fun - I am just hoping it doesn't get cancelled as we have had nothing but rain for the past 24 hours and the forecast is for more rain!! Thank you so much for stopping by to visit and thank you to all of you who leave me such lovely comments - I really appreciate the time you take to leave a comment - it means a lot to me. Have a great day.

Your stamping friend
Debbie
Copics used: W1, W3, W5 for the floor, E40, E41, E42 for the background, E43, E35, E57, E31, E01, E40 for the mice and peanuts, Y26, YG91, YG95 for the bowl.

There's Magic in the Air - Monday Challenge - A Sketch

Hello everyone - it is Magical Monday over at Paper Cupcakes Magic in the Air. The challenge is any acquired image from Paper Cupcakes digital stamps using the sketch provided by Melanie Newby. I choose this adorable rabbit couple - I just love this image created by the very talented Nina May. I colored the image with my copic markers (listed below), sponged the edges with TH distress ink (spun sugar). The DP is from Kaiserkraft (Hey Birdie Collection). The sentiment is from C.C. Designs. I layered all the paper and added a couple of large prima flowers which I lightly shaded with TH Spun Sugar. I cut out the circles for flower centres from the same DP using my SU circle punch and added some white gel pen to highlight. I also added some black gel pen to accentuate the bunnies noses. To finish off I punched out 3 little pink hearts. Please do check out the rest of the fabulous cards created by the DT at There's Magic in the Air and maybe play along yourself. Thanks for stopping by for a visit and I hope your Monday is a happy one!! We are heading out of town again this afternoon to watch our son play hockey - that time of year again!! Bye for now.

Your stamping friend
Debbie
P.S. Copics Used - G99, YG91, YG95, E41, E43, R81, R83, R85

Week 72 - A Sketch - Just Magnolia Challenge

Hello everyone - this card was made for the Just Magnolia challenge - I wasn't too sure about this sketch as that circle in behind makes the card rather large but it did work out - it is not one of my favorites but the color combo is definately one of my faves. This is the first time this Tilda has seen ink as I just purchased her a couple of weeks ago. I colored her with copics and used some Tim Holtz distress ink in background and for some edge work. I used Creative Imaginations DP, sizzix die cuts for the sentiment tag (sentiment is a SU stamp) and the cacti. I added a couple of star brads, some twine and a bit of white gel pen highlighting and that pretty much does it for this card. Copics used: E00, E02, E11, E33, E42, E44, E49, YR20, YR24, R35, R81, R83, R20. I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend - I did lots of housework today as tomorrow we will be gone for the day and than back to work Monday. Bye for now and see you again soon - thank you so much for taking time to stop and visit!!

Your stamping friend
Debbie

Sweeter than Sugar

Hello everyone - thank you for stopping by to visit my blog today - today as I was sitting and waiting for our hot water tank to be replaced I made this card. We have more damage than first anticipated our carpet has been damaged and we are finding that the drywall is also soaked and will probably need to be replaced on the one wall - not fun!! On to better things - my card was made with my new PB Betsy Bluebell stamp set - I think these little gals are just the cutest ever!! She is colored with copics and cut out and layered on designer paper (not sure where the paper is from as it is "old stuff"). I used a SU oval punch for under her feet. The sentiment is from an old SU set. I used one of my nestability dies for the dark green background and layered again on more DP. I added a button to the dress and added some copic spica orange pen to highlight the flowers and some glass pearls on each corner. I must say when I am not rushed I sure enjoy just sitting and coloring - I find it so very relaxing! I only had to work 3 hours today so my day was a bit less hectic and I really liked that. I hope you had a great Tuesday - tomorrow is already mid-week - I love long weekends - it makes the work week go by so much faster!! Bye for now!!

Your stamping friend
Debbie

There's Magic in the Air at Paper Cupcakes Monday Challenge

Hello everyone - I am very excited and honored to have been choosen to be a guest designer (each Monday for the month of Sept.) for Paper Cupcakes - Magic in the Air. The owner and very talented artist of Paper Cupcakes digital stamps, Nina May, had asked me a while back to join her team as a guest designer and needless to say I was just thrilled. I had won 2 free digi-stamps from Paper Cupcakes from a House Mouse challenge I entered a couple of months ago and Nina visited my blog. The challenge over at There's Magic in the Air is a recipe which is to include, any image from Paper Cupcakes, ribbon, embellishments, Designer Paper and flowers. I choose one of my favorite PCC images - her name is Mandelina. I colored her with copic markers (see list below) and then cut her out and placed her on 2 different sizes of circle nesties. I added sparkly stickles to her wings and the hanging hearts. I then glued buttons on the flowers, added a few gold pearls and a sentiment that was on some DP paper I had in my stash. I also added a gold ribbon in the background. Thank you for stopping by to visit my blog and I hope you get a chance to check out the rest of the design team cards over at There's Magic in the Air

Copics Used: face/skin - E11, R20, hair - YR21, YR24, dress - YR24, G40, G82, G85, G99, branch - E35, E37 and flowers - YR20, YR24.

Have a fabulous Monday!!
Your stamping friend
Debbie

Penny Black Challenge - Purple, Cream and Brown

Hello everyone today I am entering this card in this week's Penny Black challenge, Purple, Cream and Brown. I actually wasn't too sure about this combo but once my card was finished I was like - WoW! I like those colors together. I used an adorable PB dog image together with a PB sentiment. The dog house is cut from a Sizzlet die and I used a balloon punch for the 3 larger balloons. I edged the balloons and the background purple paper with Tim Holtz dusty concord distress ink and I used Walnut stain for the dog, doghouse and around the edges of the cream cardstock. The balloon paper is from my stash pile and the dark brown bone paper is Basic Grey - Max & Whiskers collection (love that paper!!). I added a ribbon and a dog bone to finish off the card. I actually have to say I like how this one turned out! - Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit - I hope your weekend is going a bit better than mine - our hot water tank took it's last breath last night so needless to say we are without hot water till Tuesday morning (of course it had to happen on a long weekend). Our basement got a bit of flooding as well so we are trying to dry out our carpet downstairs with fans - hopefully it won't stain. This morning I had to take a sponge bath and wash my hair in really really cold water - it is not fun! I guess things could be worse - but it really is an inconvenience. Hope the rest of your weekend is filled with fun, sun and maybe a bit of stamping!

Your stamping friend
Debbie

Anything Goes - A Crafty Little Place Challenge

Hello everyone and happy happy long weekend for those of you who have the Monday off. It is labour day weekend here in B.C. and I am so so happy to have that extra day off. My card today is for a new challenge that I have not entered before at A crafty Little Place the challenge is "Anything Goes" - I needed a birthday card as I am meeting my friends for lunch and one of them had her 51st b-day on Thursday so I made her this card using my new Penny Black Betsy Bluebell stamp set (they are so so adorable!!). I did quite a bit of paper piecing on this card, her dress, the hearts in her hair and the balloons. I used my circuit for cutting out the grass (that was a nightmare - I think my blade is not sharp anymore!) I used my MS border punch for the bottom, Bo Bunny paper and the flowers I also cut out of Bo Bunny paper, C.C. Design sentiment, aged mahogony TH distress ink and some white gel pen for highlighting. Thank you so much for stopping by to visit my blog - I hope you have a fabulous weekend!!!

Your stamping friend
Debbie
Copic used: E00, E01, E11, R20, B611, BG18, E30, E35, E37, BG11, BG0000 and E07

Tinker Bell meets Bo Bunny

Hello everyone - last night I was just playing around in my craft room and I found this older stamp set - so sorry I am not sure which company this set is from but I think it must have a Disney label as it is Tinkerbell from Peter Pan I am sure. I love this set and just haven't played with it very much. I stamped the image and used my circle nestie and then a SU circle cutter to get the second background circle (as my next nestie was too big). I colored her in with copics, stamped 3 flowers from the same stamp set on patterned paper and cut out. I colored in the background using copic V000 and then used Tim Holtz forest moss and again unknown swirl stamp to stamp just lightly around the edges of the circle - I also tried to outline the main image in RV34 (not entirely happy with that look) I also added a bit of TIm Holtz grape concord to the background as well (can't really see it on photo). I used my Martha Stewart garland border punch for the top part, my rectangle scallop nestie for the background, added some ribbon, glitter, jewels and white gel pen for highlights and dots. All the designer paper is Bo Bunny. I showed my hubby my card (as I always do) and he said "it looks expensive" - I had to laugh - (little does he know!!). Thank you so much for stopping by to visit - the sun is shining here again and I am so happy!!! Have a great day my fellow stampers!!

Your stamping friend
Debbie
Copics used: V000, E01, E11, R20, RV32, RV34, BV00, BV11, YR20, YR21, YR24

Make a Splash - House Mouse Challenge 77

Hello everyone - you may or may not have noticed I changed the heading and background of my blog - I really didn't like the other look I had and although I am not totally satisfied with the new look - I like it better than it was - so I guess that is a step in the right direction. I am not good with all the computer technical stuff - maybe one day I will hire someone to customize my blog to exactly how I would like it but for now this is it - my card for today is for the House Mouse challenge 77 - Make a Splash - anything water goes - I actually tried to watercolor the image but tried a few times and then gave up - I was not getting the results I wanted - I need more practice with that. I pulled out my trustworthy copics and colored in the image adding some white gel pen highlights. There is not too much to this card other than a sizzix frame diecut, prima flower, faux stitching, 3 small blue brads in the corners. I did use Tim Holtz stormy sky for the background of the image - I sponged that on first and then colored my image. I used a sticker I had for the sentiment - I placed it down and it wasn't completely straight - so that kind of bugs me - I did try to lift it up again to move it slightly but the paper lifted up too - so I left it alone!! This image reflects the type of day we have here today - overcast and rainy - hopefully our indian summer will kick in soon - it is way too cold for my liking - hope you have a fabulous day!!

Your stamping friend
Debbie
P.S. Copics used - W1, W3, W5, W7, RV11, RV32, RV19, B34, B41, G40, G82, G85, G99, YG63

PB Challenge 116 Summer Lovin

Hello everyone - it has been a while since my last post - I have been super busy with cooking and cleaning and work of course this past week - it will even get worse next week as my oldest son is coming home for a week before he goes off to university. I will probably need to hide in my craft room if I want any peace and quiet!! My card tonight is for the Penny Black challenge - Summer Lovin - it doesn't feel much like summer around here lately the temperature has taken a huge dive downwards - not to my liking that is for sure!! I used one of my favorite PB images - just love this sweet little mouse - I colored the image with copics, computer generated the sentiment, added a few prima flowers, brads and jewels and that does it. Copics used were V000, R81, R85, W1, W3, G20, G40, G82, B41, B45, B000 I also added Tim Holtz spun sugar distress ink around the edges. Thank you for stopping by to take a look - thanks so much for all your wonderful comments as well!

Your stamping friend
Debbie

Just Magnolia Challenge Week 69

Hello everyone and I hope you had a great weekend - I sure did - although it went by wsy too quickly for my liking! Today the kids come home and the chaos begins all over again. Oh well I have till 9:00 tonight - so I will enjoy every minute!! My card today was made for Just Magnolia Challenge. To be honest this card took me way too long to make - I revamped it a couple of times and still I am not completely satisfied with the results. Oh well that is how it goes sometimes I guess. I used my new Magnolia stamps and a stamp from my favorite sentiment stamp set from C.C. Designs. I didn't use very many copics for coloring as lots of her was paper pieced - oh I guess I did use a few to color the suitcase - I used W1, W3, W5 and W7 for that and E41 and E44 for the stick part. I used my label nestabilities, some lace, gingham ribbon, Tim Holtz distress inks for backgrounds and edging, sizzix oval tag die cut and some gold gel pen for adding dots to finish. Thank you for stopping by for a visit and all your kind comments. Have a fabulous Monday!!

Your stamping friend
Debbie