One of the vendors I always look forward to at the Calgary Art Market is the Old Island Stamp Company. I bought my first unmounted stamps from them about 3 years ago. I love their designs, and I also love that they are based in my very favourite part of the country, and somewhere I pine to go back to every time it snows here.

I think that showed through in the stamps I bought – I bought the large and small cedar branches (It made me wonder where the closest cedar tree it here?),  and also the gorgeous killer whale stamp above, and the raven below:

I also bought a fern stamp. One of my favourite places to play where I grew up was in the stand of cedar trees at the top of our driveway – it was a perfect little den, and there were ferns along the bank too. The card above is just one layer, I stamped directly on to the base card. The woodgrain background was from the other stamp booth at the same craft fair, Local King Rubber Stamps.

I used both cedar stamps on this card – the big one in ‘Evergreen’ ink (very appropriate!) and the small one in Tea Dye Distress Ink. That is just the colour dead cedar branches turn – I can almost smell them.

I used my newest Cuttlebug embossing folder on the killer whale card at the top – I think it was called Twigs? I embossed some craft cardstock, then rubbed a pale inkpad over the embossing to bring it out. It’s a bit silly to put an orca on a twiggy and cedar-y card – I just bought some great wave-print paper though, so I’ll definitely be inking him up again.

Here’s the latest Tilda image I’ve coloured, it is Tilda with Hood, and I bought it from the Little Stamp Shoppe. It’s so great to have a dedicated supplier of Magnolia stamps for Canada.

I used a few fun new toys on her – Liquid Applique on the ‘fur’ trim of her hood, Glossy Accents on her boots to give some gloss and dimension, and a clear Spica pen on the flowers in the basket.

This is the full card. I absolutely love this fleur-de-lis paper, so I didn’t want to cover it up too much with embellishments and thingys. The scrap paper behind Tilda was indeed just that, scrap. I bought some a lot of new stamps at the big craft fair last weekend, and I was testing out my handwriting background stamp on kraft paper with Tea Dye Distress ink. I loved the way it looked, so I aged it a bit more, and used it on the card!

The ribbon was white and black, I coloured it with the two Copics I used to colour Tilda’s coat and hood. I bought a few rolls of white ribbon with black accents at Michaels, so I will never have to worry about finding the perfect matching ribbon – I can make it!

Almost done the baby sweater, after a few setbacks. I’m hoping to remember to bring it home from work tonight, so I can take photos! I realised there’s a sweater I knit that has no FO photos, so I’m hoping P can take some photos of me in it.

Also, had been hankering after a digital organization system for my stamps, easily searchable with keywords and things like that. I think I’ve figured it out, and I’m going to either do a picture tutorial, or maybe even attempt a video sometime within the next week…. After the 4th my job goes back in to overdrive until about late February, so I need to do it before then.

I received a parcel today that was full of stamp-y goodies. I almost doubled (oops…) my copic collection, and I got a couple cute stamps. I opened the package, and immediately stamped 3 of this image, and coloured them all in in different colourways.

It’s a stamp by Impression Obsession, and I bought it from Paper Garden Projects. There’s another gorgeous one I wanted (a snowman mug full of hot chocolate) but it was sold out. I had so much fun colouring this image! I have another pair of mittens in green, and another purple with grey cuffs just waiting to be made into something.

You can also see I’ve used one of my newest tools on this card – the Cuttlebug. This card was sitting on my desk, already inked blue, while I was colouring mittens. I didn’t realise it matched the blue mittens until later.

This was a test to see what would happen if I put the front of a card in an embossing folder, and left the back outside it, under the folder. It worked! Only the front embossed, which is what I wanted.

This coloured, stamped image makes this card perfect for Caardvarks’ Color It! Challenge.

A Christmas cards, in blues. With a touch of purple. And the sketch from Saturday Sketch #77.

I got to use my new Martha Stewart icicle punch on this card – that made me very happy. I just wish I hadn’t missed the ‘drippy goo’ border punch at Halloween; I think you could make a really cool card where one fades in to the other, like the ice is melting.

I also used an MS snowflake punch to layer with the felt snowflakes I used. The felt flakes are Hero Arts, as is the stamp. I put those glitter swirls on with a glitter pen and MS ‘carrara marble’ glitter – this glitter is also on the icicles, which were punched out of already glittery paper. Good thing Creatalicious Challenge #4 is Snowflakes and Glitter!

I feel like I’m getting better with my Copics, but am feeling limited in my colour choices. I coloured her cheeks but not her whole face because I don’t like the way that colour looks on her whole face. I have no other pale pinks to blend it with, so faces currently look a little flat around here. I shade other colours with grey if I don’t have more than one (like purple – just one purple marker!) but with that pinky colour grey just looks like stubble, no matter how much I blend.

I put this card together quickly, just to remind myself that I can make cards in a matter of minutes, when I want. Most of the time I love slowly piecing a card together. The ‘Joy’ and Holly & Berries are also Hero Arts felt shapes.

Caardvarks had a challenge to make a round card. So I brought out the circle cutter (I have a Martha Stewart one) and some scrap cardstock, and made myself a blank card.

I knew exactly which stamp I wanted to use, too (click picture for bigger!).

This is another Stampendous stamp, and I think it is just adorable. I coloured it in with my Copic markers (I really need to have more than 10 of these – all my cards have the same colours on them!). I had some great Recollections patterned paper – it’s from a line called ‘Mom’s Diner’, so I guess it is meant to be retro countertop, but I think it makes great snowflakes!

More lace from the stash, knotted on the ends because I couldn’t decide how to finish it, and turned that into a design choice.

Materials:
Stamp: Stampendous
Papers: Recollections, Office Depot (cardstock)
Other: stash lace, Copic markers (B00, B02, G12, G17, V15, C1, C5, Y02), Hero Arts jewels.

I’ve been having a lot of fun making Christmas cards in different colour schemes than the usual red and green. This one is one of my favourites so far:

I took what really looked like a very summery madras plaid-y paper, and used it for the background, then stamped my images on kraft cardstock (perfect for the Daring Cardmakers challenge!). The stamps are Stampendous Snowy Short Stacks, and are great because you get bodies, heads, and feet and get to make your own characters. I love stamps that let you build stuff.

I wanted to keep the images simple, to contrast with the loud paper and shiny ribbon (perfect for Allsorts’ Bring Out Your Bling challenge), so I stamped in black, and picked and chose which bits I’d highlight. I bought some Martha Stewart flocking powder at Michaels the other day, I thought it was the perfect time to try it. I also used yellow stickles on the penguin’s feet, and an R02 Copic for the snowman’s nose.

The sketch is from Our Creative Corner, although I think I might be just too late this week.

Materials:
Cardstock: DCWV, Recollections kraft
Stamps: Stampendous
Ribbon: Michaels brand
Other: Making Memories rub-on, Martha Stewart Flock, Distress Stickles, Copic R02.

This is a card I think I could easily produce many of, at least until I run out of little felt snowflakes!

The challenge at Colour Create (#31) was Blue, Silver, and White, with an optional theme of Winter and Glitter. The silver cardstock is metallic, and I wanted to keep this card simple, so that’s all the glitter I have on it.

Materials:
Cardstock: Michaels
Stamp: Inkadinkado
Other: Hero Arts felt snowflakes, vintage lace, button brads, white embossing powder.

From winter, I decided I wanted to think about spring. The current Penny Black challenge is to make a card inspired by a song title or song lyrics. I love Penny Black’s hedgehogs, so I knew I had to use one of the hedgehog stamps – the latest set of theirs that I’ve bought was ‘Garden Friends’, a very springy set.

This card is inspired by the song San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair).

I was obviously thinking ‘hippie!’ so I brought out the paisley paper, and some flower rub-ons that conveniently matched. I wanted to get some tie-dye in there too, so I took some white seam binding (from that same big lot that brought me the lace on the card above) and ‘tie-dyed’ with my Copic markers. I blobbed colours on the white binding (Y02, B02, V15, G12) randomly, then scribbled my blender pen all over the whole thing. That made the colours really bleed together.

Then on went the little guy with flowers in his hair.

Materials:
Cardstock: Bazzil
Paper: Heidi Grace Designs
Stamp: Penny Black
Other: Daisy Bucket Rub-ons, copic markers, vintage seam binding.

I need to get some thank you cards made so I can send them out after Christmas, so I was very happy that Simon Says Stamp’s challenge #29 was for a thank you card, and Pink Elephant Challenge #40 is to be thankful.

I used the sketch from CPS #141, and the colour scheme of Primary Colours is the challenge this week at Cute Card Thursday.

I got out my vintage ribbon box while I was making cards. I bought a collection of sewing things from someone I found on Craigslist, when I thought I’d get in to sewing (that never happened…) and there was a whole lot of ribbon, seam binding, and lace that is just waiting to be used.

I coloured in the little owl with my copics (Y02, B00, B02, C1). Love my copics, and can’t wait until my next class on December 7th. I also put red Distress Stickles on some of the red dots randomly for texture.

Materials:
Paper: Bazzil
Stamps: Sandylion
Other: copic markers (!!), vintage ribbon, Distress Stickles.

I went to a Copic 101 class being held at my local scrapbooking store last night, and absolutely LOVED IT. I bought a bunch of markers afterwards too. We got a discount because we had just taken a class, so I thought I might as well stock up for this newest part of my hobby. I’m now the proud owner of 10 Copic Sketch markers (3 came with the class).

I had a great time, and loved the projects – sadly I only have crappy indoor nighttime photos to share. I don’t see too much daylight now that the clocks have changed. It’s pitch dark when I come home, and while there is light in the morning, I’m usually too sleepy to take advantage.

I signed up for a second class that is about a month from now, and I can’t wait! I also got to use the store’s Cuttlebug, which immediately went on my Christmas wishlist.

And here’s a blast from the past: when I was a kid, I loved the Forever Friends bears. My English relatives always sent me Forever Friends cards – I even still have my stuffed one with the letter H sitting on the shelf beside me. I didn’t know they were still producing FF stuff, let alone craft supplies, until I saw this post at Cats Whiskers. She is giving away FF stamps AND paper! This makes both the current me, and the 8-year-0ld me very happy. Fingers tightly crossed!

Fingers also crossed for this pile of goodies:

From Jacque’s Joie de Vivre. Now that is a haul!

OK, off to play with my Copics now.

Once again, I tried to combine all sorts of challenges into one card. It’s fun, because that way I have a layout, maybe a colour combo or a theme all dictated for me. I find it easier to have jumping-off points like that, rather than just looking at a stack of paper and having no idea where to start.

This layout is from CPS Card Sketch 40, and I made sure to use stripey paper to qualify for Papertake Weekly ‘Spots & Stripes’.

The challenge at the Hero Arts blog was to make a holiday card with non-traditional colours. I took my inspiration from the paper I used for the background and the snowman’s jacket – citrusy green with pink (and orange, but that’s only in the paper). I stamped the snowman with green ink on the patterned paper, and black ink on white card, and the dotted card. My black inkpad is wimpy, so I ended up going over the lines with a fine-tip Sharpie. I also coloured in the pom-pom on the hat with pink Sharpie, before covering it with Stickles.

I cut a circle from some green Core’dinations Whitewash collection paper, then crumpled it up and sanded the crumply bits. I stamped the sentiment in pink  after gluing everything down. I think I kept enough green on the card to qualify for the ABC challenge G is for Green.

When the card was done, I made a quick one out of the scraps:

That’s the same Swiss dot cardstock, but with pink ink sponged all over it. It was then that I realised I have the perfect punch to go with the swirly paper!

Supplies used:

Cardstock: Bazzil, DCWV, Core’dinations
Stamps: Hero Arts
Ink: Brilliance pink, Colorbox green, Autumn Leaves black
Punch: Martha Stewart
Others: Making Memories button brads, Stickles glitter glue, Sharpies

The Penny Black Saturday Challenge #73 was to create a white-on-white card. You could have colour on your image, but nowhere else.

I really wanted to try this, but I’m not a very good colour-er, nor do I have the tools (but I’m taking a Copic class tomorrow and I’m SO. EXCITED.), so I thought I’d take the challenge one step further, and have all white, with just one colour for stamp ink.

I got out all my papers, and pulled out all the white I have. My ‘Christmas Mint’ pack had this great swirly cardstock – that became my card bases.

I used a couple border punches to get some texture, and even found a little bit of white lace and some leaves, in my old crafty bin. I used gold ink on the Penny Black stamp for my colour. I used the sketch at Sweet Stop Sketches (#28) for the layout.

This card even has an image on it, but it’s embossed in white on white cardstock, so it is subtle. The image squares are on 3-D adhesive, and the red-stamped sentiment has 4 little pearls on it. I stuck with one border punch on this card, and did 3 layers. This is my newest punch purchase (Martha Stewart, of course. I want all the ones she does!) so it fits in with the Daring Cardmakers challenge to use your newest punch purchase. I also bought a MS button punch at the same time, I’ll have to make some cards with that soon!

I stamped the big image from the Penny Black set I have – a mouse decorating a tree with a cat at the top. I cut out the cat and the mouse. You can see them better in this photo.

This sketch is from Sketch Saturday #75.

For both cards:
Cardstock: SEI Christmas Mint ‘Merangue’, Bazill (dotted), Office Depot (white)
Stamps: Penny Black
Punches: Martha Stewart
Inks: ColorBox

Both these cards also qualify for Colour Create’s ‘All White’ challenge #30 as well!