Happy Canada Day!!! Let's Celebrate!!

What a beautiful day to celebrate Canada!! I am proud to be a Canadian!!! And here's my card to prove it!! Heehee!!

This is of course, a High Hopes Rubber Stamp called Canadian Friends! I borrowed this one from a friend and stamped it on whisper white with black Stazon ink. I coloured them in using various Prismacolour pencils, odorless mineral spirits and my blending stumps. Umm...I'm still not so hot at that technique but I'm gettin' there. I doodled around the edge with my black journaler and used Basic Black and Real Red cardstock along with some black gingham. Very simple (but that colouring took me forevah!!!). So Happy Canada Day all!!

NOW, I'd like to just say I'm sorry for neglecting my blogger duties on Saturday....I actually got to sleep in!!!! I was shocked too......I can never sleep past about 8am but on Saturday, I woke up at 10:30 so I didn't have time to post!! What a slacker, I know!! My Mom even called me and said, "How come you haven't posted today?? You're gonna get fired!!" Hahahaaaaaaaaaa!!! Please don't fire me!

THEN, my honey came home from work, we made brunch together (eggs and toast for us and pancakes for the Emster) and then we took off!! We dropped Emileigh off at her friend's house for a sleepover and then went to London. We drove around looking for another stamp store I was told about but alas, we couldn't find it. BUT, I did get to go to Stamp Art again!! Heehee!! Remember the store I went to last week??? Well, I picked up a few more things!! It's an awesome store!! If you get a chance to go there....tell them Kimmie sent ya!!



I also got this AWESOME craft shelf by Making Memories at Michael's!! I used my trusty coupon.....otherwise I wouldn't have gotten it! So when we got home, Al put it up for me!! Then of course, I had to fill it and make it look purdy!! The bottom two shelves have dowling and are ready to fill with ribbon. I filled the bottom one with all my loose spools (the rest are in my Tower 'o Ribbon) but I've left the upper one empty and just filled it will my Stickles and Liquid Pearls for now. You see the current Stampin' Up spools of ribbon which are 25 yards, are too big to fit. Soooooooo I'm waitin' to get some of the new spools which are 15 yards!! You see......I have a plan!!! Mooohooohaaahaaaa!!! (that was supposed to be a dastardly laugh!)



Okay!! So.....I'd like to celebrate Canada Day and the fact that I am almost at 25,000 posts!!! SO! If you can spot (or guess) at least one of the NEW stamps on my shelf that I purchased today, comment in this post and you will be in the running for some Kimmie's Kandy!!! (Notice I gave you a closeup shot, so you can get a better look!) The random winner will receive this little collection of items from Around the Block!! A pair of scissors, a package of adhesive and a perfect little travel size pack of wipes for your stampin' pleasure!!! And LOOK!! They're all PINK, so when you use them, you'll think of ME!! Heehee!! This draw is open all week, so be sure to enter! I will draw the winner on Saturday, July 7th in the evening and post the winner on Sunday!!

Welcome Baby Boy!!

Sorry I'm a little late posting this morning!! I worked late last night and I have the next four days off, so I took the opportunity to sleep in. Well, only until Al came home from work and the dog started barking.....so, about an extra half hour. But we found out that a couple we know just had their baby......a little boy named Joshua Andrew! They already have two beautiful little girls and they were surprised with a little boy this time!

Soooooo, I knew exactly the kind of card I was going to make this morning!! I used my new Soft Sky cardstock and designer paper to make the card base. I stamped the cutie pie giraffe from Wild About You on Whisper White and used my ticket corner punch, then added some little clear rhinestones from Heidi Swapp. The scalloped edge (which was this week's Ways to Use It Challenge) was created using my corner rounder with the guard taken off and then some white grosgrain ribbon. I also used my Riveting set, which I always seem to forget about, then added some Diamond Stickles on the giraffe's spots and pop dotted both the main image and the circle piece! I don't get a chance to do many baby cards, so this one was fun for me!!

Big Bloom Bye Bye!!

Well, my new catalogue is FULL of post it notes!! I was able to sit down with it yesterday before work and go through all the new stamp sets and there are some beauties!! All the new designers papers are just so gorgeous and the new RIBBON??!! Agh!! Need I say more?? My first orders will be including some of ALL of those items!!

But, alas, this awesome set, Big Blooms, did not make it into the catalogue, so I am featuring it today as a send off!!! Heehee! This card was one I taught at my last Stamp Camp and it is also one of my favourite colour combinations. I love the fact that the images are so big and you can cut them out very easily for layering.

The card base is Chocolate Chip and of course, Pretty in Pink! I started by stamping the big blossom in PIP and cutting it out. I stamped the stem in Certainly Celery and then the verse from Curvy Verses in Chocolate Chip over top. I curled the petals up a bit to add some dimension and then I used my liquid glue and put a little dot on each of the little dots in the middle of flower. Then I took some clear glass beads that I got from the dollar store and placed one on each of the dots! The bottom scalloped strip is done using the corner rounder and taking the guard off. The ladies really enjoyed this particular card and I did too!



I thought I would also share with you so photos of our trip to Stratford the other night. It's a tradition with us, going to see a play at the Stratford Festival. Since I was a teenager I have seen some amazing plays and musicals there and I have such a love for the theatre. I love to WATCH it, I would never want to be IN it!! Haha!! I've seen many Shakespearean plays including The Merchant of Venice, The Taming of the Shrew and also some wonderful musicals like The Pirates of Penzance, Hello Dolly and now, Oklahoma!



We met my parents in Stratford and we always take a bunch of pictures down by the river. There are so many swans, Canadian geese and ducks. This year was no different, with many mommies and daddies swimming around with their little babies. But MY little baby was the prettiest of all!! MAN!! She's not much of a baby anymore.....but I will ALWAYS call her that!!

Dirty Roses!!

When I got done work yesterday at 5pm, I raced home (picking up Mickey D's on the way) to then leave again for Stratford! Well, when I got home I threw everything down on the table and grabbed the key for the mailbox and RAN down the street!! Now, you must know me to understand this.........I DON'T RUN. But I was hoping, hoping, hoping it would be there!! The neighbours MUST have thought I was crazy, but I didn't care!! I fumbled with the key, trying to get it open and when I opened the little metal door.........it was Christmas in June!!!! AHAAAHAAAAAAAAAA!!! I clutched the plastic bag to my chest and RAN, yes RAN all the way back to the house! I got back in the front door and Emileigh said with this incredulous look on her face, "Did you RUN?" and panting I just bent over at the waist and held up my prize...........the NEW Stampin Up catalogue!!!!!!!!

It is BEAUTIFUL filled with gorgeous new stamp sets, yummy designer paper and DELICIOUS new ribbons!!!! Of course I only got to flip through it briefly while I scarfed down my greasy cheeseburger because we had to jump in the car again and head to Stratford. But today (before I head to work) I will grab a coffee (or maybe a cold diet pepsi, as it's like a million degrees here) and peruse it's shiny pages at my leisure! Aahhhhhh!

Anyhoo, today I thought I would feature a card that I designed for one of my stamp camps with one of the stamp sets that did NOT make it into the new catalogue, Roses in Winter. *sigh* I used Blush Blossom for the card base, which I don't use often enough and Chocolate Chip which I use A LOT!! The roses were done with the Rock 'n Roll technique with both those ink colours. The little flowers were done using Buckaroo Blue (sniff, sniff) and the sentiment in CC. I sponged around the edges of the image using a cosmetic wedge and added some gold cording. Super quick and easy but very elegant, I think.

I'm off to fill my new catalogue with sticky notes....heehee....have a wonderful day!!

Photo Ops!!

Look at you ladies go!! There were a total of 15 entries for the Black and Pastel Challenge!! They were all awesome creations, so make sure to go back and check them all out!! I just LOVE a challenge and I'm so glad you do too!! The randomly drawn winner for this one is.............FLOSSIE!! So email me your snail mail and I'll get your Kimmie's Kandy out to you this week!!!



I thought it was time to post a scrapbook layout!! I am working away on the pictures from our Florida trip in a 12x12 album. This layout is of a bunch of pictures taken at the side of a winding road up the side of a mountain in Kentucky. I love these Basic Grey Stella Ruby papers. I also used Chocolate Chip, Mellow Moss and Rose Red. I added a nice big Prima flower and some square rhinestones. The title is done with Basic Grey chipboard letters and sponging. I called it Photo Op because it was our first real Photo Opportunity on our journey!!



Well, I'm working all day today at the library but this evening Emileigh and I have a date....with each other!! Hahaha!! Emileigh absolutely LOVES musicals and I LOVE the theatre. So I got tickets for us to go to the Stratford Festival this evening to see the musical Oklahoma!! We are very excited and we'll be meeting my parents there to see the show!! Hopefully I'll have some photos to share tomorrow!! Have a wonderful day!!

Mickey Monkey!!

Yesterday was the perfect day!!! I got to stamp two cards early in the day and then Al and I got to spend the day together out on our deck and in the pool!! Aaahh!! Of course, it would have been better had Emileigh been here, but being a teenager and all, she preferred to spend it shopping with her girlfriend!! Hahaha!! Well, and they studied for their exam which is today, too........at least they SAID they studied!! (It hasn't been that long since I was a teenager....I know their tricks!!)

Anyway, I was very inspired by Julee's sketch that she posted yesterday. It's a simple sketch that is easy to work with and so I played with it TWICE!! Cathy mentioned my Changito Monkey stamp, so of course I HAD to ink the little guy up!!

I stamped Mickey Monkey (that's what I call him...*giggle*) in Archival Versafine Black Onyx ink on shimmery white paper and coloured him in with Close to Cocoa and Old Olive Stampin' Up markers. I cut the smallest circle out using my CM cutting system and then used my Mega Circle punch for the Old Olive layer and my Giga Scalloped Circle punch for the Chocolate Chip layer. The card base is CC and the next layer includes some DCWV patterned paper and the Old Olive piece is stamped with the leaves from Sketch An Event. I stamped the sentiment, 'Hang in there' with two sizes of my Casual Karen Foster Snap Stamps in black on shimmery white, then I added the CC strip in the middle and added the polka dots with my white gel pen!!



And that one whipped up so quick, I made another one!! This time the patterned paper was from We Are Memory Keepers and the rust colour is the flip side of the pp. I ran it through my Cuttlebug using the Circles embossing folder and sponged it with CC to make it look kinda dirty. I added an extra matting layer on the main part and also some green organdy polka dot ribbon that I got at Michael's. The sentiment on this one says 'Let's Hang Out'. Now I spent a little more time on this one because I chose to add a little 'bling'!! I got this package of small individual rhinestones in the craft department at the dollar store and there are 6 different colours in it, but one of the colours is brown and I thought...ew, I'll never use those....but there ya go!! I used 'em and I think they look fab!!!

Now don't forget about my little Black and Pastel Challenge!! You still have until midnight tonight!! I will draw the winner and post it tomorrow morning!! I've already had several awesome entries!! Such fun!!

Hedgehog Get-together!!

I LOVE Hedgehogs!! And until the other day, I didn't own a single one!! Heehee! Well I HAD to remedy THAT situation!! They had several different designs at the stamp store but I chose this one, called 'Get-together'. Aren't they just too cute??

I stamped them in Archival Versafine Black Onyx on shimmery white paper because I knew that I wanted to use my Prismacolour pencils on them. I really find that this paper makes a difference with this technique. I used several different colours of pencils along with my odorless mineral spirits and blending stumps to create the little scene. I added a light blue around the edges of the Hedgies to create a little bit of shading and also I used my Clear Stardust gel pen to add some sparklies to the flowers. The patterned paper was cut from some 6x6 DCWV papers that I won on Angie's blog, Quacking Creations. I love the colour combinations in it and wouldn't you know, it has two of our new In Colours in it!!! So the card base is Groovy Guava and I also used Soft Sky to mat the Hedgehogs. The sentiment is made using my Papertray set and I added some Prima flowers and a brad!

So are you working on my challenge??? It's not a hard one....just make a card ... any style, shape, layout....but it must include a pastel colour as the main colour plus black!! Here is a pic of the prize for the challenge! Go here for all the details and to link up your card....I wanna see them!! And here is the Kimmie's Kandy for the challenge.....an adorable new Studio G clear mini stamp set!! Also I have punched some Scalloped Circles in Certainly Celery, So Saffron, Blush Blossom, Soft Sky and Groovy Guava!!!



Oh and Crystal asked me a question on the last post! She asked about the monkey stamp that was pictured in my stamp haul from the other day!!! He is a Changito monkey from Stampendous!! There are several designs to choose from! Isn't he so cute?? Maybe I'll play with him sometime this week!! Feel free to ask me questions any time and I will try to answer them in my posts!!

A New Car and more importantly, NEW STAMPS!!!

Yesterday was a FABULOUS day!!! And I bet you are dying to hear all about it! And if you're not.....you're gonna anyway! hahahaha!!

Al and I got going early and he headed out to drop his truck off at the Ford dealership. I followed in my car a few minutes later as he was going to have to sign some papers and stuff...how boring! So I picked him up and then we headed to London. We went to the Nissan dealership and WOW was I impressed with the new car!! I was expecting a little tiny hatchback, you know the bottom of the line little car that's great on gas and just gets you from A to B. To be truthful I was expecting something like my very first car, which was a Ford Festiva (which they don't make anymore) and it was very basic. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that it is very snappy looking, white with dark tinted windows and awesome looking lights and exterior! The inside is amazing....lots of legroom, cool stereo system with a 6-cd changer, a plug to hook up your MP3 player, a feature to connect your cell phone to a handsfree system....it's super nice! So Al was really happy.

While he was signing the paperwork and stuff I headed over to Michael's in my car because I knew he'd be a while with that paperwork. I scooped a couple of cute things and then just as I was leaving, I noticed that the Martha Stewart stuff had some sale stickers on them! I rarely even give that aisle more than a passing glace, as most of it is really not my style and all of it is VERY overpriced!! Well, they had one of the acrylic alphabet stamp sets on for $9!! So I scooped that too. I also got a raincheck for an awesome white shelving system which I hope to get with my 40% off coupon when it comes in!! Heehee!

Then we left my car in the parking lot and toured around in the new Nissan Versa! It rides really nicely and it was fun to have the day off together!! Anyway, we headed over to this Rubber Stamp Store that my friend Heather has mentioned to me several times. It's called Stamp Art!! We walked in there together and .....well, put it this way....within the first 30 seconds, I told Al that he needed to go for a drive!!! I knew I was going to need to spend a good while in there!!! There were SO many stamps and SO much to look at!! I was greeted so warmly by Dianne and Nancy and they made me feel right at home!! I felt like a giant dork, because I kept gushing over all the stamps. I was so overwhelmed and Dianne joked that she was going to have to revive me when I passed out from hyperventilating!! They had Penny Black, Stampendous, Whipper Snapper, Hero Arts, Stampscapes, Magenta....you name it!! I was in Stamper's Heaven!! Needless to say, I came home with a few lovely new purchases.........wanna see???



Aren't they lovely?? And after spending so much time in that store, I decided to save the other stamp store for another day!! My poor little heart couldn't take much more excitement!!! And here is a card I whipped up last night when I got home!!



I have always wanted a stamp of a sheep and this Penny Black one just jumped right into my basket!! Isn't she just the cutest?? I can just see all the cute 'ewe' sentiments to go with her!! I stamped her in Archival Versafine in Black Onyx on shimmery white paper and used my SU markers to colour the image and I used Almost Amethyst to shade around the white part of her wool. I used some pink bazill carkstock to mat her (because that's what was handy in my scrap pile) and matted it on Square Scallop punches using Basic Black. The card base is also Basic Black and then I used the desinger paper in Almost Amethyst from my Palette of Prints pad and stamped 'Thank Ewe' on it in black using my 1/4" Karen Foster Snap Stamps! It was very simple but I can see whipping up a bunch of them for card sets or for when I need quick cards.

It's also one of my favourite colour combinations to use pastel colours, like any of the Soft Subtles with Basic Black. It just really makes the whole card 'pop', don't you think??? So here's a challenge for you......how about you create a card, any style any shape and layout....but you use a pastel colour and black!!! Then comment back here and link up your card, or email it to me! You have until midnight on Monday, June 25th to join in the fun. I have to head out to work now (all day on a Saturday...how rude!) but I will post the prize tomorrow. Happy Stamping!!!

Happy Friday!!!!

Happy Friday everyone!!! Hope you are all having a fantastic Friday! The weather here is beautiful and sunny. I have to work all day on Saturday, but I'm hoping to enjoy what's left of the weekend anyway!!

Today's card is a cute little square card that I made for.....yep, you guessed it....a FRIEND!! I used my little Penny Black pair of girlfriends and stamped them in Archival Versafine Black Onyx ink on Shimmery White paper and used my SU markers in several colours to colour them in. I punched them out using my Mega Oval punch and then doodled around the edge with my black journaler. The colours came from a piece of leftover double sided patterned paper by 3 Bugs in a Rug. I'm trying to use up some scraps on my table these days instead of carving into some new stuff....not that I am running low or anything!! *giggle* FAR from it!!

The card base is a piece of Old Olive and is 4 1/4 X 4 1/4. I cut the striped patterned paper using my corner rounder to make the scalloped edge, then matted it on Almost Amethyst and used my black Sakura Glaze gel pen to do the dots. I used some round green rhinestones on the black photo corners to 'bling' it up and added some black gingham to the whole piece. I stamped the word friends from my Papertrey set and used the Word Window Punch to cut it out. Then I used my Giga Scalloped Oval to cut out the matting in Basic Black and pop dotted the main image!! I just love these girls!!

Today Al and I are turning in our Ford F-250 because the lease is up. He has been driving a truck since the day I met him, but he picked out a car to replace it this time!! No one was more shocked than I but he decided that with gas being the price that it is, it just made more financial sense to purchase a smaller vehicle. So we are heading out soon to drop off the truck and pick up our new car!! I am excited because I haven't even seen it yet!! But I'm MORE excited because he's taking me to TWO new STAMP STORES today!!!!!!!!! Heehee!!!!!!!!! I'm so 'cited I can't STAND it!!! Anyway, I'll be sure to take pictures and let you know what I find!!!! Happy Friday!!!

I'm Wild About You.........No Lion!!

Since I have to work this evening and I'll be watching So You Think You Can Dance when I get home......I thought I would post this now.

This morning the Sketch Challenge was posted on SCS and since I had the morning off, I went to work. I love using circles and even though people are posting that they are getting tired of the scallop punches, I love mine!! So I cracked open my package of Purely Pomegranate and my new stamp set, Wild About You and this is what I created!!

I stamped the Lion in Marigold Morning on Whisper White, then stamped it again in the same colour. I then stamped it once more in Pumpkin Pie. The first one I cut out using my Creative Memories circle cutting system. Then I cut out the mane and head of the PP one and then cut out just the face part of the second MM one. I glued the face to the mane and pop dotted it onto the whole body, so it's kinda 3-D! I doodled around the white part with my PP marker and off set it on the Purely Pomegranate circle, which I sponged. I used my Giga Scalloped Circle punch to do the Pumpkin Pie piece, sponged it and used my Orange Peel Stickles to dot around the outside. The base of the card is Purely Pomegranate (isn't it just yummy?) and I stamped it using Seeing Spots and then sponged around the edge of the whole card. The right hand strip is layered with all three colours. Then I used the sentiment stamp but instead of stamping the entire stamp, which is too wide for the strip, I masked off the words with scotch tape and just stamped one word at a time, so that I could stamp each word where I wanted it and it turned out perfectly!! I added some orange polka dot ribbon AND...........say it with me.........pop dotted the main image!!! Heehee!!!

I Want My Fairy Godmother!!!!!!!!

Don'tcha just feel like saying that some days???? I know I do. I love Grumpabella....she has such attitude!! I look like that in the mornings too....minus the curlers and the housecoat....but with the fuzzy slippers and the coffee and the half-closed eyes!! Baaahahahaaaaaa!! No. I'm serious. Ask Emileigh!!

Anyway, have you been over to Julee's blog today???? I've got to say, I have THE coolest friends!! She is SO talented in so many more ways than just stampin', that girl!! She has come up with a new game for us blog hoppin' gals....and YES, that includes YOU!!! Head on over and read about how to join in on Beach Blogger Bingo!! Doesn't it just SOUND fun?! You just need to email her and she will send you your very own unique Bingo card!! I just got mine and it is the CUTEST thing!! Julee, you amaze me!! Long story short, Julee will be posting a number every day starting tomorrow....and don't worry, you can join in any time! You can also get her to call more numbers by joining in the challenges!!! Hence......my Fairy Godmother card!!

I used the sketch that Julee posted and came up with this card! I used Grumpabella (from www.stampingbella.com ) stamped on Shimmery White paper and coloured in using my SU markers in Pale Plum, Perfect Plum, Certainly Celery, Creamy Caramel and Blush Blossom. I used my Skinny Oval stamp by A Muse (thanks Julee!! *wink*) to make a little bathmat type thing for her to stand on. I masked off her slippers too. Then I mounted her on some scalloped square punches. The card base is some Bazzill cardstock and the left side of the matting is some patterned paper by All My Memories and the dark purple strip running across the middle is the reverse side of the PP. Don't know if you can tell in the photo, but the dark side has some flowers on it shaped like the small flower in Delight in Life, SO I stamped that flower in Perfect Plum on the Shimmery White piece on the right hand side. I coloured them in using both Plum markers. I stamped the sentiment on shimmery white too and used my Clear Sakura Stardust gel pen on her curlers, her mug and steam and also the Fairy Godmother part. It's really cute and sparkly!! For the finishing touch I used some flowers and a purple brad all from my new Accents tin by Prima.

Okay, so the more challenges we do for her, the more numbers Julee has to call and the sooner people can yell 'BINGO!!' or 'STAMPO!!'...hahaha!!



Also, I mentioned yesterday that I scored at Michael's!! Well, they have had the SAME $ stamps in their bin for I don't know how long!! But yesterday there were a bunch of new ones. They must have gotten them last week, because most of them were gone and I really had to dig to find the new ones. Good thing I checked!! But I got quite a few.....AND some doubles!! You know what that means.....you know how I love to SHARE my findings!!!

Speedy Card Challenge!!

Today's Technique Lover's Challenge on SCS was to do a speedy card!! They were aiming for 10 minutes or less, but 25 minutes is quick for me!! I usually spend about an hour on a card, so this was a HUGE challenge for moi!!

So I grabbed a Pink Cat Studio image that I already had stamped to begin with. Here's something I do....when I am using my unmounted or acrylic stamps, I usually stamp up a few of whatever image I'm working with. I find unmounteds and acrylics take up extra time, so while I've already got it all inked up, I figure I might as well stamp up a few!! Sooooooo, I had one all ready to go. Then I just grabbed some scrap patterned paper (off of my GIGANTIC pile 'o leftovers which takes up about a third of my table) and got buzy!!! (Love that spelling!)

I coloured my image with SU markers in colours that coordinated with my Tres Jolie patterned paper. I grabbed Certainly Celery for the base of the card and the Apricot Appeal for the matting and I used my ticket corner punch on each layer. Then I used the backside of the pp to mat the main image. I used my Clear Sakura Stardust gel pen on Kittie's flower and scarf and pop dotted the main image!! Then I picked out a couple of my new Prima Sprites and used a clear round rhinestone brad!! It really only took me about 20-25 minutes which is totally quick for me!!

I did try a couple of even quicker ones, and maybe I'll post them tomorrow!

Oh and I made a quick little trip over to Michael's and found some NEW $ stamps....but I'll show you them tomorrow!!!

And the Winner is..........

I am overwhelmed with the response to my second Sketch Challenge!! You ladies are AWESOME!!! There were 14 entries in total and they were from: Julee, Paula, Flossie, Diana, Tanis, Cheryl, Lacyquilter, Jodene, Janine, Mimi, Colleen, Maria, Marie and Jennifer!!! I have created two slideshows at the right hand side of my blog to showcase all your cards!!!

And the winner of the Prismacolour Portfolio is.............Janine!!! Yay!! Please email me your snail mail address and I will get your prize out to you this week!!!

I received entries from all over Canada and the US and even one from Finland!! But I did want to highlight one in particular!!! My Mom joined in this one and it was her VERY FIRST challenge EVER!!! She also uploaded it to her gallery on SCS for the very first time!!! Didn't she do an awesome job!!?? She used her new Fishy Friends and also used some tiny unknown stamps to complete the scene with some seaweed and bubbles. Then she also used her new Bubbles Cuttlebug embossing folder on the designer paper!! I'm so proud!!!



Thanks to everyone who participated!! Would you like to do it again soon?? Would you prefer to stick with sketches or something different next time?? Let me know what you think!!!

Happy Father's Day!!!

Happy Father's Day to all the men who put up with....I mean, support us in our crafty ventures!!! I hope you are all having a wonderfully special day with the men in your lives!!

Yesterday my parents travelled up to spend the afternoon with us. Actually they spent most of the afternoon helping us put up our pool. We got one of those big round blue ones.....hopefully I will have some pictures soon to show you. We had one last year but this year's is BIGGER!! It is 16 feet in diameter and pretty deep...I don't know how deep yet, I haven't been in it. It's still filling up and mighty cold, since the water is coming straight out of the tap!! Brrr!! But it won't take long to warm up in this heat!!

Anyhoo........since I wouldn't be seeing my Dad today, I gave him this card and his present yesterday!! Back in January my Dad was inducted into the sports Hall of Fame in my hometown...in fact, his whole soccer team was. He was on the championship team when they won in 1975 and so there was a fantastic evening with the whole team, some celebrities and of course, us, his ever-lovin' family!! We took tons of photos and I kept all the programs, nametags, tickets etc. to make him an album of the big event!! So yesterday I gave him the 6x6 album and he LOVED it!! He was really touched, I think and said he couldn't wait to show 'the guys'!

This is the card I made to go with it. The soccer ball patterned paper matches some of the pp I used in the album. The little golf shirt pattern I got off of Cambria's blog and it was super easy!! I used the Palette of Prints patterned paper and it ended up looking JUST LIKE the golf shirt he happened to be wearing yesterday!! It was too funny!! I used Marigold Morning for the card base, the pp on the bottom and stamped my sentiment in black. Then I used some Basic Black for a base for the shirt and Cuttlebugged it with my new Bubbles embossing folder. I added some SU brads in the corners and some black gingham ribbon!!

Okay, off to play outside and gaze at my new pool!! Have a wonderful day!!

Oh and don't forget to enter my Sketch Challenge to win some AWESOME Kimmie's Kandy!! Check back tomorrow to see if you won!!!

FixitFella for Father's Day!!

Here is the card I made yesterday for my husband for Father's Day. I don't have this stamp, but my nice friend Donna stamped me one so I could make this cool card! I don't have any of the Fellas yet.....YET!! There are a couple of really cute new Bellas and Fellas over at www.stampingbella.com so be sure to check them out!!

For this one I used Colleen's sketch over at Distinctive Touches. I thought it was perfect for this manly card!! This time I chose my papers first and I had to be sure to find some masculine paper with no flowers and macho colours......it was hard!! Most of my papers are bright and frilly...haha!! Wouldn't quite look right with hammers and power tools, now would it?? The pp is from the Halfway Cafe line from Cosmo Cricket. I matched the colours from the paper and used my SU markers to colour in the image. I sponged around it using Close to Cocoa and matted it on Ruby Red cardstock which is also what I used for the card base. I sponged around all the pieces of patterned paper, used some cute little screw brads, which I got from the dollar store ages ago and pop dotted the main image!! My husband has a love/hate relationship with power tools......he loves them, they hate his digits!! Long story short, he cut off his first finger on his left hand one day with a table saw. That was a fun day!!

Anyway....in other exciting news, I was Colleen's Featured Artist on her blog!! Go on over and check out the glowing review she gave me!! *blushing* I'm so honoured!! Have a good Saturday everyone!!!

Sketch Challenge #2 and some Kimmie's Kandy!!!

Wow!! Yesterday when I hit 20,000 visitors, I thought, 'How cool is that??' When I started this blog back in February, I never expected a) to enjoy it nearly this much, b) to 'meet' so many cool people with the same love of stamping and c) that I would hit such a high number so quickly!!! Thanks so much for visiting me here at my little stamping korner of the world and for making me feel so goooooooooood!!!

So in order to celebrate I thought I'd post a little sketch challenge!!! We had so much fun last time, why not do it again??? This time we are making a LONG card!! For this card I used an AWESOME image from High Hopes Stamps called Noah's Parade!! I had so much fun playing with it....all those animals are so cute!!

The image is stamped on Shimmery white paper and I used my Stampin' Up markers in various colours to shade in the images. Then I sponged around the edge with Chocolate Chip. The card base is So Saffron and the size of the whole piece of paper is 8 1/2 X 7 1/2 and then folded the card front is 8 1/2 X 3 3/4, but you can do whatever size you like, as long as it is a loooooong card! For the matting I used a piece of Basic Grey paper from the Hang 10 collection and adhered my main image WITHOUT pop dots...heehee...off to the left side. I used some orange gingham ribbon at the top and added the All Aboard sentiment on a matted tag (which I did pop dot....*insert giant eye roll here*) and matted it on Pumpkin Pie cardstock with a copper brad. Then I used 3 square copper brads along the right side to fill in the leftover space and finish it off!!! I love the way it turned out and I'm sure you'll be able to make some awesome cards using this sketch!!!



So do you wanna know what you could win??? Well, how about a faux leather portfolio containing TWELVE Prismacolour pencils, complete with a sketch pad and an awesome pencil sharpener????? Pretty awesome, right?? It contains the following pencils: Canary Yellow, Orange, Crimson Red, Violet, Violet Blue, True Blue, Apple Green, Grass Green, Sienna Brown, Dark Brown, Black and White!



All you have to do to have a chance to win, is make a card with using this sketch and comment on this post, linking to your blog or gallery to show off your card. If you don't have a blog or gallery, just email me the pic!! Sound fun?? I will accept entries until midnight EST on Sunday, June 17th!! Happy Stampin'!!!

Life is a Song.....Sing it!!!

Today I had to make a card for our Page at work. She is leaving us at the library for a full-time job this summer, and then off to university in the fall. We are giving her a little gift and throwing her a little partay!! So the department asked me to make her a card!

Well Wednesday just happens to be Sketch Challenge day on Splitcoastampers!! So I had the layout all planned for me.....I LOVE sketches!!! Half the work is already done for you, who doesn't like that???

So this time I actually started with the stamp, because I knew I wanted to use this Inky Antics sentiment stamp as the focal point of the card. I stamped it in Black Onyx Versafine ink on Whisper White cardstock. I decided to use some of the Almost Amethyst designer paper in my Palette of Prints pad and thought that the stamps from Simply Said would go well with the design on the paper. I cut the patterned paper as instructed in the Sketch Challenge and then cut a whisper white piece the same and decorated the two pieces I would need. I stamped the solid flowers in Almost Amethyst and overstamped them with the outline stamps in black. I just love the way black cardstock or black ink really makes a card 'POP'.....know what I mean??

So I used Basic Black for the card base, positioned my pp on top and actually left a little negative space between the papers. The sketch shows the puzzle pieces of the papers right up to each other, but I liked the look of the black peeking through. Then I did several punches with my Mega Scalloped Square punch to form the frame around the focal point. I also used my AA SU marker to shade around the words. I added some little layered purple flowers with silver brads and placed them in the corner. Then ............. of course......I pop dotted the main image!!! I tried to refrain.....but I just HAD to make it 3-d!!!

I just love the poem on this stamp:

Life is a song
Sing it
Life is a challenge
Meet it
Life is a dream
Realize it
Life is love
Enjoy it
- Sai Baba

SOOOOOOOOOOO, since I love sketches SO much......and it seems that you do too.....I think I might have to have another sketch challenge soon!!! How soon?? Well how does tomorrow sound?????

June's Kool Krafter!!

One of the most wonderful things to me about this craft, is meeting new and special people!! And each of us has our own unique style and artful abilities! Obviously, you know that I have a 'cutesie' style that often features lined images, lotsa layers and embellishments. Others prefer elegant or contemporary or simple styles. Well this lady I'm going to introduce you to has a style all her own!!



Heather Robinson is not only a sweet person, but also an amazing artist! I asked her to be my first 'Kool Krafter' to showcase her collage-y style which is so very different from my own. She does some amazing ATCs and altered items as well as oh so creative cards!! Be sure to stop by her very new blog, Creative Solace, and check out her amazing artwork!!



My name is Heather Robinson and I confess that I was a complete failure at
art in school. In fact, I "did my time" in obligatory art classes in
elementary school and gave it up as a lost cause. I was, however, always
interested in design and colour and took courses in home decorating, art
history and clothing design in high school and university. Then 15 years
ago I discovered rubber stamping and I thought I was in heaven. I collected
them with fervour, took classes wherever and whenever I could and actively
participated in online swaps and exchanges. About 3 years ago I first
attempted collage and it felt like coming home to me. Most recently I have
begun to dabble in mixed media and altered art. My recent obsessions
include altering board books, round robin altered journal projects and
beeswax collage. I certainly have no shortage of books that are crying to
be altered as I am a librarian by profession. Art truly is a solace for me.
Thank you, Kim, for the honour of being a guest artist on your incredible
blog.



Each month I will feature a new artist or 'Kool Krafter'!! You may already know them......you may not!! It will be a surprise!! Hope you enjoy this new addition to Kraftin' Kimmie's Korner!! Have a wonderfully krafty day!!!

Herd It's Your Birthday!! Tee hee!!!

WOW!! This is my 100th post!! That's got to mean we are getting close to a Sketch Challenge and some Kimmie Kandy, right??? Keep your eyes peeled.....we're closing in on 20,000 visitors!!!

Okay, so this card was a ton of fun to make!! I absolutely HAD to try out this technique that Colleen posted on her blog, Distinctive Touches!! The idea is to make some regular old Creamy Caramel Cardstock look like wood!! Sounds like it would be some big, difficult, time consuming and messy project right??? Wrong!! It was so super easy!! Check out Colleen's great faux wood tutorial for the instructions!!

My niece Summer is a total nut for horses!! She's been riding them since she was young and she's turning 25 in a week or so. SOOOOOOOOO....I had to make her a cute card with my new horsie stamp!! So first, I made the totally cool background piece using Colleen's instructions!! Now does that look like the side of a barn, or does that look like the side of a barn!! I LOVE it!! So the card base is Chocolate Chip and is 6x6. I stamped the Magenta horsie stamp three times in a row across shimmery white cardstock with my Archival Versafine Onyx Black ink and used my Prismacolour pencils, odorless mineral spirits and blending stumps to do the bodies. But I didn't have a pencil close enough to the colour of the Rose Red Palette of Prints dp that I wanted to use, so I used my Rose Red SU marker for the saddles. Then I used a makeup sponge (you know the wedgey lookin' thicker ones) to distress all around the images with CC ink. I matted it on the dp, added some new Brown Prima Sprites with a button and some linen thread. Then I used four copper brads in the corners and added the sentiment, using my Karen Foster Snap Stamps!! Now I KNOW what you are saying.....it's actually a TEAM of horses, but I think 'HERD' is way cuter!! And I know Summer will love it!!

I am actually posting this on Monday evening because I am working all day on Tuesday....booooooooo....hissssssssss!! Notice that my Kartoon Kimmie avatar is dressed all professional-like and is hangin' out in the book stacks at the library today!! Anyhoo, have a lovely Tuesday and I'll see you on Wednesday!! Toodles!!

Blue Shoefly and a trip to The Gorge!!

Yesterday was a great day for hiking and spending time with family and friends!! But first.....the card!!

This is a card that I made using that cute little Shoefly!! This time I used the colours from the Deja Views patterned paper and used my Prismacolour pencils and OMS to colour him/her in. I used that awesome Versafine ink again on shimmery paper and after I coloured the image, I added some Stickles on the wings. I used the Mega circle punch and then the Giga scalloped circle punch to cut out the Night of Navy cardstock. I also doodled around the frame in a not-so-perfect circle. I used NON for the base and matted with Old Olive and also did an OO strip across the center after stamping the smallest flower from the Little Lady set across it. I stamped the 'hello' from the Papertray set and finished it off with some silver brads in the corners. This card was sent to my Secret Pal through the Wish-RAK forum.



So yesterday we took Emileigh and her friend, Jacqueline for a little trip. We left here about noon (because the girls could not be ready before then) and we drove to Elora Gorge. It's about an hour and a half away from here and it was a nice drive. We got there around 1:30pm and entered the Conservation Area. There are lots of things to do there. There is a camping section, a play area, several picnic areas with pavillions. But the big attraction is The Gorge. It's a really awesome sight (at least it is for us Ontarians that generally live in a very flat area) and it's so beautiful. Al and I each brought our cameras and took some really nice photos. Hope ya like 'em!!



We walked the trail through the forested area and all along the Gorge. You have to be VERY careful!! Even though the trail is railed off in most areas, it is still quite dangerous and actually a couple of weeks ago, a young boy fell into the gorge and was killed. So we are very careful to stick together and we can see the girls at all times. They are kind of clutzy sometimes (I don't know where my Emileigh gets THAT!! quiet Mom!) and have been known to trip on the flattest of ground!!

Anyway, the trail was awesome and in several spots you can climb right down to the water. These couple of pics were taken along the banks of the water.



Emileigh took this photo of Al and I sitting on a rock and I especially love the next one of the three girls!! Notice I'm the shortest!! I'm sure I was standing on the downslope of the riverbank.....honest!!!



It was a wonderful day and next time we go, hopefully later in the summer when the water is warmer, we can do the super fun thing to do there.........go tubing down the rapids!!! Whippee!!

Little Lady.....Limited Supply!!

Today's Limited Supply Challenge on Splitcoaststampers, was to create a background for your card by using smaller stamps!! You could NOT use background stamps, stampin' around wheels, patterned paper (*gasp*) OR Cuttlebugged paper...eeeeek!! SO not my style!! You KNOW I almost ALWAYs use patterned paper or Cuttlebugged paper....OR BOTH!!! Needless to say, this WAS a challenge.......and I chose to accept it!!!

I wanted to play with my Little Lady stamps from Papertrey, so I decided to make my background paper using all three sizes of the flowers included in the set. Next I chose my colours and I used Pumpkin Pie and Apricot Appeal craft inks to make the two largest flower images and then I used Gable Green craft ink for the titchy ones. I try to use craft inks when I can with my acrylic stamps, as they cover the stamp better and it avoids the pooling that can happen when using dye inks.

The card base is the Pumpkin Pie and the matting is actually Marigold Morning but it looks really great with the ink colours, I think. Then, on a separate piece of Whisper White, I stamped the body of the ladybug. I covered the stamp with the Apricot Appeal ink and then lightly ink around the edges with the Pumpkin Pie ink. Then I used my Archival Versafine ink in Black Onyx. I cut the image out (after it dried). Then I played around with where I wanted it to end up on the patterned piece. Once I figured that out, I stamped the 'trail' in black on the pp and stamped her little antennae as well. I pop dotted the body and stamped the sentiment, which comes with that set, on the bottom right. It was missing something in the upper left corner, so I took three strands of grosgrain ribbon and tied them all together and attached them with some glue dots. It's simple and sleek and PURDY, if I do say so ma-self!!!

ATC Throwdown!!!

There is a totally krafty lady over at Distinctive Touches and her name is Colleen Schaan! Not only does she have an awesome blog with kool kards and terrific tutorials, but she's a fun chickie too!!

So each week she has what she calls a "Thursday Throwdown" where she puts a challenge out there!! I've seen them before but this was the first time I actually had a chance to play along!! Colleen's challenge today was to try making an ATC, otherwise known as an Artist's Trading Card. It's like a baseball card for stamping artists, where you design this teeny card to showcase your artistry, and then sign and number it on the back. You trade them with other people and keep them in a trading card binder or the ATC album which is currently in the Spring mini!!

Anyhoo, I thought I'd take Colleen's challenge.......so I cut the base card the size that she specified on her blog, which said 3 1/2 X 2 1/2......could that be right?? I said to myself "Self.......that's GOT to be wrong. That's way too small....my card looks like it belongs in the Smurf village!!" So I emailed her......she said it was right......they are teeeeeeeeeny tiny!! Well, try finding a stamp that fits on a card that small!! Good luck!! I used this cute little girlfriend stamp that I got on my big stamping shopping spree last week. It's a Penny Black stamp and I stamped it on shimmery white and used my SU markers in Blush Blossom, So Saffron and Really Rust. Then I doodled the frame and matted it on Basic Black. I took a piece of the dp from my Palette o' Prints pack and stamped some Rhonna Farrar swirlies on it and also 'smile' from Paper Tray. I added some organdy polka dot ribbon and ....let me hear ya say it.........pop dotted the main image!!!

It's teeny tiny and oh, so cute!! This just might be a new addiction.....who wants to trade?????????

Happy Hallowe'en????????

Okay, so I know it's a little early for Hallowe'en, BUT I got this awesome new Inky Antics witchy-poo, that I think is SO cute!! I actually made this card specifically to submit to Scrapbok and Cards Today magazine for their Fall issue. I really hope they like it!!

I stamped the little witch and her cohorts in Archival Versafine Black Onyx ink on shimmery white paper and coloured her in using Prismacolour pencils and OMS, and also used some Stampin' Up markers. I added some sparkle on the stars with my Stardust Sakura gel pen. Then I added Sahara Sand shadows around her and cut her out. The card base is Basic Black and then I ran the Lavendar Lace matting through my Cuttlebug using the Tiny Bubbles embossing folder. Oh and I stamped those little bats before I embossed! I a portion of a circle out of So Saffron cardstock and sponged around the edges. Then I grabbed my Palette of Prints small stack and used the polka dotted patterned piece across the middle, matted with BB. I also added one black brad in each corner and sponged the pp. I wrapped the black gingham around the middle piece and added the sentiment before I attached it to the card. Then I pop dotted the Little Witch!!

Enchante, Daniel Boone!!!

I wanted to change things up today and share a 12x12 scrapbook layout with you. In between all my card creations, design team stuff, card class preparation, work and life in general....my scrapbooking has sort of taken a backseat lately. It takes me a lot longer to create a two page layout than it does a single card. So I like to devote a big block of time to my scrapbooking......when I can. Well, that hasn't been happening much lately but I want to try and rectify that!! So this layout, which I made during the National Scrapbooking Day Crop at The Cat's Kaboose, will hopefully motivate me. It is the first full layout, chronologically, for my Florida Trip scrapbook.

For the Danile Boone National Forest layout, I used the lovely Enchante designer paper that was in the Winter Mini Catalog. I used matching cardstock in Pale Plum, Close to Cocoa and Sage Shadow. I love this colour combo and it really goes well with the pictures. I used my ticket corner punch, some of my FAVE eyelets, some chocolate grosgrain ribbon, my Whimsical Alphabet stamps and that lovely Prima flower that my secret pal (Vivlyn on SCS) sent to me!!

The journaling reads: After a full night of driving (and sleeping), we decided to take a little detour. We drove through the back woods of Kentucky. It was fun going up the side of the mountain, winding through the trees and after several hairpin turns, we ended up here!! Feb. 24/07

Howdy NEIGHbour!!

I've been itchin' to show you this card I made on the weekend with one of my new stamps!! I love going to new stores and finding new stamps and new tools!! This stamp is an adorable horsie made by a company called Magenta! I stamped it in Archival Versafine Black Onyx ink on shimmery white paper and used my Prismacolour pencils, odorless mineral spirits and blending stumps. I matted the image square on Chocolate Chip and used my mat pack to make holes in each corner. I used some My Mind's Eye patterned paper and Real Red cardstock for the base. I added a strip of Tempting Turquoise and used the mat pack down the middle of the strip (not sure if you can see it in the photo). I added the little triangle in the corner, punched using the slot punch and added two pieces of brown gingham. I pop dotted the main image and then used both my 1/8th Casual Karen Foster Snap Stamps and also my 1/8th Formal KFSS to make the sentiment, which says 'Howdy NEIGH bour'!! I think I might send this one to a magazine to see if, by chance I could MAYBE get published!! That's my next goal!! We'll see!!


I also wanted to show you this lovely picture of my couch.....yes, it's under there! Yesterday afternoon, it looked like the Prima factory exploded all over my livingroom!! Heehee!! I was part of a Prima share a while back with a lady in BC and they arrived at the post office today!!! NO, this isn't all mine!! Darn it!! Most of it is mine, though! The rest is shared between my Mom and two of her friends though. I got some Isabelle's Secrets (that's the ones along the top in packaging shaped like bras and panties), 4 boxes of Essentials (the bigger boxes on each end), 3 boxes of the new Accents tins and I also got several boxes of Caribbean flowers (the ones in the pink boxes in the middle). I don't think I'll need any more flowers for the rest of my life.........until Prima releases a new line!!! Bahahahaaaaaaaaa!!!

Pink Cat Studio Card Class!!

I am very excited to announce that I have been asked by Dawn, the lovely owner of the local scrapbooking store, The Cat's Kaboose, to teach a card class this month!!! I'm very excited about it and Dawn has been a real joy to work with! I love making new friends, don't you???

So I had to design five cards for the class using ONLY the products that Dawn carries in the store. Okay, let's just say that this was quite a challenge for me! I am so used to creating cards for classes using only Stampin' Up products that it took me a while to get going. I did come up with a total of seven before settling on these five!!

The cards are made using stamps from Pink Cat Studio......yaaaaay!! I love them and NO, they are not all cat stamps!! That's just the name of the company!! They have many different lovely designs and you can see some of them here on my blog. Check out their website too for ALL the beautiful stamps they carry and be sure to tell them that Kimmie sent ya!! They have a great rewards program too!! Melissa is a joy to work with and she ships out SUPAH fast!! Anyhoo, I will share all five cards with you today!!

Of course, one of the cards HAD to have a cat image, because the store is called The Cat's Kaboose!! So the first one uses a solid cat image stamped with black Stazon on white cardstock and the card base is black Bazill cardstock. I doodled around the frame of the cat and matted it on black and pink cardstock and pop dotted it on a piece of Scarlett's Letter Basic Grey paper. Then I took a scrolly type stamp from Autumn Leaves and stamped it in the corner with white craft ink along with the Cool Cat sentiment by Pink Cat. To finish it off I added three pink Prima flowers with black brads!!



For this one I used the Heart Topiary stamp to make this sweet card. I took the colours from the Tres Jolie double sided patterned paper that I used for the card base. It makes a really nice finish to the card to have the inside be the solid colour side of the patterned paper. I used markers to colour in the image and used my Karen Foster Snap Stamps to make the 'love' sentiment. I used the coloured side of the pp to mat the main image and sponge around the edges of it with a Grapefruit Dew Drop, added some Prima flowers and green brads and also this cool stretchy ribbon....and I have NO idea where Dawn got it, but I love it!!



I thought I would do a nice summer-themed card using this Bikini stamp that I think is too cute!! The card base is white cardstock and I used this double-sided patterned paper (forget who makes it) for all the patterned pieces. The main matting piece is the purple side of the pp that I ran through my Cuttlebug, which I will be bringing to the class for their use. I used the Blooms and Dots embossing folder and I love how the white core of the paper peeks through in some of the embossing. The main image is stamped with black Stazon and coloured with a red marker, then matted on two Square Scalloped punches which I put together to make a rectangle, and then I dotted it with my white gel pen. The flowered piece is the opposite side of the pp and I wrapped some yummy red polka dotted ribbon around it and tied my tag to it, which is stamped with my larger sized Karen Foster Snap Stamps to say 'Sunny Days'.



This card is the most elegant of the bunch, I think. I stamped the Paisley Butterfly and shaded it in using markers again, then punched it out with my Mega Circle Punch and doodled around the edge of the circle. Then using Tres Jolie patterned paper, I punched out a Giga Scalloped circle punch. The card base is Bazill cardstock and the darker green matting is the patterned paper's solid side and then the smaller matting is the patterned side. I just LOVE this paper! I used the ticket corner punch and silver brads in the corners, added some ivory organdy ribbon and pop dotted the main image!!



And this last one is probably my favourite!! I just LOVE these dogs!! I hope Melissa designs some more soon!! I can't resist cute doggie stamps!! Anyway, I totally took my inspiration from this dee-lish-us patterned paper by Three Bugs in a Rug!! It's so sharp and clean!! The card base is black and I used two sides of the patterned paper for the main matting. I punched out the stars from another coordinating piece of pp using a small circle punch and then punched larger circles out of some black sugar coated paper!! I LOVE this stuff! It's a thick cardstock in a 12x12 size and it has sparkly glitter ALL over it!! It also comes in cotton candy pink and sparkling white!! I added some black gingham and pop dotted the doggie image which I coloured in with matching markers, shaded around the white areas and doodled the frame!!

So those are my five creations and I will be teaching them at The Cat's Kaboose on Tuesday, June 19th at 7pm!! The cost is only $15 for all 5 cards!! You must call the store to pre-register for the class and the number is 519-637-6222!! There are a limited number of seats, so call today to avoid disappointment!! Don'tcha wanna take my class????? Heehee!