Mr. Kringle is comin' to town!

As many of you are aware, I've gone back to work full time with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Halifax. We're holding our annual Gala Reception & Auction at work next month and I've offered to donate a couple of sets of cards to be auctioned off along with something else that I'm going to make or alter...haven't decided what yet, though!

The card that I'm sharing with you tonight is going to be one of five that I'll be showing you over the next little bit that will be included in each set of cards. Each gift set will be nicely held in a little decorated portfolio. I hope they're able to bring in a few bucks in support of the many wonderful programs that we offer to the kids in our area.

I know I've been MIA a lot lately and I have to apologize for that. Thank you to the many people who have contacted me asking if all is ok. I'm touched that you've noticed that I haven't been around much! But, I assure you all is great, I'm just busy with work all week. I don't get home til 6 pm and then I have to pick up the kids at daycare, cook supper, help the kids with homework and get them cleaned up for the next day, etc. etc. You know the deal...

Anyway, I am going through major crafty withdrawal...I just seem to be so tired some nights that I tend to just want to veg in front of the tv or go to bed early. But, hopefully soon enough I'll get into more of a routine and then I'll be able to have my evenings free to craft as I wish. :)

Well, the kids have an in service tomorrow, but I still need to get up early for work, so I guess I better call it a day. I'll be back soon, though, I promise!

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Mr. Kringle (Hampton Art Stamps)
Cardstock: Ivory (Staples), Flat White (Staples), Chocolate Brown (CRS)
Ink: Vintage Sepia (VersaFine)
Tools: 18 kt. Gold Leafing Pen (Krylon), Gold Sparkle Gel Pen (for eye glasses and stars)
Embellishments: Sheer Chocolate Ribbon (Michaels)

Fairest of Them All

My girls had another birthday to attend this afternoon, so I opted to make another princess card like the one I made last week. I love this carriage stamp...so cute, I think I'll make my daughter's upcoming birthday invitations with it, too. If you click on the picture above you'll be able to see my embossing a bit better. :)

Here's a close up of the carriage with all the glitter.

Well, we have 2 1/2 hours of free time while the kids are at the birthday party and tonnes of running around to do, so away I fly! lol :)

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Carriage - Fairest of them all (Imaginisce), Princess, Make a Wish (Studio G)
Cardstock: Purely Pomegranate (SU), Flat Black (Memories), Flat White (Staples)
Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko)
Touch Markers: 0 - Colorless Blender, 17 - Pastel Pink, 86 - Vivid Reddish Purple, 175 - Lime Green
Tools: Cuttlebug, Swiss Dots and Just my Type - Floral Branch Embossing Folders (ProvoCraft), Classic and Scalloped Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), paper trimmer using a score blade (to make a score line between my two folder designs), Black Gel Pen (Signo)
Embellishments: Diamond Stickles (Ranger)

Mojo104 Sketch Challenge

This is a card that I made for my friend, Germaine, who's in our local stampin' group. She likes cupcakes, so I thought I'd go with that theme for a fun birthday card for her and participate in the current Mojo Monday sketch challenge while I was at it.

Here's the Mojo sketch that I followed.
Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Cupcakes (See d's - Inque Boutique), All Kinds of Happy Collection - Happy Birthday (Imaginisce)
Cardstock: Ivory (Staples), Chocolate (CRS)
Patterned Paper: "Home Sweet Home" dots/light blue paper -Wild Asparagus (My Mind's Eye), Olive Green (Creative Memories)
Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko), Vintage Sepia (VersaFine)
Touch Markers: 0 - Colorless Blender, 11 - Carmine, 18 - Peach, 29 - Barely Beige, 42 - Bronze Green, 95 Burnt Sienna
Tools: Sponge (SU), Scissors, Classic Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders)
Embellishments: Olive Green Grosgrain Ribbon (Michaels)

Halloween Treat Coffin

Well, with Halloween fast approaching, here's a fun project suiting for the occasion. This was our 2nd project of the evening. Thanks to Kim for showing us this one! She supplied the template and we all had fun stamping and making these cute little 3D Halloween Treat Coffins and she even supplied the treats to go with them! I'll try my best not to eat them!

The inside of the coffin is lined with Halloween Bat paper and I stamped the outside kraft cardstock with a great web image and little spiders on the top. For the bottom, I stamped it with a faux wood grain stamp. You can see the wood grain better in the image above.

Here's a top view to show you the shape of the coffin.

Well, my girls haven't spied this project yet, but I know when they do they're gonna lay claim right away! lol :)

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Emboss Resist Technique

Now, onto the first project that we did on Tuesday night with the ABC gals. Deborah showed us a beautiful Emboss Resist technique using Ecoline inks. These inks are so gorgeous, such vibrant colours and a joy to work with. I know I'll be trying this more down the road. Thanks so much, Deborah for sharing this with us.

First, we stamped the background image onto our cardstock using VersaMark. Then, heat embossed it using clear embossing powder. We then spritzed on three different colours of Ecoline inks and sprinkled salt over it, then heat set it again. Using your fingers brush off the salt. This leaves a neat speckled effect where the salt reacted with the ink. From there, we put a towel on the counter and placed the cardstock on top of it, stamped side facing up. Put a piece of paper over the cardstock and using a very hot iron, iron back and forth, careful not to let your bottom layer of cardstock slip as to not smear your embossed image. By continuing to iron it, it will melt the embossed layer off and leave only your base layer showing through where the stamped image is. Very cool! :) Now, I have a fun background to play with to use down the road.

Stay tuned for our 2nd project of the evening...

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

RAK from Catherine

Catherine surprised me with this beautiful card and gorgeous RAK of Impressabilities by Spellbinders. Thanks so much, Catherine! I love the card and I can't wait to play with my new crafty toy! You're such a sweetheart! :)

The inside stamped sentiment reads, 'Behind every successful woman is a whole lotta coffee!' How funny is that! She knows me too well! lol :)
Things are going well at work and we're busy getting ready for our annual Gala Reception and Auction next month. It's lots of work, but it'll be so much fun that night. I'm really looking forward to it. Now, I just need to find something to wear...

I still have more to show you, stay tuned...

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

One Layer Swap Cards

Well, it's been a very busy week with being back to work full time (I'm lovin' it by the way!) but, I've also had things on the go every night this week, hence me being MIA on the blog scene.

I had a great time out with the local crafty gals on Tuesday night at our monthly stampin' get-together. As I mentioned in my last post, we choose to hold an actual swap this time and made a card for each person who attended. The following are the cards that I got to bring home made by the other talented ladies in our group. You can click on most of the names to go directly to that person's blog.

Valerie Wilson

Germaine MacDonald

Kim Prince

Deborah March

Here's a better angle so you can read the sentiment more clearly.

Catherine Levy

I have a few more things to show you, stay tuned...

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

One Layer Card Swap

The monthly challenge with the our local crafty group this time around was to make each person a card instead of just one that we normally enter into the swap that only one person would receive. We were to make all the cards the same, but the challenge was that this was to be a 'One Layer' card. You could choose to use a card base, plus one layer or a card base plus one embellishment. So, I choose the latter and what a challenge this was! I'm used to using so many layers, that I had a hard time thinking up a simple design that didn't look super simple or just plain boring.

Anyway, I think I'm happy with the way that my swap card turned out. I'm excited to see what everyone else came up with. I'll post them on Wed night.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Asian Bamboo Butterfly (Rubber Stamp Ave), Dragonfly - Butterfly Wishes (Impression Obsession), Something of the Marvelous (Impression Obsession)
Cardstock: Flat White (Staples)
Ink: Old Olive (SU) Tools: Peeled Paint - Tim Holtz Distress Stickles (Ranger)
Embellishments: Green Bling (Colorbok)

Introducing 'Misha'

Seeing as how I actually posted a new card, I feel that I can share some more Kitty Cuteness with all the fellow cat lovers out there! lol :) We've decided on a name, we're calling her, Misha (pronounced Me-sha). She's really settling in well and is such a cutie.

After supper, I came downstairs to look for her and Jim said she was under the couch. I called her and I could hear her meow, so I crouched down on the floor with my hand out-stretched and kept calling her but she wasn't coming out, but I could hear her crying. So, I looked under the couch, but I couldn't see her. So, now I'm wondering to myself...where is she? I happened to look over to the bookshelf and there she was, peeking out from behind some books! How cute is that! lol :)

"Oh, I've had such a stressful day... I think I need a nap!"

Our nearly 8 year old decided that Misha wasn't as comfortable as she could be in the pic above, so she got my favourite cozy blanket and piled it on top of my craft desk and placed her on it. She briefly opened her eyes and fell right back to sleep. It's a cat's life, I tell ya!

Well, Alexandria will be glad to hear that she liked her blanket that she set up. I took the girls up to bed, fell asleep in my youngest daughter's bed, got up and talked to my Mum on the phone for a while and came back downstairs (2 hours later now) and she was still sleeping on the blanket! Snug as a bug in a rug...or blanket! lol :)

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Princess, Make a Wish

My girls were invited to a 7th birthday party for one of the little girls that they go to school with and this is the card that I made for her. Jim had our camera today, so I had to scan my card instead since I forgot to take a pic of it earlier. Unfortunately, the colour is a bit wonky in the scan...but I guess you get the idea! lol :)

In real life, the top colour on the carriage and the mat layer matched perfectly. It's also hard to capture dimension using your scanner...that, or I'm not doing it right! I used Diamond Stickles all over the carriage and made it shimmer and pop. It looked cute. I also added the Cuttlebug floral branch border to the bottom, but it's hard to see it in the pic...did I mention that I'm not a fan of scanners! lol :)

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Carriage - Fairest of them all (Imaginisce), Princess, Make a Wish (Studio G)
Cardstock: Purely Pomegranate (SU), Flat Black (Memories), Flat White (Staples)
Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko)
Touch Markers: 0 - Colorless Blender, 17 - Pastel Pink, 86 - Vivid Reddish Purple, 175 - Lime Green
Tools: Cuttlebug, Swiss Dots and Just my Type - Floral Branch Embossing Folders (ProvoCraft), Classic and Scalloped Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), paper trimmer using a score blade (to make a score line between my two folder designs), Black Gel Pen (Signo)
Embellishments: Diamond Stickles (Ranger)

New addition to our family...

It's been a busy week setting in to my new job and now I'm sick with a cold/flu that my lovely children decided to bring home with them. Gotta love the fact that they'd prefer to share germs over toys, eh? lol :)

Well, I'd like to introduce our newest member of the family. A beautiful little 4 month old Seal Point Siamese. We just got her tonight and she's settling in quite well. She's even been hanging out with me at my craft desk - I think I'm gonna have a crafty companion! :)

Just relaxing, sitting half across my desk and half across my lap...
Ventured fully over to my lap, she's really settling in now...
Hanging out at crafty headquarters...

Playing with her little raccoon toy...

Oh, she's such a cute little kitty. I think she'll be a great addition to our family. We're still thinking up a name for her...so if you have any ideas, post a comment...we're open to ideas.

I'll have a card to show you soon. Things have just been a bit hectic here lately and I haven't had much time for crafty play. Thanks for you patience and I'll be back soon with something to show you! Stay tuned...

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Request for Diva Invitation Template

I got the following comment today requesting information from me regarding the Diva Slumber Party Invitations that I did up for my daughter's this summer. Well, Tevita, unfortunately, I have no idea where I got the template...as my friends are all aware, my memory is horrible!

But, I do still have the template saved on my computer, so if you'd like to email me, I can email them out to you to use. Glad you liked them. I'll warn ya, though...don't invite as many kids as we had here! I think I may have had a temporary lapse in sanity to invite 10 girls between the ages of 4 and 7! lol :) Just kidding, seriously have fun with it, all the girls that came had a blast.

So, send me an email at (lynuxkitty at yahoo dot ca) and I'll send you out the templates. :)

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)


Tevita has left a new comment on your post "Diva Party Invitations":

I think it's a beautiful invitation! Do you mind sharing what website you got the "clip art" from? I would like to do this for my daughter as well.

First Day of School 2009/2010

The girls headed back to school today...hard to believe the summer is over already! They're going into grades One and Two this year. They were super excited this morning to see all their friends again and they're looking forward to being in the after-school program, as well, since I'll be working full time now.

Well, I'm off to a few appointments, but I just wanted to share a quick pic of the girls all ready with their new stuff. Alexandria is sporting the pink camouflage backpack with a leopard print lunch bag and Natalia is Tinkerfied this year with both being TinkerBell.

Have a great day and thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Begonia Flowers

I had to really think about this card. A co-worker of mine asked me this today if I'd be interested in making a card for him. His only stipulation was that it had a Begonia on the front and the name Sandra on the front of the card, as well. Humm...I searched through my stash of stamps, but alas, no Begonia stamps to be had. So, I had to resort to finding one online and printing it off in black and white. I then watercoloured it. I'm quite happy with how this turned out. I hope he likes it and that the recipient likes it, too! :)

Here's a close up of the Begonia flowers and to show you a bit of the dimension. It's hard to see, but I popped up the matted image layers and the name circle.

Well, time to head off to bed. School starts in the morning and we've all gotta get up early.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)

Supplies:
Cardstock: China Red Linen (CRS), Jet Black Linen (CRS), Ivory Linen (CRS), Ivory (Staples), Goldenrod Linen (CRS)
Touch Markers: 0 - Colorless Blender, 11 - Carmine, 32 - Deep Yellow, 95 - Burnt Sienna, 175 - Lime Green
Tools: Scalloped Diamond Punch (EK Success), 1" & 1 1/4" Circle Punches (Creative Memories), 1/16" Black Pop Dots (MultiCraft Imports), Epson Printer, Font: Freebooter Script
Embellishments: Black Gems (Dollarama)